Vol.41, No. 10
Cheshvan-Kislev 5780
November 2019
An Interview with Mary Morris, Author of this Fall’s “On The
Same Page” Community Read
On Sunday, November 17 at 11
AM, award-winning author Mary
Morris will eome to talk about her
faseinating novel Gateway to the
Moon. We invite everyone in the
eommunity to read this book. All
are welcome to attend this free
program. Light refreshments will
be served.
In anticipation of Morris’s vis
it, CJE program director, Debby
Block spoke with the author. The
following interview was lightly
edited for length and clarity.
Debby Block: Novels about
Sephardic Jews are rare and there
is a paucity of books about Cryp
to-Jews (Hidden Jews). How did
you get the inspiration to write
Gateway to the Moon, which is
about Crypto-Jews through many
generations (1492-1992)?
Mary Morris: Sometimes a
story just grabs you and, as an au
thor, you just cannot walk away
from it. This particular story, I
stumbled upon when I lived in
New Mexico. I don’t want to give
too much away before I come to
Charlotte, but I look forward to
sharing more of the details.
Debby: Some of the most
memorable and shocking parts of
Gateway to the Moon are the por
trayal of Christopher Columbus.
How much research did you have
to do to create such a rich depic
tion of history?
Mary Morris: In order to
imagine what Christopher Co
lumbus was really like as a per
son, I did a lot of background
research. Believe it or not, I even
read all of Columbus’ ship logs.
I was also able to secure a grant
and traveled through Portugal,
Spain, France, and New Mexico
to do extensive research to insure
accuracy for this book.
Debby: This novel is full of a
variety of very diverse characters.
Does an author typically have a
favorite while writing a book? If
so, who is your favorite character
in Gateway to the Moon and why?
Mary Morris: Yes, it is com
mon for a novelist to have a favor
ite character, one who — as many
publishers say - “has legs.” From
his love of the stars to his evolu
tion as a human being, Miguel is
definitely my favorite character
in Gateway to the Moon. I love
to be surprised by my characters.
Flannery O’Connor wrote that
“if there are no surprises for the
writer, how can there be any for
the reader?” I didn’t know what
was going to happen to Rachel
Rothstein. Elena also surprised
me. Some characters come to life
and evolve as the book is being
written.
Debby: What would you like
the readers to come away with af
ter reading Gateway to the Moonl
Mary Morris: I have thought
about that a lot. I would like read
ers to understand that the story
of America is not all about the
pilgrims. There are many other
narratives to embrace as our own,
as well.
Debby: What are some of
your favorite things to do, when
you are not writing?
Mary Morris: I love to paint
with watercolors. I truly enjoy
swimming. I have three dogs and
a parrot and, of course, I love to
travel.
Mary Morris is a tenured writ
ing professor at Sarah Lawrence
College. Morris is the author of
the award-winning The Jazz Pal
ace. Bom in Chicago, Morris cur-
GA^pWAY
TO THE
MOON
MARY
MORRIS
rently resides in Brooklyn.
Books are currently for sale
in the Levine-Sklut Judaic Li
brary.
Jewish
Book
Council
JCRC Fall Lecture: Transforming Enemies into Partners: Creating
Peace through Dialogue
November 14, 7 PM in the Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts
How do Palestinians and Israe
lis move beyond the cycle of vio
lence that engulfs them?
Hanan Schlesinger, an Ortho
dox rabbi and passionate Zionist
settler, and Palestinian Shadi Abu
Awwad, the architect and coordi
nator of the Roots youth move
ment, share their personal stories
and how they are working togeth-
At the summer camp run by Roots, Israeli and Palestinian
children refuse to be enemies.
Shadu Abu Awwad and Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger
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er to build a better future for their
people through Roots.
Roots is a Palestinian-Israe-
li grassroots initiative fostering
understanding, non-violence,
and transformation. This orga
nization facilitates unmediated
get-togethers and deep conver
sations between Palestinians and
Israelis living in the West Bank.
Our speakers come with no peace
plans in place, but with a strong
conviction that human under
standing and trust are the prereq
uisites for lasting justice, freedom
and peace on the tiny sliver of
land they both call home
The event is free, but RSVP
is requested, www.jewishchar-
lotte.org.
Jewish
Community
Relations
Council