* multi-generation love story set in Seville on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition * historical thriller explores the themes of 15th c. Catholic hatred and persecution of Jews that reverberated through history for centuries until adopted by Adolf Hitler * recommended reading in Rick Steves' Spain 2007 ... one of 3 books recommended ... the others were "Don Quixote" and Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" * for Jews living in Seville when crusading Dominican priests swept through the city, the choice was clear: accept baptism, or die! * an extraordinary view of the young Queen Isabel struggling with momentous decisions affecting her country and her religion, both of which she loved* shows the impact of the Gutenberg revolution, including fascinating detail of the construction and use of the very earliest printing presses* historian Jane Gerber: the best novel I have encountered using Sephardic history as the backdrop ... recreates the tragedy and drama of Jewish and converso life in 15th century Spain ... historical personalities take on a life of their own that conforms to the fragments of personal data we possess about themHIGH PRAISE FROM ELIE WIESEL, ALAN DERSHOWITZ and FAYE KELLERMAN* Elie Wiesel: The Heretic is deeply absorbing - but also helps Jews and Christians better understand their complex and often painful relationship."* Alan Dershowitz: "The historical novel that is both true to the past and relevant to the present is rare indeed."* Faye Kellerman: "a sweeping tale of love, honor, justice, religion and morality, meticulously researched and wonderfully exciting" PRAISED BY MANY CATHOLIC LEADERS* John Cardinal O'Connor: "The Spanish Inquisition of which you write was just one tragic event out of many in the Jewish-Catholic encounter ... Our future encounter will only be positive if we can be honest with each other and build trust between each other."* Bishop John Snyder: "brings home to us the reality of our sinfulness and the discrimination and violence that is part of our story" * Bishop Kendrick Williams: "very moving; it truly allows us a glimpse into the emotions of the Jewish experience." * Dr. Eugene Fisher: "may help redress that serious imbalance in historical memory between our two ancient peoples." * Monsignor Tom Hartman: "I felt the emotion. I kept wishing it would turn out differently, but of course I knew it wouldn't. Unfortunately, the book is historically accurate. The Church has treated Jews horribly over the years, and we were wrong.."PRAISED BY MANY JEWISH LEADERS AND PUBLICATIONS * Shoshana Cardin (JTA): "a compelling and gripping depiction of the hatred wreaked by religious fanaticism in 15th century Spain. The lives, loves and tragedies of the characters, fictional and historical, come alive, inviting the reader to see, feel and share their emotions."* Hadassah Magazine: "as much as The Heretic is a story of horror and destruction, it contains, as all Jewish stories must, the kernel of perpetual hope and rebirth."* New York Jewish Week: "a stirring novel with much to say about family, faith and Jewish identity."* The Jerusalem Post: History and fictional characters are closely woven together ... an exciting, interesting and very readable epic."* David A. Harris (CEO of The American Jewish Committee): "This book should come with a warning label: don't start reading it unless you're prepared to put everything else aside until you finish ... powerful, riveting, and inspiring. It should be a must read Catholics and Jews."
Lew Weinstein became an author after a successful management career during which he was CEO of public, private and not-for-profit organizations, and was also a candidate for US Congress. In addition to THE HERETIC, Lew has published 3 other novels: THE POPE'S CONSPIRACY, a sequel to THE HERETIC set in Florence; A GOOD CONVICTION, the story of a young man convicted of a murder he didn't commit by a prosecutor who knew he was innocent; and CASE CLOSED, the story of what really happened in the 2001 anthrax attacks, which is far different from what the FBI asserts. Lew was born in Camden, NJ, educated at Princeton and Harvard, and currently lives in Key West with his wife Pat Lenny. He has spoken about his novels at numerous Jewish book fairs and synagogues, and most recently presented a very well received description of how he records, organizes and uses the extensive historical research which is critical to his novels. Lew's next novel, tentatively title A FLOOD OF EVIL, shows two young people, a German boy and a Polish girl, as they fall in love while at the same time committing their lives to attempts to stop the rise of Adolf Hitler. This is a fascinating look, from inside the Nazi structure, at those German and Church leaders who could have stopped Hitler before he gained power.
