On Sunday, December 8th, award-winning author and BWC member Sacha Lamb came to Shule to give a talk about their two books to students and BWC/Book Group members. Their debut book, When the Angels Left the Old Country, was published in October of 2022 and follows an angel, Uriel, and a demon, Little Ash, who are Talmud study partners, as they journey to America to find a girl from their shtetl. Along the way, the two discover more about their identities, culture, and each other. This book was read by The BWC Book Group and the Vov Shule class before their recent New York trip. 

Personally, I have spent my whole time at Shule learning about the diaspora of my Jewish ancestors and even did an Ellis Island simulation at one point. So, seeing all of this brought together in When the Angels Left the Old Country was so special and exciting for me. Additionally, watching Ash and Uriel explore their identities and unpack how the world perceived them hit very close to home. Sacha Lamb also very recently came out with their second novel, The Forbidden Book, which is a story about a dybbuk, among other topics such as book censorship and gender. 

There are many questions and explanations that we found interesting, such as the answer to the question “Why does When the Angels Left the Old Country have two different covers?” Sacha Lamb told us that one cover is a combination of silhouettes, which is less suggestive of the content of the book. They said that this creates a situation where youth who may not be able to purchase a book like Angels are still able to because of the subtlety of the cover. On the other hand, the other cover shows the two protagonists, and having that version of the book is a fun alternative to show off what you’re reading. 

Another insightful conversation we had was about Sacha Lamb’s writing process. They talked about how when they write, they focus on the main plot of the book, and parts of their identity and what’s important to them get mixed in. One example Sacha Lamb gave was how they were focusing on the murder mystery of The Forbidden Book and suddenly the story also started to be about book censorship, although that wasn’t the intention. 

Thank you again to Sacha Lamb, the organizers for the event, and everyone who attended the book talk, especially those who came early to help set up!

-Ari Skidmore-Hess (they/them),
TASC Member

Check Out the Recording of Sacha Lamb’s Book Talk