THE GIRL FROM FOREIGN

The title of this book by Sadie Shepard is strange -- and the story is even stranger. The full title is: "THE GIRL FROM FOREIGN: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories and a Sense of Home" by Sadie Shepard.

The author is the daughter of a Muslim woman from Pakistan and a white Christian father. She was brought up in the United States in a traditional religious Muslim atmosphere. When Shepard was in her teens, her grandmother, who lived with them, reveals a long-kept secret.

The grandmother was born into a Jewish family, descendents of a small group of Jews who were shipwrecked two thousand years ago, and ended up in India. Known as "Bene Israel' Jews, they may have been descended from the "lost tribes." The grandmother became a Muslim after marrying a Muslim man.

The story unfolds as the author goes to India and Pakistan to find out more about her roots and to film a documentary. She spends time with previously unknown family members and travels to isolated villages that were once thriving Jewish communities. Very few of the descendents of the "Bene Israel" Jews remain in India. The author's inner struggles dominate the story....is she a Muslim and Christian as she was brought up -- or is she a Jew?

This book is as gripping as a mystery story -- and also presents a fascinating picture of India today.