Mandell, an American-born writer (Writers of the Holocaust), who has lived with her family in Israel since 1996, not only had to deal with the loss of the oldest of her four children, 13-year-old Koby, but also had to cope with the horrific way in which he lost his life. On May 8, 2001, Koby and a friend, Yosef, played hooky from school to hike in a canyon close to their home in Tekoa, a West Bank settlement on disputed land. Koby and Yosef were found bludgeoned to death with stones, an act attributed to Palestinian terrorists. The author writes movingly about her beloved son and brings him to life as an energetic, curious adolescent who loved books and sports. Despite the despair that engulfed her in the first days after Koby's death, the author's strong bond with her husband, Rabbi Seth Mandell, and her deep religious faith allowed her to fully experience the painful process of mourning, deal with the guilt she felt about living in an unsafe place and find an inspiring direction for her life. The text is laced with references to prayer and the Jewish traditions that Mandell relied on to help her understand why God had taken her son. Determined not to let their lives be ruled by hate, the Mandells have established the Koby Mandell Foundation, which sponsors healing retreats for women bereaved by terrorist violence as well as a camp for children whose parents or siblings have been killed by terrorists. Unfortunately, Mandell does not fully address in this moving account the complicated political situation in the Middle East that has led, in part, to the escalating, relentless violence that cost her son his life. (Sept.)
