Golden Threads
Golden Threads by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, published by Ayin Press on February 18, 2025, is a beautifully illustrated tale that explores traditional crafts and communal power. Set in Fès, Morocco in 1920, the story follows Rachelle, a young girl immersed in a vibrant community of Jewish and Muslim artisans. As she navigates her daily life filled with play and family, Rachelle witnesses the delicate art of jewelry making in her parents’ workshop. However, the arrival of a mysterious machine threatens to disrupt the harmony of her neighborhood, prompting Rachelle and her friends to take action.
This book presents a narrative that intertwines themes of activism and social justice, highlighting the importance of community in the face of change. Readers will find an engaging depiction of Rachelle’s world, where the bonds of friendship and family are tested against external challenges. Golden Threads draws on historical events that showcase the collaboration between Jewish and Muslim craftspeople, making it a rich resource for discussions about art, labor, and the impact of technology. With 124 pages, this edition is suitable for both middle grade readers and adults reading aloud, inviting conversations that resonate across generations.
Official synopsis Publisher
A beautifully illustrated tale of traditional crafts and communal power.
Rachelle is a young girl living in Fès, Morocco in 1920. Surrounded by a warm community of friends, family, and craftspeople–both Jewish and Muslim–Rachelle spends her days playing with other young girls in her neighborhood, trying on her grandmother’s amulets, playing jokes on a nosy photographer, and watching her parents as they spin delicate threads made of gold at their jewelry workshop each day. Life in Rachelle’s neighborhood, the mellah, is busy, nourishing, and filled with magic. But rumors of a machine (or is it a monster?) coming from across the sea threaten to change the mellah and the lives of its craftspeople forever. Banding together with her grandmother, her parents, and the other jewelry makers, Rachelle and four of her friends work together to put a stop to the machine’s arrival–but only time will tell if they can save the vibrant world of the mellah and its beautiful golden threads for good.
Golden Threads draws on a series of inspiring historical episodes in Fès, when Jewish and Muslim artisans organized together against the introduction of a new machine that threatened to replace their manual labor and compromise their cherished way of life. A book for both middle grade readers and for adults reading aloud to younger children, Golden Threads will take people of all ages on a journey into the multi-faith world of Morocco’s craftspeople, inspiring generative conversations about art, labor, community, and technology for years to come.
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