A short and private thing about writing about being Jewish this year

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I met a person on this book tour who said my writing since the 7th has meant a lot to her and she thanked me a few times, slowly and pointedly.

I felt queasy, as if I’d been caught. I turned red and started to sweat. I feel odd accepting this about my writing because so much of it (except this!) feels like a lie (or is it?). When I write about politics, I get to choose my words carefully and see them against a gleaming white screen, and then edit them.