Yes, it’s still Jewish Book Month, friends, and the Arizona Literary Contest has chosen a Jewish-themed story for first place in its as-yet-unpublished novel category: Beginning a few months after Spain’s edict that expelled all the Jews, The Blind Eye weaves the tale of conversos in 15th century Portugal with a modern-day Cuban-American women in search of her identity.

Author Marcia Fine explores the dark history of the Spanish Inquisition and the miracle of Jewish survival while creating unforgettably courageous female characters in her fourth book. Her previous novel, Paper Children, chronicled three generations of Jewish women in the context of the Holocaust and a new life in America. The publication date for The Blind Eye has not yet been determined, though this distinguished award will likely motivate its widespread availability. I’ll keep y’all posted.