NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.

Book Review: Noa's Strength, by Boruch Sirisky

Noa's Strength, published by Mosaica Press and distributed by Feldheim, is an amazing and difficult book.

Noa's Strength is a true story of how a woman, Noa, and her husband, Boruch, dealt with her cancer.

Noa had cancer as a child, and treatment knocked it out. She was healthy for many years, when she married Boruch. After some years of marriage, the cancer came back. The story is how they did everything possible to fight it and survive, and serve Hashem, despite many setbacks and through many treatments.. They survived one after the other, seeing miracles, inspiring others, miraculously having a child and somehow raising him among all the treatments.

The book was written in the months after her death, so the ending is known - Noa died. At some point, the cancer was very aggressive, and no amount of treatment could keep it down.

The book is about more than just her fight against cancer. It is a book about faith, trust in God, and love.

Noa's Strength starts each chapter with a passuk from somewhere in the Torah that is relevant to the events in the chapter. The entire story is imbued with faith, emotion, and strength - strength of their love for each other, of their love for Hashem and strength to do what had to be done.

I called it "difficult" because it was truly a difficult read. There were parts, many parts, that I could not read more than a few pages at a time. The story is sad, while inspiring. It was difficult because at some point the fight becomes so hopeless, yet they are full of hope. A young mother dying. A loving wife dying. A cancer that ravages her body. A horrible disease that ravages humanity - who doesn't have friends or know people in their community fighting against one form or another of cancer - kids, mothers, fathers, young, old. Such a horrible disease. And they had such tremendous faith, despite it all - it seems as if nothing shook them. It is almost not human. At times it made me wonder - how would I react? would I want to keep on fighting? Would I remain so strong in my faith? Would I do everything I could to express my faith? Noa and Boruch did, and the way they did is inspiring - inspiring, but difficult.

The way they touched people, and were touched by people who gave up so much to help them, whether it was finding them places to stay for long periods of time, providing food and comfort, a warm shoulder, caring for their child, for so many years...

I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been for Boruch to write this book. Perhaps it was cathartic. He did a tremendous job writing the story in a way that exudes faith, which was such a big part of their lives, loves and inspiration.

Expect an emotional experience when reading Noa's Strength.

buy Noa's Strength on Feldheim

buy Noa's Strength on Amazon.com



NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.