About the Author: “Cambria Gordon is the author of The Poetry of Secrets, which Ruta Sepetys called an ‘epic, poetic journey,’ and coauthor of the award-winning The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, winner of the National Green Earth Book Award. Cambria has written for Los Angeles Times Magazine, Boys’ Life, Parent Guide News, and The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. She lives in LA with her husband and youngest son, and as close as possible to her two adult children, without annoying them” (Bio from Bookshop.org).
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Certain sentiments reflected in this interview are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Pine Reads Review as a whole.
Cambria Gordon: I love writing about plucky, young women who find themselves in challenging situations. My editor at Scholastic had asked me to think about a story set during WWII, as young readers seem to gravitate toward that time period. Instead of a story set in Europe, which is more common, I thought: what about a story set on the American home front? I asked myself, what was it like for young women after the invasion of Pearl Harbor, who wanted to do something to help their country, but were living far away from the action? I started researching about the WAACS, the women’s army auxiliary corps, and came across a little-known story about some female mathematicians in Philadelphia working in secret. I loved the idea of women brainiacs who never got the credit they deserve. Then I created a character with a challenge – someone with a gift for math but who has to keep that talent hidden because of a tragedy that happened in her family when she was a little girl.
CG: Well, you found me out! I am drawn to events in Jewish history. My next book is set in the 1890’s in France, during a period of time known as The Dreyfus Affair, when a Jewish military officer was wrongly accused of treason and sent to prison for five years.
CG: Because I write historical fiction, I am drawn to the setting first. That’s where the richness comes from. When I have an idea, I first check to see other books that are set in that same time period and try and figure out a different take. For The Poetry of Secrets, I thought about a Romeo and Juliet idea of forbidden love between a Jewish girl under suspicion from the Inquisition and a Christian boy. Then I set to work creating Isabel, a would-be poetess trapped within the confines of the rules of her society. For Trajectory, the setting in Philadelphia came first, but Eleanor’s voice quickly took hold in my head. When I realized she could be so valuable to the US Army, I had her move to Muroc Air Force Base in California, and then onto Pearl Harbor, and finally, into the skies over the South Pacific. So some setting came later because of who she was as a math genius.
CG: What a fun question! I suggest going to Toledo first. It’s a 30-minute train ride outside of Madrid. The medieval town is preserved perfectly. Visit the El Tránsito Synagogue where you can see the Moorish architecture of the original temple (it was originally an annex to the home of Samuel ha-Levi Abulafia, treasurer to the King of Spain) and how it was turned into a church after the Jews were expelled from the country. There is a wonderful Sephardic museum upstairs that shows the history of the Spanish Jews. Next, take a short train ride from Barcelona to the walled medieval city of Girona. There you can find a mikveh with water in it! Also, the restaurant voted the best in the world, El Cellar de Can Roca, is in Girona. Lastly, take a three-hour drive west of Madrid toward Portugal and stop in some of the charming villages of the Extremadura region. Hervas, Cáceres, Plasencia and Trujillo were all inspirations for my book. After you wander and explore some of the old Jewish quarters and have a drink and tapa on the plaza, there is a lovely national park called Monfragüe where you can see nature’s beauty. Stay in any of the Paradors, a chain of reasonably-priced hotels located in historical buildings.
CG: I am definitely a research geek. I love going down rabbit holes and finding out obscure details of the time period I’m working on. For Eleanor, researching her math skills was a challenge for me. I needed to write the book so readers would understand how her mind worked and why she was a genius, but also make the math accessible enough so people would want to turn the page! I only went as far as Algebra II/Trigonometry in high school. I never took Calculus, nor do I remember much about math in general. I’m a writer after all – very right brain. So, through the math teacher at my son’s high school, I found a fabulous PhD candidate at UCLA (her name is Gurleen) studying physics and math. I knew I wanted Eleanor to be able to troubleshoot the Norden bombsight so I asked Gurleen questions and we kind of back-ended the answers. She gave me the formulas and logic that made my plot plausible. Of course, the hardest part was writing it in layman’s terms. I had to grasp it before I could write about it. I felt like I was back in school! Even when we recorded the audio version of the book, I asked Gurleen to give me voice memos so the actress reading the book would know how to say the equations correctly.
CG: You’re right that there is a dearth of good YA Sephardic stories. I just spoke to the Association of Jewish Libraries about this very topic! When I wrote The Poetry of Secrets, I used mainly adult fiction for research. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes, The Mapmaker’s Daughter, and The Last Jew, were just a few of the terrific books I read in preparation for mine. There is a lovely book for younger middle-grade readers that just came out called Across So Many Seas. And I just finished One Hundred Saturdays which is a wonderful non-fiction book about the Sephardic Jews of Greece during WWII. I’m hoping that after reading The Poetry of Secrets, people will be curious to find out more about this vibrant culture. For instance, Mexico City has a fascinating and upsetting history of the Inquisition continuing there until the mid 1800’s. Also, there are remnants of hidden Jewish traditions being discovered today in Christian communities in New Mexico, Texas, as well as other Latin American countries. Sephardic Jews have amazing food, too! Just look at all our cookbooks out on the market. There is even a ucLADINO department where students can study the language of Ladino, the Spanish/Hebrew mix that developed after the expulsion in 1492.
I guess the main take away I’d like readers to think about is how many types of Jews there are in the world. Many Sephardim who made their way from Spain to Morocco, Greece and Turkey are Jews of color. It’s a fascinating and rich history that will continue to be passed down through our children.
CG: Eleanor is definitely a reflection of me. When I think of dark times in history, I always like to ask myself: What would I do in this situation? Yes, I have a 21st century sensibility of racism and what’s fair, but I would hope that I’d still feel that same way had I grown up in the 1940’s. Eleanor is angry at what she sees as unfair treatment of Blacks, Japanese as well as the Jews. She sees similarities in how those minorities aren’t allowed to be free, whether it’s on the streets of Philadelphia, the internment camps in the west, or the ghettos of Poland. Eleanor’s family shares her same values. Her mother works for Jewish causes and her father doesn’t approve of how certain suburban neighborhoods in Philadelphia aren’t open to Black families. When Eleanor is confronted by some of the racist math girls living in the empty Frat house on University of Pennsylvania’s campus, she is forced to grow up, to think for herself and express her opinions. And of course, the surprising sexism she encounters in the army is another opportunity for her to fight back.
CG: I don’t see this as a Jewish story. I see this as a story of female empowerment. I hope readers see that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, that one person who doesn’t think her life matters can make a world of difference, that holding shame inside you is never a good thing. I also hope readers learn a little something about the secret math girls who helped lead the Allies to victory!
CG: It’s definitely a tough time right now for Jewish creatives. My husband has encountered this in Hollywood writer’s rooms, where supposedly, “Jews control the industry.” It couldn’t be farther from the truth. Jews are actively being left out of the room. Similarly, in the book world, there is a desire for publishers to promote other voices, as if the Jews have had their turn already. But I say, we need these stories now more than ever! It’s precisely the anti-Israel hate and Jew-hate on college campuses that needs to be countered by stories about every-day Jewish characters as well as Jewish history. My advice is don’t be silenced, don’t be afraid. Be loud and proud and if your story is well-told, it will find a home.
CG: I actually have an idea for a new young adult novel that is multi-generational, starting during WWII and ending after the massacre of October 7th. It’s definitely a risky endeavor, to wade into this territory. There is no easy answer and the war in Gaza has left so many Jews feeling alienated in the world and the lack of a hostage deal has made us angry at the Israeli government. But I believe there is a connection between anti-Semitism and the criticism of Israel as an autonomous country. Anti-Semitism began thousands of years ago when Jews spread out over the world and became the diaspora. The need for a safe, Jewish homeland has never been more crucial. I want to explore this connection, for sure.
Abby Ballas, Pine Reads Review Writer & Editor