# Blood Secret

Blood Secret is a young adult novel by Kathryn Lasky.

## Plot summary

Fourteen-year-old Jerry Luna refuses to speak after her mother's disappearance. Living at her great-great-aunt Constanza's house, she discovers a trunk and is transported into the lives of her Jewish ancestors living in Spain in the years before the Spanish Inquisition and later in Spanish America.

## Themes

Author Kathryn Lasky chose to relate this novel as a series of historical episodes to demonstrate the Inquisition’s crushing effects on an entire people over a 500-year period. The theme of generational trauma is central in Blood Secret, portraying how the pain and suffering of past generations can reverberate through family lines, shaping identities and relationships in ways that often go unspoken. "The lace felt like it could crumble in her hands, just like the stories of the women who had woven it." In the story, protagonist Jerry's discovery of her ancestors’ lives reveals layers of trauma rooted in the history of her family’s exile, persecution, and survival. Her family’s past contains painful episodes linked to the Spanish Inquisition, during which her Jewish ancestors faced displacement, hiding, and violence, with these traumas seeping into the family’s collective consciousness. The novel also reflects themes of ancestral connection and awakening to generational trauma , as Jerry’s journey reveals the impact of her family’s hidden history on her identity. "It was as if the voices of the past were calling her back to life, weaving her own story into theirs, and she felt something deep inside her begin to stir, like waking from a long sleep." Hearing stories from the past allows her to bridge the gap between her present life and her ancestors’ experiences, transforming her understanding of who she is. The past becomes more than just distant memories; it’s a living force shaping Jerry’s sense of self and purpose. By uncovering her family’s trauma, she begins a process of self-discovery and healing, realizing that her own story is woven into the lives of those who came before her. This awakening underscores how confronting generational trauma can lead to a deeper understanding and connection with family. As Jerry travels through different eras, she encounters a series of historical injustices that her family endured: forced conversions, betrayals by friends and neighbors, and the fear and secrecy imposed on each generation as they struggled to hide their heritage to survive. "It was as if every generation had lived the same sorrow." these journeys, Blood Secret suggests that trauma—especially when hidden or suppressed—doesn’t simply disappear; instead, it transforms, often manifesting as fears, tendencies, and values that unconsciously shape the lives of those who inherit it.

## Reception

Kirkus Reviews discussed how "Lasky tries to weave [Blood Secret] into a tale of Catholic, Jewish, Aztec, and Navajo strands, where Jerry learns her full name and all of its meaning." They concluded, "Though it often reads like a lesson in this aspect of Jewish history, rather than a true historical time-travel, there will be readers eager to delve into the secrets of blood and shadows."
Booklist also reviewed the novel.