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Dena (Drizin)Schusterman

@denads

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Me, Wife, Momma to 8, & Babi to👦🏼👦🏼👶👶
Lamplighter~Writer~Thinker
A🚧 in progress. Capturing the little stuff while processing the big stuff ☕️

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Just read “Stories Carry” by Dena Schusterman. Wow. What a powerful memoir about how experiences and stories, spanning generations, from all over the world can help shape and guide us to be better people and towards a better future.

“Stories Carry” will be released on September 1st, 2026!

cc: @merceruniversitypress

#ATLReads #BookTok #DenaSchusterman #StoriesCarry #Memoir taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @denads

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IT’S HAPPENING!!!

THE COVER IS HERE!!! 😍😍😍

I have dreamed about this day for so long that it doesn’t quite feel real.

Stories Carry
Pub date: September 1, 2026

A book that began as an attempt to preserve my parents’ stories somehow became the story of my own search for faith, belonging, family, and home.

My heart is overflowing.

Shehechiyanu v’kiyimanu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

Thank You, Hashem.

Comment LINK and I’ll send you the preorder link.

And if you’re excited with me, please share this post far and wide. Help me get these stories out into the world! ❤️

TYH!!! #storiescarry #BookCoverReveal #JewishMemoir #MercerUniversityPress by @denads

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4 months ago

Are you on NetGalley? Or have you been meaning to join?

My book, Stories Carry, is now available on NetGalley, which means you can read it right now before publication.

The only thing I ask in return is that you leave an honest review.

It’s open to everyone. If you’re already a NetGalley member, simply sign in and request the book. If you’re new to NetGalley, you’ll need to create a free account and then request it.

Do you know a book reviewer, bookstagrammer, librarian, bookseller, or avid reader who loves discovering new books? Tag them below or share this post with them!

Comment “LINK” and I’ll send you the NetGalley link.

#StoriesCarry #NetGalley #BookReviewers #Bookstagram #Memoir AdvancedReaderCopy ReadAndReview by @denads

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4 months ago

Thank you @getredprbooks for sending me a copy of Stories Carry by Dena Schusterman. This memoir is about the author's life growing up as a Chabad emissary in Berkeley, CA and her current position in Atlanta, GA with her husband and 8 kids. The book is ultimately about she and her husband being fired from their official position and their choice about whether to fight for their job back, but it also includes stories from throughout the author’s life.

I liked reading about the author’s personal history, including that of her grandparents and the generations that held onto religion over time. I think she did a good job of explaining various religious customs and showing how Chabad is able to interact with all types of Jewish people. I would have liked to be able to better understand the devout following of a leader, as it is explained that the Rebbe is deeply admired, but I still did not truly understand that admiration.

Do you have family stories that are passed along through the generations? by @denads

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I heard @denads on the @chaviebruk podcast and immediately pre-ordered the book.

Well, it just arrived and I’m looking forward to reading it.

#books #goodreads #shabbos #memoirs by @denads

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22 days ago

This Yom Kippur, BE in your discomfort. It’s a valuable practice, nay, a gift from Hashem. 💝 by @denads

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22 days ago

Book Party for Stories Carry! My 51st birthday.
It was surreal and at the same time I felt such calm, the word in Hebrew is Hishtaavut/equanimity. It’s a good feeling 💓
huge thank you to @chabadintown @fulanko @mandsr for all the decor, food and setup! @merceruniversitypress publisher @getredprbooks publicist by @denads

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25 days ago

So many people have been leaving me messages and giving me feedback about how much they love my memoir, Stories Carry, because of XYZ—which is something very personal to them.

“But who did you write the book for?”

YOU, obviously.

I can’t think of a bigger compliment than everyone feeling like the book speaks directly to them.

Dear reader, don’t fret about this. I’m kvelling from it.

When I started this process, someone gave me the advice that the more specific you are, the more universal your book will be.

Perhaps I achieved that goal…

And now, back to Erev Rosh Hashana.

Show up. See yourself as the main attraction, you get to write your story.

Hashem loves you and wants the best year for you and your family. Keep that in mind, and step into the new year with that energy. It serves us all, because it ripples. L’shanah Tova 😘 #memoirs #writersofinstagram #writer #roshhashana by @denads

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It’s not hoarding of it’s a collection, amiright? ✌️#writersofinstagram #writers #writersblock #memoir by @denads

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Stories Carry is a memoir about faith, belonging, family, and the stories we inherit. Schusterman grew up in 1970s Berkeley, California, as the daughter of Chabad emissaries and later became a Chabad emissary herself in Atlanta, where she is a mother of eight. The memoir weaves together her parents’ journey with her own, exploring what it means to live between Hasidic tradition and the modern world.

The book looks honestly at the beauty and challenges of faith, the desire to belong, and the tension between following tradition and developing an identity of your own. It also offers an intimate look inside the Chabad/Hasidic community while asking a larger, universal question: How do the stories passed down through our families shape who we become?

This book is for you if you’re interested in Jewish identity, family legacy, faith, motherhood, and the complicated ways our parents’ stories become part of our own.

@getredprbooks
@getredpr
@denads

#jewishvoices #Jewishbooks #jewishrep #JewishBookstagram by @denads

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Elul, the month leading us toward the High Holidays, is an acronym for Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li— I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.
Before we crown Hashem as King, we are taught to remember that He is first our Beloved.
And maybe all He asks is for a whisper of affection, which He answers with a deluge of love. Because big moments of inspiration rarely endure. It’s the tiny movements (like my tongue-in-cheek, accurate example above) that train our brains to turn toward our souls. ❤️‍🔥 by @denads

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What are you’re thoughts on this? Do you have questions? Do you want to hear more?

Perfect tune into the episode to hear the rest of the conversation!

In general to change the world or to change anything for that matter only happens when there is discomfort, from you, the people around you or preferably both :)

Just saying :) by @denads

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