“It takes creativity, imagination, and originality — not to mention skill — to fashion a story set in between the lines of the Bible’s story.  Maggie Anton possesses all of these and has produced an inviting tale.  It is her own modern midrash, a story within a story, and it is a charming one.”

— Richard Elliott Friedman, is the Professor of Jewish Studies Emeritus at University of Georgia, and Professor of Jewish Civilization Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego. Author of eight books, including Who Wrote the Bible? and The Exodus: How It Happened and Why It Matters.


“A fascinating fictional account of the journey from Egypt to the promised land from the perspective of two Egyptian midwives descended from those depicted in the first chapter of Exodus. Anton envisions vividly the daily life, crafts, and skills required for survival in the wilderness.”

—Rabbi Rachel Adler, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Modern Jewish Thought and Judaism and Gender at the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. She is the author of Engendering Judaism, the first book by a female theologian to win a National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought.


“Leave it to the masterful Maggie Anton to make the past come alive. Through her eyes, the old and familiar become challenging, offering us new and deeper insights in what it means to be human. I am particularly grateful that she helps me learn my humanity from some of the great (and some the overlooked) women who have made today possible. This book is a gem!”

—Dr. Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Vice President, American Jewish University, Dean and Professor of Philosophy, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Los Angeles CA


“This is an insightful and imaginative novel that tells the story of the Exodus from a perspective that I have never encountered before: two Egyptian midwifes who accompany the Israelites on the journey.  There is a wealth of detail about everyday problems not discussed in the biblical narrative.  Read it and you will never think about the Exodus the same way again.”

— Kenneth Seeskin, Professor Emeritus of Jewish Civilization, Northwestern Univ, Evanston, Illinois.


“Maggie Anton has done it again. The Midwives’ Escape is a page turner that retells the Exodus from Egypt and the desert wanderings through the eyes of women. In an unexpected twist, the two main characters are part of the mixed multitude who leave along with the Israelites. Weaving biblical, later Jewish, and archaeological sources together, this narrative surprises and delights at every turn.​”

— Kristine Henriksen Garroway, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, CA 


“An entertaining and engrossing novel portraying the Exodus from Egypt, wandering in the wilderness of Sinai, and entry into the land of Israel! The story is told through an unusual viewpoint now —  two women, mother and daughter, both midwives and members of the non-Israelite mixed multitude who join with the Israelites as they escape from Egypt. The author, Maggie Anton, weaves together the biblical story with traditional interpretation and contemporary insight and sensitivity. Readers will be eager for the next book in the series.”

— Prof. Rabbi Pamela Barmash is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Biblical Hebrew at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard, a B.A. from Yale, and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary.


“An imaginative first-person account of the Exodus and the Wilderness wandering, reflecting familiarity with the biblical narrative.”

— David J. Zucker, Biblical scholar and author of The Bible’s WRITINGS: An Introduction for Christians and Jews and The Matriarchs of Genesis. Dr. Rabbi David J. Zucker holds a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham (UK), and Ordination and an M.A.H.L. from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.


“The biblical story of the Exodus, Wilderness wandering, and the Conquest of Canaan leave a great deal to the imagination. Maggie Anton has helped to fill in some of these narrative gaps with her fictionalized rendition of this epic story. Particularly helpful is her use of female characters to humanize the events, the struggles, the doubts, and the triumphs of the ‘mixed multitude’ that left Egypt for a new life.”

— Dr. Victor H. Matthews, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Missouri State Univ. author of “Manners and Customs in the Bible”, Hendricks and Sons Pub, Peabody MA.


This imaginative retelling of the Exodus story weaves the fabric of women’s lives—as well as the lives of those from other traditions who joined the Hebrews on their quest—into the foundational narrative of our people. In The Midwives’ Escape, readers can see a fuller and more inclusive picture of what might have happened during those times.

— Rabbi Beth Lieberman, Literary Editor and Revising Translator of The JPS Tanakh (2023).