NEWS AND REVIEWS

Books Stolen Words by Mark Glickman Praise from Kirkus Reviews: “Glickman has produced a provocative history that preserves this important yet often overlooked aspect of the Holocaust, and readers will come away with a valuable perspective on how the written word can be abused for the sake of cultural genocide.”  “The text is approachable and the material is invaluable. The written word prevails.” Return to Zion by Eric Gartman Recommendation from Library Journal: “It can often be difficult to understand how precarious Jewish life was in a world without a Jewish state. Focusing on the strong personalities involved in Israel’s … Continue reading NEWS AND REVIEWS

NEWS AND REVIEWS

Books Falafel Nation by Yael Raviv Praise from the Jewish Book Council: “. . . a detailed, meticulously researched, academic assessment of the ways in which Zionist political goals, local demographics and economics, Labor Zionism’s emphasis on the revival of Jewish agriculture on biblical soil, and more all combined to create modern Israeli identity on both national and individual levels . . . a thought-provoking read for someone interested in a detailed, intellectual exploration of the origins of Israeli identity from a new perspective.” So, How Long Have You Been Native? by Alexis C. Bunten Recommendation from Alaska Dispatch News: “Bunten wanders over … Continue reading NEWS AND REVIEWS

NEWS AND REVIEWS

Books Falafel Nation By Yael Raviv Applause from the Kirkus Reviews: “What’s in a falafel? By the lights of food-studies and nutrition adjunct professor Raviv, it’s not just chickpeas and pita bread, but also identity . . . The author is particularly good on pressing the point that such cuisines are seldom fixed but instead constantly adapt as new groups enter and as time changes.” The Heart of the Matter By Arthur Green Recommendation from CHOICE: “The why rather than the how of practicing Judaism is the central focus that draws together this collection of literary essays . . . Green engages with the intricacies of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, classical … Continue reading NEWS AND REVIEWS

NEWS AND REVIEWS

Books Walk of Ages by Jim Reisler Review from the Sports Literature Association: “Jim Reisler, author of eight baseball books, which explains the many analogies the author makes to the boys of summer, brings this fascinating character to life on the pages of Walk of Ages. . . Reisler described Weston as an everyman, a rock star and a happening all rolled into one incredible human being.”     Busy in the Cause by Lowell J. Soike From Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains Vol 38 No 1: “Soike’s portraits of the remarkable young men who followed Brown . . … Continue reading NEWS AND REVIEWS

Off the Shelf: What They Saved by Nancy K. Miller

Read the beginning of Chapter 1, "The Heiress", from What They Saved: Pieces of a Jewish Past by Nancy K. Miller: "When my father died, I became a middle-aged Jewish orphan. It’s not that I wasn’t already Jewish, of course, or that I set out to say Kaddish for him—I had no idea how to do that, even if it had been a daughter’s place. But now that the last keeper of my Jewish past was dead and I was free to put it behind me, I started worrying about the future of my Jewish self. As I began to … Continue reading Off the Shelf: What They Saved by Nancy K. Miller