Jewish Book Club discussion
Literary Chat & Other Book Stuff
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WHAT ARE YOU READING? A place for remarks, recommendations or reviews
Have just finished another Lavie Tidhar book, Adama which is mainly set in Israel.Reading My Israeli Journey by Shaul Mofaz as I received a review copy. Also The Emperor of Lies which is about the Lodz Ghetto.
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Reading My Israeli Journey by Shaul Mofaz as I received a review copy. Also [book..."
Those look like some challenging books, Kerry! How are you finding them? I'll look for your review on the first one.
I finished the The Fixer. I had wanted to read for years but hadn’t because I mixed it up with a different book. I believe that Malamud is grossly underrated as a writer compared to Roth and Bellow; this is the second book of his that I’ve read in the last few months and I’m enamored with the writing. Why I read- my lifetime Pulitzer project. I’ve “fallen behind” and want to get through 12 fiction and nonfiction books this year and make that my goal moving forward. Anyway in light of what is going on in the world today, I flinched. It got me so aggravated how ignorant these people are and how patterns repeat themselves. I am also thankful that both sides of my family got out of Russia before the revolution allowing me to be here to tell the tale. If you have not read yet, do so.
Jan wrote: "Kerry wrote: "Have just finished another Lavie Tidhar book, Adama which is mainly set in Israel.Reading My Israeli Journey by Shaul Mofaz as I received a review co..."
The Mofaz memoir is highly readable, I'm up to his army service and rise in the ranks. He led soldiers on an unsuccessful raid inside Syria during the Yom Kippur War, Operation Davidka and later he was Yoni Netanyahu's deputy and participated in the Entebbe Raid.
I attended a talk by Steve Sem-Sandberg some years ago and I've always meant to read his books. I haven't made much progress as yet but feel that it will be an engrossing read. Just noticed that he'll be back at Auckland's Writers Festival this year so I might have to go see him again.
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Thanks, Kerry. 👍
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I've read The Assistant. Liked it a lot. But I also have never gotten to The Fixer. Maybe saw a movie based on it but didn't really understand. Yes, he got the short end of the deal compared to Bellow & Roth!.
...Now I can go look for your revew!
Fixed review, here it ishttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Still seething about it and reading light reading next.
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"One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe" by Dara Horn
Just read the most fabulous chapter book for 4-7 year-olds! I cannot RAVE about this book enough!!! It's hysterical! The Jewish joy and pride is so beautiful and just what we need. This is book one of three in the series so far and I'm praying that there will be many, many more! I'll be purchasing numerous copies and giving them as gifts as well as putting them in Little Free Libraries. The Truth About the Tooth Fairy It also received a starred review from School Library Journal.
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It is a much-needed book on what the ideology of settler colonialism is. And at 160 pages it's NOT a tome.
The book received a "cancellation"-style hatchet job from Kirkus. The reviewer praised the author's support for his arguments, then stated his lack of discussion of the war in Gaza fatally weakened it. But the book is not a history or journalistic account of current events; it's an analysis of settler colonialism, the ideology, and its usage.
It didn't get reviewed in any major outlets. I thought that was why my library didn't get it, but when I asked, they stated weren't responding to Kirkus but had overlooked it. They went ahead and purchased it at my request, and so I have a library copy to read!
Currently about 1/3 the way through Officer and a Spy, historical fiction about the Dreyfus Affair. I believe either Stacey or Jan recommended it and it is fantastic. Really enjoying it.--Laurie
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--Laurie"
I've read that one. Don't remember whether I recommended before, but agree, it's a good one.
Very polarized situation in France at that time, right?
Jan wrote: "Very polarized situation in France at that time, right?"As a baseline, yes. Interesting to read how the stereotypes are described and how Harris works in the enmity between France and Prussia following the Franco-Prussian war, and how that affected people's attitudes as well.
Also the fact that France was pursuing relations with Tsarist Russia as a counter to Prussian strength. He hasn't mentioned it but Protocols of the Elders of Zion was partially based on a bit of French political satire that had nothing to do with the Jews. I don't know if he'll even bring up the Protocols- but in any case French hopes for the Russians pretty much ended in 1917....
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Yes.
If you're interested, LA, maybe the latest on the Protocols is from Steven J. Zipperstein's Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History. I learned a lot from it; thought he supported his case well and made other info seem out of date. Nonfiction, from 2018.
It may have been Stacey's recommendation, but I just finished listening to, "Songs for the Brokenhearted," by Ayelet Tsabari. I found it to be so moving and captivating, and I have recommended it to many others.
Thank you Emilie. I got that the week I had the flu and couldn’t get into it. I think I will wait and try again during the 9 days in the summer when I attempt to only read Jewish books.
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Hi Emilie,
Ah... yes, it was me. :) Im glad to hear how you felt. I met the author two weeks ago and found her to be quite compassionate and kind. You could tell immediately after two minutes that she penned this book. Deserving of her award as well.
For people who don’t read The New Yorker regularly, in this week’s issue there is a very long. very moving story by the Latvian born Canadian author-David Bezmozgis. Perhaps this is one of the first works of fiction which deals with the very currently relevant story of student encampments on university campuses, No spoilers,this story deals with a student who is the grand-daughter of a Holocaust survivor. There is a lot to think about in this story-Bezmozgis balances a lot of balls at the same time.Definitely worth checking out and obviously printed in time for Passover. I can imagine discussions over Seder dinners where families discuss this story. It’s quite complex.
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I saw that article Alan.
Thank you for posting the info. here.
Going back to a post above-I think Malamud has been neglected because he didn’t write as much as Bellow and Roth,but who knows. I read The Fixer many years ago and I would like to read it again,but I remember it being a very painful read. The violence and the misery is deliberately so monotonous and consistently horrifying that I think I found it difficult to finish.
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Alan,
I like the description above you wrote regarding The Fixer.
I also read that years ago although I cant remember much about it, nor the rating I gave it if I included it. Perhaps reading the synopsis again will do the trick for me :)
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Stacey B wrote: "Alan wrote: "Going back to a post above-I think Malamud has been neglected because he didn’t write as much as Bellow and Roth,but who knows. I read The Fixer many years ago and I would ..."
Stacey B wrote: "Alan wrote: "Going back to a post above-I think Malamud has been neglected because he didn’t write as much as Bellow and Roth,but who knows. I read The Fixer many years ago and I would ..."
Alan,
Ok, I checked and now I remember. I didnt finish it either. Too rough for me . But if you are so inclined to give it a second go, I will buddy read it with you at a time of your choice. The climate is certainly ripe re antisemitism as a theme, but the horror, for me, brings back the bitterness of the past and present.
I read it recently. It was tough to get through.
When I was reading it I didn’t know it was based on a true story. I bumped into a wonderful professor of mine at the time and when I told him about it he said,yes that is about the —-trial. Other books have covered a similar story of horror and its repetitive mundaness. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is similar,as is Hunger by Knut Hamsun-about an artist who is literally starving himself to death,and another Yiddish novel-I can’t remember the title right now-the entire book is about a man contemplating the idea of killing himself. There’re all very difficult to read which I guess is the point.
I read it a long time ago but The Last of the Just was another relentless book. Very hard to stick with.
Mentioning this again-if you haven’t already read it try and pick up Roth’s The Plot Against America. Roth really hit the nail on the head back then,should be required reading for everyone today.
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Roth’s The Plot Against America. Roth really hit the nail on the head back then,should be required reading for every..."
Yes he did Alan, very much so. I read that a while ago.
Thanks to Alan I read the story by David Bezmozgis in the New Yorker. As a Russian Jew I recognize myself in a lot of what is written. It’s a lot to unpack. My daughters are reading it now. Thank you for recommending. Good Yom Tov!
I hope everyone enjoyed their Passover festival. Stay tuned for a poll and eblast tomorrow and please keep checking in here in the group with all of your book recs and other related posts. I personally look forward to being back full swing here and in GR overall.
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I have just finished reading Prison Minyan by Jonathan Stone. It is a fictional story based on the real event of Michael Cohen being sent to Otisville Prison in New York – one of the Federal prisons where there is a large Jewish population of white-collar criminals. In the book he is only mentioned by name in the introduction. In the story he is called by a nickname, though the description of him is quite clear. There is a little talk of Torah and Talmud in the philosophizing of the inmates and the two rabbis, also residing there. They discuss right and wrong, and the choices they unapologetically made - fraud - many kinds - embezzlement, bribery, graft. Their discussion of the Ten Commandments was a survey to see who broke the most commandments. Since they all stole and coveted, they were all on equal grounds. The book is light, humorous, with a touch of Oceans Eleven, and an “ us against them “ that had me cheering for us. I would recommend the book, just as a fun story to read and even if it is not part of today’s political landscape.
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I've read that, Irene! ...and, come to think of it, it sound familiar ...yes, we read it in November of 2023, if you'd like to take a look back there or even go into your thoughts some more.
It's a good diversionary read. We need that sometimes!
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The Jewish Book Council put on their annual "Author Conference" over a three day period May 20th 2025.
Registering to watch 280 authors pitch their new books was
a fascinating experience; a bit of marathon so to speak, covering
so many genres.
Many of these authors are in our Jewish Book Club here. Looking forward to reading them.
Also, many of these books are not so cost prohibitive.
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Irene,
I read that.
Interesting premise.
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Just finished "The Majority" by Elizabeth L. Silver; a novel story that is broad based about women, family, and law. What would you compromise to sit in the chair as a Supreme Court Justice; and at that time, being a woman.
The reminders of R.B. Ginsberg passion and character were clear, yet the persona of protagonist Sylvia Bernstein was disappointing. She is progressive in her thinking and very aggressive in her actions which cost her plenty.
Guess how many female SCJ there were before 1978.
Hi all, just read Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein, a reimagining of the infamously antisemitic character Fagin from Dickens' "Oliver Twist" which she tries to pitch somewhere between sanitizing the character and removing his Jewishness - in other words, to make him a complex and human Jew. If you're a Dickens fan like I am, definitely recommend.
Lee wrote: "Hi all, just read Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein, a reimagining of the infamously antisemitic character Fagin from Dickens' "Oliver Twist" which she tries to pitch somewhere be..."Thanks for the recommendation
I have just finished The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict. Through painstaking research and a rich imagination she manages to weave together fact and fiction into a very interesting story. The reader gets a glimpse of academic life for women in Europe at the end of the 19th century and a picture of the darker side of Albert Einstein's character.I am now reading The First Mrs. Rothschild by Sara Aharoni.
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Susan,you have great taste. This was a great book.
I also read The First Mrs...
Would love to know your thoughts when you are finished.
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I missed it, and am going to pull out that issue now! Thanks
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The New Yorker gives free reads; not sure how many per month, but, to nonsubscribers, don't open til ready to read since that would be one of your free reads.
Also, I'm going to take a look at the author interview. Sometimes I don't fully "get" the endings of short stories, so this could help.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/this-...
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I'm currently listening to the audiobook of From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran and find it fascinating.
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I read that one. It was intriguing.
I finished Australian writer Diane Armstrong's The Wild Date Palm which is a fiction account of the Nili spy group which operated in pre-Mandate Palestine during WW1. Armstrong has written several Holocaust books and a family memoir. She was inspired to write the book after visiting the Aaronsohn family home which is now the Nili Museum in Zikhron Ya'akov.I started Isaac's Torah: A Novel which is by Bulgarian writer Angel Wagenstein. Also slow reading The Third Temple by Yishai Sarid.
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Kerry,
Thank you for bringing attention to the first book. I knew just a bit about the Aaronsohn Family and what is now the Nili Museum . I didnt know it was the first aliyah museum. from the first wave. Hopefully the museum is still intact.
I just finished reading Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua. It's an interesting novel that explores the conflicts of Arab-Israeli trying to assimilate in Israeli culture. It follows two Arab men, one a successful lawyer and the other a social worker who becomes the caretaker for a young Jewish man in a vegetative state. It is an interesting take on life in Jewish Israel from a different perspective.
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Irene,
You wrote a beautiful review of this book. Thank you. Wright was so talented, and I know the synagogue you speak of. Im wondering if the book speaks at all regarding Wright's antisemitic feelings. I understand he kept them in check the best he could and he did have jewish clients. So happy his last project was with a Rabbi. :)