What are you reading?

[debra]

Our book club also read Mathematicians Shiva and really enjoyed it. In fact, several of the husbands of our book club members (mathematicians and engineers) also read this and were equally taken with it. The mathematical equation in question is a real one and the characters (some of whom are also real) rang very true. Definitely a slightly different subject and worthwhile read!
Also, somewhat out of the ordinary, I would recommend "Stir-My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home" by Jessica Fechtor an inspirational memoir of a Wexner Scholar who deals with recovery of a burst aneurysm by returning to her kitchen.

[David]

Though we usually discuss recent titles, our shul book group recently enjoyed a stimulating discussion of Henry Roth's 1930 classic Call It Sleep . It helped that a literature professor shul member agreed to lead the discussion, and a developmental psychologist participant shared insights into the mind of the child protagonist. We all left with a greater appreciation of the novel. Don't forget the classics when choosing books to discuss.

[Joanie]

The Postman (Skármeta), Artemis (Weir), When You Are Engulfed in Flames (Sedaris), Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)

[Joey]

The Acts of the Apostles. I’m also reading God’s Banquet by Karman.

[Sharon]

I am reading Aharon Appelfeld's final novel, The Man Who Never Stopped Sleeping. I find that his later novels are even more powerful than the earlier ones!

[Jennifer ☕]

I've just finished reading We Were The Lucky Ones and I found it different from all of the other WWII books I've read. It didn't stay on the harshness of the war and in depth detail about tragedy and pain. Now I need to change subjects because too much WWII is bothersome to say the least.

[Susan]

Victor wrote: "I have to read In the Land of Armadillos. I keep hearing good things about it.

Here is the list of less known WWII memoirs that are under appreciated IMO:

Not a memoir but an account of homeless..."

Please excuse my self-promotion, but perhaps you might enjoy my recently published fictionalized memoir Of Bitter Herbs and Sweet Confections, based on the wartime experiences of my late mother-in-law. The book presents the story of Tanya, a Jewish teenager, as it unfolds over a ten-year period from 1939 to 1949. Forced to flee their Polish hometown, Tanya and her family wander from place to place, trying to keep one step ahead of the Nazis, until they fall into the hands of the Russians and are exiled to Siberia. Having survived hard labor in the frozen north, Tanya's father relocates the family to central Asia where they live out the final years of the war. On her return to Europe, where she encounters the atrocities committed during her absence, Tanya finds the inner strength to help those whose war time suffering has been even greater than her own.

An authentic telling of a lesser known facet of this horrific chapter in history, Tanya's story is a Holocaust novel with a difference.

The book already has a lot of 5 star reviews. Check it out at:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729756050
Or here at Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

[Julie]

A few books I recently finished with Jewish content and would recommend: The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky; The Parting Gift by Evan Fallenberg; We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

(And I agree with Jennifer below -- I found We Were the Lucky Ones to be inspiring and uplifting)

The Parting Gift may leave some readers feeling uncomfortable but it is masterfully told, and it will spark a GREAT book club discussion IMHO. I think you can see my review of The Parting Gift here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Links on Amazon to the books I mentioned:
https://www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Ones...
https://www.amazon.com/Parting-Gift-N...
https://www.amazon.com/We-Were-Lucky-...

[Jack]

Jeremy Gordin has written a warm and insightful review of an important book about a brave opponent of the apartheid government. In the current climate of world politics, it is important to remind ourselves of men and women who had the courage to speak out against iniquity. And people like Jock Isacowitz did so long before it became ''fashionable.''
https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion...
book:TELLING PEOPLE WHAT THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR: A Liberal Life Under Apartheid|54134319]
Roy Isacowitz

[Stacey B]

Hi Jack-
Hope you and family are well.
I just finished reading the review Jeremy Gordin wrote on Roy Isacowitz's book.
An excellent review, although I haven't read the book yet.
But the last line you wrote in your post is the comment that begs the question..
Where were you then?

[Stacey B]

Stacey wrote: "Hi Jack-
Hope you and family are well.
I just finished reading the review Jeremy Gordin wrote on Roy Isacowitz's book.
An excellent review, although I haven't read the book yet.
But the last line ..."
That was meant as rhetorical :)

[Jack]

Stacey wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Hi Jack-
Hope you and family are well.
I just finished reading the review Jeremy Gordin wrote on Roy Isacowitz's book.
An excellent review, although I haven't read the book yet.
But..."

Thanks for your comment and your interest, Stacey. We are all fine. Hope you are too.

In answer to your question, rhetorical or not, I was there, albeit a generation later than Jock. My involvement is fictionalised in my book.

[Stacey B]

Jack wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Hi Jack-
Hope you and family are well.
I just finished reading the review Jeremy Gordin wrote on Roy Isacowitz's book.
An excellent review, although I haven't read th..."
You own a wonderful heart Jack!!!

[Jack]

Not quite sure what you mean by that but it sounds good - so thanks.

[Stacey B]

Jack wrote: "Not quite sure what you mean by that but it sounds good - so thanks."
Moral
Empathetic
Its all good.

[Jack]

Stacey wrote: "Jack wrote: "Not quite sure what you mean by that but it sounds good - so thanks."
Moral
Empathetic
Its all good."

Thanks Stacey. Most kind.

[Jack]

Apeirogon

This is a magnificently written kaleidoscope of a novel full of fascinating metaphors, aphorisms and anecdotes. At its core, are an Israeli and a Palestinian. Both have lost a daughter to the conflict. Their separate tragedies draw them together in a friendship that defies all odds. The book lays bare the endless cycle of violence and revenge that has beset The Holy Land for decades.
It MUST be read by anyone interested in the Israel - Palestine conflict. If you are left-wing, it will encapsulate all you have hated about The Occupation but it will give you a breath of hope. If you are right-wing, you will hate this book. But read it to its end and it might just spark in you a smidgeon of doubt.
As the Palestinian protagonist puts it, it is an achievement ''To shift just one mind.''

[Reed]

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy really good and different