|
For thoughtful reviews of books of interest to our readers, check out our newest online magazine: JBooks.com
JewishFamily.com/JBooks.com Books Archive
Newest Articles
Reviewing Trees,
Earth and Torah: Gabriel Goldman analyzes one Tu B'Shevat anthology
and discovers that "the festival has evolved in America to become an occasion
for celebrating the gifts of the Land of Israel specifically and the gifts of
nature generally."
What
is so funny?: Eddy Friedfeld lets us in on the joke, and explains why Alan
King makes us laugh so heartily.
Fiction:
The
Speed of Light: by Elizabeth Rosner
Reviewed by Mindy Aber Barad
The
Slow Way Back by Judy Goldman
Reviewed by Rebecca E. Kotkin
Second
Hand Smoke by Thane Rosenbaum
Reviewed by Dinah Zeltser
Ice
Fire Water: A Leib Goldkorn Cocktail by Leslie Epstein
Reviewed by Ellen Jaffe-Gill
Bee
Season by Myla Goldberg
Reviewed by Eileen Pollack
The
Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis
Reviewed by Rebecca E. Kotkin
Tea
by Stacy D'Erasmo
Reviewed by Audrey Beth Stein
In
Babylon by Marcel Moring. Translated from the Dutch by Stacey Knecht
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Mystery
Midrash: An Anthology of Jewish Mystery & Detective Fiction Edited by
Lawrence W. Raphael
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
City
of God by E.L. Doctorow
Reviewed by Jonathan Groner
The
Magic of Kol Nidre: A Yom Kippur Story by Bruce H. Siegel
Reviewed by Helen Mintz Belitsky
A
Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Four
Mothers by Shifra Horn. Translated from the Hebrew by Dalya Bilu
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Three
Women by Marge Piercy
Reviewed by Ellen Jaffe-Gill
Yosl
Rakover Talks to God by Zvi Kolitz
Reviewed by Rosie Rosenzweig
White
Teeth by Zadie Smith
Reviewed by Amanda Krotki
Nonfiction:
Half-Jew:
A Daughter's Search for Her Family's Buried Past by Susan Jacoby
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
The
Journey Home: How Jewish Women Shaped Modern America by Joyce Antler
Reviewed by Rebecca E. Kotkin
In
Praise of Public Life, by Joseph I. Lieberman with Michael D'Orso
Reviewed by Jonathan Groner
Chosen
by God: A Brother's Journey by Joshua Hammer
Reviewed by Alan Schwartz
False
Papers by Andre Aciman
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
King
David's Harp: Autobiographical Essays by Jewish Latin American Writers
Edited by Steven A. Sadow
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Hiding
Places: A Father and His Sons Retrace Their Family's Escape from the Holocaust
by Daniel Asa Rose
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
Commander
of the Exodus by Yoram Kaniuk. Translated by Seymour Simckes
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Motherland:
Beyond the Holocaust: A Daughter's Journey to Reclaim the Past by Fern
Shumer Chapman
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Life
So Far: A Memoir by Betty Friedan
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
Finding
My Voice by Diane Rehm
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
Alphabet
in My Hands by Marjorie Agosin
Reviewed by Jodi Werner
Rivonia's
Children: Three Families and the Cost of Conscience in White South Africa
by Glenn Frankel
Reviewed by Jonathan Groner
Why
On This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah.
Illustrated by Louise August
Reviewed by Lisa Traiger
Two
Jews Can Still Be A Mixed Marriage by Azriela Jaffe
Reviewed by Debra B. Darvick
Broken
Tablets, Restoring the Ten Commandments and Ourselves. Edited by Rachel S. Mikva
Reviewed by Debra B. Darvick
The
Nazi Officer's Wife: One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith
Hahn Beer, with Susan Dworkin
Reviewed by Marlena Thompson
Moosewood
Restaurant Daily Special
Reviewed by Judith Baumann
Israel
at Fifty-Two: Does History Matter? Reviews of The
End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After
by Edward W. Said, A
Durable Peace: Israel and its Place among the Nations by Benjamin Netanyahu,
and The
Enemy Has a Face: The Seeds of Peace Experience by John Wallach
Reviewed by Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein
When
Memory Meets the Soul: Books for Yom HaShoah. Reviews of The
Jewish Search for a Usable Past by David G. Roskies, Polyn:
Jewish Life in the Old Country edited by Marek Web, and The
Gentle Weapon: Prayers for Everyday and Not-so-Everyday Moments: Timeless Wisdom
from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Reviewed by Lisa Alcalay Klug
Mitten
Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry by Katrina Kenison
Reviewed by Rebecca E. Kotkin
Trains
by Miriam Winter
Reviewed by Eugene L. Pogany
A Good Enough Daughter: A Memoir by Alix Kates Schulman
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
Excerpt from Life
on the Fringes by Haviva Ner-David
Countdown
to Shavuot by George Robinson
An excerpt from Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs,
and Rituals
Essential
Judaism: A Complete Guide to Belief, Customs and Rituals by George Robinson
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
The
Joy and Pain of Telling: Three New Haggodot for the Seder. Reviews of A
Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah, The
Survivors Haggadah, and The
Join-In, Participate, Sing-Along Haggadah
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
Sleeping
With Extra-Terrestrials: The Rise of Irrationalism and Perils of Piety
by Wendy Kaminer
Reviewed by Jonathan Groner
Jewish
Mothers: Strength, Wisdom, Compassion Interviews by Paula Edith Wolfson
Reviewed by Judith Bolton-Fasman
Columnists:
On
the Shelf: My Human Genome Project
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
On
the Shelf: Marking Time
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
On
the Shelf: Taxation without Consideration
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
On
the Shelf: The Empty Plate and Passover Cleaning
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
How's
Bayou: The Local Hero
By Jennifer Moses
Interviews:
Finding
the Justice: Talking to Alan Dershowitz about his new book, The
Genesis of Justice: Ten Stories of Biblical Injustice that Led to the Ten Commandments
and Modern Law.
by Rebecca E. Kotkin
A
Time to Cook with Jane Breskin Zalben, Author of To
Every Season: A Family Holiday Cookbook.
by Rebecca E. Kotkin
Filling
in the Blanks: Talking with Nicholas Lemann author of The
Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy
by Jessica Siegel
Moonlighting:
An Interview with Gina Nahai
by Amanda Krotki
An
Interview with Journalist Alan Weisman author of An
Echo in My Blood: The Search for a Family's Hidden Past
By Marlena Thompson
The
Personal and the Political: Talking with David Horovitz, author of A
Little Too Close to God: The Thrills and Panic of a Life in Israel.
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
Childrens Books:
High
Holiday Books for Young Children: Reviews of All
About Rosh Hashanah and All
About Yom Kippur by Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler
Reviewed by Helen Mintz Belitsky
Children's
Book Reviews for Shavuot: Reviews of What
is the Full Moon Full Of? by Shulamith Levey and David
v. God by Mary E. Pearson
Reviewed by Judy Chernak
Children's
Books for Lag B'Omer: Reviews of Crinkleroot's
Visit to Crinkle Cove by Jim Arnosky, Baseball
Ballerina Strikes Out! by Kathryn Cristaldi, Baseball's
Greatest Hitters by S. A. Kramer, and Earth
Magic: the Second Book in The Magic Elements Quartet by Mallory Loehr
Reviewed by Judy Chernak
A
Round up of Passover Children's Books: Reviews of Pharoah's
Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Julius Lester, The
Kids' Catalog of Passover: A Worldwide Celebration of Stories, Songs, Customs,
Crafts, Food, and Fun by Barbara Rush and Cherie Karo Schwartz, A
Journey to Paradise and Other Jewish Tales Retold by Howard Schwartz,
Too
Many Cooks: A Passover Parable by Edie Stoltz Zolkower, All
About Passover by Judyth Groner & Madeline Wikler, A
Family Haggadah by Shoshana Silberman, and The
Inter-Faith Family Seder Book by Nan Meyer
Reviewed by Judy Chernak
A
Year of Sweet Reading: A Roundup of Children's High Holiday Books. Reviews
of Drawing
Your Way Through the Jewish Holidays by Eleanor Schick, My
Jewish Holiday Fun Book by Ann D. Koffsky, Bible
Story Crafts for Little Hands by Ruth Esrig Brinn, God
Said Amen by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, The
Wisdom Bird: A Tale of Solomon and Sheba retold by Sheldon Oberman,
The
Day the Rabbi Disappeared: Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic retold by Howard
Schwartz, and Lights
Along the Path: Jewish Folklore Through the Grades annotated, selected
and retold by Rebecca Schacht
Reviewed by Judy Chernak
Joseph
Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Tabak
Reviewed by Lisa Traiger
King
Solomon and His Magic Ring by Elie Wiesel, paintings by Mark Podwal
Reviewed by Lisa Traiger
Old
Favorites for the New Year: Reviews of The
Very Best Place For A Penny by Dinah Herman Rosenfeld, Thank
You God, A Jewish Child's Book of Prayers by Judyth Groner and Madeline
Winkler, Old
Turtle by Douglas Wood, and Lost
and Found by Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman
Reviewed by Joni Schockett
Poetry:
Passionate
Poetry: Reviews of The
Art of Blessing the Day by Marge Piercy, Dead
Men's Praise by Jacqueline Osherow, The
Defiant Muse: Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity to the Present, A Bilingual
Anthology, edited by Shirley Kaufman, Galit Hasan-Rokem, and Tamar S.
Hess, and Happy
Family by Jane Shore
Reviewed by Bonni Goldberg
On
the Bus with Rosa Parks: Poems by Rita Dove
Reviewed by Bonni Goldberg
Cookbooks:
Four
New Cookbooks that will Appeal to the Eye, Mouth and Stomach:
Reviews of How
to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson, A
Spoonful of Ginger: Irresistible, health-giving recipes from Asian kitchens
by Nina Simonds, A
Drizzle of Honey by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, and The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Grilling by Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van
Vynckt
Reviewed by Joni Schockett
New
Cookbooks on the Horizon: Reviews of Simply
Sensational Desserts by Francoise Payard, The
Best Recipe by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine, and The
Best American Recipes of 1999 by Fran McCullough and Suzanne Hamlin
Reviewed by Joni Schockett
Spring
Gardening and Cookbooks: Reviews of The
Jewish Gardening Cookbook by Michael Brown, The
Victory Garden by Marion Morash, and A
Garden of Recipes by Cynthia Gibson
Reviewed by Joni Schockett
Thinking
about Passover: New Kosher Cookbooks Offer Tempting Passover Recipes. Reviews
of Mother
and Daughter Jewish Cooking: Two Generations of Jewish Women Share Traditional
and Contemporary Recipes by Evelyn and Judi Rose, Festivals
of Lite by Gail Ashkanazi-Hankin, The
Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook by Gertrude Berg, Shabbat
Shalom by Susan Friedland, Light
Jewish Holiday Desserts by Penny Wantuck Eisenberg, To
Every Season: A Family Holiday Cookbook by Jane Breskin Zalben,
Chocolate Chip Challah and Other Twists on the Jewish Holiday Table,
written and illustrated by Lisa Rauchwerger, and Too
Many Cooks, a Passover parable by Edie Stoltz Zolkower
Reviewed by Rahel Musleah
Features:
Commemorating
"Banned Book Week"
By JFL Staff
Yehuda
Amichai's Life of Poetry
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
Just
a Click Away--Reading through Amazon.com
By Judith Bolton-Fasman
The
Scrapbook of Our Lives
By Ellen Jaffe Gill
The
SPF Factor-Summer Reading 2000: Reviews of Groucho:
The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx by Stefan Kanfer, Koufax
by Edward Gruver, Spinning
Blues Into Gold: The Chess Brothers and the Legendary Chess Records
by Nadine Cohodas, The
Soup Has Many Eyes: From Shtetl to Chicago--A Memoir of One Family's Journey
Through History by Joann Rose Leonard, Half-Jew:
A Daughter's Search for Her Family's Buried Past by Susan Jacoby, Sex
and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl by Judith Krantz,
Half
a Heart by Rosellen Brown, The
Runner by Christopher Reich, Like
Normal People by Karen E. Bender, The
Barbarians are Coming by David Wong Louie, Pure
Poetry by Binnie Kirshenbaum, Love
Life by Zeruya Shalev (Translated by Dalya Bilu), and The
Devil's Shepherd by Steven Hartov
Edited by Judith Bolton-Fasman, with contributions from Jonathan Groner, Alan
M. Schwartz, Rebecca E. Kotkin, Ellen Jaffe-Gill, Susan Katz Miller, Dinah Zeltser,
and Marlena Thompson
|
