Books


Mark Helprin's Politics Doesn't Get in Way of Prose

By Ranen Omer-Sherman

His strident politics notwithstanding, Mark Helprin’s magically descriptive powers have rendered up some of the most genuinely adventurous writing of our time.Read More

A.M. Homes' Novel Addresses '70s Childhood

By Jennifer Gilmore

A.M. Homes calls her new work a ‘midlife coming-of-age novel,’ which makes ‘May We Be Forgiven’ sound sweet or langorous. In truth, it’s neither.Read More

Hans Keilson’s First Novel Depicts Life Before Nazis

By Erika Dreifus

Unlike Hans Keilson’s bestsellers, ‘Life Goes On’ is not grounded in the crises and moral dilemmas posed by the Nazis’ reign. It takes on the period of economic decline that preceded it.Read More

Rachel Tzvia Back’s Verse Confronts Devastating Loss

By Sarah Wildman

Poet Rachel Tzvia Back palpates the edges and depths of grief and mourning. The text in her latest book of verse, ‘A Messenger Comes,’ is unflinching and raw.Read More

Michael Feinstein Strikes Up The Bland

By Erik Tarloff

Michael Feinstein’s ‘The Gershwins and Me,’ is a sustained act of homage to the legendary composers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it a great book.Read More

Jami Attenberg Phones Home

By Jami Attenberg

Jami Attenberg wanted to investigate why she’s so interested in food (which plays a big role in her novel, ‘The Middlesteins’). So she called her father to find out.Read More

Némirovsky’s ‘Wine of Solitude’ Confirms Her Place

By Andrea Palatnik

‘The Wine of Solitude’ is the most autobiographical novel from Irene Némirovsky, who died in Auschwitz in 1942. It confirms her place in the pantheon of Jewish writers.Read More

Don’t Know Much About Semitism

By Susan Isaacs

Susan Isaacs came from an assimilated family that had a Christmas tree. The author explains how coming to faith late in life informs her approach to Jewish fiction.Read More

Teenage Hero Is a Distinctly West Coast Jew

By Amy Klein

Has any Jewish teenager in recent American literature felt as much antipathy toward attending Hebrew school as Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman?Read More

Holocaust Memoir Fraud Inspires Novel

By Joshua Furst

After a Holocaust memoir was revealed as a fraud, Benjamin Stein wove a fictional tale of a literary hoax that takes on the sentimental link between Jewish identity and the shoah.Read More


Most Read Most Emailed


    Find us on Facebook!
    • Brian Epstein, manager, friend and the fifth (Jewish!) Beatle. In a new graphic novel, Viwek Tiwary tells his tragic story: http://jd.fo/h1bGC Share this story with Beatles' fans!
    • Is retirement the best way for Ruth Bader Ginsberg to preserve her legacy? J.J. Goldberg weighs the pros and cons: http://jd.fo/i1baV
    • Gal Gadot is the new Wonder Woman. We repeat, Gal Gadot is the new Wonder Woman. The Israeli supermodel has just been cast in the upcoming "Batman vs. Superman." Details here: http://jd.fo/f1b27
    • Itta Werdiger Roth has turned out some of the most exciting kosher dishes in New York at her home-based speakeasy. Now, she’s taking on the restaurant world with new Brooklyn kosher hot spot Mason & Mug. Share this fascinating (and yummy! ) profile: http://jd.fo/i1bOe
    • This year, the best sufganiyot in #NYC were found at Michael Bloomberg's farewell Hanukkah party: http://jd.fo/e1Tiu
    • Hadassah, the venerable women’s organization, has struggled financially in recent years. Now it faces its greatest challenge: saving its flagship program — Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem. Share this important story!
    • A Montreal rabbi has found a clever way to fight the proposed kippah ban that has Quebec Jews on edge: A Quebec flag kippah! Are you worried about the Charter of Values? Let us know in the comments.
    • Just in time for #GivingTuesday, the Sisterhood has put together a list of lesser known organizations that work to create tzedek in the world. Who are you giving to this year?
    • Ofir Ben Shitrit was suspended from her religious girls’ school after singing publicly on Israel's version of "The Voice." Now, she's in New York to perform at the international conference of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. Share this Q&A: http://jd.fo/h1aLF
    • The Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, the countdown of Hanukkah candles is nearing its end — It’s time to start thinking about the new year. What do you think should be on the 2014 Jewish agenda? Let us know here:
    • The ADL - Anti-Defamation League has issued a statement denouncing the rapper’s comment over the weekend that: “Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people.” http://jd.fo/r1cZI What do you think? Did he cross line?
    • With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s time for the annual battle over the “war on Christmas.” This year, it's playing out on Republican t-shirts: http://jd.fo/r1cf7
    • Wait. Could Bambi be an allegory for anti-Semitism? Oh deer. http://jd.fo/g1ZQh
      • from-cache

    Would you like to receive updates about new stories?


















    We will not share your e-mail address or other personal information.

    Already subscribed? Manage your subscription.