Susan Shapiro’s Book Becomes a Book Mitzvah
Last night, Susan Shapiro’s latest novel, “Overexposed” (St. Martins, August 2010), was “Book Mitzvahed” in an elaborate and touching candle lighting ceremony at Greenwich Village’s Arte Restaurant. A hilarious book about the intertwined lives of two women who are battling big-city ambitions, “Overexposed” took 13 years to be published. In the interim, Shapiro published successful memoirs, but never forgot her first attempt at fiction, which she recently revamped, saying “It took me until I was in my 40s to write a happy, successful 26-year-old protagonist that my 26 year-old editor liked.”
To celebrate, “Overexposed” was officially pronounced “a book” by Rabbi Dan in front of friends, family and a packed restaurant full of downtown devotees. Shapiro then called up her mother, who flew in from Michigan to surprise her, as well editors, agents, therapists and fellow scribes who have helped and encouraged her over the years. Each person lit a candle on a cake in the image of her book cover, cheering the life of the novel, as well as the community that raised it.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
