Sunday Sentence

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
Ari Shavit
Ari Shavit

Another Sunday in which I participate in David Abrams’s “Sunday Sentence” project, which asks others to share the best sentence(s) we’ve read during the past week, “out of context and without commentary.”

He comes not to praise or to blame, though along the way he does both, with erudition and with eloquence; he comes instead to observe and to reflect.

Source: Leon Wieseltier, reviewing Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, for the New York Times Book Review.

From My Bookshelf: My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, by Ari Shavit

by Erika Dreifus on
4

MyPromisedLandSome months ago, I was granted access to a digital galley of Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel. As soon as I heard that the book had won the inaugural Natan Book Award (the committee for which included my idol Jeffrey Goldberg), the book went straight to the top of my TBR list. I knew that it was going to be pretty impressive.

And it was. But I didn’t feel sufficiently qualified to write about it. So I didn’t seek a reviewing assignment before the book’s official release this month.

But I am continuing to be impressed–and educated–as I listen to Shavit’s radio interviews and read reviews of the book. (more…)

Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
5

Treasure ChestWriting-related resources, news, and reflections to enjoy over the weekend.

  • Laura van den Berg on “organizing principles” in short-story collections. (h/t NewPages blog)
  • Quite a glimpse into the publishing business, courtesy of Daniel Menaker’s new book.
  • Ron Charles offers a nice recap of National Book Awards ceremony highlights.
  • My friends at J Journal: New Writing on Justice have unveiled a spiffy new website. Go take a look. (I’ve been known to send gift subscriptions more than once. This could be a great holiday gift, especially–but not only–for anyone who works in the law and/or law enforcement.)
  • And for your weekend listening pleasure: an interview with the wonderful William Trevor. (h/t @paul_mc_veigh)

    • Have a great weekend, everyone.

    Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Calvin Trillin explains what Cynthia Ozick taught him about his grandfather.
  • An interesting “shortlist” of four books on Jewish identity.
  • Bumper crop of book-focused blog posts in this month’s Jewish Book Carnival.
  • Author Ilan Mochari describes his visit to the Rochester Jewish Book Festival.
  • “We invite you to join our growing global community of Jewish artists for the second year of Asylum Arts: International Jewish Artist Retreat!” (If “you” are between 22 and 39 years of age, that is.)

    • Shabbat shalom.

    An Evening at the Theater with Dr. Ruth

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Becoming Dr. RuthOne of the ways I’m trying to learn about playwriting involves attending as much live theater as I can. If the plays in question focus on Jewish subjects and characters, so much the better.

    This week, I was lucky to attend a performance of “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” a one-act play by Mark St. Germain that is based on the life of Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer (née Karola Ruth Siegel on June 4, 1928 in Germany). You probably got to know Dr. Ruth as a radio celebrity (as I did). But she’s had a quite an extraordinary life even beyond that. The play is all about that extraordinary life. (And speaking of extraordinary: I can’t explain quite what it was like to see the play with the real-life Dr. Ruth sitting directly behind me.)

    If you have the opportunity to see “Becoming Dr. Ruth” I hope that you will do so. Meantime, you might enjoy this interview with Dr. Ruth on CUNY TV, occasioned by the play’s arrival at the Westside Theatre in New York.