Brief Book Reviews (2023)

For the most part, this page will reflect what I post about my reading on Goodreads. Frankly, what I’m posting are really brief notes, not book reviews.

The most recent reading is listed first.

  • Direct Sunlight: Stories by Christine Sneed (TriQuarterly Books, 2023). I began reading this book a few days into October, savoring the first couple stories slowly, one at a time. I love Christine Sneed’s work, and I was so happy to be diving into this new collection. That it took me more than two months to finish reading it isn’t the author’s fault. It isn’t really mine, either. Because after October 7—work demands aside—I was virtually unable to read anything unrelated to Hamas’s terrorist attack on southern Israel and its consequences. I don’t feel as though I am the same reader, or even the same person, that I was before October 7. But this book is, indeed, as wonderfully crafted as I remember I found it to be at the start.
  • Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen with colors by Lark Pien (Heartdrum, 2023). Graphic novel about a young woman of Native American and Jewish descent, navigating family and (inter)cultural dynamics.
  • The Controversialist: Arguments with Everyone, Left Right and Center by Martin Peretz (Wicked Son, 2023). This one one came to my attention through an excerpt published on Tablet. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of Harvard and The New Republic are likely to interest those with connections to/familiarity with those institutions.
  • Counting on Naamah: A Mathematical Tale on Noah’s Ark by Erica Lyons with illustrations by Mary Reaves Uhles (Intergalactic Afikoman, 2023). What might be even better than a feminist midrash for kids? Feminist midrash for kids with a STEM focus! Loved this tale of Naamah (aka “Mrs. Noah”) and the way her mathematical skills made such a difference to everyone (human and otherwise) aboard the biblical ark. Complimentary review copy.
  • Out and About: A Tale of Giving by Liza Wiemer with illustrations by Margeaux Lucas (Kalaniot Books, 2023). Time for a confession: Once upon a time, I was musing about the possibilities for a picture book rooted in Maimonides’s teachings on the levels of tzedakah. And while I realize that there can be multiple stories on a similar theme, I think this book has this one quite adequately covered! Complimentary review copy.
  • The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Riverhead, 2023). This novel deserves every rave review and bit of enthusiastic buzz it has received.
  • The Family Morfawitz by Daniel H. Turtel (Blackstone Publishing, 2023). I wish could remember how/where I first learned about this novel, and what piqued my original interest. The author’s literary talent is clear—it’s the writing’s style that kept me reading even when the characters (of which there are many) and plotlines (ditto) turned me off. I’ll look forward to finding out what comes next for the author. But about the Morfawitzes, alas, I care little!
  • We Should All Be Zionists: Essays on the Jewish State and the Path to Peace by Einat Wilf, edited by Samuel Hyde (2022). A collection of published essays and other pieces that offer cogent, clarifying takes. Some of the material repeats, but in a sense, that’s a benefit; much of what’s here really can’t be overstated.
  • How to Welcome an Alien by Rebecca Klempner with illustrations by Shirley Waisman (Kalaniot Books, 2023). A sweet and charming picture-book tale grounded in Jewish teachings about welcoming the stranger. Vivid illustrations throughout and worthwhile author’s note at the end. Complimentary review copy.
  • Stories No One Hopes Are About Them by A.J. Bermudez (University of Iowa Press, 2022). Singularly inventive stories–and it’s true that many times, while reading, I thought (with relief) that I’ve never experienced anything close to what these characters face. Very grateful to the author for the gift copy.
  • Sarahland: Stories by Sam Cohen (Grand Central Publishing, 2021). Vividly-voiced stories. For me, the standout here is “The First Sarah,” a retelling of the story of Sarah/Abraham/Hagar.
  • Nothing Could Stop Her: The Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber by Rona Arato with illustrations by Isabel Muñoz (Kar-Ben 2023). A wonderful book for middle-grade readers. I can’t help wishing that it covered the full span of Gruber’s amazing life (it ends in 1945). But there’s a substantial author’s note plus a timeline to provide further glimpses into Gruber’s many accomplishments and contributions.
  • Jewish Futures: Stories from the World’s Oldest Diaspora edited by Michael A. Burstein (Fantastic Books, 2023). Grateful for what is serving as a kind of introduction to the possibilities of Jewish sci-fi.
  • Portraits of Jewish-American Heroes by Malka Drucker with illustrations by Elizabeth Rosen (Dutton’s Children’s Books, 2008). I picked this one up because I was curious to find out which people it covered. (I pleased to find Bella Abzug included—but surprised to read that Abzug was “the first Jewish congresswoman”—a title that belongs to Florence Prag Kahn.) Appreciated the bright, vivid illustrations.
  • We Need to Talk About Antisemitism by Rabbi Diana Fersko (Seal Press, 2023). A clear, informative primer covering recent antisemitic developments and discourse in the United States that, toward its conclusion, proposes ways for each of us to deal with them. Complimentary review copy.
  • Above Ground: Poems by Clint Smith (Little, Brown and Company, 2023). I became acquainted first with Smith’s exceptional journalism and nonfiction; this was my introduction to his poetry, which is at least just as impressive.
  • Queering Anti-Zionism: Academic Freedom, LGBTQ Intellectuals, and Israel/Palestine Campus Activism by Corinne E. Blackmer (Wayne State University Press, 2022). An important, courageous work of scholarship, framed from the outset by the author’s personal experience, rendered in a more memoiristic style. Complimentary review copy.
  • On the Landing: Stories by Yenta Mash, trans. Ellen Cassedy (Northern Illinois University Press, 2018). As I plan an upcoming course for undergraduates on Contemporary Jewish Short Stories, I’m seeking readings to help present the very contemporary focus on reviving the work of Yiddish women writers, particularly through newly available translations. I’m likely to use work from this collection, which held my attention throughout; I will also depend on Jessica Kirzane’s fine introduction and Cassedy’s remarks as I’ve already encountered them in at least one webinar. As I read, I was reminded of Ida Fink’s (originally Polish) writing, which, similarly, I have only encountered recently, and which I have incorporated into my Holocaust Literature teaching.
  • Doll’s Eye by Leah Kaminsky (Random House Australia, 2023; please note that I was offered an advance copy for review and possible endorsement). In Doll’s Eye, the latest novel by acclaimed Australian author Leah Kaminsky, even those readers who think they’ve encountered nearly everything set within the shadows of World War II and the Holocaust are likely to discover something new. Most notably, Kaminsky places her European protagonists—one a German woman escaping a secret, stunning past; the other a prominent male Yiddishist from Warsaw—within the remote Australian town of Birdum, rendered with lush and vivid descriptions. Infused with history both familiar and less so, Doll’s Eye draws the reader in and sustains suspense throughout. A most satisfying read.
  • Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict by Oren Kessler (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). Extremely informative. Complimentary review copy.
  • Luis de Torres Sails to Freedom by Tami Lehman-Wilzig with illustrations by Oliver Averill (Kar-Ben, 2023). A fictionalized account focusing on particular aspects of Christopher Columbus’s historical expedition that departed Spain in 1492. Plenty of well-chosen details about the Inquisition, the Tisha B’Av commemoration, and more. Beautifully illustrated.
  • You Have Reached Your Destination: Stories by Louise Marburg (EastOver Press, 2022). Read this one on the recommendation of a friend. Excellent recommendation!
  • Frankly Feminist: Short Stories by Jewish Women from Lilith Magazine edited by Susan Weidman Schneider and Yona Zeldis McDonough (Brandeis University Press, 2022). The best part of reading this anthology was reading (or, in a number of cases, re-reading) the work of so many talented friends!
  • From the Jewish Provinces: Selected Stories by Fradl Shtok, trans. Jordan D. Franklin and Allison Schachter (Northwestern University Press, 2022). Good introduction to Shtok and her work, and I mean that quite literally: The book’s Introduction is outstanding; I found myself more riveted by the background and biographical details about Shtok than I did in a number of the stories.
  • Collateral Damange: 48 Stories by Nancy Ludmerer (Snake Nation Press, 2022). Stellar, memorable work of mostly flash/micro fiction.
  • To Be a Man: Stories by Nicole Krauss (Harper, 2020). This one waited on my Kindle for too long. Complimentary review copy.
  • Loss of Memory Is Only Temporary: Stories by Johanna Kaplan (Ecco, 2022). This one didn’t land with me quite as powerfully as Kaplan’s novel O My America! did. Complimentary review copy.
  • How This Night Is Different: Stories by Elisa Albert (Free Press, 2006). I have been meaning to read this book for years; finally, during what is both #ShortStoryMonth and #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth, I did. Bold, edgy–all those adjectives apply. My favorite piece has to be the one that closes the collection, which you can find over on Longreads.
  • I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Viking, 2023). A true page-turner of a novel.
  • Natalie and the Nazi Soldiers: The Story of a Hidden Child in France During the Holocaust by Annette Gendler with illustrations by Ste Johnson (Nana’s Books, 2023). A poignant account that is also a tribute to Gendler’s late mother-in-law, whose experiences inspired the story.
  • A Persian Passover by Etan Basseri with illustrations by Rashin Kheiriyeh (Kalaniot Books, 2022). A sweet, charming picture book set in the middle of the 20th century featuring customs of Iranian Jews.
  • The House of Love and Prayer and Other Stories by Tova Reich (Seven Stories Press, 2023). You can find my full review over on the Moment magazine website. Complimentary review copy.
  • Enduring Questions: Using Jewish Children’s Literature in Classrooms by David Bloome et al. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022). Particularly relevant for primary-school-level educators, including teachers and librarians.
  • The Critic’s Daughter: A Memoir by Priscilla Gilman (W.W. Norton and Co., 2023). A sensitive and poignant account of the author’s relationship with her father, theater critic and author Richard Gilman (1923-2006), and the ways in which this relationship has infused her personal and professional lives. As with memoirs by other writers who are more or less my age (Priscilla Gilman is just about one year younger than I am), I was also touched by the nostalgia of certain cultural references from my own Gen X childhood and adolescence
  • My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (Henry Holt and Co., 2023). Set mainly on a New Hampshire college campus in the spring of 1998, this novel focuses on budding writer Isabel Rosen; the dominant plotline involves her affair with her married creative-writing professor. It seems to me a good book-club choice (which may be why it was recently the focus of a New York Times Book Review “Group Text” feature).
  • Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume (Yearling, 1977). Another re-read, many decades later. What a delight.
  • The Lives of Jessie Sampter: Queer, Disabled, Zionist by Sarah Imhoff (Duke University Press, 2022). A scholarly biography of the fascinating Sampter (1883-1938).
  • The Promise of a Normal Life by Rebecca Kaiser Gibson (Arcade, 2023). A novel that reads in many ways like a journal or memoir.
  • The Jewish Quarterly Number 251 (February 2023). Standout work in this issue includes the cover feature (by Vladislav Davidzon) on “The Jews of Ukraine” and David Herman’s “The Jewish Quarterly at Seventy.”
  • In Other Lifetimes All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me by Courtney Sender (West Virginia University Press, 2023). An impressive debut collection about love, loss, and legacies that linger, with a mix of styles (realist, speculative, midrashic). Grateful for my complimentary advance review copy.
  • I Share My Name by Esther Levy Chehebar with illustrations by Luisa Galstyan (Xist Publishing, 2022). A short, sweet, simply illustrated tale that spotlights Sephardic Jewish baby-naming customs. (I was directed its way by a piece in Tablet magazine.)
  • Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume (Dell, 1970). This one is a re-read for me. I was prompted to pick up my (very tattered) copy ahead of next month’s premiere of the film version. (Also, a friend and I have chatted briefly about possibly writing something together.) Regardless–what a trip down Memory Lane to read this again after 40-something years. I may have to check out one of the newest editions because I’m curious to see what may have been revised in the interim.
  • Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel by Francine Klagsbrun (Schocken Books, 2017). It took me about a month to read this book all the way through (I did have to shelve it for brief periods on occasion, but still—an undertaking). Utterly worth the time/effort. Detailed, readable history of both the topics referenced in the subtitle: Golda Meir (1898-1978) and the nation of Israel, at least from the time of the Yishuv to the Egypt-Israel peace agreement. Highly recommend.
  • All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Ashley Evans (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023). Another winner from Carole Boston Weatherford, providing an overview of the life and career of Justice Jackson. Weatherford’s own “Letter for My Granddaughter and All of Our Daughters” in the back matter is a beautiful addition to the book.
  • A Vote for Susanna: The First Woman Mayor by Karen M. Greenwald with illustrations by Sian James (Albert Whitman & Company, 2021). A charming story that may well also serve as a kind of “mentor text” for me as I try to convert history/biography into picture-book form.
  • Old New Land by Theodor Herzl, trans. Lotta Levensohn (Markus Wiener Publishers, 1997). As with Glikl, I read this one to fill a gap in my historical Jewish reading. A fascinating text.
  • Glikl Memoirs 1691-1719 presented by Chava Turniansky, trans. Sara Friedman (Brandeis University Press, 2019). This one had been on my mental tbr list since I was introduced to it in Adam Kirsch’s The People and the Books.
  • Spare by Prince Harry (Random House, 2023). Took me longer that I would have expected to finish reading this one.
  • The Discarded Life: Poems by Adam Kirsch (Red Hen Press, 2022). Check out my atypically lengthy comments about this book, which I highly recommend, on Goodreads.
  • Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua, trans. Mitch Ginsburg (Grove Press, 2012). Have been meaning to read this novel for literally a decade—every time I checked it out from the library I had to return it before I’d read it. (Again, better late than never.) I’m giving this one five stars, even if my Jewish-Zionist self winced and cringed at times when reading. (My writer self wondered how Kashua managed the intricate plotting—an outline?)
  • The Truffle Eye by Vaan Nguyen, trans. Adriana X. Jacobs (Zephyr Press, 2020). Yes, it took me two years to actually read this book, but better late than never, right? Don’t miss the very helpful foreword by translator Adriana X. Jacobs.