Book Club

August 20

My Mother's Son by David Hirshberg
The lives of two Jewish brothers in post-World War II Boston are transformed by secrets and discoveries they never could have envisioned, including an unimaginable family secret.

Reviewed by Rabbi Michael Cohen, Jewish Community Day School

September 17

Lone Wolf in Jerusalem by Ehud Diskin
Set primarily in post-WWII Israel, Lone Wolf in Jerusalem is a colorful and captivating historical novel filled with humor, drama and romance, recounting the tragic losses and heroic triumphs of the Jewish people during this critical stage in their history.

Reviewed by Omri Einav, Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Tulane Hillel

October 29

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake
In 1959 New York City, two strangers enter the Miltons family’s circle. One captures the attention of Kitty’s daughter, while the other makes each of them question what the family stands for. This new generation insists the times are changing. And in one night, everything does.

Reviewed by Kathy Rush, retired cultural anthropologist and one of the founders of the Oral History Library of the University Women’s Club of Buenos Aires

November 19

kaddish.com: a novel by Nathan Englander
In this streamlined comic masterpiece to appease his sister, an Orthodox Brooklyn Jew hatches an ingenious if cynical plan to hire a stranger through a website called kaddish.com to recite the prayer and shepard his father’s soul safely to rest after he passes away.

Reviewed by Rabbi Joshua Pernick, Congregation Beth Israel

December 17

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of glamour icon and scientist Hedy Lamarr, whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.

Reviewed by Molly Travis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English at Tulane University

January 21

The Collector’s Apprentice: A Novel by B.A. Shapiro
A thriller of art and revenge, of history and love, that will transport readers to 1920s Paris and America, The Collector’s Apprentice is an unforgettable tale about the lengths to which people will go for their obsession, whether it be art, money, love, or vengeance.

Reviewed by Debbie Pesses, former Jewish Enrichment Director at the Jewish Community Center

February 18

The Other Hand by Andrew Kane
A thriller of art and revenge, of history and love, that will transport readers to 1920s Paris and America, The Collector’s Apprentice is an unforgettable tale about the lengths to which people will go for their obsession, whether it be art, money, love, or vengeance.

Reviewed by Rabbi Deborah Silver, Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation

March 17

A Field Guide to the Jewish People by Dave Barry, Adam Mansbach and Alan Zweibel
The authors dissect every holiday, rite of passage, and tradition, unravel a long and complicated history, and tackle the tough questions that have been plaguing the long-suffering Jewish people everywhere for centuries.

Reviewed by Avital Kadosh, Director of Education at Temple Sinai

April 21

Bittersweet Brooklyn: A Novel by Thelma Adams
In turn-of-the century New York, a mobster rises—and his favorite sister struggles between loyalty and life itself. This book explores the shattering impact of mob violence on the women expected to mop up the mess. Winding its way over decades, this haunting family saga plunges readers into a dangerous past—revealed through the perspective of a forgotten yet vibrant woman.

Reviewed by Janice Meer, Retired English Literature and Creative Writing Professor
from the University of Maryland