Books
Michael David Lukas wins $100k Jewish literature prize
Oakland writer Michael David Lukas, an assistant professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University, has won the 2019 Sami Rohr Prize for…
Yom HaShoah
Why Holocaust fiction is still so popular
If you take a look at bookstore shelves and best seller lists, it seems that readers continue to seek out stories about the Holocaust. This is in no way a…
Books
Turn-of-the-century actor who changed the way people saw Jews
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. A Berkeley historian who spent two decades researching a nearly forgotten…
Books
Legendary screenwriter made pre-state Israel his cause célèbre
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. Ben Hecht was a triple threat. A Chicago newspaperman who co-wrote “The…
Organic Epicure
From brisket to bacon to huevos haminados
“The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List,” edited by Tablet magazine editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse, was published by Artisan Books last month.…
Books
Now in English: This Yiddish romance novel was the surprise hit of 1877
Hot off the Jewish press in Vilna in 1877, a dramatic Yiddish romance novel became a surprising success, selling out its first 10,000 copies in Jewish…
Books
9 writers who perfectly capture what it’s like for Jews of color
I recently decided to start writing full-time, a decision that’s been both enormously liberating and incredibly isolating. But there are some real perks…
Books
Spiritual disquiet and atonement in Nathan Englander’s ‘Kaddish.com’
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. I do enjoy lighter reading, but I’m disposed toward works of fiction that…
Books
Philip Roth’s prescient ‘Plot Against America’ is focus of event series
J.’s books coverage is supported by a generous donation from Anne Germanacos. As a generator of controversy, American Jewish writer Philip Roth has…