My review of Letters from Mir and the wonders of primary sources

Last week, The Jewish Home L.A. ran my review of the new book, Letters From Mir. Of the books I’ve reviewed professionally in the last couple months, it was the one that surprised me most, on more than one level.

When I read the cover blurb, I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about the book. I warmed up a bit while reading the introductions (yes, that’s plural), but was completely won over once I hit the actual letters. These form the centerpiece of the volume, and they consist of those by and addressed to a young rabbi and yeshiva student, Rabbi Ernest Gugenheim during the tumultuous period that preceded the Second World War.

If you want to read about that book, you can do so here, but my favorite thing about the book touches on a topic that can be applied more widely: the importance of primary sources in understanding the past. 

Story out this week in Binyan: “A Vision of the Future”

The saddest day on the Jewish calendar will be next Tuesday.

Tisha B’Av arrives on Monday night and observant Jews around the world will fast until sunset on Tuesday to commemorate the loss of both Temples in Jerusalem. Many other tragic events have befallen the Jewish people at this time of year, throughout history.

Today, we see war in Israel, and an upsurge of anti-Semitism has popped up across the globe.

A story to help your tween or teen through this tough time

Now, more than ever, we need to unify with both our fellow Jews and with human beings everywhere. The message of my latest story, “A Vision of the Future,” in this week’s Binyan Magazine (inside Hamodia) is just that:

Two writing-themed reads: Wired for Story and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

Neuropsychology might be a writer’s best friend.

I recently read two relatively new books about writing that I found very useful, and thought I’d share them with you.

Wired for Story

My best friend since college is, like me, a professional writer, although she specializes in a totally difference field. When she raved about the book Wired for Story, I immediately added it to my Goodreads list. It just took me a while to actually buckle down and read it. I’m glad I finally did.

You’ve got to be a reader to raise a reader: My take on recent research on teens and reading

Common Sense Media recently issued a report about kids and teens and their reading habits. The four principal findings (I’m going to quote CSN directly) were these:

1. Reading rates have dropped precipitously among adolescents.
2. Reading achievement among older teens has stagnated.
3. There’s a persistent gap in reading scores between white, black, and Latino kids.
4. There’s also a gender gap in reading across ages.

The NY Times and NPR are both aghast at the findings, but their responses focused more on the problem — and how it has arisen — than on solutions. Common Sense Media itself has offered several strategies to increase reading, but I’m going to suggest my own.

Reading a great book? Do you get that “Can’t put it down” feeling?

I’m not writing a long post tonight, because I’m reading an outstanding book I’ve wanted to read for a long time. I plan to curl up in bed with it shortly. It’s been a while since I’ve had that “can’t put it down” feeling, so I’m going to indulge it.

Anybody want to share what books have recently (or not-so-recently) given them the “can’t put it down” feeling?

Ruchama King Feuerman’s latest, now in paperback!

For those of you who haven’t yet read Ruchama King Feuerman’s latest novel (maybe because you were frustrated about its original ebook-only release), In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist is now available in paperback.

Haven’t yet added it to your To-Read list, on Goodreads or otherwise? You can learn more about the book through my interview with her or by reading this great review of the book by Risa Miller (a talented Jewish novelist herself).

I think it’s fascinating that the book’s ebook success with readers and critics propelled it to more traditional publication. It will be even more interesting to see how the book sells now that it is more accessible to readers.