Mystics of Mile End – by Sigal Samuel
Sigal Samuel’s debut novel, in the vein of Nicole Krauss’s bestselling “The History of Love,” is an imaginative story that delves into the heart of Jewish mysticism, faith and family.
The Orpheus Clock: The Search for my Family’s Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis – by Simon Goodman
The passionate, gripping, true story of one man’s single-minded quest to reclaim what the Nazis stole from his family, their beloved art collection, and to restore their legacy. Simon Goodman’s grandparents came from German-Jewish banking dynasties and perished in concentration camps. And that’s almost all he knew about them – his father rarely spoke of their family history or heritage. But when he passed away, and Simon received his father’s old papers, a story began to emerge. With the help of his family, Simon initiated the first Nazi looting case to be settled in the United States. They also brought about the first major restitution in The Netherlands since the post-war era. Goodman’s dramatic story, told with great heart, reveals a rich family history almost obliterated by the Nazis. It is not only the account of a 20 year long detective hunt for family treasure, but an unforgettable tale of redemption and restoration.
Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life – by Harold Kushner
From the beloved author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, deeply moving and illuminating reflections on what it means to live a good life. With fresh, vital insight into belief (“there is no commandment in Judaism to believe in God”), conscience (the Garden of Eden story as you’ve never heard it), and mercy (forgiveness is “a favor you do yourself, not an undeserved gesture to the person who hurt you”), grounded in Kushner’s brilliant readings of Scripture, history and popular culture, “Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life” is compulsory reading from one of modern Judaism’s foremost sages. Distilling the wisdom of an extraordinary career, this profoundly inspiring yet practical guide to well-being is truly the capstone to Kushner’s luminous oeuvre.
The Girl from the Garden – by Parnaz Foroutan
The redemptive journey of a young woman unsure of her engagement, who revisits in memory the events of one scorching childhood summer when her beautiful yet troubled mother spirits her away from her home to an Indian village untouched by time, where she discovers in the jungle behind her ancestral house a spellbinding garden that harbors a terrifying secret.
New Books in the Brodsky Library January/February 2016
FICTION
The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert
Gretl jumps from a train on its way to Auschwitz. She survives and ultimately lands up in Apartheid-era South Africa
The Beautiful Possible by Amy Gottlieb
This novel spans 70 years and several continents telling the braided love story of three unforgettable characters.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two sisters living in France during World War ll, find themselves estranged when they disagree about the threat of occupation
Shylock is My Name by Howard Jacobson
This novel is a modern day retelling of the Merchant of Venice by the winner of the Man Booker Prize for The Finkler Question.
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
Allende’s magical and sweeping tale focuses on two survivors of separation and loss.
The Ambassador by Yehuda Avner and Matt Rees
A fictional imagining of a State of Israel founded a decade before its actual founding in 1948. In the year 1937, Dan Lavi, the Israeli ambassador to Belin negotiates for the transfer of German Jews to Israel.
MEMOIRS & PERSONAL STORIES
Pepper, Silk and Ivory: Amazing Stories about Jews and the Far East
A rich and fascinating book about the lost stories of Jews and their culture from the Far East.
Exodus to Shanghai: Stories of Escape from the Third Reich by Steve Hochstadt
Shanghai offered a last chance for escape, and ultimately took in 16,000 refugees from the Third Reich. Here some survivors tell their stories.
I Am Sophie Tucker: A Fictional Memoir by Susan and Lloyd Ecker
Sophie Tucker – the last of the Red Hot Mamas. 85% fact and the rest…who knows?
A Guest at the Shooters’ Banquet: My Grandfather’s SS Past, My Jewish Family, a Search for the Truth by Rita Gabis
This book has the richness of a novel, the bite of a thriller, and the revelatory shock of a great memoir.
A Street Divided: Stories from Jerusalem’s Alley of God by Dion Nissenbaum
This book takes the reader to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 300 yard street that divides Jerusalem.
Their Promised Land: A Memoir by Ian Buruma
This book tells the story of the author’s grandparents living in England during the two world wars.
Shanghai’s Baghdadi Jews: A Collection of Biographical Reflections by Maisie J. Meyer
Comprises 26 biographical accounts across the spectrum of Shanghai’s Baghdadi Jewish community.
NON FICTION
Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by Dan Ephron
The killing of Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish fanatic helped derail the promising but fragile Middle East peace process.
The Burdens of Brotherhood: Jews and Muslims from North Africa to France
A thoroughly researched book about the relationship between French Jews and French Muslims in France during the 20th century.
Holocaust Cinema in the Twenty-First Century edited by Oleksandr Kobrynskyy & Gerd Bayer
It covers films from a diverse range of countries and genres
Wise Aging: Living with Joy, Resilience & Spirit by Rabbi Rachel Cowen
A guide to help us make the most of our later years.
A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates by Shlomo M. Brody
An orthodox view of modern innovations including stem cells, internet and technology, medical ethics etc.
The Crime and the Silence: Confronting the Massacre of Jews in Wartime Jedwabne by Anna Bikont
An investigation of a terrible crime commited against the Jews by their Polish neighbors which had been covered up for decades.
The Poetry of Yehuda Amichai edited by Robert Alter
A selection of poems by one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century in English translation.
NEW DVDs
The Kindergarten Teacher
This Hebrew film with English subtitles is about a teacher who becomes enchanted and then so obsessed with the talent of a young child that she pushes the boundaries of their relationship.
Amy
The tragic story of the very talented British singer.