{"id":39978,"date":"2017-12-10T10:33:28","date_gmt":"2017-12-10T16:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=39978"},"modified":"2017-12-10T10:33:28","modified_gmt":"2017-12-10T16:33:28","slug":"eight-books-for-chanukah-or-anytime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/eight-books-for-chanukah-or-anytime\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight books for Chanukah \u2014 or anytime"},"content":{"rendered":"

By VICTOR WISHNA<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 When Chanukah comes, it hangs around for more than a week. That means plenty of gifts to give, as well as ample time for procrastinators.<\/p>\n

For your favorite Person of the Book, you can\u2019t go too wrong with giving, uh, a book. We have eight of them here, from the culinary to the cartoonish (in a good way), with a few gripping novels and too-crazy-not-to-be-true tales in between.<\/p>\n

Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press <\/strong> (Stanford University Press)
\nBy Eddy Portnoy<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Book Smugglers<\/strong> (ForeEdge)
\nBy David E. Fishman<\/em><\/p>\n

If the pen really is mightier than the sword, then the written word is therefore worth risking one\u2019s life to save, right? Such was the motivation of the \u201cPaper Brigade,\u201d a band of poets-turned-partisans who tempted death by hiding and smuggling thousands of manuscripts<\/a> in and out of the Vilna ghetto during the Nazi occupation. (Alas, the Soviet liberation of what once was \u201cthe Jerusalem of Lithuania\u201d did not mean these rescued Jewish cultural treasures were any safer.) Through meticulous research and dramatic storytelling Fishman, a professor of Jewish history at the Jewish Theological Seminary, brings this inspiring, lesser-known episode of Jewish resistance into colorful focus.<\/p>\n

Boy in Winter<\/strong> (Pantheon)
\nBy Rachel Seiffert<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dinner at the Center of the Earth<\/strong> (Knopf)
\nBy Nathan Englander<\/em><\/p>\n

The best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist (“What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank”) has come a long way in crafting this political thriller set in the combustion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Or, as The Jerusalem Post put it,<\/a> \u201cEnglander has produced a masterpiece of literary imagination that seems to mirror his own evolution.\u201d Built on twin narratives \u2014 the flashbacks of an unnamed prisoner in a secret cell in the Negev and the dreams of his comatose nemesis, identified only as The General \u2014 the story blends action and intrigue with tragedy and even a touch of rom-com, all in the service of Englander\u2019s complicated but masterful exploration of the many contradictions of the modern State of Israel.<\/p>\n

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Forest Dark<\/strong> (HarperCollins)
\nBy Nicole Kraus<\/em><\/p>\n

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Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York<\/strong> (Bloomsbury USA)
\nBy Roz Chast<\/em><\/p>\n

At this point, pretty much anyone reading this is familiar with Chast\u2019s distinctive, delightful cartoons from her 40-year career at The New Yorker<\/a>. Whether you\u2019re a longtime fan \u2014 of Chast or The New Yorker, or New York itself \u2014 or just discovering any of these for the first time, this hilarious illustrated guide and graphic memoir should leave you both satisfied and well-informed. The native Brooklynite turned suburban commuter offers readers a glorious escape (as in fire escapes, which she refers to as \u201cthose West Side Story-things\u201d) and the chance to really see Manhattan (primarily) in all its \u201cgum-wad-dotted sidewalk\u201d glory.<\/p>\n

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Eight nights means lots of latkes, so why not change it up a bit? Sarna \u2014 editor of The Nosher<\/a>, which like JTA is a publication of 70 Faces Media \u2014 offers a range of innovative, fresh-baked treats that are perfect for holidays (or any old day). Subtitled \u201cChallah, Babka, Bagels & More,\u201d the book features plenty of color photos (100 in all) and step-by-step instructions for making delicious, traditional baked goods. But the “More” is really where it’s at: Among the delightful recipes are Chocolate Chip Hamantaschen, Tomato-Basil Challah, Everything-Bagel Rugelach and S\u2019mores Babka. Give this book to the right person and you’ve truly got a gift that keeps on giving!<\/p>\n

When Basketball Was Jewish<\/strong> (University of Nebraska Press)
\nBy Douglas Stark<\/em><\/p>\n

Basketball may owe its existence to a couple of peach baskets and one James Naismith, who invented the game in 1891 at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. But its eventual evolution into a worldwide phenomenon really began in the early 20th century, gaining popularity among urban, immigrant communities \u2014 and many of those playing happened to be Jewish. Stark has compiled archival interviews with 20 of the most prominent Jews to play, coach or referee the game, painting a rather complete picture of the sport from 1900 to 1960. The result of his effort works as a sports book as well as an intriguing chronicle of American Jewish history.<\/p>\n

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