Friday Reads: Jewish American Heritage Month
In May we honor centuries of Jewish contributions to American culture and society for Jewish American Heritage Month. We’ve also included this year’s Jewish Book Award winners who were celebrated in March: Congratulations to our Penguin Random House authors! Thus, with education and celebration of Jewish-American culture and history in mind, please discover the following new and acclaimed books for adults and younger readers:
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WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH AWARD: JEWISH BOOK OF THE YEAR
In 1785, when the great German poet Friedrich Schiller penned his immortal “Ode to Joy,” he crystallized the deepest hopes and dreams of the European Enlightenment for a new era of peace and freedom, a time when millions would be embraced as equals. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony then gave wing to Schiller’s words, but barely a century later these same words were claimed by Nazi propagandists and twisted by a barbarism so complete that it ruptured, as one philosopher put it, “the deep layer of solidarity among all who wear a human face.”
The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming. She recounts her early struggles to become an actress, eventually turning to singing to earn a living; the recording of some of her acclaimed albums; the years of effort involved in making Yentl; her direction of The Prince of Tides; her friendships with figures ranging from Marlon Brando to Madeleine Albright; her political advocacy; and the fulfillment she’s found in her marriage to James Brolin.
A new cookbook from the best-selling and award-winning author that uses recipes to look back at her life and family history—and at her personal journey discovering Jewish cuisine from around the world. This is a treasury of recipes and stories—and an invitation to a seat at Nathan’s table.
A compelling nonfiction graphic novel, Whistleblowers is the true story of four courageous individuals who risked their careers—or their lives—to confront the unfolding Holocaust. Acclaimed author Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of the David Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, and award-winning comics creator Dean Motter bring to life these tales of moral courage in the face of genocide.
The incredible saga of the German-Jewish immigrants—with now familiar names like Goldman and Sachs, Kuhn and Loeb, Warburg and Schiff, Lehman and Seligman—who profoundly influenced the rise of modern finance (and so much more), from the New York Times best-selling author of Sons of Wichita. In The Money Kings, Schulman unspools a sweeping narrative that traces the interconnected origin stories of these financial dynasties. He chronicles their paths to Wall Street dominance, as they navigated the deeply antisemitic upper class of the Gilded Age, and the complexities of the Civil War, World War I, and the Zionist movement that tested both their burgeoning empires and their identities as Americans, Germans, and Jews.
THE GHOST TATTOO by Tony Bernard
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR BEST HOLOCAUST MEMOIR
A powerful, profoundly moving Holocaust memoir from a rarely told perspective, this is the story of a family coming to terms with its long-hidden wartime secrets and—a son discovering the Faustian bargain his Jewish father made with the Nazis in order to survive. The Ghost Tattoo is a haunting, emotionally resonant memoir of war and its aftermath. It is also a singular account of resistance, resilience, and hope. Henry was eventually called to Germany to testify in a trial against Nazi murderers, where his evidence proved pivotal. After decades of silence, he seized the chance to bear witness—for history, for his family, and for all those who did not survive.
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER FOR BOOK CLUB and FICTION
From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them.
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER: AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR
Happily is a beautifully written memoir-in-essays on fairy tales and their surprising relevance to modern life, from a Jewish woman raising Black children in the American South—based on her acclaimed Paris Review column “Happily”
FOR YOUNGER READERS
From apples and honey all the way to zhug, Alan Silberberg brings his signature wacky humor to this alphabet of Jewish food. It’s perfect for board book readers with a funny bone, and anyone who wants to celebrate the wide range of delicious bites Jews eat all over the world!
A loving tribute to a towering figure in Jewish American history from two award-winning creators.
Two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Norman H. Finkelstein and Sydney Taylor Award winner Vesper Stamper have teamed up to tell the story of Abraham Cahan, the founder and longtime editor of the Yiddish language newspaper the Forverts (the Forward), which, in its heyday, was one of the largest newspapers in the United States.
For fans of All-of-a-Kind Family, here is the true story of how Sarah Brenner, a poor girl from New York City’s Lower East Side, became Sydney Taylor: dancer, actress, and successful children’s book author. From well-known Jewish children’s author Richard Michelson, this is the story of how Sarah became Sydney and how she showed children the joy of seeing their culture reflected on the page.
For more information on these titles visit the collection Jewish American Heritage Month
Click here for The Read Down which includes Jewish American Fiction
Click here for this year’s National Jewish Book Awards announced in March.
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