When San Jose State University professor David Mesher read “Lost in Translation” by Eva Hoffman, he thought of Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx and even Julius Caesar. But when Romania native Irina Raicu read it, she thought of her own journey from Eastern Europe to the Bay Area.
“It was interesting to read a book that reflects my own experiences,” Raicu told a group of nearly 50 people Sunday, Jan. 29 at the King Library in San Jose, there to participate in the first of five meetings for “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature Discussion Series.”
The American Library Association and Nextbook are sponsoring the series, which explores contemporary Jewish literature through scholar-led discussions. Mesher, a Ph.D., will serve as the program’s scholar.
“This is a way to engage the community through Jewish literature with a theme that speaks to everyone,” said Program Director Ruth Kohan. Once a month, the group will meet at the King Library to discuss a book that fits within the theme of “Between Two
Worlds: Stories of Estrangement and Homecoming.”
A theme, guest speaker Raicu said, that she has dealt with for many years.
Following Mesher’s dissection of the story about a young Jewish woman who emigrated from Poland to Canada, and eventually to the United States, Raicu took the podium, explaining how she identified with Hoffman’s book.
“It is a Jewish book, but definitely an immigrant book,” said Raicu, who fits into both categories. She addressed her personal feats over language, cultural and religious barriers, similar to what Hoffman overcame.
In general, Mesher thinks the series will speak to the entire community.
“Part of the idea is that in addition to having a discussion for people who have an interest in Jewish literature, it will also interest those that don’t,” he said.
Mesher, an English professor and coordinator of Jewish studies at San Jose State, applied for the $1,500 grant last April. The series is in its fourth season nationwide, and there are more than 150 libraries in the country receiving grants for the “Let’s Talk” series.
The program started from humble beginnings, with a few people gathering to discuss books in a Vermont kitchen in 1973. The American Library Association adopted “Let’s Talk About It” in 1984, though it wasn’t a Jewish series until three years ago when Nextbook began co-sponsoring it, Kohan said.
Besides “Between Two Worlds,” libraries have three other program themes to choose from: “Your Heart’s Desire: Sex and Love in Jewish Literature,” “Demons, Golems and Dybbuks: Monsters of the Jewish Imagination,” and “A Mind of Her Own: Fathers and Daughters in a Changing World.”
The Los Altos Library will start the series in August, although its theme has not yet been chosen.
One San Jose attendee that identified with the first book of the series was Tamara Herman, a Jew who emigrated from the former Yugoslavia to the United States in 1971. “I went through similar experiences as described in Hoffman’s book when I came to America,” said San Jose resident Herman, though she didn’t relate to everything the author wrote.
“In Yugoslavia, I didn’t have to hide my Jewishness,” she said, unlike what Hoffman had to do in Poland.
The next “Let’s Talk” discussion will be Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. The group will discuss “Out of Egypt,” by André Aciman. Dalia Sirkin, an English professor at San Jose State, will share her experience of growing up in Libya until forced into exile.
Participants are expected to read the book prior to the discussion. “It certainly makes for a better experience if they read beforehand,” Kohan said.
Besides reading engaging books that she can identify with, San Jose resident Beverly Wilets said there is another reason to attend the Sunday discussion group — it’s free.
All meetings are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the King Library, rooms 225/229. Other titles and dates are: March 19, “The Centaur in the Garden” by Moacyr Scliar; April 23, “Mr. Sammler’s Planet” by Saul Bellow; and May 21, “Kaaterskill Falls” by Allegra Goodman.
Preregistration is recommended. The King Library is located at 150 E. San Fernando St. For more information, call Ruth Kohan at (408) 998-2022, or visit www.sjlibrary.org.