From the Archives In our early years, we didn't really go for beach reads Here at J. we’ve been suggesting books for our readers for well over 120 years. Tastes have changed, and the bestseller of the past may be long forgotten,… By Maya Mirsky Aug 4, 2023
Books Q&A: Pulitzer-winning Berkeley author on new World War II novel In the summer of 1939, an ailing mother sends her teenage son to live with relatives in Denmark. Less than a year after his arrival, Germany invades the… By Andrew Esensten Aug 4, 2023
Books South Carolina schools to return novel about blood libel to shelves (JTA) – A school district in South Carolina will return Bernard Malamud’s “The Fixer,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about antisemitism, to… By Andrew Lapin Aug 3, 2023
Books Antisemitism haunts Israeli family in Silicon Valley in ‘The Wolf Hunt’ A man wearing a hoodie walks into a Reform synagogue in Silicon Valley, in one of the “greenest, quietest, safest cities in America.” It’s the first night… By Andrew Esensten Aug 3, 2023
Fiction Novel excerpt: ‘Forget I Told You This’ In Bay Area author Hilary Zaid’s forthcoming novel “Forget I Told You This,” a queer, single mother and aspiring artist named Amy Black dreams of a… By Hilary Zaid Aug 2, 2023
Off the Shelf Israeli author's novel in three parts explores yearning and betrayal With the passing of Meir Shalev this year and A.B. Yehoshua last year, few stellar writers remain from the generations that created and grew up alongside… By Howard Freedman Aug 2, 2023
Books In their classroom, Torah is a three-ring circus — by design (JTA) — For a brief and slightly embarrassing period in my teens, I wanted to run away with the circus. I sent a letter to Ringling Brothers & Barnum… By Andrew Silow-Carroll Aug 1, 2023
Books Israeli journalist uses fiction to untangle Mideast conflict As Ruth Marks Eglash began writing “Parallel Lines,” her debut novel that tells the story of three teenage girls in Jerusalem, she found herself… By Dan Pine Aug 1, 2023
Books Behind Zim's burgers was a family in turmoil Nancy Zimmerman Pechner grew up the daughter of Bay Area icon Art Zimmerman, the Polish-born founder of famed San Francisco hamburger chain Zim’s and a… By Leslie Katz Jul 31, 2023