Library Journal's Reader's Shelf

Sophie's Choice:  The Best of Jewish Literature

The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six By Keats, Jonathon 2009-02 - Random House Trade 9780812978971 Check Our Catalog Marvelous and mystical stories of the 36 anonymous saints whose decency sustains the world, this collection turns the traditional folktale on its head. Keats creates heroes from the unlikeliest of characters, and enchants readers with stunningly original fables. …More

Songs for the Butcher's Daughter By Manseau, Peter 2008-09 - Free Press 9781416538707 Check Our Catalog An Indie Next Selection Reminiscent of Nicole Krauss's "The History of Love," Manseau's debut novel introduces readers to two people whose lives merge unexpectedly in the last years of the 20th century: Itsik Malpesh, a 90-something Russian poet and his 21-year-old American translator. …More

The Ministry of Special Cases By Englander, Nathan 2008-04 - Vintage Books USA 9780375704444 Check Our Catalog From the author of the literary sensation "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges" comes a spectacular debut novel set at the height of Argentina's Dirty War. …More

Beaufort By Leshem, Ron Translator Fallenberg, Evan 2009-02 - Delta 9780553385298 Check Our Catalog By turns subversive and darkly comic, Leshem's debut novel is an international literary sensation. Charged with brilliance and daring, "Beaufort" is at once a searing coming-of-age story and a novel for the times--a powerful, visceral portrait of the horror, camaraderie, and absurdity of war. …More

Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival By Kramer, Clara With Glantz, Stephen 2009-05 - Ecco 9780061728600 Check Our Catalog The publication of Kramer's heartwrenching memoir of survival--hiding from the Nazis in an underground bunker with 17 other people--coincides with the observation of Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 21, 2009. b&w photo insert. …More

The Jewish Body By Konner, Melvin 2009-01 - Schocken Books Inc 9780805242362 Check Our Catalog From a well-known doctor and anthropologist comes a history of the Jewish people from bris to burial. Konner takes the measure of the "Jewish body," stopping along the way to contemplate sex, circumcision, menstruation, and even those most elusive and controversial of microscopic markers--Jewish genes. …More

A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy By Buergenthal, Thomas Foreword by Wiesel, Elie 2009-04 - Little Brown and Company 9780316043403 Check Our Catalog Buergenthal arrived at Auschwitz at age 10 after surviving two ghettos and a labor camp. Now dedicated to helping those subjected to tyranny throughout the world, Buergenthal writes his story with a simple clarity that highlights the stark details of unimaginable hardship. …More

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story By Ackerman, Diane 2007-09 - W. W. Norton & Company 9780393061727 Check Our Catalog 2008 ALA Notable BookPage Notable Title When Germany invaded Poland, bombers devastated Warsaw, and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski smuggled Jews through the empty cages, saving hundreds of people from Nazi hands. …More