Filmmaker Roberta Grossman offered a work-in-progress screening of her documentary on Hava Nagila at the Association of Jewish Libraries 2012 conference in California. Here we have her introductory remarks and the Q&A that followed the screening.The film is now opening in theaters across the country!

AUDIO:

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VIDEO:


Trailer for Hava Nagila (The Movie) from Katahdin Productions on Vimeo.


CREDITS: 

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band 
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.  


 

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The Book of Life's Canadian correspondent, Anne Dublin, interviews author Kathy Kacer about the compilation of children's responses to the Holocaust entitled We Are Their Voice.

AUDIO:

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CREDITS: 

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band 
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.  

 

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On this final day of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour, awards committee member Barbara Krasner hosts a roundtable wrap-up at her blog, The Whole Megillah. Read responses from various winners, as if they were participating in a panel presentation at a conference!

Thanks to all the winners for their participation in the blog tour, to all the bloggers for hosting, and to you, the readers, for your enthusiasm and attention!

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Read an interview with Linda Leopold Strauss, author of The Elijah Door: A Passover Tale (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category) at Pen and Prose! A highlight: "As I was writing the story, I kept hearing the cadence of my grandparents’ Yiddish-speaking voices in my head. The repetition of phrases, the rhythms, the word combinations. And I think their voices also very much informed the way I wrote the story."

Read an interview with Alexi Natchev, illustrator of The Elijah Door: A Passover Tale (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category) at Madelyn Rosenberg's Virtual Living Room! A highlight: "In my artistic education, illustration was really not just for children. In my formative years, art was part of the idealogical system. We were living at that time on the other side of the Iron Curtain so everything was very ideological and politicized. But in the illustration field you could be a little more creative, not so rigidly following certain requirements of clichés and artistic concepts with which you didn’t necessarily always agree."

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Read an interview with Sheri Sinykin, author of Zayde Comes to Live (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category) at Read, Write, Repeat! A highlight: "My dearest wish is that Zayde will bring reassurance, peace, and completeness — shalom! — to children just discovering the circle of life they’ve heard sung about in the popular animated movie."

Read an interview with Kristina Swarner, illustrator of Zayde Comes to Live (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category) at Writing and Illustrating! A highlight: "I really didn’t want to make the art too sad or pensive. The ideas evolved as I sketched, and the more I sketched, the more the tenderness and joyfulness of the story came out in the art."

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Read an interview with Linda Glaser, author of Hannah's Way (Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers Category) at This Messy Life! A highlight: "This is a story about staying true to one’s traditions but still wanting to “belong.” It’s also a story about ordinary children who, through a simple act of kindness, become heroes. I hope that with the help of the Sydney Taylor Award, Hannah’s Way will reach many more kids and will do its small part to encourage tolerance, acceptance, and kindness."

Read an interview with Adam Gustavson, illustrator of Hannah's Way (Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers Category) at Here in HP! A highlight: "I’ve always drawn; my mother was an artist when I was growing up, and my brothers and I drew like most other kids would play ball. It was a big part of how we played together. My father, an engineer, used to come home with art supplies he’d picked up for us on his way home from work. I grew up in the only household for miles and miles where a crisis consisted of my mother trying to find out just who took her kneaded eraser."

Read an interview with Louise Borden, author of His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg (Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers Category) at Randomly Reading! A highlight: "Young readers have much longer lives ahead of them.  I want them to be inspired by this man and by his character and actions.  I want kids to know that they too can make a positive difference in the world.  I want them to find their own heroes.  And I want readers to remember Raoul Wallenberg and to carry his story into their own futures.  We are all storytellers - kids will remember a great story and I hope they will tell others and use its power for good in their own lives."

Read an interview with Deborah Heiligman, author of Intentions (Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Teen Readers Category) at The Fourth Musketeer! A highlight: "I wanted to capture that moment in a teen's life when she realizes that someone she adores and even idolizes is flawed. That happened to me in a pretty spectacular way in my community growing up (though not quite as spectacularly as in the book!) and it was a truly painful time. That moment informs who you become I think--because how you deal with it can shape the rest of your life."

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Ann Redisch Stampler, author of The Wooden Sword (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Older Readers Category) at Shelf-Employed! A highlight: "as I researched the Afghani story, learning more about the culture of the Jews who lived with their Muslim neighbors in Afghanistan for a thousand years, I loved it. It was hilarious, but at the same time, its message was profound."

Carol Liddiment, illustrator of The Wooden Sword (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Older Readers Category) at Ann Koffsky's Blog!  A highlight: "This is a warm story about the Shah’s desire to understand the poor man’s faith. It is a story about tolerance and understanding… I hope that message can be embraced by all."

 

Doreen Rappaport, author of Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust (Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category) at Bildungsroman! A highlight: "I feel I was privileged to learn about so many Jewish children, men and women, who exhibited extraordinary courage and foresight during the nightmare of the Holocaust.  I had the privilege of speaking directly with three survivors and forging a friendship with one of them.  My research led me into a world I knew nothing about and filled me with enormous pride about these courageous Jews."

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The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2013 gold and silver medalists and a few selected Notables with a Blog Tour, February 11-15, 2013! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a wide variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. For those of you who have not yet experienced a Blog Tour, it’s basically a virtual book tour. Instead of going to a library or bookstore to see an author or illustrator speak, you go to a website on or after the advertised date to read an author’s or illustrator’s interview.

Below is the schedule for the 2013 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. Please follow the links to visit the hosting blogs on or after their tour dates, and be sure to leave them plenty of comments!


 
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Ann Redisch Stampler, author of The Wooden Sword
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
At Shelf-Employed 

Carol Liddiment, illustrator of The Wooden Sword
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
At Ann Koffsky’s Blog 

Doreen Rappaport, author of Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Teen Readers Category
At Bildungsroman


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013
 
Linda Glaser, author of Hannah’s Way
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
At This Messy Life 

Adam Gustavson, illustrator of Hannah’s Way
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger ReadersCategory
At Here in HP 

Louise Borden, author of His Name was Raoul Wallenberg
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
At Randomly Reading 

Deborah Heiligman, author of Intentions
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
At The Fourth Musketeer 


WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 

Sheri Sinykin, author of Zayde Comes to Live
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers Category
At Read, Write, Repeat 

Kristina Swarner, illustrator of Zayde Comes to Live
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers Category
At Writing & Illustrating


THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Linda Leopold Strauss, author of The Elijah Door
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Older Readers Category
At Pen and Prose 

Alexi Natchev, illustrator of The Elijah Door
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Older Readers Category
At Madelyn Rosenberg’s Virtual Living Room 


FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013

Blog Tour Wrap-Up at The Whole Megillah

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During the Midwinter Council meeting of the Association of Jewish Libraries, I pulled Aimee Lurie out into the hall for a chat. Aimee is the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, and she told me all about the 2013 winners, the best in Jewish children's literature for children and teens! Get more info at www.sydneytaylorbookaward.org.


AUDIO:

Click the play button to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to open your computer's media player


CREDITS: 

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band 
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.  

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McFarland Publishing's name and logo don't seem very Jewish, but you may be surprised to learn that they have a strong selection of Jewish titles in their catalog. This podcast is a show-floor interview from ALA, with McFarland's own Karl-Heinz Roseman, who very kindly allowed me to come back and complete our interview the next day, after the batteries in my recorder died.


AUDIO:

Click the play button to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.

CREDITS: 

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel 
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries 
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band 
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast 
Twitter: @bookoflifepod 

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473. 

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Next month the 2013 Sydney Taylor Book Award winners will be announced, but for now we are still celebrating the wonderful winners that were named in January 2012. At the Association of Jewish Libraries annual conference this summer, I did a joint interview with winners Susan Goldman Rubin (Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein) and Rob Sharenow (The Berlin Boxing Club). Both were charming and personable, a delight to speak with as they talked about the inspiration for and ties between their two books. 

AUDIO:

Click the play button to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.

CREDITS: 

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel 
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries 
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band 
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast 
Twitter: @bookoflifepod 

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

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The Association of Jewish Libraries has created “Hanukkah Read Up!,” a list of Hanukkah books for children recommended by the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. The colorful 2-page flyer is available on the AJL website at http://tinyurl.com/AJLhanukkah. All the titles on the list have been recognized by the award committee as gold or silver medalists or as “Notable Books.” A special section is devoted to the Hanukkah works of prolific author Eric A. Kimmel, a past Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award winner.

The list should prove interesting and useful for families seeking Hanukkah titles for their children, to read together or buy as gifts, as well as for librarians who wish to purchase titles for their holiday shelves. AJL members and friends are welcome to distribute the list, digitally or printed out, to their own library patrons.

Happy Hanukkah and Happy Reading!

Heidi Estrin
AJL President
Host, The Book of Life

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Welcome to the Jewish Book Carnival for the month of November, 2012! 

The Jewish Book Carnival is a monthly online event celebrating Jewish literature, hosted by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Our October host, The Prosen People, explained it so well that I'm going to borrow their description:

"The series is a monthly event where book bloggers who promote Jewish literature come together to share some of their best content from the past month. Each month the round-up of posts can be found on a different Jewish literary blog, so be sure to check out Jewish Book Carnival HQ for future (and past!) hosts (and posts!)."

This month we've got some great links for you. We hope you'll join the conversation by sharing and commenting on the blog posts represented here!


David Levy at JewishBoston.com sent in this interview with Anna Solomon, author of The Lobster Mafia Story. This "trayf" short story is being distributed all over town for The Boston Book Festival! A download link for the story itself is included.

Erika Dreifus at My Machberet writes about The Curse of Gurs: Way Station to Auschwitz, by Werner L. Frank, which combines genealogy and history in an account of Jews from the Baden area of Germany.
*By the way, Erika will host December's Jewish Book Carnival and will also be the Association of Jewish Libraries' Facebook Writer-in-Residence during the month of December!

Jonathan Kirsch at JewishJournal.com sent in his review of Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People, which describes the sometimes controversial study of whether "we carry Jewishness in our blood."

Ann Koffsky at AnnKoffsky.com offers two links, one fun and one serious.

• For fun, she sent in this rainy day coloring page for the kids, accompanied by a Hebrew prayer for the wind and rain. 
• On a more serious note, she sent in an audio interview in which she and Rabbi Savitsky at the Orthodox Union discuss the conspicuous absence of women in Jewish publications.

Barbara Krasner at The Whole Megillah gives us this interview with award-winning nonfiction author Deborah Heiligman about her first novel, Intentions.

Lorri M. at Jewaicious wrote two book reviews. Check out:

• City of Women
• Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany

Linda K. Wertheimer's blog post is called "Slurping Kitten Teaches Children About Forgiveness." It's a reflection on teaching the concepts of Yom Kippur to preschoolers, in this case using Sadie Rose Weilerstein's K'tonton stories.

Naomi Firestone-Teeter at the Jewish Book Council's Prosen People blog, sent in two links:

• Sports is Like Hollywood: They're Both Jewish!
• Translations and Translators 

Thanks to all the bloggers who submitted links and to all you readers who are about to enjoy these posts! If you'd like to be a part of the Jewish Book Carnival in December, send your link to Erika Dreifus, who will be hosting at her blog My Machberet.

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The Book of Life's Canadian correspondant, Anne Dublin, speaks live with author Lesley Simpson before the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto. They discuss Lesley's new picture book A Song For My Sister, and talk about the writing life.

AUDIO:

Click the play button to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.


CREDITS: 

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel 
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries 
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band 
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast 
Twitter: @bookoflifepod 

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

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I met author Betsy Rosenthal at the ALA (American Library Association) conference, and grabbed a quick interview on the showroom floor. Betsy is the author of Looking For Me in this Great Big Family, a fictionalized tale of her mother's experience growing up as one of twelve Jewish siblings in Baltimore, Maryland during the Depression.

AUDIO:

Click the play button to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.


Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod
Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

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20. 2012 Sydney Taylor Blog Tour, Day 1: Baseball and Noah's Ark

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By: Heidi Estrin, on 2/5/2012
Blog: The Book of Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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The 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour is off to a great start today with three excellent interviews! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Susan Campbell Bartoletti, author of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Ima On & Off the Bima

Holly Meade, illustrator of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Shelley Sommer, author of Hammerin' Hank Greenberg, Baseball Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Great Kid Books

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21. Response to Jewish Kidlit Article in The Forward

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By: Heidi Estrin, on 2/7/2012
Blog: The Book of Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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In The Jewish Daily Forward, January 31, 2012, an article appeared entitled "Who Will Light Up Jewish Kids Lit? Death of Two Authors Leaves Gaping Hole in Genre." Written by Kveller.com editor Deborah Kolben, the article mourns the passing of two literary giants, Simms Taback and Russell Hoban. 

The passing of these two authors is certainly sad, but I have to disagree with Kolben's contention that their deaths mark the end of Jewish kidlit, and I also disagree with her overview of the state of the genre. I drafted a response to leave as a comment at The Forward, but it exceeded the 3000 word limit. Thus, my response is posted here at The Book of Life. I urge you to visit http://forward.com/articles/150253/ to read the original article, to consider my points posted here, and to add your own responses either at The Book of Life or at The Forward.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kolben declares that “good storytelling is what’s missing” and calls for Jewish kidlit to be held up to the “same high standards as the rest of the books on our kids’ shelves.” I'd like to provide a some context for Kolben's comments about the state of Jewish children’s literature.

Thousands of secular children’s books are published each year. Some of them are terrific; many of them are  only so-so. But the numbers are so large that even this small percentage of good books offers a reasonable  selection.  The niche of Jewish kidlit, on the other hand, is small. Probably between 100-200 Jewish interest titles for kids of all ages are published each year. Even if we get the same ratio of good books to dreck as in secular publishing, the numbers will be much smaller. There will be only a handful of great Jewish kids’ books in any given year, and a gem will only come along once every few years.

Next, let’s address those mainstream “high standards.” It’s important to realize that even secular children’s books are feeling the pressures of a crazy economy and an industry that’s undergoing tremendous change (think e-publishing). Kidlit expert Anita Silvey’s November 2011 article in School Library Journal (http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/892418-427/make_way_for_stories_theres.html.csp) analyses the forces that make it difficult for publishers to focus on quality over the bottom line. If times are hard for secular publishing, they are even more so for Judaica, where the market is so much smaller.

Lest you think I am an apologist for poor quality Jewish kidlit, I’d like to point out that the field is actually doing quite well, due perhaps to the modern fashion for multiculturalism. The Sydney Taylor Book Awards, presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries, gave out three gold medals, eight silver medals, and eighteen Notable designations to Jewish children’s and teen titles published in the last year alone.  These titles include not only holiday and shtetl stories, but also biographies, folktales, Holocaust-related material, historical fiction and contemporary fiction.

Books that receive Jewish awards are usually fairly explicit in their Jewishness, but there are also plenty of “assimilated” books that may go undetected by the casual reader. Kolben wishes for “great stories in which characters happen to be Jewish.” Look carefully at the illustrations for Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly, and you’ll learn that her maternal grandparents are named Sid a

3 Comments on Response to Jewish Kidlit Article in The Forward, last added: 2/9/2012

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Bialik Librarian said, on 2/7/2012 12:30:00 PM

Ms. Kolben's article in the english 'Forward' could lead one to believe that there is no great Jewish children's literature out there, or that there are no new titles being published in the field. Heidi sets the record straight in this informative response.

Laurel said, on 2/7/2012 2:14:00 PM

Hi Heidi,

First, I'd like to say that I hope nobody thinks I said anything about myself or my own writing in this context. I blushed when I read the piece.

Second, I want to reassert that I stand by my statement: “Holiday books are safe, Bible retellings are safe. Anything set in a Polish-looking village or on Delancey Street is safe... But if you want to write a book that has Jewish values but isn’t rooted in nostalgia, you’re kind of in a no-man’s land.” This was said about the publishing industry, which is often risk averse, and so turns to what's worked in the past. This is not how to best promote artistic innovation. And I do believe this to be true. That publishers are frequently looking for a new version of something they've seen before.

But to dispel any confusion, I want to explain that this was said in the context of a larger conversation. I don't feel so much that Hoban's and Taback's deaths (though sad) are the markers of anything particularly. I'm sad to lose them, but I certainly think we have wonderful writers today, doing great work. I agree with you that things are improving. (though I also worry about the industry and the economoy)

We've had conversations about this subject in the past, and I know we don't always agree exactly about our favorites. (But who does?)

It's true that I lean away from picture books that feel too familiar to me, or "tell" too much. I want character-driven picture books, humor, lots of surprising language play, unusual art, and maybe a little edge. I will never stop fussing about how we could use more of those things in our books, and less of what we've already got.

But I wanted to chime in here and lend my support for the community of artists at large. They are truly great.

Respectfully, Laurel

Jacqueline Jules said, on 2/8/2012 2:26:00 PM

Very well said, Heidi. Thank you.

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22. Room Enough for Daisy

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By: Heidi Estrin, on 3/5/2012
Blog: The Book of Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Canadian, children's books, Add a tag

Co-authors Debby Waldman and Rita Feutl interview each other about their picture book, Room Enough for Daisy, a modern story based on the old Jewish folktale about the crowded house.

AUDIO:

Click the play button on this flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.

CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod
Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

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23. My Father's Secret

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By: Heidi Estrin, on 4/18/2012
Blog: The Book of Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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A tribute by the Sydney Taylor Book Award-winning author

of Tropical Secrets,

Margarita Engle

Freedom of expression is a right so precious that we must constantly work to protect it. In 1939, when he was only fourteen, my father made a courageous effort to speak out against the atrocities of the Holocaust. Instead of being praised, he was punished. Recently, after receiving an invitation to a junior high school reunion, he sat down and wrote a letter to the school, revealing a secret he had kept for 73 years.  -- Margarita Engle

Dear Mr. Jordan and the Mount Vernon Reunion Committee,

Thank you for inviting me to the coming Luncheon for past Mount Vernon students. I remember many positive things about my three years at Mount Vernon Junior High, especially the many fine teachers with whom I was fortunate to study. In particular, members of the art faculty whose encouragement, I believe, helped me to prepare for my future career as an artist and art teacher.

There is one dark episode, however which I still recall vividly. In 1939 I was fourteen years old. World events affected me deeply. The persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany was a case in point. In response to those terrible events I was motivated to do a large painting depicting Nazi soldiers dragging helpless victims to their fate. When I finished the painting, I brought it to my art class where it was well received, or so I thought. That same day, Mr. Smith, the Boys' vice principal, showed up unexpectedly in my art class. He insisted that I remove my painting from the school grounds immediately. He remarked "There are two sides to every story." He helped me carry my painting out of the school and I brought it home that same day. Mr. Smith's apparent Nazi sympathies were so strong that he could not tolerate my side of the story for even one day. Years later I joined the Merchant Marine and I served for three years from 1943-1946. After the war, I resumed my art studies and earned an MFA degree from Claremont College. I am now retired from teaching, so I devote most of my time to furthering my art career. I am married; we have two children and two grandchildren.

Recounting this painful episode at Mount Vernon Junior High has been important for me, and I believe it is important to share it with you. Sadly, it brings to mind how so much intolerance had extended to be part of the administration at Mount Vernon Junior High in the pre-war years.

Sincerely,
Martin Mondrus

The original painting was destroyed in a fire, but other works by Martin Mondrus show his continued dedication to the theme of survival.

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Susan Lynn Meyer said, on 4/18/2012 1:40:00 PM

This is a fascinating and disturbing story. Was this Mount Vernon, NY?

Anonymous said, on 4/18/2012 5:01:00 PM

My father grew up in Los Angeles. The school was there. Thanks for your interest! Margarita Engle

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24. Marc Tyler Nobleman: Biographer of Underdogs

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By: Heidi Estrin, on 5/9/2012
Blog: The Book of Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Enjoy this interview with Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, and other untold stories about underdog heroes!

Click here to see a great PBS feature on Marc, which includes a link to his blog Nobelmania!

AUDIO: 

Click the play button on this flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.

VIDEO:

CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod
Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflife

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25. Reuven Firestone: Jews and Muslims

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By: Heidi Estrin, on 7/11/2012
Blog: The Book of Life (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Left to right: David Hirsch, Reuven Firestone
at 2012 AJL Conference

Dr. Reuven Firestone was the opening plenary speaker at the June, 2012 Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Pasadena, CA. He gave a fascinating talk called "Jews in the Koran, Jews on the Koran" to a packed house.

In this brief interview, Dr. Firestone describes the theme of his talk, and also mentions his new book, Holy War in Judaism: The Fall and Rise of a Controversial Idea.

AUDIO: 

Click the play button on this flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer's media player.

CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod
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