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Author Pamela Ehrenberg is not afraid to tackle big topics. Her first book, Ethan, Suspended, explored issues of race relations (see our February 2008 podcast for a discussion of Ethan, Suspended). Her new book, Tillmon County Fire, examines the many forms that prejudice can take, using the voices of teens who are gay, Jewish, adopted, autistic, abused, or marginalized in other ways. Amazingly, Pam's books are far from preachy. They are compellingly readable, and her characters are very real people. They are brave books, and I highly recommend that you read them.

To learn more about Tillmon County Fire, check out the stops on Pam's Blog Tour at pamelaehrenberg.com!

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.

SHOW NOTES:

The Book of Life hosted a live, call-in show on February 7, 2008 with special guest Pamela Ehrenberg, author of Ethan, Suspended. Our discussion topic was "what makes a book Jewish?" This recording of the call-in show has been edited for clarity and sound quality, but is essentially the same show heard by those who listened live on the big day.

Many of those who called in are well-known as authors or bloggers. Follow these links to learn more about the voices you hear on this episode (listed alphabetically):

> Maggie Anton, author of the series Rashi's Daughters

> Barbara Bietz, author of Like a Maccabee, and blogger at Barbara's Book Blog

> Marie Cloutier, blogger at The Boston Bibliophile

> June Cummins, Associate Professor of English & Comparative Literature at San Diego State University

> Andi Davidson, past member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee

> Pamela Ehrenberg, author of Ethan, Suspended

> Brenda Ferber, author of Julia's Kitchen

> Rita Frischer, past Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee

> Janet Gingold, author of children's novels and nonfiction

> Mary Claire Mahaney, author of Osaka Heat

> Elizabeth McBride, blogger at Mommytown, who tried to submit questions by chat; we ran out of time, but I want to acknowledge her participation

> Kathe Pinchuck, current Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee

> Hazel Rochman, author, and editor/reviewer for ALA's Booklist

> Linda Silver, author/editor of The Jewish Values Finder (book and database), and another past chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee

Thanks to everyone who participated!


Background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band.

Books and CD's mentioned on the show may be borrowed from the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel. Browse our online catalog to reserve books, post a review, or just to look around!

The Book of Life's experimental live call-in show was held yesterday, and it was a success! A number of people called to share opinions about our featured book, Ethan, Suspended, and about what defines a Jewish book.

The show was recorded, and I'm editing it now; soon it will be added to the regular podcast line-up. I apologize in advance for the sound quality. My own voice sounds kind of broken up, while other callers came through loud and clear. I may, in fact, try re-recording my own comments if I can get it to integrate with the rest of the conversation.

Many of our callers were well-known figures within the Judaic literary community, so I will provide links in the show notes to lead you back to some of their special projects (blogs, books, and so on).

Thanks so much to everyone who called and to everyone who listened live, and thanks again to featured guest author Pamela Ehrenberg!

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.

In this special "Bells & Whistles" edition of The Book of Life, host Heidi Estrin gives instructions for accessing the live Book of Life call-in show being held on Thursday, February 7, 2008, 3-4pm EST.

The theme of the February 7 program is "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish" and our guest will be Pamela Ehrenberg, author of the middle-grade novel Ethan, Suspended. We'll take calls about Ethan, Suspended, and about what makes a book Jewish in general.

What follows is a transcript of the podcast, for those of you who prefer written to auditory instructions:

On Thursday February 7, 2008 from 3 to 4 pm eastern standard time, The Book of Life will host a live call-in show using the Talkshoe service. The show is entitled "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish." Our special guest will be Pamela Ehrenberg, author of the middle grade novel Ethan, Suspended, and our discussion topic will be what makes a book Jewish. We'll do this Diane Rehm -style: first I'll chat with Pam about her book, and then we'll open the phones for questions about comments about Ethan, Suspended AND about defining Jewish literature.

If you simply want to listen to the discussion, go to our website, bookoflifepodcast.com, on February 7 at 3pm and click the PLAY button on the Talkshoe widget you'll see in the right-hand column. The show will play through your computer's speakers. If you're busy on February 7, don't worry... the show will be recorded and added to our regular podcast for later listening.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, you can call in on February 7 between 3 and 4pm eastern time using any phone or voice over IP. Please be aware that the phone number is NOT toll free.

To call in to the show, dial 724-444-7444. It will ask for a Call ID that identifies The Book of Life as the show you want to reach, and that number is 10816.

At that point it will ask you for a 10-digit PIN number, but if you don't have a PIN you can simply press 1 and the pound key to sign in as a guest. Here's the deal with PIN numbers: If you sign up for a free account and create a PIN, the system will tell me who you are when you call. My hosting control panel will show your name instead of just showing an anonymous caller from your area code. It just makes it easier for me to keep track of what's going on and who's participating.

I encourage you to go to Talkshoe.com ahead of time and sign up for a free account so that your name will show when you call in... but if you don't want to, that's okay, I still want you to call and participate in the discussion.

Talkshoe also provides a way to do chat via text during the show, but I plan to ignore that feature. I think just hosting the discussion will keep me busy enough without that.

So that's it! Please mark February 7th on your calendar and plan to call in! In the meantime, check out pamelaehrenberg.com to learn more about Ethan, Suspended. In a starred review in Booklist, reviewer Hazel Rochman said that "Ehrenberg focuses on themes of race and class without sounding preachy" as Ethan moves in with his grandparents in DC and finds himself suddenly in the minority as the only white, Jewish kid in his school. I really enjoyed Ethan, Suspended and I think you will too. I can't wait to discuss it with you on February 7th!

Pamela Ehrenberg is the author of ETHAN SUSPENDED, a multi-layered novel about a boy who moves into the home of his grandparents. ETHAN SUSPENDED is a wonderful example of a growing genre in Jewish kidlit, with a strong Jewish character in a story that will appeal to kids of all backgrounds. Pamela is a former teacher. She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and young daughter. I’m so happy to welcome Pamela and share her thoughts about writing.

Tell me a little bit about your latest book. Why were you drawn to write about a Jewish theme or character?

Ethan, Suspended (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers) was published in March 2007; it's about a kid who moves to Washington, DC, to live with his grandparents and becomes the only white, and Jewish, student at his junior high school. He also becomes the world's first jazz oboist.

I don't think I consciously chose to write about Jewish characters; it was more like as they talked (and ate) I realized that of course they were Jewish. Exploring the history of Ethan's family in DC, and why his grandparents stayed put as their friends moved out to the suburbs, made me want to learn about Jewish roles during the Civil Rights Movement and past and present relationships between Jewish and African-American communities.

What type of research was involved?

Mostly it was the first-hand experience of teaching in a DC junior high. The school Ethan attends is fictional, but the setting was inspired by a school where I taught seventh and eighth-grade English a few years ago. As I was writing, I found gaps in my knowledge that led me to do some research at the DC Historical Society and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library (the stairwell of which appears in the book itself, as the site of the novel's one kiss). I also researched a few questions online, such as when I needed to know what flavors Fruit-by-the-Foot comes in.

How did you become a children's writer?

I think I've always been one: I remember "writing" a story in kindergarten and being dismayed when the ending was misinterpreted by one of my classmates. That was when I first thought about the relationship between writer and reader, how what I put on the page doesn't matter nearly as much as what the reader thinks is there. As an English major in college, I spent a couple of years trying to write "literary" short stories, until a professor returned a draft to me with the note, "This sounds like the first chapter of a young people's novel." That comment freed me to write what I had always loved.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on edits for my new book, currently called "Tillman County Fire," which is due out from Eerdmans in late 2008 or early 2009. It's about a fire that takes place in a rural West Virginia community--one of the main characters is one-quarter Jewish (through his father), so we'll see whether it's ultimately considered "Jewish book." And I'm also working on a new novel, about a Jewish extended family in 1950s Baltimore.

A few fun facts about me:

I live in Washington, D.C., with my husband Eric and daughter Talia (age 2.5 as of this writing). Neighborhood favorites include Butterscotch and Brownie, the gerbils in the kids' area of our library; a phenomenal Tot Shabbat service; and a couple of really nice coffee shops for writing. This year we came off the waiting list for a plot in our community garden, and Talia and I successfully grew 11 tomatoes and more kale than any of us had thought possible. More fun facts about me are on my website, www.pamelaehrenberg.com.

My favorite holiday:

Passover. I love the seders, especially our wildly off-key versions of adapted classics (in my family, "Adir Bimlicha" became "Grebow of Pimlico" in honor of my late grandfather's insurance business) and new favorites like "Don't Sit on the Afikomen." I love re-discovering treasures like the frog dish for holding saltwater (a gift from the rabbi who married us) and the plastic clapping hands that, after enough wine, sound vaguely like hail. But mostly I love how everything feels different for a week when our foods and dishes are different. I think a good book can have a similar effect, making the familiar seem just a little bit unfamiliar, making me see the world a little bit differently.

Pamela, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I promise to forward requests for the lyrics to “Don’t sit on the Afikomen!”

To learn more about ETHAN SUSPENDED, please visit Pamela’s website: www.pamelaehrenberg.com

By Kirsty OUP-UK

Saturday 16 June 2007 saw the Oxford offices of OUP transformed for one night only: the Oxford University Press Ball. These momentous nights only take place every few years, so it really is a special occasion. Below, for your viewing pleasure, are some photographs from the night in question. (more…)

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