News and commentary posted in the Book Reviews section of Jewish Literary Review.
April 21, 2008
There's a good story out there about the history of Christian-Jewish relations in a small German village called “Benheim.” But, I'm not sure Mimi Schwartz captured it in her new book, “Good Neighbors, Bad Times.” Schwartz, a professor emerita at … Continue reading
March 3, 2008
For someone who doesn’t believe in God, Lawrence Bush sure knows a lot about religion. As the son of avowedly secular Jewish socialists, the brother of an Orthodox Christian, the former speechwriter for a prominent Reform rabbi and the editor … Continue reading
February 18, 2008
There’s a lot going on in Jon Entine’s book, “Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People.” Entine, an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of “Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why … Continue reading
January 30, 2008
Ehud Havazelet’s “Bearing the Body” is one of the most depressing, emotionally laden books I’ve ever read. And I mean that in a good way. Havazelet is a rare novelist. He can write about depression without sounding tired. He can … Continue reading
January 15, 2008
A single day in a concentration camp would have been enough to fill a novel. So, it was probably wise of Fred Wander to pick just a handful of episodes to write about from his time as an inmate in … Continue reading
December 27, 2007
Let’s face it: we Jews were never really the sword-carrying type. And that’s a good thing because you know what they say about those who live by the sword. But, it’s amusing to read about Jews with swords in Michael … Continue reading
December 18, 2007
In her new novel, I think Naomi Ragen meant to echo the sentiments of Gustav Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary.” But, after reading the first six pages of “The Saturday Wife,” all I could hear was the narrator from ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” … Continue reading
November 26, 2007
Why does Philip Roth infuse his books with veiled autobiographical references and then rebuke readers and critics for trying to connect the dots between his fiction and his real life? That’s one of the vexing central questions of this remarkable … Continue reading
November 7, 2007
When asked about spirituality, many people like to say they don’t believe in any sort of “organized religion.” Ruth R. Wisse, however, understands why being organized is a good thing for the Jews. Her new book, “Jews and Power,” explores … Continue reading
October 16, 2007
There’s a lot to like about Michael Simon’s new novel, “The Last Jew Standing.” The book follows the travails of Dan Reles, a Jewish homicide detective at the Austin Police Department. He’s got a promising career, a new house, a … Continue reading
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Jewish Literary Review.com is a blog that covers Jewish writing, philosophy, history and law. The site publishes book reviews, snippets of news about Jewish literature and the occasional author interview.
My name is Steven H. Pollak and I have written for the Baltimore Jewish Times, the Atlanta Jewish Times, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and American Jewish Life magazine.
In addition, I've written for several legal and business publications. At the moment, I work as SEO editor for an environmental news Web site.
Please send me an email if you'd like to pitch a book for review or if you want to send a review copy. ...Continue reading about this site.
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