Category: Book Reviews

The Redhead of Auschwitz by Nechama Birnbaum

Once upon a time, in the small town of Crasna in 1944, a little girl with red hair who loved to dance heard drums. “It is those Hungarians again. They are always trying to assert their control over our small town…on the border between Hungary and Romania…the two countries fight for us like toddlers fighting for a toy.” Continue reading “Book Review: The Redhead of Auschwitz “

Resilience- A Jewish Guide to Facing Adversity, Fostering Strength, and Living Your Best Life by Leslie M. Gutman, PhD

“Resilience, which involves utilizing our strengths in order to effectively cope with and learn from life’s challenges, may…be considered one of our most important tasks…We are not born resilient, we are made resilient…Resilience is an active practice that we engage in every day through the choices we make for ourselves and through our relationships with others.”  Continue reading “Book Review: Resilience – A Jewish Guide to Facing Adversity, Fostering Strength, and Living Your Best Life – Leslie M. Gutman, PhD”

10 Really Dumb Mistakes That Very Smart Couples Make – A Torah-Based Guide To A Successful Marriage by Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier

“Even before we were put into This World, Hashem preselected the perfect partner for each of us. Your bashert is perfect for you. Together, you become a complete unit. There’s only one problem…Reality.”  Continue reading “Book Review – 10 Really Dumb Mistakes That Very Smart Couples Make- Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier”

Hadassah- An American Story by Hadassah Lieberman

“This book is Hadassah’s extraordinary life story. It goes from her birth in Prague, Czechoslovakia, to parents who survived the Nazi Holocaust; to her childhood far away from Europe as the daughter of a rabbi in a small New England city…to her emergence in her own right during our 2000 vice presidential campaign.” Senator Joseph Lieberman introduces his wife’s story; the rest of the book chronicles her journey in her own words. Continue reading “Book Review – Hadassah An American Story”

AFTER: The Obligation of Beauty by Mindy Weisel

“A long time ago, I stopped wishing for a different past. One where the mother and father were not Holocaust survivors. When I started writing this book, over ten years ago, perhaps I would have emphasized my parents’ stories more than my own….I have been living a life in search of beauty.”  Continue reading “Book Review – AFTER: The Obligation of Beauty”

Creating a Life That Matters: How to Live and Love with Meaning and Purpose by Manis Friedman and Rivka Goldstein

“God tells us, ‘Six days of the week you should work, but on the seventh day, on Shabbos, do no labor.’ What he means is, for six days do whatever you need to do to make your existence easier. If something is broken, fix it; if it’s raw, cook it; if it is torn, sew it; if it’s too cold, heat it up…But one day out of the week, leave your existence alone, take a break, and turn your attention to life.” In this book, Manis Friedman and Rivka Goldstein offer a tutorial on living life and navigating our way through relationships with our family, friends, God, and even ourselves, using teachings “derived, whether directly or indirectly, from the Chabad Chassidic wisdom tradition.” Continue reading “Book Review – Creating a Life That Matters”

Hidden Heroes – One Woman’s Story of Resistance and Rescue in the Soviet Union by Pamela Braun Cohen

“It all started on a warm June evening in 1970. Our kids were already asleep. Lenny and I were in our family room when we heard the news broadcast that would change our lives forever. John Chancellor was on national news reporting that a group of Soviet Jews had been arrested for trying to hijack a plane from Leningrad to the West. We were both astounded…Jewish hijackers?” Continue reading “Book Review – Hidden Heroes – One Woman’s Story of Resistance and Rescue in the Soviet Union”

The Wisdom of Getting Unstuck- How to emerge from and avoid the muddy middle by Shimshon Meir Frankel

“You are the author of your own story. You’re the main character and, as you know, a compelling story always has the main character come into conflict with an opposing force. This force is your Antagonist.”  Continue reading “Book Review – The Wisdom of Getting Unstuck: How to emerge from and avoid the muddy middle”

My Sister, the Jew by Ahuvah Gray

“I had been a successful, middle-class, African-American professional with a comfortable lifestyle in California. All my major life needs, material and spiritual alike, had been met…or so I thought. But the irresistible call of God to make Israel my home and the Jews my people was so strong that I was prepared to give up everything: home, possessions, friends, and even my family.” From this introduction, Ahuvah Gray, born Delores to a close-knit, spiritual Christian family, takes us on her life’s journey- traveling from Chicago to California to Israel, accumulating frequent flyer miles as a flight attendant, leading fellowship tours to Egypt and the Sinai- all the while gathering friends and insight and conviction that her neshama was present at Sinai so many millennia ago. Continue reading “Book Review – My Sister, the Jew”

Who By Fire by Chaya Malka Abramson 

The ubiquitous brown cardboard carton was plopped on my front porch, delivered in one day as promised. I eagerly brought it inside and cut through the tape, not to get to the contents inside (diapers for the grandson? Yet another cute face mask?) but to grab at the bubble wrap and start popping those air-filled pockets of stress relief. Ah- what a difficult day/week/year I’ve had!

Then I opened Who By Fire and read Chaya Malka Abramson’s heroic battle with fire, burns, family and recovery. Bubble wrap, protecting my purchase and dissipating my stress, was my easy solution; a Jobst suit, protecting Malka’s burnt skin and slow healing, was her painful prescription. Continue reading “Book Review – Who By Fire”