End of summer reading
End of summer reading
I hope you are somewhere sunny and relaxing. I feel the summer winding down because I’ve just returned from Maine, trading in my icy swims for the lap pool at the YMCA.
I had two book reviews published this week. The first appeared in Lilith Magazine, featuring THE POSTCARD, a recounting of the author’s Holocaust history—
“… a braided story of family tragedy and lives lost and found. The author, French actress/writer Anne Berest (translated by Tina Kover), plumbs her Jewish heritage after a lifetime of ignoring it, unravels the dramatic life of her maternal grandmother, and opens a slice of her present. Each segment of the book is riveting and present, no matter how long ago the events took place.”
My second review appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books, featuring THE OUD PLAYER OF CAIRO, by Jasmin Attia. I loved the feminist angle and followed the story with interest, but would have loved a bit more detail.
The book “conveys a taste of mid-20th-century Egypt in the literal sense. Descriptions of the flavors and smells of food are mouthwatering, and the book’s atmospherics successfully draw us into Cairo’s dusty, mystery-filled streets. Author Jasmin Attia won the Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature for this debut novel.”
On the drive back from Maine, I listened to Mary Hill-Wagner’s GIRLZ 'N THE HOOD: A MEMOIR OF MAMA IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES. The author and I share a publisher, Regal House Publishing. Her book is breathtaking—a portrait of her late, brilliant, powerful mother who raised 11 children on her own in extreme poverty in Compton. When I finished the book, I was sorry I had never met this woman, whose love was binding, deep, and generous.
I hope you can join me at these upcoming THREE MUSES events. The first is virtual, September 7 at 4 PM Eastern (1 PM PDT) at Valley Beit Midrash in Arizona. The title of my presentation is Debut Fiction and the Holocaust; When Fiction Steps in For History. Please register here.
The second is in person. If you’re in the DMV area, please join Michelle Brafman and me for a book convo at Beth El Synagogue at 4 PM on September 10, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814—registration details are here.
Whether you’re heading back to school, or work, or home, or somewhere else, I with you the very best.
Love, Martha
My bestie grew up in South Central L.A., so I just bought Girlz in the Hood. thanks for the recommendation.
Thank you Martha
with love, elyse