Library Corner
The Sleazy Side of Life
April 26, 2022
By Robin Jacobson. Here are two unusual – and terrific – crime thrillers to jumpstart your summer. For a comic, warmhearted romp, try The Prison Minyan by Jonathan Stone. Want …
Our Parents’ Choices
April 26, 2022
By Robin Jacobson. Every day, children benefit or suffer from their parents’ choices. Such is life, and such is the stuff of literature, especially when a parent’s options are radically …
Passover Picks
March 2, 2022
By Robin Jacobson. When it comes to Passover children’s books, you could cover a Seder table many times over with wonderful choices. Here are five favorites, a mix of new …
Beneath the Earth: Archaeological Adventures in the Land of Israel
February 10, 2022
Inhabited for millennia, Israel sits atop layers upon layers of a rich, buried past – long irresistible to archaeologists. For a lively, colorful history of archaeological expeditions, read Under Jerusalem: …
Revelations in Children’s Books
January 20, 2022
By Robin Jacobson. The Jewish book world is celebrating a bumper crop of excellent nonfiction picture books for children. My three personal favorites are: Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin, …
Abraham Joshua Heschel: An American Prophet
November 30, 2021
By Robin Jacobson. On Bloody Sunday – March 7, 1965 – Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel watched in horror as violent images from Selma, Alabama, flooded his TV screen. Police brutally …
Quirky Novels
November 30, 2021
By Robin Jacobson. Two new novels, Antiquities by Cynthia Ozick and The Vixen by Francine Prose, are well worth reading, even if they leave you shaking your head. Antiquities is …
A Fresh Look at Ethel Rosenberg
October 5, 2021
In 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg went to their deaths in New York’s infamous Sing Sing prison, convicted of conspiring to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. Ethel’s execution was …
A Haunted Museum in Paris
September 9, 2021
By Robin Jacobson. To Edmund de Waal, world-renowned ceramic artist and award-winning author, art objects are never just objects. They carry history, memories, and an uncanny power to stir emotion …
Empathy Diaries
August 2, 2021
By Robin Jacobson. If you catch yourself or see your child obsessively checking digital devices for messages, or living much of life online, M.I.T. Professor Sherry Turkle has some advice. …