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36
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26“Unfolds like a legend, a spiritual origin story we may have dreamt or perhaps already lived.” Anthony D’Aries, author of The Language of Men
It is the summer of 1984. Ronald Reagan is in the White House, the cellphone has yet to be invented, and the Weiss family operates like a well-oiled, three-ring circus.
At its center is Maxine—middle-aged, tireless, and in control—the ringleader who keeps everything in motion. She juggles the needs of everyone around her: a mother newly moved into the in-law apartment of her three-story home, a husband in need of new knees, and an ever-growing circle of friends and acquaintances who rely on her via a telephone that tethers her to the house with impossibly long cords. Above all, she cares for her most important responsibility—her intellectually challenged daughter, Shira, an innocent with a sweet disposition that leaves her vulnerable in a cruel world.
Maxine keeps all the plates spinning, certain that if one should fall, her eldest daughter, Shellie, will be there to catch it.
But when Shellie returns home, she comes with a mission of her own: to break her mother’s heart.
Set against an ancient Talmudic legend of thirty-six people responsible for the survival of humankind, 36 is a powerful story of obligation versus choice—of embracing one’s destiny or daring to escape it.
It is the summer of 1984. Ronald Reagan is in the White House, the cellphone has yet to be invented, and the Weiss family operates like a well-oiled, three-ring circus.
At its center is Maxine—middle-aged, tireless, and in control—the ringleader who keeps everything in motion. She juggles the needs of everyone around her: a mother newly moved into the in-law apartment of her three-story home, a husband in need of new knees, and an ever-growing circle of friends and acquaintances who rely on her via a telephone that tethers her to the house with impossibly long cords. Above all, she cares for her most important responsibility—her intellectually challenged daughter, Shira, an innocent with a sweet disposition that leaves her vulnerable in a cruel world.
Maxine keeps all the plates spinning, certain that if one should fall, her eldest daughter, Shellie, will be there to catch it.
But when Shellie returns home, she comes with a mission of her own: to break her mother’s heart.
Set against an ancient Talmudic legend of thirty-six people responsible for the survival of humankind, 36 is a powerful story of obligation versus choice—of embracing one’s destiny or daring to escape it.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
A glorious melting pot of history and belief. This book does a wonderful job of showing a real yet vivid world through so many personalities regardless of the time the chapters take place.
At first I wasn't sure about the book simply because I thought I wouldn't be able to relate to the background and cultural significances that so are so deeply bound in this story. Though to an extent I was correct, the same feelings during certain moments and the characters' emotions themselves gripped me.
I'm glad I was able to find the time to read through it. When you get a chance, read the book. <3
At first I wasn't sure about the book simply because I thought I wouldn't be able to relate to the background and cultural significances that so are so deeply bound in this story. Though to an extent I was correct, the same feelings during certain moments and the characters' emotions themselves gripped me.
I'm glad I was able to find the time to read through it. When you get a chance, read the book. <3
Review of advance copy
There are several books I have loved centered on the relationships in Jewish families. Add 36 to the Canon. Each of these characters serves a role in inevitable generational change. With mystical overtones, I was warmed and charmed by how this family maintains the reality of an aging strong mother and two very different daughters. We learn the history of this family, an earlier generation's immigration story. Even so, it is in many ways an easy read which keeps moving..
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews