Jewish Book Club discussion

There's seems to be a fair few memoirs out there of people leaving Orthodox Judaism. I'm curious if there are any memoirs of the reverse? For instance an account of someone converting to Judaism or a secular Jew return to Orthodoxy?

Holy Days by Liz Harris. Non-fiction account of Hasidic community and I believe one of the people interviewed is new to the community.....

Liz that book is dated but is still a good example. I will look through my personal shelves and hopefully find more examples for you. I have read many articles in women's magazines on the topic but unfortunately few have been made into books.

Thanks. I'll take a look at Holy Days.

A fictional account of a Lutheran converting to Judaism as a way of coming to terms with his deployment to Iraq can be found in Engagement: a Novel.

Who would execute a little old Jewish lady in the parking lot of Saks? To find out read Invisible Loyalties by Malinda Jo Muzi. When Miriam Lavin is found shot to death after a Friday night of shopping at Saks, the case falls to three police officers in Lower Merion, a wealthy suburb of Philadelphia. Invisible Loyalties, a tale of family betrayal and revenge, is also the compelling story of friendship and love between people of different ethnic background and family experiences. As the author of Invisible Loyalties I am available to speak in person or on the phone to any book club that features the book.

Malinda wrote: "Who would execute a little old Jewish lady in the parking lot of Saks? To find out read Invisible Loyalties by Malinda Jo Muzi. When Miriam Lavin is found shot to death after a Friday night of shop..."


ooooo that sounds good !!!

just joined because I had to answer this--I've read a ton of those kinds of books! A small sampling, all true memoirs/biographies:
Migrant Soul, Avi Shafran
My Sister the Jew, Ahuva (Delores) Gray
To Play with Fire, Tova Mordechai
(these are geared more towards the religious community:)
The Mountain Family, T. Berger/P. Neiman
Incredible, Nachman Seltzer

Denise wrote: "A fictional account of a Lutheran converting to Judaism as a way of coming to terms with his deployment to Iraq can be found in Engagement: a Novel."

I can't seem find a book matching this description anywhere? Do you remember the author's name?

Leahla wrote: "just joined because I had to answer this--I've read a ton of those kinds of books! A small sampling, all true memoirs/biographies:
Migrant Soul, Avi Shafran
My Sister the Jew, Ahuva (Delores) Gray
..."

Thank you. These look like what I'm after. I suspect some of them will be a little challenging to find.

I recently come across the Edelweiss Pirate series. . I never knew they saved the lives of Jewish people until I read them.

#edwardianera
#argentina
#historicalfiction
#cleanread
#immigrants
Austen Inspired
Destiny by Design- Leah's Journey

Jerusalem Stone On September 15, 2008, Julie lost her job at Lehman Brothers and her twin, Jack, in a car crash. Feeling responsible for his death, she can’t bear to see the pain in her father’s eyes. She escapes to her brother’s dream destination, Thailand, where a sexy Israeli, Avi tries to make her let go of her guilt. Can he do it? Or will it take something more?

Wow.... Just started that last night.

Stacey wrote: "Wow.... Just started that last night." I hope you enjoy it. -s

Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Wow.... Just started that last night." I hope you enjoy it. -s"


Hope its as good as "The Kiddish Ladies".
I really enjoyed that book.

Stacey wrote: "Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Wow.... Just started that last night." I hope you enjoy it. -s"


Hope its as good as "The Kiddish Ladies".
I really enjoyed that book."

:)

"The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty, The Extraordinary Rise and Fall of Actor M. B. Curtis" is a biography of a forgotten Jewish immigrant who became an actor whose role onstage as an awkward Jewish immigrant drummer (traveling salesman) broke records and effected the whole country for decades. M. B. Curtis is also the only citizen of the United States to personally pay to light the Statue of Liberty with his own money when Congress refused to do so right after it was dedicated. Mark Twain approached Curtis to produce a stage version of "Conneticut Yankee." The actor was also a pioneer in the silent movie industry and built the largest hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1891. Though he was known by eveyone in the country in the late 19th century (even President Theodore Roosevelt was compared to Curtis' theatrical character "Sam'l of Posen) Curtis was forgotten after he passed in 1920. This book brings his life back to its once-prominent position in American cultural history as he truely is a real-life Paul Bunyan American hero.

A SAMPLING OF REVIEWS:

“An outstanding new biography of one of the most talented characters of his time.”
—Barry Moreno, historian & author, the Bob Hope Memorial Library at Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty National Monument

“How rich in colorful characters America’s history must be if someone as picturesque, self-invented, dynamic, contradictory, and influential as M. B. Curtis could have been so largely forgotten. And how fortunate we are to have Richard Schwartz stumble upon him, wash away the dust of neglect, put color in his cheeks, a glint in his eyes, and a spring in his step, and have him stride the stage once again.
I applaud Curtis for the amazing life he led, and I applaud Richard Schwartz for having rescued him from undeserved obscurity.”
--- MALCOLM MARGOLIN, author and publisher emeritus of Heyday Books


"This is a fascinating book of someone in history I had never heard of until I started reading the book. And just fascinated by this guy...He has been dead for a hundred years but his influence is invisibly effecting us still...We do now know of M. B. Curtis thanks to the book... That's what's amazing- the resilience [of M.B. Curtis]...Its an excellent read and leaves you wanting more...and hopefully we'd love to see this on the big screen because its such an impactful story... Its an excellent book."
--- Ric Bratton, Host, This Week in America


"I came so close to passing on an opportunity to talk with Richard Schwartz. It is one of the most phenomenal books I have ever read. Phenomenal story of the guy who wrote it. Unbelievable story about the guy who is the subject of the book. And how can a guy be universally known in 1900 and unknown in probably 60 years later, certainly a century later nobody knows M. B. Curtis...It is written by a guy who is a construction worker. Who has such great command of the English language that after reading this book I wouldn't I don't even have the desire to challenge a book. I wouldn't even begin to try and write a book."
--- Dan Manly, Radio Broadcaster WMST, Mount Sterling, Kentucky

Here are exerts of the Dallas theatrical magazine review of the book “The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty” when it came out (M. B. Curtis had owned the Driskill Hotel in Austin for a time as we had spoken about). Here are some exerts and the link to the entire review in the publication. Ellis Island National Monument requested a book talk on this story and man’s life. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (the Oscars) accepted it into their Margret Herrick Collection.

“ Schwartz's rags-to-riches-to-rags chronicle of Curtis's life and times is engrossingly written, and includes numerous illustrations from that era...Schwartz brings readers the life of a way-famous performing artist of whom most of us have likely never heard-a trailblazing actor for his time, and a media celebrity before that label became common currency. Making M.B. Curtis's acquaintance is indisputably worth a reader's time."
TheaterJones.com, Catherine Ritchie, City of Dallas Library reviewer

"We all know Abraham Lincoln met his premature end in 1865 while sitting in a theatre, but how much do most of us know about what 19th-century American theatre life was really like, or the names of prominent performers of that time? Take, for example, one Maurice-aka, "M.B."-Curtis (1849-1920). In Richard Schwartz's largely engaging biography, readers learn both about a multi-faceted man of many careers, and concurrently about the lively era in which he lived and performed... He became a real estate developer, a hotelier, and a silent-film industry pioneer, among others.
TheaterJones.com, Catherine Ritchie, City of Dallas Library reviewer

ISBN 978-0-9678204-5-3
Released April 2017
Hardback $29.95

Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Wow.... Just started that last night." I hope you enjoy it. -s"


Hope its as good as "The Kiddish Ladies".
I really enjoyed that book."

Was curious if you ever finished reading it.

Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Wow.... Just started that last night." I hope you enjoy it. -s"


Hope its as good as "The Kiddish Ladies".
I really enjoyed that book."

:)"

I finished it. It was really good.
Glad you reminded me, as I meant to write a review.
If I ever become tech savvy; I will be able to
transfer my written reviews from Amazon to GR and visa versa.
Im not seeing that happen in the near future. :)
Funny..you can import books, but not your reviews.

Stacey wrote: "I finished it. It was really good.
Glad you reminded me, as I meant to write a review.
If I ever become tech savvy; I will be able to
transfer my written reviews from Amazon to GR and visa versa.
I..."
Thank you so much!

Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "I finished it. It was really good.
Glad you reminded me, as I meant to write a review.
If I ever become tech savvy; I will be able to
transfer my written reviews from Amazon to GR an..."

I did write a review on GR. :)

Stacey wrote: "Susan wrote: "Stacey wrote: "I finished it. It was really good.
Glad you reminded me, as I meant to write a review.
If I ever become tech savvy; I will be able to
transfer my written reviews from A..." I read it. :) :) Thank you! You made my week.

Closing this thread in favor of current discussions.
Since it continued into 2018, will place in the 2018 Books/Discussions folder.