book | Heidi Slowinski

[Book Review] Escape Route by Elan Barnehama

Posted on January 19, 2022 Leave a Comment

By Elan Barnehama Escape Route, set is 1960s New York, opens with Zach’s Bar Mitzvah. As the Vietnam War reaches it’s peak, Zach becomes fixated with the war. As the son of first generation Holocaust survivors, Zach is fearful of history repeating itself and his family being rounded up. So, with the help of his […]

The Next Generation of Matriarch: Feminism in Jewish Literature

Posted on January 17, 2022 2 Comments

In the Jewish tradition, we honor and remember our Matriarchs: Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah in our daily prayers as well as in our study of the Torah. But as the narrative of the Torah tends to center more on the Patriarchs of our tradition, our Matriarchs play largely supporting roles. For example, Rivkah encourages […]

[Book Review] The Fruit of her Hands by Michelle Cameron

Posted on January 12, 2022 Leave a Comment

By Michelle Cameron Based on the author’s own ancestor, The Fruit of Her Hands is the story of Rebbetzin Shira, wife of Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenberg. Shira was the daughter of a widowed rabbi, raised in Paris in the thirteenth century. A rebellious child, she shirked the conventions of her gender, favoring the […]

December 2021 Wrap Up

Posted on January 5, 2022 Leave a Comment

Welcome to my December Wrap-Up! I’ve exceeded my 2021 Goodreads reading goal and discovered some wonderful new authors. If you’ve missed any of my weekly reading lists or reviews, here is your chance to catch up. I’ve continued to make progress on my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ list, although, a few new titles have been […]

[Book Review] #ShalomBayis by Penina Shtauber

Posted on December 29, 2021 Leave a Comment

By Penina Shtauber Shalom Bayis is the Jewish religious concept of peace and harmony between husband and wife in the home. #ShalomBayis is a collection of short stories about married couples trying to practice this concept with varying degrees of success and failure. This is the second book is Shtauber’s #ShidduchCrisis series. Shtauber is a […]

[Book Review] History: Global Citizen, Remarkable Life by Kyra Kaptzan Robinov

Posted on December 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

By Kyra Kaptzan Robinov This is the second book in the RUSSIAN ROOTS: A Global Generational Saga. This is the story of the author’s father, Michael Kaptzan. He was born in Siberia. In his early childhood, his family’s remote village was overrun by the Bolsheviks, who murdered his father. Along with his mother and siblings, […]

[Book Review] Grounds for Divorce by Remy Maisel

Posted on December 15, 2021 Leave a Comment

By Remy Maisel Emily is coming off a rough day when she finds herself receiving communications from the State Department about an interview for work on a highly specialized, top-secret mission. There’s just one little problem. They have the wrong woman. What’s the mission? Representing Israel in a divorce settlement-style mediation with representatives from the […]

[Book Review] Cain v Abel by Rabbi Dan Orstein

Posted on December 8, 2021 Leave a Comment

By Rabbi Dan Ornstein Rabbi Ornstein’s Cain v Abel places the reader in the role of juror in the first murder. Settle into the jury box as the case unfolds with expert witnesses evaluating Cain’s family history, emotional and spiritual influences, and psychological profile. Designed to provoke discussion, the book concludes with discussion questions. Rabbi […]

[Book Review] Making Meaning Out of Madness by Miranda Portnoy

Posted on December 8, 2021 Leave a Comment

By Miranda Portnoy Portnoy’s memoir takes the reader through a traumatic childhood. When she finds herself the scapegoat of a murderer, Portnoy feels alone, with seemingly nowhere to turn this agnostic turns to faith. This is where her life takes an unexpected turn. She meets and marries a prestigious Orthodox man in Jerusalem. In part […]

[Book Review] Chicken Dreaming Corn by Roy Hoffman

Posted on December 1, 2021 Leave a Comment

By Roy Hoffman Set in turn of the century Mobile, Alabama, Morris Kleinman is a shop owner living among a tapestry of immigrants from across Europe and South America as well as people of color. Kleinman and his wife raise their family in the living quarters above their storefront while contending with war, the Great […]