Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - The true story of what happened to one man, a Muslim, in the days following Hurricane Katrina and the disaster that ensued in New Orleans. The story of the man and his trials and tribulations becomes a commentary on our society as a whole and some of our greatest challenges.
The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern - This year’s beach read!! - How can you resist a title like that!! It tells the tale of a 19th century kabbalistic rabbi who was frozen in the 1800s, and who is “defrosted” in modern times by a young Jewish boy of 15 - the book jumps back and forth between times and historical events, and raises the question of what happens when the natural order of the world is tampered with -
The Infinities by John Banville - an Irish writer who also write mysteries under another name - winner of the Man Booker Prize for his last novel “The Sea.” - The book is about the last day in the life of a theoretical mathematician named Adam Godley, as his largely dysfunctional family has assembled at his bedside. Two additional characters - the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes - form the conceit of the novel. It is in many ways about the intersection between the Divine and the Human - where does one leave off and another begin? It also raised the interesting question - what might the gods - or God - envy about their mortal creations?
Two biography suggestions - if you want a short biography, read Elie Weisel’s 100 page book about the life of the great Jewish medieval commentator Rashi - the book’s name will be easy to remember: Rashi. For something a bit longer, Edward Kaplan’s Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America. This is part two of Kaplan’s definitive biography of one of the great Jewish thinkers and theologians of modern times.
Every summer I also suggest one (generally long!) classic and one Shakespeare play. This summer the classic is - the Hebrew Bible. As the Torah is already quite familiar to us, begin reading at the Prophets (the first book is Joshua) and continue through the Writings (II Chronicles is the last book of the Bible). I recommend the JPS English edition, Tanakh the Holy Scriptures. From start to finish, the book of Joshua through the book of II Chronicles, there are about 1300 total pages.
Last but not least - this summer’s Shakespeare selection. The Bard’s story of “a pair of star cross’d lovers,” Romeo and Juliet. After all, everyone needs a little romance in their summer!
Have a great summer - and enjoy the reading!
-Rabbi Schwartz
