Posted by Naomi Firestone-Teeter
This fall, travel through history with literature: Vivian Gornick presents a portrait of an early 20th century radical icon; Umberto Eco brings us back to the conspiracies of the 19th century; and Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman allows readers to listen in on the Jewish conversation as it has expanded – from the Hebrew Bible to the early 21st century.
Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life, Vivian Gornick (October 2011, Yale University Press)
A few topics that struck Emma Goldman’s fancy in 1910: anarchism, free love, birth control, women’s rights, homosexuality.
The Prague Cemetery, Umberto Eco; Richard Dixon, trans. (November 2011, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Eco’s highly anticipated novel set in nineteenth-century Europe. “From the unification of Italy to the Paris Commune to the Dreyfus Affair to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Europe is in tumult and everyone need’s a scapegoat. But what if, behind all of these conspiracies, both real and imagined, lay one lone man?”
One Hundred Great Jewish Books: Three Millennia of Jewish Conversation, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman (November 2011, BlueBridge)
One hundred great Jewish books including biography, spirituality, poetry, fiction, history, and political theory.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Naomi is the CEO of Jewish Book Council. She graduated from Emory University with degrees in English and Art History and, in addition, studied at University College London. Prior to her role as executive director and now CEO, Naomi served as the founding editor of the JBC website and blog and managing editor of Jewish Book World. In addition, she has overseen JBC’s digital initiatives, and also developed the JBC’s Visiting Scribe series and Unpacking the Book: Jewish Writers in Conversation.