Hey everyone! Books I decided to read Sholom Aleichem’s famous work, Tevye’s Daughters (the book serves as the basis for the musical Fiddler on the Roof). It was a tragedy as Tevye’s family broke apart, as his community was dismantled, and as Jewish traditions were abandoned under Russian violence. The language, even in translation, reflects the speech patterns … More Get Lit – Best of May 2025
Let’s review this month! Books I read Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. The author S.C. Gwynne spared no details in this riveting history of the Plains Indians. On one hand, life as a native tribe was brutal. In … More Get Lit – Best of April 2025
Howdy ho, friends! Books There’s a reason Jews read the same chapters in the Old Testament year after year, the lessons are invaluable and need to be repeated. Some aren’t religious, or observant though. And so I HIGHLY recommend The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Greg Hanselman. It is one of those books you should keep … More Get Lit – Best of March 2025
I went to an art show earlier this month and figured I would feature one of the artists, Gug Underwater! He photographs underwater creatures. This is one of his night exhibits, Aliens. And now onto the show. Books I read Address Unknown by Katharine Kressmann Taylor. This was a revolutionary epistolary from the 1930’s chronicling Hitler’s rise through … More Get Lit – Best of February 2025
Friends, here’s the truth; the world is crazy. Let’s make it a little easier to handle with this month’s top picks. Books I read Dead Wake by Erik Larson. I’ve enjoyed several of his other nonfiction novels and decided to revisit this unique brand of terror. Working from archives, journals, and historical accounts, Larson recreates the final … More Get Lit – Best of January 2025
Hi, folks! Books There is a lot of great literature out there, and sometimes I struggle with choosing what to read. This month I devoured Spare Parts: The Story of Medicine through the History of Transplant. Wow! Big takeaway: WE CANNOT JUDGE people of the past based on the values of the present. Appalling and shocking … More Get Lit – Best of November 2024
Hi, friends! Books One of the benefits of teaching English is the simple fact that I have an excuse to read everything I can get my hands on. This month, I decided to take a chance and read Michael Crichton’s Prey, coupling it with Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation. I had nightmares. Essentially, we have unleashed technology without … More Get Lit – Bes of October 2024
Hello everyone! I have some serious goodies this month. Books AND Beats I love when literature connects with song. Fortunately, this month’s kid lit presented just that. The Remarkable Adventure of Coyote Sunrise was a philosophical powerhouse of a book, following Coyote and her father as they come to terms with the past and build … More Get Lit – Best of September 2024
Goodness and greetings, friends. Books I once had a professor who witnessed the death of a language. He attended the funeral of a tribal elder, the last one who spoke the native tongue. The idea of losing something as profound as language still haunts me. And so, I have a great appreciation for Hebrew, a … More Get Lit – Best of May 2024
The weather has been fun recently, hasn’t it? Books Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safan Foer was a quirky epistolary that captured the relationship between an American-Jewish tourist and the Ukrainian tour guide who was helping him discover/uncover his family roots. It was violent and vulgar and vulnerable. I enjoyed it immensely and can imagine Tarantino making it into a … More Get Lit – Best of April 2024
Find the balance. 