Book Group with Rabbi Kulwin
 Books are available at local booksellers or online.

Fall 2010
Families: This fall we read three critically acclaimed new books by three highly regarded American Jewish authors.  Each author explores the subject of “family,” but their approaches differ: family stories evoked by a deceptively carefree drive through Europe, a dark family secret involving a Polish rabbi and a deep freeze, and what might be the most dysfunctional week of shiva, ever.

Thursday, October 7, 2010  7:30 PM
The Scenic Route by Binnie Kirshenbaum
When 42-year-old Sylvia is laid off, she heads to Italy. She meets a man, another American, and they begin the European romance we have been expecting since the beginning. They drive from country to county, as Sylvia recalls stories that tie her family to each place. We expect sentimentality, but find just the opposite.

Thursday, November 4, 2010  7:30 PM
 The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern
The book cover asks: “How did a nineteenth century rabbi from a small Polish town end up in suburban Memphis?” It’s a family secret. Bernie Karp, aged 15, discovers the rabbi in the basement freezer, thaws him, then goes on a journey with him from past to present…an absurd premise that grows less absurd with each page.

Thursday, December 2, 2010  7:30 PM
 This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Though not observant, Morton Foxman’s dying wish was that his entire family—wife, four children, and their families—remain together for the full seven days of shiva. They unenthusiastically agree. Through the eyes of Judd, the second oldest, we see the inner workings of a family that turns out to be not nearly as unusual as we expect and cannot help but compare to our own.

 

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