Book Club Blog Posts

Read author interviews, book reviews, excerpts, reflections on writing, and sneak peeks of upcoming releases by JWA's favorite writers.

"Moonstone Covenant" Book Cover

A Jewish Narnia Comes Alive in "The Moonstone Covenant"

Mildred Faintly

Jill Hammer's fantasy debut is an enchanting blend of female friendship, Jewish mysticism, and epic adventure. 

Janice Weizman and Book Cover

Q & A with Author Janice Weizman

Jennifer Lang

JWA chats with Janice Weizman about her recently reissued novel, The Wayward Moon. 

Topics: Fiction, Israel
"The Familiar" Book Cover

A Summer Read with Substance

Zia Saylor

Leigh Bardugo's latest novel provides a layered summer read that is as shallow or as deep as the reader wants it to be.

"The Book Of Jerusalem" Cover

"The Book of Jerusalem" by Julia Vinograd

Mildred Faintly

Out of her personal suffering and poetic genius, Julia Vinograd created an iconic image of Jerusalem that is powerful, feminist, and unforgettably, startlingly modern.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Cover: red background with black dragon in the background, Sarah J Maas at the bottom

A Cult Favorite with Jewish, Feminist Themes

Dr. Jamie Ehrenpreis

In her hugely popular fantasy series, Sarah J. Maas puts Jewish texsts and biblical women at the forefront. 

Topics: Fiction, Bible, Feminism
Collage of woman with dark hair holding dog in lap, and book cover reading "Daughters of Eve"

In the Shoes of Biblical Women

Zia Saylor

The book allows us to see biblical women—and ourselves—as rich, complex human beings. 

Headshot of woman with long dark blonde hair and book cover reading "Death Valley by Melissa Broder" in pink with image of eye on top of cactus

Grief is a Desert in 'Death Valley'

Abby Richmond

The poignant and often hilarious novel made me consider my own experiences with grief and (metaphorical) lostness.

Topics: Fiction, Theology, Ritual
"Spellbook for the Sabbath Queen" by Elisheva Fox

7 Questions For Elisheva Fox

Emma Breitman

JWA sat down with Texas-based poet Elisheva Fox to discuss Spellbook for the Sabbath Queen, her first collection of poems.

Sarah Lightman and Book Cover

Q & A with Sarah Lightman, Co-Editor of "Jewish Women in Comics: Bodies and Borders"

Rachael Davis

JWA talks with Sarah Lightman, co-editor of the new book, Jewish Women in Comics: Bodies and Borders. 

Topics: Non-Fiction
My Last Innocent Year

Ambiguous Womanhood in "My Last Innocent Year"

Abby Richmond

My Last Innocent Year details a slippery series of experiences having to do with violence, power, and loss that alter Isabel’s sense of self and womanhood.

Image shows book cover reading "Places we Left Behind - A Memoir-in-Miniature" with the authors name, Jennifer Lang, on an open cardboard box; right hand side shows woman with brown hair and glasses standing ourdoors

Q & A with Jennifer Lang, Author of "Places We Left Behind"

Jodie Sadowsky

JWA chats with author Jennifer Lang about her forthcoming book, Places We Left Behind: a memoir in miniature. 

Topics: Marriage, Memoirs, Israel
Flowers of Vlora by Anna Kohen

"Flower of Vlora": A Memoir of Romaniote Jewish Experience

Mirushe "Mira" Zylali

Kohen fights for her right to flourish in the wake of Albania’s historic antisemitism and the misogyny she faces as a career woman. She is fearless—and she will inspire more Jewish women to be just that.

 

Sara Lippman Headshot

Q & A With Author Sara Lippmann

Sarah Groustra

JWA talks to author Sara Lippmann about suburbia as an irresistible setting for fiction, radical retellings of the Torah, and more. 

Topics: Fiction, Rabbis, Bible
Thistlefoot blog post

Review: "Thistlefoot" by GennaRose Nethercott

Abby Richmond

In Thistlefoot, ghosts of the past may sometimes be difficult to confront, but feeling them and telling their stories is necessary for a more loving, meaningful world.

 

Zia Saylor Reading - cropped

Add One (or More) of these Graphic Novels to Your Summer Reading List

Zia Saylor

Add one of these graphic novels with badass female heroines to your summer reading list. 

Topics: Fiction
"The Jews of Summer" by Sandra Fox

Review: "The Jews Of Summer" by Sandra Fox

Rebecca Brenner Graham

At a very basic level, The Jews of Summer captures the essence of camp and explores how Jewish summer camp has become an integral part of Jewish identity formation.

Samantha Pickette Headshot and Book Cover

Q & A with Samantha Pickette, Author of "Peak TV's Unapologetic Jewish Woman"

Sarah Jae Leiber

JWA talks to Samantha Pickette about her new book and about how TV is establishing a new version of the Jewish woman. 

Karina Urbach and the Cover of her Book

Reclaiming Europe’s Jewish Past and Present

Savoy Curry

The Nazis stole Alice Urbach’s cookbook. In her new book, her granddaughter, Karina, reclaims Alice’s story—and Jews’ rightful place in European life.

Book cover that reads Frankly Feminist: Short Stories by Jewish Women from Lilith Magazine and features woman holding pomegranate

"Frankly Feminist" Invites Us to Explore Jewish Women's Worlds

Dr. Helene Meyers

This collection from Lilith magazine values, re-values, and preserves diverse Jewish women’s stories.

Shmutz Book Cover by Felicia Berliner

“Shmutz” Subverts the Traditional Ex-Orthodoxy Narrative

Chanel Dubofsky

Felicia Berliner's debut novel Shmutz upends the notion of a binary choice so frequently seen in literature concerning Jews living unhappily in insular communities.

Carly Manes and the cover of her book What's An Abortion, Anyway?

Interview with Carly Manes, author of "What’s An Abortion, Anyway?"

Chanel Dubofsky

We spoke with Carly Manes about Jewish faith and abortion, the obstacles in getting the book into the world, and how Jewish communities can support the fight for reproductive justice.

Photo of Riva Lehrer on left and cover of her book Golem Girl on right

Interview with Riva Lehrer, Artist and Author of "Golem Girl"

Jen Richler

JWA talks to artist Riva Lehrer about her recent memoir, Golem Girl, and the way her disabled, queer, and Jewish identities intersect.

The Intimacy Experiment Book Cover (cropped)

Finally, a Positive, Feminist Jewish Take on Sex

Zia Saylor

This new book offers a sex-positive perspective often lacking in Jewish spaces.

Photo of Emily Barth Isler Holding Her Book, "After/Math"

How To Mark A New Year

Emily Barth Isler

Author Emily Barth Isler discusses what it means to her to have her debut novel, AfterMath, launch on Rosh Hashanah.

Lori Banov Kaufmann and book cover

Interview with Lori Banov Kaufmann, author of "Rebel Daughter"

Judith Rosenbaum

Author Lori Banov Kaufmann speaks with JWA about her new debut novel Rebel Daughter

Topics: Israel, Fiction

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Book Club Blog Posts." (Viewed on November 29, 2024) <https://jwa.org/programs/bookclub/bookish-content>.