Library Corner

Memoir as Comedy

February 23, 2026

Edward Hirsch is a celebrated American poet and the author of many notable books, both poetry and prose. He is also very funny, as shown by his wisecracking and witty …

The Film Director’s Tragic Bargain

January 20, 2026

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (translated from German by Ross Benjamin) is a powerful, darkly comic World War II novel about art, ego, and bad choices. The “Director” of the …

Was Shakespeare a Jewish Woman?

December 17, 2025

More than four centuries after they were first performed, the plays of William Shakespeare continue to dazzle and inspire. But as to Shakespeare himself, a vocal minority has long contended …

Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews and the Civil War

November 20, 2025

In 1860, there were 150,000 Jews living in the United States. How did this small minority, comprised mostly of recent immigrants, react to the fierce national debate over slavery? Richard …

American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt & the Jews

November 4, 2025

President Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt (1858-1919) is famous as a conservationist, a “trust-buster” of business monopolies, an advocate for consumer protections, and the inspiration for the beloved stuffed toy, the teddy …