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People of the Books from page 49
a lot. Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book
(Gotham Books; $30) tells about David's
personal life and TV successes from
Seinfeld to the show whose title graces this
book. Creating identifiable situations, says
David, is the essence of his success.
For The Psychoanalyst
An American visit by Sigmund Freud and
Carl Jung to New York City in 1909, com-
bined with a grizzly act of attempted murder,
set the stage for The Interpretation of
Murder (Henry Holt; $26), a novel by Jed
Rubenfeld. The mystery develops through
the techniques of analysis that stir the
depleted memory of the female victim, who
suffers from hysteria. The author is a law
professor at Yale.
For The Baby Boomer
Planning for retirement at a time when pen-
sions and Social Security are in question is
the topic of Lee Eisenberg in The Number
(Free Press; $26). The author, former editor
in chief of Esquire and later executive vice
president and creative director at Lands' End,
explores how much money baby boomers
will need to secure the rest of their lives.
Examining what goes into individual lives
becomes an important part of the message.
For The Menopausal Maven
Even aging can be funny when approached it
from Nora Ephron's point of view The prolif-
ic screenwriter gives the later years a humor-
ous shot in I Feel Bad About My Neck
and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
(Knopf; $19.95). The author's 15 essays cover
maintenance, empty nests, menopause and
much more.
For The Sitcom Fan
Phil Rosenthal grew up addicted to televi-
sion and eventually came up with ideas
he hoped would get others addicted.
Rosenthal, creator and executive producer
of Everybody Loves Raymond, tells
about capitalizing on his dysfunctional
family and developing the hit series in
You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life
Becomes a Sitcom (Viking; $25.95). Home
and work are at the core of this memoir.
For The Seinfeldian
Maybe ifs not all readers wanted to know
about TV hit maker Larry David, but it's
52
December 14 2006
For The Character Driven
Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter
pursued the reality of scientific careers, but
they came to agree that some of the most
important influences on reality are people
of fiction. They compiled a list of 101 make-
believe icons and turned the idea into the
book The 101 Most Influential People Who
Never Lived: How Characters of Fiction,
Myth, Legends, Television and Movies
Have Shaped Our Society, Changed Our
Behavior and Set the Course of History
(Harper; $13.95). From the mystery of
Sherlock Holmes to the bigger mystery of
John Doe, the book is filled with illustrations
of the power of fantasy.
For The Biography Nut
Composer George Gershwin did not have a
long life, but he had a far-reaching impact
explored most recently in George Gershwin:
His Life and Work (University of California
Press; $39.95) by Howard Pollack. The book
reaches from Gershwin's Jewish upbringing
to his still popular songs. The considerable
research brought into the chapters is care-
fully documented.
For The Film Fanatic
Roger Ebert's face may be as familiar to TV
viewers as the movies subject to his com-
ments. Ebert's analysis of films, spanning
a 40-year career, also is familiar to readers
of the Chicago Sun-Times, where his col-
umns still appear. Ebert's comments come
together in his latest book of reviews and
essays, Awake in the Dark The Best of
Roger Ebert (University of Chicago Press;
$29). Featured are his interviews with Jewish
filmmakers Woody Allen, Errol Morris and
Steven Spielberg.
For The Theater Buff
In Moss Hart: A Prince of the Theatre
(Back Stage Books; $27.95), a new personal
and professional biography of the theatri-
cal giant, author Jared Brown thoroughly
captures Hart's work as a writer and direc-
tor for stage and film. Filled with backstage
anecdotes and never-before-published
photographs, Brown's exhaustive research
included access to Hart's letters and diaries,
plus interviews with family and friends. The
movie Gentleman's Agreement, which
deals with anti-Semitism, soared with Hart's
dialogue.
For The Torah Scholar
George Robinson, who found success with
Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to
Beliefs, Customs and Rituals, has a new
book to explore Judaism: Essential Torah: A
Complete Guide to the Five Books of Moses
(Schocken Books; $35). The book summa-
rizes each portion of the Torah and explains
the Torah's role in prayer and theology. The
volume goes on to reference the historic texts
that offer interpretation. Robinson is a film
and music critic whose work often appears
in these pages.
For The Spiritual Seeker
Cary Friedman found inspiration to become
a rabbi from reading Batman comic books.
He relates superhero interests and traits
to the teachings of Judaism in Wisdom
from the Batcave: How to Live a Super
Heroic Life (Compass Books; $13.95). The
18 chapters include "How to Triumph Over
Adversity,"A Better Definition of Victory"
and "The Most Effective Way to Fight Evil."
For The Poetry Pundit
The work of counter-culture poet Allen
Ginsberg returns to public attention with
two books: Collected Poems 1947-1997
(HarperCollins; $39.95) and Howl: 50th
Anniversary Edition (HarperPerennial;
$18.95). While the former book gives a com-
prehensive view, the latter explores the poet's
signature poem with annotations. The two
texts offer readers insight into the better and
lesser-known writings.
For The Busy Cook
Kosher cooking expert Susie Fishbein asserts
she did not compromise quality when think-
ing about quantity as she developed Kosher
by Design — Short on Time (Mesorah
Publications; $34.99). The book offers
140 fresh recipes with some international
ingredients — all of which lend themselves
to tasty eating experiences amid hectic life-
styles. Fiesta turkey burgers, pumpkin-cran-
berry muffins and sesame spinach sushi are
among the illustrated suggestions.
For The Food Network Fan
Dave Lieberman's boyish charm and culi-
nary expertise have made him a favorite with
Food Network viewers. His second cook-
book, Dave's Dinners: A Fresh Approach to
Home-Cooked Meals (Hyperion; $27.50),
is packed with easy-to-follow, affordable-
yet-sophisticated recipes that highlight fresh
ingredients, eclectic pairings of flavors and
texture and colorful presentation. One of
People magazine's hottest bachelors includes
recipes for pumpkin and chipotle corn chow-
der, jerk chicken with banana fried rice and
seared snapper over succotash.
For The Yiddishist
Yiddish with George and Laura (Little,
Brown and Company; $14.99), by Ellis
Weiner and Barbara Davilman, recalls early
elementary readers but adds a bite. The short
text — with drawings — concocts a funny
first family birthday party and describes
it with Yiddish terms, all carefully defined.
The book follows the authors' Yiddish with
Dick and Jane.
For The Humorist
In February 2006, warned that he had
three weeks to live after forgoing dialysis,
political humorist Art Buchwald entered
a Washington, D.C., hospice. Months later,
Buchwald, whose kidneys had started to
function again, was still alive and con-
fronting with humor and insight things
people usually avoid talking about: how
family and friends deal with death, choos-
ing surrogates and how to plan a great
funeral. In his memoir Too Soon to Say
Goodbye (Random House; $17.95), he
walks us down memory lane and also has
a lot to say about the present.
For The Israel Intrigued
Filled with more than 200 photographs and
illustrations, A Mosaic of Israel's Traditions:
Unity Through Diversity (Devora
Publishing; $34.95) explores the Jewish
holiday customs practiced by those millions
of o/im (immigrants) who have returned to
the home of their forefathers since 1948. The
young people interviewed for the book reveal
how immigrating to Israel has impacted
these ancient traditions and why some of
them have been abandoned while others
are now emerging as part of the customs
practiced by a new generation of Israeli Jews.
Iranian-born author Esther Shkalim is an
acclaimed poet in Israel.
For The Klezmerist
The Absolutely Complete Klezmer
Songbook (Transcontinental Music
Publications; $39.95) enables even amateur
musicians to arrange and perform authentic
klezmer music either solo or in band forma-
tion. Edited by former Detroiter Yale Strom,
a leading ethnomusicologist who spent years
gathering authentic klezmer tunes from vil-
lage musicians throughout Eastern Europe,
this songbook includes many never-before-
published melodies, historical photographs
and background information and an
accompanying CD with 36 tunes recorded by
Strom's klezmer band Hot Pstromi.
For The Menorah Collector
In their book Lighting the Way to
Freedom: Treasured Hanukkah Menorahs
of Early Israel (Devora Publishing; $30),
authors Aaron Ha'Tell and Yaniv Ben Or
explore the Menorah's role as a central
object of art and worship in Jewish life and
its importance as a symbol of freedom.
Full-color photographs of menorahs cre-
ated by pioneer Israeli artists and artisans
from the 1930s-1970s are featured, as is the
role of the Chanukah menorah as a symbol
of friendship between Israel and the United
States from Presidents Harry S. Truman to
George W. Bush.