(Arts & Entertainment

ON THE COVER

Book Fair from page B1

ed to change her clothing — every bit of it
— right on the street in front of a popular
deli, this is pretty much par for the course
for Fisher and Hammer.
Fisher, who also serves as a docent at
the Holocaust Memorial Center, prefers
books on history, the Holocaust, memoirs,
historical fiction and "books that make
you think." She was a little girl who was
never without a book. "I remember my
parents taking me to Book Fair when it
was at the JCC on Curtis and Meyers:' she
says.
Today she has three libraries in her West
Bloomfield home, and from June through
November she basically lives Book Fair
("I have a very supportive family," she
explains).
All of the intricacies of producing a
book fair could not occur without the
extreme dedication of the Book Fair staff
and steering committee," Fisher says.
"They are extraordinary, and each is an
integral component of Book Fair."
There's no way to explain the extraordi-
nary amount of work that goes into each
Book Fair and all the people necessary to
get that work done. But here it is, if said
in a single breath: Find books (read trade
journals, talk to people, hear from pub-
lishers, travel to Book Expo); read all these
books (hundreds); review them with Book
Fair committee; consider authors, invite
authors, help coordinate authors' visits
here (plane trips, hotels, food), help pick
up authors from airport; be sure to secure
local authors; find sponsoring organiza-
tions for books; help write publicity; order
books from 120-plus publishers, make
sure thousands of books arrive, get books
on display at both JCCs, help sell books,
return unsold books to publisher.
"OK:' Fisher admits, "I know we're a
little crazy." But still: "It's thrilling. I'm in
awe of these authors and honored to have

JCC BOOK FAIR
SPECIAL EVENTS

Please see schedule on page B6 for
complete information about this year's
Book Fair (including all author appear-
ances and pricing for some events)
running Nov. 7-18 at the Jewish
Community Centers in West Bloomfield
(WB) and Oak Park (OP).

Opening Night:
8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 — WB
Michael Chabon, author of Gentlemen
of the Road: A Tale of Adventure

Book Club Night:
7:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 — WB
Nathan Englander, author of The
Ministry of Special Cases

this job."
Amy Hammer of Milford moved here
in 1997 and thought it would be nice to
meet some people by volunteering, a fam-
ily tradition. She started out as a Book Fair
cashier then joined the steering commit-
tee.
"How about a spa day for Book Fair!"
someone suggested.
"I volunteered right away:' Hammer
says. "But I had no intention of doing
manicures and pedicures." (Hammer is
originally from New Jersey; she pretty
much calls 'em as she sees 'em.) Instead,
Hammer turned "spa day" into Health
Awareness Day. It was a quick success, and
committee members asked Hammer if she
would take on chairmanship of Book Fair.
"I told them no," she says. But then
she reconsidered, and she's happy she
did. Though she and Fisher both work
at least six hours a day — that's unpaid
— Hammer loves everything about Book
Fair: working with JCC Executive Director
Mark Lit and Jewish Life and Learning
Director Heidi Budaj, meeting authors,
being with creative people, discover-
ing new writers (Dara Horn, Jennifer
Weiner, Nathan Englander, Nicole Krauss,
Jonathan Safran Foer and Faye Kellerman
were all relatively unknown when they
made early appearances at Metro Detroit's
Book Fair).
At the end of the day — if it ever ends
— Fisher goes home to her husband and
two children (a third is in college); and
Hammer goes home to be greeted by her
husband, one of her four daughters and
the family dog, Benson. Then both women
have a favorite place where they like to
relax — with a book, of course.

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Metropolitan Detroit.

Post-Patron Dinner Lecture
8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 — WB
Alan Dershowitz, author of Blasphemy:
How the Religious Right Is Hijacking
the Declaration of Independence

Local Author Fair:
10 a.m.-noon Sunday, Nov.11 — WB
Family Program (for children ages 2-6):
Featuring David "Slangman" Burke
Puppets, music and magic introduce
children to Hebrew language.
Nut-free, kosher snack provided.
10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 — WB
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 — OP

British High Tea
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 — WB
Howard Jacobson, author of Kalooki
Nights, and Charlotte Mendelson,
author of When We Were Bad

Hadassah Luncheon
11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 — WB
With Markus Zusak, author of The
Book Thief

Lunch with the Authors
Noon, Thursday, Nov. 15 — WB
Dani Shapiro, author of Black and
White
Dalia Sofer, author of The Septembers
of Shiraz
Elinor Lipman, author of My Latest
Grievance

Health Awareness Day
Friday, Nov. 16 — WB
Featuring author Jane Brody, personal
health columnist for the New York
Times
9:30 a.m.: Dr. David Nathanson, with
Wendy Goldberg, author of Ordinary

Miracles: Learning from Breast Cancer
Survivors
10 a.m.-noon: Flu shot clinic and
Lifeline screening
11 a.m.: Judith Viorst, author of
Alexander and the Wonderful,
Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety
Days
11 a.m.: Jane !say, author of Walking
on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate
Relationship Between Adult Children
and Parents
1 p.m.: Cathryn Jakobson Ramin,
author of Carved in Sand: When
Attention Fails and Memory Fades in
Midlife

Lenore Marwil Jewish Film Festival
8:18 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 — WB
The Rape of Europa

October 25 • 2007

B5