Arts & Entertainment
ON THE COVER
May We Have a Few Words?
A brief introduction to what you'll see at this year's Book Fair.
* Events are free unless otherwise noted.
The Mascot
Note: For tickets and/or a brochure includ-
ing day-by-day listing of speakers and
events, please call the Jewish Community
Center's Jewish Life and Learning
Department at (248) 432-5577, ext. 7, or
visit the JCC Web site at www.jccdet.org .
WB denotes the JCC in West Bloomfield. OP
denotes the JCC in Oak Park.
MEMOIRS
The Man in the White
Sharkskin Suit
By Lucette Lagnado
The Lagnados were Jewish, and Egypt was
no place for Jews when Nasser came to
power. So in 1962 they left Cairo. More than
40 years later, Lagnado tells a story of loss
and deep memories as she recounts her
family's life in and exile from Egypt.
10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 15 — WB
1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15 — OP
Identical Strangers: A Memoir
of Twins Separated and
Reunited
By Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
This is the account of twins separated when
born who grew up not even knowing the
other existed — until they met as adults.
10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 — WB
Alexander and the Wonderful,
Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific
Ninety Days
By Judith Viorst
Alexander is an adult with children of his
own, and they're all coming to Grandma's
house for an extended visit.
11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 16 — WB
Looking Back
By Mania Salinger
Mania Salinger survived both Auschwitz and
Bergen-Belsen thanks to her optimism and
absolute certainty that good would prevail
over evil.
2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 — WB
Threshold Resistance: The
Extraordinary Career of a
Luxury Retailing Pioneer
By A. Alfred Taubman
A. Alfred Taubman considers all the incred-
ible events of his life in his new book.
5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 — WB
B6
October 25 • 2007
By Mark Kurzem
Alex Kurzem was 5 years old when virtu-
ally everyone in his family was murdered by
the Nazis. Alex managed to escape into the
woods, where he lived by himself, sleeping
under nothing but a blanket of leaves, eat-
ing what he could find. Then a Latvian Nazi
army unit found the boy and decided to
make him a mascot.
11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9 — WB
Dadditude
By Philip Lerman
Philip Lerman knew he wanted a child. The
only question was: Would he be buying a
stroller or a wheelchair first? Dattitude is
Lerman's look at full-time parenthood from
the perspective of a 50-something.
6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 — WB
Fast Company
By David Gross
Fast Company is Gross' tale of his adven-
tures as a "corporate image consultant" in
Italy, where he meets up with a set of mem-
orable figures, including always-garbed-in-
Versace colleagues and a skinhead he picks
up while out for a ride.
10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 — WB
journey to get there included everything
from Reiki to hypnosis, but she could never
find what she wanted — until she made an
appointment with Iris Goldblatt, "tarot card
reader and mirror of the soul."
1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 — WB
Sala's Gift: My Mother's
Holocaust Story
By Ann Kirschner
Sala Garncarz was 67 and facing bypass
surgery when she showed her daughter,
Ann, a breathtaking collection: Often no
more than bits of paper, they comprised
250 cards, poems, love letters that Sala
collected while in Nazi labor camps.
1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 — WB
FAMILY
Learn Hebrew Though
Fairy Tales
By David Burke
Step into a magic world where fairy tales
begin in English and end in Hebrew. Could
there be a better way to learn a new lan-
guage? For children 2-6. A nut-free, kosher
snack will be provided at both events.
10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 — WB
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 — OP
POETRY
An Island Called Home
By Ruth Behar
Born in Cuba, Ruth Behar returns to the
land of her birth where she sees the life
she might have had. And who is there
now? Jews who have little connection to
Judaism, a sad remnant of a lost commu-
nity.
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 — OP
The Year of Living Biblically:
One Man's Humble Quest To
Follow the Bible as Literally as
Possible
By A.J. Jacobs
The author decided to spend a year living
every one of the biblical commandments
— even dining on kosher crickets (Jacobs
opted for the chocolate-covered variety).
8:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15 — WB
The Devil, the Lovers and Me:
My Life in Tarot
By Kimberlee Auerbach
All Kimberlee Auerbach wanted was to
know that life had a happy ending. Her
Gathering Sound
By Susan Davis
In her first book of poetry, Susan Davis con-
siders life, art and work in a collection that
speaks of both tragedy and hope.
3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 — WB
Little Pink Slips
By Sally Koslow
Magnolia Gold, true to her name, is a one-
of-a-kind. She's a magazine editor originally
from Fargo, N.D., who is surrounded by a
quirky cast of characters. Then one day her
employer announces that he's looking for a
new format and a new editor.
1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 — WB
The Book Thief
By Markus Zusak
This is the story of Liesel Meminger, who
lives in Germany during World War II.
Liesel's greatest passion is books. The 9-
year-old gains a collection of friends includ-
ing a Jewish man hiding in her foster fam-
ily's basement and the mayor's wife, who
own a large library from which she allows
Liesel to take whatever she wants.
11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 — WB
Lunch, plus signed copy of book: $38
Lunch only: $25
(Reservations: Hadassah, (248) 683-5030)
Kalooki Nights
By Howard Jacobson
As children, Max and Manny have their
place. It's an abandoned air-raid shelter in
Manchester, England, where, throughout the
1950s, the two work on a comic book — the
story of Jewish suffering. Years later, Max
is a cartoonist and Manny is a criminal who,
after many years, is finally out of prison.
When Max begins a TV documentary based
on Manny's life, he discovers revelations
about their pasts and their identities.
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 — WB
When We Were Bad
FICTION
The Ministry of Special Cases
By Nathan Englander
Kaddish Poznan spends his nights protect-
ing the name of a community that denies
his existence and his days searching for
a son seemingly lost from existence. It is
Argentina, a time of terror, mystery and
loss. Kaddish and his wife must go in search
of their missing child, their desperation
taking them to the dark corridors of the
Ministry of Special Cases, the refuge of last
resort.
7:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 — WB
(Book Lover's Package: $30 includes presale
copy of the book and dessert reception with
the author; $18 reception only)
By Charlotte Mendelson
Charlotte Mendelson's latest novel tells the
story of Claudia Rubin, a leading rabbi in
London, and her extraordinary family.
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 - West Bloomfield
Gentlemen of the Road
By Michael Chabon
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael
Chabon recreates 10th-century Khazaria,
a kingdom of wild red-haired Jews who
live along the Caspian Sea. The heroes are
Zelikman and Amram, who make a living
thanks to confidence tricks and other ques-
tionable acts.
8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 — WB
($10 JCC members/$12 nonmembers/$15 at
the door)