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People Of The Books from page 23
For the Prose Person
Cultural essayist Joseph Epstein presents his lat-
est opinions and criticism in In a Cardboard Belt:
Essays Personal, Literary and Savage (Houghton
Mifflin; $26). Taking his title from the cry of the
once great Max Bialystock in The Producers
— "Look at me now! Look at me now! I'm wear-
ing a cardboard belt!" — he takes aim at critic
Harold Bloom while writing movingly about his
own father.
For the Biography Buff
A new look at the Israeli leader is found in
Shimon Peres: The Biography (Random House;
$29.95) by Micahel Bar-Zohar. With input
from family, friends, supporters and rivals, the
author calls attention to new information.
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For the Israel Interested
The establishment of Israel is chronicled
in 0 Jerusalem! (Simon & Schuster; $18).
Authors Larry Collins and Dominique
LaPierre give Jewish, Arab and British
points of view. Director Elie Chiroquai's
recent film of the same name is based on this
book.
A city is described by the remarks of
famous people in Jack Friedman's The
Jerusalem Book of Quotations: A 3,000
Year Perspective (Gefen Publishing House;
$24.95). Comments of Jews, Christians and
Muslims, over many centuries, fill the pages.
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For the Futurict
Rabbi Arthur Blecher believes that mar-
riages of mixed religions strengthen Judaism
and gives his reasons in The New American
Judaism: The Way Forward on Challenging
Issues from Intermarriage to Jewish Identity
(Palgrave Macmillan; $24.95). The author probes
the authority of rabbis, historical continuity of
Judaism and many other related topics.
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For the Historian
The lifestyles of Jewish settlers as they built
their own neighborhood is explored in At
the Edge of a Dream: The Story of Jewish
Immigrants on New York's Lower East Side
1880 1920 (Wiley; $40). The renaissance of
creativity is at the center of the book.
Famed writer and historian Martin Gilbert
presents a new take on a world leader with
Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship
(Henry Holt; $30). As official Churchill biogra-
pher, Martin explores the origins and range of
his subject's commitment to human rights.
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For the WWII vet
Geoffrey Ward and Ken Burns follow the
lives of more than 40 people in The War:
An Intimate History 1941 1945 (Knopf;
$50), an accompanying volume to the
acclaimed series recently broadcast on
PBS. The recollections — including all the
iconic events — are supplemented with
photos and maps.
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For the Baby Boomer
Tom Brokaw interviewed both famous people and ordi-
nary citizens about a virtual fault line in American histo-
ry for Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections
on the '60s and Today (Random House; $28.95). The
former NBC anchor gives his own views as he reports on
the past and looks toward the future.
For the Politico
Abraham Foxman probes current issues of anti-Semitism
in The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of
Jewish Control (Palgrave Macmillan; $24.95). He points
out the public figures who further the myths.
Henry Kissinger and the American Century (Harvard
University Press; $27.95) analyzes the statesman's ideas
and power. Author Jeremi Suri relates Kissinger's influ-
ence to globalization.
Senator Russ Feingold, who voted against the Iraq War
and the U.S. Patriot Act, is profiled in Feingold: A New
Democratic Party (Simon & Schuster; $26) by Sanford
Horwitt. The legislator's principles and independence are
explored in this unauthorized text.
For the Artist
In Vitebsk: The Life of Art (Yale University Press; $55),
author Aleksandra Shatskikh describes a Belarus town
that flourished with creative talent in the early 1920s.
Marc Chagall is among the many people discussed.
Narrative and paintings by an artist who finds his
talents late in life come together in They Called Me
Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood
in Poland Before the Holocaust (University of California
Press; $39.95). The book, by Mayer Kirshenblatt and his
daughter, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, recalls the time
before World War II.
For the Architect
Louis I Kahn: Beyond Time and Style — A Life in
Architecture (Norton Books; $60) captures the work and
personal life of the controversial architect profiled in the
documentary My Architect. Kahn's buildings — including
the Yale University Art Gallery and the Richards Medical
Center in Philadelphia — are discussed by author Carter
Wiseman, who also reports on the Jewish architect's
romantic liaisons (maintaining three families at once,
hidden from each other).
For the Illustrator
Getting published in the New Yorker was the height of
success for cartoonists, and a profile of one and his
work comes across in The Art of William Steig (Yale
University Press; $40). Author Claudia Nahson asked
family members and friends to contribute to the book,
enhanced with illustrations.
Long before Shel Silverstein wrote children's books,
such as The Giving Tree, he wrote and invented cartoons
for Playboy magazine. Those entries are captured in
Playboy's Silverstein Around the World (Fireside Books;
$24).
for the Physician
F. Gonzalez-Crussi, a former pathology professor, explores
how personalities affected the advancement of health
care in A Short History of Medicine (Random House;
$24.95). His subjects reach from the study of anatomy to
modern psychiatric therapies.