Arts & Entertainment

JCC JEWISH BOOK FAIR I ON THE COVER

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It's the JCC's biggest book fair ever, covering topics from Art to Zionism.

Elizabeth Applebaum
Special to the Jewish News

alicia silyPrstone

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here are no sparkling costumes,
dark enemies or feats of prowess
in one superhero's world. Instead,
this superhero is all about eating greens,
making certain his home has solar panels
and investing in a quality set of gardening
tools.
In The Kind Diet, actress Alicia
Silverstone guides readers on a vegan,
environmentally friendly journey to good
health, beginning with the Flirt (anyone
ready to take a few, small steps) and end-
ing with the Superhero, the man, woman
or child for who grains and recycling are
king.
Ready to make quinoa your best friend?
Then don't miss Alicia Silverstone 12:30
p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in West Bloomfield
at the Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit's 58th Annual Jewish
Book Fair. Silverstone will be one of more
than 80 authors slated to speak at Book
Fair, held Nov. 3-15 both at the JCC's West
Bloomfield and Oak Park buildings.
This year's Book Fair was chaired by
Gail Fisher, Amy Hammer and Marilyn
Kohen. Fisher and Hammer are stepping
down as chairs after having held the posi-
tion for many years. Most events are free
and open to the public.
Silverstone found fame as Cher in
Clueless and went on to star as Batgirl in
Batman and Robin with George Clooney

CHR:STINE 2Y.:ElEY

and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These days,
she is most interested in healing the planet
and helping animals.
It all began with a handful of recipes.
"Over the years I've kept a loose file
filled with recipes and random ideas':
Silverstone said of her new book.
"About eight years ago, I started think-
ing about how I'd like to take those ideas
and put them into a book. But it wasn't
until 2008 that I started meeting with
publishers and thinking about how I'd
want to bring this all to life.
"The creative process wound up
being an incredibly stimulating and inspir-
ing experience; it's as if everything I've
learned in over a decade just came pouring
out. I absolutely loved writing this book.
And I really believe that The Kind Diet has
the power to change people's lives for the
better. I feel very proud of the end result,

Helayne Kaplan of Bloomfield Hills, right, joins a group of volunteers as they unpack

and sort books for the upcoming Jewish Book Fair.

and I can't wait for people to read
After you've helped the world, consider
going on a great adventure with another
Book Fair author: Daniel Levin.
Levin, who holds a bachelor's degree
from the University of Michigan, graduat-
ed with honors from Harvard Law School
and clerked for the chief justice of the
Supreme Court of Israel; he is the author
of The Last Ember, now on the New York
Times bestseller list.
The Last Ember is a novel that begins
with a bit of stone. A piece of an ancient
stone map appears in Rome. A young
classics expert named Jonathan Marcus
is summoned to inspect it. Soon, Marcus
finds himself in the dangerous world of
illicit excavations — and perhaps on the
road to solving one of the great myster-
ies of all time: the whereabouts of the
Tabernacle Menorah.
Levin will speak 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15,
at the JCC in West Bloomfield.
But wait — snap back to reality.
Slave Hunter: One Man's Global Quest To
Free Victims of Human Trafficking is Aaron
Cohen's story of his passionate, dangerous,
unforgettable journey to help end human
slavery.
For many years Cohen was interested in
little more than partying and using drugs.
He inhabited a glamorous, if troubled,
world of rock 'n roll with best friend Perry
Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction.
But then he took a different path, found
his bearings and changed his life. Today,
Cohen spends his days and nights in
shantytowns, hidden brothels and deep in
jungles, where he is working to free vic-
tims of slavery.
Cohen will discuss Slave Hunter 8:15
p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in West Bloomfield.
Finally, it's time for a spiritual quest of a

NORMAN

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different kind.
Norman Lebrecht is famous in England
as the host of the BBC's Lebrecht Live and
as assistant editor of the London Evening
Standard. He's also the author of the mem-
orable novel The Song of Names.
His latest book, The Game of Opposites,
considers the moral struggles of a post-
war life. It tells the story of Paul Miller, a
man who manages to escape from a labor
camp — but has he escaped the past
enough (or should he even try?) to move
ahead with his life?
Lebrecht is this year's guest for Book
Club Night 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the
JCC in West Bloomfield.
And now you're started — but only
just. The Jewish Book Fair is a wild ride in
search of one of the world's leading Nazis
(Hunting Eichmann), a song of secrets
and loss and redemption (Annie's Ghosts),
of learning why the ideas — and not the
clothes — make the man in Israel (Start-
up Nation) and a place to laugh out loud
(Everything Hurts).
Just take a look. Li

Elizabeth Applebaum is a marketing

specialist at the Jewish Community Center

of Metropolitan Detroit.

The JCC's Jewish Book Fair runs
Nov. 3-15. All events will be held at
the JCC in West Bloomfield, 6600
W. Maple Road, or in Oak Park,
15100 W.10 Mile Road. To view
the complete brochure, visit www.
jccdet.org . For more information,
call (248) 432-5692.

October 29 •2009

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