Arts & Entertainment A WORLD OF BOOKS Featuring the Talents Of Our Local Authors T he Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit's 59th Annual Jewish Book Fair's Local Authors Event, chaired by Sarah Gottlieb, takes place 10 a.m.-noon Sunday, Nov. 7, in the Janice Charach Gallery in the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. Local authors are scheduled to speak in the following order: Steven Hartman: The Ten-Day Forecast Life is always going to go exactly as you planned, right? Meet Drew, a typical Midwestern kid about to learn that nothing is ever quite what he imagined. Keri Guten Cohen: Stolen Childhood In Stolen Childhood, Keri Guten Cohen shares the powerful and influential story of Holocaust survivor Nathan Taffel (see sidebar). Mark Adler: Production Algebra This easy-to-read, informative handbook provides the tools necessary to break into the film and video industry as a production assistant. Adler has served for more than 20 years as a trainer, director, producer and president of VAIdigital LLC, a video support company for the film industry. Theresa Rich: Staying Sane in Crazy Times This book is here for anyone who ever felt lost, or fearful, or unsure of what he/she wanted or how to get it. Learn how to develop an action plan with four vital words that will change your life and set you on your path. Norman Prady: Isabella Isabella is a talented young girl from northern Michigan used to a simple, quiet life, but work takes her to the city, where she is surrounded by powerful, wealthy and influential men. Isabella follows this quiet young woman on her journey. Jessie K. Stern: Never Miss a Beat: An Evocation Of The Heart In 79 years, Jessie K. Stern has lived a lifetime of triumphs and challenges. This memoir begins with Stern's teenage years, when she became an orphan. Her tragic childhood experiences developed Stern's sense of leadership in college and car- ried throughout her adult years to help her become an influential member of the Detroit Jewish community. Charles H. Newman: Beyond the Chicken Dance This book is a compelling "how to" about building successful business alliances. With more than 40 years of experience, Charles Newman provides insight on how to create the most effective business relationships. Bruria Barish: My Life, a Spiral Bruria Barish was 14 years old in 1946 when she illegally immigrated to Israel; she has been blazing trails ever since. Barish was a prisoner in a British deten- tion camp for four years, worked as a nurse at Children's Hospital in Detroit and has been a tremendous supporter of the Reform/Progressive movement, includ- ing founding (with the help of philanthropist Jerry Daniel) the first Reform/ Progressive in Israel. Leonard Borman: Our Jewish Robot Future This sarcastic novel with biblical subtext is narrated by Margarita Haralson, a post-menopausal housewife determined to become pregnant because her chil- dren are refusing to produce grandchildren. The story begins when Margarita's husband Alex enters the world of quirky Jewish robots who send him into a paral- lel world, where he learns about a potentially disastrous future. Josh Becker: Going Hollywood In 1976, Josh Becker was a Michigan teen with big dreams of making it the film industry. Going Hollywood is an inspiring, entertaining memoir that will inspire anyone to reach for his dreams. L 62 October 28 • 2010 JN A Tale Of Courage Keri Guten Cohen Story Development Editor have always been interested in telling other people's stories. That's probably why I went into journalism. You won't find me constructing plots, concocting witty dialogue or developing complex characters. I'll stick with real people — true life is fasci- nating enough for me. I knew my uncle Nate Taffel had an amazing life story. He's a Holocaust survi- vor who reached age 17 during World War II and lost nearly all his immediate family to the Nazis. He never talked about his experiences — ever. As a teen, I had a school assignment to interview some- one interesting and write about his or her life. While walking in a park with Nate during a visit, I broached the subject. Surprisingly, he told me some of his painful experiences. We cried together, especially when he told me he never said goodbye to his parents. Many years later, Nate was asked to tell his story to school groups in Milwaukee, I where he lives. He had refused before, but this time he „---. was ready. He started speak- JN Story Development ing to honor Editor Keri Guten Cohen the beloved with her uncle, Nate Taffel family he lost. Though the experience was difficult and many painful lost memories often surfaced, he continued. He knew his message about not letting hatred destroy you was important to share. Students began asking for a book about his life. So we teamed our efforts. We met for long weekends in Milwaukee and Florida. I asked the questions and he talked. Sometimes we cried; we also laughed a lot. I taped the inter- views so we'd have them forever. Finally, I started writing. It was the most difficult assignment of my life. I wanted it to be perfect. Stolen Children is much more than my first book. It's a labor of love. By sharing Nate's story, I know others will be inspired. Ll_ In addition to her appearance at this year's Local Authors Event, Jewish News Story Development Editor Keri Cohen will conduct a Teen Journalism Workshop 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at the JCC in West Bloomfield. Teens will learn the basics of journalism as well as how to join the staff of Teen2Teen, a monthly section inside the Jewish News written by and for teens. Free. Register by e-mail: jmorton@jccdet.org. Kids Can Be Authors, Too Program at Oak Park JCC features student writers. 0 n Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Jewish Community Center in Oak Park, Book Fair will offer a forum for young published authors from Akiva Hebrew Day School. Students in Yehudit Jubas' language arts enrichment class published two books, Some Bugs Are, written by 8-year-old Samantha Lofman and illustrated by 9-year- old Aviva Levi, both of Southfield, and Namaste, an inspirational book the entire class wrote and illustrated. The book projects started with construction paper stapled together and evolved to glossy, heavy stock. The class found a publisher on the Internet, and the books were born. During a program titled "Kids Can Be Authors, Too,” the children will talk about the process of writing and illustrating their books, and afterwards will sign copies. The presentations will be bookended by talks by children's book authors Howard Fridson (Our Family Treasure) of Huntington Woods and Harold Gottlieb (Joshua's Grandfather Clock) of Birmingham. In addition to Samantha Lofman and Aviva Levi, participating authors include Avraham Benjamin, Eitan Bluth, Eden Gilan, Jonah Gilan, Eitan Shere and Rachel Shulkin. ❑ Kids Can be Authors, Too will be held 1-2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the JCC in Oak Park.