arts & entertainment
A good read for
everyone on your
Chanukah gift list.
Gail Zimmerman
Arts Editor
FOR THE ART LOVER
Helen Molesworth: Amy Sillman: One
Lump or Two (Prestel)
"I see myself as a Jewish folk artist:'
says Detroit-born, Brooklyn-based Amy
Sillman. From her early small-scale
cartoon figures to her later enormous
abstract paintings, Sillman's artistic vision
shines through in this beautiful volume
that covers the period from 1995 to the
present.
Sabine Haag and Jasper Sharp, edi-
tors: Lucian Freud (Prestel)
Born in Berlin, the son of a German
Jewish mother and an Austrian Jewish
architect father — and the grandson of
Sigmund Freud, the father of psycho-
analysis — British painter Lucian Freud
(1922-2011) was chiefly known for his
remarkable portrait and figure paintings
of psychological depth and unsparing
scrutiny; this book presents the highlights
of Freud's working life, a period of almost
70 years.
FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHY FAN
Susan Ehrens: The Errand of the Eye:
Photographs by Rose Mandel (Prestel)
After escaping Europe with her hus-
band in 1942, Rose Mandel came to
the Bay Area and enrolled in the newly
founded photography department of the
California School of Fine Arts, where
she came under the influence of Edward
Weston, Ansel Adams and others. This is
the first publication dedicated to this pio-
neering woman in photography, introduc-
ing her remarkable, if often overlooked,
body of work to a wider audience.
FOR THE LITERATURE LOVER
Claudia Roth Pierpont: Roth
Unbound: A Writer and His Books
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Roth's astonishing 50-year career (he
recently announced his retirement from
writing) is covered by Pierpont (who is
no relation to the prolific writer), reveal-
ing the imprint of Roth's life on his art.
FOR THE MODERNIST
Charles Churchward: It's Modern:
The Eye and Visual Influence of
Alexander Liberman (Rizzoli)
This lush volume surveys the fasci-
nating life and avant-garde work of the
artist and longtime Conde Nast edito-
rial director, who was born in Kiev the
son of a Jewish timber tycoon, raised in
Moscow, educated in England and France,
escaped to the U.S., and went on to pre-
side over publications including Glamour,
Mademoiselle and House & Garden.
FOR THE MUSIC LOVER
Sheryl Kaskowitz: God Bless America:
The Surprising History of an Iconic Song
(Oxford)
Written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and
premiered on the radio in 1938 by Kate
Smith as a peace song and a show of
solidarity in darkening times, "God Bless
America" initially received an anti-Semit-
ic backlash, owing to Berlin's Belarusian
Jewish roots; here, the author tracks the
song's cultural career over the past cen-
tury, revealing insights about the chang-
ing relationship between America and its
citizens.
Mark Kurlansky: Ready for a Brand
New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street"
Became the Anthem of a Changing
America (Riverhead Books)
Motown fans will enjoy the story of the
creation of the Martha and the Vandella's
hit in the context of the summer of 1964;
the book showcases the momentous role
that a simple song about dancing played
in a cultural shift in history.
FOR THE SPIRITUAL SEEKER
Brian L. Weiss, M.D. and Amy E.
Weiss, LCSW: Miracles Happen: The
Transformational Healing Power of
Past-Life Memories (HarperOne)
Through true stories of past-life regres-
sions that can be used to evolve along
one's spiritual path, the authors (Yale-
trained psychiatrist Brian Weiss is the
author of the best-selling Many Lives,
Many Masters) reveal the spiritual trans-
formation possible when we embrace
reincarnation, lose our fear of death and
realize we are all immortal and innately
spiritual beings.
Mitch Albom: The First Phone Call
From Heaven (Harper)
In a novel that is equal parts mystery,
love story and an allegory about the
power of belief, Albom writes about
eight residents of Coldwater, Mich., who
believe they have gotten phone calls from
the departed; woven throughout is the
parallel story of Alexander Graham Bell
and the invention of the telephone, which
forever changed the way we communicate
with our loved ones.
Rivy Neshama: Recipes for a Sacred
Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles
(Divine Arts)
This collection of short, easy-to-read
true tales reveals how ordinary encoun-
ters with friends, nature, lovers and
strangers can suddenly connect us with
the sacred, adding love, joy and purpose
to our lives; Jewish wisdom, holidays and
traditions are threaded throughout.
Alice Hoffman: Survival Lessons
(Algonquin)
While the impetus for this book was
the prolific fiction writer's battle against
breast cancer, it is a guide for all survivors
— of divorce, death, illness, life — with
new ways to think about everything from
relationships with our families to dinner
parties, and meaningful choices to help
fine-tune our daily lives for the better.
FOR THE SPORTS
ENTHUSIAST
Larry Rutman: American Jews and
America's Game: Voices of a Growing
Legacy in Baseball (University of
Nebraska Press)
This collection of nearly 50 personal
stories of an accomplished group of
American Jews who played, adminis-
trated or wrote about baseball over the
last century is arranged by decade as each
person talks about growing up Jewish and
dealing with Jewish identity, assimila-
tion, intermarriage, religious observance,
anti-Semitism and Israel; among those
profiled is newly named Tigers manager
Brad Ausmus.
FOR THE FOODIE
Max and Eli Sussman: The Best
Cookbook Ever (Olive Press)
The Huntington Woods natives —
now both New York City chefs — offer a
follow-up to last year's This Is a Cookbook,
with more flavorful recipes and stories.
Jessica Seinfeld: The Can't Cook
Book: 100+ Recipes for the Absolutely
Terrified (Atria)
Jerry's better half takes readers step-
by-step through the techniques, tools and
tips they need to become confident cooks;
recipes range from week-night basics to
date-night elegant.
Estee Kafra: Cooking Inspired:
Bringing Creativity and Passion Back
into the Kitchen (Feldheim)
More than 200 beautifully photo-
graphed recipes — identified as gluten-
free, Passover friendly and seasonal —
from the author's website: KosherScoop.
com.
Einat Admony: Balaboosta (Artisan)
A chef who runs three bustling
New York City restaurants (including
Balaboosta), Admony's debut cookbook
features 140 of the recipes she cooks for
the people she loves — her children,
her husband and the many friends she
regularly entertains; here, Einat's mixed
Israeli heritage (Yemenite, Persian) seam-
lessly blends with the fresh, sophisticated
Mediterranean palate she's honed while
working.
The Moosewood Collective:
Moosewood Restaurant Favorites:
The 250 Most-Requested, Naturally
Delicious Recipes From One of America's
Best-Loved Restaurants (St. Martin's
Griffin)
Moosewood Restaurant, founded in
1973, revolutionized vegetarian cooking.
Moosewood Restaurant Favorites contains
250 of their most requested recipes com-
pletely updated and revised to reflect the
way they're cooked now — increasingly
vegan and gluten-free, benefiting from
fresh herbs, new varieties of vegetables
and newly rediscovered grains.
People of the Books on page 60
November 21 • 2013
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