Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Hillary Clinton, rehashing her loss in new book, emerges to less-than-enthusiastic reviews

NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton, who spent decades on the public stage in a myriad of roles and changing personas, emerged Tuesday in a new one: ghost from the political past. The reception was decidedly mixed. On the day marking publication of her latest memoir, the former first lady, U.S. senator, secretary of state, two-time […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA

Spy novel finally makes it to the movies

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Author Howard Kaplan wandered 40 years through the movie desert, but unlike Moses, he’s going to enter the Promised Land.  At the upcoming Boston Film Festival, on Sept. 23, the successful spy novel he published in 1977—The Damascus Cover—will finally be premiered as a movie starring Jonathan Rhys

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Hemingway House Staff and 54 Cats Defy Irma

Before making its second landfall in Florida near Naples Sunday, Hurricane Irma battered Key West as a Category 4 storm, leaving uprooted trees and waterfront streets underwater. But Hurricane Irma’s wrath and mandatory evacuation orders in Key West were not enough to deter staff at Ernest Hemingway’s Home and Museum —and its 54 six-toed cats

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, The World We Share, USA

‘Judas’ a theme of Amos Oz book on early Israel

Judas by Amos Oz; Hebrew Language, Keter Books.   By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Amos Oz, the doyen of Hebrew writers, was not awarded the prestigious International Man Booker literary prize, which went instead to David Grossman’s book, A Horse Walks into a Bar. Having read both books in the original Hebrew, I am unable to

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East

A short story book to keep you in your chair

Timeless Travels: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, Humor and Enchantment by Joseph Rotenberg, Gefen Publishing House © 2017; ISBN 9789652-299154; 358 pages, $24.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – I haven’t finished reading all of Timeless Travels, and that, in part, is because I like to draw out my reading pleasure, rather than rush it.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Torah and Teepees: A Comanche Friend of the Jews

Editor’s Note: The following chapter of historical fiction is excerpted from Joseph Rotenberg’s  Timeless Travels: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, Humor and Enchantment, soon to be published by Redmont Tales LLC/Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 9789652-299154.  The book contains over 60 short stories and sketches, some fiction some fact.  This is just one of those short stories: By

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Story of the Jewish people (abridged)

Professor offers trends, lessons in condensed Jewish history Jewish history professor David Myers said despite a recent resurgence of anti-Semitism, American history is “bending toward ever greater integration into American society.” Photo by Scarlett Freund It may sound unlikely, if not impossible, but in just over 100 pages of his new book and in the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

The ‘chosen’ Anzacs: Australia’s distinguished fighting Jews gain new recognition

A new book by Mark Dapin chronicles the Outback’s rich history of Hebrew heroes — including the only Jewish military commander-in-chief outside of Israel By Rich Tenorio From the shores of Gallipoli to the mountains of Afghanistan, Jews have distinguished themselves fighting for Australia. Now, “Jewish Anzacs” by Mark Dapin — the first book of

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International

Finding oneself–or not–in the land of Israel

The Book of Love and Hate by Lauren Sanders; Akashic Books ©2017; 300 pages; ISBN 9781617-755828. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Jennifer is the daughter of a fugitive billionaire, American businessman who is somewhere on the lam in Israel—or is he already dead?  Jennifer’s mother abandoned the family years ago, and her brother,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Eger: How to survive evil and restore emotional freedom

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger; Scribner, 289 pages including index; $27. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – This book, no doubt, will be remembered as important for going beyond the realm of a  Holocaust memoir and becoming a Holocaust life lesson. For Eger, the retelling of her experiences at

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History

Film Shows How ‘Curious George’ Creators Escaped Nazis

We all think we know Curious George, the rambunctious primate who’s been entertaining children since his first book was published in 1941. He’s been in television shows, blockbuster movies and video games, shaping the lives of countless children. But a new documentary, Monkey Business, tells the story of the iconic children’s character on film for

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Bialik: Being a girl is more complicated now

Big Bang Theory star’s second book offers advice to teenage girls in need of guidance Mayim Bialik is one of the highest-paid actresses on television, but she is resolutely un-Hollywood. For the past seven years, she has played Amy Farrah Fowler, the socially awkward, cardigan-wearing neuroscientist in long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Yet she

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA