May 2025: Five (!) new book recs, my fave lunch, and a chance to support a better tomorrow
Writing, reading, resources and recipes + an update from day 576
Dear friends,
I hope you’ve had a decent month. I’m coming to you a few days late, as May 1 was Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day), the day before, Yom Hazikaron, was a day of drama and zigzagging emotions here. More on that later. May the month of May bring us better news. Scroll down your monthly dose of book reviews, upcoming literary events, a story, recipes, and an update from my corner of Israel.
Brief writing update: Most days, but not all, I am continuing to work on new scenes from my work-in-progress (what will hopefully become a novel inspired by the life of my great aunt - background here). My big accomplishment this past week was getting out a draft of our revised family history book, a project that I’ve been working on in fits and starts for 2 1/2 years, hooray.
Some nice news: I woke up one morning during Pesach to the nice news that one of my new Jeremiah stories, “Baby Face,” was accepted for publication by Eleventh Hour Literary, a literary journal from Binghamton University. It should be out in June, and I’ll be excited to share it with you here!
Recommended Reading
I’m up to 29 books for the year, and I read a lot of great ones in April. I seem to be enjoying a lot of Reese's Book Club picks lately. Here are this month’s recommendations:
Isola by Allegra Goodman: I eagerly dove into Allegra Goodman’s new historical novel, inspired by a real sixteenth-century heroine. Marguerite de la Roque is heir to a fortune, but after she is orphaned, her guardian spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France (aka Canada). After being accused of betrayal, Marguerite is abandoned on a small, uninhabited island, together with her guardian’s secretary and her nurse. Relying on ingenuity, wisdom, courage, and faith, the three must learn how to survive, especially during the bitter winter. This was a beautifully written tale, with fully-developed, empathetic characters that bring the 16th century to life. I was extremely impressed with the imagination and research the writing of this book must have called for. Definitely a candidate for one of my top reads this year… I like this blurb from Vogue: “A new generation of survival story: a tale that distills larger themes of power, ownership, tenacity, and colonialism into intimate, vulnerable narratives.” And this one from Ann Napolitano: “What a gift this novel is: vast, lush, feminist, and brilliantly crafted.”
Also Here by Brooke Randel - Brooke Randel masterfully weaves the Holocaust story of her grandmother, Golda Indig, aka Bubbie, with her own memories, research, interviews, and thoughts. Though fluent in six languages, Bubbie was illiterate and could not read or write in any of them. As the youngest grandchild, Brooke and Bubbie share a close relationship that entails baking together, watching television shows, and regular phone calls once they live in different states. Only when Brooke is in her late 20s does Bubbie ask Brooke to write the story of her survival. Initially hesitant, Brooke eventually flies to Florida, where she shepherds her grandmother around during the day and interviews her in the evenings. Though they struggle to communicate — Bubbie is constantly wandering away, many of her actions incomprehensible to her granddaughter — the love between them is palpable and clear. Many of the chapters are narrated in Bubbie’s voice - those of us familiar with Eastern European immigrants will appreciate the dialect. Brooke intertwines her own journey in writing the memoir, her struggles in understanding Bubbie, and the distance she feels from her grandmother, though ultimately - as Brooke stated at our Literary Modiin last week - the distance felt like a gift. Highly recommend this one! Listen to Brooke discuss her book in the recording of our event.
Joan is Okay by Weike Wang: It’s funny how last month I was asking for light reads with quirky characters (thanks to everyone who gave their recommendations in the comments), and then I read Joan is Okay for my local book club, and it was exactly what I was looking for. Joan is a workaholic doctor, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who returned to China as soon as Joan started college. Joan has no other life outside of the hospital, but she seems quite content with this state of affairs. When her father passes away suddenly in China, she flies there and back in one weekend so she can be back at work on Monday morning. Joan is certain she is okay but those around her are not so sure: Fang, her millionaire hedge-fund brother, who constantly trying to get her to open a private practice in Greenwich, and her new neighbor Mark, constantly bringing her discarded furniture and appliances and food. Around the same time that HR from Joan’s hospital gets wind that she hasn’t taken her bereavement time and forces her to take six weeks off, Joan’s mother arrives from China (and then gets stuck in the States due to the pandemic). I’m not doing it justice here, as there are some important themes — “being Chinese-American right now; working in medicine at a high-stakes time; finding one’s voice within a dominant culture; being a woman in a male-dominated workplace; and staying independent within a tight-knit family” (from the book description) — but I appreciated the way the author was able to combine all of these with likeable characters in what I would call a “fun read.”
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan - Audible kept recommending this one to me, and I’m glad I listened. Cate Kay is a pseudonym for a best-selling author whose life is shrouded in mystery. As a teenager, Cate - then Annie - had big dreams of going to Hollywood with her best friend Amanda after high school graduation, but tragedy strikes right before their trip, causing Annie to go on the run. Dealing with themes of ambition, fame, female friendship, love and sexuality, and told from multiple points of view, the novel is full of heart. Though Cate proclaims her life to be ‘a mass of bad decisions and selfishness,’ you’ll love her anyway. As one of the blurbs on Amazon says, “I couldn’t put this book down. There are so many threads woven together beautifully to tell a story about friendship, ambition, and love. It is sexy, gripping, heart-breaking, and ultimately, redemptive.” For audiobook listeners, the narration was excellent!
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall - This was another recommendation from Audible (and Reese), and it was excellent. From the first lines of the book, we know: “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.” Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married and living on their farm in Dorset, England, although mourning the loss of their son in a tragic accident a few years before the book opens. When Beth’s old beau Gabriel resurfaces in the village, along with his young son Leo, Beth becomes increasingly entangled in their lives and is forced to make heart-wrenching decisions. A propulsive read/listen, Booklist described it as "at its heart a novel about love and loss, about selfishness and selflessness, and about the consequences of decisions made for these reasons. Each decision is driven by the one before it, and Beth, especially, is stretched to her breaking point. Both aching and thrilling, Broken Country is a masterful book." Here, too, I highly recommend the audio version if you’re an audiobook listener! This would be a good one for book clubs.
More recommended reading for May
May is both Jewish American Heritage Month/Canadian Jewish Heritage Month and Short Story Month. Check out my updated list on Bookshop for books to celebrate. Yesterday, May 3, was also The Book of Jeremiah’s sixth (!) birthday, so that’s a trifecta of reasons to pick up a copy if you haven’t yet read it. (You can get a signed copy directly from me, purchase from my terrific publisher Press 53 or on Bookshop, or pick up a Kindle version here). :-) :-)
Events
I’m excited for Literary Modiin’s May event - Sunday, May 18 at 20:00 Israel time / 1 pm Eastern - on Zoom - featuring Rebecca Wolf (ALIVE AND BEATING), Helen Schary Motro (THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS), and Howard Lovy (FOUND & LOST: THE JAKE AND CAIT STORY) - register here:
There are TONS of other in-person literary happenings and book launches around Israel this month, including many featuring past Literary Modiin authors:
Wed May 7 at 17:30 - local Modiin authors will be speaking about the release of their new books at the Moshe Schechter Library on Emek Dotan. The event is free (and in Hebrew) but registration is required. (Some of the books are in English).
Wed May 14 at 19:30 - in Jerusalem - “Poetry Reading and Publishing Debrief,” sponsored by Jerusalism. Featuring Marcela Sulak and Jane Medved, who will read from their recent poetry collections, followed by a Q&A with Lonnie Monka about their experiences publishing and attending the AWP conference during these strange times. More info here.
Thurs May 15 at 19:30 - Halper’s Bookstore (87 Allenby, Tel Aviv): Writing, Friendship, and Everything in Between: Authors Aaron Hamburger (Hotel Cuba) and Avner Landes in Conversation to Celebrate Landes’ new novel, The Delegation.
Mon May 19 - Thurs May 22 - Jerusalem Writers’ Festival
Thurs May 22 - at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art: Book launch of the anthology רכות מברזל (Softer than Iron), edited by Dr. Varda Zilberberg, about the role of women in Israel after October 7. An English translation is planned for later in the year. Hannah Wacholder Katsman’s chapter - a diary chronicling the public and private mourning following the Oct. 7 murder of her son Dr. Hayim Katsman on Kibbutz Holit - will appear in the anthology. (Hannah read from her chapter at the Literary Modiin solidarity event on Oct 6, 2024). For more details, please contact Hannah.
Story of the Month: From, To
From, To by David Bezmozgis (The New Yorker): If you haven’t yet read this powerful, story, extremely relevant for our times, please do. It’s long, so I printed it out to read over Passover (sorry, trees). And then go read the analysis of the story in The Short Story News (hat tip to Erika Dreifus for pointing me to this), which states:
Judaism, Bezmozgis is arguing, is made of something tougher than the halcyon period of American Jewishness, or even than the state of Israel. The real Judaism is somewhere in the domain of reconciliation and forgiveness, of finding the path forward even after all hope is lost.
Recipe of the Month - Sari’s Chicken Salad
Welcome to the (near) end of the newsletter, where you are rewarded with a yummy recipe. My favorite lunch place near work - officially called Twenty Pita - is in what we call הקונטיינרים or “the containers,” essentially a few pop up stands of different kinds of street food. Twenty Pita, staffed by the ever-smiling Sari who knows hundreds of regular customers by name, has a most delicious chicken salad of which I almost never tire. I have replicated it at home, though not as well. The key being lots of sumac. If you’re ever in the boursa area of Ramat Gan around lunch time, I’d be happy to take you there for the real thing!
Ingredients
1 red onion
1 lemon
2-3 tsp sumac
kosher salt
1/2 cup red cabbage
1/2 cup arugula
1 1/2 cups of quinoa or rice for the base
1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken
optional for the topping:
pickled lemon - (this is the only one I get)
amba (a tangy mango pickle condiment)
harif (a very spicy topping)
tehina
Slice the red onion and pickle it by squeezing the juice of the lemon over it and adding the sumac and kosher salt. (You can make this ahead of time and store it in a jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks). Repeat for the red cabbage. Line the bottom of the bowl with the arugla, followed by the quinoa or rice, followed by the shredded chicken, followed by the cabbage and red onion. Top with the pickled lemon or more lemon juice or tehina and if you’d like, a splash of olive oil. Lately Sari/Twenty Pita has been adding a few cubes of cooked eggplant, which is also delish. The amounts above are for a single serving, so if you are serving this for more people, adjust accordingly. Enjoy!
Israel Update
Where to begin? There’s a palpable feeling of exhaustion here. It’s been 576 days since October 7th, 59 Israelis are still being held hostage and constantly in our thoughts (including my daughter’s friends Gali and Ziv Berman); we’ve had a massive call-up of tens of thousands of reservists as the cabinet discusses expanding the current operation in Gaza (though many are questioning the wisdom of this); on Tuesday evening in Raanana 200 right-wing demonstrators violently attacked a screening of a joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony; and to top it off, the massive forest fires on Wednesday made the day feel ominous and scary.
Re: the forest fires - thanks to those of you who checked in. Modiin was quite near the fires, and we could easily see and smell the smoke. Between the menacing sky, the strong winds, and the news updates, it felt like we were headed into a doomsday scenario. Two neighboring communities were evacuated and I myself was feeling quite panicky, wondering if we should preemptively evacuate. Instead, I tried to put my trust in our mayor, who was urging calm, and watered down my garden, something I’ve never had to do before. At least 20,000 dunam (5,000 acres) of forest were destroyed, including Park Canada and Eshtaol Forest, where I regularly ride my bike, as well as many of the vineyards and fields where I’ve gone to volunteer since October 7th. :-( :-( As my friend put it - “there is something incredibly sad and literal about the country going up in flames on the eve of Independence Day.” It’s a miracle that no one died, and I am full of gratitude to all the firefighting units and anyone in the international community (Croatia, Italy, and others) that sent help. Somehow, when we awoke on Thursday morning, the sky above Modiin was blue, the air felt cleaner, and although some of the fires still raged, they were more under control. Our regular low-key Yom Haatzmaut plans (a visit to Palmachim beach followed by a small BBQ) went on as planned, and we had a nice break from all the craziness, stress and sadness.
As I’m writing, I just received a notification from the Homefront Command app that in the next few minutes there will be a siren. I’m on the train, and we’re supposed to pull down the shades and get under the tables. Not too easy when the train is jam-packed during Sunday morning rush hour. As the train conductor just announced: “no reason to panic, we’re used to this by now.” [Edited to add - only when I arrived at my office did I hear that the missile sent by the Houthis was, in fact, not shot down, and landed within the area of Ben Gurion airport. My train had passed through the airport about 15 minutes before].
An anecdote: a week and a half ago was Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. I was well aware. On the evening prior, I had attended a talk by the mother of someone from my shul who told her parents’ stories. I was in the middle of reading two Holocaust books. I was hosting a Yom Hashoah-related Literary Modiin a few days later. And yet, when the siren went off at 10 am that morning, even though the sound is a bit different than the sirens for missiles, I immediately assumed it was a missile attack. At the time, I was volunteering in an orange grove, and the woman I’d been chatting with assumed the same. We got underneath a tree. I decided there wasn’t much to be done so I might as well continue to pick the oranges. About 30 seconds later she said, “Wait. It’s Yom Hashoah.” Aaahh, right. I suppose this means two things: 1) after 18 months, when there’s a sound that remotely resembles the warning sirens, my brain automatically assumes that’s what it is; and 2) the agricultural volunteering is quite effective for clearing my mind.
For more on finding determination amidst this exhaustion and despair, I recommend (again) Rebecca Bardach’s Between Despair and Determination Substack, in which she writes:
Grief is not a static thing. It pushes and pulls, demanding attention, and asking: what will you do with me now? And begging the question of how do we move forward – individually, collectively?
Surprisingly, given - or perhaps because of - this week’s grief and politics, I kept discovering moments of joy, and moments of light. And with them, also seeds of answers to these questions.
Sustainability Center in memory of Dr. Hayim Katsman z”l
Join me in supporting something positive: a Sustainability Center in the Bedouin city of Rahat in memory of Dr. Hayim Katsman, z”l, who dreamed of a better, more equitable, tomorrow, where people from different communities could come together to foster tolerance, dialogue and sustainability. About the project:
On October 7, 2023 Dr. Hayim Katsman z”l was murdered in his home on Kibbutz Holit. Hayim worked to bring Jews and Arabs closer: as a DJ, he played Arabic music; he was active in Equality for Academia, and established two community gardens in the Bedouin city of Rahat along with residents.
To continue his work and emulate his values, we are raising funds for a sustainability center in Rahat to be called the “Hayim Center” in Arabic. The center will educate the public about ecological values and adapted to Bedouin culture through hands-on activities that Hayim espoused: sustainable gardening, cooking, and recycling.
We dream that the center will serve as a bridge between Arab and Jewish society, old and new, the center and the periphery, by addressing an issue that concerns each and every one of us. Help us make this vision a reality.
The campaign link is now live - please make your tax-deductible donation here. I’ve signed up to be an ambassador to help raise funds, and the family is looking for additional ambassadors. (As my friend Robin wrote on Facebook: “Hayim didn't just talk the talk, he walked the walk in everything that he did. Now it is our turn to help be the change that he, and we, so wish to see in the world.”)
Until next time, b’sorot tovot. May we hear good news soon. Am Yisrael Chai.
I’ll leave you with a few images from my month.
A small way to support my work: Since June 2019, I’ve hosted the monthly Literary Modiin author series, and since April 2020, I’ve been putting out this monthly newsletter. Both represent a significant amount of effort for me, but I love talking about books and promoting other authors, and I’m committed to keeping both of these things FREE for all. I do incur some expenses to keep these up, however, so if you have enjoyed the Literary Modiin events and/or if you enjoy the newsletter or both, and you’d like to support my work in some small, tangible way, I’d be grateful if you’d click on the “Buy Me a Coffee” link below. (If you can’t, that’s fine too)! I appreciate your continued support for these events, book recommendations and my literary musings.
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Julie Zuckerman's debut novel-in-stories, The Book of Jeremiah, was published in May 2019 by Press 53. Her fiction and non-fiction have appeared in CRAFT, Tikkun, Jewish Women’s Archives, Crab Orchard Review, The Coil, The SFWP Quarterly, Ellipsis, MoonPark Review, Sixfold, and The MacGuffin, among others. She is the founder and host of Literary Modiin, a monthly author series celebrating fiction, memoir and poetry with Jewish content. A native of Connecticut, she lives in Israel with her husband and four children. www.juliezuckerman.com
As always, so much here that I want *everyone* else to read. On a personal level, I'm especially grateful for the opportunity to support the Katsmans. And, of course, to see the championing of "From, To" continue to expand, especially this #ShortStoryMonth/Jewish (American) Heritage Month. Thank you, yet again, Julie.
Thank you so much Julie!