Welcome to re:books

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer
Finding love, for others, is an easy task. Finding the right kind of love you need is a completely different story. So is the life of 34-year-old Jewish, online-matchmaker, anxiety-ridden, Dara Rabinowitz. When her Bubbe (Jewish grandmother) shares Dara’s “recipe” for finding love, she becomes a national sensation, and catches the eye of Chris, who is the antithesis of anything she is looking for. With stress and cultural responsibilities holding her back, Dara sees no future with Chris. A charming, yet informative novel which explores Jewish community and interfaith romance alike, will resonate with anyone who’s ever been looking for a love recipe that did not turn out as expected.

Every Canadian has a different view of what Canada is, where it was, and what it has become. Lydia Perovic describes her point of view in a fresh approach, as an immigrant in 1999 up to present day where she’s as part of Canada as any other Canadian. What sets Lost in Canada apart is the brave and unapologetic questions and search for answers about what has happened to our good-loving, kind-hearted, culture. She interestingly singles out our national arts, as a benchmark that mirrors the changes we’ve experienced. I, as a writer, especially enjoyed the chapter about Alice Munro, which gave a new appreciation for the writer. This narrative is a seldom spoken account that is so important, especially here in Canada, where our population is a quilt of cultures and religions.

I Want You to Know We’re Still Here by Esther Safran Foer
It is understandable that most survivors of the Holocaust never wanted to speak of their experiences or recount the atrocities they were witness to. Some held on to their experiences for dear life, afraid to expose anyone to the atrocities they lived. And now, almost 80 years later, the stories are dwindling. Ester Safran Foer’s story, or more accurately, a missing piece of her father’s past, is one such account that led her on a mission of discovery. Born in Poland and living in a displaced person’s camp until her parents emigrated to the States in 1949, Sarah knew little of their lives beforehand. Her mother barely spoke about her memories, and her father, who died by suicide in 1954, left no written or very little verbal recollections. Until she discovers that her dad had another family which perished along with 6 million others. Foer then made it her mission to find out whatever information she could about the lost family, and their experiences. Her story is not only a memoir, but a historical and genealogical exploration. Beautiful, haunting and inspirational, I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is a lesson in history for every Jew and gentile alike, to help keep the facts and events alive, so we may never forget.

I recently saw Noa Tishby interviewed in a documentary. She lives in Israel, is smart as a whip, and very funny. (And stunning!) So I can’t wait for my copy of her book, which came out last year, titled Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. Aaron Sorkin, the award-winning screenwriter of The West Wing and The Social Network, called it “fascinating and very moving.” Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher said, “This is not your Bubbie’s history book.” From Amazon, the description reads that “Tishby brings her “passion, humour, and deep intimacy, creating an accessible and dynamic portrait of a tiny country of outsized relevance. Through bite-sized chunks of history and deeply personal stories, Tishby chronicles her homeland’s evolution, beginning in Biblical times and moving forward to cover everything from WWI to Israel’s creation to the disputes dividing the country today. Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance of facts, Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear, intimate account of the richly cultured country of Israel.”