Authors on Tour (P-S)

Dennis Prager

WHY THE JEWS?
The Reason for Anti-Semitism
288 pages. Touchstone. $14.

In this seminal study, Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin attempt to uncover and explain the roots of anti-Semitism from the ancient world to the Holocaust to the current Middle East. This thoroughly revised and expanded edition of their 1982 classic, Why the Jews? offers unique insights and perspectives on some of the most recent and pressing developments in the contemporary world.

 Local appearances: Austin, TX; Houston, TX; Tucson, AZ

Lev Raphael

THE GERMAN MONEY
206 pages. Leapfrog Press.

Paul has spent his life running from New York, the city of his birth; from his beautiful beshert; from contact with his own siblings; but mostly from his mother, a Holocaust survivor of inexplicable coldness. Upon her mysterious death, the children face shocking questions. What caused her to die? Why did she divide their inheritance so that Paul, the least favorite son, was singled out to receive the most, the dreaded “German money,” a bequest of a million dollars accrued from German reparations to survivors... a gift as cynical as it is generous.

Local appearances: Ann Arbor, MI; Houston, TX; San Diego, CA; Washington DC; W. Hartford, CT

Bryan Mark Rigg

HITLER’S JEWISH SOLDIERS
The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military
528 pages. University Press of Kansas. $29.95.

After centuries of Jewish assimilation and intermarriage in German society, Hitler discovered that eliminating Jews from the rest of the population was more difficult than he’d anticipated. As Bryan Mark Rigg shows in this provocative new study, nowhere was that heinous process more fraught with contradiction and confusion than in the German military.

Local appearances: Cleveland, OH; Columbus, OH; Deal, NJ; Houston, TX; Memphis, TX; Norfolk, VA; Reading, PA; Rockville, MD; San Antonio, TX

Julie Salamon

RAMBAM’S LADDER
A Meditation on Generosity and Why It Is Necessary to Give
192 pages. Workman Publishing. $19.95.

Salamon examines the rules of giving that were set out by Maimonides as a ladder the thoughtful giver could climb. Salamon, who is active in charity, interviewed rich and poor alike to get a fuller understanding of what it means to give to others.

Local appearances: Cherry Hill, NJ; St. Louis, MO

Michael Shapiro

THE LAST GOOD SEASON
Brooklyn, the Dodgers, and Their Final Pennant Race Together
368 pages. Doubleday. $24.95.

In the bestselling tradition of The Boys of Summer and Wait ‘Til Next Year, The Last Good Season is the poignant and dramatic story of the Brooklyn Dodgers last pennant and the forces that led to their heartbreaking departure to Los Angeles.

Local appearances: Baltimore, MD; Dayton, OH; Deal, NJ; Denver, CO; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Metrowest, NJ; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; New Haven, CT; Pleasantville, NY; San Diego, CA; Springfield, MA; Stamford, CT; W. Hartford, CT; W. Palm Beach, FL

Mimi Sheraton

THE NEW YORK TIMES JEWISH COOKBOOK
850 Traditional and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World
St. Martin’s Press. $35.

From the food pages of The New York Times comes this authoritative, wide-ranging Jewish cookbook. With almost 800 well-tested recipes by Times food writers, this collection includes influences from Northern Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. It is a collection to cook from as well as to celebrate the history, culture, culinary creativity, and enduring tradition of Jews around the world.

 Local appearances: Buffalo, NY; Cherry Hill, NJ; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; St. Paul, MN; Stamford, CT

Adin Steinsaltz

THE MIRACLE OF THE SEVENTH DAY
A Guide to the Spiritual Meaning, Significance, and Weekly Practice of the Jewish Sabbath
256 pages. John Wiley & Sons. $22.95.

This companion for the Sabbath table is intended for novices as well as those well-versed in Shabbat law and observance.

Local appearances: Detroit, MI; Kansas City, KS, Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; Stamford, CT; St. Louis, MO; St. Paul, MN; W. Hartford, CT