As gift-giving season approaches, we’re excited to share our recommendations for many different types of readers!
For Story Seekers:
Everyone loves a good story, and this time of year provides an opportunity to share stories through books and family gatherings.
18 Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages
These compelling, humorous, and moving stories reflect both the diversities and the commonalities within Jewish culture and will make you laugh, cry, and think. This beautiful book is easily accessible and enjoyable not only for Jewish readers, but for story-lovers of all backgrounds.
For the Culinary Connoisseur:
Bring these books with you for a delectable holiday meal.
Matzah and Flour: Recipes from the History of the Sephardic Jews
This new release includes 125 meticulously crafted recipes showcasing the enduring flavors that define Sephardic culinary heritage.
Jews, Food, and Spain: The Oldest Medieval Spanish Cookbook and the Sephardic Culinary Heritage
Written by the same author as the recommendation above, this study will appeal to both culinarians and readers interested in the intersecting histories of food, Sephardic Jewish culture, and the Mediterranean world of Iberia and northern Africa.
If you know a historian who loves food, this might be the perfect gift with fifty culturally significant recipes.
For the Folklorist:
The Fair Folk and Little Orphan Mary
Written in rich, lyrical prose, this tale is replete with mytho-folkloric motifs, legends, superstitions, historical and biblical references, and magical depictions of nature. Readers will also enjoy exploring Poland’s diverse landscape, her fields, forests and mountains, along with her flora and fauna, and realistic descriptions of late 19th-century Polish rural life.
For the Historian:
Like many of our colleagues and authors, you may have a history buff in your life who would love these books.
This new release offers a nuanced exploration of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions prior to the 2014 Russian invasion. It is an essential read to get to know the Ukrainian East and its people, now forever altered by the Russian invasion.
Tomek Jankowski’s book is a gateway to understanding both what unites and separates Eastern Europeans from their Western brethren, and how this vital region has been shaped by but has also left its mark on Western Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. It is a reader-friendly guide to a region that is all too often mischaracterized as remote, insular, and superstitious.
Dnipro: An Entangled History of a European City
This award-winning, first English-language synthesis of the history of Dnipro places the city in a broader regional, national, and transnational context and explores the interaction between global processes and everyday routines of urban life. Designed as a critical entangled history of the multicultural space, the book looks for a new analytical language to overcome the traps of both national and imperial history-writing.
For the Film Fanatic:
It may be surprising to see a book publisher recommending gifts for film fanatics, but these titles are a great fit for movie lovers looking to learn more.
She Animates: Soviet Female Subjectivity in Russian Animation
She Animates examines the work of twelve female animation directors in the Soviet Union and Russia, who have long been overlooked by film scholars and historians. In addition to making a case for including these women and their work in the annals of film and animation history, this volume also makes an argument for why their work should be considered part of the tradition of women’s cinema.
Dziga Vertov: Life and Work (Volume 1: 1896–1921)
Largely forgotten during the last 20 years of his life, the Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov (1896-1954) has occupied a singular and often controversial position over the past sixty years as a founding figure of documentary, avant-garde, and political-propaganda film practice. This book, the first in a three-volume study, addresses Vertov’s youth in the largely Jewish city of Bialystok, his education in Petrograd, his formative years of involvement in filmmaking, his experiences during the Russian Civil War, and his interests in music, poetry, and technology.
The Russian Cinema Reader (Volume I): Volume I, 1908 to the Stalin Era
This two-volume reader consists of newly commissioned essays, excerpts from English language criticism, and translations of Russian language essays on subtitled films which are widely taught in American and British courses on Russian film and culture. The first volume covers twelve films from the beginning of Russian film through the Stalin era.
The Russian Cinema Reader (Volume II) Volume II, The Thaw to the Present
A companion to the recommendation above, this volume covers twenty films from the Thaw era to the present.
The Contemporary Russian Cinema Reader 2005-2016
The early years of the twenty-first century have been an exciting transitional period in Russian cinema. During these years four generations have worked in varying visual styles and with diverse narrative strategies, while searching for a new cinematic language. These twenty-one essays on individual films provide background information on directors’ careers, detailed analyses of selected films, along with suggested further readings both in English and Russian.
For the Poet:
Poetry is a unique art form with a passionate following and a great match for meaningful gift-giving.
Under a Bloodred Sky: Avigdor Hameiri’s War Stories and Poetry
These stories and poems reflect the unique complexity of the Jewish soldier’s experience of the most vicious and shocking war the world had witnessed to date—the battles, the agony, the dilemmas faced by the Jewish soldier, bravery versus cowardice, the notion of imminent death, breaking the sixth commandment (Thou Shalt Not Murder), elements of pacifism, and more.
Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine
This anthology brings together some of the most compelling poetic voices from different regions of Ukraine. Young and old, female and male, somber and ironic, tragic and playful, filled with extraordinary terror and ordinary human delights, the voices recreate the human sounds of war in its tragic complexity.
Paper Bridge is the first bilingual collection by Ukrainian poet Vasyl Makhno, a “master of the contemporary Ukrainian Ballad, who builds a lifeline for the broken-hearted wanderers, homeless heartbreakers, hopeless romantics, and helpful ironists,” in the words of Valzhyna Mort, winner of the Griffin Poetry prize.
Quiet Spiders of the Hidden Soul: Mykola (Nik) Bazhan’s Early Experimental Poetry
For the first time, this bilingual Ukrainian-English collection brings together the most interesting experimental works by Mykola (Nik) Bazhan, one of the major Ukrainian poets of the twentieth century.
New York Elegies: Ukrainian Poems on the City
New York Elegies attempts to demonstrate how descriptions and evocations of New York City are connected to various stylistic modes and topical questions urgent to Ukrainian poetry throughout its development.
I Lived on the Battlefield of Poltav
Alexei Parshchikov’s long historical poem, which dates 1985, is one of the major literary documents of the last years of the USSR. While all previous translations of parts of the poem are in free verse, translator Donald Wesling here carries over the rhyme and meter of the original poem. This book was longlisted for the 2024 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
Sometimes called the “last epos in world literature,” Pan Tadeusz (first published in Paris in 1834) is a classic tale of romance, mystery, war, and patriotism set in the turbulent Napoleonic era. This version is arguably the most authoritative English translation of Poland’s great national poem.
For the Urban Explorer:
Cities can impact both societies and individuals. These books are great for urban enthusiasts and all readers who are eager to broaden their knowledge base.
An Urban Odyssey: A Critic’s Search for the Soul of Cities and Self
From the stoops of Brooklyn and the streets of East Harlem to the newsrooms of New York and Los Angeles, from the freeways of Southern California to the shores of Malibu, An Urban Odyssey traverses the award-winning author’s seven decades in the media and the public and private sectors, as well as his time teaching and advocating for a more equitable, livable city.
Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power. A Political Memoir
This LA Times bestseller is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California.
For Literature Lovers:
From cover to cover, literature lovers won’t be able to put down these exceptional reads.
Set during the last years of the Soviet Union, Stone Dreams tells the story of Azerbaijani actor Sadai Sadygly, who lands in a Baku hospital while trying to protect an elderly Armenian man from a gang of young Azerbaijanis. Stone Dreams is a searing, painful meditation on the ability of art and artists—of individual human beings—to make change in the world.
Akram Aylisli’s People and Trees is the first major work in a long, illustrious literary career by the only contemporary writer from Azerbaijan to occupy a significant place on the world stage. Told in the voice of the young Muslim boy Sadykh, the three linked novellas and a related short story that make up this volume explore village life in the mountains of Azerbaijan before, during, and just after World War II.
In the 1980s, two childhood friends from Jerusalem establish a medical equipment startup. Their hunger for success propels them to professional heights but erodes the emotional affinity between them. Intimate Solitude offers a distinct perspective on the changing nature of Israeli society, uncovering social and political undercurrents.
Exploring real tragedies of individuals caught in the zone of conflict, the nuances of peace and war in the South Caucasus, and the prospects of reconciliation in post-conflict regions, the collection Two Novels from the Caucasus is a testament to the enduring power of literature to bridge divides and illuminate universal truths.
The Nansen Factor: Refugee Stories
This bold debut collection of stories follows the lives of those displaced by the Bolshevik Revolution and their descendants, shining a light on the lasting impact of displacement and the resiliency of the human spirit.
The Tears and Smiles of Things: Stories, Sketches, Meditations
Through his nostalgic memories and recollections, Sodomora takes readers on a journey through western Ukraine, as well as through world literature, from ancient Greece and Rome to the poetry of Paul Verlaine and Federico García Lorca. This evocative collection of vignettes and essays from Ukraine’s “voice” of classical antiquity is now available in English for the first time.
For Memoir Mavens:
Memoirs often build a powerful connection between authors and readers. These books can also contribute to conversation over holiday meals.
Ita Dimant’s gripping diary is a detailed account of her experiences during the Holocaust.
“This standout survivor’s account will move and inform even those well versed in the inhumanity of the Shoah.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
My Kaddish: A Child Speaks from the Warsaw Ghetto
Written vividly and honestly, this unique tapestry of time and perspective not only stands out in the vast literature that discusses the Holocaust, but also appeals to anyone interested in the lasting impact of childhood trauma, as well as the human potential for resiliency.
Marta’s Notebooks brings together three components: an authentic memoir written by Marta Wollner, a Holocaust survivor; a literary, fictive biography based on this diary; and an auto-fiction novella, the confession of her daughter reflecting on the profound impact of her mother’s trauma on her own life.
Holocaust: German History and Our Half-Jewish Family
This compelling family history spans from the 1890s to the 21st century, weaving personal stories into the broader fabric of German history to reveal a deeply moving account of survival, courage, and resilience. This unforgettable book captures a family’s fight for survival amidst one of history’s darkest chapters, making it an essential read for anyone interested in personal stories of resistance and the enduring lessons of the past.
A true story of hope amid horrifying tragedy, How We Outwitted and Survived the Nazis illustrates how war brings out the worst and the best in people, and how true humanity and heroism of ordinary people are revealed by their willingness to risk everything and help others. This book is about being human under the most inhumane conditions.
An Improbable Life: My Father’s Escape from Soviet Russia
From evading the KGB and disassembling a downed American plane to narrowly escaping a life sentence in Siberia, Reuven Rashkovsky’s story is a gripping tale of coming of age, searching for belonging, and daring to escape the tightly controlled Soviet regime. An Improbable Life is a valuable historical resource for anyone intrigued by culture and identity in the Soviet Union from the last days of Stalin to the Brezhnev era and the paradox and perils of being outcast—and possibly heroic—in that time and place.
The Shochet (Vol. 1): A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea
This memoir is brimming with information on communal life, persecution, family relationships, religious practices and beliefs, social classes, local politics, interactions between Jews and other religious communities, epidemics, poverty, competition for resources, migration, war, modernity and secularization, holy men and charlatans, acts of kindness, and acts of treachery.
The Shochet (Vol. 2): A Memoir of Jewish Life in Ukraine and Crimea
A companion to the above recommendation, this title begins in 1873, when Goldenshteyn obtains his first position as a shochet in Slobodze, and it follows him to Crimea, where he endures 34 years of vicissitudes. In 1913, he fulfills a dream of immigrating to the land of Israel, hoping to find tranquility in his old age.
For Activists Fighting Antisemitism:
Sadly, antisemitism has surged to a generational peak. While this may not surprise Jewish-history experts or activists, these titles may help them feel less alone.
Hate Speech and Academic Freedom: The Antisemitic Assault on Basic Principles
Hate Speech and Academic Freedom addresses issues that have gained new urgency worldwide. It is the first book to ask what impact antisemitism has had on the fundamental principles of academic freedom, free-speech rights, standards for hiring or firing faculty members and administrators, and the ethics of academic conduct and debate.
Poisoning the Wells: Antisemitism in Contemporary America
Expressions of this oldest hatred are increasingly prevalent in popular culture, where they are spread by politicians, entertainers and celebrities, the media, social justice activists, and religious leaders, as well as in universities, in schools, on the streets, and even, in some instances, by Jews. In Poisoning the Wells, leading scholars analyze contemporary antisemitism in the United States.
For the Audiophile:
Music can provide meaning when words just aren’t enough.
This ten-chapter book not only asks how music and society are, and have been, intertwined and mutually influential, but it also examines the agents behind these connections: who determines musical cultures in society?
For Polyglots:
Language lovers can find much to enjoy in our titles, especially this one.
Contemporary Translation in Transition: Poems, Theories, Conversations
This book’s innovative format invites contemporary poets into dialogue with literary translators, editors, publishers, and scholars; the conversations among their wide-ranging essays, poems, and exchanges both model and investigate the work of transcultural dialogue. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the dynamic interplay of poetry, language, and culture.
We hope these recommendations are helpful on your gift-giving journey, and we wish you and your family a happy holiday season.