THE YESHIVAH OF FLATBUSH LIBRARY AND ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

RECOMMENDED SUMMER READING LIST

FICTION

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Full of sharp wit and exuberant, larger-than-life characters which vividly capture the restless,

madcap era of 1940s New York, Breakfast at Tiffany's will make you fall in love, perhaps for the

first time, with a book.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh defeated Franklin

Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election, fear invaded every Jewish household in

America. A frightening and thought-provoking alternate history of an America that might have

been.

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Tom Sawyer, his best friend Huck Finn, his would-be girlfriend Becky Thatcher, and his aunt Polly

teach and learn about life, death, race and painting fences in a “typical” 19th century Midwestern

town that bears a striking resemblance to Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. On one level,

this is the prototypical tale of one boy’s innocence and how he lost it, but it’s also a profound

evocation of the national character that Twain, an odd combination of independent thinker and

moralist, clearly thought needed some analyzing.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Set in Victorian London, this is a tale of a spirited young innocent's unwilling but inevitable

recruitment into a scabrous gang of thieves. Masterminded by the loathsome Fagin, the

underworld crew features some of Dickens' most memorable characters, including the vicious

Bill Sikes, gentle Nancy, and the juvenile pickpocket known as the Artful Dodger.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel Meminger is a Book Thief, living with a foster family in Germany during World War Two.

Torn from everything she's known, her foster father shows her the power of words as the two of

them share late night reading sessions of The Grave Digger's Handbook. Her love of books ties

her to others, including the mayor's wife and Max, the Jew the family hides in the basement.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Having grown up an orphan in the home of her cruel aunt and at a harsh charity school, Jane

Eyre becomes an independent and spirited survivor-qualities that serve her well as governess at

Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of

his terrible secret forces her to make a choice.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary

culture. It is the account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr.

Jones's Manor Farm into Animal Farm--a wholly democratic society built on the credo that “All

Animals Are Created Equal.”

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged

landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it

is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if

anything, awaits them there.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

A poignant tale about the life and labors of a Chinese farmer during the sweeping reign of the

country¹s last emperor.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Husseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and

a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Few creatures of horror have seized readers' imaginations and held them for so long as the

anguished monster of Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's monstrous

creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and inspired countless

writers of horror and suspense.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through

the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that

belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11,

2001.

Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Cry, the Beloved Country is a beautifully told and profoundly compassionate story of the Zulu

pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set in the troubled and changing South Africa of

the 1940s.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

In a remote Hertfordshire village, far off the good coach roads of George III's England, Mr. and

Mrs. Bennet -- a country squire of no great means and his scatterbrained wife -- must marry off

their five vivacious daughters. At the heart of this all-consuming enterprise are the headstrong

second daughter Elizabeth and her aristocratic suitor Fitzwilliam Darcy, two lovers in whom pride

and prejudice must be overcome before love can bring the novel to its magnificent conclusion.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

A long-lost book reappears, mysteriously connecting an old man searching for his son and a girl

seeking a cure for her widowed mother’s loneliness.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon

This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a

neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels

in recent years.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

The Chocolate War is an uncompromising portrait of conformity and corruption.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the

redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one

character puts it, to make you believe in God.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Climb aboard the raft with Huck and Jim and drift away from the "sivilized" life and into a world

of adventure, excitement, danger, and self-discovery. Huck's shrewd and humorous narrative is

complemented by lyrical descriptions of the Mississippi valley and a sparkling cast of memorable

characters.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable

novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience.

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Set in England's Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage,

and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and

the certain destruction of their home.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has

been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's

fierce-hearted "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily

decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina—a town that holds the secret to her

mother's past.

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

A profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world

postwar England.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South,

attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the

chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood", and retreating amid violence and

confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be.

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in

southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain

death to everyone in its path. Among them is an American submarine captain struggling to resist

the knowledge that his wife and children in the United States must be dead.

I Am Legend by Michael Matheson

A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive

have been transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Except, that is, for Robert

Neville. He alone appears to be immune to this disease, but the grim irony is that now he is the

outsider.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Explores the depth of human passions with an intensity as bold as its setting in the red hills of

Georgia. A superb piece of storytelling, it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and

Reconstruction.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

This novel, written in 1927, is considered the best and most successful of the early mysteries. It

met with no small outrage when it appeared, as it uses a plot device many readers thought

"unfair." There is a full complement of characters populating the cozy English village of King's

Abbot: Major Blunt, Colonel Carter, Miss Gannett, the butler, the housekeeper, the narrator, Dr.

Sheppard, and his know-it-all sister (the precursor of Miss Marple, according to Christie), and, of

course, the redoubtable Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Klein

Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to

the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be

determined by pure luck. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face

a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude?

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Youthful,

enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they have learned, they break into pieces

under the first bombardment in the trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul

holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young

men of the same generation but different uniforms against each other--if only he can come out

of the war alive.

World War Z by Max Brooks

Brooks tells the story of the world's desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of

first-person accounts "as told to the author" by various characters around the world. A Chinese

doctor encounters one of the earliest zombie cases at a time when the Chinese government is

ruthlessly suppressing any information about the outbreak that will soon spread across the

globe. The tale then follows the outbreak via testimony of smugglers, intelligence officials,

military personnel and many others who struggle to defeat the zombie menace.

Hiroshima by John Hersey

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. This

book, John Hersey's journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Told through the

memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a

classic that stirs the conscience of humanity.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

A Pulitzer Prize-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, Angela's Ashes is Frank McCourt's

masterful memoir of his childhood in Ireland.

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND MYSTERY

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Suddenly, condemned arch-swindler Moist von Lipwig found himself with a noose around his

neck and dropping through a trapdoor into ... a government job?

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

One ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness

bind them. The classic trilogy of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of

the King.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

This is the narrative of a nameless Time Traveler who is hurtled into the year 802,701 by his

elaborate ivory, crystal, and brass contraption. The world he finds is peopled by two races: the

decadent Eloi, fluttery and useless, are dependent for food, clothing, and shelter on the simian

subterranean Morlocks, who prey on them.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked

off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s

Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government

agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers.

Legend by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at

war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts,

fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military

circles.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is

being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part

of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation,

these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives

hang in the balance.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth

regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to

Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two

boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know

all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Meet Mma Ramotswe, the endearing, engaging, simply irresistible proprietress of The No. 1

Ladies Detective Agency, the first and only detective agency in Botswana. With persistent

observation, gentle intuition, and a keen desire to help people with the problems of their lives,

she solves mysteries great and small for friends and strangers alike.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance and the

very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This splendid collection of mysteries carries readers back to a gas-lit era, when literature's

greatest detective team lived on Baker Street. A dozen of Holmes and Watson's best-known

cases include "The Speckled Band," "The Red-Headed League," The Five Orange Pips," "The

Copper Beeches," and "A Scandal in Bohemia."

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Roger

Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is

the story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have

arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to

share their darkest secrets--until they begin to die.

NONFICTION

Symphony for the City of the Dead by M. T. Anderson National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson delivers a brilliant and riveting account of the Siege of Leningrad and the role played by Russian composer Shostakovich and his Leningrad Symphony.

Unbroken: a WWII story of survival, resilience, and redemption by Laura Hillenbrand In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life.

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

Roach takes readers on a wild ride down the alimentary canal. Not that the author of Stiff

(2003), Bonk (2008), and Packing for Mars (2010) ever takes a direct route anywhere. No,

voraciously curious and intrepid Roach zips off in whatever direction her ardor for research and

irrepressible instinct for the wonderfully weird lead her.

Moonwalking with Einstein: the art and science of remembering everything by Joshua Foer

Foer's unlikely journey from chronically forgetful science journalist to U.S. Memory Champion

frames a revelatory exploration of the vast, hidden impact of memory on every aspect of our

lives.

The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver

Sacks recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of

neurological disorders.

The Immortal Live of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics,

race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with

questions about the mother she never knew.

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller, a stark and compelling journey into the dark heart of

nature that leaves listeners with a breathless sense of what it feels like to be caught, helpless, in

the grip of a force beyond understanding or control.

The Elegant Universe: SuperString Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

by Brian Greene

One of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string

theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and

repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is

generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.

In the Garden of Beasts Love, Terror and the American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson

The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador

to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.

A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS and Dangerous Days At Sea by Richard Phillips

A Captain's Duty tells the life-and-death drama of the Vermont native who was held captive on a

tiny lifeboat off Somalia's anarchic, gun-plagued shores. A story of adventure and courage, it

provides the intimate details of this high-seas hostage-taking--the unbearable heat, the death

threats, the mock executions, and the escape attempt.

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

A young girl, Sophie, becomes embroiled in a discussion of philosophy with a faceless

correspondent. At the same time, she must unravel a mystery involving another young girl,

Hilde, by using everything she's learning. The truth is far more complicated than she could ever

have imagined.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

What would possess a gifted young man recently graduated from college to literally walk away

from his life? Noted outdoor writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer tackles that question in his

reporting on Chris McCandless, whose emaciated body was found in an abandoned bus in the

Alaskan wilderness in 1992.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a

threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates

the tipping point phenomenon, which is changing the way people throughout the world think

about selling products and disseminating ideas.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich

Nickel and Dimed reveals low-rent America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity --

a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate stratagems for survival. Read it for the

smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich's perspective and for a rare view of how "prosperity" looks from

the bottom.

The Science of Harry Potter: How Magic Really Works by Roger HIghfield

Explores the fascinating links between magic and science to reveal that much of what strikes us

as supremely strange in the Potter books can actually be explained by the conjurings of the

scientific mind. This is the perfect guide for parents who want to teach their children science

through their favorite adventures as well as for the millions of adult fans of the series intrigued

by its marvels and mysteries.

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Presents an overview of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, explaining the genius of his political

savvy, and describes the context in which he assigned a cadre of his fiercest rivals as his closest

cabinet advisors.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal by Eric Shlosser

This incisive history of the development of American fast food indicts the industry for some

shocking crimes against humanity, including systematically destroying the American diet and

landscape, and undermining our values and our economy.

The Science of Sherlock Holmes by E.J. Wagner

Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether

dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash, or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his

career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day,

especially the emerging field of forensics.

The Math Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics Among the numerous concepts readers will encounter as they dip into this inviting anthology: cicada-generated prime numbers, magic squares, and the butterfly effect. Each topic is presented in a lavishly illustrated spread, including formulas and real-world applications of the theorems.

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIRS

Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam

NASA engineer Homer Hickam paints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia mining

town of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, when anything was possible, even

in a company town that swallowed its men alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and

getting out, Homer Hickam's lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle of triumph—at once exquisitely

written and marvelously entertaining.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their

curse and their salvation. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother

and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents'

betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose

Stephen E. Ambrose’s iconic story of the ordinary men who became the World War II’s most

extraordinary soldiers: Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne

Division, US Army.

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima—and into history.

Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they

battled to the island’s highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they

raised a flag.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousefzai

The remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of

a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and

attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that

prizes sons.

The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner

This landmark work gives us a definitive account of Lincoln's lifelong engagement with the

nation's critical issue: American slavery.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.

Einstein: The Life of a Genius by Walter Isaacson

Drawing on new research and personal documents belonging to Einstein only recently made available, this book also includes items of rare facsimile memorabilia, to show you more than this scientist's groundbreaking theories.

Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario An astonishing story that puts a human face on the ongoing debate about immigration reform in the United States, now updated with a new Epilogue and Afterword, photos of Enrique and his

family, an author interview, and more—the definitive edition of a classic of contemporary America

JEWISH INTEREST, HOLOCAUST LITERATURE AND ISRAEL

Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegelman

Told with chilling realism in an unusual comic-book format, this is more than a tale of surviving

the Holocaust. Spiegelman relates the effect of those events on the survivors' later years and

upon the lives of the following generation.

Lonely Man of Faithy by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

In The Lonely Man of Faith, a soaring, eloquent essay first published in Tradition magazine in

1965, Soloveitchik investigates the essential loneliness of the person of faith in our narcissistic,

materially oriented, utilitarian society.

Aleppo Tales by Haim Sabato

Sabato interlaces the history of one family with the social and political turmoil spanning over a

century.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Wiesel's autobiographical masterpiece, is a heartbreaking memoir. Wiesel has taken his painful

memories and channeled them into an amazing document which chronicles his most intense

emotions every step along the way.

Suddenly Jewish: Jews Raised as Gentiles Disclose their Jewish Roots by Barbara Kessel

With humor, candor, and deep emotion, Kessel's subjects discuss the emotional upheaval of

learning of their Jewish roots, refashioning their self-image and, for many, coming to terms with

deliberate deception on the part of parents and family.

Turbulent Souls: A Catholic Son’s Return to his Jewish Identity by Stephen J. Dubner

Dubner traces the passionate conversion of both his parents to Catholicism during the war years,

and then unwinds the story of his own trip back to Judaism as the son of observant, religious

Catholics who had once been Jews.

The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership by Yehuda Avner

The first and only insider account of Israeli politics from the founding of the Jewish State to the

near-present day. It reveals stunning details of life-and-death decision-making, top-secret

military operations and high level peace negotiations.

The Great Partnership by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Impassioned, erudite, thoroughly researched, and beautifully reasoned, The Great

Partnership argues not only that science and religion are compatible, but that they complement

each other—and that the world needs both.

Kol Dodi Dofek (Listen, My Beloved Knocks) by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Rav Soloveitchik takes one of the most troubling passages of Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) and

discusses the nature of suffering, the role of the Jew in modern society, fate and destiny, the

process of converting to Judaism, and Religious Zionism in a pre-1967 world.

By His Light by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein

Rav Lichtenstein probes insightfully into fundamental questions of Jewish life, characterized by

balance, vast knowledge and tremendous integrity.

Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein Halevi

Following the lives of seven young members from the 55th Paratroopers Reserve Brigade, the

unit responsible for restoring Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem, Halevi reveals how this band of

brothers played pivotal roles in shaping Israel’s destiny long after their historic victory. While

they worked together to reunite their country in 1967, these men harbored drastically different

visions for Israel’s future.

Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide by Michael Oren

Michael B. Oren’s memoir of his time as Israel’s ambassador to the United States—a period of

transformative change for America and a time of violent upheaval throughout the Middle East—

provides a frank, fascinating look inside the special relationship between America and its closest

ally in the region.

Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

How is it that Israel-- a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a

constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources-- produces more start-up

companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada and

the UK?

THE ARTS, MUSIC, SPORTS AND POP CULTURE

Rembrandt’s Jews by Steven Nadler

Rembrandt's profoundly human portraits of his Jewish neighbors and depictions of Bible stories

as his base, Nadler elucidates both the inner dynamics of Jewish Amsterdam and its interactions

with the city.

The Beatles by Bob Spitz

Spitz relates the definitive story of the band that sparked a cultural revolution.

How Music Works by David Byrne

Drawing on his work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and myriad collaborators—

along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music exists—

Byrne shows how music emerges from cultural circumstance as much as individual creativity. It

is his magnum opus, and an impassioned argument about music’s liberating, life-affirming

power.

Lost Lives, Lost Art: Jewish Collectors, Nazi Art Theft, and the Quest for Justice by Melissa

Muller and Monika Tatzkow

The tragic, compelling stories of 15 Jewish collectors, the dispersal of their extraordinary

collections through forced sale and/or confiscation, and the ongoing efforts of their heirs to

recover their inheritance.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Conventional wisdom long held that big name, highly athletic hitters and young pitchers with

rocket arms were the ticket to success. Beane defied tradition and his own scouting department

to build winning teams of young affordable players and inexpensive castoff veterans.

Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella

“If you build it, he will come.” These mysterious words, spoken by an Iowa baseball announcer,

inspire Ray Kinsella to carve a baseball diamond in his cornfield in honor of his hero, the baseball

legend Shoeless Joe Jackson. What follows is both a rich, nostalgic look at one of our most

cherished national pastimes and a remarkable story about fathers and sons, love and family, and

the inimitable joy of finding your way home.

Peeling the Onion by Wendy Orr

When an automobile accident leaves Anna with a broken neck and shattered dreams of a black

belt in karate, she is forced to come to terms with a life filled with previously unimaginable

goals--overcoming debilitating pain, concentrating long enough to complete a simple reading

assignment, and sitting and walking without toppling over. She also must sort through the age-

old adolescent questions: Who am I? What will I do with my life? Who will love me?

Summers in the Bronx: Attila the Hun and other Yankee stories by Ira Berkow

A collection of Berkow's rich, candid and nationally popular sports columns and feature stories

for The New York Times and other syndicated papers are devoted to the New York Yankees,

arguably the most famous, controversial, beloved and sometimes berated organization in the

history of sports.

33 Revolutions Per Minute: a history of protest songs from Billie Holiday to Green Day by

Dorian Lynskey

From one of the UK’s most prominent music critics, a page-turning and wonderfully researched

history of 33 songs that have transformed the world through the twentieth century and beyond.

The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts 1958, and the birth of the modern NFL by Mark Bowden

Depicting the contest between the blue-collar Baltimore team versus the glamour boys of the

Giants squad, The Best Game Ever is a brilliant portrait of how a single game changed the history

of American sport.

The Rest Is Noise: listening to the twentieth century by Alex Ross

Chronicles modernist music's twentieth-century history, examining developments in avant-garde

and minimalist music in settings ranging from 1920s Paris to 1970s New York.

The Art of Ill Will: the story of American political cartoons by Donald Dewey

A collection of more than two hundred illustrations that help trace the history of American

political cartoons, highlighting influential cartoonists and comics and exploring how they reflect

Americans' views on politics.

The Blind Side: evolution of a game by Michael Lewis

Combining a tour de force of sports analysis with a piquant ethnography of the South's pigskin

mania, Lewis probes the fascinating question of whether football is a matter of brute force or

subtle intellect; this theme is analyzed through the saga of defensive prodigy Michael Oher, an

intermittently homeless young African-American from Memphis taken in by a rich white family.