WHAT BOOKS

DECEMBER, 8, 2013

I am currently reading the following books:

 Very provocative book. It follows the visions a neurosurgeon had after being clinically dead for a week. It contains a lot of connections to Tanya and how we Jews understand heaven and the sefirot. A must read!

This book is a collection of talks done for the CBC's Massey Lecture Series. Gopnik takes a number of themes of winter (eg: festivities, weather, exploration, leisure, etc.) and brings to life this magical time of year!

I have loved reading it very much. 

AUGUST, 12, 2013

I have just completed Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. 

His writing is fantastic and intriguing but leaves the reader short on a lesson or discussion of his findings. So, I will discuss the lesson I have taken from this book.

Like most of his books, Gladwell's point can be received within the first few pages or first chapter of the book. Here in Outliers, his point is Success is preparedness meets opportunity.

He gives multiple examples of how successful people are people who put in 10,000 hours of practice in one thing and then when the right opportunity arose were well equipped and ready to succeed. From the Beatles to Bill Gates, Chinese math learners to hockey players, they all were born at the right time, put in the right amount of practice in the right thing and rose to stardom.

I have taken the following messages:

Learn to do one thing very well and when the opportunity arises for you to showcase that thing, do it.

 Look back on your life, see what thing you have had much practice in and utilize that skill or ability to make your family, community or country better. If you have done art your whole life, teach art. If you have played with toys for multiple hours, go into the toy business.

Success does not have to measures in money. It can be personal self-efficacy and satisfaction that you made a difference somewhere. Use the skill you do have in the right context or area and you will find success.  

AUGUST 8, 2013

I visited two great New Jersey used book stores the other day and found these jewels. Nothing too rare, but great nonetheless. I recommend these to anyone looking for some 'escape to' moments. 

The two stores I visited were The Old Book Shop in Morristown, NJ and Chatham Booksellers Inc. in Madison, NJ. 

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. 

This book is fantastic for all ages. Individual pictures with one or two ambiguous lines beside it. The captions beg the reader to develop their own conclusions as to what is happening in the picture. This is sort of like a thematic apperception test (TAT) based on the Rorschach Tests in Psychology. A must look at, check it out the next time you are in chapters, indigo or Barnes and Noble. 

 This was a wonderful find and has opened up many tantalizing ideas. It is Zlateh the Goat by Isaac Basheves Singer, a great Jewish writer and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Though Singer is a true hero of Jewish writing, the illustrations are what really sold this to me. They are done by none-other than the late, great Maurice Sendak. You may know Sendak from Where the Wild Things Are and other books for children. Sendak really enjoyed illustrating these stories because it took him back to his own family roots, the shtetl and pre-holocaust Jewry. Sendak masterfully depicts some of the greatest tales ever told, from Chelm to Herschel Ostropo and captures entire stories and their moods in one picture. I especially love the picture of the Chelm story about the snow fall. The picture is called Each Man Took Hold of a Leg. Check out this book and you will be reunited with old world Judaism and the joys of who we are!

The inspiration is excited in me is unmatched by any other book. I have asked my good friend Yanky Gitlin, illustrator and artist extraordinaire, to illustrate some Chelm stories for me. I have hope to create a picture book of Chelm stories that could be enjoyed by Jews of all denominations. 

Second, this book inspired me to write my short story Dancing Around Graves. You can find it in my WHAT WRITING section on the Home page. 

Lastly, I have contacted the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia, PA who have the largest collection of Sendak artwork. They have informed me that they have one more signed print of the cover art from Zlateh the Goat for sale. It is $700, should i buy it? My wife says to wait for Chanukah! I have been in contact with the museum courier about producing a print of the Chelm picture, that i would have bought right away. 

Another book I found in my searches was Mazel and Shlimazel by Isaac Basheves Singer. This picture book tells the tale of how Mazal and Shlimazel discover who is indeed more powerful. What do you think?

The pictures are fun and the story is fantastic. This book is a real example of Jewish humor for children and adults alike. 

AUGUST 7, 2013

I will be posting about what books I am currently reading.