Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Book celebrates 28 of San Diego’s remarkable women

Remarkable Women of San Diego: Pioneers, Visionaries and Innovators by Hannah S. Cohen and Gloria G. Harris; History Press © 2016; ISBN 9781467-118262; 144 pages including index and bibliography, $21.90. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –Divided into four time periods that begin in 1850, 1900, 1950 and 2000, this collection of biographical sketches honors

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

A Ukrainian Jew and her American multi- millionaire

Did You Ever Have the Chance to Marry an American Multimillionaire? by Dora Klinova; DK Corporation; (c) 2016: ISBN 9781533-137852; 245 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — This autobiographical work was fictionalized enough to be classified as a novel, but it closely follows author Dora Klinova’s own progress in San Diego in the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County

Paul Simon’s biography is both rich in struggle and ambition, and doesn’t shy from the lows of his career

It’s surprising that till now no one has produced a thoughtful, detailed biography of Paul Simon. His songs have been a vivid part of the cultural landscape for two generations, and in many cases have installed themselves happily in our memories. More than that, his story is rich in struggle, ambition and rivalry, features that

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

A mahzor for Sukkot

The Koren Sukkot Maḥzor; Introduction, Translation, and Commentary by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Koren Publishers, Jerusalem, © 2015, ISBN 978-965-301-659-0, p. 1465, $24.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California –  When a knowledgeable Jew hears the Hebrew word maḥzor, more than likely an image appears of a sanctuary filled with Jews praying during the High Holidays,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion

Tales of a Jewish lawman in the Old West

Devil Out of Texas by Roger Raffee, 2016; Amazon Publications; 456 pages; now on Kindle.   By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Author Roger Raffee, a fellow San Diegan, has written a novel—and I’ll repeat that word “novel”—purportedly about a great-great grandfather who was a sure-shooting, fast-drawing Texas Ranger who could snuff out a

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, USA

A history of the Soviet Union’s failed Jewish republic

Where the Jews Aren’t: The Sad and Absurd Story of Birobidzhan, Russia’s Jewish Autonomous Region by Masha Gessen, Nextbooks, Schocken, New York ©2016, ISBN 978-0-8052-4246-1, p. 147, plus notes, published sources, and index, $25.00 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California –  In 1908, about a decade after the first Zionist Congress, the British government offered territory

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History

Novel mixes modern story into ancient Chanukah tale

Dreidels on the Brain by Joel Ben Izzy; Penguin Young Readers Group; © 2016; 318 pages, $17.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – With Chanukah soon approaching, this is an enjoyable school boy’s story about Jewish holidays, magic performances, not knowing that a girl you like reciprocates your crush, an ailing father, and a

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Parents won’t object to reading this supreme tale to their kids

Author Debbie Levy pens children’s biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg to illustrate how ‘change happens one disagreement at a time’ By Cathryn J. Prince NEW YORK — Author Debbie Levy likes to tell stories about history and humanity. Her newest children’s book “I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark” is no different. The first

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize in literature

Bob Dylan was announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday morning. Dylan was awarded the prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the American song tradition.” The American musician had long been rumored to be considered for the prize, but literary watchers considered his name among those in the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA