Donald H. Harrison

Shanghai Love by Layne Wong;  She Writes Press; 2013, ISBN 978-1-938314-18-6; 321 pages, $16.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO– Peilin is a young woman from rural China, and Henry is a refugee from Nazi Germany.  In this novel, they  meet in the Shanghai apothecary where she is working temporarily.  They are brought together because […]

Anyway by Arthur Salm, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers,  2012, ISBN 978-1-4424-2931-4; 182 pages, $6.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Arthur Salm is the former book review editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune, so you really have to admire his courage, putting himself out there.   In that position, he must have made many

Young Jerry Ford: Athlete and Citizen by Hendrik Booraem V; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; Grand Rapids, Mich: 2013; ISBN 978-0-8028-6942-5; 131 pages, cover price unlisted. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO– U.S. President Gerald R. Ford’s biological father, Leslie King, was a wife beater.  Luckily for her and her young son, Dorothy Gardner King

Lee Mandel, Moryak: A Novel of the Russian Revolution, Glagoslav Publications, ISBN 978-17-826704-6-9, 398 pages, No cover price listed. By Donald H. Harrison   SAN DIEGO — It is a good thing that this book is labeled as a novel in its sub-title.  Otherwise, in this age of public disclosures about government machinations and spying,

By Donald H. Harrison DEL MAR, California — Will a large number of the San Diego County Fair’s expected 1.5 million visitors this year want to take a break from carnival games, cotton candy, and this year’s bacon specialties to see a 42-poster exhibit detailing the Holocaust from its origins to its conclusion? Leaders of

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — For many Jews whose ancestors lived in Eastern Europe, Fiddler on the Roof provides a mythic context for understanding what their lives might have been like. Music from the show, such as “Sunrise, Sunset,” is routinely played at such simchas as bar mitzvah receptions and weddings.  But what

Serpent’s Chronicle by Neil Folberg;  Abbeville Press Publishers, (c) 2013; IBN 978-0-7892-1138-5;  84 pages; $29.95 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO– In Serpent’s Chronicle, his new book of photographs, Neil Folberg recounts the story of Adam and Eve, but not as most people know the tale.  His story is from the viewpoint of a serpent

By Donald H. Harrison EL CAJON, California –To some degree all of us want to put our ancestors on a pedestal, but Grossmont College student artist Jessica Kowaski has been able to actually do so in the current student art exhibition at the Hyde Gallery. Finished in a way to make it look weathered, her

    By Donald H. Harrison ESCONDIDO, California —  When artists Larry and Debby Kline go out to casual dinners, they can’t help playing with the detritus of restaurant meals — the sugar and saccharine packets, napkins, chopstick wrappers, tooth picks, and other disposable items. While they eat, their eyes are locked in concentration on

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–At one point in Zombie Prom, students and a certain undead former student are protesting the commandment from Delilah Strict (Meredith Russo), the principal at Enrico Fermi High School, that no Zombies be permitted at the school prom.   “Let my people glow!” urged the Zombie’s picket sign. The 1993

  Tzaki and His Holiday Miracles by Avraham Feder, (illustrated by Lisa Cain, edited by Tzipora Ne’eman), (c) 2012, ISBN 978-1-937887-03-2; 48 pages, $14.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — The Middle East is renowned for flying carpets, of course.  But have you ever heard of a flying sukkah?  A mischievous boy named Tzaki,