Looking for a book with Jewish content for the teenager in your life? Chances are most of the books you'll find are about the Holocaust. From The Diary of Anne Frank to Sarah's Key to The Book Thief there's endless titles for the teenage (and adult) to choose from. Holocaust stories, despite the horror, make gripping tales of survival. But isn't it all too much? All these Holocaust books can overwhelm a reader. Is there nothing else in Jewish history or culture worth reading about, other than the Holocaust? What about the other centuries of Jewish history, ripe for historical fiction? What about the myriad of stories about contemporary Jewish teens? Where are those books? Well, if you're like me and you've had it with Holocaust tales, here are my top ten Jewish books (in no particular order) for teens and young adults, and the young at heart.

-- Leanne Lieberman

The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham (1995) This is a coming-of-age story of Rachel, a girl growing up in a Hasidic town. I love a story about a girl who fights against the grain to wear a bathing suit without a cover-up and secretly reads romance novels. Readers will cheer for Rachel's resistance and independence.

Never Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue Roth (2005) Seventeen year-old Hava Aaronson, an Orthodox Jewish girl, goes to Hollywood for the summer to star on a fictional television show, The Goldbergs. Roth's quirky humorous tale of a girl's first experience away from her Orthodox Jewish world explores questions of faith, God and orthodoxy.

Hush by Eishet Chayil (2010) This is a powerful story of abuse in the Chasidic community of Borough Park. When Gittel learns of the abuse her friend suffers by members of her friend's family, she starts to questions everything she was taught to believe. There aren't a lot of books about abuse in the Jewish world and this is a powerfully haunting story.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (1970) No list of books for Jewish teens would be complete without this classic. I devoured all of Blume, but re-read Margaret's story with its bust-increasing chants and relationship with God multiple times. A must-read for every puberty-anxious pre-teen.

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (1972) This was my favourite book as a teenager. It's the story of a Chassidic boy who is a gifted artist and is forced to choose between religion and art. As a teen, all of my knowledge of American history came from Potok's works of fiction. This one exposed me to the plight of post World War Two Jews in the Soviet Union.

The Shepherd's Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter (2008) Okay so this isn't really a book about a Jewish teenager, but it does take place in Israel and as far as I'm concerned, every teen, (especially every Jewish teen) should read this book about a Palestinian shepherd girl's loss of land to an encroaching Israeli army. It's strong stuff.

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman (2012) This book is exactly what the title proclaims, one woman's memoir of her escape from Orthodoxy, with very scandalous details. While I always suspected a Hasidic lifestyle wasn't for me, after reading Feldman's book, I bristled with feminist rage at the imprisonment of women within the Satmar Hasidic world.

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May 12th is Mother's Day in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and upwards of 70 other countries. But not in the UK where Mother's Day happened almost two months ago in early March - catching me off guard, as it has in many previous years. I've lived in the USA for twenty years but grew up in England, where my parents still live and, despite my best intentions, more years than I'm willing to admit I'm wrong footed by Mother's Day  - not least because "Mothering Sunday", as it is traditionally known, is a movable feast, celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent, which can be anytime from early March to early April.

You'll find more about the history of Mother's Day in the USA and Mothering Sunday in Britain below, but first whether you're a mother, have a mother, or are just on the hunt for your next great read, here are a few book suggestions to inspire:   

Unusual Families

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene Hardcover: Apr 2011, Paperback: Apr 2012 "Greene gives the best description I've ever read about what international adoption feels like from the inside, about the agonies of making the decision and choosing a child, and about the ambiguities involved in taking a child out of grim circumstances in the third world and trying to integrate him into an American family by means of Legos and water balloons." - Jennifer G Wilder, BookBrowse

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan  Hardcover: Apr 2001, Paperback: Apr 2002 Introduces Evelyn Ryan, an enterprising woman who kept poverty at bay, and her 10 children fed and clothed, with wit, poetry, and perfect prose during the "contest era" of the 1950s and 1960s. Graced with a rare appreciation for life's inherent hilarity, Evelyn turned every financial challenge into an opportunity for fun and profit. From her frenetic supermarket shopping spree -- worth $3,000 today -- to her clever entries worthy of Erma Bombeck, Dorothy Parker, and Ogden Nash, the story of this irrepressible woman whose talents reached far beyond her formidable verbal skills is told in The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio with an infectious joy that shows how a winning spirit will triumph over the poverty of circumstance.

Hands of My Father : A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg  Hardcover: Feb 2009 By turns heart-tugging and hilarious, Myron Uhlberg's memoir tells the story of growing up as the hearing son of deaf parents--and his life in a world that he found unaccountably beautiful, even as he longed to escape it. Uhlberg's first language was American Sign Language, the first sign he learned: "I love you." But his second language was spoken English - and no sooner did he learn it than he was called upon to act as his father's ears and mouth in the stores and streets of the neighborhood beyond their silent apartment in Brooklyn.

Reflections on Motherhood

When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice  by Terry Tempest Williams  Paperback: Feb 2013 "Time, experience, and uncanny coincidence spiral through these pages....When Women Were Birds is an extraordinary echo chamber in which lessons about voice - passed along from mother, to daughter, and now to us - will reverberate differently in each inner ear." - The Seattle Times If you've read this book, please do join us to discuss it.

The Still Point of the Turning World  by Emily Rapp  Hardcover: Mar 2013 "In The Still Point of the Turning World Emily Rapp examines her son's all-too-brief life - and her own reactions to it - fearlessly and with an honesty that will devastate and astonish not only other parents, but everyone who opens this remarkable book." - Norah Piehl, BookBrowse

The End of Your Life Book Club  by Will Schwalbe  Hardcover: Oct 2012 Paperback: Jun 2013 "Will Schwalbe's heart-wrenching memoir is difficult to categorize. It is at once a paean to his beloved mother, a treatise on the power of reading, and a handbook on how to live - and die. With direct prose and unflinching courage in the face of sadness, Schwalbe recreates the final months of his mother's life, offering a wealth of insight into how the written word can connect lives." - Sarah Sacha Dollacker, BookBrowse

Well Loved Mystery Series

The great thing about series books is that there's always another book to give. If your recipient's new to the series, give the first book; if they're already fans, give the appropriate book in the series! The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith  Paperback: Feb 2001 "The author's prose has the merits of simplicity, euphony and precision. His descriptions leave one as if standing in the Botswana landscape. This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time." - Anthony Daniels, The Sunday Telegraph Published in paperback Mar 2013: The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection Publishing in hardcover Nov 2013: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon View full series order

The Maisie Dobbs Series by Jacqueline Winspear Hardcover: Mar 2013 Young, feisty Maisie Dobbs has recently set herself up as a private detective. Such a move may not seem especially startling. But this is 1929, and Maisie is exceptional in many ways. Having started as a maid to the London aristocracy, studied her way to Cambridge and served as a nurse in the Great War, Maisie has wisdom, experience and understanding beyond her years. Little does she realze the extent to which this strength of character is soon to be tested.  Published in paperback Oct 2012: Elegy for Eddie Published in hardcover Mar 2013: Leaving Everything Most Loved View full series order

Chief Inspector Gamache Series by Louise Penny Meet Inspector Gamache of the Surêté du Québec, who commands his forces--and this series--with integrity and quiet courage while solving unconventional murders in the tradition of the British whodunit. Publishing in July 2013: The Beautiful Mystery Publishing in hardcover Aug 2013: How The Light Gets In View full series order

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History & Biography

The Pope Who Quit by Jon M Sweeney: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation by Jon M. Sweeney (2012)

With seemingly prescient timing, Sweeney's biography tells the life story, as far as is known, of Pope Celestine V who reigned for six months in 1294 and was the only Pope to abdicate the papacy until Pope Benedict. The future Pope Celestine was born Pietro of Morrone, a hermit who founded the monastic order of the Hermits of St Damiano, later known as the Celestines. Apparently, he made the tactical error of sending a letter of apocalyptic foreboding to the College of Cardinals who had failed to elect a Pope for two years. Unfortunately, for Pietro, the dean of the College of Cardinals was so inspired by his letter that he nominated him as the next pope. Six months later, having not even reached Rome, Pope Celestine V abdicated.
Read an excerpt on the publisher's website

Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy by John Julius Norwich (2011)

British historian Norwich has written and presented about 30 TV documentaries and is the author of a number of history books covering a diverse range of topics from Byzantium to Norman Sicily. In 2011 he published Absolute Monarchs which, in the introduction, he describes as "a straightforward single-volume history" of the world's "most astonishing social, political, and spiritual institution ever created." According to the reviewer for the LA Times, Norwich lives up to his claim with a history book that is mostly free of opinion and commentary written in an "unstuffy and sometimes witty writing style".
Read an excerpt on the publisher's website

Pope Benedict XVI - Servant of the Truth by Peter Seewald (2006)

The book jacket blurb for this "lavishly illustrated" coffee-table book asks: Do you know the real Pope Benedict? Journalist Peter Seewald does. After writing an unfair attack on Cardinal Ratzinger, he was urged by Catholic readers to meet with the man he was maligning. He did so - and the result was two book-length interviews, Salt of the Earth and God and the World. Seewald also returned to his Catholic faith, saying that Ratzinger was the one who "taught me what it meant to swim against the stream." This book, written mainly by Seewald, describes the paths of Joseph Ratzinger's life from his birthplace in Bavaria all the way to being the first German Pope in 482 years."
Look inside the book at Amazon

Those who enjoy this book might be interested in the two books that the former Cardinal Ratzinger wrote while Pope: The God of Jesus Christ: Meditations on the Triune God and Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.

Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes by Eamon Duffy
(first published in 1997, 3rd edition published 2006)

An all encompassing history of the papacy from its beginnings nearly 2000 years ago. The third edition includes an extended final chapter covering the last years of Pope John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI. Although created as a tie-in to a six-part British television series on the history of the papacy, Kirkus Reviews opines that the "history is surprisingly dense and sophisticated." While Duffy certainly doesn't steer clear of the salacious aspects of the papacy over the centuries, he uses the evolving institution of the papacy to view two millennia of Western civilization.
View a large, albeit poorly scanned, sample at Google Books

Papal Sin by Garry Wills (2000)

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Garry Wills offers a stinging critique of the Catholic Church and its hierarchy from the nineteenth century to five years before the death of John Paul II. Wills, a lifetime Catholic, is proficient in Greek and Latin, has degrees in Philosophy and a PhD in Classics and has been on the faculty of Northwestern University since 1980, where he is currently an Emeritus Professor of History. As Publishers Weekly says, "though his rhetoric is at times a bit sharp, and his historical formulae a bit too sweeping, Wills's passion is excusable since this is a philippic directed at the Church by one its own."
Read an excerpt at BookBrowse

The Keys of This Blood: Pope John Paul II Versus Russia and the West for Control of the New World Order by Malachi Martin (1990)

Malachai Martin (1921-1999) was an Irish Catholic priest. Originally ordained as a Jesuit priest, he became Professor of Palaeontology at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute, and from 1958 also served as a theological adviser to Cardinal Augustin Bea during preparations for the Second Vatican Council. Disillusioned by reforms he renounced his vows in 1964 and moved to New York. He wrote 17 books, both fiction and nonfiction, that were frequently critical of the Catholic Church. The Keys of This Blood written just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, argues that Pope John Paul II was a geopolitican playing a "millennium end-game" against Mikhail Gorbachev and international business leaders, with the aim of establishing a new world order. As we're now more than a decade into the new millenium, this book is arguably a little dated, but a number of recent reviews on GoodReads indicate that it's still being read and recommended.
Look inside the book at Amazon

Pontiff by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts (1983)

No roundup of Papal books would be complete without Pontiff, co-authored by my father-in-law, Max Morgan-Witts. Published in 1983 after over two years of extensive research, the book focuses on the period from 1978 (the year which saw the death of Pope Paul VI, the election and death 33 days later of John Paul 1, and the election of John Paul II) through to the assassination attempt of 1981, in which John Paul II survived four bullet wounds. A blockbuster in the mid-1980s in a number of countries including the USA, Pontiff was the book that opened my eyes to the joys of nonfiction at the formative age of 20, when I realized that narrative nonfiction did not equate with dry and dull but, in fact, offered the best of both worlds, a form that could have the page-turning appeal of a novel combined with the relevance of fact. Thanks Max!
View a sample at Google Books

Fiction

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (1996)

By far the most recommended Pope related book was this perennial book club favorite. Pope Joan tells the story of the brilliant and talented Joan who, in a medieval society that forbade women from learning to read or write, took her dead brother's place as an initiate at the monastery and rose to become Pope. According to an interview with the author, while the Catholic Church says that Pope Joan was an invention of Protestant reformers eager to expose papist corruption, there are over 500 contemporary manuscripts referencing Joan, and in 1276, after ordering a thorough search of the papal records, Pope John XX changed his title to John XXI in official recognition of Joan's reign as Pope John VIII.
Browse an excerpt on BookBrowse

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Valentine's Day is almost upon us, and what better time for a good old fashioned love story. But what to recommend?

I posed the question to our Facebook followers, specifying that we weren't interested in books starring gushing regency heroines or bare chested cowboys but instead wished to seek out quieter stories that explore love and relationships. Within a couple of hours we had over 100 recommendations - far too many to include here, so we've chosen to focus just on some of the debuts, and will return to this topic again in the future:


Most Recommended

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes received more recommendations than any other title. Published in December 2012 this three-hanky weepie is currently ranked in the high 20s in the New York Times fiction bestseller lists. To quote our reviewer, Norah Piehl, "simply reading the jacket copy of Moyes's second novel might give readers the impression that Me Before You is a traditional 'opposites attract'" kind of romance novel, the kind of story that proves that love conquers all, even in the most extreme circumstances. Although on one level that may be true, Me Before You is, in fact, so much more. It's a story about personal redemption and self-worth, about finding courage, about knowing what to hold onto and what to let go. It's also a meditation on one of the most controversial and divisive issues of our times. And, lest you think that the novel is merely an inspirational fable or a 'problem novel,' rest assured that it's also a beautifully and smartly written literary work, full of lovely phrases, complicated characters, and compelling situations."


Coming Soon

The Promise of Stardust by debut author Prescille Sibley has only just published but is already getting attention for its literate take on a modern-day ethical dilemma wrapped around a 20-year love story. Like Me Before You, this book has book club discussion written all over it.


Debuts that Say You're Never Too Old For Love

I've loved these sorts of books since at least my 20s. Perhaps it's just me but it seems that love stories involving young protagonists have a nasty habit of segueing into tragedy; whereas, rather ironically, books with older leads do so less frequently. Here are three not to miss titles that will be familiar to many - so perhaps it's time for a reread!

Helen Simonson's 2010 debut, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, set in the idyllic English village of Edgecombe St. Mary is, to quote Elizabeth Strout, "a funny, comforting, and intelligent debut, a modern-day story of love that takes everyone - grown children, villagers, and the main participants - by surprise, as real love stories tend to do."

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2012) is another book worth seeking out for those who love the quiet reveal. Although a couple of reviewers felt the tale was a little manipulative, I'm totally in agreement with The Paris Wife author Paula McClain's assessment that "there's tremendous heart in this debut novel by Rachel Joyce, as she probes questions that are as simple as they are profound: Can we begin to live again, and live truly, as ourselves, even in middle age, when all seems ruined? Can we believe in hope when hope seems to have abandoned us? I found myself laughing through tears, rooting for Harold at every step of his journey. I'm still rooting for him."

To quote Frank McCourt, Rules for Old Men Waiting by Peter Pouncey (2005) is "a deeply sensual, moving, thrilling novel that calls for a second and third reading, it is that rich." If that's not enough to persuade you, long time BookBrowse member Anne Marsh, who recommended it on Facebook, describes it as "the best book I think I've ever read -- and I've read WAYYY too many for a normal person!"

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In 2011, President Obama proclaimed January 2012 National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month:

"With the start of each year, we commemorate the anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective on January 1, 1863, and the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln and submitted to the States for ratification on February 1, 1865.

These documents stand as testaments to the gains we have made in pursuit of freedom and justice for all, and they remind us of the work that remains to be done. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, and in cooperation with our partners around the world, we can work to end this terrible injustice and protect the rights to life and liberty entrusted to us by our forebears and owed to our children."

Quick Facts:

• There are an estimated 20-30 million people enslaved today (believed to be more than at any point in human history). People forced to work without pay, under threat of violence and unable to walk away.
• Human trafficking is a $32 billion industry; $15.5 billion is made in industrialized countries.
• Between 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked in the USA each year, according to a US State Dept. report.

Source: http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/the-facts


Recommended Reading

A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery by E. Benjamin Skinner (2008)
As Samantha Power and Philip Gourevitch did for genocide, Skinner has done for modern-day slavery. With years of reporting in such places as Haiti, Sudan, India, Eastern Europe, The Netherlands, and, yes, even suburban America, he has produced a vivid testament and moving reportage on one of the great evils of our time.

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2012 BookBrowse Favorites
We are delighted to present our annual roundup of BookBrowse's Favorite Books. As in past years these books have been selected not simply on the number of votes each book received (as is the way with most "popular awards") but by asking our members and subscribers to rate each book they've read from a shortlist of titles, so that we can gauge how good a book is rather than just counting votes - as a simple vote count tends to favor the best selling books, which as we all know, aren't always the best! Only those already on our mailing list were eligible to vote so as to minimize vote stuffing - about 5000 votes were cast.


The BookBrowse Awards
The next step was to select the 2012 BookBrowse Award Winners from among this list of favorites - the book with the highest overall rating in its category being the winner. Interestingly, all three winners are debuts; as are almost half of this year's favorites.


This year's winners are:

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Tuesday October 2nd is one of the biggest publishing days of the year, if not the biggest, with hundreds of new titles hitting the shelves. None of us have time to read all of them, not even to read about them; so here, for your reading pleasure are half a dozen of the most notable, plus another half dozen publishing later in October. These are selected from more than 100 previewed October titles that members can view in full here.

Oops! Just realized that one of the dozen below is nonfiction - The End of Your Life Book Club. That's what comes of writing blog posts late at night! In fact, we're currently discussing this very book in BookBrowse's book club - please do join the discussion!

Enjoy!

Davina, BookBrowse editor

Live by Night by Dennis Lehane Publish Date: Oct 2, 2012 Published by William Morrow Combining edgy suspense and the vivid period detail that made The Given Day a smashing success, award-winning author Dennis Lehane delivers a masterful epic of Prohibition-era America told through the story of a charismatic young gangster on his rise through the glitz and violence of the Roaring 20s. Full description & reviews

Son by Lois Lowry Publish Date: Oct 2, 2012 Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Son thrusts readers once again into the chilling world of the Newbery Medal winning book, The Giver, as well as Gathering Blue and Messenger where a new hero emerges. In this thrilling series finale, the startling and long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry's epic tale culminates in a final clash between good and evil. Full description & reviews

The Round House by Louis Erdrich Publish Date: Oct 2, 2012 Published by Harper The Round House, the second installment of Louise Erdrich's trilogy that began with The Plague of Doves, continues with her exploration of a North Dakotan Ojibwe community, this time revisiting Judge Antone Bazil Coutts and his family in a lively yet reflective narration by his thirteen-year old son, Joe. Full description & reviews

It's Fine By Me by Per Petterson Publish Date: Oct 2, 2012 Published by Graywolf Press An engaging coming-of-age tale in which Per Petterson returns to the character of teenager Arvid Jansen previously seen in I Curse the River of Time and In the Wake, but from a fresh perspective. Full description & reviews

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories by Sherman Alexie Publish Date: Oct 2, 2012 Published by Grove Press A bold and irreverent observer of life among Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest, the daring, versatile, funny, and outrageous Alexie showcases all his talents in his newest collection, Blasphemy, where he unites fifteen beloved classics with fifteen new stories in one sweeping anthology for devoted fans and first-time readers. Full description & reviews

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe Publish Date: Oct 2, 2012 Published by Knopf Memoir We're currently discussing this book - please do join in at bookbrowse.com/booktalk! The inspiring story of a son and his dying mother, who form a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close. A profoundly moving testament to the power of love between a child and parent, and the power of reading in our lives. Full description & reviews

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Banned Books Week (Sept 30-Oct 6) is celebrating, for want of a better term, its 30th year!

Banning books has a long and ignoble history going back into the mists of time. Possibly the oldest known ban was against 5th century BC Greek philosopher Anazagoras who made the mistake of suggesting that the sun is "white hot stone and that the moon reflected the sun's rays" - which caused him to be exiled from Athens and all his writings burned.

Of course, through much of history it wasn't just the writings that got burned but the writers themselves. Indeed, it wasn't even necessary to put pen to paper to find oneself atop a bonfire, or other equally nasty fate - a word, a deed, or even the mere suspicion of a thought could have been enough. So, I suppose we should be grateful that in the USA today we've evolved from burning people to merely attempting to ban their books.

The history of book censorship in the USA began in 1873 when Anthony Comstock founded the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. The target of the society's ire was primarily dime novels which the society believed enticed children to a life of crime and lust. Comstock died in 1915 and the society dwindled away until it was dissolved in 1950, after Comstock's successor retired.

Book banning and challenging saw a resurgence in the early 1980s, in 1982 to be specific, at the start of Ronald Reagan's presidency - an event which appears to have emboldened some to strike back at a grass-roots level at the liberalization of the 1960s and '70s.

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For the past seven years The National Book Foundation has honored five young fiction writers with its "5 Under 35" award. The recognition of the authors as rising stars in the world of books far outreaches the nominal $1000 monetary award. This year's five honorees have just been announced - each of them nominated by a previous National Book Award winner or finalist. Here are this year's 5 Under 5 honorees, with links to more about them and their books:

Claire Vaye Watkins, Battleborn, selected by Julie Otsuka, Fiction Finalist for The Buddha in the Attic, 2011

"Most of the stories in Claire Vaye Watkins's debut story collection, Battleborn, take place in the arid setting of Nevada. Both the cities and the desert are equally, if differently, inhospitable to the lonely, often damaged people who populate the pages of her stories. In this desolate environment, people can see trouble coming from miles away. And trouble seems to find them, whether in the form of overt threats or suppressed bad memories and ancient demons." - reviewed by Norah Piehl for BookBrowse.

Haley Tanner, Vaclav and Lena, Selected by Téa Obreht, Fiction Finalist for The Tiger's Wife, 2011, and 5 Under 35 Honoree, 2010

"I have fallen in love with Vaclav & Lena. I say this not for a lack of something more insightful, but because Haley Tanner's debut novel is simply so lovable. Her characters, quirky and vivid, are presented with the right mix of vulnerability and spunkiness, which quickly endears them to the reader. Upon finishing the novel, I was left feeling as though I had met good people - all flawed in some way and all full of good intentions." - reviewed by Elizabeth Whitmore Funk for BookBrowse

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Minutes before joining the snaking line outside Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline, my husband and I tucked into soft corn tacos and guacamole and even an elote (corn on the cob) at Boston's awesome Dorado restaurant. The 500-some people waiting in line were the lucky ones with tickets to a reading by my all-time favorite author, Junot Diaz.

Diaz joked around that Brookline Booksmith was one of many fine bookstores in the Boston area (he will do another reading for Harvard bookstore next week). "This city has many dealers," he joked.

While Diaz did do a couple of readings from his latest book, This is  How You Lose Her, he seemed to prefer answering questions from the audience and hearing about their experiences. His responses to all questions were as warm, thoughtful and kinetic as his fantastic prose is.

Diaz on being an immigrant: "Immigration sucks, man! Imagine coming from a place where you fit in, to one where you just stand out, to where it feels like there is this huge lesion on your face. It's especially hard on kids. You can probably hear these kids' collective shriek somewhere."

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