The Next Great Read

ARTS&LIFE

BOOKS The Next Great Read

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

From fun-resulting secrets of magicians to serious strategies for those with autism, the 70th anniversary year of the Detroit Jewish Book Fair continues its mission of featuring a range of Jewish authors and subjects through new additions to the literary market.

Because of the pandemic, the presentations are accessible virtually.

“I always look forward to the many different authors and topics featured during Book Fair, and in some ways, Zoom makes it better for me,” said Suzanne Simon, co-chairperson.

“The presentations are all on the web after the live appearances, so I can watch all of them. I don’t have to choose between sessions scheduled at one time as I did when the fair ran live for two weeks instead of virtually throughout the year.”

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Magician Joshua Jay, who regularly appears on late-night talk shows, will discuss his latest book, How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception and Why Magic Matters, at 7 p.m. Monday, March 7.

Jay believes this book is one of the only truly honest accounts about his craft written for the public.

“Magicians are extremely secretive, and the few who write books about magic for the public romanticize or distort things for personal gain,” said Jay, whose talents have been performed around the world, including throughout three visits to Israel.

“This is my love letter to magic, and I think readers will have a good understanding of the creativity and hard work involved.”

Jay, who has designed illusions for stage and screen with a recent assignment for TV’s Game of Thrones, intends to enlarge his presentation with talk about mystery and deception encountered in life and looks forward to answering audience questions.

This Book Fair presenter was chosen the 2020 Magician of the Year by the Society of American Magicians Parent Assembly.

LEARN ABOUT LIVING WITH AUTISM

It took decades for Tracey Cohen, 50, to be diagnosed with autism, but along the way, she graduated from Berkley High School as well as the University of Michigan and filled many hours writing three books about her experiences.

Cohen’s presentation will be about her most recent writing project, My Life on the Autism Spectrum: Misunderstandings, Insight & Growth, set for 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, and will be in conversation with Katie Oswald, executive director at the Full Spectrum Agency for Autistic Adults.

“I don’t like revealing things about my life that are less than successful, but I believe it’s important to hear about struggles,” said Cohen, who has served with the Peace Corps in Namibia. “Nobody’s perfect, and it’s important to push on. I will touch on different coping strategies and resources.”

FANS OF FICTION

Brenda Brook, Book Fair co-chairperson, was instrumental in choosing a presentation of the novel that won the National Jewish Book Award’s Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction — A Play for the End of the World by Jai Chakrabarti. The author will first appear at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.

“This is one of my favorite books especially since I’ve traveled to India,” said Brook, who considers the Book Fair an important event for the community. “It’s beautifully lyrical.”

The theme is based on resilience as it moves from 1940s Warsaw to 1970s New York City and rural India. At the center of the story is a children’s play and the surrounding circumstances of its presentation as young people are confronting the likelihood of brutal end-oflife conditions.

MORE INSIDER FAVORITES

Lauren Marcus Johnson, assistant director of Cultural Arts at the Jewish Community Center, tells about two choices — fiction and nonfiction — and her enthusiasm for them.

“As part of the Mitten Moments program of the Jewish Book Fair, we spotlight Jewish Michigan authors like Beth Kirschner, whose novel, Copper Divide, introduces readers to a small Jewish community in the early 20th century mining town of Calumet in the upper peninsula,” Johnson said.

“Book Fair is excited to have Catherine Cangany, executive director of the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, interviewing Beth as part of this dynamic virtual discussion.”

The originating session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22.

“What better time than Women’s History Month to welcome Jennifer Armstrong to talk about her new book, When Women Invented Television: The Untold Stories of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today,” Johnson said.

“As a dynamic storyteller, Armstrong takes us on a ride through American television history, including the many-decades history of Betty White. Local veteran journalist Laura Berman will moderate this lively talk.”

The presentation about television is scheduled at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 13.

For information on the free Detroit Jewish Book Fair programs and updates, go to culturalarts.jccdet.org\bookfair. Registration for each event is necessary through the website by clicking on the image of the book. Congregation B’nai Moshe will be joining together for HIAS Shabbat on Saturday, March 5, at 9 a.m. to dedicate a Shabbat to refugees and asylum seekers. The congregation will welcome Jennie Mizrahi Lieberman who, as a child, with the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), escaped Cuba to the U.S. A question-and-answer period will follow morning services. “This past year our hearts have swelled at the massive global effort to evacuate and find safe homes for Afghans fleeing for their lives; and they have broken seeing people whose lives are in danger of being turned away at border crossings around the world. This is a critical moment for all of us to reaffirm our support for refugees and asylum seekers,” said Executive Director Steve Fine. B’nai Moshe will also be purchasing and packing school supplies for Afghan refugee children. They have created an Amazon HIAS refugee registry list where you can purchase school items to be delivered directly to B’nai Moshe. If you would rather make a monetary donation, you may do so by contributing to the Rabbi Kantor Discretionary Fund and including “HIAS” in the notes or memo section. On Sunday, March 13, at 10 a.m. volunteers are welcome to join in stuffing backpacks with the school supplies for refugee children. These backpacks will be delivered to Jewish Family Services in Ann Arbor during the following week. For more information or to donate, visit www.bnaimoshe. org or call the synagogue office at (248) 788-0600.