Yona Zeldis McDonough
“The Last Book Party,” a novel by Karen Dukess
“The Last Book Party,” a novel by Karen Dukess
Living with chutzpah provides the opportunity to constantly practice the soft skills defined by the World Economic Forum as the skills for the future. These include: analytical thinking, active learning, creativity and originality, critical thinking, complex problem solving and more.
Vera wasn’t just ahead of her time; in a sense, she was the creator of a new time, one that ushered in such like-minded giants as Martha Stewart and Tory Burch.
I loved having an older sister. But I could not talk about her. She had to be our big secret. I could never figure out at six years old why the Nazis wanted to kill her, or might kill my mother and me because we were hiding her.
I have no explanation for this Jew-on-Jew crime, other than to look at the effect of trauma on human beings in general, who can become immune to the pain and suffering of others. Maybe as a nation, we suffered so much trauma that individuals within our society showed these symptoms.
Joyce’s story was inspired by the thousands of breast cancer patients I’ve had the honor of caring for. I used my observations to make Joyce’s journey as authentic and emotionally resonant as possible.
“I wanted, and still want, to put Jewish women at the center of their own stories.”
“Learning about the women around the canonical figure, and being given the opportunity to share their stories and their work with the public, was a wonderful surprise.”
Kirsty Manning began to explore the largely untold history of the Jews who found refuge in Shanghai during WWII while visiting the city with her family. She then embarked on a quest to tell this story.
Marilyn Simon Rothstein tells Fiction Editor Yona Zeldis McDonough her take on the meaning of and value of humor to Jewish women today.