Susan Silverman grew up with parents who were, both before and after a devastating loss, atheists. Yet, as a young adult, she shocked everyone who knew her ( "But you were elected Class Flirt in high school!") and became a rabbi. What was not surprising, however, was that she built her own big, unwieldy family through both birth and adoption, something she had intended from childhood. With three daughters and two sons ( "We produce girls and import boys"), this unique fam...

From activist, speaker, mother of five, and Rabbi Susan Silverman (sister of comedian Sarah): a funny, moving, sparkling memoir about home, identity, family, and faith. Susan Silverman is a writer, activist and speaker. She has written for and appeared in The Forward, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, The Jerusalem Post, The New York Post, Al Jazeera, and CNN, among others. She speaks on social justice issues, including partnering with her sister, ...

"Wonderful!” (Grace Paley).“Heartwarming and smart and wonderfully written” (Detroit Free Press).“Provides edifying advice, intimately given, like the best-selling Tuesdays with Morrie” (the Dallas Morning News).“Altogether original” (Dr. Laura Schlessinger).“This story will speak to the humanity of the reader” (Jewish Book World).The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is that rare, magical book—a boo...

Inside the closed community of Borough Park, where most Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail-and abuse has never been a part of it. But when thirteen-year-old Gittel learns of the abuse her best friend has suffered at the hands of her own family member, the adults in her community try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. Forced to remain silent, Gittel begins to ques...

A Year-Long Celebration of Faith Sometimes an encouraging word can turn your whole day around. Other times, all you need is a good laugh. Then there are times a personal insight lets you know that you are not alone. Or a bit of wisdom connects God's Word to your everyday life. You'll find them all in the Women of Faith Daily Devotional. This beautiful, warmly written book illuminates twelve aspects of faith that will help you start the year with hope and finish it in peace. With 366 brand ...

A memoir about a woman's coming of age in the closed world of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community is "an unforgettable portrait of anguish and hope" ( People).The third of six children in a family that harks back to a gloried Hassidic dynasty, Judy Brown grew up with the legacy of centuries of religious teaching. But her world begins to crumble when her "crazy" brother Nachum returns home after a year in Israel living with relatives. Though supposedly "cure...

Where is hope when there is no hope?First-time parents Joe and Tahni Cullen were thrust into the confusing world of autism when their toddler, Josiah, suddenly lost his ability to speak, play, and socialize. The diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. In their attempts to see Josiah recover and regain speech, the Cullens underwent overwhelming physical, emotional, and financial struggles. While other kids around him improved, Josiah only got worse.Five years later, Josiah, who...

The memoir of a woman leaving behind her faith and her marriage to navigate the terrifying, liberating terrain of a world unknown to her.A New York Times Editors' ChoiceA Best Book Pick by O, The Oprah Magazine; Jewish Week; Real Simple"An intimate tale of departure . . . [Mirvis] movingly conveys the heartache that accompanies the abandonment of one way of life in search of ...

Uncovered is the only memoir to tell of a gay woman leaving the hasidic fold. Told in understated, crystalline prose, Leah Lax begins her story as a young teen leaving her secular home to become a hasidic Jew, then plumbs the nuances of her arranged marriage, fundamentalist faith, and hasidic motherhood as, all the while, creative, sexual, and spiritual longings tremble beneath the surface.

"I'll Wait for You Forever."Heartbroken when her childhood love never returned, Rose Smith soon learned she had even greater worries—she carried his child. Ten years later as a housemaid in London, she encounters Samuel Blackstone. The kind youth she adored has turned bitter with success. Feeling out of place in Sam's high-society world, Rose fears what he may do when he learns of their son….A wealthy stockbroker, Sam is used to getting what he wants...

Set in an upper-middle-class Tel Aviv apartment building, this best-selling and warmly acclaimed Israeli novel examines the interconnected lives of its residents, whose turmoils, secrets, unreliable confessions, and problematic decisions reveal a society in the midst of an identity crisis.On the first floor, Arnon, a tormented retired officer who fought in the First Intifada, confesses to an army friend with a troubled military past how his obsession about his youn...

She wants faith, hope, and love.She wants help and healing.She wants to hear and be heard, to see and be seen.She wants things set right.She wants to know what is true—not partly true, or sometimes true, or almost true. She wants to see Truth itself, face-to-face. But here, now, these things are all cloudy. Hope is tinged with hurt. Faith is shaded by doubt. Lesser, broken things masquerade as love.How does she find something permanent when the world ar...