Published in the Jerusalem Post Weekend Magazine, 6 February 2026
Dedicated readers, I thought, might welcome the chance to learn about books and authors they could have overlooked, while occasional book buyers or people seeking a suitable present could surely find something to their taste in such a wide selection of titles. So, the idea was born of bringing 100 of my book reviews together in one volume.
What would I call such a volume? My first thought was “Your Middle East Bookshelf,” but I realized almost immediately that potential readers might be misled into believing that the contents would cover the whole regional spectrum, whereas the books I have been reviewing all these years were selected to appeal specifically to a Jewish readership. Honesty is always the best policy, so I decided on Your Pro-Israel Bookshelf: 100 titles reviewed.
With that issue settled, the next problem was how to present the material. The reviews covered a very wide range of genres. Among the hundred were biographies, political and personal memoirs, novels, thrillers; works on morals, religion and psychology; and poetry, humor, children’s books, even a cookbook and a graphic novel (that is, a book conceived as drawings accompanied by words). Should all the biographies be listed together, all the short stories, and so forth?
That possibility was rejected for good reasons, as were several others. Finally, the best solution, from the point of view of the potential reader, seemed to be to present the hundred volumes alphabetically by title. Anyone reading through the book would never be aware of what type of volume the next review would be dealing with and would, it was hoped, be pleasantly surprised by the variety of subject matter and the range of authors – some of them very eminent – whose works are represented.
Among them are Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Douglas Murray, leading historian Lord Andrew Roberts, political journalist Melanie Phillips and Alan Dershowitz. The memoirs represented include those of Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, and Zalman Shoval who was Israel’s ambassador to the US.
With that issue settled, the next problem was how to present the material. The reviews covered a very wide range of genres. Among the hundred were biographies, political and personal memoirs, novels, thrillers; works on morals, religion and psychology; and poetry, humor, children’s books, even a cookbook and a graphic novel (that is, a book conceived as drawings accompanied by words). Should all the biographies be listed together, all the short stories, and so forth?
That possibility was rejected for good reasons, as were several others. Finally, the best solution, from the point of view of the potential reader, seemed to be to present the hundred volumes alphabetically by title. Anyone reading through the book would never be aware of what type of volume the next review would be dealing with and would, it was hoped, be pleasantly surprised by the variety of subject matter and the range of authors – some of them very eminent – whose works are represented.
Among them are Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Douglas Murray, leading historian Lord Andrew Roberts, political journalist Melanie Phillips and Alan Dershowitz. The memoirs represented include those of Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, and Zalman Shoval who was Israel’s ambassador to the US.
Thrillers with an Israeli theme include A Death in Jerusalem, Jonathan Dunsky’s seventh novel featuring his Israeli hero-detective Adam Lapid, and Khaled Talib’s fast-paced thriller Smokescreen.
I also reviewed a fair selection of short stories. Notable are those of Michael Oren and Jennifer Anne Moses.
My hope in putting together this collection of reviews was to whet readers’ appetite, and lead them perhaps to purchase a volume or two that particularly catches their interest. To help potential book buyers, each review is preceded by the book’s publisher.
I also reviewed a fair selection of short stories. Notable are those of Michael Oren and Jennifer Anne Moses.
My hope in putting together this collection of reviews was to whet readers’ appetite, and lead them perhaps to purchase a volume or two that particularly catches their interest. To help potential book buyers, each review is preceded by the book’s publisher.
Published in the Jerusalem Post Weekend Magazine and the Jerusalem Post online, 8 February 2026:
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-885615#google_vignette
No comments:
Post a Comment