Reading Recommendations

In challenging times, turning toward the written word can often be a balm. As people of the book, we might find wisdom in our own holy texts, contemporary literature, a meme circulating the internet, or a PDF chock-full of data. In that vein, we’ve got a few recommendations for you—some are from local authors, local organizations, and folks we admire. Happy reading!

Our book club just finished Berkeley-based Rabbi Adina Allen’s The Place of All Possibility, which inspired conversations around creativity, resilience, and how to develop one’s own creative practice, or bring creativity to a new practice. We loved diving into this rich text with a group of our community members.

Speaking of which…during the book club, Rabbi Gray brought an excerpt from Liana Finck’s graphic novel Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation, where she reimagines the story of Genesis with God as a woman. There are “delightful twists” in this modern take on our ancient text.

Berkeley-based author and MacArthur “genius” Fellow Dr. Joshua A. Miele’s new memoir Connecting Dots, which “chronicles Dr. Miele’s experience learning how to navigate the world as a blind person and using his intellect and creativity to help make the world a better place for others like him. This captivating memoir offers a powerful, humorous, and triumphant perspective on living with blindness, highlighting his achievements and the impact he’s had on the disability community.” Dr. Miele, who has spent much of his life investing inclusive technologies, will be in conversation with local journalist Alix Wall at the JCC East Bay on Tuesday, March 4 — get the scoop and tickets here.

Not in the mood for a full book? Keshet just released “Threads of Identity: LGBTQ+ Jews of Color in the Fabric of Jewish Life,” the first study of its kind! This study and report was prepared by Sage Cassell-Rosenberg and Gage Gorsky, PhD. In Sage’s words of the intro letter, they wrote, “For LGBTQ+ Jews of Color, this report is a love letter to us all. We deserve to be seen, loved, and supported in our authenticity, created B’tzelem Elohim—in God’s image.” Highly recommend!

And in honor of Black History and Futures month, here are a handful of powerful articles and resources, assembled by the Jews of Color Initiative: Leaders: Stay the Course on DEI Through this Storm by Ilana Kaufman, Leave No Part of Yourself at the Door: Yolanda Savage-Narva on Community Transformation, and Liberation is a Journey, Not a Destination: The Black Jewish Liberation Collective, Freedom, Black Joy, and Movement-Building. (Hat tip to SRE for sending these along in their newsletter!)

So, what are you reading?

Or listening to, in the form of a podcast or audiobook?! We’d love to know what’s on your bookshelf or your “to read” list. You can drop a line to info@gatherbay.org with your thoughts and recommendations.

Feature image credit: Susan Q. Yin.