Staff Book Recommendations

The Katz Center staff has been working from home for several weeks now, translating seminars into virtual meetings for fellows, planning for next year's cohort and public programs, and doing our best to nurture Judaic studies scholarship, all while social distancing.

But since we know our fellows and followers may be exploring literarily with their extra time at home, we put together a list of reading recommendations. Each staff member picked a favorite book—many quite fitting for the current moment—and has suggested that you read it. 

Have a look, find something new, and enjoy while you work from home, and read, and write, and socialize there too.

Anne Albert 

It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach

Bonnie Blankenship

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

Sam Cardillo

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dajana Denes Walters

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

Natalie Dohrmann

Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

Becky Friedman

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Etty Lassman

Limassol by Yishai Sarid

Brian Lipscomb

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King

Carrie Love

The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien

Karen Schnitker

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Steve Weitzman

Yale's Jewish Lives series on biblical and ancient rabbinic figures, particularly David: The Divided Heart by David Wolpe, Jacob: Unexpected Patriarch by Yair Zakovitch, and Moses: A Human Life by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg