As the summer begins to wind down (even though it’s not officially over until September 22), let’s try to capture some of its last glory and intensity through books set in the summer. The following fiction and nonfiction books are available in Oheb’s library.
Yael Van de Wouden’s The Safekeep takes place during the hot summer of 1961 in the Netherlands. It’s long enough after World War II, that all should be calm. But Isabel, living in her mother’s house in rural Netherlands, discovers that some wars are never really over and things are not always as they seem. This novel was short-listed for the Booker Prize and winner or nominee for many other literary awards.
Anat Talshir’s About the Night is set in the summer of 1947, a perfect time to fall in love. But Elias and Lila come from two different worlds: Elias is a Christian Arab; Lila is a Jewish Israeli. He lives on the eastern side of a divided Jerusalem, while she lives in the western part. This is a never-ending love story plot.
Allegra Goodman‘s Kaaterskill Falls takes place in 1976 in upstate New York, where scores of religious Jews make the trek from the city to one of the many summer communities. The story focuses on the restless Elizabeth and the confused Andras. The village’s Rebbe also has his struggles, as does the local judge, who is faced with the problem of overdevelopment that will change the village’s character. This book was a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Edward Lewis Wallant Award.
Laura Amy Schlitz’s The Hired Girl has escaped her dull, hard life on a Pennsylvania farm to work as a maid in a wealthy Jewish household in Baltimore. It’s the summer of 1911, and the work can be as difficult as farm work in its own way, especially when Joan finds herself out of her element trying to understand this family whose customs are so foreign to her. This young adult novel is an award-winning coming-of-age book that also has appeal for adults.
Gayle Forman’s Not Nothing features 12 -12-year-old Alex, who has to spend the summer volunteering at a senior residence. His relationship with one of the residents, a Holocaust survivor, may change his life.
Leslie Kimmelman‘s book about friends Sam and Charlie (and Sam too) at Camp is a low-key early chapter book about friendship and the outdoors. It is suitable for readers just beyond easy readers.
Elizabeth Lenhard’s The Ball of Clay That Rolled Away is a perfect summer picture book. The setting is pottery day at summer camp, when the clay goes rolling out of the pottery shed where it was being molded into Jewish ritual objects. Will it be stopped before it ends up in the lake?
As the October 7 War nears its second anniversary, one wonders if peace and friendship can ever be achieved between Palestinians and Israelis. Some people feel that people-to-people contact is the way to achieve understanding, if not peace. Sharing Our Homeland is Trisha Marx’s photo essay on the Summer Peace Camp, which has brought teens from both sides together for many summers. Amazingly, the camp is still going strong, although under much different circumstances since the October war began. Read about the Youth Peace Camp and the long-running Seeds of Peace, located in Maine.