JCC Rochester book festival
JCC Rochester Jewish film festival
JCC Rochester Jewish Book Festival Friday, November 6, 2009
Noon; JCC Auditorium; Tickets must be purchased by 11/2
Matthew Aaron Goodman
Hold Love Strong
Born to a 13-year-old in the bathroom of his family's small apartment, Abraham Singleton enters a world laden with the inherent obstacles of impoverished communities. Deeply intuitive and cerebral, Abraham is determined to thrive in the face of familial, communal and personal devastation. In this haunting, lyrical and evocative novel, Goodman-who earned a bachelor's in literature from Brandeis University and an MFA from Emerson. College-composes a paean to the power of family and belonging in the African-American community.
JCC Rochester Jewish Book Festival
Joanna Smith Rakoff
A Fortunate Age
Like The Group, Mary McCarthy's classic coming of age novel, Joanna Smith Rakoff's richly drawn and immensely satisfying first novel details the lives of a group of Oberlin graduates whose ambitions and friendships threaten to unravel as they chase their dreams, shed their youth and build their lives. As they begin their careers, marry and have children, they must navigate the shifting dynamics of their friendships and of the world around them. Rakoff holds a BA from Oberlin, an MA from University College in London and an MFA from Columbia University. She has written for The New York Times, Vogue and more.
JCC Rochester Jewish Book Festival
Jonathan Tropper
This is Where I Leave You
Jonathan Tropper's latest novel is a riotously funny, emotionally raw story about love, marriage, divorce and family. The death of Judd Foxman's father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family has been together in years as the mourners honor their father's dying request by spending shiva (the seven days following the funeral) together. The week quickly spins out of control as grudges resurface and secrets are revealed. Tropper is the author of How to Talk to a Widower, ,Everything Changes, ,The Book of Joe and Plan B. This Is Where I Leave You is being adapted for film at Warner Bros.

Generously underwritten by the Miller Family Foundation
JCC Rochester Jewish Book Festival

Lunch menu: Geulah's famous tuna in a pita, pretzels, fresh fruit, sweets and a beverage.

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