Our blog features essays, book reviews, coverage of FTB titles, and noteworthy news of American Jewish experience by our publisher.
2 Books that are Must Reads During these Troubling Times
Posted on October 8, 2020
During these very troubling times, with a president who, in my opinion, is acting in dangerous and dare I say unhinged ways, it’s worthwhile to note that we’ve been through this before. Seriously. Annette Gordon-Reed gives us an up-close look into Andrew Johnson, a vile, stubborn man whose admiration for the antebellum southern white way […]
Outside for the Holidays — Reconnecting with nature on Rosh Hashanah
Posted on September 21, 2020
Guest Blog By Lisa Trank For some, Rosh Hashanah means davening in synagogue. For me, this time of year has come to signify something else: stepping outside the confines of the synagogue, and reconnecting to the natural world. I grew up in an observant Reform Jewish household in Southern California in the 1960s. This translated […]
Free Speech
Posted on September 14, 2020
Jews have historically been at the forefront of the Free Speech Movement in the United States. Indeed, it was Jewish lawyers, working at the ACLU, who defended the right of neo-Nazis to assemble and march in Skokie, Illinois in 1977. That case became a signature statement of the free speech priorities of the United States. […]
Brief review of Tightrope
Posted on September 8, 2020
What to know how the other half lives? Why there’s a big divide in the U.S.? How we got to where we are in terms of a disappearing middle class and a sense of hopelessness? You may be shocked into doing something after you’ve read this excellent book. Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas […]
About my father-in-law … and the connections to writing
Posted on September 4, 2020
Tomorrow marks the 21st anniversary of the death of David Streger, my father-in-law, a man who exemplified what is meant by a person of The Greatest Generation. He graduated from Dickinson College in 1939 — Phi Beta Kappa — and served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer in WWII. Shot several times, he […]
Brief Review of A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz
Posted on August 30, 2020
Take a look at Amos Oz’ A Tale of Love and Darkness (amzn.to/3fpn8mc). Step out of the current cultural and political wars in Israel and get real insight into what life was like just before and the War of Independence. The stories he tells place you in the heart of Jerusalem, where you can practically […]
Why are so many North American Jews ignorant about the Israel-Palestine situation?
Posted on August 18, 2020
Peter Beinart’s article in The New York Times of July 8, 2020 (https://nyti.ms/3h6MaZa) lit up the Internet with comments, and sucked in people such as the actor Seth Rogen to chime in with remarks that I can only characterize as silly and immature. I’m not going to dwell on Beinart’s premise — that there should […]
Fig Tree Lit – our monthly newsletter
Posted on July 30, 2020
One of the best parts of running Fig Tree Books is publishing Fig Tree Lit – our monthly newsletter. Sign up and look at our back issues here: https://figtreebooks.net/fig-tree-lit/. Fig Tree Lit includes essays, D’Var Torahs, short stories, book reviews, videos, audio interviews, links to websites, and book promotions. Typical topics include: OLDIE BUT GOODIE […]
Black and White in the U.S.A
Posted on July 13, 2020
I posted the following four paragraphs on Facebook during the last four weeks that I think are worth seeing together. They include references to 2 books, 1 video trailer for a movie, 1 music video, 1 link to a Facebook account, and 1 article. July 4: During these very troubling times, with a president who, in […]
Thinking of Starting a Book Club?
Posted on June 29, 2020
Ideas for Your Book Club No two book clubs are alike. Each has its own flavor, its own personality. There’s no “right” way to run your book club. But these suggestions might give you some ideas to help your book club develop a unique life of its own, one that will enrich the lives of […]