• The Seventh Heaven: Travels In Jewish Latin America, Ilan Stavans

Essayist and cultural commentator Ilan Stavans spent five years traveling across a dozen countries in Latin America in search of what defines the Jewish communities in the region, whose roots date back to Christopher Columbus’s arrival. Along the way, he looks for the proverbial “seventh heaven,” which according to the Talmud suggests the meaning of life in general and Jewish life in particular.

  • Love and Treasure, Ayelet Waldman

In 1945, on the outskirts of Salzburg, American soldiers discover a train filled with riches: gold watches and wedding rings, picture frames and Shabbat candlesticks. The gift of a necklace comes with an assignment: return the necklace to its rightful owner.

  • Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker, David Mikics

A look at a cool, cerebral talent. A study of Kubrick’s films and life. Kubrick’s Jewishness played a role in his idea of himself as an outsider, the author says. Kubrick rebelled against authority, war, and male violence, and reveled in the creation of his films.