I have some exciting news to share! My book, More Than Matzoh Balls: My Search for Jewish-American Identity, is being published. It is available to preorder now on Barnes and Noble and will be available soon on Amazon (see link below). You can also request it from your local bookseller. It will be in print on February 15th.
The book is not simply a compilation of my blog posts. Faithful readers of Stories I Tell Myself may recognize some of the experiences I recount, but there is significant new material. It is not just a series of essays. It is a story, a journey of searching for identity and the challenges one faces in that process. I also weave the extraordinary Holocaust survival story of my in-laws throughout the narrative.
Though it may be particularly resonant for Jewish-Americans, I believe it addresses universal themes of faith, legacy, family relationships, generational trauma, and self-understanding. Many of us, dare I say most of us, have at least dual identities as Italian-Americans, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans; the list can go on and on. Navigating that duality is challenging in our society. Add to that different faith traditions, and you have complex strands of identity.
I hope you will order the book, read it (!), and then offer a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or whatever platform you prefer. Of course, you are welcome to reach out with comments through my blog, as well.
I believe it is a good choice for book clubs. If you are part of one, I hope you will consider recommending it. If you are interested, I am happy to participate as my schedule allows.
More Than Matzoh Balls has been a project with a very long gestation! I have been writing parts of it in my head for decades, before finally committing it to paper, starting about five years ago. I am excited and proud to see it come to fruition. I hope readers will come away with new insights and questions to ask themselves.
Here is a peek at the cover!
If you want to preorder the book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/more-than-matzoh-balls-linda-brody-bakst/1149134869?ean=9798295417085
Thank you, dear blog readers, for giving me the encouragement I have needed over the years to continue this project. I hope you will take satisfaction in knowing you contributed to my seeing this through – and more than that, I hope you will enjoy the read!
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I am so excited for you. I will admit that I have already read three updates of the book. It is thoughtful, moving, well written and it never settles for easy answers. It takes on the complexity of family and life and goes to the edges of where faith and tradition often end for so many people.
It does all of this with an honest and loving embrace. It will take you to some of the darkest places people have had to go and back to daylight and modern concerns.
You will be moved by it and benefit from reading it.
Linda, you have created an amazing and important memoir. Congratulations!
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