Indiana University Press blog

New IUP book coincides with 90th anniversary of first American bat mitzvah

On March 18, 1922, the first American bat mitzvah was celebrated in New York City. While the idea may have been slow to catch on at first, in the 21st century, Jewish girls in North America alone will celebrate some 40,000 bat mitzvahs each year, and the number is growing because every sub-group of Judaism, including Orthodox, recognizes some form of bat mitzvah ceremony.

Today I Am a Woman: Stories of Bat Mitzvah around the World is an ideal gift book for Jewish girls to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the first American bat mitzvah and to discover different Jewish communities around the world. The book offers several fascinating stories that uncover how this milestone is celebrated on six different continents.

Narrations of the first bat mitzvah at the only synagogue in Indonesia, a moving bat mitzvah memory of World War II Italy, and an American bat mitzvah shared with girls in a Ukrainian orphanage are a few of the rich testimonies from both the past and present in this collection.

In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the bat mitzvah, you can save 40% off Today I Am a Woman. Use code BDAY40 at checkout. Hurry, offer valid today only! Shop now

Bloom Magazine features story on Break Away Books series

The February/March 2012 issue of Bloom features an article about our newly-launched Break Away Books fiction series. The piece discusses the books released in the fall including The Swan and The Glimpse Traveler, and what to expect from the upcoming books. Pick up a copy of Bloom at these locations or subscribe online. 

Win an autographed copy of Searching for Hope!

How would you like to win a free autographed copy of Searching for Hope? Email winsearchingforhope@gmail.com with your name and mailing address by this Thursday, March 1 at 11:59 p.m. (EST) to enter the contest. Three autographed copies are available, and winners will be notified by email. To learn more about the contest, visit Matthew Tully's blog.   

'A Prophetic Peace' author Alick Isaacs attends National Prayer Breakfast at White House

Alick Isaacs, author of A Prophetic Peace attended the 60th National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., today, February 2, capping a season of honors for IU Press books in the field of Jewish studies and their authors.

The awards and honors demonstrate IU Press’s lasting relevance for scholarship, teaching and learning, notably in the area of Jewish Studies, said the Press's director Janet Rabinowitch.

The White House Prayer Breakfast is an interfaith gathering of men and women to discuss political and social issues. President Barack Obama, members of Congress and other dignitaries gathered with leaders from across the country and around the world. Isaacs was invited in recognition of his Talking Peace project, the aim of which is to bring individuals of different views together to share varying understandings of peace. The project is sponsored by Mishkenot Sha'ananim, an international cultural center in Jerusalem.

Isaacs writes that his combat experience in the second Lebanon war provoked him to search for a way of reconciling the belligerence of religion with its messages of peace, challenging deeply held convictions about Judaism, Zionism, war and peace. In his readings of Biblical prophecy and rabbinic law, Isaacs draws on the writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jacques Derrida, Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Buber, among others, to propose an ambitious vision of religiously inspired peace. Rejecting the notion of Jewish theology as partial to war and vengeance, A Prophetic Peace points to the ways in which Judaism can be a path to peace.

In addition to Isaacs’s attendance of the prayer breakfast, recent awards for IU Press books include:

• The Jewish Book Council named Gender and Jewish History, edited by Marion A. Kaplan and Deborah Dash Moore, the winner in the Anthologies and Collections category of the 2011 National Jewish Book Awards. Modern Ladino Culture, Olga Borovaya’s study focusing on the three major forms of Ladino literacy production, was a finalist in the Sephardic Culture category.
• The American Academy for Jewish Research named Law and Truth in Biblical and Rabbinic Literature by Chaya T. Halberstam the winner of the 2010 Salo Wittmayer Baron Prize. The prize is awarded annually to a first-time author of an outstanding book in Jewish studies.
• The American Jewish Historical Society has named three IU Press publications as Essential Readings in American Jewish History for 2010: Jewish Bialystok and Its Diaspora by Rebecca Kobrin; The Prophetic Minority by Gerald Sorin; and Judaism’s Encounter with American Sports by Jeffrey S. Gurock.

To see a complete list of our Jewish Studies titles, visit our website.

Kentucke's Frontiers wins Kentucky Governor's Award

Congratulations to Craig Thompson Friend, whose book Kentucke's Frontiers won the 2011 Kentucky Governor's Award! This award, given every four years, honors the author who made the most significant contribution to Kentucky history during the Governor's term. The Office of the Governor and the Kentucky Historical Society present this award together.

Happy 120th Birthday, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar!

April 14th marks the 120th birthday of Buddhist activist and revolutionary Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Instrumental in the fight against the discrimination of Dalits (also called "Untouchables") in India, Ambedkar called for the abolition of untouchability in India's constitution. In honor of his life, April 14th is a public holiday in India.

Our book, Reconsidering Untouchability by Ramnarayan S. Rawat, explores the history of the Dalit group in India and the 20th century movement that has led to their recent political successes. Dr. Ambedkar's influence is noted throughout the book. Pick up a copy today to learn more about the legendary Dr. Ambedkar.

Richard Brent Turner featured in University of Iowa Spectator

An article about Richard Brent Turner and his book, Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black New Orleans, appears in the Spring 2010 issue of the University of Iowa Spectator. You can download a PDF of the article on the Spectator's website.

Verdi Baritone featured in Metropolitan Opera study guide

The Verdi Baritone by Geoffrey and Ryan Edwards is being featured in the Metropolitan Opera's online study guide for Simon Boccanegra. The Met will broadcast Verdi's great opera, starring Placido Domingo, February 6 at 1 p.m. (ET). Music lovers can learn more about the work by visiting the Met's International Radio Broadcast Information Center at http://www.operainfo.org/. The online study guide includes fascinating discussions of the opera and its characters, including an excerpt from The Verdi Baritone.

Verdi Baritone offered as premium during Operathon

Geoffrey and Ryan Edwards' book The Verdi Baritone will be hitting the airwaves on October 10 when the Lyric Opera of Chicago hosts its Operathon broadcast, live on WFMT 98.7 (Chicago, IL) from 8 am to midnight. (For those of you not in the Chicago area, WFMT offers live streaming.) The Verdi Baritone will be offered as an exclusive premium during this annual fundraiser and will be a real treat for opera lovers attending Verdi's Ernani at the Lyric this season. This book is already featured in study guides and reading lists by the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and La Fenice.

Article: Walking Together, Walking Far

The IU News Room recently published an article on one of our latest releases, Walking Together, Walking Far:

IU Press publishes book on IU-Kenya partnership

Indiana University Press has just published the first book on an IU partnership that is Kenya's most comprehensive initiative to combat HIV.

The book, Walking Together, Walking Far: How a U.S. and African Medical School Partnership is Winning the Fight Against HIV/AIDS, chronicles the historic partnership between Indiana University School of Medicine, Moi University School of Medicine and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, says author Fran Quigley.

The book's title derives from an African proverb: "If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together," reflecting how the 20-year partnership has thrived over the long haul in the face of many health and development challenges. Continue reading...