Indiana University Press blog

YIVO Institute to host event with 'Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl' authors June 17

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research will host a discussion with Alice Nakhimovsky and Roberta Newman, authors of Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl: Yiddish Letter Manuals from Russia and America, Tuesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. Actor Yelena Shmulenson will begin the evening with dramatic readings of selected letters. IUP author Elissa Bemporad will moderate the event.

General admission is $10; YIVO members', seniors' and students' admission is $7. Tickets are available at smarttix.com or 212-868-4444.

Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event through McNally Jackson Books.

Two IUP authors to appear at Politics and Prose this weekend

Politics and Prose will host two events with IUP authors this Saturday and Sunday at its bookstore in Washington, D.C.

The first event features author Ellen Feder. She will discuss and sign copies of her book Making Sense of Intersex: Changing Ethical Perspectives in Biomedicine June 7 at 1 p.m.

In her thought-provoking look at a culture that often fails to recognize a third option, Feder re-examines the role of bioethics in cases where medical intervention to “normalize” gender frequently does more harm than good. For more information about the book, visit our website or listen to a podcast with the author.

The following day at 1 p.m., Jeffrey Veidlinger will discuss and sign copies of his book In the Shadow of the Shtetl: Small-Town Jewish Life in Soviet Ukraine.

The recollections of some 400 returnees in Ukraine provide the basis for Veidlinger’s reappraisal of the traditional narrative of 20th-century Jewish history. These elderly Yiddish speakers relate their memories of Jewish life in the prewar shtetl, their stories of survival during the Holocaust, and their experiences living as Jews under Communism. Learn more about the book on our website or in this book trailer.

Both author events are free and open to the public. Visit the Politics and Prose website for more details.

UC Berkeley to host book talk with 'Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl' authors today

Authors Alice Nakhimovsky and Roberta Newman will discuss their new book Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl: Yiddish Letter Manuals from Russia and America at the University of California, Berkeley today. The event will take place at 5 p.m. in the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life auditorium. More information is available on the Magnes website.

At the turn of the 20th century, Jewish families scattered by migration could stay in touch only through letters. But for many Jews who were unaccustomed to communicating their public and private thoughts in writing, correspondence was a challenge. A popular solution was to consult brivnshtelers, Yiddish-language books of model letters. Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl translates selections from these model-letter books and includes essays and annotations that illuminate their role as guides to a past culture. Visit our website to learn more about the book.

3 IU Press books named Choice Outstanding Academic Titles of 2013

We are pleased to announce that three of our books have been named Choice Outstanding Academic Titles of 2013! Selected by Choice's subject editors, this prestigious list of publications reflects the best in scholarly titles. IU Press honorees include: 

The Complete Dinosaur
Second Edition
Edited by M. K. Brett-Surman, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., and James O. Farlow
Bob Walters, Art Consultant

"This 'encyclopedia,' written by more than 60 paleontologists recognized for their ongoing work with these amazing creatures, is a rich source of information. . . . Highly recommended."

Gaining Ground
The Origin and Evolution of Tetrapods
Second Edition
Jennifer A. Clack

"[A] remarkable reference work, with detailed anatomical descriptions of early tetrapods and their ancestors, a discussion of the environments these creatures inhabited, a chronicle of important fossil sites and discoveries, and an expert summary of the tetrapod family tree. The text is clear . . . and the book is well illustrated, making it an ideal reference for students and researchers. . . . Highly recommended."

A History of Women in Russia
From Earliest Times to the Present
Barbara Evans Clements

"Clements's writing is engaging, clear, and jargon free, making this book easily accessible to a general audience. . . . Highly recommended."

For a complete list of Outstanding Academic Titles, visit Choice Reviews Online.

The Great War in Russian Memory wins Heldt Prize

Congratulations to Karen Petrone, who received the Heldt Prize for her book The Great War in Russian Memory! Awarded by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies, Petrone's book won in the category of "Best Book by a Woman in Any Area of Slavic/East European/Eurasian Studies." The prize was presented last month during the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies convention in Boston.

Karen Auerbach to speak at YIVO Institute October 1

Karen Auerbach, author of The House at Ujazdowskie 16, will present a book talk October 1 at 7 p.m. at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City. The event is free, but reservations are required. RSVP on YIVO's website.

In The House at Ujazdowskie 16, Auerbach traces ten Jewish families who began reconstructing their lives after the Holocaust. Learn more about the book on our website.

Author Eric Weitz to give lecture at IU on "Borderlands and Bloodlands"

As part of the School of Global and International Studies (SGIS) Global Speaker series, IUP author Eric Weitz will give a presentation on "Borderlands and Bloodlands: Rethinking the Mass Violence of the Twentieth Century in Eastern Europe." The event will take place September 17 at 4:00 p.m. in Chemistry Building Room 122 on the IU-Bloomington campus.

Weitz is a historian of modern Europe and Germany and co-editor of Shatterzone of Empires, published earlier this year.

This lecture is cosponsored by the School of Global and International Studies, the Polish Studies Center, the Department of History, and the Borns Jewish Studies Program. Check the IU calendar listing for more information on this event.

Listen to Loren Graham read from his book Moscow Stories

In Moscow Stories, author Loren Graham recounts stories of the rich cast of characters he encountered during his time as a graduate student at Moscow State University in the early 1960s. In the following audio excerpt, Graham briefly shares many peculiar circumstances in which he found himself as one of the few American students studying in the Soviet Union.

Listen to the audio excerpt via The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies on SoundCloud.

Book review: The House at Ujazdowskie 16

"This is an interesting and often moving tableau about the efforts of some wounded people to overcome their personal tragedies while redefining their communal loyalties." —Booklist

 

Two IUP books featured in upcoming YIVO Institute book sessions

Two IUP books will be featured in book sessions this month at The YIVO Institute at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. A book talk for Becoming Soviet Jews, by Elissa Bemporad, will be held on at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 16. The session will discuss the book's subject: by using the city of Minsk as the case study for the ways in which many Jews acculturated to Soviet society in the 1920s and 1930s while remaining committed to older patterns of Jewish identity.

A book talk and reception celebrating the Comprehensive Yiddish-English Dictionary, edited by Solon Beinfeld and Harry Bochner, will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 23. As the largest and most complete dictionary of its kind to date, the reception will feature speakers (including the editors, as well as the executive director of the Forward Association, Sam Norich) and musical selections performed by Temma Schaechter and Binyumen Schaechter.

Reservations are required to attend these events. To RSVP, visit The YIVO Institute's reservation page.