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JCA Jewish Cultural Arts Festival 2020
Discover Culture
JEWISH LITERARY, FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAL
November 1 - 17, 2020
Each November, the JCA celebrates its annual Jewish Cultural Arts Festival. This Jewish literary, film and arts festival features a variety of events including films, performances and its signature event, the Annual Jewish Book Festival. Now in its 24th year, the book festival provides access to renowned authors and events that would be otherwise unavailable to our Jacksonville community.
Welcome to the pop-up bookstore. Featured books are listed here. Simply add books to your cart, make your customer profile, choose IN-STORE PICKUP or DELIVERY and complete your order. ALL ORDERS that mention the JCA or Jewish Cultural Arts Festival will qualify for a donation by San Marco Books and More to the JCA. So, if you would like to order other books, please add them to your cart or simply place additional orders and we'll keep track!
We came of age in the '60s and '70s, through civil rights, anti-war protests, and the rise of feminism. We've raised families and had careers. We've been around the world, figuratively if not literally. We've done a lot.
And we're getting older. So, we might as well get good at it.
Getting Good at Getting Older: A Jewish Catalog for a New Age is a tour for all of us "of a certain age" through the resources and skills we need to navigate the years between maturity and old age. Getting Good at Getting Older brings humor, warmth, and 4,000 years of Jewish experience to the question of how to shape this new stage of life.
Monday, November 2, 2020
OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?
Written by political savant and entertainment veteran, Ben Sheehan, and vetted for accuracy by experts in the field of constitutional law, OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say? is an entertaining and accessible guide that explains what the Constitution actually lays out.
With clear notes and graphics on everything from presidential powers to Supreme Court nominations to hidden loopholes, Sheehan walks us through the entire Constitution from its preamble to its final amendment (with a bonus section on the Declaration of Independence). Besides putting the Constitution in modern-day English so that it can be understood, OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say? gives readers all of the info they need to be effective voters and citizens in the November elections and beyond.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
What We Will Become
From the age of two-and-a-half, Jacob, born "Em," adamantly told his family he was a boy. While his mother Mimi struggled to understand and come to terms with the fact that her child may be transgender, she experienced a sense of déjà vu--the journey to uncover the source of her child's inner turmoil unearthed ghosts from Mimi's past and her own struggle to live an authentic life.
Mimi was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, every aspect of her life dictated by ancient rules and her role as a woman largely preordained from cradle to grave. As a young woman, Mimi wrestled with the demands of her faith and eventually made the painful decision to leave her religious community and the strict gender roles it upheld.
Having risen from the ashes of her former life, Mimi was prepared to help her son forge a new one -- at a time when there was little consensus on how best to help young transgender children. Dual narratives of faith and motherhood weave together to form a heartfelt portrait of an unforgettable family. Brimming with love and courage, What We Will Become is a powerful testament to how painful events from the past can be redeemed to give us hope for the future.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Once a Girl, Always a Boy
Jeremy Ivester is a transgender man. Thirty years ago, his parents welcomed him into the world as what they thought was their daughter. As a child, he preferred the toys and games our society views as masculine. He kept his hair short and wore boys' clothing. They called him a tomboy. That's what he called himself.
By high school, when he showed no interest in flirting, his parents thought he might be lesbian. At twenty, he wondered if he was asexual. At twenty-three, he surgically removed his breasts. A year later, he began taking the hormones that would lower his voice and give him a beard--and he announced his new name and pronouns.
Once a Girl, Always a Boy is Jeremy's journey from childhood through coming out as transgender and eventually emerging as an advocate for the transgender community. This is not only Jeremy's story but also that of his family, told from multiple perspectives--those of the siblings who struggled to understand the brother they once saw as a sister, and of the parents who ultimately joined him in the battle against discrimination. This is a story of acceptance in a world not quite ready to accept.
Thursday, November 5, 2020
Red Sea Spies
In the early 1980s on a remote part of the Sudanese coast, a new luxury holiday resort opened for business. Catering for divers, it attracted guests from around the world. Little did the holidaymakers know that the staff were undercover spies, working for the Mossad - the Israeli secret service.
Providing a front for covert night-time activities, the holiday village allowed the agents to carry out an operation unlike any seen before. What began with one cryptic message pleading for help, turned into the secret evacuation of thousands of Ethiopian Jews who had been languishing in refugee camps, and the spiriting of them to Israel.
Written in collaboration with operatives involved in the mission, endorsed as the definitive account and including an afterword from the then Mossad director, this is the complete, never-before-heard, gripping tale of a top-secret and often hazardous operation.
Sunday, November 8, 2020
The Book of Secrets
Tonti seems not to be afraid to mix genres.
Readers who open this graphic novel to a random page might find a forbidden romance, a philosophical story about the delicacy of life, or an epic fight scene. Most of the stories are traditional Jewish folktales, but, disconcertingly, one chapter of the book is adapted from a bleak, cryptic section of Franz Kafka's The Trial. It's even more surprising when one of Kafka's characters shows up in the middle of an apparently unrelated fight sequence. But every sequence is inventive. Ben, one of the main characters, uses a cup-and-ball game to fight off attackers. And the two siblings at the heart of the story are protected by the 'Doughlem, ' a golem baked from flour and other household ingredients. Remarkably, the story only rarely feels episodic or disjointed. It's held together by a compelling, conventional fantasy plotline about the quest for the titular Book of Secrets. The artwork is less traditional. Perspective and anatomy are often distorted, as though the pictures had been drawn while the artist was looking at the page in a mirror. The character design is wonderfully odd, though. A pair of angels resembles the sea monkeys from ads in old comic books. Almost all of the human characters are White, though King Solomon and his daughter are light brown.
Readers will be happily confounded by every secret in this book.
Monday, November 9, 2020
The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia
"Some people seek. Jews question. And to answer their questions comes The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia, a bible of Judaism that, in its deeply knowing and highly entertaining way, reflects the diverse and at times irascible tribe who identify as Jewish, or Jewish, or, in the case of future converts and/or spouses, Jewcurious. Here is a popcultural guide to all the many, many aspects and delights of "being Jewish," created by the hosts of the most popular Jewish podcast on iTunes, Unorthodox. And that's the operating word: unorthodox. How else to describe an encyclopedia that begins with "Aaron"--"Like a biblical Rodney Dangerfield, our first High Priest couldn't get no respect"--ends with "Zyklon B" (yikes), and never fails to entertain? Along the way, it covers everything: The meaning of "Nu?" The Patriarchs and the Matriarchs. The singers Al Jolson, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, and Carole King. The Kabbalah and Krusty the Clown, Masada and Jackie Mason, the Beastie Boys and "bagel Jews." Readers will refresh themselves on the Oslo Accords, understand all the major and minor holidays (including a guide to fasting), discover how the Jews invented Hollywood, remind themselves why they need to read Isaac Babel, Hannah Arendt, and Daniel Deronda, and find the meaning of happiness (see "Latkes"). Packed with hundreds of photos, charts, illustrations, and guides, it's an encyclopedia that's as rich in visuals as it is in language. It is sababa"
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
When The World Feels Like a Scary Place
In a lifesaving guide for parents, Dr. Abigail Gewirtz shows how to use the most basic tool at your disposal--conversation--to give children real help in dealing with the worries, stress, and other negative emotions caused by problems in the world, from active shooter drills to climate change.
But it's not just how to talk to your kids, it's also what to say: The heart of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place is a series of conversation scripts--with actual dialogue, talking points, prompts, and insightful asides--that are each age-appropriate and centered around different issues. Along the way are tips about staying calm in an anxious world; the way children react to stress, and how parents can read the signs; and how parents can make sure that their own anxiety doesn't color the conversation. Talking and listening are essential for nurturing resilient, confident, and compassionate children. And conversation will help you manage your anxieties too, offering a path of wholeness and security for everyone in the family.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
The Genius of Women
Even in this time of rethinking women's roles, we define genius almost exclusively through male achievement. When asked to name a genius, people mention Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Steve Jobs. As for great women? In one survey, the only female genius anyone listed was Marie Curie.
Janice Kaplan, the New York Times bestselling author of The Gratitude Diaries, set out to determine why the extraordinary work of so many women has been brushed aside. Using her unique mix of memoir, narrative, and inspiration, she makes surprising discoveries about women geniuses now and throughout history, in fields from music to robotics. Through interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, and dozens of women geniuses at work in the world today--including Nobel Prize winner Frances Arnold and AI expert Fei-Fei Li--she proves that genius isn't just about talent. It's about having that talent recognized, nurtured, and celebrated.
Across the generations, even when they face less-than-perfect circumstances, women geniuses have created brilliant and original work. In The Genius of Women, you'll learn how they ignored obstacles and broke down seemingly unshakable barriers. The geniuses in this moving, powerful, and very entertaining book provide more than inspiration--they offer a clear blueprint to everyone who wants to find her own path and move forward with passion.
Monday, November 16, 2020
The Watergate Girl
"It was a time, much like today, when Americans feared for the future of their democracy and women stood up for equal treatment. At the crossroads of the Watergate scandal and the women's movement stood a young lawyer named Jill Wine Volner (as she was then known), barely thirty years old and in charge of some of the most important prosecutions of high-ranking White House officials. Called "the mini-skirted lawyer" by the press, she fought to receive the respect accorded her male counterparts- and prevailed. In The Watergate Girl, Jill Wine-Banks takes us inside this troubled time in American history, and it is impossible to read about the crimes of Richard Nixon and the people around him without drawing parallels to today's headlines. The book is also the story of a young woman who sought to make her professional mark while trapped in a failing marriage, buffeted by sexist preconceptions, and harboring secrets of her own that kept her on a knife-edge. Her house was burgled, her phones were tapped, and even her office garbage was rifled through. At once a cautionary tale and an inspiration for those who believe in the power of justice and the rule of law, The Watergate Girl is a revelation about our country, our politics, and our society."
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Wandering Dixie
A hybrid travelogue/memoir that explores the lesser-known Jewish culture, music, food, and history of the American South."In stunningly elegant prose, Eisenfeld uncovers the anonymous corners of Jewish and Confederate history. In this immersive gem of a book, she inspires hope for a nuanced and vital conversation about race by claiming her own role in 'our troubled American story.'" --Michelle Brafman, author of Washing the Dead.
