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University of Michigan Press
September 2009
On Sale: September 3, 2009
284 pages
ISBN: 0472117114
EAN: 9780472117116
Hardcover
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Fiction
Good for the Jews is a smart, funny, sexy novel set in
Madison, Wisconsin, during the Bush administration. Part
mystery and part stranger-comes-to town story, Good for the
Jews is loosely based on the biblical book of Esther. Like
Esther, Debra Spark's characters deal with anti-Semitism and
the way that powerful men---and the women who love
them---negotiate bureaucracies. At the core of the story of right and wrong are young,
attractive Ellen Hirschorn and her older cousin Mose, a high
school teacher who thinks he knows, in fact, what is "good
for the jews"---and for Ellen, too. Their stories intertwine
with those of the school superintendent, his ex-wife and
son, and a new principal. Workplace treachery, the bonds of
family, coming of age, and romantic relationships all take
center stage as the characters negotiate the fallout from a
puzzling fire. Spark's evocative writing style and sharp, understanding
treatment of her diverse characters draw the reader into
this surprising page-turner. Debra Spark is the author of two previous novels, The Ghost
of Bridgetown and Coconuts for the Saint, as well as Curious
Attractions: Essays on Fiction Writing. She's been a fellow
at Radcliffe College's Bunting Institute and a recipient of
a National Endowment for the Arts award. Her short stories,
essays, and reviews have appeared in publications including
Food and Wine, Esquire, the New York Times, the Washington
Post, and Yankee. She is a professor at Colby College and
teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson
College. She lives with her husband and son in North
Yarmouth, Maine.
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