Courtesy of the St. Louis Jewish Books Festival
Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy will be on hand to discuss their book, Never Alone, on Nov. 7.
Bookworms rejoice! The St. Louis Jewish Book Festival is back, in-person and streaming from the J’s Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur. The 43rd festival starts off with a stirring keynote address on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy will discuss Never Alone, the memoir of Sharansky’s remarkable life—from a child chess prodigy to Deputy Prime Minister of Israel to nine-year political prisoner—that the pair cowrote. It’s a packed slate with dozens of panels to choose from. Here are five we think are definitely worth attending:
David Mikics
New this year, the Arthur Gale Jewish Lives Series features works from the Yale University Press Jewish Lives series. The series highlights “biographies that illuminate the Jewish experience,” and author David Mikics kicks things off with a discussion of his book Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker. Mikics explores the iconic filmmaker’s Bronx youth and the creative driving forces of his youth, including photography, chess, and the movies. Mikics explores how Kubrick’s Jewishness figured into the outsider status that informed so much of his work. November 8, 1 p.m., $20, included in the Premier Pass.
Patrick Radden Keefe
Investigative reporter and first-class storyteller Patrick Radden Keefe brought everything in his toolbox to the task of writing Empire of Pain. The book is an in-depth account of the Sackler family’s rise and fall as the force behind Purdue Pharma and its blockbuster drug OxyContin. The devastation of the American opioid epidemic is all the more heartbreaking laid out next to the avarice and callousness of the company and the family behind it. November 11, 7 p.m., $25, included in the Premier Pass.
Paula Shoyer
The Instant Pot is a certified phenomenon, and there’s no reason the pressure cooker extraordinaire should be excluded from kosher kitchens. The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook speeds up the cooking time on labor-intensive traditional soups and stews. This virtual cook-along with the author includes ingredient lists and recipes for ticket holders in advance of the event, so you’ll be able to tuck in to something delicious afterward. November 14, 7 p.m., $10, included in the Premier Pass.
E. Lockhart and Ken Krimstein
Two heavy-hitting talents discuss their storytelling medium of graphic novels. E. Lockhart’s Whistle follows Willow Zimmerman, the first Jewish superhero in the DC universe in more than 40 years, on her quest to care for her sick mother. Along the way, she makes some discoveries about identity and community. Ken Krimstein’s When I Grow Up is based on a newly discovered cache of autobiographies—at turns touching and hilarious—by Jewish teens in Eastern Europe on the brink of WWII. November 16, 10:30 a.m., $20, included in the Premier Pass.
Suzanne Nossel
In Dare to Speak, Suzanne Nossel, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Internal Organizations and Vice President of Strategy and Operations for the Wall Street Journal, explores what’s at stake for open expression in today’s hyperconnected world. How can free speech thrive in the social media landscape, where the very worst and very best of discourse takes place online, and one wrong move can get a person canceled? The book examines the tension between free speech and other progressive values like diversity and equality and charts a course forward for robust discourse. November 17, 7 p.m., $20, included in the Premier Pass.
