The Five Books

• Georgia Hunter on Discovering her Family’s Jewish History and Kindness as Resistance

  When Georgia Hunter was fifteen years old, she discovered that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. Years later, she embarked on a journey of intensive research, determined to unearth and record her family’s remarkable story. The result is the New York Times best seller, We Were the Lucky Ones, which has been published in over 20 languages and adapted for television by Hulu as a highly acclaimed limited series. One Good Thing is Georgia’s second novel.  In our conversation, Georgia will talk about the hold that multi-generational Holocaust stories have on her, about kindness as resistance, and her realization after publishing her family’s story that she could write another book. Georgia Hunter's Five Books: 1. Maus by Art Spiegelman 2. Send for Me by Lauren Fox  3. James by Percival Everett 4. The Lost Baker of Vienna (galley) by Sharon Kurtzman  5. One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter  Find us on Instagram @fivebookspod  For feedback or author recommendations please email us at [email protected] Find us online at www.fivebookspod.org  The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.  Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Produced by Odelia Rubin Editorial and website support by Sarah Waring Artwork by Dena Friedman Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.

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• Rob Kutner on writing for The Daily Show, Conan, and how comedy and Judaism overlap

  Rob Kutner’s new irreverent book on Jewish history, The Jews: 5000 Years and Counting covers every major moment in Jewish history from Adam and Eve to Tuesday’s rerun of Seinfeld. This book will make you laugh, it might inadvertently make you learn, and it might just be a balm for our times that you didn’t know you needed (Simon & Schuster). Rob Kutner is an Emmy, Peabody, Grammy, and TCA-winning writer for late-night TV including The Daily Show and TBS’ Conan. He is also the author of the humor books including Apocalypse How (Running Press, 2008) and the kids’ comedy-horror graphic novel Snot Goblins and Other Tasteless Tales (First Second, 2023).  He has also written material for the Oscars, Emmys, and two White  House Correspondents Dinners, and was named a “SuperJew” by Time Out New York.  In our conversation, Rob will tell us about how going to a Christian school reinforced his own Judaism, how he made sure that the diversity of stories were included in his Jewish history, and his story about ordering a lulav and etrog to the Daily Show office. Rob Kutner’s Five Books: 1. The Big Book of Jewish Humor by Moshe Waldoks and William Novak 2. As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg 3. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 4. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake 5. The Jews by Rob Kutner Find us on Instagram @fivebookspod  For feedback or author recommendations please email us at [email protected] Find us online at www.fivebookspod.org  The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.  Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Produced by Odelia Rubin Editorial and website support by Sarah Waring Artwork by Dena Friedman Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.

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• Allegra Goodman on Making the Exotic Familiar, and Finding the Modern in Ancient Words

  Isola is inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, and is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.  Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. That journey takes an unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island. Allegra Goodman’s books include Sam, The Family Markowitz, The Cookbook Collector, Paradise Park, and Kaaterskill Falls (a National Book Award finalist). Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Commentary, and Ploughshares and has been anthologized in The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories.  Raised in Honolulu, Goodman studied English and philosophy at Harvard and received a PhD in English literature from Stanford. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writer’s Award, the Salon Award for Fiction, and a fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced study. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In our conversation Allegra will tell us about what it was like growing up in a traditional Jewish household in Honolulu. We’ll hear about her fascination with shtetl life and how her novel Kaaterskill Falls, about an orthodox community in upstate New York, was inspired by George Eliot. And she’ll tell us about the secret Jewish character in her new book, Isola. Allegra Goodman’s’ Five Books: Rifka Bangs the Teakettle by Chaya M. Burstein Daniel Deronda by George Eliot 1984 by George Orwell Homer’s Odyssey, in the Lattimore translation Isola by Allegra Goodman Find us on Instagram @fivebookspod  Send us your thoughts! [email protected] The Five Books has the advisory and promotional support of the Jewish Book Council. Jewish Book Council is a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying and celebrating Jewish literature and supporting authors and readers. Stay up to date on the latest in Jewish literature! https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/celebrate The Five Books is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity.  Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen Produced by Odelia Rubin Editorial and website support by Sarah Waring Artwork by Dena Friedman Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.

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• Introducing Chutzpod!

  Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Chutzpod, a podcast that offers frank and wide-ranging conversations on how to build a good life. Each week on Chutzpod, Rabbi Shira Stutman and co-host Hanna Rosin tackle life’s toughest questions through a Jewish lens. If you’ve ever wondered whether to forgive a friend who won’t apologize, felt annoyed by service dogs on your flight, or pondered how to heal our broken world, this podcast is for you. In this episode, Shira and Hanna delve into listener-submitted questions, blending real-life stories with millennia-old wisdom to help you navigate the complexities of life. Whether you're a Hebrew school truant, a proud yeshiva graduate, or someone seeking inspiration without the synagogue schlep, Chutzpod welcomes everyone striving for a meaningful life in these trying times. Listen to Chutzpod wherever you get your podcasts.

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• We'd love to hear your feedback!

  We just finished our very first season of The Five Books! While we're preparing Season 2, we'd love to hear what you thought of our show. You can email us at [email protected]. We will be back on March 18 with some incredible authors for Season Two like Allegra Goodman, Georgia Hunter, Gayle Forman and more. Thank you for listening, sharing with your friends and loved ones, and for being a part of this incredible community of Jewish Book readers.

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