New Book Release: Strange as Angels

Strange as Angels by Lucy Blue

How far will an angel fall for love?

Tristram is an angel, a seraph who has spent eternity avoiding any emotional involvement with human beings. His perfect record is broken when he meets Chelsea, an artist who has recently lost the man she considered her soulmate to cancer. Touched by the intensity of her grief, Tristram first wants to save Chelsea from her own sadness. Then he falls in love. But while she’s very much attracted to this beautiful stranger, Chelsea still feels connected to the man she lost – and the last love she wants is an angel.

New Book Release: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Life, Mission, and Legacy by Natan Ophir

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925–1994) is considered the most influential composer of Jewish religious music of the 20th century and a progenitor of the modern neo-Hasidic renaissance. To date, there has been no systematic study of his life and very little scholarly analysis of his teachings, innovations, and music.

This book examines Shlomo’s life and career via the prism of the historical and cultural developments of his time, including the Holocaust, the Six-Day War, the hippie phenomenon, the New Age movement, and other events that were channeling the course of Jewish life. It also attempts to understand the roots of the Carlebach phenomenon and its wide-range appeal. Above all, this book provides a new framework to evaluate and appreciate the unique form of heartfelt Judaism, joyful optimism, and soulful rejuvenation that Reb Shlomo inspired.

New Book Release: Handy Chemistry

The Handy Chemistry Answer Book by Ian C. Stewart and Justin P. Lomont

Simplifying the complex chemical reactions that take place every day through the well-stated answers for more than 900 common chemistry questions, this reference is the go-to guide for students and professionals alike. The book covers everything from the history, major personalities, and groundbreaking reactions and equations in chemistry to laboratory techniques throughout history and the latest developments in the field. Chemistry is an essential aspect of all life that connects with and impacts all branches of science, making this readable resource invaluable across numerous disciplines while remaining accessible at any level of chemistry background. From the quest to make gold and early models of the atom to solar cells, bio-based fuels, and green chemistry and sustainability, chemistry is often at the forefront of technological change and this reference breaks down the essentials into an easily understood format.

New Book Release: Open Hearts

Open Hearts: A Memoir by Joseph B. Borman

From his childhood in South Africa to his education and marriage in England and his eventual career in Israel, renowned cardiac surgeon Professor Joseph Borman narrates the highlights of his highly accomplished life and career with wit and humanity. Borman s many contributions to Israeli medicine and society include the emergency surgery he performed on the critically injured soldier Doron Lancet during the 1967 Six-Day War, which saved the life of the man who would go on to become the leader of the Israeli team that helped map the human genome. Always focused on ethics above all, Borman relates dilemmas such as the choice of an Arab recipient for a heart donated by the family of a reserve officer in the Israel Defense Forces killed by an Arab terrorist. Professor Borman also recounts the interesting stories of some of his patients and describes the roots trip he and his wife have taken with their children to the ancestral Eastern European towns where their parents were born and lived.

New Book Release: The Bat Mitzvah Reader

The Bat Mitzvah Reader

The Bat Mitzvah Reader is a compilation of inspirational readings for the Bat Mitzvah girl. The reader includes selections from Scripture, Jewish Law and Chasidic philosophy that were carefully chosen to educate and inspire the young Jewish girl as she approaches Jewish womanhood.

New Book Release: First, A Dream

First, A Dream: Reflections for a Golden Jubilee 1963-2013

A collection of essays written by faculty, staff, students, alumni, administrators and friends of the University of Missouri–St. Louis fill the pages of “First, A Dream: Reflections for a Golden Jubilee 1963-2013.” Writing on different themes, the authors validate the vision of UMSL’s founders. The publishers of this commemorative book sought out historic photos from University Archives and the recent dramatic work of campus photographer August Jennewein.

New Book Release: The Messiah Chronicles, Book 1: Have You Seen the Signs?

The Messiah Chronicles, Book 1: Have You Seen the Signs? by Rivka Sarah Horowitz

When Arielle, a new immigrant to Israel, sees a poster announcing the coming of the Messiah, she feels compelled to raise people's awareness about it in any way she can. She starts by interviewing people, follows an old Chassid who is putting up more signs, and gets involved in promoting the rally where the Messiah is to be revealed. Little does she know that this day will change her life, setting her on an exploration of her beliefs and her commitment to the path she's chosen. A handsome young Chassid she meets the day of the rally, Aryeh, goes through changes of his own, choosing to leave the insular world he'd grown up in. David, a former Chassid who has chosen to leave the fold and expand his horizons, is of Davidic descent. His uncle Yehoshua, a Holocaust survivor, believes himself to be the Messiah and plans to let the world know at a rally in Jerusalem. Yehoshua has been excommunicated by his Chassidic sect, including most of his family. Though David isn't sure if it's true, he is willing to do whatever he can to help his uncle. When Aryeh and Arielle meet again at a Shabbat dinner, they feel a strong bond. As they get to know each other and their relationship develops, Aryeh introduces her to his new friends, David and Miri, and a world of spirituality she hadn't known existed. David's and his fiancée Miri's love for Israel and David's chosen profession, as a university professor, make it necessary for them to move back to the United States. In 1994, after five years back in the United States, a dream Miri has leads them back to Israel for a visit, which will allow them to realize a longtime dream.