ST. LOUIS- Human rights activist Natan Sharansky and presidential historian Gil Troy will be the Keynote Speakers for the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival on Sunday, November 7 at 7:00 pm.
The co-authors will speak about Sharansky’s memoir, Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People, in which the former Chair of the Jewish Agency reflects on how his long and brutal imprisonment in Soviet Russia from 1977-1986 prepared him for his life in politics. Written with frankness, affection, and humor, the book offers us profound insights from a man who embraced the essential human struggle: to find his own voice, his own faith, and the people to whom he could belong. Following Q&A, books will be for sale for Sharansky and Troy to autograph.
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Open to book-lovers of any faith, this year the festival features five New York Times Best-Selling Authors: Patrick Radden Keefe with his groundbreaking investigative narrative of the Sackler family, Empire of Pain; novelist Pam Jenoff with her new bestseller The Woman with the Blue Star; sportswriter Rich Cohen and his personal look into the world of competitive youth hockey, Peewees: Confessions of a Hockey Parent; Jean Hanff Korelitz with her dark and suspenseful Indie Next List pick The Plot; and the renowned Lisa Scottoline, who will be appearing virtually to discuss her novel about World War II-era Rome under Mussolini, Eternal.
Dean Robbins, a St. Louis-born children’s author, offers a free family-centered program in conjunction with the St. Louis County Library on Sunday, November 14, featuring his kids’ biography of the creator of the polio vaccine, Thank You, Dr. Salk. Award-winning playwright and TV writer Jen Silverman will be speaking about her first novel, We Play Ourselves, alongside actor Nick Westrate during a lunchtime virtual session on July 12, and on July 18 Annabelle Gurwitch will serve up her trademark humor to discuss her latest collection of essays, You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility, one chapter of which is currently being adapted to an HBO series.
Festival-goers can take advantage of the Premier Pass, which allows entry to all Jewish Book Festival Events (through June 2022) for $110. Passes are on sale now and can be ordered by calling 314.442.3299 or visiting stljewishbookfestival.org. Tickets to Opening Night with Natan Sharanksy and Gil Troy are available now for $45; virtual-only programs are $10 each. Student tickets are free for any author event with a valid student ID at the door.
The core Festival, which runs November 7-18, is a program of the Jewish Community Center and takes place at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex at 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For updates and more information, please visit stljewishbookfestival.org
To protect our community and ensure that we can continue to safely gather at the J, entry to the Used Book Sale will require proof of vaccination (both does of Maderna or Pfizer vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) OR a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours of the event. Vaccination card or photo accepted, plus photo ID. Masks must be worn by everyone at all times while attending the Festival.
ABOUT THE J:
The J is an interactive, multi-generational gathering place that offers a variety of programs and services to both the St. Louis Jewish community, and the community at large. The Jewish Community Center provides educational, cultural, social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programming and offers two, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, all designed to promote physical and spiritual growth. Everyone is welcome at the J.
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