{"product_id":"9780472027521","title":"Good for the Jews","description":"\". . . a smart, sprightly, sex-drenched, and neatly plotted novel . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e ---Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio and the \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"Spark is at her sly, funny, and cutting best in her third novel, a clever and affecting variation on the biblical story of Esther.\"\u003cbr\u003e ---\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"Spark's prose is tight, funny, insightful and occasionally heartbreaking as it probes the current education system, the arts and society's ills.\"\u003cbr\u003e ---\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eGood for the Jews\u003c\/i\u003e is a smart, funny, sexy novel set in Madison, Wisconsin, during the Bush administration. Part mystery and part stranger-comes-to town story, \u003ci\u003eGood for the Jews\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Spark's evocative writing style and sharp, understanding treatment of her diverse characters draw the reader into this surprising page-turner, a finalist for the 2009 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Debra Spark is the author of two previous novels, \u003ci\u003eThe Ghost of Bridgetown\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCoconuts for the Saint\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as \u003ci\u003eCurious Attractions: Essays on Fiction Writing\u003c\/i\u003e. 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 \u003ci\u003eFood and Wine, Esquire\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eYankee\u003c\/i\u003e. 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Michigan Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47171161817328,"sku":"9780472027521","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780472027521_p0.jpg?v=1763707619","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780472027521","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}