THE WHOLENESS OF A BROKEN HEART By Katie Singer Published by Riverhead Books / Penguin Putnam Scroll down for Katie's favorite novels, non-fiction, and links. Katie's Favorite Novels Andrea Levy Small Island I fell in love with all of the characters in this book, and still think of them weeks after I finished it. Small Island tells the stories of a Jamaican man who served in the British Army during WWII, a British man who served in India, and their wives. This is the best novel I've read in years. Joan Chase During the Reign of the Queen of Persia In the 50s, three generations of women live together under Gram's roof in northeastern Ohio. Beautifully written. Martha Cooley The Archivist A solitary archivist, who oversees T.S. Elliot's letters to Emily Hale, is challenged by a young poet who seeks to understand religious conversions. This novel brilliantly explores the intellectual and social climate of NYC in the first years after the holocaust. Marge Edelson Malkeh and Her Children A captivating epic of a Jewish family during the Russian Revolution. If you love learning history through full-fledged characters, this book is for you. Carol Edgarian Rise the Euphrates An Armenian family copes with their legacy. Louise Erdrich Love Medicine and Tracks Intense stories of strong-willed Chippewa women in North Dakota. About loving and surviving. Molly Gloss The Jump-Off Creek An unforgettable portrait of a woman homestead alone in the Blue Mountains of Oregon in the 1890s. Annie Green Bright River Trilogy Three women are attached to Darcy: Lily, his mother, is raising his son; Jessie has fled a disastrous affair to her father's farm; Ellen is leaving her parents' home to marry a man she doesn't love. Each searches for redemption in Darcy, whose passion for freedom keeps him elusive and unknowable. The writing is mesmerizing. Jeffrey Lent In the Fall Three generations of Vermont and N. Carolinian families--starting with the return of a Union soldier to his hometown, accompanied by his bride, a former slave. Diane McKinney-Whetstone Tumbling When babies mysteriously appear on Noon and Herbie's doorsteps, they take them in. While raising the girls, Noon finds solace and comfort in her church; Herbie finds these with a jazz singer named Ethel--until Noon begins to fight for the preservation of her So. Philadelphia neighborhood. I couldn't put this one down. Gurney Norman Kinfolks Wilgus Collier comes of age in Eastern Kentucky after WWII. Chaim Potok My Name is Asher Lev When Asher Lev is moved to paint images of Christ, his devout, Jewish parents are horrified--and still they stand by him. Simone Schwarz-Bart The Bridge of Beyond In Guadeloupe, Grandmother Toussine refuses 'to make a habit of sorrow,' and instills in her granddaughter, Telumee, principles of self reliance. This book celebrates women's strengths and mysteries. Lee Smith Fair and Tender Ladies Ivy Rowe, born in Appalachia near the turn of the century, tells her story through letters she writes to family and friends. One of my all-time favorites. Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club In alternating voices, four women describe their lives in China before 1949; and their American-born daughters tell their experiences in California. Anzia Yezierska Bread Givers First published in 1925, a Jewish daughter in NYC struggles with her father and his Old World ways Mako Yoshikawa One Hundred and One Ways Kiki Takehashi is the granddaughter of a geisha she has never met, and the daughter of a rebellious woman who left her parents and Japan. A graduate student of literature, Kiki now struggles with the ghost of Phillip, her closest friend, while she becomes engaged to Eric, a lawyer whose patience with her is wearing thin. Yoshikawa's voice is lush with real-life subtleties. Her spellbinding novel sensuously describes the intricate tangles between mothers and daughters, men and women, the dead and the living. Katie's Favorite Non-Fiction Boston Women's Health Book Collective Our Bodies, Ourselves The most comprehensive (and readable) resource available regarding women's health. I can't imagine my life without this book. (N.B. a Spanish edition was recently released--Nuestros Cuerpos, Nuestros Vidas.) For teenagers, check out Changing Bodies, Changing Lives. Harvey Frauenglass Cidermaster of Rio Oscuro Frauenglass has farmed an apple orchard in northern New Mexico for 20 years (after another life as a technical writer for the nuclear industry). His memoir describes his getting to know the land, and his grief through his daughter's dying--she became sick with terminal breast cancer during her pregnancy with her first child. Andy Goldsworth A Collaboration With Nature Goldsworthy creates "plainspoken physical poetry" with leaves, stone, branches, water, and grass--then photographs his sculptures before (or while) they decay. His work is awesome!! Bert Hellinger and Hunter Beaumont Love Hidden Symmetry A clear and exceptionally provocative book about family dynamics--Hellinger and Beaumont's observations continue to inspire me. Lewis Hyde The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property An inquiry into the place of creativity in our market-oriented society, I'm still rereading this book--and I first bought it over ten years ago. Toni Weschler Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement Katie's Favorite Links Readerville www.readerville.com Literary and substantive, this zine was started by Karen Templer, who used to edit at salon.com. Poets & Writers Online www.pw.org They produce an excellent bi-monthly magazine, and their site lists names and addresses of poets and fiction writers. The Authors Guild www.authorsguild.org If you are interested in knowing more about what's going on in publishing today, I strongly recommend reading "The Midlist Study Group Report," provided through The Authors Guild at http://www.authorsguild.org/prmidlist.html. (The Authors Guild provides legal services for writers, and commissioned this report.) Jewish Women's Archive www.jwa.org Resources and exhibits that chronicle and transmit the rich legacy of Jewish women. David Moss www.davidmoss.com One of my favorite Jewish artists. He re-initiated, in the late '60s, hand-commissioned ketubot (marriage contracts); he wrote and illustrated an awesome haggadah, etc. etc. Walking Stick Foundation www.walkingstick.org My friends, Rabbi Gershon Winkler and Lakme Elior, have written numerous books which explore early interpretations of Jewish law; they also provide retreats on their land in northern New Mexico. Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet www.mothers.org Provides excellent consumer info. The Work of Byron Katie thework.org A great tool for getting to know your thinking, and unraveling your life in the best sense! The Ritual Well www.ritualwell.org A delightful, idea-packed site offering a wide range of Jewish and feminist rituals for lifecycle events, holidays, and daily life. Reading Guide | Audio Excerpts Katie's Favorites | Katie's Essays The Novelist Makes Jewelry Contact/Bio | Tour Schedule Home Copyright © 1999-2007 by Katie Singer. All rights reserved.