Novel

John Irving's new novel follows a Jewish heroine across decades

John Irving’s Queen Esther follows an orphaned Jewish girl who becomes a family’s anchor, fights Nazis, and shapes Israel’s birth –while her son comes of age amid Vietnam and identity, love, and loss

|ByGLENN C. ALTSCHULER
Queen Esther by John Irving
Philip Roth in 1967.

Philip Roth’s flawed brilliance and its impact on Jewish identity - opinion

Philip Roth’s legacy continues to challenge and shape and challenge ideas of Jewish identity.

|BySTEPHEN DANIEL ARNOFF/JTA
Omar El Akkad attends the 76th National Book Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 19, 2025 in New York City.

National Book Award in nonfiction goes to ‘One day, everyone will have always been against this'

“It’s very difficult to think in celebratory terms about a book that was written in response to a genocide,” El Akkad said in his acceptance speech.

|ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Sasha Vasilyuk’s novel, "Your Presence Is Mandatory," was inspired by the story of her grand­fa­ther, right, a Sovi­et World War II sol­dier who nev­er talked about the war.

Her Jewish grandfather’s shame inspired a prize-winning novel

Sasha Vasilyuk's debut novel, “Your Presence Is Mandatory,” won the $100,000 prize for a story inspired by her father’s father, a Jewish soldier in the Red Army.

|ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA

Love story between Nazi and Jew roils romance novel community

"Co-opting a genocide to further your specific religious perspective is unacceptable," critic says about 'For Such a Time.'

AUGUST 10, 2015ByJPOST.COM STAFF
Cover of 'For Such a Time'