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Artwork for The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them

The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them

Tali Rosenblatt Cohen
Jewish Identity
Judaism
Holocaust
Literature
Anti-Semitism
Jewish Literature
Cultural Identity
Jewish Book Month
Tikkun Olam
World War II
Cancer
The Lost Baker Of Vienna
Tevye the Dairyman
Israel
Loss
Identity
Jewish Community
Humor
Holocaust Studies
Antisemitism

The Five Books celebrates the role of books in our lives. Each week we’ll talk with a Jewish author about five books in five categories. We’ll hear about: two Jewish books that have impacted the author’s Jewish identity; one book (not necessarily Jewish) that they think everyone should read - a book that changed their worldview. We’ll get a peek into what book they're reading now, and we’ll hear ... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes63Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BooksArtsJudaismReligion & Spirituality

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Artwork for The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them

Latest Episodes

After publishing her essay collection People Love Dead Jews, Dara Horn found her inbox flooded with messages from readers about their own experiences of anti-semitism. She realized that her readers wanted her to come up with an answer to all the prob... more

With the Jewish holiday season fast approaching, many of us are thinking about holiday hosting. Rebekah Lowin has you covered: a challah recipe, an apple themed tablescape, an etrog mold dupe, and a Yom Kippur break-fast recovery packet for your gues... more

Bruce Feiler speaks to us about the relationship between storytelling and ritual — and why both are essential tools for navigating change, creating meaning and building connection. We also discuss the moments when life takes a difficult turn (“lifequ... more

As this episode is released in the days before Tisha B'Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, it feels especially fitting to sit with a conversation about grief, faith, and what it means to keep living after unimaginable loss. Tisha B'Av commemo... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Rebekah Lowin
Author of A Year of Jewish Joy; writer and content creator
Episode: Rebekah Lowin on Crafting Jewish Joy
Bruce Feiler
Author and journalist known for books on family, life transitions, and the Bible
Author of A Time To Gather
Episode: Bruce Feiler on Making Meaning, One Ritual at a Time
Rachel Goldberg-Polin
Author of When We See You Again
Author
Episode: Rachel Goldberg-Polin on Surviving Grief
Portia Elan
Author of Homebound
Episode: Portia Elan on the Future We Choose
Dahlia Adler
Award-winning author of romance novels for teens and adults; founder of LGBTQ Reads
Author; LGBTQ Reads
Episode: Dahlia Adler on Writing a Spicy Modern Orthodox Romance
Laurie Frankel
Author of Enormous Wings
Laurie Frankel (author)
Episode: Laurie Frankel on the Jewish Ability to Hold Multiple Truths
Nicholas Lemann
Author and journalist; professor and dean emeritus at Columbia Journalism School
Columbia University
Episode: Nicholas Lemann on Being Jewish in the Shadow of the American South
Fran Fabriczki
Author of Porcupines
Episode: Fran Fabriczki on “Homelooseness” and a Love Letter to Los Angeles
Adeena Sussman
Cookbook author and culinary writer
Tel Aviv-based author and chef
Episode: Adeena Sussman on Flavor as a Jewish Language

Host

Tali Rosenblatt Cohen
Host of The Five Books Pod

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 84 ratings
  • Love this!

    Very educational and informative about my Judaism!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Yaircohen123
    United States10 months ago
  • Kin

    I’m a practicing Episcopalian deeply interested the history and theology of my faith. I am in a single digit %age of Christians. Every worship service ion the Episcopal liturgy includes a reading from the Old Testament, the psalms and The New Testament. The “cultural Christians” are not well read. The Protestant style of religion is not well informed. We share history and styles

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NBerault
    United Statesa year ago
  • Wonderful conversations and book recommendations!

    I’ve added so many books to my to-read list because of this podcast… And I hope one day to be a guest myself and join the ranks of these incredible Jewish writers.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ohthewhomanity
    United Statesa year ago
  • SheReaders Book Club

    This is so informative! The authors always feel so comfortable that they really open up and share. I love this podcast!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Allbymyselfalone
    United Statesa year ago
  • Thoughtful and approachable

    Love this podcast. It’s intellectual and thoughtful without being wonky or unnecessarily highfalutin.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    DeisCane
    United Kingdoma year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners want deeper or broader topic coverage in certain episodes.
Thoughtful, approachable conversations—intellectual without being stuffy.
Listeners praise diverse guest lineups and strong literary recommendations.
Authors feel at ease and open up, creating a warm, book-club vibe.
Show is a welcoming space for authentic Jewish literary discussion.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#185
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#166
Israel/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Rebekah Lowin on Crafting Jewish Joy
Q: Can you tell us about your general approach to creativity in the book and how you balance tradition with accessibility?
The guest describes a rule to imagine fun takes on holidays while staying rooted in tradition, ensuring the book is accessible to a broad audience without simplifying or diluting the depth of Jewish practice.
Portia Elan on the Future We Choose
Q: How did your own conversion and Jewish learning influence the way you depict ritual time and memory in the book?
She discusses Heschel's idea of Shabbat as a 'palace in time' and how rituals become a framework for memory and ethical living that anchors the characters' choices across centuries.
Portia Elan on the Future We Choose
Q: Before you wrote Homebound, what drew you to weave Jewish texts and themes into a science-fiction future?
Portia explains that her approach was to have a continuous conversation with big questions about belonging, home, and community, drawing on rabbinic and philosophical sources to foreground Jewish dialogue as a living practice that travels across time.
Nicholas Lemann on Being Jewish in the Shadow of the American South
Q: What led you to focus on this line of research now?
A combination of journalistic curiosity about a rich archival trove and a personal interest in understanding his family's history and its implications for identity and belonging.
Nicholas Lemann on Being Jewish in the Shadow of the American South
Q: Can you give us a quick snapshot of the book?
It is a family history, more personal than his prior work, built from an unusually large archive of papers that trace five generations and explore what home means across time.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Listeners tune in to hear intimate conversations with Jewish authors about how books shape identity, culture, and worldviews. Episodes commonly center on themes like ritual, memory, grief, and memory-making through literature, with deep dives into how personal histories, family stories, and Jewish texts intersect with contemporary life. Guests span novelists, memoirists, cookbook writers, and journalists, offering nuanced takes on representation, diaspora, and the role of storytelling in community. The show often blends literary analysis with personal narrative, yielding practical takeaways for readers and aspiring guests alike, and it frequently highlights how literature can illuminate ethical questions and cultural memory in today's world... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Identity/Crisis
2. For Heaven's Sake
3. Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam
4. What Matters Now
5. Being Jewish with Jonah Platt

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this podcast launched 2 years ago and published 63 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Rebekah Lowin
2. Bruce Feiler
3. Rachel Goldberg-Polin
4. Portia Elan
5. Dahlia Adler
6. Laurie Frankel
7. Nicholas Lemann
8. Fran Fabriczki

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