May is Jewish American Heritage Month, which means now is the perfect time to celebrate the literary contributions and culture of the many Jewish Americans writing today. Some books below are about the history and religion of Jewish Americans, while others are simply fantastic stories told by Jewish American authors. From history to fantasy to a time traveling Passover goat, find them all on the Libby app from your library.

Nonfiction

On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates by Zibby Owens
🎧 Audiobook

Publisher and cofounder of Artists Against Antisemitism, Zibby Owens has edited this powerful collection of essays from over 70 Jewish writers discussing what life has been like since October 7. The essays range from funny to painful to sad and back again, expressing with remarkable honesty the range of emotions the authors have felt personally and witnessed in their wider community.

It’s easy to see why this collection became a bestseller as people search for solace and understanding.

Saints and Liars: The Story of Americans Who Saved Refugees from the Nazis by Debórah Dwork
🎧 Audiobook

Several American relief organizations, some governmental and many private, worked around the world in the late 1930s and into the 1940s to save Jews from the dangers of Nazi Germany. Chance and luck played a large role in who escaped, and Dwork’s history takes a deep dive into how several of these groups, including organizations sponsored by Jewish civic and religious groups, as well as the Unitarian Church and the Quakers, tried to give the refugees a chance to survive.

This is also a fascinating global tour, as the organizations worked wherever there happened to be large Jewish communities needing help, from Lithuania to Portugal, France, and Shanghai.

Roman Year: A Memoir by André Aciman
🎧 Audiobook

Writer Aciman was born into the long-established Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt. But when he was young, his family, along with the other Jews of Alexandria, were expelled from Egypt. Receiving little help and sometimes even being robbed by people who were supposed to aid them, André, his younger brother, and deaf mother landed in Rome. His memoir, covering the time the family lived in the Eternal City, is written as beautifully as any of his novels, complete with his usual themes of love, memory, and belonging.

Fiction

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
🎧 Audiobook

Honestly, I’m a little obsessed with this series right now, which opens with Sword Catcher and is continued in The Ragpicker King, just released in March. In the city of Castellane, orphan Kel is selected to become Prince Conor’s sword catcher—part double, part bodyguard, part confidant. Their lives intersect with Lin Caster, a female physician forced to live in the Sault because of her Ashkari heritage, but who is introduced to Conor and Kel by the king’s chief advisor, Lin’s grandfather.

The worldbuilding is rich and slow-burn romance is brewing beneath all the court intrigue. I can’t get enough of this, especially on audio, with two fantastic readers taking on Kel and Lin.

Isola by Allegra Goodman
🎧 Audiobook

Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval, a noble Frenchwoman in the 16th century, is orphaned at an early age. Her cousin is supposed to take care of her—managing her family estate and finding her a good husband, primarily—but instead he takes advantage of her fortune and helplessness. The turn of events grows ever more shocking, until Marguerite finds herself marooned on an island off the coast of Canada with the man she loves, desperate to survive the winter.

A perfect choice for historical fiction fans, especially those looking for a feminist angle. It’s easy to see how this was a Reese’s Book Club pick.

What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
🎧 Audiobook

If you’re looking for a brand-new romance, this is your book! Poor Dani Dorfman is having a rough time, so she packs up for a fresh start in Amsterdam. Her new apartment is…modest (medieval dungeon might be more apt), but she’s determined to make her new life work. Enter Wouter van Leeuwen, a Dutchman who lived with Dani’s family as an exchange student. But he’s more than just an old friend—he’s Dani’s ex, and there are still some hard feelings. It might be worth getting over those hard feelings, though, since Wouter can offer Dani a magnificent place to live and a visa, if she’ll indulge in a marriage of convenience.

Children’s

The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Selina Alko

On April 18, 1966, a fire raged through the Jewish Theological Seminary library in New York. The library is one place that is a keeper of stories, but in the fire’s aftermath, many people came together to also become keepers of stories. They tried to save the majority of the collection that was not burned but water damaged by the firefighters who put out the blaze. The illustrations are truly gorgeous and the tale is a moving reminder of how much can be saved when people choose to work together.

Ten Purim Bears: A Counting Book for Purim by Ron Atlas and Zach Horvath

Purim is a delightful holiday, full of exciting costumes. In this picture book, 10 costumed bears get ready for the holiday, all while teaching children to count to 10. Among the fun-loving bears is a doctor, a superhero, and a baker, who thankfully brings the hamantaschen. Yum!

One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe by Dara Horn and Theo Ellsworth

And finally, as promised, learn the importance and history of Passover from none other than a time traveling goat! This delightful graphic novel is about the longest Passover seder ever, according to our hero, the Wise Child. You see, no one can leave the table until a hidden piece of matzah, the afikomen, is found. But the Wise Child’s baby sister threw the afikomen into another dimension, and only the time traveling goat can help the Wise Child navigate through thousands of years of Passovers to find the lost bit of matzah.

*Title availability may vary.

Titles featured in this article:

• On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates by Zibby Owens (NONFICTION)
• Saints and Liars: The Story of Americans Who Saved Refugees from the Nazis by Debórah Dwork (NONFICTION)
• Roman Year: A Memoir by André Aciman (NONFICTION)
• Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare (FICTION)
• Isola by Allegra Goodman (FICTION)
• What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon (FICTION)
• The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Selina Alko (CHILDREN’S)
• Ten Purim Bears: A Counting Book for Purim by Ron Atlas and Zach Horvath (CHILDREN’S)
• One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe by Dara Horn and Theo Ellsworth (CHILDREN’S)