What’s a Jew To Do?
How a secular, humanist Jew loses friends on both sides of the Israel-Gaza divide. It is scary to speak up at a time like this but too isolating not to.
Tema Frank
Historical Fiction & Business Author, World Traveler & Speaker
Tema Frank
Historical Fiction & Business Author, World Traveler & Speaker
Category History & Politics
Read MoreWhat’s a Jew To Do?
Fun With History
You get a different sense of history when you read old newspapers instead of just history books.
Book Review: Darkness at Noon
Written in 1940 about Stalinist Russia, Darkness at Noon contains a chilling explanation of the recent trend towards authoritarianism in much of the world. I give it 5 stars.
Book Review: Street Corner Dreams
Street Corner Dreams: A Novel by Florence Reiss Kraut My rating: 4 of 5 stars My father grew up in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn that was about half Italian and half Jewish. It marked him in several ways, most…
Book Review: The Confessions of Young Nero
Nero gets an unfair bad rap, according to Margaret George's book, The Confessions of Young Nero. If you grew up in the kind of environment he did, you'd have issues too.
What to Do in Magnificent Mexico City – Part I (2023)
Mexico City adventures: cycling in the city, eating, drinking, and the incredible Anthropology Museum
What to do in Magnificent Mexico City: Part 2 (2023)
Exploring ancient Mexico City: the Zocalo, the Templo Mayor archeological site, and the magnificent colonial-era Postal Palace
Book Review: Half of a Yellow Sun
A must-read if you want to get a real sense of what war is like for those who live in war-torn countries.
Book Review: The Diamond Eye
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn My rating: 4 of 5 stars Both the writing and the story sparkle like diamonds in this historical novel by Kate Quinn, based on the life of WWII Soviet female sniper, Mila Pavlichenko. If…
Book Review: The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah
Book review of best-selling author, Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds, set during the dustbowl era in the U.S.
Two Days Cycling on Marie Galante, Guadeloupe
The Guadeloupe island of Marie Galante is a gorgeous, calm, place for a couple of days of cycling.
Is Democracy in Danger? (& 2 book reviews)
If you've grown up in a country like Canada it can be hard to imagine that democracies like ours can fall. Historical fiction helps bring the risks to light. Includes book reviews of "A Long Petal of the Sea" and "It Can't Happen Here".