BookSwell

An inspiring book about the power of community based on one of Rabbi Sharon Brous’s most impactful sermons.Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00PMThe Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and WorldRabbi Sharon BrousIn conversation with Father Gregory BoyleCo-presented with Skylight Books“Rabbi Brous shares remarkable compassion, insight, and moral vision in these pages that illuminate a way forward at a time when the fog of fear and anger in the world grows ever dense. This wonderful book is welcome, affirming, and urgently needed.” —Bryan Stevenson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just MercyJoin us for a conversation with one of our country’s most prominent rabbis, Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR, discussing her new book, The Amen Effect, which looks at our society’s deep disconnection and alienation and explores how we can tackle our loneliness and isolation by embracing and rebuilding our communities.Rabbi Brous will be in conversation with celebrated Los Angeles-based activist and founder of Homeboy Industries, Father Gregory Boyle.

Writers Bloc and PEN AMERICA present Moshe KasherWE REQUEST THAT YOU WEAR A MASK AT THE PROGRAM.Stand-up comedian Moshe Kasher, author of the magnificent memoir, Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16, has written another book. And it's as absorbing, consuming, and culturally relevant as his first.Subculture Vulture is the story of Moshe Kasher's unbelievably unconventional life in six parts, each part relating to his significant experience exploring and living many different lives as part of many groups. His adolescence in Alcoholics Anonymous. American Sign Language Interpreter. His complicated relationship with religious Judaism. Burning Man employee. Raver. And of course, Comedy. Moshe Kasher is dazzlingly funny while leading us head-on into truths about communities and consequential subcultures that formed who he is.Mayim Bialik stands at the crossroads of comedy and mental health. Talk about a brilliant multi-hyphenate. Mayim Bialik's acclaimed and enormously popular podcast, Breakdown, covers a range of mental health issues, based on her background and interest in neuroscience. The podcast is notable not only for her expertise, but also for her guest list, which includes a wide array of scientists, Read More ...

Join Mark Daley as he discusses his new memoir. ABOUT THE BOOK A heartrending and unforgettable memoir of an unlikely journey to parenthood through America's broken foster care system. What does it take to keep a child safe? As a long-time strategist and activist fighting for better outcomes for foster children, Mark Daley thought he had the answer. But when Ethan and Logan, an adorable infant and a precocious toddler, entered into their lives, Mark and his husband Jason quickly realized they were not remotely prepared for the uncertainty and complication of foster parenting. Every day seven hundred children enter the foster care system in the United States, and thousands more live on the brink. Safe offers a deeply personal window into what happens when the universal longing for family crashes up against the unique madness and bureaucracy of a child protection system that often fails to consider the needs of the most vulnerable parties of all--the children themselves. Daley takes us on a roller coaster ride as he and Jason grapple with Ethan and Logan's potential reunification with their biological family, learn brutal lessons about sacrifice, acceptance, and healing, and face the honest, heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious challenges of Read More ...

Join us for a captivating in-person lecture on books bound in human skin during Rare Books LA - Pasadena!Dark Archives: Books Bound in Human SkinJoin librarian and author Megan Curran Rosenbloom for a discussion of her book Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin, which was a New York Times editor’s choice.Megan Curran Rosenbloom is Collection Strategies Librarian at UCLA Library in Los Angeles. She served as a medical librarian for many years, during which she developed a keen interest in the history of medicine and rare books.This talk is being held during Rare Books LA - Pasadena.For the love of books! Rare Books LA – Pasadena welcomes booksellers and bibliophiles from around the world to share their love of books, fine prints, maps, ephemera, and more on February 3-4, 2024 at the Pasadena Convention Center.“This book fair is a can’t miss whether you’re searching for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the book lover in your life or just want to spend a fun and educational day with a loved one,” said Rare Books LA Director Jodi Tolan. In addition to rare books, visitors will see everything from historic maps Read More ...