A Virtual Book Club for Duke Alumni, Parents, and Friends
The Duke Jewish Alumni Network (DJAN) is partnering with the Jewish Book Council to bring notable books, discussions, and author conversations to alumni and friends!
The DJAN Book Club, supported by Jewish Life at Duke and Duke Lifelong Learning, offers an opportunity for alumni, parents, and friends to read six books during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Join our virtual book club sessions, where alumni and Duke faculty/staff will lead thoughtful conversations about each book. And – thanks to the Jewish Book Council – many of these conversations will feature the authors themselves!
Read one – or all – of the books, according to your interest or schedule. All discussions take place virtually from 7:00-8:00pm ET.
All Duke alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and students are welcome, regardless of religious/cultural identity.
Thursday, October 29, 2024 – “Stranger in the Desert” by Jordan Salama (with the author!)
About The Book
“Inspired by family lore, a young writer embarks on an epic quest through the Argentine Andes in search of a heritage spanning hemispheres and centuries, from the Jewish Levant to turn-of-the-century trade routes in South America. One Thanksgiving afternoon at his grandparents’ house, Jordan Salama discovers a large binder stuffed with yellowing papers and old photographs—a five-hundred-year wandering history of his Arab-Jewish family, from Moorish Spain to Ottoman Syria to Argentina and beyond. One story in particular captures his attention: that of his great-grandfather, a Syrian-born, Arabic-speaking Jewish immigrant to Argentina who in the 1920s worked as a traveling salesman in the Andes—and may have left behind forgotten descendants along the way. Encouraged by his grandfather, Jordan goes in search of these “Lost Salamas,” traveling more than a thousand miles up the spine of South America’s greatest mountain range. Combining travelog, history, memoir, and reportage, Stranger in the Desert transports readers from the lonely plains of Patagonia to the breathtaking altiplano of the high Andes; from the old Jewish quarter of Damascus to today’s vibrant neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. It is also a fervent journey of self-discovery as Salama grapples with his own Jewish, Arab, and Latin American identities, interrogating the stories families tell themselves, and to what end.”
About The Author
Jordan Salama is a writer covering culture and the environment in the Americas. His essays and stories have appeared in National Geographic, New York Magazine, The New York Times and other publications. An American writer of Argentine, Syrian, and Iraqi Jewish descent, he is the author of Every Day the River Changes, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2021, and the 2022 Princeton “Pre-Read,” and Stranger in the Desert, forthcoming in February 2024. He graduated from Princeton University in 2019 and has been based, in recent years, between New York and Buenos Aires. In his free time, he enjoys jamming on the piano and guitar with his younger brothers, playing soccer, and kayaking in the waters of NYC.
Discussion Facilitator
Danya Belkin ’25, Current Duke Senior and Co-Founded of Jewtinos@Duke
Danya Belkin is a Duke senior from Santa Barbara, California, studying Political Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Spanish. She plans to obtain a law degree after graduation. Before attending Duke, she took a gap year in Israel (2020-2021). Danya has been active in Latin and Jewish communities since high school. She is President of Duke Friends of Israel and founded Jewtinos@Duke, a Jewish-Latino student group advised by Jewish Life at Duke. She interned at the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a legal nonprofit focused on combating antisemitism. As the culmination of her internship, she organized a conference at Duke titled “Common Ground: Anti-Semitism, Zionism and Dialogue.” Additionally, she interned at the immigration law firm, Goldstein & Lee, P.C. Danya also studied in Madrid, Spain, during the Fall 2023 semester. In her free time, Danya enjoys traveling.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – “Fervor” by Toby Lloyd
About The Book
“Hannah and Eric Rosenthal are devout Jews living in North London with their three children and Eric’s father Yosef, a Holocaust survivor. Both intellectually gifted and deeply unconventional, the Rosenthals believe in the literal truth of the Old Testament and in the presence of God (and evil) in daily life. As Hannah prepares to publish an account of Yosef’s years in war-torn Europe—unearthing a terrible secret from his time in the camps—Elsie, her perfect daughter, starts to come undone. And then, in the wake of Yosef’s death, she disappears. When she returns, just as mysteriously as she left, she is altered in disturbing ways. Witnessing the complete transformation of her daughter, Hannah begins to suspect that Elsie has delved too deep into the labyrinths of Jewish mysticism and gotten lost among shadows. But for Elsie’s brother Tovyah, the truth is much simpler: his sister is the product of a dysfunctional family, obsessed with rituals, traditions, and unbridled ambition. But who is right? Is religion the cure for the disease or the disease itself? And how can they stop the darkness from engulfing Elsie completely? Bristling with the energy of a great campus novel and the unsettling, ever-shifting ground of a great horror tale, Fervor is a powerful family story—and “fans of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Stephen King alike will thrill to this superb modern folk tale” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).”
About The Author
Toby Lloyd was born in London to a secular father and a Jewish mother. He studied English at Oxford University before moving to America to pursue an MFA in creative writing at NYU. He has published short stories and essays in Carve Magazine and the Los Angeles Review of Books and was longlisted for the 2021 V. S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. He lives in London.
Discussion Facilitator
To Be Announced
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 – “Your Presence is Mandatory” by Sasha Vasilyuk (with the author!)
About The Book
“A riveting debut novel, based on real events, about a World War II veteran with a secret that could land him in the Gulag, and his family who are forced to live in the shadow of all he has not told them. Ukraine, 2007. Yefim Shulman, husband, grandfather and war veteran, was beloved by his family and his coworkers. But in the days after his death, his widow Nina finds a letter to the KGB in his briefcase. Yefim had a lifelong secret, and his confession forces them to reassess the man they thought they knew and the country he had defended. In 1941, Yefim is a young artillerist on the border between the Soviet Union and Germany, eager to defend his country and his large Jewish family against Hitler’s forces. But surviving the war requires sacrifices Yefim never imagined-and even when the war ends, his fight isn’t over. He must conceal his choices from the KGB and from his family. Spanning seven decades between World War II and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, Your Presence Is Mandatory traces the effect Yefim’s coverup had on the lives of Nina, their two children and grandchildren. In the process, Sasha Vasilyuk shines a light on one family caught between two totalitarian regimes, and the grace they find in the course of their survival.”
About The Author
Sasha Vasilyuk was born in the Soviet Crimea and spent her childhood between Ukraine and Russia before immigrating to San Francisco at age 13. She has a MA in Journalism from New York University, and her nonfiction has been published in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, BBC, The Telegraph, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. She lives in San Francisco, California with her family.
Discussion Facilitator
Linda Hoffman Sterling ’82, MBA’83
After retiring from a career in packaged goods and upscale marketing, Linda Sterling has devoted her time to education and education reform, health care and Jewish causes. She currently serves on the boards of Duke’s Trinity Board of Visitors, the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, the Jewish Women’s Foundation, the Jewish Book Council, and the Pan-Mass Advisory Board. She is a past Chair of DukeEngage, and also served on the Duke Alumni Association Board. Linda also chairs the Duke University Northern NJ Alumni Interview Chair. Previously, she spent many years on the boards of the Montclair Kimberley Academy, the Montclair Art Museum, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northern NJ, Bloomfield College, and the Association of Junior Leagues International. Linda is an avid reader, and runs a book and author series at the Montclair Golf Club for the last 5 years. She is also a judge for the Jewish Book Awards. She has annually participated in the Pan Mass Challenge for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, cycling 200 miles in 2 days across the state of Massachusetts. Her career included stints at H.J. Heinz, Pepsi-Co, Tiffany & Co, and Angel Records. Linda and her husband, Brian, live in West Orange, NJ, and have adult children.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 – “Food, Hope & Resilience: Authentic Recipes and Remarkable Stories from Holocaust Survivors” by June Hersh (with the author!)
About The Book
“This vital collection of survivor stories uplifts and inspires alongside recipes that nourish your soul. Read about daring partisans who fought in the woods, hidden children who sought comfort from strangers and those who endured unimaginable internment. For Holocaust survivors, food was a way to connect their lives before the war with the homes they created after. Their kitchens were filled with the aromas of familiar foods like chicken soup and brisket, while unfamiliar delights they adopted, like arroz con pollo and gnocchi, became part of their repertoire. These are the recipes they share with you. Culinary icons such as Michael Solomonov, Jonathan Waxman, Ina Garten and more contribute their own recipes as tribute to the remarkable survivor community. Author June Hersh gives readers a taste of history and a life-affirming message that honors the legacy of Holocaust survivors.”
BOOK DISCOUNT: Author June Hersh has kindly offered DJAN Book Club members a discount code when purchased through the website www.junehersh.com. Hersh will also inscribe books purchased through this site if desired. Use code Foodie18 at www.junehersh.com.
About the Author
June Hersh is a five-time published author, with four cookbooks and one Holocaust photography book. She focuses on food history, mainly the connection between Jewish experiences and food memory. June’s books are written with a charitable flavor, as her proceeds benefit not-for-profit Jewish-related organizations. She has been featured on radio, TV, in print, and hundreds of book talks related to her work.
Discussion Facilitator
To Be Announced
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 – “Songs for the Brokenhearted” by Ayelet Tsabari
About The Book
“A young Yemeni Israeli woman learns of her mother’s secret romance in a dramatic journey through lost family stories, revealing the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter — the debut novel of an award-winning literary voice.1950. Thousands of Yemeni Jews have immigrated to the newly founded Israel in search of a better life. In an overcrowded immigrant camp in Rosh Ha’ayin, Yaqub, a shy young man, happens upon Saida, a beautiful girl singing by the river. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, they fall in love. But they weren’t supposed to; Saida is married and has a child, and a married woman has no place befriending another man. 1995. Thirty-something Zohara, Saida’s daughter, has been living in New York City—a city that feels much less complicated than Israel, where she grew up wishing that her skin was lighter, that her illiterate mother’s Yemeni music was quieter, and that the father who always favored her was alive. She hasn’t looked back since leaving home, rarely in touch with her mother or sister, Lizzie, and missing out on her nephew Yoni’s childhood. But when Lizzie calls to tell her their mother has died, she gets on a plane to Israel with no return ticket. Soon Zohara finds herself on an unexpected path that leads to shocking truths about her family—including dangers that lurk for impressionable young men and secrets that force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, her heritage, and her own future.”
About The Author
Ayelet Tsabari was born in Israel to a large family of Yemeni descent. After serving in the Israeli army, she traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe, and now lives in Toronto, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto. The Best Place on Earth won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and was long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.
Discussion Facilitator
To Be Announced
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 – “The Most Human: Reconciling with my Father, Leonard Nimoy” by Adam Nimoy (with the author!)
About The Book
“While the tabloids and fan publications portrayed the Nimoys as a “close family,” to his son Adam, Leonard Nimoy was a total stranger. The actor was as inscrutable as the iconic half-Vulcan science officer he portrayed on Star Trek, even to those close to him. Now, his son’s poignant memoir explores their complicated relationship and how it informed his views on marriage, parenting, and later, sobriety. Despite their differences, both men ventured down parallel paths: marriages leading to divorce, battling addiction, and finding recovery. Most notably, both men struggled to take the ninth step in their AA journey: to make amends with each other. Discover how the son of Spock learned to navigate this tumultuous relationship—from Shabbat dinners to basement AA meetings—and how he was finally able to reconcile with his father—and with himself.”
About The Author
Adam Nimoy is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Loyola Law School. He left the practice of law to pursue a directing career in network television. He directed the critically acclaimed film about his father For the Love of Spock.
Discussion Facilitator
Dr. Mohamed Noor, Executive Vice Provost and Professor of Biology, Duke University
Dr. Mohamed Noor was appointed Duke’s Executive Vice Provost on July 1, 2024. A Professor of Biology, Noor served as Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs from February 2023 through June 2024, Interim Dean of Trinity College from July 2022 through January 2023, and as Dean of Natural Sciences within Trinity College from 2019-2023.
His research has focused on various questions in evolutionary genetics, including what genetic changes contribute to the formation of new species, the role of genetic recombination in species formation and molecular evolution, and what and why lethal-causing gene variants persist in natural populations.
Dr. Noor has published two books, including “Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds,” an entertaining introduction to genetics and evolutionary concepts (paralleling the scientific content of his Duke and Coursera classes) through the lens of the popular science-fiction television show. He holds credits as a science advisor in Star Trek Discovery seasons 3-4.
See you between the pages of our next great read! Sign up for our Early Interest list by using the button below.
Even More Ways to Get Involved: Host an In-Person Gathering
Want to host an in-person gathering in your home for fellow alumni and parents in your region?
Duke alumni, parents, faculty, or staff may sign up to host an in-person gathering to coincide with one of our virtual book club discussions!
Hosts agree coordinate a gathering in their homes on one of the dates listed above, for pre-event social time (recommended 6:30-7:00 ET), participation in the virtual event as a group (7:00-8:00pm ET), and post-event social time (recommended 8:00pm-8:30pm ET).
Hosts may choose to provide light refreshments and/or beverages. Hosts also coordinate a screen/TV monitor on which the virtual event can be viewed by the group.
Your event would be publicized to fellow Duke alumni and parents in your region for sign-up.
Sign up using the sign-up button above. You’ll will be asked to select a date(s) on which you’d like to host, and indicate your location and guest capacity. DJAN organizers will be in touch to confirm hosting details. Thank you!
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About Jewish Life at Duke
Jewish Life at Duke (JLD) is the hub for all things Jewish on Duke’s campus. An accredited Hillel as well as a department within Duke University’s Division of Student Affairs, Jewish Life at Duke is guided by a mission to empower Jewish students to learn and grow intellectually and spiritually; to inspire and nurture personal paths to Jewish identity; and to cultivate community and friendship. Comprising the Freeman Center for Jewish Life and the Rubenstein-Silvers Hillel, JLD takes a pluralistic approach to Judaism to ensure that all Jewish students, regardless of affiliation, are welcome and included.
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