Indignant Jellyfish

To keep our lovely blog readers abreast of what's going on with the staff, I thought I would let you know about our Book and Film Club picks for this month. Please feel free to read and watch and "join" us through blog comments.

The Book Club (which meets on November 13) is reading Indignation, the latest book from Philip Roth. It is the story of Marcus Messner, a straight-A kosher butcher's son from Newark, New Jersey. The threat of Marcus being drafted to Korea looms large over the lives of the Messners: so much so that Marcus' father goes literally insane with worry, driving his son to Ohio to escape his controlling grasp. At the conservative Winesburg College, Marcus encounters people and experiences unlike those of his Jewish community in New Jersey. From the provocative Olivia Hutton, to the tradition-oriented Dean of Students, the characters (and Marcus' perception of them) paint a very vivid picture of a specific time and place in America.

The Film Club will meet on November 25 has picked Jellyfish for this month's movie of choice.Jellyfish got rave reviews at the 2007 Israeli Film Festival. It follows the story of three women in Tel Aviv: Batya, a waitress at weddings and a mute child who seemingly emerges out of the sea; Keren, a bride whose wedding Batya worked at; and Joy, a Filipino domestic, who stuggles to communicate with her employer.

Read or seen either of them? Let us know what you think. If you haven't, it's not too late! Read, watch, and give us your opinion!