Stir Cheat Sheet: John Irving to comic-book heroes, 5 events to catch at the JCC Jewish Book Festival

Talks with cellist Janet Horvath, the Berkowitz Bros., and more unpack themes of identity and resilience

By Emily Lyth

(From left) John Irving, Ben Berkowitz, and Max Berkowitz.

The JCC Jewish Book Festival runs from February 21 to 26

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE of Greater Vancouver is gearing up for its 41st annual literary bash—and there are five full days of events in store.

The Jewish Book Festival is taking place from February 21 to 26, with featured authors discussing everything from musical history to religious identity in book talks pertaining to their new releases.

Here’s a look at five of the thought-provoking events in store this year.

#1

Opening Night: A Major Writer Tackles Antisemitism

February 21 at 7:30 pm

John Irving has built an impressive career for himself over the course of the last four decades. His 1978 novel The World According to Garp propelled him to international fame, winning him the National Book Award and later getting a film adaptation. He transformed another of his bestselling novels, The Cider House Rules, into the Academy Award–winning screenplay for the 1999 film of the same name. In all, he’s published 16 books.

His latest, Queen Esther, picks up where that aforementioned release left off—in the St. Cloud orphanage that shelters a young Jewish protagonist named Esther Nacht. The book tells a history-backed story of survival and identity, following her life from a childhood in the 1900s through her adulthood in the 1920s, with scenes in Vienna and concluding in Jerusalem in 1981.

At the fest’s opening-night event, Irving will be chatting with the Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman about some of the themes in his book. Copies of Queen Esther will be available for purchase at the talk.

Lihi Lapid, author of I Wanted to be Wonderful.

#2

Love, Marriage, And Motherhood

February 22 at 11:30 am

In her new novel, professional photographer–turned–bestselling author Lihi Lapid compares her own very real, often imperfect experiences of motherhood to the fictional “happily-ever-after” life most women put pressure on themselves to achieve. She’ll be talking about I Wanted To Be Wonderful at the festival with fellow author Rachel Rose.

“I didn’t want to be a good-enough mother.…I wanted to be a great mother, a charming, wonderful mother, and not just an all-right mother,” Lapid writes in her novel. “That wasn’t the reason I had conceived a child. That wasn’t why I had left the professional path. That wasn’t why I had lain in bed for six months. That wasn’t why I had gained all these extra pounds. Not to be average. I had a baby because I wanted to be wonderful.”

The book, which has been praised as incredibly relatable thanks to passages like the above and its double-narrative structure, offers a collection of realistic and deeply thoughtful takes on what it’s like being a mom in a capitalist society.

#3

Comic Book Jewish Heroes

February 23 at 7 pm

Brothers Ben and Max Berkowitz started their production company—aptly named the Berkowitz Bros.—as a means of turning their original comic-book ideas into films and TV shows. Their first project The Writer, co-created with Josh Gad (whose roles as an actor have ranged from Olaf in the Frozen franchise to friendless fiancé Doug in The Wedding Ringer), was hugely successful, and is now being adapted into a movie.

The Writer follows comic-book creator Stan Siegel, who’s suddenly plunged into a mythical realm akin to the ones he invents, where he must fend off an onslaught of enemies—everything from the fantastical creatures of Jewish folklore to literal Nazis—alongside his mom and daughter. At the festival, the Berkowitz brothers will unpack the ins and outs of their first story, including how they’ve spotlighted a Jewish main character in a plot destined for the big screen.

Cellist Janet Horvath

#4

Music, Courage, and Conscience: One Conversation at a Time

February 26 at 6 pm

Cellist Janet Horvath, who was an associate principal musician with the Minnesota Orchestra for more than three decades, is sharing her family history at an event revolving around her book The Cello Still Sings: A Generational Story of the Holocaust and the Transformative Power of Music. Her classical-musician parents were both Holocaust survivors. As such, a 1948 concert performed by Horvath’s father and legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in a Bavarian displaced-persons camp is a central element to her novel.

In her festival talk, she’ll examine how those traumatic events of the past impacted her upbringing and career—and how we can approach tough conversations conscientiously in divisive times. Presented in partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

Peter Himmelman, author of Suspended by No String.

#5

Closing Night: Music, Words, Spirit

February 26 at 8 pm

Peter Himmelman, former frontman of the Minneapolis indie-rock outfit Sussman Lawrence, is wearing two hats for this event: musician and author. His book Suspended by No String: A Songwriter’s Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder delves into some of his own philosophical musings as a man of Jewish faith. But it’s an accessible read for folks of all religious backgrounds, whether they’re consistently devout or just curious about spirituality.

Himmelman has released five children’s albums, one of which—2007’s My Green Kite—was nominated for a Grammy Award. Elsewhere in his career, he composed the score for a season of the long-running drama series Bones and earned an Emmy nomination for his song “Best Kind of Answer”. Audience members at his closing-night event can expect him to pair his signature rock-and-roll sound with existential reflections from his book. 

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