On the Possibility that Things Can Be Different
Naomi Alderman’s Five Books:
1. Genesis
3. The Power Broker by Robert Caro
4. The Strangest Idea In The World by Adam Mastroianni (preorder)
5. The Strangers by Naomi Alderman
The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous, Sam Sussman, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Allegra Goodman.
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Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen
Produced by Odelia Rubin
Editorial and website support by Aimee Fogel
Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson Studio
Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions
Naomi Alderman speaks with us about “tunneling through” the reality of grief by writing a blend of science fiction and autofiction.The Strangers is a novel about a writer named Naomi Alderman who has lost her mother, has experienced multiple pregnancy losses—and is documenting the small, mysterious animals called “mimmoths” which are taking over London. We discuss Maus by Art Spiegelman and the animal nature of grief. And Naomi tells us about the dream she had when she moved away from Orthodox observance, her continued deep relationship with Judaism, and the critical importance of values. We also talk about women’s tendency to mistrust themselves and making space for beauty and the unexpected even as life rarely goes according to plan.
Naomi Alderman is the bestselling author of more than five novels, including The Power, which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and was chosen as a book of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and was recommended as a book of the year by both Barack Obama and Bill Gates, and went on to be adapted into a series starring Toni Collette. Naomi has been mentored by Margaret Atwood via the Rolex Arts Initiative, she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and her work has been translated into more than thirty-five languages. As a videogame designer, she was lead writer on the alternate reality game Perplex City, and is cocreator of the award-winning exercise adventure game Zombies, Run!, which has more than 10 million players. She is professor of creative writing at Bath Spa University and she lives in London.
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