Excerpted from my essay collection, Things You Can’t Un-see For as long as I can remember, every morning my father made my mother coffee. Contrary to stereotype, my mother was completely inept with everything in the kitchen, including the coffee maker as old as their marriage. That coffee pot symbolized to me everything a good… Continue reading He stood at the gallows and had the last laugh
Category: Writing & Publishing
Becoming Sarahbeth
Excerpted from my essay collection, Things You Can't Un-see. My husband makes fun of me for my obsession with monograms. After he caught me looking at a rotating display case of silver letter charms at a local boutique, I told him, “If you had the opportunity to name yourself, you’d be obsessed with them, too.” … Continue reading Becoming Sarahbeth
What the banning of “Maus” says about us
I knew after reading the introduction to Dara Horn’s People Love Dead Jews that I would end up blogging about it. Actually, I knew it after just reading the description on the book jacket: Often asked by major publications to write on subjects related to Jewish culture—and increasingly in response to a recent wave of… Continue reading What the banning of “Maus” says about us
When words fail, liturgy speaks
I've lost loved ones from suicide and cancer. I've written a book about living with unresolved pain and suffering. And yet, I think I'm more of an "expert" (I use the term loosely) on what not to say to hurting people rather than what to say. It's a lot easier to be dismissive or insensitive… Continue reading When words fail, liturgy speaks
The gospel of “self help”
There’s a lot of advice out there about how to conquer your problems and live your “best life.” I’ve never been entirely certain about what that means. How to become rich and famous? How to be great-looking and best dressed? I have no idea. Just perusing the Self-Help section at Barnes and Noble, I notice… Continue reading The gospel of “self help”
Redeeming September 25th
September 25th is a dark day in my life. I was sitting at my father's hospital bed with my mom and brother, watching as his breathing grew more labored until, finally, he stopped altogether. David Joseph Caplin died at around 11am on the morning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, 2014. Not long before… Continue reading Redeeming September 25th
Spinning Crap Into Fertilizer: cover reveal + foreword
I am thrilled to present to you the cover for my next book, Spinning Crap Into Fertilizer: How American Christianity has forgotten the necessity of suffering: When it comes to suffering, there are two kinds of people in this world… Those who say, “Crap happens,” and those who cry out, “Why is this crap happening… Continue reading Spinning Crap Into Fertilizer: cover reveal + foreword
For the Christian whose testimony is “different”
There are a lot of articles out there for Christians whose testimonies are too "bland." For the person who grew up in a Christian home and answered an altar call at the age of four, who can't remember a time in their lives when they weren't Christian, they often wonder: how can I make an… Continue reading For the Christian whose testimony is “different”
Jewish hair, Christian faith
My one-time experience at a Jewish sleepaway camp (I know, I know, don’t get me started on the absurdity of the phrase “Jewish camp”) was full of, shall we say, unique experiences: from a production of The Sound of Music featuring nuns with popsicle-stick Stars of David instead of crosses to lively debates about who… Continue reading Jewish hair, Christian faith