Kirjahaku

A Jewish-Buddhist love story and satire of modern religious mores during a Yom Kippur sermon.

Appel's hilarious novel follows three interfaith Jewish/Christian couples who unwittingly rent the ground floor of their brownstone to a charming Southern evangelist. Serving his own blend of Christian cuisine, he opens a restaurant in the space, hoping to convert the Jews of the Upper West Side. His scheme destroys the harmony of the building when one of his six landlords finds comfort in the preacher's conversion-by-gastronomy methods.Appel's mix of comedy and theology conjoin effortlessly in an entertaining, fast, and funny story which reevaluates our meanings of faith and marriage in twenty-first century America.Allen Appel is a novelist and playwright whose books include The Rabbi of Casino Boulevard and the anthology A Pocket Apocalypse: A Handy Guide to the End of the World. His work has appeared in The National Jewish Monthly and The Progressive. He lives in New York City.Also Available by Allan Appel: High Holiday SutraTP $13.95, 1-56689-065-9 * CUSA

Allan Appel has the rare ability to write comic novels about religion while being entirely respectful of people's traditions and feelings. And now he's written one about adolescence that is funny, poignant, and accessible, with characters readers will root for with glee. A kind of Romeo and Juliet tale (but with a whimsical rather than a tragic ending), all the hallmarks of a fast-paced, mainstream novel are here, yet Appel transcends the cliches with panache and has crafted a novel that just might take off like a roaring motorcycle.

"I can't think of many novels that . . . manage to be intelligent and sympathetic to not one but two oft-misunderstood American religions . . . Quite a feat." —Mark Oppenheimer, The New York TimesThe Book of Norman probes Mormon-Jewish relationships and traditions with humor and thoughtfulness. A sibling rivalry erupts between brothers Norman and Jon Gould, who compete for their dead father's soul in this wild theological ride set in southern California during the Summer of Love. Norman, a recent drop-out from the New York Jewish Seminary, wants to catch up on his generation's sex, love, and rock 'n' roll. Yet when his doper brother Jon gets a buzz cut, sells his stash, and becomes a Mormon-in- training, the battle is engaged. As the religious tug-of- war ensues, Norman tries to pull his brother back to Judaism while Jon tries to prove to Norman that Mormonism is the truer path. The struggle culminates in a monumental and hilarious game of basketball pitting Norman and two gorgeous Jewish angels, Tali and Aviva, against a Mormon team headed by Wes, the Elder, and his compatriots.Allan Appel, novelist and playwright, is the author of The Hebrew Tutor of Bel Air; High Holiday Sutra, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection; and The Rabbi of Casino Boulevard, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Raised in California and a longtime New Yorker, he lives in Connecticut, where he is a writer for the New Haven Independent.