Rec­om­mend­ed Reading

Jew­ish Book Coun­cil’s June Reads

JBC Staff
June 3, 2026

Draw­ings by Kate Gavino

With sum­mer almost here, it’s time for vaca­tion, relax­ation, and, of course, read­ing! Here’s what we’re look­ing for­ward to bring­ing with us to beach­es, ham­mocks, planes, and sim­ply air-con­di­tioned rooms. 

If you’d like even more rec­om­men­da­tions for June, check out our Queer Jew­ish Nar­ra­tives read­ing list, our 2026 Sum­mer Book­shelf, or our lat­est book reviews.


Nao­mi Fire­­s­­­­tone-Teeter, CEO

Rise Above: A Mem­oir by Matthew Schnipper

Marc Roth­stein, COO

The Girl Who Rode the White Lion by Yishay Ishi Ron, trans­lat­ed by Yardenne Greenspan

Miri Pomer­antz Dauber, Asso­ciate Director

Heart of a Stranger: An Unlike­ly Rab­bi’s Sto­ry of Faith, Iden­ti­ty, and Belong­ing by Angela Buchdahl

Kate Schmi­er, Direc­tor of Pub­lish­ing Relations

We Want So Much to Be Our­selves by Stephen O’Connor

Suzanne Swift, Direc­tor of JBC Network

The Gates of Mid­night by Helene Wecker

Evie Saphire-Bern­stein, Pro­gram Director

The Lost Girl of Craven Coun­ty by Emi­ly Matchar

Bec­ca Kan­tor, Edi­to­r­i­al Director

Peo­ple With­out His­to­ry are Dust: Queer Desire in the Holo­caust by Anna Hájková, trans­lat­ed by William Ross Jones

Arielle Lan­dau, Pro­gram and Part­ner­ships Manager

Taran­tu­la by Eduar­do Hal­fon, trans­lat­ed by Daniel Hahn

Simona Zaret­sky, Man­ag­er of Dig­i­tal Con­tent Strategy

Wait­ing on a Friend by Natal­ie Adler

Isado­ra Kianovsky, Mem­ber­ship & Engage­ment Associate

Here Where We Live Is Our Coun­try: The Sto­ry of the Jew­ish Bund by Mol­ly Crabapple

Related Reading