Philip K. Jason
![Philip K. Jason](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Phil_Jason.jpg)
A University of Maryland Ph.D., Phil retired to Naples, Florida, in 2001 after a 36-year college teaching career, most of it at the U.S. Naval Academy. Now a freelance book reviewer, Phil’s “Florida Writers” column appears in the various local issues of Florida Weekly. He also writes for Fort Myers Magazine, Southern Literary Review, Jewish Book World, and other print and electronic publications. His 20 books include The Critical Response to Anais Nin; Acts and Shadows: The Vietnam War in American Literary Culture; and Don’t Wave Goodbye: The Children’s Flight from Nazi Persecution to American Freedom. A former officer of the Naples Press Club, Phil chaired the club’s annual Authors and Books Festival for eight years.
68 entries by Philip K. Jason
Citizen 865
By Debbie Cenziper
![Citizen 865](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/citizen865.jpg)
A Pulitzer-worthy investigation of escaped war criminals.
Mark Twain’s Literary Resources
By Alan Gribben
![Mark Twain’s Literary Resources](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/marktwain.jpg)
This astonishing portrait proves the iconic author was a committed bookworm.
Man of My Time: A Novel
By Dalia Sofer
![Man of My Time: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/manof.jpg)
A dazzling tale of a person — and a country — in despair.
Disengagement: A Novel
By Daniella Levy
![Disengagement: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Disengagement-Cover-front-web-360x570.png)
An Israeli microcosm of the polarization that infects politics across the globe.
The Jewish American Paradox
By Robert Mnookin
![The Jewish American Paradox](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/jewishamerican.jpg)
Who gets to decide what it means to be a Jew?
The Interpreter: A Novel
By A.J. Sidransky
![The Interpreter: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/interpreter-550.jpg)
An unrepentant Nazi harbors key information about the whereabouts of a Holocaust survivor’s long-lost love.
999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz
By Heather Dune Macadam
![999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/999.jpg)
Aided by solid research, the author bears compassionate witness to unspeakable horror.
Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America
By Debbie Cenziper
![Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/citizen865.jpg)
A Pulitzer-worthy investigation of escaped war criminals.
The Deserter: A Novel
By Nelson DeMille & Alex DeMille
![The Deserter: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/deserter.jpg)
Only avid fans will get through this overly long, dialogue-heavy thriller.
Old Bones: A Novel
By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
![Old Bones: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/oldbones.jpg)
An historical thriller about skeletons in the snow — and the closet.
The Ventriloquists: A Novel
By E.R. Ramzipoor
![The Ventriloquists: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ventriloquists.jpg)
A zany crew pulls a fast one on the Third Reich in this surprising tale based on actual events.
The German Midwife: A Novel
By Mandy Robotham
![The German Midwife: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/german.jpg)
This story, narrated from behind Axis lines, captures the enduring strength of women.
Paris, 7 A.M.: A Novel
By Liza Wieland
![Paris, 7 A.M.: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/paris.jpg)
A riveting re-imagining of poet Elizabeth Bishop’s WWII-era sojourn in France.
![Mark Twain’s Literary Resources: A Reconstruction of His Library and Reading](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/marktwain.jpg)
This astonishing portrait proves the iconic author was a committed bookworm.
You Can Stop Humming Now
By Daniela Lamas
![You Can Stop Humming Now](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/youcanstop.jpg)
The physician-author's tremendous writing skill elevates this winning work.
A Wonderful Stroke of Luck: A Novel
By Ann Beattie
![A Wonderful Stroke of Luck: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/wonderfulstroke.jpg)
The shadow of 9/11 looms over the lives of an otherwise privileged generation.
The Secret of Clouds: A Novel
By Alyson Richman
![The Secret of Clouds: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/secretofclouds.jpg)
An exquisite story about how teachers and pupils enhance one another’s lives.
The Wartime Sisters: A Novel
By Lynda Cohen Loigman
![The Wartime Sisters: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/wartime.jpg)
Women bond — and sometimes break apart — in WWII-era New England.
The Jewish American Paradox: Embracing Choice in a Changing World
By Robert Mnookin
![The Jewish American Paradox: Embracing Choice in a Changing World](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/jewishamerican.jpg)
Who gets to decide what it means to be a Jew?
Promised Land: A Novel of Israel
By Martin Fletcher
![Promised Land: A Novel of Israel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/promisedland.jpg)
A complex, brilliant family saga that explores the early decades of the Jewish state.
Returning
By Yael Shahar
![Returning](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/returning.jpg)
This dazzling epic about memory, and collective memory, integrates fiction with memoir in deeply original and ambitious ways.
The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became an American Religion
By Steven R. Weisman
![The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became an American Religion](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/chosenwars.jpg)
Recounting the ways the ancient faith redefined itself in the 18th- and 19th-century United States.
Patient Care: Death and Life in the Emergency Room
By Paul Seward, MD
![Patient Care: Death and Life in the Emergency Room](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/patientcare.jpg)
This insider account of the ER provides high drama, fascinating detail, and unexpected humor.
Jimmy Buffett
By Ryan White
![Jimmy Buffett](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/jimmybuffettagoodlife_1c.jpg)
Chronicling the once-obscure singer’s unlikely rise to mayor of Margaritaville.
![You Can Stop Humming Now: A Doctor’s Stories of Life, Death, and in Between](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/youcanstop.jpg)
The physician-author's tremendous writing skill elevates this winning work.
Sadness Is a White Bird: A Novel
By Moriel Rothman-Zecher
![Sadness Is a White Bird: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/sadnessis.jpg)
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes to life in this devastating tale of friendship and tragedy.
Cut You Down: A Wakeland Novel
By Sam Wiebe
![Cut You Down: A Wakeland Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/cutyoudown.jpg)
This thrilling second installment of the detective series will leave readers wanting more.
The Hapsburg Variation: A Cold War Thriller
By Bill Rapp
![The Hapsburg Variation: A Cold War Thriller](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/hapsburg_variation-188x300.jpg)
A CIA agent's mettle is tested in this tale of post-WWII intrigue.
The Ruined House: A Novel
By Ruby Namdar; translated by Hillel Halkin
![The Ruined House: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ruinedhouse.jpg)
This breathtaking tale of a prominent professor's undoing is expertly woven with biblical passages.
The Cuban Affair: A Novel
By Nelson DeMille
![The Cuban Affair: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/cuban-demille.jpeg)
Razor-sharp storytelling from a seasoned pro.
Forest Dark: A Novel
By Nicole Krauss
![Forest Dark: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/forestdark.png)
This ambitious meditation on spiritual transcendence and self-reflection hits all the right notes.
Only the Dead Know Brooklyn: A Novel
By Chris Vola
![Only the Dead Know Brooklyn: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/onlythedead.jpg)
Does this New York vampire novel have enough bite to deliver?
Jumping Over Shadows: A Memoir
By Annette Gendler
![Jumping Over Shadows: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/jumping-over-shadows.jpg)
An exquisitely written conversion story which expounds upon personal and collective identity.
Conviction: A Novel
By Julia Dahl
![Conviction: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/conviction.jpg)
A gripping, worthy addition to the Rebekah Roberts series
Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way
By Ryan White
![Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/jimmybuffettagoodlife_1c.jpg)
Chronicling the once-obscure singer’s unlikely rise to mayor of Margaritaville.
Big Law: A Novel
By Ron Liebman
![Big Law: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/biglaw.jpg)
Corruption reigns inside a high-powered legal establishment.
Oedipus in Brooklyn and Other Stories
By Blume Lempel; translated by Ellen Cassedy and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
![Oedipus in Brooklyn and Other Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/oedipus.jpg)
These spare, skillful tales are both introspective and illuminating.
The Education of Dixie Dupree
By Donna Everhart
![The Education of Dixie Dupree](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/dixie_1.jpg)
A harrowing story of domestic trauma with Southern Gothic flair.
Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland
By Dave Barry
![Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/beststateever.jpg)
A hilarious and insightful tour of the Sunshine State.
Karolina’s Twins: A Novel
By Ronald H. Balson
![Karolina’s Twins: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/karolina.jpg)
An emotionally rich Holocaust thriller about long-kept secrets.
The English Teacher
By Yiftach Reicher Atir; translated by Philip Simpson
![The English Teacher](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/englishteacher.jpg)
This psychological thriller probes the damaging uncertainties of life undercover.
Brighton: A Novel
By Michael Harvey
![Brighton: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/brighton.jpg)
This taut thriller tackles the perils of going home again
So Close to Home: A True Story of an American Family’s Fight for Survival During World War II
By Michael J. Tougias and Alison O’Leary
![So Close to Home: A True Story of an American Family’s Fight for Survival During World War II](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/soclose.jpg)
A lightly fictionalized, little-known tale of disaster at sea
The Bowl with Gold Seams: A Novel
By Ellen Prentiss Campbell
![The Bowl with Gold Seams: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/bowlwithgold.jpg)
This brilliant tale of loss and redemption spans four decades, from a WWII-era Japanese detention center to the DC suburbs of the 1980s
And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East
By Richard Engel
![And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/andthenallhell.jpg)
"An unexpected, suspenseful page-turner."
The Undoing
By Averil Dean
![The Undoing](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/undoing.jpg)
A close-knit trio of friends comes undone in this dark, suspenseful tale set on Colorado’s slopes.
Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane
By Patrick McGilligan
![Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/young-orson.png)
A delightfully readable, masterfully researched biography about one of film's most notable names.
The Sea Beach Line
By Ben Nadler
![The Sea Beach Line](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/seabeach.jpg)
A young man with an uncertain future seeks answers about his past.
Saving Sophie
By Ronald H. Balson
![Saving Sophie](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/savingsophie.jpg)
This fast-paced, globe-spanning thriller takes readers from Hawaii to Hebron.
The Murderer’s Daughter
By Jonathan Kellerman
![The Murderer’s Daughter](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/murderersdaughter.jpg)
This taut new thriller features a memorable, series-worthy heroine.
Vixen: A Nameless Detective Novel
By Bill Pronzini
![Vixen: A Nameless Detective Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/vixen.jpg)
Imagine “La Belle Dame sans Merci” reborn in San Francisco noir.
Run You Down
By Julia Dahl
![Run You Down](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/runyoudown.jpg)
This page-turner of a mystery, set in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community, brings a mother and daughter together at last.
Goebbels: A Biography
By Peter Longerich; translated by Alan Bance, Jeremy Noakes, and Lesley Sharpe
![Goebbels: A Biography](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/goebbels.jpg)
A stunning, encyclopedic study of Hitler’s propaganda minister.
Losing Faith
By Adam Mitzner
![Losing Faith](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/losingfaith.jpg)
This smart courtroom thriller manages to humanize the law.
Leaving Berlin
By Joseph Kanon
![Leaving Berlin](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/berlin.jpg)
This taut page-turner captures the contradictions and complexities of the post-WWII German capital.
The Glittering World
By Robert Levy
![The Glittering World](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/glittering.jpg)
Hauntingly inventive, this debut page-turner of a novel is as creative as it is creepy.
The Reckoning: Death and Intrigue in the Promised Land
By Patrick Bishop
![The Reckoning: Death and Intrigue in the Promised Land](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/reckoning.jpg)
Recounting the hunt for an anti-British terrorist in the closing days of Mandate Palestine.
One to Go
By Mike Pace
![One to Go](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/onetogo.jpg)
Are dreams or demons driving the protagonist of this thriller?
The Man Who Asked to Be Killed
By Gary Garth McCann
![The Man Who Asked to Be Killed](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/0theman.jpg)
Politics, a legal trust, and a dead governor’s sister intersect in this thriller set in the DC metro area.
No Time to Die
By Kira Peikoff
![No Time to Die](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/notime_1.jpg)
A sharp biomedical thriller asks, what if old age and infirmity were not inevitable?
Mirages: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1939-1947
By Anaïs Nin; edited by Paul Herron
![Mirages: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1939-1947](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(747).png)
A new, unexpurgated volume of the author's diaries.
The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem: The Remarkable Life and Afterlife of the Man Who Created Tevye
By Jeremy Dauber
![The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem: The Remarkable Life and Afterlife of the Man Who Created Tevye](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/worlds_shole_aleichem.jpg)
A theatrical study of the Yiddish writer whose short stories were the source for “Fiddler on the Roof.”
My Mother’s Wars
Lillian Faderman
In this work of creative nonfiction about the life of a Latvian Jewish immigrant and her experiences in early-20th-century New York City, the author turns voluminous research into flowing action and imagery.