Sucker’s Game

In Jewish Noir Anthology

A unique collection of all-new stories by award-winning authors, this anthology includes the work of numerous authors such as Marge Piercy, Harlan Ellison, S. J. Rozan, Nancy Richler, Moe Prager (Reed Farrel Coleman), Wendy Hornsby, Charles Ardai, and Kenneth Wishnia.

The stories explore such issues as the Holocaust and its long-term effects on subsequent generations, anti-Semitism in the mid- and late-20th-century United States, and the dark side of the Diaspora (e.g., the decline of revolutionary fervor, the passing of generations, the Golden Ghetto, etc.).

The stories in this collection include “Trajectories,” Marge Piercy’s story of the divergent paths taken by two young men from the slums of Cleveland and Detroit in a rapidly changing post–WW II society; “Some You Lose,” Nancy Richler’s empathetic exploration of the emotional and psychological challenges of trying to sum up a man’s life in a eulogy; and “Yahrzeit Candle,” Stephen Jay Schwartz’s take on the subtle horrors of the inevitable passing of time.

These works include many “teachable moments” about the history of prejudice, the contradictions of ethnic identity, and assimilation into American society and culture.

Other Stories include:

• Bitter Herbs: “Devil for a Witch” by R.S. Brenner, “The Sacrifice of Isaac” by Steven Wishnia, “Loving Underwater by B.K. Stevens; and “Quack and Dwight” by Travis Richardson
• The Golden Land: “A Simkhe (A Celebration)” by Yente Serdatsky, “Trajectories” by Marge Piercy, “Lost Pages from the Book of Judith” by Kenneth Wishnia, and “The Legacy” by Wendy Hornsby
• Night and Fog: “Blood Diamonds” by Melissa Yi, “The Flowers of Shanghai” by S.J. Rozan, “Feeding the Crocodile” by Moe Prager, and “Good Morning, Jerusalem 1948” by Michael J. Cooper
• L’Dor V’Dor (From Generation to Generation): “Some You Lose” by Nancy Richter, “Baruch Dayan Emet (Blessed Is the True Judge)” by M. Dante, “Yahrzeit Candle” by Stephen Jay Schwartz, “Nakhshon” by Robert Lopestri, “One of Them” by Alan Orloff, and “Silver Alert” by S.A. Solomon
• Suburban Sprawl: “Her Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah: A Mother Talks to the Rabbi” by Adam D. Fisher, “Sucker’s Game” by Michele Lang, “Jewish Easter” by David Liss, “The Golem of Jericho” by Jonathan Santlofer, and “Your Judaism” by Tasha Kaminsky
• Kaffee Mit Schlock: “Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die” by Charles Ardai, “Errands” by Gary Phillips, “Doc’s Oscar” by Eddie Muller, “Everthing is Bashert” by Heywood Gould, “The Drop” by Alan Gordon, “Twisted Shiske” by Jedidiah Ayres, “All Other Nights” by Jason Starr, and “Something’s Not Right” by Dave Zeltserman.
• Vintage Reprints: “Idle Thoughts, Fifty-Four Years Later” and “Final Schtick” by Harlan Ellison.”