A new biography by Debby Applegate recounts the story of Polly Adler, who arrived in America from Russia at 13 and became New York’s most successful brothel owner, befriending mobsters, policemen, politicians and writers.
“The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes,” by Zoë Playdon, investigates a long-suppressed legal case involving an aristocratic Scotsman, who, raised, at least initially, as a girl, went to court to prove his male gender.
Olivia Parker was intrigued by the tale of her great-great-uncle’s failed quest to unearth a holy relic. Then she discovered that six other writers were also pursuing the story.
Three new books — Daniel Sokatch’s “Can We Talk About Israel?,” Omri Boehm’s “Haifa Republic” and Ethan Michaeli’s “Twelve Tribes” — explore various dimensions of the Jewish state.