Reviews
"Ask for a Convertibleis all its title suggests--a dizzyingly delicious read, with the road ahead promising a life of possiblility and change. Danit Brown gives us the tender world of Osnat anf her family as they straddle the gap between Israel and the United States--having a foot in each place and posing the question, What does it mean when a Jew does not feel at home in their homeland? Everyone should read this book." --Hannah Tinti, author ofAnimal Crackers "Ask for a Convertiblehas the hilarious wit of Lorrie Moore, the poignant weight of assimilation as seen in Gish Jen, and will undoubtedly -- and in all of the best ways -- recall the early work of Philip Roth. However Danit Brown pushes into new terrain and claims this hybrid land as her own. These intimate stories pack a powerful punch while introducing an important new voice in the ongoing literary discussion about what makes us who we are. A brilliant debut!" --Julianna Baggott, author ofWhich Brings Me to You(co-written with Steve Almond) andGirl Talk "Brown's stories are whole worlds, so alive with detail that reading them is a visceral, sensory experience. When you dive into this book you just don't want to stop reading to come up for air. And isn't that what we read for, really? Isn't it all we're hoping for when we pick up a book? I'm in awe and admiration of the sureness of this voice, this kind of deceptively effortless prose that can only be written by an expert craftsperson. These stories bring to mind the work of Charles Baxter, and of Lorrie Moore, and Amy Hempel, Amy Bloom, Elizabeth Crane... But Danit Brown's voice is entirely her own and I'm left wanting nothing so much as more." --Thisbe Nissen, author ofThe Good People of New YorkandOsprey Island, "Ask for a Convertiblehas the hilarious wit of Lorrie Moore, the poignant weight of assimilation as seen in Gish Jen, and will undoubtedly -- and in all of the best ways -- recall the early work of Philip Roth. However Danit Brown pushes into new terrain and claims this hybrid land as her own. These intimate stories pack a powerful punch while introducing an important new voice in the ongoing literary discussion about what makes us who we are. A brilliant debut!" --Julianna Baggott, author ofWhich Brings Me to You(co-written with Steve Almond) andGirl Talk "Danit Brown's stories are whole worlds, so alive with detail that reading them is a visceral, sensory experience. When you dive into this book you just don't want to stop reading to come up for air. And isn't that what we read for, really? Isn't it all we're hoping for when we pick up a book? I'm in awe and admiration of the sureness of this voice, this kind of deceptively effortless prose that can only be written by an expert craftsperson. These stories bring to mind the work of Charles Baxter, and of Lorrie Moore, and Amy Hempel, Amy Bloom, Elizabeth Crane... But Danit Brown's voice is entirely her own and I'm left wanting nothing so much as more." --Thisbe Nissen, author ofThe Good People of New YorkandOsprey Island, "This book provides a valuable source of information for both freshwater ecologists and resource managers." ( Bulletin of the British Ecological Society , 1 June 2012) "However, the extensive review of the global literature, combined with the thorough discussions of drought-related concepts and definitions, make this book useful for those working in aquatic ecosystems worldwide." ( Austral Ecology , 1 November 2012) "It is balanced across taxa, habitat, and continents, and provides insightful ideas to guide future research. As such, it is an important contribution to aquatic science that is well worth the read." ( Society for Freshwater Science , 1 July 2012) "Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." ( Choice , 1 March 2012) "Overall, it proves extremely useful to bring together the material in the core chapters with the fairly extensive contextual material in the surrounding chapters; no doubt this will benefit many researchers needing an introduction to this topic. There is no doubt that this book will be read widely and will likely provide a basis and impetus for numerous future research projects." ( Freshwater Biology , 1 September 2012) "This book is a major synthesis of what is known about drought and aquatic systems. It is balanced across taxa, habitat, and continents, and provides insightful ideas to guide future research. As such, it is an important contribution to aquatic science that is well worth the read." ( Freshwater Science , 16 July 2012)