A story of bravery, betrayal, and redemption—from the winner of the National Jewish Book Award.
DEFENDING BRITTA STEIN
by Ronald H. Balson
St. Martin’s Press, September 2021
Chicago, 2018: Ole Henryks, a popular restauranteur, is set to be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II—most consider him a hero. Britta Stein, however, does not. The ninety-year-old Chicago woman levels public accusations against Henryks by spray-painting “Coward,” “Traitor,” “Collaborator,” and “War Criminal” on the walls of his restaurant. Mrs. Stein is ultimately taken into custody and charged with criminal defacement of property. She also becomes the target of a bitter lawsuit filed by Henryks and his son, accusing her of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Attorney Catherine Lockhart, though hesitant at first, agrees to take up Mrs. Stein’s defense. With the help of her investigator husband, Liam Taggart, Lockhart must reach back into wartime Denmark and locate evidence that proves Mrs. Stein’s innocence. DEFENDING BRITTA STEIN is critically-acclaimed author Ronald H. Balson’s thrilling take on a modern day courtroom drama, and a masterful rendition of Denmark’s wartime heroics.
Ronald H. Balson is an attorney, professor, and writer. His novel The Girl From Berlin won the National Jewish Book Award and was the Illinois Reading Council’s adult fiction selection for their Illinois Reads program. He is also the author of Eli’s Promise, Karolina’s Twins, The Trust, Saving Sophie, and the international bestseller Once We Were Brothers. He has appeared on many television and radio programs and has lectured nationally and internationally on his writing. He lives in Chicago.
One part epic adventure, one part love story, and—as is the signature for critically-acclaimed author Taylor Brown—one large part American history, WINGWALKERS follows Della and Zeno Marigold, a vagabond couple who fund their journey to the west coast in the middle of the Great Depression by performing death-defying aerial stunts from town to town. Woven into their story is that of the author (and thwarted fighter pilot) William Faulkner. Based on a tantalizing tidbit from Faulkner’s real life, this novel captures the true essence of a bygone era and sheds a new light on the heart and motivations of one of America’s greatest authors. 
Le producteur Frank Marshall (Jurassic World, série Jason Bourne) travaillera avec le réalisateur Barry Sonnenfeld (séries de films Men in Black et La Famille Addams, Les Désastreuses Aventures des orphelins Baudelaire) pour adapter en film d’animation le prochain roman de Jane Smiley, PERESTROIKA IN PARIS. La date de sortie n’est pas encore connue.
Seventeen-year-old Poppy Winslow doesn’t know why her family has been running her entire life. Her beautiful, caring, mysterious parents won’t tell Poppy and her younger sister why they won’t disclose their true identities or why they move every few years. Poppy’s family is everything to her, but with each passing year, her curiosity has only grown, and she is beginning to wonder how she can have her own future when staying with her parents means giving up a normal life. When the family lands in San Francisco, Poppy comes across a DNA testing kit at school and seizes the chance to try and find out more about her family’s history. But she may not be ready for the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities or the fallout from her actions as the net tightens around the Winslow family. And now she must ask herself: how much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?
Everyone likes Hani Kahn—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita Dey. Ishita is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl. Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.