Sacred Trash

<p><b>NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FINALIST<br><br>WINNER OF THE 2012 AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION&#146;S SOPHIE BRODY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN JEWISH LITERATURE</b> <br><br> <i>Sacred Trash</i> tells the remarkable story of the Cairo Geniza&#151;a synagogue repository for worn-out texts that turned out to contain the most vital cache of Jewish manuscripts ever discovered. <br><br>This tale of buried communal treasure weaves together unforgettable portraits of Solomon Schechter and the other modern heroes responsible for the collection&#146;s rescue with explorations of the medieval documents themselves&#151;letters and poems wills and marriage contracts Bibles money orders fiery dissenting religious tracts fashion-conscious trousseaux lists prescriptions petitions and mysterious magical charms. Presenting a pan&#173;oramic view of almost a thousand years of vibrant Mediterranean Judaism Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole bring contemporary readers into the heart of this little-known trove whose contents have rightly been dubbed &#147;the Living Sea Scrolls.&#148; Part biography part meditation on the supreme value the Jewish people has long placed in the written word <i>Sacred Trash</i> is above all a gripping tale of adventure and redemption.&#160;<br><br>(With black-and-white illustrations throughout.)&#160;<b><br></b></p>