Joshua Safran
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SELECTED MEDIA COVERAGE


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FREE SPIRIT: 
Growing Up On the Road and Off the Grid
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“[A] BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL MEMOIR. THIS ASSURED DEBUT IS REMINISCENT OF DAVID SEDARIS'S AND AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS'S BEST WORK: INTROSPECTIVE, HILARIOUS, AND HEARTBREAKING.”
        - Publishers Weekly  STARRED REVIEW

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“INSTANTLY CAPTIVATING, HEARTBREAKING, INSPIRING . . . [An] almost-too-crazy-to-be-true story. THIS BOOK IS NOTHING SHORT OF REMARKABLE.”
        - Elle Magazine, READERS' PRIZE PICKS


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 "A  REMARKABLE ACCOUNT of survival despite the odds.”
         - Kirkus Reviews
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“With ENGAGING STORY AFTER STORY and a healthy dose of narrative tension throughout, SAFRAN ALL BUT TURNS THE PAGES FOR YOU.”
         - San Francisco Chronicle


         - Datebook Profile

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“POETIC AND COMPELLING and offers the reader important insight into a segment of counter-culture that is under-represented in modern American memoir. IN THIS IMPORTANT BOOK, SAFRAN OFFERS UP THE WOUNDS OF A FLOWER CHILD, AND EVERY FRAYED PETAL IS ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL.”
         - Gulf Stream
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“An enthusiastic, bounding picaresque. . . SAFRAN IS FUNNY, ENGAGING AND A GREAT STORYTELLER.”
         - The Forward
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"TERRIFIC: a clear-eyed coming-of-age story."
        - San Jose Mercury News
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Safran “has a RARE GIFT FOR NARRATION.” 
            - East Bay Express

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SALON.COM
Editor's Pick
   
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THE DAILY BEAST -
WOMEN IN THE WORLD

My Mom, The Militant Feminist Domestic Violence Victim
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HUFFINGTON POST
My Library Card to Redemption



HELLOGIGGLES
My Recipe For: Survivor Stories 

(An Interview with Joshua Safran, Women’s Rights Activist)
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​SHEKNOWS
5 Reads for Your November Nights
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TABLET MAGAZINE
 Personal History



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UTNE READER
One Boy's Tale of an Unconventional Childhood with a Free Spirit Mother and a Journey to Utopia


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THE JEWISH WEEK
A Long, Strange Trip Toward Judaism
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WORLD LITERATURE TODAY
Overcoming Fictionalized Simplifications of Domestic Violence: 
A Conversation with Writer and Lawyer Joshua Safran
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BETTY CONFIDENTIAL
12 New Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down!
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OP ED NEWS
Joshua Safran: Male Face of the Domestic Violence Movement?
CBS News

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BBC WORLD SERVICE
Outlook
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FOX NEWS LOCAL
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NPR's Snap Judgment
"Raw Meat"
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CBS
Liz Saint John on Radio Alice
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Authors@Google

Shalom TV
L'Chayim with Rabbi Mark Golub

Talkline with Zev Brenner
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TALKLINE PART I
TALKLINE PART II

The Land of Israel Network
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Strangers Podcast (Radiotopia from PRX)
"The Son, The Goddess, and Leopoldo"
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GDA
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Lit Cast Live
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ABA Journal
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WAMC Northeast Public Radio
(Click image to listen)
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Interfaith Voices
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WHEB FM
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Gulf Stream

It's Your Health
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Radio Free Nachlaot - Shalom Bayit
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WHAS
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WOCM FM
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Radio Free Santa Cruz
The Great Leap Forward

“FREE SPIRIT IS PROBABLY THE MOST POWERFUL BOOK THAT I HAVE READ IN A DECADE."
       - Library at the End of the Universe

“Joshua Safran’s Free Spirit WILL MAKE YOU LOVE READING AGAIN. I laughed more reading this book than I have in years. SAFRAN IS FUNNIER THAN DAVID SEDARIS, but balances his honest humor with moments of intense poignancy and insight. I CAN'T RECOMMEND IT STRONGLY ENOUGH.”
        - Dr. Sara Gottfried: Dr. Sara's Book Club

“This is a book that speaks for all of the voiceless children of abuse, addiction, and all manner of circumstance which serves to rob them of their childhoods, identities, and any and all sense of stability. . . This is a book that tells a story that has to be read to be believed, and once believed has to be shared with others. I know that THIS REVIEW CAN IN NO WAY BEGIN TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND EFFECT THAT THIS BOOK HAS HAD ON ME.”
        - WTF Are You Reading

“IF YOU READ ANY BOOK THIS YEAR - READ THIS ONE. I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THIS BOOK SHOULD BE ON EVERYONE'S MUST-READ LIST.”
        - Overstuffed Princess

“I COULDN'T HELP BUT FIND MYSELF FEELING UPLIFTED AND EMPOWERED. . . HIS LIFE STORY IS ONE THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOR A VERY LONG TIME. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE." 
         - Book Cover Justice

“FREE SPIRIT IS AN INCREDIBLE MEMOIR AND THE MOST HIGHLY INTENSE I HAVE COME ACROSS IN ALL MY MEMOIR REVIEWS. . . I was really hooked on this memoir, at times FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN, mostly because this book is written from the heart.”
        - Autumn Blues Reviews


“FREE SPIRIT IS A BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL AND INSPIRING BOOK AND WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE IT."
        - Reviews By Amos Lassen 

 "I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MEMOIR! It is a book that you won't soon forget.”
          - Garden of Books

“An emotional story of determination, spirit, and the true strength of a son’s love.”
           - Literary Inklings

"A story of redemption and discovery. . . THIS BOOK BROUGHT ME TO TEARS."
           -  Marie's Book Garden

"FREE SPIRIT is the best kind of memoir–the kind that combines incredible experiences with excellent writing and a wry sense of humour. . .  I loved FREE SPIRIT. . . It’s absolutely fascinating, funny, and memorable. I HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.”
          - 5 Minutes for Books

"TO SAY THAT I DEVOURED THIS ONE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT! I started and finished in a few hours as it was just that good!  WONDERFUL DIALOGUE AND COMIC DESCRIPTIONS . . . A MUST READ!  This book will have you laughing and crying! . . .VERY INSPIRING!”
          - Crossroad Reviews

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WRITER'S DIGEST
Genesis of a Memoir:
How I Came to Write My Story
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WINDY CITY TIMES
Witches, Warlocks and Ice Cream Trucks:
An Interview with Joshua Safran
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SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW
​The Courage to Write

OAKLAND MAGAZINE &
ALAMEDA MAGAZINE
Excerpt
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WORKING MOTHER
8 Fall Reads for Working Moms
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BELIEFTNET
Born Into a Coven of Witches...
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JTA
For a Free Spirit, TV Provides a New Lens on Life

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J WEEKLY
Interview
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JEWISH STANDARD
Interview
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PORTLAND BOOK REVIEW
Review
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PAGE 99 TEST
Interview
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JEWNIVERSE
Looking Back On a Crazy Childhood On The Road
PDXX COLLECTIVE
Literary Feminism for the Working Writer
"Free Spirit" An Interview with Joshua Safran

MY BOOK, THE MOVIE
Safran Shares Some Ideas About an Adaptation of his New Book

BIBLIOGRAPHILE
Joshua Safran on Warlocks, Mediums and 
The Meaning of Truth

CAMPAIGN FOR THE AMERICAN READER
Joshua Safran's "Free Spirit," The Movie

A BOOKISH AFFAIR
Review


MOVIES WITH BUTTER
Book Trailer Profile

FRUM SATIRE
Review


I'M LOST IN BOOKS
10 Books That Will Be in My Beach Bag this Summer

CHICAGO JEWISH STAR