Author Alicia Oltuski at Barnes and Noble Reisterstown Road
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Barnes and Noble
1819 Reisterstown Road
Baltimore, MD
Barnes and Noble with Hadassah presents a talk and book signing by Alicia Oltuski, author of Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life Thursday, January 26th at 6-8 p.m. Barnes and Noble Baltimore (1819 Reisterstown Road) About Precious Objects Welcome to a world where all secrets are valuable, all assets are liquid, and deals are sealed with a blessing rather than a contract. In Precious Objects journalist Alicia Oltuski, the daughter and granddaughter of diamond dealers, takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the shrouded inner workings of the diamond industry. When Oltuski takes a summer job at her fatherâs office in New Yorkâs diamond district, she finds herself carrying thousands of dollarsâ worth of jewels in a chest pack under her jacket and crossing paths with some of the tradeâs most fascinating members, including an Elvis-impersonating dealer, a duo of diamond-detective brothers, and an entire cast of zany characters that make up this secluded world. With insight and drama, Oltuski limns her family's diamond-paved move from communist Siberia to a displaced persons camp in postâWorld War II Germany to the diamond district. Entertaining and illuminating, Precious Objects offers an insider's look at the history, business, lore, and society behind one of the world's most coveted natural resources, providing an unforgettable backstage pass to an extraordinary and timeless show. Press and Reviews for Alicia Oltuskiâs Precious Objects * Precious Objects is a Fall 2011 Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and on the Barnes & Noble Long List * âA piercing, intensely readable book. Ms. Oltuski guides us through New Yorkâs diamond business, one of the worldâs most fascinating and hard-to-penetrate communities, with great aplomb.â â Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story * âAlicia Oltuski is an intrepid journalist able to write with precision and insight about the big issues in the diamond trade and the intimate details of life on Forty-Seventh Street.â -- Tony Hall, U.S. Representative * âI am unaware of a book that so intimately captures the strange and strangely beguiling place in which [diamonds] are bought and sold.â -- Washington Post * âHer passion for her subject takes her to posh Manhattan auction houses and glitzy Las Vegas showrooms; she explores the industry's future and its past; she mines the roots of the diamond trade among Jews in medieval Europe and elucidates the problem of finding matching stones for earringsâ¦Ms. Oltuski has an ear for [dealersâ] Shalom Aleichem patois.â âWall Street Journal * âAt once global and local, impersonal and intimate, the ins and outs of the diamond industry are grist for the writerly imagination. Oltuski is up to the challenge. The daughter and granddaughter of men in the business, she brings an insiderâs perspective to the proceedings as well as a keen eye for the telling incident and quirky personal trait.â âThe New Republic * "...her book looks beyond her family diamond-dealing business and 47th Street to the diamond industry as a whole." -- Wall Street Journal (Greater New York) * âWith revealing observations on the centuries-old link between Jews and the diamond industry, and sparkling accounts of her familial ties to the businessâ¦. Oltuski, daughter of a diamond dealer, brings clarity in this study of the industry.â - Publishers Weekly * "Like a diamondâs prism, âPrecious Objectsâ (Scribner) radiates adventure, mystery, comedy, science, and much more⦠This book on diamonds is a prize." --Examiner * âAlicia Oltuskiâs first-hand account of New York Cityâs diamond district is engrossing⦠her book blends ancient, near-ritualistic practices with the twenty-first-century practicalities of commerce.â â Barnes and Noble Review * âOltuskiâs fascinating look at the diamond industry weaves together an intricate, comprehensive study of the origins and future of the trade and a family narrativeâ¦An inclusive, intimate account of a complex business.â --Booklist * âOltuski awakens her readers to the incredible fact that, in the very shadow of Radio City, a community exists whose business practices would not have seemed all that foreign to merchants in the Middle Ages⦠After reading Oltuskiâs book, you wonât be able to look with indifference at diamonds, or the grubby New York street famous for selling them.â - Maureen Corrigan, The Penn Gazette * Precious Objects has been chosen as Jewish Women International and Jewish Woman magazineâs December 2011 Book of the Month * Read an article about Oltuski and Precious Objects in the New York Post: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/books/diamonds_are_forever_3vhxQ3DpErzSvdvreXU3iJ * Read an article about Oltuski and Precious Objects in the Washington Jewish Week: http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=15734&SectionID=27&SubSectionID=25&S=1 * Listen to an interview with Oltuski on Newstalk Radio (Ireland) with Sean Moncrieff * Listen to an interview with Oltuski on Marketplace radio: http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/marketplace/pm/2011/08/04/marketplace_cast1_20110804_64.mp3?_kip_ipx=889298135-1312499298 About Alicia Oltuski Alicia Oltuski received her Bachelorâs and Masterâs degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in writing from Columbia University, where she was awarded a David Berg Foundation Fellowship. Her work has appeared on NPRâs Berlin Stories, in W Magazine, The Faster Times, The Bulletin in Philadelphia, and other publications. She has taught at the University of the Arts and was a reader at The Paris Review. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband.