Mark Binder author storyteller nice guy books audiobook

On the edge of the Black Forest is a world of laughter and love…

Welcome to Izzy Abrahmson's Village Life

"engaging tales…
a world of friendly humor."
– Kirkus Reviews

“Abrahmson's prose savvily mixes the homey and the surreal… he's a master”
– Publishers Weekly

“In the spirit of Sholem Aleichem… Wisdom is foolish, innocence is poignant, and the complex is simple.”
– AudioFile Magazine

For more than 30 years, Izzy Abrahmson's stories of The Village Life have delighted readers and listeners around the world

The Village Twins • The Cracked Potter
A Village Romance • The Village Feasts • Winter Blessings

And coming this fall
The Council of Wise Women

Read them in any order

“…zany and warm-hearted…
downright laugh out loud.”
– AJL News

“wryly funny with dollops of heartwarming schmaltz.”
– Kirkus Reviews

"Witty, whimsical… Do you need to be Jewish to love these stories? No, you don't.”
– Abe C., NetGalley

Village Life Novels

Rachel Cohen is brilliant. Her twin brother, Yakov? Not so much.

When the Cohen family begins to crack –and their village teeters on the brink – it is up to Rachel and the secretive Council of Wise Women to step in. How much meddling is too much?

A multigenerational story of family and friends, of love, loss, independence, reconciliation, and the power of women.

With his trademark sense of humor, Izzy Abrahmson’s spins a delightful tale of The Village Life that will make you smile, and maybe shed a tear.

You won’t want this book to end.

COMING SEPTEMBER 2024
Preorder a signed copy of THE COUNCIL OF WISE WOMEN today

Abraham and Adam are identical twins, confused from birth. Every chapter will take you deeper into the Black Forest. You’ll laugh and smile, and perhaps shed a tear.

"wisdom in the guise of absurdity… Anyone who likes a good folk tale will delight in The Village Twins."
– The Jewish Independent, Canada

Adam is the troublemaker who loves to create elaborate pranks. Abraham is quieter and usually takes the blame for his brother’s misadventures. As teens, they both fall in love with Rosa Kalderash, a wandering princess. This might have worked out, but the Russian army is looking for Adam, who falls in love with Rivka Cantor, the merchant’s daughter, who thinks he’s Abraham.… Confused? Imagine how they felt.

“The Village is snuggled in an indeterminate past that never was but certainly should have been, a past filled with love, humor, adventures and more than occasional misadventures.”
–Times of Israel

“Audience feedback has been absolutely lovely”
– London Jewish Book Week

"Laughing out loud humor…
very poignant and sweet"
—Jewish Herald Voice, Houston

Village life Shorts and Seasonals

One day, a visitor arrives, covered with mud. Nava Ortlieb says she’s a potter and an artist. Shoshana Cantor isn’t so sure.

A humorous and heartwarming story about the struggle of art versus craft, and two women with different expectations, who find common ground, and seize an opportunity.

“…a lovely and warm story inspired by the author’s experience as a pottery widower.” – Ceramics Now

NOT available on Amazon!

Purchase the Limited Edition - signed and numbered

Mrs. Chaipul owns the only restaurant. Rabbi Kibbitz is the wisest man in The Village. Finally, they're getting together? Which is when the problems start.

“the jokes and human pathos are expertly balanced.… friendly humor and touching details of Jewish life.”
–Kirkus Reviews

Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature

Winters are crazy in The Village. Winds blow icy, food gets scarce, and darkness comes too soon. But lights from Hanukkah candles always lift the heart.

“The Lethal Latkes… concerns some awful-tasting potato pancakes and what you might call another Hanukkah miracle: love”
– The New York Times

Delicious Passovers in The Village
Ten tasty tales adults and children of all ages will enjoy again and again. Delightful and amusing. This is a book that you and your family will read and listen to again and again.

"…charming…Readers young and old will be delighted…"
– Publishers Weekly

Who's Izzy?

Izzy Abrahmson is a pen name for Mark Binder, an Audie Award nominated storyteller.

He is the author of more than two dozen books and audiobooks, including The Bed Time Story Book and the Groston Middle series.

The Village Life stories began when Mark was working as the editor of a regional Jewish Newspaper. They've been published and performed around the world.

A graduate of Columbia University, Mark studied storytelling with Spalding Gray, mythology with T.E. Gaster, and playwrighting at the Hammerstein Center. He holds an MA in acting, writing and directing from the Trinity Rep Conservatory.

As a performing storyteller, Mark Binder (with Izzy Abrahmson) tours the world transmitting joy through story to diverse audiences of all ages.