TALES OF JEWS AND MUSLIMS is a collection of short stories about the activities of Jewish and Muslim people in a variety of circumstances. Th e Aftermath of War tells of the plight of an Arab couple after their makeshift home in a Jerusalem slum is demolished. In An Impossible Dream, a Muslim university professor advocates the creation of a New Jewish-Islamic State of Israel as the combined forces of the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban threaten a nuclear war that would destroy Israel and the Middle East. In A Remarkable Israeli Family, a daughter talks about her Jewish pioneer family that worked to establish and defend a new nation. In Sexy Lady, a secular Jewish woman tells about her steamy sexual relationships with a religious Jew, a practicing Muslim, and her husband. In Defense of the Homeland describes the courage and anxiety associated with a Bedouin attack on a kibbutz in northern Galilee. Th e Occupied Territories tells of the suff ering of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. An Enduring Love traces the idyllic life of a Muslim woman who marries a wealthy Jewish man. In Jihad, a Muslim soldier boasts of his murders of the Jews and discusses the changes in his female cousins life after the Islamic State captures the city of Mosul, Iraq. In Memories of an Alta Cocker, an elderly Jew reminisces about his early life and friends in Chicago. Collectively, the stories depict the joys and tragedies of two valiant and oft-suff ering peoples.

Edward W. Stepnick grew up in Chicago and later lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, and in Sarasota and Venice, Florida. A graduate of Roosevelt University, a retired CPA, and former senior federal executive, his previous publications include articles in professional journals and contributions to technical reference volumes. Dana, published in 2014, was his fi rst novel. He now resides near Leesburg, Virginia.