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Journalist Martin Davidson knew his German grandfather had something to hide. After the old man died, Davidson discovered the secret: He'd been an officer in the SS.

There's a big advertisement in Haaretz Friday signed by 102 eminent Israelis. "The world is changing around us," it says, "but the government of Israel is stagnant and paralyzed." The "rejectionist policy" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "extraordinarily dangerous" and "threatens to make Hamas more legitimate in the world than the Israeli government." It calls for recognition of a democratic Palestinian state as the basis for ending the conflict. Pressure is growing on Netanyahu, at home and abroad. Britain and France are indicating they might support a Palestinian declaration of independence at the U.N. in September. Hillary Clinton has pointedly refused to rule out that the U.S. will deal with a new Palestinian government, even if it includes Hamas.

Over the past decade, Macel Ely decided to find out who his great-uncle — the late gospel singer Brother Claude Ely — really was. In interviews with nearly 1,400 people, Macel discovered that Claude had a healing effect on those who came to his revivals — and his music influenced some of the pioneers of rock 'n' roll.

Many believe that one of the biggest challenges poor people face is hunger, but economist Abhijit Banerjee argues that the economics of poverty are often much more nuanced. Banerjee looks at how poor people make economic decisions in his book, Poor Economics.

Demetri Martin, the stand-up comedian famous for his Beatle-ish bangs and stream-of-consciousness onstage drawings, has now brought his doses of comedy to print. This Is a Book features essays, drawings, one-liners and charts, all penned in Martin's characteristically unconventional, understated style.

If you want to learn about success, talk to a successful person. If you want to learn about failure, talk to a very successful person. In his new book Fail Up, TV and radio host Tavis Smiley offers 20 lessons in turning setbacks into success.

The veteran journalist's new novel takes place in an old-school print newsroom, not unlike the one where he worked. Hamill, a longtime columnist, reflects on changes in the news industry, and explains how columnists of his day differed from today's media bloggers.

Adam Hochschild's pensive narrative history, To End All Wars, focuses on those who fought — and also on those who refused. Hochschild is a master at chronicling how prevailing cultural opinion is formed and, less frequently, how it's challenged.

Conductor James Levine is known for bringing out the best in musicians and ensembles. Here, he reflects on his 40-year tenure with the Metropolitan Opera, his life in music and the back troubles that recently led him to step down as the musical director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

At the heart of the Republican plan is a proposal to give everybody in the program a subsidy to buy private health insurance. Its supporters say it would reduce health care spending. But critics contend it allows the government to spend less on Medicare by making patients pay more — potentially a lot more.