Born in London in 1964, author and activist Alon Shalev has always found ways to highlight social and political injustice. As a teen, he spent years campaigning for the Anti-Apartheid movement, the release of Jews from the Soviet Union, and the burgeoning green movement.
In his early 20s, Shalev joined an idealistic and committed group to create a kibbutz, an egalitarian intentional community and remained a central member for twenty years.
Shelev would arrive in the US just as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita would devastate the Gulf Coast and its communities – just in time for Shalev to recruit and take students to New Orleans to help rebuild houses and communities in the area.
Shalev, who runs a non-profit that provides education and support for Jewish students on the campuses of San Francisco, lives with his wife and two kids in Berkeley, California, where for the last ten years he's turned to writing novels to continue his work to change the world for the better.
In his first published novel, A Gardener's Tale, Alev tells a story of the healing of family, land, and community cleverly fused with ancient European spirituality.
But it's Shalev's lastest novel, a legal thriller called Oilspill dotcom, that really got the attention of The LA Books Examiner.
Read the interview.
