What to Watch: Let’s segue away from the slap that I covered earlier this week to The Slap, a really good Australian TV series that traces the shattering repercussions of a single event upon a group of family and friends.

+ What to Hear: Since everyone in my house other than me is a Samoan Jew, I know the landscape quite well. And David Le’aupepe is one of my favorites. David (or Tavita in my house) Le’aupepe is the frontman for Gang of Youths, a good band coming into its own. He actually grew up in the church, but when you’re searching for Samoan Jewish rockstars, you can’t split hairs. Start with the angel of 8th ave. Malo Lava and Shabbat Shalom, Tavita!

+ What to Book: Peter Thiel might not be your kind of guy in terms of his politics, but he is a singularly important force in Silicon Valley and beyond. You don’t need to like him. You need to understand him. Max Chafkin tells his story in The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power.