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CONTAGIOUS: Why Things Catch On By Jonah Berger, faculty (Simon & Schuster, 2013, $26.) Why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Berger, the James G. Campbell Assistant Professor of Marketing at Penn, examines the hidden science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission, and offers six basic principles that explain why certain things become “contagious.” BUY THIS BOOK

DRINKING DIARIES: Women Serve their Stories Straight Up Edited by Leah Odze Epstein & Caren Osten Gerszberg C’86 (Seal Press, 2012, $15.00.) From an essay comparing the benefits of marijuana versus alcohol to a story about a woman’s first sober kiss, this anthology of essays by women writers illuminates the pleasures and the pains of drinking, as well as its aftereffects on their lives. BUY THIS BOOK

KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War By David C. Keehn L’72 (Louisiana State University Press, 2013, $39.95.) The first comprehensive analysis of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret Southern society that sought to establish a slave-holding empire in the “Golden Circle” region of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Keehn, a lawyer based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, traces the KGC from its early goal of “colonizing” (annexing) part of northern Mexico, to its efforts at spreading disunion and sabotaging Union military efforts, as well as its various plans to abduct and assassinate President Lincoln. BUY THIS BOOK

THE EVANGELICALS YOU DON’T KNOW: Introducing the Next Generation of Christians By Tom Krattenmaker CGS’04 (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013, $38.) A new generation of evangelical Christians is defying the familiar stereotypes with its pluralism, openness, and willingness to “go to work with anyone to accomplish good things for people and communities,” reports Krattenmaker, a Portland, Oregon-based writer specializing in religion in public life. BUY THIS BOOK

IMAGINATION ILLUSTRATED: The Jim Henson Journal By Karen Falk C’84 G’84 (Chronicle Books, 2012, $29.95) Falk, the archives director at the Jim Henson Company and curator for a Smithsonian traveling exhibition about the cartoonist, unveils Henson’s inner workings in this adaptation of his journal. The book includes previously unpublished private notes by the creator of The Muppets, including rare sketches, photographs, storyboards, and doodles. BUY THIS BOOK

THE LAST OF THE DOUGHBOYS: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War By Richard Rubin C’88 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $28.00) Rubin spent the last decade searching for and interviewing the remaining few dozen veterans of World War I—all of whom are now deceased—for his second book. Through these interviews, Rubin explores the forgotten legacy and fading memory of one of the most cataclysmic events in world history. BUY THIS BOOK

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S SECRET TO CREATING WEALTH: How the Smartest Business Owners Build Their Fortunes By Chris Hurn G’95 (Advantage, 2012, $19.95.) In his first book, Hurn—CEO and cofounder of Mercantile Capital Corporation— explains the complexities of commercial real estate for entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses. His key “secret” is that entrepreneurs can own their own office through Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. BUY THIS BOOK

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