KISMET by Becky Chalsen C’15 (Penguin Random House, 2023, $17.00.) Set in the beach town of Kismet, Fire Island, this novel about love, sisterhood, and destiny follows Amy Sharp as she navigates her marriage, her past, and her twin sister’s wedding over a Fourth of July weekend. Buy this book
FINDING THE WORDS: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose by Colin Campbell C’91 (Penguin Random House, 2023, $29.00.) After his children were killed in a drunk driving accident, Campbell was thrown headlong into deep, unimaginable grief and found the common wisdom about coping privately to be unhelpful. This book is meant to encourage active grieving—instead of shrouding the universal experience in stigma and mystery. Buy this book
FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark C’76 (Simon & Schuster, 2022, $28.99.) This sweeping novel follows two lifelong friends, both shareholders in a generations-old land partnership. When Agnes is diagnosed with breast cancer in her 80s, she seeks to convince Polly to donate their large swath of land along the coast of Maine so its remote beauty will remain protected. Buy this book
NAMING GOTHAM: The Villains, Rogues, and Heroes Behind New York Place Names by Rebecca Bratspies L’92 (History Press, 2023, $23.99.) Bratspies, a professor at CUNY School of Law, uncovers the vibrant personalities behind the names of New York’s many roads, bridges, tunnels, neighborhoods, and institutions. Buy this book
LEFTY AND TIM: How Steve Carlton and Tim McCarver Became Baseball’s Best Battery by William C. Kashatus Gr’93 (University of Nebraska Press, 2022, $34.95.) This dual biography details the relationship between of Hall of Fame pitcher Steve “Lefty” Carlton and catcher Tim McCarver, from when they played with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965 to their stints with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. Buy this book
RX/MUSUEM: 52 Essays on Art and Reflection in Medicine by Dr. Lyndsay Hoy GM’16 and Aaron Levy (faculty) (Slought Foundation, 2022, $10.00.) This companion book to Hoy and Levy’s project Rx/Museum [“The Museum Prescription,” Nov|Dec 2020] brings the museum experience to the clinician with 52 artworks from the collections of partnering arts institutions. Buy this book
GRANDPA’S LONELY, ISN’T HE? by Joseph H. Cooper W’69 L’72 (FriesenPress, 2022, $14.99.) During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a young dinosaur is worried about his grandfather, who lives alone. Out of concern, they stay socially distanced. This children’s picture book is about missing someone and being missed, and caring for each other while being apart. Buy this book
THE AESTHETIC COLD WAR: Decolonization and Global Literature by Peter J. Kalliney C’93 G’93 (Princeton University Press, 2022, $45.00.) Kalliney, a professor of English at the University of Kentucky, explores how superpower competition and the Cold War affected writers in the decolonizing world and how politics shaped literary production in the 20th century. Buy this book
INSIDE THE ORPHAN DRUG REVOLUTION: The Promise of Patient-Centered Biotechnology by James Geraghty G’77 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2022, $29.00.) Geraghty, a biotech executive, has spent more than 40 years working on drugs for “orphan” diseases—rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 people nationwide. His book offers eyewitness accounts of advances in orphan drug research, and tells deeply personal stories of patients and parents willing to risk new, untried therapies. Buy this book
WRITING ISLANDS: Space and Identity in the Transnational Cuban Archipelago by Elena Lahr-Vivaz G’02 Gr’08 (University of Florida Press, 2022, $30.00.) Lahr-Vivaz, an associate professor of Spanish at Rutgers University, analyzes works of contemporary Cuban writers on the island alongside those in exile. She explores the nuances of Cuban identity, the creation of alternate spaces of identity, the potential of the Internet for artistic expression, and the transnational bonds that join far-flung communities. Buy this book
SIT WRITE SHARE: Practical Writing Strategies to Transform Your Experience into Content that Matters by Kathryn Heninger Britton CGS’06 (Theano Press, 2022, $15.99.) There is no single writing recipe that works for everybody, but successful writers rely on common ingredients. This handbook shares 55 “experiments” to help writers find inspiration (sit), create and edit drafts (write), and get support (share). Buy this book
