BRAVE-ISH: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty by Lisa Niver C’89 (Post Hill Press, 2023, $18.99.) Niver seemed to be on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling around the world with her husband. But in private, she was keeping a dark secret: her marriage was failing. At age 47, she finds the courage to set course on a new life, trying 50 new experiences before she turns 50. Buy this book
SHE HELD HER BREATH IN WONDER: A Story of Maria Sibylla Merian by Paige Menton GEd’93 GEd’98 (Journeywork Press, 2023, $11.99.) This picture book tells the true tale of a curious young girl in 17th-century Germany who is captivated by the metamorphosis of butterflies. She grows to be a celebrated painter whose artwork transforms the way scientists understand insect development. Buy this book
THE CHILDREN OF THIS MADNESS by Gemini Wahhaj MTE’93 (7.13 Books, 2023, $19.99) Beena has been struggling to fit into Houston’s Bengali American community, many of whom serve the same US corporations she sees destroying Iraq. When her father journeys to America, generations and cultures mingle in a search to define the Bengali American experience. Buy this book
THE ETHICS OF CANINE CARE: Relationships Generate Responsibilities by Craig B. Merow Gr’09 (McFarland, 2023, $49.95.) Today, most dog owners consider their canine companions to be members of their families, but the laws of dog ownership reflect ethical norms of an earlier era. Merow, a bioethicist, presents a new “custodial property framework” for the care and medical treatment of companion canines. Buy this book
WE DON’T WANT YOU, UNCLE SAM: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z by Matthew Weiss W’20 WG’21 (Night Vision Publishing, 2023, $14.99.) An officer in the US Marine Corps and a member of Generation Z himself, Weiss uses personal life stories and macro analysis to explain why military recruiting in the US is at an all-time low and how recruiters can appeal to a younger generation. Buy this book
TORT LAW & HOW IT’S TIED TO OUR CULTURE by M. Stuart Madden C’71 (Ewings Publishing LLC, 2023, $13.99.) Madden, a former law professor at Pace University, presents a socio-legal history of the norms, customs, and eventual private laws addressing wrongs, or tort, in this newly expanded 2023 edition. Buy this book
THE MALFUNCTION OF US EDUCATION POLICY: Elite Misinformation, Disinformation, and Selfishness by Richard P. Phelps GrW’01 (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2023, $29.00.) Phelps argues that US education policy is formed not by objective standards and processes but rather by opportunistic ‘strategic scholars’ who promote only their own work—bolstered by wealthy foundations, political parties, and celebrity-obsessed journalists who ultimately degrade classroom instruction. Buy this book
SPIRIT WIVES AND CHURCH MOTHERS: Marriage, Survival, and Healing in Central Mozambique by Christy Schuetze Gr’10 (University of Wisconsin Press, 2023, $79.95.) Schuetze, an anthropology professor at Swarthmore College, explores how the growth of Pentecostal churches in central Mozambique occurred alongside a striking increase in so-called traditional religious practices such as spirit mediumship and spiritual healing. Buy this book
BIBLICAL WOMEN SPEAK: Hearing Their Voices through New and Ancient Midrash by Rabbi Marla J. Feldman C’79 (Jewish Publication Society, 2023, $26.95.) Employing midrash (a Jewish interpretive technique), Rabbi Feldman examines 10 biblical women through creative retelling of their stories in their own voices. The book invites readers to recalibrate the women’s stories and lessons through the lens of their own lives and experiences. Buy this book
THE LISTENING BOOK: How to Create a World of Rich Connections and Surprising Growth by Actually Hearing Each Other by Robin Ticic CW’69, Elise Kushner, and Bruce Ecker (Routledge, 2023, $29.95.) Satisfying, secure connection with others depends heavily on how well we listen to each other and respond to what we’ve heard. This book probes the key elements of both deeply attuned and badly misattuned listening through vivid depictions of real-life interactions. Buy this book
