THE SINS ON THEIR BONES by Laura Resnick Samotin C’14 (Random House Canada, 2024, $18.00.) Set in a Jewish folklore-inspired reimagining of 19th-century Eastern Europe, this queer dark fantasy debut pits two estranged husbands and a daring spymaster on opposite sides of a civil war. Buy this book
THE ONLY BLACK GIRL IN THE ROOM by Alex Travis C’15 (Alcove Press, 2024, $29.99.) Genevieve Francis is a young Black reporter stuck doing diversity checks for her white colleagues when she gets her big break covering a prominent CEO’s gala. The only problem: the CEO is her ex, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior. This debut novel explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you. Buy this book
GOD BLESS YOU, OTIS SPUNKMEYER: A Novel by Joseph Earl Thomas (Grand Central Publishing, 2024, $28.00.) Thomas, a doctoral candidate in the English department, has written a debut novel about Black life in Philadelphia and the struggle to build intimate connections through the eyes of an ex-Army grad student. Buy this book
TRANSFORMATIVE NEGOTIATION: Strategies for Everyday Change and Equitable Futures by Sarah Federman C’98 (University of California Press, 2023, $29.95.) A professor of conflict resolution presents a contemporary and inclusive how-to guide to everyday negotiation that centers on social justice and equity, with real-world examples from her students, such as child custody negotiations and negotiating reduced late fees from the IRS. Buy this book
FROM THE SOVIET GULAG TO ARNHEM: A Polish Paratrooper’s Epic Wartime Journey by Nicholas Kinloch C’98 (Pen and Sword, 2023, $20.00.) In a journey that covered thousands of miles, young Stanislaw Kulik went from working in the Soviet gulags to joining the First Polish Independent Parachute Brigade during World War II. Dropped at Arnhem, in the Netherlands, he was trapped behind enemy lines and hidden by the Dutch underground until he could escape. Buy this book
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ITS HOSPITALS: A Marriage Made in Heaven? by Patricia Acquaviva Gabow M’69 GM’70 GM’73 (American Association for Physician Leadership, 2023, $59.00.) This book illuminates the origins of the Catholic healthcare system and examines the shift to a system now characterized by broad reach, wealth, and power with important ramifications for hospitals, doctors, patient autonomy, and patient care. Buy this book
CORE PRACTICES IN TEACHER EDUCATION: A Global Perspective Ed. Pam Grossman (faculty) and Urban Fraefel (Harvard Education Press, 2024, $37.00.) This book offers an exploration of teacher education programs around the world and finds common focus in the use of core practices to better prepare teachers for the classroom. Grossman is a professor of education and former dean at Penn’s Graduate School of Education. Buy this book
A FATHER’S HANDBOOK FOR RAISING CHILDREN by Henry Petersohn W’52 (Dorrance Publishing, 2023, $35.00.) This handbook covers common child-raising topics such as helping children avoid the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and guiding them toward discovering their interests, skills, and a career. Buy this book
WORD CARVINGS: Poems by Jeffrey Ormont C’71 (Poetry Publishing House, 2023, $12.99.) Ormont’s poetry guides readers on a contemplative journey celebrating stages of life from birth to death. Buy this book
HAMPI by River Coello GEd’15 (For the Birds Trapped in Airports, 2024, $32.00.) Through photographs and text (in English, Spanish, and Quechua), this book chronicles a fantastical journey of recovering one’s buried parts to embrace the blessings of ancestral medicine. Buy this book
IF YOU LIKE ANIMALS BETTER THAN PEOPLE by Felice L. Bedford C’82 G’83 Gr’88 writing as Forest Bae (Tivoli Press, 2024, $12.99.) This fantasy novel about forest animals explores bigger themes of women’s rights and the nature of humanity. Bedford says several colleagues, including two Penn alumni, were inspirations for the characters. Buy this book
