THAT’S NOT A THING by Jacqueline Berkell Friedland C’99 L’00 (SparkPress, 2020, $16.95.) Years after Meredith’s engagement to Wesley ended disastrously, he reappears when Meredith is about to marry Aaron. When she learns Wesley has been diagnosed with ALS, Meredith is left with a mix of confusing emotions to untangle in this complex love triangle. Buy this book
BUILDING FOR EVERYONE: Expand Your Market with Design Practices from Google’s Product Inclusion Team by Annie Jean-Baptiste C’10 (John Wiley & Sons, 2020, $29.00.) As head of product inclusion at Google, Jean-Baptiste provides step-by-step processes for inclusive product design that make consumers feel seen, heard, and considered—all while increasing a company’s profitability. Drawing upon examples from Google, she provides guidance on how to plan for inclusion from the point of product ideation all the way through marketing. Buy this book
BREAKAWAY AMERICAS: The Unmanifest Future of the Jacksonian United States by Tommy Richards C’04 GEd’06 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020, $49.95.) This reinterpretation of a key moment in US political history examines six attempts to establish sovereign states outside the borders of the early American republic: “patriots” who attempted to overthrow British rule in Canada; post-removal Cherokees in Indian Territory; Mormons in Illinois and the Salt Lake Valley; Anglo-American overland immigrants in both Mexican California and Oregon; and Anglo-Americans in Texas. Buy this book
THE ASTRONAUT’S WINDOW: Collection of Poems and Short Stories Celebrating Nature by Hazel Ann Lee CW’73 (iUniverse Incorporated, 2020, $20.99.) Fascinated with space travel from a young age, Lee believes astronauts offer us a distinct view of our world. This book of poems acknowledges their contributions to science. Buy this book
WHEN BLOOD BREAKS DOWN: Life Lessons from Leukemia by Dr. Mikkael A. Sekeres C’91 GM’96 M’96 (MIT Press, 2020, $26.95.) Sekeres, a leading cancer specialist based at the Cleveland Clinic, tells the stories of three people who receive diagnoses of adult leukemia within hours of each other. Readers are invited to listen in on the intimate conversations between doctor and patient as they explore treatment options and make important decisions together. Buy this book
FOX & CAMEL: The Track Meet by Michael A. Kaufman EE’70 C’71, illustrated by Lorraine Dey (Deystudio, 2018, $18.99.) This is book three in a series of seven picture books for children. Best friends Fox and Camel devise a plan for Camel to compete at his school’s track meet. Trouble follows, and the characters soon learn that honesty is the best policy. Buy this book
SINCE JOEL: Love and Loss on the Spectrum by Julie Lerner Schwartz CW’73 GEd’74 (Second Story Press, 2019, $13.89.) In this memoir, Schwartz tackles what happens when the unimaginable loss of a child becomes a reality. She introduces readers to her son Joel, who lived with Asperger syndrome and died by accidental overdose at age 25. Buy this book
WHERE THE LIGHTHOUSE BEGINS by Timothy Houghton C’77 (Salmon Poetry, 2020, $14.95.) In Houghton’s seventh book of poetry a motivating sense of loss is woven throughout. Some poems feature a dead father, an aging mother, and a troubled brother. Others explore war and other conflict. The natural world also plays a major role, and humor is often present as a source of relief. Buy this book
LIONS, TIGERS, AND … BULLDOGS? An Unofficial Guide to the Legends and Lore of the Ivy League by Matt Robinson C’96, illustrated by Jim Roldan (Fighting Quaker Books, 2019, $12.00.) This short, illustrated book presents the people, places, and traditions that make each Ivy League university unique. A special section is dedicated to athletics and describes the meaning behind each school’s mascot. Buy this book
BREATHE EMPOWER ACHIEVE: 5-Minute Mindfulness for Women Who Do It All by Shonda Moralis SW’98 (The Experiment, 2019, $14.95.) Moralis, a psychotherapist, offers 50 simple mindful breaks that can be built into even the busiest of schedules. From meditating over morning coffee to finding peace and quiet in the office bathroom, Moralis shows that mindfulness can happen anywhere, anytime, if we put our minds to it. Buy this book
THE ADVENTURES OF SPIKE THE WONDER DOG: As Told to Bill Boggs by Bill Boggs C’63 ASC’64 (Post Hill Press, 2020, $25.00.) In this comic novel, Boggs imagines what his English Bull Terrier Spike would say if he could talk. It turns out that Spike has a sardonic and oftentimes politically incorrect view of daily life in New York City. Buy this book
WOMAN IN THE PIN-STRIPED SUIT by Al Butkus G’95 (Archway Publishing, 2019, $14.99.) A chemist mysteriously drowns in an Iowa resort lake. Months later, his lawyer daughter is shot in a Kansas City hotel. Knowing nothing about police work or investigating crimes, Cable Wheeler brings the dead man’s remaining children on a whirlwind cross-country game of hide-and-seek, dodging villains as they go, while trying to put a stop to those who would do anything for money. Buy this book
VERY BRIEFLY
“THERE’S ONLY 1 RACE—THE HUMAN ONE,” SAYS ME!—A Children’s Book: Ending Racism! by Kimberly Y. Erwin GEd’99 (InterCultural Connect Books, 2020, $19.99.) Buy this book
RECONSTRUCTING THE NATIONAL BANK CONTROVERSY: Politics and Law in the Early American Republic by Eric Lomazoff C’01 (University of Chicago Press, 2018, $30.00.) Buy this book
TIME’S NOW FOR WOMEN HEALTHCARE LEADERS: A Guide for the Journey by Dr. Patricia Gabow M’69 GM’70 GM’73 (Routledge, 2020, $39.95.) Buy this book
FOLLOWING ON SEAS OF GLORY: Adventures at Sea and Around the World by Leonard H. Gaffga WG’70 (BookBaby, 2020, $19.99.) Buy this book
WE’RE GAININ’: Collins Brook, A Maine Free School—A Memoir by Jacob Watson C’64 (Dorrance Publishing, 2019, $23.00.) Buy this book
