BETSY’S PHILADELPHIA ADVENTURE: From the Betsy Ross House to the University of Pennsylvania by Marcia Geller Sawyer C’83 and Sandy Mayer C’83 (iPub Global Connections, 2019, $11.99.) Follow Betsy the squirrel as she meanders through Philadelphia, discovering hidden gems as well as popular tourist destinations in this illustrated children’s book. Buy this book
THE YEAR 1000: When Explorers Connected the World—and Globalization Began by Valerie Hansen G’83 Gr’87 (Scribner, 2020, $30.) Drawing on nearly 30 years of research, Hansen, a history professor at Yale, argues that changes around the year 1000 constituted globalization in the most fundamental sense of the word. First encounters between disparate societies sparked conflict and collaboration eerily reminiscent of our contemporary moment. Buy this book
THEY CARRIED US: The Social Impact of Philadelphia’s Black Women Leaders by Dr. Allener M. Baker-Rogers GEd’89 and Fasaha M. Traylor (Arch Street Press, 2020, $28.99.) Celebrating the lives of “some of Philadelphia’s fiercest Black women leaders,” this book profiles 95 women who lifted their communities—from George Washington’s enslaved maid Ona Judge, who escaped to freedom in 1796, to the contemporary poet, activist, and scholar Sonia Sanchez. Buy this book
SWIRLED ALL THE WAY TO THE SHRUB by Dr. Rick Wilson D’87 and Tom Bentley (Gack & Bacon Publishing, 2018, $16.99.) Set in the Roaring Twenties, this novel introduces a flawed but likable protagonist named Pinky DeVroom, as he seeks out a publisher for his book. Hope comes in the form of an astute, comely literary agent who becomes Pinky’s love interest just as the stock market crashes, sending his publication hopes spiraling down with it. Buy this book
PROGRESSIVE DYSTOPIA: Abolition, Antiblackness, and Schooling in San Francisco by Savannah Shange Gr’17 (Duke University Press, 2019, $25.95.) In San Francisco, racialized displacement means the Black population hovers at just over 3 percent. The Robeson Justice Academy opened to serve the few remaining low-income neighborhoods, with the mission of offering social justice–themed education to youth of color. In this ethnography, Shange explores the potential for reconciling the school’s marginalization of Black students with its sincere pursuit of multiracial uplift and solidarity. Buy this book
ALL THIS MARVELOUS POTENTIAL: Robert Kennedy’s 1968 Tour of Appalachia by Matthew Algeo C’88 (Chicago Review Press, 2020, $28.99.) Offering a new portrait of Robert Kennedy, Algeo retraces the senator’s 1968 tour of eastern Kentucky, when Kennedy tested his antiwar and antipoverty message with hardscrabble white voters. Visiting the places Kennedy visited and meeting with the people he met, Algeo explains how the region has changed since 1968, and why it matters for the rest of the country. Buy this book
ENGENDERING CITIES: Designing Sustainable Spaces for All Edited Michael Neuman ChE’77 GCP’86 GFA’86 and Inés Sánchez de Madariaga (Routledge, 2020, $35.96.) This collection of essays examines why gender matters in city design. The authors explore aspects critical to planning contemporary cities with regard to gender, including transportation, public toilets, safety, housing, and more. Buy this book
MAISHA AND THE RAINBOW TREE by Jeff Blander W’93 (Self-published, 2020, $6.49.) When a developer plans to cut down a beloved community tree, the neighborhood children rally to save it. Inspired by true events, this illustrated book shares a powerful message of hope, friendship, and advocacy. Proceeds from its sale are donated to charitable causes that support sustainable forest restoration and families in need. Buy this book
ENGAGED: A Citizen’s Perspective on the Future of Civic Life by Andrew Sommers LPS’10 (New Degree Press, 2020, $13.57.) Why do so few of us trust our government, take interest in politics, or assume active roles in our communities? Using personal stories and inspiring examples, Sommers explores the state of civic life today and makes the case for why an engaged public is essential for democracy. Buy this book
THE AMERICAN STRANGLER by Robert M. Fleisher GD’76 (Black Rose Writing, 2020, $18.95.) Ron Rellick, a surgeon, loses all of his worldly possessions in a malpractice suit and goes homicidal seeking vengeance for what he sees as a corrupt system of law. Buy this book
Very Briefly
FICTIONS OF LAND AND FLESH: Blackness, Indigeneity, Speculation by Mark Rifkin Gr’03 (Duke University Press, 2019, $27.95.) Buy this book
TRACKS THROUGH OUR LIVES: Stories Told on Philly El Trains by John A. McCabe LPS’15 (Pearl S. Buck Writing Center Press, 2019, $11.99.) Buy this book
IN EXCHANGE FOR GOLD: The Legacy and Sustainability of Artisanal Gold Mining in Las Juntas de Abangares, Costa Rica by Richard A. Nisenbaum C’84 Gr’92 and Joseph E. B. Elliott (Common Ground Research Networks, 2019, $15.00.) Buy this book
REAL SCIENTISTS DON’T WEAR TIES: When Science Meets Culture by Sidney Perkowitz Gr’67 (Jenny Stanford Publishing, 2020, $20.52.) Buy this book
PREGNANCY AND THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY: The Movement Towards Evidence-Based Pharmacotherapy for Pregnant Women by Kristine E. Shields Nu’80 (Academic Press, 2019, $106.25.) Buy this book
THE DISAPPEARING CHRIST: Secularism in the Silent Era by Phillip Maciak Gr’13 (Columbia University Press, 2019, $35.00.) Buy this book
HISTORY OF THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA 1871–1920: Living by Its Covenant of 1871 by William J. Edgar GEd’75 Gr’80 (Crown & Covenant Publications, 2019, $25.00.) Buy this book
TORT LAW AND HOW IT’S TIED TO OUR CULTURE by M. Stuart Madden C’71 (Dorrance Publishing, 2019, $22.00.) Buy this book
IN LIVING COLOR: An Anthology of Contemporary Student Writings on Race Edited by Karen Reardon C’81, Megan Schoen, and Jaime Longo (Self-published, 2020, $10.00.) Buy this book
