CLOSER TO FREEDOM: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South By Stephanie M. H. Camp C’90 Gr’98. (University of North Carolina Press, 2004. $18.95.) Truancy among slaves in the Antebellum South, previously dismissed as fits of temper, may have served as a catalyst for more overt displays of slave resistance. In Closer to Freedom, Stephanie M. H. Camp explores a hidden culture of opposition among enslaved women. Order this book
CORNBREAD NATION 2: The United States of Barbecue Edited by Lolis Eric Elie C’85.(University of North Carolina Press, 2004. $17.95.) A small blurb of insight—“Southern barbecue is the closest thing we have in the U.S. to Europe’s wines or cheeses; drive a hundred miles and the barbecue changes”—sums up the premise of Cornbread Nation 2. Contributors discuss the politics and sociology of—and reverence for—barbecue in the South, where communities are defined by the wood they burn, their sauce recipes, and their side dishes. Order this book
RACE MIXTURE IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY U.S. AND SPANISH AMERICAN FICTIONS: Gender, Culture, and Nation Building By Debra J. Rosenthal C’86.(University of North Carolina Press, 2004. $19.95.) In examining the works of authors from the U.S., Cuba, Peru, and Ecuador to determine the impact of racial hybridity on national and literary identity in the Americas, Rosenthal argues that literary representations of intimacy or sex contain influential political viewpoints—and also document beliefs about skin differences, blood taboos, incest, desire, and inheritance laws. Order this book
HOSPITAL AT WAR: The 95th Evacuation Hospital in World War II By Zachary B. Friedenberg RES’49, Faculty. (Texas A&M University Press, 2004. $32.50.) Zachary Friedenberg joined the army in 1941 after earning his medical degree at Columbia University. Following his tour of duty in Europe, he finished his residency at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He later became a professor of orthopedic surgery at Penn, where he still teaches. Hospital at War gives an insider’s account of how hospital staff came together to save the lives of soldiers, civilians, and prisoners of war. Order this book
NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY: A Novel By Risa Green C’94. (New American Library, 2005. $12.95.) Lara Stone, the protagonist of Risa Green’s first novel, works as a guidance counselor at an elite Beverly Hills high school. Working with “spoiled, bratty kids” every day makes Lara less than eager to have a spoiled, bratty kid of her own. Under pressure from her husband, however, Lara agrees to get pregnant only to find herself crying uncontrollably, gaining weight, and getting hemorrhoids. Expecting is definitely not what she expected. Order this book
THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO WRITING ABOUT NUMBERS By Jane E. Miller G’86 Gr’89. (The University of Chicago Press, 2004. $17.00.) This book begins with 12 principles that create the basis for good writing about numbers. The correct usage of tables, charts, examples, and analogies—fundamental tools for presenting numbers—are explained within the framework of the 12 principles. Order this book
THE POWER AND PROMISE OF HUMANE EDUCATION By Zoe Weil M’83. (New Society Publishers, 2004. $15.95.) Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the International Institute for Humane Education, explains how the educational needs of today’s youth differ significantly from the past. Power and Promise offers teachers suggestions for inspiring the respect and reverence of young people along with helping them become critical and creative thinkers. Order this book
LEVERAGING THE NEW HUMAN CAPITAL: Adaptive Strategies, Results Achieved, and Stories of Transformation By Sandra Burud and Marie Tumolo WG’91. (Davies-Black Publishing, 2004. $36.95.) Industrial Age workers had the “invisible” support of a home-based partner while today’s employee must balance work and personal responsibilities. Burud and Tumolo recognize this dual-focus employee as the new human capital. Leveraging the New Human Capital presents organizations with five strategies that can work to maximize performance as well as promote the well-being of employees and families. Order this book
MASTERFUL WOMEN: Slaveholding Widows from the American Revolution through the Civil War By Kirsten E. Wood Gr’98. (University of North Carolina Press, 2004. $19.95.) Any prominence that an early American woman had, from Martha Washington on down, was largely derived from her husband. Wood explores what happened to these women after their husbands died. While many post-Revolutionary widows were left destitute, a few managed to retain considerable economic status by owning slaves. Wood examines how wealthy widows affected politics and society in conservative colonial states. Order this book
CREATING AFRICA IN AMERICA: Translocal Identity in an Emerging World City By Jacqueline Copeland-Carson GCP’90 G’91 Gr’00. (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. $21.95.) The Twin Cities region, Minnesota’s largest urban area, has the most diverse black population in the country. Copeland-Carson uses the Twin Cities as the subject of an ethnographic study to explain the process of identity formation within the African Diaspora. Creating Africa in America suggests that there is no simple, concrete definition of how one can be African in contemporary American culture and society. Order this book
THE LAST REFUGE: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror By David W. Orr Gr’73. (Island Press, 2004. $20.00.) Orr, the Paul Sears Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College, argues that the “war on terror” placed environmental-protection policies on the political backburner. As a result, the quality of our air and water has declined and our food now contains more poisonous chemicals. Orr proposes to rectify this situation by invoking the greatest American corrective tradition: amending the Constitution. Order this book
