True Confessions of a Veterinarian: An Unconditional
Love Story By Gene Witiak V’63. (Glenbridge Publishing, 2004. $21.95.) A practicing veterinarian for over 40 years, Witiak shares his memories of his most special patients and their families. From the humorous (“The ‘piranha’ poodle leaped up and placed her fangs into my left buttock,”) to the bizarre (“My pup swallowed my daughter’s pajamas,”) Witiak’s vignettes should appeal even to those who are less than enthusiastic about pets. Order this book
COMCASTed: How Ralph and Brian Roberts Took Over America’s TV One Deal at a Time By Joseph N. DiStefano C’85. (Camino Books, 2005. $24.95.) Many have written about the world’s largest cable monopoly but few have mentioned the family responsible for its success. Joseph DiStefano, business reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, spent two years researching the cable giant and its founding family to create this unauthorized biography of Ralph Roberts W’41 and Brian Roberts C’81 from the former’s role in starting the company to his son’s reign as current CEO. Order this book
Improbable By Adam Fawer W ’92. (HarperCollins, 2005. $24.95.) A novel featuring a compulsive gambler with a knack for statistics. After learning that his best friend, the late Stephanie Williams C’92, had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, Adam Fawer made a pact with her to write together until they both became published authors. Improbableis the fulfillment of their dream; Williams’ novel Enter Sandmanwas published last year [“Writing for Her Life,” September/October 2004]. Order this book
Trees of Pennsylvania: A Complete Reference Guide By Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block. (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. $49.95.) Trees of Pennsylvaniacontains concise, tabular descriptions of the Commonwealth’s 200 tree species, and it provides details such as flowering and fruiting time, autumn leaf color, and the size of the largest specimen recorded within the state. It also examines the ecological and historical context of the trees, including how Native Americans made use of them, and features 520 black-and-white illustrations and 247 color images. Order this book
Make The Rules or Your Rivals Will By G. Richard Shell. (Crown Business, 2004. $27.50.) Shell, the Thomas Gerrity Professor of Legal Studies and Management in the Wharton School, provides examples of people and companies who have succeeded in creating rules that shape the way markets work; the businesses that write the rules operate with relative freedom while their competitors must stay inside the fence. Order this book
URBAN SPRAWL AND PUBLIC HEALTH: Designing, Planning, and Building for Healthy Communities By Howard Frumkin M’82, Lawrence Frank, and Richard Jackson. (Island Press, 2004. $30.00.) Frumkin and his co-authors draw connections between industrial developments and a decline in human health and well-being. They also submit the idea of “smart growth,” in which compact communities would be created that would reduce our reliance on automobiles, thus leading to an increase in physical activity and cleaner air. Order this book
