WING WALKING By Harry Groome C’63. (The Connelly Press, 2007. $23.95.) Love, deceit, success, and loss are just a few words that describe the drama of multinational corporate deal-making. A seasoned veteran of the corporate world, Groome provides a rare glimpse inside real personal struggles, motives, and drives that fuel conflict and cooperation in the corporate boardroom. Buy this book
THE ARCHITECT: A Novel By James Williamson GAr’73. (Cold Tree Press, 2007. $16.95.) Winning the honor of building the new Center for Southern Culture on the Mississippi may be struggling architect Ethan Cotham’s worst nightmare. Facing professional rivalry, prohibitive scrutiny, and unwanted amorous advances, Cotham finds himself in the struggle of a lifetime to save both his project and his reputation. Buy this book
TROUBLE TREE By John Hill Porter W’58. (Macmillan-Caribbean, 2008. $11.95.) Set in Barbados, this whodunit pieces together the story behind the shooting of Detective Ben Cumberbatch. A story of danger, disaster, and love, Trouble Treeis the first work of fiction by Porter, an international-relations expert. Buy this book
ZUBLINKA AMONG WOMEN By Robert Wexelblatt C’66. (KenArnoldBooks, 2008. $18.00.) An author and philosopher forced to flee Communist eastern Europe because of subversive writings, the eccentric and brilliant Zublinka, who at the age of 70 lives several lives under different pseudonyms, returns to his home to discover some shocking truths. Buy this book
THE REAL McCAIN: Why Conservatives Don’t Trust Him—and Why Independents Shouldn’t By Cliff Schecter C’94. (PoliPoint Press, 2008. $14.95.) This profile of Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain takes a hard look at the gap between the candidate’s media image and his public record. Funny and openly partisan, this book argues that despite his maverick reputation, the real McCain is a flip-flopping panderer ready to do and say anything to be president. Buy this book
COMRADES AND COMMISSARS: The Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil War By Cecil D. Eby Gr’58. (Penn State Press, 2007. $39.95.) The Lincoln Battalion, a group of 2,800 American volunteers aiding the fight against Franco in the Spanish Civil War, is a group shrouded in biases and myths. Eby gives a rigorous but balanced account of the American experience in Spain during this tumultuous and controversial period. Buy this book
SAVING THE MODERN SOUL: Therapy, Emotions, and the Culture of Self-Help By Eva Illouz Gr’91. (University of California Press, 2008. $21.95.) In detailing the central role that psychology plays in contemporary emotional life, Illousz, professor of sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, draws from an array of sources to illustrate how and why therapy and self-help are used to simultaneously complicate life, mitigate trauma, and form core identities. Buy this book
THE TYRANNY OF THE MARKET: Why You Can’t Always Get What You Want By Joel Waldfogel, faculty. (Harvard University Press, 2007. $35.00.) Modern market systems are based on the premise that democratic economic allocations give rise to a “tyranny of the majority,” while market economic allocations better suit the needs of every individual. Waldfogel, professor of business and public policy at Wharton, disputes this premise and asserts that even in market economies, groups of consumers with less power or less prevalent tastes find themselves worse off than larger groups, and less satisfied with markets. Buy this book
ARMY FATIGUES: Joining Israel’s Army of International Volunteers By Mark Werner L’78. (Devora Publishing, 2008. $21.95.) This deeply personal book documents the experiences of Werner, a successful American lawyer, in the “Sar-el,” or “volunteers for Israel.” Chronicling four stints as a volunteer on Israeli army and naval bases, Werner depicts the life of soldiers serving in Israel, the difficulties of maintaining a democratic society in the face of terror, and the personal significance of his contribution to Israel. Buy this book
