IMAGES OF AMERICA: The University of Pennsylvania Band By Kushol Gupta C’97. (Arcadia Publishing, 2006. $19.95.) Using photographs from the University of Pennsylvania Band archives, this pictorial chronicles the history of one of America’s oldest marching bands, from its formation in 1897 to its second CD recording in 1997. Subjects include the many venues in which it has played, its performances and members, and other bits of nostalgia. Order this book
HOW TO BEHAVE: DATING AND SEX — A Guide to Modern Manners for the Socially Challenged By Caroline Tiger C’96. (Quirk Books, 2007. $14.95.) For anyone who has had to escape from a disastrous blind date or has dreaded having “the talk” with someone they’ve been casually dating. How to Behave’s topics range from “The Supermarket Pick-Up” to “Body Hair Grooming Tips” to “When It’s Okay To Lie” during a breakup, and its advice can help overcome uncomfortable silences and misfired flirtations. Tiger is a frequent contributor to the Gazette. Order this book
NICHE ENVY: Marketing Discrimination in the Digital Age By Joseph Turow C’72 ASC’73 Gr’76, faculty. (MIT Press, 2006. $27.95.) Those pop-up ads that annoy you while you browse the web may have been tailor-made for you, based on your web-search history or Amazon.com spending habits. In this examination of digital culture, Turow, a professor of communication at Penn who has been called “probably the reigning academic expert on media fragmentation” by The New York Times, uncovers the history and methodology of “customer relationship management” and its impact on media, advertising, and society. Order this book
GOD AND COUNTRY: How Evangelicals Have Become America’s New Mainstream By Monique El-Faizy C’89. (Bloomsbury, 2006. $24.95.) After the 2004 elections, El-Faizy, a Christian fundamentalist-turned-free-thinker, asked herself: Where did all these people come from? Exploring Christian rock, publishing, education, conservative politics, and family life, El-Faizy unravels some of the mysteries behind the group she rejected. Order this book
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? By Michael Hyde C’95. (University of North Texas Press, 2005. $12.95.) Hyde won the 2005 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction for this strong debut, featuring 10 short stories that explore the consequences of dealing with the space between illusion and reality. Order this book