When Mystical Creatures Attack!
KATHLEEN FOUNDS, '04; University of Iowa Press, $16.
This witty, insightful book centers on newly minted, unstable high school English teacher Laura Freedman and her rebellious student Janice. Don't let the cartoonish cover fool you: This book deals with serious fare—the meaning of life, personal worthlessness, guilt, God, mental illness, and Freud's belief that being brought to "common unhappiness" will create, for the emotionally labile, a sharp contrast to the darkness. The author delivers the story in a series of darkly humorous letters, poems, emails and journal entries, some written by Laura from a residential facility where Laura earns "wellness points" to increase her "psychiatric credit score."
A Man of the World Contemplates Heaven
From my dim room I see a balcony
covered with vines that filter sun and air.
And there's a table with a waiting chair
facing the snow-capped mountains and the sea.
Bird songs are sounding from a nearby grove
where orange trees blossom, scenting the light breeze.
The balcony invites me, when I please,
into a sensuous aerie fit for Jove.
But something holds me back, so near the door.
Perhaps the view's not all that I assume.
Perhaps the wind's too sharp, the sun too bright . . .
This is contentment I can settle for:
always to wait here in my sheltered room,
always a breath away from my delight.
—JAN SCHREIBER, '63, in Peccadilloes; White Violet Press, $16.95.
Understanding Beliefs
NILS J. NILSSON, MS '55, PhD '58; MIT Press, $12.95.
This installation in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series explores beliefs, why we hold them and how they change the way we interact with our surroundings. Nilsson broadens the typical idea of belief to include much of what we observe, learn and just "know." He asserts that beliefs should be "tentative and changeable," encouraging readers to discuss, evaluate and avoid blind self-validation.
Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America's Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment
DENIS HAYES, '69, JD '85, and GAIL BOYER HAYES; W.W. Norton & Company, $27.95.
Professing a deep respect for cows, two environmentalists analyze cows' impact on human health and the environment to entreat Americans to reduce the size of the national herd. A simple fix, they say, is to limit our beef and dairy consumption to organic and grass-fed and -finished products.
"An Issei physician said, 'I feel sorry enough for us, the Issei, but at least we have a country. I feel sorrier for you Nisei, because it looks as if your own country, the United States, has repudiated you.' That, she felt, 'was the worst blow of all.'"
—VALERIE MATSUMOTO, MA '80, PhD '86, in City Girls: The Nisei Social World in Los Angeles, 1920-1950; Oxford University Press, $34.95.
Journey to Harvest: How to Grow Great Grapes, Make Distinctive Wines & Live Forever
GEORGE M. MACLEOD, '43, MS '48; self-published, $20.
Forty years ago, MacLeod stepped onto a rocky path. He left his "real job"; bought 50 acres of overgrown land, thick with abandoned orchards and grapevines, just north of Sonoma; and set out to learn the ways of a winemaker. Now 93, he takes readers on a stroll through his ranch, sharing tales of the wine business; his family's favorite harvest crews, who return year after year; and, in his words, "how to make the vines happy."
Fifty Mice
DANIEL PYNE, '77; Blue Rider Press, $26.95.
This edgy thriller by acclaimed screenwriter Pyne is boldly cinematic—full of dreamlike fragments of prose and burgeoning suspense. Jay is abducted from a subway platform, drugged and taken to Catalina Island. He is now in the witness protection program, his abductors tell him; he is not allowed to leave the island. But he can't even remember the murder he is supposed to have witnessed.
Our Secret Life in the Movies
MICHAEL MCGRIFF and J.M. TYREE; A Strange Object, $14.95.
Former Stegner fellows McGriff and Tyree, inspired by watching a collection of classic movies over the course of a year, use short stories and witty titles to spotlight the lives of two boys growing up in '80s rural America. Every two vignettes respond to one of 39 films, giving the stories parallel narratives that weave through the trials of finding a place in the world.
Rethinking Andrew Wyeth
DAVID CATEFORIS, MA '88, PhD '92; University of California Press, $60.
Wyeth is popular and prominent, yet scholars dispute whether his work is worth the hype. Critical acclaim for his art began its decline in the 1960s and hit a low point in 1987 with the exhibition of a series of nude paintings and drawings he created in secret. A 2005-06 retrospective was better received. This collection of critiques seeks to elevate Wyeth's work and make him "matter to us in new ways."
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
BEATRIZ WILLIAMS, '94; G.P. Putnam's Sons, $26.95.
A mysterious suitcase from 1917 arrives at Vivian Schuyler's door in 1964. It belongs to her great-aunt Violet, a brilliant physicist, who is said to have murdered her husband and fled with her lover at the start of World War I. Vivian is determined to suss out the details of her aunt's story while she struggles with her own tragic love life: The man she loves is engaged to her best friend.
Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth
MARC PEYSER, '86, and TIMOTHY DWYER; Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $28.95.
These celebrated women had much in common—both were fifth cousins of Eleanor's husband, Franklin; both defied social conventions; both coped with dysfunctional home lives. But their politics and lifestyles clashed: Eleanor was an in-the-trenches activist, Alice an inveterate socialite. The authors illuminate the thorny relationships in this American dynasty against the backdrop of major 20th-century issues and events.
The following did not appear in the print version of Stanford.
The Cinema of Robert Rodriguez
FREDERICK LUIS ALDAMA, PhD '99; University of Texas Press, $24.95.
Aldama delves into the cinematic world of Robert Rodriguez, offering readers a nuanced analysis of Rodriguez's DIY film style, and what his films mean in the context of Latino and film studies.
Caesar's Jaguar: Chariot of the God's
HANK CURCI, MS '63; Self-Published, $1.99.
In Curci's Caesar's Jaguar, brilliant scientist John Moore takes a luxury sports car back in time to compete in the ancient Roman Circus Maximus races.
Pure Sex: The Spirituality of Desire
GORDON DALBEY, MA '68, and MARY ANDREWS-DALBEY; Civitas Press, $15.99
In their latest book, the Dalbeys aim to bridge the gap between sexuality and spirituality, offering a new interpretation of what the Bible has to say about human desire, and how sexuality fits into God's plan for the world.
Death Never Lies
DAVID GRACE, '67; Wildside Press, $14.99.
Grace's latest novel tells the story of Greg Kane, a Homeland Security agent trying to solve the disappearance of a fellow government official, and figure out who is importing dangerous chemicals into the country and for what sinister purpose.
Following the Leader: Ruling China, From Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping
DAVID M. LAMPTON, '67, MA '71, PhD '73; University of California Press, $31.95.
Based on over 500 interviews with China's political elite, Lampton's Following the Leader offers readers new insight into the complicated world of politics in modern China.
Provincetown Since World War II: Carnival at Land's End
DEBRA LAWLESS, '81; The History Press, $19.99.
Lawless recounts the colorful modern history of Provincetown, Mass., looking at how it went from charming seaside community to an artistic mecca, which has hosted the likes of Tennessee Williams and Andy Warhol.
The Ripple Effect: How a Positive Attitude and a Caring Community Helped Save My Life
STEVEN LEWIS; Self-Published, $16.95.
When Lewis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he and his wife made a conscious choice to maintain a positive attitude; now, after two bouts with one of the deadliest forms of cancer, Lewis believes this decision helped save his life.
The Curve Ahead: Discovering the Path to Unlimited Growth
DAVE POWER, MBA '80; Palgrave Macmillan, $25.
Power lends his unique insight into the business world in The Curve Ahead, using lessons from global businesses like Amazon to advise readers on how to sustain their company's growth in the long-term.
Places In Time: Reflections on a Journey
MAXINE ROSE SCHUR, MLA '99; Capra Press, $15.
Places in Time, a travel memoir by Schur, recounts her youthful journey to all corners of the globe, from Berkeley to Bulgaria, Italy to Iran, and learned to open herself up to people around the world.
Big Cactus
SYLVIA WILKINSON; Owl Canyon Press, $24.95.
In this latest novel by Wilkinson, a 1965-66 Stegner fellow, three characters embark on a life-changing road trip from North Carolina to Arizona, in which they see America and meditate on some of the nuances of life.
