What Women Want: An Agenda for the Women's Movement
Deborah L. Rhode; Oxford University Press, $29.95.
A longtime Law School professor, Rhode has published more than 20 books on topics ranging from leadership and legal ethics to women's rights. Her latest offering is a tour de force, assembling vast research on each of the major battlefronts of feminism in America today, from equal pay and work-life balance to abortion rights and domestic violence. Rhode examines not just how women are treated in the workplace, in their relationships and under the law, but how they feel about it and what public policy can do to realize their expectations for equality. Hard numbers show that those who believe there's not a "woman problem" in this country just don't have the facts.
You-Know-Where Again
Here she sits again, the door dead-bolted
against the bright party. At last, alone,
free to sneak a smoke and a few lines
from the book shoved into her purse en route.
No one knows I'm here, Pilgrim's first thought
—and in the end her best thought—
followed by the less pleasant doubt
that she'd be very much missed
in the tall Tudor manor tonight where
the Veuve Clicquot brims and the lamb's
trimmed into chops the size of her thumbs.
A martyr sometimes gets hungry and scared,
is troubled by visions, or numbed by scars.
Tonight—all four—as words blur into stars.
—REBECCA FOUST, JD '82, in Paradise Drive; Press 53, $14.95.
Beware Beware
STEPH CHA, '07; Minotaur Books, $25.99.
Cha's second novel is a fast-paced, suspense-laced mystery that casts a harsh light on Hollywood's bad side. Apprentice investigator Juniper Song finds herself pulled deep into the case of a movie star's murder in a world built on appearances and fueled by media gossip—and where layers of glamour hide years of lies.
Snowblind: Stories of Alpine Obsession
DANIEL ARNOLD, '01; Counterpoint, $15.95.
In his third book, climber and adventurer Arnold departs from nonfiction storytelling to debut his first short story collection. The result is an impressive exploration of the souls of mountaineers—men and women, on glaciers or vertical ice, in crux moments of an expedition and in the quiet moments afterwards. The reading is nerve-racking but well worth the trip.
"Whether happy or unhappy, healthy or unhealthy, blessed or besieged, childhood remains every adult's psychic center of gravity, so tenacious . . . are its early imperatives and impulses."
—ROBERT POGUE HARRISON, professor of Italian, in Juvenescence: A Cultural History of Our Age; University of Chicago Press, $25.
Wishful Thinking
KAMY WICOFF, '94; She Writes Press, $16.95.
How much would you pay for a time-travel app that gave you the power to be in two places at once? Or, rather, what would it end up costing you? This tale from first-time novelist Wicoff has a single mom using the magical tool to navigate her busy career, home and love life with aplomb. No longer needing to make tough choices, she can finally have—and do—it all. Or can she?
What Fools These Mortals Be! The Story of Puck
MICHAEL ALEXANDER KAHN, MA '73, JD '73, and RICHARD SAMUEL WEST; IDW Publishing, $59.99.
At 327 pages, this gorgeous coffee-table book spares no expense in reintroducing Puck, America's once-beloved color humor magazine. Published weekly from 1877 to 1918, Puck reached a circulation of 125,000 at its height and was credited by many to have turned the 1884 presidential election for Grover Cleveland. The magazine showcased some of the best-known cartoonists of the time, whose work remains engrossing and, in many cases, salient today.
A Magical Racquet Ride: Journey to the Four Grand Slam Tournaments of Tennis
MARISSA IRVIN GOULD, '02; self-published, $12.99.
A professional tennis player turned mother and teacher, Gould calls on her expertise in the sport to teach early elementary school kids about tennis terms, rules and traditions through this lively, rhyming tale. Who plays on grass, and who plays on clay? Young readers will know the answers by the end of their magical journey.
In Retrospect: From the Pill to the Pen
CARL DJERASSI; Imperial College Press, $29.
Chemistry professor and writer Djerassi uses his fourth autobiography, published just a few months before his death, to reset the record on his life one last time. In revisiting his role in the invention of the birth control pill, his search in vain for a home, his writing career and his daughter's suicide, Djerassi produces a chronicle that, while undeniably self-indulgent, is mesmerizing for the strength of its bitterness, pride, regret and indignation.
How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS, '89; Henry Holt and Co., $27.
In her decade as Stanford's dean of freshmen, Lythcott-Haims noticed students were arriving on campus increasingly underconfident and ill-prepared—the result of overprotective, micromanaging parents. The parent of two teenagers, Lythcott-Haims wrote this intriguing read with empathy and insight, offering multiple strategies for bringing up healthier children who can thrive as adults.
Start the Presses
This spring, Stanford University Press announced the launch of Redwood Press, a trade imprint for serious fiction and nonfiction aimed at a broader readership. While the idea of a new imprint had been discussed for some time, says the press's publishing director and editor in chief, Kate Wahl, the catalyst was a proposal from the novelist Bahiyyih Nakhjavani. The Woman Who Read Too Much, which had been published in translation to critical acclaim, is the tale of the life of a poet in 19th-century Iran. When Wahl read it, she says, "I knew we needed to do this book."
The Woman Who Read Too Much, along with Redwood Press's debut nonfiction title, The Shared Society: A Vision for the Global Future of Latin America, by former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, MA '72, MA '74, PhD '93, opens new windows on societies and cultures, says Wahl, inviting a broader range of readers to discover, engage and debate.
The following did not appear in the print version of Stanford.
The Lives of Muhammad
KECIA ALI, '93; Harvard University Press, $29.95.
In recent years, varying depictions of Islam’s most important prophet have led to intense debates and even violence. Ali’s The Lives of Muhammad offers a critical look at where some of the most typical perceptions of Muhammad originated, and how drastically some have changed.
A Taste of Honey
ROCKY BARILLA, MBA '72; Rosquete Press, $9.99
As Alejandro is traveling home to Mexico City in Barilla’s Taste of Honey, an accident traps him in the jungles of Central America, where he falls in love with a young girl who is both beautiful and forbidden.
The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue
ROBBIE KELLMAN BAXTER, MBA '96; McGraw-Hill Education, $28.
Baxter’s The Membership Economy provides a hands-on guide for business owners, drawn from her own experience consulting for Netflix, a pioneer of the recurring membership model that has subsequently proliferated throughout the business world.
Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse
MIKE BEFELER, '66; Five Star Publishing, $25.95.
In Befeler’s newest novel, detective Gabe Tremont is called out of retirement to figure out who poisoned an actor during a murder mystery dinner playhouse, and why he or she wanted the man dead.
Crude Carrier
REX BURNS, '58; MysteriousPress.com, $14.99.
In Burns’s latest novel, the Rossis, desperate to know how and why their son disappeared, turn to the detectives at the Touchstone Agency. Danger and deceit abound in this mystery on the open ocean.
Groundbreakers: How Obama's 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America
ELIZABETH MCKENNA and HAHRIE HAN, MA '02, PhD '05; Oxford University Press, $19.95.
Obama for America was among the most revolutionary presidential campaigns this country has seen, for a variety of reasons; chief among them, according to McKenna and Han, was the way the campaign mobilized millions of volunteers in a grassroots display of democracy.
The Cyber Mafia: A Novel of Digital Crime, Hackers and Heroes
SRIDHAR JAGANNATHAN, MS '96; CreateSpace, $9.99.
With cyberterrorists threatening the safety of nations around the globe, the newly created Indian Cyber Force must race through the Internet to foil their plans in Jagannathan’s latest book.
Unreasonable Histories: Nativism, Multiracial Lives, and the Genealogical Imagination in British Africa
CHRISTOPHER J. LEE, MA '97, PhD '03; Duke University Press, $26.95.
Lee’s Unreasonable Histories brings a new perspective to African cultural studies, tracing the ways diverse influences created a grassroots Afro-Britishness, an identity that defies easy categorization. The conclusions he draws “redefine the meanings of being African in the past and present—and for the future.”
The Confounding Case of the Climate Crisis
OWEN R. LIU, '11, MS '12; Tumblehome Learning, $9.95.
When things go awry during Anita and Benson’s greenhouse field trip, they take off around the world to learn about the way Earth’s climate is changing.
Birthmarked for Freedom: Life and Love in Postwar Poland's Time of Turmoil
WIERA and ALEX MALOZEMOFF, MS '68, PhD '70; Tate Publishing and Enterprises, LLC, $12.99.
In the Malozemoffs’ Birthmarked for Freedom, the touching life journey of Uliana mirrors the 20th century maturation of Poland, the homeland of both the protagonist and one of the authors.
Clear Creek: The Heart of the Rippling World
JUSTIN D. MCGEHEE, '51, MA '52; Glen Lyon Press, $11.99.
The natural world has historically been a wellspring of inspiration for American writers, among others; Clear Creek contains some of McGehee’s best nature writing, drawn from his long-running “Northland Nature” column in the Arizona Daily Sun.
The Perilous Case of the Zombie Potion
PENDRED NOYCE, MD '83; Tumblehome Learning, $9.95.
In Noyce’s Case of the Zombie Potion, a stranger from the future sends Clinton, Mae and Sam on an adventure to learn the truth about life, death and the ever-present threat of zombies.
The Desperate Case of the Diamond Chip
PENDRED NOYCE, MD '83; Tumblehome Learning, $9.95.
When a Russian scientist accuses a student of stealing his invention, Clinton and Mae must travel back in time to beef up their understanding of electronics and search for the missing Diamond Chip.
The Baffling Case of the Battered Brain
PENDRED NOYCE, MD '83; Tumblehome Learning, $9.95.
In Noyce’s latest story, after soccer star Clinton Chang hits his head during the championship game, he and fellow seventh-grader Mae set off on a journey through time to learn about concussions and the brain.
The Vicious Case of the Viral Vaccine
ROBERTA BAXTER and PENDRED NOYCE, MD '83; Tumblehome Learning, $9.95.
After a new “vaccine” ignites protests over public health, middle schoolers Clinton and Mae travel through time to learn about the history of vaccines in Noyce and Baxter’s Viral Vaccine.
Tiger Boy
MITALI PERKINS, '84; Charlesbridge Publishing, $14.95.
When a tiger cub escapes a nature reserve in Perkins’s Tiger Boy, a young protagonist tries to save it before it can be poached, and ends up learning what it really means to take risks for what you love.
Meera's Second Life
HELEN PRENTICE, PhD '62; CreateSpace, $8.
When Meera survives the accident that takes her husband’s life in Prentice’s newest book, she feels a second life beckoning, and must learn to love the world again via her gardens.
Technology: A Reader for Writers
JOHANNAH RODGERS, '90; Oxford University Press, $37.95.
Rodgers’s Technology offers ample fodder for thinking about the ways technology touches our lives, with sample readings of public, academic and scientific writing on the subject.
Where the Road Begins: The saga of Big Sur's Pioneer Families, and Environmentalism in America
PETER GRAY SCOTT, '56; NorthWind, $29.95.
The second book by Scott, Where the Road Begins, looks at how the pioneer families that first moved to California’s Big Sur established an early model of environmental stewardship that helped preserve the area’s gorgeous landscape—a vital lesson at a time when that same landscape is threatened by development more than ever before.
Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports
KENNETH L. SHROPSHIRE, '77; Wharton Digital Press, $9.99.
Shropshire’s Sport Matters takes a hard look at the modern sports industry and what he sees as a greater need for diversity, inclusion, respect and equality; the lessons he draws apply to the challenges that all business leaders face.
My Horse, My Self: Life Lessons from Taos Horsewomen
SUSAN ERLANDSON WASHBURN, MA '64; Casa de Snapdragon LLC, $13.95.
My Horse, My Self, Washburn’s latest book, profiles 18 horsewomen living in northern New Mexico, as they reflect on the ways their equine companions have not only sustained them but also helped them discover facets of their own personalities.
The Tail on My Mother's Kite
MARALYS WILLS, '50; Lemon Lane Press, $16.95.
Wills tells the story of her capricious childhood in The Tail on My Mother’s Kite, recalling the unpredictability of her early years as she and her brother were raised off and on by “an oversexed, highly educated bohemian” mother.
