Amazing Taste
The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, DARRA GOLDSTEIN, MA '76, PhD '83, ed.; Oxford University Press, $65. From à la mode to zuppa inglese, this 920-page volume is encyclopedic in ambition—shedding light on the myriad aspects of our favorite carbohydrate and its impact around the globe since the beginning of time—and eclectic in execution. Entries by 265 contributors, chemists to chefs to culinary historians, are by turns pedagogical, whimsical and data-rich. Who knew of the 1919 Boston Molasses Disaster, when a leaking storage tank let loose a 20-foot-high, 160-foot-wide, 35 mph sticky flood that took 21 lives—or that a dentist invented cotton candy? Appendices list sugar-related songs, films and museums, and 32 pages of color inserts provide eye candy.
Studio Portrait 1897
She stands
on a fraction of paperboard.
Holds still
without shifting. She is
fifty years away from
the worst famine in Europe,
thirty years
behind the new nation
O sepia,
O stateless image making.
Where is the source of her silence?
Not history, our old villain,
you say,
but a muttering under black cloth:
those words
she listened to just a minute since
as the shutter fell.
And obeyed:
Keep still quite still not move not stir not once.
—EAVAN BOLAND, professor of English and director of the creative writing program, in A Woman Without a Country; W.W. Norton, $24.95.
"Where every streetlight might have once symbolized new life, the future appeared to be turning upside down. Was this the promise of change made by that blackout, a warning of what else could go wrong?"
—ELIZABETH ROSNER, '81, in Electric City; Counterpoint Press, $26.
The Slow Farm, TARN WILSON, MA '94; Ovenbird, $18. Wilson takes a look back at her life as a daughter of hippie parents, antiestablishment escapists who set up camp on a remote island off British Columbia in the early 1970s. Tales of her youthful fits and starts could spark nostalgia even in those who didn't grow up romping around the woods with near-complete freedom.
Ancient Places: People and Landscape in the Emerging Northwest, JACK NISBET, '71; Sasquatch Books, $21.95. Nisbet, a teacher, shares the rich history of the Pacific Northwest through stories on the area's geography, topography and biology, not to mention its people and their relationship with the land. Don't miss the chapter in which his students come face-to-face with a giant mound of thatching ants.
Firstborn, TOR SEIDLER, '72; Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $16.99. Chasing butterflies and falling for a coyote, Lamar, firstborn son of alpha wolf Blue Boy, isn't living up to his father's standards. Set in Yellowstone Park and narrated by Maggie, a clever magpie who becomes part of the wolf pack, the story centers on themes of friendship, integrity and the importance of being true to oneself.
The Upside of Down: A Memoir, SUSAN BIGGAR, MA '90; Transit Lounge Publishing, $28. When Biggar's first son was born with cystic fibrosis, doctors told her and her husband, Darryl, PhD '92, that chances were slim he'd reach age 30. After a career move to Paris and the arrival of two more sons (the first of whom was born with CF), the parents learn to navigate unfamiliar health-care systems and their sons' chronic disease with hilarity and a heap of grace.
Worlds Apart: Poverty and Politics in Rural America, CYNTHIA M. DUNCAN, '71; Yale University Press, $25. This second edition brings an update 15 years after Duncan's initial study of the reasons behind intergenerational poverty in Appalachia, northern New England and the Mississippi Delta. Sharing examples in which community institutions have reduced social and economic segregation, she discusses approaches to break the chain of poverty for families in line to inherit it.
Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War, JONATHAN FETTER-VORM, '05, and ARI KELMAN; Hill and Wang, $26. In a series of visual vignettes about America's bloodiest war, author and illustrator Fetter-Vorm and historian Kelman craft a nuanced tale of the sacrifices and progress made during a conflict that killed approximately 850,000 Americans and wounded more than 1.5 million. No one is glorified. Instead, the stories invite readers to grapple with the complex lines dividing individuals, states and the nation.
Kidnapped by Nuns: And Other Stories of a Life on the Radio, BOB FUSS, '74; self-published, $14.95. Readers in want of adventure need look no further than Fuss's memoir. Petrified shark, the Stalin Peace Prize, the slap of a distrustful, amorous sea lion—40 years of his memories as a national radio correspondent (including more than one kidnapping tale) are distilled into hilarious reads with journalistic punch.
Books Aren't Dead
Scattered among the Internet's profusion of noise is plenty of great writing, says Morgan Entrekin, '77, president of Grove Atlantic, an independent literary publisher. His latest project, Literary Hub (at lithub.com), pulls together a daily selection of online essays, excerpts and interviews on everything to do with books and literary culture. More than 100 publishers, booksellers and literary magazines have signed on as collaborators. "We hope that this can be a place that helps keep [literary] conversations alive, a place where people can follow that discourse and learn about books," Entrekin says. "This isn't about selling books; there's not pressure to make certain numbers. I want it to be good."
The following did not appear in the print version of Stanford.
Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart, LEX BAYER, '01, MS '01, and JOHN FIGDOR; Rowman & Littlefield, $32.
“So, you don’t believe in God—now what?” This new book reframes atheism and a secular worldview as it seeks to answer that fundamental question for America’s 45 million “nonreligious.” By thinking about atheism as its own set of beliefs rather than as a reaction to a religious worldview, the authors hope to challenge readers to develop their own empathetic ethical framework.
For Liberty, MIKE BEFELER, '66; Green Leaf Publishers, $19.99.
Befeler’s first nonfiction book, For Liberty, tells the life story of World War II veteran Ed Gitlin. The book details his time as a Jewish-American soldier in the U.S. Army and his experiences in a Nazi POW camp, and then follows him into postwar America as he attempts to resume a normal, middle-class life.
Most Guys Are Losers (And How to Find a Winner), MARK BERZINS, '89; AuthorHouse, $16.95.
Originally written as a graduation gift for his daughter, Berzins’s humorous and honest dating handbook explains how to avoid bad men and find good ones from the perspective of a father, while drawing on observations and experiences from his 21 years in the bar industry.
Red Notice, BILL BROWDER, MBA '89; Simon & Schuster, $28.
After earning an MBA from Stanford, Browder navigated his way through the world of hedge funds, eventually heading the largest fund in Russia. In 2005, he was expelled from the country and his attorney was murdered after they called too much attention to government corruption. Red Notice reveals the story of his mission for justice.
Getting Real, GRETCHEN CARLSON, '88; Viking, $28.95.
This memoir by anchorwoman and former Miss America Gretchen Carlson sees her opening up about her struggles with body image, building a career in journalism, and balancing work and family while encouraging women to strive for their own goals and dreams.
Blind Spot for Boys, JUSTINA CHEN, '90; Little, Brown, $18.
Sixteen-year-old Shana Wilde tries to reconcile her promise to take a break from boys with her newfound interest in Quattro, a lacrosse player. Chen’s A Blind Spot for Boys deals with travel, getting to know oneself, and the ups and downs of young love.
Jock: A Memoir of the Counterculture, ROBERT COE, '72; CreateSpace, $19.95.
This memoir from Coe, ’72, tells the story of his journey as a runner, spotlighting the tension between the surging 1960s counterculture and, he writes, “what was supposed to be the counterculture’s polar opposite: big-time college athletics.”
Forecasting for the Pharmaceutical Industry, ARTHUR G. COOK, '80; Gower Publishing, $149.95.
One of the biggest challenges pharmaceutical companies face is predicting the future, in everything from changing market demand to biosimilar drugs produced by competitors. In this new and updated edition, Cook takes the reader through various tools and methods of pharmaceutical forecasting, resulting in a practical guide for both forecasters themselves and the executives who depend on their work.
Pumpkin Farmer, MICHAEL HUGHES, '13; Black Rose Writing, $15.95.
Set in the foothills around Stanford, Hughes’s novel tells the story of one John Nix, a businessman in the up-and-coming tech world of Silicon Valley. When his new love interest goes missing, he can’t shake the feeling that her disappearance is tied to a mysterious drifter named Horace Fullworth—and it’s up to Nix to find her.
The Well-Versed Parent: Poetic Prescriptions for Parenthood, JANE E. HUNTER, '66, MD '77; Wellstone Press, $15.
When Hunter, a pediatrician, discovered the healing power of poetry, she saw the potential of great writing to help new parents navigate the unfamiliar territory of pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing, resulting in this collection of more than 50 poems and essays.
The Way It Turned Out, HERANT KATCHADOURIAN; Pan Stanford Publishing, $34.95.
Emeritus professor of psychiatry and human biology Katchadourian sought to explore and understand what lay beneath the surface of people’s lives. It was with that same spirit that the psychiatrist approached his new memoir, which bridges memories of a childhood in Beirut with his adult life as a distinguished academic in Northern California.
Ring of Fire, GEORGE KEITHLEY, GR '58; Plain View Press, $19.95.
Love and murder play out in the aftermath of the Mount St. Helens eruption as national emergency planner Richard Darwin is drawn to the daughter of a volcano expert and her intriguing family. Poet Keithley’s first novel explores love and family, man and nature, the finality of death and the possibility of transcendence against the backdrop of the American West.
From C to C: The Fugitive Returns Home, RICHARD L. KIMBALL, '61, MA '70, PhD '71; AuthorHouse, $31.95.
From C to C delves into the 10 years Kimball spent traveling and working throughout Africa. Combining prose with quotes, popular song lyrics and his own poetry, Kimball’s memoir works to capture one man’s life in the context of a world he’s traveled extensively.
Raising Twins: A True Life Adventure, FREYA MANFRED, MA '72; Nodin Press, $19.95.
In Raising Twins, Manfred, ’72, details the challenges involved in raising twin boys. She reflects on the relationship between mothers and sons, discussing how twins are distinct individuals inseparably linked, and shares stories of her boys from birth through college.
Speak, Mother, FREYA MANFRED, MA '72; Red Dragonfly Press, $16.
Speak, Mother, a new collection from longtime poet Manfred, ’72, combs through some of the darker sides of the human experience. Through her poems, she explores themes of illness, loneliness, and inadequacy while still expressing a deep love and appreciation for life.
Mondo Nano: Fun and Games in the World of Digital Matter, COLIN MILBURN, '98, MA '99; Duke University Press, $28.95.
As technology finds its way into more and more aspects of our lives, the line between science fiction and reality becomes increasingly blurred. Mondo Nano explores the emerging field of nanotechnology, and how the methods and goals of its pioneers are in a sort of constant conversation with the worlds of video games and fantasy, creating a dialogue that’s shaping each of them.
Postgenomics: Perspectives on Biology After the Genome, SARAH S. RICHARDSON, MA '06, PhD '09, AND HALLAM STEVENS; Duke University Press, $25.95.
As scientists worked to sequence the human genome, there was palpable hope that genomics would usher in an unprecedented period of human health. But a decade after the Human Genome Project’s completion, we have just as many questions and health challenges as before. This new collection of essays considers why that optimism about genomics was perhaps mistaken, what we’ve learned from it and how biology can advance in a postgenomics era.
Classical Traditions in Science Fiction, BRETT M. ROGERS, PhD '05, AND BENJAMIN ELDON STEVENS; Oxford University Press, $35.
Science fiction’s roots may run much deeper than certain dismissive critics have previously thought. This new collection of essays looks at some of the genre’s most important works, such as Frankenstein and Star Trek, and considers the ways in which they draw on the literary and mythological traditions of the ancient Romans and Greeks.
Digging for the Disappeared: Forensic Science After Atrocity, ADAM ROSENBLATT, MA '07, PhD '11; Stanford University Press, $24.95.
Throughout history, whenever groups of people have “disappeared,” whether in genocide, drug wars or some other atrocity, there is usually only one way to uncover their secrets: examining their mass graves. Rosenblatt’s new book offers a compelling look at the complex field of forensic science and the way it’s applied in the global fight for human rights.
Ram-2050, JOAN ROUGHGARDEN; Kauai Institute, $23.99.
In this futuristic retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayana, the genetically engineered son of an Apple CEO struggles with family betrayal, exile and rescuing his kidnapped wife. Roughgarden, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist, explores the boundary between humans and animals, and imagines a world where all of creation works together to protect the common good.
Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers, BRUCE D. SANDERS, PhD '67; CreateSpace, $30.
How can business owners guide browsers into becoming purchasers? As a consumer psychologist and retail consultant, Sanders offers techniques gleaned from his research and experiences organized around the eight major motivators for shoppers, from obtaining full value to desiring personalized products and service.
Lord Have Murphy, FRAN SHAW, '71; Indications Press, $19.99.
Shaw’s humorous, endearing character Murphy is on a quest for true spiritual enlightenment in the modern world, something that can’t be found in self-help books or Internet gurus. Through his self-exploration, he finds that all he needs is inside him and that contact with that deeper energy is what makes life meaningful. Accompanied by drawings by Bruce M. Sherman.
Understanding Authority in Higher Education, DEAN O. SMITH, MA '69, PhD '71; Rowman & Littlefield, $55.
Understanding Authority seeks to correct what the author sees as one of the fundamental causes of “confusion, mistrust, and mismanagement”: a basic misunderstanding of who is supposed to do what within American higher education. Including chapter summaries and specific references to case law, this volume explores the origins and current state of university power structures.
Silverwood, BETSY STREETER, '89; Light Messages, $18.95.
In Streeter’s new novel, the Silverwood family moves all over, eventually ending up in Brokeneck, a remote California town. Helen, their 14-year-old daughter, must try not to get lost as they travel through space and time working on a mystery that threatens the human race.
Footloose from Phoenix, TED TENNY, MS '70, MS '73; Westcliffe Publishers, $26.95.
Tenny knows a thing or two about hiking in the Grand Canyon State, having spent time trekking across the state for more than half a century. Footloose from Phoenix guides the reader through dozens of lesser-known hikes throughout the state, complete with trail descriptions, difficulty ratings and highly detailed topographical maps of the routes.
The Congress of Vienna: Power and Politics After Napoleon, BRIAN E. VICK, '92; Harvard University Press, $45.
The Congress of Vienna, held in 1814, is mostly remembered as an extravagant political affair that focused on repealing the reforms of the recently defeated Napoleon Bonaparte. But in this new analysis, Vick contends that the congress set the stage for of Europe’s 19th- and 20th-century history, affecting everything from European relationships with the Islamic world to the African slave trade.
DDT Wars, CHARLES F. WURSTER, PhD '57; Oxford University Press, $24.95.
In the mid-1960s, 10 people banded together to create the Environmental Defense Fund and take on some of America’s most powerful companies over a dangerous new pesticide, DDT. Wurster recalls the previously untold early history of the group in its fight to prevent environmental catastrophe.
