Information is provided by publishers, authors, and artists.
How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love
Ken Baker ’92
(Running Press Kids)
In Ken Baker’s new novel, 16-year-old Emery Jackson lives on a Southern California beach with her workout-fiend dad, underwear model sister, and former model mother — so it’s impossible for her not to be aware of her weight. Emery’s “momager” signs her up for Fifty Pounds to Freedom, a reality show in which Emery will have to lose 50 pounds in 50 days in order to win the million dollars that will solve her family’s financial woes. Emery is skeptical of the process, but when the pounds start to come off and the ratings skyrocket, she finds it hard to resist the adoration of her new figure and the world of fame. But, have things changed for the better?
An E! Entertainment TV news correspondent, Baker is no stranger to the world of fame himself.
The Way of the SEAL: Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed
Mark Divine ’86 and Allyson E. Machate
(Reader’s Digest)
In The Way of the SEAL, former Navy commander Mark Divine reveals exercises, meditations, and focusing techniques to train the mind for mental toughness, emotional resilience, and uncanny intuition.
Blending the tactics he learned from America’s elite forces with lessons from the Spartans, samurai, Apache scouts, and other great warrior traditions, Divine has distilled the fundamentals of success into eight principles for becoming a leader.
Popular Picks for Young Readers
Edited by Diane (Bailey) Foote ’89
(ALA Editions)
Featuring contributions by active librarians from across the country, this guide spotlights more than 500 children’s books that have been published within the last four years. With books for newborns through age 14, the selections encompass a variety of formats and themes to reflect the diversity of contemporary society. The guide is intended for librarians, teachers, caregivers, and others who are connected to young readers.
Diane (Bailey) Foote, assistant dean at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science, edited the book for the Association of Library Service to Children.
War and Crises: 1914–1948, Volumes 1 and 2
Warren L. Hickman ’44
(Self-published)
In War and Crises, Warren Hickman provides a comprehensive look at World War I and World War II — including the political struggle caused by World War II that played a major role in the genesis of free trade. Hickman examines the multiple influences as well as rivalries and jealousies, philosophical differences, and other pressures. As he notes in the preface, Hickman became fascinated with history thanks to three Colgate history professors: Ray Wilson, Doug Reading, and Ray Rockwood.
He added that his interest in research for the book “reflects seventy years of thought triggered by three Colgate professors of philosophy (Howard Jefferson, Herman Brautigam, and Eugene Adams).”
Corruption, Contention, and Reform: The Power of Deep Democratization
Michael Johnston
(Cambridge University Press)
Professor Michael Johnston argues that corruption will persist — and even be the rule rather than the exception — until those with a stake in ending it act in ways that cannot be ignored. He asserts that this is the principle of “deep democratization,” enabling citizens to defend their interests by political means. Johnston, who is Colgate’s Charles A. Dana Professor of political science, analyzes four syndromes of corruption: official moguls in Egypt and Tunisia; oligarchs and clans in the Philippines; elite cartels in Argentina; and influence markets in France, Australia, and the United States. Focusing on recent events, he shows that we can assess vulnerabilities to corruption and the effects of reforms. Corruption, Contention, and Reform provides a reappraisal of ways to check abuses of wealth and power.
Colorado’s Spanish Peaks Region: An Exploration Guide to History, Natural History, Trails, and Drives
Richard C. Keating ’59
(Missouri Botanical Garden Press)
Richard Keating’s guide introduces readers to Colorado’s Spanish Peaks region — much of which is in public ownership and invites exploration — as well as its geological history. He outlines human history ranging from early native occupation to post–Civil War origins of modern settlement. Illustrations and maps show the federal wilderness areas and other accessible lands for driving and hiking (including some worthy destinations where no trails exist). Appendices feature preparations for outings and tips on mountain photography. The guide also provides checklists of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds as well as ferns, conifers, woody flowering plants, and herbaceous plants.
God’s Gateway: Identity and Meaning in a Hindu Pilgrimage Place
James Lochtefeld ’79
(Oxford University Press)
A celebrated Hindu pilgrimage site, Hardwar lies on the Ganges river at the edge of the Himalayas. Its identity as a holy place is inextricably tied to the mythology and reality of the Ganges. In the past few centuries, changes have occurred, such as shifting trade routes, improved transportation, and political instability. These worldly influences have been ignored in the city’s sacred narrative, which presents a fixed, unchanging identity. The city’s complex identity, says Lochtefeld, lies in the tension between these differing narratives. In this fieldwork-based study, Lochtefeld analyzes modern Hardwar as a Hindu pilgrimage center. He looks at various groups of local residents and assesses their roles in managing Hardwar as a holy place. He then examines the pilgrims and the factors that bring them there. He also addresses the wider context of Indian pilgrimage and the forces shaping it today.
Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl: Yiddish Letter Manuals from Russia and America
Alice Nakhimovsky and Roberta Newman
(Indiana University Press)
At the turn of the 20th century, Jewish families scattered by migration could stay in touch only through letters. But for many Jews who were unaccustomed to communicating their public and private thoughts in writing, correspondence presented the challenges of correct spelling and properly organized thoughts. A popular solution was to consult brivnshtelers, Yiddish-language books of model letters. Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl translates selections from these model-letter books and includes essays and annotations that illuminate their role as guides to a past culture.
Alice Nakhimovsky is a professor of Russian and Eurasian studies and Jewish studies at Colgate. Her co-author, Roberta Newman, is director of digital initiatives at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
The Calls of Islam: Sufis, Islamists, and Mass Mediation in Urban Morocco
Emilio Spadola
(Indiana University Press)
The sacred calls that summon believers are the focus of this study of religion and power in Fez, Morocco. Focusing on how dissemination of the call through mass media has transformed understandings of piety and authority, Emilio Spadola details the new importance of once-marginal Sufi practices such as spirit trance and exorcism for ordinary believers, the state, and Islamist movements. The Calls of Islam offers new ethnographic perspectives on ritual, performance, and media in the Muslim world. Spadola is an assistant professor of anthropology at Colgate.
Also of note:
Straight Talk for College Seniors (CreateSpace) by John W. Tripp ’70 guides graduates on getting themselves in front of potential employers and convincing them to make a job offer. It is intended to be the “last course” for securing multiple job offers in any field, providing tips on a range of necessary skills, from résumé writing to preparing for an interview, to negotiating the best compensation package.
Footnote:
John Ross Carter’s In the Company of Friends: Exploring Faith and Understanding with Buddhists and Christians (SUNY Press) is the winner of the 2014 Streng Book Award for Excellence in Buddhist-Christian Studies. The award is given annually in memory of Frederick J. Streng, one of the scholars who founded the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. The award will be presented at the annual American Academy of Religion meeting in San Diego in November. Carter is former director of Chapel House and professor emeritus.
