Peer Review ::

On the shelf

Our Human Hearts: A Medical and Cultural Journey, by Albert Howard Carter III, AB’65, Kent State University Press, 2006. Across centuries and cultures, the heart stood as a symbol of wisdom and the seat of the soul. Modern medical technology allows scientists to venture inside, administering drugs and performing life-saving procedures. In this account of four heart patients’ experiences, social-medicine professor Carter looks at how cardiology and culture interact.

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, by James L. Swanson, AB’81, William Morrow, 2006. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, John Wilkes Booth thwarted government detectives, disappearing into Maryland swamps and Virginia forests. Drawing on archival materials, trial transcripts, and Lincoln’s own blood relics, Swanson recreates the chase and capture of one of America’s most notorious villains.

How the Moon Regained Her Shape, by Janet Heller, PhD’87, Sylvan Dell, 2006. When the sun insults the moon, the bullied party disappears from the sky, but then regains her self-confidence (and her shape) with the help of animal friends. Inspired by Native American folktales, this children’s book includes a “creative minds” section with educational information about the moon as well as crafts and games. Appropriate for ages six through ten.

The Origins of the Cuban Revolution, by Samuel Farber, AB’61, University of North Carolina Press, 2006. Arguing that the economic and political structure of early 20th-century Cuba conspired to push the country toward radical change, Farber offers a new interpretation of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Using recently declassified U.S. and Soviet documents as well as narrative Cuban literature, he investigates how an antidictatorial rebellion transformed into full-scale social upheaval.

Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talent, by Tamara J. Erickson, AB’76, Ken Dychtwald, and Robert Morison, Harvard Business School Press, 2006. What do increasing longevity, declining birthrates, and baby boomers’ march toward retirement mean for today’s corporations? A chronic shortage of skilled workers to fuel the economy, say the authors. Examining demographic and labor trends, they offer solutions for dealing with the changing face of America’s workforce, such as leveraging mature workers’ company knowledge and creating loyalty among young employees.

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, by Joseph Palombo, AM’59, W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. Nonverbal learning disability (NLD) is a developmental disorder that hinders a child’s perception, expression, and comprehension of nonverbal cues. Such dysfunction, in turn, influences social interactions and emotional processing. Clinical social worker Palombo introduces a therapeutic approach to help children with NLD.

A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America, by Aristide R. Zolberg, PhD’61, Harvard University Press, 2006. National mythology has long upheld the idea of America as a place of opportunity welcoming the poor, tired, huddled masses. Equally long-standing, argues Zolberg, is the national engineering of immigration policy, manipulated to serve particular social and economic interests. Chronicling U.S. immigration history through contemporary times, he investigates how policies and processes have been used by specific groups as a nation-building tool.

Mark Twain in Paradise: His Voyages to Bermuda, by Donald Hoffman, X’53, University of Missouri Press, 2006. “You go to heaven if you want to,” Samuel Clemens once wrote in a letter from Bermuda. “I’d druther stay here.” In a blend of travel narrative and character study, Hoffman revisits the author’s island love affair by incorporating Twain’s travel pieces, letters, and snippets of unpublished autobiography.

Lives Across Time / Growing Up: Paths to Emotional Health & Emotional Illness from Birth to 30 in 76 People, by Nathan Szajnberg, AB’74, MD’74, and Henry Massie, Xlibris, 2005. Psychologist Szajnberg presents research from a three-decade longitudinal study that tracked how childhood treatment, emotional distresses, and mothering style play out in the personality development of more than 70 children. Case studies investigate how emotional trauma such as divorce or child abuse influence adaptation to adulthood in different ways and how memory shapes an individual’s self-concept.

The Ecological Life: Discovering Citizenship and a Sense of Humanity, by Jeremy Bendik-Keymer, PhD’02, Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Taking a humanistic perspective on environmental justice, Bendik-Keymer questions aspects of radical environmentalism while pushing for an ecological responsibility consistent with human rights and global citizenship.