We welcome review copies of books by alumni. The books are donated to the Swarthmoreana section of McCabe Library after they have been noted for this column.
Jacqueline Carey '77, Wedding Pictures, Chronicle Books, 1997. Told through dialogue and full-color paintings, this novel follows the commuter romance of 30-ish couple Bonnie, an attorney, and Kip, a corporate consultant, as they wend their way through the uncertain road to matrimony.
Joshua Foa Dienstag '86, Dancing in Chains: Narrative and Memory in Political Theory, Stanford University Press, 1997. Analyzing three major figures in the history of political thought&emdash;Locke, Hegel, and Nietzsche&emdash;Dienstag argues that political philosophers have commonly presented their readers with a narrative, rather than a logic, of politics.
Barbara E. Walvoord, Linda Lawrence Hunt, H. Fil Dowling Jr. '57, and Joan D. McMahon, In the Long Run: A Study of Faculty in Three Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Programs, National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. This study, based on interviews, questionnaires, and other information from 700 faculty members involved in writing-across-the-curriculum courses, reports results not so much in terms of teaching strategies but rather changes in teaching philosophies.
Ross Eckler '50, Making the Alphabet Dance: Recreational Wordplay, St. Martin's Press, 1996. In this book of word manipulations, Eckler presents an array of alphabetical mind-benders and conundrums, with examples ranging from acrostics and palindromes to word squares and isograms.
Harley Erdman '84, Staging the Jew: The Performance of an American Ethnicity, 1860-1920, Rutgers University Press, 1997. Uncovering the roots of Jewish characterization in popular culture, Erdman sheds light on how they reinforced the stereotyping of the day and on the groundbreaking actors and actresses who changed the mold.
S. James Rosenfeld, Mary H.B. (Boyce) Gelfman '57, and Linda F. Bluth, Education Records: A Manual, EDLAW Inc., 1997. Written to meet the needs of education administrators, teachers, parents, educational support personnel, and attorneys, this manual is a working tool for those having questions about the applicability of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Richard Martin '67, Versace, Universe Publishing, 1997. In this volume of text and photographs, Martin presents the fashions of the late Gianni Versace, "at once as the designer of the Byzantine Madonna, of the performer Madonna, of modern sportswear infused with Italian Renaissance pageantry, of 1930s-inspired slinky gowns, and of an entirely new 1990s couture vision."
Sharon Bertsch McGrayne '64, Blue Genes and Polyester Plants: 365 More Surprising Scientific Facts, Breakthroughs, and Discoveries, John Wiley & Sons, 1997. Which came first: the flower or the insect? What male mammal makes breast milk? The answers to these and other facts about everything from blue roses to deep earthquakes are contained in this overview of modern science.
Stephen Nathanson '65, Economic Justice, Prentice Hall, 1998. What must society do in order to be economically just? Nathanson presents philosophical reflection and analysis to help arrive at a better understanding of the demands of justice.
Pamela Miller Ness '72, Driveway from Childhood, Small Poetry Press, 1997. This limited edition chapbook offers, in haiku, snapshots of the poet's memories of growing up. Copies are $5 postpaid and may be ordered from the author at 33 Riverside Drive, Apt. 4-G, New York NY 10023.
Susan L. Cocalis and Ferrel Rose '83 (eds.), Thalia's Daughters: German Women Dramatists from the Eighteenth Century to the Present, Francke Verlag, 1996. This collection of critical essays offers an overview of women's dramatic production and their often overlooked role in the history of the German stage. Also included are interpretations of individual works.
Maxine Frank Singer '52, Exploring Genetic Mechanisms, University Science Books, 1997. Molecular analysis has only begun to reveal the varied genetic tactics that account for the diversity of organismal form, habitat, behavior, and function. This book aims to introduce to students and scientists how such complexity is being analyzed.
Nancy Hope Wilson '69, Helen and the Hudson Hornet, Macmillan Books for Young Readers. The Hudson Hornet might have cracked seats and broken windows, but when 5-year-old Helen sits inside it she can drive anywhere. When she learns that a stranger wants to buy it, she worries she will never ride in that old car again.
Claudia Whitman and Julie (Biddle) Zimmerman '68, Frontiers of Justice, Volume 1: The Death Penalty, Biddle Publishing Company, 1997. This anthology presents essays by people who have been touched by capital punishment personally (inmates, their families, and their victims' families) or professionally (law, criminal justice, government, religion, journalism, and advocacy) who deplore the use of "legalized killing" to solve America's criminal justice problems.