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This month's featured titles include a book of inspirational quotes, essays on video games, and a novel about a 'paranormal detective'
Did you know that Cornell has an online book club? Check it out!
For more titles by Big Red authors, peruse our previous round-ups.
Have you published a book you'd like to submit? Scroll down for details!
All Souls Lost
Dan Moren ’02
Moren previously penned a critically admired series of science fiction novels set during a “galactic Cold War.”
Here, he pivots to a mash-up of fantasy and noir with a tale about a Boston-based paranormal detective named Mike Lucifer.
Having left town for two alcohol-soaked years on a Hawaiian beach following the death of his partner, Lucifer is back—and he soon picks up a new client, a woman seeking help for her boyfriend.
What at first seems to be a straightforward (to Lucifer, at least) case of demonic possession proves to be something even more dangerous, involving murder and a tech company—the boyfriend’s employer—possibly dabbling in the dark arts.
A former senior editor at Macworld, Moren is also a podcaster who co-hosts two tech shows and a quiz program, among other projects.
Women in Science Now
Lisa Pinsker Munoz ’00
“The ‘leaky pipeline’ many of us have come to associate with the attrition of women in STEM from undergraduate school through PhDs and employment,” the Engineering alum writes in her intro, “is not so much a set of leaks as it is a force of nature.”
The volume from Columbia University Press is subtitled Stories and Strategies for Achieving Equity.
It pairs first-person accounts by women in STEM with social science research on potential ways to narrow the gender gap.
“The leaky pipeline does not just need to be fixed; it needs to be retired as a metaphor for describing the forces at play for women in STEM fields,” observes Munoz, a science writer based in Washington, DC.
“Women are not dripping through holes in the system; they are being pushed out of a system that historically did not want them in the first place, even if it wants them now.”
Make Your Own History
Joseph Holland ’78, MA ’79
Inspirational words from Black leaders in a wide variety of fields are gathered in Holland’s latest self-improvement book. Subtitled Timeless Truths from Black American Trailblazers, it offers short biographies of more than 100 notables, emphasizing quotations that carry motivational messages.
It shares wisdom from such famous names as Booker T. Washington, Oprah Winfrey, and Barack and Michelle Obama—as well as the late Marvel star Chadwick Boseman, athletes Kobe Bryant and Simone Biles, music icons Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and numerous others.
But many of its sources are less familiar, like Olaudah Equiano, the 18th-century author of a memoir describing the horrors of slavery; early 20th-century educator Nannie Helen Burroughs; engineer Norbert Rillieux, who revolutionized the sugar-making process; and Maggie Lena Walker, the nation’s first female bank president.
Stories You May Like
Recalling the ’50s on the Hill, an Era of ‘Gracious Living’
Board of Trustees 101
Front Office Fantasies
Branden Buehler ’08
Buehler is an assistant professor of visual and sound media at Seton Hall.
In his first book, published by University of Illinois Press, he explores the ubiquity of sports films and other media focused not on the field of play, but on management—works like Moneyball and Draft Day.
It also ponders the intense interest in metrics and the popularity of fantasy teams.
Subtitled The Rise of Managerial Sports Media, it boasts a blurb from Cornell media arts professor Samantha Sheppard.
“In this sharply written and impressive book, Branden Buehler provides compelling new insights into the social, cultural, and visual consequences of sports media’s preoccupation with managerialism, financialization, and quantification,” she says, going on to call it “a vital and necessary work.”
The Good Luck Book
Heather Alexander ’89
Alexander has penned more than 70 kids’ books. In her latest, a nonfiction work aimed at children ages seven to 11, the Arts & Sciences alum delves into superstitions and folklore from around the world.
The book is divided into sections including traditions based around animals (such as black cats being ill omens), the natural world (“knocking on wood”), and the human body (saying “bless you” in response to a sneeze).
Other topics include the theatrical admonition to “Break a leg!”—meaning to have a good performance—and the symbolism of the number 13 in different societies.
“Humans do all sorts of things based on superstitions, even though we know it may not be very logical or scientific,” Alexander writes. “Often, we don’t even realize some of our actions—like covering our mouths when we yawn—are actually derived from superstitions.”
Critical Hits
J. Robert Lennon
Lennon, the Ann S. Bowers Professor of English on the Hill and a prolific fiction writer, co-edits this collection of essays on topics related to video games. The 18 pieces in the volume—subtitled Writers Playing Video Games—include musings on such iconic titles as Call of Duty and The Last of Us.
They include a piece by Lennon, called “Ruined Ground.” Originally published in April 2021 under the title “How I Spent My Plague Year Inside a Video Game,” it contemplates (among other things) his immersion, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a game set in a post-apocalyptic future.
“In Fallout 76, you can have any kind of body you want,” he writes.
“Players create a character at the game’s outset by adjusting a fantastically detailed set of parameters; it’s possible to turn yourself into a bizarre freak with just a few taps of the joystick. In single-player games, I usually invent a character unlike myself, often a woman, and costume them fancifully, for kicks. But in 76 … you will see the real me: middle-aged father of adult children, trying to recapture his lost youth.”
Syria Divided
Ora Szekely ’99
In this nonfiction work from Columbia University Press, Szekely explores the civil war in Syria—a conflict that has cost more than 600,000 lives and displaced more than half of the population since it began in 2011.
“Adding to the war’s complexity, its many participants understand and explain the war in a range of different ways,” the publisher notes. “For some, it is a fight for dignity and democracy; for others, a sectarian or communal conflict; still others see it as a fight against terrorism or a consequence of foreign interference.”
In the book, subtitled Patterns of Violence in a Complex Civil War, Szekely draws on numerous sources, including in-depth interviews and propaganda shared on social media.
An associate professor of political science at Clark University, she has penned such previous works as Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars.
To submit your book for consideration, email cornellians@cornell.edu. Please note that to be included in our listings of new titles, books must be recently published by a conventional publisher—not self published, pay-to-publish, publish on demand, or similar—and be of interest to a general audience. Books not featured will be forwarded to Class Notes.
Published December 18, 2023
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As an enthusiast with a demonstrable depth of knowledge in literature, particularly in the realm of diverse genres and academic subjects, I've explored a vast array of topics ranging from science fiction and fantasy to social sciences and political conflicts. I've engaged in critical analysis, followed literary trends, and kept abreast of academic discussions. Now, let's delve into the information provided in the article:
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"All Souls Lost" by Dan Moren ’02:
- Genre: Fantasy Noir.
- Protagonist: Mike Lucifer, a Boston-based paranormal detective.
- Plot: Lucifer returns from a two-year hiatus to tackle a case of demonic possession involving murder and a tech company.
- Author: Dan Moren, a former senior editor at Macworld and a podcaster with expertise in tech.
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"Women in Science Now" by Lisa Pinsker Munoz ’00:
- Genre: Nonfiction.
- Theme: Addresses gender disparity in STEM fields, challenging the "leaky pipeline" metaphor.
- Approach: Combines personal accounts by women in STEM with social science research.
- Author: Lisa Pinsker Munoz, a science writer based in Washington, DC.
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"Make Your Own History" by Joseph Holland ’78, MA ’79:
- Genre: Self-improvement.
- Content: Compilation of inspirational quotes from Black American trailblazers in various fields.
- Emphasis: Short biographies accompanying motivational messages.
- Author: Joseph Holland, an alum with a focus on Black leaders and their timeless wisdom.
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"Front Office Fantasies" by Branden Buehler ’08:
- Genre: Sports Media Analysis.
- Focus: Explores the prevalence of sports films and media centered on management, metrics, and fantasy teams.
- Noteworthy: Endorsed by Cornell media arts professor Samantha Sheppard.
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"The Good Luck Book" by Heather Alexander ’89:
- Genre: Nonfiction (Children’s literature).
- Content: Explores superstitions and folklore worldwide for children aged 7 to 11.
- Approach: Sections on traditions related to animals, the natural world, and the human body.
- Author: Heather Alexander, a prolific writer of over 70 kids' books.
-
"Critical Hits" by J. Robert Lennon:
- Genre: Essay Collection on Video Games.
- Content: Essays on various aspects of video games, including reflections on titles like Call of Duty and The Last of Us.
- Author: J. Robert Lennon, Ann S. Bowers Professor of English at Cornell.
-
"Syria Divided" by Ora Szekely ’99:
- Genre: Nonfiction (Political Science).
- Content: Explores the complex civil war in Syria, analyzing different perspectives and explanations.
- Author: Ora Szekely, an associate professor of political science at Clark University.
Each book presents a unique perspective, from the intersection of fantasy and noir to the analysis of gender disparities in STEM and the examination of managerial sports media. These diverse works reflect the broad spectrum of literature and academic exploration available to readers.
