Alumni Bookshelf

From Literal to Literary: The Essential Reference Book for Biblical Metaphors (Rising Star Press, 2005) explores the resonances of biblical language. Author James R. Adams, BA ’55, created the resource by examining more than 150 Christian metaphors and producing a Hebrew and Greek word pronunciation guide.

Howard University Professor R. Victoria Arana, PhD ’80, edited a collection of 24 essays called ‘Black’ British Aesthetics Today (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007). The book, which is made up of chapters written by black British novelists, poets, and artists, explores current thinking about the hottest artistic, literary, and critical works now being produced by black Britons.

Ocracoke in the Fifties (John F. Blair Publisher, 2006), edited by Brook (Speidel) Ashley, BA ’69, and husband John Ogilvie, is late photographer Dare Wright’s only book for adults. Ashley and Ogilvie created the book after finding Wright’s unpublished photos and memoirs of Ocracoke Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks around the 1950s. Ashley says that Wright, an actress, photographer, and children’s book author, was a lifelong family friend before her passing in 2001.

Damon P. Coppola, BS ’96, MEM ’03, writes from a global perspective on risk, hazards, and disasters in Introduction to International Disaster Management (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2006). Coppola, a senior associate with the disaster relief consulting firm Bullock & Haddow, focuses on mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery in the management of large-scale natural and technological disasters.

Former “wage slave” Michelle Goodman, BA ’89, shares insight into how women can successfully ditch the office cubicle in The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube (Seal Press, 2007). Goodman, who is now a freelancer, details how to make the jump to self-employment or create a more flexible work schedule. The book is full of brainstorming ideas, detailed checklists, print and online resources, and other advice on beating the daily grind.

Colin A. Hughes, AA ’47, and professor emeritus of political science, argues that recent legislation and other proposals are threatening the right to vote in Australia. In Limiting Democracy: The Erosion of Electoral Rights in Australia (UNSW Press, 2007), Hughes and co-author Brian Costar reveal the dangers of the government’s legislation as they trace the history of Australia’s electoral system. Hughes was Australia’s first electoral commissioner.

In her debut novel The Kommandant’s Girl (Mira, 2007), Pam Jenoff, BA ’92, tells the gripping story of a young Jewish bride during the Nazi occupation of Krakow, Poland. The historical romance focuses on a shy librarian, Emma, who escapes the city’s Jewish ghetto with the aid of the underground resistance movement that her activist husband has joined. Things get complicated when Emma finds chemistry with a Nazi commander she is working for in hopes of securing valuable information for the resistance. Their relationship risks not only her double life, but also the lives of those she loves.

A mechanical and electrical engineer in the nation’s capital for 45 years, Vincent Lee-Thorp, MEA ’62, is the author of Washington Engineered (American Literary Press, 2006). A blend of history, sociology, and science, Washington Engineered examines how revolutionary inventions, and their creators, changed everyday life in the city. During his career, Lee-Thorp and his consulting firms successfully completed 2,000 projects, including those for the Navy and Army, state and local governments, and colleges and universities. He also worked on projects for the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol.

Tired of eating only rice and nuts from the dining hall, Vanessa L. Maltin, BA ’05, created a health guide and cook book for others diagnosed with Celiac, a disease centered on gluten intolerance. Maltin, who has battled Celiac her entire life, compiled advice from experts, restaurant dining tips, and recipes in Beyond Rice Cakes: A Young Person’s Guide to Cooking, Eating & Living Gluten-Free (iUniverse Inc., 2006). Maltin, who lives in Washington, D.C., is the director of outreach and programming at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. She was diagnosed with Celiac as a young college student after writing an in-depth article on the condition for the Palm Beach Post.

FBI Special Agent Richard A. Marquise, MA ’82, recounts the investigation of Pan Am Flight 103 in his new book Scotbom: Evidence and the Lockerbie Investigation (Algora Publishing, 2006). The flight, which was blown out of the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, killed 270 people and changed the way the world looked at terrorism. Marquise led the U.S. Task Force, which included the FBI, Department of Justice, and the CIA. His first-person account details the inner workings of a major international criminal investigation and outlines the organizational structure the United States and Scotland put in place to address international crimes. Marquise, an FBI agent for more than three decades, is an expert in the fields of counter terrorism and crisis management.

Chris Murray, BA ’83, and the editors of Soundview Executive Book Summaries condensed thousands of pages of marketing history into the 300-page book The Marketing Gurus: Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of All Time (Penguin Portfolio, 2006). The single volume brings together summaries of 17 essential marketing classics, including The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, for busy professionals and students curious about how marketing evolved. Murray lives in Oxford, Pa.

Inspired by global health disparities, Edward O’Neil Jr., MD ’87, recently wrote two books based on medical volunteering. Awakening Hippocrates: A Primer on Health, Poverty, and Global Service (American Medical Association, 2006) outlines the reasons why health professionals are essential to affecting change in global affairs and how they can serve those in need. O’Neil also draws on personal experience to show how health professionals can change the future of health care in A Practical Guide to Global Health Service (American Medical Association, 2006). The guide, an overall resource for contact and practical information about service terms, also addresses common obstacles such as fear, time, and money constraints.

With inside accounts of backroom negotiations, Ralph Pezzullo, MA ’73, details the international diplomatic effort to resolve Haiti’s political crisis in the early 1990s in Plunging into Haiti: Clinton, Aristide, and the Defeat of Diplomacy (University Press of Mississippi, 2006). Pezzullo, whose father, Lawrence Pezzullo, served as a special envoy to Haiti, fleshes out the central political struggle of Haitian history and covers the aftermath of the Clinton administration’s diplomatic maneuvers. Pezzullo is a journalist, playwright, and the author of several other books.

Shelly Rachanow, BA ’94, a self proclaimed “butt-kicking woman,” says her dream is to inspire women to create the kind of world they want their children to inherit. Her book, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done (Conari Press, 2006), explores this concept with real-life stories, lists of organizations founded by women, and space for readers to write their own world-running lists. Rachanow lives in Southern California.

Wine connoisseur Walker Elliott Rowe, MBA ’93, shares the details of the wine business in two recent books. Chilean Wine, Communism, and Volcanoes (Apprentice House, 2006) weaves a narrative of the Chilean people and culture, illustrating the irony of Chile’s strong system of capitalism that leaves most people working long hours at low wages in the vineyards. In Wandering Through Virginia’s Vineyards (Apprentice House, 2006), Rowe details the gold rush underway in Virginia as dot-com millionaires, celebrities, retired civil servants, and apple farmers are turning fallow pastures into row after row of fine European wine grapes. Rowe, who lives in Rappahannock County, Va., maintains a small vineyard and is an investor in The Winery at LaGrange in Prince William County, Va.

In Microsoft Solutions Framework Essential: Building Successful Technology Solutions (MC Press, 2006), Michael S.V. Turner, DSc ’98, wrote an authoritative reference that describes and explains the key concepts, foundational principles, and proven practices underpinning the Microsoft Solutions Framework. Turner is a solutions architect for Microsoft Corp. and also created the business and technical consulting service North Star Analytics.

Carol (Briggs) Waite, AA ’60, details her father’s memories and observations of his time spent as a prisoner of war in Taken in Hong Kong, December 8, 1941. The memoir also includes her mother’s thoughts on how the family managed at home during a time of uncertain chaos.