Bookshelf

(Baton Rouge, La.: Connelly Press, 2022)
The author, an ex-TV reporter, spins this hilarious metaphysical detective story about immortality, lousy jobs, murder, and quantum physics. Set in Denison, a town in Upstate New York so ignored by the rest of the world it literally disappears, the plot unfolds as failed TV reporter and self-declared private investigator Padraig O’Toole hunts down the killer of his (maybe) murdered brother-in-law. Author James Patterson notes, “If the idea of a paranormal mystery tickles your funny bone then this is definitely your book. In spades. Hidden Variables is like nothing you’ve ever read (in a good way). It’s very, very funny.” Kirkus Reviews calls the novel: “funny, inventive, and engagingly mysterious. It’s a heady, absurd parable about the dying towns, media conglomerates, and dead-end freelance work that make up so much of the American landscape. A cerebral and amusing novel that revolves around a quantum mystery.”

(Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Publishing, 2022)
This stunning book features more than 550 photos along with informative (and humorous) narration by the artist, revealing the evolution of Simpson’s evocative glass art over the past 50 years. The publisher notes, “In-depth looks at his several signature series and experimental works illustrate how Simpson has continually explored new ways to express — in glass — his fascination with outer space, the natural world, and the workings of the universe. Throughout, text and photo spreads narrate the story of Simpson’s less well-known works, details of his life and process, and his contributions within the craft world. Text by experts in the glass world, including William Warmus, Tina Oldknow, Nezka Pfeifer, and others, supplies additional views. Plus, strategically placed comments from numerous museum curators, along with insights from astrophysicists and space flight professionals, present a unique perspective on the meanings and broad appeal of Simpson’s glass.”

(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2023)
The diplomat and historian George F. Kennan (1904–2005) is considered one of the most important figures in American foreign policy - and one of its most complex. According to the publisher, “Drawing on many previously untapped sources, Frank Costigliola’s authoritative biography offers a new picture of a man of extraordinary ability and ambition whose idea of containing the Soviet Union helped ignite the Cold War but who spent the next half century trying to extinguish it. Always prescient, Kennan in the 1990s warned that the eastward expansion of NATO would spur a new cold war with Russia.” The author, the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, has spent over three decades studying Kennan and draws from this expertise as well as careful examination of his diaries. One reviewer noted: “The Kennan who emerges from these pages is a man of riveting contradictions: an intuitive expert torn between propriety and philandering, authoritarianism and democracy, the containment policies he launched and the Russophilic longings that he could never satisfy. This is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand how hot-blooded emotions shaped the seemingly cold-blooded realism that has guided grand strategy.”

(Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 2023)
Called “[t]he first biography of a key and complex American religious figure of the 19th century, considered by many to be the ‘father of Shaker literature,’” this book focuses on Richard McNemar (1770–1839) and his influence on two opposing American religious traditions during the early 19th century. According to the publisher, “Beginning as a Presbyterian minister in the Midwest, he took his preaching and the practice of his congregation in a radically different, evangelical ‘free will’ direction during the Kentucky Revival. A cornerstone of his New Light church in Ohio was spontaneous physical movement and exhortations. After Shaker missionaries arrived, McNemar converted and soon played a prominent role in expanding and raising public awareness of their religion by founding Shaker communities in the Midwest, becoming the first Shaker published author and the most prolific composer of Shaker hymns.”

(Philadelphia: Frayed Edge Press, 2023).

Nagle offers the first complete English-language translation of La Guzla, a literary hoax that dates back to the 19^th century. Originally published in 1827, La Guzla purported to be a collection of folktales, ballad lyrics, and travel narratives compiled and translated into French by an anonymous traveler returning from the Balkans. However, it was soon revealed that both the stories and their “translator” were the fictional accounts of a young civil servant named Prosper Mérimée. Along with footnotes explaining the historical and sociological context of the author’s “discoveries,” this new translation includes Mérimée’s preface to the 1840 edition of the work, in which he confesses to the deception, as well as a translator’s note by Nagle, who discusses the work’s background and the challenges of translating it. Her translations of prose and poetry from French and Spanish also have appeared in such journals as AGNI, The Southern Review, ANMLY, and The Los Angeles Review.

(Toronto: Sutherland House Books, 2023)
Miracles are possible. That’s the first line in the description of this book. According to the publisher, “An accomplished storyteller with a refreshing, humorous voice, Rabbi Zedek draws on a range of materials including biblical tales, Indian and Japanese folklore, the works of St. Augustine, Einstein, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Groucho Marx to take readers on a truly original search for spiritual sustenance in everyday life. Readers will learn how to identify and appreciate the miraculous in an often-mundane world; how to take God seriously when much of the intellectual world doesn’t; and how to make the most out of underutilized spiritual resources such as poetry and prayer. Heartfelt and amusing, Taking Miracles Seriously is a master course on how to craft an enriched and enriching spiritual life.”

(Bloomfield, Conn.: Antrim House, 2019).
One reviewer described the author’s debut collection of poetry this way: “Doug Hyde, with his wide lens and clear eye, draws us in through his meticulous observation of both nature and human nature. He shows us what it feels like to climb a mountain, to note bird songs or a returning nesting squirrel, or to feel the poignancy of intimate engagement with those he loves. The love poems seem lit from within. There is puckish humor here too, as when he manages to get a granddaughter to behave at table or to wear clothes while helping to build a wall. There is also loss in the lived experience recounted, as when love is temporarily lost until a bridge can be rebuilt. In the face of life’s inevitable losses, Hyde’s poems offer solace: ‘And so we persevere . . . measuring our days.’ He tells ‘heart’s truth,’ and our souls are nourished as if we’d spent time with an especially wise and observant friend.”

(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023).
A history of public private growth and antipoverty partnerships since the New Deal, this book centers the perspectives and mobilization of local business elites — e.g., chambers of commerce and regional development organizations — to trace deep continuities and change between the New Deal, mid century liberalism, and neoliberal modes of governance. The author is an assistant professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania.

(Great Goal Books, 2023).
From Pelé to Raí, Ruy Ramos, and Zico, Brazil has produced an incredible number of dazzling soccer players and champions. Having lived in the country for almost two decades and attended 10 consecutive World Cups, the author offers his inside take on the secrets of samba soccer culture. This book includes dozens of full-color photos showing Brazil’s star players in action, plus highlights of Beebe’s global travels to watch high-profile soccer matches on six continents.

(New York: New York University Press, 2023)
While families of color make up 41 percent of homeschoolers in America, little is known about the racial dimensions of this alternate form of education. Drawing from almost 100 interviews with Black and white middle-class homeschooling and non-homeschooling families, the author investigates why this percentage has grown exponentially in the past two decades. According to the publisher, Stewart’s findings contradict many commonly held beliefs about the rationales for homeschooling. Rather than choosing to homeschool based on religious or political beliefs, many middle-class Black mothers cite their schooling choices as motivated by concerns of racial discrimination in public schools and the school-to-prison pipeline. Conversely, middle-class white mothers had the privilege of not having to consider race in their decision-making process, opting for homeschooling because of concerns that traditional schools would not adequately cater to their child's behavioral or academic needs.