Summer Reading List

Summer Sizzles With Books by Dickinsonians

by MaryAlice Bitts Jackson

July 24, 2011

Fiction and nonfiction, reference and young-reader books: Dickinsonians penned a diverse crop of new books within the past academic year. Now's a perfect time to add them to your reading list.

Summer's the perfect time to tackle your reading list. Why not add some books by Dickinson authors to the queue?  All of the books below were written by Dickinsonians and published within the 2010-11 academic year. Happy reading!  

Fiction, Literature and Literary Criticism

 Abomination Assignment
Lee Holz ’57
CreateSpace, 2010: This novel tells the tale of Dr. Thomas Bowin, a neuroscientist/assassin, and his mission to hunt down a Palestinian gunman, an al-Quaida operative, a Saudi bomber and a meanacing American who calls himself “Prophet of the People.” It is part of a series of novels about Bowin.

Bad Bird
Chris Knopf ’73
Minotaur Books, 2011: Award-winning mystery writer Chris Knopf’s second Hamptons story to feature defense attorney Jackie Swaitkowski is filled with the author’s signature plot twists.

Cervantes y Cuba: aspectos de una tradicion literaria
Alberto Rodriguez, professor of Spanish
Cervantes is an important figure in Cuban literature and intellectual history. In this book, Rodriguez examines the history, characteristics and ramifications of Cervantine scholarship. 

Exley
Brock Clarke ’90
Algonquin Books, 2010: Clarke blends fact and fantasy in this novel about an imaginative nine-year-old who struggles to understand his father’s disappearance after his parents’ separation.

Faith
Jennifer Haigh ’90
Little, Brown & Company, 2011: Called “a masterpiece of tension and tenderness” by More magazine, Haigh ’s novel looks at the complex moral issues surrounding a woman’s quest to redeem her disgraced brother, a once-beloved Catholic priest.

The Long Slide
Blair Oliver ’88   
World Audience Inc., 2010: This is a crime novel set in a Colorado mining town, where bison graze and even accountants pack heat. It tells the story of Henry Gavin, editor of the only newspaper in town, and the dangers that befall him.

Picasso Prince 
Robert Palmer ’74  
CreateSpace, 2011: A newly discovered Picasso painting will be auctioned on a cruise ship, and art collector Malcolm Golden has to have it. When he receives death threats, he hires Cynthia James to be his bodyguard. When someone on board dies, Cynthia’s checkered past comes to light.

Seneca and the Idea of Tragedy 
Gregory Allan Staley ’70   
Oxford University Press, 2010: Weaving together classical studies and literature, Staley offers  a major new interpretation of Seneca the tragedian.

Unrepentant Siren
Karen Bence Yoder ’87  
Sterlinghouse Publisher, 2011: Yoder’s second novel is a paranormal mystery set in the American South.

Poetry 

Butterfly a Rose
Emily Pittman Newberry ’66
Spirit Press, LLC, 2010: Through poetry, the author tells the story of her transformation from the male person she was told to be at birth to the transgender woman she is today.

The Poet’s Freedom: A Notebook on Making
Susan Stewart ’73  
University of Chicago Press 2011: Although not a collection of poems, these essays by Stewart, a MacArthur Award-winning poet and Cogan Fellow, use poetic language to trace ideas about freedom, creativity and the artistic life.

Biography and History 

The Battle of Brandy Station: North America’s Largest Cavalry Battle
Eric Wittenberg ’83
The History Press, 2010: As the nation marks the Civil War sequicentennial, Wittenberg sheds light on the June 9, 1863, battle at Brandy Station, fought between the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. “There’s no shortage of drama and no shortage of colorful personalities,” the author said in a recent interview with the Civil War Trust.

Felix Salten: Man of Many Faces
Beverley Eddy, professor emeriti of German
Ariadne Press, 2010: Eddy looks at the complex personality of Felix Salton, best known as the author of Bambi.

The Hatchet and the Plow: The Life and Times of Chief Cornplanter
William W. Betts ’49
iUniverse, 2010: This prominent Seneca chief, also known as Gaiantwaka, was an important figure in Colonial America. Betts recalls the chief’s travels and his important roles as warrior, diplomat and leader.

The Jewish Revolts Against Rome, A.D. 66-135: A Military Analysis
Jim Bloom ’61
McFarland Publishing, 2010: Bloom analyzes the military aspects of the Judean uprisings that challenged the supremacy of the Roman Empire.

Latinoamerica: presente y pasado
Arturo Fox, professor emeritus of Spanish
Prentice Hall, 2010: This expanded fourth edition offers a cultural history of Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present.

Massacre of the Conestogas
John Brubaker ’66
The History Press, 2010: Brubaker offers an account of the 1763 slaying of peaceful Conestoga Indians in Lancaster, Pa., by a band of rioters known as the Paxton Boys.

Michaelangelo: The Artist, the Man and His Times
William Wallace ’74
Cambridge University Press, 2010: This vivid biography uses Michaelangelo’s own words, and accounts by his contemporaries, to paint a compelling portrait of one of the most creative minds to emerge from the Renaissance.

Remembering Lancaster County: Stories from Pennsylvania Dutch Country
John Brubaker ’66  
History Press, 2010: The longtime author, who also published another book this year, tells a vivid story about the history of his home county, chronicling the lives of famous and ordinary residents alike.

The Search for Johannes
Richard Hepner ’60
Arcadia Enterprises, 2010: Hepner’s great-great-great-grandfather, who served in the Revolutionary War, is at the center of this book, which includes transcriptions of 14 documents from the National Archives, four pages of photos and anecdotes about three centuries of farm life.

The Treasures of Michaelangelo
William E. Wallace ’74 
Cameron House, 2010: Wallace uses letters and documents, such as Michaelangelo’s birth record, and sketches for the Sistene Chapel to piece together a portrait of this uniquely gifted figure in art history.

Politics, Current Events and Contemporary Culture 

An Unfinished Republic: Leading by Word and Deed in Modern China
David Strand, professor of political science
University of California Press, 2011: Strand gives readers a fascinating glimpse of modern Chinese culture.

Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism: Toward Urbanatural Roosting
Ashton Nichols, professor of English and the Walter E. Beach ’56 Distinguished Chair in Sustainability Studies
Palgrave Macmillan, 2011: “An eloquent, erudite, and impassioned manifesto for a new way of thinking, writing, and living more self-consciously, equitably and sustainably on this earth.”—Kate Rigby, Monash University and author of Topographies of the Sacred: The Poetics of Place in European Romanticism 

Cyber Attacks: Protecting National Infrastructure
Edward Amoroso ’83
Butterworth-Heinemann, 2010: How do we reduce national risk of cyber attack? The author provides a framework for new national strategy, including tips for technology professionals and everyday computer-users alike.

Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture
Amy Farrell, professor of American studies
NYU Press, 2011: Farrell traces the history and cultural significance of fatness in America and questions why, as stigma against obese people persists, Americans’ waistbands continue to expand. Learn more.

How the World Works: A Brief Survey of International Relations
Russell Bova, professor of political scienceLongman, 2011 (second edition): Bova’s essays about international-relations issues attach real-world stories to movements and concepts at work in the world today.

In Defense of Civility: How Religion Can Unite America on Seven Moral Issues that Divide Us
James Calvin Davis ’92
Westminster John Knox Press, 2010: Religion and politics often meet. Davis explores the profound ways in which ideological differences on moral issues influence American public discourse. Learn more.

Historical Dictionary of Yemen
Bob Burrowes ’57
The Scarecrow Press, 2010: Burrowes explains Yemen’s foreign affairs, economic institutions, social issues, religion and politics in even more detail in this thoroughly updated and expanded second edition.

Swallow: Foreign Bodies, Their Ingestion, Inspiration and the Curious Doctor Who Extracted Them
Mary Cappello ’82 
New Press, 2010: The award-winning writer explores what compels some people to swallow indigestible things, such as a sword, a coin, a toy goat or a pin. She also sheds light on the doctor who studied and treated these patients, known as the “father of endoscopy.”

Art and Film 

Independent Film Producing: The Outsider’s Guide to Producing a First Low-Budget Feature Film
Paul Battista ’90
Lucrifacio Books LLC, 2010: Required/recommended reading at film, business and law schools throughout the country, this book provides an alternate route to the typical roads Hollywood producers travel when making an independent film.

Les Vieux De St. Barts
Charley Ann Perkins Rhoads ’60
Stillwater Press, 2010: This collection of photographs depicts the dignity of old age, shown in portraits of the descendants of French settlers.

The Making of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Charles Helfenstein ’92
Spies Publishing, 2010: Helfenstein put his history degree to the test when he scoured archives in London, Switzerland and Portugal to research this James Bond classic.

Home Arts  

The Complete Guide to Eco-Friendly House Cleaning: Everything You Need to Know, Explained Simply
Anne Brunner Kocsis ’87
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 2010: A practical, useful guide to living sustainably—and spotlessly.

Self-Help and Spirituality 

 As We Grieve: Discoveries of Grace in Sorrow
Jan Groft ’71
Graham House, 2010: Groft weaves together the stories of everyday people who, after losing a loved one, found hope, humor, strength, insight and faith.

Young Readers 

Color Doodles
Debby Lightman Casher ’97
Authorhouse, 2010: This poetic introduction to the world of colors ignites young readers’ imaginations with bursts of color and whimsy.

Pachunga
John A. Macdonald ’79
iUniverse, 2010: Macdonald originally penned this allegorical African fantasy to entertain a sixth-grade class in Hondoras, where he and his wife lived as missionaries for ten years.

Prolific children’s author Jennifer Holm '90 published eight titles in 2010-11:
·         Turtle in Paradise, Random House, 2010
·         Baby Mouse #15: A Very Baby Mouse Christmas, Random House, 2011
·         Baby Mouse #14: Mad Scientist, Random House, 2011
·         Baby Mouse #13: Cupcake Tycoon, Random House, 2010
·         Baby Mouse #12: Burns Rubber, Random House, 2010
·         Squish #1: Super Amoeba, Random House, 2011
·         Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff, Atheneum, 2011
·         The Trouble with May Amelia, Atheneum, 2011
 

Inspired? Don’t stop here! View  last year's summer-reading list.  

Thank you to our colleagues at Dickinson Magazine, the Waidner-Spahr Library and the Dickinson College Bookstore for contributing to this list.