Alumni Authors

February 23, 2009

Nami Mun, MFA'07

Miles from Nowhere, Riverhead Books, 2008.

The book: Joon is a Korean immigrant whose parents have crumbled under the weight of her father's infidelity; he has left the family, and mental illness has rendered her mother nearly catatonic. So Joon, at the age of 13, decides she would be better off on her own; a choice that commences a harrowing and often tragic journey that exposes the painful difficulties of a life lived on the margins. Joon's adolescent years take her from a homeless shelter to an escort club, through struggles with addiction, to jobs selling newspapers and cosmetics, committing petty crimes and, finally, toward something resembling hope.

The author: Nami Mun won a Hopwood Award for fiction while at U-M and has since received a Pushcart Prize as well as several scholarships and residencies. Her stories have been published in the 2007 Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Iowa Review, Evergreen Review, Witness and other journals. Tin House named her an Emerging Voice of 2005. She lives and teaches in Chicago.

Web site: http://milesfromnowherethenovel.wordpress.com/

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)

Roy S. Neuberger, '65, MA'66

2020 Vision, Feldheim Publishers, 2008.

The book: Set in the days and weeks that follow a global terror attack, this book takes you on a daring and unforgettable journey as a group of Jewish survivors trek through the chaos, pursuing their hope of reaching the Holy Land. As they get closer to their destination, the dangers intensify, until the book reaches its spellbinding climax. The novel not only confronts the concerns and challenges of our times, but offers readers a glorious vision of faith and hope in the future.

The author: Following two years in government work, Neuberger became publisher and editor of a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, New York. He has also worked as a yeshiva administrator and hedge fund operator and has published two other books, "From Central Park to Sinai: How I Found My Jewish Soul" and "Worldstorm: Finding Meaning & Direction Amidst Today's World Crisis."

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2008

Rose Melikan, '82

The Blackstone Key, Simon & Schuster, 2008.

The book: It is 1795, and Mary Finch sets off to meet her wealthy uncle, hoping to heal a family estrangement and perhaps avoid a dismal career teaching at Mrs. Bunbury's school for young ladies. Eager for an adventure, she is soon embroiled in one of frightening proportions. War is raging across Europe, England faces the threat of invasion and some secrets are more valuable than gold. As she uncovers a complex and deadly plot involving ruthless smugglers, secret codes and a dangerous network of spies and traitors, Mary must learn quickly whom she can trust.

The author: Rose Melikan obtained degrees in English, law and history at U-M and the University of Chicago before moving to Cambridge, England, to complete her PhD at Gonville & Caius College. Since 1993, Melikan has been a fellow of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, and she lectures on British constitutional history. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, Quentin.

Web site: www.rosemelikan.com

Posted by lingjiex at 04:36 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2008

Porter Shreve, MFA'98

When the White House Was Ours, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

The book: It's 1976, and while the country prepares to celebrate the bicentennial, Daniel Truitt's family is falling apart. His father, Pete, has been fired from yet another teaching job, and his mother is close to leaving for good. But when Pete lucks into a crumbling mansion in the nation's capital, he makes a bold plan to start a school under his own roof where students and teachers will be equals. Replete with the wry humor, human insight and cultural resonance, this book will resonate with anyone whose family has lived through an idealistic time and ended up in an era of compromise.

The author: In the 1970s, Porter Shreve’s family started an alternative school, and some of this book draws loosely on that experience. His first novel, "The Obituary Writer," was a New York Times Notable Book, and his second, "Drives Like a Dream," was a Chicago Tribune Book of the Year. He lives with his wife, the writer Bich Minh Nguyen, ’96, MFA’98, in Chicago and West Lafayette, Indiana, where he directs the Creative Writing Program at Purdue University.

Web site: http://www.portershreve.com/

Posted by lingjiex at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

Preeta Samarasan, MFA'06

Evening Is the Whole Day, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

The book: Set in Malaysia, "Evening Is the Whole Day" introduces us to the prosperous Rajasekharan family as its closely guarded secrets are slowly peeled away. It moves gracefully backward and forward in time to answer the many questions that haunt the family while it offers an unflinching look at relationships between parents and children, brothers and sisters, the wealthy and the poor, a country and its citizens. This spellbinding and acclaimed debut novel illuminates in heartbreaking detail one Indian immigrant family’s story while exposing the complex underbelly of Malaysia itself.

The author: Preeta Samarasan was born and raised in Malaysia but moved to the United States in high school. After spending several years working on a dissertation on gypsy music in France, but all the while writing fiction, she decided to switch tracks. An early version of this novel received the Hopwood Novel Award; she’s also won the Asian American Writers' Workshop short story award.

Posted by lingjiex at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

Peter Markus, '89,

Bob, or Man on Boat, Dzanc Books, 2008.

The book: Set on the shores of the Detroit River, this book creates an obsessive (and obsessively rendered) song about a man, a boat and a fish—a contemporary retelling of Moby Dick.

The author: Peter Markus is the author of three books of short fiction, "Good, Brother," "The Moon Is a Lighthouse" and "The Singing Fish." His writing has been published in a number of anthologies and journals. Markus lives in Trenton, Michigan, with his wife and two children and is the senior writer with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project of Detroit.

Posted by lingjiex at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

Joanna Hershon, '94

The German Bride, Random House, 2008.

The book: In Berlin 1865, Eva Frank has a secret affair with a mercurial artist that has devastating consequences. Desperate to escape her situation, she marries a merchant who has returned to Germany for the first time since establishing himself in the American West. The 18-year-old bride leaves for an unfamiliar life in Sante Fe, New Mexico. This novel is a gripping and gritty portrayal of urban European immigrants struggling with New World frontier life in the mid-19th century. Vivid and emotionally compelling, it is a beautiful narrative on how far one must travel to make peace with the past.

The author: Joanna Hershon is an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University and the author of "Swimming" and "The Outside of August." Her short fiction has been published in One Story and The Virginia Quarterly Review. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the painter Derek Buckner, and their twin sons.

Web site: www.joannahershon.com

Posted by lingjiex at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

Art Corriveau, MFA'94

Blood Pudding, Esplanade Books, 2008.

The book: This collection of short stories chronicles the lives of people on the margins—from a street hustler in Montreal and a priest in Burkina Faso to the mother of a bride in Boston and a blind woman in Amsterdam. These characters span the globe and are united by family and friendships that bind them (and us) together. The offbeat tales offer insight into how we deal with love and loss, and how crisis can sometimes give rise to moments of magic.

The author: Art Corriveau’s short stories have appeared in literary journals in the United States and the United Kingdom. His first novel, "Housewrights," was published in 2002. As a travel writer, Corriveau has lived throughout Europe and Southeast Asia. Descended from one of Quebec’s oldest families, he lives in New Mexico.

Web site: http://artcorriveau.com/

Posted by lingjiex at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

Megan Abbott, '93

Queenpin, Simon & Schuster, 2007.

The book: A young woman hired to keep the books at a down-at-the-heels nightclub is taken under the wing of the infamous Gloria Denton, a mob luminary. Cunning and ruthless, Gloria shows her young protégée the ropes, ushering her into a glittering demimonde of late-night casinos, racetracks, betting parlors, inside heists and big money. Suddenly, the world is at her feet—as long as she doesn't take any chances, like falling for the wrong guy. As the roulette wheel turns, both mentor and protégée scramble to stay one step ahead of their bosses and each other.

The author: Megan Abbott has taught literature, writing and film at New York University and the State University of New York at Oswego. "Queenpin," her third novel, won the 2008 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original. She has written two other novels and a nonfiction study of white masculinity in fiction and film noir. She lives in New York City.

Web site: www.meganabbott.com/Queenpin.htm

Posted by lingjiex at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2008

Deborah Shlian, '68

and Joel Shlian, Rabbit in the Moon, Oceanview Publishing, 2008.

The book: Dr. Lili Quan, an American and a passionate idealist, takes an extraordinary trip to China filled with remarkable discoveries, including finding Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, the grandfather Quan believed had died years ago. But Cheng has made the most remarkable discovery of all—the secret to long life. As Cheng’s only relative, Quan’s life is in jeopardy. As greedy and unscrupulous men vie for control of the most earth-shattering discovery of the century, Quan could become a pawn in a deadly and dangerous international game.

The author: Deborah and Joel Shlian have collaborated in both their vocations and avocations. They practiced medicine together before returning to UCLA to earn their MBAs. They have since balanced medical management consulting with writing, producing medical mystery/thrillers, nonfiction books, and magazine and journal articles on health care and medical management issues. Two of their novels have been optioned for Hollywood films.

Web site: http://www.shlian.com/

Posted by lingjiex at 09:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2008

Arliss Ryan, '71

How (Not) to Have a Perfect Wedding, Sourcebooks, 2007.

The book: Anne is a professional wedding hostess at the most beautiful of the opulent mansions along Newport’s seashore. She knows the smile she beams at her guests doesn’t have to be sincere, just present. She’s managed to maintain the illusion of pleasant composure through 10 years of rowdy guests and sobbing brides. However, tonight Anne is afraid she won’t be able to hold her tongue, let alone her smile: The wedding from hell has arrived on her beautifully manicured lawn.

The author: Arliss Ryan has worked as a freelance writer in advertising and public relations; she has written two novels, numerous short stories for literary journals, and nonfiction articles and essays for national magazines. Married to naval architect and U-M alumnus Eric Sponberg, she has a daughter, Kira, and a son, Dane.

Posted by lingjiex at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)

Andrea Daniels, '90, JD'93

It Could Happen, iUniverse, 2007

The book: When Andrea Daniels decides to adopt a child, she is unprepared for the emotions she feels for the baby and his birth mother. Not long after her son arrives, however, Andrea realizes she still craves the challenge of her career. When she accepts a new position, she discovers that finding good childcare is a full-time job. A menagerie of inept nannies parades through her door, but help is just around the corner. Then, Andrea’s longing for a second child begins. Part memoir, part novel, this is a moving tale of discovery, heartbreak and love.

The author: Andrea Daniels began writing novels because therapy seemed expensive. She practices law in the Midwest, where she resides with her husband and two children.

Posted by lingjiex at 06:47 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2008

Gary Slaughter, '61

Cottonwood Winter: A Christmas Story, Fletcher House, 2007.

The book: The third novel in the Cottonwood series, this reminiscence of home front America is set during the last winter of World War II. While American forces are battling it out overseas, those at home are preparing for Christmas and coping with shortages, casualties of war and concerns about loved ones. On the Riverton, Michigan, home front, the disappearance of B. R. Santa, the threat of an elite German espionage agent, the unexplained appearances of grapevine wreaths all over town and other mysteries are to be solved by Jase and Danny, the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn of the Cottonwood novels.

The author: Gary Slaughter grew up in a small town where he observed life on the World War II home front. Later, he served as an officer on naval destroyers. Over the years, he has written extensively and lectured widely on the management of corporate information technology. Today, Gary writes fiction and gives talks that focus on events during World War II.

Web site: http://www.cottonwoodwinter.com/

Posted by lingjiex at 07:25 PM | Comments (0)

Lois Wells Santalo, '43

I’ll Meet You in Syracuse: Ongoing Saga of the Langston/Kingsley Family, iUniverse, 2007.

The book: In this continuing saga of the Langston/Kingsley family, Del struggles to protect her husband and children from a mother who can’t forgive Del’s earlier divorce and seems determined to break up her daughter’s marriage. Just when things seem as bad as they can be, Del's daughter makes an announcement that adds new tension to the stew-pot of problems. In recurring nightmares, Del drives but can’t see the road ahead. Someone has curtained the windshield, she moves through heavy fog or a blinding snowstorm, or her headlights won’t come on. Something has to be done about the situation—but what?

The author: Lois Santalo is a former college instructor and served for seven years at a home for women in crisis, where she observed the problems described in her books. She lives in Southern California with her daughter, son-in-law and two cats, and writes full-time, working on a four-book saga, the Stormland Quartet. This is the third volume in that series.

Posted by lingjiex at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)

Elizabeth Christensen, '00, MSE'02

Stargate Atlantis: Casualties of War, Fandemonium Books, 2007.

The book: It’s a dark time for Atlantis. Following the first Asuran clashes, Col. Sheppard is buckling under the strain of command. When his team discovers ancient technology that can defeat the Asuran menace, he is determined that Atlantis must possess it. But the involvement of Atlantis heightens local suspicions and brings two peoples to the point of war. Elizabeth Weir believes only her negotiating skills can prevent the carnage, but when her diplomatic mission is attacked, both Weir and Sheppard must question their decisions—and their abilities to command.

The author: While working on two aerospace engineering degrees, Elizabeth Christensen witnessed five seasons of stellar football at the University. Currently a civilian engineer with the US Air Force, she works on propulsion and aircraft subsystems projects at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and shares pilot-in-command time in a Grumman Tiger airplane with her husband.

Web site: www.elizabethchristensen.com

Posted by lingjiex at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)

JT Caldwell, '67, MMUS'69

The Chaplain’s Assistant: God, Country, and Vietnam, iUniverse, 2007.

The book: It’s 1969, and Ted Bertson is in Vietnam serving as an Army chaplain's assistant. It sounds like a cushy job that will keep him behind the lines. But in Vietnam there are no lines—no person or place is completely safe. Behind every soldier in the field are 10 support troops who do the paperwork, make sure supplies are delivered, tend to the wounded, and care for spiritual and emotional needs. This is story of just one of those under-the-radar support troops and of an experience that forever changes Bertson and his love for the country he serves.

The author: JT Caldwell served as a chaplain's assistant in Vietnam in 1970, and this book is a fictionalized account of his experiences. In 1974 he joined the music faculty at Central Michigan University, where he continues to teach. He has two sons and four grandchildren and lives with his partner, Barbara Dixon, at their homes in Michigan and Missouri.

Web site: www.TheChaplainsAssistant.com

Posted by lingjiex at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

January 02, 2008

Kathleen Burke, '69

A Safe Position, Llumina Press, 2007.

The book: "A Safe Position" tells the tale of Shannon O'Grady, a teacher and counselor who struggles in the maze of the public educational system. Parents derive insights from her opinions, and instructors and counselors sympathize with her frustrations. At the same time, she experiences life's other sorrows and joys, with an interesting cast of characters. While this story is meant to initiate dialogue regarding the causes of student failure, it's also meant to entertain. Prepare to learn, shed a few tears and have a couple of laughs.

The author: Kathleen M. Burke taught for several years in the Detroit area before moving to Texas, where she held a counseling position for 22 years. Now retired, she indulges in a variety of hobbies, including golf, music, travel, literature and writing.

Posted by tobiaslw at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

Debra (Feldman) Borden, '78

A Little Bit Married, Three Rivers Press, 2007.

The book: Bitsy has always had her life figured out: marry, have kids and move to the suburbs. At 43, things have gone exactly as planned. Then, everything changes. As her husband lies unconscious, an empty bottle of pills on the nightstand, Bitsy is forced to answer these questions and more. Why is the mail filled with bank notices and overdue bills? Where are her so-called friends? Why is her son's school principal suddenly so attractive? And for the first time, instead of wondering when things will get back to normal, Bitsy wonders if things were ever normal in the first place.

The author: Author of the novel "Lucky Me," Debra Borden grew up in Great Neck, New York. Though she now writes full time, she is a licensed clinical social worker in New Jersey, where she lives with her family.

Posted by tobiaslw at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

Robert H. Bartlett, MD'63

The Salem Syndrome: A Novel of Medicine and Law, First Page Publications, 2005.

The book: Two little girls are admitted to the intensive care unit with burn injuries that indicate possible child abuse. The police investigation soon focuses on their father, and the medical, social and legal systems swing into action. Dr. Steven Crane is both a participant in and an observer of this process. He wonders if the father might actually be telling the truth. But child abuse is a horrible crime, and Crane soon learns that, where child abuse is concerned, the accused are guilty until proven innocent.

The author: Robert Bartlett is professor emeritus of surgery at U-M. His clinical career included general surgery, trauma and life-support systems. His research has been recognized with many awards, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He also has authored 12 medical monographs and texts.

Posted by tobiaslw at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

Robert H. Bartlett, MD'63

Piece of Mind: A Novel of Medicine and Philosophy, Ferne Press, 2006.

The book: Neurosurgeon Donald Ingram confronts the challenges of four seriously ill patients using his untried theories of the mind-body connection. What was confined to the philosophical comes to life as he wrestles with the relationship between brain, mind and soul. A professor who can no longer recall words that begin with F, a Secret Service agent who monitors care for a top-secret patient and the unexpected appearance of a long-lost love force the highly structured doctor to reassess his priorities.

The author: Robert Bartlett is professor emeritus of surgery at U-M. His clinical career included general surgery, trauma and life-support systems. His research has been recognized with many awards, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He also has authored 12 medical monographs and texts.

Posted by tobiaslw at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

Sonny Whitelaw and Elizabeth Christensen, '00, MSE'02

Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis: SGA-5, Fandemonium Books, 2006

The book: The ancient city of Atlantis is threatened by a planet-shaping device. An international team of explorers races to save their home, which leads to a civilization that challenges many of their beliefs about life in the Pegasus Galaxy and their own heritage.

The author: In addition to writing this book and "Stargate Atlantis: The Chosen," Elizabeth Christensen works for the U.S. Air Force. She lives in London, Ohio.

Posted by tobiaslw at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)

Mark Pickvet, MLS'88

Rockman: The Dark Rider, Port Town Publishing, 2006

The book: In this the third book in the Rockman saga, Drake and Ariel, along with their comrades, continue the battle to rid their world of the evil Dark Rider. A daring plan is in the works to end his reign of terror for good. But will it work?

The author: Mark Pickvet is the author of many books and articles related to glassware as well as books on the history of barns and related farm structures, collectible playing cards and the Rockman series of science fiction. He lives in Flint, Michigan.

Web site: http://www.authorstevehamilton.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

Laura Kasischke, '84, MFA'87

Inland, Permanent Press, 2006

The book: On Valentine's Day, Sherry finds an anonymous note in her mailbox: be mine. As the notes continue, Sherry becomes more and more charged by the idea that she can inspire such feelings. When she discovers who her admirer is, she begins an affair with him. But events soon spiral out of control, threatening not only Sherry's marriage but also her son and her home.

The author: Laura Kasischke is the author of three previous novels and six collections of poetry. Her novel "The Life Before Her Eyes" has been adapted for a movie titled "In Bloom," which will premiere this fall. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

K.C. Frederick, '56, MA'58, PhD'63

Inland, Permanent Press, 2006

The book: Recipient of the LL Winship/PEN New England Fiction Award for 2007, this novel tells the story of Ted Riley, a graduate student during the Cold War. Determined to negotiate the perils of an era on the verge of dramatic changes, he encounters two people who widen his world. Andrew, a Polish refugee who works at the university library, is gay, outrageous and haunted; Dori is a smart, sexy Californian with scant patience for the compromises of a system that suppresses freedom in the name of the fight against communism. Ted comes to understand where his loyalties lie and recognizes that an America frightened into a vision of stability may still have the boldness to risk a leap into the future.

The author: K. C. Frederick is the author of three critically acclaimed novels: "Country of Memory," "The Fourteenth Day" and "Accomplices." Critics have compared his themes of ordinary people being observed by sinister government forces with those of Franz Kafka. Born and raised in Detroit, he now lives in the Boston area.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

Jennifer Coburn, '88

The Queen Gene, Kensington Books, 2007

The book: In a follow-up to "Tales From the Crib," Jennifer Coburn brings readers into the wacky world of Lucy Klein and her hilariously dysfunctional family. This hip, so-funny-and-true-it-hurts novel explores the ties that bind-and sometimes strangle-between mothers and daughters.

The author: Jennifer Coburn is also the author of "The Wife of Reilly" and "Reinventing Mona." Raised in New York City, she now lives in San Diego with her husband and daughter.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

Liza Nelson, '72

Playing Botticelli, Putnam, 2000.

The book: The plot of novel centers on a child's search for her father in the context of the generation gap between a hippie mother and her conservative daughter.

The author: After graduating from U-M, Liza Nelson settled in Atlanta, where she has been a biweekly columnist for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Nelson has written essays for The New York Times, Glamour, and McCall's, and her poetry has appeared in Ploughshares and other journals. She lives in Newnan, Georgia.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

K.C. Frederick, '56, MA'58, PhD'63

Inland, Permanent Press, 2006.

The book: Set on a small Midwestern state college campus in the fall of 1959, Frederick's story follows graduate student and freshman English teacher Ted Riley as he navigates love, loss, family and new relationships in the McCarthy era.

The author: K.C. Frederick's short stories have been published in collections of Best American Short Stories and the Pushcart Prize. His work has won him a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He currently resides in West Newton, Massachusetts.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

John Dicke, '70

Proof Evident, Synergy Press, 2006

The book: According to the author, western science tells us that reality is wildly different than what our common sense tells us. Ancient Eastern philosophy, he asserts, holds the same view. "What If � What Then" explores these parallel worldviews.

The author: John Dicke handled criminal cases as a public defender in Ohio and Colorado and was a regional counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. As a former forensic psychologist, Dicke was involved in complex forensic cases, including those of serial killers and rapists. He resides in Morrison, Colorado.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

Jennifer Coburn, '88

Tales from the Crib, Kensington, 2006

The book: This romantic comedy of errors explores what happens when a husband asks for a divorce the same day his wife gets a positive pregnancy test result. UM alumni star in this novel, and Ann Arbor serves as a backdrop in some chapters.

The author: Jennifer Coburn is also the author of The Wife of Reilly, Reinventing Mona, and The Queen Gene (due in February 2007). She resides in San Diego, California.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

Katharine Beaman, '92

The Translator, PublishAmerica, 2006

The book: This historic romantic novel plays in 1945 post-war Germany. The ill-fated love affair between a British volunteer, Elizabeth Hedrige, and Frederich von Hohendorf, a married German aristocrat, set the stage for an emotional encounter. Hidden Nazi weapons factories and American and Russian secret agents pepper this story of unwitting pawns in the chess game of history.

The author: Katharine Beaman lives in Farmington Hills, Michigan, where she is a member of a local writers group. She is the mother of three, two of whom are U-M graduates.

Posted by tobiaslw at 09:58 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2007

Donald Yates, MA'51, MA'53, PhD'61

Casablanca and Other Stories, Michigan State University Press, 2006.

The book: Edgar Brau, a South American writer, debuts his first English-language collection with the publication of Casablanca and Other Stories. He brings a unique perspective forged in the political and social upheaval that has been modern South America. His work employs a fantasy-like aspect that goes beyond magical realism. Translated by Donald A. Yates, Andrea Labinger, and Joanne M. Yates, this collection includes stories from two of Edgar Brau's collections—El poema y otras historias and Tres cuentos—to bring to a fresh audience the new work of a major Argentinean author.

The author: Donald A. Yates is professor emeritus of Spanish-American Literature at Michigan State University and is the translator of novels and short stories by many Spanish-American authors. He has published his own fiction, poetry, articles and book reviews in The Atlantic, Holiday, The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review and The Washington Post.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)

Aaron Stander, PhD'72

Color Tour, Writers and Editors LLC, 2006

The book: It's a tranquil October morning in northwest Lower Michigan, a rural paradise of cherry orchards, blue lakes, and sandy shorelines. The serenity of the day -- and the season -- is shattered when an elderly woman walking her dogs along the beach stumbles upon the bodies of a brutally murdered couple. Sheriff Ray Elkins returns from his debut in the bestselling "Summer People" to track down the elusive killer of a vivacious and spirited young teacher. His search takes him into the dark side of an elite private school -- and into his own long-forgotten past.

The author: Aaron Stander lives in the woods of northern Michigan. He is the author of numerous stories, poems, and articles. "Color Tour" is a sequel to his bestselling first murder mystery, "Summer People."

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)

Donald Rothschild, '52, PhD'66

Kiosks Keep the Devils Away, iUniverse, 2006

The book: "Kiosks Keep the Devils Away" recounts the fictional hero's descent into mental illness, much like millions of Americans today who share his circumstances. The reader uncovers how he and his family deal with the discriminatory devils created by the current "mythology of madness" and how he, his family and friends discover paradise in a Southwest Florida community.

The author: This novel arises from Don Rothschild's lifetime of teaching about disabilities.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

Jerry Prescott, '56, JD'59

Why Ann Arbor? JCarp Publications, 2006

The book: The premise of "Why Ann Arbor" is that Christ has returned to Earth and that this time, instead of the Holy Land, he's come to Ann Arbor. Indeed, he makes his initial appearance at the quintessential Ann Arbor venue, the Farmers Market. As the tale unfolds, people try to decide whether the man really is Jesus Christ and, if so, why he would choose to come to Ann Arbor.

The author: A U-M grad with degrees in business and law, Prescott has headed Ann Arbor businesses including the King Group, a distributor of candy, tobacco and sundry products.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)

Claude Pearson, JD'48

Minefish: Weapons of Mass Destruction in Puget Sound, iUniverse, 2006

The book: In this novel, the U. S. Submarine Minefish is ordered from its base in San Francisco to Puget Sound to confront a Rogue Submarine, Red Dragon, that is threatening to explode dirty bombs around Puget Sound. The battle between opposing submarines rages around the coves, inlets and waterways of Puget Sound. Will the U. S. Submarines Minefish and Piratefish be able to thwart the plot and capture the conspirators?

The author: Captain Claude M. Pearson USNR (Rtd) is a retired lawyer who lives and writes in Tacoma, Washington. Pearson had parallel careers in law and as a naval reserve officer. After service in the Pacific in World War II, he continued to perform submarine duty on new postwar generations of U. S. Navy subs. He rose to the rank of Captain and during the Vietnam War he served as the Naval Reserve Group Commander at Tacoma. He is the author of two other books published by iUnivese, "Gunfish—A Fleet Submarine Goes to War," and "Piratefish—The Attempted Hijacking of a U.S. Submarine."

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:48 PM | Comments (0)

William C. (Cal) Patterson, '55

The Wayfarers: Tales of an American Family, AuthorHouse, 2006

The book: This book chronicles the experiences of individuals known as the Wayfarers, members of an extended family line. Where fragments of information are available, they are used; to the fragments of known information, figments of imagination are blended.

This text spins the experiences of a family progenitor in 900 AD, a Norwegian Viking ashore in Scotland, the Indian wars of the 1600s, the turbulence of the American Revolution and the shock of Civil War battles. Through this text, the reader sails on a whaler in the vast North Pacific in the 1850s, travels on the transcontinental railroad just two months after its completion in 1869, goes aboard steamship to Ireland and England in 1884, an automobile on the Old National Road in 1919, and to Europe again by sea in 1929.

The author: Cal Peterson writes novels during retirement, a dream he had nourished for years. His career before retirement included three years in the United States Air Force, 30 in the telephone industry and 10 as executive director of a private foundation.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

Liza Nelson, '72

Playing Botticelli, Putnam, 2000

The book: "Playing Botticelli" is the story of a mother's struggle as her daughter leaves her childhood behind, and of a daughter's move toward an unknown future and gradual awakening to the limits of her mother's power. Liza Nelson's debut maps a tale of reckless love, mindful motherhood, and the dreams that bind parent and child.

The author: Liza Nelson lives in Georgia. Her writing has appeared in Ploughshares, Glamour, and The New York Times.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)

Myrna Miller, MPA'98 MA'99

The Stygian Legacy, PublishAmerica, 2006

The book: Scientists and dreamers have long imagined the possibilities of multiple dimensions beside our own. "The Stygian Legacy" suggests that beyond our own natural world lies the supernatural spiritual world, existing where we cannot see. The work suggests that some individuals serve as conduits to these other dimensions, similar to the ancient Greek myth of the river Styx, where the dead sailed across to the Elysian Fields.

The author: Myrna Miller is an alumnua of Rackam with an MA in Education and earned an MPA at UM-Dearborn. Originally from Pennsylvania, Ms Miller now lives in Dearborn, MI.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:39 PM | Comments (0)

Ira Eisenstadt, '70

The Wedding Song, Melody Hill Press, 2007

The book: Sol Bable chases his desire through Jamaica in a romance that leads to mysticism and revelation before he settles down with his wife. What evolves is a novel that breeds a love meant to confound the human spirit, until Sol discovers his universal human bond in a robust outburst of passion the illuminates right from wrong.

The author: Ira Eisenstadt holds a BA from the University of Michigan and both an MBA and MAT from the University of St. Thomas. Mr. Eisenstadt is also the recipient of a Hopwood Award.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)

Catherine Dominic, '92

Amazing Disgrace, Five Star Expressions, 2006

The book: Aida Benedetto is a successful thirty-year-old food writer. She has an on-again, off-again boyfriend and an Italian-American family with endless expectations and relentless traditions. Birch McFarland, who is pushing for on-again status, was also raised by a strict Catholic father and understands Aida's sense of guilt as well as her duty to a faith she's silently questioned for years. When mutual domestic conflicts dissolve the lingering web between the couple and their families, Aida and Birch attempt to fashion new versions of faith and family.

The author: Catherine DiMercurio Dominic lives with her husband David and their children, Margaret and Grant, in Ferndale, Michigan.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)

Brett Ellen Block, '95

The Lightning Rule, William Morrow, 2006

The book: In this novel, Detective Martin Emmett investigates a gruesome murder that hints at something even more sinister. During the summer of 1967 in Newark, New Jersey, the temperature is rising in the predominantly black Central Ward as racial tensions worsen. While riots rage on the streets outside his station, Emmett struggles to do his job surrounded by corruption and indifference.

The author: Brett Ellen Block is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the University of East Anglia's Fiction Writing Program. She won the Drue Heinz Literary Prize for her debut collection of stories, "Destination Known," and is a recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship. She lives in Los Angeles.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)

Doreen Lichtman, MSW'86

Survival from Malice, iUniverse, 2005

The book: Twenty-one-year-old Rebecca Abrom left her one-year-old daughter and husband at home one fall day in 1935 to meet friends. She never returned the same. A victim of a drunk driver, Rebecca was dragged 75 feet, her leg crushed, and left for dead. Based on a true story, "Survival from Malice" tells of Rebecca's courageous struggle to overcome her injuries and still care for her family.

The author: Doreen Lichtman had a career as a medical social worker. She is a certified leader for the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Course. Lichtman lives in Michigan.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)

Terry Gamble, '77

Good Family, HarperCollins Publishers, 2005

The book: The author's second novel chronicles a prodigal daughter's fraught homecoming and reimmersion in a family history both harsh and cradling. After an 11-year absence, 40-something filmmaker Maddie Addison leaves New York and returns to her patrician family's summer place on the shores of Lake Michigan to join an odd mix of family and friends at the bedside of her dying mother. There, as she battles with the ghosts of past mistakes, she discovers family secrets and confronts her personal tragedies. She faces her sister, Dana; an old boyfriend; and a cast of eccentric cousins as they all come together for the first time in more than a decade. As her former boozehound mother's health deteriorates, Maddie recollects the decades past that account for the woman she has become, recounting her confused love for various cousins, her failed marriage, the death of her infant and her own struggles with alcohol. Hidden letters, secret loves and desperate acts all come to light as Maddie strives for peace with her relatives and within herself.

The author: Terry Gamble is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of U-M, where she sits on the English advisory board. The author of one previous novel, "The Water Dancers," she has had poems, short stories and essays published in literary journals. Gamble lives in California with her husband and children.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)

Matt Forbeck, '89

Blood Bowl: Death Match, Games Workshop, 2006

The book: The last of a trilogy in the riotous Blood Bowl series. In a fantasy kingdom where violence is a way of life, the number one sport is Blood Bowl-gridiron football where anything goes. Dirk 'Dunk' Hoffnung and the rest of the Bad Bay Hackers thought they'd taken everything the game of Blood Bowl could throw at them, but now they literally have to play the game of their lives to prevent the destruction of their kingdom.

The author: Matt Forbeck has worked full-time in the adventure game industry for over 15 years. He has designed collectible card games, roleplaying games, miniatures games, and board games, and has written short fiction, comic books and novels.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)

Grazia Deledda, translated by Jan Kozma, '68, MA'70, PhD'73

Marianna Sirca, Farlieigh Dickinson University Press, 20006

The book: Jan Kozma's translation of "Marianna Sirca" is the near-literal rendering of a novel written by Grazia Deledda (1871-1936), the celebrated Italian author from Sardinia who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926. Almost all of Deledda's stories treat the lives, loves, tragedies, and triumphs of the author's native land - the remote, isolated, and often forbidding island of Sardinia.

This new translation includes an introduction that highlights the salient episodes of Grazia Deledda's life and which situates "Marianna Sirca" both literarily within the author's opera omnia and as part of the general literary trends of the early European twentieth century. Jan Kozma presents the homonymous protagonist, Marianna Sirca, as one of the great literary precursors of the liberated, independent, modern woman - an ironic twist, given the repressive culture in which Marianna lives. The translator also provides numerous explanatory foot-notes that elucidate particular arcane aspects of Sardinian life in the late nineteenth century.

The author: Jan Kozma is professor of Italian at The University of Kansas where she has taught since 1977. She has published other works and also has translated other works written by Grazia Deledda. Kozma is the recipient of the Mortar Board Award, the Cramer Award, and the Kemper Foundation Fellowship for teaching research excellence. In 1978, she was named "Cavaliere," Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in recognition of her academic contributions in the area of Italian language and literature.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)

Elizabeth Block '90

A Gesture Through Time, Spuyten Duyvil 2005

The book: At once erotic, whirling toward dying, philosophical, and comic, "A Gesture Through Time," explores an obsession with bodies lost in love and in death, and the inability to distinguish between an absent lover and an absent parent in memory. The tale's abstract and meticulous language imagines lost bodies in the wake of ruptured optics and indeterminate perceptions.

It begins in a Detroit steel factory, where a forbidden love affair ignites. Magnitude Hortense Zappa, a worker, seduces the narrator, a teenage heir to the steel factory. When the steel factory owner is killed by one of his workers, the love affair abruptly ends, leaving a wasteland of unresolved emotion. The narrator's own identity is only slowly revealed, as the lovers face "their affair" 20 years later, when they cross paths at a San Francisco film festival.

Through innovative narrative structure, the story offers multiple points of view, ambiguous sexual and romantic perspectives, cinematic scenarios, love letters, case history notes, dramatic dialogues, unusual film history, textual flipbooks, and unreliable memories. The story traces the lovers' shifting identities, and the psychological landscape where conscious and unconscious associations of loss and love intermingle. Until their eventual reunion, the lovers' compulsions unravel through their constant inability to be in the same place at the same time, whether in actual geographical space, the space of memory, or in the space of their conflicting obsessions with sight and sound.

The author: Elizabeth Block has been writing most of her life, and she also is a filmmaker. Since 1985, she has received numerous awards and grants for her writing in three genres (poetry, fiction, essay writing). Her writing has been published in a variety of journals, it has been broadcast on the radio and it has been performed on stage. Block currently lives in California.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

Brad Meltzer,'92

The Book of Fate, Warner Books, 2006

The book: "The Book of Fate" begins with an assassination attempt on President Leland Manning. The president's aide, Wes Holloway, is left disfigured but becomes wrapped up in a chase about the attempted murder that requires him to penetrate the secrets of Masonic history. Employing his mastery of presidential lore and powerful secrets, and expanding to the glittering world of Palm Beach high society and its seedy fringes, Meltzer unfolds a bold thriller.

Read Chapter 1 of "The Book of Fate"

Play the "Guess who's a Mason" online game!

The author: Brad Meltzer is the author of the New York Times bestsellers "The Tenth Justice," "Dead Even," "The First Counsel," "The Millionaires" and "The Zero Game." He also is one of the co-creators of the TV show, "Jack & Bobby" and is the number one selling author of the critically acclaimed comic book, "Identity Crisis." His books have a total of almost 6 million copies in print, have spent over eight months on the bestseller lists and have been translated into over a dozen languages. Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. He currently lives in Florida with his wife, who also is an attorney.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)

Gilbert Snider, MD'75, MDRES'81

Brain Warp: A Medical Thriller, iUniverse, 2003

The book: Who is poisoning the homeless men of Manhattan, and why? When a cluster of inexplicable deaths plague Dr. Peter Branstead's neurology service at St. Mark's Hospital in Greenwich Village, his investigation leads him far beyond the boundaries of the hospital, Lower Manhattan or even the United States, and into a deadly game of international intrigue and danger. Peter discovers how deeply he is involved when it threatens the life of his girlfriend, psychologist Megan Hutchins, who has unwittingly stumbled onto the plot herself.

Peter must unravel the mystery of these murders, discover the antidote and foil the plot by heading right into the conspirator's den. And if he can do all this, he must somehow escape while being tracked by a killer so ruthless and brutal that the most vicious criminals on two continents live in fear of his wrath. At stake are the future of Europe and the lives of Peter and those he holds most dear.

The author: Dr. Gil Snider is a neurologist practicing in Chesapeake, Virginia. Trained at the University of Michigan and St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, he lives in Virginia Beach with his wife and two sons. "Brain Warp" is his first medical thriller. He is writing his second about stem cells.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)

Gary Slaughter, '61

Cottonwood Fall, Fletcher House, 2005

The book: Cottonwood Fall is the sequel to Gary Slaughter's critically acclaimed Cottonwood Summer! The author has closely crafted small-town life on the WW II home front into another hilarious and heart-rending tour de force. The fall adventures of Danny and Jase, the Cottonwood Summer heroes, include run-ins with vengeful German POWs, the arrival of charismatic twin sisters, and participation in the 1944 Dewey-Roosevelt Presidential race where both candidates vie for their support.

The author: Gary Slaughter spent his early life in a small town where he carefully observed everyday life. Over the years he has lectured widely and written extensively on management of information technology. Today he creates fiction and presents his "Behind the Book" talks that highlight interactions with Germans interred in POW camps throughout the US during the 1940s.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)

Claude Pearson, JD'48

Piratefish: The Attempted Hijacking of a US Submarine, iUniverse, 2005

The book: Cynthia Blair, the fourth owner of China Bank, opens her home in a tangible expression of thanks and support to members of the Pacific Submarine Fleet Force for their extraordinary service to the United States. When former shipmates reunite at Blair Mansion, they unwittingly become involved in the most brazen hijacking attempt the US Navy has ever seen.Lieutenant Commander Charley Jason and Polly Flowers' wedding is set to occur at the mansion the night before inspections will be held on the Piratefish and Minefish submarines. Also coinciding with the wedding festivities is a secret mission designed by Colonel Mark Hong, a Red Chinese officer and agent extraordinaire. Disguised as a bank interne, Hong arrives at Blair Mansion for his training in American banking. After members of his gang clandestinely slip ashore, they immediately begin terrorizing the residents of Chinatown and proceed step-by-step toward their target. Late on the night of the wedding, the gang takes hostages and seizes control of a submarine at Treasure Island. Chief Gunnersmate Carruther and Lieutenant Sylvester of the Piratefish interrupt the hijacking with their own counterattack.

The author: Claude Pearson served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. After extensive submarine duty, he attended law school and maintained a successful law practice for 45 years. "Piratefish" is his second novel.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)

Spencer Myers, '67

Pest: An Ecological Thriller, AuthorHouse Publishing, 2006.

The book: An EPA investigator experiences a deadly premonition while fishing in Florida. A murder in Michigan causes a small toxic spill.

Derk Bryan soon discovers that these two disparate events threaten every drop of water on the planet and every important relationship in his life. His laizze faire life on the beach is now on a collision course with crippled chemical company magnate, Jack Von Lleuwan, and his bodyguard, an ex-wrestler with anger management issues.

Von Lleuwan’s newest product, PESTfreeã , will replace chemicals that are contaminating the food and water worldwide, but it contains a deadly flaw. As the body count grows, Derk Bryan races against the clock to thwart disaster.

The author: Spencer Myers is a successful business owner and author. He has been published in fields ranging from physical fitness to crime prevention and his poetry an award. During the gas shortages of the mid 1970s, Myers received the first Department of the Interior grant to solarize a multi-family residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He currently is leading the campaign to create a constitutional guarantee for control over one’s own body.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

Lynn Eastman, '70, MA'77

The Day the Music Died, AuthorHouse, 2004

The book: Set in the early 21st century, "The Day the Music Died" tells the story of greed, patriotism, revenge, and misguided loyalties. The body of Charles Townsend III, former director of the CIA, is found floating in the river. Though initially thought to be a canoeing accident, his son, Charles Townsend IV, international banker, learns that his father's death was murder. As he attempts to find out who murdered his father and why, Townsend stumbles into an international plot to steal Nazi gold hidden since May of 1945. As Charles Townsend IV investigates further, he becomes involved with the CIA, the Mossad, the PLO and the lovely Jeanne. He finds revenge, salvation, and love.

Charles' search for his father's murderers brings American interests into the intrigue, and the CIA joins the hunt for the gold, the bombs and the scientists. The quest for gold and power and a son's search for a murderer culminate on the high seas.

The author: Lynn Eastman grew up in Detroit, the home of automobiles and Motown music. These roots influenced the title of his first novel, "The Day the Music Died." Eastman and his wife were foster parents during the late 1970s, and their experience caused them to see a need for improved services in this area. As a result, he founded a therapeutic foster care program that has expanded into several states. Eastman currently serves as the executive director of the agency, and he spends much of his time traveling to the various offices. The travel time allows him the opportunity to develop plots and create his fiction. Eastman also is an avid world traveler, and he interweaves the places and experiences he has had into his novel.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Robert Chan, '70

Axe of God, PublishAmerica, 2005

The book: Only 11 percent of those recently polled correctly identified the birthplace of the president of the United States, but more than 65 percent responded that Saul Stein hailed from Tarsus, Turkey, and was the child of freelance terrorists. Yet, in actual fact, neither he nor his parents ever set foot in the Middle East. Now, finally, the true story of the man the tabloids christened "The Axe of God" and "The Invisible MANiac." Undoubtedly the greatest book ever written about an invisible axe murderer, an unnatural blonde and a New York City psychotherapist who believes himself to be the Second Coming of Jesus, "Axe of God"explores the psychological similarities between psychopathic killers and inspired religious leaders. This fast-paced thriller is guaranteed to make you think as you alternately bite your nails and laugh.

The author: Robert Chan is an experienced litigator in New York City.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

Robert Bartlett, MD'63

The Salem Syndrome, First Page Publications, 2005

The book: Two little girls are admitted to the ICU with burn injuries that show signs of possible child abuse. The medical, social and legal systems swing into action and the investigation soon focuses on their father, who vehemently denies the charges. Dr. Steven Crane, a pediatric resident, is both a participant in and an observer of this process. He wonders if the father might actually be telling the truth. But Crane soon learns that, where child abuse is concerned, the accused are guilty until proven innocent.

The author: Dr. Robert Bartlett is professor of surgery at U-M. In addition to running a busy surgical practice, his academic focus is on critical care and life support systems. "The Salem Syndrome" is his first novel.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

Megan Abbott, '93

Die a Little, Simon and Schuster, 2005

The book: This ingenious twist on a classic noir tale tells the story of Lora King, a schoolteacher, and her brother Bill, a junior investigator with the district attorney's office. Lora's comfortable, suburban life is jarringly disrupted when Bill falls in love with a mysterious young woman named Alice Steele, a Hollywood wardrobe assistant with a murky past.

Made sisters by marriage but not by choice, the bond between Lora and Alice is marred by envy and mistrust. Spurred on by inconsistencies in Alice's personal history and possibly jealous of Alice's hold on her brother, Lora finds herself lured into the dark alleys and mean streets of seamy Los Angeles. Assuming the role of amateur detective, she uncovers a shadowy world of drugs, prostitution, and ultimately, murder.

Lora's fascination with Alice's "sins" increases in direct proportion to the escalation of her own relationship with Mike Standish, a charmingly amoral press agent who appears to know more about his old friend Alice than he reveals. The deeper Lora digs to uncover Alice's secrets, the more her own life begins to resemble Alice's sinister past—and present.

The author: Megan Abbott has taught literature, writing and film at New York University and the State University of New York at Oswego.

Posted by tobiaslw at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Wayne Smith, '60

The Hole of the Third Eye: A Fable of Golf, Zen and Life, Little Acorn Press, 2005

The book: Harry Morgan's life, due to his own inertia and inattention, has bottomed out. He's failed to live up to the start in life that his self-made father gave him, he's ashamed of his profession and his failed marriage, and his golf game stinks.

Then a strange old codger drifts into Harry's life. Joseph is an enigma: possibly unbalanced, perhaps not even real, he may have the secret of extraordinary golf. Harry presses him for help with his game, but Joseph insists that Harry first consider a series of other ideas: a strange mix of quantum physics, Eastern philosophy and life questions. To appease Joseph, in order to regain his golf secrets, Harry accepts a series of single-page "thought exercises." As he completes each one, Joseph randomly shows up, offers a golf idea and leaves Harry with another work sheet.

Harry's experience with Joseph finally culminates at an isolated Japanese Zen retreat: The Order of the Third Eye. There, the monks use an old-style golf course (requiring hickory shafts and gutta-percha balls) as a Zen exercise: a living koan.

Does Harry's life heal? Does his handicap drop? Who is this strange old guy, anyway?

The author: Wayne Smith is an engineer, a former DuPont manufacturing manager, an industry consultant, a seminar leader/speaker, a magician and a life-long golf searcher.

He lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with his wife Linda and his family includes two daughters and two step-daughters. Golf has provided his friendships and taken him to hallowed grounds: Scotland, Ireland and 30 years of Pinehurst.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

Jonathan Rowe, '76

A Question of Identity, First Page Publications, 2005

The book: Tabloid reporter David Fisher, an overeducated, underachieving scofflaw, is wasting his talent and wallowing in a mid-life crisis. That is, until the day he stumbles upon the story of a fugitive radical hiding in his hometown. Fisher becomes obsessed with uncovering her true identity. At the same time, he becomes hopelessly bewitched by the sexy and mysterious Janet Fickle. Fisher desperately pursues these women and soon, the question of identity takes on a more mysterious and pressing relevance.

The author: Jonathan Rowe is a reluctant lawyer, having served as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. and then as a media litigator in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He now writes fiction full time. He holds the world record for "Longest Continuous Mid-Life Crisis" and lives in Ann Arbor with his long-suffering wife, two daughters and dog.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

Spencer Myers, '67

Pest: An Ecological Thriller, Author House Publishing, 2005

The book: An EPA investigator experiences a deadly premonition while fishing in Florida. A murder in Michigan causes a small toxic spill. Derk Bryan soon discovers that these two disparate events threaten every drop of water on the planet and every important relationship in his life. His laizze faire life on the beach is now on a collision course with crippled chemical company magnate, Jack Von Lleuwan, and his bodyguard, an ex-wrestler with anger management issues. Lleuwan's newest product, PESTfreeã , will replace chemicals that are contaminating the food and water worldwide, but it contains a deadly flaw. As the body count grows, Derk Bryan races against the clock to thwart disaster.

The author: Spencer Myers had been published in fields ranging from physical fitness to crime prevention, and his poetry won an award. The first draft of "Pest" was a finalist in the Hemingway Contest for first-time authors. Myers' commitment to his environment began during the days of gas shortages in the mid-1970s when he received the first Department of the Interior grant to put solar collectors on a multi-family residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Myers is a successful business owner and is leading campaign to create a constitutional guarantee for individual control over one's own body. He currently resides in Miami, Florida.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

George A. Mathewson, LLM'92

1984 Arrives in America, Vantage Press Inc., 2005

The book: George Mathewson's chilling novel of historical fiction, readers are exposed to much more pertinent information about the United States Patriot Act than ever before. Called unconstitutional by vocal opponents, the Patriot Act has certainly been controversial.

Within that framework, the author weaves a stellar web of intrigue and espionage, engaging his readers with twists and turns in a seemingly never-ending flow of solid plotlines and vivid character portrayals. Perhaps most telling throughout is the nagging question of just how much can an ordinary citizen fight back? Timely, enjoyable, and information, "1984 Arrives in America" stands as a wake-up call for ordinary Americans everywhere.

The author: George A. Mathewson has been a member of the New York Bar for 41 years. He has worked as a general practitioner concentrating in franchise law as well as an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission. Now retired from the law office he founded, George enjoys reading, working in his yard, writing newspaper articles on legal matters and writing for the Steuben County Historical Society. He resides in New York.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

Lynn Isenberg, '81

The Funeral Planner, Red Dress Ink, 2005

The book: Business-school grad Maddy Banks lives in her office, works 24/7 and hasn't shopped in so long that her closet has official historical status. Still, she's convinced that her manic drive, propensity for risk and dogged follow-through will make her millions. Someday. They have to. Right? Maddy learns that success comes at a price. After the death of a close friend, she quickly realizes that schmoozing and spreadsheeting her way through life isn't much of a life at all. Armed with an angel investor and a hot venture capitalist, Maddy starts party planning for those who won't be attending—the deceased. Along the way she learns some hard lessons about trust, working with "friends" and mixing business with pleasure.

The author: Lynn Isenberg left the University of Michigan with ambitions to write and produce Hollywood mainstream movies. She moved to Los Angeles and racked up credits on a number of feature films. She also has written, produced and marketed programming for cable television networks, live events and the Internet. Isenberg is executive producer of the Fine Living Network series "iDesign" and, through her company Focus Media, she is working on other entertainment projects as well as a second novel. She current resides in Marina del Rey, California.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Aaron Hamburger, '95

Faith for Beginners, Random House, 2005

The book: An acclaimed short-story writer has created a miraculous first novel about an American family on the verge of a breakdown–and an epiphany.

In the summer of 2000, Israel teeters between total war and total peace. Similarly on edge, Helen Michaelson, a respectable suburban housewife from Michigan, has brought her ailing husband and rebellious college-age son, Jeremy, to Jerusalem. She hopes the journey will inspire Jeremy to reconnect with his faith and find meaning in his life … or at least get rid of his nose ring.

It's not that Helen is concerned about Jeremy's sexual orientation (after all, her other son is gay as well). It's merely the matter of the overdose ("Just like Liza!" Jeremy had told her), the green hair, and what looks like a safety pin stuck through his face. After therapy, unconditional love, and tough love … why not try Israel?

Yet in seductive and dangerous surroundings, with the rumbling of violence and change in the air, in a part of the world where "there are no modern times," mother and son become new, old, and surprising versions of themselves.

Funny, erotic, searingly insightful, and profoundly moving, "Faith for Beginners" is a stunning debut novel from a vibrant new voice in fiction.

The author: Aaron Hamburger is the author of the short-story collection "The View from Stalin's Head," for which he was awarded the Rome Prize by The American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded a fellowship from the Edward F. Albee Foundation and won first prize in the David Dornstein Memorial Creative Writing Contest for Young Adult Writers. His writing has appeared in The Village Voice, Out, Nerve, and Time Out New York. He teaches writing at Columbia University and lives in New York City.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

Jennifer Coburn, '88

Tales from the Crib, Kensington Books, January 2006

The book: A romantic comedy of errors about a couple who attempt the absurd. Lucy Klein's husband tells her he wants a divorce, just moments before she plans to tell him she's pregnant. The couple tries to live together as friends and "co-parents," all while trying to maintain somewhat "normal" lives. The book serves up a "snappy and compelling comedy" of their bizarre arrangement.

The author: Jennifer Coburn is a chick-lit novelist who also enjoys reading, playing soccer and rock climbing. She is a native New Yorker but currently resides in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie.

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

Doris Baker, MA'56

The Originals, Maximilian Press Publishers, 2002

The book: The story begins in the uneasy aftermath of World War II, a time of shifting, settling, and upheaval, temporary threats to world peace, the Hungarian Revolution, the Vietnam War and the murder of President John F. Kennedy. The story reflects related changes in the lives of the first soldiers who formed the 10th Special Forces Group Airborne, soldiers President Kennedy named the Green Berets.

Most of the locales and a few characters and incidents are real. Although war scenes are part of the background, it is essentially the story of Kate O'Brien, an American woman who is caught in the dangerous lives and fortunes of these extraordinary men.

The author: Doris Baker is an author, writer and poet and photographer. She was a classroom teacher, educator and principal of the U.S. Army elementary and junior high schools in Germany from 1950 to 1979. Her experience with members of the Special Forces commenced from her first overseas assignment in 1953 and provides inspiration for "The Originals."

Posted by tobiaslw at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2007

Laura Joh Rowland, '75

The Assassin's Touch, St. Martin's Minotaur, 2005

The book: May 1695. During a horse race at Edo Castle the chief of the shogun's intelligence service, Ejima Senzaemon, drops dead as his horse gallops across the finish line—the fourth in a recent series of sudden deaths of high-ranking officials. Sano Ichiro is ordered to investigate, despite his recent promotion to chamberlain and his new duties as the shogun's second-in-command.

Meanwhile, Sano's wife, Reiko, is invited to attend the trial of Yugao, a beautiful young woman accused of stabbing her parents and sister to death. The woman has confessed, but the magistrate believes there is more to this case than meets the eye. He delays his verdict and asks Reiko to prove Yugao's guilt or innocence.

As their investigations continue, both Sano and Reiko come to realize that the man he is trying to hunt and the woman she is desperate to save are somehow connected. A single fingerprint on Ejima's temple puts Sano on the trail of an underground movement to overthrow the regime, and in the path of an assassin with a deadly touch.

The author: Laura Joh Rowland, the granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, was educated at the University of Michigan and now lives in New Orleans with her husband. "The Assassin's Touch" is the 10th book in her widely acclaimed series featuring Sano Ichiro.

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:53 PM | Comments (0)

Lucy Rosenthal, '54

The Eloquent Short Story, Persea Publishing, 2004

The book: A concise anthology of short fiction exemplifying today's rich diversity of narrative styles. This gathering of 24 short stories shows the richness and vitality of the form. Each engaging, accessible story represents one of the many modes of storytelling now in our literature. Here are short stories in the guise of memoir or confession; written as a letter, a fable, a report; or accomplishing what we usually expect of a novel, an essay, a character study, a poem.

A uniquely contemporary collection, yet with an eye on tradition, it includes long-revered as well as more recently heralded masters. An introduction provides historical background and elaborates on the idea that although there may be a limited number of stories to tell, there are countless ways to tell them. Illuminating notes on the author's life and work precede each story.

The author: Lucy Rosenthal is the author of the novel "The Ticket Out," editor of the anthologies "Great American Love Stories" and "World Treasury of Love Stories," and the recipient of a Pulitzer Fellowship in critical writing. She is on the writing faculty of Sarah Lawrence College and has taught in the creative writing programs of Columbia and New York University.

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)

Claude Pearson, JD'48

Gunfish: A Fleet Submarine Goes to War, iUniverse, 2005

The book: "Battle Stations—Gun Action!" Ensign Charley Jason, a reserve officer faces the searing experience of submarine warfare in the Pacific. When a Fleet-type submarine went to war in the Pacific it operated mainly on the surface, attacking convoys at night, always heavily escorted as well as single vessels, rescuing downed fliers during intense air battles and shooting up enemy trawlers, junks, fishing boats and sampans. Often it had to fight to rescue downed pilots with the submarine at total risk during such daytime actions.

The author: During a 45 year civilian legal career in Tacoma, Claude M. Pearson pursued a parallel career in the U. S. Naval Reserve, rising to the rank of captain. During the Vietnam War he served as the Naval Reserve group commander and supervised the construction of the Reserve Training Center in his home town.

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)

JuQuan Williams, '99

The Leopard Man, Publish America, 2005

The book: A teenage girl...A substitute teacher...And a dark secret that could destroy them both. Ashlynn is a charismatic teenager dealing with the everyday trials and tribulations of high school. Then she meets and becomes fascinated with Mr. Barter, a substitute English teacher who has something to hide. Despite her parents' reservations, Ashlynn forms a bond with Mr. Barter, but she gets too close to him-close enough to discover his disturbing secret. Ashlynn runs for her life; the man she admired wants her dead. Can she escape? Will she survive?

The author: JuQuan Williams was born in Flint, Michigan. A gifted writer and artist, he wrote his first book at the age of 10. He self-published the comic book "Mr. Prime" in high school before attending the University of Michigan to major in graphic arts. While there, he spent two years as an urban entertainment reviewer for The Michigan Daily. He took creative writing courses under the tutelage of novelists Jonis Agee and Tish O'Dowd. Since graduating, JuQuan has co-founded two briefly successful companies, Phalanx International and Eternal Tempest Games. He is now looking to establish himself in the writing community with “The Leopard Man."

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)

Charles van Becelaere, '79, MBA'81

Bytes Akimbo, Grand Teuton Press, 2004.

The book: A rollicking romp around the world and out of it! Join our intrepid heroes as they attempt to save the world from a threatened invasion. Perhaps the finest book ever written on this theme using these characters--yes, quite likely the finest.

The author: A multi-talented polymath, and self-taught autodidact, Charlie van Becelaere is an odd mix of hubris and humility. You should read his writings, not just because they're there, but because they're so deliciously good--and good for you, too!

Web site: www.grandteuton.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:13 PM | Comments (0)

Rattawut Lapcharoensap, MFA'03

Sightseeing, Grove, 2005.

The book: Sightseeing is a masterful new work of fiction, a collection of stories set largely in contemporary Thailand and written with a grace and sophistication that belie the age of its young author. These are generous, tender tales of family bonds, youthful romance, generational conflicts and cultural shifts beneath the glossy surface of a warm, Edenic setting. Through his vivid assemblage of parents and children, natives and transients, ardent lovers and sworn enemies, Lapcharoensap dares us to look with new eyes at the circumstances that shape our views and the prejudices that form our blind spots. Gorgeous and lush, painful and candid, Sightseeing is an extraordinary reading experience, one that powerfully reveals that when it comes to how we respond to pain, anger, hurt, and love, no place is too far from home.

The author: Rattawut Lapcharoensap was born in 1979 in Chicago and raised in Bangkok. He was educated at Triamudomsuksa Pattanakarn, Cornell University, and the University of Michigan, where he received an MFA in creative writing. His honors include the David TK Wong Fellowship, the Avery Jules Hopwood Award, and the Andrea Beauchamp Prize. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Debra Borden, '78

Lucky Me, Random House, 2005.

The book: Julie Berman seems to have it all: A beautiful home in suburban New Jersey, a loving husband, a budding career as a freelance journalist, and two great kids. To the outside world, her life is perfect—little do they know that behind the facade, Julie is beginning to feel like her world is falling apart.

Among her worries is a nagging fear that she’s turning into her mother—just as neurotic, just as crazy, and just as consumed by appearances. Then there’s the handsome, charming, and quite single editor at the local newspaper who has definitely taken a liking to her . . . which wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t so tempting. Add to that her moody, monosyllabic teenage son, who may or may not be having sex with a new girlfriend (whom Julie’s not sure she approves of, sex or not). But the final blow to her sanity comes in the form of a phone call from her daughter, who informs Julie of her plans to run off with her boyfriend . . . who’s also her college professor.

The author: Debra (Feldman) Borden grew up in Great Neck, New York. After attending The American University she went on to The University of Michigan, where she earned a B.A. in English. Later, she received an M.S.W. from Fordham University. Though she now writes full time, the author is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey where she lives with her family. "Lucky Me" is her first novel.

Web site: www.debraborden.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)

Giselle Zado Wasfie, '98

So Fly, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2005.

The book: "So Fly" is a coming-of-age love story, set in the frenetic whirlwind of NYC's hip-hop community where the same rules don't always apply, you have to think fast and life is about getting grown.

The author: Wasfie was the editor-in-chief of the campus-wide feminist publication Third Wave at the University of Michigan. Her work has been published in Glamour, Us Weekly and more.

Web site: www.gisellezadowasfie.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)

Porter Shreve, MFA'98

Drives Like a Dream, Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

The book: Lydia Modine is sixty-one and about to come undone. Her three grown-up children have flown the coop. She hasn't seen them together in more than a year, and now her ex-husband is about to remarry a woman half his age. And the insults keep coming: Lydia is stuck on a book she's writing about Detroit's car industry, which uncannily parallels her own life - out with the old model, in with the new. She's poured her soul into her family, only to be abandoned in the City of Dream Machines. But then a twist of fate introduces her to Norm, an eco-car fanatic out to remake her and the world. Is he the answer to all of her problems, or does he hold the one secret that just might get her children back to Detroit, home for good?

The author: Porter Shreve is the author of the novel The Obituary Writer, which was published by Houghton Mifflin in 2000 and named a New York Times Notable Book, a Book Sense pick, and a finalist for the Great Lakes Book Award and the Society of Midland Authors Award. Shreve has coedited six anthologies, and his short stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in many publications, including Witness, Northwest Review, Salon, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Boston Globe and the New York Times. He has been on the English faculty at the University of Michigan, the University of Oregon, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and he currently directs the creative writing program at Purdue University. He is at work on his third novel and a collection of short stories.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

Elizabeth Kostova, MFA'04

The Historian, Little Brown and Company, 2005.

The book: Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of—a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.

The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known—and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula.

The author: Elizabeth Kostova graduated from Yale and holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won the Hopwood Award for the Novel-in-Progress.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)

Stefan Kiesbye, MFA'01

Next Door Lived a Girl, Low Fidelity Press, 2005.

The book: "Kiesbye's dark, distinctive vision of humanity, is composed with such narrative skill and verve as to render the bleakness bracing, the grimness utterly gripping. A significant and powerful debut." —Peter Ho Davies

Winner of the 2004 Novella Award

The author: Stefan Kiesbye was born on Northern Germany’s Baltic coast. In 1985 he moved to West Berlin, since it offered a wall and morbid exclusivity. He studied drama, performed on stages in Hamburg and Berlin, and hosted a morning show for a Gay and Lesbian radio station. After enrolling in American Studies, he received a German Academic Exchange Service fellowship to study at SUNY at Buffalo, and graduated in 1998. Three years later he received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Stefan Kiesbye’s stories and poems have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. He currently teaches writing at Eastern Michigan University and works as a freelance writer.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)

Jennifer Coburn, '88

Reinventing Mona, Kensington Books, 2005.

The book: “Reinventing Mona� is the story of a 30-year-old woman who sets out to change her life, but winds up changing everyone else’s around her. A self-described “mustard stain on a Sears tweed couch,� Mona Warren hasn’t done much with her life. When her company offers voluntary buy-outs for engineers, Mona impulsively decides she’s going to leave her job and make her new career reinventing herself.

In an effort to win the heart of Adam Ziegler, the family accountant Mona has secretly loved for seven years, Mona stages several public relations stunts designed to make her appear to be the height of fabulousness.
The author: Jennifer Coburn is an award-winning journalist who has written for magazines and newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She is a native New Yorker and a graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie.

Web site: www.jennifercoburn.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)

Robert Bartlett, MD'63

The Salem Syndrome, First Page Publications, 2005.

The book: Two little girls are admitted to the ICU with burn injuries that show signs of possible child abuse. The medical, social and legal systems swing into action and the investigation soon focuses on their father, who vehemently denies the charges. Dr. Steven Crane, a pediatric resident, is both a participant in and an observer of this process. He wonders if the father might actually be telling the truth. But Crane soon learns that, where child abuse is concerned, the accused are guilty until proven innocent.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)

Dean Bakopoulos,'97

Please Don't Come Back from the Moon, Harcourt, 2005.

The book: What happens to the sons in a Ukrainian-Polish neighborhood in Maple Rock, Michigan, when their fathers mysteriously disappear? What becomes of the sons when they are teenagers learning to become men themselves and they need their fathers’ direction as much as their taciturnity and anger? In this observant first novel, Dean Bakopoulos focuses on the father-son relationships that go missing, the losses that follow, and the efforts the sons make to grow up.

Read a complete review in the spring 2005 issue of Michigan Alumnus magazine.

The author: Dean Bakopoulos was born in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, to immigrant parents. He grew up speaking both Ukrainian and English. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, Amanda Okopski.

Web site: www.deanbakopoulos.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

Megan Abbott, '93

Die a Little, Simon and Schuster, 2005.

The book: Shadow-dodging through 1950s Hollywood glamor and its seedy flip-side, "Die a Little" tells the story of a femme fatale costume girl whose masquerade as the perfect housewife is clever enough to fool her detective husband, but not her suspicious sister-in-law.

Posted by tobiaslw at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)

Martha Bennett Stiles, '54

"Lonesome Road," Gnomon Press, 1998, $25.

The book: "Lonesome Road" is a gripping story of the sudden disappearance of a child. The book explores the effect of family tragedy on a happy marriage.

The author: Martha Bennett Stiles grew up in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She is the author of 10 books for young people. This is her first book of adult fiction. Among her awards are two Hopwoods (University of Michigan) and a fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council.

Web site: www.bcleal.net/sites/mbstiles/default.aspx

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)

Gil Snider, MD'75, MDres'81

“Brain Warp,� iUniverse, 2003, $17.95.

The book: When Dr. Peter Branstead, a neurologist in New York City’s Greenwich Village, stumbles onto a plot of international political intrigue, he is forced into a crucial role. With the fate of Europe at stake and the lives of those he loves in jeopardy, can he foil the plot and escape with his life, while a savage killer tracks him over two continents?

The author: Gil Snider is a neurologist in Virginia for more than 20 years. In addition to establishing a thriving medical practice, Snider has brought up two fine sons.

Web site: www.brainwarp.net

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

Lois Wells Santalo, '43

“The Women of Stormland,� iUniverse, 2004, $16.95.

The book: Ashley Pennington had no idea what she might encounter when she began reading—under protest—he diaries and letters of her forebears. Of mixed race, and deeply resentful of it, Ashley felt their lives as white women couldn't possibly interest her. Yet she is soon caught up in surprising discoveries about the difficulties they faced in both their career paths and their love lives.

Ashley's own problems increase as she plunges headlong into a maelstrom of mixed-race torments with Kevin, the black man she wanted to love, and Doug, the white man she is determined not to love. The women of the past serve to steady her as she passes through a dark night of the soul and faces the hard choices about where she belongs.

A story with two time-lines, "The Women of Stormland" links past and present in an inter-racial crisis as old as America and as contemporary as an Oprah Winfrey show.

The author: Lois Santalo is a native Michiganian who now divides her time between that state and California. She drew on her own interracial family for the “Stormland� saga.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)

Mary Doria Russell, PhD'83

"A Thread of Grace," Random House, 2005, $25.95.

The book: A historical thriller about the Jewish underground near Genoa during the Nazi occupation of Italy from 1943 to 1945.

The author: Mary Doria Russell was born in suburban Chicago in 1950. She earned her doctorate in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan. She taught human gross anatomy at Case Western Reserve University in the 1980s, but left Academe to write, which turned out to be a good career move. Her novels have struck a deep chord with readers for their respectful but unblinking consideration of fundamental religious questions. "The Sparrow" and "Children of God" remain steady sellers, translated into a dozen languages. Russell's work has been recognized with nine national and international literary awards and she was a finalist for a number of others.

Web site: www.marydoriarussell.info

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)

David Mazzotta, MBA'90

"Apple Pie," Llumina Press, 2004, $13.95.

The book: A comically wry journey through the silliness of college life, as seen through the eyes of a son of immigrants who wants to convince everyone that he's an American.

The author: In the grand epic tradition, David Mazzotta struggled to overcome an ordinary middle-class childhood filled with public school bullies, downscale shopping malls and awkward adolescent moments in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan. While attending the University of Michigan, he worked as a bartender and a car salesman before leaving to seek glamour and excitement in northern Virginia where he did hard time as an accountant near his nation's capital. David now lives a carefree life just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, but sometimes wishes he were nearer the ocean. "Apple Pie" is his first novel.

Web site: www.readapplepie.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)

A. Townsend Marshall, '65

"Paperless," AuthorHouse, 2004, $18.75.

The book: In "Paperless," Marshall takes us on an eerily plausible journey. A disenfranchised scientist becomes an anti-hero who, in collaboration with a consortium of corrupt CEOs, virtually controls the Internet and, by association, all who participate in it. The consortium's greedy and spiteful climb to power reeks. Personal devastation, murder and technological assault on the world's most critical systems result. Could it happen? Marshall makes us believe it can. He also offers a most improbable stabilizer. "Paperless," as well as his first novel, "Thread of Decency," draws on his extensive IT and managerial experience with the largest American corporations.

The author: A. Townsend Marshall was born in Detroit Michigan. He grew up on the far east side of the city, where he attended Catholic grade school and high school before attending the University of Michigan in the early 1960s. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering. Al was a rare engineer at the time, choosing English as his engineering curriculum elective. After graduation from Michigan, Al spent the first part of his career as a gas turbine performance engineer with a Detroit based company. He married Marina while attending the University of Detroit in evenings working toward his MBA. With an MBA in hand and a strong emerging interest in computing systems, Al moved from engineering into information systems. He has progressed in that field for more than 30 years.

Web site: www.threadofdecency.info

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)

Jan Kozma, '68, MA'70, PhD'73

"Ashes" (translation by Kozma), Grazia Deledda, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2004 (1904 original).

The book: Jan Kozma's English translation of Deledda's novel represents a near-literal rendering of the novel that embodies the Nobel Prize-winning author's mature style. "Ashes" is the story of a Sardinian unwed mother who is forced by poverty to abandon her only child. In this novel, Deledda is especially trenchant on the predicament of Sardinian women living in a dangerously unforgiving, patronistic and repressive world.

The author: Her Michigan education (a doctorate in Italian literature) is the sole reason she eventually published in the field of Italian literature, language and literary criticism. She is a professor of Italian at the University of Kansas.

Posted by tobiaslw at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)

Aaron Hamburger, '95

"The View from Stalin's Head," Random House, 2004, $12.95.

The book: A debut collection of 10 lucid, haunting and darkly comic stories about Americans and Europeans in post-Cold War Prague.

The author: He has earned an M.F.A. degree at Columbia, where he was awarded a fellowship to teach composition. His fiction has been published in Nerve, The Village Voice, Poets and Writers, Publishers Weekly, Salt Hill, and Jewish Education News and has won awards from The Atlantic Monthly, the Edward Albee Foundation, and CAJE.

Web site: www.aaronhamburger.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)

Erik Barmack, '95

"The Virgin," St. Martin's Griffin, 2005, $12.95.

The book: When Joseph Braun decides to lie his way onto the Network's hottest new reality show, he's sure he'll find what he's always sought: attention fame and, perhaps, love. But once he lands a spot on "The Virgin," a show in which a 26-year-old beauty named Madison offers to relinquish her virginity, he realizes that he's in way over his head. And Madison might hold secrets of her own…

The author: Erik Barmack's short stories, essays, and articles have appeared in The Sporting News and The Atlantic Monthly Online. He appears regularly on CNBC's "Squawk Box." He's received degrees from the Residential College at The University of Michigan and Stanford. He lives in Brooklyn.

Web site: www.barmack.com

Posted by tobiaslw at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2007

Alyson Hagy, MFA'85

Snow, Ashes, Graywolf Press, 2007.

The book: The uneasy friendship between Fremont Adams and C.D. Hobbs worked best when both men had a job to do. Neglected by his mother at an early age, Hobbs found his way into the Adams family and took on his fair share of chores on their Wyoming ranch. But everyone could tell he was always a bit odd. As a result, Fremont resigned himself to watching out for Hobbs. During a tour of Korea, however, they face unspeakable horrors and return to the ranch marked in dangerous ways. This story reveals the intricacies of a profound, if unacknowledged, friendship between two very different men.

The author: Alyson Hagy is the author of "Keeneland," "Madonna on Her Back" and "Hardware River." One of the stories in "Graveyard of the Atlantic" was selected by Annie Proulx to appear in "Best American Short Stories 1997." Forever drawn to weather-whipped places, Hagy is a longtime explorer of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She currently lives and teaches in Laramie, Wyoming.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Arthur Miller, '38, HLHD'56

Presence: Stories, Viking, 2007.

The book: This posthumous collection of Arthur Miller's last published fiction is a group of stories that appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's and elsewhere. "Bulldog" describes a young teenager's surprising first sexual experience, while "Presence" relates a man's encounter with a woman he has just seen making love on a beach. "Beavers" tells a haunting tale of nature, creation and destruction. In "The Performance," a Jewish tap dancer enthralls Hitler. "The Bare Manuscript" reveals a writer's unusual methods to revive his muse, and, finally, "The Turpentine Still" presents a portrait of a man examining his legacy. This is a gift that all fans of Miller's work and readers of contemporary fiction will welcome.

The author: For more than a half century, playwright Arthur Miller's work defined the existential and moral questions at the heart of a post-World War II American society. He was a Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the nation's most distinguished recognition for the arts, The Kennedy Center Honors. His plays included "Death of a Salesman," "The Crucible" and "A View From the Bridge." He also authored an autobiography, "Timebends," as well as works of fiction.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Marge Piercy, '57

Sex Wars: A Novel of Gilded Age New York, Harper Perennial, 2006.

The book: Post-Civil War New York City is the battleground of the American dream. In an era of free love, emerging rights of women and brutal sexual repression, Freydeh, a spirited young Jewish immigrant, toils at different jobs to earn passage to America for her family. Learning that her younger sister is adrift somewhere in the city, she begins a determined search that carries her from tenement to brothel to prison as her story interweaves with those of some of the epoch's most notorious figures. This story re-creates a turbulent period in American history and explores changing attitudes in a land of sacrifice, suffering, promise and reward.

The author: Marge Piercy is the author of 16 previous books of poetry as well as 17 novels and a memoir, titled "Sleeping with Cats." Her work has been translated into 16 languages, and she has won many honors. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, Ira Wood, the novelist and publisher of Leapfrog Press.

Web site: http://www.margepiercy.com/

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Leo Rockas, PhD'60

Mice Make War, Publish America, 2007.

The book: On Christmas night, Clara has a strange dream in which she accompanies her godfather on a tour of the countryside where she overhears the evil mice plotting war. The ferrets have burned a major cheese-producing barn of the mice, but the mouse king insists on invading (do not ask why) the squirrels. The mouse king and his chamberlains pursue losing skirmishes against both ferrets and squirrels.

The author: Leo Rockas is professor emeritus of English at the University of Hartford.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Mitchell J. Rycus, '58, MS'61, MS'65, PhD'76

The book: When the Korean War breaks out, 18-year-old Mike eagerly enlists in the US Navy and is sent to Hospital Corps School. The story describes the people Mike meets in the Navy and how they contribute to his maturation. As his military career unfolds, Mike also begins to realize that his Russian-Jewish roots played a significant role in helping him understand his place in the world and the importance of having hope.

The author: Mitchell J. Rycus was a US Navy Hospital Corpsman and later chaired the U-M Urban Planning Program, where he specialized in urban security and planning methods. He is currently an emeritus professor and security consultant living in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Edmund White, '62

Chaos: A Novella and Stories, Carroll & Graf, 2007.

The book: When a respected older man clings to the values and mores of the liberated 1970s—when he pursues sex relentlessly and his reputation suffers—chaos ensues. Edmund White explores different aspects of aging, romance and sex, inviting his readers to come with him to Florida, the Greek Isles and Turkey—and into the chaotic gay demimonde of contemporary New York.

The author: Although Edmund White is known as a novelist, it is as a cultural critic that he has perhaps had his greatest influence. He has chronicled gay life in the '70s through the '90s with wit and insight. White and his work remain central to any consideration of gay male upper-middle-class life in late 20th century America.

Web site: www.edmundwhite.com/index.htm   

Posted by tobiaslw at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2007

Tom Grace, '84, MARCH'86

The Secret Cardinal, Vanguard Press, 2007.

The book: In this thriller, ex-Navy SEAL Nolan Kilkenny is caught in an adventure that races from the Vatican across Asia. In a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, Kilkenny learns of an unreported atrocity committed against the underground church in China and its link to the long-imprisoned bishop of Shanghai. The pope wants the bishop free and asks Kilkenny to devise a plan to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. Kilkenny assembles a team that will use some of the most advanced weapons, aircraft and computer technology to execute this extraordinary mission.

The author: Tom Grace is an architect who is fascinated by science and technology and has a passion for storytelling. He mined his professional architectural experience with private technology companies and university research labs in crafting his first three novels. Grace enjoys scuba diving, martial arts, running marathons and reading a good book. He resides with his wife and five children in Michigan.

Web site: www.tomgrace.net

Posted by tobiaslw at 07:10 PM | Comments (0)