By Katherine Duke ’05
From the commons to capitalism, from mental health to military might, this fall brings a wide array of nonfiction from Amherst alumni.
David Bollier ’78 will show you how to Think Like a Commoner: A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons (New Society Publishers), while Rebekah E. Pite ’95 describes Creating a Common Table in Twentieth-Century Argentina: Doña Petrona, Women, and Food (University of North Carolina Press).
Next, try Reading Capitalist Realism, edited by Alison Shonkwiler ’93 and Leigh Claire La Berge (University of Iowa Press).
For the ecologically minded, E. G. Vallianatos and McKay Jenkins ’85 point out the Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA (Bloomsbury Press), and William W. Buzbee ’82 tells of Fighting Westway: Environmental Law, Citizen Activism, and the Regulatory War That Transformed New York City (Cornell University Press).
John Liebert ’59 and William J. Birnes delve into Hearts of Darkness: Why Kids Are Becoming Mass Murderers and How We Can Stop It (Skyhorse Publishing).
Gary Rhule ’84 is your navigator in Sailing on Broken Pieces: Essential Survival Skills for Recovery from Mental Illness (Morgan James Publishing).
Audrey Fisch ’87 and Susan Chenelle guide educators through Using Informational Text to Teach To Kill a Mockingbird (R&L Education).
With various co-authors and co-editors, Andrew S. Erickson ’01 has produced three new volumes: China’s Near Seas Combat Capabilities (U.S. Naval War College), A Low-Visibility Force Multiplier: Assessing China’s Cruise Missile Ambitions (National Defense University Press) and Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific (Naval Institute Press).
Finally, in between working on issues of Amherst magazine, even I, Katherine Duke ’05, have created a nonfiction book: Kissability: People with Disabilities Talk About Sex, Love, and Relationships (Levellers Press).
Adam McCauley illustration