In Lula and His Politics of Cunning: From Metalworker to President of Brazil (University of North Carolina Press), John D. French ’75 profiles the school dropout who became a factory worker, then a union leader and eventually, in 2003, the 35th president of his country. French describes how, though opponents later convicted Lula of money laundering and corruption, millions of supporters still appreciate his charisma, defend his reputation and credit him with helping to end a military dictatorship. The author is a professor of history at Duke University whose previous books include Drowning in Laws: Labor Law and Brazilian Political Culture and The Brazilian Workers’ ABC: Class Conflict and Alliances in Modern São Paulo.
R.B. Bernstein ’77 is a lecturer in law and politics at City College of New York and a distinguished adjunct professor at New York Law School. With The Education of John Adams (Oxford University Press), he is the first lawyer to publish a biography of the second president. Based largely upon Adams’ own written work, the book delves into his legal career and his key role in the development of American constitutionalism, as well as his relationships with Abigail Adams, John Marshall, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and others.
Ellen Wayland-Smith ’89, an associate professor of writing at the University of Southern California, introduces us to The Angel in the Marketplace: Adwoman Jean Wade Rindlaub and the Selling of America (University of Chicago Press). Throughout the mid-20th century, by crafting award-winning ad campaigns for such brands as Campbell’s soup and Betty Crocker, Rindlaub worked to highlight the virtues of domesticity and free enterprise—that is, she built her own high-powered career by convincing other women to stay in the kitchen. One company that Rindlaub advertised, Oneida silverware, was the topic of Wayland-Smith’s 2016 book, Oneida: From Free Love Utopia to the Well-Set Table.
Illustration by James Yang