Books by Alums

Someone’s Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe

In Someone’s Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe by Silvia Pettem (A&S’69), self-described “historical detective” Silvia discusses her long efforts to identify the victim of a brutal 1954 Boulder murder. She chronicles the story of Jane Doe, how nobody claimed her body and how this young woman became unforgotten through Pettem’s work. After years on the case, Pettem offers her conclusive views on who the victim of the murder might have been. Throughout the book, she makes some bold guesses and states some interesting ideas, and readers will enjoy sifting through the evidence and coming to their own conclusions.

We Fight To Win: Inequality and the Politics of Youth Activism

This book, We Fight To Win: Inequality and the Politics of Youth Activism, by Hava Rachel Gordon (Anth’96), addresses an interesting aspect of modern society: in an adult-dominated world, teenagers are often shut out of participation in politics. We Fight to Win offers a compelling account of young people’s attempts to get involved in community politics, and documents efforts to form youth movements and inspire social change in schools and neighborhoods. Also discussed are the strategies teenagers use to make their voices heard in contemporary politics.

The Wisdom Tree and the Red Swing

he Wisdom Tree and the Red Swing by Carol MacAllister is an insightful book that helps pre-teens and their loved ones work their way through life’s biggest challenges. This touching book urges young people to consider their problems carefully, and helps young adults reach complicated truths about issues such as racial diversity, the death of a parent, bullying and divorce. This book helps children learn to think for themselves, and is an excellent tool to help young adults transition to independence.

The Spiritual Traveler—Spain: A Guide to Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes

The Spiritual Traveler—Spain: A Guide to Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes by Beebe Bahrami (MCDBio’86)

After living in Spain for 24 years, Beebe Bahrami (MCDBio’86) was able to compile this non-denominational guide to the spiritual places and people of Spain. The book details the rich culture and human diversity of Spain from the Upper Paleolithic era to the present day, discussing folklore, mythology and tradition. The Spiritual Traveler is packed with fascinating information, beautiful descriptions and insightful interpretations and would be an excellent companion for any traveler to Spain.

Claiming Kin

Claiming Kin by Laura Marello (Engl’80) tells the story of two intertwined families and their battles and conflicts over kinship. It follows Andrea, a conflicted girl who is trying to discover the true identity of her father. The complex story unfolds over four decades and will leave the reader contemplating the meaning of family.

Thrones

Gloria Parnham Bradfield (Jour’59) has captured the political intrigue, suspense and humor of 19th century American life in her insightful novel, Thrones (Xlibris). Set in 1848, Bradfield’s story transports the reader into the smoldering political climate of the antebellum South where men manipulated, conspired and debated the future of the country as they steeled their positions for what was to come.

Hearing the Mermaid’s Song

Over nearly a decade, anthropologist Lindsay Hale (Anth’84) spent countless hours studying the Umbanda religion. Through his dedication and hard work, Hearing the Mermaid’s Song was born. This book goes into intricate detail about the interesting religious practices and beliefs of the Umbanda religion, which has its origins in Rio de Janeiro and its surrounding urban areas where Afro-Brazilians, many ex-slaves or the descendants of slaves, practiced versions of the religion handed down to them by their ancestors.

Sam, Meriam and Me

In this novel sociology professor Baheej Khleif (PhDSoc’71) of Columbia College of Chicago draws the reader into a complex love story concerning a love triangle between three people of different cultures and religions. The clashing cultures and the mix of values and traditions make this story compelling from a cultural standpoint.

Football and Philosophy: Going Deep

In this novel by Michael W. Austin (PhDPhil’04), an associate professor of philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University, the author offers an insightful look into the world of football and explores the personal philosophies of people involved in America’s most popular sport.

Pitch Black

Chuck Sisson’s (EdD’74) latest novel is a thrilling mystery about Stan, a man who inadvertently discovers illegal drugs while moving artifacts on a Navajo reservation. He gets captured, knocked unconscious and thrown in a basement of a supply center. The story focuses on Stan’s experiences in the pitch black basement and his brother Larry’s desperate search to find him before time runs out.

Mamma Mania: Managing the Craze of 0-5 year olds

Amy Jewett Sampson’s (Comm,Jour,’90, MPubAd’99) first novel is about managing the chaos that results from having multiple young children and a full time career. The book features advice for young working mothers and gives tips to help them succeed.

Comfort Me

Louis Ceci’s (MEngCompSci’88) debut novel is an intricate and touching story about a small town in Oklahoma in the 1960s. Fifteen years after his mother left the town in disgrace, the main character, Mally, must return to take care of his sick grandfather.

Capital Letters: Authorship in the Antebellum Literary Market

David Dowling (PhDEngl’95) writes about the market revolution of the 1840s and 1850s, how it swept the United States and how the world of literature confronted for the first time the gaudy glare of commercial culture.

Gender, Bullying and Harassment: Strategies to End Sexism and Homophobia in Schools

Elizabeth J. Meyer (MEdu’97) adds a new dimension to countless studies of bullying and harassment in schools by examining the key gender issues related to such behaviors.

The Great Bluff Street Sled Race and Other Adventures

Beginning with a catastrophic sled race, the Great Bluff Street Sled Race, by Robert L. Moore (Engl’61), describes unforgettable events in the lives of ordinary people.

Columbine

Drawing on extensive interviews, police reports and his own reporting, Dave Cullen (MEngl’97) meticulously pieces together what happened on April 20, 1999.

So Long Longmont and Stuff & Nonsuch

Both books by Longmont resident Donald Greenly (A&S’65) are memoirs. So Long Longmont is a critical look at Longmont: how it was and how it is, while Stuff & Nonsuch is a critical look at the way the world wags, as seen by the author, who lets fly rancor and sputum into the wind, letting it splatter wherever to offend or amuse as the reader sees spit.

Ask Papa Jack: Wisdom of the World’s Oldest CEO

Ask Papa Jack is a compilation of anecdotes, stories and “papa-isms” that exemplify not only the work and business style of “Papa Jack” Weil, the author Steven Weils’ (MBA’85) grandfather, but his extraordinary life.

Yucatán Through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer

This biography by Lawrence Gustave Desmond (PhDAnth’83) tells the story of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, who left London to travel to the Yucután peninsula in southeastern Mexico with husband and Mayan archaeologist Augustus Le Plongeon.

Out of Focus…Again: A Journey From Depression to Recovery Through Courage, Love and Commitment

Ann Kochenberger (Edu’65, MBA’68) chronicles her years of desperation as the mother of two small children and as a young wife married to a university professor who found herself deep in the black abyss of depression.