(Collage by Joy Olivia Miller)

Releases
The Magazine lists a selection of general-interest books, films, and albums by alumni. For additional alumni releases, use the link to the Magazine’s Goodreads bookshelf.

House Signs and Collegiate Fun: Sex, Race, and Faith in a College Town

Chaise LaDousa, AB’92
Author

Anthropologist and linguist Chaise LaDousa studies how undergraduates in the college town of Oxford, OH, imagine and reflect on partying—which mostly consists of alcohol, sex, and drugs. He focuses specifically on more than 200 off-campus house signs at Miami University of Ohio, where LaDousa was a visiting professor from 2000 to 2003. The signs bear names such as “Boot ’N Rally” and “Hot Box” and have been a part of student life at the university since the 1970s.

Keeping Your Child in Mind: Overcoming Defiance, Tantrums, and Other Everyday Behavior Problems by Seeing the World through Your Child’s Eyes

Claudia M. Gold, AB’83, MD’87
Author

Children’s behavioral problems, says pediatrician Claudia Gold, are symptoms of disruptions in relationships. From her 20 years of working with children, she argues that the most effective method of managing excessive crying and explosive outbursts is by strengthening the emotional relationships between parent and child. Sharing stories from personal experience, Gold shows parents “how to be with a child,” validating his emotions so that he can eventually manage those emotions on his own.

The American Academic Profession: Transformation in Contemporary Higher Education

Joseph C. Hermanowicz, AB’90, AM’93, PhD’96
Editor

In a compilation of essays—most presented at a 2008 University of Georgia conference—contributors examine how the academic profession has evolved. Many of the essays address the eroding position of tenured professors at the undergraduate level. One contributor, for example, imagines a new system emerging in which the majority of academic appointments are non-tenure-track, full-time hires.

Traffic Stop

Janet Ruth Heller, PhD’87
Author

Written over four decades, this poetry collection from Janet Ruth Heller—who won national awards for her 2006 children’s book How the Moon Regained Her Shape (Sylvan Dell)—draws from her experiences during the anti-Vietnam War movement; as an entertainer, writer, and artist; and mourning her father’s death.

The Invention of Market Freedom

Eric MacGilvray, AM’95, PhD’99
Author

Examining the modern rise of market freedom, political scientist Eric MacGilvray argues that the notion of individuals’ unregulated economic behavior was invented, displacing a classical tradition of republican thought in which freedom meant collective political self-determination, free from dependence on another’s will. He also explores the ethics of freedom and how the language around it—“liberty” as an absence of constraint—shapes and distorts our contemporary conception of politics.

The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York, 1865–1913

Steven A. Riess, AM’69, PhD’74
Author

Thoroughbred horse racing thrived from the mid 19th century until the early 20th century, largely through its gambling connection. Steven Riess chronicles the sport’s history—during its early period, the New York metropolitan area was the national capital—and the politics that allowed horse racing to continue despite illegal practices.

The Constitutional Rights of Children: In re Gault and Juvenile Justice

David S. Tanenhaus, AM’91, PhD’97
Author

A 1967 Supreme Court case marked one of the most important children’s-rights cases of the 20th century, granting children some of the same rights as adults. After 15-year-old Gerald Gault was arrested by Globe, Arizona, police for making an obscene phone call, he was sentenced to six years in juvenile detention, much harsher than an adult punishment for the same crime. The extreme sentence inspired the ACLU to take the case to the Supreme Court. David Tanenhaus explores the case and its legacy.

I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Bronzy

Bob Riesman, AM’88
Author

Bob Reisman’s biography of the early 20th-century Chicago blues star follows his personal life and career, with stories of his performances in jazz clubs and concert halls. His life is also recounted through interviews with Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and Ray Davies, who discuss how Broonzy inspired their music.