Books & Recordings

At the Center: American Thought and Culture in the Mid-Twentieth Century

By Casey Nelson Blake ’87 (PhD), Daniel Borus, and Howard Brick

Rowman & Littlefield, 2020

The authors present a survey of thought and culture in the United States when the nation also newly understood itself to be “at the center of world awareness.” They demonstrate how a wide range of familiar as well as lesser-known figures in media, politics, literature, and the arts undertook a search for “centeredness” in the form of fundamental, universal, and holistic ideas, moral standards, and practices to ensure stability in the aftermath of war and genocide. Borus is a professor emeritus of history at Rochester, Blake is the Mendelson Family Professor of American Studies at Columbia University, and Brick is the Louis Evans Professor of History at the University of Michigan.

Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources

By Randall Abate ’86

Cambridge University Press, 2019

Abate, a professor and endowed chair in marine and environmental law and policy at Monmouth University, examines the shared vulnerabilities of future generations, wildlife, and natural resources in the face of climate change, and proposes reforms to address them.

The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy

By Daniel Gillion ’09 (PhD)

Princeton University Press, 2020

Drawing on historical evidence, statistical data, and interviews about protest activity since the 1960s, Gillion shows that protests affect who runs for office, how people view issues, and—perhaps most important during an election season—voter turnout. Gillion is the Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt Presidential Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.

The History of the Church

By Eusebius of Caesarea, translated by Jeremy Schott ’99

University of California Press, 2019

Schott, a professor of religious studies at Indiana University, translates from the Latin the classic history of the first three centuries of Christianity by the fourth-century bishop.

Monte Carlo Simulation and Analysis in Modern Optical Tolerancing

By Ronian Siew ’97, ’99 (MS)

SPIE Press, 2019

Applying key concepts from optics, multivariable calculus, and statistics, Siew demonstrates the role Monte Carlo simulations play in analyzing modern complex optical systems. Siew is a founder of an engineering company, inopticalsolutions, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Ojibwe, Activist, Priest: The Life of Father Philip Bergin Gordon, Tibishkogijik

By Tadeusz Lewandowski ’99 (MA)

University of Wisconsin Press, 2019

Lewandowski, an associate professor at the University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, and at the University of Opole, Poland, offers the first scholarly biography of the American Indian Catholic priest and activist.

Who Donates in Campaigns? The Importance of Message, Messenger, Medium, and Structure

By David Magleby, Jay Goodliffe ’98 (PhD), and Joseph Olsen

Cambridge University Press, 2018

In a systematic analysis of donors to presidential nominees, Goodliffe, a professor of political science at Brigham Young University, and his coauthors address long-standing questions: Who donates to candidates? What is the relationship of donors to candidates? How do candidates attract and respond to donors? The analysis is based on a new data set encompassing donors at all levels of giving between the years 2008 and 2012.

Cannabis: A Big Sisters’ Guide

By Anna May Meade ’83 and Mary Meade

Halo Publishing International, 2019

Anna May Meade, an environmental engineer and an expert on chemical safety, presents a detailed guide to cannabis inspired by a question from her sister, Mary, as Mary was undergoing cancer treatment. Through detailed text and illustrations, Meade explains the varieties of cannabis, their effects, opportunities for safe use, and points of caution.

Diagramming Architecture: According to the Principle Based Enterprise Architecture Method

By Ian Koenig ’82

Ian Koenig, 2019

Information technology architect Koenig offers guidelines to facilitate the documentation and communication of technology architecture. Koenig is also the author of Principle Based Enterprise Architecture: A Systematic Guide to Enterprise Architecture and Governance (Technics Publications, 2019).

Poems of a Wayfarer

By Mario Sparagana ’51, ’55M (MD)

Peppertree Press, 2019

Sparagana’s poetry collection explores the themes of love, nature, humor, and pain and death.

The Hudson Valley: The First 250 Million Years

By David Levine ’80

Globe Pequot Press, 2020

Covering topics “from history and business to beer and baseball,” Levine presents a collection of articles he has written covering the Hudson Valley as a freelance writer and editor.

The Original Meaning of the Yijing: Commentary on the Scripture of Change

By Zhu Xi, translated and edited by Joseph Adler ’70

Columbia University Press, 2019

Adler, a professor emeritus of Asian studies and religious studies at Kenyon College, translates into English the Chinese classic by the Neo-Confucian philosopher. It’s the first complete translation of the work in a Western language.

Your Journey Goes On: 25 Plus Years of Observations by a Financial Advisor

By Robert Cepeda ’91

Robert Cepeda, 2019

Cepeda, a Certified Financial Planner and cofounder and managing partner of Quest Financial Services, offers a guide to life-stage financial planning.

Ozark Forest Forensics: The Science Behind the Scenery in Our Regional Forests

By Frederick Paillet ’68, ’74 (PhD) and Steven Stephenson

Ozark Society Foundation, 2019

The authors deliver lessons on ecological topics through the context of “a simple walk in the scenic deciduous woodlands of the Ozark Mountain region.” Paillet teaches geophysics, hydrology, and paleoecology, and Stephenson teaches plant biology, forest ecology, and plant ecology, both at the University of Arkansas.

Cocytus: Sanctuary in Hell

By John Caligiuri ’79S (MBA)

Insomnia Publishing, 2019

In Caligiuri’s latest science fiction novel, Dante Carloman is the king of the humans, leading a small colony clinging to life in a bleak world named Cocytus. The book is the sequel to Cocytus: Planet of the Damned (Insomnia Publishing, 2015).

Wilderness Nation

By John Newton ’72

Resource Publications, 2019

Newton tells the story of a young frontiersman and a Lakota woman who marry and establish a trading post in the northwest Louisiana Territory during the mid-1800s. It’s a story of Native Americans who face a changing world as they adjust to the influx of Europeans and enemy tribes while striving to hold onto their own culture.

The 9 Money Rules Millionaires Use: Only the Unconventional Ones

By Joel Salomon ’86

SaLaurMor, 2019

Prosperity coach Salomon shares a simple but unconventional methodology to enhance your personal wealth. Salomon is the founder of the hedge fund SaLaurMor Capital.

Recordings

Albert de Rippe: Lute Music

By Paul O’Dette

Harmonia Mundi, 2019

O’Dette, a professor of lute at the Eastman School of Music, performs 25 works for solo lute, in a range of genres, by the 16th-century Renaissance composer Albert de Rippe.

To . . . Oblivion: Historic Landmarks Around Los Angeles

By Alexander Elliott Miller ’06E (MM)

Alexander Elliott Miller, 2018

Composer and guitarist Miller performs compositions inspired by six lost LA landmarks.

Something Nearby

By Stephen Rush ’85E (DMA)

Leo Records, 2018

Rush and his “chamber jazz” ensemble Naked Dance perform original compositions. Rush, a professor of music at the University of Michigan, also conducts the Art Ensemble of Chicago on its 50th-anniversary recording, We Are on the Edge (Pi Records, 2019).

Chapters

By Kneebody

2019

The eclectic jazz ensemble formed in 2001 at Eastman presents its first full-length recording as a quartet. The group includes saxophonist Ben Wendel ’99E and trumpeter Shane Endsley ’97E.

Brain Scan

By Brian Scanlon ’81E, ’83E (MM)

Scan Man Music, 2019

Saxophonist Scanlon is joined by Ed Czach ’80E, ’82E (MM) on piano, Peter Erskine on drums, and Avery Scanlon on guitar.

Theobald Bohm: 24 Caprices, Op. 26

By Gina Kutkowski ’92E

Iris Studios, 2019

Flutist Kutkowski presents the first complete recording of Bohm’s 24 Caprices, Op. 26 for solo flute.

The Basilica Choir

The Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe

Stemik Music, 2019

The Orlando-based choir directed by William Picher ’81E (MM) performs work by Dering, Haydn, Dawson, Brahms, and music written for the choir.

Symphony No. 2 ‘America’

By Dan Locklair ’02E (DMA)

Naxos, 2019

The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirk Trevor and Michael Rohac, performs Locklair’s three-movement symphony celebrating the United States.

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Books & Recordings is a compilation of recent work by University alumni, faculty, and staff. For inclusion in an upcoming issue, send the work’s title, publisher, author, or performer, a brief description, and a high-resolution cover image, to Books & Recordings, Rochester Review, 22 Wallis Hall, Box 270044, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0044; or by email to rochrev@rochester.edu.