Books & Recordings

Books

Jacob Neusner: An American Jewish Iconoclast

By Aaron Hughes

NYU Press, 2016

Hughes explores the life of the prolific, pathbreaking, and controversial scholar of Judaism best known for helping transform Judaic studies from a cloistered endeavor of religious adherents to a field of secular, critical examination that could thrive in the university. Hughes is the Philip S. Bernstein Professor in Judaic Studies at Rochester.

Suddenly Alone: A Practical Guide to Prepare Yourself and Your Loved Ones for When You Are Suddenly Alone

By Kenneth and Donna Lake Wright ’64

Authorhouse, 2016

The Wrights offer a “personal operating manual” for family members and heirs who find themselves in the role of executor of an estate. The book is based on a notebook kept by Donna’s stepfather that was “so helpful when I was the executrix of his and my mother’s estate, that Ken and I wanted to share our experiences with others,” Donna writes.

Implications and Applications of the Near Death Experience

By Edward Riess ’70

Edward Riess, 2015

Riess draws from his decades of research into reports of near death experiences to argue for the validity of the accounts, and their value in revealing “mankind’s true relationships with other human beings, and even with the ‘higher power.’ ” Riess is a member of the International Association for Near Death Studies and an electrical engineer in the space division of L-3 Cincinnati Electronics.

The Ethics of Theory: Philosophy, History, Literature

By Robert Doran

Bloomsbury, 2016

Doran assesses the ethical challenges of critical theory across the humanities and social sciences, drawing on continental philosophers and critical theorists, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Derrida, Richard Rorty, Hayden White, Edward Said, and others. Doran is an associate professor of French and comparative literature at Rochester.

Window Left Open: Poems

By Jennifer Grotz

Graywolf Press, 2016

Rochester English professor and literary translator Grotz presents a collection of poetry inspired by her yearly trips to a 17th-century baroque monastery that’s now a writers’ retreat near Nice, France.

A Man for All Seasons: Robert J. Joynt, MD, PhD

By Nancy Bolger

University of Rochester Press, 2016

Bolger, a writer and editor at the Medical Center, tells the life story of the influential neurologist who was the founding chair of Rochester’s Department of Neurology.

Economic Development of Taiwan: Early Experiences and the Pacific Trade Triangle

By Frank Hsiao ’67 (PhD) and Mei-Chu Wang Hsiao ’67 (PhD)

World Scientific Publishing, 2015

The Hsiaos examine the roots of Taiwan’s economic growth since the 1970s, pointing to prewar development under Japan and postwar formation of the Pacific trade triangle. Frank Hsaio is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Mei-Chu is a professor emerita of economics at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Breaking Point: The College Affordability Crisis and Our Next Financial Bubble

By Kevin Connell ’15

Rowman & Littlefield, 2016

Connell, a student at William & Mary Law School, explores the soaring cost of higher education in the United States, identifying as contributing factors the competition among colleges and universities for amenities and prestige, as well as predatory practices in the lending industry.

Design that Cares: Planning Health Facilities for Patients and Visitors (Third Edition)

By Janet Carpman ’73 and Myron Grant

Jossey-Bass, 2016

Carpman and Grant offer an updated edition of their textbook on health facility design. The edition includes new information on topics such as site planning, architecture, interiors, product design, and graphic design, among others. The authors are partners in the architectural and design consulting firm Carpman Grant Associates.

White Man’s Disease

By Paul Thornton ’79S (MBA)

Book Broker Publishers, 2016

In a memoir, Thornton tells the story of his rise from the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in the 1960s, to his promising career at DuPont Corp., to his diagnosis with a devastating neurological illness that derailed his career and family life. Looking back at his recovery, Thornton reflects on the themes of hope and resilience.

Photosensitive Glass and Glass-Ceramics

By Nicholas Borrelli ’63 (PhD)

CRC Press, 2016

Borrelli, a glass scientist at Corning, explores the ways in which light interacts with photosensitive glass and glass-ceramics.

Microfluidic Methods for Molecular Biology

Edited by Chang Lu and Scott Verbridge ’02

Springer, 2016

Verbridge coedits a survey of research on molecular biology assays and molecular techniques enabled or enhanced by microfluidic platforms. Verbridge is an assistant professor at Virginia Tech–Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences.

No Time to Teach: The Essence of Patient and Family Education for Health Care Providers (Second Edition)

By Fran London ’86N, ’91N (MS)

Pritchett & Hull Associates, 2016

London offers an updated edition of her survey of research in patient education. The book won the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year award in 2010. London is a health education specialist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and a widely recognized expert in patient education.

Creating Acadia National Park: The Biography of George Bucknam Dorr

By Ronald Epp ’65

Friends of Acadia, 2016

Drawing from archival materials in the United States and abroad, newly discovered and uncataloged sources, and in-person interviews, Epp traces the story of Dorr’s pioneering role as the “Father of Acadia,” as well as Dorr’s contributions to the American environmental movement.

Red Bird, Red Power: The Life and Legacy of Zitkala-Ša

By Tadeusz Lewandowski ’99 (MA)

University of Oklahoma Press, 2016

Lewandowski explores the life of Zitkala-Ša, a Sioux activist, writer, and leader of the pan-Indian movement that led to the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. Lewandowski is a historian and associate professor in the Department of Anglophone Cultures at the University of Opole in Poland.

Permed to Death

By Nancy Cohen ’70, ’70N

Nancy J. Cohen, 2016

Cohen presents a reissue of the debut novel in her Bad Hair Day mystery series, revised and in audio format. Mary Ann Jacobs narrates.

Paul Moro: A Painter’s Journey

By Valerie Ann Leeds ’79

Newington–Cropsey Foundation, 2016

Leeds explores the art and life of Italian-born American artist Moro as an accompaniment to the first museum retrospective devoted to his work. The exhibit is presented by the Newington-Cropsey Foundation at their headquarters in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Recordings

Re-Imagined: Schumann & Beethoven

By the Ying Quartet and Zuill Bailey

Sono Luminous, 2016

The Ying Quartet and cellist Zuill Bailey perform original arrangements of Schumann’s Cello Concerto as well as Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata (originally for violin and piano). The Ying Quartet consists of cellist David Ying ’92E (DMA), violinist Janet Ying ’92E, violist Phillip Ying ’91E, ’92E (MM), and violinist Robin Scott. The Ying siblings are faculty members in the strings, harp, and guitar department at Eastman.

Giants of Diving

By Craig Patrick ’94

Records DK, 2016

Drawing on a range of influences from REM to Steve Earle to Cheap Trick, Patrick presents a solo studio recording consisting of “guitar-driven, synth-tinged, multi-hyphenated power-pop.”

Requiem for the Innocent

By Katherine Hoover ’59E

4Tay Records, 2016

The composer Hoover’s requiem, created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, is performed by the New York Virtuoso Singers, conducted by Harold Rosenbaum.

Simply Beautiful Connection II

By Laima Obelenis Gaizutis ’66E

Laima Music, 2016

Pianist and composer Gaizutis performs 11 original tracks, strongly influenced by romanticism, while incorporating multiple genres.

Gloria

By Dan Locklair ’81E (DMA)

Convivium Records, 2016

The composer Locklair presents 14 compositions from texts that span the liturgical year. Performing on the recording are the Winchester College Chapel Choir, the Portsmouth Grammar School Chamber Choir, and the mixed voice choir Sospiri.

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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, P. O. Box 270044, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0044; or by e-mail to rochrev@rochester.edu.