Whiteman, Tony D’souza ’00MFA (Harcourt). This widely hailed debut novel follows the questing Jack Diaz, who leaves Chicago to serve as a relief worker on the West African coast. As funding evaporates and civil war looms, Jack seeks an intimate understanding of the culture and his place within it before he must scramble to evacuate. An editor’s choice novel of The New York Times Book Review.
Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother, Beth Ann Fennelly ’93 (W.W. Norton). The author brings her award-winning poetic sensibility to the letters she wrote to a friend about the great mysteries, rewards, tribulations, terrors and, yes, innate silliness of the world of motherhood. The stories and sisterly advice—the pleasure of those food cravings; the “tricky work/family balance"—avoid sentimentality while offering “a tribute to friendship, particularly the friendship between women that sustains, guides and comforts.”
Wolf Boy: A Novel, Evan Kuhlman ’04MFA, illustrated by Brendon and Brian Fraim (Shaye Areheart Books). When Stephen’s beloved older brother dies, the 13-year-old and his friend Nicole create a comic book to help channel his grief. This inventive debut novel combines the often wrenching tale of a family in distress with the illustrated comic that allows Stephen to battle the forces of fear and loss.
Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? Straight Answers for Young Catholics, Charles E. Rice and Theresa Farnan’89, ’91M.A., ’98Ph.D. (Saint Augustine’s Press). This concise course on Catholicism was adapted from a high-school class developed by Rice, a Notre Dame Law School professor emeritus. With his daughter and co-author, Rice covers issues ranging from cloning to sexual activity to just war theory, often including the personal philosophy of Pope John Paul II.
Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer’s Quest to Play with the Pros, Tom Coyne ’97, ’99MFA (Gotham Books). The author of The Gentleman’s Game turns to nonfiction here as he candidly relays his expensive, heart-wrenching and often hilarious drive to make it to the tournament golf ranks. While trying to discover if Tiger Woods may have something to fear, Coyne also discovers that his goal may put his own happiness and love life in jeopardy.
The Bear Hug, Sean Callahan ’87, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant (Albert Whitman & Company). On weekly visits to his grandfather’s house, Cubby learns about fishing and growling and even hibernating. Most important, the young cub enjoys the great Bear Hug. Watercolor paintings enrich this oversize book for preschoolers and its tale of intergenerational bonding.
Books in brief:
The Golden Age of Indiana High School Basketball, Greg Guffey ’91 (Quarry Books). A chronicle of the years 1945–59, when Hoosier Hysteria ruled on the courts of many small towns’ schools.
Dr. Buynak’s 1-2-3 Diabetes Diet, Robert J. Buynak, M.D., ’91 with Gregory L. Guthrie (American Diabetes Association). A clear guide to dropping weight and improving blood sugar.
A Vision Quest, John S. Dunne, CSC, ’51 (University of Notre Dame Press). Meditations from the Notre Dame theologian who seeks the great circle where everything is “from God and of God and towards God.”
Please Stay on the Trail: A Collection of Colorado Fiction, compiled and edited by Matt Hudson ’00 (Black Ocean). This showcase of short stories and novel chapters offers a sample of Colorado’s writing terrain.
Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men, Thomas Stevenson ’81 (Harrington Park Press). Testimonials from 44 men highlight the question: How can you be gay and Catholic?
Ryan’s Essential Evidence Outlines, by Daniel P. Ryan ’87J.D. (iUniverse). A guide to the Federal Rules of Evidence for use by students and members of the judiciary.
Principles of Cellular Engineering: Understanding the Biomolecular Interface, edited by Michael King ’00Ph.D. (Academic Press). Covers basic concepts as well as expert ideas on how cells interact with biomolecular surfaces.
The Imperfect Mom: Candid Confessions of Mothers Living in the Real World, edited by Therese J. Borchard ’94M.A. (Broadway Books). Writers tell their tales of mommy mishaps from the frightening to the funny.
Excel for Teachers, Colleen Conmy, Bill Hazlett, Bill Jelen ’87 & Adrienne Soucy (Holy Macro! Books). Advice for novices, plus 25 spreadsheets that can be used by teachers for attendance, grade book and other checklists.
You: The Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment, Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press). A guide to navigating the health care system. The book was edited by Eileen Norris Dold and Catherine Chopp Hinckley ’84.
A Son of Notre Dame: My Life in Baseball, the FBI and Radio, James J. Gillis ’51 (Dimon Creative Communications). The author calls this colorful memoir “a tribute to my family and friends and to the university that captured my heart.”
The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of The New York Times, Anthony DePalma (PublicAffairs). How does America determine who its enemies are? The author, a visiting fellow at ND’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies in 2003, examines the story of a foreign correspondent, a political age and the nature of truth and myth.
The Teachings of Pope John Paul II: Summaries of Papal Documents, John E. Fagan ’71 (Scepter). The synopses here introduce the pope’s teachings and focus on aspects of interest to laity.
The Grail, Brian Doyle ’78 (Oregon State University Press). A look at the art of winemaking, subtitled “A year ambling & shambling through an Oregon vineyard in pursuit of the best pinot noir wine in the whole wide world.”
The Politics of Past Evil: Religion, Reconciliation, and the Dilemmas of Transitional Justice, edited by Daniel Philpott (Notre Dame Press). The essays explore the theology and politics of reconciliation. The editor is a political science professor at Notre Dame; other faculty contributors include David Burrell, CSC, ’54, R. Scott Appleby ’78 and A. James McAdams.
Religion and the New Ecology: Environmental Responsibility in a World in Flux, edited by David M. Lodge and Christopher Hamlin (Notre Dame Press). A discussion of how nature’s continual change impacts environmental management. The editors and contributor Gary Belovsky are ND professors.