Defining Dulcie, Paul Acampora ’85 (Dial Books). This debut novel for young adults traces the trips, travails and transformation of 16-year-old Dulcie Morrigan Jones, whose mom moves them from Connecticut to California following the accidental death of Dulcie’s father. Unwilling to leave her old life behind, Dulcie steals her father’s aging pick-up truck and drives across America to her former home. “Offbeat and at times wonderfully funny,” praises the School Library Journal in one of many positive reviews earned by the novel, which will be a Scholastic Book Club selection this year.
No Excuses: One Man’s Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame, Charlie Weis ’78 and Vic Carucci (HarperEntertainment). From his student days as a fan in the ND stands to his 2002 gastric bypass surgery and work as offensive coordinator for the Super-Bowl-winning New England Patriots, Weis offers readers a peek at the Xs and Os of a straight-talking Jersey guy. Along the way, he details what he learned from the two coaching Bills—Belichick and Parcells—and how he uses their approach in his ND job. A portion of the proceeds from this book will benefit Hannah and Friends, a nonprofit foundation started by the coach and his wife, Maura, and named after their daughter, for children with special needs.
The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints, Ralph Martin ’64 (Emmaus Road Publishing). Saints Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales and Thérèse of Lisieux: The author draws on the writings of these seven saints, among the spiritual doctors of the Catholic Church, in this guide to ways of knowing God more deeply. The saints’ teachings, which are part of the Church’s mystical tradition, “really are giving us a ‘roadmap’ of the journey to God,” he says.
Wal-Smart: What It Really Takes to Profit in a Wal-Mart World, William H. Marquard ’82 (McGraw-Hill). In the new economy of such corporate Goliaths as Wal-Mart, specific business strategies are needed for corporate survival. The author, who developed Wal-Mart’s first-ever strategic planning process, begins with a behind-the-scenes view of what made the company successful. From there he focuses on the choices that businesses of all types must explore if they wish to compete in a global economy. Issues of responsible stewardship, of aligning business and community strategies, conclude the book.
The Nonviolent Coming of God, James W. Douglass ’62M.A. (Wipf & Stock Publishers). This 1991 book is one of four by the writer praised for his reflections on nonviolence that is being reprinted. Others in the series are The Non-violent Cross, Resistance and Contemplation and Lightning East to West. Douglass, whose work earned a Pax Christi USA book award, here looks at the parallels between the prophecies of Jesus about a violent historical crisis and today’s threat of nuclear annihilation. Our choice, Douglass writes, is between a nonviolent transformation and nonexistence.
In Jefferson’s Shadow: The Architecture of Thomas R. Blackburn, Bryan Clark Green ’89 (Princeton Architectural Press). The notebooks and drawings of Blackburn (1795–1867) offer a view of the varied life of an architect who trained under Thomas Jefferson. This lavishly illustrated volume follows the career of the carpenter as he begins work on the University of Virginia, goes on to design houses for Jefferson’s friends, then moves to larger projects. “The architecture of Thomas Blackburn, and the influence he wielded on those around him, are perhaps the clearest example of Thomas Jefferson’s successful attempt to reform the architecture of Virginia,” the author notes.