Indiana University Press blog

Book review: Howard Fast

"Gerald Sorin tells Fast's story in this engaging and fluidly written biography. He draws connections among Fast's Jewishness, his writings, and that most curious part of his life: his long embrace of the Communist Party. In so doing, Sorin illuminates a complex part of American Jewish life in the twentieth century. ... Sorin is a brilliant biographer who proves to be both sympathetic and critical of his subject. This is Gerald Sorin's second National Jewish Book Award. He won in the category of history for his Irving Howe: A Life of Passionate Dissent, in 2003" —Jewish Book World

Learn more about Howard Fast in this WAMC interview with author Gerald Sorin.

Earth Day book giveaway!

Happy Earth Day! We're celebrating our planet by giving away two environmentally friendly books by Scott Russell Sanders: A Conservationist Manifesto and Earth Works. In his Manifesto, Sanders advocates that conservation is not simply a personal virtue but a public one. He continues his exploration of this idea and how we can care for each other and the world in Earth Works, a collection of 30 of his finest essays.

To enter the contest, send an email to winiupress@gmail.com with your name and mailing address. Entries will be accepted through 4/26/13 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Winners will be notified by email and books will ship via USPS.

Learn more about Scott Russell Sanders's writing and his views on conservation in his recent interview with Dr. Bob Leonard on KNIA's In Depth radio show.

Richard Arenberg to appear on Michael Howe's radio show

Richard Arenberg, author of Defending the Filibuster, will appear on In the Booth with Michael Howe this Saturday, April 20, at 3 p.m. (EDT). The radio show is broadcast on KONP in Port Angeles, WA. If you're not in the Port Angeles listening area, you can hear the interview live on the KONP website or download a podcast.

Book reviews for Sightings + author events with B.J. Hollars

Author B.J. Hollars recently did two interviews about his new short story collection Sightings. Both articles comment on some of the unusual characters you'll find in his stories:

"Hollars’ coming-of-age tales resonate with the heartbreak and humor of Hughes films like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles; they also crackle with fantastical elements that made Ray Bradbury a literary legend." Read more from the Volume One interview.

"The collection of short stories represents the classic coming-of-age tales - but with some characters you might not expect." Read more from the Leader-Telegram interview.

Additionally, The Show Me Librarian reviewed Sightings, saying there is "plenty of material in these pages for both enjoyment and close reading."

Want to learn more about B.J. Hollars's new book? See him in person this Thursday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. when he will read from his book at the Volume One Gallery in Eau Claire, WI. Next he will appear in his hometown of Fort Wayne, IN, April 27 at 1 p.m. at the Aboite Public Library. 

And if you're dying to find out the identity of the strangest character in Sightings, check out this book trailer:

Podcast: Maria San Filippo discusses 'The B Word'

Often disguised in public discourse by terms like "gay," "homoerotic," "homosocial," or "queer," bisexuality is strangely absent from queer studies and virtually untreated in film and media criticism. On this episode of the IU Press podcast, Maria San Filippo discusses how her new book The B Word helps fill this gap in the study of bisexuality on screen.

Podcast: Jo Paoletti discusses 'Pink and Blue' (now available in paperback)

Jo Paoletti's book, Pink and Blue, is now available in paperback! Paoletti’s journey through the history of children’s clothing began when she asked, “When did we start dressing girls in pink and boys in blue?” Her book analyzes that question by looking at advertisments, catalogs, and other popular media. 

To learn more about this book and the fascinating discoveries Paoletti made while writing it, listen to this IU Press podcast, originally recorded in 2012 when the hardcover version of Pink and Blue came out:

And for those of you in the Maryland area, don't miss your chance to see Jo Paoletti in person! She will discuss her book at the University of Maryland's Speaking of Books series March 26 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the McKeldin Library of Special Events Room. For more information, visit the University of Maryland Libraries website.

Holocaust encyclopedia editors Geoffrey Megargee and Martin Dean in the news

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum researchers Geoffrey Megargee and Martin Dean have recently been interviewed by The New York Times, The Independent, NBC Nightly News, and The Huffington Post (video below) about their work documenting Nazi camps and ghettos. The New York Times reports, "When the research began in 2000, Dr. Megargee said he expected to find perhaps 7,000 Nazi camps and ghettos, based on postwar estimates. But the numbers kept climbing — first to 11,500, then 20,000, then 30,000, and now 42,500."

The results of this Holocaust research are presented in two of seven planned volumes of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945. The result of years of work by the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, these encyclopedias describe the universe of camps and ghettos that the Nazis and their allies operated, from Norway to North Africa and from France to Russia. For more information about the encyclopedias, visit our website.

Publishers Weekly reviews 'Père Marie-Benoît and Jewish Rescue' and interviews author

Susan Zuccotti's upcoming biography of French priest Père Marie-Benoît received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The magazine praised Zuccotti for her work on Père Marie-Benoît and Jewish Rescue and asked, "Who better to rescue from obscurity an Oskar Schindler–like hero than historian Zuccotti?" The review goes on to say that the book is "an intellectual page-turner" written with "the perfect amount of detail and context."

Recently, Publishers Weekly interviewed Zuccotti about her book. She discussed how she discovered Père Marie-Benoît and some surprises she discovered during her research. Read the full interview here.

Père Marie-Benoît and Jewish Rescue will be available this June from IU Press. For more information or to pre-order a copy of the book, visit our website.

'Tribal Knot' author Rebecca McClanahan discusses upcoming book with The Kenyon Review

Last month, Rebecca McClanahan spoke with The Kenyon Review about her upcoming memoir The Tribal Knot. In researching the history of her family, McClanahan braids her ancestors' stories into a single intimate narrative of her quest to understand herself and her place in the family's complex past. She describes the difficulties she faced while writing her book and how she persevered in her interview with the journal:

"At first, the challenges were enormous, but, like Wile E. Coyote, I just tried to not look down. The more I researched, the more directly I moved into the physical realm of the artifacts, and the more I wrote about what I was finding, the more natural the moves between source and story became. In some segments, I report the facts, period; then, on the next page, the fact becomes a springboard I jump from into the deep water of speculation, reflection, or memory. In other places, imagination steers the ship. But the facts always serve as the rudder."

Read the complete interview on The Kenyon Review website.

The Tribal Knot will be available next month from IU Press. Take a sneak peek in this excerpt from the book.

'Before the Chinrest' review and interviews with author Stanley Ritchie

Stanley Ritchie's book Before the Chinrest was reviewed in the December issue of Classical Music. The magazine calls the book "a practical guide and includes a wealth of information, musical examples and technical exercises."

Ritchie also did two interviews about his book. On WFIU, he discussed the freedom of playing without a chinrest. And at Violinist.com, Laurie Niles talked with Richie about his musical style, and he cleared up some misconceptions about the period performance movement. Violinist.com also included Ritchie's book in its holiday gift guide.

To learn more about Before the Chinrest, visit the IU Press website.