Compiled
by Carol Schaal '91M.A.
Notre Dame vs. The Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated
the Ku Klux Klan, Todd Tucker'90 (Loyola Press).
During two days of riots in May 1924, Notre Dame students took
on the Indiana KKK. The KKK wasn't reacting to the students' race
but to their religion -- Catholicism. "Look around: they are already
taking over the schools, flaunting our laws, changing the very
nature of the United States, a Protestant country at its birth,"
a KKK leader asserted at a state rally in the early 1920s. Here
the author details how and why the two institutions came to loggerheads
at the height of anti-Catholicism in America. The book continues
through the aftermath of the three-day confrontation in downtown
South Bend, including the football team's winning Rose Bowl appearance
and the Indiana KKK's eventual implosion.
A Sinner of Memory, Melita Schaum '78, '84Ph.D.
(Michigan State University Press). "Through telling and reflecting,
we have a chance to revisit emotional truths, to reclaim the subtleties
of experience," the author writes. In this memoir, she revisits
her relationships with family, friends and lovers; her travels
to Paris, Venice and Australia; her surgery for breast cancer;
life in an arts colony; the emotions of aging; the importance
attached to things by those who have suffered loss. Her lyrical
prose surveys the unexpected joys and complications of midlife,
the surprises of the journey. Praised for the poignancy and grace
of her work, Schaum has received numerous awards for creative
nonfiction.
J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth,
Bradley J. Birzer '90 (ISI Books). Tolkien himself called
The Lord of the Rings "a fundamentally religious and
Catholic work." Birzer explores the Catholicism intrinsic to Tolkien's
popular trilogy, looking in particular at the symbolism inherent
in the characters, setting and plot of the novels. He includes
such primary source materials at Tolkens' letters, unpublished
notes and manuscripts, as well as a short discussion of a chapter
about Samwise that Tolkien elected to omit. Tolkien's sometimes
contentious relationship with another religious writer of note,
C.S. Lewis, is explored, as is his place in the pantheon of Christian
humanist writers of the 20th century.
Resistance, Barry Lopez '66, '68M.A., with
monotypes by Alan Magee (Knopf). The winner of the National
Book Award for Arctic Dreams turns back to fiction here,
with nine interrelated first-person accounts by characters who
have drawn the attention of their oppressive, unnamed government.
With these taut tales, Lopez has said he is taking on "the human
impulse toward political strong-arming and empire building." As
a cabinet maker, architect, physician, translator, historian and
other "persons of interest" share the paths they took to resistance,
their testimonials highlight such topical concerns as the degradation
of the environment, the culture of materialism, and the rush to
war. The individual narrators live in different parts of the world,
but they see and fear the greed, intolerance and self-righteousness
that tyrannizes people today.
Book briefs:
Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion,
WWII's Forgotten Heroes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anthony
Walton '82 (Broadway). The all-black battalion that served
on the front lines in the Battle of the Bulge during World War
II finally gets its due in this military history that surveys
both the battles and the racism the men fought.
The School of Dying Graces, Dr. Richard
Felix '74Ph.D. with Rob Wilkins (SaltRiver). When his wife,
Vivian, died of cancer, the author gathered her journal entries
and put them together with his own recollections. Their spiritual
journeys -- hers to prepare for dying, his to recover faith in
the face of loss -- offer a view of grace and hope.
Elder Voices: Southeast Asian Families in the United
States, Daniel F. Detzner '67 (AltaMira). The
long-term difficulties and successes of Vietnamese, Cambodian,
Laotian and Hmong immigrants as they try to adapt to their new
home are studied. "If the river bends," a Cambodian man says,
"you must bend with it."
Blessed are the Music Makers: Warm-ups for the Musician's
Spirit, Alan J. Hommerding '90M.A. (World Library
Publications). A resource for music ministers, including texts
and music for liturgically based prayers.
Shattered Voices: Language, Violence, And the Work of
Truth Commissions, Teresa Godwin Phelps '73, '75M.A.,
'80Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania Press). The ND law professor
studies how truth commissions in countries moving from oppression
to democracy can best give voice to the victims of torture and
violence.
In and Oz, Steve Tomasula (Nightshade).
A novel of ideas, as five strangers are drawn together in their
search to transcend the here and now. The author is a Notre Dame
professor of English.
The Tallest Tower: Eiffel and the Belle Epoque,
Joseph Harriss '58 (Unlimited Publishing LLC). A revised
and updated issue of this critically acclaimed history of the
Eiffel Tower and its designer. Abundant photographs and illustrations
complement the text, which includes a discussion of security concerns.
Bushed! An Illustrated History of What Passionate Conservatives
Have Done to America and the World, Walter C. Clemens
Jr. '55, illustrated by Jim Morin (Outland Books). With cartoons
from Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist Morin, the author provides
his humorous take on the current Bush presidency.
The Politics of Cultural Differences: Social Changes
and Voter Mobilization Strategies in the Post-New Deal Period,
edited by David C. Leege, Kenneth D. Wald, Brian S. Krueger
'02Ph.D. and Paul D. Mueller '00M.A. (Princeton University
Press). The national campaign strategies from 1960 to '96, the
authors argue, emphasized cultural conflict regarding patriotism,
race, gender and religion. Leege is an ND emeritus professor of
political science.
The Gandhi of the Nagas, Tom Farrell '58
(AuthorHouse). The plight of the Naga nationalists in northeast
India provides the backdrop for this novel of adventure and cultural
differences.
The Art of Winning Commitment: 10 Ways Leaders Can Engage
Minds, Hearts, and Spirits, Dick Richards (AMACOM).
Along with the political and intellectual aspects of leadership,
emotional and spiritual components also are needed, the author
says. Monsignor Dale Fushek '84M.A., founder of Life Teen, a Catholic
youth ministry program, is among those highlighted.
Soldiers of Peace: Civil War Pacifism and the Postwar
Radical Peace Movement, Thomas F. Curran '86M.A.,
'93Ph.D. (Fordham University Press). An account of the "perfectionist
pacifists," northerners who created the radical Universal Peace
Union in the late 19th century.
County Longford Residents Prior to the Famine,
Guy A. Rymsza '89 (Dome Shadow Press). For genealogists
who are trying to trace famine-era (1845-50) Irish ancestors,
this book presents a full name index, tithe-payer records and
civil parish maps.
Surrogate Wars: A Real Look at Wars, Rev.
William Crumley, CSC, '59 (AuthorHouse). Wars are driven
by money, the author argues, as he examines the economics of global
decisions and their attendant conflicts.
My Daily Constitutional: A Natural Law Perspective,
Richard J. Rolwing '64M.A. (Xlibris). This multivolume
set of short essays focuses on the U.S. Constitution's philosophical
and historical implications.
(October 2004).
