BOOKS
Stigma, Philip Hawley Jr. '74 (HarperTorch). This fast-paced debut thriller moves between
Southern California and the rain forests of Central America as Luke McKenna, a doctor with an
enigmatic past, searches for the cause of a Mayan boy's death. What he uncovers instead are
signs of a global conspiracy with overtones of medical mayhem and murderous enemies he must
evade. The author is a pediatrician in Los Angeles who has done volunteer work among remote
Indian tribes in Central America.
Valentine: A Love Story, Chet Raymo '58, '64Ph.D. (Cowley Publications). In this imagining
of the life of Saint Valentine, the author tells the love story of Valentine, a physician, and Julia,
the blind daughter of a Roman jailer. The contentious world of the Roman Empire during the
reign of Claudius II, when members of the early Christian church were publicly tortured and
killed for what was viewed as a treasonous belief, provides a dramatic backdrop, as Valentine
struggles philosophically with the ideas of reason and superstition, suffering, and life and death.
Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't
Quit, Kevin Flynn '79 (G.P. Putnam's Sons). This memoir by U.S. Attorney Flynn covers more
than the legal story of his prosecution of a man suspected of the murder and evisceration of Diane
Hawkins and her teenage daughter, Katrina Harris. During the trial, as the author contends with
the cancer diagnosis of his father and his own role as a father, he also considers issues of family
and community, the procedures of justice and domestic violence.
For Notre Dame Fans Only: The New Saturday Bible, Rich Wolfe '64 (Lone Wolfe Press).
This collection lets Notre Dame friends and fans do the talking, as they relate tales from the
amusing to the absurd. Among those offering sports-related ND memories are Senator Ted
Kennedy; actor George Wendt, who says he flunked out of Notre Dame in 1968; Daniel "Rudy"
Ruettiger '76; former North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith; Officer Tim McCarthy of pun
fame; Cappy Gagnon '66; and Tom Brady Sr. Several Sports Illustrated covers illustrate the
book.
Journey to the East: The Jesuit Mission to China, 1579-1724, Liam Matthew Brockey '94 (Harvard University Press). The Jesuit missionaries who sailed from Portugal to China faced
more than language difficulties in their attempts to convert the Chinese to Christianity. They also
had to translate concepts of Catholicism to fit the traditional Chinese culture of the time. This
narrative history of that mission is followed by a look at the Jesuits' training, their program for
learning Mandarin and Confucian thought, their evangelizing strategies, how they organzied their
nascent church and the forms of group piety they fostered.
MUSIC
Even If I Fall, Reina G. Collins, Rob Barteletti '71 (Old Sombrero Music). Songwriter Barteletti
collaborates here with vocalist Collins for an acoustic roots-inspired CD. "Good stories and vivid
images are important, but my art is about not taking life too seriously," Barteletti says of his
songs, which here include "Cain's Lament" and "Youth Is Wasted On the Young." More
information and audio clips are available at www.rbarteletti.com.
(April 2007)
