 | Elizabeth Alexander explores contemporary African-American artistic life in her new book "The Black Interior." |
The following is a list of books recently or soon-to-be published by members of the Yale community. Descriptions are based on material provided by the publishers.
To submit information about books for this column, send e-mail to opa@yale.edu.
Steven B. Smith's "Spinoza's Book of Life" serves as an introduction to the 17th-century Jewish philosopher's "Ethics," considered to be his masterpiece. Smith explores Spinoza's complex theories about substance, attribute, necessity and eternity, and suggests the philosopher held a combination of contrasting ideas: he was both medieval and modern, a materialist and a pantheist, an individualist and a communitarian. Smith contends that "Ethics" is a deeply personal, existential work, written out of the author's own confrontation with solitude, and through which Spinoza attempted to show the reader the moral and psychological conditions of liberty.
In "Living Outside Mental Illness," Larry Davidson demonstrates the importance of listening to what people diagnosed with schizophrenia have to say about their struggle, and shows the effect this approach can have on clinical practice and social policy. Davidson's in-depth investigation of experiences of illness and recovery is illuminated by first-person descriptions of these experiences. In the book, Davidson makes the case for the utility of qualitative methods in improving an understanding of the reasons for the success or failure of mental health services.
Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres titled their new book after Robert F. Kennedy's famous quote, in which he challenges people to "dream of things that never were and say, 'Why not?'" The two Yale professors claim in their book that the power to innovate is in all individuals, and they show how people can think in new ways about the things they see and do everyday. They outline simple methods for generating solutions to existing problems and for applying existing solutions to new problems. Using examples from business, law and everyday life, they ask the following: Why not have telemarketers pay for your time when they call? Why not offer mortgages that automatically refinance when interest rates fall? Why not sell pay-per-mile auto insurance to low-mileage drivers? Why not replace boycotts of companies that do wrong things with "buycotts" of companies that do things right? Great inventions, say the authors -- who are both inventors themselves -- may be right under the noses of anyone who is willing to apply a little bit of ingenuity when thinking about the commonplace.
In this new book, experts from around the world in areas of psychiatry -- from epidemiology and neurobiology to genetics and psychotherapy -- bring together their current findings on the issue of suicide in children and adolescents. These essays explore whether there are perceptible patterns of risk and vulnerability, the role that families, gender, culture and biology play, and the treatments for and outcomes of suicide attempters.
In this study, David Greenberg -- a Bancroft Prize winner who collaborated with Bob Woodward on "The Agenda" -- offers a view of Richard M. Nixon's many images: "Tricky Dick," a conspirator, a scapegoat, a spin doctor, a statesman, etc. He analyzes what biographers, journalists, historians, artists and others have had to say about the former president and his actions and how the various images of him took hold in the American imagination. Greenberg also discusses how Nixon pioneered new methods of shaping his public persona, and how these attempts often backfired. Greenberg argues that the key to understanding the 37th president is "not in discarding the many images of him ... but [in] gathering and assembling them into a strange, irregular, mosaic."
This new edition of Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France" -- an analysis of revolutionary change originally written by the British statesman, parliamentary orator and political thinker in 1790 -- includes an historical introduction by Frank Turner and four critical essays by leading scholars. The volume sets the "Reflections" in the context of Western political thought, highlights its ongoing relevance to contemporary debates and provides critical notes, a glossary and a glossary-index.
In "The Black Interior" Elizabeth Alexander explores a wide spectrum of contemporary African-American artistic life through literature, paintings, film and popular media, and discusses its place in current culture. She examines the roles of such literary figures as Gwendolyn Brooks, Michael Harper and Langston Hughes, as well as lesser-known, new voices. The book of essays also features a reconsideration of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat and examines the concept of "race-pride" in Jet magazine and Denzel Washington's career as a black male icon in a post-affirmative action era. Also featured is an essay on Rodney King, Emmett Till and the collective memory of racial violence.
"The Venus Hottentot" is a reissue of a collection of Alexander's poems originally published in 1990. Alexander examines history, gender and race in works that range from personal memory to cultural history to reflections on such noted personalities as John Coltrane, Nelson Mandela and "The Venus Hottentot," a 19th-century African woman made into a carnival sideshow exhibit.
"The Perfect Fit Diet" is the result of over five years of analysis and research of more than 700 weight-loss programs and published medical studies by Dr. Lisa Sanders, who specializes in the treatment of overweight and obese patients. Emphasizing her conclusion that "One size doesn't fit all," Sanders provides several diets in her book to help readers customize a diet that will be exactly right for them. She suggests that, after keeping a diet diary for a week and filling out a questionnaire, readers then select, based on their score, one of three basic diets: one that counts fats, one that counts calories or one that counts carbohydrates. Sanders provides methods for readers to customize these diets to fit their own preferences, tastes and lifestyles. "Weight loss really relies on using what science has to teach us about weight loss together with what we know about ourselves," asserts Sanders. "This book is designed to help you choose and customize a diet that fits you to a T -- a diet that's a perfect fit because it's designed for you, by you."
The complete texts of John Locke's "Two Treatises of Government" and "A Letter Concerning Toleration" (outlining Locke's theories and arguments regarding legitimate vs. illegitimate governments and the legitimacy of revolution against tyrannical governments) -- considered among the most influential writings in the history of Western political thought -- are included in this volume. They are accompanied by interpretive essays which offer insights into the history of ideas and the influence of Locke's political thought. The book is part of the Rethinking the Western Tradition Series.
T H I S
Yale Books in Brief
Spinoza's Book of Life: Freedom
and Redemption in the Ethics
Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles
Professor of Political Science
(Yale University Press)
Living Outside Mental Illness:
Qualitative Studies of Recovery
in Schizophrenia
Larry Davidson, associate professor of
psychiatry and director of the Program on Poverty, Disability and Urban Health at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies
(New York University Press)
Why Not? How to Use Everyday
Ingenuity to Solve Problems
Big and Small
Barry Nalebuff, the Milton Steinbach
Professor of Economics at the School of Management, and Ian Ayres, the William K. Townsend Professor of Law
(Harvard Business School Press)
Suicide in Children and Adolescents
Edited by Dr. Robert King, professor
of child psychiatry, and Dr. Alan Apter
(Cambridge University Press)
Nixon's Shadow: The History
of an Image
David Greenberg, lecturer in political
science and history
(W.W. Norton & Company)
Reflections on the Revolution
in France: Edmund Burke
Edited by Frank Turner, the John Hay Whitney Professor of History
(Yale University Press)
"The Black Interior: Essays" and "The Venus Hottentot: Poems"
Elizabeth Alexander, associate professor (adjunct) of African American Studies
(Graywolf Press)
The Perfect Fit Diet: Combine What
Science Knows About Weight Loss
with What You Know About Yourself
Dr. Lisa Sanders, clinical instructor
in internal medicine
(Rodale)
Two Treatises of Government and
a Letter Concerning Toleration
Edited by Ian Shapiro, the William Kenan Jr. Professor and chair of political science
(Yale University Press)
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale College Dean Brodhead named president of Duke
Four new associate v.p.'s announced
Grant to help preserve composers' voices as 'national treasures'
Club members are 'hooked' on tango
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSHare is appointed Noah Porter Professor
Jones is designated Titus Street Professor
Morris is named Ford Foundation Professor
Scientist's paper on human genetics cited as the best of the year
Pianist wins Grammy Award nomination
Yale Rep, Moscow troupe bring Chekhov story to the stage
Peabody festival pays tribute to Martin Luther King
Researchers find T cells and natural killer cells cause of skin allergies
Researchers develop new way to produce artificial skin for grafts
Wisdom is the only antidote for hate, according to Yale psychologist
Works capture the beauty of Brazil's 'gems'
JE to host exhibit of works by Pop artist Robert Rauschenberg
Noted statesman will deliver Walker Lecture
Symposium will celebrate architect Kahn's legacy
Event to focus on use of neuroimaging in study of alcoholism
Stern among Yale alumni honored by Architectural Digest
Former Medical School Dean Dr. Fritz Redlich dies at age 93
Projects win support to preserve endangered languages
Concert will feature performances by celebrated pianist and violinist
Yale Books in Brief
Campus Notes
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