 | In "Cold War Ecology," Arvid Nelson argues that a decline in East Germany's ecological health signaled the instability of its political system and ultimate political disintegration. |
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.
In their new book and on two accompanying CDs, Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve present a collection of interviews with and about the most significant musical figures of the period between 1900 and 1930. The authors utilized the materials of the Oral History American Music archive at Yale, which is now in its 32nd year. Many of the interviews featured in the book and on the CDs were conducted by Perlis. Included are in-depth interviews with Henry Cowell, Virgil Thomson and Aaron Copland, as well as a description of the birth of ragtime by Eubie Blake and an account by Ira Gershwin of how he came to write the lines in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." One chapter is devoted to the Jazz Age and George Gershwin, another to Nadia Boulanger, and the final chapter focuses on Duke Ellington. The CDs allow listeners to hear the actual voices of -- and music by -- some of America's most well-known composers.
In "Cold War Ecology," Arvid Nelson sets East German history within the context of the landscape history of two centuries to underscore how forest and ecosystem change offered a reliable barometer to the health and stability of East Germany's political system. He argues that the East German economy and society were in decline long before the country's political collapse in the 1980s, and that the clues of this decline could be found in the natural landscape. He records how East German leaders' indifference to human rights and disregard for the landscape affected the rural economy, forests and population. Nelson proposes assessing the stability of modern political systems based on environmental qualities rather than on political leaders' goals and beliefs, and he advocates an integration of economic and ecological policies in order to achieve more practical and ethical policymaking.
In "Eating, Drinking, Overthinking," Susan Nolen-Hoeksema notes that overthinking -- a tendency to ruminate on problems rather than seek solutions -- often co-exists with unhealthy eating habits and/or heavy drinking. Written in narrative style, the book explains how the three core problems of the "Toxic Triangle" reinforce one another, wreaking havoc on women's emotional well-being, physical health, relationships and careers. Nolen-Hoeksema says that escape from this cycle of "binging and purging" -- on negative thoughts, food or alcohol -- is possible, and she tells how women can harness their emotional and interpersonal strengths to overcome the stress caused by a destructive relationship with food, alcohol and overthinking so that they can fashion effective, healthier strategies for living.
In this study of shifting British values, Frank Prochaska examines the importance of Christianity as an inspiration for political and social behavior in the 19th century and the forces that undermined both religion and philanthropy in the 20th century. He notes how the waning of religion and the growth of government responsibility for social provision were closely intertwined. Prochaska shows how the creation of the modern British state undermined religious beliefs and customs of associational citizenship, and offers a new interpretation of Christian decline and democratic traditions in Britain.
In this book, Frank M. Snowden recounts how Italy became the world center for the development of malariology as a medical discipline and launched the first national campaign to eradicate the disease. At the outset of the 20th century, malaria was Italy's major public health problem. Snowden traces the early advances, the setbacks of world wars and Fascist dictatorship, and the final victory against malaria after World War II. He shows how the medical and teaching professions helped educate people in their own self-defense and in the process expanded trade unionism, women's consciousness and civil liberties. Snowden also discusses the antimalarial effort under Mussolini's regime and reveals details of the German army's intentional release of malaria among Italian citizens -- the first and only known example of bioterror in 20th-century Europe.
In "Covering," Kenji Yoshino fuses legal manifesto and memoir to call for a redefinition of civil rights in our law and culture. He notes that everyone "covers" -- they downplay a disfavored trait so as to blend into the mainstream -- and argues that the demand to cover can pose a hidden threat to our civil rights. Racial minorities, he says, are pressed to "act white" by changing their names, languages or cultural practices; women are told to "play like men" at work; gays are asked not to engage in public displays of same-sex affection; the devout are instructed to minimize expressions of faith; and individuals with disabilities are urged to conceal the paraphernalia that permit them to function. Yoshino demonstrates that American civil rights law has generally ignored the threat posed by these "covering" demands and maintains that the work of civil rights will not be complete until it attends to the harms of coerced conformity. Everyone, he argues, can become engaged in fashioning a new civil rights paradigm based on a desire for authenticity -- a desire that brings people together rather than drives them apart. Yoshino draws on his personal experience as a gay Asian American.
In this book, psychologist Thomas E. Brown explains how problems sometimes attributed to a "lack of willpower" are often due to inherited, chemically based impairments of complex neuronal circuits that manage "executive functions" of the brain. Brown describes how this disorder can be recognized and effectively treated. The book is based on a study conducted by Brown and Donald Quinlan of 74 students between the ages of 7 and 18 who had IQ scores above 120 but were chronic underachievers. While all could focus well on a favorite activity, such as computer games, tennis, drawing or playing guitar, the students claimed that they had difficulty mobilizing adequate attention or effort for their academic work. The students experienced two to 10 years of deteriorating grades and demoralizing failures before their attentional problems were recognized.
This book emerged in part out of a conference held at Yale in 2003 that explored the impact of globalization on gender and health. The book features contributions from scholars and activists that explore the new risks and freedoms for men and women in a global society and their health determinants. They map the impact of globalization on health, exploring the trans-border flows of capital, people, goods and services. Each chapter begins with a global analysis of specific trends, followed by two "In Perspective" pieces by authors from contrasting disciplines and geographies.
Barry McCrea's debut novel takes place in Dublin, where freshman Niall Lenihan is attending Trinity College. Lenihan dives into unfamiliar social scenes and becomes fascinated by a reclusive pair of students, literary "mystics" who let signs and symbols from books determine their actions. Reluctantly, they admit him to their private sessions, and what begins as an intriguing game for Lenihan becomes increasing esoteric, dramatic and addictive. As he discovers the true nature of the pursuits in which he has become entangled, "The First Verse" traces a young man's search for identity, companionship and a cult's shadowy origins in the pages of literature and the people of a city.
T H I S
Yale Books in Brief
Composers' Voices from Ives
to Ellington: An Oral History
of American Music
Vivian Perlis, senior research associate
at the School of Music and director
of Oral History of American Music
at Yale, and Libby Van Cleve, associate director of Oral History of American Music
(Yale University Press)
Cold War Ecology: Forests,
Farms, and People in the East
German Landscape, 1945-1989
Arvid Nelson, lecturer and assistant
professor (adjunct) at the School of
Forestry and Environmental Studies
(Yale University Press)
Eating, Drinking, Overthinking:
The Toxic Triangle of Food, Alcohol, and Depression -- and How Women Can Break Free
Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, professor
of psychology
(Henry Holt and Company)
Christianity and Social Service
in Modern Britain: The Disinherited Spirit
Frank Prochaska, lecturer and
senior research scientist in history
(Oxford University Press)
The Conquest of Malaria:
Italy, 1900-1962
Frank M. Snowden, professor of history
(Yale University Press)
Covering: The Hidden Assault
on Our Civil Rights
Kenji Yoshino, professor of law
and deputy dean of the Law School
(Random House)
Attention Deficit Disorder:
The Unfocused Mind in Children
and Adults
Thomas E. Brown, associate director
of the Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders, School of Medicine
(Yale University Press)
Globalization, Women and
Health in the 21st Century
Edited by Kari Hartwig, assistant clinical professor of public health, Ilona Kickbusch and Justin List
(Palgrave MacMillan)
The First Verse
Barry McCrea, assistant professor
of comparative literature
(Carroll & Graf Publishers)
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
University launching new program to train tomorrow's journalists
Alliance will boost Yale-BIPI research collaborations
INTERNATIONAL YALE
Yale delegates meet with world leaders at Davos
SOM students learn about India's markets during trips
Faculty member named Young Global LeaderYale honored for design of Farmington Canal site
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Derek Briggs named the Beinecke Professor of Geology, Geophysics
Joan Feigenbaum appointed the Henry Ford II Professor . . .
Mark Johnson designated the Kemp Professor of Chemistry
Abraham Silberschatz named the Sidney J. Weinberg Professor . . .Black History Month celebration features talks, performances
Team will study atmospheric 'tsunamis' from on high
Study: Even with recycling, there's not enough metal to meet global demand
Works reveal how humans can 'turn ugliness into music'
Comic Mozart opera proclaims 'Women Are Like That'
Art of adornment is focus of 'Baubles, Bangles and Beads'
Modern art collection takes to the road in gallery's traveling exhibit
Guidelines set standards for doctors' relationships with drug companies
Medications reduce brain changes in youths with bipolar disorder
Study illuminates how the body fights viruses without attacking itself
Use of cell phones by medical personnel cuts rate of error . . .
Six Yale scientists receive awards for their research on aging
Exhibit features magical objects from the Babylonian Collection
Chaplain Frederick J. Streets to be honored as a 'trail blazer'
In Memoriam: A. Dwight Culler, renowned scholar of Victorian literature
Yale BioHaven Entrepreneurship Seminar Series . . .
Yale Books in Brief
Campus Notes
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