University of Nebraska Press

Review roundup

Body Geographic by Barrie Jean Borich in The Rumpus

“In all, Body Geographic navigates fluidly between recovery narrative, travelogue, family legend (in both the literary and cartographic senses of the word), and coming-of-(middle)age story, and in so doing posits a new telling (or re-mapping) of the American story.” -Molly Beer

 

 

From the Caxton Press, On the Dark Side of the Moon by Mike Medberry in Terrain.org

“Mike Medberry has written a slim volume of a memoir that’s a victory in many ways. This environmentalist and writer—in his first book—offers to the reader a story of debility and recovery, a journey he experienced following a stroke in April of 2000 that left him helplessly lying on the rocks of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. But On the Dark Side of the Moon: A Journey Toward Recovery is more than just a book about a man struggling to regain health.” -Andrew C. Gottlieb

 

Bridging Two Dynasties by Lyle Spatz in the Tampa Tribune

“This is a well-researched, informative book that puts a pivotal year of Yankees history into proper perspective. New York had flashier stars, better pitchers and hitters and gaudier statistics in other years, but the 1947 squad deserves some respect, too. Spatz and his colleagues provide the evidence.” - Bob D'Angelo

 

Philadelphia’s Top 50 Baseball Players by Rich Westcott in the Baseball Almanac

“This book is a delight both for fans of Philadelphia baseball and fans of baseball itself. Prolific author Rich Westcott has assembled five-page reflections on each of Philadelphia’s top 50 players. The list extends from the Pioneers (pre-1900) to the greatest players of the Modern Era (1971-2012). In-between are looks at Philadelphia legends which are sure to strike the nostalgia keys and bring back memories of great names whom one has seen play or whose exploits have been read about through the years.” -Dr. McKim

501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die by Ron Kaplan in Baseball Almanac

“Kaplan's abilities make this book live up to a line about it on the back cover: ‘Anyone who loves to read about baseball will find in this book a companionable guide, far more fun than a reference work has any right to be.’ This book is definitely worth acquiring for yourself. In a number of ways it will be interesting and valuable. It will also keep you busy with ‘must reads’…for a long time!” - Dr. McKim

Island of Bones by Joy Castro in Portland Book Review

“Through it all, Castro continues to struggle with questions of identity and membership: do I really belong, and where, and to whom? Who am I, really? Her search for the truth of her own life is given to us in honest, eloquent, and insightful prose.” -Daniel Hobbs

 

 

Smokey Joe Wood by Gerald C. Wood on Cleveland.com

“Gerald C. Wood (no relation), author of this first full-scale biography of "Smoky Joe" Wood, delivers an impeccably researched and poignant account of a great athlete and even greater man.”- Mark Hodermarsky

 

 

A Roundup of Reviews

Appetite for Books reviewer Claudia Kousoulas calls Jason Anthony’s Hoosh “…a departure from the adventurous tales of expeditioners, but a fascinating departure.” She mentions, “For those of us challenged by a weekly grocery list, Anthony’s description of planning Antarctic meals past and present is humbling.” 

“An emotional, personal cartography, Body Geographic is an exploration of the author’s life,” is how E.B. Boatner describes Barrie Jean Borich's new book in Lavender Magazine. 

MetroActive writer Gary Singh sings Cathleen Miller praise in a recent article about her new book Champion of Choice. While the book describes the impressive work of Nafis Sadik, this article describes the impressive work of Miller. Singh says, “... Miller does not just write Sadik's story alone. That would have been too simple. Instead, she juxtaposes Sadik's career with vignettes from the trenches of female victimization in order to reveal examples of the very injustices that Sadik fights against.”

Dan Erwine describes what he took away from Almost Somewhere by Suzanne Roberts in his review on Bookin’ with Sunny, “Fol­lowing the trail teaches you a lot about yourself. That’s the real value gained from reading this book.”

Tim Hauserman from California’s Adventure Sports Journal provides an another male perspective on Almost Somewhere, “As a guy I enjoyed reading these details, if only to understand how clueless I have been about the emotional issues many of my female hiking buddies are facing.”

Covering the Bases: A baseball review roundup

Baseball’s New Frontier by Fran Zimnuich was in an article on Going 9 Baseball by Jerry Milani.

Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club by Roberts Ehrgott was reviewed by Scott Simon in the Chicago Tribune.

American Jews & America's Game by Larry Ruttman was in the Jewish Daily Forward.

In the Best Interest of Baseball? by Andrew Zimbalist was reviewed in New York Journal of Books by Dorothy Seymour Mills.

501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die by Ron Kaplan was in three articles by Stuart Shiffman that were in Illinois Times, 20 Something Reads, and the Book Reporter. Kaplan's book was also in The Joy of Sox, the Daily News, the Taunton Daily Gazette, CBS Chicago, and Shelf Awareness.

Review roundup

The Register-Guard featured Ralph Salisbury in an article titled “So far, he’s a writer.”

Sandy Amazeen with Monsters and Critics reviewed Traveling the Power Line by Julianne Couch.  

Shrink by Lawrence R. Samuel was in the New York Journal of Books.

Publishers Weekly reviewed Ladette Randolph’s Haven’s Wake.

Richard Gilbert reviewed The Days Are Gods by Liz Stephens on his blog, Narrative. Gilbert called it "a book with a lot of heart" and "a model for those seeking to turn their own experiences into memoir."

Roger Welsch was interviewed by Rob DeWalt for Pasatiempo.

The Millions chose Terese Svboda’s Tin God as its staff pick, calling Svoboda “a true original.”

Tom Hoffarth wrote about 501 Baseball Books fans Must Read Before They Die by Ron Kaplan in the Los Angeles Daily News and on his blog, Farther Off the Wall.

Kaplan’s book was also reviewed on milb.com. 

Interview roundup

UNP’s authors are talking up a storm! See what they had to say about their writing process, their books, and banana pudding.

Roger Welsch explains the title and more when discussing, Embracing Fry Bread on NET’s program “All About Books.”

Liz Stephens had a conversation with Girls Like Giants about her experiences living in Utah and all of her inspiration for The Days Are Gods.

Jaime-Alexis Fowler with Pathfinder talks with Nafis Sadik to, “learn more about her career, inspiration, and her take on what being ‘daring’ really means.” Sadik is the subject of the biography, Champion of Choice: The Life and Legacy of Women's Advocate Nafis Sadik by Professor Cathleen Miller.

Mark Liebenow discusses his journey from childhood to writing Mountains of Light and the bumps along the way in Chautauqua Literary Journal.

Dan Daly, author of The National Forgotten League appeared on The John Murphy Show (Buffalobills.com) to talk about “the first 50 years of the NFL and how in many ways the game was better then.”

Mardell Hogan Plainfeather, co-author of The Woman Who Loved Mankind: Lillian Bullshows Hogan, read from her book and discussed it with KUFM - Montana Public Radio. Listen at prx.org.  

B.J. Hollars's interview with Essay Daily starts by explaining how banana pudding contributed to  the idea for Blurring the Boundaries and then dives in to an in-depth discussion of the book. Hollar’s wonderful sense of humor is also evident in an interview with TriQuarterly’s Jill Tabot.

Review roundup for International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day! In a White House press release, President Obama said “empowering women isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do.”

One way to empower women is to publish their books! Check out a few of UNP’s talented women and their books:

Cathleen Miller’s Champion of Choice celebrates the life of women’s advocate Nafis Sadik. Her book was recently reviewed in the New York Journal of Books and Dad of Divas. Nafis Sadik was also interviewed on Pathfinder’s blog.

Body Geographic by Barrie Jean Borich chronicles one woman's relationship with herself, her sexuality, and the midwestern people and places she has called home. Borich’s book was reviewed in Booklist and you can listen to Borich discuss her book on New Books in Literature.

Booklist  also reviewed Ladette Randolph’s new book, Haven’s Wake, the story of a Mennonite Nebraska family dealing with death, a tragic family secret and the emotions left behind.

We Wanted to Be Writers reviewed The Days Are Gods by Liz Stephens which is a memoir of the West from the point of view of a newcomer, an L.A. transplant, who finds home in a northern Utah town.

Review roundup

 Publishers Weekly said Cousin K by Yasmina Khadra was “atmospheric" and that "...the writing is tense and lyrical.”

 

 

Sandy Amazeen of Monsters and Critics describes Encounters as, “This excellent assemblage of over one hundred photos of primarily black and white and sepia pieces strives to show a multinational world in transition, a goal it meets and exceeds. This volume will delight photography buffs, design students and anyone with an eye for art.”

 

Andrew Wagenhoffer  wrote, “Standing by the Flag: Nebraska Territory and the Civil War, 1861-1867 deserves a great deal of credit for taking on a subject previously unexamined. In effectively doing so, it significantly enhances our knowledge and understanding the Civil War west of the Mississippi. Other works have investigated the conflicts on the western plains of Nebraska with various Indian tribes, but Potter's book offers context and background not found elsewhere (at least not in one place)” on his blog Civil War Books and Authors

Kirkus called The Gods are Broken by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin “an earnest exegesis of a powerful legend of the first Jew, designed for the faithful…”

 

 

Kirkus also reviewed So Far, So Good by Ralph Salisbury and said “From birth to adolescence to war and back again, Salisbury hones in on the quieter moments of life. Steering clear of melodrama, he depicts a world captured in sepia tones, in which understated prose and humble observations best reflect the world that passed him by. ‘Whatever is here I offer to the world,’ he writes, ‘knowing that my life is but one of a multitude of lives, all doomed to undergo change and, I believe, to go on and on, in the Great Plan, which, perhaps, we humans can, in our best moments, somewhat sense.’ Stylistically simple yet structurally complex, Salisbury’s latest installment reads as a final chapter to a long, lauded literary life.” 

 

 

 

Review roundup

Jason C. Anthony, author of Hoosh, discussed the book in the Portland News. 

Lawrence Baldassaro and his book Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball were in MLB’s blog.

Susan Hall with H-Net said Journeys West by Virginia Kerns "...offers an opportunity to learn about the trials and tribulations of early scholars 'in the field' while simultaneously reflecting on our own roles as anthropologists and historians.” 

Susan Blackwell Ramsey spoke with ForeWord Reviews. A blogger for NW Book Lovers praised Ramsey and made her an honorary Northwest author.

Almost Somewhere by Susan Roberts was recommended by The Gypsy Art Show, Book Talk, and Planning Your Thru-Hike of the John Muir Trail.

Brandon R. Schrand’s Works Cited was sited in Shelf Unbound, The Odyssey Issue.

From Ambivalence to Betrayal author Robert Wistrich was interviewed on NPR’s WKNO 91.1.

Review roundup

Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club by Roberts Ehrgott earned a Kirkus star! Shrink by Lawrence R. Samuel and Traveling the Power Line by Julianne Couch also received reviews from Kirkus.

Barrie Jean Borich’s Body Geographic was reviewed by Publishers Weekly.

Jason Anthony, author of Hoosh, was interviewed on Maine Public Radio.

Alan Wilkinson discussed Backstage by Ron Hull on his blog.

Tim Boxer of 15 Minutes Magazine called Culture and Customs of the Sioux Indians by Gregory O. Gagnon an “insightful” account of history.

The Rumpus reviewed Descanso for My Father by Harrison Candelaria Fletcher.

David Luhrssen reviewed American Naval History, 1607-1865 on ExpressMilwaukee.com. 

Review roundup

We’ve started off the New Year right! Body Geographic by Barrie Jean Borich received a Kirkus star. The following titles were also reviewed by Kirkus:

Champion of Choice by Cathleen Miller

The Days Are Gods by Liz Stephens

Works Cited by Brandon R. Schrand

Also in the news:

Larry Ruttman’s American Jews and America’s Game was in Boston.com

The National Forgotten League by Dan Daly and Intercepted  by Michael McKnight were in the Boston Globe

North Lake Tahoe Bonanza reviewed Almost Somewhere by Suzanne Roberts

Double No-Hit by James W. Johnson was on azstarnet.com

Up from These Hills by Leonard Carson Lambert Jr.and Wink of the Zenith by Floyd Skloot were reviewed by Tennessee Libraries

New Books in Russia and Eurasian Studies highlighted Opposing Jim Crow by Meredith Roman