Books, music & film

Information is provided by publishers, authors, and artists.

The Thought of Work
John W. Budd ’87
(ILR Press)

In The Thought of Work, John Budd presents 10 historical and contemporary views of work from across the social sciences and humanities. By exploring diverse concepts of work — such as a way to serve or care for others, a source of freedom or income, a method of psychological fulfillment, or a social relation shaped by class, gender, race, and power — Budd reveals the wide-ranging nature of work and establishes its fundamental importance for the human experience. Budd replaces the usual fragmentary approaches to understanding the nature and meaning of work with a comprehensive approach that promotes further understanding of how work is understood, experienced, and analyzed.

The Air We Breathe: Artists and Poets Reflect on Marriage Equality
Edited by Apsara DiQuinzio ’98; text by Eileen Myles, Martha Nussbaum, and Frank Rich
(San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)

Over the last decade, the quest for equal rights for same-sex couples has proven to be one of this country’s most pressing political and civil rights issues. The Air We Breathe — its title drawn from a Langston Hughes poem — brings together 27 visual artists and seven poets who contribute to the cause of marriage equality. The book features essays by three prominent writers: Eileen Myles, Martha Nussbaum, and Frank Rich. An accompanying exhibition was organized by the book’s editor, Apsara DiQuinzio, curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Together, the book and the exhibition seek to generate awareness and encourage dialogue about discrimination many citizens encounter, because, as Hughes wrote, “equality is in the air we breathe.”

Coming Home: The Reconciliation of an Estonian Family Torn Apart By War
Charles (Kalev) Ehin ’60
(Lakeshore Press)

In his memoir Coming Home, Charles Ehin chronicles his early years in his birthplace of Tallinn, Estonia; his escape to the West with his father; and, finally, his reconciliation with his sister who, along with his mother, was left behind as the Red Army advanced into the city. In addition to his personal recollections, Ehin writes about the bloody results of the back-and-forth war as it battered Eastern Europe, the day-to-day life of what he calls a “soul-smothering bureaucracy,” tyrannical policies, and burning prejudice that survived the war.

The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts
Meredith Erickson ’03, Frédéric Morin, and David McMillan
(Ten Speed Press)

The Joe Beef restaurant is located in a working-class neighborhood of Montreal, a city with a growing reputation as a culinary destination. In The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, co-owners/chefs Frédéric Morin and David McMillan, along with writer and former Joe Beef staff member Meredith Erickson, present 135 recipes showcasing the restaurant’s unconventional approach to French market cuisine. The recipe for strip loin steak comes with 10 variations, “kale for a hangover” wisely advises the cook to eat and then go to bed, and the marjolaine includes tips for welding your own cake mold. Joe Beef’s most popular dishes are also represented. This cookbook (of sorts) is packed with personal stories, a Montreal travel guide, instructions for building a backyard smoker and making absinthe, and beaucoup plus.

The Spirit House, or Brown’s Free Hall, in Georgetown, New York
Joscelyn Godwin
(Colgate University’s Upstate Institute)

The first book published by Colgate’s Upstate Institute, The Spirit House tells the story of the house built by spiritualist Timothy G. Brown in the mid-1860s in the village of Georgetown (14 miles from Hamilton), following a design that Brown believed was given to him from the spirit world. Also known as the “Wedding Cake House,” the building, which was recently sold after long remaining empty, is noted for its unusual architecture, including scalloped walls and three-tiered cornices. Professor Joscelyn Godwin, of Colgate’s music department, conducted his research chiefly using early newspapers and documents in the Madison County Courthouse. He aims to “clear away the rumors and myths about the Spirit House and to tell its true history, placing it in the context of the progressive movements that flourished in the region during the 19th century.”

Get the Cookie, Paco! Valuable Lessons in Leadership from My Dogs
Andrew Krüger ’98
(Middleton Stout Books)

Presenting key concepts from leadership studies, Andrew Krüger’s Get the Cookie, Paco! can be characterized as 51 practical ways to improve leadership skills — but it’s much more than that. Using the behavior of his two rescue dogs to make sophisticated concepts more readily understood and memorable, Krüger explores five categories: working on yourself, working with others, reading others, leading others, and the bigger picture. Combined, his analysis emphasizes the importance of the overall framework of a “whole” leader. By taking the success of the business parable format from Who Moved My Cheese and combining it with logical and endearing observations of our canine friends in such books as Marley & Me and The Other End of the Leash, Krüger creates a playful approach to self-improvement in all facets of your life, from your business, to the business of your life. Read some of Krüger’s tips in the “In the know” column.

Where Do Mountains Come From, Momma?
Catherine Weyerhaeuser Morley ’79
(Mountain Press)

What child  — or what adult — hasn’t wondered where mountains come from? Where Do Mountains Come From, Momma? answers this geological question, and several others, in easy-to-understand terms. Covering volcanoes, uplift, plate tectonics, erosion, and more, the book introduces young readers to many geologic concepts in a fun way. As both author and illustrator, Catherine Weyerhaeuser Morley combines the text and illustrations to create a charming look at Earth science. Morley’s drawings will have readers hunting for particular fossils in the mountains, sea life in the oceans, or animals in the rift zone. As an artist who wants children to be drawn to geology, Morley has created a volume that she hopes both children and parents will enjoy.

A Sister’s Diary
Jodi Berkman Scheinfeld ’82
(Ithaca Press)

In the novel A Sister’s Diary, 9-year-old Jessica Allman has just experienced the tragic and sudden loss of her older brother, Matt. It is summertime, and her best friend is away visiting her grandmother. With so many feelings to share, Jessica begins a diary and soon realizes that its blank pages are like an intimate friend to whom she can express her sadness, fears, and hopes — and, ultimately, explore healing and a meaningful path toward the future. Based on a true story, the book celebrates the power of a child and her family to work through the greatest sadness, bolstered by their love for each other.

Also of Note:
In Marketing Concepts That Win! (Live Oak Book Company), Martha Guidry ’85 shares expert tips and tricks to propel ideas to marketplace success and help businesses avoid common pitfalls along the way. The guidebook offers advice on writing effective positioning concepts, breaks down the concept development process, and gives an overview of research approaches.

Beer Cart Girls Save the World (Write Words Inc./ebooksonthenet) by John Piccarreto ’79 is a satirical spy thriller that takes place at Shimmering Lake Golf Club on Canandaigua Lake. The beer-cart–girl certification program, popular for college students, is under way, but, this year, it could turn out to be dangerous when strange things start to happen.

Social TV: How Marketers Can Reach and Engage Audiences by Connecting Television to the Web, Social Media, and Mobile (Wiley & Sons) by Stacey Shepatin ’90 and Mike Proulx examines the television landscape in order to help marketers navigate its advertising opportunities. Topics include: leveraging the “second screen” to drive synched and deeper brand engagement, using advanced social listening to target lean-forward audiences, and embedding ads into content as it travels across multiple devices.

Composer and Colgate music professor Zhou Tian’s work “Duet” was released in Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano (Innova Recordings). Featuring internationally acclaimed flutist Mimi Stillman and pianist Charles Abramovic, the CD also includes works by a number of other renowned composers. The recording was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.


In the media

“Compared with the desperate efforts to give South Sudan independence, the French and the U.S. are very comfortable.”
        — Jacob Mundy, assistant professor of peace and conflict studies, commenting in a BBC article about the lack of international political will to force an end to the deadlock in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara

“Scientific literacy is so critical to modern citizenship.”
        — Kristin Pangallo, assistant professor of chemistry, in the Cape Cod Times (Massachusetts) article “Scientists learn to tell their story”

“The whole idea of nonviolent conflict is to get elements inside the authoritarian regime to defect.”
        — Peter Ackerman ’68, explaining to Bloomberg Markets Magazine why he’s chairman and top donor of Americans Elect, an organization pioneering an online presidential  nominating process

“For serious golfers, the changes may as well have come inscribed on a pair of tablets delivered from a mountaintop. They will affect everyone, from tour professionals competing for  millions to municipal golfers with a $2 bet on the line.”
        — Freelance writer and author Adam Schupak ’96 in his New York Times article on recent changes in golf regulations

“As we anticipate an increase in the number of applications to U.S. institutions from students in South Asia, we are eager to evaluate additional applications from this region and work to increase our enrollment of Indian and South Asian students at Colgate.”
        — Katryna Swartwout Ryan, associate dean of admission, answering financial aid questions in the New York Times India edition

“She never really got her moment in the sun. By the mid-’90s, she’d survived so long that people started to look up to her.”
        — Michael Coyle, English professor and jazz aficionado, reflecting on the death of legendary singer Etta James to CNN