August 26, 2009

The Tablet reviews Contemporary American Judaism

Interest in Dana Evan Kaplan’s Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal evidenced most recently by Adam Kirsch’s review in Tablet. In the review Kirsch cites Kaplan’s discussion of the persistence and in some cases growth of Orthodox Judaism, seen in...

August 25, 2009

Interview with Arlene N. Weisz and Beverly M. Black on Reducing Teen Dating Violence

The following is an interview with Arlene Weisz and Beverly Black, co-authors of Programs to Reduce Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Assault. Question: Teen dating violence and sexual assault have been prominently featured in the news recently with the case...

August 24, 2009

Deporting American Citizens — Jacqueline Stevens

In a piece published on the Huffington Post, Jacqueline Stevens, author of the forthcoming States without Nations: Citizenship for Mortals, recounts the remarkable case of Mark Lyttle, a U.S. citizen who was temporarily deported. (For more on the Mark Lyttle...

August 21, 2009

Paul Offit throws out the first ball

Needless to say, writing a blog for a university press one does not often get the chance to report on one of our authors throwing out the first ball at a major league baseball game. However that honor was bestowed...

August 20, 2009

Dana Kaplan discusses contemporary American Judaism with Religion in American History

In a wide ranging interview with Paul Harvey on the blog Religion in American History Dana Eric Kaplan, author of Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal, considers a range of issues from the impact of intermarriage to the meaning of...

August 19, 2009

The New Yorker reviews History of the Mafia

The New Yorker’s review of Salvatore Lupo’s History of the Mafia praises the book as “myth-busting” and for shedding new light on a frequently covered subject. We’ve posted the review below but for more on the book you can also...

August 18, 2009

The Daily Kos interviews Joe Cirincione

In addition to his recent piece in the Huffington Post, Joe Cirincione, author of Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons, was also interview by Daily Kos. Cirincione has been discussing the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which is...

August 17, 2009

R. Glenn Hubbard on A Marshall Plan for Africa

In an essay on the Foreign Policy Web site, R. Glenn Hubbard author of the just-published The Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty, makes the case for a new policy toward helping Africa More than half a century after...

August 14, 2009

"Nick Carraway is a snob."

“The Great Gatsby is a novel that has made a difference in the lives of many who have or will read it. One does not have to like Nick Carraway to discover something about oneself in the tale he tells.”—Scott...

August 13, 2009

Yasukuni — the book, the documentary

In yesterday’s New York Times, A. O. Scott reviewed Li Ying’s controversial documentary, Yasukuni, which recently opened in New York City. The film “explores [Japan’s] legacy of militaristic nationalism, illuminating both the noble customs and the brutality entwined at its...

August 13, 2009

A perspective on scholarly publishing — Cathy Davidson

“Who are the robber barons? Sometimes (yes, I mean you, English professors!), it is our own short-sighted book writing and book buying habits that are the problem. Some of the “crisis of scholarly publishing” is of our making. Sometimes the...

August 12, 2009

Julia Child: A turning point in the making of American cuisine

Needless to say, with the release of the film Julie & Julia, Julia Child is once again very much in the news. Child and her wildly popular show The French Chef are also one of the “thirty turning points in...