Alumni News and Notes

Issued

Publications by Obies


For the Love of Teaching:
And Other Reasons Teachers Do What They Do

BY IRA D. SHULL '86
VanderWyk and Burnham, 1998

In interviewing 54 teachers of all grade levels, states, and disciplines, Ira Shull poses the question, why do you teach? Divided into seven categories including Life Work, Connection, Adventure, and Love, each teacher shares personal experiences and feelings toward the profession. Rather than a definitive statement of what teaching is, the book offers a collection of individual stories and motivations. Shull was a creative writing major at Oberlin and lives with his wife in Shirley, Massachusetts.



Illusions of Opportunity:
The American Dream in Question

BY JOHN E. SCHWARZ '61
W.W. Norton and Company, 1997

How illusive is the American dream? Reviewed in the New York Times and nominated for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize, Illusions of Opportunity offers original new research, demonstrating how and why opportunities have been shrinking for the American family. Schwarz's work uncovers an intranational lack of jobs that could support a family comfortably and explains the social problems arising from this condition. Rooted in a belief that all Americans should be able to support themselves, their families, and their communities, Illusions of Opportunity rejects political leaders' proclamations of increasing prosperity and compares the opportunity to achieve the American dream with the number of people vying for it. Schwarz, a professor of political science at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, is the author of America's Hidden Success: A Reassessment of Twenty Years of Public Policy and coauthor of The Forgotten Americans.


Fifty Years of Change in The Caribbean/Cincuenta Anos de Cambio en El Caribe
BY THOMAS MATHEWS '49
Amigo del Hogar, 1996

This is a comprehensive autobiography of Mathews' life and travels as he reflects upon 50 years of living in Caribbean. Fifty Years of Change in the Caribbean in English a Spanish translation and documents the physical and social/community changes in the collective mind of the population. Mathews describes the impact of the outside world and the changes within the islands that have occurred because of increased travel and tourism. The author was born in Bloomington, Indiana, but considers the Caribbean his home.


Creatures of Prometheus:
Gender And the Politics of Technology

BY TIMOTHY V. KAUFMAN-OSBORN '76
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997

Perhaps humans become creatures of the technology they create; perhaps gender is an artifact of the work performed by such manufactured things. This book offers original ways to think about technology, gender identity, culture, the environment, politics, and the ways women and men struggle to make sense of the gifts of Prometheus. The author draws upon a broad range of literary and philosophical sources including The Iliad, Frankenstein, accounts of the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, and recent scholarship in feminist, postmodern, and political theory to make his point. Author of Politics/Sense/Experience: A Pragmatic Inquiry into the Promise of Democracy, Kaufman-Osborn is the Baker Ferguson Professor of Politics and Leadership at Whitman College.


The Carnitine Miracle:
The Supernutrient Program That Promotes High Energy, Fat Burning, Heart Health, Brain Wellness and Longevity

BY ROBERT CRAYHON '83
M. Evans and Company, Inc., 1998

The Carnitine Miracle outlines a diet and wellness plan based upon extensive research and professional experience with carnitine, an energy-promoting nutrient. The book provides case histories and research describing the benefits of carnitine for weight loss, energy, cholesterol level, and mental energy, and applications for specific ailments and illnesses. Once described by Self magazine as "one of the top ten nutritionists in the country," Crayhon is a clinician, researcher, and educator with nutrition practices in Boulder, Colorado, and New Rochelle, New York. He is associate editor of Total Health magazine and president of Designs for Health, which trains health care practitioners in clinical nutrition and natural medicine.


War and Peace in Southern Africa:
Crime, Drugs, Armies and Trade

EDITED BY ROBERT I. ROTBERG '55
AND GREG MILLS
Brookings Institution Press and
The World Peace Foundation, 1998

This collection of essays analyzes the crime trend in South Africa and surrounding countries that began with the dismantling of apartheid and continues because of slow economic growth, regional instability, poor management, and stagnant trade. All contributing writers have done extensive research or work in southern Africa, and offer policy possibilities and insights about what can be done to stop the proliferation of illegal immigration, unlicensed weapons, drugs, and the accompanying violence. War and Peace in Southern Africa explores how, especially in South Africa, policy tactics can be implemented to achieve peace. Rotberg is president of the World Peace Foundation, adjunct lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and coordinator of Southern Africa Programs at the Harvard Institute for International Development.


From Massacres to Genocide:
The Media, Public Policy, and Humanitarian Crisis

EDITED BY ROBERT I. ROTBERG '55
AND THOMAS G. WEISS
Brookings Institution Press and
The World Peace Foundation, 1996

The contributors to this book explore the role the media plays in exposing humanitarian atrocities and influencing public debate and foreign policy. They explore the opinions of humanitarian organizations regarding the growth and coverage of the news media, and the organizations' potential to influence the ways the media present humanitarian issues. From Massacres to Genocide examines how U.S. foreign policy and public opinion have been affected by media, and explores the need for public-policy makers, the media, and humanitarian organizations to work together to decrease suffering, educate and involve the public, and develop consistent humanitarian principles.


Vigilance and Vengeance: NGOs Preventing Ethnic Conflict In Divided Countries
EDITED BY ROBERT I. ROTBERG '55
Brookings Institution Press and The World Peace Foundation, 1996

How to stop the ethnic and religious conflicts, civil wars, and war-like conflicts between states that have broken out around the world is the concern of this collection. The essays examine possible preventative measures and focus on whether non-governmental organizations can help achieve peace through "preventive diplomacy." Contributors use case studies of Burundi, Guatemala, Macedonia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and the Sudan to explain theory and practice and to discern what they believe could be successful techniques for preventive diplomacy and early warning.


Let's Read the Arabic Newspapers
BY HOWARD D. ROWLAND '60, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF MILAD RIZKALLAH
International Book Centre, 1997

Rowland's Arabic reader text is designed for intermediate or advanced-level students, and can be used for classroom or self-instruction. The text includes 100 articles from Arabic newspapers that vary in subject and length and are accompanied by glossary and reading-comprehension questions. There are also general-knowledge-enhancing trivia questions and periodic exercises, the answers to which are found in the English translation in the second half of the book. Rowland, who has a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan, has worked as a full time freelance Arabic-English translator and currently teaches Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.


Clinical Trails in Oncology
BY STEPHANIE GREEN '72, JACQUELINE BENEDETTI, JOHN CROWLEY
AND THE SOUTHWEST ONCOLOGY GROUP,
FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER,
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Chapman and Hall, 1997

Written for research oncologists and graduate students in biostatistics, and for statisticians whose work involves cancer clinical trials, this book is an overview of statistical principles and proper design of clinical trials, data collection, and analysis. Focusing on the importance of proper study design and data management, the authors explain the necessity for clear communication and partnership between statisticians and clinicians. They also explore the advantages and disadvantages of specific trials and data-analysis techniques. Green is currently deputy director of the Southwest Oncology Group Statistical Center, a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and fellow of the American Statistical Association.


Judaism Since Gender
EDITED BY MIRIAM PESTOWITZ '86 AND LAURA LEVITT
Routeledge, 1997

Judaism Since Gender offers a radically new concept of Jewish studies and stakes out new intellectual terrain for current debates. Contributors to this book attempt to transcend easy and over-simplified answers, presenting a series of "thoughtful experiments" and personal narratives, and, in doing so, create a new and necessary conversation. Miriam Peskowitz writes about religion and gender and is associate professor of religion at the University of Florida.


Images of the Journey in Dante's Divine Comedy
BY PATRICIA FINLEY '47 AND
CHARLES H. TAAYLOR
Yale University Press, 1997

The work of 15 known and 20 anonymous artists are included in this collection of more than 250 illustrations, each interpreting Dante's poem and depicting the journey to Hell, to Purgatory, or to Paradise. Twenty short essays and commentaries accompany each piece of artwork. In the text, the authors explore the art and the poem, commenting on style and historical context, and presenting Dante's work as an interpretation of his own psychological journey. By finding parallels between the poem and patients, the writers chart a real and literary journey from depression to objective love. Finley is a sculptor and a retired Jungian psychoanalyst.


Spinning Fantasies: Rabbis, Gender and History
BY MIRIAM PESKOWITZ '86
University of California Press, 1997

Spinning Fantasies presents a dramatic revision of our current understanding of rabbinic Judaism and its tensions surrounding gender and sexuality. Illustrating how notions of male and female were developed by the Rabbi, the author argues that gender was most powerful-not in bold pronouncements and restrictions, but in "the ordinary tedium of everyday life, in acts that were familiar and mundane." The book demonstrates why these distinctions have been so important, central, and damaging to this religious tradition. A.J. Levine of Vanderbilt University said, "A brilliant work from a major new voice, Spinning Fantasies is an interdisciplinary masterpiece."


subUrbia
BY ERIC BOGOSIAN '76
Theatre Communications Group, 1995

Described by the New York Times as "Chekhov high on speed and twinkies. A scathing study of rootless youth. As ferocious as Mr. Bogosian's own one-man shows," subUrbia is a full-length play depicting the life and mind of American youth. This "lost generation" is given voice by Bogosian in what the New York Post called "An extraordinary playŠone of those rare absolute-must-sees." Bogosian's work has been translated into three films, including Talk Radio, directed by Oliver Stone. A native of Woburn, Massachusetts, he has received Obie and Drama Desk awards and performed his plays and monologues nationwide.


Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism
BY CHARLES E. HAMBRICK-STOWE
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996

This biography of Charles Finney focuses on his evangelicalism and U.S. theology in the 19th century. The author traces Finney's influence in Presbyterian denominational conflicts, Congregationalism, and the revivalist style still found in much evangelical preaching. Exploring Finney's role in the development of Oberlin College, Hambrick-Stowe asserts that Finney's evangelical theology was enhanced by his work as professor and president of the College. Through his participation in Oberlin's development, Finney is said to have influenced the course of revivalism and the movements for racial justice and educational reform.


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