Bookshelf

Maria La Divina: A Novel of Maria Callas by Jerome Charyn ’59. In his latest biographical novel, Charyn — the author of more than 50 works of fiction and non- fiction — humanizes the celebrated diva, revealing a mythical artist and survivor (Bellevue Literary Press, $17.99).

Reflections on a Fulfilling Career: Law to Foundations to Public Service and More by Martin S. Kaplan ’61. Kaplan’s candid and humorous memoir details a professional life that encompassed his many areas of interest (independently published, $25).

Saul Bellow: “I Was a Jew and an American and a Writer” by Gerald Sorin ’62. Offering fresh perspective on the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning author, Sorin emphasizes Bellow’s Jewish identity as being fundamental to both (Indiana University Press, $48).

Culture Wars in American Education: Past and Present Struggles Over the Symbolic Order by Michael R. Olneck ’68. Olneck questions the norms and values of the American school system, and elaborates how symbolic representations are used to draw boundaries, allocate status, and legitimize authority and power (Routledge, $44.79).

Poor Things: How Those with Money Depict Those without It by Lennard J. Davis ’70. Canonical works by Dickens, Steinbeck and others portray the impoverished living abject, degrading lives; David labels the genre “poornography,” and explains how these harmful literary stereotypes build barriers to social change (Duke University Press, $21.56).

Earth System Geophysics by Steven R. Dickman ’72. Geophysics can show us how our planet works; it provides the tools for understanding interactions between its different components: the solid earth, oceans, atmosphere and biosphere (American Geophysical Union, $110.75).

Into Starry Outer Space: A Solar System Pop-Up by Joel Stern ’75. With illustrations by Vivian Mineker, this board book by the creator of In the Holly Jolly North Pole takes young readers to space for incredible sights and galactic fun facts (Little Simon, $12.75).

The Enduring Enterprise: How Family Businesses Thrive in Turbulent Conditions by Devin DeCiantis and Ivan Lansberg ’77. The authors offer powerful insights about resilience and success, derived from advising complex family businesses worldwide (PublicAffairs, $32).

Conquering the Hill: The Remarkable Journey to the Greatest Gridiron Victory in Cincinnati Public School’s History by Dr. Gregory J. Fry ’82. In this amusing and aspirational redemption tale, Fry provides a unique portrayal of two urban schools’ legendary 1978 Thanksgiving Day Classic (Orange Frazer Press, $22).

The Glass Gift and Other Stories by Lloyd Lim ’87. Lim’s third collection of short stories spans multiple genres; in settings ranging from a WWI battleground to the first human colony on Mars, he explores universal themes such as frailty, love and loss (Outskirts Press, $15.99).

“You’re Muted”: Performance, Precarity, and the Logic of Zoom Edited by Mark Nunes ’87 and Cassandra Ozog. This group of essays examines the rapid emergence of videoconferencing in everyday life and the ongoing implications for individuals and institutions (Bloomsbury Academic, $39.95).

We Would Never: A Novel by Tova Mirvis ’95. The Boston Globe calls Mirvis’ fifth novel, inspired by a true story, “an intellectual mystery — part whodunit, part whydunit, and heavy on the complexities of family dynamics; asking: ‘How far would you go to protect those you love?’” (Avid Reader Press, $28.99).

Breathless: Surgical Tales from the Brink (and Back) by Dr. Tali Lando ’00. This set of true stories from Lando, a pediatric airway surgeon, takes readers behind closed doors of a modern trauma hospital to experience life and death in the O.R. (Silver Linings Media, $19.25).

Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Moudhy Al-Rashid ’05. Millennia ago, Mesopotamians wrote things down for the first time; historian Al-Rashid brings their lives — their anxieties, aspirations and intimacies — vividly close to our own (W.W. Norton & Co., $31.99).

— Jill C. Shomer