Bookshelf

The World I Live In by Lou Paterno ’54. A personal work of prose and pictures that spans three generations, featuring philosophy, whimsy and reminiscences (Infinity Publishing, $18.05).

Recollections In Tranquility by Jay Martin ’56. The author, a professor and psychoanalyst, describes his epistolary history with writers he knew as a young man (Art Bookbindery).

Carter by David Schiff ’67. The first biography of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Elliot Carter, written by his former student and close associate (Oxford University Press, $34.95).

Britt & Jimmy Strike Out by Stephen Salisbury ’69. Salisbury, a longtime journalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, dives into fiction with this timely satire about a futuristic controlled society (Alternative Book Press, $19.99).

Red Scare in the Green Mountains: Vermont in the McCarthy Era 1946–1960 by Rick Winston ’69. In nine stories, Winston explores how the small “rock-ribbed Republican” state handled the anti-Communist hysteria of the time (Rootstock Publishing, $16.95).

Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Youth Refugees from Central America edited by Jonathan Freedman ’72 and Steven Mayers. Fifteen young narrators describe how and why they fled their homes to seek safety and protection in the United States (Haymarket Books, $19.95).

Latinxs, the Bible, and Migration edited by Efraín Agosto ’77 and Jacqueline Hidalgo ’00. A collection of essays that examine the conjunction between migration and biblical texts with a focus on Latinx histories and experiences (Palgrave Macmillan, $139.99).

Hearts Set Free: A Novel by Jess Lederman ’77. Characters develop their relationship with God in three interwoven stories that feature historic figures such as mobster Bugsy Siegel and boxer Jack Johnson (Azure Star, $12.95).

Righteous Assassin: A Mike Stoneman Thriller by Kevin Chapman ’83. NYPD detective Stoneman and his partner, Jason Dickson, attempt to solve four murders that all occur on the last Saturday night of the month (independently published, $11.99).

AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Kai-Fu Lee ’83. AI expert Lee describes how significant advances in technology will affect human history (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28).

The Kenyan TJRC: An Outsider’s View from the Inside by Ronald C. Slye ’84. A definitive history of the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, established in 2008 to come to terms with systematic human rights violations in the region (Cambridge University Press, $34.95).

Infinite Baseball: Notes from a Philosopher at the Ballpark by Alva Noë ’86. The author examines the unexpected ways in which America’s Pastime is a philosophical game (Oxford University Press, $21.95).

Life After Suicide: Finding Courage, Comfort & Community After Unthinkable Loss by Dr. Jennifer Ashton ’91. Ashton, the chief medical correspondent at ABC News, opens up in a “heartbreaking, yet hopeful” memoir about surviving the suicide of a loved one (William Morrow, $24.99).

Same Same: A Novel by Peter Mendelsund ’91. The celebrated book designer’s first work of fiction is a darkly humorous look at what it means to exist and to create (Vintage, $17.95).

So You’re Going Bald! by Jonathan Goldblatt ’95. Written under the pen name Julius Sharpe, this comic “bald memoir” is a guide to appreciating life as you lose your hair (Harper, $27.99).

The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel by Julie Satow ’96. A juicy look at how this New York City icon has symbolized money, glamour and high society for more than a century (Twelve, $29).

Becoming a Veterinarian by Boris Kachka ’97. Part of the Masters at Work book series, journalist Kachka discovers how a popular childhood dream job becomes a real career (Simon & Schuster, $18).

Ask a Native New Yorker: Hard-Earned Advice on Surviving and Thriving in the Big City by Jake Dobkin ’98. The co-founder of Gothamist spins one of the website’s most popular columns into a book of original essays that offer practical information about the Big Apple (Harry N. Abrams, $19.99).

Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman ’03. An aspiring violinist from Appalachia joins a New York City classical music ensemble that turns out to be a sham (W.W. Norton & Co., $25.95).

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna: A Novel by Juliet Grames ’05. In Grames’s fiction debut, an unusually unlucky Italian girl and her family emigrate to America on the cusp of WWII (Ecco, $27.99).

— Jill C. Shomer