Bookshelf

Troubleshooter: J.K. Choy, From Pirate’s Son to Diplomat and Banker by Dr. Daniel Choy ’44. Choy’s biography of his father, Jun Ke Choy CC 1915, who left Hawaii in 1911 and rose to a top government post in China before finding success in the United States as a banker and community advocate (Independently published, $14.99).

Smack in the Middle: My Turbulent Time Treating Heroin Addicts at Odyssey House by Gibbs Williams ’59. Psychotherapist Williams describes his work treating addicts in a Manhattan therapeutic community over 17 months in the late 1960s (History Publishing Co., $19.95).

Birds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season by Roger Pasquier ’69. The first book devoted to the ecology and behavior of birds during cold weather; Pasquier explores how winter affects birds’ lives throughout the year (Princeton University Press, $29.95).

Volunteer: Adventures in Humanism by Dr. Daniel Albert ’70. In addition to practicing medicine in academic institutions, Albert made it his life’s work to volunteer in disenfranchised areas around the world (Austin Macauley Publishers, $35.95).

Returning from Afar: A Memoir by Benson Bobrick ’71. This dramatic farewell work from the author The New York Times described as “perhaps the most interesting American historian writing today” is part memoir, part religious autobiography (Stillwater Books, $16.95).

Phebe’s War: A Revolutionary War Tale by Michael Coudreaut ’85. Despite constant threat from the British armies, a young girl living in the Hudson Highlands plays a critical role in assisting the Revolutionary War effort (Hellgate Press, $12.95).

The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier and Fitter — One Month at a Time by Dr. Jennifer Ashton ’91. Ashton, chief medical correspondent for ABC News and an ob-gyn in private practice, shares a yearlong plan to improve your physical and emotional health (William Morrow, $26.99).

PACE by K.M. Halpern ’91. Halpern’s third work of fiction, about a mysterious and deadly “front” originating from Scotland, is described as “a pitch-black global thriller that is nevertheless supremely intimate” (Epsilon Books, $29.99).

The Financial Ecosystem: The Role of Finance in Achieving Sustainability by Satyajit Bose ’94, Guo Dong and Anne Simpson. Bose, an associate professor at the School of Professional Studies, and his co-authors describe how corporate functioning could be made compatible with human welfare (Palgrave Macmillan, $119.99).

The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park ’97. In Park’s debut YA rom-com, a lovable hero and his colleague at a zombie-themed escape room compete in a survivalist competition for a huge cash prize (Sourcebooks Fire, $10.99).

The Pearls by Will Heinrich ’99. Heinrich, an art critic for The New York Times, considers painting, love, Jewish identity and more in this novel about a raucous 1920s love triangle that crosses the country from New York City to Sheridan, Wyo. (Elective Affinity, $25).

Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church by Phoebe Farag Mikhail ’00. The author explains how to experience joy through seven spiritual practices, including giving thanks, hospitality and praise (Paraclete Press, $16.99).

Bricks & Brownstone: The New York Row House by Patrick Ciccone ’03, Charles Lockwood and Jonathan D. Taylor. This beautifully illustrated reissued volume, first published in 1972, examines the varied architectural styles of the New York City brownstone (Rizzoli, $176).

The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World by Adam Waytz ’03. Social psychologist Waytz describes how to “rehumanize” our technology-filled lives by reconnecting with our natural, instinctive powers (W.W. Norton & Co., $26.95).

Financializing Poverty: Labor and Risk in Indian Microfinance by Sohini Kar ’04. Kar examines how the business of giving small loans to poor borrowers has allowed financial institutions in Kolkata, India, to capitalize on the poverty of its residents (Stanford University Press, $90).

The Influence of Soros: Politics, Power and the Struggle for Open Society by Emily Tamkin ’12. Tamkin, an editor at the New Statesman, considers the influence of hedge und tycoon George Soros and uncovers the truth about the conspiracies that surround him (Harper, $28.99).

— Jill C. Shomer