MICHAEL LASSER ’57
Say It with a Beautiful Song: The Art and Craft of the Great American Songbook
Rowman & Littlefield
The 40-year host of Fascinatin’ Rhythm, a nationally syndicated public radio show, offers a well-researched guide to American popular songs from the late 1800s through the 1950s. He packs in entertaining anecdotes and observations about the wordplay, wit, cultural subtexts, and back stories of many favorites.
RICHARD L. CATES JR. ’74
A Creek Runs Through This Driftless Land: A Farm Family’s Journey Toward a Land Ethic
Little Creek Press
The coowner of a fourth-generation family farm in Wisconsin details the joy of living in harmony with the landscape. His contemporary account is more than the story of raising grass-fed beef cattle on rolling pastures. It’s also a comprehensive look at the land’s history and use—and the people and species that lived and live there.
ROBERT B. CHARLES ’82
Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness
Tower Publishing
Aiming his book to serve as an antidote to cynicism, a former assistant secretary of state celebrates the grit and selflessness of people he has known, from Colin Powell, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan to Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton and astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Walt Cunningham, and Gene Cernan.
ALLEN JAMES FROMHERZ ’02
The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present
University of California Press
World history began in the Gulf, a global crossroads for more than 4,000 years. In this sweeping and accessible history, a Georgia State University professor examines this region at the heart of worldwide trade and cross-cultural encounters and delves into the ancient and evolving roots of many modern-day conflicts.
MARY LIZA HARTONG ’16, ADV’18
Love and Hot Chicken: A Delicious Southern Novel
HarperCollins
Set in Pennywhistle, Tennessee, this spicy, queer romance—the author’s first novel—centers around the town’s funky Chickie Shak, a restaurant with sunflowers planted in toilets out front, which sponsors the hilariously ribald and retro Hot Chicken Pageant. Two women working there fall in love and embark on the search for the birth mother of one, catapulting the pair into a mystery that might better have been left unsolved.
