David Feldman ’90, Bowker, March 2023
Feldman’s wisdom and positive spirit come through in this book about restoring intimacy, connection, and love in marriage. Full of insights on commitment, gratitude, communication, and respect, Feldman’s advice offers practical tips to make relationships flourish again. The book is his first publication as a licensed family and marriage therapist.
Allison Bell ’01, Wise Ink Creative Publishing, September 2023
This public policy book celebrates the Herocrats — government workers who are motivated to eliminate inequities in systems of transportation, housing, education, and more — by inspiring them to lead change from wherever they’re positioned. Bell tells real-life stories from state and local government workers around the country who are using their superpowers of courage, connection, and creativity to make a difference. The founder and CEO of Bellwether Consulting shares best practices from her professional experience and includes 12 strategic missions, dozens of tactical moves, and exercises to practice them.
Nori (Wood) Jabba ’86, 1st World Publishing, May 2023
After more than 30 years in corporate real estate, community development, and consulting, Jabba realized she’d lost her seat at the table when, despite her experience, no one would hire her for employed work again. Eventually she abandoned her job search to study why job hunting is so challenging for middle-aged women. She shares her story, lessons learned, and valuable insights from experts in this memoir and guide to combatting ageism in the workplace.
Julie Fine ’10, Flatiron Books, June 2023
Venice, 1717. Fifteen-year-old Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. As a student at the Ospedale della Pietà, she hopes to become a protege of the great Antonio Vivaldi. After a scandal threatens her noble family’s reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. Maddalena is a Venetian fairytale about the friendship between the two girls. They must decide what it is they truly want — and what they will do to pay for it. Fine is the author of The Upstairs House, winner of the Chicago Review of Books Award for Fiction; and What Should Be Wild, which was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker Superior First Novel Award.
Robert Asbille ’70, Amazon/Kindle, January 2023
This allegorical narrative of the search for enlightenment recounts the story of two ships that travel back in time to search for the lost archives of a professor believed to have learned supernormal powers, such as levitation, from a shaman. Set primarily in Indonesia in 1943, the story has a little sci-fi, historical fiction, romance, and a discussion of the most important principles of yoga.
Caroline Scheaffer Arnold ’66, DHL ’01, Amazon, July 2023
A graphic picture book for young readers illustrated with colorful, anime-style art, My Friend follows Sherry as she tries to convince her best friend that she comes from outer space. Arnold, who majored in art and literature at Grinnell, is the author of more than 170 books for children. Her work has received awards from the American Library Association, and the National Science Teachers Association, among others, and she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the College in 2001.
Grinnell College Associate Professor of Political Science Barry Driscoll, Ohio University Press, July 2023
What makes governments, especially in the developing world, responsive to the few rather than the many? Driscoll explores why electoral competition may lead to worse public services, and why efficient government may be an outcome of patronage politics. Power is a detailed account of local state power dynamics. Driscoll’s research and teaching explores the political economy of development and the state in Africa, focusing on decentralization, local governance, taxation, state capacity, and political parties.
Morrie Schwartz (author), Rob Schwartz ’84 (editor), Blackstone Publishing, April 2023
Wisdom is a meditation by Rob’s late father (of Tuesdays with Morrie fame) filled with empathic insights, stories, anecdotes, and advice on how to get the most out of later stages of life. Rob adds essays that give context and family history. A philosophy major at Grinnell, Rob is a writer, producer, and entrepreneur. His work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, and Variety, among others, and he has been an Asia correspondent for Billboard magazine since 2008.
Becca Rea-Tucker ’15, Harper Wave, October 2022
The creator of the popular Instagram account @thesweetfeminist has written a one-of-a-kind self-care cookbook and guide to baking your way through your emotions. Rea-Tucker has never shied away from adorning her baked goods with her opinions, including her belief that all feelings are valid and deserve to be fully experienced. Baking by Feel offers 65 beautifully photographed recipes and a unique guide to identifying and processing emotions — in the kitchen.
Charles Peppers ’22, Todd C. Peppers, and Russ Ford; University of Virginia Press, March 2023
The Rev. Russ Ford, who served as the head chaplain on Virginia’s death row for 18 years, raged against the inequities of the death penalty while ministering to 28 men condemned to die in the 1980s and 1990s. His unusual ministry makes this memoir a unique and compelling read. Revealing the cruelties of the state-sanctioned violence, Crossing the River Styx serves as a cautionary tale for those who still support capital punishment.
