Recent Books By Alumni BARBARA ANDERSON (M.S.Ed. ’82, C.A.S. ’90, Ph.D. ’97) There Is a Better Way: The Barbara Anderson Story, Publishing Connections Inc. The story of the struggle to break free of a troubled past, this autobiography chronicles Anderson’s days as a high school dropout and teenage mother through her adult years of hard work and perseverance to achieve her dreams. Today she is an assistant principal at Davis Middle School in Hampton. IRWIN M. BERENT ’80 Norfolk, Virginia: A Jewish History of the 20th Century, JewishHistoryUSA.com Publishers Inc. With 250 pages of detailed text, more than 100 photos and an index of over 2,000 names, the book chronicles Norfolk’s Jewish history dating back to the 1700s. It focuses especially on the first half of the 20th century, the Jewish community’s most vibrant period. Berent is founder of the Jewish Genealogical Club of Tidewater, Virginia, the first such organization established outside New York City (1978), and co-compiler of the groundbreaking Jewish Genealogy, the international directory of Jewish family histories and genealogies. D.W. DAMRON ’95 The Best Little Evergreen Ever, Vantage Press. “Dexter had only but one wish,/ And that wish was just to become/ The best little evergreen ever;/ A Christmas tree second-to-none.” Written completely in verse, this short holiday story for children of all ages offers lessons in perseverance, diversity and hope. HELEN FOOSHE (M.S.Ed. ’73; C.A.S. ’79) What Happens to a Child/Or an Idea?, Maximilian Press Publishers. Manager of the bookstore at Unity Renaissance Church in Chesapeake, Fooshe offers a chapbook that juxtaposes ideas and inspirational observations on children – from conception to crib. JAMES N. GIBSON (M.B.A. ’73) Anasazi Princess, Old Mountain Press Inc. Can a well-organized civilization just vanish? It has happened at least once, during the 1200s, and the ruins of that civilization can be seen at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Climbing the ladders to the cliff dwellings in the caverns high above the valley floor, one can’t help but wonder: Who were these people? What was their daily life like, and what caused them to disappear? Gibson, a writer of “speculative fiction,” addresses these questions in his novel, set in the turbulent times following the Civil War. His story relates the events that force Shanni, a Huastec princess, to lead her people on a dangerous journey away from Mesa Verde in search of their mythical home. LENORE HART (M.F.A. ’00) Waterwoman, Berkley Publishing Group. Set in the early 1900s on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Hart’s debut novel tells the story of 19-year-old Annie Revels and her younger sister as they enter womanhood. When their father dies suddenly, Annie suits up in her dad’s belted trousers and oversized shirts, becoming a full-time “waterwoman” at a time when girls were never seen on the water. But will she have to give up her own dreams to take care of her family? Ultimately a story about the fierce and unconditional love between sisters, Waterwoman was a Barnes & Noble Discover © Pick for summer 2002. ALEXANDER LEIDHOLDT (Ph.D. ’91) Editor for Justice: The Life of Louis I. Jaffé, Louisiana State University Press. Editor of Norfolk’s Virginian-Pilot from 1919-50, Jaffé was one of the South’s leading and most respected liberal journalists and a champion of human rights. A Jew who faced prejudice himself, Jaffé worked tirelessly to advance racial understanding, successfully lobbying locally for black parks and beaches, black police and a black college. Leidholdt’s biography includes an account of Jaffé’s editorial attacks on mob justice and his campaign urging Virginia lawmakers to adopt stiff anti-lynching legislation. The author also explores the complex interrelationships between the personal and the political, the private life and the public one. RICHARD H. OWENS (M.A. ’73) Vigilance and Virtue: A Biography of General and Ambassador Horace Porter, 1837-1921, Edwin Mellen Press. The story of Horace Porter, who as a young man was a devoted aide to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Vigilance and Virtue offers interesting commentary on the emergence of the United States as a world power and many of the diplomatic and international issues around the turn of the 20th century. The biography follows Porter through his career as ambassador to France and beyond. The president of West Liberty State College in West Virginia, Owens is also the author of Conspiracy of Terror (America House Book Publishers, 2000), a political action thriller set against the panorama of Washington, D.C., with historical allusions to the American Revolution and Nazi Germany. MESHA D. WALLACE (M.S.Ed. ’97) From the Sentiments of My Heart, HE Create Publishing. A collection of inspirational and motivational poems, prayers and spiritual messages, this chapbook was written, says the author, “to draw readers to an insight of their supernatural strengths, from the divine power above and within.” MICHAEL R. WOODFORD (M.S. ’90) Serenity of the Lily, Classroom Earth Publications. A simple, yet powerful story based on events related to the loss of two of the author’s own children, Serenity shares an intimate look at what goes on in a family dealing with the death of a child, and offers hope to those who have experienced it. The first novel in Woodford’s Serenity Prayer Trilogy, the story chronicles the premature birth and subsequent struggles of a young family to bring a special child into the world, only to face the prospect of her death. Calling All Authors If you have published a book recently, let us know. Please send a copy, along with any promotional material or reviews, to: Steve Daniel, Old Dominion University magazine, 100 Koch Hall, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va. 23529. All submissions will be considered for review.