Recent Books By Alumni

ALUMNI
ALFRED M. ALBERS (M.S.Ed. ’97), Of Ghosts and Magic, Infinity Publishing. No one knew if Alex Holloman’s disappearance, in 1974, was the result of foul play. However, 27 years later, the mystery is finally solved by America’s foremost magician, John Michaels. That is the synopsis of a new book by Al Albers, a retired U.S. Navy serviceman who has studied magic for more than 30 years. A part-time professional magician since 1981, he is the author and publisher of The Complete Guide to Teaching Magic. InfinityPublishing.com

J.K. (KEN) BRANDAU ’71, Murder at Green Springs: The True Story of the Hall Case, Firestorm of Prejudices, Morgan James Publishing. It is, the author claims, a “story so remarkable that it compelled a chemist to write history!” Brandau, a senior chemist with Northrop Grumman Corp., tells the story of a sensational murder case from 1914 in Louisa County, Va. When station master and express agent Victor Hall was murdered, the case invoked both railroad and state jurisdictions. On poor advice, his widow hired her own Pinkerton man. The array of investigators, working in a politically pressurized atmosphere, reached consensus, fingering Mrs. Hall. Later, after realizing they had convicted an innocent widow, the affair was swept under the rug and the trial transcript discarded. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

LENORE HART (M.F.A. ’00), Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher, St. Martin’s Press. This is the untold story of America’s original sweetheart. Far from the simpering, moony-eyed little girl of Tom Sawyer, Hart portrays Becky as an audacious, firecracker of a girl who defied the confines of her time and sex to become a progressive and brave woman. In her imaginative novel, Hart breathes new life into an icon of American girlhood and along the way brings a female perspective to the historically male-dominated stories of the Civil War and Wild West. Readers will meet a cast of familiar fictional and historical characters, but most memorably, they’ll meet the real Becky Thatcher, a wildly conflicted woman fighting to carve a future out of her famous past. www.stmartins.com

SUSAN SHONTZ HUGHES ’87 (M.S.Ed. ’90), I Am Mommy, Lulu. Hughes was immersed in her career. She had prepared for years for this time in her life – she was financially independent and moving step by step up the corporate ladder. That was the true definition of success, or so she thought. Then it happened: marriage, pregnancy and – redefinition. Hughes explores the working mom vs. stay-at-home mom debate, using her humorous though honest recollection of the birth of her son and the challenges and joys that followed. Her journey convinces her that motherhood is the most important and most powerful job there is, and that kids, not career, should be a mother’s top priority. Lulu.com

HILDA PRINCIPE ’72, My Red Hat Grandma & Me, Tate Publishing. The first book in the My Red Hat Grandma Tells Purple Stories series for children features 4-year-old Kit, who tells about her special, magical and creative grandmother. It explores the special bond between grandparent and grandchild. Principe is a former teacher at First Colonial and Kempsville high schools in Virginia Beach, and Tidewater Community College. www.tatepublishing.com

MELISA WELLS ’91, Remembering Ruby: For Families Living Beyond the Loss of a Pet, Outskirts Press Inc. This children’s book is the story about a boy, his dog and the relationship that develops between them. When Ruby becomes terminally ill, the boy and his family must cope with their feelings ... and live beyond the loss. Black-and-white photos accompany the first-person story, and a “Guide for Parents” is included to assist parents with allowing their children to grieve in their own way. OutskirtsPress.com

OUR FACULTY
LORRAINE LEES, University Professor of history, Yugoslav-Americans and National Security During World War II, University of Illinois Press. Lees’ book explores the persistent tension between ethnicity and national security during the war, and provides insights into similar attitudes that have arisen throughout periods of crisis in American history, including recent events. www.press.uillinois.edu

LYTTON MUSSELMAN, Mary Payne Hogan Professor of botany, Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran, Timber Press. This lavishly illustrated edition celebrates more than 100 plants – ranging from acacia, the wood of the tabernacle, to wormwood, whose bitter leaves flavor absinthe – that are named in the Old Testament and New Testament, including the Apocrypha, as well as in the Quran. Many chapters clear up references that may confuse modern readers. www.timberpress.com

LAWRENCE WEINSTEIN, University Professor of physics, and JOHN ADAM, University Professor of mathematics and statistics, Guesstimation: Solving the World’s Problems on the Back of a Cocktail Napkin, Princeton University Press. This collaborative effort is aimed at teaching people how to estimate by applying universal laws to everyday questions. This practice, Weinstein says, helps us make sense of our world and keeps us from jumping to conclusions or formulating opinions that do not conform to universal laws. press.princeton.edu

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.