Bookshelf

What's Been Happening

Walking Blues: Making Americans from Emerson to Elvis by Tim Parrish, UNT associate professor of English (University of Massachusetts Press). Parrish presents American identity as a process that can be understood within the philosophical tradition of pragmatism. While the roots of pragmatism are found in the writings of philosophers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and William and Henry James, Parrish says the same approach informs the work of writers and artists such as Ralph Ellison, Son House, Elvis Presley and James Brown. They recognize the connection between thought and action that has allowed Americans to define who they are through what they do.

Creek Indian Medicine Ways: The Enduring Power of Mvskoke Religion by David Lewis Jr. and Ann T. Jordan, UNT associate professor of anthropology (University of New Mexico Press). The Creek Indians of Oklahoma, called the Mvskoke in their language, still practice traditional medicine. Lewis, a Mvskoke medicine man, describes the tradition and Jordan puts his story in historical context, tracing written accounts of the Mvskoke religion from the 18th century to the present. Lewis' great-grandfather is mentioned in anthropologist John Swanton's classic works on Mvskoke medicine and culture.

Mistress of Manifest Destiny: A Biography of Jane McManus Storm Cazneau (1807-1878) by Linda Sybert Hudson ('99 Ph.D.) of Carthage (Texas State Historical Association). This biography of Cazneau, the adventurous Texas land speculator, journalist, political adviser and publicist who helped shape U.S. domestic and foreign policy from the 1840s to the 1870s, received the Fehrenbach Award from the Texas Historical Commission for 2001. The award annually recognizes the best book published on Texas history. The book also received an honorable mention from the Texas Institute of Letters for making “the most significant contribution to knowledge.” Hudson is an assistant professor of history and acting chair of the history department at East Texas Baptist University.

Chance Encounters: True Stories of Unforeseen Meetings With Unanticipated Results by the late A.C. Greene, who was Director Emeritus of the Center for Texas Studies at UNT (Bright Sky Press). In this collection of stories published in July, Greene describes his brushes with the famous and the not-so-famous over his lifetime. The longtime Dallas Morning News columnist, who died in April, relates encounters from his boyhood days to his newspaper work in Dallas and tells of meetings with Ronald Reagan in Abilene, Roy Rogers in South Philadelphia, T.S. Eliot in Austin, Jack Ruby in Dallas, and Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood on their honeymoon. Also included are stories of Bill Mauldin, Mickey Mantle, Larry Hagman, Ross Perot, Artie Shaw, Stanley Marcus, Lyndon Johnson, Ann Richards, George Bush and George W. Bush.

Forgiving Judas by Walter Stephen Marquardt ('89 M.S.) of Athens, Ga. (iUniverse). Set in the fictional town of Stoneridge, Marquardt's first novel takes place over three days, several months after the death of 18-year-old narrator Neal McLean's best friend. Neal is convinced the death was not an accident but a suicide, and he isolates himself in an attempt to deal not only with the loss of his friend, but also with feelings of guilt and betrayal. Marquardt has previously published short stories and poetry, and he's currently at work on a sequel to Forgiving Judas.

The Osu Caste System in Igboland: A Challenge for Nigerian Democracy by Victor E. Dike ('89 M.S.) of Sacramento, Calif. (Morris Publishing). Dike examines the origins of the caste system in some Nigerian communities that ascribes inferior status to the “Osu,” and he calls for its eradication. He is an information technology instructor at the California College of Technology and adjunct assistant professor of computer information systems with the Los Rios Community College District. He is also the author of Democracy and Political Life in Nigeria (Ahmadu Bello University Press).

Quick! How Do You Dial 9-1-1? Lifelines and Laughlines of a Firefighter Paramedic by Randy Nickerson ('98) of Valley View (Tattersall Publishing). Nickerson, who has been a firefighter and paramedic with the Denton Fire Department since 1979, shares tales from his experiences on the job, some humorous and some sobering. Chapters include “Call President Reagan, He Knows My Case,” “The Seatbelt Sign is Now On,” “I Double-Dog Dare Ya!” and “You Have the Right to Remain Stupid.”

The Eisenhower Court and Civil Liberties by Theodore M. Vestal ('55) of Tulsa, Okla. (Praeger Publishers). Vestal evaluates the record of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1962, before the John F. Kennedy-Lyndon B. Johnson appointments rounded out the court, under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren. By concentrating on the early period of the Warren court, Vestal illuminates the impact of the Dwight D. Eisenhower-appointed justices and reveals their contributions to civil liberties. Vestal is a professor of political science at Oklahoma State University.

Other Media

Second Wind by Pete Brewer of Dallas (Pic Records). Brewer, who attended UNT from 1974 to 1976 before going on tour with the Woody Herman Orchestra, plays tenor sax and flute on the CD and wrote many of the songs. Sitting in with him on several tracks are UNT jazz faculty Dan Haerle ('66 M.M.), piano; Fred Hamilton, guitar and bass; and Ed Soph ('68), drums.