Two University of Michigan Press titles were selected as 2010 Michigan Notable Books recently.
Arnie Bernstein won for his book, Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing. As the committee described it "On
May 18, 1927, an explosion rocked the small town of Bath, in Clinton
County, when dynamite planted by Andrew Kehoe detonated in the basement
of the local school. In this dramatic history of the horrific tragedy
that claimed more than 40 lives (most of them schoolchildren),
including Kehoe and his wife, the author skillfully explores the
origins and events leading up to the tragedy, the terrible destruction
at the school and Kehoe's farm, and how the stunned community struggled
to cope in the immediate aftermath."
Also winning was Mardi Link's Isadore's Secret: Sin, Murder, and Confession in a Northern Michigan Town. Said the committee: "An
astonishing story of a nun who was murdered in Isadore nearly 100 years
ago. Years after the nun's disappearance, her bones were found, but
only when local law enforcement found out about this murder as gossip
spread through the town was anything done to find out who killed the
nun, Sister Janina. A compelling story and a well-researched and
carefully written account of the events that affected Isadore and its
Catholic Polish population so greatly."
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The University of Michigan Press is pleased to announce its newest milestone: 500 books available for sale in digital editions ranging from Kindle to academic subscription. In addition to other academic and commercial outlets, UMP digital books are now available for sale for the first time on the Press’s new electronic shopping cart. To check out the growing list of titles available for sale in e- and audiobook formats, visit www.press.umich.edu/ebooks.
The Press made a commitment to leadership in digital printing when it officially became part of the University of Michigan Library in July. The offering of this many digital versions of books previously available only in print is an important step in that process. There are now 500 titles, ranging from backlist academic texts to freshly published trade paperbacks, posting for sale in a variety of electronic formats. About half will be available in December 2009; the rest will post in January 2010. This list will continue to grow as the Press pursues its goal of providing almost its entire backlist in electronic format for digital distribution around the world.
“This landmark achievement signals our full entrance as a player in the world of digital books,” Press Director Phil Pochoda said. “Coming right on the heels of the installation of our own digital shopping cart, it signifies that our digital bona fides are second to none in the university press world.”
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The University of Michigan Press and the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) are pleased to announce the launch of The University of Michigan Series in Digital Humanities@digitalculturebooks and the UM/ HASTAC Digital Humanities Publication Prize. The series editors are Julie Thompson Klein (Wayne State University), Tara McPherson (University of Southern California) and Tom Finholt (University of Michigan). The series advisory board members are Cathy Davidson (Duke University), Sidonie Smith (University of Michigan), Daniel Herwitz (University of Michigan), Wendy Chun (Brown University), and Kathleen Fitzpatrick (Pomona College).
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Check out the story of the case that set the legal precedent for how the United States legislates on this topic--a tale of nativists, progressives, the Catholic Church, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Supreme Court.
CROSS PURPOSES: Pierce v. Society of Sisters and the Struggle Over Compulsory Education, by Paula Abrams I Cloth: 978-0-472-11700-0
About: In 1922, the people of Oregon passed legislation requiring all children to attend public schools. For the nativists and progressives who had campaigned for the Oregon School Bill, it marked the first victory in a national campaign to homogenize education—and ultimately the populace. Private schools, both secular and religious, vowed to challenge the law. The Catholic Church, the largest provider of private education in the country and the primary target of the Ku Klux Klan campaign, stepped forward to lead the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Book Review: NO MIDDLE GROUND: How Informal Party Organizations Control Nominations and Polarize Legislatures, by Seth Masket I Cloth: 978-0-472-11689-8
Originally published in Public Opinion Quarterly, 11/9/09
by Matthew S. Levendusky, University of Pennsylvania
No Middle Ground offers a novel and intriguing theory to explain the polarization in contemporary legislatures: informal party organizations (interest groups, activists, and various political insiders) drive elite polarization via their control over primary elections. Because candidates need the support of activists and party insiders to win primary elections, they adopt extreme positions to appease these individuals. The sources of elite polarization are outside the chamber, rather than inside it.
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As the debate about the appropriate United States military strategy in Afghanistan continues with Obama's latest announcement of a troop surge, the study of international conflict becomes increasingly relevant in a region that even Alexander the Great could not conquer. Review the works of leading international studies scholars in Handbook of War Studies II and Handbook of War Studies III, both edited by Manus I. Midlarksky. More info below:
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President Barack Obama will face the central challenge of explaining why he is escalating an eight-year-old war in Afghanistan that is increasingly unpopular by committing 30,000 more U.S. troops, while he also outlines plans for ending it, in a detailed address. Read more at the Washington Post...
U.S. Army Field Manual No. 3-07
The United States Army / Paper: 978-0-472-03390-4 / $15.00
ABOUT: With a focus on transforming conflict, managing violence when it does occur and maintaining stable peace, The U.S. Army Stability Operations Field Manual (otherwise known as FM 3-07) signals a stark departure from traditional military doctrine. The Army officially acknowledges the complex continuum from conflict to peace, outlines the military's responsibility to provide stability and security, and recognizes the necessity of collaboration, coordination, and cooperation among military, state, commercial, and non-government organizations in nation-building efforts.
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Four million adults in the United States say that becoming famous is the most important goal in their lives. What motivates those who set fame as their priority, where did the desire come from, how does the pursuit of fame influence their lives, and how is it expressed?
Based on the research of Dr. Orville Gilbert Brim, award-winning scholar in the field of child and human development, Look at Me! answers those questions.
Dr. Brim has had a long and distinguished career. He is the former director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development, former president of the Foundation for Child Development, former president of the Russell Sage Foundation, and author and coauthor of more than a dozen books about human development, intelligence, ambition, and personality.
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