University of Michigan Press Blog

Reading Hurts: Austin Sarat and Paul Kahn Question the Sacrifice of Life for the State

(originally published July 8, 2009 on CUNY Radio Podcasts)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Austin Sarat, author of Pain, Death, and the Law, and Paul Kahn, author of Sacred Violence, examine how religious ideas and the use of “sacred violence” play a significant role in modern secular philosophy, political theory and ultimately, the state itself. 

"Guns and Liberty" University of Hartford Event on C-SPAN

Joshua Horowitz and Casey Anderson are the authors of Guns, Democracy, and the Insurrectionist Idea

Robert H. Churchill is the author of To Shake Their Guns in the Tyrant's Face: Libertarian Political Violence and the Origins of the Militia Movement 

About the Program

CLICK TO WATCH: C-SPAN Event at Hartford University, June 17, 2009

(if pop-up blocked, click red "f" button under "Watch")

Left-of-center authors argue that the belief that guns are needed to stave off government tyranny is fundamentally incorrect and that insurrectionists are the real threat to freedom. Conversely, a libertarian examines the origins and growth of the militia movement. The two books were presented together in Hartford.

Murder Takes A Road Trip to Sutton's Bay

by Mardi Link, author of the forthcoming Isadore's Secret and bestseller When Evil Came to Good Hart

Thursday night the Murder Takes A Road Trip book tour rolled into Suttons Bay, pages a'blazin'.

If the photo above appears a little blurry, chalk it up to road dust. That's Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli on the left, Aaron Stander in the middle, and me on the right. No cookies at the library, but a great crowd and even a nod this morning on Facebook. Plus, a stroll afterwards over to Brilliant Books to sign and chat.

For a complete schedule of Mardi's upcoming events, click here.

Michigan Murder, Homemade Cookies

by Mardi Link, author of the forthcoming Isadore's Secret and bestseller When Evil Came to Good Hart

Last night was the first stop on the "Murder Takes a Road Trip" book tour I'm currently on with two fellow writers, Elizabeth Buzzelli and Aaron Stander. The three of us -- and we're privately calling ourselves the co-conspirators -- chatted up a good-sized crowd at the Bellaire Public Library.

For a complete schedule of Mardi's upcoming events, click here.

Sarah Palin's Resignation According to John White

John White, author of the forthcoming book: Barack Obama's America, provides a series of views on American society.

Sarah Palin's resignation is the biggest political story of the summer.  But the speculation as to why the Alaska governor resigned her post, misses an important story.  When Republicans have been successful, they have put forward leaders whose personal story is emblematic of the times.  Richard Nixon and his throughly middle-class background is a case in point. 

On the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, Looking Ahead

On July 20th, 1969, U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin descended to the moon while Michael Collins orbited in the Apollo 11 module. Forty years later, Aldrin and Collins advocate aiming for Mars...But any "Space Race" depends on the direction U.S. Science Policy as a whole takes in the next few years. Key decisions in the fields of energy, transportation, industry, environmental policy, national defense, and medical research and development all hinge on funding that could also be allocated to a Mars Mission, and all deserve attention. So 40 years after landing on the moon and 52 years after the launch of Sputnik 1, where are we? And where does the U.S. go from here?

Click below for more information on Beyond Sputnik: U.S. Science Policy in the 21st Century, by Homer Neal, Tobin Smith, and Jennifer McCormick, including "Look Inside" features, table of contents, chapter summaries, sample chapter, author commentary, reviews, classroom resources from professors using Beyond Sputnik, and more.

Author David Kairys: Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings Are...Hard to Watch

by David Kairys, author of Philadelphia Freedom, Memoir of a Civil Rights Lawyer.

(Orginally posted July 16, 2009, on the blog of the American Constitution Society)

"It's hard for me to watch the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, not only because of the Senators' generally unfocused, rambling questions. Conservatives and many of their most cherished values and ideas were just resoundingly defeated in an election. Congress is overwhelmingly Democratic, with 60 Democrats in control of the Senate, which will vote on the nomination. Yet, the hearings and the media coverage of them are dominated by conservatives and conservative ideas about law and justice, and a lack serious criticism of the last three decades of conservative dominance of the courts.

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, July 15-18

Downtown Ann Arbor has come to life with the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. Opening today, the art fair is one of the largest, and best in the country. With 4 fairs running simultaneously in the heart of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus, there's something for all art lovers. 

Photo: Cynthia Davis, Art Fair

Be sure to look for UMP author, Cynthia Davis' booth while you're there! Davis' booth is located at: Space #375 - Corner of Main Street and Liberty, West side of Main. Davis's unique style of hand-altered Polaroid photographs captures the beauty of the Great Lakes in five books, all available for sale at the fair. To learn more about the author and the event, click here.

Click on each title to learn more about Cynthia Davis' books: Ann Arbor, Chicago, Detroit, Saugatuck & Douglas, Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula.

Authors Out and About: Joshua Horwitz & Casey Anderson

Check out pictures from the June 9th launch party for Guns, Democracy, and the Insurrectionist Idea by authors Joshua Horowitz and Casey Anderson. View the complete Flickr photostream from the event HERE. 

Gang Portent - A Case That Has It All

by Tom Diaz, author of No Boundaries: Transnational Latino Gangs and American Law Enforcement

Los Angeles Police Department Detective Frank Flores is a nationally-recognized expert on the transnational Latino gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).  The gang operates in much of the United States, Central America, Mexico, and lately in Canada.

When I first interviewed Flores in March 2007 I had no idea that just months before he had been the target of an assassination by MS-13.  The plot became public last month when a 66-page federal racketeering indictment was unsealed.  It charges that in December 2006 “shot-callers” (leaders) of the gang’s Hollywood “clique” set in motion a plan to whack Flores, designating a hit-man and providing a handgun to do the job.