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Books by Virginia Tech alumni

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Fall 2011
BOOK NOTES
• NONFICTION
Critical/Reference

Larry G. Aaron (biology '68), "The Wreck of the Old 97," historical reference, History Press.

Jim Battle (mechanical engineering '70), "Scriptures Alive!–How to Study the Bible," reference, self-published.

Bo Begole (Ph.D. computer science '98), "Ubiquitous Computing for Business," reference, Financial Times Press.

Stephen Bloch (mathematics '86), "Picturing Programs: An Introduction to Computer Programming," textbook, College Publications.

Mike Cadden (English '86, elementary education '87, M.A. '89), editor, "Telling Children's Stories: Narrative Theory and Children's Literature," critical essays, University of Nebraska Press. Cadden also published "Ursula K. Le Guin Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Adults," critical, Routledge.

Christine Davis (communication '79), "Death: The Beginning of a Relationship," reference, ethnography of hospice organization, Hampton Press. Davis, et al., also published "Straight Talk about Communication Research Methods," reference, Kendall-Hunt Publishing.

Richard D. Dickerson (economics '69) and J.K. Harris, "Sales Flashpoint: Fifteen Strategies for Rapid-Fire Sales Growth," reference, Entrepreneur Press.

Evan S. Fiedler (biology '90), "Come Run with Me," reference, running/marathons, self-published.

Mickey E. Gunter (M.S. geological sciences '82, Ph.D. '87), "Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy," textbook, Mineralogical Society of America.

Belinda B. McFeeters (Ph.D. educational leadership and policy studies '06) et al., editor, "The Leading Across Differences: Cases and Perspectives," reference, social identity-based conflicts, Pfeiffer Publishing.

William C. Ray (civil engineering '65, M.S. '66), "Mount Gilead History and Heritage," historical reference, self-published.

Leslie Schwindt-Bayer (political science '96), "Political Power and Women's Representation in Latin America," critical, Oxford University Press.

John D. Ross (Ph.D. curriculum and instruction '99), "Online Professional Development: Design, Deliver, Succeed!," reference, Corwin.

Celie Brown Thomas (education '75), "Manifesting the Kingdom: The Active Meditation Handbook," reference, Wish Book Press.

Jeff Voivoda (management science '89), "Data Analysis and Harmonization," reference, iUniverse.

Trenor Williams (biology '92) and Anita Samarth, "Electronic Health Records for Dummies," reference, Wiley Publishing.
Biography/Memoir

Robert H. Crewdson (chemical engineering '55), "Love and War: A Southern Soldier's Struggle Between Love and Duty," Civil War love letters, Mariner Publisher.

Bainy Cyrus (horticulture '85), "All Eyes: A Memoir of Deafness," memoir, CreateSpace.

Alexander DeVolpi (M.S. nuclear engineering physics '57, Ph.D. '67), "Lover, Soldier, Reprobate," biography of Bonaventura Paul Weiss DeVolpi, CreateSpace.

Thomas E. Dewan (business administration '65), transcriber, "Red Raider Diary," WWII diary of Merill Thomas Dewan, RoseDog Books.

Michael James Gannon (nutrition and food science '84), "If These Ears Could Sing!: The Living Law of Attraction in Action," memoir, deafness, DMF Publishing.

Rachel Lark (architecture '09), "Capacity for Delight," memoir, online dating, CreateSpace.

Charles H. Lytton (agriculture education '86, M.S. curriculum and instruction '92), "New River Bonnets, Apple Butter and Moonshine: The Raising of a Fat Little Boy," memoir, Southwest Virginia, CreateSpace.

M.B. Roberts (communication '86) and Hilary Williams, "Sign of Life: A Story of Family, Tragedy, Music, and Healing," biography of daughter of Hank Williams Jr., Da Capo Press.

LaVerne Thornton (mechanical engineering '59), "Walk in 'e Moon," memoir, Southern life, Chapel Hill Press Inc.

Robert van Luyn (industrial engineering '63), "From Lion to Eagle," memoir, immigration, WWII, Pocahontas Press.

Wendy K. Williamson (hotel, restaurant, and institutional management '93), "I'm Not Crazy Just Bipolar," memoir, mental illness, AuthorHouse.
• FICTION

Weston Cutter (M.F.A. '09), "You'd Be Stranger, Too," short stories, BlazeVOX Books.

J. Robert DiFulgo (M.A. education '83), "The Invisible Moon," novel, Vietnam War, Athena Press.

Beth Groundwater (software engineering '83), "Deadly Currents," mystery novel, first in series, Midnight Ink.

Miller B. Jones (political science '69), "Dreams of Hope," novel, sports, CreateSpace.

POETRY

George A. Bowers (agricultural education '86), "Valley Verses," Lulu.

CHILDREN'S/TEEN

Angie Smibert (biology '85), "Memento Nora," young-adult science fiction novel, Marshall Cavendish.

Jenny Werner (interdisciplinary studies '00), "My Padres Baseball Game," picture book, Mascot Books.
FEATURED AUTHOR
"Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind': A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood" by John Wiley Jr.

John Wiley Jr., 'Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind'

John Wiley Jr. (communication '80) has assembled one of the world's largest collections of Margaret Mitchell and "Gone with the Wind" memorabilia, including every American edition of the 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and more than 800 international editions. He has been interviewed by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and USA Today, among others. For almost 25 years, he has published a quarterly newsletter, The Scarlett Letter, for "Gone With the Wind" fans and collectors.

This year, in conjunction with the book's 75th anniversary, Wiley co-authored "Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind': A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood." The following excerpt discusses Mitchell's reluctance to play the "celebrity game":

Whether Mitchell would be a celebrity, however, was not up to her. The public's whim and fancy would make that determination, and from the way things were shaping up, it appeared she would be cast into that realm regardless of her desires. It was a startling realization to Mitchell that she and her husband could not simply shut their door and be left alone. And, more distressing was that some people might take offense at their attempt to do so. ... But the author was no pushover. ...

Reporters hounded her for interviews and photographs. ... Seeing no reason to have her private business on display for public consumption or to have her face appear in the newspapers several times a week, she declined countless requests. … Mitchell [turned down] offers from the Saturday Review of Literature, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Ladies Home Journal, among others, for her to write essays, articles, or short stories. … Mitchell also refused to write a sequel to "Gone With the Wind." The public was enthralled by the book's open ending and wanted to know if Scarlett and Rhett reunited. … A fan in North Carolina used rhyme to plead her case. She sent Mitchell a poem about the novel, with a final stanza:

"Your style I considered most pleasing / You are wonderfully clever I'd say / So please! Will you write us a sequel / To 'Gone With the Wind' some other day."

No matter how demanding or witty the entreaty, Mitchell could not be swayed.

© 2011 by Taylor Trade Publishing Inc. All materials reprinted with author's permission.
EDITOR'S NOTE:

Primarily because of the volume of submissions we receive, we have elected to adjust the format of Book Notes. Alongside a list of publications, one book is featured.

Submission guidelines–available HERE–remain the same.

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We must receive the book within one year of its publication date.