Virginia Tech Magazine
Book Notes
Spring 2009

B O O K S

Virginia Tech Magazine is pleased to note books by faculty, staff, and alumni or books about Virginia Tech. Review copies should be mailed to Book Notes, Virginia Tech Magazine, 105 Media Building (0109), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

Review copies will be donated to the library in The Grove, home of President and Mrs. Charles W. Steger.

Faculty, staff, and alumni who wish to contribute other books they have written should mail them directly to The Grove (0446), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.


BY FACULTY and STAFF

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Reconstructing Democracy, Recontextualizing Dewey: Pragmatism and Interactive Constructivism in the 21st Century, edited by Jim Garrison, professor of education, is a collection of essays focusing on John Dewey's plurastic, deliberative, and communicative theory of democracy.

The book is published by the State University of New York Press (194 Washington Ave., Ste. 305, Albany, NY 12210); www.sunypress.edu.

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BY ALUMNI

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Ignorant and Agnostic: Poems and Other Words is a collection of poetry by Stuart Eric Card (philosophy '00) that explores the speaker's personal debates on issues such as religion, truth, poverty, and loss.

The book is self-published through Lulu Publishing; www.lulu.com.

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In The Battle of Eden Springs, Jim Crowgey (electrical engineering '60) tells a fictional account of Eden Springs, W.Va., in which the discovery of coal in 1951 brings about a conflict between those who would sell their heritage and those who seek to save it.

The book is self-published through Trafford Publishing (2657 Wilfert Rd., Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 5Z3); www.trafford.com.

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Johannes "John H." Garber, His Descendents in the Shenandoah Valley: Farmers and Ministers in Search of Religious Freedom and Peace by Wayne E. Garber (business administration '66) recounts the history and family tree of the Garber family, Mennonites who fled to Pennsylvania in the 18th century, and focuses on their roots in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

The book is self-published through Wish Book Press (P.O. Box 58, Studley, VA 23162); www.wishingroom.com.

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Masonry: Brick and Block Construction by Robert B. Ham (agricultural education '74) is an instructional book on brick construction, including information on brick manufacturing, masonry hand tools, brick-laying, and safety for masons.

The publisher is Thomson Delmar Learning (5 Maxwell Dr., P.O. Box 8007, Clifton Park, NY 12065); www.delmarlearning.com.

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Hunting the Unicorn: A Critical Biography of Ruth Pitter by Don W. King (English '73) is a critical examination of the life and works of the little-remembered British poet Ruth Pitter, whose work was popular throughout Britain from the 1930s until her death in 1992.

The publisher is Kent State University Press (307 Lowry Hall, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242); www.kentstateuniversitypress.com.

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Entitled to a Nation by Eric M. Latham (communications '03) follows Latham's own brand of citizen journalism as he travels back and forth across America--even to parts of Canada and Mexico--meeting and speaking with people about a wide range of political, social, and cultural topics.

The book is self-published by Walk About America (15120 Industrial Park Rd., Bristol, VA 24202); www.walkaboutamerica.com.

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In It's a Cat’s World ... You Just Live in It: Everything you ever wanted to know about your furry feline, a follow-up to It's a Dog's Life ... But It's Your Carpet, Justine Lee (animal science '94) answers readers' questions about their cat's bizarre, yet adorable, behavior, such as why cats roll over when they want to be petted, only to attack you when you do so, or why cats eat grass.

The publisher is Three Rivers Press (1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019); www.randomhouse.com/crown/trp/html.

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Everglades Betrayal: The Issue that Defeated Al Gore by Monika Mayr (recreation '83) discusses the events surrounding a proposal to redevelop the Homestead Air Force Base into an airport between Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park in southern Florida, efforts strongly opposed by environmentalists, and places these events in the context of the 2000 presidential election.

The publisher is Two Harbors Press (213 Third Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55401); www.twoharborspress.com.

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Ordinary Sparkling Moments: Reflections on Success and Contentment by Christine Mason Miller (art '90) is a pastiche of personal reflections, photographs, and original artwork in which the author asks the question, "Is it possible to find meaning in our day-to-day existence?"

The book is self-published and available at www.christinemasonmiller.com.

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In the novel A Light Too Far, Todd Morrissett (biology '73) follows the story of a family living in an economically depressed section of Richmond, Va., during an autumn in the 1980s. The book offers an account of day-to-day life in a problem-plagued high school and the surrounding neighborhood.

The book is self-published through AuthorHouse (1663 Liberty Dr., Bloomington, IN 47403); www.authorhouse.com.

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A Time to Vote: Is It Too Late to Save America? by Jim Moyer (statistics '65) explores an America in which a newly elected president suddenly dies and an 82-year-old conservative vice president is thrust into the presidency amid adversaries and controversy.

The book is published by Tate Publishing (127 E. Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK 73064); www.tatepublishing.com.

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The Eight Ball Club Ocean of Fire: Reproducible Activity Book by M.C. Pugin-Rodas (family and childhood development '97) was designed as a companion to the novel The Eight Ball: Ocean of Fire, also by Pugin-Rodas, for ESL or Special Education classrooms, grades 5-12. The novel is a multicultural tale about eight teenagers who become trapped inside the magma chamber of a fuming volcano. The activity book contains interdisciplinary activities such as vocabulary lists, word searches, and journal-writing exercises to accompany the novel.

The publisher is ESOL Publishing; www.esolpublishing.com.

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Nogtime by Sandy Orr and Ross M. Orr Jr. (biology '49) collects memoirs, stories, reflections, recipes, and songs compiled by the husband and wife.

The book is self-published by Nogtime Creations and Gallery (405 High St., Bethlehem, PA 18018).

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Whispers from the Wind by Ross M. Orr Jr. (biology '49) is a collection of poetry that explores the seasons of life and nature, reflecting on times past, moments shared, and the passing of time.

The book is self-published by Nogtime Creations and Gallery (405 High St., Bethlehem, PA 18018).

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Duty: Iraq by Ralph Riffenburgh (biochemistry '43) tells the story of Dr. Rex Burnham, an orthopedist and retired commander in the Naval Reserve. During a vacation to Kuwait, he is kidnapped and taken to Iraq, where he is rescued by the Marines and decides to go on active duty with them.

The book is self-published through PublishAmerica (Baltimore, MD); www.publishamerica.com.

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Olin's Construction: Principles, Materials, and Methods, eighth edition, by H. Leslie Simmons (architecture '57) is a textbook used by nearly 200 colleges and universities in architectural and building technology classes.

The publisher is John Wiley and Sons Inc. (111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030); www.wiley.com.

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In New Horizons in Multicultural Counseling by Gerald Monk, John Winslade, and Stacey Sinclair (psychology '95), essays offer practice-based strategies to help counselors progress in their clinical work and gain cultural competence.

The publisher is Sage Publications (2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320); www.sagepublications.com.

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The Dreamer and the Hummingbird: A Collection of Lyrics and Poetry by Paul Sybert (electrical engineering '65) explores issues of love in all its forms, both romantic and spiritual. Sybert maintains a website at www.paulsybert.com.

The book is self-published through iUniverse (2021 Pine Lake Rd., Ste. 100, Lincoln, NE 68512); www.iuniverse.com.

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Functionalized Nanoscale Materials, Devices, and Systems, edited by Ashok Vaseashta (Ph.D. materials science and engineering '90) and I.N. Mihailescu, compiles a variety of invited contributions by highly experienced educators, scientists, and industrialists and is structured to cover important aspects of the field, from underlying principles, synthesis routes, and characterizations to applications and detailed considerations of commercial viability.

The publisher is Springer (233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013); www.springer.com.

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A Reformed View of the Sovereignty of God in a Postmodern World by Larry I. Vass (biology '68) explores the lack in contemporary theology of proper doctrine in the controversy over human freewill versus the sovereignty of God.

The book is self-published through PublishAmerica (Baltimore, MD); www.publishamerica.com.

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