Alumni
books
An
Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith
John K. Muir, R’92
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2002
This is the first comprehensive study and behind-the-scenes look at the work of Kevin Smith, an independent director, sometimes called the Woody Allen of Generation X. “He seems to be the only young writer-director working today who asks the deeper questions about love, religion, and sex in a way that makes audiences laugh,” says Muir. “His films have shadowed the progress of Gen Xers every step of the way during our maturation process: through our post-college career slump and ambivalence (Clerks), our professional blossoming and relationship blues (Chasing Amy) and even our skeptical but seemingly optimistic stance about religion (Dogma.).”
Muir is the author of several books about film and television, including Terror Television, which was a 2001 Booklist Editor’s Choice. He writes a monthly column for Deep Outside and lives in Monroe, N.C.
John K. Muir, R’92
McFarland & Company Inc., 2002
Muir looks at such groundbreaking horror films as The Exorcist, Carrie and Halloween. He gives a brief history of the decade and then, in chronological order by year of release, provides an entry for more than 220 films. He includes in each entry such information as critical reception, cast and credits, synopsis, and his own commentary. Section three includes five appendices: film clichés of the 1970s, frequently appearing performers, memorable movie ads, recommended films that illustrate the genre’s impact on the industry, and the 15 best genre films of the decade as chosen by the author.
Stephanie Glakas-Tenet, W’78, and Julie Sussman
Harper Resource, 2002
Moving from simple tasks like unclogging bathroom sinks to more substantial projects like patching holes in drywall, this no-nonsense guide walks the reader through maintaining and improving a home. “Forget about Martha and her hot-glue-gun projects — this is about drain snakes, electrical tape and the kind of screwdrivers you can’t order from a bartender,” states a reviewer for Amazon.com.
Glakas-Tenet and Sussman, both wives of CIA employees who were not around to help with household problems, show what they learned about household repairs when they had to do it themselves. The book is done in an easy to follow style, includes useful diagrams, and would be helpful to both women and men.
Erica Orloff, W’85 and Alexa Milo
Walker & Company, 2002
This is an entertaining and informative book written by mother and daughter for preteens and teens. There is space for best friends to record the details of their friendship together, find out how much they really know about each other, and even create the perfect friendship time capsule. The book is filled with opportunities to create journals, write poetry, answer quizzes and create crafts.
Orloff’s editor at Walker & Company was Timothy Travaglini, AR’93, who is editor of the Books for Young Readers imprint of the publishing company.
Orloff is a writer and editor who lives with her husband and three children in Florida. She is the author of several books. Alexa, Orloff’s 12-year-old daughter, enjoys playing the violin and piano. This is her first book.
E.M. Adams, R’41, G’44 and H’92
Program in the Humanities and Human Values, College
of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2002
This compilation contains 36 of Adams’ 98 professional articles published in philosophical journals and books. It also includes 32 of his opinion pieces published in various newspapers throughout his career as a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Adams received an honorary doctor of humanities degree from the University in 1992.
Bobby J. Gormus, R’64
Writers Club Press, 2001
Gormus has crafted a fictional account that weaves together scientific and secular descriptions, action ideas to save the environment and ideas about power and greed and the possible future of the planet.
On four trips to West Africa to obtain animals for his research into leprosy, Gormus learned firsthand of the atrocities being perpetrated against endangered monkeys and other endangered species in the rain forests. His subsequent novel tracks the war being waged between those wishing to protect and the perpetrators of what he calls “the holocaust that is destroying the environment for profit.”
Gormus holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University and was a research immunologist at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Minneapolis before assuming his current position as research scientist at Tulane University Regional Primate Research Center in Covington, La.
Gertrude
the Albino Frog 
and
Her Friend Rupert the Turtle
Marcia Silvermetz with illustrations by Ginger M. Doyel,
JW’01
Hiccup Cottage Publications, 2002
In a story about fitting in and acceptance, Gertrude the Albino Frog learns that special, forever friends come in all shapes and sizes. She and her community see firsthand what it means to pull together as a group and to value each other as individuals. This story encourages readers to experience the ups and downs of friendship, diversity and tolerance.
Although born in Richmond, Doyel began painting at the age of three while in Scotland. Her career as a professional artist began in 1997 when she illustrated Annapolis the Guidebook by author Katie Moose. Since then, she has illustrated multiple children’s books, including Nuzzlepup Orchestra by Lane Nelson and How Charlottesville Got Its Theatre Back for Charlottesville’s historic Paramount Theater.
Doyel works in marketing for the city of Annapolis, Md., and volunteers at the Maryland state’s attorney’s office. She resides in Annapolis.
Thomas
Hardy A to Z: The Essential
Reference to His Life and Work
Sarah Bird Wright, adjunct assistant professor,
School of Continuing Studies
Checkmark Books, 2002
A prolific novelist, poet and correspondent, Thomas Hardy bridged the late Victorian period and the early modern age. Best known for novels of tragic intensity, he is author of Tess of the d’Urbevilles, Jude the Obscure, Far from the Madding Crowd and other works.
Wright’s book combines insightful biographical details and scholarly and critical analysis of his works into one comprehensive volume. There are appendixes, chronologies, glossaries and more than 700 cross-referenced entries.
Wright also is the author of Edith Wharton A to Z by the same publisher. She holds a doctorate from the College of William and Mary and has taught English at Boston University.
Race
and the Rise of Standard American
Thomas P. Bonfiglio, associate professor of German
DeGruyter, 2002
Bonfiglio examines the effect of race-consciousness upon the pronunciation of American English and upon the ideology of standardization in the 20th century. The book shows how the discourses of prescriptivist pronunciation, the xenophobic reaction against immigration to the eastern metropolises — especially New York — and the closing of the western frontier together constructed an image of the American West and Midwest as the locus of proper speech and ethnicity.
This study is of interest to scholars and students of linguistics, American studies, cultural studies and Jewish studies as well as those studying race, class and gender.
The
Ethics of LeadershipJoanne B. Ciulla, professor and Coston Family Chair in
Leadership and Ethics
Thompson Wadsworth, 2003
A textbook intended for use in courses on leadership or leadership and ethics, this book is appropriate for undergraduate or graduate courses. It focuses on the ethical challenges that are distinctive to leaders and leadership. Organized around themes such as power and the public and private morality of leaders, the book explores the ethical issues of leadership in a variety of contexts, including business, non-governmental organizations, and government. Ciulla integrates material on ethics and leadership from the great Eastern and Western philosophers with leadership literature and case studies in a multi-disciplinary approach.
The book features introductions to each reading that give background on the author and help frame the issues in terms of the chapter’s theme. It also includes practical, short case studies; chapter introductions that discuss how an ethical problem is a particular challenge to leaders; and questions at the end of the case studies that highlight themes found in other readings.
International Marketing: Managing
Worldwide
Operations in a Changing International Environment
Dana-Nicoleta Lascu, associate professor
of marketing
Atomic Dog Publishing, 2003
Lascu, who has taught international marketing at the University for a decade, discovered that she couldn’t find the perfect textbook. So she wrote the missing chapters, eventually turning them into a full text. The book, she says, “reflects my teaching philosophy: creating vivid, memorable examples that help students retain international marketing theory and facts.”
The text adopts strategic, applications-oriented approaches to country- and region-specific environments. She also incorporates interviews conducted for the textbook and case studies in the instructor’s manual with international and national marketing managers and with marketing theorists who uphold different international marketing philosophies. Interviews with consumers are also used.
Lascu holds a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of South Carolina and worked previously for the Romanian government and for the United Nations.
© 2003, Richmond Alumni Magazine
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