| |
Books by WSU faculty
Biography
-
A Genetic and Cultural Odyssey: The Life and Work of L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza
By Linda Stone, Professor of Anthropology, and Paul F. Lurquin, Professor, School of Molecular Biosciences
From the publisher: L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza has changed the way we understand human genetics and culture. Drawing links between genetic and cultural development, Cavalli-Storza has made groundbreaking discoveries in the evolution of Homo sapiens, prehistoric migration, and the origins of human differentiation. Based on interviews with his colleagues and analyses of his work, Stone and Lurquin's biography, the first on the scientist, offers a portrait of Cavalli-Sforza's life and ideas.
Read a review from WSM
-
American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett
By Buddy Levy, Clinical Assistant Professor of English
From the publisher: David Crockett was an adventurer, a pioneer, and a tragic hero who died at the Alamo. . . In his short but distinguished lifetime, Crockett became America's original celebrity, frequently written about in newspapers and becoming an integral part of the folklore of his day. Opportunistic and clever, and presciently media-savvy, Crockett parlayed his humble origins to his advantage, using his charismatic frontiersman persona to win elections as a three-time U.S. Congressman and even a nomination as presidential candidate. . . At heart, Crockett was unassuming and down-to-earth, obstinate and independent to a fault. In a beautifully descriptive narrative, American Legend takes readers from Crockett's childhood hardships, near-death experiences, and meager education through his unlikely rise to Congress. Though his death at the Alamo on March 6, 1836, only added to his considerable fame and notoriety, the common David Crockett emerges here as never before: a rugged individual, an American original, and an enduring symbol of the American frontier.
Read a review from WSM
-
Fighting the Odds: The Life of Senator Frank Church
LeRoy Ashby, Professor of History; Rod Gramer
Fighting the Odds is a milestone in western political biography. LeRoy Ashby and Rod Gramer take readers on a dramatic tour of post-World War II America, as experienced in Frank Church's 24 years in the Senate. From 1957 to 1981, Church stood at the center of searing national debates, emerging as one of the 20th century's most respected and influential senators. Ashby and Gramer illuminate the battle for the 1957 Civil Rights Act, the emergence of the Senate's anti-Vietnam coalition, conflicts over environmental legislation in the 1960s and 1970s, the fight over the Panama Canal treaties, and Church's highly publicized investigations of the CIA, FBI, and multinational corporations. Throughout his life, Church fought formidable odds. Almost dying of cancer at age 24, he viewed the rest of his life as borrowed time. In 1956 he won a Senate seat, though he had never before held elective office. At 32 he became one of the youngest persons ever to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. He served four terms in the Senate - the only Idaho Democrat to ever serve more than one. Defeated in the Republican landslide election of 1980, Church died of cancer in 1984. Fighting the Odds is "a meticulously researched, comprehensive, eminently fair biography," according to historian William L. O'Neill. It is destined to become a classic of American political writing.
-
Writing Pauline: Wisdom from a Long Life
By Gail Stearns
From the publisher: Once in a while we are confronted with a person's life and insight so remarkable, we pause to reflect upon our own beliefs, meaning, maturing, theory and theology. This life history of Pauline Thompson encompasses the astonishing life and career of a twentieth-century woman, a life that variously embraced religious symbolism, Jungian analysis, protests and arrests, careers in education and medicine, as well as relationships ranging from bigamous to bisexual. Writing Pauline: Wisdom From A Long Life explores how Thompson's reflections pose challenges to our common and academic notions of feminist theory, ethical development, Christian theology, Jungian psychology, and ethnographic research.
Read a review from WSM
-
WSU Military Veterans: Heroes and Legends
By C. James Quann '54, '60, '71
Jim Quann is a man of many parts: an infantry troop leader, a proud family man, and now an impressive military historian. His work illustrates his thorough research, attention to detail, and fidelity to the service and sacrifice of so many whose missions were often "above and beyond the call of duty." These stories bring to life heroism and gallantry that has been nearly forgotten. The tales of our Cougar veterans, from World War II through Desert Storm, provide inspiration for us all and will be of interest to generations to come.
Read a review from WSM
|
|
|
|
