“Hello”

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Bookworm

america coverAfter two years in East Africa, Boston College graduate student Michael Rossmann, SJ, found himself back in the US and realized in a big city he can “pass thousands of people without anyone saying a single word to me. It might feel more comfortable not to be interrupted, but it’s not exactly comforting when people do not acknowledge my existence.” He writes about why spontaneous, short encounters with strangers are important in an essay for America magazine.

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Eggers to address Class of 2018

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Bookworm

circleAcclaimed author Dave Eggers will address the Class of 2018 at the annual First Year Academic Convocation on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in Conte Forum. Each member of the freshman class was given a copy of Eggers’ best-selling novel, The Circle, to read in advance of his address. A fast-moving, cautionary tale about the influence of today’s high-tech organizations, The Circle offers an examination of a society where technology trumps the human experience and transparency masks the lives it was intended to reveal. A writer, editor, publisher and social entrepreneur, Eggers has been recognized for his distinctive literary voice, and for giving voice to a broad range of people around the world who might not otherwise be able to tell their stories. Eggers’ memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, about helping to raise his younger brother after their parents’ deaths, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His novel A Hologram for the King was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is co-founder of 826 Valencia, a tutoring center focused on writing and education that now operates in eight cities across the United States. More from the Boston College Chronicle.

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Happiness 101

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Bookworm

america coverAdam M. Green, a Boston College alumnus and theology teacher at Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio, writes in America magazine about how Saint Thomas Aquinas is his guide to teaching his students about real happiness. “I explain how many common conceptions of happiness may ‘make us happy,’ in the sense of pleasing us, but that happiness is about something much deeper, less dependent, more lasting–and rooted in God.”

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Faith formation

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Bookworm

forming faithSchool of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Jane E. Regan has written an essential guide for anyone in the ministry of adult faith formation. In Forming a Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult Faith Formation Today (Twenty-Third Publications, 2014), Regan explores what important church documents say about evangelization and catechesis, and how they play a crucial role in thriving adult faith communities. Then she offers practical ways parishes of all sizes and personalities can help people become true disciples. Regan, a nationally noted educator and researcher, directs the continuing education program at BC’s School of Theology and Ministry. Her other titles include Toward an Adult Church: A Vision of Faith Formation and Gathering Together: First Celebrations of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

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Higher ed in India

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Bookworm

altbachessaysA Half-Century of Indian Higher Education, a collection of essays written by Lynch School of Education Research Professor Philip G. Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education, is the subject of a book review in The Hindu. The reviewer calls Altbach’s scholarship “highly accessible, being illuminated throughout by a clear perspective and a compassionate sense of what life is like for Indian academics and students… a priceless chart for deep and deeply troubled waters.”

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The story of “Pie”

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Bookworm

piePloughshares has published “Pie,” a story by Boston College Professor of English Suzanne Matson, as a part of its Ploughshares Solos series. Set in post World War II America, “Pie” depicts the thrill and danger inherent in the American dream of unrestricted liberty. Read an excerpt. Matson, a novelist and poet, is the author of  The Tree-Sitter, A Trick of Nature, The Hunger Moon, Durable Goods and Sea Level. Best known for the award-winning Ploughshares literary journal, Ploughshares has been publishing high quality American literature since 1971. Ploughshares Solos is a series of long stories and essays published first in a digital format, and then collected annually in the Ploughshares Solos Omnibus. “Pie” is available now as a Kindle Single.

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Waiting for Cancer

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Bookworm

waitingforcancerIn her new book Waiting for Cancer to Come: Women’s Experiences with Genetic Testing and Medical Decision Making for Breast and Ovarian Cancer (University of Michigan Press, 2014), Boston College Professor of Sociology Sharlene Hesse-Biber explores the complicated emotional, social, economic and psychological turmoil faced by women who test positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations, which indicate high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Based on interviews and surveys of more than 60 diverse women, Waiting for Cancer to Come uses their voices to describe the under-explored BRCA experience, from family crises, secrets and revelations to difficult surgeries and personal empowerment. “As a woman who has faced breast cancer and BRCA testing in my own life, and having lost a younger sister to an aggressive form of breast cancer, I have been especially motivated to bring women’s stories to life in this project,” said Hesse-Biber. More from BC News.

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A barber in Damascus

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Bookworm

barberBoston College Associate Professor of History Dana Sajdi was recently interviewed by Elliot Brandow of BC Libraries about her book, The Barber of Damascus: Nouveau Literacy in the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Levant (Stanford University Press, 2013). In the interview, Sajdi talks about her book, which focuses on a barber’s chronicle of life in Damascus in the 18th century, and the concept of nouveau literacy–scholarly works produced by commoners.

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Russian revolutionary

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Bookworm

vera fignerVera Figner, a Russian noblewoman turned revolutionary terrorist, is the subject of a new biography by Boston College alumna Lynne Ann Hartnett. In The Defiant Life of Vera Figner: Surviving the Russian Revolution (Indiana University Press, 2014), Harnett reveals how Figner survived the Bolshevik revolution and Stalin’s Great Purges and died a lionized revolutionary legend. At first a champion of populist causes and women’s higher education, Figner later became an accomplice in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. Hartnett is on the faculty of Villanova University.

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Her name is Moxie

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Bookworm

moxieBoston College alumna Erin Dionne’s Boston-based book for middle schoolers, Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking (Puffin, 2014), is a finalist for a Silver Falchion Award from Killer Nashville, an annual conference for mystery, thriller and suspense writers. The award honors the best books of the year in a variety of categories. Moxie is nominated in the Middle Grade category. Dionne’s book tells the story of Moxie Fleece and her attempt, along with best friend Ollie, to find art stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Moxie was also a nominee for a 2014 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile book by the Mystery Writers of America. Dionne’s latest book, Ollie and the Science of Treasure Hunting, continues Ollie’s story.

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