As the Republican National Convention opened in 1860 in Chicago, New York Senator William Seward was the overwhelming favorite for the presidential nomination, with notables like Salmon Chase and Edward Bates in the running. Few thought Abraham Lincoln stood a chance. Lincoln had not held public office since one term in Congress a decade earlier. The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History (Grove Atlantic, 2023), written by Boston College graduate Edward Achorn, chronicles the tense political drama as it unfolded and tells the behind-the-scenes story of Lincoln’s history-changing nomination to lead the Republican Party. Achorn explores the genius of Lincoln’s quiet strategy, the vicious partisanship tearing apart America, the fierce battles raging over racism and slavery, and booming Chicago as a symbol of the modernization transforming the nation. Achorn is also author of the book, Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, among other titles.
The Lincoln Miracle
The sweet life of Fr. Walter Smith
It’s not surprising that a memoir by a priest and psychologist who has spent six decades in the Society of Jesus would include numerous tales of significant people and events. The memoir of Boston College graduate Walter J. Smith, S.J., however, comes with an unexpected benefit for readers: It’s also a major cookbook. In addition to his wide-ranging career as a clinician, consultant, professor, department chair, dean, chancellor, trustee, and chief executive officer, Fr. Smith is an accomplished cook who once studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. His book, Faith, Food, & Friendship: Reflections and Recipes from a Jesuit’s Abundant Life, is replete with 175 carefully crafted classic, original, or adapted recipes, all of which—from dal chawa, an Indian dish once recommended to him by Mother Teresa, to the ’21’ burger popularized by the iconic Manhattan speakeasy-turned-restaurant—in some way reflect his experiences preparing and savoring cuisine from around the world. A Boston native, Fr. Smith joined the Boston College Jesuit community in 2020, and currently teaches courses in lifespan pastoral care and counseling at the School of Theology and Ministry. Read more from BC News.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged cookbook, food, Jesuit author, memoir, School of Theology and Ministry
Leave a comment
The beauty of Annie Malone
Entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist Annie Turnbo Malone is the subject of a new biography by Boston College graduate Eve Nadel Catarevas. Wonderful Hair: The Beauty of Annie Malone (Creston Books, 2022), is about how Malone turned her personally developed hair care products into a successful industry, including 32 beauty colleges that taught the unique Poro method. Wonderful Hair, a book for young readers, is illustrated by Felicia Marshall. Catarevas, who earned a bachelor’s degree from BC in 1979, likes to share the achievements of little-known historical figures with young readers. She is also the author of Rena Glickman, Queen of Judo.
When the House Burns
The quest for love and home becomes deadly when Detectives Erik Jansson and Deb Metzger search for the killer of an adulterous real estate agent in When the House Burns (Coffeetown Press, 2023), a new fast-paced mystery from author Priscilla Paton. The murder investigation involves a volatile real estate market, unrest in a homeless encampment, jealousies among would-be lovers, and a case of arson. When the House Burns is not only a gripping “whodunit” but also a social commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on housing. Paton, who earned a Ph.D. from Boston College, is author of the Twin Cities Mystery series. Previous titles are Where Privacy Dies, a finalist for a 2018 Foreword Indies Book Award, and Should Grace Fail, a finalist for a 2020 Foreword Indies Book Award.
A Catholic intellectual amid many religions
Francis X. Clooney, S.J., the Parkman Professor of Divinity and Professor of Comparative Theology at Harvard Divinity School, will present the Candlemas Lecture titled “On the Edge: Reflections on Being a Catholic Intellectual amid Many Religions” at Boston College on February 8 at 7 p.m. in Gasson Hall, room 100. Fr. Clooney, a leading figure in the field of comparative theology, is the author of several books, including Reading the Hindu and Christian Classics: Why and How It Matters; Western Jesuit Scholars in India: Tracing Their Paths, Reassessing Their Goals; and St. Joseph in South India: Poetry, Mission and Theology in Costanzo Gioseffo Beschi’s Tēmpāvani. He is writing an autobiography tentatively titled, Priest and Scholar, Catholic and Hindu: A Love Story. Fr. Clooney, who taught at Boston College from 1984 until 2005, is currently president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.
Posted in Guest Authors, Lowell Humanities Series
Tagged comparative theology, Jesuit author
Leave a comment
Pindar’s songs and his world
In her new book, Pindar and Greek Religion: Theologies of Mortality in the Victory Odes (Cambridge University Press, 2022), Boston College’s Behrakis Assistant Professor in Hellenic Studies Hanne Eisenfeld combines close reading and philological analysis with religious historical approaches to the Ancient Greek lyric poet Pindar’s songs and his world. She focuses on a set of mythical figures in Pindar’s victory odes whose identities blur the boundaries between mortality and immortality. By exploring them within the lived religious landscapes of the fifth century BCE, Eisenfeld demonstrates that Pindar’s depiction of these figures are in fact engaged with contemporary religious contexts and revalues mortality as a prerequisite for the glory found in victory. Eisenfeld’s work highlights the inextricability of Greek literature and Greek religion, and models a novel approach to Greek lyric poetry at the intersection of these fields.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged Classical Studies Department, Greek literature
Leave a comment
Notorious sisters
Bestselling author Marie Benedict’s new novel, The Mitford Affair (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2023), takes a look at the real-life Mitford sisters who dominated English political, literary, and social scenes in the 1930s. Nancy Mitford grows suspicious as her sisters Diana and Unity are drawn to fascism and Hitler. When Nancy overhears alarming conversations and uncovers disquieting documents, she must make excruciating choices between the personal and the political. A Boston College graduate, Benedict is the author/co-author of several novels, including The Personal Librarian, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, Lady Clementine, and The Only Woman in the Room, among others.
The Seductions of Sovereignty
Seyla Benhabib, a senior research scholar and adjunct professor of law at Columbia Law School and an affiliate faculty member in the Columbia University Department of Philosophy and a senior fellow at the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought, will present “The Seductions of Sovereignty: A Democratic and Cosmopolitan Critique” at Boston College on January 25 at 7 p.m. in Gasson Hall, room 100. An award-winning scholar, Benhabib is known for her research and teaching on social and political thought, particularly 20th century German thought and Hannah Arendt. Over the past two decades, she has become recognized for her contributions to migration and citizenship studies as well as her work on gender and multiculturalism. Her most recent book is Exile, Statelessness, and Migration: Playing Chess with History from Hannah Arendt to Isaiah Berlin. Her previous publications include: The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era; The Rights of Others: Aliens, Residents, and Citizens; and Another Cosmopolitanism: Hospitality, Sovereignty and Democratic Iterations. The event is presented by the Lowell Humanities Series and co-sponsored by the International Studies Program and the Global Citizenships Project.
Grant Writing Guide
BC Lynch School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Betty S. Lai has written a practical guide to effective grant writing for researchers at all stages of their academic careers. The Grant Writing Guide: A Road Map for Scholars (Princeton University Press, 2023) features writing samples, examples of how researchers use skills, helpful tips, and exercises. Drawing on interviews with scores of grant writers, program officers, researchers, administrators, and writers, Lai shares best practices, common questions, and pitfalls to avoid. Lai explains how to craft pitches and align them with your values, structure timelines and drafts, communicate clearly in prose and images, and solicit feedback to strengthen proposals. Lai studies child mental health and has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles on this topic. She has been recognized with awards from the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Foundation. Learn more about The Grant Writing Guide in this Inside Higher Ed Q&A with Lai.
The rise of distrust
What does rising distrust and polarization mean for the functioning of society? What happens to nonpolitical institutions when a loss of trust and partisan divide hamper their abilities to meet common challenges and solve shared problems? The current issue of Dædalus, a respected journal on civic life published by American Academy of Arts & Sciences, examines what institutions do and why trust matters for their success. Boston College J. Joseph Moakley Professor of Political Science Kay Lehman Schlozman and Henry E. Brady of the University of California-Berkeley served as guest editors for this issue of the journal, which is devoted to “Institutions, Experts & the Loss of Trust.” Schlozman will be among the featured speakers at a virtual event on January 18 titled “Distrust, Political Polarization, and America’s Challenged Institutions,” which will explore the causes and consequences of the loss of confidence in institutions and the people who lead them. The event is open to the public, but registration is required.
BC Bookmarks 