Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Chair of the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies Franck Salameh is the author of the essay “And If He Were Here Today,” an encomium to scholar, teacher, and mentor Fouad Ajami. Salameh calls Ajami one of the pillars of Middle East studies. The essay is part of a Gedenkschrift published by the Hoover Institution to launch Ajami’s posthumous work Crosswinds. Salameh is the author of several works, including The Other Middle East and Lebanon’s Jewish Community: Fragments of Lives Arrested.
Essay in honor of Fouad Ajami
A path to forgiveness
True forgiveness can be complicated because the pain of betrayal, loss, deception, and personal attack clings tightly to a person’s emotions, memories, and bodies. In The Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness (Loyola Press, 2020), Boston College Professor of Philosophy Marina Berzins McCoy uses the principles of Ignatian spirituality to lay out 10 steps toward forgiveness. Each chapter offers stories, real-life steps to take, and a powerful prayer for healing. McCoy is an educator, spiritual director, and volunteer at a men’s prison, where she leads discussions on spirituality. She was interviewed about her new book by the Jesuit Conference’s podcast, AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged Ignatian spirituality, Philosophy Department
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Mask manifesto
An expert in the intersection of science, medicine, and law, Boston College Law School Associate Professor Dean Hashimoto provides a clear and compelling argument in favor of mask wearing to fight the spread of COVID in his new book, The Case for Masks: Science-Based Advice for Living During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Skyhorse Publishing, 2020). According to the publisher, Hashimoto cites specific examples of situations where infected individuals wore masks versus ones who didn’t and how that changed the outcome. He also references population-based studies in individual states and by country, and the undeniable effect that universal masking had on Mass Brigham Hospital’s staff. His book also addresses safety concerns and medical misconceptions about mask wearing and why the CDC didn’t recommend universal mask wearing at the beginning of the pandemic. Hashimoto teaches health care policy at BC Law School and is the chief medical officer overseeing the Workplace Health and Wellness division at Mass General Brigham, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated healthcare system. More from Boston College Law School Magazine.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged Boston College Law School, coronavirus, pandemic, research, science
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Moving beyond “No”
On his popular podcast, “10,000 NOs,” Boston College alumnus Matthew Del Negro has interviewed countless people—from athletes and entrepreneurs to cancer survivors and authors—who have inspired others to keep going even when their progress seems infinitesimally slow. Del Negro says the podcast has been “a great education. Basically, I just keep relearning the lesson my Dad always taught me… that failure is just opportunity in disguise.” As a professional actor, Del Negro is familiar with the word “no” and has had to overcome a sea of rejections on his way to success. “As an actor, even if you’re considered a relative ‘success,’ you’re really unemployed for so much of your career.” He combines stories from his life and acting career with anecdotes and quotes from his podcast in his new book 10,000 NOs: How to Overcome Rejection on the Way to your YES (Wiley 2020). Del Negro says he has learned hard lessons about perseverance, persistence, and resilience and believes his book can teach readers how to make it through the tough times and deal with massive uncertainty by retaining the flexibility to change course and pivot to follow their passion. Del Negro is currently a series regular on Showtime’s “City on a Hill.” His acting credits include roles on ABC’s “Scandal,” HBO’s “Sopranos,” and NBC’s “The West Wing,” as well as roles in films such as Hot Pursuit and Wind River.
Not riding the bench
In Old School Hoops: Stories of an Aging Baller, Boston College alumnus Jim Sweeney tells tales of his adventures as a masters-level basketball player, competing in more than 100 masters’ basketball tournaments in the U.S. and abroad. Sweeney shares stories from the road, where he has visited more than 20 countries, eaten “incredible food,” and met “awesome people.” Sweeney’s book also details the history of the global masters’ basketball movement and its international influence. Sweeney is head of FIMBA-USA (Federation of International Masters Basketbal Association) and serves on its international board.
Book prize for Lucas
Associate Professor of Music Ann E. Lucas has been awarded the 2020 Bruno Nettl Prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology for her book, Music of a Thousand Years: A New History of Persian Musical Traditions (University of California Press, 2019). The award recognizes an outstanding publication contributing to or dealing with the history of the field of ethnomusicology, broadly defined, or with the general character, problems, and methods of ethnomusicology. Iran’s particular system of traditional Persian art music has been long treated as the product of an ever-evolving, ancient Persian culture. In Music of a Thousand Years, Lucas argues that this music is a modern phenomenon indelibly tied to changing notions of Iran’s national history. Rather than considering a single Persian music history, Lucas demonstrates cultural dissimilarity and discontinuity over time, bringing to light two different notions of music-making in relation to premodern and modern musical norms. An important corrective to the history of Persian music, Music of a Thousand Years is the first work to align understandings of Middle Eastern music history with current understandings of the region’s political history.
Posted in Awards/Honors, Boston College Authors
Tagged Iran, music, Music Department
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Positive thinking for teens
Teenagers are often overwhelmed and stressed. Social media can exacerbate these feelings. In her new book, Boston College alumna Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and parenting expert, provides teens with ways to transform their anxious thought patterns and build a happier, more positive mindset. A Year of Positive Thinking for Teens is crafted to help teens let go of stress with relatable prompts and reflections―all grounded in positive thinking and positive psychology strategies. According to Hurley, A Year of Positive Thinking for Teens can help teens find confidence and achieve their goals. Hurley is a licensed clinical social worker and author of The Happy Kid Handbook: How to Raise Joyful Children in a Stressful World and No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls. Her work can be found in US News & World Report, The Washington Post, and PBS Parents.
Unusual books at Burns
The John J. Burns Library at Boston College holds a number of books with wooden covers. One example is the jeweled binding of a Bulgarian manuscript, titled Istorii︠a︡ slavi︠a︡nobŭlgarska. The cover is French Walnut wood, has sixteen faceted, deep red-colored garnets, and a chip carved cross, title, and the author’s name. The book at Burns is a limited facsimile edition of the manuscript with a unique custom-made cover. Burns Library also owns a numbers of books bound with pigskin covering wooden boards. Philippi Ecclesiae Eystettensis XXXIX. Episcopi: de eiusdem ecclesiae diuis tutelaribus. S. Richardo, S. Willibaldo, S. Wunibaldo, S. Walpurga is bound in decorated pigskin over beveled wooden boards, has its original clasps and catches, and is stamped in gold on the center of both boards with the coat of arms of Friedrich Förner (1568-1630). Read more about unusual book covers and bindings in the Burns’ holdings in a blog post from Burns Library Conservator Barbara Adams Hebard.
Bringing a soldier home
The story of the repatriation of the remains of Boston College alumnus Jack Farrell, Jr., 66 years after he died in Europe while fighting in World War II, is told in a new book co-authored by veteran journalist Joseph M. Pereira and John (Jack) Wilson, a BC graduate who also is Farrell’s nephew. The authors lay out the story of a bloody conflict in the Hürtgen Forest along the Germany-Belgium border that would go on to be “the worst defeat the Americans suffered in Europe during World War II.” All Souls Day: The World War II Battle and the Search for a Lost U.S. Battalion (Potomac Books) is part investigative journalism, part military history, and part memoir. Read more on BC News.
Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age
Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God (University of Notre Dame Press, 2020) by Boston College alumnus Ryan G. Duns, S.J., is at the crossroads of theology and philosophy. In his book, Fr. Duns frames philosopher William Desmond’s metaphysical thought as a form of spiritual exercise. He argues that Desmond’s metaphysics attunes its readers to perceive disclosure of the divine in the everyday. Approached in this way, Fr. Duns demonstrates how practicing metaphysics can be understood as a form of spiritual exercise that renews in its practitioners an attentiveness to God in all things. Fr. Duns, who received a MTS and a doctorate from BC, is an assistant professor in the Theology Department at Marquette University.
BC Bookmarks 