New constitutional law resource

BC Law School Professor Richard Albert, an editor at I-CONnect, the blog of the International Journal of Constitutional Law, and Law School Professor Vlad Perju, director of BC’s Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, have established a partnership between their two organizations that has resulted in the publication of a new resource for learning about constitutions from around the world. The Global Review of Constitutional Law will assemble reports that provide an overview of constitutional developments and cases in individual jurisdictions during the previous calendar year. The first edition of the e-book includes 44 jurisdictions, ranging from Finland to Romania to Zambia. According to co-editor Albert, “The reports in this first-of-its-kind volume offer readers systematic knowledge that, previously, has been limited mainly to local networks rather than a broader readership. By making this information available to the larger field of public law in an easily digestible format, we aim to increase the base of knowledge upon which scholars and judges can draw.”

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Jesuit-Catholic leadership

hermneuticsBoston College alumnus Maduabuchi Leo Muoneme, S.J. is the author of a new book, The Hermeneutics of Jesuit Leadership in Higher Education (Routledge, 2017). Fr. Muoneme interviewed seven Jesuits who served as university leaders, as well as University of Notre Dame President Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., for this critical analysis of the common values, philosophies, and leadership practices of Jesuit-Catholic university presidents. He looks at the impact the men’s spirituality had on their leadership styles, and the effect their leadership styles had on university policy and culture. Fr. Muoneme, who earned his master’s degree from the Lynch School of Education, is a lecturer and special adviser to the vice chancellor at Veritas University—the Catholic University of Nigeria, Abuja.

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Out of this world

Boston College graduate Gina Damico has published Waste of Space (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017), a novel geared for teens and young adults. What comes next in the world of television when it feels like everything has already been done? A TV executive decides to launch 10 teens into space and broadcast their journey for an out-of-this-world reality show called “Waste of Space.” The show is a tremendous success, with millions of people tuning in. But the cast members and the audience are unaware that the production is a fake. According to Kirkus Review, “Like the TV show it’s about, nothing in this novel is as it seems, but the journey to discover the truth is out of this world.” Damico’s previous works include, WaxHellhole, and the Croak trilogy.

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Calamity in D.C.

calamityBC alumna Colleen J. Shogan has published book three in her Washington Whodunit mystery series: Calamity at the Continental Club (Camel Press, 2017). The series follows the adventures of Kit Marshall, a congressional staffer whose life often intersects with mystery and murder. In Calamity at the Continental Club, Kit investigates the murder of Grayson Bancroft, head of the Mayflower Society. The case become personal for Kit when her future father-in-law is named a prime suspect. Shogan’s previous books include Stabbing in the Senate, a 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Award for “Best Mystery,” and Homicide in the House. Shogan is the Library of Congress’ Deputy Director of National and International Outreach. | Publishers Weekly review

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The riches in Romans

written for our instructionPenned nearly 2,000 years ago to a specific group of believers, Paul’s Letter to the Romans has as much relevance today as when it was first written, according to Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., dean of Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. In his new book, Written for Our Instruction: Theological and Spiritual Riches in Romans (Paulist Press, 2017), Fr. Stegman explores the messages in Paul’s writing. Fr. Stegman, whose expertise is in the New Testament, is also the author of  Opening the Door of Faith: Encountering Jesus and His Call to DiscipleshipSecond Corinthians, and The Character of Jesus: The Linchpin to Paul’s Argument in 2 Corinthians.

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Recognition for The Other Air Force

air-forceThe Other Air Force: U.S. Efforts to Reshape Middle Eastern Media Since 9/11, written by Associate Professor of Communication and International Studies Matt Sienkiewiczhas been named an outstanding title by the Association of American University Presses. Books designated as outstanding titles are defined as having exceptional editorial content and subject matter and are considered essential additions to most library collections. The association calls The Other Air Force “nuanced” and “worthwhile.” | Read a Q&A with Sienkiewicz from BC News.

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After Everest

no barriersAfter Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person to summit Mount Everest, his expedition leader said to him: “Don’t make Everest the greatest thing you ever do.” Weihenmayer, a member of the BC Class of 1991, has gone on to lead expeditions around the world with blind Tibetan teenagers, help injured soldiers climb their way home from war, and kayak 277 miles of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. His journey is captured in his new book, No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (Thomas Dunne Books/MacMillan, 2017), written with Buddy Levy. Weihenmayer shares his story and those of other trailblazers―adventurers, scientists, artists, and activists―who, despite trauma, hardship, and loss, have broken through barriers of their own.  Weihenmayer is also the author of Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from BC in 2003. He was recently interviewed by NBC’s “Today.”

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It began in Boston

In her new book, Boston College alumna Brooke Barbier tells the story of how Boston radicalized itself against the world’s most powerful empire and helped found the United States of America. Covering the period from 1763 to 1776, Boston in the American Revolution: A Town versus an Empire (Arcadia Publishing/The History Press, 2017) is about ordinary people who lived in an extraordinary time. Barbier tackles familiar subjects like the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, but also reveals the truth about lesser known people and places. She also is the founder of Ye Olde Tavern Tours in Boston. | Book trailer

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Catholic Press Book Awards

Two Boston College professors have been honored for their books by the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada. Public Theology and the Global Common Good: The Contribution of David Hollenbach (Orbis Books), co-edited by Professor of Theology Kristin E. Heyer, earned a first place Catholic Press Association Book Award in the category of Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom. Like Heyer, the book’s other co-editors, Kevin Ahern, Meghan J. Clark, and Laurie Johnston, all received their doctorates from BC.  Public Theology and the Global Common Good is a tribute to moral theologian David Hollenbach, S.J., who taught at Boston College for more than 20 years and served as the inaugural director of the University’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice. The contributors to the volume are Fr. Hollenbach’s former doctoral students. A Culture of Engagement: Law, Religion, and Morality (Georgetown University Press) by Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Theology and Law Cathleen Kaveny garnered a second place Catholic Press Association Book Award in the Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom category. A Culture of Engagement is a provocative collection of Kaveny’s articles from  Commonweal magazine, substantially revised and updated, that demonstrates how thoughtful and purposeful engagement can contribute to rich, constructive, and difficult discussions between moral and cultural traditions. More from BC News.

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Welcome to the Revolution

Boston College sociologist Charles Derber, a prolific author, activist, and social critics, says Donald Trump and the Right effectively combined grassroots energy and politics in a way the Left hasn’t done since the late 1960s. And, in his new book, he outlines how the Left needs to unify in order to regain ground and better fight for its core issues. In Welcome to the Revolution: Universalizing Resistance for Social Justice and Democracy in Perilous Times (Routledge, 2017), Derber says the Left has focused on identity politics to the exclusion of other groups. He writes: “The way to make a revolution is not to choose between class politics and identity politics, but to intertwine them so that identity politics advances economic justice for all and class politics advances the rights and self-worth of all identity groups.” In Welcome to the Revolution, Derber offers his vision, strategies, and tactics for successful, progressive unified politics. His book also features vignettes from more than 25 prominent activists, including Medea Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader, Bill Fletcher, Juliet Schor, Gar Alperovitz, and Chuck Collins, among many others. More from BC News.

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