From Civil War history to young adult novels, this selection of new books by University of Virginia faculty and alumni covers a range of topics and should appeal to a variety of readers.
See below for 21 titles that have come out since the end of summer, including poetry and fiction, business advice and technology. They add to UVA Today’s earlier list in June that drew from books published mostly in the first half of the year.
• Christopher Ali, associate professor of media studies, “Farm Fresh Broadband: The Politics of Rural Connectivity”
Ali is currently a frequent spokesperson in major media outlets, addressing the need to expand internet access, especially in rural areas. The book analyzes rural broadband policy in the U.S., asking why millions of rural Americans lack broadband access and why the federal government and large providers are not doing more to connect the unconnected.
• Derrick P. Alridge, professor of education in the School of Education and Human Development, and co-authors Cornelius L. Bynum and James B. Stewart, editors, “The Black Intellectual Tradition: African American Thought in the 20th Century”
This volume presents essays on the diverse thought behind the fight for racial justice, as developed by African American artists and intellectuals; performers and protest activists; institutions and organizations; and educators and religious leaders. By including both women’s and men’s perspectives from the U.S. and the African diaspora, the essays seek to explore the full landscape of the Black intellectual tradition.
• David Baldacci, 1986 Law School alumnus, “Mercy,” the latest novel in this series.
FBI agent Atlee Pine’s harrowing search for her long-lost sister Mercy reaches a boiling point in this breakneck thriller.
• Michelle Coles, 2002 alumna, “Black Is the Ink”
This young adult novel is about a 16-year-old teenager who leaves Washington, D.C., to spend the summer at his relatives’ farm in Mississippi and meets a ghostly ancestor from the Reconstruction Era there.
• Katie Couric, 1979 alumna, “Going There”
For more than 40 years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In this memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life – a story she’s never shared, until now. Of the medium she loves, she said, “Television can put you in a box; the flat-screen can flatten. On TV, you are larger than life, but smaller, too. It is not the whole story, and it is not the whole me. This book is.”
• Stephen Cushman, Robert C. Taylor Professor of English, “The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today”
Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination and the writing of American history, especially current conflicts over the history and meanings of the Civil War.
• Daniel Graham, assistant professor of computer science, School of Engineering and Applied Science, “Ethical Hacking: Hands-On Intro to Breaking In”
A crash course in modern hacking techniques, “Ethical Hacking” is already being used to prepare the next generation of offensive security experts. In its many hands-on labs, readers can explore crucial skills for any aspiring penetration tester, security researcher or malware analyst.