Yes, it’s that time of year. We’re in the thick of college football season and, in many households, it’s all football, all the time. In light of this, we’ve asked Tony Moss, author of A Season in Purgatory: Villanova and Life in College Football’s Lower Class (University of Nebraska Press, 2007) to serve as our guest blog writer today. Read on for his thoughts on the “minor league” contenders in the world of college football—the sixteen teams comprising the FCS. This is great Friday fodder and the perfect “kick-off” to another weekend of college football. If you’re a fan of … Continue reading Notes from the Sidelines of Purgatory

Flattery and Other Trivial Pursuits New this month, Willis Goth Regier’s In Praise of Flattery looks into flattery as an element as flammable (and as taken for granted) as oxygen. Giving flattery light, attention, and care, Regier treats readers to hundreds of historical examples drawn from the highest social circles in politics, romance, and religion, from the courts of Byzantium and China to Paris, Rome, and Washington, DC. Also new this month, our regular blog feature, “Tuesday Trivia.”  Each Tuesday, we will post trivia questions based on the subject matter of a University of Nebraska Press publication. Regier’s In Praise … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia

Attorney general nominee, Michael Mukasey made the news recently by refusing to acknowledge waterboarding as an illegal form of torture during a Senate committee interview. Citing that the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act’s ban on waterboarding is not inclusive of the CIA and its activities, Mukasey claimed ignorance as to the nuances of the law regarding "enhanced" CIA interrogation procedures. Democrats are now lining up in protest of his appointment and many are calling his response short-sighted and irresponsible. President Bush staunchly maintains his support of the nominee and Vice President Cheney has called the use of waterboarding in interrogation procedures … Continue reading A Question of Humanity: Is There a Place for Torture in Civilized Society?

 The Cowboy Girl: The Life of Caroline Lockhart by John Clayton “John Clayton had his work cut out for him when he took on the challenge of writing a biography of a colorful and almost forgotten writer and cattle queen. The result is a thoroughly entertaining portrait.”—Lorna Thackeray, The Billings Gazette Read earlier praise for The Cowboy Girl at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/04/praise_for_the__3.html Continue reading More Praise for The Cowboy Girl

  Adventures in the West: Stories for Young Readersedited by Susanne George Bloomfield and Eric Melvin Reed “The stories do more than relate interesting tales. They are windows to the world west of the Mississippi as it transformed from wilderness to a land of farms and cities, from the preserve of Indians to a land claimed mostly by white settlers. . . . [Readers] will appreciate these stories for their adventures, pioneer spirit and colorful characters.”—Omaha World-Herald "[T]he stories are uplifting and teach the value of honesty, pluck, hard work, and true grit."—KLIATT “The various writing styles and authenticity of … Continue reading Praise for Adventures in the West

In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965–1969by Francis French and Colin Burgess “[T]he authors craft a remarkable story of the golden age of spacecraft as both an intimate human experience and rollicking global adventure. . . . [T]heir book draws a richly detailed picture of the space race as an endeavor equally endowed with personal meaning and political significance.”—QUEST To read earlier praise for In the Shadow of the Moon, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/07/praise-for-in-t.html Continue reading More Praise for In the Shadow of the Moon

Because a Fire Was in My Head by Lynn Stegner “Since the novel’s anti-heroine is unabashedly self-absorbed and unsympathetic, convincing a reader to care for her is a true accomplishment. Four-time novelist Lynn Stegner pulls it off with panache.”—Bookmarks Magazine To read earlier praise for Because a Fire Was in My Head, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/02/praise_for_beca.html Continue reading More Praise for Because a Fire Was in My Head

The Best of All Seasons, Fifty Years as a Montana Hunter by Dan Aadland “The Best of All Seasons, Fifty Years as a Montana Hunter, is much more than a recount of personal adventures. In prose that engages the interest of hunters and nonhunters alike, Aadland carries the reader to a Montana that is both distant and yet familiar. . . . With a deft touch for detail, Aadland describes scenes that ring true for generations of Montana hunters.”—Linda Halstead-Acharya, The Billings Gazette “[A]n unapologetic, honest, and oftentimes nostalgic glimpse into the subsistence-through-recreation type of hunting that many multi-job, mortgage-payin’, … Continue reading Praise for The Best of All Seasons