Baseball season is here

Happy Opening Day to baseball fans all across the country! According to Shelf Awareness, UNP is doing its part by having more than 118 baseball titles in print. And David Davis of the New York Times said, “the pulse of baseball beats strongly in the heart of Cornhusker Nation.” Davis interviewed interim editor-in-chief, Rob Taylor, about how the press started to publish so many baseball books. Read the full article here. And Dorothy Seymour Mills reviewed Conspiracy of Silence by Chris Lamb for the New York Journal of Books as “…overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of the black press in … Continue reading Baseball season is here

Lithuanian past and present

Author Ellen Cassedy's article “What Lithuania can teach us about dealing with the Holocaust” for Haaretz Daily Newspaper in Israel, discusses how Lithuania can provide a dialogue for helping people understand the Holocaust. “The approach to the Jewish past thatI saw in Lithuania poses questions, rather than supplying answers,” Cassedy said. “Rather than being forced to repent, people are invited to design their own vehicles of remorse.” See full article here. Cassedy’s new book, We Are Here, is a memoir of her personal journey discovering her Yiddish background and an exploration of the people of Lithuania. In October, Cassedy will … Continue reading Lithuanian past and present

Ex-mafia land and Italian wine

This week in Bloomberg Business Week, Colleen Barry shows how ex-mafia land is producing prize-winning wine. Wine from the Centopassi vineyard which is on display at the Vinitaly wine fair through tomorrow in Verona are “the result of a (EURO) 1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) European Union-Italian project to integrate ex-Mafiosi property in the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria, Puglia and Campagna back into the legal economy.” In Robert Camuto’s book, Palemento, he chronicles his journey through Sicily where he explores the emerging wine scene while also discovering the anti-Mafia movement growing in the former mob vineyards around infamous Corleone. Read … Continue reading Ex-mafia land and Italian wine

Judaism’s Great Debates

This week on the Jewish Book Council, Rabbi Barry Schwartz began discussing his new book, Judaism’s Great Debates. His book, which will be published in July, is an engaging and well-researched argument that debate and disputation are not only encouraged within Judaism but reside at the very heart of Jewish history and theology. Schwartz's post is titled, “We Need More Jewish Debate, Not Less,” and is the first of three blog posts he's writingfor the Jewish Book Council this week. Continue reading Judaism’s Great Debates

Off the Shelf: We Are Here by Ellen Cassedy

CassedyRead the begining of We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust by Ellen Cassedy:

"A soft summer rain was falling as a white-haired woman made her way to the microphone. “Tayere talmidim!” she began. “Dear students!” Through the pattering of drops on my umbrella, I leaned forward to catch her words. The old woman’s name was Bluma, a flowery name that matched her flowered dress. She was a member of the all-but-vanished Jewish community in Vilnius, Lithuania, the city once known as the Jerusalem of the North. “How fortunate I am,” she said in a quavering voice. “I have lived long enough to see people coming back to Vilnius to study Yiddish.”

Continue reading “Off the Shelf: We Are Here by Ellen Cassedy”

Hyde wins Bancroft Prize

Congratulations to UNP author Anne F. Hyde for being awarded the 2012 Bancroft Prize! Hyde won the award for her book Empires, Nations, and Families: A History of the North American West, 1800-1860. The Bancroft Prize is awarded annually by the trustees of Columbia University to three books published on the subjects of American history and diplomacy. It is among the most prestigious prizes in the field. Empires, Nations, and Families is an exploration of the American West just after the Louisiana Purchase, tracing family stories from the Canadian North to the Spanish and Mexican borderlands and from the Pacific … Continue reading Hyde wins Bancroft Prize

Native American lawyer symposium

In Coyote Warrior, Paul VanDevelder tells the epic story of the three tribes that saved Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery from starvation, their century-long battle to forge a new nation, and the extraordinary journey of one man to redeem a father's dream–and the dignity of his people. VanDevelder was contacted by a group of Albuquerque lawyers to start a scholarship fund for Native-American students called the “Coyote Warrior Fund.” The first two students to receive the money are graduating this year. And this Friday is The First Thirteen – Personal Reflections of the Argument, which is a symposium comprised … Continue reading Native American lawyer symposium

Poetry Out Loud championship

Tomorrow the NEA "Poetry Out Loud" state championship is from 1:00-3:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Museum of Art.  The Nebraksa champion recieves $200 and an all-expense paid trip to the national contest in Washington D.C. where winners from around the nation compete for a $20,000 college scholarship.  UNP is a proud sponsor of the event and it is free and open to the public.  So go show your support to the young Nebraska poets! Continue reading Poetry Out Loud championship

Reviews and giveaway

In the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Birch Coulie by John Christgau was reviewed by Curt Brown. Brown said, “Christgau's book is essential reading on the 150th anniversary of the largely forgotten, under-taught war that he describes as ‘a brutal collision of two worlds and cultures.’” Brown also compared Christgau to one of the characters in the book, Boyd, by explaining that both are not “…overly sympathetic to either side, parlaying rich details and complex historical characters to capture a vibrant snapshot of Minnesota history.” Read the full review here. The Brave Ski Mom reviewed In Search of Powder by Jeremy Evans … Continue reading Reviews and giveaway

Book signing

Tonight at 7 p.m. in the UNL bookstore you can meet Jeff Kurrus, author of the new children's book Have You Seen Mary? and editor of NEBRASKAland Magazine! Kurrus will read from and sign copies of Have Your Seen Mary? in the University Bookstore, in the lower level of the Nebraska Union at 14 and R streets in Lincoln. Have You Seen Mary? is a fictional account of one sandhill crane’s faithful search during spring migration for his lost mate. The book includes photographs by Nebraska wildlife photographer Michael Forsberg. So come out to the book store to meet a … Continue reading Book signing