Category: Books

Allan Kreda (MSJ88)

All hockey players dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup and winning a gold medal for their home country. Ken Morrow was the first to accomplish both feats in the same year, playing for the United States in the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 at Lake Placid, then following that up by lifting the Cup with the New York Islanders at the conclusion of his rookie season – three months to the day after receiving his gold medal in upstate New York. Morrow would go on to win three more consecutive titles with that Islanders dynasty and play his entire 10-season NHL career on Long Island as an elite, steadfast defenseman.

In a new memoir co-authored by longtime hockey writer Allan Kreda, Morrow gives hockey fans a front-row seat to one of the most remarkable stretches of dominance in NHL history. Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995, Morrow has been director of pro scouting for the Islanders since 1992 and shares more than 40 years of hockey lore in this fascinating chronicle of a legendary life in hockey.

Monique Parsons (MSJ89)

The avocado is the quintessential symbol of aspirational living, a ubiquitous agricultural favorite, and the driver of an $18 billion global industry. How did this regional Latin American staple become a star of Super Bowl ads and a byword for wellness? Documenting more than a century of cross-cultural cooperation, cutting-edge science, and savvy marketing, Green Gold tells the remarkable story of the fruit’s rise to prominence as both a culinary and cultural juggernaut.

Anchored by the story of two exceptional trees that stood out among hundreds of rivals, Green Gold is a spirited and often surprising behind-the-scenes look at how dedicated avocado enthusiasts in Mexico and California developed an ideal fruit to sell to the world. Navigating the Depression, two world wars, Mexican revolutions, violent drug lords, drought, and disease, these pioneers were driven by the avocado’s potential to captivate the palates and hearts of consumers across the globe. Their efforts, inspired by the success of California citrus, launched today’s lucrative industry and helped the avocado win a place among such supermarket staples as oranges and bananas.

Set against the rise of Southern California as an economic and cultural powerhouse and featuring recipes (including vintage versions of guacamole and avocado toast), Green Gold is an entertaining and far-ranging exploration of the avocado’s journey to a central place in the American diet and global imagination.

Martha Hall Kelly (MSJ81)

2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She’s come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

1942: The Smith girls—nineteen-year-old aspiring writer Cadence and sixteen-year-old war-obsessed Briar—are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together during World War II as the U.S. Army arrives on Martha’s Vineyard. When Briar spots German U-boats lurking off the island’s shores, and Cadence falls into an unlikely romance with a sworn enemy, their quiet lives are officially upended. In an attempt at normalcy, Cadence and her best friend, Bess, start a book club, which grows both in members and influence as they connect with a fabulous New York publisher who could make all of Cadence’s dreams come true. But all that is put at risk by a mysterious man who washes ashore—and whispers of a spy in their midst. Who in their tight-knit island community can they trust? Could this little book club change the course of the war . . . before it’s too late?

Victor Maze (MSJ03)

In today’s crowded marketplace, selling a quality product is not enough. To stand out, businesses must tell compelling stories and build relationships with potential customers—and prospective employees—who have become evermore discerning, supporting companies that align with their own values.

While this may seem daunting, it can be done. In fact, magazine editors have mastered these skills for decades, creating trusted brands that attract loyal followers in their longtime readers and dedicated staffers, who often live out the messages of the publications in their own lives.

With more than 20 years of experience building brands at the world’s largest media companies, Victor Maze spills the leadership secrets of top editors—many of whom are now leading content and marketing teams at giants like Netflix and Nike.

“Lead Like an Editor” covers essential strategies for hiring passionate teams, inspiring with vision, making decisive choices, and crafting compelling messages that resonate with audiences. Named an Editor’s Pick by Publisher’s Weekly, this book transforms the way you lead people, tell stories, build brands, and achieve success.

Karen Florsheim Uhlmann (MSJ79)

Secrets and guilt collide as Charlotte Oakes’ perfect life unravels after a hit-and-run possibly involving her troubled daughter. She forms a bond with Officer Ed Kelly, who carries his own burdens. Both haunted by loss, they face choices that could fracture their connection. Will Charlotte protect her daughter at any cost, or will Ed’s duty to the law compel a decision neither can escape?

Dave Schechter (MSJ78)

The Story of a Jewish Woman Who Made Communism Her Way to Repair the World

An FBI informant called Amy Schechter “a regular ten–minute egg.” In other words, hard–boiled. The New York Times said that Amy became “one of the most ardent among the New York radicals.” A Jewish columnist called her “one of the few genuinely idealistic Communists; she lives up to her ideals in her private life, sharing what she has with others less fortunate.”

What propelled the daughter of a renowned Jewish scholar to join a movement on the fringe of American society that rejected religion, capitalism, and other mainstream ideals?

Amy Schechter, born in England and educated in the United States, devoted two–thirds of her life, more than four decades, to the Communist Party in a quest to improve the lives of working men and women. Party work took her across the United States, from textile mills and coal fields to shipyards and docks. During one of the most famed strikes of its time, her name frequented newspaper front pages as a defendant in a celebrated murder trial. In Russia, she lived in a little–known American colony in Siberia and attended the Party’s finishing school in Moscow.

A Life of the Party blends the historical record with narrative fiction fitting Amy’s life and times.

Rita Lussier (MSA79)

What does a mother do when her youngest child leaves home and her perfectly ordered (well, almost) life is suddenly thrown off its track, leaving her to wonder if she will ever again find that comfortable rhythm, that sense of belonging?

After twenty-seven years of motherhood, Rita Lussier sees her youngest child off to New York City and drives home to what she thinks will be the calm after the storm—only to find no comfort, nothing familiar. Welcome to the Great Big Empty Nest!

Matt Barrows (MSJ97)

When a popular fishing captain is murdered on his own trawler, everyone in Haversport, Massachusetts, knows the culprit is a young deckhand named Ben Broome, including Detective Lillian Grimes. But Ben has discovered the perfect hiding place: as a reporter writing for the tiny Coastal Packet, a newspaper down in South Carolina.

A half-eaten body washes in, becomes the biggest story in the paper’s history and brings cunning, charismatic Ben unexpected success. But it also leads Grimes closer to the truth. She soon teams up with hungry rival reporter Florence Park to hunt Ben down before he can charm—or kill—his way to freedom.
Shown from three perspectives, killer, detective, and reporter, Muddy the Water brings readers inside the newsroom of a struggling small newspaper on the bucolic South Carolina coast and speaks to the concept of identity—and whether anyone ever shows their true self.

Melissa Harris (BSJ02)

Melissa Harris is co-author of the new book “Everybody Needs an Editor: The Essential Guide to Clear and Effective Writing,” written with Jenn Bane and edited by Mark Jacob. The book, published by Simon Element, is a guide for contemporary times, advising readers how to use ChatGPT without sacrificing their humanity, how to write emails that will actually get opened, and how to deliver a presentation that will keep colleagues off their phones.

One of the key points in the book is that Artificial Intelligence doesn’t mean people can stop worrying about the quality of their writing. It actually means the opposite – people must write extremely well to stand out from the crowd. And if they use AI, they have to know how to edit it to avoid disaster.

The book is fun to read – not at all preachy. As Publishers Weekly put it: “The authors can be delightfully snarky, such as when they caution against turning nouns into verbs and ridicule a job posting that used ‘laddering’ as a verb: ‘Garage the laddering. Unless you need to reach a kitten who is treeing.’”