Category: Books

Don Zminda (BSJ70) “Justice Batted Last: Ernie Banks, Minnie Miñoso, and the Unheralded Players Who Integrated Chicago’s Major League Teams” tells the story of the Black players who integrated the Chicago White Sox and Cubs in the1940s and ’50s. Zminda also highlights Chicago’s pivotal role, both positive and negative, in the battle to break baseball’s color barrier. In the 19th century superstar player-manager Cap Anson of the Chicago White Stockings, precursors to the Cubs, was instrumental in driving Black players out of organized baseball. Despite pressure from activists and writers, the leagues remained all-white during the long tenure of baseball’s first commissioner, Chicago-based Kenesaw Mountain Landis. And while publicly stating that they were open to giving Black players a chance during the 1940s, the White Sox and Cubs turned away the chance to sign future superstars like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays.

 Along with detailed coverage of the challenges and racism faced by future Baseball Hall of Famers Banks and Miñoso, Zminda takes a deep look into the careers and lives of other Black players signed by the Chicago teams during this time. Their vivid experiences are an important part of baseball history, as well as the story of race relations in America.

Ian Douglass (MSJ2006)

“Gentleman Jack and Rough Rufus: The Rise of Black American Wrestling” is a biography by Ian Douglass (MSJ ’06) about two Black professional wrestling pioneers that doubles as a socio-historical account of the development of an identifiable Black pro wrestling style between 1930 and 1960. Douglass covers the unforgettable rises and tragic downfalls of Jack Claybourne and Rufus Jones in microscopic detail, and in a way that enables readers to clearly identify the historical importance of both figures within the broader context of the professional wrestling landscape. Moreover, readers will be able to plainly see how the influence of the two athletes continues to be evident nearly 100 years after both wrestlers made their in-ring debuts.

Elaine Weiss (MSJ74)

The gripping story of four social justice activists whose audacious plan to restore voting rights to Black Americans in the Jim Crow south laid the grassroots foundation for the Civil Rights Movement. They developed the Citizenship Schools project, starting with a single secret classroom hidden in the back of a South Carolina rural grocery store. By the time the Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965, over 900 citizenship schools had been established in eleven southern states, quietly preparing tens of thousands of Black citizens to read and write, demand their rights—and vote.
Spell Freedom plunges readers into the heart of the burgeoning movement, offering a visceral and intimate story of ordinary citizens confronting injustice with courage and creativity, attempting to repair American democracy with their own hands.

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!