Category: Books

Melanie Weiss (BSJ99)

In “Crossing Lines,: Midwestern high school seniors and swim teammates Alli and Brandon are the perfect couple, enjoying their final months of high school and making big plans for the future. When a horrific school shooting sparks a national movement, Alli gets involved with protests in support of gun control legislation, while Brandon defends his pro-gun beliefs and stays on the sidelines. These shifting priorities lead Alli and Brandon to question not only each other but their world views, as they begin to stand up for something bigger than themselves for the first time.

Melanie Weiss lives in Oak Park, Illinois. Her debut novel, “Spoken,” received a 2019 Readers’ Favorite Award for Young Adult-Social Issues.

Michele Merens (Ellis) (MSJ83)

“Inside Our Days” tells the story of Bree Durning, a happily married woman who abruptly flees home and family after receiving a dire cancer diagnosis. When her husband, William, a trained psychologist, tracks her down, she can hardly explain why she has turned from all she loves to all that only promises her pain: her own blindsiding memories. A deep dive into the ravages of complex PTSD, and how symptoms of this disease often mimic other anxieties and depressions, confounding sufferers and those who love them. “Inside Our Days” will be published by Muriel Press, Marian University, a university press dedicated to publishing books tied to social justice issues of our time.

It launches October 1, 2020 and is available through Amazon.com, libraries, book retailers and directly from Muriel Press, https://www.marianuniversity.edu/the-muriel-press. In print or ebook editions.

Michele Weldon (BSJ79, MSJ80)

Award-winning memoirist Michele Weldon’s new new essay collection  “Act Like You’re Having a Good Time” is written with honesty and depth and explores what it means to be a mature woman seeking a life of purpose and meaning through work, family and relationships.

In “Act Like You’re Having a Good Time,” Weldon reflects on growing up with her family, being a single mother, striving for applause and acceptance, failing expectations, forming new friendships, reconciling lost dreams and restoring one’s faith. With sincerity and humor, she dissects family traditions, painting classes, lap swimming and dress codes. Weldon also contemplates her upbringing and acknowledges that white privilege created and sustains her circumstances in life.

Looking to find connection with readers in these turbulent times, Weldon set her sights on writing a distinctive essay collection that explores the difficult parts of life, whether it be aging, facing disappointment or learning to live with insecurities. In an age of self-care and over-the-top indulgence, Weldon has found peace and clarity through gratitude, affirming that “you are already enough.” Weldon invites readers to recognize the universal experience of learning to accept oneself and asking essential questions—even if there are no easy answers.

Alyssa Karas (BSJ11), Dan Tham (BSJ13)

Seventy-year-old Northwestern journalism professor Loren Ghiglione and two twenty-something Northwestern journalism students, Alyssa Karas and Dan Tham, climbed into a minivan and embarked on a three-month, twenty-eight state, 14,063-mile road trip in search of America’s identity. After interviewing 150 Americans about contemporary identity issues, they compiled this collection, which is part oral history, part shoe-leather reporting, part search for America’s future, part memoir, and part travel journal.

Anna Marie Johnson Teague (MSJ00)

The Book of Dares is grounded both in practical parenting strategies and 20 years of A Call to Men’s work with men and boys to promote healthy manhood, authenticity, and gender equity. This collection of 100 original dares will help boys expand their worldview, inspire more respect toward girls and non-binary kids, and generally develop a healthier idea of manhood. The book features a voicey intro to draw readers in, plus an afterword that’s both a call to action and a resource for parents and educators. Inspired by A Call to Men’s tried-and-tested curriculum, this is a way of guiding boys to being their most authentic selves, and a direct answer to parents’ cries for building healthy manhood, respect, and emotional literacy in their sons.

Afroze Ali (IMC15)

What makes a great leader?

Three out of four employees report that poor leadership is the most stressful part of their job. Poor leadership can lead to high turnover, low productivity, and a stressful work environment. In Power to Empower provides future leaders the tools they need to realize their full potential. In this book, you’ll discover:

* Your self — who you are now, as a result of your experiences
* Your mindset — focusing your energy to solve problems
* Your [super]power — understanding people and their motivations
* Your people — prioritizing the humans in your life
* Your strategic game plan — being intentional with the big picture in mind
* Your fearlessness — not letting fear stop you from being or bringing change

In Power to Empower aims to inspire the next generation of leaders to be their best. Everyone is a leader, some just don’t know it yet!

Max Frumes (MSJ10)

The Caesars Palace Coup recounts the brawl for the storied casino giant, Caesars Entertainment, over the course of its 2015 bankruptcy. This narrative non-fiction thriller on the most brutal corporate restructuring in Wall Street history pits brilliant and ruthless private equity legends against the most relentless hedge fund wizards in the world. Medill alum Max Frumes (MSJ ’10), a pioneering B2B financial journalist, brings to light the tactics of distressed debt investors who wrestle over the debt issued struggling corporate giants with billions of dollars hanging in the balance.

Deborah Douglas (BSJ89)

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail offers a vivid glimpse into the story of Black America’s fight for freedom. From witnessing eye-opening landmarks to celebrating triumph over adversity, experience a tangible piece of history with Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Flexible Itineraries: Travel the entire trail through the South, or take shorter trips with chapters on Charleston, Birmingham, Jackson, Memphis, Washington DC, and more places that were significant to the Civil Rights Movement

Historic Civil Rights Sites: Learn about Dr. King’s legacy at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, be transformed at the small but mighty Emmett Till Intrepid Center, and stand tall with Little Rock Nine at their memorial in Arkansas

The Culture of the Movement: Get to know the voices, stories, music, and flavors that shape and celebrate Black America both then and now

Voices of the Movement: Features activists who were there, such as Diane Nash, Bernard Lafayette, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, James Meredith, JoAnne Bland, Rev. Calvin Woods, several Freedom Riders and Children’s Crusade participants.

Expert Insight: Award-winning journalist Deborah D. Douglas offers her valuable perspective and knowledge, as well as suggestions for engaging with local communities by patronizing Black-owned businesses and seeking out activist groups

Travel Tools: Find tips on where to stay, where to eat, the best local nightlife, and more, plus driving directions for exploring the sites on a road trip, with full-color photos and maps throughout

Detailed coverage of: Charleston, Atlanta, Selma to Montgomery, Birmingham, Jackson, the Mississippi Delta, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Raleigh, Durham, Virginia, and Washington DC
Foreword by Bree Newsome Bass: activist, filmmaker, and artist

Journey through history, understand struggles past and present, and get inspired to create a better future with Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Branden Hampton (MSJ16)

Deadline is a story about a relentless black journalist that struggles through the world’s top journalism school in the midst of racism, politics and corruption in Chicago.

Rudee Brown is a film school reject from Atlanta and graduate journalism student at the fictitious Murphy College Cronkite School of Journalism in Chicago. More than anything in the world, Rudee wants to make his deceased father proud by becoming a journalist.

However, he struggles to balance his father’s wants with his own goals of becoming a successful filmmaker and musician all while struggling through the first quarter of graduate school in Chicago.

Melina Kolb (MSJ09)

For decades, the gap between the rich and poor in high-income economies has been expanding, particularly in the United States. The lowest earners were being left behind before COVID-19 hit, but the twin shocks of an acute health crisis and a global recession are widening divisions, raising moral, social, economic, and political challenges.

This longform digital feature studies the rise of inequality over 50 years, how policy failures left millions vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what governments can do to rebuild more equitable societies.

The guide draws together research from the world’s leading experts, covering areas such as tax policy, education and safety net expansion, income support, and health care, building on the groundbreaking 2019 Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) conference, “Combating Inequality,” organized by Olivier Blanchard (PIIE) and Dani Rodrik (Harvard University), and later work from attending experts.