Did you know that Cornell has an online book club? Check it out!<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And for more books by Big Red authors, peruse our previous round-ups<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Victor LaValle \u201994, BA \u201995<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The New York Times<\/em> calls LaValle\u2019s fifth novel<\/a> \u201centhralling,\u201d observing that it \u201copens like a true western, with a scene of dark, bloody upheaval and a hint of vengeance. But nothing in this genre-melding book is as it seems.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In it, the award-winning author<\/a> of literary horror tales\u2014many unfolding in and around modern-day NYC\u2014shifts to a different sphere, setting his latest in Montana during the early 20th century. His protagonist\u2014Adelaide, one of the \u201clone women\u201d of the title\u2014is a Black homesteader seeking a new start after a violent family tragedy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Says NPR: \u201cThis is a wonderful novel that expertly combines adventure and terror, sprinkled with LaValle\u2019s mordant wit and assured prose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n LaValle\u2019s previous books<\/a> include The Devil in Silver<\/em> and The Ballad of Black Tom<\/em>, as well as a recent reimagining of a classic mutant villain in Marvel\u2019s Sabretooth<\/em> comics series. A TV version of his 2017 novel The Changeling<\/em> is set to stream on Apple TV+ later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Melvyn Leffler \u201966<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Published by Oxford University Press, Leffler\u2019s work<\/a> is subtitled George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq<\/em>. Informed by archival documents and interviews with senior policymakers, the historian explores the motivations behind the 2003 military action, whose impacts are still deeply felt by the Iraqi people as well as by U.S. veterans of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile much of this territory has been covered before, Leffler adds useful contextual detail, beginning with a detailed biography of Saddam Hussein, who was especially brutal in his political and military tactics\u2014e.g., gassing his own people,\u201d says Kirkus<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div> \u201cBecause of Hussein\u2019s known lying about his buildup of biological and chemical weapons, support of terrorism, hatred of Zionism, and general grandiose ambitions for a pan-Arab unity led by himself, the U.S. was already deeply wary of his regime before 9\/11.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An emeritus professor<\/a> of American history at the University of Virginia, Leffler is the author of numerous works on U.S. foreign relations including A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration, and the Cold War<\/em>, which won several major awards including the Bancroft Prize, one of the field\u2019s highest honors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chaitali Sen \u201992<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen\u2019s story collection<\/a>\u2014whose publication is part of the award for the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction\u2014delves into the lives of Indian and Indian American characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis intelligent collection from Sen explores themes of isolation and connection with clear, direct prose,\u201d says Library Journal<\/em>, recommending it \u201cfor readers who enjoy thoughtful fiction with well-developed characters navigating difficult situations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A College Scholar on the Hill, Sen previously penned<\/a> the novel The Pathless Sky<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The protagonists of her new collection include a lonely business traveler who joins the search for a missing boy; a recent widow who emigrates to the U.S. to care for her brother\u2019s children; and an author who, oddly, becomes more successful after an imposter starts publishing under his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Says Kirkus<\/em>: \u201cIn these stirring, understated stories, the intersections of ethnicity, religion, and gender raise the stakes for the characters\u2014so that when the reasons for their disconnection are finally revealed, it\u2019s often a double whammy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Janetta Rebold Benton \u201967<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The London-based publisher Thames & Hudson released this book, Benton\u2019s 10th, as part of its Art Essentials series. It\u2019s available in both American and British English and has been translated into other languages including German and Spanish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With myriad illustrations, it comprises an overview<\/a> of Western art and architecture from prehistory to the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfolding in 12 chapters, the volume surveys art with a focus on history, putting works into the context of their time and culture.<\/p>\n<\/div> Each chapter opens with a question to ponder, as well as a summary of the period including social structure, politics, religion, and scientific advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benton\u2014a BFA alum of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning\u2014is a distinguished professor<\/a> of art history at Pace University; she previously published How to Understand Art<\/em><\/a>. A specialist in the medieval period, she has taught widely including in France, Russia, and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jade Song \u201918<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPart body horror, part science fiction, part queer teenage romance, Song\u2019s debut novel<\/a> dives into the deep end of bodily and psychological metamorphosis,\u201d says Kirkus<\/em>, \u201cbut it\u2019s not for the faint of heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The protagonist of this coming-of-age tale, a New York Times<\/em> editor\u2019s choice pick, is a Chinese American teen named Ren Yu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ren is a fiercely dedicated competitive swimmer\u2014and her self-worth is excruciatingly dependent on her success in the pool.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Under pressure from an exacting (and potentially abusive) coach as well as from parents determined to see her admitted to the Ivy League, Ren becomes so fixated on her relationship to the water that she may actually transform into a mermaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Says Publishers Weekly<\/em>: \u201cIn Song\u2019s disturbing and visionary debut, a child pushed too hard to succeed becomes a monster of her own making.\u201d A communication major<\/a> in CALS, Song is a writer, art director, and artist based in NYC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eve Ogden Schaub \u201992, BA \u201993, BFA \u201993<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a former newspaper reporter<\/a> who studied photography and English lit in Arts & Sciences, Schaub approaches her memoirs<\/a> as chronicles of her lived experiences, mixed with deep-dive research and expert interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the final installment<\/a> of a trilogy\u2014following Year of No Sugar<\/em> (2014) and Year of No Clutter<\/em> (2017)\u2014Schaub confronts trash\u2019s ubiquity in everyday life. By way of research, she, her husband, and their two daughters pledged to divert all the waste produced in their southern Vermont home from landfills and incinerators, whether by reusing, recycling, or composting.<\/p>\n<\/div> While she learned that some types of glass and paper have favorable recycling rates\u2014particularly cardboard, at 90%\u2014securing reputable destinations for other materials (such as plastic) was daunting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI firmly believed that all these different wrappers and containers had a purpose, a perfect home,\u201d Schaub writes, \u201cif only I could figure out what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ted Ladd \u201992, BA \u201993<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/lone-women-A.jpg\")
<\/figure>Lone Women<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nConfronting Saddam Hussein<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>A New Race of Men from Heaven<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe History of Western Art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>Chlorine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nYear of No Garbage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/Year-of-No-Garbage-PB-FC-683x1024.jpeg\")
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<\/figure>Innovating with Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n