2024 Nonfiction Author Series

Monday, January 23, 2023

The Daughters of Kobani is based on years of Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s on-the-ground reporting in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East.  The book tells – according to Angelina Jolie – the “extraordinary and humbling story” of the women of the Kurdish militia who helped defeat ISIS by going house to house, street by street, town by town.  In the process of performing that daunting task, the women not only contributed to a remarkable military victory; they also tried to foster a world where women would be the equal of men and where men could not buy and sell women.  In a starred review, Publishers Weekly said that “Lemmon delivers a fascinating portrait….This deeply reported account enthralls and informs.” Kirkus Reviews said the book highlights a “well-told story of contemporary female warriors and the complex geopolitical realities behind their battles.” And People said the book provides “an inspiring look at the all-female militia that helped fight ISIS.”  The book is in production for a video streaming series.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon covered presidential politics and public policy issues for ABC News between 1997 and 2004, served as an editorial producer for ABC’s The Week with George Stephanopoulus, and began her first on-ground reporting in Afghanistan in 2005.  She is the author of two other best-selling books:  The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, and Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield.  Gayle is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism, a graduate of Harvard Business School, and a former Fulbright Scholar and a former Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow.

Monday, February 6, 2023

Seek and Hide:  The Tangled History of the Right to Privacy explores with facts and anecdotes the battle that has long raged in the media, in the courts, and in the legislatures around the country between an individual’s right to privacy and the public’s right to know.  The battle has loomed especially large ever since lawyer Louis D. Brandeis wrote his seminal article at the end of the nineteenth century to urge better protection for the right to privacy.  But the law’s protection for the right to privacy is in danger of being eclipsed in the digital age, where the press – not to mention other people – can mine smartphones, webcams, and the internet to uncover and publicize the most intimate details of a person’s private life.  The New York Times said the book is “wry and fascinating….Gajda is a nimble storyteller.”  The Library Journal also called the book “fascinating.”  And best-selling author Walter Isaacson said the book is “brilliant and thought-provoking.”

Amy Gajda is the Class of 1937 Professor of Law at Tulane Law School and one of the country’s foremost experts on privacy and the media.  She is an award-winning legal commentator on Illinois public radio stations, has written articles for The New York Times, and has provided expert commentary for The New Yorker, Newsweek, and The Los Angeles Times, as well as C-SPAN, CBS Television’s morning telecast, and other media.

Monday, February 27, 2023

Tiger & Phil:  Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry drills down on the decades-long competition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.  As author Bob Harig shows, the relationship is much more complicated than two men competing on the golf course.  They have needled each other.  They have shared the media’s attention on health issues and legal controversies.  And over the course of their time together, they have gradually become not just rivals but also friends.  Best-selling golf writer John Feinstein said, “There is no one more qualified to write a book on Tiger and Phil than Bob Harig.  He’s probably walked more holes with them than anyone – with the POSSIBLE exception of their caddies!”  Book Reporter agreed, saying that Tiger & Phil is a “wonderful story of two men who will long be remembered for their contributions to professional golf.”  And Ian O’Connor, best-selling author of Arnie & Jack, said the book is “brilliant….The ultimate insider’s look at the real Tiger-Phil relationship.”

Bob Harig is a journalist who has long covered golf, first for the Tampa Bay Times, then with ESPN, and now with SI.com.  He holds degrees in journalism and history from Indiana University and is an active member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

Monday, March 20, 2023

The Sound of the Sea:  Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans is an exotic and often surprising history of how seashells are created and – more importantly – how seashells have influenced events and shaped stories around the world: the great cities of shell that arose in North America; the slave castles of Ghana; the formation of Shell Oil Company, which originated as a family business that imported colorful shells; and so much more.  The New York Times said that The Sound of the Sea “spirals out…to a much larger story about the sea, about global history and about environmental crises and preservation.”  CBS Sunday Morning agreed, saying that The Sound of the Sea is “a literal ‘beach read’ to treasure.”  And Kirkus said – in a starred review – that The Sound of the Sea is “an absolutely captivating nature book.”

Cynthia Barnett is a Journalist in Residence at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.  The Sound of the Sea is her fourth book.  Cynthia’s first book – Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern United States – won the gold metal for the best nonfiction book in Florida and was named one of the top 10 books that everyone in Florida should read.  Her two subsequent books have received comparable awards, including for one selection as a Finalist for the National Book Award.  Cynthia’s articles have appeared in numerous publications around the country, including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Atlantic Magazine.