The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century British Literature (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By Andrew H. Miller *91

(Cornell University Press) In this study of the 19th-century preoccupation with perfectionism, the author analyzes the period’s essayists and novelists and provides an extensive response to Stanley Cavell’s contribution to ethics and philosophy of the mind....

Biomedical Ambiguity: Race, Asthma, and the Contested Meaning of Genetic Research in the Caribbean (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By Ian Whitmarsh *05

(Cornell University Press) In this study that contributes to the ongoing debate about the genetics of complex diseases and their “racial” or “hereditary” susceptibilities, the author describes how he followed a team of genetic researchers searching for...

Democratic Rights: The Substance of Self-Government (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By Corey Brettschneider *02

(Princeton University Press) This volume reconciles the tension between the democratic principles of majority rule and individual rights by arguing that democracy demands many of these rights. According to Brettschneider, ideal democracies are comprised of...

Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By Ginger Strand *92

(Simon and Schuster) Seamlessly weaving science, history, aesthetics, and personal observation, this narrative reveals the hidden history of America’s most iconic sight, Niagara Falls. It chronicles the Falls’ journey from natural wonder to manmade delight —...

Deconstructing Legitimacy: Viceroys, Merchants, and the Military in Late Colonial Peru (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By Patricia H. Marks *03

(Pennsylvania State University Press) In this study of the overthrow of Viceroy Joaquín de la Pezuela on Jan. 29, 1821, the author reveals it to be the culmination of decades of Peruvian opposition to the Bourbon reforms of the late 18th century. The event,...

Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By Craig Rennebohm with David Paul *73

(Beacon Press) For decades, Rennebohm, a Protestant pastor, has ministered to Seattle’s homeless who struggle with mental illness. In this collaboration with Paul, he shares the stories of those he has helped, framing them within the ideals of steadfast...

Public Opinion and Constitutional Controversy (Posted on Sept. 24, 2008)

By edited by Nathaniel Persily, Jack Citrin, and Patrick J. Egan *00

(Oxford University Press) This study examines opinion of a wide range of constitutional issues, including desegregation, school prayer, abortion, the death penalty, gay rights, and national security. The chapters examine each controversy and how...