An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic (Knopf), by classicist Daniel Mendelsohn *94, begins when his father, at 81, decides to audit his course on Homer’s Odyssey. The retired research scientist frustrates his son by challenging his literary interpretations in class; but when they embark on a cruise retracing Odysseus’ path, the elder Mendelsohn and his son finally begin to understand each other.
A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa (Hachette), by Alexis Okeowo ’06, recounts extraordinary acts of defiance in regions of Africa marred by conflict: a couple kidnapped by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army and now seeking a new life, a Mauritanian fighting modern slavery, a women’s basketball team flourishing in Somalia, and a vigilante taking up arms against the extremist group Boko Haram.
A Life of Adventure and Delight (Norton), by Akhil Sharma ’92, is a collection of eight short stories chronicling the lives of Indians and their personal struggles. The stories revolve around the complex — and sometimes humorous — aspects of marriage, sickness, and love.
A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (Greenwillow), by Seth Fishman ’04, makes enormous numbers accessible to children. The book demonstrates in relatable terms unfathomable quantities such as the 37 billion rabbits and 3 trillion trees on Earth and the 100 billion trillion stars in the universe.
The Latest
See all
Related News
Remembering Landon Y. Jones ’66, Editor, Author, and Inveterate ‘Ripper’
Friends paid tribute Nov. 15 at a memorial service in the Princeton University Chapel
Princeton to Cut Way Down on Alums’ Free Google Email Storage
A squeeze from Google is prompting Princeton to slice the generous free email storage it offered alumni in the past
Meet Kathy Crow ’89: Philanthropist and Lightning Rod
The former lacrosse standout’s friendship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stirred a national controversy
0 Responses