The Whitman Collection
Steven Windell ’62 tells of a trip from Seattle to Glacier Bay in “Transcending the Gordian Knot: A Boating Adventure With a Father-Son Rite of Passage.” The journey of 2,400 miles in 24 days comes alive in Steven’s journal and photos. Whirlpools, fast flowing currents, drifting logs, storms and engine breakdowns – these are only a few of the challenges facing a father and his teenage son in their voyage from Seattle to Glacier Bay, Alaska, in an open 19.5-foot motorboat. This is the personal story of a father who begins by giving his son the gift of a high school graduation trip, and ends in the realization that the arduous boat trip challenged his own notions of fatherhood and much more.
The latest book by Lesley Johnson Farmer ’71, “Introduction to Reference and Information Services for Today’s School Libraries,” covers the A-Z of both reference and information services for today’s library. Everything from teaching students how to use sources to both in-person and virtual reference service is covered. A key feature of the text is an annotated bibliography of core print and electronic sources for elementary, middle and high school collections. Lesley now chairs the Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling at California State University Long Beach.
“What Color are Your Assets: An Insider’s Guide to Rare Coins and Precious Metals,” by Lawrence Goldberg ’76, takes you on a tour inside the precious metals and rare coin markets, providing answers to the most common and important questions asked by investors and collectors: How do I buy for value? How do I avoid rip-offs? Why are precious metals and rare coins vital for today’s investor? Lawrence outlines the fundamental ways of thinking and practical approaches that arm any investor or collector with the tools necessary to produce consistently outstanding results.
Charles Kastner ’77 explores long-distance footraces of the early 20th century in his new book “The 1929 Bunion Derby: Johnny Salo and the Great Footrace Across America.” On March 31, 1929, 77 men began an epic 3,554-mile footrace across America that pushed their bodies to the breaking point. Nicknamed the “Bunion Derby” by the press, this was the second and last of two trans-America footraces held in the late 1920s. The men averaged 46 miles a day during 78 days of nonstop racing that took them from New York City to Los Angeles. Kastner’s engrossing account, often told from the perspective of the participants, evokes the remarkable physical challenge the runners experienced and clearly bolsters the argument that the last Bunion Derby was the greatest long-distance footrace of all time.
Michael Bugni ’80 has published his first novel, a legal thriller set in Seattle, titled “Consumed.” The plot is centered on a high-profile divorce amidst a corporate scandal in the technology sector. Follow the events of “Consumed” as we examine the intersection of technology, social engineering and, in this story, the drama-inducing landscape of modern-day divorce. It is said there are no good divorces, but a bad divorce can be murder. For the details, Mike invites you to visit www.consumedthebook.com.
Ed Swan ’85 has updated and published a second edition of “The Birds of Vashon Island.” The book thoroughly discusses the natural history of Vashon Island, tracing the habitat changes over the last 150 years and their effect on bird populations. Current habitat types receive full attention to plant/wildlife relationships, health and amount of each habitat, and complete mapping of location on the island with six pages of color maps. Find more information at Ed’s website, www.theswancompany.com.
“The Bargain from the Bazaar: A Family’s Day of Reckoning in Lahore” by Haroon K. Ullah ’99 is the story of one struggling middle-class Pakistani family, compellingly narrated by a young scholar and diplomat who has observed the traumas of the region first hand. Awais is a shopkeeper in the Anarkali Bazaar. Married with three sons, he looks back on his journey from idealistic young nationalist to increasingly watchful and anxious member of the mercantile class at the heart of Pakistani life.“The Bargain from the Bazaar” – the product of eight years of field research – is an intimate window onto ordinary middle-class lives caught in the maelstrom of a nation falling to pieces. Radical Islam is confronted not only in distant mountain passes by the armed forces, but most personally and tellingly across the kitchen table as families like the Rezas debate their future.
Katherine “Katie” Songer Dolen ’00 is co-author of “Field Guide to Wisconsin Streams: Plants, Fishes, Invertebrates, Amphibians and Reptiles,” along with Michael A. Miller and Ron Dolen, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Authored and edited at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the guide combines the knowledge of dozens of state stream experts, contains more than 1,200 images, and highlights both threatened/endangered species and invasives. Katie and Ron were the book’s lead editors; the couple enjoyed working together and married midway through the project.