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www.coe.edu 4 the British had enacted some “harmful and ill-conceived” policies. And they looked disparagingly on their African leaders, calling them corrupt, dishonest, and incompetent. In her book, Mutongi explores why. She returns to Maragoli to understand how British rule, and then kenyan independence, shaped people’s lives. She finds that the challenges and contradictions of colonialism are most pronounced in the lives of widows, who make up a significant part of the demographic. Under British rule, Maragoli widows would publicly air their social, political and economic problems — their “worries of the heart” — in order to compel men to help them. Later, during kenyan independence, they would invoke the language of rights and citizenship in their calls for assistance. Using widows’ lives as a “barometer for the harsh realities of rural kenya,” Mutongi explores the quest for survival in colonial and post-colonial Maragoli. The first part of her book gives a sense of everyday life during colonial rule, the second part tackles widowhood between 1930 and 1950, and the last part focuses on widows after kenyan independence. Binyavanga Wainaina, winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, called “Worries of the Heart” a “magisterial book.” He added, “Mutongi has gotten under the skin of her material — and what we read is a living document: surely essential for every reading household in kenya, for schools, and for every department of African studies. It is at once a literary and academic achievement.” Mutongi has also published articles in Journal of African History, Africa, International Journal of African Historical Studies, Signs, and African Studies review. At Williams since 1996, Mutongi teaches courses on African political thought, the South African Apartheid, and Sub-Saharan Africa since 1800. “Worries of the Heart,” 272 pages with 18 halftones and two maps, is available in cloth for $50 or paperback for $20 from the University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226554198 and 0226554201. booK examineS domeStic programS of uS preSidentS Former teacher, government official and Air Force officer Richard Faber ’53 of Des Moines, Iowa, has teamed up with his daughter, Elizabeth Bedford, to write his third book, “Domestic Programs of The American Presidents: A Critical Evaluation.” Faber previously authored “Spitballers” (2006) and “The American Presidents ranked by Performance” (2000) with his brother, Charles Faber ’48 of Lexington, ky. Charles wrote the forward for “Domestic Programs of The American Presidents.” Since the Constitution delegates presidential powers in general rather than specific terms, the domestic influence of the president has increased over time, often varying greatly depending on the nature of the person hold- ing the office. From George Washington to George W. Bush, this volume takes an in-depth look at the domestic programs of America’s 43 presidents. Written from a non-partisan viewpoint, each chapter focuses on a single presidency, providing information, analysis, interpretation and commentary regarding the domestic facet of each president. “Domestic Programs of The American Presidents” is available in paperback for $35 from McFarland & Co. ISBN 076431830. chaSe Sutton preSentS prize-winning poetry collection Winner of the 2007 Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize, “What Brings You to Del Amo” by Virginia Chase Sutton ’76 is, by turns, both terrifying and comic. This collection of poems presents a vigilantly examined life, wringing wry and knowing but never smug composure from private and institutional experiences of mental illness, while also reminding us that the gap between extreme and ordinary states is often an illusion. Introducing the volume, Charles Harper Webb writes, “Sutton’s poems . . . delight with their fresh imagery, vivid perceptions, unusual perspectives, and general liveliness, Winter | 2008
even when their subject is suffering.” Sutton welcomes her readers with bright imagery and high energy so that they will eagerly tag along, very glad for the wild ride. Webb states that this book, “in other words, is — to use a term not often applied to poetry — good read.” The poems, “also explore less frequently chronicled aspects of mental illness, including the comedy, sexual highs/lows, manic elation — ‘this glory’ — of their bipolar narrator’s life.” Webb concludes, “I applaud the courage and craft required to write this extraordinary collection. I recommend it to you heartily.” Sutton’s first collection of poems, “Embellishments,” was published in 2003. Her poems have won the Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry at Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference and the Allen Coe College Courier Ginsberg Poetry Award, and they have appeared in the Paris review, Ploughshares, the Antioch review and Quarterly West, among other magazines, journals and anthologies. She lives in Tempe, Ariz., with her husband and daughters. “What Brings You to Del Amo,” 88 pages, is available in paperback for $16.96 from Northeastern University Press. ISBN 1555536891. lundine detailS cedar rapidS hiStory Area historical author Cindy Lundine ’68 has written her second historical book. Following the 2006 release of “kenwood Park…Through The Years,” Lundine has published a book that is sure to appeal to Cedar rapidians past and present. Loaded with well-researched text and numerous rare historical photographs, “Cedar rapids…Chapter By Chapter” is an excellent source for details about the beginnings and development of the Cedar rapids and Marion area, from the middle 1800s through the present. With nine chapters, including “memory interviews” with longtime area residents and special “Did You know…” and “Then And Now” sections, this new book covers such fascinating historical aspects as its eateries, manufacturing and industry, commercial enterprises, recreation and amusements, churches, schools, transportation, disasters and recoveries, communications and media, and much more. Little-known facts abound, and readers will delight in the many memories shared and significant events, large and small, covered in a scholarly, yet heartwarming way in this quality work of non-fiction by a longtime Cedar rapids resident. Autographed copies of “Cedar rapids…Chapter By Chapter” are available for $15 ($18 if mailed outside of the Cedar rapids area) from Bridlewreath Studio Productions, P.O. Box 10873, Cedar rapids, IA 52410. Self-publiShed poet tendS hiS Voice faithfully Continuing to follow the advice of English Professor Vernon Lichtenstein, Tom Adamson ’72 has published his 12 th collection of poems and lyrics. “Stonewater Memories” is wide-ranging in subject matter, with God and the blues being heavily represented. Though he majored in political science, Adamson said his favorite classes were taught by Lichtenstein, who gave him the one piece of writing advice he has always tried to follow: “Find your own voice and tend to it faithfully, for no one else will.” To that end, he has self-published 12 books since 1986, including one each year since 2003. Adamson, an assistant professor of business at Midland Lutheran College in Freemont, Neb., won a Nebraska Humanities Council award in 1997 and continues to polish his craft. He says his major influences are Bob Dylan and Theodore roethke, as well as Leonard Cohen. “Stonewater Memories,” 81 pages, is available in paperback for $8 from Tom Adamson, Assistant Professor of Business, Midland Lutheran College, 900 N. Clarkson, Fremont, NE 68025. 5 www.coe.edu
Page 1 and 2: Cover Story: Coe’s Defining Momen
Page 3 and 4: Vol. 107 No. 3 Winter 2008 Editor L
Page 5: man in whom we can see our own stru
Page 9 and 10: Coe College Courier Photo by Frank
Page 11 and 12: season as she had four top-10 finis
Page 13 and 14: No CouNteRfeit Bill Don’t look fo
Page 15 and 16: “I knew it was a matter of time,
Page 17 and 18: NFL Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy
Page 19 and 20: like a long time, his back pain wor
Page 21 and 22: Cody Staker ’90 (wearing shorts)
Page 23 and 24: ENT FrOzEN IN TIME Student Senate P
Page 25 and 26: A display of college archives in Do
Page 27 and 28: iNg 2007 Defensive back Jeremy Squi
Page 29 and 30: Andrew Decker ’09 is one of 60 st
Page 31 and 32: BY GEOrGE A look back at Coe throug

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