Columbia Journalism sChool Winter 2010 - Berkeley Graduate ...

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1956
William Beecher’s third novel,
“The Acorn Dossier,” focuses on
caches of weapons, including
some nuclear suitcase bombs,
hidden in the West, including the
U.S., during the Cold War in case
it suddenly turned hot. A renegade
Russian general unearths
some nukes and threatens to
devastate some American cities
unless paid a huge ransom. Two
hunter killer teams — one led by
the FBI, the other dispatched
from Moscow — race to eliminate
the general before he can trigger
a possible missile exchange
between the two countries.
1961
Joan Konner, dean emerita and
professor emerita, has conceived
and edited “You Don’t Have to
Be Buddhist to Know Nothing:
An Illustrious Collection of
Thoughts on Naught” (Prometheus
Books, October 2009).
Her first collection “The Atheist’s
Bible: An Illustrious Collection of
Irreverent Quotes” (ECCO
Harper/Collins, 2007) was a
National Bestseller. Dean Konner
introduced and taught the
course on “Covering Ideas.”
1964
Lewis M. Simons and his co-author
Senator Christopher S. Bond
have written “The Next Front:
Southeast Asia and the Road to
Global Peace with Islam” (John
Wiley & Sons, September 2009),
which argues that Southeast
Asia, and especially Indonesia,
will be the next hot spot in the
war on terror. The authors propose
that the U.S., having lost
credibility with failed military
efforts in the Middle East, deploy
“smart power” — civilians —
instead of soldiers to defuse
anger and create alternatives
to violent movements. Lew is
married to J-School classmate
Carol Seiderman Simons. He is
a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for
international reporting and the
School’s Alumni Award.
1967
Constance Rosenblum, former
editor of the City section of The
New York Times and currently a
writer of the Habitats column for
the paper’s Sunday Real Estate
section, is the author of the new
book “Boulevard of Dreams:
Heady Times, Heartbreak, and
Hope along the Grand Concourse
in the Bronx” (NYU Press,
August 2009). The publication
of the book, which tells the story
of one of the nation’s iconic
streets, coincides with the boulevard’s
centennial. Details of her
speaking engagements in New
York City and beyond are available
on the book’s Web site, http://
www.boulevard-of-dreams.com.
1978
Richard S. Ehrlich is one of the
main researchers and writers of
a newly published book titled
“Chronicle of Thailand: Headline
News since 1946” (Editions Didier
Millet). The book documents,
among other events, America’s
often brutal involvement in Thailand
during the widening U.S.-
Vietnam War, plus Thailand’s
military dictators who napalmed
their own northern hill tribes and
hunted down suspected Chinese
and other communists while the
Southeast Asian nation was
roiled by 18 coups and attempted
putsches.
1984
Judith D. Schwartz has written
“The Therapist’s New Clothes,” a
memoir about training as a psychotherapist
— and a cautionary
tale about the seductions of therapy.
Schwartz, a freelance writer
based in Vermont, has brought
this out as a publishing experiment,
using the Espresso Book
Machine at the Northshire Bookstore
in Manchester, Vt. She has
a blog that explores the implications
of new publishing models:
http://litadventuresinpod.
blogspot.com.
1985
Scott James’ latest novel, written
under the pen name Kemble
Scott, is now out in hardcover.
Originally launched as a digital
edition, “The Sower” was the
first novel sold by giant social
publisher Scribd.com. That led to
national media coverage, and
now Numina Press is publishing
the first printed edition. The time
from when James signed the
contract to when the book hit
stores was only 29 days, a very
fast turnaround for the publishing
industry. In an unusual partnership
for the hardcover
release, James restricted sales of
books from the first printing to
independent bookstores.
1988
Ingrid Abramovitch has published
her first book, “Restoring
a House in the City: A Guide
to Renovating Town Houses,
Brownstones, and Row Houses.”
The book spotlights town house
renovations in 10 cities and
tells how the homeowners — a
glamorous group that includes
the actress Julianne Moore —
restored their antique houses to
their original glory. Abramovitch,
a former editor at House & Garden
magazine, writes widely on
design. She lives in Brooklyn
with her husband Joel Simon
(executive director of the Committee
to Protect Journalists)
and their two daughters. For
more information, please visit
www.Restoringahouse.com and
www.IngridAbramovitch.com.
1989
Rebecca Norris Webb and Alex
Webb have published “Violet
Isle: A Duet of Photographs from
Cuba” (Radius Books, November
2009). This multilayered portrait
of “the violet isle” — a littleknown
name for Cuba inspired
by the rich color of its soil —
presents an engaging, at times
unsettling, document of a
vibrant and vulnerable land. To
see a selection of images from
“Violet Isle,” visit: http://www.
webbnorriswebb.com.
1991
Jodie Gould has collaborated
with image consultant Anna Wildermuth
on “Change One Thing:
Discover What’s Holding You
Back and Fix It—with the Secrets
of a Top Executive Image Consultant”
(McGraw-Hill). Stephen
Covey, author of the bestselling
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People,” said, “This superb book
gives excellent advice to help
jump-start your engine.” In addition
to writing books and magazines
articles, Gould is also a
regular contributor to Harvard
Health Publications.
1992
Greg Jaffe and David Cloud have
written “The Fourth Star” (Random
House), about the lives of
Generals Petraeus, Casey, Abizaid
and Chiarelli. Jaffe is the
senior military reporter for The
Washington Post. Collectively,
their lives tell the story of the
U.S. Army over the last four
decades and illuminate the path
it must travel to protect the
nation over the next century. The
careers of this elite quartet show
how the most powerful military
force in the world entered a
major war unprepared and how
the Army, drawing on a reservoir
of talent that few thought it possessed,
saved itself from crushing
defeat against a ruthless,
low-tech foe.
1994
Sasha Abramsky has written
“Breadline USA: The Hidden
Scandal of American Hunger
and How to Fix It” (Polipoint
Press, June 2009), about the
tens of millions of Americans
who live in a continual state of
anxiety about where their next
meal is coming from and are
suffering shame, despair and
malnutrition. Abramsky is a freelance
journalist and senior fellow
at the New York City-based think
tank Demos: A Network for
Ideas & Action. His work has
appeared in The Nation, The
Atlantic Monthly, New York
magazine, The Village Voice, and
Rolling Stone. In 2000, he was
awarded a Soros Society, Crime,
and Communities Media Fellowship.
He is also the author of
“American Furies: Crime, Punishment,
and Vengeance in the Age
of Mass Imprisonment,” “Hard
Time Blues” and “Conned.”
Elizabeth Trostler LaBan has
published her first book,
“The Grandparents Handbook:
Games, Activities, Tips, How-Tos,
and All-Around Fun” (Quirk
Books). No longer content to sit
on rockers and bake cookies,
today’s grandparents are involved
in the lives of their grandchildren
more than ever before. “The
Grandparents Handbook” features
dozens of activities that
will guarantee hours of fun,
educational quality time.
1995
Kelley J. Tuthill, a breast cancer
survivor and reporter at WCVB-
TV (Boston), has written “You Can
Do This! Surviving Breast Cancer
without Losing Your Sanity or
Your Style.” Tuthill shared her
story, from discovery and diagnosis
to recovery, with Channel 5
viewers through an Emmy
award-winning diary she continues
to update for TheBostonChannel.
com. The book was written with
Elisha Daniels, also a breast cancer
survivor.
1998
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, recognized
internationally for his images of
poverty and people throughout
the world, is featured in the
amazing new book published in
Colombia titled “Colombia: Percepciones
en Blanco & Negro”
(Adéer Lyinad Ediciones). The
book features 110 emerging photographers
working throughout
Colombia, South America.
Rivera-Ortiz, a documentarian
dedicated to picturing stories of
hardship and hope in the third
world, wrote the book’s introduction.
His photos marry journalism
and the very personal
experience of his childhood
growing up poor in outposts
throughout Guayama, Puerto
Rico. His award-winning work,
which has appeared in magazines
and newspapers in the
United States and abroad, can
be found in the permanent collections
of the George Eastman
House International Museum of
Photography and Film, as well as
in private and corporate collections
(www.rivera-ortiz.com).
2000
Chris Ballard has written his
third book, “The Art of a Beautiful
Game: A Thinking Fan’s Tour
of the NBA” (Simon & Schuster/
Sports Illustrated Books, November
2009), which follows Ballard
as he delves into the art and science
of basketball, shadowing
LeBron James for a week, breaking
down Kobe Bryant’s killer
instinct, challenging Steve Kerr
to a 3-point shootout and looking
at the game through the
eyes of those who’ve mastered
its various skills. Ballard is a senior
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