Yale Press Log

On the inside: the American prison

Two recently published books from the Yale University Press deal with that most imposing of American icons—the prison—which continues to spark national debates over both rising corrections budgets and harsh treatments of prisoners. Each work takes a distinct perspective on the issue of incarceration, revealing our nation's unique fascination with captivity and its effect on those both "on the inside" and out.

Caleb Smith's The Prison and the American Imagination, which will be the topic of discussion at an event at Labyrinth Books today in New Haven, takes a textual approach to the culture of imprisonment, drawing upon legal, political, and literary texts including the works of Dickinson, Melville, and Emerson. Smith explains how these often dehumanizing representations of confinement continue to affect our society and our politics today. Smith's elegant website provides additional images and texts that inform his well-rendered argument.

Stephen Cox's The Big House, the newest installment in the Icons of America series, looks at the prison's alternately idealized and demonized depictions in popular culture. From analysis of historical accounts to popular films, Cox dissects these institutions of power and control, revealing how prisons can simultaneously exist as feared depositories for society's most dangerous members and, in the case of Alcatraz and other historical prisons, tourist destinations.

Readers may also be interested in Anne-Marie Cusac's Cruel and Unusual: The Culture of Punishment in America, which was featured in a recent discussion on Connecticut Public Radio's "Where We Live" program. Yale professor and philosopher Shelley Kagan also contributed to the broadcast.

Prof. Ben Kiernan on the history of genocide

Yale University has just launched a new YouTube page featuring hundreds of videos from courses and campus events. In addition, the University has posted a host of enlightening interviews with professors like YUP author, Ben Kiernan, whose book, Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur, was just released in paperback.

Though the term "genocide" may be a comparatively new coinage, Kiernan's comprehensive volume proves that ethnic cleansing has a long history in human civilization.

Kathleen Brown in conversation on Foul Bodies

When we look back at the conditions that early Americans tolerated every day (sewage streaming through the streets, animals sharing spaces with their keepers) it's amazing that they ever achieved that near-godly state known as cleanliness.

In an enlightening discussion at the University of Pennsylvania, YUP author and UPenn historian Kathleen Brown unpacks the significance of cleanliness and its more common opposite in early America. Spanning analysis of class, race, and culture, it's a fascinating look into dress, health, and sanitation in an earlier time.

Click here to view the video on the UPenn website.

"Why Books Still Matter" panel at WHC, 11/14/08

As part of the Yale University Press's ongoing centenary celebration, the Press will be hosting an academic conference entitled "Why Books Still Matter" at Yale University's Whitney Humanities Center this Friday, November 14 from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The event will feature a keynote address by YUP Director John Donatich, followed by three all-star panels weighing in on the issues that will confront the publishing industry as the Press moves into its second century.

Panelists include celebrated academics such as YUP author and Harvard Law professor Yochai Benkler, Yale professors Akhil Amar, David Bromwich, Douglas Rae, and Tony Kronman; university publishers, including the directors of the Princeton, Harvard, and MIT Presses, as well as the former director of Oxford Univeristy Press; and the president of Yale University, Richard Levin.

"Why Books Still Matter" is free and open to the public and will conclude with a cocktail reception at 5:00. For more information visit the Yale Press's Centennial homepage or come join us at the Whitney Humanities Center. See you there!

Marwan Muasher on WAMU's Diane Rehm Show

Marwan Muasher, the author of The Arab Center, will appear today at 11AM ET on WAMU's The Diane Rehm Show, broadcast nationwide via NPR and Sirius Satellite Radio (you can find a list of participating radios here). Muasher will talk about his twenty-year experience with the peace process in the Middle East and the perspectives for reform and peace in the region, subjects he also covers in his widely praised book. The interview will also be available, for streaming and as a transcript, on The Diane Rehm Show website approximately one hour after the broadcast, around 1PM ET.

"The Arab Center" and the Middle Road to Middle East Peace

Last week saw two positive articles by Washington Post columnists covering The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation, by Marwan Muasher, the prominent Jordanian diplomat who was the first Ambassador for his country to Israel. Just published by Yale University Press, the book is already among the top titles in Diplomacy and Current Events on Amazon.com.

Last Thursday, op-ed columnist David Ignatius, writing on the polarization "between Iranian-backed extremists and U.S.-backed forces" in the Middle East, identifies Muasher as representative of an alternative to the two groups, but he goes on to note that "the daily headlines tell us that centrist Arabs such as Muasher are becoming an endangered species." To Ignatius, The Arab Center "raises what may be the most damning criticism of the Bush administration's Middle East policy - that it has unwittingly undercut the very people the United States wanted most to help." The full op-ed article is available on the Washington Post website.

In the May 14 edition of the Post, Al Kamen draws attention to mistakes in the present administration's approach to the peace process in the Middle East by highlighting Muasher's recollection of a 2004 meeting between President Bush and King Abdullah II of Jordan in his "excellent new book." You can read Kamen's article "One Palestinian State, Hold the Swiss" on this link.

MotherTalk calls The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book "an invaluable resource"

In the wake of Mother's Day last Sunday, women who plan to continue working during pregnancy will benefit from reading Marjorie Greenfield's The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book, writes MotherTalk.com. The website quotes one of its reviewers as saying: "until now I have not found a comprehensive, easy to read, enjoyable book on the subject....There are more questions answered on this subject in the book than I honestly thought possible." And Mindy Rhiger, reviewing the book for Library Journal, calls the book a "unique, practical resource for working women during their pregnancy." You can read the full review here.

And The Wall Street Journal's blog The Juggle quotes the The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book on the issue of getting parental leave from a company and the different policies various companies adopt concerning leave. You can read the post here. But it is not just for future moms that this book will be useful. Newsweek magazine's Tip Sheet section recently covered the challenge women face when they want to hold a part-time job after having a baby. Dr. Greenfield, an authority on life and work balance for pregnant women and mothers, advises "working whole days—but fewer of them. With half days, “the work drags into the afternoon, and you never get out,” she says." The article is available on this link.

Recently Dr. Greenfield appeared on Cleveland's WCPO (ABC) News, where she was interviewed by Alicia Booth on her book. ABC News Now’s Tim Johnson also did a live interview with Dr. Greenfield, which you can watch here.

The only authoritative guide specifically for pregnant working women, The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book addresses all the subjects one expects to find in a comprehensive book on pregnancy plus issues of special concern to wage-earning women. Is my workplace safe for my developing baby? When should I tell my employer that I am expecting? What laws protect me if I must take medical leave? Answers to all these and more. Make sure you also visit Dr. Greenfield's blog, which was ranked among the top academic medical and health blogs by Online Nursing Degree Directory.

Stall Points is a "must-read" according to big name corporations

IBM Corporation. The Clorox Company. Charles Schwab Corporation. Reliance Industries. JPMorgan Chase.

What do all of these successful corporations all have in common? They--and many others--all have executives who read and praised Matthew S. Olson and Derek van Bever's Stall Points: Most Companies Stop Growing--Yours Doesn't Have To.

Clayton M. Christensen, professor at the Harvard Business School says, “Stall Points is grounded in competent and compelling research.  There is no fluff here.  It is a cogent, practical guide to the most pressing problem today’s managers face: How to sustain growth.” Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer for Facebook says, "This book should be required reading for leadership teams that want to stay relevant to their customers over the long run." You can see what more top execs have to say about the book here.

After the jump, read more about Stall Points, and learn how your company can sustain growth.

Morris's 1948 is a critics' favorite

Under the spotlight of the 60th anniversary of Israeli independence, Benny Morris's recent book, 1948, is a praised as a shining example.

Last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review features David Margolick's review, saying: "Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly, evenhandedly and exhaustively."

The May 5th issue of The New Yorker hit newsstands on Monday with a feature piece by David Remnick. This piece on Israeli history centers around Morris and the publication of 1948, calling it "a commanding, superbly documented, and fair-minded study of the events that, in the wake of the Holocaust, gave a sovereign home to one people and dispossessed another."

Last Monday, David Holahan reviewed the book for the Hartford Courant. 1948, he said, is "a richly detailed and thoroughly researched primer.... A compelling 'aha' book, 1948 brings order to complex, little-understood subjects." He went on to compliment Morris on his "vivid narrative prose and masterly analysis."

Canada's National Post began running excerpts from 1948 on May 5, and will run a total of 5 installments. Read the second and third installments.

Solove interview on NYT Freakonomics blog

Annika Mengisen of the New York Times' Freakonomics blog sat down with another Yale Press author, Daniel Solove. They talked about Solove's new book, The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet, and why even those with "virtually no online footprint" should be concerned about their internet reputation. Read the entire interview here.

Other bloggers have picked up this interview. The Tree of Knowledge said that internet reputation is "going to be an interesting area in coming years." And at the Nudges blog, authors Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein emphasized Solove's point about nudges and choice architecture in social networking sites. Thaler and Sunstein themselves have written about this issue in their book, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

Click here to listen to another interview with Solove on the Yale Press Podcast. Visit Solove's website or read his blog Concurring Opinions. And click here to see Daniel Solove discuss his book as part of Google's Authors@Google speaker series.