Nonfiction

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. But he was also a lawyer and an ambassador, an inventor and a scientist. He had a wide range of interests and hobbies, but his consuming interest was the survival and success of the United States.

This book contains a note from Meacham and over 100 archival illustrations, as well as sections throughout the text about subjects such as the Boston Tea Party, the Library of Congress, and Napoléon Bonaparte.

A. B. Chitty C'1968

Updated edition of a now-classic history of labor in the United States in the mold of Howard Zinn's People's History. Illustrations by Joe Sacco.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature” have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. 

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

For Jon Meacham, as for believers worldwide, the events of Good Friday and Easter reveal essential truths about Christianity. A former vestryman of Trinity Church Wall Street and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Meacham delves into that intersection of faith and history in this meditation on the seven phrases Jesus spoke from the cross.

Peter J. Sehlinger, C'1962

President Buchanan's minister to Spain, Confederate general, and President Davis' minister to Maximilian in Mexico

Mike Rast, C'2007

This book explores the political and ideological developments that resulted in the establishment of two separate states on the island of Ireland: the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. The work outlines many possible solutions to Britain’s “Irish question,” and discusses why some settlement ideas were adopted and others discarded. Analyzing public discourse and archival sources, this monograph offers new perspectives on the Irish Revolution, highlighting in particular the tension between public rhetoric and private opinion.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.

William S Stoney, C'1950

The history of cardiac Surgery from the blue baby operation to the use of the totally mechanical heart. with interviews with thirty eight of the surgeons involved.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

John Lewis, who at age twenty-five marched in Selma, Alabama, and was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, was a visionary and a man of faith. Drawing on decades of wide-ranging interviews with Lewis, Jon Meacham writes of how this great-grandson of a slave and son of an Alabama tenant farmer was inspired by the Bible and his teachers in nonviolence, Reverend James Lawson and Martin Luther King, Jr., to put his life on the line in the service of what Abraham Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature.”

Peter J. Sehlinger, C'1962

Journalist, author of works on U.S. history, New Deal spokesman, and ambassador to Spain and Chile.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Thomas Jefferson believed in the covenant between a government and its citizens, in both the government’s responsibilities to its people and also the people’s responsibility to the republic. In this illuminating book, a project of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jon Meacham presents selections from Jefferson’s writing on the subject, with an afterword by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed and comments on Jefferson’s ideas from others, including Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Frederick Douglass, Carl Sagan, and American presidents.

Frank Armstrong Green, C'1966, and Bard Society Members

Talk about Frank and The Bard Society, his fiction writers' workshop of some 35 years with opening and closing chapters by Frank regarding the craft and vision of fiction, especially Point of View and how to choose and use it.

Katharine Wilkinson C'2005

Feminist Ecocriticism provides a novel integration of two important strands of contemporary literary criticism that have often failed to make contact: feminist criticism and ecocriticism. The openness of both feminist criticism and ecocriticism to multiple, even incompatible perspectives, without the insistence on unitary definitions of their fields, has given rise to a new hybrid discipline: feminist ecocriticism.

James G. Dickson, C.1965

The award-winning The Wild Turkey is the most comprehensive treatment of this species. It chronicles the history, biology, and management of this noble bird in diverse habitats. The Wild Turkey is designed to help turkey enthusiasts better understand and enjoy America's great game bird by presenting a readable coverage to all aspects of the wild turkey.

James G. Dickson, C'1965

The award-winning Wildlife of Southern Forests is the most comprehensive treatment of southern wildlife. It traces the history of southern forests and associated wildlife, details the biology and habitat requirements of species, and offers practical guidelines for habitat management. This book should help land managers assess land suitability for various species and communities. As well as determine how different land and forestry management practices affect wildlife , and actively manage for target species and communities.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson’s election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad. To tell the saga of Jackson’s presidency, acclaimed author Jon Meacham goes inside the Jackson White House. Drawing on newly discovered family letters and papers, he details the human drama–the family, the women, and the inner circle of advisers– that shaped Jackson’s private world through years of storm and victory.

Amy Neil, C'1984

A resource guide for adoptive parents or people considering adoption. Now in its 6th edition. Written when I lived in the UK.

Katharine Wilkinson C'2005

Provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.

 All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States—scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, wonks, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race—and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.

Robert C. Gregg, C'1960

Describes how 5 scriptural stories (Cain and Abel, Sarah and Hagar, Joseph and Potiphar's wife, Jonah and the Whale, and Mary the mother of Jesus) were colorfully and differently interpreted by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim interpreters (writers and artists) from the 1st-15th centuries.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

The most complete portrait ever drawn of the complex emotional connection between two of history’s towering leaders

Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of “the Greatest Generation.” In Franklin and Winston, Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in World War II. It was a crucial friendship, and a unique one—a president and a prime minister spending enormous amounts of time together (113 days during the war) and exchanging nearly two thousand messages.

Frazer Buntin, C'1997

Do you ever feel like your job is so tedious a monkey could do it? Or maybe you feel like you’re in way over your head, or better yet, like you have no idea what you want to do. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a senior-level executive, navigating your career can be a daunting task. From hunting down opportunities and scoring interviews, to wrangling emails and managing a dysfunctional team, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all—not to mention getting your actual work done!

Robert Ray Black, C’1964; cover by Joseph Winkelman, C’1964

Until publication of this book, virtually nothing was known about Tony Small, the African American from South Carolina who helped further an existing revolutionary spirit of liberty in Ireland as much as Lafayette did in France. For the first time, Robert Black brings Small to life in a work of creative nonfiction that includes his influence upon Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the military commander in the United Irishmen's revolution against British rule in Dublin between 1796-1798, whose life Small saved at the Battle of Eutaw Springs in 1781.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Four experts on the American presidency examine the three times impeachment has been invoked—against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton—and explain what it means today.

John F. Riddell C'1979

The often-repeated quote of Antonin Scalia, “Words have meaning. And their meaning doesn’t change.” was actually the inspiration for this work. While the clear logic of this insight is undeniable, it occurred to me that a dangerous revision is now in play. Specifically, “Meanings now have new words.” And it is the Progressive Left that has utilized this linguistic and cultural revision to sway those not inclined to critical thinking to support their Utopian Socialist ideals and programs. This Handbook is a parody, an examination of this redefining of our language which, unfortunately, includes a healthy, if somewhat comical, dose of painful truth.

Becca Stevens C'1985

Have you struggled with deep wounds, grief, or longing for justice? Love heals us and hope is always possible. Becca Stevens, founder and president of Thistle Farms, shares true stories of healing and joy where brokenness is transformed into compassion. In each chapter, Stevens provides encouragement and practical steps for anyone going through a difficult season or searching for a deeper faith.

Patrick Dean T'2006

The captivating and heroic story of Hudson Stuck—an Episcopal priest—and his team's history-making summit of Denali. 

A Window to Heaven, brings to life this heart-pounding and spellbinding feat of this first ascent and paints a rich portrait of the frontier at the turn of the twentieth century.  The story of Stuck and his team will lead us through the Texas frontier and Tennessee mountains to an encounter with Jack London at the peak of the Yukon Goldrush.  We experience Stuck's awe at the rich Inuit and Athabascan indigenous traditions—and his efforts to help preserve these ways of life. 

Wyatt Prunty C'1969

This study evaluates figure and form in contemporary poetry, especially the powers of simile and simile-like structures. Throughout the study, Prunty demonstrates that as uncertainty about language has changed from a predicament of mind to a new way of thinking, simile and simile-like occurrences have provided poetry with variational thought and constitutive power.

Katharine Wilkinson C'2005

Despite three decades of scientists' warnings and environmentalists' best efforts, the political will and public engagement necessary to fuel robust action on global climate change remain in short supply. Katharine K. Wilkinson shows that, contrary to popular expectations, faith-based efforts are emerging and strengthening to address this problem. In the US, perhaps none is more significant than evangelical climate care.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, American Gospel draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the fascinating history of a nation grappling with religion and politics–from John Winthrop’s “city on a hill” sermon to Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence; from the Revolution to the Civil War; from a proposed nineteenth-century Christian Amendment to the Constitution to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for civil rights; from George Washington to Ronald Reagan.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Through all the years of strife and triumph, America has been shaped not just by our elected leaders and our formal politics but also by our music—by the lyrics, performers, and instrumentals that have helped to carry us through the dark days and to celebrate the bright ones. From “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “Born in the U.S.A.,” Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw take readers on a moving and insightful journey through eras in American history and the songs and performers that inspired us.

Jon Meacham C'1991, H'2010

Editor and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham has chosen pieces by journalists, novelists, historians, and artists, bringing together a wide range of perspectives and experiences. The result is an unprecedented and powerful portrait of the movement’s spirit and struggle, told through voices that resonate with passion and strength.

Wyatt Prunty C'1969

For two weeks every year, literary figures from throughout the country gather in rural Sewanee, Tennessee, to lead the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, a series of workshops and colloquia aimed at cultivating the craft of writing. Gleaned from the first ten conferences, the “craft” lectures collected in Sewanee Writers on Writing offer a range of perspectives on writing as practiced by various playwrights, poets, and fiction writers whose gifts have made the Sewanee conference a mecca for developing talent.
The essays offer a banquet of topics that will whet the appetite of all authors, professional and amateur.