UMass Magazine Online

Fall 2004

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Books

Briefly Noted

–Linda Cahillane

STRIKE UP THE BAND
It’s a crisp fall afternoon. The beat of drums can be heard in the distance as the band approaches tailgaters at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Your heart beats a bit faster in cadence with the drums. And then they appear, the maroon and white uniforms proudly worn by one of the best bands in the nation, “The Power and Class of New England,” the UMass Minuteman Marching Band. Such experiences had by author Kerstin H. Becker ’96 while part of the Minuteman Marching Band that led her to spend countless hours in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and Special Collections and Archives. She documented the band’s growth from its humble beginnings and discovered how the group’s advancement paralleled the development of the campus itself. The result, the 200-page Through These Doors, (Old Chapel Press, $40), features archival photos and detailed descriptions of the history and accomplishments of the band. It’s a showstopper for anyone touched by the music and pageantry of this award-winning group.

FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD
Around the Tuscan Table – Food, Family, and Gender in Twentieth-Century Florence (Routledge, $85), explores the connection between family and food and how it has evolved in 20th century Italy. Carole Counihan ’76, ’81 spent from 1968 to 1984 immersed in Italian culture and closely studied the food habits and culture of one extended Italian family described in the book. It’s an anthropological view on food in society and its place in the family structure. Interspersed with old family recipes, this book is a savory treat for lovers of both Italian culture and food.

HOLD, PLEASE
In the early 1970’s, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission confronted AT&T’s companywide treatment of its female and minority employees. A 1973 settlement resulted in a $38 million award that benefited employees, more than 13,000 of them women, forever changing our perceptions of women’s and men’s roles in the workplace. This case provided a catalyst bringing many more women into the paid workforce in nontraditional jobs. Marjorie A. Stockford ’78 tells the story in The Bellwomen: The Story of the Landmark AT&T Sex Discrimination Case (Rutgers University Press, $25.95).

WOMEN TALK
Lois Phillips ’73G is a speaker, trainer, consultant and author of the recently published Women Seen and Heard: Lessons Learned from Successful Speakers (LUZ Publications, $19.95). Her book is a practical training manual for women who want to polish their speaking skills. Phillips offers tips for overcoming stage fright and speaking with conviction without becoming overly emotional as well as advice on how to develop a career as a paid professional speaker. Twenty successful public speakers were interviewed and share their wisdom on how to prepare and deliver dynamic presentations to small or large groups.

To read more reviews or purchase any of these books visit our online bookshelf: www.umassmag.com/books

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Walden, Revisited

Walden, Revisited: larger image

Briefly Noted