ALUMNAE/I BOOKS

River Rats, Caroline Stevermer '77, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. The River Rats are a troop of orphans who have survived the Flash — the nuclear holocaust that devastated the United States. Most big cities are now plague-ridden ruins, haunted by gangs of dangerous children called Wild Boys. The River Rats travel up and down the Mississippi in their paddle wheeler; what happens when they rescue a stranger from the poisonous river?

People With Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening, Robin Chotzinoff '79, Harcourt Brace, 1996. In this homage to the magnificent obsessions of gardeners, the author tours the countryside in search of people and plants with stories to tell. This lively book features quirky characters, beautiful tales and delightful writing.

The Writer's Survival Guide: An Instructive, Insightful Celebration of the Writing Life, Rachel Simon '81, Story Press, 1997. In this blueprint for the writing life the author, who teaches in the writing program at BMC, mentors the reader through the everyday details and major decisions that all writers face. She provides help in cultivating the inner voice, making more time to write, getting unstuck, knowing how to use criticism to improve one's work and finding fresh subject matter.

Female Subjects in Black and White: Race, Psychoanalysis, Feminism, Edited by Helene Rosenbaum Moglen '57 et al, University of California Press, 1997. This collaboration between leading African American and white feminists goes to the heart of the dilemmas in feminist thinking. Exploring a range of cultural formations, traditions, and ways of talking about the female subject, the authors offer a new critical geography of race and gender.

Close Calls: New Lesbian Fiction, Edited by Susan Fox Rogers, St. Martin's Press, 1996. This collection features original work by both new and established writers, including Kathryn Kingsbury '96, whose revisionist fairy tale “Wicked Stepsisters” received special mention in the Ms. magazine review of the book.

Im/partial Science: Gender Ideology in Molecular Biology, Bonnie B. Spanier '67, Indiana University Press, 1995. Scientists present biology, the science of life, as impartial and objective. This book offers evidence to the contrary, showing that mainstream molecular biology is actually skewed by biases. Exploring the discourse of scientists and scientist-educators, Spanier sheds light on distortions and implicit values: nongendered bacteria, for example, described as “male” and “female,” often in traditional models of dominant/subordinate relationships. Exposing the impact of of sexual ideology on our thinking about “the building blocks of life,” Spanier calls for a rethinking of science in the social, economic and political contexts in which it is enmeshed.

And the Stars Gave Us Names, Sara Jameson '69 et al, Trillium Books, 1997. This collection of poems by three award-winning southern Oregon writers reflects a joining of their distinct voices. Their themes revolve around the relationship between humans and the landscape.

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