Books by Mount Holyoke
Alumnae and Professors: C

By Monomoy Light By North T. Cairn Northeastern University Press. 2000. Cairn reflects on three extended summer stays on Monomoy, an island wildlife sanctuary off the coast of Cape Cod. Alone in an abandoned lighthousekeeper's cottage, she lived simply in the wilderness, studying the diverse habitats of the refuge and its creatures. With lyrical, intimate and arresting prose, Cairn recalls her sojourns, blending memoir with natural and social history to trace the transformations that come from encounters with nature and its inhabitants. Her observations of the barrier island paradise echo larger, transcendent issues of life in a changing world. North Cairn, English instructor at MHC, writes a nature column for the Cape Cod Times.

Graceful Exits: Catholic Women and the Art of Departure By Debra Campbell '75 Indiana University Press. 2004. In Graceful Exits, Debra Campbell examines nine narratives from twentieth-century Catholic female authors about the process of departure from the church and its institutions. This study explores the breaking of the taboo associated with women leaving their "proper place," and focuses on five themes: reversal, boundary crossing, diaspora, renaming, and recycling. Campbell examines how each woman grapples with the spirituality of departure and shows that the very process of leaving Catholic institutions is a Catholic enterprise. These narratives support the popular maxim that no one ever really leaves the church, and the final chapter, centered on narratives of return, confirms the book's overarching theme that neither departure nor return is ever finished. Debra Campbell is a professor of religious studies at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She is the coauthor of Transforming Parish Ministry (1989).

All You Really Need: A Professional Organizer Tells You What to Have, how to Hold It, and when to Stop By Jane Campbell '80, MA'84 Pinninti Publishers. 2005. Jane Campbell channels her decades-long enthusiasm for organization into "an entry-level organizing cookbook" to help ordinary disorganized folk put some order back in their lives. She sets guidelines for deciding what to keep and what to pitch, and offers tips on learning for oneself how much stuff is just too much. Jane Campbell's business, Back In Sorts Organizing Systems, is based in Rockville, Maryland.

Beading for the Soul: Inspired Designs from 23 Contemporary Artists By Deborah Cannarella '77 Interweave Press. 2005. Beading can be relaxing, meditative, and even healing for some people. Beading for the Soul looks at how beading can be used as a tool for beaders and artists interested in imbuing their work with meaning. The book includes twenty-six projects, including necklaces, bracelets, wall hangings, and bags. Each artist writes about the significance of beading in his or her life and the focus and purpose of each piece. Beading for the Soul explores the parallels between beading and mindfulness, teaching the reader how beading can be a useful tool for contemplation. Step-by-step instructions are included for each project, along with color photos and illustrations. Deborah Cannarella, of Roxbury, Connecticut, has written and edited several nonfiction books for children and adults. She was formerly the editor of PieceWork, a magazine about women's history and textile arts, also published by Interweave Press.

Monkey Bridge By Lan Cao '83 Viking. 1997. In her first novel, the author explores cultural difference and identity, the universal process of growing up, the mother-daughter bond and the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese perspective. Lan Cao is professor of international law at Brooklyn Law School.

Walking in Two Worlds: Women's Spiritual Paths Edited by Kay Vander Vort, Joan H. Timmerman, and Eleanor Lincoln North Star Press. 1992. This is the compilation of the presentations of twenty-one contributors (including Mary Lou Judd Carpenter '55) to the Theological Insights program at The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mary Lou Judd Carpenter has taken course work in psychology and chemical dependency, and is completing work toward certification in spiritual direction.

The Dewey Decimal System of Love By Josephine H. Carr '74 New American Library. 2003. Alison Sheffield, a Philadelphia reference librarian, has finally found true love. Unfortunately, he's married. Ally maneuvers her way into a job at the Philadelphia Philharmonic's archives, where she and the symphony conductor of her dreams strike up a flirtation right under the nose of his novelist wife, who begins researching poisons. Is her lover's wife out to kill him? Can Ally possibly mean as much to the maestro as he does to her? And what of the coworker who's secretly been in love with Ally for years? The Dewey Decimal System of Love combines a little mystery and a lot of romance with the quotidian details of library work in a frothy, fun read. Josephine Carr has written thrillers and children's books under the name Jody Carr; this is her first foray into romantic comedy. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband.

Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition By Yvonne P. Chireau '82 University of California Press. 2003. Black Magic looks at the origins, meaning, and uses of Conjure - the African American tradition of healing and harming that evolved from African, European, and American elements - from the slavery period into the twentieth century. Illuminating a world that is dimly understood by both scholars and the general public, Chireau describes Conjure and related practices, such as Hoodoo and Rootworking, in a beautifully written, richly detailed history that presents the voices of experiences of African Americans and shows how magic has informed their culture. Yvonne P. Chireau is an associate professor of religion at Swarthmore College and coeditor of Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism.

Making Your Company Human: Inspiring Others to Reach Their Potential By Le Herron with Sherry Christie '68 LSK Books. 2006. Years of mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, downsizing, reengineering, offshoring, and other revenue-driven practices have left once-loyal workers feeling confused, betrayed, and angry. In this climate, how can leaders create the kind of organization that people enjoy working for - one that turns them on and inspires them to use their talents to the fullest? This is the mission of Making Your Company Human: Inspiring Others to Reach Their Potential. In contrast to the "me-first" CEO mentality behind so many of today's scandals, this business handbook takes the view that a leader's most important job is making it possible for other people to do their best work. Sherry Christie is a former advertising executive who has coauthored three books, including The Advisor's Guide to Money Psychology and Money Shy to Money Sure: A Woman's Road Map to Financial Well-Being.

The Advisor's Guide to Money Psychology By Olivia Mellan (Shapiro) '68 with Sherry Christie (Fish) '68 Investment Advisor Press. 2002. Money Psychology offers advice on building strong professional relationships that can withstand the ups and downs of the financial marketplace. Mellan covers issues such as money personality types and gender differences, sudden loss or gain of wealth and values clashes, and preventing burnout in a practice. Olivia Mellan Shapiro is a speaker and money therapist in Washington, D.C. Sherry Christie Fish is a writer in Jonesport, Maine. Together, they have written three best-selling money advice books.

Money Shy to Money Sure: A Woman's Road Map to Financial Well-Being By Olivia Mellan '68 and Sherry Christie '68 Walker & Company. 2001. Money therapist Olivia Mellan and financial expert Sherry Christie have teamed up to expose the cultural myths that sabotage women's ability to be comfortable with financial issues. Mellan and Christie use interviews with hundreds of women across the country, including Katie Couric, Tony Awardwinning actress Faith Prince, and politician Eleanor Holmes Norton, to chronicle issues relating to money and financial security that are shared by women from all walks of life. Each of the seven chapters tackles a single myth that prevents women from taking the steps that will allow them control over and creativity with money and success in their lives. Olivia Mellan Shapiro, a groundbreaking therapist in the field of money-conflict resolution, is the best-selling author of several books. Sherry Christie Fish is a writer who specializes in financial matters.

Zapped By Carol Higgins Clark '78 Scribner. 2009. A blackout in New York City is the setting for the precarious and humorous escapades of a cast of eclectic characters including private investigator Regan Reilly. Burglars, a disgruntled lover, and a nearly famous actress populate this fun mystery during one very dark and hot summer night. Carol Higgins Clark is the author of ten previous Regan Reilly mysteries.

Laced By Carol Higgins Clark '78 Simon and Schuster. 2008. Carol Higgins Clark's tenth book in her Regan Reilly series takes place in Ireland, where private investigator Reilly and her new husband hope to relax and get away from the crime they deal with daily. But mystery always follows Regan, and soon she is tangled in a plot studded with ghosts and gem thieves gone wild. Carol Higgins Clark coauthored a best-selling holiday mystery series with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark. She lives in New York City.

Hitched: A Regan Reilly Mystery By Carol Higgins Clark '78 Scribner. 2006. Regan Reilly, the private investigator in Clark's popular mystery series, is getting married. Too bad her wedding dress has been stolen and the bridal shop's owners bound and gagged. In a seemingly unrelated case, her fiance, Jack, is trying to catch a bank robber, dubbed the Drip, before his nuptials. This charming, humorous tale of April brides has an ingenious twist that will engage readers and keep them laughing, too. Carol Higgins Clark is the author of eight bestselling Regan Reilly mysteries, including Burned, just released in paperback. She also is coauthor, with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark, of a bestselling holiday mystery series.

Popped: A Regan Reilly Mystery By Carol Higgins Clark '78 Scribner. 2003. In Popped, savvy young L.A. sleuth Regan Reilly finds herself pulled simultaneously into the nefarious worlds of reality television and hot-air ballooning when sabotage strikes the set of a friend's reality-TV-show pilot. The show is competing with a sitcom - also involving hot-air balloons - for a permanent timeslot on Hot Air Cable, but someone is determined to keep Love Above Sea Level off the air. Regan offers her help, and is determined to keep her friend's show on schedule, and she'll do whatever it takes - on land and in the air! Popped is a funny, fast-paced jaunt that takes readers from the fancy Las Vegas casinos to the rundown hotels off the Strip, from the grounds of the hot-air balloon fields up into the heavens as the balloons fly over the arid Southwest. Carol Higgins Clark - www.carolhigginsclark.com - is the author of eight best-selling mysteries, including two cowritten with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark.

Jinxed: A Regan Reilly Mystery By Carol Higgins Clark '78 Scribner. 2002. Jinxed, the sixth Regan Reilly mystery, has the smart Los Angeles sleuth getting mixed up in movies, money, and meditation. After returning from a tour of Napa Valley wineries with her beau Jack "no relation" Reilly, Regan receives a call from Lilac Weldon, owner - with her two hippie brothers - of a run-down winery called "Altered States." Lilac asks Regan to find her actress daughter Whitney (aka "Freshness") in time to attend the imminent wedding of ninety-three year-old silent-film star Lucretia Standish. The stakes are high: if all the Weldons attend, each will receive $2 million. As Regan sets out to find Whitney, someone else is equally anxious to keep the missing Weldon daughter away. Carol Higgins Clark '78 is the author of five Regan Reilly novels, including Fleeced, which has just been released in paperback. She's also cowritten two novels with her mother, suspense novelist Mary Higgins Clark.

Twanged: A Regan Reilly Mystery By Carol Higgins Clark '78 Warner Books. 1998. In the latest of the best-selling Regan Reilly mystery series, Reilly heads to the celebrity-studded beach towns of New York's Hamptons to again face crime and danger. As always, the author combines humor and suspense. Carol Higgins Clark, also an actress, has starred in TV, film and theatre productions including the TV movie A Cry in the Night, based on a novel by her mother, mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark.

Passion and Paradox: Intellectuals Confront the National Question By Joan Cocks Princeton University Press. 2002. Passion and Paradox explores the power, danger, and allure of nationalism by examining its place in the thought of eight politically engaged intellectuals of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: the antagonist of capital, Karl Marx; the critics of imperialism Rosa Luxemburg, Hannah Arendt, and Frantz Fanon; the liberal pluralist Isaiah Berlin; the neonationalist Tom Nairn, and the postcolonial writers V. S. Naipal and Edward Said. Cocks assesses their treatment of questions such as the mythology of national identity, the right to national self-determination, and the morality of nationalist violence. Joan Cocks is MHC professor of politics and chair of the program in critical social thought. She is the author of Oppositional Imagination: Feminism, Critique and Political Theory

The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama Edited by Gabrielle H. Cody '78 and Evert Sprinchorn Columbia University Press. 2007. This 1,700-page reference highlights the interdisciplinary nature of modern drama by placing playwrights and plays within their social, cultural, and historical contexts. The editors take a global look at drama in the literary sense, providing concise entries and offering new perspectives on familiar figures, movements, and texts. Gabrielle Hamilton Cody is professor of drama at Vassar College and the author of Impossible Performances: Duras as Dramatist; Direction: Essays on 20th Century Theater; and Annie Sprinkle Solo.

Step-by-Step Narratives: Illustrated Lessons for Telling and Writing Stories By Nancy L. Coleman '71 Thinking Publications. 1997. Grades 5-12. Oriented toward use by teachers and speech-language pathologists working with dyslexic students, this book resulted from the author's own work with learning-disabled students. Nancy Coleman is director of the Alliance Program at White Oak School in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Holmes and Frankfurter: Their Correspondence, 1912-34 Robert M. Mennel and Christine L. Compston '71, editors University Press of New England. 1996. In correspondence never before published, jurists Oliver Wendell Holmes and Felix Frankfurter offer fascinating insights on the law, the workings of the Supreme Court, and issues of their time. Robert Mennel is professor of history and director of the honors program at the University of New Hampshire. Christine Compston is past director of the National History Education Network and History Teaching Alliance.

History Lessons By Joan C. Connor '76 University of Massachusetts Press. 2003. Winner of the Associated Writing Programs Award for Short Fiction, History Lessons is a collection of twenty-one stories about how the past continually informs the present. All of the stories, whether realistic or experimental, witty or solemn, bear some relationship to history, personal or communal. Characters range from historic icons Margaret Hamilton and Ray Charles to relative unknowns Juana la Loca and Bridget Cleary. Joan Connor is an associate professor of English at Ohio University and is on the faculty of the University of Maine's low-residency MFA program. Her short story "What It Is" won a 2003 Pushcart Prize.

Here on Old Route 7: Stories By Joan C. Connor '76 University of Missouri Press. Alcoholism, violence, illness and death nibble at the edges of the characters in this collection of short stories, all of which take place in New England. A sense of individual and communal identity are prevalent throughout. Joan Connor is assistant professor of creative writing at Ohio University in Athens.

We Who Live Apart: Stories By Joan Connor '76 University of Missouri Press. 2000. Connor writes of a dark New England and the wry characters who inhabit the region: a hunter who has spent too much time listening to the woods, a corpse who -- out of sheer meanness -- will not stay below ground, a carnival diviner whose cards foretell her desertion. Despite the subject matter, the stories' moods are rarely bleak and often feature elements of humor, folktales and the supernatural. Joan Connor is assistant professor of creative writing at Ohio University in Athens.

Lives of Mapmakers By Alicia L. Conroy '85 Carnegie Mellon University Press. 2006. A motif of exploration and discovery links these stories set in a newly envisioned Midwest and across the globe. Conroy stretches the boundaries of form and language to find mythic power in everyday lives. With an unflinching eye, she examines the power and frailty of the body, the shifting ground between women and men, and the elemental connection with the land. Her characters' journeys are sometimes ethereal and magical: the discovery of a mythical creature on the prairie exposes the best and worst of people; a Renaissance cartographer's quest to perfect his map is woven into a fabric of power and intrigue that spans centuries. Conroy has lived in Denmark and Wales, and worked in the Boston area for 14 years before returning to her hometown of Minneapolis. Her stories have appeared in Ploughshares, Ontario Review, Chattahoochee Review, Puerto del Sol, Connecticut Review, Rosebud and others. Stories in the collection have earned an honorable mention for the 2005 Pushcart Prizes and the Denny Prize for distinction in writing from the College of St. Catherine. Conroy was recently awarded a 2006 Jerome Foundation Travel Grant. She received a MFA in creative writing from Bowling Green State University in 2000.

Internet Quest: 101 Adventures around the World Wide Web By Catherine Halloran Cook '86 and Janet McGivney Pfeifer Incentive Publications. 2000. This book is aimed at parents and teachers looking for a fun, safe and easy way to introduce the Internet to children. Internet Quest contains 101 age-appropriate Internet sites of high interest to children, and provides questions to answer at each Website. Catherine Halloran Cook is managing editor of KidSafe in the Internet services division at Apple.

Internet Adventures For Young Children: 101 Websites and Hands-on Activities By Catherine Halloran Cook '86 and Janet Pfeifer Incentive Publications. 1999. Encourages parents and teachers to bring the Internet to kids in a fun and interesting way. Details 101 Websites in a variety of ways and includes a relevant activity to accompany each site. For children ages 4-8. Catherine Halloran Cook, a freelance writer and mother of three young children, is working toward an Internet Business Specialist certificate at San Jose State University. Janet Pfeifer, also the mother of three young children, lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Molokai Notes: Meg and Todd's Portable Guide By Todd and Meg Cranston-Cuebas '85 Sticky Monkey Design. 1996. A definitive guide to the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Includes directions to the best island beaches, reviews and current prices for adventure opportunities, facts about Hawaiian plants, animals and foods, traditional Hawaiian legends and folklore, restaurant reviews, etc. Meg Cranston-Cuebas is a clinical psychologist and mother of two young boys. She and her husband live in San Marino, California.

Eat Smart in Sicily: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure By Joan Peterson and Marcella Croce CG'72 University of Wisconsin Press. 2008. This guidebook provides a historical overview of the peoples who have contributed to Sicilian cuisine, and the distinct fare of the villages and cities of Sicily's four regions. It includes a guide to Sicilian menus, how to shop for traditional ingredients, and a glossary of foods. Marcela Croce was born in Sicily and organizes Elderhostel programs there for Trinity College.

History on the Road: The Painted Carts of Sicily By Marcella Croce '72 and Moira F. Harris Pogo Press. 2006. The painted carts of Sicily have been around for less than two centuries. Once there were many thousands of them, carrying the products of the island and participating in celebrations. The carts were fashioned from beautifully carved wood and intricately wrought metal. All visible parts were colorfully painted with religious, chivalric, historical, or other culturally symbolic designs and figures. They carried passengers, food, wine barrels, minerals, and other cargo from place to place. Described as ungainly and awkward, they were pulled over less-than-satisfactory roads by horses, mules, and donkeys decorated in colorful harnesses and feathers. These carts are part of Sicily's art, culture, and history on the road. Marcella Croce was born in Palermo, Sicily. She earned her PhD in Italian literature from the University of Wisconsin. She is a lecturer, Italian language teacher, and Elderhostel coordinator. She has written books and articles concerning Italian folklore, including puppets and decorated carts.

English Grammar for Students of Russian: The Study Guide for Those Learning Russian By Edwina J. Cruise The Olivia and Hill Press. 1993. Designed to supplement any beginning Russian language texbook, this book explains basic terminology and concepts of English grammar, focusing on material which will most benefit students of Russian. It is written for native speakers of English, but assumes no formal knowledge of English grammar. Edwina Cruise is professor and chair of the Russian language and literature department at Mount Holyoke.

Itty and Bitty: On the Road By Nancy Carpenter Czerw '74 McWitty Press. 2008. Itty and Bitty, the Felix and Oscar of the miniature equine set, take a cross-country trip to see other members of their clan - zebras at a zoo, and fillies at a horse show. Czerw's playful rhymes and illustrator Rose Mary Berlin's fanciful watercolors make this third book in the series fun for all young readers. Nancy Carpenter Czerw is the author of Itty and Bitty: Two Miniature Horses and Itty and Bitty: Friends on the Farm.

Itty and Bitty: Friends on the Farm By Nancy Carpenter Czerw '74, illustrated by Rose Mary Berlin McWitty Press. 2006. Itty and Bitty are back! These mischievous pals from Itty and Bitty: Two Miniature Horses are once again stirring things up at Steele Away Farm. This time, they share adventures with their friends Sasha and Molly, the Bouvier dogs; Thoroughbred Troy; and Scrabble and Splash, offspring of Domino, the famous Pinto. Whether they're plotting a getaway or lifting weights to get in shape, the gang is always on the go. Nancy Carpenter Czerw's playful rhymes and Rose Mary Berlin's fanciful watercolors make Friends on the Farm fun for all. Nancy Carpenter Czerw, a seasoned poet respected in the equine field, is also the author of The Story of Pilot Star: The First Few Weeks. She lives in Texas.

Rediscovering Jacob Riis: Exposure Journalism and Photography in Turn-of-the-Century New York By Bonnie Yochelson and Daniel Czitrom The New Press. 2008. This book takes a fresh look at the Progressive Era social reformer, journalist, and pioneer photographer who publicized the conditions of the desperately poor in turn-of-the-century New York. It includes ninety illustrations of Riis's work and an eight-page duotone photo essay. Daniel Czitrom is a professor of history at MHC. He is the author of Media and the American Mind and coauthor of Out of Many: A History of the American People.