For a lot of us there has been plenty of time for reading and writing in 2020. And for a few members of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, it was a year for writing and publishing.
Here’s a year-end roundup of books published by UW Oshkosh authors, including writers from the history, English, physics and astronomy and radio TV film departments, among others.
A Progressive Era for Whom?: African Americans in an Age of Reform, 1890-1920 by Michelle Kuhl
Kuhl, an associate history professor, wrote this entry in the Oxford University Press’ Debating American History series. Published in July, it embraces an argument-based model for teaching history and explores whether the early 20th century was progressive for African Americans.
Indian Rebellion, 1857–1859 A Short History with Documents by James Frey
Frey, an associate history professor, zeroes in on the conflict between broad sections of north Indian society and the British East India Company, one of the most important wars of the 19th century. Ian Barrow, a history professor at Middlebury College, called it “the best short history of the rebellion in print.” It was published by Hackett Publishing Company in September.
Making a Mass Institution: Indianapolis and the American High School by Kyle Steele
Steele, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy, writes about how the city of Indianapolis created a divided and unjust system of high schools over the course of the 20th century, and one that effectively sorted students geographically, economically and racially. It was published in July by Rutgers University Press.
The Vade Mecum of the True Sublime by Bill Gillard
Gillard, an associate English professor on the Fox Cities campus, put out this collection of poems via Luchador Press in June. It follows two previous chapbooks—or small collections of poetry—titled Ode to Sandra Hook (2014) and Desire, the River (2009).
The Big Picture: The Universe in Five S.T.E.P.S. by John Beaver
Beaver, who teaches physics and astronomy on the Fox Cities campus, presents a brief overview of astronomy and cosmology through five different lenses: space, time, evolution, process and structure. The Big Picture was published by Morgan & Claypool Publishers, who also put out his three-volume The Physics and Art of Photography in 2019.
The American Midwest in Film and Literature: Nostalgia, Violence, and Regionalism by Adam Ochonicky
A film studies and composition lecturer, Ochonicky presents a reading of how nostalgia shapes the Midwest in the American imagination as a place of identity and violence in film and literature, considering works like Sister Carrie, Meet Me in St. Louis, Halloween and A History of Violence. The book was published in February by Indiana University Press.
Digital Innovations in European Archaeology and Visualizing Votive Practice: Exploring Limestone and Terracotta Sculpture from Athienou-Malloura through 3D Models by Kevin Garstki
Garstki, an anthropological archaeologist and lecturer, published two books in 2020. Digital Innovations in European Archaeology (published by Cambridge University Press) covers just what it sounds like: some of the most recent innovative uses of emerging digital tools to enhance the recording, analysis and dissemination of data in European archaeology. Visualizing Votive Practice (published by the Digital Press at the University of North Dakota) also involves the growing field of digital archaeology, zooming in on one Mediterranean sanctuary site.
Dementia-Friendly Communities: Why We Need Them and How We Create Them by Susan McFadden
McFadden retired as a psychology professor in 2012 but continued to do research with undergraduate and graduate students for years after. This book from the psychology professor emerita and co-founder of the Fox Valley Memory Project offers an overview of the dementia-friendly communities movement, showing the benefits of giving people with dementia the chance to continue meaningful lives with reciprocal personal relationships. Dementia-Friendly Communities was published in November by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Want to add your book to our list for 2020? Please leave a comment below.