When I tell you that Evanston is full of local authors, that information should hardly shock you. Being as literary a community as we are, writers are liable to spring up whenever possible. And, whenever possible, we do try to add their books to our library. Of course, there are authors like Laurence Gonzales and Joseph Epstein, but you tend to already know about them. Let’s highlight some of the books and authors you may not be quite as aware of.
Here is a very small sampling of books by your friends and neighbors that you can certainly check out and read whenever you care to:
The Experimental Society by Marshall S. Shapo
This book examines society’s responses to many kinds of experimentation, focusing on both creation of and assessment of risks. As people seek new ways to make their lives safer and happier, the widespread process of experimentation claims victims. Some of these are people who directly and willingly accept the risks of experiments. By comparison, some are effectively experimental subjects in the hands of others who often may not even think of themselves as experimenting with the lives of consumers.
Intricacies: Poems of the Heart by Joanna Kurowska
“Joanna Kurowska’s latest collection of poems, Intricacies, burrows inside the heart and mind with spare, elegant writing, compact narratives of life, and lovely, lyrical language. In her quiet, soulful writing, Kurowska shines a light on the intricacies of life, faith, and our flawed humanity. The philosopher, poet, and academic, she composes vignettes of life that allow for nuance, while being rich in detail and wisdom. Kurowska has you questioning life, celebrating it, too. Boldly introspective, her poems linger with that rare combination of vision and intelligence.”
-Terry Loncaric
Author of Crashing in Velvet, Finishing Line Press
Brown Sky by David Covin
David Covin was raised in Evanston and is a graduate of ETHS. In this book Negro Sgt. Wilderness Jones introduces Negro 2nd Lt. Stephen Wenders to the reality of the U.S. Army, circa World War II, thus opening the b ook on the exploits of one of the most unique military outfits in American fiction- the Third Platoon of Company C of the 4748th Quarter -master Truck Battalion, headquartered at Camp Robinson, Arkansas . Unlike most Negro soldiers of World War II – whether of the real of fictional variety – men of the Third Platoon do not accept the illogic and idiocy of the Brown Sky philosophy . Instead, under the leadership of Stephen and Wilderness, the Third Platoon subverts segregation, disrupts army maneuvers, and faces down southern lawmen and hostile civilians.
Getaway with God by Letitia Suk
What if there was a way to plug in and recharge your soul, not just your smartphone? What if a simple day away could transform your life? Getaway with God invites readers to step away from the incessant pressure of deadlines and demands to spend time with God. More to the point, it walks women through each step of designing their own retreat—whatever kind is needed. Content includes:
- Step-by-step guidance and the necessary tools to enable any woman to plan an extended time away on any budget.
- Detailed steps for preparation for a retreat.
- Descriptions of three different kinds of retreats.
- Templates for how to use each hour.
- Guidance for how to design a five-day life-review retreat, including guided questions and ways to bring the retreat home.
- Links for how to locate retreat centers nationwide.
- Checklist for what to bring.
This title is currently in processing and is not in the library system quite yet.
Parables from the Outskirts of Polite Society by J.R. Summers
Self Help, Life lessons, and Parables about relationships, money and wealth, forgiveness, and ultimately freedom. It’s like a reference manual for your life.
