Looking for an interesting book to put in your beach bag this summer?
The has plenty of new reads.
“Our current and upcoming titles offer something for everyone from sports and politics to poetry and local history,” said Susan Wadsworth-Booth, ֹ Press director.
Each year the Press publishes dozens of books including many from Ohio authors or authors with strong Ohio ties.
Anyone purchasing a book from the Press’ online store can receive a 30% discount using the promo code “ENJOY30.” All e-books are always 15% off the regular book price.
Here are some titles worth considering:
“Behind the White House Curtain: A Senior Journalist’s Story of Covering the President – and Why It Matters” by Steven L. Herman.
Herman, the chief national correspondent for the nonpartisan, government-funded Voice of America, weaves together memoir and history to pull back the curtain on the inner workings of the White House press corps, giving readers a glimpse into the historic and current relationship between the president and the press.
“Steve Herman’s book is really both fascinating and important, not to mention full of great stories,” Wadsworth-Booth said. “Given that Steve served as Chief White House Correspondent for Voice of America during the Trump administration and the beginning of the Biden administration, he can offer us a true insider’s view of what things are like for journalists trying to gather the information they need to keep us, the public informed.”
“I also love the timeliness of this book in terms of our polarized and politicized media landscape, as Steve digs into the issue of bias and how important it is to have objective, fact-based reporting and how crucial it is to defend our First Amendment rights.”
“Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance” by John Vacha.
Vacha’s book traces the history of the five renowned theaters that make up Cleveland, Ohio’s Playhouse Square – the Ohio, State, Allen, Hanna and Palace – from their construction shortly after World War I ended, to their decline in the 1970s and their eventual renaissance.
Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance tells how the rejuvenation of Playhouse Square became one of the main catalysts for Cleveland’s larger comeback from postindustrial decline, inspiring and serving as a model for other urban renewal efforts across the country.
Vacha’s book will appeal to theater history buffs and preservationists alike, reminding readers of the performing arts' significant role in shaping a city’s culture.
“John Vacha’s book is something that can be truly interactive for people in this region; you can read stories about the history of the theaters in Cleveland here, perhaps even personally remember their decline, and visit Playhouse Square now to see the fabulous revitalization that John details in his book. It’s also great to think through with John how vital the theater space is to Cleveland and this area as a whole,” Wadsworth-Booth said.
Vacha is the recipient of the Herrick Memorial Award from the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve, given in recognition of his theatrical history, “Showtime in Cleveland: The Rise of a Regional Theater Center.” He is the author of several other books including “From Broadway to Cleveland: A History of the Hanna Theatre.”
“Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring to Rule the Fate of Many” by Thomas P. Hillman.
Fans of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien and his legendary trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” will find new insight into his writing in this new analysis by Hillman, which gets to the heart of the tension between pity and the desire for power in “The Lord of the Rings.”
The book traces the entangled story of the One Ring and its effects, we come to understand Tolkien’s central paradox: while pity is necessary for destroying the Ring, it cannot save the Ring-bearer from the Ring’s lies and corruption. Hillman’s fresh understanding of familiar material, “Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring” should spark new discussions and deeper appreciation among Tolkien readers and scholars alike.
Hillman is a retired scholar and teacher of classics whose work on J. R. R. Tolkien has appeared in Tolkien Studies and presentations at Mythmoot and other conferences.
“Letters to Lizzie: The Story of Sixteen Men in the Civil War and the One Woman Who Connected Them All,” edited by James M. Scythes.
For Civil War history buffs, “Letters to Lizzie” contains a collection of letters exchanged between 16 men – 15 soldiers and a quartermaster at a military hospital – and one young woman, Lizzie Brick. Since Lizzie could not bear arms, she took up her pen and through ongoing correspondence helped these Union soldiers sustain their motivation for the cause.
The men served in 11 different regiments in the Army of the Potomac, and their correspondence reveals unique insights into the connections between homefront and battlefront during the Civil War and also into the dynamics of male-female friendships in the 19th century. The letters span the entire war; within them, the soldiers share their opinions about the people of the South, describe their experiences on the battlefield, and voic