Nami Mun, MFA'07
Miles from Nowhere, Riverhead Books, 2008.
The book: Joon is a Korean immigrant whose parents have crumbled under the weight of her father's infidelity; he has left the family, and mental illness has rendered her mother nearly catatonic. So Joon, at the age of 13, decides she would be better off on her own; a choice that commences a harrowing and often tragic journey that exposes the painful difficulties of a life lived on the margins. Joon's adolescent years take her from a homeless shelter to an escort club, through struggles with addiction, to jobs selling newspapers and cosmetics, committing petty crimes and, finally, toward something resembling hope.
The author: Nami Mun won a Hopwood Award for fiction while at U-M and has since received a Pushcart Prize as well as several scholarships and residencies. Her stories have been published in the 2007 Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Iowa Review, Evergreen Review, Witness and other journals. Tin House named her an Emerging Voice of 2005. She lives and teaches in Chicago.
Web site: http://milesfromnowherethenovel.wordpress.com/
Roy S. Neuberger, '65, MA'66
2020 Vision, Feldheim Publishers, 2008.
The book: Set in the days and weeks that follow a global terror attack, this book takes you on a daring and unforgettable journey as a group of Jewish survivors trek through the chaos, pursuing their hope of reaching the Holy Land. As they get closer to their destination, the dangers intensify, until the book reaches its spellbinding climax. The novel not only confronts the concerns and challenges of our times, but offers readers a glorious vision of faith and hope in the future.
The author: Following two years in government work, Neuberger became publisher and editor of a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, New York. He has also worked as a yeshiva administrator and hedge fund operator and has published two other books, "From Central Park to Sinai: How I Found My Jewish Soul" and "Worldstorm: Finding Meaning & Direction Amidst Today's World Crisis."
Rose Melikan, '82
The Blackstone Key, Simon & Schuster, 2008.
The book: It is 1795, and Mary Finch sets off to meet her wealthy uncle, hoping to heal a family estrangement and perhaps avoid a dismal career teaching at Mrs. Bunbury's school for young ladies. Eager for an adventure, she is soon embroiled in one of frightening proportions. War is raging across Europe, England faces the threat of invasion and some secrets are more valuable than gold. As she uncovers a complex and deadly plot involving ruthless smugglers, secret codes and a dangerous network of spies and traitors, Mary must learn quickly whom she can trust.
The author: Rose Melikan obtained degrees in English, law and history at U-M and the University of Chicago before moving to Cambridge, England, to complete her PhD at Gonville & Caius College. Since 1993, Melikan has been a fellow of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, and she lectures on British constitutional history. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, Quentin.
Web site: www.rosemelikan.com
Porter Shreve, MFA'98
When the White House Was Ours, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
The book: It's 1976, and while the country prepares to celebrate the bicentennial, Daniel Truitt's family is falling apart. His father, Pete, has been fired from yet another teaching job, and his mother is close to leaving for good. But when Pete lucks into a crumbling mansion in the nation's capital, he makes a bold plan to start a school under his own roof where students and teachers will be equals. Replete with the wry humor, human insight and cultural resonance, this book will resonate with anyone whose family has lived through an idealistic time and ended up in an era of compromise.
The author: In the 1970s, Porter Shreve’s family started an alternative school, and some of this book draws loosely on that experience. His first novel, "The Obituary Writer," was a New York Times Notable Book, and his second, "Drives Like a Dream," was a Chicago Tribune Book of the Year. He lives with his wife, the writer Bich Minh Nguyen, ’96, MFA’98, in Chicago and West Lafayette, Indiana, where he directs the Creative Writing Program at Purdue University.
Web site: http://www.portershreve.com/
Preeta Samarasan, MFA'06
Evening Is the Whole Day, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
The book: Set in Malaysia, "Evening Is the Whole Day" introduces us to the prosperous Rajasekharan family as its closely guarded secrets are slowly peeled away. It moves gracefully backward and forward in time to answer the many questions that haunt the family while it offers an unflinching look at relationships between parents and children, brothers and sisters, the wealthy and the poor, a country and its citizens. This spellbinding and acclaimed debut novel illuminates in heartbreaking detail one Indian immigrant family’s story while exposing the complex underbelly of Malaysia itself.
The author: Preeta Samarasan was born and raised in Malaysia but moved to the United States in high school. After spending several years working on a dissertation on gypsy music in France, but all the while writing fiction, she decided to switch tracks. An early version of this novel received the Hopwood Novel Award; she’s also won the Asian American Writers' Workshop short story award.
Peter Markus, '89,
Bob, or Man on Boat, Dzanc Books, 2008.
The book: Set on the shores of the Detroit River, this book creates an obsessive (and obsessively rendered) song about a man, a boat and a fish—a contemporary retelling of Moby Dick.
The author: Peter Markus is the author of three books of short fiction, "Good, Brother," "The Moon Is a Lighthouse" and "The Singing Fish." His writing has been published in a number of anthologies and journals. Markus lives in Trenton, Michigan, with his wife and two children and is the senior writer with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project of Detroit.
Joanna Hershon, '94
The German Bride, Random House, 2008.
The book: In Berlin 1865, Eva Frank has a secret affair with a mercurial artist that has devastating consequences. Desperate to escape her situation, she marries a merchant who has returned to Germany for the first time since establishing himself in the American West. The 18-year-old bride leaves for an unfamiliar life in Sante Fe, New Mexico. This novel is a gripping and gritty portrayal of urban European immigrants struggling with New World frontier life in the mid-19th century. Vivid and emotionally compelling, it is a beautiful narrative on how far one must travel to make peace with the past.
The author: Joanna Hershon is an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University and the author of "Swimming" and "The Outside of August." Her short fiction has been published in One Story and The Virginia Quarterly Review. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the painter Derek Buckner, and their twin sons.
Web site: www.joannahershon.com
Art Corriveau, MFA'94
Blood Pudding, Esplanade Books, 2008.
The book: This collection of short stories chronicles the lives of people on the margins—from a street hustler in Montreal and a priest in Burkina Faso to the mother of a bride in Boston and a blind woman in Amsterdam. These characters span the globe and are united by family and friendships that bind them (and us) together. The offbeat tales offer insight into how we deal with love and loss, and how crisis can sometimes give rise to moments of magic.
The author: Art Corriveau’s short stories have appeared in literary journals in the United States and the United Kingdom. His first novel, "Housewrights," was published in 2002. As a travel writer, Corriveau has lived throughout Europe and Southeast Asia. Descended from one of Quebec’s oldest families, he lives in New Mexico.
Web site: http://artcorriveau.com/
Megan Abbott, '93
Queenpin, Simon & Schuster, 2007.
The book: A young woman hired to keep the books at a down-at-the-heels nightclub is taken under the wing of the infamous Gloria Denton, a mob luminary. Cunning and ruthless, Gloria shows her young protégée the ropes, ushering her into a glittering demimonde of late-night casinos, racetracks, betting parlors, inside heists and big money. Suddenly, the world is at her feet—as long as she doesn't take any chances, like falling for the wrong guy. As the roulette wheel turns, both mentor and protégée scramble to stay one step ahead of their bosses and each other.
The author: Megan Abbott has taught literature, writing and film at New York University and the State University of New York at Oswego. "Queenpin," her third novel, won the 2008 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original. She has written two other novels and a nonfiction study of white masculinity in fiction and film noir. She lives in New York City.
Web site: www.meganabbott.com/Queenpin.htm
Deborah Shlian, '68
and Joel Shlian, Rabbit in the Moon, Oceanview Publishing, 2008.
The book: Dr. Lili Quan, an American and a passionate idealist, takes an extraordinary trip to China filled with remarkable discoveries, including finding Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, the grandfather Quan believed had died years ago. But Cheng has made the most remarkable discovery of all—the secret to long life. As Cheng’s only relative, Quan’s life is in jeopardy. As greedy and unscrupulous men vie for control of the most earth-shattering discovery of the century, Quan could become a pawn in a deadly and dangerous international game.
The author: Deborah and Joel Shlian have collaborated in both their vocations and avocations. They practiced medicine together before returning to UCLA to earn their MBAs. They have since balanced medical management consulting with writing, producing medical mystery/thrillers, nonfiction books, and magazine and journal articles on health care and medical management issues. Two of their novels have been optioned for Hollywood films.
Web site: http://www.shlian.com/
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
