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Holiday book gift ideas from 嘿嘿视频 authors: Snow White, bats, hip-hop and more

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Book cover about "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"
American studies professor Eric Smoodin tells how Walt Disney's classic film impacted contemporary culture.

From Snow White to science fiction, new books by 嘿嘿视频 authors offer a variety of holiday gift choices.

鈥淪now White and the Seven Dwarfs鈥 by Eric Smoodin (Palgrave Macmillian/British Film Institute, $14.95, 112 pages) 鈥 Published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the BFI Film Classic Series, this book presents a history of the events that led up to the Snow White film, the trajectory of Walt Disney's career, and the film鈥檚 reception throughout the world. It also looks at the story鈥檚 impact on contemporary culture. Smoodin, a professor of American studies at 嘿嘿视频, based the book on extensive research in materials from the period of the film's production and distribution.

鈥淎nnals of the Omega Project 鈥 A Trilogy,鈥 by Thomas A. Cahill (EditPros LLC, $19.95, 354 pages) 鈥 A 嘿嘿视频 physicist most recently known for his work analyzing pollutants at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center post 9/11 pens his first fiction. In this science fiction thriller, Cahill unfolds a tale of good conquering evil that begins on a flight from Sacramento to Denver. The story develops further when a UC professor and a group of psychic students form what they call the 鈥淥mega Project鈥 to battle evil Coven members who invoke horrifically lethal 鈥渇eedings鈥 on the minds of their telepathic victims.

鈥淕old Fever,鈥 by Rachael Long, (Tate Publishing, $11.99, 140 pages) 鈥 The first in a planned trilogy, this book introduces children to the benefits of bats through the story of a boy named Jack who befriends a bat after getting lost in the Nevada wilderness. The author, University of California Cooperative Extension adviser in Yolo County, based the book on a story she used to tell her now 16-year-old son on long commutes. Long intends to donate proceeds of book sales to fund bat conservation programs. In describing the book, the publisher writes: 鈥淛ack is excited when he gets a pick hammer and mining helmet for his ninth birthday and can help his dad look for gold in the Black Rock Range. But falling into and waking up alone in a cave was never part of the plan.鈥 A second book in the trilogy is due out next summer.

鈥淏etter Capitalism: Renewing the Entrepreneurial Strengths of the American Economy,鈥 by Robert Litan and Carl Schramm (Yale University Press, $32.50, 280 pages) 鈥 On the heels of the Great Recession and in time for President Obama's second term, the authors offer a recipe for economic growth that builds entrepreneurial strength. The formula calls for, among other things, government reforms (loosening immigration restrictions, altering corporate taxes), changes in university policies (allowing faculty to more easily launch startups) and privatization of certain infrastructure (roads, airports and other public facilities). Currently a professor at Syracuse University, Schramm will be a visiting professor at the 嘿嘿视频 Graduate School of Management teaching courses in entrepreneurship beginning in April. Litan is director of research at Bloomberg Government, a Web-based government information service.

 鈥淭he Hiplife in Ghana: West African Indigenization of Hip-Hop鈥 by Halifu Osumare (Palgrave Macmillan, $85, 256 pages) 鈥 In this book, one of the few U.S.-based experts on global hip-hop explores Ghana, West Africa, where hip-hop music and culture have morphed over two decades into a form of world music called 鈥渉iplife.鈥 Drawing on 30 years as a dancer and scholar of black popular culture, the associate professor and director of African American and African Studies at 嘿嘿视频 investigates hiplife music not merely as an imitation and adaptation of hip-hop, but as a revision of a century-old popular music in Ghana known as 鈥渉ighlife.鈥 As a Fulbright scholar at the University of Ghana at Legon, Osumare researched the effects of hip-hop culture in Ghana鈥檚 capital city of Accra.

鈥淕erman History in Modern Times: Four Lives of the Nation鈥 by William W. Hagen, (Cambridge University Press, $28.99, 463 pages) 鈥 With 159 illustrations, including new maps, this book provides an interpretive history of the social and political history of German-speaking Europe through four centuries. Hagen, a scholar of modern European history, is an emeritus professor of history at 嘿嘿视频.

鈥淛os茅 Mart铆: Images of Memory and Mourning鈥 by Emilio Bejel (New York & London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, $85,186 pages) 鈥 Bejel, a distinguished professor of Spanish at 嘿嘿视频, explores how visual images of Mart铆, a 19th century Cuban national hero, have seduced people across ideologies and have figured in Cuban history and culture. Bejel is critical of the ways governments and political and civic groups have exploited this iconography for their own political agendas. A Cuban-born poet, critic and narrator, Bejel is the author of several books on literary and cultural criticism as well as poetry.

鈥淩omanticism and the Question of the Stranger鈥 by David Simpson (University of Chicago Press, $35, 288 pages) 鈥 Simpson, the G.B. Needham Distinguished Professor of English at 嘿嘿视频, calls to mind post-9/11 and homeland security fears and practices, pointing out that the view of the stranger as the enemy is not new to the early 21st century. Rather, he shows that debates about the stranger loomed large throughout history Simpson also is the author of 鈥9/11: The Culture of Commemoration,鈥 (University of Chicago Press, 2006).

鈥淒rugs for Life: How Pharmaceutical Companies Define Our Health,鈥 by Joseph Dumit (Duke University Press, $23.95, 280 pages) 鈥 Featuring a cover photo of stacks of pill bottles, this book discusses how the pharmaceutical industry has made people feel they are inherently ill and in need of chronic treatment for everything. 鈥淒rugs for Life,鈥 says the publisher, 鈥渃hallenges our understanding of health, risks, facts, and clinical trials, the very concepts used by pharmaceutical companies to grow markets to the point where almost no one can imagine a life without prescription drugs.鈥 Dumit is a professor of anthropology and director of Science & Technology Studies at 嘿嘿视频.

To keep up with other new books from 嘿嘿视频 authors and author appearances on campus, subscribe to the 嘿嘿视频 Stores鈥 newsletter, published by trade books buyer Paul Takushi (who helped select titles for this list). Send an e-mail to pmtakushi@ucdavis.edu with 鈥渘ewsletter subscribe鈥 in the subject heading. Books by 嘿嘿视频 authors are also on sale at the bookstore in the 鈥渃ampus authors鈥 section, or can be ordered by calling (530) 752-2944 or e-mailing generalbooks@ucdavis.edu.

Media Resources

Karen Nikos-Rose, Research news (emphasis: arts, humanities and social sciences), 530-219-5472, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu

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Science & Technology University Human & Animal Health Society, Arts & Culture

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