Check out these new books by UIC authors
From the Black Lives Matter movement and architecture in India, to intense life changes and sustainable tall building development, recently published books by UIC authors have covered a variety of thought-provoking topics. If you are looking to be educated, entertained, or just need fresh titles to add to your reading list, a sample of the latest faculty publications is highlighted here:
“Long Players: A Love Story in Eighteen Songs” by Peter Coviello, professor of English
Through a mixtape-inspired journey, Coviello’s third book traces the ups and downs of his marriage and divorce, his enduring friendships and new romances, and his ongoing love for his two ex-stepdaughters. The deeply personal book has earned praise from critics and writers, such as Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of “Eat Pray Love” and “Big Magic,” who calls Coviello “a writer of great humanity, talent, and honesty.”
“Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century” by Barbara Ransby, professor of African American studies, gender and women’s studies, and history; LAS distinguished professor; and director of the Social Justice Initiative at UIC
Ransby provides an overview of the Black Lives Matter movement’s origins and growth, profiles some of its young leaders — many of which are women — and examines its impact on efforts to end police violence and bring about racial justice, gender justice, and systemic change. The award-winning historian and activist also surveys the movement’s coverage in mainstream and social media, in addition to exploring the current challenges and possible future for this influential movement. According to a Publishers Weekly review, “This perceptive resource on radical black liberation movements in the 21st century can inform anyone wanting to better understand…how to make social change.”
“The Vertical City: A Sustainable Development Model” by Kheir Al-Kodmany, professor of urban planning and policy
Vertical sprawl could have worse consequences than horizontal sprawl, writes Al-Kodmany. With 20 chapters covering more than 750 pages, his latest book provides a comprehensive guide to the ecological and sustainable planning, design and construction of tall buildings. The book includes more than 100 case studies covering most major cities around the world and engages readers with futuristic examples of architecture and urban planning projects that address issues of sustainability in high density settings.
“JAI Jaipur”, co-authored by Sanjeev Vidyarthi, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy
Vidyarthi’s newest book is the latest volume in the Indian Architectural Travel Collection from Altrim Publishers. The book includes plans, sections, photographs and descriptions of more than 150 prominent public spaces and important civic buildings located throughout India’s “Pink City.” Organized in seven itineraries, Vidyarthi and his co-author and wife, Pratiksha, offer an insider/outsider perspective of Jaipur, where they once lived, taught and worked as architects.
“A Political Education: Black Politics and Education Reform in Chicago since the 1960s,” by Elizabeth Todd-Breland, assistant professor of history
From its first teachers strike in a quarter century to mass school closings, Chicago has been at the center of the national debate over race and public education in recent years. Todd-Breland analyzes the city’s transformations in black politics, shifts in modes of education organizing, and the racial politics of education reform from the 1960s to the present. Published by the University of North Carolina Press, the book is part of its Justice, Power, and Politics series, featuring new works of history that explore questions of social justice, political power, and struggles for justice in the 20th century.
