From critically acclaimed poetry collections and popular novels to deep, thought-provoking dives into history and contemporary events, professors and graduates from the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences published dozens of books this year that appeal to broad audiences across a range of topics. For those still finalizing their holiday shopping, here are some of the A&S-authored books released this year:
The Last Thing He Told Me: The fifth book by Dave has lived on The New York Times’ bestseller list since May and was selected by Reese Witherspoon for her book club. An adaption of the novel, about a woman whose husband of one year goes missing, leaving only a note telling her to protect his 16-year-old daughter, is scheduled for production by Apple TV.
Playlist for the Apocalypse: The first volume of new poems in 12 years from the former U.S. Poet Laureate earned a rave review from The New York Times, which called Dove’s new poems about life in what she calls this “shining, blistered republic” among her best.
Prairie Season: Through photographic portraits and video stills, Wylie chronicles a single season of a remote Colorado school’s six-man football team, offering “intimate glimpses of the camaraderie, communal rituals, and drama of the sport, set against immensities of sky and horizon.”
American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850: A Publishers Weekly “Most Anticipated Book of Spring,” the latest book from two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for history Alan Taylor continues his survey of the tumultuous early years of the United States, closing a trilogy with two earlier books.
Me (Moth): This debut young adult novel-in-verse about a teen girl grieving the deaths of her family, and a teen boy who crosses her path, was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
The Gambler Wife: A True Story of Love, Risk, and the Woman Who Saved Dostoyevsky: Kaufman examines the life of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s second wife, Anna Dostoyevskaya, who lived at the mercy of the Russian novelist’s gambling addiction that drove them near financial ruin before emerging as his principal publisher and the first solo woman publisher in Russia.
The Road Less Traveled: Praised in a Foreign Affairs review as “fine and lucid scholarship,” the latest book by Zelikow examines the lost opportunity for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to mediate a peace deal in 1916 or 1917 to end World War I before the United States was drawn into the fray.
Going There: This memoir covers Couric’s journey from high school cheerleader to the anchor chair at the “CBS Evening News” and her role as a leading voice for cancer research. Recognized by The Washington Post on its “10 books to read in October” list, the book recounts Couric’s career in broadcast journalism, the sexism she faced, and the mistakes she made along the way.
1. Farm Fresh Broadband: The Politics of Rural Connectivity [MIT Press], by Christopher Ali (Associate Professor of Media Studies).
2. Going There [Little, Brown & Co.], by Katie Couric (A&S alumna).
3. The Last Thing He Told Me [Simon & Schuster], by Laura Dave (MFA–Creative Writing).
4. Playlist for the Apocalypse [W.W. Norton], by Rita Dove (Henry Hoynes Professor of Creative Writing).
5. Song of Ourselves: Walt Whitman and the Fight for Democracy [Harvard University Press], by Mark Edmundson (University Professor of English).
6. Unfree Markets: Slaves’ Economy Rise of Capitalism [The History Press], by Justene Hill Edwards (Assistant Professor of History).
7. The Guise of Exceptionalism: Unmasking the National Narratives of Haiti and the United States [Rutgers University Press], by Robert Fatton (Julia A. Cooper Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs).
8. The Aesthetics of Solidarity: Our Lady of Guadalupe and American Democracy [Georgetown University Press], by Nichole Flores (Assistant Professor of Religious Studies).
9. Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army After Appomattox [University of North Carolina Press] by Caroline Janney (John L. Nau III Professor in History of American Civil War/Director, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History).
10. The Gambler Wife: A True Story of Love, Risk, and the Woman Who Saved Dostoyevsky [Riverhead], by Andrew D. Kaufman (Lecturer in Slavic Languages and Literatures).
11. News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism & Political Engagement [Cambridge University Press], by Jennifer Lawless (Commonwealth Professor of Politics).
12. Me (Moth) [Macmillan], by Amber McBride (MFA-Creative Writing).
13. A Return to Normalcy?: The 2020 Election That (Almost) Broke America [Rowman & Littlefield], edited by Larry Sabato (Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics, Director of UVA’s Center for Politics).
14. Madrigalia: New & Selected Poems [Karen & Michael Braziller/Persea], by Lisa Russ Spaar (Professor of Creative Writing).
15. American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850 [W.W. Norton & Co.], by Alan Taylor (Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History).
16. Prairie Season [Flood Editions], by William Wylie (Commonwealth Professor of Art, Director of Studio Art).
17. The Road Less Traveled: The Secret Battle to End the Great War, 1916-1917 [Public Affairs], by Philip Zelikow (White Burkett Miller Professor of History, Miller Center).
Many of these books can be ordered here from the UVA Bookstore. To place an order by phone, please call 434-924-1073. Have a question? Email [email protected] and include "General Books Department" in the subject line.
