We love to hear about new books written by Duke alumni. If you have one to tell us about, email us at dukemag@duke.edu.
Summer 2025
Immaculate Misconceptions: A Black Mariology by Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones M.Div.’09, Ph.D.’16 (Oxford University Press)
Adkins-Jones considers how Christian collusion with colonialism, capitalism and anti-Blackness have worked theologically to deny Blackness from the realms
of the sacred.
Your Elite Energy: A Blueprint to Break Free from Burnout and Restore Your Vitality by Bree Bacon M.B.A.’12 (Manuscripts LLC)
Bacon combines the latest research with her own lessons learned to provide a practical, actionable framework for combating burnout while protecting and replenishing your energy.
The Bible is Not an Anti-Gay Weapon by Megan F. Beach M.Div.’24 (Paper House)
Beach attempts to unravel exactly what the Bible says about homosexuality and what it does not.
Informatics of Domination edited by Zach Blas Ph.D.’14, Melody Jue Ph.D.’15 and Jennifer Rhee Ph.D.’10 (Duke University Press)
This experimental collection addresses formations of power that manifest through technical systems and white capitalist patriarchy in the 21st century.
Family and Disability Activism: Beyond Allies and Obstacles edited by Pamela Block Ph.D.’97, Allison C. Carey and Richard K. Scotch (Temple University Press)
The editors examine disability activism with a focus on the path-breaking advocacy by marginalized activists.
Protestant Relics in Early America by Jamie L. Brummitt M.A.’12; Ph.D.’18 (Oxford University Press)
The author chronicles how American Protestants cultivated a lively relic culture centered around collecting supernatural memory objects associated with dead Christian leaders.
River Road: Poems by Wayne Caldwell Ph.D.’73 (Blair)
Caldwell returns to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains to continue the story of Susan McFalls, who is left on Mount Pisgah after the death of her dear friend Posey Green.
6 Secrets for Delivering Impossible Projects: A Practical Guide for Conquering Your Company's Hardest Challenges by Mark G. Cooper ’88 (Confluent Crescent)
This book will give you the tools for successfully delivering your own impossible projects.
Dominican Crossroads: H.C.C. Astwood and the Moral Politics of Race-Making in the Age of Emancipation by Christina Cecelia Davidson M.A.’13, Ph.D.’17 (Duke University Press)
Davidson explores the extraordinary and complicated life and career of Astwood, minister and missionary, diplomat and politician, and enigma in the annals of U.S. history.
Influence Your Luck: An Employee’s Guide to Building a Successful Career by Fred DeBolt ’81 (Independently Published)
DeBolt shares lessons from his over-40-year career at Xerox and Conduent, offering practical strategies to help professionals take control of their career paths.
The 1973 Mets – You’ve Got to Believe by Len Ferman M.A.’86, M.B.A.’88 (Sports Time Traveler)
Ferman travels back in time to experience the magic of the 1973 Mets iconic “Ya Gotta Believe” season, beginning with the team’s acquisition of the legendary Willie Mays.
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone M.A.’07, Ph.D.’12 (Crown)
Goldstone plunges readers into the lives of five Atlanta families struggling to remain housed in a gentrifying, increasingly unequal city.
Confluences: Religion, Health, and Diversity in Missouri edited by Signe Cohen and Rabia Gregory ’00 (University of Missouri Press)
Contributors to this volume explore connections between religious affiliation, race, gender, ethnicity, epidemiology, and attitudes towards health and medicine in Missouri from the 19th century to the present day.
What Will Tomorrow Bring? by Kendall Rileigh Hardart ’02 (Dorrance Publishing)
From an underwater tea party to a sail through the clouds, “What Will Tomorrow Bring?” is a delightful rhyming exploration of the possibilities each day brings. You are limited only by your imagination and sense of adventure.
Unkind Mind: The Neuroscience of Why Women Are So Hard on Themselves – and How to Quiet Your Inner Critic for Good by Betsy Holmberg ’03, M.A.’09; Ph.D.’10(New Harbinger Publications)
A cutting-edge, neuroscientific approach to quiet your unkind mind and cultivate the self-compassion, confidence, and courage you need to thrive.
Sing Me Back Home: Ethnographic Songwriting and Sardinian Language Politicsby Krista Jacobsen M.A.’08, Ph.D.’12 (University of Toronto Press)
Set on the Italian island of Sardinia, “Sing Me Back Home” explores language and culture through songwriting as an ethnographic method.
Charles C. Coddington: Pioneer Entrepreneur of the New South by J. Phillips L. Johnston ’61 (Independently Published)
This is the untold story of the business pioneer who harnessed the new technologies of the Roaring ’20s to help lift North Carolina’s economy from last place to 10th in the nation.
Acts of Lovingkindness by Nina Kentsis ’99 (Porter Place Publishing)
As Francie Baum edges toward college and the uncertainty of the future, she must navigate the complexity of senior year, demonstrating how acts of loving kindness have the power to mend even the deepest fractures.
Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty by Tovah P. Klein Ph.D.’94 (Harper)
The child development expert gives parents the confidence they need to help children and teens build resilience and flourish in an unpredictable world.
Raising Tomorrow: Talks to Prepare Our Kids for What Lies Ahead by Kepler Knott ’91 (Team Solo Media)
This book aims to inspire conversation and action among parents and kids to try to help us all be confident, compassionate and competent grown-ups.
The James River Canals on the South Bank by Nancy Weigle Kraus ’73, M.A.’74 (Independently Published)
Kraus presents an updated history of Virginia's first navigational canals and transportation-related initiatives on the south bank of the James River.
The Three Lives of Kamala by Timothy Lomperis M.A.’78, Ph.D.’81 (Hidden Mentor Media)
A cultural gateway into the classical world of Medieval India.
A Billion People in the Shadows by Doug McCullough M.B.A.’00 (Publish Your Purpose)
McCullough presents a compelling exploration of the world's largest and most misunderstood minority group – individuals with disabilities.
Escape on the Silk Road by Dan Moore ’67 (Pearl City Press)
The thrilling adventure of four people who survive an airplane crash in the desolate reaches of western China.
What the Presidents Read by Marilyn Olson M.A.’70, Ph.D.’75 (Rowman & Littlefield)
Taking a generous view of reading and reading materials, the editors have collected presidential childhood reading favorites – and those of many First Family members.
Breaking Boxes: Dismantling the Metaphorical Boxes That Bind Us by Betsy Pepine ’90 (Ethos Collective)
Real estate entrepreneur Pepine has lived in her share of boxes. Her compelling stories will help you understand labels, recognize the boxes that contain you, and discover your true identity.
The Joy You Make: Find the Silver Linings – Even on Your Darkest Days by Steven Petrow ’78 (The Open Field)
Combining his personal experiences with research and expert interviews, Petrow explores the many expressions of joy and shows readers how to find, cultivate and share it.
Pastoral Pause: A Practical Guide to Renewal Leave by Greg Pimlott ’98 (The Upper Room)
In the demanding realm of pastoral ministry, where energy fades and the threat of burnout is ever-present, this book offers a lifeline.
The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency by David M. Rubenstein ’70 (Simon & Schuster)
Rubenstein chronicles the journeys of the presidents who have defined America as it exists now, what they envision for its future, and their legacy on the world stage.
A Forgotten Migration: Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs by Crystal R. Sanders ’05 (University of North Carolina Press)
Sanders examines Black graduate students who relocated to the North, Midwest and West to continue their education with segregation scholarships.
The Slip by Lucas Schaefer ’04 (Simon & Schuster)
Schaefer serves up a haymaker of an American novel about a missing teenage boy, cases of fluid and mistaken identity, and the transformative power of boxing.
Settling Climate Accounts: Navigating the Road to Net Zero by Alicia Seiger ’96 (Palgrave MacMillan)
This book embraces the complexity of climate action and, in so doing, proposes to animate and drive hope.
Climate of Contempt: How to Rescue the U.S. Energy Transition From Voter Partisanship by David B. Spence M.A.’83, Ph.D.’96 (Columbia University Press)
Spence offers a bottom-up explanation of national climate and energy politics, one that pinpoints bitter partisanship as the key impediment to a net-zero carbon future.
Coasting America by Richard C. Stuecker ’70 (Next Chapter)
This love letter to an era on the brink of change captures the spirit of the 1970s – a time of upheaval, music, restless dreams and an open road ahead.
The Healthy Kidney Handbook by C. Nicole Swiner ’00 (Ulysses Press)
Improve kidney function and manage kidney disease with this practical guide full of tips on maintaining kidney health.
Rebuilding Health in America: A Doctor’s Prescription for Reform by Christopher Voss M.B.A.’15 (Medical Specialists Associates)
Voss, a multi-board-certified physician with expertise spanning Anesthesiology, Critical Care, Neurocritical Care, Pain Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Obesity Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, pulls back the curtain on the systemic pitfalls plaguing health care.
Magda Revealed by Ursula Werner ’85 (She Writes Press)
Two thousand years after his death, Jesus Christ sees Earth heading toward oblivion. Ever eager to save humanity, he asks Mary Magdalene (Magda) for help.
Secrets in Psychotherapy: Stories that Inform Clinical Work by Kathryn Zerbe ’73 (Routledge)
Despite their ubiquity in life and in clinical practice, secrets and secret-keeping receive limited attention in the training and skill set required for mental health clinicians.
Winter 2024
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein ’93 (Ballantine Books)
The Wall Street Journal's expert on the Murdaugh story uncovers layers of the South Carolina murder case that have not been revealed.
Five Banners: Inside the Duke Basketball Dynasty by John Feinstein (Duke University Press)
The veteran sportswriter chronicles the program's rise to greatness with a mix of humanizing intimacy and compelling immediacy.
Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube by Kerry Aradhya ’96 (Peachtree)
This first picture book biography of Rubik’s Cube creator Erno Rubik reveals the obsession, imagination and engineering process behind creating an iconic puzzle.
How to Suck Less as a Manager: A Practical Guide to Making Your Team Less Miserable Today! by Ben Arendt ’08 (Depth Charge Publishing)
The author provides practical tools and actions that managers can take right now to better understand, communicate with, and support their teams.
Soap & Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body, and Your Spirit With Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps by Lisa Bronner ’98 (Countryman Press)
Dr. Emanuel Bronner’s granddaughter shares her eco-friendly, non-toxic solutions for cleaning and caring for body, home, and beyond.
Conflict: In My City of Brotherly Love by Roger Colley ’60 (iUniverse)
Can inner city kids get a good education? A Philadelphia boy named Joe Robinson has some answers. Follow his trials and tribulations, and perhaps his success.
Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully With Hearing Loss by Shari Eberts ’90 (Page Two)
Hearing-health advocates offer a new skills-based approach to hearing loss that is centered not on hearing better, but on communicating better.
Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain J.D.’83 (Flatiron Books)
Haiti, 1991: When a coup leads to the fall of President Aristide, American expat Matt Amaker is forced to abandon his idyllic, beachfront scuba business.
A Rough Way to Go by Sam Garonzik ’03 (Grand Central Publishing)
A stay-at-home father with something to prove finds a Wall Street investor's body washed up on the shore and decides to take the investigation into his own hands.
The 3rd Paradigm: A Radical Shift to Greater Success by Heidi Scott Giusto Ph.D.’12 (Entrepreneur Press)
Imagine a world where you can tackle the greatest, most challenging problems with a proven approach that leads to unmatched success.
Call Your Mother by Tracy Gold ’10 (Familius)
Follow a mother and daughter through the years as they face each new stage together and learn that you are never too old to need your mother.
It Is Finished!: God’s Universal Salvation by Steve Harper Ph.D.’81 (SacraSage Press)
How God’s nature, action and purpose is realized in Jesus’ exclamation, “It is finished!” – his declaration from the cross that the mission to save the world is accomplished.
Seeking Fairness at Work: Cracking the New Code of Greater Employee Engagement, Retention & Satisfaction by Hanna Hasl-Kelchner ’76 (Smart Direction Press)
The unwritten rules at work that, when broken, keep employees from doing their best work and companies from reaching their full potential.
America’s Psychological Now by Mardy Ireland ’70 (Routledge)
The authors explore Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election and ask how a psychoanalytic understanding of the social unconscious can help us plot a new direction.
The Venture Alchemists: How Big Tech Turned Profits Into Power by Rob Lalka M.P.P.’08 (Columbia Business School)
Using previously unpublished material, Lalka takes readers inside Big Tech’s worst exploitations and abuses, good intentions and moral compromises.
Quoz: A Financial Thriller by Mel Mattison M.B.A.’10 (Post Hill Press)
It’s 2027 and the AI revolution has merged with quantum computing to take control of global financial markets. What could go wrong?
Dust Covered Lies by Catherine O’Connor ’83 (TCU Press)
The story of Frances Abbott, an orphaned immigrant in Dust Bowl-era Texas who faces a terrible choice that will haunt her the rest of her life.
The Empath Leader: Your Ultimate Guide to Authentic Influence by Kayleigh O’Keefe ’08 (Soul Excellence Publishing)
Learn how to navigate the intense landscape of emotions, step out of the narcissistic paradigm, and lead with your heart full of empathy and strength.
Catholics Across Borders: Canadian Immigrants in the North Country, Plattsburgh, New York, 1850–1950 by Mark Paul Richard Ph.D.’01 (SUNY Press)
A professor of history and Canadian Studies illuminates the cross-border migration and settlement of French-speaking Catholics from Canada to northern New York.
Information Crisis: How a Better Understanding of Science Can Help Us Face the Greatest Problems of Our Time by Julia Soplop ’04 (Hill Press)
This essential read for non-scientists and scientists alike, offers an analysis of the crisis of (mis)information overload and a practical guide to navigating it.
The Thing About My Uncle by Peter J. Stavros ’88 (BHC Press)
When a troubled 14-year-old gets kicked out of school, his frazzled single mom sends him to stay with his uncle, a man of few words who leads an isolated existence.
Bounds of Blackness: African Americans, Sudan, and the Politics of Solidarity by Christopher Tounsel ’09 (Cornell University Press)
The author explores the history of Black America's intellectual and cultural engagement with the modern state of Sudan.