Alumni Bookshelf
Murder at Wakulla Springs: A North Florida Mystery
by Marjorie Abrams (writing as M.D. Abrams), B.A. 1958.
What if an actress, appearing in an Ibsen play, eerily finds herself
caught up in a real life drama which mirrors the play, but involves murders
and a threat to her own life?
In this story actress Lorelei Crane, who is performing in a play in nearby
Apalachicola, is asked by her friend Detective Homer McBride to help
solve a suspicious homicide which takes place at the famed Edward Ball
Wakulla Springs State Park. The murder may be tied to an environmental
and political conflict surrounding Wakulla and a nearby fictitious Graham
Springs.
Wakulla Springs in Northwest Florida is one of the largest and deepest fresh water springs in the world. The clarity of the water was made famous by many underwater films, its caverns have been described by divers as the Mt. Everest of caves, and the Wakulla River--formed by the springs--contains an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. Today, Wakulla Springs is rarely clear and its water quality is fast degrading. Scientists and politicians have differing views about the problem.
As in the author's previous book, Murder on the Prairie: A North Florida Mystery, protagonist Crane once again finds parallels between real life and the plot of the play in which she is starring--Ibsen's, An Enemy of the People. This time, however, Crane's amateur sleuthing may end her life. This mystery should entertain and inform anyone interested in the Northwest Florida scene especially fresh water springs, the gulf coastal region, and the charming fishing town of Apalachicola.
With a nod to both Henrick Ibsen and Agatha Christie, theater lovers will enjoy an inside look as Lorelei prepares for her role in what she increasingly feels is the shadow of a real life murder investigation. The Ibsen play is staged at the historic Dixie Theatre in Apalachicola. Underwater divers will find action scenes and references to real cave diving expeditions at Wakulla Springs.
This novel continues some of the characters found in Murder on The Prairie as well as a number of new and complex characters. In Murder at Wakulla Springs readers will be treated to a fast paced story of danger, romance, humor, and intrigue.
Living by the Dead: A Memoir
by Ellen Ashdown, Ph.D. 1974
This mixed-genre book combines a memoir of loss and grief with a meditation on place: the cemetery by which the author lived and where she walked daily.
"Ellen Ashdown weaves the story of her family through the graveyard
in which some of them are buried, and beside which she abides, bringing
thoughtfully and finally heart-breakingly to life those who pass by,
pass through, and pass on."
-Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction, Raw
Silk, Cutting Stone, Opening Nights, and forthcoming Bridge of Sand
"Life and death in a cemetery: This is a charming, brave, and funny
book, with a sad heart."
-Bailey White, regular NPR commentator,
Sleeping at Starlite Motel, Mama Makes Up Her Mind, Quite a Year for
Plums
Crossing the Dark
by Heidi W. Boehringer, B.A. 1983
Police officer Mona rescued her daughter from a criminal who used her as a sex slave. Can Mona save her daughter from a depression that threatens to overwhelm her, or will she fall victim to her own fury and despair?
Confessions of an Ex-Feminist
by Lorraine (Viscardi) Murray, Ph.D. 1981
Confessions is the honest and heart-rending account of a woman who was born into a Catholic family, attended parochial schools and fully embraced the beliefs of her faith, but ran into major roadblocks in college. Amidst the radical feminist college environment of the 1960's, she lost her faith and her morality, jumping aboard the bandwagon of "free love." She indulged in a series of love relationships in college, all of which crashed and burned. Despite the obvious contradiction between feminist teachings and her own experience, Murray still believed she had to free herself from the yoke of tradition.
Attaining a doctorate in philosophy, with an emphasis on the feminist writings of Simone de Beauvoir, Murray taught philosophy in college. For many years, she launched a personal vendetta against God and the Catholic Church in the classroom, trying to persuade students that God did not exist, mocking values Catholics hold dear, and touting feminism as the cure for many social ills.
When she discovered she was pregnant, Murray followed the route that feminists offer as a solution for unmarried women. Much to her surprise, her abortion was a shattering emotional experience, which she grieved over for years. It was the first tragic chink in her feminist armor.
In her forties, Murray experienced a mysterious series of events in which it seemed that "someone" was inviting her back to God. The mysterious calls came from different ports, including nature, books and other people.
Criminals in the Making: Criminality Across the Life Course
by Stephen G. Tibbetts, B.A. 1991
Why do individuals exposed to the same environment turn out so differently, with some engaging in crime and others abiding by societal rules and norms? Why are males involved in violent crime more often than females? And why do the precursors of serious pathological behavior typically emerge in childhood?
The authors of this text address key questions surrounding criminal propensity by discussing studies of the life-course perspective-criminological research linking biological factors associated with criminality and social environmental agents thought to cause, facilitate, or otherwise influence one’s tendency towards criminal activity. The text offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary understanding of the current thinking in the field about criminal behavior over the course of a lifetime and ends on a positive note, highlighting interventions proven effective and illustrating how the life-course perspective has contributed to a greater understanding of the causes of crime.
Key Features and Benefits:
- Includes a recurring boxed feature on the thief ‘Stanley,’ adapted from Clifford Shaw’s classic case study that was published in a well-known book entitled “The Jack-Roller: A Delinquent Boy’s Own Story” to clarify the life-course concept
- Provides numerous helpful illustrations of the brain and nervous system to illustrate biological concepts,
- Addresses interesting issues such as the impact of lead on brain development and the limits of parental influences in boxed inserts throughout the book
- Features policy recommendations and initiatives for the prevention of crime in the concluding chapter to spark classroom discussion and guide future student research
Intended
Audience:
Designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students
in criminal justice and criminology, sociology, and psychology programs,
this groundbreaking supplement provides novel insights into criminal
pathology for courses such as Criminological Theory and Introduction
to Criminology.
Library Performance and Service Competition Developing Strategic Responses
by Larry Nash White, B.A. 1998
This book is a practice-driven and proven resource for library administrators of all types of libraries. The work describes how the library can identify the service environment factors impacting customers' strategic needs; identify library competitors' strategic abilities and service environment impacts; and use the combined results to develop proactive competitive responses that drive the service environment instead of reacting to the service environment. These strategic competitive responses would allow the library to increase the value of its service impact and effectiveness while increasing customer appreciation and the library's advantage in the competitive service environment.