Cardinals

By Theodore Parrish

I'm an 88 year old black man. I'm as retired as I can be, here in my rural home near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I spend my days watching the news, spending time with my wife, and looking out over the forest beyond, which I call "Mother Nature's Church."

I watch the drama of trees and deer and birds. Among them, the cardinal is not only the state bird of North Carolina, but one of the only birds not to migrate in the winter. It stays through the cold and barren trees and survives in the snow. They endure adversity, and are still brilliant colored, frisky, and happily chirping. I really feel for the cardinals.

2020-2022 have thrown me many a curveball. 2023, I don't doubt, will throw me a few more, and it's getting harder to hit them out of the park. Fortunately, I have my poem! This book is a collection of poems about what I see around me: "Mother Nature's Church," the drama of the news, and the life lessons learned by myself and my own kin. They range from raw and frustrated to introspective and thoughtful, and even open old wounds of racism and abuse that still bleed, even now.

I've lived a long life. I’ve seen a lot of change. I've put a lot of those changes into motion. Was it worth it? Read my poems and decide for yourself, because I’m happy with who I am.

Purchase on Amazon   [Paperback, ebook]
ISBN 9798366391757 (paperback)

If You Were Not Black

By Curtis Jackson, Jr., with Brenda (Rose) Womble

There is a common bond among Black people at all social, economic, and educational levels – “Blackness.” It is the equalizer that transcends wealth, intellect, talent, and social status, making the Black race a recipient of personal and systemic racism that affects physical and emotional health, undermines personhood, and diminishes the quality of life. This book portrays this system and shows that inequities are by design and woven into the fabric of America.

Website       ABC Eyewitness news interview with Curtis Jackson

Unspoken: A Guide to Cracking the Hidden Corporate Code

By Ella F. Washington

Unspoken is designed to serve as the playbook they didn't give you in college, helping you decipher the hidden rules that govern corporate spaces and develop the strategies you need to survive and thrive there, no matter who you are or where you come from. Written by organizational psychologist and DEI expert Ella F. Washington, PhD, Unspoken is the book for every professional who's ever felt like they don't fit in, battled imposter syndrome, or wondered how to expand their power and influence (and whether it's actually acceptable to do so).

Website

The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion

By Ella F. Washington

What does a workplace utopia look like to you? This is the question Dr. Ella F. Washington asks companies, and often she hears about an ideal vision of an organization that values diversity and inclusion and wants employees to bring their whole selves to work.

Website

The Science of the Good Samaritan: Thinking Bigger about Loving Our Neighbors

By Emily Smith

What does it mean to love your neighbor in today's fraught, divided world? Join Dr. Emily Smith, global health expert and creator of the popular Facebook page Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist, as she dives into what loving your neighbor--as illustrated in the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan--truly means.

Goodreads [paperback], ISBN 9780310366690 (ISBN10: 0310366690)

Homo Ecophagus: A Deep Diagnosis to Save the Earth

Warren M. Hern

A wide-ranging look at the major problems for the survival of not just the human species, but all other species on Earth due to human activities over the past tens of thousands years. The title of the book indicates Hern's new name for the human species: "The man who devours the ecosystem." Over the course of its evolution, Hern observes, humans have evolved cultures and adaptations that have now become malignant and that the human species, at the global level, has all the major characteristics of a malignant neoplasm – converting all plant, animal, organic, and inorganic material into human biomass or its adaptive adjuncts and support systems.

Website

Young Black Women and Health Inequities in the United States: A Social Determinants Approach

Suezanne Tangerose Orr, Caroline Orr Bueno

The book outlines the main direct causes of illness and premature death among young black women, from physical illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and stroke, to psychological conditions such as depression. But throughout each chapter the reasons behind these issues are discussed, including exposure to racial discrimination, exposure to psychosocial stressors, poverty, lack of access to health care, unemployment, and lack of education.

Website   [Hardback, ebook]   ISBN 9781032267807

Manny and Frances: An Extraordinary Couple

A story of two remarkable, dynamic people – and of the medical discoveries that changed the world

By Wendy Schoenbach Reasenberg with Anna Kade Schoenbach

A timeless tale of an exceptional young couple - Emanuel B. Schoenbach, MD, and Frances Rubens Schoenbach, JD, trying to live a normal life while caught in the cross currents of global events. It includes important yet little known events in World War II that saved thousands of lives. This book describes Dr. Schoenbach's medical training, research career, and service on the Armed Forces Epidemiology Board, intertwined with the lives of his family and the challenges they faced and overcame. Manny's wife Frances became an inadvertent pioneer when she graduated first in her class at Boston University Law School at a time when most prestigious law schools did not admit women. She was hired by the one law firm in New York City that was willing to hire women. When she was assigned to present a motion in a court in Manhattan on a day with pouring rain, the cloakroom attendant refused to accept her dripping raincoat, telling her that the cloakroom was for "men lawyers only". But she overcame many obstacles and indignities, including the untimely loss of her husband. Ultimately, this book is a story about humanity, resilience, and hope in the face of adversity.

Purchase on Amazon [E-book] or at Politics-Prose [Hardcover]
ISBN: 9781624294792 (hardcover)

The Life Savers of World War II

The story of the breakthrough American medical strategies pivotal in keeping our troops safe and fit to fight.

By Wendy Schoenbach Reasenberg with Anna Kade Schoenbach

The pre-eminent bacteriologist and world class expert on infectious diseases Dr. Hans Zinsser wrote, "Wars are lost by generals and won by epidemics." Though much as been written abut World War II, very important events that were pivotal in the victory still remain largely unknown more than 80 years later. Among these are the vital medical accomplishments of the Army Epidemiological Board (known today as the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board), whose brilliant work in controlling infectious diseases among the troops was a major contribution to winning the war. This book, with a new introductory chapter, describes Dr. Emanuel B. Schoenbach's medical training, research career, and service on the Armed Forces Epidemiology Board.

Kirkus review  "A rousing saga of the anti-microbial front, full of compelling scientific lore and energetic writing"

Purchase on Amazon   [Hardcover, paperback, ebook]
ISBN 9798871896341 (hardcover), 9798871165461 (paperback)