Bryn Freedman ’79 and William Knoedelseder, In Eddie's Name: One Family's Triumph over Tragedy
(London: Faber & Faber, 1999)

In 1994 a Philadelphia teenager named Eddie Polec was brutally beaten and left to die on the front steps of his own church while dozens of frantic 911 calls by bystanders went unanswered. Written with the cooperation of his family, this book shows how the Polecs grappled with a nightmare come true. They refused to exploit the tragedy or embroil themselves in the politics of a divided, angry city. Instead, they worked to bring about an overhaul of Philadelphia’s 911 system. Freedman and Knoedel-seder, journalists who covered the Polec case from the outset, are married to one another.

Christina Lane, Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break
(Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000)

Lane, an assistant professor and Pendleton fellow in the Department of Cinema and Photography, examines the differences between commercial cinema and "counter cinema" by focusing on the work of contem-porary women directors who have entered Hollywood from the realm of independent filmmaking. Lane compares their early documentaries or avant-garde films with their more mainstream efforts as she explores the possibilities and limits of feminist expression within the commercial film industry. Lane balances firsthand accounts by women directors with cultural theory and an understanding of the current film industry, in which the line between commercial and independent filmmaking has become blurred.

Sara Meeks ’62, Walk Tall!
(Gainesville, Fla.: Triad Publishing, 1999)

A physical therapist in practice for 38 years, Meeks specializes in the treatment of osteoporosis, postural problems, back pain, the frail elderly, and the mature athlete. This book is a program for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Emphasis is placed on exer-cises that strengthen muscles in the hips, back, and neck. The exercises, says Meeks, will produce better balance, fewer injuries, stronger bones and muscles, and less back and neck pain.

John Rosenburg ’43, Alexander Hamilton: America’s Bold Lion
(Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 2000)

This biography for young adults traces Hamilton’s life from birth until his death in a duel with Aaron Burr. Highlights include Hamilton’s role in the American Revolution and in the adoption of the Constitution, as well as his work as the first secretary of the treasury. The author says that Hamilton, next to George Washington, is the nation’s most important founding father. Rosenburg, a former newspaper reporter, has written numerous magazine articles and 12 books.

Patricia R. Zimmermann, States of Emergency: Documentaries, Wars, Democracies
(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000)

The author, a professor in the Department of Cinema and Photography, examines the hurdles faced by socially engaged documentary artists and experimental filmmakers. Zimmermann intends the book as a warning about threats facing free expression. Politically conscious documentarians and their work, she says, have been forced to go underground. Zimmermann charts the relationships among independent documentary, power, money, and culture, and also analyzes how media artists use new tech-nologies and radical media practices to counteract both hostility from conservatives and cuts in funding.