PSU Magazine Spring 2003

T H E Selling Mrs. Consumer: Chris– tine Frederick and the Rise of Household Efficiency By Janice Williams Rutherford MA '81, Uni– versity of Georgia Press, Athens, Ga., 2003. "When l first discovered Christine Frederick," writes Rutherford , "l found her interesting because 1 did not like her." Frederick (1883- 1970) espoused the 19th century ideal that a virtu– ous woman's place was in the home. She mod– ernized the concept for the early 20th century by focusing on the efficiency of housework. Her work, training women to become proficient home– makers, gave her a career outside her own home-a contradic– tion that is al the heart of the book. Rutherford is on the history faculty al Washington State University. Crescent: A Novel By Diana Abu-Jaber (English faculty), WW Norton & Company, New York, April 2003. Arabian Jazz, Abu-Jaber's first critically acclaimed novel, left many of us impa– tiently awaiting her next. The wait is over with Crescent, a love story set in the Arab American community of Los Angeles. In her lyrical style, Abu-Jaber tells the story of Sirene, 39 and never married, whose only passion is in the preparation of food at the Lebanese Reviews are of faculty and alumni books, recordings, and Web publica– tions. To have a work considered for this page, please submit pertinent information to Mary Ellen Kenreich, PSU Library facuhy, via email to kenreichm@pdx.edu, or fax to 503- 725-5799, or mail to Portland State University, PO Box 1151 , Portland, OR 97207-0751. 6 PSU MAGAZINE SPRING 2003 restaurant where she is chef-until a handsome Arabic literature professor starts patronizing the restaurant. With love comes a questioning of Sirene's idemity as an Arab American. Sou]Jazz: The Heart of the Music By Michael Brewin '85, MA '89, Soul]azz LLC, Tigard, Ore., 2002. Brewin is a jazz musi– cian as well as an edu– cator, producer, writer, and photographer. ln SoulJazz he has laid out the history of jazz from 1900 to 2002 and included its greatest innovators, composers, and arrangers. He con– ducted in-depth inter– views with some of the world's leading jazz musicians and many of the accom– panying action photos are exclusive. Among the musicians interviewed are Grammy-award winners Joshua Red– man, Ray Brown, Larry Carlton, Char– lie Haden, Shirley Horn, Bela Fleck, Joe Lovano , and Jay Leno bandleader Kevin Eubanks. The Dynamic of Development and Democratization in Yemen By Marta Colburn '84, MA '95, Friedrich– Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn, Germany, 2002. Colburn knows Yemen well, having lived and worked there off and on since 1984. She was even kidnapped by tribesmen in 1999 and let go unharmed two days later, after the prime minister personally negotiated her release. Despite desperate political, economic, and social challenges, Colburn has witnessed the steady progress of democracy in Yemen. lt is the only country on the Arabian Penin– sula that enjoys universal suffrage, and it has the only independent election body in the Arab world. The gaping lack of economic development is what is holding the country back. Away From My Desk: A Round– the-World Detour From the Rat Race . .. By Rif Haffar '89, MBA '90, Ameera Publishing, Seattle, 2002. With a pink slip in hand from his executive job in the telecommunica– tions field, Haffar decided to travel around the globe, mostly by motor– bike. Haffar and his girlfriend, Tracy, visited six continents and 45 countries. Combining contemporary and histori– cal perspective, Haffar gives a some– times funny and often sarcastic account of our world, warts and all. Like authors of some of the other books on this page, Haffar created his own publishing company to get his story out Lo the public. Iron, Wood & Water: An Illus– trated History of Lake Oswego By Ann Fulton '76 0iisto1y.Jaculty), Oswego Heritage Council, Lake Oswego, Ore., 2002. Fulton, who grew up near Oswego, has gathered material for this book during the past six years. The resulting coffee table size book is full of pho– tographs of early Oswego and personal histories of its prominent citizens both past and present. Many of the photos came from family albums. The cover is particularly striking, with a 1867 photo of Oswego's old iron smelter– the first in the Oregon Territory On Our Way to Somewhere: A Comedy Drama in Four Vignettes By Molly Larson Cook '74 (engineering management faculty), Blue Finch Press, Portland, 2002. Cook has performed On Our Way to Somewhere, her one-woman comedy drama, off and on for the past 20 years. With the encouragement of friends, she decided to write it clown and publish it. The short vigneues delve into the lives of four women– ranging in age from 30 to 65-as they relocate and confront change in their lives. D