Bookshelf

University of Maryland faculty and staff showcase their expertise as authors of the following books, all published in the first half of 2026: 

“Oblivion and Other Plays from Post-Revolutionary Iran” 
Edited by Nahid Ahmadian, Lecturer in the Department of English; and Ali-Reza Mirsajadi 
University of Chicago Press 
This anthology showcases five influential Iranian plays written between 1998 and 2019, translated into English for the first time. Highlighting themes of cultural identity, social issues and women’s narratives, the plays are presented alongside historical and cultural contexts.

“The Public Pension Crisis: Contractual Rights and Constitutional Limits” 
T. Leigh Anenson, Professor of Business Law 
Cambridge University Press 
This book critically examines the legal challenges surrounding public pensions, focusing on the Contract Clause and its role in pension reform. An ideal resource for legal scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and professionals, it analyzes over 70 cases, presenting a unified contract theory to balance employee benefits and government flexibility.

“Adjusting to a World in Motion: Trends in Global Migration and Migration Policy” 
Edited by Douglas J. Besharov, Professor of Public Policy; and Mark H. Lopez 
Oxford University Press 
This volume contains a series of thoughtful analyses of some of the most critical issues raised in both receiving and sending countries, including U.S. immigration policy, European high-skilled labor programs, the experiences of migrants to the Gulf States, the impact of immigration on student educational achievement, and how post-conflict nations connect with their diasporas.

“Schools for Sale: Disinvestment, Dispossession, and School Building Reuse in Philadelphia” 
Julia McWilliams and Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning Ariel H. Bierbaum, Amy J. Bach and Elaine Simon 
University of Chicago Press 
Drawing needed attention to one of the significant consequences of school closures, the authors impart a deeper understanding of the connections between place, race and education amid broader urban transformations, prompting us to consider how school districts can work toward a new vision for public education and community development.

“Astrology and History in Early Islam: Aligning Heaven and Earth”  
Antoine Borrut, Associate Professor of History 
Edinburgh University Press 
This book sheds light on the neglected genre of astrological histories in the first centuries of Islam, arguing that astrologers played a previously overlooked role in the making of Islamic historiography. It documents a unique moment in historical writing when history was being written according to celestial omens and planetary conjunctions.

“Innateness in Mind” 
Peter Carruthers, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy  
Cambridge University Press 
This book explores the idea that humans are born with certain abilities that shape how we learn and interact with the world. It examines proposed inborn capacities, such as language, understanding the mental states of others and learning cultural norms and values. It argues that what is most distinctive about human nature is an innate ability to learn from and participate in culture. 

“Standardizing Empire: The U.S. Military, Korea, and the Origins of Military-Industrial Capitalism” 
Patrick Chung, Assistant Professor of History 
University of Pennsylvania Press 
Chung examines the historical processes that led to the creation of the U.S. military's astounding global footprint and reckons with the wide-ranging consequences of its globalization. Focusing on the Korean War and the subsequent militarization of South Korea, Chung traces how US military contracts came to influence the production of countless everyday items, such as cast-iron pipes and clothing, as well as a range of essential services, including transportation and construction.

“Corporate Social Responsibility Communication: A Reflective Approach” 
Ganga Dhanesh, Associate Professor of Communication 
Routledge 
Discussing classic and cutting-edge research in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its communication practices, this book critically examines key issues and debates in CSR communication across global contexts. It presents CSR as a reflective practice anchored in organizational values, identity and purpose, offering a framework and case studies that explore applications in employee relations, crisis communication and artificial intelligence.

“Approaches to Teaching Homer’s Odyssey”  
Lillian Doherty, Professor Emerita of Classics 
Modern Language Association 
This volume helps instructors introduce students to “The Odyssey” through topics such as oral epic traditions, the poem’s relationship to the “Iliad” and how family relationships and obligations organized life in Archaic Greece. It grapples directly with contemporary concerns including the epic’s value system and portrayals of violence, slavery and misogyny, through essays that employ feminism, postcolonialism and popular culture to address a wide range of classroom settings.

"At the Margins of Nihilism" 
John E. Drabinski, Professor of English and Comparative Literature 
Fordham University Press 
Drabinski develops a theoretical frame through a comparative reading of Jacques Derrida and Orlando Patterson. Reading between deconstruction and social death, he describes a notion of life as interstitial, situated outside the play of life and death in systems of anti-Blackness. 

“Misunderstandings in Cross-Cultural Communications” 
Bagher Fardanesh, Lecturer in the School of Public Policy 
Publishing Inc. 
This book examines how cultural differences shape communication and contribute to misunderstandings in personal, professional and organizational settings. Through real-world examples, it offers practical insights for improving understanding and collaboration across cultures.

“Academic Writing Demystified: Publish and Thrive” 
Salvatore Attardo; Hilal Ergül; Elisa Gironzetti, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese; and Heather Jerónimo 
Cambridge University Press  
This book provides hands-on advice and strategies to turn academic writing from a daunting experience to a joyful journey. It gives a complete overview of the publishing process, from how to write an academic paper, chapter or book, to areas that are often overlooked, such as indexing a book, working with images and copyright, dealing with advertising and disseminating the book, ethical issues, open access, predatory publishing and much more. 

“Asian-American History: A Very Short Introduction” 
Madeline Y. Hsu, Professor of History   
Oxford University Press 
Hsu provides a narrative interpretation of key themes that emerge in the history of Asian migrations to North America. The book complements typical American history narratives by highlighting how Asian immigration has shaped the evolution of ideological and legal interpretations of America as a "nation of immigrants."

"Murderous Feeling: Gender and Retribution in Black and Indigenous Literature"  
Chad B. Infante, Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature 
University of Minnesota Press 
From Octavia Butler’s "Kindred" to "The Round House" by Louise Erdrich, themes of retribution resound throughout the work of renowned Black and Indigenous women and queer authors. Revealing how the Black power movement and the American Indian movement influenced literature from the 1960s onward, “Murderous Feeling” explores how these writers have employed revenge narratives as a response to white supremacy and colonialism.

"Tread Upon" 
Christopher Kondrich, Visiting Poet in Residence 
Copper Canyon Press 
"Tread Upon" explores the social, political, religious, and economic drivers behind the chronic devaluation of the living world. What is the price of our (in)actions and who must pay the cost? In this world where “even one blade is a place,” Kondrich reveals that the violence done to the living world is violence done to ourselves.

“An Assets-Based Approach to Serving Multilingual International Students in Higher Education” 
Edited by Laura Mahalingappa, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Education; Hayriye Kayi-Aydar; and Nihat Polat, Professor and Chair, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Scholarship 
Teachers College Press 
Designed as a practical resource for faculty, administrators, advisors and decision-makers, this collection tackles issues of inequity in admissions, language testing, mentoring, mental health, and more. It also provides insights into the diverse experiences of MISs on multilingual and multicultural campuses, along with evidence-based practices and policy recommendations.

“Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era” 
Julie J. Park, Professor of Education 
Harvard Education Press 
Park analyzes college admissions and campus life following the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court rulings to restrict race-conscious admissions policies in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She unpacks the consequences of the rulings and grapples with how to advance equity-oriented access to higher education despite the current restrictions on race-conscious admissions. 

“Zooarchaeology” (Third edition) 
Elizabeth J. Reitz; Barnet Pavão-Zuckerman, Professor of Anthropology;  and Elizabeth S. Wing 
This leading textbook introduces students and practitioners to the identification and analysis of animal remains at archaeology sites. This new edition reflects the significant technological developments in zooarchaeology that have occurred in the past two decades, notably ancient DNA, proteomics and isotope geochemistry.

"The Cambridge Companion to Romanticism and World Literature" 
Edited by Emily Sun and Orrin N.C. Wang, Professor of English and Comparative Literature  
Cambridge University Press 
Covering writers ranging from Lord Byron, Immanuel Kant, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron and John Clare to Simon Bolivar, Hérard Dumesle, Hafez, Rabindranath Tagore and Ocean Vuong, this collection showcases how the fields of romanticism and world literature interact in ways that create new horizons for the study of planetary culture.

“Purple Panda Learns to Ride a Bike”  
Keisha Williams, Program Director for Labor Relations in University Human Resources  
Magical Cosmic Tales 
In this joyful, rhythmic picture book, Purple Panda discovers that courage does not mean getting it right the first time. It means wobbling, falling, getting back up and believing in yourself—even when you have never seen it done. It is the first in a series of books inspired by Williams’ storytime with her young son. 

"Empire, Race, and Print Culture in the Black Pacific" 
Edlie Wong, Professor of English 
Cambridge University Press 
This book centers the Black Pacific as a generative site for comparative and intersectional methodologies and transnational frameworks for thinking about racial formations, post-national literary forms, and cultural histories.

“The Digital Engagement Model,” How to Capture and Keep Audience Attention" 
Springer Nature 
Ron Yaros, Associate Professor of Journalism  
The book combines concepts from communication, journalism, cognitive and educational psychology and human-computer interaction to outline new ways to reach the younger “mobile-first” audience with any form of digital content.

“Transforming Humanitarian Partnerships: Dismantling Colonial Legacies for Refugee Education” 
Zeena Zakharia, Associate Professor of International Education Policy; Francine Menashy and Maha Shuayb 
Bristol University Press 
Focusing on the Syrian refugee crisis and the education response in Lebanon, Zakharia and her co-authors examine how global humanitarian systems shape partnerships in education in emergencies. They reveal how colonial legacies and the marketization of aid enable Global North actors to dictate policies and practices, while marginalizing local voices and knowledge. The authors point to possibilities for more just, community-driven alternatives to support sustainable, responsive education for refugee learners.

Many of these titles are available for free through the University of Maryland Libraries as e-books. Find them at lib.umd.edu.