March|April 2016 Good Reads
New books of interest to the Longhorn Universe
The Midnight Assassin
by Skip Hollandsworth
This true-crime thriller by Texas Monthly executive editor and Bernie screenwriter Skip Hollandsworth is set in 1884-85 Austin, when one of America’s first serial killers terrorized the city. The killer brutally murdered seven women and one man, seemingly striking at random across the city’s race and class boundaries. Drawing on resources from UT’s Briscoe Center for American History and the Austin History Center, Hollandsworth spins a spine-tingling tale set in the context of Austin’s transformation from a tiny outpost into a young city.
Landmarks, 2008-2015
Edited by Andreé Bober, BFA ’92, and Catherine Zinser
UT’s public art program, Landmarks, regularly offers guided tours of the more than 30 artworks scattered around the Forty Acres. Now you can take your own tour anytime with this new collection, complete with a map. Full-page photos showcase statues, sculptures, video installations, and other works, accompanied by short descriptions that offer more information on each artist.
The Politics of Dependency: U.S.
Reliance on Mexican Oil and Farm Labor
by Martha Menchaca
According to dependence theory, resources flow from poorer nations to wealthier ones. In her fifth book, UT anthropology professor Martha Menchaca turns that notion on its head by arguing that the U.S. is economically dependent on Mexico. She connects the dots between the agriculture and oil industries to show how the two countries are inextricably linked—for example, explaining how Congressional policies ensure that American farmers have enough migrant labor to harvest their crops.
So Close to Home: A True Story of an American Family’s Fight for Survival From a U-boat Attack During World War II
by Michael J. Tougias and Alison O’Leary
While playing for the Texas men’s basketball team in
the 1950s, Ray “Sonny” Downs, BS ’57, set a still-untouched school record for highest season scoring average. That wouldn’t have happened, though, if Downs hadn’t narrowly escaped drowning at age 8. In this survival-at-sea tale, authors Tougias and O’Leary recount how Downs and his family barely made it out alive after their ship was torpedoed by Nazis just 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
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