New Summer Reads Introduce You to Important Trailblazers

By Alcalde Staff in 40 Acres, Good Reads, July | August 2021 on July 1, 2021 at 3:40 pm | No Comments

Lone Star Vistas Travel Writing on Texas, 1821-1861 
by Astrid Haas  

As Texas became a destination for large-scale immigration in the wake of Mexico’s independence from Spain, many learned of the region through published travelogues, emigrant guides, and scientific reports. Lone Star Vistas is the first comparative study of transnational travel writing on Texas, analyzing 40 years of work from the three major settler populations: Anglo-American, Mexican, and German. Haas explores how these vivid accounts shaped public knowledge and created the very idea of Texas. 

Wonders All Around 
by Bruce McCandless III, BA ’83, JD ’89, Life Member 

“That’s one small step for Neil, but it’s a heckuva leap for me,” said Bruce McCandless II as he sailed away from space shuttle Challenger on man’s first free-flight spacewalk. An image of McCandless in that moment—with Earth in the distance as he seemingly floats alone in space—has become an inspirational shorthand for manned spaceflight. In Wonders All Around, McCandless’ son recounts the life and accomplishments of his pioneering father, including that iconic photograph. The memoir’s unique perspective reveals the inner workings of the mind and family life of the real-life Buck Rogers. 

The Hero Code 
by William H. McRaven, BJ ’77, Life Member, Distinguished Alumnus 

In his 37 years of service, retired four-star Admiral William McRaven saw both the worst and very best of humanity. He idolized Superman growing up, but over time became fixated on real-life heroes: the compassionate visionaries who sought peace, cured disease, and lifted the poor from poverty. McRaven, the former UT chancellor and commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, identifies the traits of outstanding character and tells the stories of unsung leaders who display these virtues in The Hero Code.  

Paving the Way
by Herma Hill Kay, edited by Patricia A. Cain  

Paving the Way tells the trailblazing stories of the first 14 female law professors in the United States. The late author Herma Hill Kay was dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law and the 15th such professor. Kay interviewed many of the women who preceded her and labored over their history. The resulting biographies are filled with detail and wrapped in rich historical context. Paving the Way was edited by Patricia A. Cain, who in 1974 became the first woman hired on the tenure track at the UT School of Law.