Books: Summer 2025

Cover of The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know but Probably Don’t—Yet by Keon West, featuring an orange background with a bold black-and-white title in a geometric design.

Keon West ’06. The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know but Probably Don’t—Yet (Abrams Press, 2025)

How do you measure something as complex as racism? At Reunion in June, alumni explored that question with social psychologist Dr. Keon West ’06 and Minnesota Public Radio host Nina Moini. Drawing on insights from West’s new book, they discussed what research tells us about racism today, why facts matter, how the UK and US compare, and how we can engage in meaningful discourse across political and social divides.

Cover of 40 Ways to Know A Star by Jillian Scudder, featuring a star chart illustration on a dark background with constellations and lines connecting stars.

Jillian Scudder ’09. 40 Ways to Know A Star (Princeton Architectural Press, 2025) “All along humanity’s journey to understand the Universe, it is the stars that have led and lit the way. In this book, I introduce forty different ways to understand the stars, the galaxies they inhabit, and the cosmos they illuminate. I hope you enjoy the journey, and come away with a deeper connection to those faint pinpricks of light.” —Dr. Jillian Scudder, astrophysicist and associate professor of physics at Oberlin College

Cover of The Neck: A Natural and Cultural History by Kent Dunlap, featuring a bright yellow background with an image of a flamingo’s neck and head.

Kent Dunlap ’85. The Neck: A Natural and Cultural History (University of California Press, 2025) “Retired Mac biology professor Mark Davis was a huge help in commenting on the book manuscript. Forty years ago, he gave me excellent writing instruction while I was a Mac student. So, decades later, I sought his advice once again—and once again, he offered extremely valuable feedback. Once a professor, always a professor; once a student, always a student.” —Kent Dunlap ’85

Cover of The Black Lawyer in Minnesota: 1973 to 2023 by Jeffrey Hassan, showing a black silhouette of Minnesota filled with text and a gavel image.

Jeffrey Hassan ’73. The Black Lawyer in Minnesota: 1973 to 2023 (self-published at hassanesq.com, 2025) Jeff Hassan’s new book is a fifty-year retrospective anthology on the achievements of Black lawyers in Minnesota. “It features three Macalester alums who have gone on to do outstanding work in the community locally, statewide, and nationally—Judge Michael Davis ’69, B. Todd Jones ’79, and Bobby Joe Champion ’87,” Hassan says. The book also includes Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, whose father, Don Hudson, coached football at Macalester, and Judge Tanya Bransford, whose father, Jim Bransford ’57, was a Macalester graduate.

Cover of The Culinary Caper by Nick Greenberg, featuring an illustrated turquoise van with food items on its roof, set against a teal background.

Nick Greenberg ’80. The Culinary Caper (Speaking Volumes, 2025)

Cover of Get Yo’ Life: Black Queer Placemaking by R.J. Millhouse, featuring bold pink text on a black and purple background.

R.J. Millhouse ’13. Get Yo’ Life: Black Queer Placemaking (The Ohio State University Press, 2025)

Cover of Gleanings from the Field: Food Security, Resilience, and Experiential Learning edited by Dan Trudeau, Bill Moseley, and Paul Schadewald, featuring illustrations of plants and flowers against a blue background.

Professor Dan Trudeau, Professor Bill Moseley, and former staff member Paul Schadewald, editors. Gleanings from the Field: Food Security, Resilience, and Experiential Learning (Lever Press, 2025)