JOURNEY BEYOND DESPAIR
Julie Howard Parker
Numerous memoirs have been written about personal journeys with mental health issues. But few have been written from the viewpoint of 90 years of life. In her book, Journey Beyond Despair: A Memoir of Love, Psychosis, and the Power of Insight, Julie Howard Parker ’54 reveals in striking detail the psychotic episodes she experienced in her life, first as a college student, then as a married woman, delving into the impact her mental illness has had on her relationship with her husband, Peter. Early on, with three tiny daughters, Parker suffered a terrifying episode that landed her in a psychiatric hospital for weeks on end as her husband attempted to keep their household running. She recovered and tried to make sense of what was happening, but psychotic relapses over the years kept her and Peter continually looking for ways to fight the vicious enemy. It was only when she reached her lowest point of despair that her awareness and Peter’s selflessness helped them overcome the obstacles that had held them hostage to mental illness. Parker narrates her journey with honesty, empathy, and great insights developed through her years of experience. In the end, her reflections of 70 years of marriage add a twist to the journey—she asks, “Can mental illness actually be a gift to a couple?” Read this intriguing memoir to draw your own conclusions.
KAT’S GREEK SUMMER
Mima Tipper
In her debut young adult novel, Mima Nason Tipper ’82 delves into her Greek heritage to tell an engaging coming-of-age story about family, self-discovery, and first love. Her heroine, Kat Baker, is headed to high school and wants to make a splash as a freshman by being the best runner on the cross-country team. She has a running schedule all set up for the summer, but her mother has other plans: the family is spending the summer exploring their Greek roots in the small village of Paralia, Greece. Kat sees her dream of high school popularity slipping away and, with determination, decides to come up with a training strategy in Paralia. Cultural clashes force her to follow her plans in secret, resulting in lies and risks that threaten to spiral out of control. Between dealing with her covert actions, trying to adjust to an unfamiliar community, and encountering first love with a beautiful Greek boy, Kat tests the limits of self-awareness and learns how to embrace who she is as a maturing young woman and as a person of Greek heritage. Written with humor, warmth, and compelling description, this narrative is engaging and well-paced and can appeal to readers of all ages.
THE NATURE OF THE PLACE
Edward Kanze
Author, naturalist, guide, and photographer Ed Kanze ’78 has lived in the Adirondacks for over 25 years. During that time he has studied and appreciated the flora and fauna of the area, writing about them extensively, especially for the regional magazines Adirondack Explorer and Adirondack Life. Now he has pulled together his writings from over the years, revised and rewritten them for the present, and published The Nature of the Place: On the Flora and Fauna of the Adirondacks. The book is his invitation in this hectic, media-driven day to slow down, look at the amazing nature around you, and let it reveal its hidden wonders. He covers everything from the big, charismatic moose to loons and owls to snakes, frogs, and predatory fish. He introduces plants so desperate for nitrogen that they catch animals and eat them and an orchid that pays a steep price for its rough treatment of bumblebees. The Nature of the Place is Kanze’s love letter to his home, the Adirondacks, and it is a gift for anyone who wants to leave their activity-filled, stressful life behind for a retreat within its pages. Kanze may have encyclopedic knowledge about his subjects, but his writing draws you into his fascinating and wondrous world with ease and wit.
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