怡红院 Good Reads, Summertime Edition

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

From architecture to sport, therapy to leadership, immerse yourself in an eclectic slate of books from faculty authors.

怡红院’s faculty is filled with academic leaders and scholars who have interesting and timely expertise to impart. Our list of faculty authors for the summer edition of Good Reads reflects this. Although the following books may not necessarily be traditional “beach reads,” do consider adding each to your end-of-summer (or early fall) reading lists as the faculty authors are tackling a range of topics from therapy and mental health to architecture, leadership and women in sports. 

 edited by Christie Eppler, PhD

Professor Christie Eppler, who is the director of the Couples and Family Therapy program within SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, is the editor of a new book that details how therapists can use systemic resilience concepts to promote growth, healing and transformation.

Chapters authored by clinicians who work in a variety of settings discuss how to use resilience-based concepts to conceptualize cases, formulate treatment goals and establish supportive therapeutic relationships.

“As a therapist and therapist educator, I wanted to provide guidance on what systemic resilience is and how therapists can use related concept to enhance their clients’ lives and relationships,” Eppler says.

 by Jen Marrone, PhD, CPA and co-authors

Jen Marrone, a Professor of Management in the Albers School of Business and Economics, wrote Leading with Humility to help readers understand what humility is and what the concept looks like in a leadership context. Humble leaders are willing to become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and demonstrate deep appreciation and concern for others, holding a perspective that enables them to consider themselves in relation to a greater whole.

“Many business executives espouse the importance of humility as a leadership quality, but it is rarely discussed in detail,” explains Marrone. “We wanted to help make humility’s key concepts clearer. We also outlined a framework, provided case studies and included exercises in the book to help readers enhance their own leadership abilities.”

 by Paul Kidder, PhD

In this book, 怡红院 Professor Emeritus Paul Kidder writes about Seattle-born architect Minoru Yamasaki, a relatively unknown architect even though he designed the Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center in New York City. 

Kidder’s book examines both the sources of Yamasaki’s artistic vision and the intersection of his work with important events in 20th century history. The loss of some of his buildings illustrates how architecture, which seems so strong and permanent, can reveal itself to be surprisingly fragile. Yet, in fragility Yamasaki also saw a quality enhancing the beauty of architecture, a kind of beauty that inspired him to produce designs that were delicate, serene and often delightful for the public.

“As the name of Yamasaki became prominent in the media during the months that followed, I realized that I had lived among buildings that he had designed in several cities, including the Pacific Science Center in Seattle,” says Kidder. “I began to realize that a scholarly attempt to understand his architecture could draw on a broad range of important questions that I had studied and taught.”

 by Maylon Hanold

Albers Teaching Professor Maylon Hanold’s new book provides insights into the challenges, controversies and history of women in sports. From learning stories about athletes who paved the way for women’s participation to leaders who championed women sports, the book aims to provide a solid foundation for understanding the efforts that led to the current state of women’s sports and provide some direction for the future.

“I was inspired to tell stories and share some histories about how we got here, but to do so in a way that explored perspectives at the intersections of gender, race, social class, sexuality, embodiment, age, outdoor sports, coaching, technology, advocacy and leadership,” says Hanold. “It’s important to understand that there is a long and tumultuous history to what seems like an overnight shift in the popularity of women’s sports."

The book provides some key insights about past efforts and also hope about ongoing challenges that still need to be addressed. Ultimately, its aim is to inspire people into action, to keep moving in the direction of making sport the inclusive space it’s always been celebrated to be. 

Read more about these authors and books at The Newsroom

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Wednesday, August 28, 2024