Shalom Seymour Freedman '64 has published Small Acts of Kindness: Striving for Derech eretz in Everyday Life (Urim Publications, 2004). "Derech eretz is a Hebrew term meaning, roughly, consideration and thoughtfulness toward others," said Freedman. The book "details the author's personal quest for goodness, amidst the challenges in daily life in Jerusalem," wrote Sandee Brawarsky of The Jewish Week. Rabbi Berel Wein wrote: "Shalom Freedman has written a fascinating and insightful book about goodness and the quest for its regular performance. Couched as a personal journal of daily occurrences in his life over a period of a year, the book shows the trials and tribulations that one faces even when one has set one's face and fate to do good. The book is real and honest, sometimes even painfully so, and the reader will be astounded by the author's candor and self-analysis."

Freedman, who earned his PhD in English and American literature at Cornell University, works in Israel as a free-lance writer and translator. He is co-author of two works of interviews with teachers of Torah, In the Service of God and Learning in Jerusalem, and a book on the life and thought of Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, Living in the Image of God. He has also written a book of Jewish thought, Life as Creation: A Jewish Way of Thinking of the World, an autobiographical work, Seven Years in Israel: A Zionist Storybook, and a book of poems, Mourning for my Father.

Anita Baskin-Salzberg '73 has published two books: Turtles (Franklin Watts, 1996), which she co-wrote with her husband, Allen Salzberg, and Confessions of a Turtle Wife (Hats Off Books, 2001). "Turtles is the best-selling reference on the subject for ages 8 to 12," she writes. "Confessions of a Turtle Wife is the story of a turtle-challenged marriage, including snapping turtle in the bathtub, turtle sex on the living room floor, and searching for turtles in pet stores across America. How one woman has learned to laugh at and cope with her loved one's crazy obsession. Chapter one is available at www.turtlewife.com."

"I loved this book!" wrote Elaine Stundell, a freelance journalist in New York City. "You don't have to know a thing about turtles or even care about them, but I guarantee by the time you finish this hilarious, educational, and positively charming book, you'll realize it's not about turtles after all. It's a cosmic New York love story -- a guy obsessed with chelonians and the woman who falls in love with him . . . and his turtles."

Robert Metzger '74 has published Debugging by Thinking: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Elsevier Digital Press, 2004). The publisher describes it as "the first book to apply the wisdom of six disciplines -- logic, mathematics, psychology, safety analysis, computer science, and engineering -- to the problem of debugging. It uses the methods of literary detectives such as Sherlock Holmes, the techniques of mathematical problem solving, the results of research into the cognitive psychology of human error, the root cause analyses of safety experts, the compiler analyses of computer science, and the processes of modern engineering to define a systematic approach to identifying and correcting software errors."

Larry N. Mayer '83 has published Who will Say Kaddish? A Search for Jewish Identity in Contemporary Poland (Syracuse University Press, 2002) along with photographer Gary Gelb. "During trips to Poland in the 1990s, the American son of Holocaust survivors confronted his own identity issues as he interviewed elderly survivors wondering who will say the traditional mourners' prayer for them, and the younger generation exploring their sometimes newly-disclosed Jewish heritage," reads a BookNews description. You may read more about the book at the Gelb's website at http://www.garygelb.com/kaddishindex.html . Mayer writes that he is currently working on a novel tentatively titled Feathers.

Jeffrey Ford '79, MA '81 has published Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque (HarperCollins Publishers, 2002). "Ford expertly created a surreal alternate landscape in his acclaimed fantasies The Physiognomy and Memoranda; here, in his fourth novel, sepia-colored old New York is the fever-dream world," reads a review in Publisher's Weekly. "Piero Piambo is the portraitist of choice among New York's nouveau riche in 1893, but his career fills him with self-loathing. When a blind man with uncannily white eyes offers him 'a job like no other' painting the mysterious Mrs. Charbuque Piambo quickly accepts, as the hefty commission will allow him to abandon society portraiture. But the terms of the deal are very strange: Mrs. Charbuque insists that she will hide behind a screen; to divine what she looks like, Piambo may ask her questions, but not about her appearance. . . . like a possibly 'unhinged' Scheherazade, she mesmerizes Piambo with her story of growing up . . . Add dangerously unstable characters speaking with delicious floridity, unexpected bursts of macabre humor and violence, and a gender-bending subplot that subtly picks up steam, and you have a standout literary thriller."

Ford, who earned his MA in English, said he was influenced by several BU professors: He studied creative writing with John Gardner and Liz Rosenberg, film with Ken Jacobs and literature with William Spano. The author of five novels, a collection of short stories and more than 50 published short stories, Ford is the 3-time winner of the World Fantasy Award for best novel, best collection and best story of the year, and his novels The Physiognomy and Memoranda were both New York Times Notable Books of the Year. His short fiction has appeared in the magazines MSS, The Northwest Review, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Puerto Del Sol and Polyphony and also in numerous "best of the year" fantasy, young adult and literary anthologies.

Tamar Warga '93 has published A Taste of Freedom: Recipes for Passover (or Anytime) Without Wheat, Dairy, Eggs, Nuts and Fish (InstantPublisher, 2004), a food allergy cookbook. A pediatric feeding therapist as well as a speech language pathologist, and the mother of food-allergic children, Warga notes in the introduction that her objective in writing this book "is to help people realize that food allergies are manageable. While strict avoidance of allergenic foods is a must, there are many delicious alternatives. . . . Included in this collection are suggestions for: appetizers, side dishes, main courses, desserts, and snacks as well as picnic ideas. Tips for stocking a Passover kitchen and avoiding allergic situations are made as well. Be sure to check out the Web resources section for more in-depth information on food allergies."

"Thankfully, A Taste of Freedom puts the fun back into cooking within [the] dietary guidelines [of individuals living with food allergies]," writes Amy Tarshis, a food/lifestyle writer with a focus on identifying new trends in upscale kosher food.

Warga's book is available through her website at http://www.freewebs.com/tasteoffreedom/