ultoday.com's sister website, booksXYZ.com, has launched a weekly ranking of the best books from public university presses. Last Days of Last Island from the UL Press debuts at #14 on the list.
booksXYZ.com, the Nonprofit Bookstore Supporting Education, today initiated a top 25 list of books from public university presses. The rankings will become a weekly listing of noteworthy books from public universities that are performing well by sales and other metrics, collected from the web and other sources.
"We're very excited about this new project," says booksXYZ.com President Joseph N. Abraham, MD. "This combines several of our key objectives: education; books & reading; a well-informed electorate; and how the university interacts with the public, a key objective of the public university in a democracy."
booksXYZ.com is a full-service online bookstore sending all proceeds to education. 5% of each purchase may be directed to the school of the customer's choice. All 120,000 schools in the US, kindergarten through college, are listed in the website database and are eligible for the 5% dedication program.
booksXYZ.com is a project of The Acadiana Educational Endowment & The American Public School Endowments. The AEE+APSE have distributed over $600,000 to public schools, much of it in south Louisiana after the hurricanes. A full listing of AEE+APSE donations is available on booksXYZ.com.
Comprehensive information on the following titles is available at booksXYZ.com.
#1
Stubborn Twig / Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family
Lauren Kessler, forward by Theodore R. Kulongoski
Oregon State University Press
Paperback - $12.32
In 1903 Masuo Yasui traveled from Japan across the other Oregon Trail: the one that spanned the Pacific Ocean.
#2
Pedaling Revolution / How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities
Jeff Mapes
Arizona State University Press
Paperback - $12.97
The growing bike culture that is changing the look and feel of cities, suburbs, and small towns across North America.
#3
The Circuit / Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child
Francisco Jimenez
University of New Mexico Press
...a father holds open a hole in a wire fence as his wife and two small boys crawl through.
#4
Pathologies of Power / Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor
Paul Farmer, forward by Martha Sen
University of California Press
Harrowing stories of life— and death— in extreme situations interrogates our understanding of human rights.
#5
To the Gates of Stalingrad / Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942
David M. Glantz & Jonathan M. House
University Press of Kansas
Hardcover - $25.97
The battle between the Germans and Soviets was a turning point in WWII and a symbol of that war's power and devastation.
#6
The Last Century of Sea Power / From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922
H. P. Willmott
Indiana University Press
Hardcover - $22.72
The first volume of a magisterial study of naval power in the 20th century.
#7
Cooking from the Heart / The Hmong Kitchen in America
Sami Scripter & Sheng Yang
University of Minnesota Press
Hardcover - $19.47
The first cookbook of Hmong-American cuisine, filled with unique recipes and stories.
#8
Simulacra and Simulation
Jean Baudrillard, translated by Sheila Faria Glaser
University of Michigan Press
The first full-length translation into English of an essential work of postmodernist thought.
#9
Worried Sick / A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America
Nortin M. Hadler
University of North Carolina Press
Hardcover - $18.20
While access to health care in is widely debated, Hadler argues that an even more important issue is being overlooked.
#10 
The Sheriff of Ramadi / Navy Seals and the Winning of al-Anbar
Dick Couch
Naval Institute Press
Hardcover - $19.47
The SEALs' ability to adapt and evolve in an urban battle space and their code of brotherhood were key to their success.
#11
We Used to Own the Bronx / Memoirs of a Former Debutante
Eve Pell
SUNY Press
Hardcover - $14.95
An inside story of privilege, inherited wealth, and the bizarre values and customs of the American upper crust.
#12
The Madness of Mary Lincoln
Jason Emerson
Southern Illinois University Press
Hardcover - $19.47
In 2005, historian Jason Emerson discovered a steamer trunk formerly owned by Robert Todd Lincoln's lawyer.
#13
The Adventures of Ibn Battuta / A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century
Ross E. Dunn
University of California Press
Paperback - $14.27
The exploits of the legendary Moroccan traveler.
#14
Last Days of Last Island: The Hurricane of 1856, Louisiana's First Great Storm
Bill Dixon
University of Louisiana Press
Paperback - $20.00
History of the Great Hurricane of 1856, which destroyed the coastal Louisiana community of Isle Dernière, Last Island.
Allan J. McDonald & James R. Hansen
University Press of Florida
Hardcover - $25.97
The first look at the Challenger tragedy from someone who tried to prevent it.
#16
Why Evolution Works (And Creationism Fails)
Matt Young & Paul R. Strode
Rutgers University Press
An impassioned argument in favor of science-- primarily the theory of evolution-- and against creationism.
#17
Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois & Surrounding States / A Field-to-Kitchen Guide
Joe Mcfarland & Gregory M. Mueller
University of Illinois Press
The comprehensive guide to wild mushrooms in the heartland--perfect for the coffee table, glove box, and kitchen.
#18
Proudly We Speak Your Name / Fourty-Four Years at Little Rock Catholic High School
Michael J. Moran
University of Arkansas Press
Hardcover - $16.22
A feast of memories for alumni of Little Rock’s Catholic High School—and parochial educators everywhere.
#19
Death in a Prairie House / Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders
William R. Drennan
University of Wisconsin Press
The 1914 brutal murders of seven adults and children dear to the architect, and the destruction by fire of Taliesin.
#20
American Salvage
Bonnie Jo Campbell
Wayne State University Press
Paperback - $12.32
Short stories rich with local color and peopled with rural characters who love and hate extravagantly.
#21
Something's Rising / Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal
Silas House & Jason Howard
University of Kentucky Press
Hardcover - $18.17
Oral histories of mountaintop removal, an ecologically devastating form of coal mining.
#22
The Armchair Birder / Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds
John Yow
University of North Carolina Press
Hardcover - $16.25
The most fascinating birds can be the ones perched right outside our windows.
#23
Solidarity Stories / An Oral History of the ILWU
Harvey Schwartz
University of Washington Press
Paperback - $16.22
Members talk about their lives at work, on the picket line, and in the union.
#24
Ignaz Friedman / Romantic Master Pianist
Allan Evans
Indiana University Press
Hardcover - $25.97
The vibrant performing career of a legendary pianist.
#25
Going Green / True Tales from Gleaners, Scavengers, and Dumpster Divers
Laura Pritchett, Editor
University of Oklahoma Press
Paperback - $12.97
What re-using-- or not-- says about our culture and priorities.
