The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker
Gabriel Mckee, who lives in Beacon, examines the life of “one of the weirder characters in American subcultural history.” Barker was “a literary outsider, master hoaxer and queer pioneer,” Mckee writes, responsible for “lasting folk narratives that have shaped over 70 years of American culture’s paranormal upside-down.” Mckee will launch the book on April 24 at Split Rock Books in Cold Spring.
A Gorgeous Excitement: A Novel
This coming-of-age story by Cynthia Weiner is set in New York City in 1986. It takes inspiration from the Beacon resident’s experiences growing up on the Upper East Side at the time of the infamous “preppy murder” case.
Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War and the Fight to End Slavery
Richard Kreitner, a journalist and historian who lives in Beacon, tells the intertwined stories of six American Jews during the Civil War, including a lawyer who became Jefferson Davis’s confidant, a Swedish-born rabbi who defended slavery as biblically justified and a feminist, atheist and abolitionist who championed “emancipation of all kinds.” Kreitner will discuss his book on April 2 at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon.
Kids Cook Everything: Inspiration and Recipes for Making the Food You Love
Mark Bittman, the food journalist and former New York Times columnist who lives in Philipstown, wrote this cookbook for children ages 8 to 12 as part of his popular How to Cook Everything series. Its flexible recipes are designed to reflect the way kids approach meals and give them confidence in the kitchen.
Magic in a Drop of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World About Water Pollution
Beacon resident Julie Winterbottom, assisted by illustrator Susan Reagan, introduces children to Ruth Patrick (1907–2013) and the aquatic ecologist’s role in the study of biodiversity as a gauge of ecosystem health. Publisher’s Weekly highlighted the opening line: “When Ruth Patrick was 5 years old, she fell in love with pond scum.” The picture book, for ages 6 to 9, will be released March 25.
