Purdue University Press focused on challenges of today
The rigor of scholarship never changes, but the issues scholarship helps to address are always evolving. This is why the Purdue University Press continues to grow its list of titles that speak to the issues of the day.
“All scholarship that increases our understanding of the world matters, but it’s especially rewarding to work on books that can contribute to meaningful change—whether at the societal level, or one reader at a time,” said Justin Race, director of Purdue University Press. “There’s no shortage of challenges facing the world today, but just like the university we’re part of, our goal is not only to educate, but to make it a better place for all of us.”
The environment is explored with recent titles such as an environmental biography on Reginald Sutcliffe, an overlooked early pioneer in weather forecasting whose discoveries and innovations have relevance to climate change today. Next year, the press will release a book on the magnificent trees of Indiana featuring more than 250 stunning photographs. It is a celebration of the beauty of our natural surroundings, but also a warning of what could be lost if global warming continues unabated.
As firsthand witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust pass away, it is essential that their stories continue to be told, lest the world forget and repeat one of the greatest tragedies in history. Last fall, the press released Escaping Extermination: Hungarian Prodigy to American Musician, Feminist, and Activist, a memoir by Agi Jambor written shortly after World War II but never published until now. It chronicles the grit, determination, quick thinking, and luck that helped her survive.
As life expectancy rises and the Boomer Generation ages, elder care is not only a growing societal challenge, but one that affects more and more individuals. The press recently released two titles on Parkinson’s Disease, The Complete Guide for People With Parkinson’s Disease and Their Loved Ones and Everything You Need to Know About Caregiving for Parkinson’s Disease. Jargon-free and written by a nurse who cared for her mother for decades, both books explain the science and medicine in easy-to-understand language, offering helpful tips and showing what to expect.
Last year, Purdue University Press launched a new book series, Navigating Careers in Higher Education. The series is led by Mangala Subramaniam, Butler chair and director of Purdue’s Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence. Gender, race, class, ethnicity, and immigrant generation, as well as their intersections and interplay influence experiences and aspirations of faculty members and administrators. The series will contribute to the ongoing debates throughout society—and higher education in particular—about diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice.
