Atomic Geography: A Personal History of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation
Melvin R. Adams
WSU Press: 2016
One of the first environmental engineers at Hanford recalls his two decades of study of both the toxic soil and water at the nuclear site, and the wildlife and plants that thrive on the 586 square miles of central Washington desert. Adams helped determine the initial scope of the soil cleanup at Hanford, among other projects there. He shares his perspectives on leaking waste storage, the obsession with safety, and the paradoxical nature of a place that’s a sprawling wildlife refuge and one of the most complex environmental cleanup projects in the world.
Where the Wind Dreams of Staying: Searching for Purpose and Place in the West
Eric Dieterle ’80, ’82 MA History
Oregon State University Press: 2016
Beginning from his childhood in Sunnyside and the Tri-Cities, Dieterle interweaves essays from the places he’s lived throughout the West, and the people he’s known, to seek meaning from his life. His struggle to understand himself is tied to geography and landscapes, from contemplations about Hanford to tales of college in Pullman. His journeys through Utah, California, and Arizona provide Dieterle, an assistant professor at Northern Arizona University and a former newspaper reporter, with a canvas to examine his depression and doubt as well as his determination.
Writing the Northwest: A Reporter Looks Back
Hill Williams
WSU Press: 2017
After chronicling Northwest news for decades, award-winning journalist Williams has released his first memoir, with his favorite and most memorable stories focused on the Northwest’s people, places, natural events, and human history from a seasoned regional reporter.
The Sinophone Cinema of Hou Hsiao-hsien: Culture, Style, Voice, and Motion
Christopher Lupke
Cambria Press: 2016
Award-winning auteur film director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s films are tied to cultural, historical, and political issues in Taiwan and East Asia, while his realistic style elevates the insignificant minutiae of daily life into objects of aesthetic sublimely. Lupke, a professor of Chinese at Washington State University, takes a comprehensive look at Hou Hsiao-hsien’s entire oeuvre and his innovations and contributions to contemporary world cinema.