More than 200 writers will showcase their books, including a host of authors from our university. Some of the presenters include:

Author: Jeffrey Abramson, professor of law and government
Book: “Minerva’s Owl: The Tradition of Western Political Thought”
When: Saturday, Oct. 31
Where: Texas State Capitol: Capitol Extension Room E2.028

Author: Oscar Casares, assistant professor of English
Book: “Amigoland”
When: Saturday, Oct. 31
Where: Texas State Capitol: Capitol Extension Room E2.016

Author: Jacqueline Jones, the Walter Prescott Webb Chair in History and Ideas and Mastin Gentry White Professor in Southern History
Book: “Saving Savannah: The City and the Civil War”
When: Saturday, Oct. 31
Where: Texas State Capitol Extension Room E2.028

Author: Kate Brooks, director of Liberal Arts Career Services
Book: “You Majored in What?: Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career”
When: Sunday, Nov. 1
Where: Lifestyle Tent (10th and Congress)

Author: Lucas A. Powe, Jr., professor of law and government
Book: “The Supreme Court and the American Elite”
When: Sunday, Nov. 1
Where: Texas State Capitol: Capitol Extension Room E2.016

Author: Elizabeth Engelhardt, associate professor of American Studies
Book: “Republic of Barbecue: Stories Beyond the Brisket”
When: Sunday, Nov. 1
Where: Cooking Tent

Author: Mark Weston, UT Law alumnus (moderated by ShelfLife@Texas contributor Laura Castro)
Book: “Prophets & Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present”
When: Sunday, Nov. 1
Where: Texas State Capitol: Capitol Extension Room E2.014

The Texas Book Festival was founded in 1995 by former first lady Laura Bush to promote reading and honor Texas authors. Sessions are free and open to the public. Proceeds from books purchased at the festival benefit the state’s public libraries.

Visit this site for a full list of festival authors.

Now, after a decade of studying terrorism, he turns his attention to Israel’s battle in “The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism” (Columbia University Press, 2009).

In the book, Pedahzur argues that Israel’s counterrorism policy has not been successsful. To learn why, read the Austin American-Statesman’s interview with Pedahzur in the Jan. 18 story “UT expert questions Israel’s big stick.”

Pedahzur is a frequent commentator on global terrorism issues. For his insight about the recent attacks in India, check out the opinion piece he wrote for The New York Times, “From Munich to Mumbai.”

Filled with charts, graphs and quotes from law clerks and justices, the book provides a nuanced overview of the inner workings of our nation’s highest court, focusing on how law clerks significantly influence justices’ decision-making.

Tracing the history of the Supreme Court from the 19th century to the present, the authors compile an overview of the changing world of law clerks, revealing their transcendence from mere clerical assistants in the 1930s to the powerful gatekeepers they are today.

Based on Supreme Court archives, extensive interviews and surveys with 150 former law clerks, the authors track the clerks’ escalating rise in power and define the little-known role of the law clerk, a profession many consider the pinnacle of a young lawyer’s career.

The book’s namesake alludes to the title of the 1797 poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which tells the story of a sorcerer’s apprentice who oversteps his bounds by trying on the master’s robe and experimenting with sorcery. Using this metaphor, the authors pose the question: Are the lines between the “masters” and “apprentices” becoming blurred?

Do Supreme Court law clerks pose a threat to the court’s authority?

Three books by professors from the College of Liberal Arts, offer keen insight into the challenges our new president will face. From scandals in the White House to party polarization to the issue of race in political campaigns, these books provide timely perspectives into hot-button issues facing the nation in 2009.

“Race, Republicans, and the Return of the Party of Lincoln”

Is it possible for a political party to successfully revamp its image without changing its political platform? How do voters respond to these seemingly promising campaigns?

Tasha Philpot, assistant professor of government and African and African American Studies, examines these questions in her book “Race, Republicans, and the Return of the Party of Lincoln” (The University of Michigan Press, 2007).

Using the 2000 Republican National Convention as a case study, she analyzes how parties rebrand themselves to reach out to minority voters. Philpot examines experiments, focus groups, national surveys and newspaper articles to explore how voters perceive changes in political parties.

As the U.S. electorate becomes more racially diverse, how will political parties rebrand themselves in the future? Add your insights in the comments section.

“Party Polarization in Congress”

What propelled the rise in polarization among party lines? To put it simply, why can’t Democrats and Republicans just get along?

Examining more than 30 years of congressional history, Sean Theriault, associate professor of government, explores the “Right vs. Left” phenomenon in his book “Party Polarization in Congress” (Cambridge University Press, 2008).

Theriault defines the building blocks for party polarization in the U.S. Congress by examining the increasing homogony in congressional districts and the evolution of legislative procedures. His studies on redistricting and political extremism reveal how both parties have grown more ideologically polarized and less diverse.

With the landslide win of Democrats in both the Senate and the House, will they reach across the divide to their Republican counterparts in 2009?

“On Scandal: Moral Disturbances in Society, Politics and Art”

From Bill Clinton’s nationally publicized indiscretions with Monica Lewinsky, to Richard Nixon’s infamous Watergate scandal, moral transgressions in the political arena generate overwhelming amounts of media buzz.

These are just two of several case studies Ari Adut, assistant professor of sociology, examines in his book “On Scandal: Moral Disturbances in Society, Politics and Art” (Cambridge University Press, 2008).

From a sociological perspective, Adut analyzes a broad range of case studies, including the vulnerabilities of presidents, the rise in sexual politics and reactions to controversial content in modern art. He reveals the conditions that cause scandals, while others slip under the radar.

What do you think has been one of the most visible but irrelevant political scandals in American history?

From voter mythology to gender and religion, these books address the gamut of contentious issues from the 2008 presidential election.

“Unconventional Wisdom: Facts and Myths About American Voters” (Oxford University Press, 2008), by Karen Kaufmann, John Petrocik and Daron Shaw.

Frustrated by the media’s perpetuation of inaccurate analysis about American voters, Shaw and his colleagues decided to set the record straight with “Unconventional Wisdom.” Learn more in the feature story “A Red and Blue Nation?”

“The Constitution as Social Design: Gender and Civic Membership in the American Constitutional Order” (Stanford University Press, 2006), by Gretchen Ritter.

In her book, Ritter argues that women’s struggles to gain equality are both inspired and constrained by our understanding of the Constitution and the social roles it creates. Learn more in the feature story “Citizen Jane.”

“Politics in the Pews: The Political Mobilization of Black Churches” (University of Michigan Press, 2008), by Eric McDaniel.

Political scientists have documented and examined the impact of church-based political activism for years, but McDaniel says they’ve neglected to examine why churches become politically active in the first place. Learn more in the feature story “Politics in the Pews.”

What political books are on your nightstand this election year?