Horace Mann - Summer 2016 - 39

Bookshelf H orace Mann School celebrates our many alumni authors in this column. Please share news of a new book you or another alum has written. The Alumni and Development Office makes every effort to keep up to date on recent publications by alumni. Keep us posted at (718) 432-3453 or alumni@horacemann.org. The Wolves Alex Berenson '90 G.P. Putnam's Sons, February 9, 2016 John Wells is the hero of ten suspense novels by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Berenson '90. In The Wolves Wells has barely managed to stop an operation designed to drive the United States and Iran into war, but the instigator himself disappeared behind an impenetrable wall of security. Now it's time for him to pay, and Wells has made that his personal mission. However, The White House doesn't want anybody stirring the pot; Wells' old CIA bosses have their own agendas; other countries are starting to sniff around... When Russia and China enter the mix the whole affair is set to combust. With alarming speed, Wells is once again alone, and the wolves are closing in. Twelve Days G.P. Putnam's Sons, February 10. 2015 Alex Berenson's 2015 novel Twelve Days is where readers learn that John Wells has only 12 days to stop the U.S. from being tricked into invading Iran. With his former CIA bosses Ellis Shafer and Vinnie Duto, Wells uncovers a false-flag operation to convince the President to attack Iran. But with no hard evidence no one at Langley or The White House will listen. The President sets a deadline for Iran to give up its nuclear program. With terrorist attacks as the response the U.S. moves soldiers and marines to Iran's border ... while the clock ticks for Wells and his associates. Of Berenson's work Booklist writes: "As always, Berenson brilliantly blends global politics into an adrenaline-pulsing spy novel." Dark Invasion: 1915 Germany's Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America By Howard Blum '65 HarperCollins, February 11, 2014 Combining the pulsating drive of Showtime's "Homeland" with the fascinating historical detail of such narrative nonfiction bestsellers as Double Cross and In the Garden of Beasts, Dark Invasion is Howard Blum's gritty, high-energy true-life tale of German espionage and terror on American soil during World War I, and the NYPD Inspector who helped uncover the plot, which also serves as the basis for a film to be co-produced by and star Bradley Cooper. When a "neutral" United States becomes a trading partner for the Allies early in World War I, the Germans implement a secret plan to strike back. A team of saboteurs, including an expert on germ warfare, a Harvard professor, and a brilliant, debonair spymaster, devise a series of "mysterious accidents" using explosives and biological weapons, to bring down vital targets such as ships, factories, livestock, and even prominent figures. NYC Police Inspector Tom Tunney, head of the department's Bomb Squad, is assigned the difficult mission of stopping them. Assembling a team of loyal operatives, the cunning Irish cop hunts for the conspirators. The deeper he finds himself in this labyrinth of deception, the more Tunney realizes that the enemy's plan is far more complex and dangerous than he suspected. Full of drama and intensity, with eight pages of black and-white photos, Dark Invasion is a riveting war thriller that chillingly echoes our own time. "Dark Invasion... will move you to the edge of your seat with the facts alone, but the author's suspenseful detective-mystery narrative is what keeps you there," wrote USA Today. Clones vs. Aliens, The Clone Chronicles #4 By M.E. Castle (Matthew Castleman '04) EgmontUSA, February 10, 2015 Aliens join in the fun in this fourth book of The Clone Chronicles, a popular series for elementary and middle school-aged readers that mixes over-the-top adventure with adolescent-style drama. In this installment, Clone series characters Fisher, Two, Amanda, and Veronica are happy to spend their holiday break at Fisher's parents' new amusement park. But aliens crash-landing on Fisher's favorite roller coaster, mistaking it for their home planet, spells the end of R&R for our heroes, who must must convince the aliens that Earth is the worst place ever, and help them fix their ship. The crew decides the best way to encourage the identical twin girl Gemini aliens to leave the stratosphere is to give them a taste of middle school-and Wompalog Middle School tastes pretty disgusting. Fisher and his crew quickly learn that the Geminis are not to be messed with: sweet as pie, when they turn on you, they're deadly. Mathematical Elegance: An Approachable Guide to Understanding Basic Concepts Dr. Steven Goldberg '59 Transaction Publishers, December 19, 2014 The heart of mathematics is its elegance; the way it all fits together, according to former City College of New York sociology department Chair Prof. Steven Goldberg '59. Unfortunately, the beauty of mathematics often eludes the vast majority of people who are intimidated by fear of the difficulty of numbers. Mathematical Elegance remedies this. Using hundreds of examples, Dr. Goldberg presents a view of the mathematical landscape that is both accessible and fascinating. At a time of concern that American youth are bored by math, and a renewed interest in improving math skills Mathematical Elegance stimulates students, along with those already experienced in the discipline, to explore some of the unexpected pleasures of quantitative thinking. Invoking mathematical proofs famous for their simplicity and brainteasers Horace Mann Magazine Summer 2016 39

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