Recent books published by the campus community include Joy Castro’s collection of stories on women — especially Latinas — and their experiences of poverty and violence in a white-dominated, wealth-obsessed culture. Other books include research topics by George Gale, Alice Kang, Larkin Powell and Brett Ratcliffe. To find out more information about each book, click its title below.

• How Winter Began, by Joy Castro, professor of English and ethnic studies (University of Nebraska Press, 2015, 198 pages) — A collection of stories, “How Winter Began” is thematically linked by the lives of women, especially Latinas, and their experiences of poverty and violence in a white-dominated, wealth-obsessed culture. Featured characters and their stories include: Iréne, who gives the wealthy businessmen what they want, diving headfirst into a filthy river, thinking only of providing for her baby daughter as the men salivate over her soaked body emerging onto the bank; A young boy who tries to befriend the reticent younger sister of the town’s cruelest bully, only to discover the family betrayal behind her quiet countenance; and Josefa, a young bride, who is executed for murdering the man who raped her. The question at the heart of “How Winter Began” is how or whether to trust one another after the rupture of betrayal.

• Bargaining for Women’s Rights, by Alice J. Kang, assistant professor of political science and ethnic studies (University of Minnesota Press, 2015, 498 pages) — Gender relations in Muslim-majority countries have been subject to intense debate in recent decades. In some cases, Muslim women have fought for and won new rights to political participation, reproductive health and education. In others, their agendas have been stymied. Yet missing from this discussion, until now, has been a systematic examination of how civil society groups mobilize to promote women’s rights and how multiple components of the state negotiate such legislation. In “Bargaining for Women’s Rights,” Kang argues that reform is more likely to happen when the struggle arises from within. Focusing on how a law on gender quotas and a United Nations treaty on ending discrimination against women passed in Niger while family law reform and an African Union protocol on women’s rights did not, Kang shows how local women’s associations are uniquely positioned to translate global concepts of democracy and human rights into concrete policy proposals. And yet, drawing on numerous interviews with women’s rights activists as well as Islamists and politicians, she reveals that the former are not the only ones who care about the regulation of gender relations. Providing a solid analytic framework for understanding conflict over women’s rights policies without stereotyping Muslims, Kang demonstrates that, contrary to conventional wisdom, Islam does not have a uniformly negative effect on the prospects of such legislation.

• Estimation of Parameters for Animal Populations: A Primer for the Rest of Us, by Larkin Powell, professor of natural resources, and George Gale, adjunct faculty, natural resources (Caught Napping Publications, 2015, 256 pages) — A simple introduction to the logic behind analyses and sampling design for mark-recapture and survey efforts. With a focus on beginning users, the book explains complicated formulas and statistics that can be effectively used around the world in support of conservation efforts.

• The Dynastine Scarab Beetles of the West Indies (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae), by Brett C. Ratcliffe, professor of entomology, and Ronald D. Cave, University of Florida (Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum, 28:1-346, 2015, 346 pages) — The fourth of five planned volumes in the series “Dynastine Scarab Beetles North of Colombia,” this book provides a comprehensive review of 85 species and subspecies of dynastine scarab beetles that occur in the West Indies. Features detailed information on the paleobiogeography, historical, collecting, climate, vegetation, habitats (with images) and islands in the West Indies. Keys to all tribes, genera and species in the study area are given. Descriptions, recorded geographic localities and temporal distributions, diagnoses, notes on natural history, illustrations and distribution maps are provided for all species. Also included are synopses of the subfamily’s higher-level taxa in the region, a glossary, a species checklist, and extensive references. New species are described and new synonyms established.

This regular UNL Today column publishes information about the recent publications of UNL faculty, staff and students. For more information about each publication, click the link within the related book. The campus community can submit recent publications news to tfedderson@unl.edu or call 402-472-8515.