“Avandell: Reimagining the Dementia Experience”
By Larry Carlson ’74
Carlson devoted his career to serving others through his work in eldercare administration. He retired in 2022 after 11 years as the president and CEO of United Methodist Communities.
Publisher: Tvguestpert
Overview: In this book, Carlson presents a case that there is a better way to care for individuals with dementia than the traditional, hospital-based approach.
“A Defiant Woman”
By Karen Olson ’82
Olson is an award-winning author who has penned 13 crime novels including “An Inconvenient Wife,” the prequel to this new book. She majored in English at Roanoke College.
Publisher: Pegasus Crime
Overview: In the latest novel in this genre-defying crime series, Kate Tudor’s marriage to billionaire Hank Tudor continues to fray when his ex-wife resurfaces in the wake of their daughter’s kidnapping.
Review: “Sharp, sophisticated, utterly superb. Olson’s clever Tudor series will keep you turning the pages long into the night.”
– J. T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of “A Very Bad Thing”
“The Slow Death of the Death Penalty: Toward a Postmortem”
Edited by Todd C. Peppers, Jamie Almallen ’17, Mary Welek Atwell
Almallen is a public defender in the state of Virginia. She earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Peppers is a former faculty member at Roanoke College.
Publisher: NYU Press
Overview: This collection of essays examines why the death penalty is in decline across the United States.
Review: "As the American death penalty has faded from our courtrooms, this highly readable and compelling volume collects the perspectives of frontline visionaries, scholars, and lawyers, conducting an autopsy of the penalty itself."
– Brandon L. Garrett, author of “End of Its Rope: How Killing the Death Penalty Can Revive Criminal Justice”
“Half Year, Half Light”
By Janet Sarjeant ’73
Janet (Vass) Sarjeant ’73 is a writer based in Charlotte, N.C. After graduating from Roanoke, she earned a master’s from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and taught English at Central Piedmont Community College for 25 years.
Publisher: Warren Publishing, Inc
Overview: “Half Year, Half Light” follows high school senior Edna Louise Walters as she approaches adulthood in 1969, a pivotal year in her life and the world.