Books published by iUniverse

The year is 1955. Alan Harper, a 25-year old freelance journalist, recruited by the CIA fresh out of college, is serving as a covert agent based in Cairo after finishing a two-year training period at Camp Peary, the CIA "Farm". In October of that year, after only nine months in the field, he's suddenly reassigned to Calcutta, India, and tasked with uncovering the clandestine network used by foreign powers to support local leftist political parties attempting to prevail in Calcutta's municipal elections. When power brokers in Calcutta learn an American investigative reporter is heading their way panic ensues. They worry an exposé article in a major U.S. newspaper or magazine can affect the political landscape of the city in ways they wish to avoid. Persons benefitting financially under the current city administration wish to stop the reporter; persons involved in running the clandestine network he's tasked to uncover also wish to prevent him from doing his job. Harper finds himself the target of desperate efforts at preventing him from reaching Calcutta-efforts that morph into attempts on his life once he arrives. Nevertheless, Harper sticks to his "cover", using reportorial stratagems to get the story, thwarting one attempt on his life after another as he proceeds. It is a time of Cold War intrigue, of non-alignment, of Hindu Bengali refugees flooding into Calcutta from East Pakistan, of street demonstrations, of political party competition-with all actors intently focused on the next election.

Growing trees in an urban desert environment can be challenging, especially if water is a limited resource. In a comprehensive reference manual, seasoned educators Dale A. Devitt and Robert L. Morris combine ninety years of professional experience to offer a road map that provides guidance to those living and working in the Desert Southwest on how to select and irrigate urban trees to achieve a healthy, beautiful landscape while conserving water. Devitt and Morris lead homeowners and landscape contractors through an assessment of their existing landscape; provide valuable insight into the climate, soil, water, irrigation system and strategies, and landscape design; and share proven guidance on tree selection and a maintenance plan that allows for the healthy growth of trees even under stressful environmental conditions. Included are "Did You Know" questions that offer interesting scientific facts about the desert soil, history of the environment, water challenges, and much more.Selecting and Maintaining Trees for Urban Desert Landscapes is a valuable resource for anyone interested in growing trees in an urban desert environment.

Artist/art professor John A. O'Connor characterizes his series White Lies Matter: Decoding American Deceptionalism as "a history of American hypocrisy." Using the image of the slate as a consistent base, White Lies Matter ranges across historical and contemporary America, touching down at flashpoints of inequality, misunderstanding, and conflict. From the gradual decay of national institutions to more immediate political crises, O'Connor's project traverses a list of illegalities and cover-ups, oppressions and suppressions, tracing links between individuals and institutions in positions of influence. It begins with Christopher Columbus and the First Thanksgiving-mythologies that crumble very easily by now-and moves on through the contradictory and belated embedding of religion in the nation's founding documents, to the calamitous installation of Donald Trump as its 45th president. White Lies Matter: Decoding American Deceptionalism reveals the deceptions, lies, and cynicism of America and the "fake news" and "alt- facts" that permeate contemporary society.Note: Michael Wilson is a New York-based writer and editor and the author of How to Read Contemporary Art: Experiencing the Art of the 21st Century (New York: Abrams, 2013).