Books published by University Press of Florida

Explores the many aspects and outcomes of NASA's research in life sciences, a little-understood endeavor that has often been overlooked in histories of the space agency.

Radical subcultures in an unlikely placeTold in personal interviews, this is the collective story of a punk community in an unlikely town and region, a hub of radical counterculture that drew artists and musicians from throughout the conservative South and earned national renown. The house at 309 6th Avenue has long been a crossroads for punk rock, activism, veganism, and queer culture in Pensacola, a quiet Gulf Coast city at the border of Florida and Alabama. In this book, residents of 309 narrate the colorful and often comical details of communal life in the crowded and dilapidated house over its 30-year existence. Terry Johnson, Ryan "e;Rymodee"e; Modee, Gloria Diaz, Skott Cowgill, and others tell of playing in bands including This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, operating local businesses such as End of the Line Cafe, forming feminist support groups, and creating zines and art. Each voice adds to the picture of a lively community that worked together to provide for their own needs while making a positive, lasting impact on their surrounding area. Together, these participants show that punk is more than music and teenage rebellion. It is about alternatives to standard narratives of living, acceptance for the marginalized in a rapidly changing world, and building a sense of family from the ground up. Including photos by Cynthia Connolly and Mike Brodie, A Punkhouse in the Deep South illuminates many individual lives and creative endeavors that found a home and thrived in one of the oldest continuously inhabited punkhouses in the United States.

In the media, migrants are often portrayed as criminals; they are frequently dehumanized, marginalized, and unable to share their experiences. Telling Migrant Stories explores how contemporary documentary film gives voice to Latin American immigrants whose stories would not otherwise be heard.

After the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1917, postrevolutionary leaders hoped to assimilate the country's racially diverse population into one official mixed-race identity. This book shows that as part of this vision, the Mexican government believed it could modernize 'primitive' Indigenous peoples.

Examines the spiritual and earthly results of conversion to Christianity for African-American antebellum writers. Using autobiographical narratives, Yolanda Pierce argues that for African Americans, accounts of spiritual conversion revealed ""personal transformations with far-reaching community effects.

Using oral histories, newspapers, and a variety of other sources this work recovers stories of campy LGBT beach parties, forgotten gay bars, and friendship networks that spanned the South. Gay men, lesbians, and the otherwise queer were an essential part of "The Sunshine State." Placing them at the center of this story exposes the unique interactions of capitalism, tourism, sexuality, and space.

Stretching along 156 miles of Florida's East Coast, the Indian River Lagoon contains the St. Lucie estuary, the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River Lagoon, and the Indian River. Indian River Lagoon traces the winding story of the waterway, showing how humans have altered the area to fit their needs and also how the lagoon has influenced the cultures along its shores.