Word to the Wise - Books for 2018

By Kourtney Schott ('18)

Where the Wild Coffee Grows

Jeff  Koehler (’91) 

From the award-winning author of “Darjeeling” comes the nonfiction story of one of our world’s largest and most valuable commodities – coffee. Koehler explores the fascinating history of the Arabica bean, from its roots in the cloud forests of Ethiopia to its impact on regular coffee drinkers and dabblers alike in shops around the world. However, disease and climate change are threatening the coffee industry today, making the bean’s origin even more important to saving its future. 

Naked Joy

Nan Kilmer Baker (’74) 

Nan Kilmer Baker grew up in Idaho, the land of potatoes, where she discovered a cast of colorful characters, including Aunt Millie, who raises peacocks, roasts squirrels and dresses her bottles of detergent in brassieres. Much more than a memoir, “Naked Joy” takes readers around the world through the author’s adventures. Kilmer Baker claims her work is the result of her Gonzaga education: “The Jesuits gave me the confidence, determination and skills to pursue my dream of being a writer.”

King of Spies

Blaine Harden (’74) 

Spies. Murder. Intrigue. All are included in Harden’s most recently published true story of Air Force Maj. Donald Nichols, who operated within the shadows of torture and executions to become a pivotal player in the Korean War, warning of North Korean invasion, breaking enemy codes and identifying targets destroyed by American bombs. After sending hundreds of agents to their deaths, Nichols was eventually extracted and forced to undergo months of electroshock. “King of Spies” uncovers a world of secrets our country was never meant to know.

Tale of an Old Katfish

John P. Lynch (’77)

At the age of 11, almost all things are possible. For John Lynch, a promising future as a professional football star was foremost on his mind – until the day that young John could not move without pain from his highly inflamed hands, knees and feet. Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis), his football dreams evaporated, but his spirit did not. “Tale of an Old Katfish” follows Lynch’s tireless fight against rheumatoid arthritis and how his active swimming life and successful career as a lawyer launched his Rheumatoid Arthritis Project, an organization that advocates and raises funds and awareness of juvenile arthritis, which affects 300,000 American children. All profits from sales of the book go toward the project.