UPF books received lots of praise throughout 2017! Join us in celebrating this recognition with a few of this year’s highlights featured below:
Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band
by John Capouya
“Compelling. . . . given how much great regional American soul music remains to be rediscovered, analyzed and archived, Mr. Capouya is to be commended. The casual fan will enjoy dipping in and out of these stand-alone stories; the hard-core fanatic will relish wading deep into the musical waters.”—Wall Street Journal
“Entertaining and colorful . . . [Florida Soul] assures that the Sunshine State gets its due alongside the musical hubs of Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans.”—Publishers Weekly
“Adds a significant entry to the scholarship on soul music. . . . Throughout these profiles, a portrait of how racial segregation and post-Civil Rights Act integration in Florida affected both black and white musicians emerges. . . . Essential.”—Library Journal
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Silent Films in St. Augustine
by Thomas Graham
“Narrating the vicissitudes of the many film production companies and producers who set up shop in St. Augustine, Graham elucidates a very important part of American moviemaking history.”—Library Journal
When Science Sheds Light on History: Forensic Science and Anthropology
by Philippe Charlier with David Alliot, translated by Isabelle Ruben
“Charlier, a French forensic medical examiner and specialist in ancient human remains, brings together summaries of his case studies—which include bones and bodies taken from prehistoric caves, charnel houses, royal tombs, and communal burials—to demonstrate what such remains can tell researchers. . . . Charlier delves into historical mysteries: for instance, bottles of wine said to contain the ashes of Joan of Arc instead turn out to hold remnants of burned Egyptian mummies. The book is full of similarly fascinating bits of trivia.”—Publishers Weekly
Norman Van Aken’s Florida Kitchen 
by Norman van Aken
“Distills the multicultural essence of Floridian cuisine into a well flavored guisado of style and taste. . . . Densely laden with impeccable recipes and shout-outs to local producers, the book is a story of one chef continuing to discover the quilt of Florida cooking, for all of us.”—Orlando Magazine
“Explore[s] the diverse cultural influences on modern Florida fare, from the Caribbean and Latin America to the Middle East.”—Local Palate
The chef was also interviewed by Florida Trend as a Florida icon and a Florida Trend Hall of Fame restaurant owner. In the interview, Van Aken discusses his journey towards becoming a chef.
Backroads of Paradise: A Journey to Rediscover Old Florida
by Cathy Salustri
“Salustri . . . delights in letting people know that to really discover Florida, you have to turn off the congested Interstates and explore the state’s towns and cities.”—New York Times
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The Final Mission: Preserving NASA’s Apollo Sites 
by Lisa Westwood, Beth Laura O’Leary, and Milford Wayne Donaldson
“Explain[s] the necessity of preserving these sites for future generations, and the ways in which the launch facilities, test sites, and even lunar sites can be properly tended.”—Publishers Weekly
“Speaks of a wider need for conversation about how the saving of material culture for the future must navigate the needs of a minimalist future that extends beyond us. It is a serious discussion.”—Quest
The Denmark Vesey Affair: A Documentary History
edited by Douglas R. Egerton and Robert L. Paquette
“Aims to prove that even if the revolt itself didn’t actually happen, the plot did exist, and that it was the most sophisticated collective plot against slavery in the U.S.”—Time
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Voices of Civil Rights Lawyers: Reflections from the Deep South, 1964–1980
edited by Kent Spriggs
“Fascinating. . . . The kind of book you can open anywhere, maybe thumb back or forth a few pages, and settle into a good story.”—USA Today
“We owe much to the pioneering work of this generation of civil rights lawyers who translated their moral and political beliefs into representation of those most in need of legal services. . . . Kent Spriggs has given voice to those who helped secure some semblance of equal justice in that critical historical period.”—Civil Rights Litigation Handbook
Willy Ley: Prophet of the Space Age
Jared S. Buss
“In Jared Buss’s nuanced biography, the German-born rocket expert emerges as a spirited science educator whose promotion of space exploration paved the way for NASA’s triumphs.”—Nature
Buss was also featured in an interview by the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Magazine. In the interview, Buss describes why he chose to write about Willy Ley.
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Mark Cirino and Mark P. Ott co-authored an article in the Huffington Post discussing Hemingway’s previously unpublished essays on his love of Italy featured in their book, Hemingway and Italy: Twenty-First Century Perspectives.
Daniel O. Sayers, author of A Desolate Place for a Defiant People: The Archaeology of Maroons, Indigenous Americans, and Enslaved Laborers in the Great Dismal Swamp, was featured in Smithsonian Magazine. Sayers and his team of archaeologists excavated sites where runaway slaves took refuge in the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina.
The Florida Bookshelf 