From plight of pre-war Japanese immigrants to spine-tingling suspense stories, books by UCLA alumni authors are sure to catch your interest.

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Prior to World War II, Japanese immigrants grappled with living a transnational identity as they commingled their Japanese heritage and their new United States home. In Between Two Empires: Race, History and Transnationalism in Japanese America (Oxford University Press), Eiichiro Azuma M.A. '95, Ph.D. '00 illustrates the way in which these immigrants established their racial and class positions in relation to white Americans and other minority groups. Azuma demonstrates how the immigrants fuse two disparate cultures into a unique identity.

Full of mystery and intrigue, the fourth of installment of the Molly Blume series from Rochelle Krich M.A. '72, Now You See Me… (Ballantine Books) is a page-turner. Molly looks for a high rabbi's daughter who ran off with a man she met in an Internet chat room. Krich autographed books at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April 2006.

Californian adventures take center stage in Circus Without Elephants (Ivy House), a story about five brothers who alternate between trying to fly like an eagle and tunneling through earth like moles. Author Maralys Wills '50 was part of the Orange County Authors Alliance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April 2006.

Depth of Filed: Stanley Kubrick, Film, and the Uses of History (University of Wisconsin Press) by Geoffrey Cocks '70, M.A. '71, Ph.D. '75 analyzes the work of controversial filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. The book examines Kubrick's innovative films such as Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Eyes Wide Shut and how these films shaped the 20th century with themes such as war and crime, gender relations, class conflict and racism.

Heat Signatures (Bloomsbury) by Lisa Teasley '84 tracks how a son's attempt to cope with the murder of his mother takes him on a psychological roller coaster that he must endure. The novel explores the complexities of family, friendship, love, race and sexuality.

Take a tour of Florida 's rich history of folk art and artists in Just Above the Water: Florida Folk Art (University Press of Mississippi). Tina Bucuvalas M.A. '76 has co-authored this single volume overview that profiles more than 70 artists including Mary Proctor, Mario Snachez and Nicholas Toth. Documenting works of painters, sculptors, iconographers and instrument makers, Just Above the Water contains more than 200 black and white and color photographs.

In College Life 102: The No-Bull Guide to a Great Freshman Year (iUniverse),  medical doctor Andrew Kadar '69 offers advice to help freshman become star college students. Subjects covered include getting better grades by studying smarter rather than harder, dodging the stress of deadlines, enrolling in classes after they're officially filled, nutrition and the dreaded "Freshman 15," contraception, alcohol and illegal drugs, tattoos and piercings.

For the price of one book, $20,000 in Tennis Lessons: Your Personal Coach (Berkshire Press) by Robert Greene Ed.D. '70 is a tremendous bargain, according to Tennis.com. A former professional player with appearances at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and French Open, Greene is a coach with more than 25,000 hours of teaching experience to share.

A Sense of Duty (Ballantine), a memoir by Quang X. Pham ’87, traces the author’s 30-year journey from his early years in war-torn Vietnam to his experiences as a U.S. marine pilot turned entrepreneur. Pham explores the inner conflicts of a young man caught in the often contradictory forces of national identity, loyalty, truth and trust in the aftermath of America's most divisive war. It reveals the turmoil of a family torn apart and reunited by the fortunes of war. Pham will be reading from his book at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA, April 28-30.

Color Monitors (Cornell University Press) by Martin Kevorkian M.A. ’95, Ph.D. ’00 is a major contribution to the study of African American identity in film, and has already garnered considerable praise by scholars in the field. The book examines the depiction in popular culture of black bodies designated as natural machines in the information age.

Master the art of communication with Small Talk Savvy (Adams Media) by Melissa Wadsworth ’81. Wadsworth offers tips on body language basics, self-evaluation tools, memory games and conversation prompts to help you avoid those awkward moments social and professional moments. So open up your gift of gab and speak freely.

Mihajlo Kazic M.S. ’86, Ph.D. ’88 offers Emperor of the Galatians (Florida Academic Press), his first book published in the U.S. Kazic describes it as "the way I understood the world after seeing America."

Don’t put off checking out The Procrastinator’s Planner for 2006 (Andrews McMeel) by Susan Cohan Hoffman ’83, M.B.A. ’88, Jody Cohan ’81 and Lila Carroll. With jokes and insights on common procrastinating habits, the planner offers hope for those of us who put off until tomorrow.

Learn the details about investment with A Practitioner’s Guide to Alternative Investment Funds (City & Financial) by Timothy Spangler ’91. The book gives a comprehensive overview of regulation and law of alternative investment funds.

Susie Vanderlip ’71 helps parents connect with their teenagers in 52 Ways to Protect Your Teen – Guiding Your Teen to Good Choices and Success (Intuitive Wisdom). Conversations with teens and a good dose of common sense help parents explore what their children experience. The book guides parents to be a positive influence in their teenagers’ lives.

Before heading down the aisle, get some quick wedding-planning tips with The Smart Couple’s Guide to the Wedding of Your Dreams: Planning Together for Less Stress and More Joy (New World Library), the fourth book by Judith Sherven ’65 and her husband James Sniechowski. The book aims to bring the groom into the planning process so that the couple, together, can create their perfect first day as husband and wife.

Let Dale Atkins Ph.D. ’82 calm your pre-wedding nerves with her new book, Wedding Sanity Savers (Broadway). Brimming with helpful tidbits on dealing with all those sticky problems, this book is sure to untie the knots in your stomach so that you and your husband can happily tie the knot.