Selected Books from Across My Career

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I’ve written or edited a number of books across my career. Here are three early one that may interest you:

Pro-Choice and Anti-Abortion: Constitutional Theory and Public Policy

So if you want to know why the Supreme Court case  Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization which overturned Roe v. Wadewas wrongly decided then you need to read a book I wrote nearly 30 years ago. Yes, there is a sound and correct constitutional theory for the liberty interest in procreation decisions, and it is laid out in a highly readable manner in my book Pro-Choice and Anti-Abortion: Constitutional Theory and Public Policy.  What I wrote back then remains remarkably relevant today, more so in light of Dobbs where a rogue Supreme Court majority completely ignored the theory of Liberty on which our Constitution was grounded and the framers intended to be followed.  

Here is the Amazon link to Pro-Choice and Anti-Abortion. 

Governing Middle-Sized Cities: Studies in Mayoral Leadership

The  focus in Governing Middle-Sized Cities is on what my co-editor and I refer to as the "overlooked mayors." These are mayors leading  and confronting the major issues from education to race relations, police and community relationships, and economic development in all of its many forms in  the middle-sized cities throughout the country, cities such as Jackson MS,  Hartford CT, St. Petersburg FL, Youngstown OH, Rochester NY, Rockford IL, Providence RI, and Albuquerque NM.  

Here is the Amazon link to Governing Middle-Sized Cities.

Inside Political Campaigns: Chronicles and Lessons from the Trenches

All of the case studies authored for this book are written "from the trenches" by political scientists (and one undergraduate political  science major who was one of my students) who were actively engaged in election campaigns. Their stories lay out the lessons they learned along the campaign trails. While published in 2011, the lessons remain relevant today. The story I contributed to Inside Political Campaigns is about my 2007 long-shot campaign for city council against an "incumbent" council member who had been recently appointed to the position. It is partially a story of how a challenger can lose because of running too well.  A careful reading between the lines reveals that it also is a story of  "fuck you" politics, in which almost every politician believes and has practiced at one time or another. 

Here is the Amazon link to Inside Political Campaigns.

Watch a video book trailer about That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit: Phil Ochs’s Search for Self.

Watch a Facebook live interview about  That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit: Phil Ochs’s Search for Self.

Prior to writing That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit: Phil Ochs’s Search for Self, my previous books reflected an academic intellectual curiosity. That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit, though, was pure passion, and even destiny. Never before had I ever felt called to write a book until I discovered Phil and his story. Once that happened I knew I had no choice. I had heard Phil calling me.  

Phil Ochs was a remarkable person and a poster-child for 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene. Many folk music enthusiasts saw Phil as second only to Bob Dylan in terms of topical songwriting. But in reality, Phil  was the person everyone thought Bob Dylan was. It was Phil who wrote the soundtrack of the 1960s Antiwar Movement with such songs as “I Ain’t Marching Anymore,” “Draft Dodger Rag,” “The War Is Over,” and “White Boots Marchin’ in a Yellow Land.” It was Phil who participated in countless antiwar rallies and benefits at the expense of his own music career. Yet Phil and his legacy faded over the decades. When he was remembered, his life and his story were often overshadowed by his alleged bipolar disorder, his alcoholism, and his suicide on April 7, 1976 at the young age of 35. 

Those things did not define the person Phil Ochs revealed to me. So in That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit, I offer a fresh examination and reconsideration of  who Phil was. Rather than present a straightaway biography,  I explore who Phil saw and understood himself to be. In That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit, I dig deep into Phil's personality and identity to reveal the story that  Phil would share if he was still alive. It is a story of how his search for self drove all aspects of his life including his important contributions to the music and politics of the 1960s and even his eventual suicide.

I am pleased that That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit has been so well received by his fans, friends, and folk music enthusiasts. Here are some examples of the praise received for the book:

“I was a close friend of Phil's and loved his songs. This book both introduced me to Phil as a person and brilliantly got at his songs.” Josh Dunson-Author of Freedom in the Air: Song Movements of the Sixties

“In That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit you will hear the true voice of Phil Ochs, the inner voice that drove his life, his music and his career.  From Phil's dysfunctional family to his competition with Dylan to his love for America, Bowers masterfully analyzes the forces behind the music and the man and provides new insights and understanding. A unique and compelling read.” Ron Cooke-Folk DJ on KTAL 101.5 FM and regular contributor to FolkWorks magazine

"This is a must read for any Phil Ochs or Folk music fan. Extremely well researched, That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit: Phil Ochs’ s Search for Self provides new and insightful perspectives to Phil's life and lyrics, and accordingly an even  greater appreciation for Phil Ochs. Thank you Jim Bowers for keeping Phil Ochs and his work as a prominent influence for all of us."  Scott Wachter-Phil Ochs Fan and Enthusiast 

Here are just a few of the places you can purchase That Man in the Gold Lamé Suit: Phil Ochs's Search for Self:

BookShop.org

Barnes & Nobles  

Amazon

Thrift Books

Walmart