Prot U

The editor of the student newspaper might not graduate if he prints stories slamming university officials. The incompetent president lets his secretary make all the decisions. An African-American assistant professor faces sexism and racism as she strives for tenure. Mexican immigrant workers on campus are exploited and teaching assistants are overworked, while football players are pampered.

Could all of these situations possibly exist at one university? At Prot U they do!

In Prot U, her first novel, Wisconsin author Eva Augustin Rumpf creates a satiric stew of colorful characters, power struggles and plot twists that simmer and boil over by the end of the novel. The book's title is the nickname for the fictional Protestant University of the South, located in the imaginary North Texas town of Stockville.

Just about everything is out of kilter at Prot U. The powerful chairman of the board, a Texas cattleman, bullies the board and the milquetoast president with his misguided plan to improve the university's image. The novel's reluctant hero, the editor of the campus paper, jeopardizes his future when he reveals the secret plan. His faculty adviser is conflicted when she realizes that supporting the students won't help her gain tenure. To this mix, Rumpf adds football players, cheaters, connivers, gays, frat boys, a sex columnist, illegal immigrants, protesters, a corrupt city councilman, and the capricious Texas weather.

Prot U is published by Booklocker.com, Inc. A synopsis, sample chapter and ordering information can be found at http://www.booklocker.com/books/1646.html.

Eva Augustin Rumpf is a free-lance journalist and author. For more biographical information, see About Eva.

Click here to buy the book.

Till Divorce Do Us Part

Divorce is a fact of life for many families today. It is estimated that one of every two new marriages will end in divorce. This phenomenon has far-reaching consequences for the men, women and children directly affected by the break-up of a family, as well as for society as a whole.

Till Divorce Do Us Part: A Practical Guide for Women in Troubled Marriages (Glenbridge Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-944435-39-4) by Beverly J. Grottkau and Eva Augustin Rumpf is designed to meet the needs of women in troubled marriages who are not prepared to face the threat of divorce. The authors explore the personal, legal and financial factors that must be addressed by women in order for them to assess the nature of their relationships, reduce the harmful effects of divorce, increase their potential for fair and equal treatment in the courts, and find the resources to enhance their personal and professional lives after a divorce.

Till Divorce Do Us Part offers a comprehensive look at the process of marital disruption, from the first signs of trouble to recovery after divorce. While not advocating divorce, the authors help couples assess the problems and options facing them and possibly avoid divorce.

This self-help book is directed primarily to women, since they are more likely to suffer financially when a marriage breaks up, to experience depression, and to shoulder the major responsibility for the couple's children. However, men can also find helpful information in several of the book's chapters, such as the one that discusses the effects of divorce on children and how to help them to a healthy adjustment.

Till Divorce Do Us Part can be purchased through local or online booksellers, or it can be ordered directly from the publisher, Glenbridge Publishing Ltd., 1-800-986-4135, http://www.glenbridgepublishing.com/

Eva Augustin Rumpf is a free-lance journalist and author. (For more biographical information, see About Eva.) The co-author is Dr. Beverly Grottkau, a psychotherapist for Christian Counseling Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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