Columnist Silvio Laccetti Wins Prestigious Book Award

"An American Commentary" is a Montaigne Medal 2015 Finalist

NEW YORK, NY, May 28, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A book of opinion essays by Professor Silvio Laccetti has been awarded a Finalist designation for the 2015 Montaigne Medal by the judges of the Eric Hoffer Book Award, an annual award competition sponsored by the Eric Hoffer Project.

Hoffer was a self-educated philosopher and writer who greatly influenced social inquiry in mid-20th century America.

Each year, the Montaigne Medal is presented to the most thought-provoking books submitted in nomination. These are books that illuminate, progress or redirect thought. The Medal is given in honor of the great French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who influenced thinkers such as Shakespeare, Emerson and Nietzsche - as well as Hoffer.

Under the title "An American Commentary: Social Problems that Changed America in the 21st Century," some sixty opinion columns by Professor Laccetti were brought together to form a striking picture of the USA at the beginning of the 21st century. The book, published by Commonwealth Books LLC, is available at qjbooks.com, or through Amazon.com.

Covering a wide range of contemporary topics, the essays of "An American Commentary" are organized into six broad categories, including Education, American Culture, Globalism, Economics, Politics and 9/11.

From the late 1960s to 2007, Laccetti spent four decades educating future engineers, technology innovators and captains of industry.

As a professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, Laccetti's lessons highlighted the linkages between his students' technical fields of study and the larger issues confronting an increasingly globalized culture. As an educator and writer, Laccetti has stressed critical reasoning and independent thinking.

Later in his university career, and especially following the events of September 11, 2001, Laccetti began to publish an impressive stream of opinion columns for national newspapers, syndicated first through Knight-Ridder News Service, and subsequently through McClatchy-Tribune News Service, among other distribution channels. In recent years, Dr. Laccetti has served as a Senior Consultant on public policy and urban society at Tranquility49 PR.

"We congratulate our associate Silvio Laccetti on this recognition of his outstanding book of essays," said Alba Pazmino, Associate for Media/Market Engagement at Tranquility49 PR. "The citation of 'An American Commentary' as a Montaigne Medal Finalist is a true affirmation of the wisdom, influence and far reach of Professor Laccetti's writings on contemporary topics. His chronicling of American Life in the post-9/11 world is a significant and lasting contribution."

The Eric Hoffer Award for books and short prose honors the memory of the American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. Since its inception, the Eric Hoffer Book Award has become one of the largest international awards for small, academic and independent presses.

Tranquility49 is a media-communications firm located in the heart of New York City. For more information, please visit www.tranquility49.com

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