Suggested Titles: April, 2012
For Library Collection Development
(Arranged alphabetically by subject) 2 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Contents Accounting & Business Administration ...... 3 Art ...... 14 Biology ...... 34 Chemistry / Physics ...... 45 Child Study ...... 53 Computer Science / Mathematics ...... 65 Community Health & Human Services ...... 80 Criminal Justice ...... 93 Economics ...... 102 Education ...... 120 English ...... 132 Health Administration ...... 148 History ...... 161 Modern Languages ...... 200 Music ...... 209 Nursing ...... 213 Organizational Management ...... 226 Philosophy ...... 237 Psychology ...... 245 Recreation ...... 251 Religious Studies ...... 253 Social Sciences ...... 266 Speech & Communication...... 288 Theater ...... 290
3 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Accounting & Business Administration Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Barrow, Colin. The 30 day MBA in marketing: your fast track guide to business success. Kogan Page, 2011. 256p; ISBN 9780749462178 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Primarily intended for readers who do not have time to pursue a master's degree or even enroll in a graduate course in marketing, this book will also be useful to Recommended undergraduate students wanting an accessible overview of the major areas of marketing. From the book's 12 chapters, interested readers will learn about the marketing mix, buyer behavior, marketing strategy, product and service life cycle, advertising, distribution, pricing strategy, quantitative research, and marketing planning, among other topics. As the author states in the introduction, "Each chapter in the book covers the essential elements of each of the core disciplines in a top MBA Marketing programme." Chapters are easy to understand, and most contain helpful figures or tables. Companies mentioned in the chapters are European and may not be familiar to US readers. However, this should not detract US readers from learning about marketing and should be a benefit for students wanting a more international treatment. Other recent volumes in the "30 day MBA" series, also authored by Barrow (practitioner and academic), include The 30 Day MBA and The 30 Day MBA in International Business. Summing Up: Recommended. Students, lower-division undergraduate and up, and practitioners. -- E. Applegate, formerly, Middle Tennessee State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Garwood, Shae. Advocacy across borders: NGOs, anti-sweatshop activism and the global garment industry. Kumarian, 2011. 235p bibl afp; ISBN 9781565494558, $75.00; ISBN 9781565494541 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are ill-defined entities, although they exhibit some common characteristics, such as self-governance and absence of a Recommended profit motive. They also focus on improving the quality of life for disadvantaged populations. NGOs lack formal state power but can operate as "mobilizing structures" within social movements. In the international garment industry, NGOs often participate in transnational networks with the objective of influencing public policy and corporate behavior. This study begins with a discussion of the political economy of garment production from a global perspective, which is dominated by buyer-driven supply chains that control suppliers and producers through size and buying power. In a case study of four NGOs, Garwood (a researcher who has worked with NGOs) shows how they differ in approach but may still achieve the same positive outcomes. United Students against Sweatshops, for example, uses a consumer campaign that focuses on labor issues and is directed at universities and retailers. NGOs operate within a specific ambit of state regulatory power, and Garwood addresses the interactions between NGOs and state institutions in various countries. A separate chapter assesses the overall effectiveness of antisweatshop advocacy groups. Overall, an informative analysis of an important social issue. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers. -- R. L. Hogler, Colorado State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Tungate, Mark. Branded beauty: how marketing changed the way we look. Kogan Page, 2011. 4 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
277p bibl index; ISBN 9780749461812, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required In his latest book, fashion and advertising journalist Tungate, author of Luxury World (2009), Branded Male: Marketing to Men (CH, Aug'08, 45-6889), and Recommended Fashion Brands (CH, Feb'09, 46-3349), profiles the evolution of the beauty industry and the marketing trends that define it. Tungate states that this work is not comprehensive, but instead a "personal project" that examines the brands and entrepreneurs he finds most interesting. Employing a biographical approach, Tungate tells the dramatic stories of how beauty entrepreneurs such as Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder, and Max Factor created their businesses and thrived in the global marketplace. Readers will enjoy Tungate's storytelling, and he includes helpful bullet points that summarize each chapter. Much of the material he presents, however, is extracted from biographies already published. Chapters that discuss the rising popularity of tattooing, cosmetic surgery, digital marketing, and ethical and sustainable products are of particular interest and could be useful in forecasting trends. A more definitive and extensively researched work on the beauty industry can be found in Geoffrey Jones's Beauty Inspired: A History of the Global Beauty Industry (CH, Mar'11, 48-3959). Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division students. -- D. Salomon, UCLA Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Brennan, Louis. The business of space: the next frontier of international competition, by Louis Brennan and Alessandra Vecchi. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 174p bibl index; ISBN 9780230231733, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The front flap of the dust jacket of The Business of Space contains the statement, "As the impact of climate change and resource constraints make terrestrial survival Recommended for the human species increasingly problematic, the need to develop the means of evacuating Planet Earth and sustaining extraterrestrial human existence becomes critical." However, the book has nothing to do with this statement. In the first three chapters, Brennan and Vecchi (both, Institute for International Integration Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) present a survey of the international space industry and the 12 individual nations (US, Russia, India, Japan, etc.) with programs that contribute to it. The final, fourth chapter offers predictions for the future of the space industry in terms of three possible scenarios. The authors also briefly discuss the commercialization of the aviation industry and compare it to the commercialization of the space industry, and consider the "possibility of convergence between the airline industry and the burgeoning space tourism industry." This survey, written from a globalization point of view, will interest business students who wish to work in areas involved in space flight and space technology. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- A. M. Strauss, Vanderbilt University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Canavor, Natalie. Business writing in the digital age. SAGE Publications, 2011. 303p index afp; ISBN 9781412992503 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This volume combines a solid business communications course with up-to-date advice about analyzing audience and purpose for print and online writing tasks. Recommended Early chapters focus on identifying goals and planning communications that appeal to the targeted audience; students build upon this foundation as they are guided 5 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
through writing effective sentences and paragraphs. Business writer Canavor (adjunct faculty in corporate communication, New York Univ.) models revision strategies, showing side-by-side examples of weaker and stronger writing. She concludes each chapter with exercises for students, including items to revise, suggested group projects, and assignments that send them out to gather information or analyze practices in the business world. Later chapters familiarize readers with the conventions and expectations of business e-mail, letters, PowerPoint, Web copy, and social media. Attractive graphic design and useful sidebar content from business professionals describing best practices in their fields round out the text. Other media (e.g., infographics and video scripts) are briefly introduced in the context of content planning. Canavor's emphasis on purpose and audience throughout will strengthen critical thinking skills, and she selects examples designed to introduce students to the conventions of a range of cultures in the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of undergraduate students as well as general readers. -- P. Finley, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Bakan, Joel. Childhood under siege: how big business targets children. Free Press, 2011. 277p index; ISBN 9781439121207, $26.00; ISBN 9781439141182 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bakan (law, Univ. of British Columbia) critiques corporate indifference and malevolence toward children. Historically, the progressive impulse to protect the Recommended vulnerable, especially children, was interrupted in 1980 when conservatives assumed leadership of the US and the UK. Absent regulatory protections of the state, corporations ran amok, marketing all sorts of pernicious products to children: violent and sexually explicit video games, off-label psychoactive medications, fat- and sugar-laden foods that contribute to obesity, narcotics of choice to adolescents, the commodification of education through a rigorous regime of tests and corporate takeover of public schools, and items containing an endless list of chemicals that had not been tested for toxicity. To this Bakan adds the lack of enforcement of child labor laws in the convergence of factors that bode ill for children. The author contends that vigorous application of the "precautionary principle" can preclude the worst of such influences until scientific evidence confirms their harmful effects and they are banned. Related books are Paul Tough's Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America (2008) and Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (CH, Nov'05, 43-1883). Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate and graduate libraries. -- D. Stoesz, Virginia Commonwealth University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Hoopes, James. Corporate dreams: big business in American democracy from the Great Depression to the great recession. Rutgers, 2011. 234p index afp ISBN 0-8135- 5130-7, $24.95; ISBN 9780813551302, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Throughout American history, there has been an intriguing tension between corporate authoritarian rule and the democratic ideals of the government. Hoopes Recommended (business ethics, Babson College) argues in this timely volume that despite 6 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
prevailing anticorporatism, Americans have been in awe of corporations and have placed too much faith in their leadership. He examines the ebb and flow of illusions surrounding business management from the Great Depression to the great recession (and periodic anticorporate reactions, usually stemming from scandal), and seeks to reveal that the corporation is a moral paradox that improves prosperity by subjecting its workforce to overbearing authority. Hoopes's examination of seminal writings (e.g., C. Wright Mills, The White Collar) and business leaders (e.g., GM's Charles Wilson, Ford's Robert McNamara) shows how they significantly shaped public views. More recently the allure of entrepreneurship and small businesses generated during the technology boom has spawned a new anticorporate mentality, even though many corporations (IBM is noted) have become increasingly entrepreneurial. Hoopes argues that Americans must understand the usefulness of corporations while being wary of their power, and must maintain discerning suspicion of corporate power as they have been mindful of politicians. Excellent chapter on critics of managerial character. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; students, upper-division undergraduate and up; faculty; professionals. -- R. M. Hyser, James Madison University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Rosenbaum, Steven. Curation nation: how to win in a world where consumers are creators. McGraw-Hill, 2011. 284p index afp; ISBN 9780071760393, $28.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required According to Rosenbaum (CEO of Magnify.net), curators are no longer confined to museums managing collections. In today's digital universe, we are all curators-- Recommended adding to and editing the world's information with a mouse click. As many media experts have noted, businesses do not have control of their brand identities anymore, and there is more to getting the word out than advertising. In a Wikipedia world, consumers and communities alike weigh in via the media to mold the brand, using texts, tweets, blogs, YouTube, and Facebook. Rosenbaum offers wise advice to business: "Curation will soon be a part of your business and your digital world. Understand it now, join in early, and reap the many benefits...." Just as Dewey organized libraries with his decimal system and Google organizes online information with its algorithm, the masses are making up their own systems of aggregation and curation, becoming coproducers of what businesses stand for and what they mean. Rosenbaum asserts that whether a business is perceived as cool, trustworthy, or relevant, or is viewed as out of touch, depends on the way it works with its new curation partners. An interesting, timely introduction to the importance of digital content curation. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division and graduate marketing and media students, faculty, and practitioners. -- P. G. Kishel, Cypress College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Reed, Susan E. The diversity index: the alarming truth about diversity in corporate America ... and what can be done about it. AMACOM, 2011. 294p index ISBN 0-8144-1649-7, $27.95; ISBN 9780814416495, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Reed, an investigative journalist, evaluates the level of diversity in American companies by examining the change in numbers of high-level executives in Fortune Recommended 100 companies from 1995 to 2009, focusing on gender, race, and ethnicity. The 7 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
data show improvement, with some organizations doing well, but they also reveal imbalances. The book includes company names and data. Next Reed details the successful strategies followed by some large companies (e.g., General Electric, IBM, Merck) to increase diversity. She also provides societal, governmental, and organizational background from 1961. This information helps the reader understand problems, often forgotten, that employers faced as the US pursued employment diversity objectives during recent decades. Always, leadership from the top was essential for the success of any strategy. Today as organizations work to integrate other groups (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), some of these strategies may be useful. Reed is concerned because many believe the national diversity objective has been achieved. However, with globalization, firms are hiring employees from many countries, often making their data on ethnic diversity look better. In fact, based on Reed's data, the increase in diversity of employees who are US citizens appears to have ended. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, graduate students, researchers, professionals. -- F. Reitman, emerita, Pace University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Gini, Al. The ethics of business: a concise introduction, by Al Gini and Alexei Marcoux. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 170p index afp; ISBN 9780742561618, $70.00; ISBN 9780742561625 pbk, $37.00; ISBN 9781442214347 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This concise introduction to applied business ethics is refreshingly unlike most business ethics textbooks. While others focus primarily on negative examples of Recommended moral failure at the C-level (Enron) or blockbuster financial disasters (Bernie Madoff), Gini and Marcoux (both, Loyola Univ. Chicago) speak to the common activities of ordinary businesspeople. Their work addresses the question of what it means to be a person of character and integrity while engaged in entrepreneurial activity: buying, selling, and interacting with others. Traditional ethical philosophies (Mills's utilitarianism, Kant's duty-based and Aristotle's virtue-based ethics) are presented in a practical, nontechnical manner. The essential components of business activities are evaluated in discussions on the ethics of trust, truth, competition, loyalty, leadership, and the global marketplace. The excellent chapter titled "Work-Life Balance" raises the philosophical question of what our work is doing to us. "Even though work gives us our identity, and even if we love our jobs ... we also need an antidote to work in order to work well," it suggests. Extensive quotes and examples add clarity. Useful as primary or supplemental reading for business ethics courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through practitioners. -- T. R. Gillespie, Northwest University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor DeLong, Thomas J. Flying without a net: turn fear of change into fuel for success. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. 257p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4221-6229-X, $29.95; ISBN 9781422162293, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Employing a psychodynamic perspective, DeLong (Harvard Business School) examines the factors that drive the performance of high-achieving professionals Recommended and how these factors also adversely impact high achievers' continued success. Starting with David McClelland's theory of human motives, DeLong describes the 8 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
attributes and characteristics that contribute to the success of professionals with a high need for achievement. Conversely, he also posits that it is these very same 11 traits that stall the careers of high achievers. After providing readers with a four- factor performance framework, DeLong examines in detail three primary anxieties: purpose, isolation, and significance. The author then describes the four things that keep high-achieving professionals from changing: busyness, comparing, blame, and worry. He concludes the book with a set of tools that high achievers can use to precipitate their success. Throughout the work, DeLong provides probing questions that enhance the reader's level of self-awareness. This book will appeal to serious students enrolled in upper-level undergraduate and graduate business, leadership development, or counseling psychology courses. Readers will gain professional knowledge and personal insights from DeLong's book. Extensive bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- M. J. Safferstone, University of Mary Washington Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Burtenshaw, Ken. The fundamentals of creative advertising, by Ken Burtenshaw, Nik Mahon, and Caroline Barfoot. AVA Academia, 2011. (Dist. by Ingram Publisher Services), 183p bibl afp ISBN 2940411565 pbk, $38.50; ISBN 9782940411566 pbk, $38.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This book combines beauty and edginess with its blend of four-color ads, groundbreaking campaigns, and how-to narrative. Part of the "AVA Fundamentals" Recommended series of art and design books (e.g., The Fundamentals of Marketing by Edward Russell, CH, May'10, 47-5122), it puts the reader right in the middle of the creative advertising process. Step by step, the chapters outline the formation of an ad campaign: evaluating media options, carrying out campaign planning and strategy, and developing the creative concept. From utilizing traditional advertising media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, to low-cost, high-impact "guerrilla advertising" techniques, the authors (all, Southampton Solent Univ., UK) cover all the bases. The design aspects of typography, copy elements, logos, and layout are not only explained but also illustrated, bringing the whole process together. Some of the advertisers represented include VW, Honda, Virgin Atlantic, Sony, Dr. Pepper, Cadbury, London Transport, and Heinz. Designed for both advertising professionals and students, the book can be used as a reference guide or text. Its artful presentation of print and illustrations makes for a pleasurable reading experience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division and graduate marketing and design students, faculty, and practitioners. -- P. G. Kishel, Cypress College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Parment, Anders. Generation Y in consumer and labour markets. Routledge, 2012. 153p bibl index (Routledge interpretive marketing research, 15); ISBN 9780415886482, $125.00; ISBN 9780203803073 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Parment (research fellow, Stockholm Univ.) examines the role of Generation Y in consumer and labor markets, shedding light on how society, the market Recommended environment, and the social environment have shaped the values and attitudes of this generation. This insightful volume is based on data collected from a series of surveys and focus groups, mostly in Europe and the Americas. Findings from these 9 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
data with respect to the labor market indicate that members of Generation Y prefer individual career plans, workplaces located not far from home, and work that is fun and enjoyable. Commitment to one firm is out, whereas changing jobs by working with qualified and demanding organizations is in. Also, Generation Y workers like to focus on performance rather than just putting in hours. Concerning the market environment, most Generation Y individuals are flexible in terms of choosing budget, value, and premium brands, depending on availability and purchase situations at hand. Parment finds that social networking is becoming increasingly important with this group to build brand awareness and acquire new customers. Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman's The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking the Workplace (CH, Jan'11, 48-2784) provides related labor relations information. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Business managers, business faculty, and undergraduate and graduate business students. -- G. E. Kaupins, Boise State University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Good company: business success in the worthiness era, by Laurie Bassi et al. Berrett-Koehler, 2011. 279p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781609940614, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Economist Bassi and her coauthors argue, as have many others, that being a "good" business in the 21st century is the key to sustainability and success. They Recommended suggest society is entering what they have labeled the "Worthiness Era," in which socioeconomic and political forces are creating stakeholders who demand, as a prerequisite to long-term profitability and competitive advantage, corporate accountability emphasizing ethical behavior, global stewardship, and social responsibility. The book's easy-to-read chapters are divided into four sections: "The Worthiness Era," "Evidence and Rankings," "Good Employer, Good Seller, Good Steward," and "The Future." Excellent original research combined with a plethora of substantive data and a series of real-life vignettes documents and supports the authors' thesis that companies whose organizational culture reflects a conscientious concern for worthiness consistently outperform their peers, by any standard of evaluation. The authors have created an exciting new metric--the "Good Company Index"--that ranks Fortune 100 companies as marketers, employers, and corporate citizens. This index provides unique insight into the commitment of contemporary organizations to the "Worthiness" imperative. Readers will appreciate the helpful summaries at the end of the chapters. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections. -- S. R. Kahn, University of Cincinnati Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Osterman, Paul. Good jobs America: making work better for everyone, by Paul Osterman and Beth Shulman. Russell Sage Foundation, 2011. 181p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780871546630 pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9781610447560 e-book, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This timely, provocative, and very accessible book is an effort to make constructive recommendations for improving the quality of jobs in the US. The book has a Recommended specific point of view, but rather than being a polemic, is a reasoned examination of the factors that keep good jobs out of the reach of many Americans. It is 10 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
noteworthy not just for the arguments made about the positive efficacy of public policy, but also for the way it provides a calm, substantive discussion of various objections to governmental involvement in the labor market. Osterman (Sloan School of Management, MIT) and Shulman (senior fellow, Demos) discuss traditional responses to the lack of good quality jobs, such as the need for additional education and training, and show why these responses are insufficient. They consider and eventually reject the notion that upward mobility in the US is sufficient to elevate most people out of poverty and into desirable positions in the labor market. Ultimately, their call for a combination of public and private initiatives to improve the quality of jobs and of the labor market is appealing and sensible. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students; professionals. -- A. J. Grossberg, Trinity College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Edwards, Douglas. I'm feeling lucky: the confessions of Google employee number 59. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. 416p index; ISBN 9780547416991, $27.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Edwards shares his interesting insider story of Google in the early days from 1999 to 2005, when he served as Google director of consumer marketing and brand Recommended management. He recounts how he left a stable newspaper job to join a startup that had no clear organizational structure and/or direction. Edwards describes the long, intense work hours, the unconventional work environment, and the styles, ethics, and conflicts of Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who prefer to operate in informal wear rather than formal suits. He discusses how Google rejected traditional marketing practices and traces the company's growth and associated challenges, including Netscape, Yahoo!, America Online, spammers, AdWords, Gmail, and orkut. Google's reaction to the events of September 11, 2001, is also detailed; it included official blogs, newsfeeds, and Google-produced YouTube videos. The book reads much like a chronological story with numerous quotes. A time line of Google events and an entertaining but informative glossary conclude the book. I'm Feeling Lucky will interest anyone wanting to learn more about Google. See also Ken Auletta's best seller, Googled: The End of the World as We Know It (CH, Jul'10, 47-6349). Summing Up: Recommended. All business collections. -- G. E. Kaupins, Boise State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & LaborDyer, Jeff. The innovator's DNA: mastering the five skills of disruptive innovators, by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. 296p index afp ISBN 1-4221-3481-4, $29.95; ISBN 9781422134818, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Prominent academics Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen (author of several books on innovation, including Disrupting Class, CH, Feb'09, 46-3377) provide very helpful Recommended information on the basic building blocks for becoming more innovative. They detail actionable "tips" on how to improve on the five key skills related to innovation: associational thinking, questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting. The authors effectively show that these five skills are integral to generating innovative ideas. Challenging the status quo in positive ways and having the courage to take risks are shown to be characteristics of very innovative people. Guiding readers to become more innovative and impactful, this truly helpful book will assist managers 11 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
and anyone else who wants to better engage their skills and thinking and create disruptive innovations. Through numerous examples of innovative people and companies, the authors inspire readers to make a positive impact through innovation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- J. J. Bailey, University of Idaho Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Juon, Catherine. Internet marketing start to finish, by Catherine Juon, Dunrie Greiling, and Catherine Buerkle. QUE Publishing, 2012. 293p index; ISBN 9780789747891 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required We are now firmly rooted in the "Internet Age." Marketing books such as Internet Marketing Start to Finish now suppose that a business already has a Web presence Recommended and is functioning in virtual space. This altogether excellent compilation of best practices and practical advice is intended to guide businesses with their Web presence. The authors, Internet marketing professionals, offer guidance on improving and integrating Web functions into a business, specifically focusing on marketing strategies. While breaking down "silos" is as old as humanity, this quest can be aided by the authors' evidence-based approach, which attempts to provide a rational base for employing Web strategies and integrating business functions to bring customers into business processes to build efficiency and customer loyalty. This process can be led by marketing, as the authors posit. This excellent book argues persuasively for the marketing perspective and is must reading for practitioners and students interested in developing Web strategies for business success. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All business collections. -- S. A. Schulman, CUNY Kingsborough Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Mansfield, Heather. Social media for social good: a how-to guide for nonprofits. McGraw- Hill, 2012. 266p index afp; ISBN 9780071770811, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This handbook provides step-by-step guidance for organizations wanting to use today's social media to connect with supporters. Divided into "three eras of Recommended nonprofit Web communications and fundraising," the book evolves just as social media has. Beginning by walking the reader though "Web 1.0: The Static Web," Mansfield (creator of Nonprofit Tech 2.0, http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/) discusses how organizations can use websites for fundraising and advocacy in addition to effectively using e-newsletters. In the next section, "Web 2.0: The Social Web," each chapter tackles a different channel of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, and blogs. The final segment, "Web 3.0: The Mobile Web," deals with today's newest communication technology, applying the previous tools in a mobile format. The book concludes with a "tech checklist" for nonprofits to assist in developing their social media strategy, but it can easily apply to other businesses as well. Mansfield guides nonprofit personnel through the maze of effectively using today's technology to communicate with their publics. A must read for anyone working with nonprofits as well as communications professionals and students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional audiences; general readers. -- N. E. Furlow, Marymount University 12 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Martin, James William. Unexpected consequences: why the things we trust fail. Praeger, 2011. 280p index afp ISBN 0-313-39311-7, $48.00; ISBN 9780313393112, $48.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required From natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, to the technological and human errors of the BP oil spill or the failure to anticipate Recommended and prevent the 9/11 attacks on the US, Martin (a consultant and academic with an MS in mechanical engineering as well as an MBA) searches for a common thread, some kind of universal explanation or critical risk recurrence factors underlying the cause of these diverse catastrophic events. He contends that by identifying such factors, these failures and their devastating consequences can more effectively be prevented or reduced in the future. The book's seven chapters provide an interesting, timely perspective on the unique interrelationship among a project's technological design, an organization's culture and dynamics, and social- psychological factors such as attitudes, information filtering, self-concept, social influence, status, self-esteem, and volition as causal factors in the often unexpected and usually catastrophic failures. Martin concludes that in the disasters under study, technology was usually a minor causal factor. Instead he finds that cognitive factors (e.g., people and systems), along with organizational culture and structure, significantly influenced the probability of the disastrous impact of product and service failures. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students; professionals. -- S. R. Kahn, University of Cincinnati
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Arnold, Frank. What makes great leaders great: management lessons from icons who changed the world. McGraw-Hill, 2011. 297p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780071770514, $25.00; ISBN 9780071772112 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Starting with the premise that management know-how is the key to success, Arnold has crafted a practical book that identifies and describes significant Recommended management concepts. Using a three-factor framework--managing organizations, managing innovation, and managing people--he highlights the lives and accomplishments of more than 50 well-known leaders from business, science, and technology as well as the arts and the humanities (e.g., Coco Chanel, James Watt, Gustave Eiffel, Thomas Edison, Michelangelo, Hillary Clinton, and of course, Peter F. Drucker). He also links each individual's accomplishment to a specific management principle or practice. For example, Bill Gates's success at Microsoft highlights the significance of a simple business mission; Alfred P. Sloan Jr.'s work at General Motors demonstrates effective decision making; and Frederick W. Taylor's principles of scientific management address the value of being productive. Chapters conclude with "Action Points" and "Food for Thought," which prompt the reader to apply the management principle or practice. This book is valuable for undergraduate business students as it delineates well-known management concepts; demonstrates that management is a much-needed skill in all fields of endeavor; and provides opportunities for students to further their knowledge by pursuing further research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of 13 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
undergraduate students as well as general readers and practitioners. -- M. J. Safferstone, University of Mary Washington
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Women in management worldwide: progress and prospects, ed. by Marilyn J. Davidson and Ronald J. Burke. 2nd ed. Gower Publishing, 2011. 395p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780566089169, $119.95; ISBN 9780566089176 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required As with the first edition (CH, Oct'04, 42-1044), this is a valuable compilation of data and commentary on women's progress toward the managerial ranks and the Recommended barriers they continue to encounter. An overview chapter highlights trends across continents and cultures: more women in managerial and professional positions but ongoing underrepresentation at senior levels of management. Individual chapters constituting most of the book examine the workplace status of women in 19 countries spanning Europe; North, Central, and South America; Australasia and Asia (China and the Middle Eastern countries of Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey); and Africa. Chapters address labor force characteristics, education, women in managerial positions, women entrepreneurs, legislation, and "the future." The consistent format is useful for comparative research, but, as the editors acknowledge, the data provided vary in quantity and quality. Some chapters (Greece, Argentina, and Mexico) contain good longitudinal data, some as recent as 2010, and the chapter on Spain includes useful comparisons across European Union countries. Others present minimal or old data, but in the case of Lebanon and Russia, their very inclusion is noteworthy, given the challenges of data collection. Overall, a useful update to the earlier edition and an important contribution to scholarly research on this topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through researchers. -- M. S. Myers, Carnegie Mellon University
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Art Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Trecartin, Ryan. Any ever, ed. by Kevin McGarry with Lauren Cornell et al. Elizabeth Dee/Skira/Rizzoli, 2011. 159p bibl ISBN 0-8478-3742-4, $45.00; ISBN 9780847837427, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bringing together a dizzying array of movie stills, text fragments, and brief interpretive essays to provide a glimpse of the work of Ryan Trecartin, editor Recommended McGarry offers a boldly unique monograph on an emerging artist who seems particularly adept at expressing the media-saturated character of the digital age. In attempting to convey the character of three of Trecartin's recent major video works, this book manages to illustrate the artist's interest in the related themes of gender, sexuality, commercialism, and consumption, among others. The work also effectively conveys what is both seductive and annoying about the artist's work and the way it therefore presents viewers with a fantastic example of what might be called the digital sublime. In addition to a wealth of imagery culled from Trecartin's video works and thoughtful interpretive essays, the book includes a short but fascinating interview with the artist conducted by Cindy Sherman, which offers insight into Trecartin's thinking and process. A dramatic and highly energetic text, this mostly visual study is a great resource for scholars and students of contemporary video art in the present digital era. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. R. Freeman, Western Oregon University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Architecture Piotrowski, Andrzej. Architecture of thought. Minnesota, 2011. 322p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780816673049, $105.00; ISBN 9780816673056 pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In the introduction, Piotrowski (Univ. of Minnesota) provocatively proposes that architecture is an insufficiently explored cultural practice. In the rest of this Recommended volume, he convincingly explains that architecture exceeds normative considerations in terms of problem solving, collective symbolic practice, or mere functional reaction. Indeed, he argues, architecture situates paradoxical approaches for thinking about sociocultural problems. In this way, each site of architecture becomes the means for dynamic discussion about how one thinks through, for example, religious representation in Byzantine architecture, religious syncretism in Mesoamerica, the dynamics of religious domination in the eastern European Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and the process of making capitalism comforting in England. Images help direct readers' attention and focus the discussions. This volume challenges one to reassess not only how one thinks about architecture, but also how architecture negotiates the way one understands the world. It will be a means of critically engaging advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. -- L. Banu, Purdue University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Paoletti, John T. Art in Renaissance Italy, by John T. Paoletti and Gary M. Radke. 4th ed. Prentice Hall, 2012. 576p bibl index afp ISBN 0205010474 pbk, $128.60; ISBN 9780205010479 pbk, $128.60. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 15 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Through successive versions this textbook, now in its fourth edition, has maintained its strengths as well as some weaknesses in comparison with its Recommended principal competitor--Frederick Hartt and David Wilkins's venerable History of Italian Renaissance Art (7th ed., 2011; 5th ed., CH, Feb'03, 40-3197). Paoletti (emer., Wesleyan) and Radke (Syracuse) initially devised an approach that challenged the traditional "Vasarian" or biographical approach to Renaissance artists, instead discussing works within their larger context and emphasizing a common purpose, meaning, or type. Works made for Siena's Palazzo Pubblico in the Trecento, e.g., or for Florence's Cathedral complex in the early Quattrocento, are discussed together, not just within sections about individual artists. While this approach works well for the large projects just mentioned, it also leads to some repetition and confusion when addressing major or influential artists who may have worked in a number of cities, or for a variety of patrons. This edition attempts to better reconcile the tension between discussing commissions or types of works, and recognizing the significance of individual artists, but some fragmentation remains. Overall readers will find it most valuable, based on its accuracy, sensitivity in discussing works, and, compared to earlier editions, the size and quality of its illustrations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- J. I. Miller, California State University, Long Beach
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Art since 1900: modernism, antimodernism, postmodernism, by Hal Foster et al. 2nd ed. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 816p bibl index; ISBN 9780500238899, $100.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Written as an introduction to modern through contemporary art, this edition is organized like the original iteration (CH, Jul'05, 42-6270), but continues the first Recommended edition's coverage to 2010. Four introductions offer different theoretical approaches to art and are important to understanding the main text. Each essay is signed in this edition. The typology provides fine legibility. This new volume also has been expanded to include 744 excellent illustrations, 510 of which are in color. The additional years of coverage are essential for studying the emerging art of today. Recommended readings at the end of each section, along with a general bibliography, are current and excellent. A helpful list of Internet sites and a glossary are also provided. Coauthors with Foster (Princeton) are Rosalind Krauss (Columbia), Bois (Harvard), and Buchloh (Barnard/Columbia). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. -- R. A. Lockard, University of Pittsburgh
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Bell, Robert. Ballets Russes: the art of costume, by Robert Bell with Christine Dixon et al. National Gallery of Australia, 2011 (c2010). 263p bibl index; ISBN 9780642541574 pbk, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Among the raft of books on the work of Sergei Diaghilev and his dance company, Les Ballets Russes, are the recent exhibition catalogue titled A Feast of Wonders Recommended (2009), edited by John E. Bowlt, Zelfira Tregulova, and Nathalie Rosticher Giordano; and a book by Mary Davis, Ballets Russes Style: Diaghilev's Dancers and Paris 16 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Fashion. This new volume by Bell (National Gallery of Australia) accompanies an exhibition of the costumes (and attendant art) of the extensive Ballets Russes collection at Australia's National Gallery. As such, it offers up images and information not available in other sources. Some of the artists associated with the dance company, and represented in this book, include Léon Bakst, Georges Braque, Natalia Goncharova, Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. It is a stunning work, thoroughly researched and documented, and should be in any academic library supporting the study of costume, theater, dance, or 20th-century art. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- C. Stevens, Lake Forest College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Beth Van Hoesen: catalogue raisonné of limited-edition prints, books, and portfolios, by Beth Van Hoesen; essay by Bob Hicks. Hudson Hills, 2011. 554p bibl; ISBN 9781555953447, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This volume, published in conjunction with exhibitions at museums in California, Wisconsin, and Iowa, is more than simply a catalogue of 500-plus images, Recommended biographical information, notes on printmaking, and Van Hoesen's own notes. It is also a thoughtful, sensitively written introduction to an artist whose work consists largely of drawings and prints. Like the artist's work, this catalogue is one that should be read slowly, savored deeply, and considered reflectively. In an essay by Joseph Goldyne, Van Hoesen is introduced as an artist who "created work outside fleeting and fashionable aesthetic movements, a committed realist." In the preface, Lynette Pohlman compares Van Hoesen to Christian Petersen in the desire "to look, to learn, experience and understand our daily world with all its nuances." Readers of this volume likely will agree with this reviewer, who suggests that Van Hoesen's ouevre ultimately should reside alongside that of other distinguished 20th-century artists who regard drawing as the essential language enabling the artist to "observe intently and discover deeply." Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above; general readers. -- J. H. Heinicke, Simpson College
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Shiff, Richard. Between sense and de Kooning. Reaktion Books, 2011. 312p bibl ISBN 1-86189-853-3, $49.00; ISBN 9781861898531, $49.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Writing is an extraordinary form of textual control over a subject. Consequently, when Shiff (Univ. of Texas, Austin) exits the narrative of Between Sense and de Recommended Kooning, it is to remind the reader that the author is observing himself compose and the reader read but, more importantly, it is also to tell the reader that his scholarship will be controlled by the word of the artist. Shiff's accomplishment rests on this foundation as he builds the artistic, cultural, historical, and critical significance of de Kooning's art, using his deep appreciation of the artist's statements on method and intent, enriched by his own studies of Cézanne. With graceful, concise prose, Shiff demonstrates that when process is an end unto itself- -when art is not a step on the path to illustrating a goal, but rather the creative acknowledgment of the rich expressive potential of spontaneity and chance--the resulting object becomes a product capable of standing apart from any effort at its textual acculturation. This revealingly rich interface between de Kooning's thought, method, and art provides an erudite, timeless discussion. Summing Up: 17 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- W. B. Folkestad, Colorado State University--Pueblo
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General De Hamel, Christopher. Bibles: an illustrated history from papyrus to print. Bodleian Library, 2011. (Dist. by Chicago), 192p; ISBN 9781851242986 pbk, $19.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Periodically a book is published that both excites and confounds scholars. This latest offering from Oxford's Bodleian Library is a visual feast of biblical Recommended manuscripts by De Hamel, the Donnelley Fellow Librarian of Corpus Christi College. The book features detailed and insightful explanations of the various codices from the Oxford collections, re-creating the culture in which they were made. Full-color images, including the Magdalen Papyrus, Hebrew Pentateuch, a Carolingian Gospel Lectionary, St Margaret's Gospel-book, and the Kennicott Bible, make this a valuable resource for scholars. The quandary is that Bibles includes neither a detailed content list nor an index, diminishing its value as a reference book. Additionally, its publication as a paperback will be a problem for many libraries. The spine is easily injured, and the beautifully decorated pages have little, if any, protection. Readers thus are left with an art paperback by one of the world's experts on manuscripts, filled with material that is difficult to access. Though hard to recommend for reference, this book would be a critical addition to graduate collections on art history, theology, or illuminated manuscripts. It would be a suitable textbook for college-level courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- level undergraduates and above. -- L. R. Hudgins, independent scholar
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Gayford, Martin. A bigger message: conversations with David Hockney. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 248p bibl index; ISBN 9780500238875, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Gayford, a British art critic, is clearly enthralled by David Hockey--both as a person and as a painter--which makes this book somewhat adulatory and too accepting of Recommended whatever the painter says about his work. Still, Hockney's comments about drawing and about looking are very useful, not just in understanding his work and career, but also in general. One has to be somewhat more critical, however, of what he says about historical issues, which are tied more to his experiences than to the realities of earlier periods. The book is structured around Hockney's comments, some in response to Gayford's queries or observations. Gayford adds somewhat diaristic comments, as well as historical ones that situate Hockney in time but also seem to isolate him in an artistic bubble of his own making. Included are numerous, generally fine, but quite small color illustrations both of Hockney's work and of the work of historical figures that he mentions in passing. A chronology of the artist's life appears at the end of the volume. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- J. T. Paoletti, emeritus, Wesleyan University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Photography Hight, Eleanor M. Capturing Japan in nineteenth-century New England photography collections. Ashgate, 2011. 210p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781409404989, $119.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 18 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Hight (Univ. of New Hampshire) offers a perceptive, multifaceted study of photographs made in Japan in the 1870s-80s. The author builds her investigation Recommended around case studies of six prominent New Englanders who traveled in Japan and collected photographs relating to their experiences. These images influenced a flowering of Japonisme in late-19th-century Boston that is still reflected today in institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Gardner Museum, where many of these photographs are housed. While this study gives attention to the stories of the six travelers, its heart lies in the exploration of the nature of commercially made photographs as documents of the people, of daily life in an exotic society, and of the landscape and architecture of the country. In this context, the book is a key work of its kind. Hight raises some fundamental issues about how photographs influence perception, both historically and in the present. This is not a picture book, but the illustrations--in color and black-and- white--are well selected to illustrate the text. This book is important both for its Japanese subject and for its wider implications for the history of photography. Extensive notes and bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- P. C. Bunnell, emeritus, Princeton University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Elderfield, John. De Kooning: a retrospective, by John Elderfield with Lauren Mahony et al.; ed. by David Frankel. Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2011. 504p bibl index; ISBN 9780870707988 pbk, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This mammoth catalogue accompanies the first comprehensive posthumous retrospective of Willem de Kooning's work, covering about 200 major monuments Recommended of painting and sculpture (with a few works on paper) from all but the last decade of his career. Elderfield (emer., MoMA) offers an introductory essay that analyzes early critical approaches to the artist and acquaints readers with the spatial complexities of de Kooning's paintings. Dwelling upon de Kooning's use of preparatory sketches and recycled pictorial elements, the author deflates the rhetoric of action painting that has oversimplified the artist's work. Subsequent essays by Elderfield, Mahony, and Jennifer Field offer erudite studies of everything from the WPA works and the "Woman" series to de Kooning's "full arm" "urban landscapes" and the torqued ribbons of his late canvases. This is a catalogue about biography, sources (many of them from pre-modern painting), process, form, and-- particularly in the studies of major works by conservationists Jim Coddington and Susan F. Lake--materials. Readers will not find much cultural context here, and those eager for feminist or theoretically inclined exegeses will be dissatisfied. But the research is impeccable, the many reproductions are invaluable, and Delphine Huisinga's meticulous chronologies are a boon to researchers. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- S. K. Rich, Pennsylvania State University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Architecture Hutchison, Edward. Drawing for landscape architecture: sketch to screen to site. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 240p bibl; ISBN 9780500342718, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 19 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required In a "post-computer-aided design" recalibration of his field, Hutchison, a distinguished landscape designer, challenges the common assumption that hand Recommended drawing has become an "ill-afforded whimsical luxury, inferior in productivity to tasks carried out in the office." In eight sections that parallel the steps of the design process and in two case studies, the book presents a strong argument for using drawing to think and work through a landscape design from initial site examination to presentation for clients and completion. From a variety of sites in diverse international locations with variegated light qualities, the book foregrounds numerous accomplished drawings for various stages of the design process (some sites are included in several sections). Each drawing is identified with location, medium, size, and duration of the drafting session. This last feature and additional comments in the caption provide insight into the nature of the drawing exercise, its purpose, and the thinking process it facilitated. Stemming from a 2009 Drawing Space exhibition at the Garden Museum in London, the book is not a catalogue but a thoughtful manual enriched by a lifelong practice of beautifully crafted drawing. Summing Up: Essential. Architecture and landscape studio programs; lower- and upper-level undergraduates, two-year technical program students, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners. -- M. Nilsen, Indiana University South Bend
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Architecture Abadie, Daniel. Dubuffet as architect. Éditions Hazan, 2011. (Dist. by Yale), 191p; ISBN 9780300176612 pbk, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The catalogue for an exhibition in Norway, Sweden, and Belgium, this is an account of Jean Dubuffet's ventures into three-dimensional form and toward architectural Recommended compositions, culminating in executed work at the Chase Manhattan Plaza in New York, the Villa and Closerie Falbala outside Paris, and the Jardin d'Email at the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. The author, a French curator (formerly, Musée National d'Art Moderne) and museum director (formerly, Musée du Jeu de Paume), outlines this development, with detailed chronologies of these and a number of unexecuted designs, ranging from two panels for the Université de Paris-Nanterre to full-scale projects for La Défense and the new Renault headquarters, which have, however, yielded a great many drawings and maquettes, with which the volume is lavishly illustrated. Although Dubuffet (1901- 85) was not an architect in the conventional sense, he did receive an honorary medal from the American Institute of Architects in 1982. The catalogue, though not a critical analysis, is a fascinating record of Dubuffet's three-dimensional compositions and his development along these lines. An elegant volume for anyone interested in 20th-century art. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- D. Stillman, emeritus, University of Delaware Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Quilley, Geoff. Empire to nation: art, history and the visualization of maritime Britain, 1768-1829. Yale, 2011. 294p index afp; ISBN 9780300175684, $80.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The sea has always been central to British life, but as Quilley (Univ. of Sussex, UK; formerly, the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich) argues in this ambitious Recommended study, it came to embody a complex set of values in the late-18th and early-19th 20 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
centuries. Using a selective body of evidence drawn from the visual arts, he shows how the "maritime empire of discovery and encounter" evolved to express a broadly conceived sense of national pride. The author probes paintings and prints, produced by leading artists such as Turner and West along with less prominent figures like the well-traveled William Hodges, for their contextual implications and for their relation to period and modern theoretical discourse. Quilley identifies key themes that characterized the art of "maritime Britain," including Pacific discovery, Atlantic interactions, commercial prosperity (and corruption), African slavery, and shipwreck imagery. He offers a number of imaginative interpretations, along with some controversial readings--notably of such canonical works as Copley's Watson and the Shark and Turner's Trafalgar canvases. The book features approximately 100 fine illustrations, an index, and endnotes, but no bibliography. This provocative work will appeal to scholars of British art. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- W. S. Rodner, Tidewater Community College
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General McQueen, Alison. Empress Eugénie and the arts: politics and visual culture in the nineteenth century. Ashgate, 2011. 348P bibl index afp; ISBN 9781409405856, $124.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This study by McQueen (McMaster Univ., Ontario) of the Spanish aristocrat Eugénie (1826-1920), married to French emperor Napoléon III, is the first to be Recommended both critical and sympathetic. It will overturn longstanding perceptions of Eugénie. Much maligned after 1870, the empress actually enjoyed public favor before then, having produced an heir and sponsored many benevolent projects. This book examines Eugénie's involvement with the fine arts, from architecture to painting to lace, and her public and private representation. McQueen harnesses an impressive array of primary and secondary sources to correct basic facts and complicate received ideas in the literature on Eugénie. To understand why the empress appeared in certain roles and activities and not others, McQueen skillfully explores Eugénie's power and Western perspective as well as her dependence and vulnerability as imperial consort and foreigner. She delineates the empress's agency in her patronage and public persona. Readers will discover many unfamiliar 19th-century works of art that McQueen masterfully analyzes and incorporates into her argument. Chapters address Eugénie's engagement with children's health and education, her art collecting, the intersection of her patronage with French international affairs, and her commemoration of her husband and son. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- A. Luxenberg, University of Georgia
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General The Eugene B. Adkins Collection: selected works. Oklahoma/Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art/Philbrook Museum of Art, 2011. 275p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780806141008, $60.00; ISBN 9780806141015 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This exhibition catalogue celebrates the donation of the collection of Tulsa native Adkins to the Philbrook Museum of Art and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of the Recommended University of Oklahoma. Brief essays by curators and professors associated with these institutions introduce different aspects of this collection of Southwestern art, 21 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
which, interestingly, spans both Native and non-Native works. The book was designed not to offer new research but to showcase the works, which are illustrated in luxurious full-page color plates, and to introduce the institutions essential to the history of Southwestern art--from the Taos Society of Artists to the exhibitions held at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. The essays orient novice viewers to materials, technique, and style, which allows them to respond, for instance, to sophisticated objects such as Hopi Charles Loloma's extraordinary jewelry, which draws inspiration from both traditional Southwestern techniques and materials, and to explore jewelry and the contemporary international studio craft movement of the 1960s and 70s. Jackson Rushing's essay on Native painting and sculpture is notable for moving beyond mere description to offer provocative comparisons and thoughtful cultural analysis. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. -- E. Hutchinson, Barnard College and Columbia University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Expressions of innocence and eloquence: selections from the Jane Katcher Collection of Americana, v.2, ed. by Jane Katcher, David A. Schorsch, and Ruth Wolfe with Eileen M. Smiles, and Gavin Ashworth; essays by Alan Andersen et al. Marquand Books, 2011. (Dist. by Yale), 451p indexes ISBN 0-300-17580-9, $95.00; ISBN 9780300175806, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This marvelously engaging study of American folk art from the 18th and 19th Recommended centuries fully exhibits what collector and editor Katcher identifies as her primary interest: learning "how people lived and interacted with the objects that we now broadly classify as Americana." This second volume on the immense Katcher collection introduces some 100 pieces; the first was published in 2006 (CH, May'07, 44-4835) and presented over 200 pieces. The collector's introduction elaborates on her interest in Americana. Following this, a raft of scholars, collectors, and curators of American folk art present 19 essays organized under four headings: "Family," "Makers," "Interpretations," and Connections." These are generously illustrated with large images from both the Katcher and other collections. The contextual treatment is superb, bringing to life an American world of two centuries ago. The catalogue proper has full curatorial data with commentary, and repeats in a small format the illustrations of the objects. The book offers a paragraph on each of the contributors, a specially created map of sites related to the objects, and a listing of auctioneers, dealers, and former owners. Summing Up: Highly recommended. A must buy for college libraries supporting lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty, and valuable for general readers. -- D. K. Haworth, emeritus, Carleton College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Fried, Michael. Four honest outlaws: Sala, Ray, Marioni, Gordon. Yale, 2011. 243p index CD-ROM ISBN 0-300-17053-X, $45.00; ISBN 9780300170535, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required In this ongoing examination of modernism, presentness, and anti-theatricality, Fried (Johns Hopkins) picks up where he left off in his previous book, Why Recommended Photography Matters as Art as Never Before (CH, Jul'09, 46-6015). In this new volume, he selects four contemporary artists working with high modernist themes and issues--video artist and photographer Anri Sala, sculptor Charles Ray, painter Joseph Marioni, and video artist Douglas Gordon. Fried sees them as stellar 22 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
examples of artists working independently and forging uniquely individual careers off the beaten track of sanctioned art markets, creating extraordinary accomplishments of lasting artistic value. Originally delivered as four individual lectures at the University of Toronto in 2008, the four chapters devoted to these artists include 70 color reproductions and 9 black-and-white illustrations. The book also offers an excellent introduction, a conclusion, two postscripts, and notes. Particularly notable is the thoughtful inclusion of a DVD of Sala's and Gordon's videos. This is a must read for Fried fans and followers, as the author journeys deep into high modernism and its prehistory. Other readers, however, may feel a bit left out. That said, Fried is arguably one of the most energetic, original, and important contemporary art historians writing today. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- J. Natal, Columbia College Chicago Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Dillon, Susan. The fundamentals of fashion management. AVA Academia, 2011. (Dist. by Ingram), 176p bibl index; ISBN 9782940411580 pbk, $38.50; ISBN 9782940447237 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required AVA Academia offers unique academic resources for 20 creative disciplines, with volumes organized by category: foundation, introductory, intermediate, and Recommended required reading range. The publisher's focus on ethical awareness, reflection, and debate informs its books' content and lends academic weight. This introductory volume for the "Fashion Management" discipline by Dillon (Leeds College of Art, UK) contains six chapters: "The Business of Fashion," "Fashion Trend Prediction," "Fashion Transition," "Fashion Communication," "The Fashion Machine," and "Bridging the Gap between Fashion and Business." Each features an interview with an industry professional and a related practice exercise. Included are a glossary and a discussion of fashion management ethics. The book has the feel of a website with bold images, fonts, and graphics and concise text. It demythologizes its subject by demonstrating in an organized way that fashion management is a calculated business based on budgeting, forecasting, and planning as much as creativity and design. AVA titles are available as e-books on platforms including Ebrary (Academic Complete, CH, Jul'10, 47-5974) and eBooks on EBSCOhost. This volume's trendy images may date quickly, but its content and organization are excellent. A good resource--especially for career sections in high school/public libraries or in a college career center. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates, two-year technical program students, general readers. -- A. J. Dutka, Broward College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Elger, Dietmar. Gerhard Richter: catalogue raisonné: v.1: 1962-1968. Hatje Cantz, 2011. 510p bibl; ISBN 9783775719780, $300.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The first of a projected five volumes cataloguing the painted work of the prominent German artist Gerhard Richter, this volume revises and continues Recommended catalogues that the artist himself had carefully begun earlier in his career. The volume includes Richter's work from 1962 to 1968 (numbered 1 to 198, although some numbers have more than one entry detailing multiple images of the same subject). This publication marks the important collaboration of the Gerhard Richter Archiv and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden, thus providing important 23 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
new documentary and visual information about the works. Included are a brief introduction by Elger (head of the Archiv) to the work of the six years covered and to Richter's early career; an incomplete but substantial exhibition checklist (e.g., Richter's first one-person museum show in the US is not included, although the works from that show in the catalogue list it); and an extensive bibliography. Elger also occasionally comments briefly and helpfully on individual works. Good color images appear throughout; source material for individual paintings is also illustrated. This book and its successors will be indispensable research tools for future writing on this artist. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. -- J. T. Paoletti, emeritus, Wesleyan University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Wacławek, Anna. Graffiti and street art. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 208p bibl index; ISBN 9780500204078 pbk, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Part of the small-format "World of Art" series, this volume is devoted to the practice of illegal urban art production since the late 1960s. Wacławek (Concordia Recommended Univ., Montreal) provides the basic information expected from an art history survey: key figures, definitions of common terms, stylistic characteristics, and artistic techniques. Graffiti and Street Art is well researched, and some of the content is extracted directly from the author's 2008 PhD dissertation. Quotations from firsthand interviews, numerous illustrations, and a list of websites bear out her investigation. Rather than being a concise history, this volume functions primarily as visual analysis of the contemporary street art movement. Wacławek offers readers an example of how to approach street art from an art historical and critical perspective. However, this volume will have difficulty standing apart from the recent proliferation of works that survey the movement. These include the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Arts' high-quality exhibition catalogue Art in the Streets (2011); Jay Edlin's alphabetical reference work Graffiti 365 (2011); and a chronological history by Roger Gastman and Caleb Neelon, The History of American Graffiti (2010). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates. -- A. H. Simmons, National Gallery of Art Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General LaGamma, Alisa. Heroic Africans: legendary leaders, iconic sculptures. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. (Dist. by Yale), 298p bibl index; ISBN 9780300175844, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Metropolitan Museum of Art curator LaGamma here provides a view into the long tradition of leadership portrait sculpture in Africa. This exhibition catalogue strikes Recommended a nice balance between a beautifully photographed coffee-table-type catalogue and a well-synthesized cultural study. Not only is the text a well-referenced survey of the visual works, it also provides a clear summary of the historical, cultural, and political backgrounds of each society represented. Among those included are the Akan, the Kuba, people of the Cameroon Grassfields, the Chokwe, the Luluwa, and the Hemba. Of particular interest is the biographical information about individual rulers, when known, who inspired some of the portraits. The introduction, which makes comparisons to European portraiture, is perhaps a little long. However, on the whole this is a good addition for any library with a large art history collection and for those with an African art emphasis. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- M. Miller, Metropolitan 24 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Community College--Longview Campus Library
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Imagery in the 21st century, ed. by Oliver Grau with Thomas Veigl. MIT, 2011. 410p index afp ISBN 0-262-01572-2, $40.00; ISBN 9780262015721, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This collection of essays provides a fascinating cross-section of new media (digital technology) scholarship. The book provides "systematic and interdisciplinary Recommended reflections on new forms of images and visualization" to help readers understand the proliferation of images through social media and other technologies. The essays are contained in three sections. The first, "Image Phenomena of the 21st Century," introduces new forms. Sean Cubitt explores the use of interactive screens by consumers; Martin Schulz examines telepresence; Eduardo Kac presents examples of his biogenetic artwork; Thomas Veigl considers computer games and copyright legislation; and Stefan Heidenreich interprets the aesthetics of Web- based video. Visualization strategies in scientific disciplines are treated in essays by Olaf Breidbach (neuroscience) and Dolores and David Steinman (blood flow). James Elkins provides a survey of the visual strategies used in college classrooms. The second section, "Critical Terms of the 21st Century," features essays on computer code (Wendy Hui Kyong Chun), interfaces (Christa Sommerer, Laurent Mignonneau), affect (Marie-Luise Angerer), the museum in the digital age (Peter Weibel), Kawaii ("cuteness"--Adrian David Cheok), cybernetics (Tim Otto Roth, Andreas Deutsch), and hypermedia (Harald Kraemer). The third section provides strategies for research (Lev Manovich, Jeremy Douglas), organization (Martin Warnke), and society (Oliver Grau). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. -- E. K. Mix, Butler University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts McPhee, Constance C. Infinite jest: caricature and satire from Leonardo to Levine, by Constance C. McPhee and Nadine M. Orenstein. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011. (Dist. by Yale), 216p bibl index; ISBN 9780300175813, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required John Summerson's Inigo Jones (CH, Dec'67), republished with a foreword by Howard Colvin (2000), has long been the standard work on Jones. Along with Recommended numerous articles, later general works include Michael Leapman's Inigo: The Troubled Life of Inigo Jones, Architect of the English Renaissance (CH, Feb'05, 42- 3632). More specialized studies include The King's Arcadia (1973) by John Harris, Stephen Orgel, and Roy Strong; and Inigo Jones's "Roman Sketchbook" (2006), with introduction and notes by Edward Chaney. However, this latest work by Hart (Univ. of Bath, UK) is distinguished by its discussion of Jones's dislike of the more extravagant forms of Italian architecture and the influence of English arts and crafts. Even more important are the superb illustrations of Jones's drawings and architectural works, reproduced in color, including Rubens's Whitehall Banqueting House ceiling. Equally fascinating are computer reconstructions of the Banqueting House as first built and of the Covent Garden Piazza. Naturally, the book discusses and illustrates in detail all of Jones's architectural works and their sources as well as many of his designs for masques. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- T. J. McCormick, emeritus, Wheaton College (MA) 25 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Knoll Textiles, ed. by Earl Martin with Paul Makovsky et al. Yale, 2011. 432p bibl afp ISBN 0-300-17069-6, $75.00; ISBN 9780300170696, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Florence Schust, a young architect working for the Hans G. Knoll Furniture Company, was instrumental in the establishment of Knoll's textile division in 1947. Recommended With a clear modernist sensibility, she introduced fabrics designed by Anni Albers and Marianne Strengell at the time when no textiles could be found to suit Knoll's modern furniture. She also directed a new branch, Knoll Planning Unit, for design development and interior design. The phenomenal expansion of Knoll Associates in the following years reflected the growing interest in modern design and textiles, manifest in museum exhibitions, design competitions, and publications. In the 1950s, modernism began to give way to conservative ideas oriented toward advances in fiber technology and industry's capacity for volume. After Florence Schust Knoll's retirement, the company changed ownership several times, nevertheless remaining in the forefront of corporate design to this day. Contributors chronicle the shifts in Knoll Textiles' history in the context of the field. This handsome, thoroughly researched, and well-annotated volume, published in conjunction with a Bard Graduate Center exhibition, contributes greatly to the history of textiles. High-quality color and black-and-white photographs, scholarly entries, and a list of designer biographies are all useful. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. Tulokas, emerita, Rhode Island School of Design Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Romo, Terecita. Malaquias Montoya. UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2011. 140p bibl index afp (A ver: revisioning art history, 6); ISBN 9780895511065, $60.00; ISBN 9780895511072 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Malaquias Montoya's trajectory as an artist is expansive and diverse. A central artistic figure in the Chicano movement, his core message, however, has always Recommended remained the same: working in favor of human rights and as a strong advocate against injustice--working, as he states, as a voice to the voiceless. Independent curator Romo offers an account that is exhaustive in its presentation, not only of Montoya's life and the cultural and political issues of his times, but also in showing the sources and development of the work and writings that emerge from them. Montoya's media--painting, printmaking, and muralism--along with his involvement with the Mexican American Liberation Art Front and his educational role as a college professor, are shown within a broader agenda of political art making and of his commitment to the Latino and immigrant communities. The book's structure is primarily biographical and, through it, Romo discusses Montoya's key ideas, influences from and connections to other artists, and specific events that have become central to the work. She also presents emblematic works (many beautifully reproduced in color), explaining their production and symbols as well as their relationship to Montoya's writings. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- L. E. Carranza, Roger Williams University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Gordon, John Stuart. A modern world: American design from the Yale University Art Gallery, 1920-1950, by John Stuart Gordon with Keely Orgeman et al.; introd. by Sandy Isenstadt. Yale University Art 26 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Gallery/Yale, 2011. 437p index ISBN 0-300-15301-5, $75.00; ISBN 9780300153019, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Modern design was once the future--but is now the past. The days of uncritical appreciation are over. This elegant, substantial volume by Gordon (Yale Univ. Art Recommended Gallery) succeeds in the delicate task of celebrating some of the most aesthetically engaging products of modernism while raising important questions about market- driven design and the assumptions and behaviors sustaining American consumer culture from about 1920 to the 1950s. A brief, provocative introduction sets the scene for 12 chapters, each consisting of a short essay and catalogue entries for 20 or so varied household objects. Entries are conventional in format but extensive and exceptionally rich in content. All objects are illustrated in color. The chapters are imaginatively conceived, balancing roughly chronological treatments of the material with thematic sorties. The first is titled "European Influences" and the last "Postwar Life"; those in between explore the relationship of modern design to cubism, innovative and traditional materials, changing patterns of daily life, urban imagery, geometry, historical antecedents, merchandising, industrial design and designers, streamlining, and organic form. The result is a refreshing, authoritative account of American modern design, informed and exemplified by nearly 300 objects drawn from the increasingly impressive collections of the Yale University Art Gallery. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- K. L. Ames, Bard Graduate Center Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Move: choreographing you: art and dance since the 1960s, ed. by Stephanie Rosenthal; essays by Susan Leigh Foster, André Lepecki, and Peggy Phelan. Hayward Publishing, 2011. (Dist. by MIT), 176p bibl afp; ISBN 9780262516297 pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Since the 1960s, artists have blurred the boundaries between performance art, Recommended theater, and dance with works that are notoriously difficult to experience in their original form. This exhibition catalogue focuses on choreographed movements of artists' and audiences' bodies through space. Essays by Rosenthal, Phelan, and Foster set the stage (in terms of history, theory, and process) for catalogue entries dedicated to featured works by select artists and choreographers. These works include, among others, those of Allan Kaprow, Simone Forti, Anna Halprin, Yvonne Rainer, Bruce Nauman, Robert Morris, Dan Graham, Mike Kelley, Tania Bruguera, William Forsythe, Janine Antoni, and Isaac Julien. An archive expands the discourse beyond the exhibition proper (which of necessity had to focus on installation and sculptural forms, due to the difficulty of providing an authentic experience of happenings and performances). Here 140 works are arranged in sections not by medium, but thematically: choreographing things, transforming the body, transforming time, tracing movement, making space, gravity/falling, scoring/commanding/choreographing, sculpted dances, and dancing. Lepecki contributes an essay, "Zones of Resonance," that expands upon these sections of the archive. A time line of the combined media completes the volume. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- E. K. Mix, Butler University 27 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Net works: case studies in Web art and design, ed. by xtine burrough. Routledge, 2012. 242p bibl index; ISBN 9780415882217, $140.00; ISBN 9780415882224 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780203847947 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Media artist and educator burrough (California State Univ., Fullerton) succeeds in creating a text to support the teaching of new media from both practical and Recommended theoretical perspectives. Case studies of Web projects are arranged from least to most complex and according to themes burrough typically uses in the classroom: "Formalism and Conceptual Art," "Collections and Communities," "Crowdsourcing and Participation," "Data Visualization," "Error and Noise," "Surveillance," "Tactical Media and Democracy," "Open Source," "Hacking and Remixing," and "Performance and Analog Counterparts." Each section features an introductory essay followed by two case studies. Included are essays by Edward Shanken, Eduardo Navas, Ken Goldberg, and Critical Art Ensemble. Students will be inspired by the wide variety of projects, including Michael Demers's Color Field Paintings (Browser), Christian Marc Schmidt's Pastiche, Lee Walton's F'Book: What My Friends Are Doing in Facebook, and Beatriz da Costa's Pigeonblog. Although the structure of the book (short essays divided by subheadings) mirrors the typical textbook, the projects included will appeal to a wider professional audience. While new media inherently becomes outdated quickly (or, depending on one's viewpoint, new quickly), the thematic approach will be adaptable to future projects. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- E. K. Mix, Butler University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Staley, Allen. The new painting of the 1860s: between the Pre-Raphaelites and the aesthetic movement. Yale, 2011. 438p bibl index afp ISBN 0-300-17567-1, $85.00; ISBN 9780300175677, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required While young painters in France during the 1860s were struggling to make paint represent the visible world, their counterparts in Britain were seeking something Recommended different--a "poetry of paint" in which the subject matter and the picture surface should be exquisite to match the developing "cult of beauty." The aesthetic movement more often has been explored in the realm of architecture and design, but in recent years it has become a familiar category in art historical studies. This magnificent book--perhaps the most substantial contribution to aestheticism in the fine arts--by Staley (emer., Columbia) will be an excellent text for undergraduates. After an introduction and overview of the decade, the main part of the book comprises a series of nine chapters, each devoted to a leading painter of the period. Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Whistler, and Albert Moore are present, as are lesser figures such as Frederick Sandys and Simeon Solomon. Staley is a well- known specialist in this field, but this is the culmination of his research, and Yale has produced a book that is both engrossing to read and sumptuous to look at. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- P. A. Stirton, Bard Graduate Center Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Pacific standard time: Los Angeles art, 1945-1980, ed. by Rebecca Peabody et al. with Lucy Bradnock. Getty Research Institute/J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011. 330p index ISBN 1-60606-072-4, $59.95; 28 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
ISBN 9781606060728, $59.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required By virtue of regional identity, artists living and working along the West Coast of the US--especially those in the primary urban center of Los Angeles--often have felt Recommended excluded from the narrative of modern and contemporary art history, which developed with a clear critical preference for the avant-garde activities of artists working in and around New York. Recent scholarship, however, has begun to reveal that such regional preferences were in fact prejudices, and has opened the door to a fresh assessment of postwar American art beyond the East Coast. In a beautifully illustrated study of the development of art in Los Angeles from 1945 to 1980, editors Peabody, A. Perchuk, G. Phillips, and R. Singh, with other contributors, offer a first-class example of such an effort. Los Angeles long has sought an increased reputation for its art culture (given that it is already well known for its popular culture and entertainment industry), and this volume makes great strides in chronicling the significance of artists from this region. With informative, insightful chapters, this book is an excellent addition to the developing history of 20th-century art in the US. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. R. Freeman, Western Oregon University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Architecture Mozingo, Louise A. Pastoral capitalism: a history of suburban corporate landscapes. MIT, 2011. 315p bibl index afp ISBN 0-262-01543-9, $32.95; ISBN 9780262015431, $32.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Since the appearance of Leo Marx's Machine in the Garden (CH, Feb'65), historians have analyzed shifting American conceptions of the "middle landscape," an ideal Recommended milieu in which new technologies have civilized nature, making it picturesque and nonthreatening. Studies by Albert Fein (Frederick Law Olmsted and the American Environmental Tradition, CH, Jan'73) and others of Frederick Law Olmsted have enriched the discussion about the pastoral ideal in urban life. The Model T enabled growth of the American suburb, a crucial middle landscape whose residential development has long fascinated scholars. Mozingo (Univ. of California, Berkeley) has taken a new tack, tracing the history of managerial capitalism's suburban flight. Her book defines and differentiates the corporate campus (collegiate settings for autonomous research departments), corporate estate (management headquarters in garden settings), and office park (developer-built complexes offering various types of leased quarters). She examines corporate rhetoric explaining management's abandonment of the blighted city center for verdant, defensible suburbs. She convincingly concludes that the corporate pastoral shift suited multiple parties: executives, suburban politicians, and the federal government. Well illustrated and nicely edited, this volume provides an original building types history for university readers of all levels. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- A. R. Michelson, University of Washington Libraries Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Phenomenal: California light, space, surface, ed. by Robin Clark; essays by Michael Auping et al. California, 2011. bibl index ISBN 0-520-27060-6, $39.95; ISBN 9780520270602, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 29 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Phenomenal is the beautifully illustrated and impressively researched catalogue published to accompany an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Recommended Diego. Among the myriad of publications associated with the J. Paul Getty Center's Pacific Standard Time initiative http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/, which explores the history of Los Angeles art from 1945 to 1980, this is the only one to focus exclusively on California Light and Space art. Robin Clark introduces the main players in this movement, including Robert Irwin, James Turrell, Douglas Wheeler, and Larry Bell, while Dawna Schuld situates their shared concern to generate subtle perceptual effects in their art in the context of contemporary philosophy. Michael Auping offers an eyewitness account of groundbreaking yet temporary environments made by these artists in the 1970s, and Stephanie Hanor considers the innovative materials they used in the construction of their perceptually evocative work. Finally, Adrian Kohn raises methodological questions about writing about California Light and Space art, much of which frequently defies transposition into words. Ultimately, this catalogue represents an important contribution to the deepening of scholarship on this still poorly understood yet fundamental dimension of postwar Los Angeles art. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. T. Simms, California State University, Long Beach Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Picasso and Braque: the Cubist experiment, 1910-1912, by Eik Kahng et al. Santa Barbara Museum of Art/Kimbell Art Museum, 2011. (Dist. by Yale), 135p index afp; ISBN 9780300169713, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required As Cubism moves past its centennial, it remains an important yet inadequately understood art movement. This catalogue and exhibition build on the 1989 Recommended exhibition and catalogue organized by William Rubin at the Museum of Modern Art, Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism (CH, Apr'90, 27-4324). Six short essays add important new information and analyses to readers' understanding of the "Cubist experiment" and the ways Picasso and Braque worked side-by-side to launch their new art movement. Charles Palermo addresses the notion of "completion" in Picasso's Cubism, revisiting the influences of Paul Cézanne. Most of the essays here address material aspects of Cubist art. Harry Cooper investigates the Cubist fascination with oval-shaped canvases. Christine Poggi analyzes the distinct surfaces of Cubist paintings, with special attention to the dissonant interventions of inartistic materials therein. In a technical analysis Claire Barry and Bart Devolder study the artists' materials and working methods. Annie Bourneuf writes about the artists' prints, emphasizing how printmaking related to their working methods and spatial experiments in other media. Like Cubism itself, this title is modest in scale yet monumental in impact. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- J. E. Housefield, University of California, Davis Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Photography Klein, Mason. The radical camera: New York's Photo League, 1936-1951, by Mason Klein and Catherine Evans; contributions by Maurice Berger, Michael Lesy, and Anne Wilkes Tucker. Yale/Jewish Museum/Columbus Museum of Art, 2011. 248p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300146875, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although The New York Photo League (PL) has been cited in numerous books and 30 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
essays, this exhibition catalogue is the first (and long-overdue) publication to Recommended present a well-reproduced, comprehensive, and representative selection of 150 images made by a wide range of members over the group's lifetime. Five essays by five experts explore a variety of aspects: the conflict or complementary joining of visual art and politics; the PL Feature Group's important "Harlem Document" project; PL's women and their work; pre- and postvisual press influence (1920s-30s German and French, Lewis Hine, Robert Frank, LIFE, LOOK, etc.); and Cold War prejudice and the anticommunist/McCarthyism-related demise of the PL. Contributors engage earlier misconceptions about PL's women, primarily Jewish membership, school, free darkroom, projects, publications (Photo Notes), outstanding members (Sid Grossman, Aaron Siskind), and more. The research and writing are serious and engaging. This informative survey will inspire further research, publications, and exhibitions of this major component of the history of American photography, particularly in terms of what makes a photograph (or series of photographs) effective politically, documentarily, artistically, or in a powerful combination thereof. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- C. Chiarenza, emeritus, University of Rochester Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Bullen, J. B. Rossetti: painter & poet. Frances Lincoln, 2011. 270p bibl index ISBN 0-7112-3225-3, $50.00; ISBN 9780711232259, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Bullen (emer., Univ. of Reading, UK) asserts that unlike other critical texts, his monograph on Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the British artist, writer, and cofounder of Recommended the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, does not differentiate between Rossetti's creative media, i.e., his visual art and his poetry. Instead he analyzes Rossetti's artistic and literary endeavors as part of a single force. This biographical and psychological analysis of Rossetti's paintings and poetry is undertaken through the lens of his life and romantic relationships in particular. Bullen argues that Rossetti projected his anxieties, his pleasures, and his needs onto the women in his life and that this is reflected in his creative productions. Perhaps as a result, the female form developed as Rossetti's primary means of expression in both the visual arts and the written word. Richly illustrated with color reproductions throughout, this volume will be of particular interest to those interested in 19th-century British art and literature as well as women and the female form as artistic subjects. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- K. M. Keogh, Virginia Commonwealth University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Lewallen, Constance M. State of mind: new California art circa 1970, by Constance M. Lewallen and Karen Moss with additional essays by Julia Bryan-Wilson and Anne Rorimer. California/Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive/Orange County Museum of Art, 2011. 281p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520270619, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Published in conjunction with a joint exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art and the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, this catalogue is an Recommended excellent contribution to the recent, growing body of literature on both conceptual art and art produced in California after 1960. The four essays offer valuable insights into artistic practices throughout California, but the strength of the texts lies in their tying together the common threads of artistic practices in northern and 31 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
southern California. Co-curator Lewallen offers a rich description of the work of both well-known and lesser-known artists, including often-neglected Chicano artists. Co-curator Moss provides a thorough and much-needed account of the alternative art spaces, galleries, and publications, but she also details the role that they (and universities) played in furthering conceptual art. Bryan-Wilson examines how identity politics, particularly feminism and gay liberation, inform and materialize in conceptual art. Rorimer presents a broader look, situating these art practices within the wider national and international movement. Well written and lavishly illustrated, this book will appeal to art historians and scholars of conceptualism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- J. H. Noonan, Caldwell College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ General Munayyer, Hanan Karaman. Traditional Palestinian costume: origins and evolution, photography by Nathan Sayers. Olive Branch, 2011. 554p bibl index ISBN 1-56656-825-0, $200.00; ISBN 9781566568258, $200.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this gorgeous volume, the author, a Palestinian American who, with her husband, began collecting traditional dress in 1987, draws from her own and Recommended various museum collections to illustrate an argument for a cohesive Palestinian cultural identity stretching back to the beginnings of Middle Eastern civilization. Even as the traditional forms, materials, techniques, colors, and motifs represented in the collection as a whole reflect the cultural, socioeconomic, and political factors that shaped the area's tumultuous history, the Munayyer Collection derives its true power from the skill, resilience, and very localized expressiveness of the Palestinian women who created these extraordinarily beautiful objects. Hundreds of exquisite photographs, including many double-page spreads, communicate an intense experience of texture, color, and detail. Can it be a coincidence that Widad Kawar's Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage was also published in 2011? Kawar presents her own vast collection and knowledge of Palestinian costume through the lens of the personal stories of the women who owned and created these treasures, making it a perfect and necessary complement to the present volume's more formal stylistic organization for any textile or Middle Eastern studies collection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- K. S. Edwards, Clemson University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Architecture Howard, Deborah. Venice disputed: Marc'Antonio Barbaro and Venetian architecture, 1550-1600. Yale, 2011. 286p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300176858, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Best known as the co-patron (with his brother, Daniele) of one of Palladio's greatest villas, Marc'Antonio Barbaro was also a public servant who sought to Recommended shape official Venetian building policy. In this stimulating book, Howard (Univ. of Cambridge, UK) recounts Barbaro's attempts to direct patronage toward those who shared his belief in an idealistic, neo-Roman architecture best exemplified by Palladio and Scamozzi. After chapters focusing on Barbaro's public, private, and religious life, Howard turns to projects funded by the Salt Office or administered by the Procurators of St. Mark's, to which Barbaro's election marked the high point of his service. The results were not always successful. Barbaro's work on the fortress 32 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
of Palmanova is less familiar, and its myriad challenges likely contributed to his death from malaria in 1595. Most enlightening are the discussions of the Villa Barbaro, the Redentore, the salt warehouses, and the Arsenale. The first two are major monuments about which much remains to be discovered, and the last two are projects that are difficult in their accessibility and known only to specialists. Relying on recent publications and archival resources, this book constitutes a major contribution to knowledge of Renaissance architectural patronage. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-level undergraduates and above. -- L. Satkowski, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Wieseman, Marjorie E. Vermeer's women: secrets and silence, by Marjorie E. Wieseman with contributions by H. Perry Chapman and Wayne E. Franits. Fitzwilliam Museum/Yale, 2011. 227p bibl afp; ISBN 9780300178999, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Through his depictions of women, one comes closest to the heart of Vermeer's paintings, and the great virtue of this handsomely produced book is its focus on Recommended the Dutch master's treatment of this subject. Published on the occasion of an exhibition of 32 works by Vermeer and related 17th-century Dutch artists, this publication includes three essays on Vermeer's paintings of lace makers, letter writers and letter readers, milkmaids, guitar players, and other such subjects by Wieseman (National Gallery, London), Chapman (Delaware), and Franits (Syracuse), who are among the most distinguished experts in the field. They mix close analysis of the paintings themselves with discussion of domestic architecture, Vermeer patrons, x-radiographs and other such technical matters, contemporary poetry, clothing and hairstyles, and much else. Following these essays are lively entries on each of the works in the exhibition, accompanied by scholarly footnotes. Although this is not the first book on Vermeer that serious students should read (exhibition catalogues at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art would be more appropriate for that), it throws an interesting and illuminating light on one of the great painters of the 17th century. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. -- F. W. Robinson, Cornell University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Vitamin P2: new perspectives in painting. Phaidon, 2011. 352p index ISBN 0-7148-6160-X, $69.95; ISBN 9780714861609, $69.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Vitamin P2 is art book publisher Phaidon's newest addition to its popular series of Vitamin titles--each dedicated to a specific artistic discipline and illustrated by the Recommended works of artists emerging on the international scene. Affiliated works include Vitamin D (CH, Jul'06, 43-6326), Vitamin 3-D (2009), Vitamin Ph (CH, May'07, 44- 4874), and the forthcoming Vitamin Green, covering sustainable design and architecture. Characterized by breadth and currency rather than stylistic or conceptual coherency, P2 is energetic and ample in both selection and scope (representing more than 100 painters), and generous with its reproductions. As a follow-up to the inaugural volume, Vitamin P (2005), P2 seeks to extend its predecessor's success and reaffirm painting as the center of contemporary artistic practice. The book's slightly revamped design incorporates a more readable font that accentuates the critical presentation and commentary. The compendium's greatest utility is as a primer for developing artists--although its legacy may reside 33 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
in the evocation of a time distinguished by a particular interchange among curators, critics, artists (suggestion: Vitamin C--Curating and Criticism), and economies. Although hardly surprising, worth noting is that this volume's representation of "international" corresponds almost directly with the world's major economies (suggestion: Vitamin G20). Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals/practitioners, upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers. -- E. Baden, Warren Wilson College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Guy, John. Wonder of the age: master painters of India, 1100-1900, by John Guy and Jorrit Britschgi. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. (Dist. by Yale), 224p bibl index; ISBN 9780300175820, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This beautifully illustrated exhibition catalogue on Indian painting by Guy (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Britschgi (Museum Rietberg Zürich, Recommended Switzerland) records the move from early palm-leaf manuscripts to the Iranian inspired "arts of the book." The latter reached their apogee during the Mughal dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries and continued until 1900, when photography and printmaking afforded alternative possibilities for the illustrated book. Despite the broad sweep, the approach is careful and sifts through extant manuscripts to provide a complex picture that includes Jain, Rajput, Pahari, Deccani, and Mughal contributions. The authors present the works as products of individual artists and their workshops rather than as bearing the singular stamp of the patrons' vision. This approach reflects current scholarship that seeks to restore authorship to the artist in order to rescue the paintings from the dominant perception of them as anonymous craft objects created for the pleasure of the rulers. The meticulous research here makes a strong case for reconsidering the individual talents of the medieval artist. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. -- N. Dinkar, Boise State University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Art & Architecture \ Fine Arts Feinberg, Larry J. The young Leonardo: art and life in fifteenth-century Florence. Cambridge, 2011. 203p bibl index ISBN 1-107-00239-7, $95.00; ISBN 9781107002395, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This timely book by Feinberg (Santa Barbara Museum of Art) focuses on the early career of Leonardo da Vinci, especially the years in Florence before he left for Recommended Milan around 1482. It comes at a time of renewed interest in Leonardo studies, with several new publications and significant museum exhibitions--notably a concurrent show at London's National Gallery on the artist's Milanese period. Feinberg's work offers a nuanced, intelligent account of varied themes within the artist's early period. Rather than being a comprehensive biography or a straightforward narrative, this brief study (less than 200 pages, including 76 black- and-white images) offers 28 chapters in rough chronological order, each treating a distinct aspect of the artist in a contextual manner. The intent is to explore the person and his art rather than to perpetuate well-worn myths. The text is insightful and thought provoking, though at times more anecdotal than analytical, and with more possibilities than certainties. The scholarly apparatus is only basic, consisting of a general "Bibliography with Endnotes" and a brief index of names. Overall this book is an informative read. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. -- A. V. Coonin, Rhodes College 34 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Biology Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany21st century guidebook to fungi, by David Moore, Geoffrey D. Robson, and Anthony P.J. Trinci. Cambridge, 2011. 627p bibl index CD; ISBN 9780521186957 pbk, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The content and quality of this book is simply breathtaking! Moore, Robson, and Trinci (all, Univ. of Manchester, UK) have arranged the subject matter like a Recommended textbook, and instructors can use the work to teach a complete fungal course. An accompanying CD-ROM contains figures and hyperlinked text. The book covers fungal morphology, development, and physiology, and includes much content on the role of fungi and related organisms in the natural and global community. Center pages contain glossy color plates of fungi, including electron and light micrographs. Other figures provide detailed instruction on mycelia growth habits. Bibliographies accompany each section, and primary literature is referenced within the actual text. This book is useful for a wide audience. It is not just for the practicing or future mycologist, lichenologist, phycologist, plant biologist, or systematist; it is also ideal for the environmental and health professional. The information on habitat and ecology makes the book invaluable as a laboratory and professional aid. The cell biology and genetic information is current and thorough, and offers numerous topics for practical application in research; thus the book is also an important supplement to the cell and molecular biologist's library. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- L. Swatzell, Southeast Missouri State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Zoology The Afterlives of animals: a museum menagerie, ed. by Samuel J. M. M. Alberti. Virginia, 2011. 247p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813931678, $35.00; ISBN 9780813932088 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required When wandering the halls of a museum, how many people stop to consider the lives and deaths of the animals before them, which are now forever frozen in the Recommended pose the taxidermist created for them? Furthermore, how many think about the "afterlives" of these stuffed and preserved specimens, or about the animals that have had various body parts stored for future research in museum drawers? The survival of both groups decades beyond what their bodies would have otherwise bared witness to allows them to continue to tell their stories. This well-written, heavily researched, scholarly work examines the stories of ten such animals, ranging from a small hollow-eyed harrier "dressed" in 1926 to a northern bottlenose whale that became a bit of a celebrity when it was stranded in the Thames in 2006. Through historical detective work, records-chasing, hands-on examination, and photographs, the contributing authors present wonderful biogeographies of these animals, highlighting people's initial bonds of fascination with them when they were alive, and the immortal journeys of their afterlives through private and museum collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Natural history and museum collections and all levels of readers interested in anthropology and historical studies. -- K. K. Goldbeck-DeBose, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Zoology Altringham, John D. Bats: from evolution to conservation. 2nd ed. Oxford, 2011. 324p bibl index afp; ISBN 35 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
9780199207114, $117.00; ISBN 9780199207121 pbk, $58.50. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This new edition (1st ed., Bats: Biology and Behavior, CH, May'97, 34-5087) offers readers a wealth of information about the natural history of bats, including aspects Recommended of physiology, systematics, evolution, ecology, and conservation. Altringham (Univ. of Leeds, UK) places most discussion in an ecological or evolutionary context, highlighting the adaptive strategies by which bats survive in an ever-changing landscape (including ongoing threats to their survival associated with human activities). The book illustrates a diverse array of general biological concepts using bats as examples. In this regard, the text goes far beyond a study of bats alone. For example, Altringham considers the potential role of bats as general models for studying community ecology. In doing so, he presents the tremendous diversity of bats on a global scale. Most topics are covered in considerable detail, the depth of which varies greatly. While some material is quite accessible to general readers, one needs a background in the biological sciences to fully appreciate many of the more complex discussions (the book provides only a limited amount of introductory material or sometimes none at all). A valuable resource for advanced students interested in bat biology, zoology, evolutionary biology, ecology, or conservation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. -- D. A. Brass, independent scholar Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Mueller, Laurence D. Does aging stop?, by Laurence D. Mueller, Casandra L. Rauser, and Michael R. Rose. Oxford, 2011. 204p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9780199754229, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This thin volume is packed with theoretical proposals backed by experimentation to support the contention that Mueller, Rauser, and Rose (all, Univ. of California, Recommended Irvine) make in the preface that "aging stops at the level of the individual organism." The book is divided into 12 chapters that range from 6 to 18 pages each and explore the concept of a third phase of life, "late life," which differs from the life phases of development and aging. The authors introduce the initial work conducted in insect species that demonstrated the existence of plateaus in mortality rates and fecundity after increases in the former and decreases in the latter during aging. They continued to apply those discoveries through the use of evolutionist and gerontologist methods to human populations with mathematical modeling and exploration of the evolutionary implications of late life in humans as well as other species. This book is not for the theoretically timid or the closed- minded. It is a fascinating take on the process of life progression. Does Aging Stop? is a valuable addition to library collections to support readers who wish to consider the conclusion of the authors: "Yes, aging stops." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- L. A. Meserve, Bowling Green State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Friis, Else Marie. Early flowers and angiosperm evolution, by Else Marie Friis, Peter R. Crane, and Kaj Raunsgaard Pedersen. Cambridge, 2011. 585p bibl index; ISBN 9780521592833, $160.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Friis (Swedish Museum of Natural History), Crane (Yale Univ.), and Pedersen (Univ. of Aarhus, Denmark) have produced a comprehensive review of the known 36 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended angiosperm fossil record. The richly illustrated book gives a family-by-family synopsis of current knowledge and the existing literature. The authors cover a number of important topics in angiosperm biology, including the definition and origin of angiosperms, biogeography, pollination biology, dispersal, and paleoecology and the interpretation of angiosperm patterns of evolution and diversity through time. The authors succeed in presenting the remarkable advances in the collection of new data on angiosperm paleobotany over the last decades, and they present a palatable interpretation of current knowledge of angiosperm evolution. However, the origin and early evolution of angiosperms remains one of the important unresolved evolutionary questions in the plant sciences, and the book fails to represent the varied opinions on this issue and the requisite references. Despite this shortcoming, the book is a valuable resource for professionals and students interested in up-to-date information on the topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- M. S. Zavada, East Tennessee State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Fifty years of invasion ecology: the legacy of Charles Elton, ed. by David M. Richardson. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. 432p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9781444335859, $180.00; ISBN 9781444335866 pbk, $79.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE Required Humans have long moved plants and animals from their native ranges to regions beyond, sometimes purposefully for obtaining useful organisms and in some cases Recommended accidentally as stowaways. Charles Elton's The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants (1958) powerfully called attention to the deleterious effects that some organisms can have when moved beyond their native ranges. Today Elton's book is still relevant and insightful; however, since it was published, ecologists have built on Elton's foundation, testing his hypotheses and developing many new ones. This book, edited by Richardson (Stellenbosch Univ., South Africa), examines Elton's impact on the study of nonindigenous organisms in the past 50-plus years. Expert contributors author chapters on a historical view of Elton and the concept of native species, current and emerging areas of study, case studies for specific species, and new avenues of research. A concluding chapter summarizes and synthesizes the topics presented, and an informative reference chapter covers key concepts and terminology. The book is not focused solely on biology; it includes chapters covering philosophy, and policy related to nonindigenous species. A must read for biologists interested in nonindigenous species. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and land managers. -- R. B. Pratt, California State University-- Bakersfield Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Forests and people: property, governance, and human rights, ed. by Thomas Sikor and Johannes Stahl. Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2011. 253p bibl index ISBN 1-84971-280-8, $99.95; ISBN 9781849712804, $99.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Recent trends in the management of forests show a shift from national control of forest lands to a more complex arrangement of power and authority shared among Recommended sometimes competing stakeholders. Forests and People explores this complicated topic in a thoughtful, convincing manner. Sikor (Univ. of East Anglia, UK) and Stahl 37 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
(natural resource governance researcher, Montreal, Canada) organize the book around three critical questions: how equitable are the new systems, how are the rights and ownership patterns recognized, and how do different parties participate in the broader process and the day-to-day use of forests. The volume is divided into six parts, with the middle four containing most of the analytical text. Each part opens with a brief overview of the broad questions and theoretical context for the chapters within that section. While any chapter could be read separately, the overviews tie the book together so that readers without extensive knowledge of the topic will find the unifying themes helpful. Case studies and examples include both successful and failed implementation of new forest tenure policies. Related international concerns and policies, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), and human rights also receive considerable attention within the book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. -- B. D. Orr, Michigan Technological University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Hughes, Sally Smith. Genentech: the beginnings of biotech. Chicago, 2011. 213p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780226359182, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required On April 25, 1953, the journal Nature published a one-page paper by James Watson and Francis Crick, in which the authors suggested a structure for Recommended deoxyribose nucleic acid. Less than 30 years later, a little-known company named Genentech found itself awash in cash after raising more than 35 million dollars in an initial public stock offering. The company did not have a single product on the market, but investors were speculating that the recombinant DNA technology developed by this company would revolutionize the multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry. Hughes (Univ. of California at Berkeley) has crafted an engaging historical account of Genentech from its beginnings as a small laboratory at the University of California at San Francisco to the 2009 merger with Roche for 47 billion dollars. The company found itself navigating public outrage, government regulation, international corporate competition, intellectual property rights, and "midnight raid[s]," all of which defined Genentech as a company whose singular focus helped it surmount the barriers before it. It became the model for future university-industry collaboration and the transfer of technology from academia to the market. Hughes's account will appeal to a broad audience and is a must read for scholars interested in the history of biotechnology. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. A. Hewlett, Finger Lakes Community College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Grey-Wilson. Guide to the flowers of western China, by Christopher Grey-Wilson and Phillip Cribb; ed. by Victoria Matthews. Kew Publishing, 2011. 642p bibl index ISBN 1-84246-169-9, $115.00; ISBN 9781842461693, $115.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This extensive compendium written by the highly qualified Grey-Wilson and Cribb (both, formerly, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK) is a celebration of the richest Recommended flora in China. A 50-page introduction includes maps and useful information on nomenclature, climate, topography, and other topics of interest to a botanical trekker or casual traveler to the western part of China. The main part of the book, covering some 2,700 angiosperms and gymnosperms, gives descriptions in systematic order by family with details on habitat, distribution, altitude, flowering 38 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
time, and identification keys. The glory of this volume is the large number of color photos of the species discussed, many in close-up as well as in situ. Genera and species names are printed in blue, which contrasts with the black-ink text. The Flora of China volumes (1994-2008), edited by W. Zhengyi, P. Raven, and H. Deyuan, provide in English what had previously been available only to Chinese readers, but they are complex and contain only line illustrations. In contrast, this volume is very readable and easy to use; it is a must have for anyone interested in the flora of the western part of China, endemic home of many now-treasured garden plants. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- L. G. Kavaljian, California State University, Sacramento Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Rogers, Scott Orland. Integrated molecular evolution. CRC Press, 2012. 359p bibl index afp CD-ROM ISBN 1-4398- 1995-5, $99.95; ISBN 9781439819951, $99.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The various sciences that make up the field of molecular biology continue to merge and be used as paradigms in the investigation of complex phenomena such as Recommended evolution. Rogers (Bowling Green State Univ.) has produced a book that succinctly outlines the major topics of this area of biology. The scope and the author's excellent writing style make it an extremely student-friendly textbook for use in any graduate-level or upper-level undergraduate class on molecular genetics and evolution. Indeed, in the preface, the author admits that the book started out as a series of notes and other materials from a course in molecular evolution. However, the volume is not well organized as a textbook. "Key Points" (very brief summaries) end each chapter, and while there is a complete index, references for further reading are generalized at best. Nevertheless, this would be an immensely valuable work for any reader who already has a fundamental grasp of the fundamental topics of biochemistry and molecular biology. A companion CD-ROM packaged with the book contains every figure from the book in PDF format, making the book especially useful for instructors. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. -- R. K. Harris, William Carey University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Zoology Dorcas, Michael E. Invasive pythons in the United States: ecology of an introduced predator, by Michael E. Dorcas and John D. Willson. Georgia, 2011. 156p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780820338354 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Accomplished ophidian authorities Dorcas (Davidson College) and Willson (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.) have produced an exceptionally well- Recommended illustrated, highly informative, very readable book on introduced pythons currently existing as established populations in Florida. Because of the body sizes some pythons attain, their capability to prey on large vertebrates (perhaps including humans!), and the possibility of range extensions into other states, a wealth of articles on these snakes has appeared in the popular press. This book provides information about the species and informed comments on possible range extensions and effects on native species. Seven chapters follow a foreword by renowned authority Whit Gibbons and an introduction. Chapter 1 discusses pythons in general. Following chapters cover the natural history of Indian and Burmese pythons, python research, current ranges in Florida and the potential for 39 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
range expansion, control methods, and pet and skin trades. The final chapter provides an overview of other species that could become established in the US. Superb color photographs illustrate every discussion. The narrative is not only factual but also highly entertaining. This topic already has considerable public interest, and the book will be widely read, particularly in the southern states. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic, general, and secondary school libraries. -- E. D. Keiser, emeritus, University of Mississippi Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Sarvis, Will. The Jefferson National Forest: an Appalachian environmental history. Tennessee, 2011. 354p index afp; ISBN 9781572338289, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Although this book focuses on the Jefferson National Forest (JNF) in Virginia, it is really a microcosm of the cultural and regional history of the southern Appalachian Recommended national forests. Sarvis (Lane Community College), a former JNF historian, tells the story of the region from Native American and early agricultural settlements to the present. The author covers the industrial exploitation of forests and minerals, the acquisition of debilitated land in the 1930s and the rise of a national conservation movement, and the dominance of a bureaucratic US Forest Service that emphasized commodity forestry. He goes on to discuss the contentious controversy of the 1960s over clear-cutting versus selection cutting. This debate resulted in a major shift from commodity to ecological forestry that embraces noncommodity uses of the forest (e.g., wilderness preservation, flora and wildlife habitat, public recreation). The final chapters examine people's spiritual and cultural attitudes toward the forested mountains. Extensive notations, a list of sources, and a lengthy bibliography occupying a quarter of the book make this an important reference source for Appalachian forest and regional historians. It is also an informative and engaging story for the general reader. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. L. Smith, emeritus, West Virginia University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Willes, Margaret. The making of the English gardener: plants, books and inspiration, 1560-1660. Yale, 2011. 299p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300163827, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This book by Willes (formerly, publisher, National Trust, UK), like the gardens it circumscribes, is a deeply cultivated endeavor, rich in examples and illustrations. Recommended The garden as human artifact is profoundly historic, with roots in culture, geography, aesthetics, medicine, trade, religion, politics, economics, and, of course, science. Focusing on Elizabethan England, the work provides a scholarly treatment neither overly turgid nor serious, seeded with adequate lightheartedness to provide good provender for any reader. England came late to the Renaissance. But Elizabethan gardeners, like their descendents, transformed earlier practice into a fertile and syncretistic endeavor, sometimes to an extreme. Elizabethan gardens reflect primarily Italian and French style with influences from the Low Countries, but ultimately they represent the graft of species from as far as the Indies and the New World onto a rootstock at once vigorous and heterogeneous. The varied origins and nature of gardens, gardeners, and botanists explain away tendencies in this book to meander or even flow backward in its efforts to encapsulate a truly seminal moment in natural history. Overall, a 40 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
remarkable work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. -- S. Hammer, Boston University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Reader, John. Missing links: in search of human origins. Oxford, 2011. 538p bibl index afp ISBN 0-19-927685-4, $34.95; ISBN 9780199276851, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This is a revised, updated edition of one of the most popular general surveys of human evolution by a science writer whose photographs of fossils, sites, and Recommended scientists have become iconic in the field (Missing Links: The Hunt for Earliest Man, CH, Oct'81). Although many chapter titles remain the same, this book is indeed a major revision, as expected in a field that has exploded in the past 30 years. Several new chapters introduce the idea of paleontology and the relative rarity of human fossils. A series of chapters discussing extinct human forms in the sequence in which they were discovered follows. These have been updated with both new information about the species involved and asides on the personalities and conflicting interpretations they brought to bear. For example, chapter 6, "Java Man," is nearly unchanged for the first 16 pages and then completely new in the final 12. Reader presents only two entirely new chapters, one looking at evidence for the antiquity of our own species Homo sapiens, the other reviewing recent studies on one of the most ancient candidates for human ancestry (Ardipithecus ramidus), although he downplays the strength of questions about its interpretation. A reburnished gem of paleoanthropological history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic and general readers. -- E. Delson, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Bridgewater, Samuel. A natural history of Belize: inside the Maya forest. Texas/Natural History Museum, London, 2011. 390p bibl index afp (Corrie Herring Hooks series, 52); ISBN 9780292726710, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This was a difficult book to review because it was hard to put it down. Every time this reviewer dipped into it, he was immediately drawn in by the excellent writing, Recommended interesting background material, and thorough research. The book is nominally a survey of the natural history of Belize and the Chiquibul Forest, but Bridgewater (Natural History Museum, London, UK) explores the subject matter in such depth and breadth that it could almost serve as a basic textbook in tropical ecology. The introductory section on the origin of the Belize ecosystem provides an overview of the origins of the greater Mesoamerican flora and fauna. The lengthy history of forest use explores topics like swidden agriculture, the many ways in which people shape and are shaped by life in the rain forest, and the management and marketing of forest products. Additional sections cover the rain forest fauna and key aspects of the forest ecosystem, such as pollination, dispersal, and patterns of disturbance. It is an attractive book, with an open, inviting typeface and layout and copious color illustrations. Appendixes include checklists of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, and a good bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and general readers, all levels. -- B. E. Fleury, Tulane University 41 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Shepherd, Gordon M. Neurogastronomy: how the brain creates flavor and why it matters. Columbia, 2012. 267p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231159104, $24.95; ISBN 9780231530316 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although written for lay readers, this excellent summary of everything people currently know about flavor perception must be considered the latest and most Recommended valuable scholarly review of research on the chemical senses. Beginning with Brillat-Savarin and his 1826 book on the physiology of taste, and mentioning all the important names on the way, neurobiologist Shepherd (Yale Univ.) stitches together the essentials of olfactory/taste physiology, flavor chemistry, psychology, and food physicochemical properties from the time of reaping to readying for the table and mouth (now called culinology). He goes on to discuss brain chemistry, where memory and stimuli and various circuits are engaged in creating sensations hovering between delight and disgust. Food sellers ought to be intrigued by the newly developed fields of neuroeconomics and molecular gastronomy. Grandma used to teach that love is conveyed through someone's stomach, and many people have become professionally successful because "flavor sells." The next generation will see food scientists who not only feed the world's population of more than seven billion people, but also might "cure obesity" by means of the new insights expressed in this book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. Kroger, emeritus, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General The Oxford handbook of neuroethics, ed. by Judy Illes and Barbara J. Sahakian with Carole A. Federico and Sharon Morein-Zamir. Oxford, 2011. 935p bibl indexes afp ISBN 0-19-957070-1, $165.00; ISBN 9780199570706, $165.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The "technological imperative" is pervasive: if people have new forms of technology, they want to use them. This handbook's goal is to make readers more Recommended fully aware of both the marvels and pitfalls of recent advances in the neurosciences. All too often, for instance, people are uncritical advocates of the latest, fastest, highest-resolution brain imagery and its various medical and research implications. While doubt should not be cast upon the marvels that allow for, and the patients that benefit from, deep brain stimulation, functional MRIs, and advanced neuropharmaceuticals, people nevertheless need to be cautious about uncritical enthusiasm. This volume, which is wide-ranging in its importance yet precise in detail, offers cautious enthusiasm. Many of the world's leading researchers discuss the nature and ramifications of their research, addressing topics such as decoding mental states, advances in neurotechnology, challenges for mind and body, implications for free will and responsibility, and various legal, social, and political perspectives. This is a must-have acquisition for both developing and well-established neuroscience programs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- H. Storl, Augustana College (IL) Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ General Reframing rights: bioconstitutionalism in the genetic age, ed. by Sheila Jasanoff. MIT, 2011. 310p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262015950, $50.00; ISBN 9780262516273 pbk, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required How does a society deal with science achievements that have political 42 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
implications? In time, there will be more technologies and more complicated legal Recommended pursuits. In Reframing Rights, contributors discuss genome-related topics including embryonic stem cells, eugenics, DNA testing, forensic DNA databases, and xenotransplantation from historical, moral, and legal perspectives. Although government policy tries to straddle the line between individual rights and limits within the moral community, history has shown that the centralization of institutional power can have damaging effects, as was the case with the creation of California's mandatory sterilization policy in the early to mid-1900s. The bureaucracy of mental health treatment was evident, leading to institutional and legal changes in public health management. The book also provides comparisons between the moral and political ideologies of various countries. England, Germany, and Italy have different approaches to embryonic stem cell research, and the US and Europe do not handle xenotransplantation in the same way, demonstrating that legal policy depends largely on individual political culture and the varying forces surrounding them. A valuable resource for students studying biology, social policy, or law. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general audiences, all levels. -- M. C. Pavao, Worcester State College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Zoology Naskrecki, Piotr. Relics: travels in nature's time machine, photographs by the author. Chicago, 2011. 342p index afp; ISBN 9780226568706, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The spectacular lizard eye depicted on the dust jacket of this spellbinding book is emblematic of the visual feast that lies within. Naskrecki (Harvard Museum of Recommended Comparative Zoology; The Smaller Majority, CH, Mar'06, 43-4029) is a gifted photographer as well as a prolific research entomologist. This large-format volume consists of a series of personal and biologically well-informed essays, lavishly illustrated with Naskrecki's photos. He features plants and animals from ancient lineages, whose form has hardly changed in millions of years, but for which evolution has not stopped. While celebrating the resiliency of these lineages during the course of Earth's tumultuous history, the author raises the alarm that their populations are now in danger in the face of habitat destruction and other human activities. The chapters report on a geographically wide range of habitats, from Pacific islands through South Africa, to South and North America. He ends with a patch of woods near his current home in Boston. Seen through Naskrecki's eyes, it is equally as exotic as the other places. A katydid specialist, Naskrecki is particularly adept at relating aspects of the astonishing lives of insects. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- W. L. Cressler III, West Chester University of Pennsylvania Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Zoology Zuk, Marlene. Sex on six legs: lessons on life, love, and language from the insect world. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. 262p bibl index; ISBN 9780151013739, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this interesting, well-written work, Zuk (Univ. of California Riverside) offers an intriguing view of insect life. In particular, she draws parallels between human Recommended society and the complex social organization of colonial insects (especially ants and bees). She argues that the study of insect societies, complex insect behavior, and even aspects of insect personality offers considerable insight into human activity and helps people to better understand themselves. In doing so, of course, Zuk 43 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
comes close to anthropomorphizing her subjects at times. Discussing various aspects of insect natural history, she considers such diverse topics as survival and reproductive strategies, genetics, behavior, parental care, communication, sibling rivalry, and infanticide. She concentrates on many complex forms of insect behavior, and ponders how such tasks may be accomplished by creatures with brains no larger than a poppy seed at best. Discussions place concepts of intelligence, evolution of social structure, and the origin and nature of language into perspective. The book is largely accessible to the general reader (laypersons may find some of the discussions on insect genetics a bit daunting), with liberal use of humor. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, general, and professional audiences, all levels. -- D. A. Brass, independent scholar Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Fraser, Michael. The smallest kingdom: plants and plant collectors at the Cape of Good Hope, by Mike Fraser and Liz Fraser. Kew Publishing, 2011. 220p bibl index ISBN 1-84246-389-6, $46.00; ISBN 9781842463895, $46.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this colorful, truly charming volume, Michael Fraser (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK) and Liz Fraser (botanical and wildlife artist) draw the Recommended reader into the story of plants from the Cape of Good Hope and the people who loved and studied them over the past 400 years. It will inspire gardeners to go out and plant something like pelargoniums to feast upon their beauty and enjoy their fragrance, as so many have done for centuries. An amazing range of people, from Charles Dickens to Charles Darwin, have crossed paths when plants from this region have brought them together. Botanical explorers, Victorian gardeners, and plant scientists from Europe to Africa and beyond share the joy and beauty of plants from the Cape on nearly every page. The chronological presentation can be a bit dry at times, but the connection between the text, illustrations, and captions on each page overcome this minor deficiency. Each chapter creates an inner pleasure in the heart of the reader, who will exclaim, "Wow, I never knew that" or "That's simply incredible." The authors also provide ecological insights, linking the land to people the world over--people who appreciate color, beauty, scientific inquiry, and life itself. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- T. Johnson, Prescott Valley Public Library Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Botany Brain, Stephen. Song of the forest: Russian forestry and Stalinist environmentalism, 1905-1953. Pittsburgh, 2011. 232p bibl index afp ISBN 0822961652 pbk, $27.95; ISBN 9780822961659 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Brain (history, Mississippi State Univ.) has written a fascinating work on the preservation of Russia's forests during the Stalinist era--a counterpoint to mainline Recommended historiography that viewed the Communists, particularly Stalin, as hell-bent upon industrialization and completely ignoring the importance of the environment and nature. Brain shows that Stalin was not necessarily moved by environmentalist or conservationist impulses but rather by the conviction fostered by Russian foresters, most notably Georgii Morozov and his followers, that forests were essential not only to Russia's identity, culture, and soul, but also to its security, development, and modernization. Without proper forestation and forest hydrology, there could be no self-sustaining, long-term economic development, including Stalin's plans for industrialization. Stalin became an environmentalist 44 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
because it bolstered Soviet Russia's power. Based upon archival materials and solid scholarship, this book, part of the "Pitt Russian East European" series, demonstrates the continuing importance of the forest, such a quintessential part of life in czarist Russia, in the Soviet period. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. J. Dunn, Texas State University-- San Marcos Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Biology \ Zoology Wormworth, Janice. Winged sentinels: birds and climate change, by Janice Wormworth and Ça^Dvgan Şekercio^Dvglu. Cambridge, 2011. 262p index; ISBN 9780521126823 pbk, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Global climate change is a serious problem for humans, but it also has the potential to be a crisis for wildlife. Here, Wormworth (science writer) and Şekercio^Dvglu Recommended (Univ. of Utah) attempt to ascertain just how big a catastrophe the warming climate will be for birds. Successive chapters are reviews of research on the effects of climate change on avian population sizes, timing of reproduction and migration, shifting of geographic ranges, and chances of extinction. Other chapters focus on specific effects of altered weather patterns on seabirds and birds of the tropics. The final chapter examines how conservation strategies must be changed to deal with a novel climate. The authors' methodical, thorough style and the depressing preponderance of bad news for birds, and for the people who study and enjoy them, mean that reading this book is not an uplifting experience. However, the cataloging of what is and is not known about climate change and birds will make this book a valuable resource for those who would attempt to avert disaster. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- J. L. Hunt, University of Arkansas--Monticello
45 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Chemistry / Physics Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Ochiai, Ei-ichiro. Chemicals for life and living. Springer, 2011. 288p index afp; ISBN 9783642202728, $24.95; ISBN 9783642202735 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This most welcome book, intended for general readers, investigates the chemistry behind many everyday processes in the marketplace, at home, etc., and such Recommended various substances as poisons and pharmaceuticals. In fact, the Canada-based author presents chemistry as a key to understanding the material world. The seven-part volume includes essays about remarkable chemicals and compounds that most people have heard of. In a chatty manner, Ochiai describes what makes them interesting and how the background science facilitates understanding of particular topics. Each chapter can be read independently, and an in-depth appendix, "Essentials of Chemistry," is incorporated as a resource for readers seeking further details. The essentials covered include chemical bonding and chemical structures and the way matter-light interactions and other instrumental techniques provide the tools to study the chemical nature of materials. A "Postscript" discusses topics of immediate and current interest among the lay public, such as organic and genetically modified foods. The book's only drawback is the number of grammatical and spelling errors throughout; better editing would have improved readability. Summing Up: Recommended. Students of all levels and general audiences. -- M. Rossi, Vassar College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Marburger, John, III. Constructing reality: quantum theory and particle physics. Cambridge, 2011. 287p bibl index; ISBN 9781107004832, $29.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In 1918, theoretical physicist and mathematician Hermann Weyl (1885-1955) proposed that electromagnetic theory could be derived from considerations of the Recommended scale of space in the presence of electrical charges. In that endeavor, and subsequently in general relativity and quantum mechanics, Weyl introduced the concept of gauge invariance, which is the philosophy that nature's laws should not be affected by arbitrary choices in measurement scales made by the observer. In Constructing Reality, the concept of invariance is the theme throughout, starting with gauge theory and culminating in the standard model and, on the way, discussing other important invariance considerations such as the Yang-Mills theory of 1954. However, Marburger (physics and electrical engineering, Stony Brook Univ.), at his core, is an unabashed apologist for the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Readers expecting a speculative discussion of "reality," such as that found in Quantum Reality by Nick Herbert (CH, Oct'85), will be disappointed. Marburger demonstrates a deep understanding of the topic and a polished writing style. The endnotes and the references are valuable for readers interested in higher-level readings or historical memoirs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- J. F. Burkhart, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Eisinger, Josef. Einstein on the road. Prometheus Books, 2011. 219p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781616144609, $25.00; ISBN 9781616144616 e-book, $12.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 46 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required The world knows Einstein as the creator of the E = mc2 formula, as the developer of the theories of relativity, and as an exceptional scientific genius. But he was also a Recommended human being who traveled worldwide. This he could do because he became a celebrity-scientist, welcomed with eagerness and curiosity by laypeople and scientists alike. Einstein kept careful notes of the places he visited, the people he met, and the impressions he formed. Physicist Eisinger (emer., Mount Sinai School of Medicine) has pored over those journals and consulted numerous other works to collect a variety of tidbits on Einstein's trips. The author also includes some of Einstein's reflections on important issues. Whether it was Singapore or Shanghai, Berlin or Brazil, Princeton or Pasadena, every place had its charm and associated anecdotes. The great physicist attended dinners and concerts, interacted with monarchs, movie stars, poets, and philosophers, and went sightseeing here and there. Readers can appreciate Einstein not just as a man whose thoughts and equations are beyond ordinary reach, but as a hearty, healthy human who truly enjoyed life. Through these pages, one can take those trips with Einstein and vicariously live the experiences. A fascinating book for leisure time. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates. -- V. V. Raman, emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Ottaviani, Jim. Feynman, art by Leland Myrick; coloring by Hilary Sycamore. First Second, 2011. 262p; ISBN 9781596432598, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This biography in graphic novel form draws on widely available primary materials, principally the popular scientific writings and anecdotal memoirs of Richard Recommended Feynman, one of the 1965 Nobel laureates in physics and one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century. Ottaviani has written several other histories of science in graphic novel form, including Suspended in Language: Niels Bohr's Life, Discoveries, and the Century He Shaped (CH, Dec'04, 42-2193). This is Ottaviani's first collaboration with illustrator Myrick. Ottaviani and Myrick utilize the freedom provided by the graphic novel format to describe Feynman's physics using pictures, as Feynman preferred when communicating complex ideas in quantum electrodynamics. In addition to Feynman's personal life story, Ottaviani includes some of Feynman's own narrative on the development of physical ideas. The high- quality color graphics and tight writing make for enjoyable reading. A full bibliography with primary and secondary resources appears at the end of the book. While not a work of academic scholarship, this biography provides an accessible introduction to Feynman for general audiences, and particularly teens and young adults. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and secondary school students. -- S. A. Curtis, University of Missouri--Kansas City Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Denny, Mark. Gliding for gold: the physics of winter sports. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 189p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402147, $65.00; ISBN 9781421402154 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Winter Olympics fans with an interest or background in physics may find much to appreciate in this book. Denny, a theoretical physicist and popular science writer Recommended (e.g., Their Arrows Will Darken the Sun, CH, Sep'11, 49-0228; Float Your Boat!, CH, Apr'09, 46-4511) provides an enthusiastic, almost breezy tour of the rules, art, and science of skating, hockey, curling, skiing, and snowboarding. He first discusses the 47 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
sometimes-baffling physics of snow and ice. Next, in each sport, the author examines in detail the design of the equipment and its interaction with snow and ice, along with considerations of aerodynamic drag. The book includes photos and charts. Though some of the math is in the main body of the text, most is given in technical notes at the end, where some derivations are sketched in outline. Gliding for Gold may not have enough detail for those who enjoy thorough mathematical derivations, but for the scientifically inclined reader it provides an interesting window on the science of winter sports. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate students of all levels and general readers. -- K. D. Fisher, Columbus State Community College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Hypercarbon chemistry, by George A. Olah et al. 2nd ed. Wiley, 2011. 454p bibl index ISBN 0-470-93568-5, $125.00; ISBN 9780470935682, $125.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required The conceptual strength provided by the language of chemistry has powered the science through more than two centuries of astonishing growth. One of the Recommended linchpins of the lingua franca is the tetravalency of carbon. Few ideas have been more fruitful. But bonding models in general are at best only close approximations and not the real thing. So localized electron-pairs in carbon-carbon sigma bonds needed to be delocalized, and then spread across multiple centers: hence the name "hypercarbon chemistry," and the world of Nobel laureate Olah (Univ. of Southern California). Olah's body of work includes this still flourishing field, brought to focus for an ever-widening audience through a classic first edition (1987) that has now been modestly upgraded and updated in a crisp 400-page revision with 1,830 supporting references, current through 2009. Chapters include "Carbon-Bridged (Associated) Metal Alkyls," "Carboranes and Metallacarboranes," "Mixed Metal-Carbon Clusters and Metal Carbides," "Hypercoordinate Carbocations and their Borane Analogs," and "Reactions Involving Hypercarbon Intermediates." The work includes an introductory tip of the hat to basic principles and the three-center bond concept, and an "outlook" posted to the reader at the end. As a monograph, the work will serve faculty and is appropriate for students in advanced courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- L. W. Fine, Columbia University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Hanrahan, Grady. Key concepts in environmental chemistry. Elsevier/Academic Press, 2012. 365p index ISBN 0-12- 374993-X, $94.95; ISBN 9780123749932, $94.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Hanrahan (California Lutheran Univ.) has written an introductory textbook on the principles of environmental chemistry and "the dynamic nature of environmental Recommended systems." The author delivers a blend of theoretical and practical material in a very concise manner. Given the wide range of topics covered (to account for the complex environment), it is impressive to encounter such a compact work designed for use in a one-semester course. However, Hanrahan treats the principles so succinctly that students may need to refer to more comprehensive textbooks for further explanations. The design and format of this small volume is attractive, handy, and conducive to reading, but there are unnecessary sections, figures, tables, and appendixes. The figures and tables are often too large, taking up the already tight spaces. All these drawbacks could be removed by expanding on the current topics and/or adding new topics to improve the concise delivery in 48 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
future editions. For example, chapter 4, "Surface/Groundwater Quality and Monitoring," has a reasonable level of detail that is somewhat lacking in the other chapters. Despite these issues, the approach is commendable. Overall, a valuable resource for upper-level courses on aquatic and atmospheric environmental chemistry. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. -- M. W. Han, Columbus State Community College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Modern heterocyclic chemistry, ed. by Julio Alvarez-Builla, Juan Jose Vaquero, and José Barluenga. Wiley-VCH Verlag & Co, 2011. 4v bibl index afp ISBN 3527332014, $675.00; ISBN 9783527332014, $675.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This multiauthored, four-volume work is an addition to the burgeoning number of reference sources on heterocyclic chemistry. One can compare it to works such as Recommended the Handbook of Heterocyclic Chemistry by Alan Katritzky et al. (CH, Jul'11, 48- 6296) and the multivolume Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III (CH, Oct'08, 46-0887) that are cited here along with many others on the topic. This work is organized in the usual fashion for describing heterocyclic compounds: by increasing ring size, increasing number of heteroatoms, and increasing number of rings. Each chapter covers a particular category of compounds (e.g., "Three- Membered Heterocycles. Structure and Reactivity"); chapters are then further subdivided into various categories (in this case, aziridines, oxiranes, etc.). Subsections for compounds in each category include an introduction, physicochemical data, synthesis, reactions, and references. Some chapters discuss nomenclature and usage. Each individual volume contains a detailed table of contents, with briefer tables of contents provided for other volumes in the set. Pagination is consecutive throughout the four volumes, and a comprehensive index appears at the end of volume 4.
Overall, the treatment seems good, although there are some deficiencies. The first chapter in volume 1, an introduction to the work, is not as informative it could be and as compared to other sources. Unlike other reviews in these volumes that provide full coverage of the category discussed, nonaromatic heterocycles (except for small rings) are deemed of lesser interest and described to a lesser extent or not at all. The literature coverage for each chapter is typically not indicated, but can be inferred to be from the 2000s and occasionally from the 1990s. The treatment of nomenclature as well as the significance and uses of heterocycles is inconsistent and not very comprehensive. This resource will primarily interest researchers in the field. Summing Up: Recommended. Only comprehensive chemistry collections serving upper-division undergraduates and above.
-- R. E. Buntrock, formerly, University of Maine Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Smith, Michael B. Organic synthesis. 3rd ed. Wavefunction, 2011 (c2010). 1,506p index afp ISBN 1-890661-40-6, $130.00; ISBN 9781890661403, $130.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although many chemists consider organic synthesis a mature field, it is, in fact, always growing and improving. Well-trained synthetic organic chemists are in very Recommended high demand in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Smith (Univ. of Connecticut) has geared this book to graduate-level courses in organic synthesis, 49 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
and he reinforces material in each chapter with relevant homework problems. The third edition (2nd ed., 2001; 1st ed., 1994) includes more than 600 new reactions and 900 new references, compared to the second edition. These reactions and references are all new since 2002, clearly illustrating the field's continuing growth. Another key addition is the integration of synthesis-related molecular modeling problems using SpartanModel into the homework problems. The extensive index allows the reader to easily find specific information. Coverage of the topic is thorough, with very little wasted space on any of the 1,506 pages. However, the text is too long for a single course and would probably be better as a two-volume set. For example, the first volume could cover stereochemistry, conformations, functional group transformations, and oxidation/reduction reactions (chapters 1-7 of this edition), and the second volume could focus on carbon-carbon bond forming reactions (chapters 8-13). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners. -- L. J. Liotta, Stonehill College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Akiba, Kin-ya. Organo main group chemistry. Wiley, 2011. 275p bibl index; ISBN 9780470450338 pbk, $79.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Modern organometallic chemistry is dominated by the study of organometallic pi- complexes. It is possible to lose sight of organic "main group" chemistry, in which Recommended there is a single bond between a metallic atom and an organic group. Much organic synthetic chemistry relies on the use of alkyl lithiums and Grignard reagents; dialkylcuprates and their so-called "higher" analogues such as trialkylcuprate dianions; and alkali metal hydrides and the related aluminohydrides and borohydrides. Yet, in this well-written book, Akiba (emer., Hiroshima Univ., Japan) shows that all of these have a more complex chemistry than is generally appreciated. The author addresses the organic chemistry of the elements according to their positions; he discusses boron and aluminum in a single chapter and sulfur, selenium, and tellurium in another chapter, etc. This permits comparison of similarities and differences among related elements. A few chapters on more general topics, such as the stereochemistry of sigma-bound compounds and molecular orbital theory, are interpolated at intervals. No existing book on this topic is as complete and up-to-date as this one. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Chemistry libraries serving academic students at all levels, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- A. Fry, Wesleyan University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Atkins, Peter. Reactions: the private life of atoms. Oxford, 2011. 191p index ISBN 0-19-969512-1, $24.95; ISBN 9780199695126, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Atkins (Univ. of Oxford, UK), a prolific author, begins Reactions with "At the heart of chemistry lie reactions," and proceeds to justify this statement. He explains Recommended macroscale processes by presenting visualizations of the underlying molecular processes. The introduction presents water as "the most miraculous of fluids." The book is organized into five parts, the first being a "toolkit" describing 12 reaction types ranging from precipitation and neutralization through redox, electrochemistry, and acid-base reactions. Throughout, explanations are in terms of electron dynamics, and the text is profusely illustrated with molecular models, typically space-filling, and the involvement of water is ubiquitous. Part 2 describes 50 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
assembly and energetics via ten chapters covering reaction types of polymerization, substitution, catalysis, addition/elimination, and chain extension. The third part discusses photochromism, photochemistry, vision, and photosynthesis. Part 4, "Building by Design," discusses enzyme action and the Woodward-Doering synthesis of quinine. In the final part, "Economizing," Atkins discusses the five basic reaction types and argues that all are really examples of acid-base reactions. Written in a descriptive style geared more toward general audiences, the book could be used as a beginning text for AP high school courses and possibly "chemistry for poets" collegiate courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, two-year technical program students, advanced high school students, general readers. -- R. E. Buntrock, formerly, University of Maine Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Cassidy, David C. A short history of physics in the American century. Harvard, 2011. 211p index afp ISBN 0-674-04936-5, $29.95; ISBN 9780674049369, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Europe dominated physics research in the 19th century. As a metric, in 1900 there were 16 theoretical physicists in Germany alone, compared to 3 in the US. The Recommended concerted efforts of a small number of American scientists aided by philanthropists and forward-thinking government officials led to an explosion of physics research and education in the US in the early decades of the 20th century. By the early 1930s, physics research in the US had caught up with that in Europe, and the US government had recognized the relevance of physics research to the nation's economic and military strength. The European economic crisis of 1933-35 and the war effort completed the American dominance of physics research. It was only late in the 20th century that the rest of the world began to catch up. Here, Cassidy (natural sciences, Hofstra Univ.) provides a thorough, well-written account of this story that both students and university faculty will find fascinating. This is a must read for physics students and indeed anyone who wants to understand the development of the American physics enterprise and the interlocking roles of universities, private laboratories, and the federal government. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. -- A. Spero, formerly, University of California Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Perkowitz, Sidney. Slow light: invisibility, teleportation and other mysteries of light. Imperial College Press, 2011. 145p bibl index; ISBN 9781848167520 pbk, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This excellent little book, written by Perkowitz (Emory Univ.), a professor of physics with a knowledge and love of science fiction, tells of the truly marvelous properties Recommended of light that have been revealed in the last half century or so. The "slow light" in the title refers to work published in 1999 that announced the observation of an astoundingly slow light speed of 17 meters per second or 38 miles per hour. Such a slow speed was measured in a cold atomic gas using Bose-Einstein condensates and other high-tech materials and devices. Each topic in the book begins with a survey of the science fiction that was usually the first to explore the ramifications of such ideas as faster-than-light travel, teleportation, invisibility, and ultra-slow light. The author also discusses entanglement; this phenomenon, predicted by early quantum physicists, has now been experimentally verified and has fascinating implications for imaginative literature. The book concludes with a list of 51 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
suggestions for further reading that includes science fiction, popular books, articles, websites, and scientific references. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and general audiences, all levels. -- M. Dickinson, formerly, Maine Maritime Academy
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Chemistry Supramolecular photochemistry: controlling photochemical processes, ed. by V. Ramamurthy and Yoshihisa Inoue. Wiley, 2011. 623p bibl index ISBN 0-470-23053-3, $149.95; ISBN 9780470230534, $149.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This series of compiled chapters written by the foremost authorities in their respective fields recounts the advances made in photochemistry and related Recommended disciplines in recent decades. Chapters cover guest binding, manipulation of energy transfer, and delocalization and migration of excitation energies and charge in supramolecular reactions. The authors emphasize the role of developments in analytical instrumentation, namely infrared, ultraviolet, visible, and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, as well as laser-driven analytical techniques that measure energy and time beyond nanosecond precision. These advances have facilitated photochemical synthesis of elaborate molecules such as three- dimensional cubane-like structures. Also of note is the discussion of energy transfer in channels of L-zeolite, and photoisomerization exotically described as one-bond-flips, hula twists, and bicycle pedal, which enables molecules to transfer light energy to kinetic energy. Recent applications in the field include controlling photochemical reactions, lithography, and photodynamic medicinal therapy. The book is well written and has an excellent bibliography for further reading. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals in photochemistry. -- K. Bennett, emeritus, Kalamazoo Valley Community College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Robinson, Matthew B. Symmetry and the standard model: mathematics and particle physics, by Matthew Robinson with Jay Dittmann et al. Springer, 2011. 327p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4419-8266-3, $109.00; ISBN 9781441982667, $109.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Symmetry and the Standard Model is the first volume of a planned series of at least four volumes "intended to teach math to physicists." The book applies basic group Recommended theory to quantum field theory, including the standard model of particle physics. The intended audience is upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students; it is not meant to compete with quantum field theory texts aimed at advanced graduate classes. Robinson provides ample discussion of the basics of Lie groups, and the usual examples of orthogonal and unitary groups. He also covers the Lorentz group in detail. The author then uses his mathematical foundation for the construction of free quantum fields, including the case of Majorana fermions. The book treats gauge theories and the standard model at an elementary level, and a final chapter rapidly discusses physics beyond the standard model. Some choices have been made that would be puzzling in a graduate textbook, such as the omission of the path integral. As a textbook, it is probably best suited for an elective course for math and physics majors, but it might also be useful as a supplementary reference for someone entering the field. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and 52 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
professionals. -- M. C. Ogilvie, Washington University
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Physics Everett, Allen. Time travel and warp drives: a scientific guide to shortcuts through time and space, by Allen Everett and Thomas Roman. Chicago, 2012. 268p bibl index afp ISBN 0-226-22498-8, $30.00; ISBN 9780226224985, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Everett (emer., physics, Tufts Univ.) and Roman (mathematics, Central Connecticut State Univ.) correctly note that most books written on time travel and faster-than- Recommended light travel are either science fiction or too speculative. Here they focus on what theoretical physics of the last 20 years has to say about these possibilities. Though the book contains only a few equations, which can be skipped over, the authors address some complicated theoretical ideas. They begin by introducing special relativity and the twin paradox. They then present general relativity with its possibilities of closed causal loops and faster-than-light travel. The authors also discuss exotic matter and interesting applications. An advantage of this book is its emphasis on physics research on these topics. For example, in discussing the grandfather paradox, the authors do not go on philosophical tangents, as many books have. Everett and Roman are also honest in their approach. Instead of digressing into all the odd consequences of these types of travel, they point out that current theories strongly question the possibilities of time travel and faster- than-light travel. This book is well written and accessible to general readers. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower-division undergraduates, and professionals. -- E. Kincanon, Gonzaga University
53 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Child Study Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Bartlett, Lesley. Additive schooling in subtractive times: bilingual education and Dominican immigrant youth in the Heights, by Lesley Bartlett and Ofelia García. Vanderbilt, 2011. 290p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780826517623, $69.95; ISBN 9780826517630 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bartlett (Center for Multiple Languages and Literacies, Teachers College, Columbia Univ.) and García (urban education, City University of New York) report the results Recommended of a four-year qualitative study of a highly successful bilingual high school for Latino newcomer immigrant youth in New York City. They explore the current subtractive times: declining political support for bilingual education, policies that hinder newcomers from graduating from high school, and an economic content in which immigrant youth are relegated to low-paying work. They also examine the additive program at Luperon High where, in 2008, 83 percent of students graduated within four years. Using classroom observations, focus groups with newly arrived students and teachers, and a longitudinal study of 20 newcomer immigrant youth that includes writing samples and participant observations, the authors describe a school with a well-trained cohesive faculty and pedagogical innovations that were developed and negotiated in interactions among teachers and students, not handed down from the state. This additive model of dynamic bilingualism is based on a pedagogy of translanguaging, or using two languages flexibly to promote bilingualism and biliteracy. Bartlett and García's case study includes insights that will help all educators of immigrant youth create school communities of educational sovereignty rooted in social justice. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- L. Lockard, Northern Arizona University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Fried, SuEllen. Banishing bullying behavior: transforming the culture of peer abuse, by SuEllen Fried and Blanche Sosland. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 185p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781610484329, $45.00; ISBN 9781610484336 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9781610484343 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Bullying has unfortunately become a major issue in school communities. Fried and Sosland have extensive experience to support their writing. Fried created a bully Recommended prevention program, BullySafeUSA, which is utilized in 36 states, in addition to authoring four books on the topic. Sosland brings her classroom expertise to the topic. The book defines bullying behavior; gives profiles of the bullies, targets, and witnesses; and discusses types of bullying (e.g., physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, and cyber bullying). The authors also give examples across grade levels. Most helpful is the authors' description of roles of each change agent, including administrators, teachers (they address specific content area teachers separately), parents, counselors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and others. This holistic approach assists communities in changing the culture of the school and challenges readers to end this cycle of pain. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, 54 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
research, and professional collections. -- P. S. Arter, Marywood University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Achinstein, Betty. Change(d) agents: new teachers of color in urban schools, by Betty Achinstein and Rodney T. Ogawa. Teachers College Press, 2011. 210p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752197, $68.00; ISBN 9780807752180 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this timely book, Achinstein and Ogawa (both, Center for Educational Research in the Interest of Underserviced Students, Univ. of California, Santa Cruz) provide Recommended an important perspective on the national conversation about recruiting teachers of color as part of school reform efforts for students of color in low-income urban schools to meet demographic and democratic imperatives. Based on extensive data from a five-year study of 21 teachers of color, the book argues that schools cannot focus on attracting committed teachers of color without addressing the "culturally subtractive schooling" those teachers experience due to problematic school conditions. After a comprehensive review of the existing literature, the book introduces the teachers of the study; follows the teachers to the schools in which they began their careers; examines the school, policy, and accountability contexts that create a "double bind" for new teachers; and finally makes a call to action to build schools that support teachers of color so that they in turn can support students of color. The book includes a methodological appendix. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above. -- P. M. Del Prado Hill, Buffalo State College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Critical civic literacy: a reader, ed. by Joseph L. DeVitis. Peter Lang, 2011. 505p bibl; ISBN 9781433111723, $249.95; ISBN 9781433111716 pbk, $54.95; ISBN 9781453901397 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required It is rare that an anthology can provide so comprehensive a sweep of a field as Joseph L. DeVitis's Critical Civic Literacy, a book that includes thought-provoking Recommended essays by everyone who is anyone studying civic education in the US today, and a few more to boot. Essays range greatly in their scope. Some provide focused discussions of particular discourses (e.g., textbooks, local newspapers, or arts education materials). Others look at the big sweep of history, philosophy, and economy, questioning the place and meaning of civic identity in the early-21st century through a variety of critical theoretical lenses. Still others look at matters of school and classroom-level practice. Each essay is fascinating. Some are outstanding. While DeVitis (Old Dominion Univ.) has done due diligence putting together this team, this reviewer's frustration is due to the lack of editorial leadership in framing and grouping the essays. The sum of the parts could be so much more, but the opportunity is lost. Nevertheless, the book remains a must- have for any academic library servicing future or current social studies or history teachers, as well as research and teaching faculty in education. Summing Up: Essential. Undergraduate collections and above. -- B. Justice, Rutgers University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Curriculum in early childhood education: re-examined, rediscovered, renewed, ed. by Nancy File, Jennifer J. Mueller, and Debora Basler Wisneski. Routledge, 2012. 213p bibl index; ISBN 9780415881104, $140.00; ISBN 9780415881111 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780203804360 55 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This book, edited by File, Mueller, and Basler Wisneski (all, early childhood education, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), carefully examines both the historical Recommended foundations and current practices in the field of early childhood curriculum. The authors affirm the important work of teachers and the importance of enhancing their role and voice in determining emerging curricula. A major focus of the book is summarizing key issues related to early childhood curriculum in the context of future directions for the field. Readers are encouraged to think about assumptions within the dominant culture hegemony that affect their own beliefs about curricular processes used in early childhood. This book provokes a much-needed dialogue to create a more expansive early childhood curriculum that includes multiple perspectives and possibilities. The book is highly recommended as an excellent contribution to the field of early childhood. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above. -- J. C. Agnew-Tally, Missouri State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Rumberger, Russell W. Dropping out: why students drop out of high school and what can be done about it. Harvard, 2011. 380p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674062207, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Rumberger (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) offers a comprehensive treatment of the causes, implications, and possible turnaround strategies surrounding the Recommended growing problem of students dropping out of school. His focus is broad, befitting the complex nature of this seemingly intractable issue. He deals with academic and social concerns, individual and institutional factors, and the need for prevention early in the child's educational career. His proposed solutions are programmatic, school and districtwide, and systemic. While Rumberger explicates the personal and societal ramifications of dropping out, his thesis would be strengthened further by a more concerted emphasis on socioeconomic structures and political neglects, especially in urban areas, that constrain progress on alleviating dropout problems. Also, at an individual level, many frustrated students might well regard dropping out as a rather rational response to a social and educational system that they view as abandoning them. Readers seeking deeper insights in that vein should consult Michelle Fine's now classic Framing Dropouts (CH, Oct'91, 29-1023) and John Smyth et al.'s 'Dropping Out,' Drifting Off, Being Excluded (2004). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- J. L. DeVitis, Old Dominion University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Pagliaro, Marie Menna. Educator or bully?: managing the 21st century classroom. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 125p bibl afp; ISBN 9781610484503, $50.00; ISBN 9781610484510 pbk, $22.95; ISBN 9781610484527 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The most crucial component of classroom management is setting up an environment that makes instruction flow smoothly with minimal interruptions and Recommended student behaviors. This book is concerned with how to establish this environment-- thus the question posed by the book's title, Educator or Bully?. Pagliaro (professional development consultant) provides a solid background of the 56 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
characteristics of the 21st-century classroom on which the concepts discussed in the book are based. What bothered this reviewer is the seeming disconnect between the first and second halves of the book. The concepts in the first half were interesting and informative, but not well connected to the second half of the book. The latter is a review of classroom management theorists. This half seemed to choose traditional approaches and not some of the more current approaches. Overall, the book was informative to one who has dealt with the teaching of classroom management for some time. However, lay readers may not find the entire book to be accessible. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduates, and professionals. -- G. L. Willhite, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Hill, Teresa D. Every closed eye ain't sleep: African American perspectives on the achievement gap. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 115p bibl afp; ISBN 9781610481045, $40.00; ISBN 9781610481052 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9781610481069 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required There are so many books about the achievement gap that it is difficult to choose Recommended one that adds enough to the conversation to be of value in the collection of an academic library. This book fits the bill by presenting a seldom-heard perspective, that of the African American community whose children too often find themselves on the wrong side of the gap. Hill, an urban school district administrator, argues that the concept of the achievement gap represents more than just a set of data; it is also a social construct that places poor and minority students at the bottom end of academic ability and potential. In framing her argument, she skewers both the conservative view that African American students do not achieve because they do not have either the capability or the drive to do what is necessary to succeed, and the liberal view that the students are merely the victims of uncontrollable outside forces. The author also identifies instructional models to support her contention that educators need to be focused on helping all students find their academic wings. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. -- H. M. Miller, Mercy College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Seidel, Samuel Steinberg. Hip hop genius: remixing high school education. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 172p index afp; ISBN 9781610480260, $22.95; ISBN 9781610480284 e-book, $21.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book describes the pedagogy and curriculum of an alternative high school that is rooted in hip-hop culture and has demonstrated some success in retaining Recommended students who might otherwise be among the 1.23 million high school dropouts in America every year. It also attempts to explain hip-hop as a philosophy and way of life to the uninitiated. While the library is at the heart of a traditional school, the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota, has as its core a recording studio. Curriculum is centered on music production and prepares students for a wide range of jobs related to the recording business. It is a curriculum that makes sense to young African Americans. Claiming that traditional programs subject minority students to "identity abuse," this school is predicated on providing an environment that reflects rather than transforms student culture. The program 57 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
features individualized, project-based learning in real-world contexts. Although there are plenty of anecdotal success stories in this book, it lacks the student achievement data that would make it useful for an academic audience. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. -- I. Rosenthal, The College of St. Rose Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Townsend, Alfred S. Introduction to effective music teaching: artistry and attitude. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 207p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781442209459, $70.00; ISBN 9781442209466 pbk, $34.95; ISBN 9781442209473 e-book, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Townsend (Old Dominion Univ.) has skillfully analyzed the needed elements for Recommended teaching music. He emphasizes the artistry and attitude of music leaders through the use of case studies, thus introducing the reader to the foundations of research and history necessary for effectiveness and mastery of content as well as providing real-life situations in music education settings. Nancy Klein (also Old Dominion) collaborates with the author on the important topic of leadership. Highlights of the book include charts and checklists (such as "ABCs of Attitude"), interviews with a variety of musicians, bibliographic notes and resources, and excellent end-of- chapter reflection, discussion, and assignments. Townsend takes a practical approach to contemporary teaching strategies. Although intended as a classroom textbook, this book would be a useful addition to any collection supporting study of the teaching of music. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. -- V. S. Xenakis, formerly, State University of New York College at Cortland Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Irizarry, Jason G. The Latinization of U.S. schools: successful teaching and learning in shifting cultural contexts. Paradigm Publishers, 2011. 235p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781594519581, $105.00; ISBN 9781594519598 pbk, $30.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The intent of this book is to analyze traditional school practices including tracking and disciplinary policies as such practices relate to and limit the educational Recommended opportunities of Latino students. Based on the work of Project FUERTE (Future Urban Educators conducting Research to Transform Teacher Education), Irizzarry (Neag School of Education, Univ. of Connecticut) and his high school coauthors use narrative to provide explanations for Latino student underachievement. Of particular interest are the deficit perspectives regarding Latino youth provided by Latina student-author Carmen Ortiz in response to the racist assumptions about Ortiz and other Latino students demonstrated by some of the faculty at her high school. The theme of faculty/student disconnect, based on cultural and linguistic differences, echoes throughout the book, culminating in the reflection in the final chapter written by a white graduate student/teacher whose understanding of the Latino/white dynamic evolved through her experiences with the Project FUERTE program. The epilogue provides an intriguing summary of the study that is central to the book. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections. -- A. W. Petersen, emeritus, Buena Vista University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Warschauer, Mark. Learning in the cloud: how (and why) to transform schools with digital media. Teachers College Press, 2011. 131p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752500, $70.00; ISBN 9780807752494 pbk, $31.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 58 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Warschauer (Univ. of California, Irvine) asks: "If our goals for education are academic achievement, 21st-century learning, and educational equity, then what Recommended are the hardware, software, and digital content tools we need to succeed?" He calls the four critical functions of learning that digital media help enable "the four Cs: content, community, construction, and composition." The author provides analyses of exemplary school programs, some that have succeeded using technology and some that have not, and offers explanations for varying degrees of success. He reviews the applications of netbooks, free and open source software, social media, cloud computing, media tablets, and digital content in school settings. Successful schools adjust curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, combining these elements using understanding by design. Warschauer explores the sociotechnical infrastructure of schools by discussing devices provided by schools, "bring your own technology" policies, school leadership, teachers, and opportunities to "remake our schools ... to prepare students for successful participation in a rapidly changing world." The book would have benefited from more discussion of electronic portfolios for the assessment of learning, the potential of mobile technologies in the classroom, and a webliography of online curricular resources. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. -- D. L. Stoloff, Eastern Connecticut State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Buckingham, David. The material child: growing up in consumer culture. Polity, 2011. 261p bibl index; ISBN 9780745647708, $69.95; ISBN 9780745647715 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book addresses a social phenomenon that poses both troubling concerns and positive outcomes. The Material Child looks at the way the marketplace influences Recommended youth and childhood, and raises questions about whether young people are exploited or empowered as a result. The conception of childhood as a time of innocence separate from the marketplace no longer exists. Buckingham (Univ. of London, UK) considers current trends that target the child market. The bombarding of youngsters with commercials on television, digital games, and commercial sponsorship of school events impacts childhood in numerous ways. For example the connections among junk food and obesity; sexy underage fashions and sexualization; "must-have" items and inequality; passive life styles; and relationships with parents and peers are explored. Buckingham asks whether children have too much too soon. However, the influence of the market also has positive potentials, such as expanding children's worldview, developing the skills of independent thinking, and making choices. The author seeks to reframe the issue of child consumerism. Believing that children are not passive, incompetent consumers, he questions the prevalent view of the negative impact of consumerism on childhood. Consumption can enable youth to build connections with people and participate in the social world. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- R. Roth, emerita, Rockhurst University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Boule, Michelle. Mob rule learning: camps, unconferences, and trashing the talking head. CyberAge Books, 2011. 230p index; ISBN 9780910965927 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 59 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Boule's comprehensive book will make faculty, practitioners, and organizations contemplate how conferences and continuing education and training programs are Recommended held. This work and Library Camps and Unconferences by Steve Lawson (2010) elaborate on the "unconference" movement in which participants take a more active role in learning. Boule provides a step-by-step process for creating "unconferences" and provides various case studies on actual uses in education and other areas. She discusses the typical conference and education program type learning and what they lack, and then elaborates on how unconferences and open access type learning opportunities can enhance learning in educational settings and conferences. An excellent appendix provides many examples of various tools available for use in unconferences. Boule has written articles and books and has organized unconferences on a variety of technology-related topics. Her book might be considered controversial by individuals favoring traditional models of conferences and learning; however, it provides insight on how society is learning in a Web 2.0 world. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic and professional collections, especially those serving researchers/faculty and professionals. -- W. A. Garrett, Troy University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Pandya, Jessica Zacher. Overtested: how high-stakes accountability fails English language learners. Teachers College Press, 2011. 143p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752487, $62.00; ISBN 9780807752470 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required With an increasing number of students coming from homes where English is not the first language, Pandya's Overtested focuses on the effects of high-stakes testing Recommended on both students and teachers, specifically in relation to English-language learners (ELLs). In this well-organized book, Pandya (California State Univ., Long Beach) skillfully weaves together classroom observations, student and teacher interviews, and theory to provide easy-to-follow arguments supported by data and clear reasoning. She authors a powerful warning about the consequences of the high volume of required assessments when teachers are mandated to follow prepackaged curriculum plans. In addition to her criticism of testing, Pandya helps the reader to answer the question of how to guide the students with broad and varied backgrounds who are all grouped together under the ELL label. She provides suggestions as to how to use prepackaged curricula to make it more ELL friendly. Part of the book is also dedicated to preparing and supporting teachers, as well as offering recommendations about policy and practice. This makes it an important resource for teacher candidates, practicing teachers, and teacher educators. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- A. L. Hsu, State University of New York College at Old Westbury Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Lotherington, Heather. Pedagogy of multiliteracies: rewriting Goldilocks. Routledge, 2011. 213p bibl index (Routledge research in education, 63); ISBN 9780415887106, $125.00; ISBN 9780203804889 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Lotherington (York Univ., Canada) studied this collaborative action research project, which over a period of five years was conducted by teachers at an inner- Recommended city school and university researchers. Children learned a traditional story that they then rewrote from their own cultural and linguistic perspective in digital format. In a grade-two classroom, a digital Goldilocks and the Three Bears portrays Goldilocks 60 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
as a space explorer who invades the home of three aliens and finds three bowls of slime that taste like mud, taffy with nails in it, and Jell-O. In this retelling, children's cultural understandings are grounded in the digital world of popular culture, rather than the physical world. Lotherington's study presents a new vision of multimodal literacy coherent with the social world that the children will inherit in the future. This project also supports home language maintenance and English-language learning as children acquire the agency to retell their version of a story imprinting their cultural stamp. This book is a must read for teachers and teacher educators concerned about how to foster critical engagement in the literacy classroom. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- L. Lockard, Northern Arizona University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Noddings, Nel. Philosophy of education. 3rd ed. Westview, 2012. 284p bibl index; ISBN 9780813345314 pbk, $33.00; ISBN 9780813345321 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Noddings (Stanford Univ.) is a premier philosopher of education (Caring, 1984; Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief, 1993). This third edition of her textbook Recommended differs only slightly from previous editions, adding a chapter on multicultural education and cosmopolitanism. (The second edition added a chapter titled "Problems of School Reform.") But her approach to the subject is unique. She introduces the branches and major topics of philosophy and shows how they are relevant to educational problems. Thus, some history of philosophizing about education is given; analytic and continental approaches to philosophy are surveyed; and the branches of philosophy (e.g., logic, epistemology, ethics, and social and political philosophy) and their bearing on education are introduced. In the final chapter, Noddings summarizes her previous discussions from a feminist perspective (a subject for which she is well known), adding "a bit," she says, to bring the latest work on "care ethics" up-to-date. Each chapter ends with "Summary Questions" and "Introduction to the Literature." As has been said in previous reviews, the text is an intelligent, insightful, and useful approach to the subject. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate collections. -- R. R. Sherman, emeritus, University of Florida Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Wohlwend, Karen E. Playing their way into literacies: reading, writing, and belonging in the early childhood classroom. Teachers College Press, 2011. 191p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752616, $64.00; ISBN 9780807752609 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Drawing on the professional literature and her yearlong observations of a specific kindergarten classroom, Wohlwend (Indiana Univ.) makes a convincing argument Recommended that play is an important factor in children's developing literacy skills. She details the play of three groups: Abbie Wannabes, whose play is organized around imitating the teacher; a group she calls Just Guys; and another designated as Princess Players. Through them she looks at gender and boundary issues as well as literacy. Noting that children's play is not automatically innocent and liberating, she examines the interventions of the teacher to use the play to foster positive relationships as well as increased reading and writing skills. Much of this is done through a writers' workshop in which children transform their activities into books and plays that are read and performed for the rest of the class. Integrating popular culture into the children's classroom gives the children an opportunity to use and 61 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
reshape their experiences with the media. Wohlwend uses the example of this one classroom to illustrate some of the larger educational concerns around literacy and the minimizing of play as a significant tool of learning in the current testing climate. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. -- S. Sugarman, emerita, Bennington College,Vermont State Colleges Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Nolan, Kathleen. Police in the hallways: discipline in an urban high school. Minnesota, 2011. 209p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780816675524, $69.00; ISBN 9780816675531 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Nolan (Princeton Univ.) draws from her research observing the day-to-day inner workings of a Bronx high school that faces school violence, low academic Recommended performance, and often-difficult working conditions for both students and staff. Nolan's emphasis in this work is not specifically the causes or solutions for failing schools (although this does make up a portion of the book), but instead the impact of the police presence in the school building. Through her almost unrestricted access to the school environment, the author describes the often-unguarded perspectives of students, school personnel, and the law enforcement officers charged with maintaining the order of the school building. The narratives of these groups are unflinching in their honesty, and Nolan is quick to point out the limitations of some things she documents, such as when she perceived students were not being completely truthful. This provides a multifaceted glimpse of the role that security and law enforcement play in many public schools across the nation, and will prove interesting for those curious about life in the hallways and the often-difficult world inner-city students learn to navigate. But Nolan often references her qualitative/anecdotal evidence as "data," which seems to miscategorize the research. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower- division undergraduate students, and professionals. -- P. L. Yoder, Truman State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Jax, Christine. The seven stages of an enlightened teacher. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2011. 131p bibl afp; ISBN 9781610480741, $40.00; ISBN 9781610480758 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9781610480765 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Jax (Capella Univ.) has written this work to present seven spiritual stages of teacher development. She focuses on personal spiritual growth as an educator, Recommended rather than psychological or professional stages. The first chapter places this work in a larger context with reference to other authors. The following chapters focus on reflective and practical considerations for each of the stages identified. Each stage is presented with a case study description and then practical considerations for teachers at that stage. Meditations and activities are included for each stage. The spiritual references at each stage are broad, rather than being tied to particular religious tradition. The title of this work may make the content appear overwhelming, but the writing style and content are quite accessible. Because of its focus, this work will not appeal to all audiences. It will be valued by individuals or like-minded groups of teachers who are searching for balance and strength as they pursue a vocation in education. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and practitioners. -- C. J. S. Monroe, California University of Pennsylvania 62 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Lickey, Deborah C. Starting with their strengths: using the project approach in early childhood special education, by Deborah Lickey and Denise Powers. Teachers College Press, 2011. 164p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752357, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Lickey (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.) and Powers (The Circle Preschool Program, Richmond, VA) have written a practical resource for new teachers, early childhood Recommended education students, child care workers, and parents. Teachers who enjoy developing curriculums that place emphasis on students' interests and curiosity will treasure this book. The authors provide examples of how to implement lessons that address the developmental needs of children. Special education professionals will find this book especially useful as it provides guidance on how to generate strength-based individual education plans in chapters such as "Imagine the Possibilities of Strengths-Based Learning," "Identifying Each Child's Strengths," "Developing Play and Social Skills through Emotional Regulation," "Promoting Development through Strengths and Interests," and "Planning within a Strengths- Based Emergent Curriculum." The book offers an appreciation for the unique ways in which children learn. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. -- C. R. Andrews, Medgar Evers College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Cohen, David K. Teaching and its predicaments. Harvard, 2011. 234p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674051102, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Cohen (Univ. of Michigan) draws upon his considerable expertise as he delivers a deeply insightful critique that unravels the mess that has become the current state Recommended of public education in the US. He contends that without identifying the predicaments facing American public educators, corrective solutions, reform initiatives, and supportive legislation cannot seriously be discussed or considered. In this bluntly honest little book, Cohen pinpoints both existing and historic obstacles to meaningful educational reform, and dissects failed political attempts at correction with concise precision. This book is not just a succinct, thought- provoking critique; Cohen also provides readers with enlightened comparative vantage points by which they can examine both teaching and learning from new perspectives. Cohen believes teaching, like other helping professions, is about facilitating human improvement, but he notes that this lofty goal is often hindered by the absence of common, unifying standards. According to Cohen, in order to teach well, educators must know their constituency, understand their students' cultures and how they think, and receive continuous support from colleagues and the larger community. For him, competent teachers must not only possess heightened expertise, they must also embody deeper senses of empathy in order to effectively reach students. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above. -- L. O. Wilson, emerita, University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Uhl, Christopher. Teaching as if life matters: the promise of a new education culture, by Christopher Uhl with Dana L. Stuchul. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 202p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421400389, $50.00; ISBN 9781421400396 pbk, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book is Uhl's lifetime perspective on education. His journey is somewhat similar to this reviewer's, so it was easy to relate to the background readings and 63 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended his general perspective on the occupation. Uhl (biology, Pennsylvania State Univ.) asks and attempts to answer some interesting questions. What does it mean for one to learn, and when does a person genuinely experience learning? Who (or what) were your teachers, and how did they influence or change you as you developed into a teacher? Uhl's own perspective of what makes for good teaching is the driving force of the book, but he is heavily influenced by Parker Palmer's ideology. Uhl's book is about relationships, those with ourselves and with others. His challenge especially to the aspiring teachers he works with is for them to become "relationship masters." He views this as the most important aspect in becoming a competent teacher. He believes the best teachers are those who are "masters of themselves as well as their subject matter." Uhl's ultimate question, "What really matters?," stalks all of us, but his final insights about "coming alive" in teaching and in life are his true ethos. Summing Up: Recommended. All undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. -- R. C. Morris, University of West Georgia Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Belcher, Catherine L. Teaching Harry Potter: the power of imagination in multicultural classrooms, by Catherine L. Belcher and Becky Herr Stephenson. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 201p bibl index ISBN 0-230-11028-2, $85.00; ISBN 9780230110281, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Using the four frameworks of critical pedagogy, media literacy, youth culture, and practitioner research, Belcher (Loyola Marymount Univ.) and Stephenson (Univ. of Recommended California, Irvine) share teachers' experiences of using Harry Potter books with their students. The authors discuss practitioners' application of Harry Potter books in their classrooms alternately with reflections about school structures, culture, popular culture, and policy. This writing style forces the reader to think critically about the factors influencing the decisions to include unconventional literature, such as the Harry Potter books, in the curriculum. The book has universal appeal because the focus is primarily on three teachers representing different levels, schools, and cultures: a second grade border town classroom of Hispanic children; an urban middle school special education classroom in Watts, California; and a high school Advanced Placement English class of African American students. Just as the Harry Potter books invite readers to think critically and creatively about life, the authors and the teachers convincingly argue for culturally relevant pedagogy that promotes critical and creative thinking, including the use of popular books, such as the Harry Potter series. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. - - D. L. Norland, Luther College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Teaching literacy for love and wisdom: being the book and being the change, by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Bruce Novak. Teachers College Press/NCTE/NWP, 2011. 253p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752371, $60.00; ISBN 9780807752364 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Wilhelm (English education, Boise State Univ.) and Novak (Educational Projects, Foundation for Ethics and Meaning) present a convincing, compelling argument for Recommended reexamining and transforming the role and the teaching of English. Wilhelm and Novak describe the role that public education has assumed as a purveyor of knowledge; they contend that what is needed from education is the developing, 64 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
fostering, and strengthening of students' personal growth, love of learning, and wisdom. Literature must take the reader beyond analytic cogitation to transactional reflection, where "we are moved to see, consider and live our own lives anew." This then leads one to the "gift" of developing "the desire to take new responsibility, to somehow live more artfully and meaningfully in the real world." Taking on new responsibility and becoming more engaged with the world is foundational for democracy. Wilhelm and Novak present a heavy dose of history and philosophy in building their case for the reform of the teaching of "English." While this may be a turnoff for classroom teachers seeking practical advice, the book is balanced with engaging vignettes of classroom practice. This is a must read for all involved with teaching literature and preparing teachers of literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. -- M. M. Ruby, Eastern Connecticut State University
65 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Computer Science / Mathematics Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Tieszen, Richard. After Gödel: Platonism and rationalism in mathematics and logic. Oxford, 2011. 245p bibl index afp ISBN 0-19-960620-X, $75.00; ISBN 9780199606207, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The philosophical ramifications of Gödel's incompleteness theorems have now acquired an enormous literature, and though Gödel himself published very little on Recommended the topic, the dissemination of his personal writings and conversations in the decades since his death illustrate that it did interest him greatly. While some philosophers use Gödel's theorems as ammunition against notions of absolute truth, objective reality, and Platonism, others react, urging that philosophers leave the theorems' interpretation to mathematical experts on grounds of technical pitfalls. Gödel actually harbored an optimistic view of nonmechanistic human minds that are always able to extend formal reasoning with intuition, thereby precluding the absolutely undecidable, and permitting a modified Platonism informed by Husserl's phenomenology. This new Platonism takes the mind- independent status of mathematical objects as itself mind-dependent. Here, Tieszen (philosophy, San Jose State Univ.; Phenomenology, Logic, and the Philosophy of Mathematics, 2005) reports, refines, and extends this program. Though the book abounds with clear explanation, its organization may still confound the linear-reading neophyte; the author explains bits of philosophical jargon (e.g., a specialized meaning of "intention") only after dozens of pages of usage. Fortunately each chapter stands reasonably well on its own for the reader who makes liberal use of the index. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. V. Feldman, University of New Hampshire Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology American food by the decades, ed. by Sherri Liberman. Greenwood, 2011. 250p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313376986, $85.00; ISBN 9780313376993 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required American Food by the Decades is an edited collection covering the history of food in the US during the 20th century. Each of the ten decade chapters provides a brief Recommended historical context of food, followed by entries for selected foodstuffs, products, and cultural events invented during the time period under discussion. All chapters conclude with a brief list of articles, books, or websites for further reading. This book is clearly intended as an overview of American food, rather than a history. None of the contributing authors have scholarly backgrounds in their respective topics. The chapters lack footnotes or cited references; the bibliography is also quite short and does not contain many scholarly resources. Despite these shortcomings, this title would be a useful addition to a high school library where a brief overview of the topic may be all that is needed. Summing Up: Recommended. Libraries serving general readers and high school students. -- S. C. Hardesty, Georgia State University Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Barrows, Edward M. Animal behavior desk reference: a dictionary of animal behavior, ecology, and evolution. 3rd ed. CRC Press, 2011. 794p bibl afp ISBN 1-4398-3651-5, $159.95; ISBN 9781439836514, $159.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 66 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required This excellent resource by Barrows (Georgetown Univ.) brings together valuable information on animal behavior, ecology, and related areas. The third edition (2nd Recommended ed., CH, Sep'01, 39-0031) features more than 800 new terms and definitions, nearly 50 additional figures, and a wealth of updated entries. Readers learning the definitions, pronunciations, and related material will benefit from extensive see references that assist with finding the more common terms. Annotations are thorough and easy to read, and the reference list provides access to further information. References are appropriately current, and the three appendixes are an excellent addition. The first provides organism information of extremely high quality. However, a table of contents or users guide would help new users determine how the appendix is laid out. The second appendix provides information on organizations and other groups working with animals and ecology. Although not all entries have annotations, the list is fairly comprehensive and will be helpful to readers. The third appendix offers an extensive list of freely available online sources for animal behavior and related information. Its title--"Computer Databases"--may confuse some readers. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- B. C. Thomsett-Scott, University of North Texas Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Schimmerling, Ernest. A course on set theory. Cambridge, 2011. 168p bibl index; ISBN 9781107008175, $99.00; ISBN 9781107400481 pbk, $34.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required As a radical new foundation for mathematics a century ago, set theory, specifically, Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice, captured all preexisting Recommended mathematical constructions and simultaneously foregrounded fundamentally new mathematical objects. Accordingly, set theory contains all mathematical practice, while mathematics contains set theory as that specialty studying those characteristic issues and notions that historically arise within it. As foundation, set theory means most to readers whose studies in higher mathematics have framed a need for suitable grounding. The present volume by Schimmerling (Carnegie Mellon Univ.), however, has the virtue of offering other readers, with the most meager mathematical background, a streamlined initiation to set theory as specialty. By the same token, a classroom orientation saddles the book with an unfortunate "just what one needs to know for the test" (or sequel course) breathlessness. That tone may leave many readers who have a hunger for intellectual orientation alone to ponder the significance, typicality, context, applicability, or centrality of the various results. Half this slender volume covers essential basics: the axioms, ordinals, and cardinals. Three more chapters treat topics: trees, games, dense linear orders, filters, ideals, clubs, and stationary sets. Uncharacteristically, this work neither presumes nor develops any background in mathematical logic. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and graduate students. -- D. V. Feldman, University of New Hampshire Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Berdanier, Carolyn D. CRC desk reference for nutrition. 3rd ed. CRC Press, 2011. 492p afp ISBN 1-4398-4844-0, $99.95; ISBN 9781439848449, $99.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required The third edition (2nd ed., CH, May'06, 43-5012; 1st ed., CH, Sep'98, 36-0353) of this work by Berdanier (emer., Univ. of Georgia) is a comprehensive volume useful 67 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended for quick reference or for those beginning work in nutrition and related fields. Besides nutrition terms, medical, drug, food science, physiological, and biotechnological terms are included as they relate to nutritional aspects of diseases. Included in the material added to this edition are food intake recommendations, gene polymorphisms, and new drugs. A number of entries include figures or tables. Though some cross-references are featured, additional cross-referencing would make the book more useful. For example, ADH is listed by its acronym with the phrase "antidiuretic hormone" in parentheses. However, no entry appears under "antidiuretic hormone." "Vasopressin" is another term for ADH, but the entry for vasopressin makes no reference to ADH. A similar issue exists for ADHD; because the acronym is not included in the terms, readers need to know to look under "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder." Most entries are very short and thus effective for quick lookups. The first appendix provides information on food selection and meal planning. Metabolic maps make up the second appendix. Both appendixes are quite generalized but useful for quick reference. A list of the metabolic maps would be helpful for those trying to locate information. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, two-year technical program students, and general readers. -- B. C. Thomsett-Scott, University of North Texas Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Information & Computer Science Watkins, Adam. Creating games with Unity and Maya: how to develop fun and marketable 3D games. Elsevier/Focal Press, 2011. 528p index ISBN 0240818814 pbk, $49.95; ISBN 9780240818818 pbk, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The growing popularity of the Unity game engine in recent years has spawned the publication of a number of how-to books. While most books such as Ryan Recommended Creighton's Unity 3D Game Development by Example (2010) focus primarily on Unity, Creating Games with Unity and Maya attempts to address the entire art pipeline based on Autodesk's Maya, including basic coverage of the game engine and editor. Watkins (Univ. of the Incarnate Word) devotes most of the first half of the book to 3-D digital asset creation in Maya with a very light overview of animation. The remainder of the book provides an artist-friendly introduction to game scripting that should be enough to get beginners started on developing games on their own using the game engine. Therefore, those who are new to 3-D modeling, texturing, and character rigging will likely benefit most from this book. 3-D artists who have a working proficiency in Maya or those who are more interested in game design or programming may be better served elsewhere. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels in digital arts or game art programs, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners. -- A. Chen, Cogswell Polytechnical College
Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Dirr, Michael A. Dirr's encyclopedia of trees and shrubs. Timber, 2011. 951p indexes ISBN 0-88192-901-8, $79.95; ISBN 9780881929010, $79.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required A breezy, personal narrative from a renowned horticulturist, gorgeous photographs of complete specimens in situ, and close-ups of leaves, fruits, or Recommended flowers on every page combine to create pure delight. This volume combines and significantly updates the content in Dirr's Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates (CH, 68 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Jul'02, 39-6423) and Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs (CH, Apr'98, 35-4485). Species and cultivars from 380 genera are described, with 3,500 color photos. Gardeners and horticultural enthusiasts are the principal audience. Dirr (Univ. of Georgia) succeeds masterfully at presenting a wealth of information very concisely. Descriptions include form, size and habit, flower and fruit, soil, water and light requirements, and best use for every plant. Native origins, botanical binomial name, and planting zones are given. This volume is less comprehensive than The Complete Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs (CH, Jan'04, 41-2542; chief consultant Ernie Wasson), but better suited as a gardener's reference tome. It includes a helpful guide for selecting plants for specific characteristics or purposes, such as flower, fruit, and fall color; fragrance; shade and salt tolerance; weeping or columnar habit; vines, hedging, and urban planting; and evergreens for groupings. A handy chart of hardiness zones and indexes of botanical and common names complete the volume. This beautiful book will be useful for decades and deserves a place in any library with a botany or horticultural reference collection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- A. S. Ricker, Oberlin College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Wong, M. W. Discrete Fourier analysis. Birkhauser, 2011. 176p bibl index afp (Pseudo-differential Operators, 5) ISBN 3034801157 pbk, $49.95; ISBN 9783034801157 pbk, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This short work is authored by the editor of the publisher's series on pseudo- differential operators and their applications. Wong (York Univ., Canada) divides the Recommended exposition fairly neatly into two parts: the first on the fast Fourier transform, and the second on Hilbert spaces and Fourier series. Prerequisites include strong undergraduate backgrounds in linear algebra and analysis, along with a considerable amount of mathematical maturity--thus restricting the book's audience to senior undergraduates and graduate students. The exposition is fairly terse, and the motivations are from signals analysis. A short list of exercises supports each section. An earlier work, M. Frazier's An Introduction to Wavelets through Linear Algebra (1999), has a non-empty intersection of topics with the current book, and is not nearly as succinct. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division undergraduates and graduate students. -- D. Robbins, Trinity College (CT) Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Beolens, Bo. The eponym dictionary of reptiles, by Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 296p bibl afp ISBN 1-4214-0135-5, $100.00; ISBN 9781421401355, $100.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles is a directory of living reptiles whose scientific or common name derives from a person's name. This dictionary is arranged Recommended alphabetically by individual. Normally, the appearance of the name of an individual in the scientific name is a tribute from the herpetologist who first formally described the species to a colleague, often the person who collected the specimen. The same person's name often also appears in the common name, though many possible variations all are explained in this book. For example, Eisentraut's chameleon, Chamaeleo eisentrauti Mertens, is named by its describer, Robert Mertens, after its collector, Martin Eisentraut; Eisenman's Bent-toed Gecko, Cyrtodactylus eisentmani, is a tribute to Stephanie Eisenman, the director of the 69 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
World Wildlife Fund. The source of the scientific names for this book is the Reptile Database http://www.reptile-database.org/ (CH, Sup'99, 36Sup-251); common names come from several standard directories. The book also contains extensive biographical and anecdotal information about the person named, derived from a variety of sources, including personal knowledge--unfortunately, the sources are not cited specifically. This book is the follow up to the very similar The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals by the same authors (CH, May'10, 47-4771) and to Beolens and Watkins's Whose Bird? (CH, Jul'04, 41-6260). It will be useful in all biological collections as the most convenient reference on the subject. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- D. Goodman, formerly, Princeton University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Henderson, Aileen Kilgore. Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: how a geologist shaped a state. NewSouth Books, 2011. 256p bibl index; ISBN 9781588382436, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Henderson, a writer and former teacher, provides a chronological narrative of Eugene Allen Smith's career as professor of geology and mineralogy at the Recommended University of Alabama and as Alabama state geologist after the Civil War. Smith covered all of Alabama by rail, mule-drawn wagon, and in later years, automobile, in his efforts to locate and identify mineral resources and other raw materials needed to develop and industrialize the state. He played a vital role in changing Alabama from a poor, war-torn, agricultural economy into a modern, industry- friendly one. He also encouraged and promoted the recovery and development of the University of Alabama after its destruction by Union troops. Henderson uses Smith's field notebooks, family letters, and scientific reports, as well as contemporary newspaper accounts, to describe Smith's travels through five decades, starting in 1873-83 and ending in 1914-27. She also covers key events in his and his family's lives. Such events are particularly relevant to his career, since Smith and his family occupied a house located on the university campus, and since his sons frequently accompanied Smith on his journeys. A comprehensive, readable account of the accomplishments of a key participant in the economic transformation of Alabama. Summing Up: Recommended. Regional collections serving general readers and lower- and upper-division undergraduates. -- A. C. Prendergast, University of South Alabama Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Bonato, Anthony. The game of cops and robbers on graphs, by Anthony Bonato and Richard J. Nowakowski. American Mathematical Society, 2011. 276p bibl index afp (Student mathematical library, 61) ISBN 0821853473 pbk, $45.00; ISBN 9780821853474 pbk, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Bonato (Ryerson Univ., Canada) and Nowakowski (Dalhousie Univ., Canada) lay the groundwork for this most interesting book in the introductory chapter. They Recommended describe the utilization of the mathematical structure of a graph to create a game in which the object is for one team, "cop(s)," to pursue members of the other team, "robber(s)," by occupying the same nodes and for the robbers to avoid such occupation through evasion. Although the authors do include some background information on the subject, readers must already have some knowledge of graph theory--at minimum, they should have completed an introductory course. The text 70 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
itself contains enough material to serve a two-semester sequence in the subject for graduate students or advanced undergraduates. There are a number of PhD theses on this topic, and the authors refer to a website with open questions in the field. Chapter 5 provides detailed coverage of the algorithmic approach to the game, including the time complexity of solution. Chapter 6 presents the game in light of the probabilistic method and random graphs. Later chapters discuss some variations on the game. Each chapter includes exercises (with some solutions), and the book contains 202 references for further research. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. -- J. T. Saccoman, Seton Hall University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Perry, Claire. The great American hall of wonders: art, science, and invention in the nineteenth century. D. Giles/Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2011. 242p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781904832973, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book presents a curious assortment of topics ranging from Niagara Falls and the giant sequoias of California to the development of firearms and the railroad. Recommended Three of its six chapters are based on the natural sciences and three on technological innovation, dating from 1826 to 1876. All have the underlying theme of Americans' response to scientific discovery and technological invention. Relying heavily on artistic representation--painting, photography, and printmaking--this volume is both a sociological and an artistic study of the 19th-century US. Perry (guest curator, Smithsonian American Art Museum) explores the study of sciences and engineering, including botany, geology, zoology, paleontology, and mechanics- -all of which emerged in the early years of the 19th century as a way to make American life better. This period was a time when the country was emerging as a great "hall of wonders" or "showcase of abundance, freedom, and ingenuity." This volume is an interdisciplinary study that focuses not on science, art, or technology alone, but rather on what Americans believed about these endeavors and how they used and adapted them to improve living conditions. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- J. W. Stamper, University of Notre Dame Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Kendig, Keith. A guide to plane algebraic curves. Mathematical Association of America, 2011. 193p bibl index (MAA guides, 7) ISBN 0-88385-353-1, $49.95; ISBN 9780883853535, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Algebraic curves have regained a prominent position in mathematics. In light of their importance, the goal of this book is to provide a reasonable understanding of Recommended algebraic curves and their use. Beginning with standard curves (polynomial, parametric, conic, and user defined), Kendig (emer., Cleveland State Univ.) expands the study by first shrinking the plane to a disk by adjoining points at infinity, and then shifting the domain from real to complex numbers to establish Bézout's theorem. Given this context, the study shifts further to determining the topological properties of algebraic curves, relating genus to a polynomial's degree, investigating singularities, and using compact Riemann surfaces. Throughout, the author emphasizes the geometry and intuitive aspects of algebraic curves, without delving into a tedious chain of proofs. He briefly considers applications of algebraic curves, ranging from Andrew Wiles's special use of elliptic curves in his proof of 71 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Fermat's last theorem to their use in cryptography, dynamical systems, and robotics. Readers should be familiar with basic ideas from geometric topology, complex analysis, and abstract algebra. Since Kendig developed the content as a guide rather than as a textbook, no problem sets are included, but the author does suggest appropriate textbooks in a bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. -- J. Johnson, Western Washington University Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Handbook of the mammals of the world: v.2: Hoofed mammals, ed. by Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier. Lynx Edicions, 2011. 885p bibl index ISBN 8496553779, $222.56; ISBN 9788496553774, $222.56. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Ungulates, or hoofed mammals, are some of the most beloved animals to roam the Earth. The odd-toed group (Perissodactyla) includes horses, rhinos, and tapirs, Recommended whereas hippos, giraffes, camels, deer, antelope, sheep, goats, pigs, and cows are all even-toed forms (Artiodactyla). Wilson and Mittermeier offer a beautifully illustrated volume, the second in this series (vol. 1, Carnivores, CH, Apr'10, 47- 4168), on these "true ungulates," as well as pangolins, aardvarks, and the paenungulates, elephants and hyraxes; 29 contributors cover 17 families in six orders. Unfortunately, an evolutionary tree showing how these groups are related is not included. This is regrettable because the series is not organized evolutionarily, and some of the "hoofed mammals" reviewed in the volume are not particularly closely related; they are included together for convenience rather than based on evolutionary relationships. For example, elephants and hyraxes are closely related to sea cows in Paenungulata, and hippos are closely related to whales, but the two aquatic groups will be considered in the fourth volume on sea mammals. Similarly, pangolins are closely related to carnivorans, which were reviewed in the first volume, and the paenungulates and aardvarks are included in Afrotheria with tenrecs, golden moles, and elephant shrews, which presumably will be considered in the seventh volume on insectivores.Inclusion of an evolutionary tree would have clarified relationships and could have shown which volumes in the series will include close relatives. However, the numerous photos in the book are fantastic, and the range maps are extremely helpful for understanding species distributions. Each chapter covers sections on systematics, morphology, habitat, behavioral ecology, communication, feeding, breeding, home range, social organization, relationship with humans, conservation, and detailed species accounts. The book concludes with an extensive list of references, including those for species descriptions. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals in zoology. -- E. J. Sargis, Yale University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Alsina, Claudi. Icons of mathematics: an exploration of twenty key images, by Claudi Alsina and Roger B. Nelsen. Mathematical Association of America, 2011. 327p bibl index (Dolciani mathematical expositions, 45); ISBN 9780883853528, $66.95; ISBN 9780883859865 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Certain images in mathematics prompt an immediate reaction, similar to the way a smell can trigger a memory. In this provocative collection, the images chosen have Recommended what Alsina (Polytechnic Univ. of Catalonia, Spain) and Nelsen (Lewis and Clark College) believe to be iconic value, that is, they are universally recognized. The 72 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
authors identify and name each image, and explain the image's history, everyday appearance, and mathematical roles. Along with the classical results, they consider generalizations that are not well known but very engaging. For example, cevians make the list for their role in identifying the many special points of triangles. The authors also discuss Stewart's theorem and a generalization to circles. Each of the volume's 20 chapters ends with a "Challenges" section. This unusual work is a welcome addition to any library; all readers will find something to inform and even delight them. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General and academic audiences, all levels. -- J. McCleary, Vassar College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Information & Computer Science Mogensen, Torben Aegidius. Introduction to compiler design. Springer, 2011. 204p bibl index; ISBN 9780857298287 pbk, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This book provides a solid foundation to those who need to understand a main underpinning of computer science--how to design a compiler for a new language. Recommended Readers should have a strong background in computer science fundamentals and math to follow the text. Mogensen (Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark) presents the chapters in a logical sequence (including a preface explaining why it is important to learn about compiler design). The book begins with a review of lexical and syntax analysis. Additional chapters include "Scopes and Symbol Tables," "Interpretation" (of code), "Type Checking," "Intermediate-Code Generation," "Machine-Code Generation," "Register Allocation," and "Functions." Numerous figures throughout the nine chapters help explain concepts. An appendix titled "Set Notation and Concepts" concludes the text. A summary chapter pulling all the topics discussed together would have been helpful. Further, the inclusion of some concrete examples in a specific language to demonstrate concepts along with the theory presented would have been useful. A companion website (last updated on May 30, 2011) provides answers to selected problems, with emphasis on problems from the initial chapters of the book. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- M. B. DuBois, Illinois Central College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Arkowitz, Martin. Introduction to homotopy theory. Springer, 2011. 344p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781441973283, $74.95; ISBN 9781441973290 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Homotopy theory constitutes a branch of algebraic topology, a subject whose modus operandi, enshrined in its very name, consists of attaching algebraic objects Recommended to topological spaces for the sake of reducing topological problems to simpler algebraic ones. The subject begins with H. Poincaré's 1895 paper "Analysis situs," containing his definition of the fundamental group of a space; expositions still typically begin there. Here, Arkowitz (Darmouth) takes the distinctive approach of delaying the introduction of the fundamental group (and other homotopy groups) until p. 50. Midway between topology and algebra lives the homotopy category; the modern viewpoint emphasizes this intermediate level of abstraction that has its own characteristic concepts and constructions (e.g., mapping cones, suspensions, fibrations, cofibrations, smash products). Arkowitz's readers learn from the start to think in the homotopy category, still make some rapid progress in the direction of classical goals such as computing homotopy groups (e.g., Serre's theorem), and avoid the painful prospect of relearning the subject in order to 73 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
advance further. Category theory concepts come in pairs because one can reverse arrows; Arkowitz calls this "Eckmann-Hilton duality" and distinctively emphasizes it throughout. Though this is not typically an undergraduate subject, strong seniors can profitably cut their teeth on this book. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division undergraduates and above. -- D. V. Feldman, University of New Hampshire Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Introduction to representation theory, by Pavel Etingof et al. with Slava Gerovitch. American Mathematical Society, 2011. 228p bibl index afp (Student mathematical library, 59) ISBN 0821853511 pbk, $42.00; ISBN 9780821853511 pbk, $42.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This book is based on an introductory course in representation theory first offered through the Clay Mathematics Institute by Etingof (MIT) for the benefit of the Recommended other six authors of this work. Subsequent versions of the same course were offered at MIT beginning in 2008. The contributions by Gerovitch (MIT) consist of "historical interludes" sketching the contributions made by a good half-dozen precursors to today's knowledge. These include mathematical giants like Sophus Lie, F. Georg Frobenius, William Rowan Hamilton, William Burnside, Hermann Weyl, Samuel Eilenberg, and Saunders Mac Lane. These interludes, in Gerovitch's view, form the core of the "historical monograph" under review, the rest being but the copious "technical notes" that Etingof and colleagues have appended thereto. The book's nine chapters introduce the subject, present its basic notions, and develop useful general results. Two chapters discuss basic results in representations of finite groups, and then more advanced results. The remaining chapters include "Quiver Representations," "An Introduction to Categories," "Homological Algebra," and "Structure of Finite Dimensional Algebras." Two bibliographies, one each for the historical and the mathematical parts, support the text. The volume lacks an index of notations. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- F. E. J. Linton, emeritus, Wesleyan University
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Information & Computer Science O'Regan, Gerard. Introduction to software process improvement. Springer, 2011. 246p bibl index afp ISBN 0857291718 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780857291714 pbk, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required O'Regan (Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland; A Brief History of Computing, 2008; Mathematical Approaches to Software Quality, 2006) has written a Recommended comprehensive book aimed at undergraduate students and anyone who wishes to approach software process improvement for the first time. The author chose to focus on the CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) model created by the Software Engineering Institute. This model is comprehensive and current, and used in a number of North American companies. O'Regan focuses on one representation and one implementation of the model; this approach has pedagogical value but does not provide a comprehensive reference on the entire CMMI process model. Also, by design, the book barely covers agile methods and processes, an important counterpoint to CMMI. This is an acceptable compromise, considering the intended audience. The introductory chapter also clearly states that many process models exist. The written material is accurate and well explained. However, some of the pictures need editing (e.g., legend errors, poor legibility), and some of the 74 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
charts, especially in chapter 3, appear to be wrong. This is a minor flaw in an otherwise engaging introduction to the world of project-based software process improvement. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and professionals. -- L. Benedicenti, University of Regina Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics González-Velasco, Enrique A. Journey through mathematics: creative episodes in its history. Springer, 2011. 466p bibl index afp ISBN 0-387-92153-2, $79.95; ISBN 9780387921532, $79.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This detailed, carefully written volume is a selective history of mathematics, up to what might be considered the "early modern period" (i.e., through roughly 1850), Recommended with emphasis on 17th- and 18th-century advances. González-Velasco (Univ. of Massachusetts at Lowell) recounts these mathematical developments in separate chapters: "Trigonometry," "Logarithms," "Complex Numbers," "Infinite Series," "The Calculus," and "Convergence" (including limits and Fourier series). Familiar names such as Napier, Newton, and Leibniz appear, of course, but so do many lesser-known ones, including, for example, José da Cunha (174487), a Portuguese mathematician who contributed to the rigorization of analysis prior to Cauchy. Nonetheless, González-Velasco keeps the mathematical ideas in the foreground, rather than the individual mathematical personalities. His choice of topics helps to keep the narrative tight, and readers need little more than a good background in calculus to appreciate the text. This makes the book particularly suitable for undergraduate mathematics students, including those planning to teach in secondary schools. The volume contains an extensive bibliography with many original sources (some of which have not previously been translated into English). A worthwhile addition to the literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- S. J. Colley, Oberlin College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Diaconis, Persi. Magical mathematics: the mathematical ideas that animate great magic tricks, by Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham. Princeton, 2012. 244p index afp ISBN 0-691-15164-4, $29.95; ISBN 9780691151649, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Magical Mathematics strikes a nice balance between descriptions of performable magic tricks and the mathematics that makes them work. Unlike some Recommended "mathemagic" books, in this work, Diaconis (Stanford Univ.; professional magician) and Graham (Univ. of California, San Diego; professional juggler) describe magic tricks that are actually used by professionals. The focus of much of the book is on card tricks, but some space is devoted to toplogical tricks and an interesting history of mathematical magic. Though the mathematics at times might exceed the ability of the general reader, the writing is engaging, and learning the tricks that are presented is well worth the effort. There is a brief chapter describing some of the mathematics of juggling, but the focus of the book is magic. This volume should find a place in any mathematics or magic library collection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of readership. -- J. T. Noonan, Mount Vernon Nazarene University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Courtwright, Julie. Prairie fire: a Great Plains history. University Press of Kansas, 2011. 274p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780700617944, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 75 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Some prairie-plains Native Americans reportedly called prairie fires "red buffalo." This suggests at least three things about prairie fires: like buffalo, they are native to Recommended America's central grasslands; they can be dangerous but are also fascinating to behold; they are rarer than they used to be, but they are making a comeback. Historian Courtwright (Iowa State Univ.) helps readers understand all this and more in this lucid, cogent history of Great Plains prairie fires, based on an impressive range of sources. She describes how Native peoples used prairie fires for hunting, improving pasturage, and communicating, and even as a war tactic. The Euro-Americans who migrated to this area viewed prairie fires as, on the one hand, distinctive to the Great Plains--"awfully grand"--and, on the other hand, a threat that was to be suppressed. Suppression's success, though, has made clearer to plains residents the symbiotic relation of grass and fire. Fire needs grass for fuel, but grass flourishes best against plant competitors with the help of fire. At the end of the book, the author explains that since the 1970s, controlled burning has been a growing part of Great Plains life. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Environmental, western, and Great Plains collections serving upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty and general readers. -- D. F. Anderson, Northwestern College (IA) Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Public health: the development of a discipline: v.2: Twentieth-century challenges, ed. by Dona Schneider and David E. Lilienfeld. Rutgers, 2011. 873p index afp; ISBN 9780813550084, $90.00; ISBN 9780813550091 pbk, $45.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Twentieth-Century Challenges succeeds the first volume in this set, From the Age of Hippocrates to the Progressive Era (CH, Aug'08, 45-6521). While volume 1 used Recommended selected works from individuals who drove the development of public health, volume 2 acknowledges technical advances, social movements, and the economic developments that drove the discipline. The book is divided into three parts: "Population Health Issues," "Diseases, Therapies, and Prevention," and "Improving Public Health." Each chapter begins with an introduction by the editors, followed by three previously published works--some partial and some abridged--that illustrate the issue. These sections address how technology and research drove global efforts to improve public health, how public health addressed new and changing disease profiles, and how social factors impacted public health. The appendixes contain 20th-century public health documents, including the Nuremberg Code, the Belmont Report, and the Milan Declaration on Healthy Cities. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Mathematics Ekstrøm, Claus Thorn. The R primer. CRC Press, 2012. 287p bibl index; ISBN 9781439862063 pbk, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required R is increasingly used in the analysis of data in quantitative sciences. The R Primer by Ekstrøm (Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark) is intended for those who are already Recommended familiar with basic statistical techniques and have some knowledge of R. The book contains a number of interesting self-contained examples, each illustrating a specific situation. One of the salient features is that it covers importing data, handling data, and creating graphics. The volume is divided into five chapters, beginning with importing data (e.g., from text files, spreadsheets, and various 76 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
statistical software programs) and exporting data. The next chapter deals with topics such as data manipulation, data frames, factors, and transforming variables. Statistical analysis, using R, is covered in chapter 3; this includes descriptive statistics, linear and generalized linear models, handling repeated measurements, and more. Chapter 4 is exclusively devoted to graphics (R is quite rich in graphical functions). The final chapter provides general information about R, R packages, and the R workspace. The program can be downloaded for free at http://cran.r- project.org; the book's companion website contains the R code used in the text and additional related topics. Valuable for readers interested in solving statistical problems using R. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals/practitioners. -- D. V. Chopra, Wichita State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Martin, Craig. Renaissance meteorology: Pomponazzi to Descartes. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 213p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4214-0187-8, $50.00; ISBN 9781421401874, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book is not only a study of Renaissance meteorology (constrained by the ever- present Aristotelianism) but also an illustration of prevailing philosophy, discourse, Recommended and even politics and technology. In the introduction, historian Martin (Oakland Univ.) provides a revisionist outline of the role of Aristotle. Chapter 1 covers epistemology and debates on absolute and provisional knowledge. The second chapter, on teleology, discusses final causes, and the third chapter, on earthquakes, concerns prophecy, providence, and divine immanence. Chapter 4, "The Chymestry of Weather," includes discussions of natural explanation. In chapter 5, which focuses on Niccoló Cabeo's new Aristotelianism, Martin argues that Cabeo's revision of ideas about "the immateriality of substantial form and the importance of privation and form to explain change" presages Descartes's disingenuous rejection of Aristotle's authority. In the final chapter, "Causation and Method in Cartesian Meteorology," the author interprets Descartes's meteorology as the beginning of the new era of natural philosophy. Well argued and well researched, this work is an essential view of Renaissance science and philosophy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. -- P. D. Skiff, Bard College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Ford, Brian J. Secret weapons: technology, science & the race to win World War II. Osprey, 2011. 288p bibl index; ISBN 9781849083904, $25.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required According to Ford, a British science writer, "The essential lesson of history is that people never learn from the lessons of history. The secret science of World War II, Recommended and its legacy in the wars we wage today arose from that unchangeable fact." This comprehensive work covers a wide array of inventions and ideas, in areas ranging from medicine to aviation and cryptology. The author describes the accelerated projects of both the Allies and the Axis powers in their hopes of becoming the victor. Each project ultimately reflects a war's ability to focus a society on survival. Though WW II ended over 60 years ago, its lessons are as relevant today as if that war, and maybe any war, had ended yesterday. Of the many "secrets" that this book contains, the most poignant may be that it provokes readers to consider why societies go to war. Is war an appropriate way to solve perceived problems, an 77 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
economic tool, a necessity for defeating evil, or just an exercise of "politics by other means"? This book may be most interesting to those seeking to understand the motives of people and their governments, and the extremes they will go to in an attempt to retain power. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. W. Carr, US Army Watercraft & Riverine Operations Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Information & Computer Science Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster, 2011. 630p bibl index; ISBN 9781451648539, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Isaacson (CEO, Aspen Institute; Einstein, CH, Sep'07, 45-0247; Benjamin Franklin, CH, Jan'04, 41-2999) provides an exhaustive examination of Steve Jobs as Recommended individual, innovator, and entrepreneur. Recurring themes are Jobs's belief, in contrast to those of Bill Gates and other peers, that a closed software and hardware infrastructure were the key to quality and success; Jobs's embodiment of Robert Friedland's "reality distortion field"--believing that he could force or, in some cases, avoid reality (e.g., his nine-month delay to accept the need to remove a cancerous tumor); and Jobs's overarching principle that his companies and products stay at the forefront of the intersection between the liberal arts and technology. He strongly felt that without exception, Apple, NeXT, and Pixar embraced this philosophy more than any competitor. Isaacson examines Jobs's successes from the development of the Apple I with engineer Steve Wozniak to essentially rescuing the failing digital-age music industry with iTunes. He also addresses Jobs's miscalculations, such as the inability of NeXT hardware to make a splash in the academic market, or his initial reluctance to allow third-party applications on Apple devices. This fascinating tour de force on the world of Steve Jobs would be an excellent addition to computer science and business collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- K. D. Winward, Central College Faculty Member: Reference \ Science & Technology Hillstrom, Kevin. U.S. health policy and politics: a documentary history. CQ Press, 2012. 717p bibl index afp ISBN 1- 60871-026-2, $185.00; ISBN 9781608710263, $185.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required For its historical scope, well-researched content, and relevance to a variety of disciplines, this book should be on the shelf of every academic library. Hillstrom, an Recommended award-winning author of several reference books, is the perfect fit to tackle the content of this ambitious topic. Rather than being a typical clinically oriented health policy book, this is a true documentary history of health care in the United States, including the cultural and societal influences that shaped it. In the tradition of any good historiographer, Hillstrom's writing is akin to storytelling, thereby adding much interest and even fascination to the topic. The scope is far-reaching, beginning with health care issues in the New World of the 1600s and ending with Obama's Health Care Reform Bill. Hillstrom makes excellent use of primary sources, seamlessly interweaving them with the narrative. As a bonus, all 150-plus primary source documents--from the obscure to the well-known--are included in full-text format, making this a treat for any historian. Students in medicine, public health, humanities, history, political science, and religion will find this book useful as they seek to understand the varying influences that formed--and continue to form--US health policy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level 78 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
undergraduates and above. -- J. S. Jameson, University of Toledo
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Victorian science and literature: Part 1, v.1: Negotiating boundaries; v.2: Victorian science as cultural authority; v.3: Science, religion and natural theology; v.4: The evolutionary epic, general editors Gowan Dawson and Bernard Lightman. Pickering & Chatto, 2011. (Dist. by Ashgate Publishing), 4v afp; ISBN 9781848930919, $625.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Victorian Science and Literature is an anthology of period readings that address or illustrate the interrelationship of science and literature during that era. The editors Recommended have wisely focused on texts that are difficult to find. While George Eliot and Charles Darwin figure prominently in the discussion, there are no passages from Middlemarch or the Origin. Each volume features an introduction that maps out the landscape within which the readings serve as markers. A short introduction preceding each selection provides further context. The first volume, Negotiating Boundaries, addresses the definition of science and its relationship to other fields. In the Victorian era, the boundary between science and art, when it was seen to exist at all, was poorly defined. A dominant presence here is William Whewell, the Anglican priest and polymath who worked to build a scholarly community and who coined the term "scientist." Volume 2, Victorian Science as Cultural Authority, builds on the theme boundaries with readings on the extent of scientific authority. Was science a yardstick against which all could be measured, or were there matters in which scientific objectivity was trumped by other considerations? T. H. Huxley represents the former view, while conservative politician Arthur Balfour advocates a pluralistic approach to authority.
Volume 3, Science, Religion, and Natural Theology, addresses the problem of science and religion. The selections suggest a varied, nuanced view of this relationship, which was not always as contentious as spectacular events like the Huxley-Wilberforce debates may lead one to believe. The fourth volume, The Evolutionary Epic, presents passages demonstrating the development of an evolutionary narrative. Far from being a neat outgrowth of Darwinian natural selection, this narrative is shown to have a literary life of its own with echoes of Homer and Gilgamesh. The current work represents the first half of a proposed eight-volume set. According to the publisher's website, the remaining volumes will be available in June 2012. An unfortunate result is that the current volumes are unindexed, although a consolidated index is promised in volume 8. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic libraries, all levels, supporting programs in the history of science or Victorian culture. -- R. Gilmour, Ithaca College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Information & Computer Science Vamosi, Robert. When gadgets betray us: the dark side of our infatuation with new technologies. Basic Books, 2011. 222p bibl index; ISBN 9780465019588, $26.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Vamosi (senior analyst, Mocana; contributing editor, PCWorld) writes regularly about computer security issues. Here he addresses an often-overlooked concern: Recommended the privacy and safety of the computerized devices on which people increasingly rely in all realms of everyday life. As microprocessors and data storage become cheaper, more of the items people use daily are becoming computerized or 79 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
computer enhanced; however, there is a trade-off between convenience and security. Vamosi writes in an engaging style throughout the book. From the very first pages, which illustrate the faith people place in GPS devices (updated or not) and how dangerous such reliance can be, the book raises awareness of the downside of the implicit trust in mobile devices. Chapters cover such items as the amount of unprotected privacy data stored on mobile phones, the capability of cars to record driving habits (as shown in the recent investigation of Toyota), and the potential for eavesdropping that current connection protocols in smart phones and netbooks allow. The well-written work is valuable for all aficionados and users of modern gadgets and devices; it is an entertaining, highly informative read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, lower-division undergraduates, and professionals. -- T. D. Richardson, South University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ History of Science & Technology Crease, Robert P. World in the balance: the historic quest for an absolute system of measurement. W. W. Norton, 2011. 317p index ISBN 0-393-07298-3, $26.95; ISBN 9780393072983, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Crease (philosophy, Stony Brook Univ.) is an experienced popular science writer (e.g., The Great Equations, 2009; columnist, Physics World). In this volume, he tells Recommended the story of efforts to determine independent measurement standards. He traces an evolution in defining units ranging from use of the human body (e.g., foot or finger lengths) through the meridian, the seconds pendulum, spectral wavelengths, and atomic properties. Along the way, he works in the comparative history of metrology in China and West Africa. He also takes the reader on a veritable travelogue, visiting the curators around the world who care for the key artifacts of measurement systems. Crease provides a sound account for general readers, although scholars will continue to turn to more substantive and specialized work such as Ken Alder's The Measure of All Things (CH, Feb'03, 40-3370) and The Archaeology of Measurement, edited by Iain Morley and Colin Renfrew (2010) as well as to the older data collected by Ronald Edward Zupko. Crease's final three chapters, on international collaboration to establish SI (International System of Units) and the ongoing redefinition of SI's seven fundamental units, come across as rushed. Perhaps these events are too recent and too technical to discuss thoroughly at this time. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. -- A. K. Ackerberg-Hastings, University of Maryland University College
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Community Health & Human Services Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Santulli, Robert B. The Alzheimer's family: helping caregivers cope. W. W. Norton, 2011. 234p bibl index; ISBN 9780393705775, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This clearly written, timely, useful book was designed as a resource for a wide range of clinicians--doctors, nurses, counselors, psychologists, health care staff at Recommended various facilities, and more--who treat people who have Alzheimer's disease (AD) and work with the families and caretakers of those patients. The goal of geriatric psychiatrist Santulli (Dartmouth Medical School) is "to help these clinicians better understand the impact of the disease on the family, and the impact of the family on the disease." The book begins with a clear explanation of the science behind AD. A discussion of essential topics that will help clinicians navigate the difficult course of the disease follows. Readers will gain practical resources to help families deal with the decline in memory and cognition, changes in lifelong role relationships, changes in mood and behavior, increasing safety concerns, and the constant planning for long-term care needs that accompany AD. An integral component of this work is the emphasis on the importance of acknowledging and addressing caregiver stress. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. M. Slusser, DeSales University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Anti-immigration in the United States: a historical encyclopedia, ed. by Kathleen R. Arnold. Greenwood, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313375217, $180.00; ISBN 9780313375224 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," wrote Emma Lazarus in 1883. Engraved on the Statue of Liberty, these words Recommended capture the abiding civic belief that the US is a nation open to all immigrants. Always evident, however, has been a tension concerning the details of such an idealistic immigration policy. In fact, the anti-immigrant impulse is as old as the republic itself and continues with robust fervor today. "This encyclopedia," writes editor Arnold, "serves an important role in informing readers not only about current anti-immigration ideas, events, policies, and figures, but also about the history of anti-immigration sentiment throughout American history." The work includes about 200 brief entries written by more than 100 contributors. Arranged alphabetically from "African Americans and Immigration" to "Zoot-Suit Riots," this set also features a brief introduction, three essays on US immigration policy, eight statistical tables, a select bibliography, and a thorough index. A separate volume features some 50 primary documents. The editor accurately notes that this encyclopedia should be seen as "not only a history of events--with a clear chronology--but also a history of ideas." Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- T. Walch, emeritus, Hoover Presidential Library Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Topmiller, Robert J. Binding their wounds: America's assault on its veterans, by Robert J. Topmiller and T. Kerby Neill. Paradigm Publishers, 2011. 231p index afp; ISBN 9781594515712, $89.00; ISBN 9781594515729 pk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Except for family, close friends, and those who may treat the scars of war, few 81 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
people really know or understand the emotional sacrifices that warriors make. The Recommended invisibility of inner struggle adds to misunderstanding and ignorance. Binding Their Wounds is first a succinct history of how the US has dealt with veterans, but it is also the story of one individual: its first author, Topmiller (formerly, Eastern Kentucky Univ.). A historian and veteran, his affliction with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) led to his premature death. Neill, a veteran and retired clinical psychologist, completed the work. Binding focuses on the health-related impacts of war, especially PTSD, and includes chapters on radiation exposure experiments (post-WW II), Agent Orange (Vietnam War), and Gulf War syndrome. The last few chapters argue for a preventive approach and issue a plea for achieving peace without war. This well-documented work deserves a wide audience; it could be used as source material for a range of disciplines, including psychology, counseling, history, sociology, and peace studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- P. Leung, University of North Texas Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Black America: a state-by-state historical encyclopedia, ed. by Alton Hornsby Jr. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313341120, $180.00; ISBN 9781573569767 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required When considering the black experience in the US, many publications tend to focus on the South. Certainly the South was the epicenter of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Recommended civil rights movement. It was the birthplace of jazz, blues, and rock 'n' roll. Of course, slavery, segregation, political activism, and black cultural contributions were not exclusive to the South; accordingly Black America presents the black experience across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state entry in this two-volume set is prefaced with a time line that highlights important events. The concise yet rich historical overview that follows expands on these events and themes, tracing the black experience from slavery to the present. Entries also include biographical sketches of notable African Americans who were born in or active in the state, along with a section that examines black cultural contributions. Each entry concludes with a comprehensive bibliography that highlights resources specific to the state, making this an excellent resource for those looking for an introduction to the black experience across the nation. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. -- R. Walsh, Trinity College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Schneider, Diane L. The complete book of bone health. Prometheus Books, 2011. 491p bibl index; ISBN 9781616144357 pbk, $21.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Patients seeking information on osteoporosis will appreciate this book for its straightforward style. Packed with images, the text covers basic bone physiology, Recommended bone assessment, pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical treatments and preventatives for osteoporosis, and the effects of common medical problems on bone health. In her introduction, Schneider (formerly, Univ. of California, San Diego; cofounder, 4BoneHealth.org) states that she wants readers to feel that they are "having a friendly chat," and this is a perfect description of how the book is written. The conversational style makes it an easy and fun read for patients, but some may feel that this informality detracts from the book's value for 82 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
undergraduate research use. Other features, including the index and chapter references that cite articles from professional journals, make the book more student-friendly. Chapters conclude with a bulleted summary, and one can read each of the book's six parts independently. The book provides lay readers a helpful, simplified introduction to osteoporosis and its treatment. It may also be useful for entry-level health sciences students as well as nonscience students who are researching and writing papers about health-related topics. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-level undergraduates. -- S. L. Knight- Davis, Eastern Illinois University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Controversial bodies: thoughts on the public display of plastinated corpses, ed. by John D. Lantos. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 145p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402710, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required German anatomist Gunther von Hagens initially developed the technique of plastinating bodies and body parts to create specimens for medical students in the Recommended 1970s. His work was first publicly displayed in Japan in 1995, and his exhibits have since traveled the globe. These exhibits have raised moral questions about public anatomical display, with only recent discussion in the academic literature on the topic. Controversial Bodies explores these moral issues in 12 essays written by historians, bioethicists, and theologians. The authors examine "the ways in which the current craze in plastination and the commercial success of the museum shows interact with ideas about medicine and medical education and the appropriate viewing of the dead body and its liminality in culture." The contributors discuss the moral and legal dilemmas of human body plastination and display, similarities and differences between public display and medical anatomy, cultural and religious perceptions of anatomical displays, and the aesthetic aspects of plastinated anatomic bodies. This work is an important contribution to the bioethics literature and one of the first volumes dedicated to the ethics of the public display of plastinated corpses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Henderson, D. Scott. Death and donation: rethinking brain death as a means for procuring transplantable organs. Pickwick Publications, 2011. 196p bibl index; ISBN 9781608996223 pbk, $23.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Death is unique for each individual. However, brain death is determined, diagnosed, and decided by uniform consensus authority of physicians and Recommended lawmakers, not by the individualized informed consent of the patient. Here, Henderson (Luther Rice Univ.) promotes the importance of philosophers discussing biomedical ethical issues; Henderson also consider the consequences of the loss of autonomy for individuals (and their families) in determining aspects of their death. From significant metaphysical conceptual confusions (higher/lower consciousness or biological functions) to inconsistencies in defining persons (unified system or collection of discrete parts), serious problems challenge brain death decisions. Along with problems with diagnoses, medicine's technical interests in transplantable organs (hearts) can bias the brain death test, raising serious ethical concerns. In addition, there are empirical gaps and ambiguities about connecting a viable concept of human life to the death event. Logically and ethically, Henderson's criticisms raise the option to return to the previously publicly and 83 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
medically accepted cardiopulmonary tests to satisfy pragmatic concerns for larger numbers of organs, eliminate confusion, coordinate public/professional standards, and retain public trust and respect for the medical profession's integrity. This well- written book importantly challenges these concerns for everyone in biomedical ethics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- J. Gough, formerly, Red Deer College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Sanders, Delia González. Dementia care with black and Latino families: a social work problem-solving approach, by Delia González Sanders and Richard H. Fortinsky. Springer Publishing, 2012. 314p index afp ISBN 0826106773 pbk, $55.00; ISBN 9780826106773 pbk, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although there is a plethora of literature regarding dementia, the primary focus has been on the biogenic origins, the treatment, and the pharmacological Recommended interventions. Sanders (Central Connecticut State Univ.) and Fortinsky (Univ. of Connecticut School of Medicine) seek to help current and future social workers understand the social contexts of both the dementia patients and their caregivers who grapple with the challenges of living with the symptoms. They focus on the two largest racial and ethnic groups in America, African Americans and Latinos. The authors analyze the reality of adverse life conditions and circumstances that often impact these two groups, but depict the ethnic caregiving families as capable, adaptive, resilient, and skillful in engaging "familismo" networks to problem solve difficult situations. This scholarly work uses attachment theory, self-efficacy theory, and cognitive behavior theory to frame the analysis. Each chapter is extremely well documented. The authors have created a book that comfortably combines substantial research findings with readable, practical guidelines for assessment and intervention in the real-world practice of social work. This authoritatively researched, well-written volume will appeal to the multiple disciplines involved in assisting dementia patients and their families. It will also be useful for academic health care collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. B. Hamilton, formerly, Western Michigan University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Disease eradication in the 21st century: implications for global health, ed. by Stephen L. Cochi and Walter R. Dowdle. MIT, 2011. 319p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262016735, $38.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE Required This work, part of the "Strüngmann Forum Reports" series, is based on the forum on global health initiatives held in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2010. The Strüngmann Recommended Forum "provides a creative environment within which experts scrutinize high- priority issues from multiple vantage points." At this particular meeting, participants assessed present global disease patterns, explored the challenges of disease eradication, and suggested a framework to define targets for disease eradication. The current volume is a collection of essays by forum participants focused around these themes. The contributions fall into two types: background information on key aspects of a theme and a discussion of aspects of eradication and/or elimination of disease. Contributions of both types are divided among the five sections and 19 chapters, which discuss current initiatives, determining eradication feasibility, classes of eradication initiatives, and more. Together, the 84 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
contributors illustrate how much has been learned about disease elimination and/or eradication, but they also identify the need for more efforts to enlarge the scope of conquering disease. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Hanks, Reuel R. Encyclopedia of geography terms, themes, and concepts, by Reuel R. Hanks with Stephen J. Stadler. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 405p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781598842944, $89.00; ISBN 9781598842951 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Hanks (Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater) here addresses 150 terms and core concepts basic to the understanding of geography. Terms are provided via an Recommended alphabetical list of entries and also grouped under the categories of physical and human geography. Additional access is through a 20-page index. Compared to entries in standard dictionaries, these are much lengthier. At minimum, each entry covers one page, and many go up to three. Some entries contain sidebars that provide related coverage on a topic. The work is primarily text based; figures and tables are minimal. A bibliography with some 100 sources provides options for pursuing additional research on the concepts addressed. This work attempts to serve as both a geographical dictionary and an encyclopedia, but likely fails to serve either purpose well. A better work in the latter category is the Encyclopedia of Geography, edited by Barney Warf (CH, Apr'11, 48-4240), though it is significantly more expensive. Readers may find that simple term definition is more easily accomplished on the Internet. This work is most appropriate for libraries wanting to provide their patrons with a basic grounding in geography at an accessible price point. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. -- K. P. McDonough, Northern Michigan University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences The Encyclopedia of migration and minorities in Europe: from the 17th century to the present, ed. by Klaus J. Bade et al. Cambridge, 2011. 768p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780521895866, $185.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Very few nations can say that their current residents represent the original population for their region. Migration has always been--and always will be-- Recommended important because it keeps in flux resource distribution and population density, which are dependent on a myriad of ever-changing factors. This encyclopedia boldly attempts to wrangle this enormous and difficult subject into one volume so that readers can understand population movement trends in Europe. Following a section titled "Terminologies and Concepts of Migration Research," it treats migration and minority movement in two ways. First it takes a macro look at the various areas in Europe and beyond that are involved in migration. Then it deals with the topic on a more micro scale, delving into 200-plus specific groups and migration periods with more specificity. This ambitious volume is very successful in its coverage of subject matter that is interdisciplinary in nature. Perhaps future editions of this work will treat material that extends even further back into Europe's complicated migratory history to shine more light on the original migratory patterns that shaped the people discussed in this volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- G. Johnson, Washtenaw Community College 85 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Encyclopedia of school crime and violence, ed. by Laura L. Finley. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313362385, $173.00; ISBN 9780313362392 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The alphabetically arranged entries in this two-volume set provide a wealth of information about crime and violence in the school setting. Encompassing high Recommended schools to college campuses, the set reviews significant cases, including professional and community responses to various incidents along with theories about why the event(s) happened. Entries vary in length but provide the pertinent facts and include a "further reading" list. Along with cases, contributors discuss many types of violence related to theft, bullying, cybercrime, dating, and sexual assault. Numerous tools beyond the alphabetical entries assist readers in locating information. A topical list of the 80-plus entries (e.g., Case Studies: Kent State Shootings, Kip Kinkel; Global Comparison, Media, and Theory) offers quick access to information. A time line of significant events pertinent to school-related crime and violence provides data from 1927 to 2010. The set also provides an international perspective with material on school crime and violence outside the United States (Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe). Extras that add to this publication's value include discussion questions, extension activities, recommended films and resources, and five appendixes. This is an excellent resource on a troubling problem in the education field. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- K. Evans, Indiana State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences End-of-life care: a practical guide, ed. by Barry M. Kinzbrunner and Joel S. Policzer. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Medical, 2011. 858p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780071545273 pbk, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Kinzbrunner and Policzer, of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, focus on physician education, although their book is a valuable resource for all health professionals. Recommended The volume is organized into six sections: "Preparing Patients for End-of-Life Care," "Management of Symptoms," "Diagnostic and Invasive Interventions," "Ethical Dilemmas," "Specific Populations," and "Diversity." Each chapter in this new edition (1st ed., 20 Common Problems in End-of-Life Care, 2002) concludes with self-assessment questions to help readers glean the main points. The comprehensive section on symptom management, with its strong emphasis on the psychosocial and spiritual well-being of patients and families, is one of the book's strongest assets and the area of greatest deficiency in the education of most health professionals. Other strengths include discussions on caring for pediatric patients and on cultural and religious diversity. The chapters are well researched, and the references are state of the science. Overall, the book is a testament to the development of palliative medicine as a specialty and will hopefully help eliminate the phrase "There is nothing more to do" when curative therapies have run their course. Health professionals need to use their greatest skills to provide the highest quality of living for those in their final days of life. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All health students, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- L. K. Strodtman, University of Michigan 86 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Cawthon, Elisabeth A. Famous trials in history. Facts On File, 2012. 463p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8160-8167-0, $85.00; ISBN 9780816081677, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The public's fascination with trials does not stem only from tabloid cases such as that of O. J. Simpson. It evolves from important issues such as religion (Salem witch Recommended trials) and war (Nuremberg trials). Historian Cawthon (Univ. of Texas at Arlington) assembles a concise volume of famous world trials that covers the characters, cases, and stories. Inside, readers will find 100 trials arranged chronologically, from "Socrates" (399 BCE) to the "Killing Fields of Cambodia" (2010). Since this work is international in scope, Anglo-American readers likely will discover many trials that are unfamiliar. Likewise, one-quarter of the trials listed in the volume occur before 1600. Included are various types--jury, military, and religious trials, and inquisitions. Most entries are five pages in length and include sections on key issues of the trial, history of the case, summary of arguments, verdict, significance, and a bibliography. Special attention is given to placing each trial into historical context. This volume will serve as a useful introduction for students and the general public. Although intended as a reference book, it will be a good addition to circulating collections due to its accessible style. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic, public, and school libraries; lower- and upper-level undergraduates, and general readers. -- J. A. Hardenbrook, University of Wisconsin- Green Bay Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Marion, Nancy E. Federal government and criminal justice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 250p index ISBN 0-230-11015-0, $90.00; ISBN 9780230110151, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Over the last 20 years, intense interest has been evident among both academic specialists and the general public in the US concerning the politics of crime control Recommended and the growing role of the federal government in the exercising of that control. This interest is reflected in the voluminous popular and academic literature published in this area. With this monograph, Marion (Univ. of Akron), a leading specialist on the American criminal justice system, provides a badly needed overview of federal criminal justice policy. Although she discusses historical trends, Marion's main focus is on the "federalization of crime," which, she argues, began in the 1960s. The introduction addresses general trends in federal government policies. Each of the ensuing seven parts deals with federal policies on major issues including the criminal justice system, drug control, violent crime, minors as both victims and offenders, weapons, organized crime, and regulatory offenses. Each part is divided into chapters dealing with issues under general headings. In turn, each chapter deals with presidential policy (for every chief executive since President Truman and covering congressional action). An appendix lists all federal legislation enacted. With this source, Marion offers a well-organized, readable starting point for any user seeking more information on federal crime policy. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries; lower-level undergraduates and above, and general readers. -- W. F. Bell, emeritus, Aurora University 87 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Great discoveries in medicine, ed. by William Bynum and Helen Bynum. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 304p bibl index ISBN 0-500-25180-0, $45.00; ISBN 9780500251805, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Great Discoveries in Medicine is a heavily illustrated reference book outlining in 70 topic-specific chapters significant diseases, cures, and health-related scientific Recommended advances mainly in the history of Western medicine. Each separately authored chapter ranges from two to four pages in length. Although there are seven overarching categories ranging from "Discovering the Body" to "Medical Triumphs" into which the chapters are placed, there is no comprehensive treatment of how medicine came to be what it is today in developed countries. Editors William Bynum (emer., Univ. College London, UK; Science and the Practice of Medicine in the Nineteenth Century, CH, Apr'95, 32-4468) and Helen Bynum (formerly, Univ. of Liverpool, UK) provide a British perspective. The volume lacks footnotes and, given the space allocated, subject coverage is not detailed. The typefaces used, especially in captions, are small. Includes a brief glossary and a short listing of recommendations, mostly books, for further reading. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. -- R. D. Arcari, University of Connecticut School of Medicine Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Handbook of child sexual abuse: identification, assessment, and treatment, ed. by Paris Goodyear-Brown. Wiley, 2012. 616p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780470877296, $75.00; ISBN 9781118082645 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The Handbook of Child Sexual Abuse is an excellent resource. Goodyear-Brown (Vanderbilt Univ.) states that, according to a national survey, 1 in 12 children admit Recommended to sexual victimization. Providing help to these children is an expanding career field in many health care and law enforcement-related areas. This primer is designed to guide current and future child sexual abuse professionals through the process of helping these young victims, emphasizing the multidisciplinary approach. It explains the child abuse agency system, the forensic interview process, and the assessment and treatment of sexually abused children, including evidence-based treatment approaches. The book goes on to address the long-term effects of sexual abuse on children and discusses the complications seen in these children, such as self-injury, problematic sexual acting out, and cultural issues, as well as teen abuse victims. Chapter contributors also address the problems observed in those who work with child sexual abuse victims and how to avoid them. The final chapter focuses on the prevention of child sexual abuse. This is a wonderful guide not only for current and future child sexual abuse workers, but for all who work with children and those who strive to understand this difficult topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- J. A. Gibson, AT Still University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Schenck, David. Healers: extraordinary clinicians at work, by David Schenck and Larry R. Churchill. Oxford, 2012. 270p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199735389, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Using interviews with practicing clinicians whom colleagues and patients deemed "extraordinary," Schenck and Churchill (both, Vanderbilt Univ.) illuminate the Recommended clinical and personal practices sustaining physicians' humanity amid contemporary 88 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
medicine's constant focus on productivity. They explore several angles of physician-patient interactions including the rituals of practice and interaction, and basics like the importance of physical posture in patients' hospital and clinic rooms. The authors illustrate how spirituality helps physicians cope with their own limitations and find the emotional resources to deal with the demands of patient care. The ideas in this book are not revolutionary, but the detailed interviews provide helpful information about the practices of excellence, making the authors' premises more convincing. The book powerfully shows how physicians' spiritual and physical dispositions contribute a great deal to the care they provide, showing the inseparability of personhood and excellence. Practitioners will find this a useful refresher about the things that really matter. Medical students and undergraduates who hope to be physicians will learn what they must do to become excellent practitioners. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Nelson, Arthur. Megapolitan America, by Arthur Nelson and Robert Lang. American Planning Association, 2011. 278p bibl index ISBN 1-932364-97-8, $49.95; ISBN 9781932364972, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required As the US has become more urbanized, academics, researchers, and policy makers have been challenged with defining and describing increasingly larger urban areas. Recommended For decades, the preferred unit has been the metropolitan area. Nelson (Univ. of Utah) and Lang (Univ. of Nevada--Las Vegas) make a strong case for a new paradigm, arguing connections and interrelations among proximal metropolitan areas. Based in part on Jean Gottmann's concept of megalopolis, the authors identify 23 "megapolitan" areas, each comprising multiple metropolitan areas. The authors offer detailed demographic and socioeconomic analyses for these areas projected to the year 2040, and they discuss implications of this new paradigm for planning and policy making on the federal, regional, and local levels. They present their projections and analyses in extensive data tables, figures, and maps. This work is based largely on forecasts (seemingly linear) and economic assumptions that, unfortunately, are not explicitly articulated. To their credit, Nelson and Lang acknowledge in an epilogue the uncertainties associated with forecasting and variations that may occur. Even if the forecasts are only partially realized, this book provides a compelling paradigm for how one might conceptualize urban areas and, more importantly, how one might plan for their future. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- B. Stoffel, Illinois State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Prescott, Heather Munro. The morning after: a history of emergency contraception in the United States. Rutgers, 2011. 163p index afp; ISBN 9780813551623, $69.00; ISBN 9780813551630 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The Morning After, part of the "Critical Issues in Health and Medicine" series, is a richly detailed history of the development of one of the least known or understood Recommended forms of birth control, emergency contraception. Prescott (history, Central Connecticut State Univ.; Student Bodies, 2007; A Doctor of Their Own, CH, Apr'99, 36-4526) traces the evolution of a compound initially used to treat infertility into a legal, safe backup option to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Emergency 89 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
contraception developed from the intersection of women's reproductive rights with a sociomedical model that viewed unwanted pregnancy as a "disease" of low- income women. Prescott illuminates the welter of social, scientific, political, and legal influences that fostered and discouraged women's awareness, access, and rights to emergency contraception from the 1950s to the present. Of particular interest are the delineations of the varying perspectives that feminist health activists have held regarding emergency contraception and, reciprocally, the influence of emergency contraception upon women's activism for consumer and reproductive rights. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- P. Lefler, Bluegrass Community & Technical College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Netter's infectious diseases, [ed.] by Elaine C. Jong and Dennis L. Stevens. Elsevier, 2012. 602p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781437701265 $99.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This book combines the medical illustrations of the late physician Frank Netter, new artwork by medical artists, and evidence-based chapters to deliver a unique Recommended volume that stands out as an excellent resource for students, clinicians, and faculty members. Ninety-three chapters, each authored by a medical professional, are divided into nine sections: "Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Children and Adolescents," "Skin and Soft Tissue Infections," "Respiratory Tract Infections," "Systemic Infections," "Surgical Infections," "Sexually Transmitted Infections," "Infections Associated with International Travel and Outdoor Activities," "Parasitic Diseases," and "Emerging Infectious Diseases and Pandemics." Each chapter highlights a global infectious disease state or condition and uses a clinical approach to integrate the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of infections worldwide. The authors and artists present their respective narratives and illustrations in a synergistic, clear, and well-referenced style--combining authoritative delivery with strong visual images. The index is user-friendly, and the "Evidence" and "Additional Resources" at the end of each chapter provide further references to disease agents, clinical manifestations, and conditions. This is a well- researched, valuable resource for understanding the scope of infectious diseases. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Health science graduate students and researchers/faculty; health care providers. -- D. C. Anderson, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Netter's neurology, ed. by H. Royden Jones Jr. et al. 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2012. 749p bibl index; ISBN 9781437702736, $99.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Focused clinical vignettes, classic illustrations, remarkably readable text, easily navigable online resources, clear diagnostic images--these are all features of this Recommended exceptional resource. Netter's Neurology does justice to the famous illustrator's legacy by effectively incorporating new information in a highly organized fashion, right down to the application of color-coded section headings, tables, and text highlighting. The second edition (1st ed., 2005) is divided into 17 sections and 76 chapters, with new disease entries and updated neuroimaging and treatment information. Master clinicians attempting to utilize clinical vignettes in a classroom setting must be mindful of the quantity, relevance, depth, and focus of selected vignettes--factors that are also relevant in medical texts. Here, the editors place 90 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
thought-provoking, concise vignettes at appropriate points throughout the book as master educators would. Educators and students fashioning presentations for use in accordance with the published license agreement will appreciate the full library of downloadable images available at http://www.netterreference.com/. This website also provides access to useful patient handouts and the full text of the work (separate from the illustrations). This comprehensive work can serve either as a textbook for the study of neurology or as an excellent reference source for both students and clinicians. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. A. Brugna, York College (NY) Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Pepin, Jacques. The origins of AIDS. Cambridge, 2011. 293p bibl index; ISBN 9781107006638, $85.00; ISBN 9780521186377 pbk, $28.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required In this easy-reading narrative, Pepin (Univ. of Sherbrooke, Canada) explores the more technical aspects of the AIDS virus (first two chapters) and then critically Recommended examines the evidence pointing to the origin of AIDS in Africa and the multitude of factors (economics, politics, colonization, labor, and sexual practices) that may have contributed to its worldwide spread (remaining 13 chapters). Pepin's academic credentials and his many years of experience working on a variety of AIDS-related projects in Africa give a high level of credibility to his analysis. His evaluations of the evidence, pro or con, come across as fair and reasonable. His discussion of the effects of colonization and the different sexual practices of natives and imported workers on the spread of AIDS makes interesting reading. Each chapter ends with a short, concise summary and serves as a bridge to the next topic. Pepin highlights the main points of his narrative in the second to last chapter. The superb organization of the book is noteworthy; the reader is never left hanging, and the path to the next topic is always clear. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, general, and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. S. Kowalczyk, formerly, University of Michigan Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences The Search for the legacy of the USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, ed. by Ralph V. Katz and Rueben C. Warren. Lexington Books, 2011. 166p index afp; ISBN 9780739147252, $60.00; ISBN 9780739147276 e-book, $59.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This collection of essays looks at the historical and bioethical issues stemming from the USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, especially the legacy generated by the 40- Recommended year abuse of African American subjects in the study. In the excellent Examining Tuskegee (CH, May'10, 47-5055), Susan Reverby discussed how the long-held assumptions of the legacy have proven problematic. Here, contributors examine the evidence for two assumptions of the legacy: African Americans are less willing than whites to participate in biomedical research studies, and relative willingness to participate is associated with an awareness of the USPHS study at Tuskegee. The conclusion of the editors is that neither assumption is supported by the evidence of numerous studies of the past decade. That is just the beginning, however; the 14 essays that make up the body of the book deal, often in personal ways, with the variety of legacies that exist in the troubled landscape of racial relations, biomedicine, and the cultural realities of American life. The Tuskegee experience remains relevant and rightfully disturbing in so many ways, even if the assumptions of the original legacy have faded. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic and 91 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
professional readers, all levels. -- J. H. Barker, Converse College
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences The Soul of medicine: spiritual perspectives and clinical practice, ed. by John R. Peteet and Michael N. D'Ambra. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 260p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4214-0299-8, $50.00; ISBN 9781421402994, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Historical, theological, and philosophical accounts dominate the growing literature on the relationship between medicine and religion. This volume, edited by Recommended psychiatrist Peteet and anesthesiologist D'Ambra (both, Harvard), approaches the topic through a collection of health care practitioners' autobiographical accounts of how their own spiritual perspectives inform their clinical practices in the US. This book is especially useful for those serving or preparing to serve in the pluralistic world of health care since it includes the perspectives of many traditions. It allows readers to see how religion influences practitioners, instead of patients. The autobiographical accounts, while foregrounding the practical implications of spirituality, left this reviewer wanting a more detailed picture of the traditions' belief systems. This book could be best supplemented with one of the numerous existing books on the doctrinal content of the various traditions these essays discuss. Nonetheless, The Soul of Medicine is a helpful, important contribution to understanding the role of spirituality in the lives of medical professionals; it would be a useful addition to libraries supporting medicine, nursing, and other health care training programs. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health SciencesBrent, David A. Treating depressed and suicidal adolescents: a clinician's guide, by David A. Brent, Kimberly D. Poling, and Tina R. Goldstein. Guilford, 2011. 276p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781606239575, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This clearly written, well-referenced book is designed for those treating this difficult population of at-risk adolescents. To craft this volume, Brent, Poling, and Recommended Goldstein (all, Univ. of Pittsburgh) reviewed the scientific literature to establish an evidence-based framework and treatment modality. In addition, the authors include rich case study contributions from their own evidence-based clinical practices, providing an impressively strong basis for the work. A well-presented refreshingly clear framework for evaluating suicidal risk emerges from the evidence. The authors guide clinicians from the completion of a comprehensive assessment, through treatment planning and interventions, to the evaluation and revision of effective treatment plans. They discuss current treatments, including forms of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, in terms of the relevant evidence. Vivid case examples help the reader to comprehend the described interventions. This edition seems poised to be the first of many. The authors describe their own continuing research and encourage others to engage in the clinical research needed to improve the framework and treatment model. This book can be a valuable resource for today's psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, advanced practice psychiatric nurses, counselors, and others who care for these depressed, at-risk adolescents. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- M. M. Slusser, DeSales University 92 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Saxena, Anand M. The vegetarian imperative. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 259p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402420, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The abundance of reasonably priced animal food products in the marketplace of affluent communities hides the societal, ethical, and global price tag paid for their Recommended large-scale production and distribution. Current production methods obliterate the relationship between humans and farm animals and are responsible for significant suffering by livestock raised in huge, concentrated animal feeding operations that are cramped and crowded. These prompt the need for systematically administered antibiotics and growth hormones to prevent disease and encourage rapid muscle growth. Waste lagoons, containing millions of gallons of manure, blood, and drug and pesticide residues, contaminate and pollute drinking water, soil, and air. The Vegetarian Imperative seeks to persuade the reader, using published statistics and scientific references, that current agricultural methods are unsustainable. These methods waste energy and nutrient resources, harm the planet, endanger individual and public health, and are largely responsible for the unavailability of affordable food for an increasing number of people in both developing and developed nations. Saxena, a biophysicist formerly employed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for 38 years, makes a compelling case for a crucial change to a plant-based diet in order to halt the impending crisis. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. P. Boyar, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Pecorino, Lauren. Why millions survive cancer: the successes of science. Oxford, 2011. 223p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199580552, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required If a person mentions that he/she has cancer--the dreaded "C" word--people automatically assume it is a death sentence. Not so, says Pecorino (molecular Recommended biologist, Univ. of Greenwich, UK), at least not in the majority of cases. This is the result of the many scientific advances that have provided a better understanding of the disease. Her book has three major themes. It provides a historical overview of these scientific accomplishments along with the key scientists involved; it covers the progress that has been made in managing the disease, including new drugs with fewer adverse effects and better surgical procedures; lastly, it addresses how people can reduce their risks of getting the disease through lifestyle changes. This is a work written for the general public to help them better understand cancer and its treatments. In this context, the author has done exceptionally well. She readily shares her enthusiasm and scientific wonder, taking care to rely only on peer- reviewed sources. Written in an absorbing style, this book is an important evidence-based general resource for a wide audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. D. Campbell, University of Missouri-- Columbia
93 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Criminal Justice Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMcGinty, Brian. The body of John Merryman: Abraham Lincoln and the suspension of habeas corpus. Harvard, 2011. 253p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674061552, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Among the neo-Confederate fringe of Civil War history, the claim of Abraham Lincoln as tyrant has become canon. Evidence of Lincoln's evildoing includes the Recommended arrest of John Merryman, whom Lincoln unconstitutionally imprisoned on faulty grounds. Lincoln defied the efforts of Roger Taney, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, to grant Merryman a writ of habeas corpus. Attorney McGinty presents a more nuanced look at the landmark case, providing a clear explanation of the political situation in western Maryland in 1861, the ramifications of Merryman's actions, and an explanation of the legal thought process Lincoln used in the Merryman case. The author establishes the extent of Merryman's guilt, dissects the shortcomings of Taney's efforts to free Merryman, and defies the imagery of Lincoln as tyrant. Most notably, McGinty explains the difference between Taney's role as a judge in circuit court, where the case played out, and his role within the Supreme Court, which never heard the case. Well written and clearly explained with a minimum of legal terms, this book provides an excellent overview of a momentous legal case. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates and above. -- S. J. Ramold, Eastern Michigan University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & LaborBakan, Joel. Childhood under siege: how big business targets children. Free Press, 2011. 277p index; ISBN 9781439121207, $26.00; ISBN 9781439141182 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bakan (law, Univ. of British Columbia) critiques corporate indifference and malevolence toward children. Historically, the progressive impulse to protect the Recommended vulnerable, especially children, was interrupted in 1980 when conservatives assumed leadership of the US and the UK. Absent regulatory protections of the state, corporations ran amok, marketing all sorts of pernicious products to children: violent and sexually explicit video games, off-label psychoactive medications, fat- and sugar-laden foods that contribute to obesity, narcotics of choice to adolescents, the commodification of education through a rigorous regime of tests and corporate takeover of public schools, and items containing an endless list of chemicals that had not been tested for toxicity. To this Bakan adds the lack of enforcement of child labor laws in the convergence of factors that bode ill for children. The author contends that vigorous application of the "precautionary principle" can preclude the worst of such influences until scientific evidence confirms their harmful effects and they are banned. Related books are Paul Tough's Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America (2008) and Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (CH, Nov'05, 43-1883). Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate and graduate libraries. -- D. Stoesz, Virginia Commonwealth University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyStuntz, William J. The collapse of American criminal justice. Belknap, Harvard, 2011. 413p index afp; ISBN 94 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
9780674051751, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Noted former Harvard law professor Stuntz (d. 2011) contends that unlike many works on criminal justice written by specialists in economics, history, sociology, Recommended psychology, or legal studies, his work seeks to provide an overview of a system of justice that is all but fatally flawed, grossly ineffective, and highly discriminatory. Stuntz's generalist approach is motivated by his desire to provide a critical assessment of US criminal justice and much-needed corrective suggestions, the latter of which, he maintains, are all too often missing in the work of scholars whose discipline-inspired isolation seldom allows for effective communication across formal academic boundaries. Of particular interest is the author's claim that the elimination of local democratic control over the administration of justice and the unbridled use of discretionary powers of arrest and prosecution by police and prosecutors have produced a dysfunctional system in which little justice is to be found. Summing Up: Essential. All academic and public libraries, as well as undergraduates, graduates, and faculty. -- P. Lorenzini, Saint Xavier University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsTanenhaus, David S. The constitutional rights of children: in re Gault and juvenile justice. University Press of Kansas, 2011. 152p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780700618132, $29.95; ISBN 9780700618149 pbk, $16.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Tanenhaus (William S. Boyd School of Law, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas) claims that this slim volume is both a "biography of a legal case" and a "history of juvenile Recommended justice." These claims are amply supported by Tanenhaus's review of the genesis and development of In re Gault and of his discussion of US juvenile justice. In re Gault, the case at the heart of Tanenhaus's study, focuses on the due process rights of juveniles. Tanenhaus's story allows for insights into the incorporation process, the role of the American Civil Liberties Union (which represented Gault at the US Supreme Court), oral argument, and (very importantly) the life of a case after it has been decided. His story ends with a discussion of a recent case, Safford Unified School District v. Redding (2009). The author complements his study with a most useful chronology of events and a bibliographical essay. This is another fine addition to the "Landmark Law Cases and American Society" series published by the University Press of Kansas. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- P. Watkins, Saint Joseph's College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Political TheorySajó, András. Constitutional sentiments. Yale, 2011. 382p index afp; ISBN 9780300139266, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This thoughtful book seeks to "consider the role of emotions in constitutional law, accepting that one cannot understand human behavior and law as a purely rational Recommended venture." Sajó (Central European Univ.), a practicing judge at the European Court of Human Rights, offers a compelling legal and theoretical alternative to the positioning of reason and emotion as the extremes of jurisprudential thinking, while also explicating the pivotal function emotion assumes in constitutional design and law. The book consists of seven chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the author's argument on the behalf of a social constructivist concept of emotion, as well as the disadvantages of neglecting emotion more generally. The second chapter outlines the importance of "enhanced emotions" as 95 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
defined by the French Declaration of Rights. The third and fourth chapters detail the role that the emotions of fear and empathy have assumed in modern politics. The fifth and sixth chapters articulate how emotion is pivotal to defenses of freedom of speech and assembly. The final, and arguably the most compelling, chapter argues for the importance of shame as a corrective emotion for past injustices, and the "recognition of responsibility." Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- H. L. Cheek Jr., Gainesville State College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsCushman, Clare. Courtwatchers: eyewitness accounts in Supreme Court history. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 312p index afp; ISBN 9781442212459, $35.00; ISBN 9781442212473 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Cushman (director of publications, Supreme Court Historical Society) has written a truly entertaining and informative work on the nation's highest court. The chapters Recommended are organized around themes such as the first years of the Supreme Court, appointment and confirmation of justices, circuit riding, feuds among the justices, how justices manage their workload, oral argument, a justice's first year on the Court, stories by the law clerks, and how to know when to step down from the Court. Each chapter is completely infused with stories from those who were there, such as the justices, journalists, attorneys, spouses, children, and friends. Drawing from firsthand accounts, journals, letters, interviews, and books, the author has painted as rich a tapestry of life inside the Court as could possibly be imagined. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the history and culture of the Supreme Court. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- M. W. Bowers, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaDale, Elizabeth. Criminal justice in the United States, 1789-1939. Cambridge, 2011. 184p bibl index; ISBN 9781107008847, $85.00; ISBN 9781107401365 pbk, $23.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Dale (Univ. of Florida) assesses the evolution of criminal justice from the nation's infancy to its imminent entry onto the global stage at the outbreak of WW II. The Recommended author's valuable study brings into view the traditional analysis of developments at the state and federal levels and also illustrates how popular sovereignty (a phrase that encompasses actions by common folk in mobs and as jurors, duelists, and vigilantes) enforced community ideals of justice during much of the republic's early history. Interesting also is Dale's contention that the states' early dominion over criminal justice was more the result of the national government's inaction than a result of a generally agreed upon imperative of federalism. By describing the national, provincial, and popular struggle over how to define and control criminal justice in the US, Dale has provided a most valuable contribution to those interested in the relationship between order and law. Summing Up: Essential. All libraries as well as undergraduates and graduates. -- P. Lorenzini, Saint Xavier University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsBarnes, Jeb. Dust-up: asbestos litigation and the failure of common sense policy reform. Georgetown University, 2011. 138p bibl index afp ISBN 1589017668 pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9781589017665 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 96 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Due to their various limitations, case studies often receive a lukewarm reception Recommended within academe, yet they remain a vital tool that provides context and assessment of specific occurrences. Acknowledging these limitations, Barnes (Univ. of Southern California) moves forward to produce a concisely written and very accessible review. Using asbestos litigation as the case study, Barnes leads the reader through the pipeline of the politics of efficiency. Qualitative and quantitative methods, judicial decisions, legislative review, and interviews are used, which ultimately help the reader identify institutional constraints embedded within policy formation. The author provides a full-circle analysis for the reader and reviews the importance of broad analysis within contemporary policy making. A chronology of selected events, a glossary of key legal terms, and an extensive reference list support the reader while the classroom discussion questions allow for easy integration to many political science, public policy, and social- and behavioral-related courses. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- C. McNamara, South Mountain Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsA First Amendment profile of the Supreme Court, ed. by Craig R. Smith. John Cabot, 2011. (Dist. by Delaware), 184p index ISBN 1611493617 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9781611493610 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Smith (director, Center for First Amendment Studies, California State Univ., Long Beach) enlisted colleagues and graduates to write chapters on the First Recommended Amendment views of sitting justices. The idea is intriguing, but the book's timing is less fortuitous since the contributors shoehorn the views of the two most recent justices (Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan) into the essays on the justices they replaced. After Smith outlines his methodology and describes judicial confirmation battles from Abe Fortas's nomination as chief justice in 1968 to the present, individual contributors use the six modalities that Philip Bobbitt describes in Constitutional Fate: Theory of the Constitution (1982) to examine what different Supreme Court justices said during their confirmation hearings and how they have ruled in key First Amendment cases. Smith concludes that all nine justices use doctrinal analysis (precedents) as either foundation or support; seven use prudential; six historical; four textual (original intent); four ethical; and three structural. He accordingly advises First Amendment advocates before the Supreme Court to appeal to multiple modalities, while also utilizing commonly cited metaphors. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- J. R. Vile, Middle Tennessee State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsWinkler, Adam. Gunfight: the battle over the right to bear arms in America. W. W. Norton, 2011. 361p bibl index; ISBN 9780393077414, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Winkler (Univ. of California, Los Angeles) presents an examination of the current legal environment of gun control in the wake of the Supreme Court's District of Recommended Columbia v. Heller decision. According to Winkler, the modern debate over control has devolved into extremist arguments pitting liberals, who want to confiscate most guns in America, against conservatives who stand opposed to any reasonable gun control efforts. While this characterization rests on a good deal of exaggeration, Winkler offers his book as a moderate alternative perspective, 97 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
viewing the Heller decision as an extension of a long-standing attempt in the US to balance gun rights and gun control. While many liberals condemned the Heller decision's extension of the Second Amendment to state efforts to regulate firearms, Winkler applauds the decision as an example of judicial statesmanship. In praising Scalia's opinion in the case, Winkler argues that Heller failed to vindicate either side's extreme position and has instead created the conditions in which rational political compromise can now be reached, balancing protection for gun rights with concern for public safety. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, and graduate students. -- E. C. Sands, Berry College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyHuman rights, suffering, and aesthetics in political prison literature, ed. by Yenna Wu and Simona Livescu. Lexington Books, 2011. 216p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780739167410, $65.00; ISBN 9780739167427 e- book, $64.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Interest in prisons, particularly in the US, has been increasing in the past ten years or so, but for the most part the interest has led to scholarly or popular books Recommended detailing the extent of incarceration. Works devoted to prison writing have tended to be anthologies--among the recent ones, Bell Gale's Doing Time (2011). The current volume is surprising in that Yu (comparative and Chinese literature, Univ. of California, Riverside) and Livescu (PhD candidate, UCLA) focus on the aesthetics of past and present political prison literature, from Mao's forced-labor camps to Morocco's gender-biased justice system. The "aesthetics" in general--whether marked by decentered "rhizomatous forces" (to quote Yu) or articulating a quest for freedom--is seen in relation to the central problem of the material: the inexpressibility of the political prisoner's experience. Steering clear of broad sociological theories about repression or authoritarianism, the essays have a laudable sobriety, treating prison writings as imperfect evocations of torture, attempts at resistance, and even expressions of happiness in captivity. The wide geographical scope of the volume adds to the sense of objectivity. A fascinating and welcome book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; faculty; general readers. -- R. K. Mookerjee, Eugene Lang College, The New School for the Liberal Arts Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsAnawalt, Howard C. Idea rights: a guide to intellectual property. Carolina Academic, 2011. 266p index afp; ISBN 9781594603136 pbk, $37.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This guide is not a reference tool but an excellent text for students, scholars, legal professionals, and the general public. With its practical examples, illustrations, and Recommended case studies, laypeople will find it very readable. Others will appreciate its incorporation of tables of principal legal authorities and numerous footnotes, mostly referring to case law. After the initial chapter on intellectual property, Anawalt (emer., Santa Clara Univ. School of Law) provides detailed chapters on patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. The final two chapters are titled "Other Legal Theories" and "Policy." The first deals with topics like fairness, privacy, contracts, and antitrust, and ends with legal remedies. "Policy" details current issues like privacy, length of copyright/trademark protection, and intellectual property as capital. Suggestions for legal alternatives and changes are put forward as ways to balance private versus public interest. Readers will find that 98 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
the impact of the Internet permeates this volume. The appendix is an Internet case study with excerpts of documents from the Perfect 10 v. Google court case. This book's only major weakness is editorial, with many typos and deleted words evident throughout the text. A comparable source is Richard Stim's Patent Copyright and Trademark (11th ed., 2010). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. - - M. M. Strange, formerly, University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsGrossman, Joanna L. Inside the castle: law and the family in 20th century America, by Joanna L. Grossman and Lawrence M. Friedman. Princeton, 2011. 443p index afp; ISBN 9780691149820, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The history of American law is the story of the American family. The book describes how the law both reflects and seeks to mold conceptions of what a family is and Recommended who its members are. Covering four sections and 14 chapters, Grossman (law, Hofstra Univ.) and Friedman (law, Stanford Univ.) begin by discussing marriage law, tracing it back from the British origins through state laws defining who could get married and legal remedies for those left alone at the altar. Part 2 looks to the rise of sexual freedom, the decline of traditional marriages, and the emergence of cohabitation and same-sex marriages as redefining the family. Part 3 discusses the transformation of divorce law and the way it affected issues such as alimony and child support. The last section looks to the role of reproductive technologies in defining parenthood as well as to inheritance, parental duties, and extended families in challenging contemporary views of the household. The conclusion is that the family has undergone dramatic change in America since 1787, and will evolve as new social practices emerge. Excellent for collections on American law, history, family, and gay/lesbian/transgender politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- D. Schultz, Hamline University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsHudson, David L., Jr. Let the students speak!: a history of the fight for free expression in American schools. Beacon Press, 2011. 195p index afp; ISBN 9780807044544 pbk, $17.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This is an extraordinarily valuable book on the history of free speech in US schools. Hudson (Vanderbilt Univ. Law School) uses law, history, politics, and related social Recommended sciences to demonstrate the changes regarding free expression in schools over the past several generations. His discussion of cases from the 1800s is especially helpful because a great deal of the focus is on contemporary cases. Rather than simply presenting the cases, their contexts, and the Supreme Court's rationales, he explains the sociolegal significance of each case. The most powerful section of the book may be the discussion of what Hudson terms "a new era." He recounts cases that hold great precedential value and presents their future value in a way that allows readers to see their importance. The final chapters of the book lead to a most valuable discussion about the prospects for free speech in schools in the future. Hudson's tempered hope matches his biting analysis that schools may be producing citizens ill equipped to govern themselves. This innovative, highly intellectual book is best suited for the laypeople, legal scholars, and others interested in the connections between civil liberties and democracy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- A. R. S. Lorenz, Ramapo College 99 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyMilton, Trevor B. Overcoming the magnetism of street life: crime-engaged youth and the programs that transform them. Lexington Books, 2011. 151p bibl index afp ISBN 0-7391-5083-9, $60.00; ISBN 9780739150832, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Milton (sociology, SUNY College at Old Westbury) examines the use of alternatives to incarceration (ATI) programs for youthful offenders in the "deprived dozen," 12 Recommended of New York City's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. After describing how the evolution of the juvenile justice system has closely paralleled the evolution of the adult criminal justice system, with its shift in emphasis from rehabilitation to punishment, the author positions ATI programs as part of a larger community justice movement in the opposite direction. From his perspective, ATI programs are one way to provide young people with a social survival kit of tools they will need to avoid street life and pursue alternative paths. Based on his ethnographic fieldwork, Milton profiles four programs, each of which takes a somewhat different approach to keeping delinquent youth in the community and out of secure detention. Interwoven throughout are the stories of several program participants who experienced varying degrees of success. The author presents some, albeit very limited, evidence that ATI programs can promote a "crime-free" lifestyle and reduce recidivism, but the effects appear to fade over time. Nevertheless, Milton concludes that these programs represent a promising intervention for addressing the needs of this population. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate collections; professionals. -- A. Dworsky, University of Chicago Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyDrucker, Ernest. A plague of prisons: the epidemiology of mass incarceration in America. New Press, 2011. 226p index afp; ISBN 9781595584977, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Drucker (John Jay College of Criminal Justice) has produced an outstanding work whose research is as innovative as it is compelling for all social science academics, Recommended especially criminal justice faculty and scholars. The author has skillfully crafted an indictment against the discredited, misguided practice of the attenuated use of imprisonment in the US as a continually dysfunctional correctional policy. By brilliantly focusing on three key variables (gender, age, and social class) through the illuminating light of historically significant facts, Drucker provides irrefutable comparative data challenging flawed practices of the corrections system. The author challenges readers to dispute his facts and conclusions regarding the epidemic of prison construction and its use in correctional application. This enlightening text is a superb literary work of genuine lasting value that will stand prominently in the field of incarceration literature. Appropriate for any topic- related criminal justice or sociology-based course at either the graduate or undergraduate level. Enthusiastic and highest endorsement. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- R. M. Seklecki, Minot State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsShari'a politics: Islamic law and society in the modern world, ed. by Robert W. Hefner. Indiana, 2011. 329p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780253356277, $80.00; ISBN 9780253223104 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The volume edited by Hefner (anthropology, Boston Univ.) includes essays that analyze the status of Islamic law in eight countries. In Saudi Arabia and Iran, shari'a Recommended has a consolidated position in the legal system and receives popular support. In 100 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Egypt, shari'a is constitutionally established, but its implementation continues to be a contested issue. The other three countries reflect more diversity and complexity. In Nigeria the federal state is secular, while shari'a is in place in most of the Muslim-majority states; in Indonesia the federal state is secular, while legal codes based on shari'a were passed in 53 of 470 districts and municipalities; and Turkey is a centralized secular state. Chapters examine the impacts of colonization, state-building, and local traditions, as well as the roles of governmental and societal actors, on the diverse practices of Islamic law. The contributors successfully expose both opponents and proponents of shari'a in a balanced way. This interdisciplinary book challenges various misperceptions about Islamic law by revealing the dynamic relationships among the state, society, and shari'a in significant cases. It is a must reading for those who are interested in Islam, law, and politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- A. T. Kuru, San Diego State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsLokaneeta, Jinee. Transnational torture: law, violence, and state power in the United States and India. New York University, 2011. 293p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780814752791, $55.00; ISBN 9780814752807 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Using the US and India as case studies, Lokaneeta (Drew Univ.) examines the use of torture in liberal democracies. Drawing upon Supreme Court judgments, Recommended statements by government officials, and popular conceptions about interrogations and torture in each country, the author argues that, contrary to the principles of liberal political theory, it is not uncommon for liberal democracies to rely on "excess violence" (i.e., coercion and torture) in order to exercise control over society. Despite the long history of laws against torture in both these countries, there is an equally long history of efforts to justify the use of torture in both routine and extraordinary cases. This book is a valuable resource for anyone keen on understanding why torture remains an integral feature of liberal democracies, as well as for those interested in the American and Indian jurisprudence on torture. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- A. Mazumdar, University of St. Thomas Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMesser-Kruse, Timothy. The trial of the Haymarket Anarchists: terrorism and justice in the Gilded Age. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 236p index; ISBN 9780230116603, $90.00; ISBN 9780230120778 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Messer-Kruse (Bowling Green State Univ.) challenges the historiography surrounding the Haymarket Square bombing and the ensuing trial of eight Recommended anarchists by alleging that these Chicago radicals "were part of an international terrorist network and did hatch a conspiracy to attack police with bombs and guns that May Day weekend." In addition, Messer-Kruse argues that the anarchists' trial was fair, according to the practiced legal standards of the Gilded Age. The author relies on the full verbatim transcript of the legal proceedings that comprise thousands of pages, and writes that previous scholarly and popular attempts to dissect this trial relied on an abridged version of the Haymarket trial testimony known as the Abstract of Record. Desiring to present a more complete and 101 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
nuanced telling of this monumental event in US history, Messer-Kruse will undoubtedly ruffle many academic feathers with his revisionism. Clearly written and impressively researched, this text will spark conversation among historians and those interested in US labor history. Libraries will benefit from the inclusion of this tome in their collections, and educators will find this book useful to supplement lectures in introductory or upper-division courses in US history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. M. O'Leary, Kent State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsKatz, Leo. Why the law is so perverse. Chicago, 2011. 239p index afp; ISBN 9780226426037, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Why are court cases so often decided on an either/or basis? Why is not every Recommended immoral action also criminal? Can legal loopholes be eliminated? Why cannot convicts opt for torture over long-term incarceration? And why cannot people sell their kidneys if they feel like it? These are not new questions, and varieties of them have been examined from philosophical, theological, and jurisprudential perspectives. Katz (Univ. of Pennsylvania Law School) brings another angle to the analysis, social choice theory, and the result is entertaining, enlightening--and even convincing. Relying heavily upon Kenneth Arrow's General Possibility Theorem and various related laws, paradoxes, and corollaries, Katz walks readers through different legal "perversities" and demonstrates how they are either inevitable or more desirable than their alternatives. Surprising conclusions, no doubt, but they are argued with a good lawyerly wit, verve, and mastery of the material, and the book is written in a style that nonexperts will appreciate. Even serious scholars, however, will find that it repays a couple of close readings, and it would be perfectly appropriate for any class in legal problems. It is rare that this reviewer is willing to call an academic book "delightful," but this one deserves it. It is just plain fun. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- M. Berheide, Berea College
102 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Economics Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsNdikumana, Léonce. Africa's odious debts: how foreign loans and capital flight bled a continent, by Léonce Ndikumana and James K. Boyce. Zed Books, 2011. 135p bibl index; ISBN 9781848134584, $107.95; ISBN 9781848134591 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book on debt and capital flight in Africa, based on published research by Ndikumana and Boyce (both, economics, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst), is Recommended designed to be accessible to general readers, and the authors succeed in this regard. They use stories and data to describe the situation in many African countries where money borrowed from foreigners, usually by government agencies, was spent in a manner that was not in the best interests of the country. While foreign debt in African countries is not necessarily very high in absolute terms, relative to their gross domestic product, it is quite large. The authors argue that many African countries have a net outflow of funds due to capital flight and debt servicing. They contend there is a systemic problem with international finance in that it abets borrowing linked to corruption. This is a readable book that provides a good discussion of what constitutes odious debt and why it should not have to be repaid. In the final chapter, the authors propose various policy reforms to rectify this problem. The book includes chapter notes as well as a bibliography for readers wanting to investigate the topic further. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- J. E. Weaver, Drake University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsPomfret, Richard. The age of equality: the twentieth century in economic perspective. Harvard, 2011. 283p bibl index afp ISBN 0-674-06217-5, $28.95; ISBN 9780674062177, $28.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Pomfret (economics, Univ. of Adelaide, Australia) offers a brief interpretation of the history of the world economy in the 20th century, organized around the theme Recommended of competition between market-based and centrally planned economic systems. In early chapters, he argues that the growth potential of market-oriented capitalism was clearly demonstrated in the century after the Industrial Revolution by the growth of western Europe and its offshoots. But the unequal distribution of riches this era of liberty created also spawned a growing Marxist critique of unbridled competition. Following WW I, the formation of the Soviet Union refocused the competition between market and centrally planned economies. Succeeding chapters, organized chronologically, trace the development of capitalist and socialist economies over the 20th century. By 2000, Pomfret concludes, "there was no longer debate over the desirable economic system." The market system, albeit tempered by the growth of a welfare state, which redressed its tendency toward inequality in one form or another, had clearly demonstrated its superiority. A concluding chapter argues that the challenges of the 21st century will largely be transnational in nature, and consequently suggests that it may be an era of fraternity. See related, Joyce Appleby's The Relentless Revolution: A History of Capitalism (CH, Jul'10, 47-6368). Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate and general collections. -- J. L. Rosenbloom, University of Kansas Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsSolomon, Lewis D. America's water and 103 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
wastewater crisis: the role of private enterprise. Transaction, 2011. 234p index afp; ISBN 9781412818230, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Solomon (George Washington Univ. Law School) argues for greater involvement of private firms in the management and ownership of the American water and Recommended wastewater industry as a solution to chronic underinvestment in this industry. He notes that the US public sector is facing severe fiscal constraints and is therefore unable to meet the urgent capital needs of the wastewater industry to replace, repair, and expand infrastructure. There are two very useful aspects of the book: first, the presentation of examples of research and development of new water- saving technologies that show the innovation potential of the private sector; and second, the case studies of privatization of the public water supply in Atlanta and Indianapolis, which illustrate some basic principles of the privatization process. This book may serve as a reference for nonexperts who wish to understand the general issues in this industry, but the overall presentation lacks the in-depth analysis researchers and graduate students would want. See related, Karen Bakker's Privatizing Water (CH, Apr'11, 48-4581). Summing Up: Recommended. General and undergraduate collections. -- A. M. Chaudhry, California State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsGaron, Sheldon. Beyond our means: why America spends while the world saves. Princeton, 2012. 475p bibl index afp ISBN 0-691-13599-1, $29.95; ISBN 9780691135991, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required "A penny saved is a penny earned," said Benjamin Franklin. No doubt Ben would be shocked at both the low saving rates of Americans and the tremendous amount of Recommended consumer debt today. Garon (Princeton Univ.) studies the differences in saving between people in various countries to understand why large disparities exist. Many people believe that culture predetermines saving behavior, but Garon argues this is largely incorrect. He finds that saving behavior is shaped by social policy more than anything else. Looking at countries with high saving rates, he found active programs to promote saving (especially small saving)--even among the youngest school-age children. In America since the mid-19th century, almost no policies have been initiated to promote small savings. Instead the US government has promoted consumption and the issuance of consumer credit. These decisions had real effects on the saving behavior of many Americans. Interestingly, in the US where social safety nets are small, savings are low, whereas in European countries where social safety nets are large, savings are high. Garon's study shows that institutional and historical factors explain this phenomenon much better than culture alone. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students, upper-division undergraduate and up; faculty and researchers; professionals; general readers. -- R. H. Scott, Monmouth University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsMeckling, Jonas. Carbon coalitions: business, climate politics, and the rise of emissions trading. MIT, 2011. 250p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262016322, $44.00; ISBN 9780262516334 pbk, $22.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Meckling (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard) provides a detailed analysis of two questions about climate policy. First, what role did Recommended business play in the global rise of emissions trading? Second, why did firms succeed 104 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
in promoting emissions trading as the primary global climate change policy? While analyzing these two questions, he makes several worthwhile points. Readers are told that in global environmental politics, the viability of firm coalitions depends on their ability to drive change at several levels in the "complex system" of international environmental governance. This sets the stage for the book's comparative discussion of emissions trading in the US and in the European Union. Meckling reports that the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and the emergence of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme gave rise to a "normative momentum" for mandatory market-based climate policy, and this increased the pressure for domestic climate action in the US. This book contains a few quixotic statements and some inadequately substantiated assertions, and it would have profited from econometric analysis of some of its hypotheses. Even so, it provides a competent account of the role of business in climate politics and the rise of emissions trading. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- A. A. Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsCorporate governance failures: the role of institutional investors in the global financial crisis, ed. by James P. Hawley, Shyam J. Kamath, and Andrew T. Williams. Pennsylvania, 2011. 344p index afp ISBN 0-8122-4314-5, $69.95; ISBN 9780812243147, $69.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Editors Hawley, Kamath, and Williams (all affiliated with Saint Mary's College, California) have compiled this collection of papers from a conference convened to Recommended examine the role of corporate governance in bringing about and in failing to protect clients from the global financial crisis. Topics include the role of modern portfolio theory and the acceptance of high risk in the pursuit of large returns; the role of modern portfolio theory combined with risk control strategies in the creation of market-level risks, especially in stressed markets; and the failure of large institutional investors to adequately monitor financial markets and recognize asset bubbles. Suggestions for improving future performance include increased regulation and improved transparency; shareholder say on executive remuneration; and more long-term investment strategies, such as accounting for risk of climate change in investment planning. The volume raises many interesting issues that invite further debate and investigation. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. -- M. Morgan-Davie, Utica College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsSimpson, James. Creating wine: the emergence of a world industry, 1840-1914. Princeton, 2011. 318p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691136035, $39.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required A quote in this book's preface summarizes the different philosophies of the wine industry: "In the Old World, wine-making is an art; in America, it is an industry." Recommended "America" could be extended to include not only the Americas but also Australia. South Africa would be included today, but it was not a big player in the time period examined in the book. Since Simpson (economic history, Carlos III Univ. of Madrid) is interested in the industry, consumers and importers of wine also receive their due in this book. England's list of entries in the index is twice as long as Italy's. The separate paths of the two worlds are described in light of the substantial changes 105 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
experienced in the eight decades considered. Transportation evolved to make wine accessible to large numbers of people in far-off places. Disease threatened the great vineyards of the Old World, and genetic manipulations produced disease- resistant grapes with other attractive qualities. Human nature was less malleable: traditional Old World vineyards remained small and fixated on terroir, while the New World experimented with technologies and concentrated industrial structures. Given Simpson's excellent job in describing the evolution of the industry, this book should find a large audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- J. M. Nowakowski, Muskingum University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsReinhart, Carmen M. A decade of debt, by Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2011. 157p index; ISBN 9780881326222 pbk, $10.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Authors of the best-selling, highly acclaimed book on global debt This Time Is Different (CH, Feb'10, 47-3289), Reinhart and Rogoff in this short volume examine Recommended public-sector debt in advanced countries, which has increased to unprecedented levels at the sovereign, subnational, and hybrid (in the case of the euro-zone) levels. This is paralleled by the rise of private-sector debt. The two are connected in that private financial institutions and households (both directly and indirectly) hold large amounts of public-sector debt, so public finance problems can quickly migrate to financial crises and large household wealth effects. This in turn encourages further increases in public debt to bail out systemically important financial institutions and pursue stimulative fiscal policies. As this work describes, soon the great wheel of debt comes around again and affects the performance of the real economy. Governments face very unpleasant choices: cut public-sector spending, raise taxes, ramp up inflation to reduce the real burden of debt, and redistribute wealth from savers to borrowers, or channel more financial resources from the private to the public sector. The authors put these dynamics into a coherent historical context and provide extensive charts of debt and financial crises for advanced economies. Excellent documentation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General and academic audiences, lower-division and up. -- I. Walter, New York University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsMiceli, Thomas J. The economic theory of eminent domain: private property, public use. Cambridge, 2011. 200p bibl index; ISBN 9781107005259, $99.00; ISBN 9780521182973 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Eminent domain has always been an important issue, but the 2005 US Supreme Court finding that economic development qualified as a public use for eminent Recommended domain purposes clearly struck a nerve with the public. Since that time, 44 states have passed laws restricting the use of eminent domain. The case also generated a considerable amount of new scholarship, much of it produced by Miceli (Univ. of Connecticut) and colleagues. This book integrates this new scholarship with the foundational literature in a rigorous but accessible manner. The clarity of Miceli's exposition ensures that readers of all backgrounds and experience will benefit from a close reading of this work. For example, while the discussion of the Coasean framework in chapter 1 did not provide this reviewer with any new information, its 106 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
presentation is so clear that it has already helped to improve his lecture notes on Coase. The inclusion of technical materials in an extensive appendix means that teachers of both undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as interested scholars and students across the academy, will find the book to be an invaluable resource. Summing Up: Essential. Economics collections, upper-division undergraduate and up. -- J. C. Hall, Beloit College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsBradley, Robert L., Jr. Edison to Enron: energy markets and political strategies. Scrivener/Wiley, 2011. 587p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780470917367, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required The second volume in a trilogy on "political capitalism" in the development of energy in the US since the mid-19th century (the first, Capitalism at Work: Recommended Business, Government, and Energy, CH, Apr'09, 46-4550), this book focuses on political and economic entrepreneurship and major entrepreneurs who developed the supply of energy to new customers--electricity eventually to 39 states through General Electric and Chicago's Commonwealth Edison, and natural gas through pipelines from Canada and within the US. Bradley tells the story through a focus on the leaders of the energy firms: in electricity, Samuel Insull; in natural gas, Henry Kirby, Ray Fish, Robert Herring, Clint Murchison, Jack Bowen, and Ken Lay, among others. Bradley's coverage of energy development includes the expanding generation and distribution (the grid) of electric power; construction and interconnection of separate pipeline companies (and the merging of rivals); and financial troubles (including bankruptcies). The entrepreneurs are depicted as utilizing not only managerial insight but also political skills in navigating governmental policies on the regulation of capital and pricing. This readable work offers great, interesting coverage of personalities and politics, with little economic analysis. A tantalizing preface to volume 3, which will focus on Ken Lay and Enron. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students. -- R. A. Miller, emeritus, Wesleyan University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsKoot, Christian J. Empire at the periphery: British colonists, Anglo-Dutch trade, and the development of the British Atlantic, 1621-1713. New York University, 2011. 293p index afp; ISBN 9780814748831, $39.00; ISBN 9780814748848 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Koot (Towson Univ.) provides a new perspective on the creation of transatlantic empires. He argues for a much messier and more complex relationship between Recommended English and Dutch colonists in the period 1621-1713 and, in the process, makes a valuable contribution to the study of the Atlantic world. Koot argues that the ultimate success of many early English colonies was dependent on illicit--at least from the viewpoint of the imperial authorities in London--trade with Dutch merchants and colonists. He demonstrates with a number of fine examples that this often ran counter to the policy and well-being of the nascent British Atlantic empire. Even during periods of Anglo-Dutch conflict, transnational trade continued as a matter of survival for English colonists and as an economic imperative for the Dutch. This thoroughly researched work illustrates the complexity of trade and empire building in the 17th century. Its strength lies in the storytelling ability of the author, who makes it read like a novel after having engaged in years of scholarship to master the story of transnational trade. Koot makes a valuable contribution to 107 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
transatlantic history for his study of an otherwise little-researched topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students at all levels, faculty, researchers, general readers. -- T. A. Aiello, Gordon College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsMayo, Mike. Exile on Wall Street: one analyst's fight to save the big banks from themselves. Wiley, 2011. 202p index; ISBN 9781118115466, $29.95; ISBN 9781118203644 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Mayo, a respected US bank stock analyst, has written an engrossing personal account of his Wall Street experiences. He amply highlights the perils of an analyst Recommended who is frequently out of step with his peers, often advising selling particular bank stocks while others are recommending "hold" or even "buy." Consequently, Mayo is often locked out of information channels deemed so critical to understanding current corporate policies. But Mayo seems to relish his position as a gadfly and, especially in the financial crisis of 2007-09, appears to have been mostly on target. (His "buy" prediction on Lehman Brothers is a glaring exception, but is openly admitted without excuses.) In many ways, this book is reminiscent of Dan Reingold's Confessions of a Wall Street Analyst (2007). Reingold's domain was the communications industry, but the thrust of the stories is the same: the analyst maintaining integrity in the light of pressures to sell out. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Enjoyable and informative. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students; professionals. -- J. Prager, New York University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsKeister, Lisa A. Faith and money: how religion contributes to wealth and poverty. Cambridge, 2011. 248p bibl index; ISBN 9780521896511, $99.00; ISBN 9780521721103 pbk, $27.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required A growing body of research provides strong evidence that religion affects important economic outcomes for Americans, such as in education, income, and Recommended work. In this volume, sociologist Keister (Duke; Getting Rich, CH, Nov'05, 43-1686) offers a systematic "first account" of how religious affiliation affects wealth. The work is largely descriptive, revolving around almost 60 tables that draw data from representative national samples from the General Social Survey, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Health and Retirement Survey, and Economic Values Survey. Keister takes religious affiliation as exogenous and does not speculate on how religion affects overall economic growth. Rather, she explores channels through which an individual's religion can directly and indirectly influence wealth accumulation, with examinations of family formation, educational attainment, work and occupations, income, home ownership, asset allocation patterns, indebtedness, and upward mobility. The focus is on differences among conservative Protestants, black Protestants, mainline Protestants, white Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, Jews, and Mormons. Consistent differences among these groups are discussed in light of sociological models. Keister adeptly supports the conclusion that "religion shapes values and priorities, affects decisions about which goals are worth pursuing, and contributes to the set of competencies" that can influence wealth creation. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through faculty and researchers. -- R. M. Whaples, Wake Forest University 108 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsMoynihan, Brendan. Financial origami: how the Wall Street model broke. Bloomberg Press, 2011. 170p index afp; ISBN 9781118001813, $27.95; ISBN 9781118030301 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Origami is the art of folding paper into shapes such as a swan. Moynihan (Bloomberg News) uses that metaphor to explain how the folding of existing Recommended financial assets (i.e., stocks, bonds, and insurance contracts) into intricate forms led to the recent financial crises. The basic features of these assets were transformed through this process. For example, bonds may become callable or convertible or have variable instead of fixed coupons. Insurance contracts facilitate managing risk, and derivatives such as puts and calls, futures, and swaps are contracts that transfer risk to those willing to accept it. While Wall Street originally served as an agent to transfer risk for clients, financial institutions became increasingly willing to accept risk and trade for their own accounts. Moynihan's second important insight is Wall Street's tendency of excess. The ultimate combination of origami and excess produced collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) that masked risk and generated large revenues for their originators. Moynihan provides a clear, concise explanation of the creation of increasingly intricate securities and contracts and the resulting crisis. Individuals interested in financial markets and their evolution will find this book of value. See related, Michal Lewis's The Big Short (CH, Jul'10, 47-6378). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students, upper-division undergraduate and up; faculty; researchers; professionals. -- H. Mayo, The College of New Jersey Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsGagnon, Joseph E. Flexible exchange rates for a stable world economy, by Joseph E. Gagnon with Marc Hinterschweiger. Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2011. 265p bibl index; ISBN 9780881326277 pbk, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Gagnon (Peterson Institute for International Economics; formerly, US Federal Reserve Board) and Hinterschweiger (Peterson Institute) have written a timely Recommended book that highlights the importance of flexible exchange rates for maintaining a stable world economy. The volume takes up several interesting and pertinent issues from the field of international economics, such as high volatility in the currency markets; the link between globalization and large swings in the relative market values of the output of major economies; the linkages between currency volatility, economic growth, and inflation and the implications for their stability; the long-run economic implications of exchange rate volatility; the best policy response to currency volatility; and the benefits and costs of returning to a system of fixed exchange rates and adopting a common global currency. The volume is based primarily on research produced by prominent international economists over the last two decades and does a thorough job of covering the literature on exchange rates and currency markets. Equations, graphs, and tables are used appropriately in this lucidly written work. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division undergraduate students through professionals. -- A. Sharma, Elmira College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsPinstrup-Andersen, Per. Food policy for developing countries: the role of government in global, national, and local food systems, by Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Derrill D. Watson II. Cornell, 2011. 400p 109 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
bibl index afp; ISBN 9780801448188, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Economists Pinstrup-Andersen (Cornell Univ.) and Watson (American Univ. of Nigeria) present a multidisciplinary textbook on the global food system with a Recommended focus on the developing world. The book starts from the familiar paradox of a world of both undernourished and overnourished citizens on an Earth where there is enough agricultural production to feed all. Taken as a whole, this volume reads as part primer, part policy piece, and part case studies, making it useful in the classroom as well as to the scholar. After an introduction to food policy and food systems, the bulk of the book reviews policies by goal in six chapters, ranging from improved health and nutrition to poverty alleviation, strengthened markets, and environmental preservation. The authors conclude with chapters on governance, globalization, and ethical aspects of food policy. The writing is academic but strives to minimize jargon and unpacks complex concepts. This work is intended as a complement to an earlier work by Pinstrup-Andersen (with Fuzhi Cheng), Case Studies in Food Policy for Developing Countries (v. 3, 2009). While the views espoused have their detractors, especially with regard to the authors' "social entrepreneurship approach," the book is a methodical and needed introduction. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through research collections. -- J. M. Deutsch, CUNY Kingsborough Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsThe Future of housing finance: restructuring the U.S. residential mortgage market, ed. by Martin Neil Baily. Brookings, 2011. 212p bibl index afp ISBN 0815722087 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9780815722083 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Developed from a conference on the residential mortgage market, this volume evaluates the federal government's role in the housing market and policies that Recommended promote home ownership. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, financiers of the housing bubble, are critically evaluated. Evidence shows these programs confer extensive homeownership subsidies and tax benefits. Data from other countries indicate government housing subsidies and financing support are unnecessary. US interest rates are higher than those of comparable countries, and recourse loans are the exception. Contributors agree that housing finance must be reformed but differ on how to control risk and the appropriate government role. Affordable housing is identified as a critical issue for low-income families. One general observation is that housing market credit availability needs to be stabilized. There is clear consensus on key issues: there is a role for government; a transition period is needed to reform housing finance; government entities should not hold mortgage portfolios; fair pricing is needed for credit guarantees to provide credit stability. A timely work for those interested in housing market finance. See related, The American Mortgage System, ed. by Susan Wachter and Marvin Smith (CH, Dec'11, 49-2182), and Alex Schwartz's Housing Policy in the United States (2nd ed., CH, Nov'10, 48-1594). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- E. C. Erickson, California State University, Stanislaus 110 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsJensen, J. Bradford. Global trade in services: fear, facts, and offshoring. Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2011. 245p bibl index; ISBN 9780881326017 pbk, $25.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required It has been widely reported that the service sector is a large and important part of the US economy; for example, business services alone employ more than twice as Recommended many persons as does the manufacturing sector. Yet, with regard to export trade, far more media coverage is devoted to manufactured products than to services-- despite the rapid increase in international trade in services. Jensen (Georgetown Univ.) does much to narrow this inequity by placing the service sector in proper perspective and by drawing attention to the potential for the US to expand its export trade in services. Compared with manufacturing, there is insufficient data and analysis on services. Therefore, it was necessary for the author to draw data from a wide range of sources, resulting in a groundbreaking portrayal of US trade in services. Much of the book explores the impact of increased trade in services on the US economy. Jensen includes discussions of data needs and currently available data sources. Numerous graphs and tables condense and highlight key points made in the text. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- W. C. Struning, emeritus, Seton Hall University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsTanzi, Vito. Government versus markets: the changing economic role of the state. Cambridge, 2011. 376p bibl index; ISBN 9781107096530, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Tanzi (formerly, International Monetary Fund) examines a critical question faced by nations across the globe in the 21st century: what role should government play Recommended in a country's economy? As Tanzi points out, the recent financial crises reinforce the need for careful consideration of this question; he hopes his book can serve as a guide to both students and policy makers who have undertaken this important work. This timely book is divided into three main sections. The first section provides a historical overview of the state's role in the economy. Tanzi then focuses on theoretical and analytical issues that provide a deeper understanding of how the state can affect the economy. He pays special attention to two topics that will be of great interest to most readers: public choice and the "Nordic model." The final section presents economic data that allow the reader to better understand the relationship between government intervention in the economy and economic performance. Tanzi's book is a must read. The historical overview and the focus on understanding the Nordic model make his work an invaluable contribution to the existing literature. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- F. H. Smith, Davidson College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsStephan, Paula. How economics shapes science. Harvard, 2012. 367p bibl index afp ISBN 0-674-04971-3, $45.00; ISBN 9780674049710, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Scientific knowledge and research contributes to economic growth. But how do economic incentives shape the pursuits of scientists? Stephan (economics, Georgia Recommended State Univ.) addresses both sides of the relationship between economics and the natural sciences. The first half of his book looks at different ways in which incentive structures affect natural scientific research, publication, affiliation, funding, and outcomes. The second half flips the relationship around and provides an economic 111 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
analysis of the contribution of natural scientific research and innovation to economic growth. Throughout, the focus is usually on domestic US issues, although international comparisons are made to provide context to the discussion and the policy proposals that are made. This volume provides a useful summary of how economics shapes science that is accessible to students and researchers in a variety of disciplines and to policy makers. In addition to economics collections, this work is appropriate for those supporting social studies of science and science policy. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate to professional audiences. -- R. B. Emmett, James Madison College, Michigan State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsRutherford, Malcolm. The institutionalist movement in American economics, 1918-1947: science and social control. Cambridge, 2011. 410p bibl index; ISBN 9781107006997, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Rutherford (Univ. of Victoria, Canada) has performed a long overdue service with his magnificent reminder of the importance of the now-forgotten institutionalist Recommended economists who flourished between 1918 and 1947. The institutionalists were less interested in developing abstract theories than in learning how to improve society. Some were leading academic economists, while others chose important rules in crafting and/or administering key government programs, e.g., Social Security. Rutherford's institutionalism is more of a movement than a narrowly defined school. The institutionalists interacted with as well as influenced the conventional economists at the time. Many early institutionalists either taught or were widely read in the law; perhaps this openness explains the unusually large numbers of women involved. Rutherford shows how much the institutionalists profitably interacted with orthodox economists, an almost unthinkable practice today. Besides discussing the lives, scholarship, and interactions among the leading institutionalists, Rutherford manages to dig up substantial material about their students and even their students' students. This book is enjoyable and instructive. Although most undergraduates are unlikely to read the book cover to cover, many will be able to select specific sections of value. For more advanced readers of economic history, the book is a must. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduate through research collections. -- M. Perelman, California State University, Chico Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsHahn, Barbara. Making tobacco bright: creating an American commodity, 1617-1937. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 236p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402864, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required From its literal roots as a wild plant in pre-Columbian America to its cultivation and marketing in the modern age, tobacco has been a subject of great interest. Recommended Tobacco has prompted decisions and policies in such varied fields as botany, physiology, health, economics, commerce, business organization, labor management, and politics and has had significant influence socially and culturally. But as this volume shows, even with historical familiarity there are always new things to learn and nuances to comprehend. In this scholarly and compelling history of the American tobacco industry, Hahn (history, Texas Tech Univ.) provides a discerning analysis of not only how a commodity--tobacco--was shaped and defined by technology, but also how technology can be influenced by a commodity. This study demonstrates how policies, market regulation, and human 112 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
activities, as opposed to nature, defined and developed the tobacco industry over the course of many years. It also reveals that human technology and policies are more relevant than plant genetics in understanding how and why bright, flue-cured tobacco came to dominate the US cigarette industry in the 20th century. This interesting, thorough history will appeal to general readers and researchers alike. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students, upper-division undergraduate and up; researchers; faculty; professionals; general readers. -- T. E. Sullivan, Towson University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsKindleberger, Charles P. Manias, panics and crashes: a history of financial crises, by Charles P. Kindleberger and Robert Z. Aliber. 6th ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 356p index ISBN 0230365353 pbk, $20.00; ISBN 9780230365353 pbk, $20.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This is the latest edition of the classic volume (1st ed., CH, Nov'78) by the late MIT professor Charles Kindleberger. The fifth edition (2005) and this sixth edition have Recommended been coauthored with Aliber (emer., Univ. of Chicago, Booth School of Business). The first half dozen of the book's 15 chapters are quite similar to chapters in earlier editions and consider the typical pattern of financial crises: speculative manias, the expansion of credit, and the emergence--and bursting--of financial bubbles. Similarly, later chapters on domestic and international lenders of last resort are revisions of chapters that appeared in earlier editions. A chapter on frauds and swindles has been updated to include the Bernie Madoff episode. Further additions include chapters on modern financial bubbles during the last 40 years; the Lehman Brothers panic; and an epilogue speculating on the 2010-20 decade. Any library that does not own an earlier edition of this book should definitely acquire this edition. Given the additions that have been made since 2005, even libraries that own earlier editions should seriously consider acquiring this edition too. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- R. Grossman, Wesleyan University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsCongdon, Tim. Money in a free society: Keynes, Friedman, and the new crisis in capitalism. Encounter Books, 2011. 486p index afp ISBN 1-59403-524-5, $29.95; ISBN 9781594035241, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The 18 essays in this book, revisions of previously published essays, fit together well to provide a coherent whole. Part of the book is history of thought; Congdon, Recommended a leading British monetarist, argues that academic Keynesians have not been true to Keynes because they have deemphasized monetary variables that Keynes considered important. Another part of the book is history of economic policy; the author argues that though a brand of Keynesianism has dominated academic economics, it has had limited policy influence in both the US and UK, in part because actual fiscal policy has been ineffective. Monetarism as a distinctive branch of macroeconomics has withered because a central tenet, that central banks should target and control a monetary aggregate, attracts little support today, and other monetarist ideas, especially the notion of a natural rate of unemployment, have been absorbed into mainstream macroeconomics. Part of the book is a defense of a broad definition of "money"; Congdon asserts that a broad definition makes sense in terms of a portfolio-choice understanding of the transmission process while a narrow definition does not. A timely, provocative 113 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students at all levels; faculty; professionals; general readers. -- R. E. Schenk, emeritus, Saint Joseph's College (IN) Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsRose, David C. The moral foundation of economic behavior. Oxford, 2011. 269p bibl index afp ISBN 0-19-978174-5, $49.95; ISBN 9780199781744, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This is an important book as interest grows in the role of trust, cooperation, and moral behavior in economic life. Rose (Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis) begins with a Recommended discussion about the contexts and institutions that effect opportunistic action. He then explores the nature of morality as an internalized taste for socially approved behavior. Moral action is divided into actions forbidden and actions encouraged. While moral prohibitions require duty-bound, nonconsequentialist compliance, positive moral actions are consequentialist, arising as social norms. The moral theory of Adam Smith is apparent in the way sympathy, empathy, and guilt are analyzed, but Rose's application of this moral theory to group size and trust in markets is current, instructive, and often unique. When the moral foundation of a social order fosters positive moral action and discourages negative moral behavior, trust and therefore efficient markets can thrive. Some may feel that Rose's omission of any philosophical and religious telos-based approach to morality leaves moral theory incomplete. However, Rose is clear that he is not constructing a new theory. Rather, he hopes to show what moral qualities comport with generalized prosperity in a social system. In that he is successful. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through researchers. -- J. Halteman, Wheaton College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsCherry, Robert. Moving working families forward: third way policies that can work, by Robert Cherry with Robert Lerman. New York University, 2011. 252p index afp; ISBN 9780814717189, $39.00; ISBN 9780814772997 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Economists Cherry (Brooklyn College) and Lerman (American Univ.) have written Recommended an interesting, unusual book suggesting specific economic policies to improve the lives of poor and low-income families, saying the policies could be enacted because they fit within the political agendas of both conservatives and the "liberal Left." Their focus is on the economic circumstances of three groups: teenagers, especially young black men; unmarried mothers; and less educated black workers. The authors examine various existing programs and consider some possibilities that might be more effective; they use extensive, heavily footnoted data, though not without some "cherry picking," especially concerning the different reasons for the success of welfare reform and the effects on jobs of increasing the minimum wage. After extensive discussion of the elements of the economic safety net in the US, they frequently return to the salutary effects of increased job opportunities at higher wages. Community colleges, for example, are criticized for being too centered on transferability of academics and not enough on vocational training for most of the students who attend them. Lerman provides two insightful, if provocative, chapters on marriage ("partnering") and housing for poor and near- poor households. Extensive footnotes will aid others in initiating their own research. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- H. Kasper, Oberlin 114 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
College
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsFickling, Meera. NAFTA and climate change, by Meera Fickling and Jeffrey J. Schott. Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2011. 162p bibl index; ISBN 9780881324365 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had the ambitious goal of improving economic welfare and growth in the partner countries: Canada, the US, Recommended and Mexico. As in all free trade zones, the main objective is to reallocate production within the area from less to more efficient suppliers based on comparative advantage. Besides the benefits from more efficient production patterns, reallocation of consumption within the zone is intended to bolster welfare, while member countries grow faster due to higher levels of investments and technology change. Although most economists would argue that NAFTA has been successful, especially for the two smaller members, Mexico and Canada, there have been plenty of frictions, including those involving free trade in services, transportation and trucking, and environmental spillovers. This monograph examines the latter, specifically with respect to climate change policies and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and describes the differences in laws and regulations among the three countries. These are symptomatic of international differences and tensions on climate change more generally; however, the authors argue plausibly that NAFTA could provide a very constructive platform for reconciliation and policy initiative in this area. Well documented; excellent references; list of acronyms. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through research collections. -- I. Walter, New York University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsVlasic, Bill. Once upon a car: the fall and resurrection of America's big three auto makers--GM, Ford, and Chrysler. William Morrow, 2011. 394p index; ISBN 9780061845628, $26.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Vlasic, a reporter, previously for the Detroit News and since January 2008 for The New York Times, recounts the inside story of the collapse and restructuring of the Recommended big three US automakers. The account, based on more than a hundred interviews with industry insiders and government regulators, as well as on corporate documents, federal court records, SEC filings, and transcripts of hearings, speeches, and press conferences, begins in 2005 and continues to the present. The author paints a compelling picture of the intense competitive challenge that Toyota, in particular, represented, and he identifies the shortcomings of GM, Ford, and Chrysler as seen through the eyes of key players including executives, board members, investors, bankers, and regulators. Key events include Daimler's sale of Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management; Ford's successful turnaround under Alan Mulally; the disastrous appearances of the auto executives requesting federal assistance before House and Senate committees; the federal loan assistance to GM and Chrysler under the TARP program; the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler; and the long series of concessions negotiated with the autoworkers union. The book is very well written-entertaining and informative in equal measure. See related, Alex Taylor's Sixty to Zero (CH, Oct'10, 48-0979). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All 115 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
readership levels. -- R. C. Singleton, University of Puget Sound
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsErie, Steven P. Paradise plundered: fiscal crisis and governance failures in San Diego, by Steven P. Erie, Vladimir Kogan, and Scott A. MacKenzie. Stanford, 2011. 342p index afp; ISBN 9780804756037, $75.00; ISBN 9780804756020 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required San Diego--sunny paradise, collapsed government, poor public services. Political scientists Erie, Kogan, and MacKenzie track the city's fiscal and civic decline Recommended through the past two decades to its claimed status as most screwed-up city in America. Their fascinating case study spreads the blame broadly. Causes and culprits include business use of public-private partnerships to plunder city finances; an aggressively tax-adverse populace who still demanded high-quality city services; public distrust of government; a shortsighted political leadership unwilling to handle finances or deal with basic public infrastructure problems; grandiose civic plans that exceeded their means of finance; public employee union complicity in and facilitation of fiscal manipulations; lack of corporate civic leadership; poor systems of governance and fiscal management; and lots of citizen inattention to and disbelief of fiscal realities. While making some comparisons with other California cities, the book is at its best when focusing on the politics and collusions used to wring private gain out of transactions alleged to be of public benefit. This is a cautionary tale that should be read by anyone concerned with governance, economic development, and business-government relationships in American cities. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections. -- J. L. Mikesell, Indiana University--Bloomington Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsMcGuire, Robert A. Parasites, pathogens, and progress: diseases and economic development, by Robert A. McGuire and Philip R. P. Coelho. MIT, 2011. 343p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262015660, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required By carefully examining biology--especially humans' differing abilities to defend themselves against deadly little parasites and pathogens--economists McGuire Recommended (Univ. of Akron) and Coelho (Ball State Univ.) provide compelling new insights into American economic history. They open by analyzing the big picture of human history, showing that "the virtuous cycle of increasing market size, population and income" was until about a century ago "a Faustian bargain with parasites and pathogens," which increasingly thrive as population densities increase. Next they argue that slavery's success in the New World's hotter regions and its failure in colder regions was largely driven by diseases brought from the Old World. African slaves brought to hotter places diseases like malaria and hookworm, which their immune systems handled much better than did those of whites, making southern slavery profitable. Europeans brought diseases like influenza with them, which doomed northern slavery because Africans were much more susceptible to cold- weather diseases. The evidence with which the authors back up this interpretation is persuasive, as is their discussion of slave height patterns. Anyone who can stomach lengthy descriptions of the diabolical, invisible creatures that plague humankind will be richly rewarded by McGuire and Coelho's ruminations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- R. M. Whaples, Wake Forest University 116 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsPlundered nations?: successes and failures in natural resource extraction, ed. by Paul Collier and Anthony J. Venables. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 360p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780230290228 pbk, $32.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This book follows the author's earlier work, The Plundered Planet (CH, Dec'10, 48- 2186), in which Collier (Univ. of Oxford, Centre for the Study of African Economies) Recommended explored the balance between economic development and sustainable natural resource use while protecting the environment. In this new volume, Collier and coeditor Venables (Univ. of Oxford, Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economics) have compiled eight articles examining the impact of rich natural- resource endowments on eight countries--Cameroon, Chile, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia, and Zambia--by qualified economists specializing in these economies. The articles detail how and why these countries have either succeeded (e.g., Malaysia and Chile) or failed (the remaining six) to optimally benefit from their natural resource endowments. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation indirectly funded the book through the Revenue Watch Institute, whose goal includes a "programme of applied research to help transform resource wealth into well-being." This volume will be valuable to policy makers in resource-rich nations and to academics concerned with sustainable economic development. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- D. D. Miller, Baldwin-Wallace College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsYergin, Daniel. The quest: energy, security, and the remaking of the modern world. Penguin, 2011. 804p bibl index ISBN 1-59420-283-4, $37.95; ISBN 9781594202834, $37.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Building on The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power (1991), his acclaimed epic tale of oil, Yergin now turns to the broader spectrum of energy in Recommended this exploration of the people, business, and geopolitics of high-stakes energy. Two-thirds of this 800-page account looks beyond oil: to natural gas and coal; to climate and world economic growth (think China) as shapers of conservation and demand; and to key alternatives, including nuclear power, photovoltaics, and wind. Yergin's style remains authoritative and detailed and at times infected with an ideology of inevitability--a recurring narrative that the combined powers of technology, big business, and market forces will provide, even in the face of monstrous difficulties, the energy to fuel the next generation. Those seeking a rigorously empirical and holistic treatment of energy sustainability should look elsewhere, but many more will be informed by the accessible and adequately sourced case studies at the core of this important volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and students at all levels through professionals. -- J. Booker, Siena College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsQuercia, Roberto G. Regaining the dream: how to renew the promise of homeownership for America's working families, by Roberto G. Quercia, Allison Freeman, and Janneke Ratcliffe. Brookings, 2011. 160p index afp ISBN 0815721722 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9780815721727 pbk, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 117 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required The authors (all affiliated with the Center for Community Capital, Univ. of North Carolina) have produced a timely study about the impacts of the great recession on Recommended home ownership in the US. The book is based on a ten-year study of patterns of mortgage lending. Frank DeGiovanni and George McCarthy, directors at the Ford Foundation, supported the research in the book, and they provide a compelling foreword on the rationale of the study: to provide equitable and sustainable home loans to low-income households. The book's central argument is that banks should embrace lending to low-income households as a mechanism to get the economy back on track. The authors present strong quantitative evidence demonstrating the need to create wealth through home lending. Educators and general readers alike will appreciate the fine writing and explanations about the relationships between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the market. The book concludes with a reflection on the future prospects for community reinvestment. It is written to appeal to a wide audience and would serve as an ideal companion to many courses on housing and economics. Regaining the Dream is engaging and sure to enlighten many readers' understanding of a complex, messy problem. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- T. J. Vicino, Northeastern University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsBreznitz, Dan. Run of the red queen: government, innovation, globalization, and economic growth in China, by Dan Breznitz and Michael Murphree. Yale, 2011. 278p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300152715, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Breznitz's earlier, award-winning book, Innovation and the State: Political Choice and Strategies for Growth in Israel, Taiwan, and Ireland, was published in 2007. In Recommended this new volume, he and Murphree (both, Georgia Institute of Technology) set out to further investigate the relationship between innovation, growth, and government policy, using China as a case study. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that sustainable economic growth must come from technological innovation represented by new technologies, services, and products, the authors argue that innovation in the production stage can also lead to sustainable growth. They report that China has been successful in doing just that, even though it was not what the Chinese government intended from the beginning. The title is based on the authors' painstaking fieldwork. They devote one chapter each to analyzing the three economic centers in China. The authors convincingly conclude that by running as fast as the frontier (thus the analogy of the book title), and not necessarily by pushing the frontier forward, China can sustain its growth in a global economy in which product innovation and production-stage innovation can be separated. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate and graduate students; researchers; professionals. -- D. Li, Kansas State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsNeuwirth, Robert. Stealth of nations: the global rise of the informal economy. Pantheon Books, 2011. 290p bibl index; ISBN 9780375424892, $25.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Neuwirth, a business and investigative reporter and author of Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, a New Urban World (2004), provides a broad picture of the Recommended informal markets of the world, i.e., the vast body of unlicensed transactions that are characterized by off-the-books cash payments that generally avoid taxes and regulations. Actually, the author prefers the term "System D" (from the French 118 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
débrouillard) to "informal markets." According to Neuwirth, there has always been a System D, and it currently accounts for roughly half of the world's workers, whose transactions are estimated at some $10 trillion. The book is written in an informal style and filled with vignettes, many drawn from Neuwirth's own investigations, which illustrate the many-sided and growing market. Although System D is frequently regarded as a scourge to be eliminated, Neuwirth finds benefits that accrue to an overall economy. Thus, he notes instances of cooperation between System D and government as well as with legitimate businesses. In presenting cases of System D, Neuwirth offers insights into daily market life, particularly in Nigeria and Brazil. This book is entertaining and enlightening, revealing information that affects almost all readers. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- W. C. Struning, emeritus, Seton Hall University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsFriedman, Thomas L. That used to be us: how America fell behind in the world it invented and how we can come back, by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. 380p index afp; ISBN 9780374288907 $28.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Thomas Friedman is a popular writer who has a knack for making the conventional wisdom sound profound, often by presenting powerful business leaders in the best Recommended possible light. Here, he and Mandelbaum (Johns Hopkins Univ.), both of whom have authored several books, call for a renewal of the US economy in response to the competitive challenge created by modern information technology. They envision a highly entrepreneurial society in which individuals are promised nothing but expected to provide highly creative work and ideas that contribute to corporate success, which is assumed to be in the best interest of society as a whole. However, the authors show little concern for the lives of such people, let alone those who cannot meet the needs of the corporate sector. They recognize that education is important, but its importance seems to be in making workers more useful to the corporate sector. Despite the priority the authors give to education, little thought is given to the defunding of education, even though the authors contend that those without good education are destined to drift in the economy. Despite such serious deficiencies, the book is timely, offers some interesting observations, and will appeal to a wide readership. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students. -- M. Perelman, California State University, Chico Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsThrift and thriving in America: capitalism and moral order from the Puritans to the present, ed. by Joshua J. Yates and James Davison Hunter. Oxford, 2011. 622p index afp; ISBN 9780199769063, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The 23 essays in this massive collection attest to the wide diversity of meaning ascribed to the term "thrift." For the editors (both, Univ. of Virginia), thrift may Recommended require creating "a moral framework for economic life" in order to thrive in the modern world. But they do not impose this interpretation on their contributing authors. From Puritan thrift and the classic thrift associated with the nostrums of Ben Franklin, to modern consumer thrift and the collective thrift of government, this volume enables the other contributors to range over an impressive swath of intellectual territory. The intellectual free range extends across disciplinary 119 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
boundaries as well: from history and religion to economics and women's studies. While there are many excellent and informative chapters in this collection, there is no thrifty way to discover them within the volume's 600-page expanse. Unfortunately, even the dutiful reader will find nothing significant on the current financial crisis, in which the debate over austerity and consumption has become a debate over private and public thrift. Nevertheless, a fascinating volume. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through faculty and researchers. -- R. S. Hewett, Drake University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsParthasarathi, Prasannan. Why Europe grew rich and Asia did not: global economic divergence, 1600-1850. Cambridge, 2011. 365p bibl index; ISBN 978107000308, $90.00; ISBN 9780521168243 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Revisionist analyses debunking the European economic exceptionalism often credited with generating modern industrial development have paid scant attention Recommended to South Asia. This lucidly written, provocatively argued study thus breaks new ground. Parthasarathi (history, Boston College) contends that diverse comparative economic contexts and forceful state policies were decisive in creating Britain's divergence from Asia (and especially India) in the 17th to mid-19th centuries. He explains innovations in British textile production in the late 1700s as a vigorous competitive response to the global market challenge of India's cotton textile exports. Britain's productivity breakthroughs are further linked to the replacement of scarce wood by abundant coal supplies, the impetus behind the emergence of steam power and related technologies of the early Industrial Revolution. Parthasarathi asserts that the loss of world textile markets cannot be attributed to India's alleged scientific and technological backwardness. Only under British colonial domination in the 19th century was India, once the scientific and technological peer of Europe, both deindustrialized and knowledge impoverished. The author's wide-ranging research, along with his further comparative references to China, Japan, and Continental Europe, will certainly stimulate continued debate on the origins of the "great divergence" between Asia and Europe. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students, upper-division undergraduate and up; faculty; researchers; professionals; general readers. -- R. P. Gardella, emeritus, United States Merchant Marine Academy Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ EconomicsDahlman, Carl J. The world under pressure: how China and India are influencing the global economy and environment. Stanford Economics and Finance, 2012. 301p bibl index afp ISBN 0- 8047-7713-6, $65.00; ISBN 9780804777131, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Rapid economic growth of China and India and the related acceleration in environmental problems are the starting point for this work by Dahlman (School of Recommended Foreign Service, Georgetown Univ.), whose expertise in information technology and development provides a unique perspective on the shift in global economic power. Dahlman explores the policy implications of these linked economic, environmental, and political metamorphoses. He is unambiguous in his argument that the financial, commercial, and political structures allowing for "Western" dominance are doomed. What will come in their wake? This is Dahlman's key question, for he sees the necessity of finding new structures, born of a dialogue between the old powers, particularly the US and EU, and the new economic 120 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
powerhouses as critical for solving the sociopolitical and environmental problems
before it is too late. Dahlman makes it clear that unchecked CO2 emissions, the race for finite energy and other commodity resources, and technological changes that make it increasingly difficult to defend intellectual property rights conspire to place temporal limits on finding solutions, particularly if there is to be any hope of reproducing the democracy and pluralism that have come to represent the best aspects of Western societies. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through researchers. -- S. J. Gabriel, Mount Holyoke College Education Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Bartlett, Lesley. Additive schooling in subtractive times: bilingual education and Dominican immigrant youth in the Heights, by Lesley Bartlett and Ofelia García. Vanderbilt, 2011. 290p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780826517623, $69.95; ISBN 9780826517630 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bartlett (Center for Multiple Languages and Literacies, Teachers College, Columbia Univ.) and García (urban education, City University of New York) report the results Recommended of a four-year qualitative study of a highly successful bilingual high school for Latino newcomer immigrant youth in New York City. They explore the current subtractive times: declining political support for bilingual education, policies that hinder newcomers from graduating from high school, and an economic content in which immigrant youth are relegated to low-paying work. They also examine the additive program at Luperon High where, in 2008, 83 percent of students graduated within four years. Using classroom observations, focus groups with newly arrived students and teachers, and a longitudinal study of 20 newcomer immigrant youth that includes writing samples and participant observations, the authors describe a school with a well-trained cohesive faculty and pedagogical innovations that were developed and negotiated in interactions among teachers and students, not handed down from the state. This additive model of dynamic bilingualism is based on a pedagogy of translanguaging, or using two languages flexibly to promote bilingualism and biliteracy. Bartlett and García's case study includes insights that will help all educators of immigrant youth create school communities of educational sovereignty rooted in social justice. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- L. Lockard, Northern Arizona University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Fried, SuEllen. Banishing bullying behavior: transforming the culture of peer abuse, by SuEllen Fried and Blanche Sosland. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 185p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781610484329, $45.00; ISBN 9781610484336 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9781610484343 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Bullying has unfortunately become a major issue in school communities. Fried and Sosland have extensive experience to support their writing. Fried created a bully Recommended prevention program, BullySafeUSA, which is utilized in 36 states, in addition to authoring four books on the topic. Sosland brings her classroom expertise to the topic. The book defines bullying behavior; gives profiles of the bullies, targets, and witnesses; and discusses types of bullying (e.g., physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, 121 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
and cyber bullying). The authors also give examples across grade levels. Most helpful is the authors' description of roles of each change agent, including administrators, teachers (they address specific content area teachers separately), parents, counselors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and others. This holistic approach assists communities in changing the culture of the school and challenges readers to end this cycle of pain. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. -- P. S. Arter, Marywood University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Achinstein, Betty. Change(d) agents: new teachers of color in urban schools, by Betty Achinstein and Rodney T. Ogawa. Teachers College Press, 2011. 210p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752197, $68.00; ISBN 9780807752180 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this timely book, Achinstein and Ogawa (both, Center for Educational Research in the Interest of Underserviced Students, Univ. of California, Santa Cruz) provide Recommended an important perspective on the national conversation about recruiting teachers of color as part of school reform efforts for students of color in low-income urban schools to meet demographic and democratic imperatives. Based on extensive data from a five-year study of 21 teachers of color, the book argues that schools cannot focus on attracting committed teachers of color without addressing the "culturally subtractive schooling" those teachers experience due to problematic school conditions. After a comprehensive review of the existing literature, the book introduces the teachers of the study; follows the teachers to the schools in which they began their careers; examines the school, policy, and accountability contexts that create a "double bind" for new teachers; and finally makes a call to action to build schools that support teachers of color so that they in turn can support students of color. The book includes a methodological appendix. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above. -- P. M. Del Prado Hill, Buffalo State College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Critical civic literacy: a reader, ed. by Joseph L. DeVitis. Peter Lang, 2011. 505p bibl; ISBN 9781433111723, $249.95; ISBN 9781433111716 pbk, $54.95; ISBN 9781453901397 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required It is rare that an anthology can provide so comprehensive a sweep of a field as Joseph L. DeVitis's Critical Civic Literacy, a book that includes thought-provoking Recommended essays by everyone who is anyone studying civic education in the US today, and a few more to boot. Essays range greatly in their scope. Some provide focused discussions of particular discourses (e.g., textbooks, local newspapers, or arts education materials). Others look at the big sweep of history, philosophy, and economy, questioning the place and meaning of civic identity in the early-21st century through a variety of critical theoretical lenses. Still others look at matters of school and classroom-level practice. Each essay is fascinating. Some are outstanding. While DeVitis (Old Dominion Univ.) has done due diligence putting together this team, this reviewer's frustration is due to the lack of editorial leadership in framing and grouping the essays. The sum of the parts could be so much more, but the opportunity is lost. Nevertheless, the book remains a must- have for any academic library servicing future or current social studies or history teachers, as well as research and teaching faculty in education. Summing Up: Essential. Undergraduate collections and above. -- B. Justice, Rutgers University 122 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Curriculum in early childhood education: re-examined, rediscovered, renewed, ed. by Nancy File, Jennifer J. Mueller, and Debora Basler Wisneski. Routledge, 2012. 213p bibl index; ISBN 9780415881104, $140.00; ISBN 9780415881111 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780203804360 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This book, edited by File, Mueller, and Basler Wisneski (all, early childhood education, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), carefully examines both the historical Recommended foundations and current practices in the field of early childhood curriculum. The authors affirm the important work of teachers and the importance of enhancing their role and voice in determining emerging curricula. A major focus of the book is summarizing key issues related to early childhood curriculum in the context of future directions for the field. Readers are encouraged to think about assumptions within the dominant culture hegemony that affect their own beliefs about curricular processes used in early childhood. This book provokes a much-needed dialogue to create a more expansive early childhood curriculum that includes multiple perspectives and possibilities. The book is highly recommended as an excellent contribution to the field of early childhood. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above. -- J. C. Agnew-Tally, Missouri State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Rumberger, Russell W. Dropping out: why students drop out of high school and what can be done about it. Harvard, 2011. 380p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674062207, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Rumberger (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) offers a comprehensive treatment of the causes, implications, and possible turnaround strategies surrounding the Recommended growing problem of students dropping out of school. His focus is broad, befitting the complex nature of this seemingly intractable issue. He deals with academic and social concerns, individual and institutional factors, and the need for prevention early in the child's educational career. His proposed solutions are programmatic, school and districtwide, and systemic. While Rumberger explicates the personal and societal ramifications of dropping out, his thesis would be strengthened further by a more concerted emphasis on socioeconomic structures and political neglects, especially in urban areas, that constrain progress on alleviating dropout problems. Also, at an individual level, many frustrated students might well regard dropping out as a rather rational response to a social and educational system that they view as abandoning them. Readers seeking deeper insights in that vein should consult Michelle Fine's now classic Framing Dropouts (CH, Oct'91, 29-1023) and John Smyth et al.'s 'Dropping Out,' Drifting Off, Being Excluded (2004). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- J. L. DeVitis, Old Dominion University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Pagliaro, Marie Menna. Educator or bully?: managing the 21st century classroom. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 125p bibl afp; ISBN 9781610484503, $50.00; ISBN 9781610484510 pbk, $22.95; ISBN 9781610484527 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The most crucial component of classroom management is setting up an environment that makes instruction flow smoothly with minimal interruptions and Recommended student behaviors. This book is concerned with how to establish this environment-- 123 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
thus the question posed by the book's title, Educator or Bully?. Pagliaro (professional development consultant) provides a solid background of the characteristics of the 21st-century classroom on which the concepts discussed in the book are based. What bothered this reviewer is the seeming disconnect between the first and second halves of the book. The concepts in the first half were interesting and informative, but not well connected to the second half of the book. The latter is a review of classroom management theorists. This half seemed to choose traditional approaches and not some of the more current approaches. Overall, the book was informative to one who has dealt with the teaching of classroom management for some time. However, lay readers may not find the entire book to be accessible. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduates, and professionals. -- G. L. Willhite, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Hill, Teresa D. Every closed eye ain't sleep: African American perspectives on the achievement gap. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 115p bibl afp; ISBN 9781610481045, $40.00; ISBN 9781610481052 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9781610481069 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required There are so many books about the achievement gap that it is difficult to choose Recommended one that adds enough to the conversation to be of value in the collection of an academic library. This book fits the bill by presenting a seldom-heard perspective, that of the African American community whose children too often find themselves on the wrong side of the gap. Hill, an urban school district administrator, argues that the concept of the achievement gap represents more than just a set of data; it is also a social construct that places poor and minority students at the bottom end of academic ability and potential. In framing her argument, she skewers both the conservative view that African American students do not achieve because they do not have either the capability or the drive to do what is necessary to succeed, and the liberal view that the students are merely the victims of uncontrollable outside forces. The author also identifies instructional models to support her contention that educators need to be focused on helping all students find their academic wings. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. -- H. M. Miller, Mercy College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Seidel, Samuel Steinberg. Hip hop genius: remixing high school education. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 172p index afp; ISBN 9781610480260, $22.95; ISBN 9781610480284 e-book, $21.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book describes the pedagogy and curriculum of an alternative high school that is rooted in hip-hop culture and has demonstrated some success in retaining Recommended students who might otherwise be among the 1.23 million high school dropouts in America every year. It also attempts to explain hip-hop as a philosophy and way of life to the uninitiated. While the library is at the heart of a traditional school, the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota, has as its core a recording studio. Curriculum is centered on music production and prepares students for a wide range of jobs related to the recording business. It is a curriculum that makes sense to young African Americans. Claiming that traditional programs subject 124 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
minority students to "identity abuse," this school is predicated on providing an environment that reflects rather than transforms student culture. The program features individualized, project-based learning in real-world contexts. Although there are plenty of anecdotal success stories in this book, it lacks the student achievement data that would make it useful for an academic audience. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. -- I. Rosenthal, The College of St. Rose Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Townsend, Alfred S. Introduction to effective music teaching: artistry and attitude. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 207p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781442209459, $70.00; ISBN 9781442209466 pbk, $34.95; ISBN 9781442209473 e-book, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Townsend (Old Dominion Univ.) has skillfully analyzed the needed elements for Recommended teaching music. He emphasizes the artistry and attitude of music leaders through the use of case studies, thus introducing the reader to the foundations of research and history necessary for effectiveness and mastery of content as well as providing real-life situations in music education settings. Nancy Klein (also Old Dominion) collaborates with the author on the important topic of leadership. Highlights of the book include charts and checklists (such as "ABCs of Attitude"), interviews with a variety of musicians, bibliographic notes and resources, and excellent end-of- chapter reflection, discussion, and assignments. Townsend takes a practical approach to contemporary teaching strategies. Although intended as a classroom textbook, this book would be a useful addition to any collection supporting study of the teaching of music. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. -- V. S. Xenakis, formerly, State University of New York College at Cortland Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Irizarry, Jason G. The Latinization of U.S. schools: successful teaching and learning in shifting cultural contexts. Paradigm Publishers, 2011. 235p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781594519581, $105.00; ISBN 9781594519598 pbk, $30.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The intent of this book is to analyze traditional school practices including tracking and disciplinary policies as such practices relate to and limit the educational Recommended opportunities of Latino students. Based on the work of Project FUERTE (Future Urban Educators conducting Research to Transform Teacher Education), Irizzarry (Neag School of Education, Univ. of Connecticut) and his high school coauthors use narrative to provide explanations for Latino student underachievement. Of particular interest are the deficit perspectives regarding Latino youth provided by Latina student-author Carmen Ortiz in response to the racist assumptions about Ortiz and other Latino students demonstrated by some of the faculty at her high school. The theme of faculty/student disconnect, based on cultural and linguistic differences, echoes throughout the book, culminating in the reflection in the final chapter written by a white graduate student/teacher whose understanding of the Latino/white dynamic evolved through her experiences with the Project FUERTE program. The epilogue provides an intriguing summary of the study that is central to the book. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections. -- A. W. Petersen, emeritus, Buena Vista University 125 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Warschauer, Mark. Learning in the cloud: how (and why) to transform schools with digital media. Teachers College Press, 2011. 131p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752500, $70.00; ISBN 9780807752494 pbk, $31.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Warschauer (Univ. of California, Irvine) asks: "If our goals for education are academic achievement, 21st-century learning, and educational equity, then what Recommended are the hardware, software, and digital content tools we need to succeed?" He calls the four critical functions of learning that digital media help enable "the four Cs: content, community, construction, and composition." The author provides analyses of exemplary school programs, some that have succeeded using technology and some that have not, and offers explanations for varying degrees of success. He reviews the applications of netbooks, free and open source software, social media, cloud computing, media tablets, and digital content in school settings. Successful schools adjust curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, combining these elements using understanding by design. Warschauer explores the sociotechnical infrastructure of schools by discussing devices provided by schools, "bring your own technology" policies, school leadership, teachers, and opportunities to "remake our schools ... to prepare students for successful participation in a rapidly changing world." The book would have benefited from more discussion of electronic portfolios for the assessment of learning, the potential of mobile technologies in the classroom, and a webliography of online curricular resources. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. -- D. L. Stoloff, Eastern Connecticut State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Buckingham, David. The material child: growing up in consumer culture. Polity, 2011. 261p bibl index; ISBN 9780745647708, $69.95; ISBN 9780745647715 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book addresses a social phenomenon that poses both troubling concerns and positive outcomes. The Material Child looks at the way the marketplace influences Recommended youth and childhood, and raises questions about whether young people are exploited or empowered as a result. The conception of childhood as a time of innocence separate from the marketplace no longer exists. Buckingham (Univ. of London, UK) considers current trends that target the child market. The bombarding of youngsters with commercials on television, digital games, and commercial sponsorship of school events impacts childhood in numerous ways. For example the connections among junk food and obesity; sexy underage fashions and sexualization; "must-have" items and inequality; passive life styles; and relationships with parents and peers are explored. Buckingham asks whether children have too much too soon. However, the influence of the market also has positive potentials, such as expanding children's worldview, developing the skills of independent thinking, and making choices. The author seeks to reframe the issue of child consumerism. Believing that children are not passive, incompetent consumers, he questions the prevalent view of the negative impact of consumerism on childhood. Consumption can enable youth to build connections with people and participate in the social world. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. -- R. Roth, emerita, Rockhurst University 126 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Boule, Michelle. Mob rule learning: camps, unconferences, and trashing the talking head. CyberAge Books, 2011. 230p index; ISBN 9780910965927 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Boule's comprehensive book will make faculty, practitioners, and organizations contemplate how conferences and continuing education and training programs are Recommended held. This work and Library Camps and Unconferences by Steve Lawson (2010) elaborate on the "unconference" movement in which participants take a more active role in learning. Boule provides a step-by-step process for creating "unconferences" and provides various case studies on actual uses in education and other areas. She discusses the typical conference and education program type learning and what they lack, and then elaborates on how unconferences and open access type learning opportunities can enhance learning in educational settings and conferences. An excellent appendix provides many examples of various tools available for use in unconferences. Boule has written articles and books and has organized unconferences on a variety of technology-related topics. Her book might be considered controversial by individuals favoring traditional models of conferences and learning; however, it provides insight on how society is learning in a Web 2.0 world. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic and professional collections, especially those serving researchers/faculty and professionals. -- W. A. Garrett, Troy University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Pandya, Jessica Zacher. Overtested: how high-stakes accountability fails English language learners. Teachers College Press, 2011. 143p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752487, $62.00; ISBN 9780807752470 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required With an increasing number of students coming from homes where English is not the first language, Pandya's Overtested focuses on the effects of high-stakes testing Recommended on both students and teachers, specifically in relation to English-language learners (ELLs). In this well-organized book, Pandya (California State Univ., Long Beach) skillfully weaves together classroom observations, student and teacher interviews, and theory to provide easy-to-follow arguments supported by data and clear reasoning. She authors a powerful warning about the consequences of the high volume of required assessments when teachers are mandated to follow prepackaged curriculum plans. In addition to her criticism of testing, Pandya helps the reader to answer the question of how to guide the students with broad and varied backgrounds who are all grouped together under the ELL label. She provides suggestions as to how to use prepackaged curricula to make it more ELL friendly. Part of the book is also dedicated to preparing and supporting teachers, as well as offering recommendations about policy and practice. This makes it an important resource for teacher candidates, practicing teachers, and teacher educators. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- A. L. Hsu, State University of New York College at Old Westbury Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Lotherington, Heather. Pedagogy of multiliteracies: rewriting Goldilocks. Routledge, 2011. 213p bibl index (Routledge research in education, 63); ISBN 9780415887106, $125.00; ISBN 9780203804889 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Lotherington (York Univ., Canada) studied this collaborative action research project, which over a period of five years was conducted by teachers at an inner- 127 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended city school and university researchers. Children learned a traditional story that they then rewrote from their own cultural and linguistic perspective in digital format. In a grade-two classroom, a digital Goldilocks and the Three Bears portrays Goldilocks as a space explorer who invades the home of three aliens and finds three bowls of slime that taste like mud, taffy with nails in it, and Jell-O. In this retelling, children's cultural understandings are grounded in the digital world of popular culture, rather than the physical world. Lotherington's study presents a new vision of multimodal literacy coherent with the social world that the children will inherit in the future. This project also supports home language maintenance and English-language learning as children acquire the agency to retell their version of a story imprinting their cultural stamp. This book is a must read for teachers and teacher educators concerned about how to foster critical engagement in the literacy classroom. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- L. Lockard, Northern Arizona University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Noddings, Nel. Philosophy of education. 3rd ed. Westview, 2012. 284p bibl index; ISBN 9780813345314 pbk, $33.00; ISBN 9780813345321 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Noddings (Stanford Univ.) is a premier philosopher of education (Caring, 1984; Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief, 1993). This third edition of her textbook Recommended differs only slightly from previous editions, adding a chapter on multicultural education and cosmopolitanism. (The second edition added a chapter titled "Problems of School Reform.") But her approach to the subject is unique. She introduces the branches and major topics of philosophy and shows how they are relevant to educational problems. Thus, some history of philosophizing about education is given; analytic and continental approaches to philosophy are surveyed; and the branches of philosophy (e.g., logic, epistemology, ethics, and social and political philosophy) and their bearing on education are introduced. In the final chapter, Noddings summarizes her previous discussions from a feminist perspective (a subject for which she is well known), adding "a bit," she says, to bring the latest work on "care ethics" up-to-date. Each chapter ends with "Summary Questions" and "Introduction to the Literature." As has been said in previous reviews, the text is an intelligent, insightful, and useful approach to the subject. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate collections. -- R. R. Sherman, emeritus, University of Florida Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Wohlwend, Karen E. Playing their way into literacies: reading, writing, and belonging in the early childhood classroom. Teachers College Press, 2011. 191p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752616, $64.00; ISBN 9780807752609 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Drawing on the professional literature and her yearlong observations of a specific kindergarten classroom, Wohlwend (Indiana Univ.) makes a convincing argument Recommended that play is an important factor in children's developing literacy skills. She details the play of three groups: Abbie Wannabes, whose play is organized around imitating the teacher; a group she calls Just Guys; and another designated as Princess Players. Through them she looks at gender and boundary issues as well as literacy. Noting that children's play is not automatically innocent and liberating, she examines the interventions of the teacher to use the play to foster positive relationships as well as increased reading and writing skills. Much of this is done 128 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
through a writers' workshop in which children transform their activities into books and plays that are read and performed for the rest of the class. Integrating popular culture into the children's classroom gives the children an opportunity to use and reshape their experiences with the media. Wohlwend uses the example of this one classroom to illustrate some of the larger educational concerns around literacy and the minimizing of play as a significant tool of learning in the current testing climate. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. -- S. Sugarman, emerita, Bennington College,Vermont State Colleges Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Nolan, Kathleen. Police in the hallways: discipline in an urban high school. Minnesota, 2011. 209p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780816675524, $69.00; ISBN 9780816675531 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Nolan (Princeton Univ.) draws from her research observing the day-to-day inner workings of a Bronx high school that faces school violence, low academic Recommended performance, and often-difficult working conditions for both students and staff. Nolan's emphasis in this work is not specifically the causes or solutions for failing schools (although this does make up a portion of the book), but instead the impact of the police presence in the school building. Through her almost unrestricted access to the school environment, the author describes the often-unguarded perspectives of students, school personnel, and the law enforcement officers charged with maintaining the order of the school building. The narratives of these groups are unflinching in their honesty, and Nolan is quick to point out the limitations of some things she documents, such as when she perceived students were not being completely truthful. This provides a multifaceted glimpse of the role that security and law enforcement play in many public schools across the nation, and will prove interesting for those curious about life in the hallways and the often-difficult world inner-city students learn to navigate. But Nolan often references her qualitative/anecdotal evidence as "data," which seems to miscategorize the research. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower- division undergraduate students, and professionals. -- P. L. Yoder, Truman State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Jax, Christine. The seven stages of an enlightened teacher. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2011. 131p bibl afp; ISBN 9781610480741, $40.00; ISBN 9781610480758 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9781610480765 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Jax (Capella Univ.) has written this work to present seven spiritual stages of teacher development. She focuses on personal spiritual growth as an educator, Recommended rather than psychological or professional stages. The first chapter places this work in a larger context with reference to other authors. The following chapters focus on reflective and practical considerations for each of the stages identified. Each stage is presented with a case study description and then practical considerations for teachers at that stage. Meditations and activities are included for each stage. The spiritual references at each stage are broad, rather than being tied to particular religious tradition. The title of this work may make the content appear overwhelming, but the writing style and content are quite accessible. Because of its focus, this work will not appeal to all audiences. It will be valued by individuals 129 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
or like-minded groups of teachers who are searching for balance and strength as they pursue a vocation in education. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and practitioners. -- C. J. S. Monroe, California University of Pennsylvania Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Lickey, Deborah C. Starting with their strengths: using the project approach in early childhood special education, by Deborah Lickey and Denise Powers. Teachers College Press, 2011. 164p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752357, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Lickey (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.) and Powers (The Circle Preschool Program, Richmond, VA) have written a practical resource for new teachers, early childhood Recommended education students, child care workers, and parents. Teachers who enjoy developing curriculums that place emphasis on students' interests and curiosity will treasure this book. The authors provide examples of how to implement lessons that address the developmental needs of children. Special education professionals will find this book especially useful as it provides guidance on how to generate strength-based individual education plans in chapters such as "Imagine the Possibilities of Strengths-Based Learning," "Identifying Each Child's Strengths," "Developing Play and Social Skills through Emotional Regulation," "Promoting Development through Strengths and Interests," and "Planning within a Strengths- Based Emergent Curriculum." The book offers an appreciation for the unique ways in which children learn. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. -- C. R. Andrews, Medgar Evers College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Cohen, David K. Teaching and its predicaments. Harvard, 2011. 234p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674051102, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Cohen (Univ. of Michigan) draws upon his considerable expertise as he delivers a deeply insightful critique that unravels the mess that has become the current state Recommended of public education in the US. He contends that without identifying the predicaments facing American public educators, corrective solutions, reform initiatives, and supportive legislation cannot seriously be discussed or considered. In this bluntly honest little book, Cohen pinpoints both existing and historic obstacles to meaningful educational reform, and dissects failed political attempts at correction with concise precision. This book is not just a succinct, thought- provoking critique; Cohen also provides readers with enlightened comparative vantage points by which they can examine both teaching and learning from new perspectives. Cohen believes teaching, like other helping professions, is about facilitating human improvement, but he notes that this lofty goal is often hindered by the absence of common, unifying standards. According to Cohen, in order to teach well, educators must know their constituency, understand their students' cultures and how they think, and receive continuous support from colleagues and the larger community. For him, competent teachers must not only possess heightened expertise, they must also embody deeper senses of empathy in order to effectively reach students. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above. -- L. O. Wilson, emerita, University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point 130 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Uhl, Christopher. Teaching as if life matters: the promise of a new education culture, by Christopher Uhl with Dana L. Stuchul. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 202p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421400389, $50.00; ISBN 9781421400396 pbk, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book is Uhl's lifetime perspective on education. His journey is somewhat similar to this reviewer's, so it was easy to relate to the background readings and Recommended his general perspective on the occupation. Uhl (biology, Pennsylvania State Univ.) asks and attempts to answer some interesting questions. What does it mean for one to learn, and when does a person genuinely experience learning? Who (or what) were your teachers, and how did they influence or change you as you developed into a teacher? Uhl's own perspective of what makes for good teaching is the driving force of the book, but he is heavily influenced by Parker Palmer's ideology. Uhl's book is about relationships, those with ourselves and with others. His challenge especially to the aspiring teachers he works with is for them to become "relationship masters." He views this as the most important aspect in becoming a competent teacher. He believes the best teachers are those who are "masters of themselves as well as their subject matter." Uhl's ultimate question, "What really matters?," stalks all of us, but his final insights about "coming alive" in teaching and in life are his true ethos. Summing Up: Recommended. All undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. -- R. C. Morris, University of West Georgia Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Belcher, Catherine L. Teaching Harry Potter: the power of imagination in multicultural classrooms, by Catherine L. Belcher and Becky Herr Stephenson. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 201p bibl index ISBN 0-230-11028-2, $85.00; ISBN 9780230110281, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Using the four frameworks of critical pedagogy, media literacy, youth culture, and practitioner research, Belcher (Loyola Marymount Univ.) and Stephenson (Univ. of Recommended California, Irvine) share teachers' experiences of using Harry Potter books with their students. The authors discuss practitioners' application of Harry Potter books in their classrooms alternately with reflections about school structures, culture, popular culture, and policy. This writing style forces the reader to think critically about the factors influencing the decisions to include unconventional literature, such as the Harry Potter books, in the curriculum. The book has universal appeal because the focus is primarily on three teachers representing different levels, schools, and cultures: a second grade border town classroom of Hispanic children; an urban middle school special education classroom in Watts, California; and a high school Advanced Placement English class of African American students. Just as the Harry Potter books invite readers to think critically and creatively about life, the authors and the teachers convincingly argue for culturally relevant pedagogy that promotes critical and creative thinking, including the use of popular books, such as the Harry Potter series. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. - - D. L. Norland, Luther College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Education Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Teaching literacy for love and wisdom: being the book and being the change, by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Bruce Novak. Teachers College Press/NCTE/NWP, 2011. 253p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807752371, $60.00; ISBN 9780807752364 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar 131 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
CHOICE.
Required Wilhelm (English education, Boise State Univ.) and Novak (Educational Projects, Foundation for Ethics and Meaning) present a convincing, compelling argument for Recommended reexamining and transforming the role and the teaching of English. Wilhelm and Novak describe the role that public education has assumed as a purveyor of knowledge; they contend that what is needed from education is the developing, fostering, and strengthening of students' personal growth, love of learning, and wisdom. Literature must take the reader beyond analytic cogitation to transactional reflection, where "we are moved to see, consider and live our own lives anew." This then leads one to the "gift" of developing "the desire to take new responsibility, to somehow live more artfully and meaningfully in the real world." Taking on new responsibility and becoming more engaged with the world is foundational for democracy. Wilhelm and Novak present a heavy dose of history and philosophy in building their case for the reform of the teaching of "English." While this may be a turnoff for classroom teachers seeking practical advice, the book is balanced with engaging vignettes of classroom practice. This is a must read for all involved with teaching literature and preparing teachers of literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. -- M. M. Ruby, Eastern Connecticut State University
132 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
English Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanOehlschlaeger, Fritz. The achievement of Wendell Berry: the hard history of love. University Press of Kentucky, 2011. 322p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813130071, $40.00; ISBN 9780813130095 e-book, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Oehlschlaeger (Virginia Tech Univ.) is a disciple of Berry's agrarian (decidedly anti- postmodern) philosophy and aesthetic. He fully respects Berry's injunction against Recommended abstract explanation of his work--Berry would have one realize the irreducible particularities of place, experience, and the mutual community of love they create in their best state. Yet Oehlschlaeger's study is nothing if not a comprehensive analysis and explanation of Berry's entire body of work, placing it especially within the context of Christian ontology. What reconciles Oehlschlaeger's treatment to Berry's terms is his virtual recapitulation of the works' particulars (including summaries) and thorough sharing of the works' ethical and moral judgments. Alert even to the significance of Berry's change from mules to horses in his foundational practice of teamstering, Oehlschlaeger seems to inhabit Berry's agrarian fictional community of Port Williams, commiserating with and supporting the characters of that place. He upholds the "household economy" of Berry's vision as a corrective to the putative warmongering, commercial economy of the contemporary world; he embraces Berry's distinction between the caritas-driven agrarianism and the more popular but ultimately humanity-diminishing environmentalism of the day. As much homage as critical discourse, Oehlschlaeger's study is indispensable to appreciating as well as understanding Berry's work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- R. J. Cirasa, Kean University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanBigsby, Christopher. Arthur Miller: 1962-2005. Michigan, 2011. 589p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780472118175, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required As Bigsby meticulously documents in this concluding volume of his superb biography (v. 1, covering 1915-62, CH, Sep'09, 47-0123), the second half of Miller's Recommended multifaceted life was rich in significance. His most acclaimed works--Death of a Salesman and The Crucible--and the Pulitzer Prize for drama (1949) were securely behind him, but the man who courageously refused to name names during the heated McCarthy hearings that rocked the US in the 1950s continued to make his powerful voice heard as playwright, author, and engaged intellectual. Through it all, Miller steadfastly articulated his credo's fundamental tenet: genuine choice is available to us, and we are therefore responsible for our actions. Ultimately, as Bigsby eloquently observes, Miller opted for the theater "because it is there that people come together in their shared need to see experience given form. He wrote of flawed individuals and flawed societies, of the loss of a looked-for perfection, but also of consolation and redemption." Simply stated, Bigsby's unsurpassed achievement confirms what many have acknowledged with respect to Miller: attention must be paid to such a person. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- H. I. Einsohn, Middlesex Community College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanPanek, LeRoy Lad. 133 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Before Sherlock Holmes: how magazines and newspapers invented the detective story. McFarland, 2011. 219p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780786467877 pbk, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This is a truly original volume with an unusual premise, which is that, as its subtitle announces, the detective story was "invented" by the periodical press, i.e., Recommended newspapers and magazines. Panek (emer., McDaniel College)--whose other works on the detective genre include The Origins of the American Detective Story (CH, Oct'07, 45-0733) and Reading Early Hammett (CH, Jul'05, 42-6355)--fully documents his argument, and at the same time explores the cultural evolution of how crime was treated in fiction. The author devotes three of the book's seven chapters to well-known practitioners of the detective genre--Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Wilkie Collins--but he truly shines when he explores much less familiar turf. Supported by an excellent index, this book is a must for those with a serious interest in detective fiction. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. -- S. Raeschild, Northern New Mexico College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GeneralDalleo, Raphael. Caribbean literature and the public sphere: from the plantation to the postcolonial. Virginia, 2011. 296p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813931982, $59.50; ISBN 9780813931999 pbk, $29.50; ISBN 9780813932026 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This comprehensive study explores the ways in which Caribbean literature has responded to and shaped the region's history of domination and resistance. Dalleo Recommended (Florida Atlantic Univ.) traces Caribbean literary history from the mid-19th century to the present by examining English-, French-, and Spanish-language literary works. In part 1, which covers 1804 to 1886, the author adapts Angel Rama's concept of the "republic of the lettered" (The Lettered City, 1996), focusing on abolitionist and anticolonial writers, their works, and their relationships to the public sphere. Because a small group monopolized the written word, entry into the public sphere demanded the approval of this literate elite. Later works came to suggest a discursive possibility outside the "republic of the lettered." In part 2 (1886-1959), the author turns to post-abolition works to elucidate how Caribbean writers, in response to modern colonialism, sought to tie literature with nationalist, anticolonial movements. Part 3 (1959-83) transitions away from colonialism to Caribbean postcolonial literature. Dalleo points out that whereas authors such as José Martí considered the writer's role in governing indispensable, postcolonial writers--believing their intellectual labor oppositional--often found themselves at odds with nationalist movements. A valuable contribution to Caribbean studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- Y. Fuentes, Nova Southeastern University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ ClassicalSciarrino, Enrica. Cato the Censor and the beginnings of Latin prose: from poetic translation to elite transcription. Ohio State, 2011. 239p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8142-1165-8, $44.95; ISBN 9780814211656, $44.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this study of the elder Cato's contribution to the formation of Latin prose literature, Sciarrino (Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) offers an Recommended ambitious and wide-ranging reassessment of the beginnings not only of Latin prose 134 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
but also of Latin verse. A revision of her dissertation, the volume situates the writings of Cato the Censor in both his sociocultural and sociopolitical milieux. The opening chapter lays out the theoretical and methodological frameworks of Sciarrino's study and showcases her argument against the traditional separation, in Latin literary scholarship, of prose and verse literature. Here the author engages with the work of Hinds and Edmunds on intertextuality; Dupont, Habinek, Luiselli, and Zorzetti on orality, textuality, and early Roman song culture; and Feeney, Gruen, and Goldberg on Roman "national" narratives, in the context of Mary Louise Pratt's postcolonial theorization of "contact zones." Individual chapters address the different approaches to "translation" on display in the comedies of Plautus and Terence (chapter 2) and the epic Saturnians of Livius Andronicus and Naevius, and the hexameters of Ennius (chapter 3), in contrast to the "transcriptions" of his own speeches Cato offers in his writings (chapters 4 and 5). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. -- A. M. Keith, University of Toronto Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GeneralThe Changing of knowledge in composition: contemporary perspectives, ed. Lance Massey and Richard C. Gebhardt. Utah State, 2011. 335p bibl index; ISBN 9780874218206 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9780874218213 e-book, $24.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This collection offers a rich response to Stephen M. North's landmark The Making of Knowledge in Composition: Portrait of an Emerging Field (CH, Mar'88). Massey Recommended and Gebhardt (both, Bowling Green State Univ.) present a variety of perspectives on the evolving field of composition studies. The volume starts with general praise and criticism of North's book from two leading composition scholars (Edward M. White and Lynn Z. Bloom), and it then investigates contemporary research practices, pedagogical concerns, and the ways North anticipated composition's current status. Certain themes and tensions run through several essays, including the relationships between modern and postmodern, teaching and research, scholarship and "lore," and general education versus the writing major. North himself contributes not only a full-length essay but also a commentary at the start and the end of the book, the latter highlighting the challenges and hopes expressed in the volume's various essays. The collection as a whole offers both breadth and depth as contributors look back only long enough to move forward. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. -- L. McMillan, Marywood University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanTomalin, Claire. Charles Dickens: a life. Penguin Press, 2011. 527p bibl index; ISBN 9781594203091, $36.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required So much is known of the life of Dickens that no biography can include everything. However, acclaimed biographer Claire Tomalin has covered all the essentials and Recommended provides sufficient other informative, entertaining details to satisfy even the casual reader. The book follows the novelist's family and friends past his death in 1870, to 1939. Some may object that the extensive amount of space devoted to actor Ellen Ternan, Dickens's alleged mistress, is disproportionate in comparison to the coverage of the novels, some of which get scant commentary. Tomalin is careful to note that accounts of the liaison are based on hearsay and that there is no documentation, but she sometimes refers to purported incidents as fact. The 70 135 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
pages of endnotes attest to the careful documentation. Maps of areas of London and of Rochester are helpful, as is the "cast list" of 182 relatives and friends of Dickens. The illustrations are disappointing, many being so reduced as to be unattractive. All readers will enjoy this well-written book, which sorts out the intricacies of the complicated life of England's greatest novelist. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- J. D. Vann, emeritus, University of North Texas Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanLocke, Richard. Critical children: the use of childhood in ten great novels. Columbia, 2011. 218p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231157827, $29.50; ISBN 9780231527996 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Locke (Columbia Univ.; formerly, editor in chief of Vanity Fair magazine) takes a refreshingly nontheoretical look at ten books by seven British and American Recommended novelists from the 1830s to the 1960s: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Henry James, James Barrie, J. D. Salinger, Vladimir Nabokov, and Philip Roth. Some titles were written for children (Barrie's Peter Pan), others decidedly not (James's The Turn of the Screw, Nabokov's Lolita, Roth's Portnoy's Complaint). The author grounds the discussion in the history of each author's life and times; the book's greatest asset is the shrewd comparisons Locke makes between writers never discussed in tandem- -e.g., he is the first to consider Lolita as "a descendant of Oliver Twist and David Copperfield and Little Nell." Whereas most critical writing about fictional children treats children's literature exclusively--as an example, Jerome Griswold's excellent Feeling like a Kid: Childhood and Children's Literature (CH, Jul'07, 44-6073)--Locke ranges more widely, including such adolescents on the cusp of adulthood as Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye) and Pip (Great Expectations). Ultimately, the figure of youth revealed here embodies society's ambivalent values. Anyone who regrets the loss of elegant writing in much of today's literary scholarship will enjoy this succinct book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper- division undergraduates; general readers. -- M. J. Emery, Cottey College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanDickie, Simon. Cruelty and laughter: forgotten comic literature and the unsentimental eighteenth century. Chicago, 2011. 362p index afp; ISBN 9780226146188, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Dickie (Univ. of Toronto) unearthed a huge number of 18th-century jest books, poems, bodily dysfunction and rape jokes, ramble novels, and farces--most of them Recommended hitherto ignored or neglected--and here offers a valuable and engrossing exploration of them. He deploys this raw, often-disturbing material to challenge stereotypical notions of a decorous, polite 18th century. In the course of his study, he uses the textual and cultural context he establishes to analyze and offer fresh perspectives on more familiar texts, such as Fanny Burney's Evelina and Cecilia, Tobias Smollett's Peregrine Pickle, Samuel Richardson's Clarissa, and especially Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews, which merits a full chapter. If Dickie overstates the tendency of modern scholars to idealize the sentimental nature of 18th- century culture, this does not invalidate the ample documentary evidence that he brings to bear in his argument, nor does it discredit the validity and significance of the riotous, seamy portrait of British society. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- A. W. Lee, Arkansas Tech University 136 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanDante and Italy in British Romanticism, ed. by Frederick Burwick and Paul Douglass. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 258p bibl index; ISBN 9780230114487, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This is an indispensable study for anyone interested in the importance of Italian literature and Dante to the British Romantics. The 14 essays are all of the highest Recommended quality and by extremely distinguished scholars. The contributors deal with, among others, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, Felicia Hemans, and Germaine de Staël. The essays take up many aspects of the Romantics' engagement with Italy, subjects from politics to drama to the sound of the Italian language. This is one of the best collections of essays on the Romantics this reviewer has seen for some time. It will be particularly helpful to readers who are not particularly familiar with such Italian authors as Alfieri, Tasso, or Ariosto. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- division undergraduates through faculty. -- J. W. Vail, Boston University, College of General Studies Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GeneralEcocritical theory: new European approaches, ed. by Axel Goodbody and Kate Rigby. Virginia, 2011. 322p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813931357, $69.50; ISBN 9780813931487 pbk, $35.00; ISBN 9780813931630 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Applying contemporary European perspectives on philosophy, politics, ethics, feminism, phenomenology, and science to ecocritical theory, this coherent Recommended collection of essays and commentaries promises to open new vistas in the study of literature and the environment. Goodbody (Univ. of Bath, UK) and Rigby (Monash Univ., Australia) have assembled a striking cast of authors: Catriona Sandilands (on the politics of Walter Benjamin's Arcades Project), Kate Soper (Romantic memory), Linda Williams (the socio-genetic theory of Norbert Elias), Patrick Murphy (Bakhtinian ethics), Louise Westling (Merleau-Ponty's ecophenomenology). The contributors enrich ecocritical studies by challenging the early movement's didactic undertones, which emphasized immediate action over what may have been perceived as merely academic reactions to global environmental crisis. As ecocriticism has become a distinct field in the study of literature, it has at the same time merged with other disciplines under the umbrella of environmental studies and environmental science. The "new European approaches" apply poststructural critiques to present understanding of the environment. The essays visit traditional methods of inquiry and apply them to the real world. All the essays are tours de force, but worthy of particular mention is French feminist Luce Irigaray's "There Can Be No Democracy without a Culture of Difference." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- L. L. Johnson, Lewis & Clark College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanRedding, Arthur. Haints: American ghosts, millennial passions, and contemporary gothic fictions. Alabama, 2011. 149p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780817317461, $27.50; ISBN 9780817385729 e-book, $22.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The specters that Redding (York Univ., Canada) stalks in this book bear no resemblance to the horrors conjured up by Horace Walpole or M. R. James. Recommended Redding's ghosts evoke the memory of the US's cultural past, suggesting that even 137 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
though one may wish to lay some unsettling elements of the American heritage to rest, they will not stay buried. Redding ably demonstrates that in modern gothic works "guilt cannot be fully assigned," making enacting justice especially troublesome because the destruction of innocence is a central fact of this genre. His argument is stimulating and powerful enough to entice even reluctant students to appreciate relationships between the fiction they are assigned to read and contemporary as well as past reality. The author draws his examples from a diverse collection of writers, a group as thought provoking as his argument. Redding's style will induce the reader to think the author is addressing him or her directly, a good way to encourage enthusiasm both for the literature and for the insights it provides. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. -- D. C. Greenwood, Albright College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanUpdike, John. Higher gossip: essays and criticism, ed. by Christopher Carduff. Knopf, 2011. 501p index; ISBN 9780307957153, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Between 1965 and 2010, Updike published ten titles categorized, in the extensive list of his published works, as "essays and criticism." The present volume, which Recommended gathers more previously uncollected essays and short fiction, plus five poems, joins those ten. The pieces date from about 1970 to the last years of his life. Although Updike had done some work on the compilation, the final product is the work of well-known editor Christopher Carduff. He put the volume together at the request of Updike's widow and, it seems, with Updike's approval, granted during the brief time between diagnosis of his inoperable lung cancer and his death in January 2010. Most interesting in this volume are the art exhibition reviews; pieces on Updike's onetime home in Ipswich, Massachusetts; miscellaneous forewords and notes to his own fiction; and, in particular, the two 2008 lead essays of the volume, "The Writer in Winter" and "A Desert Encounter." Both individually and taken together, the 2008 essays constitute probing views by Updike on his life as author. Their circumspect wisdom, part of which is Updike's dealing with the aging process, is the later Updike at his best. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- S. Miller, Texas A&M University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanGray, Spalding. The journals of Spalding Gray, ed. by Nell Casey. Knopf, 2011. 340p index; ISBN 9780307273451, $28.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required "I'm always telling a story to myself or someone else. I'm telling a story about my life." This 1973 entry in Gray's journal proved a prescient revelation of what would Recommended become Gray's life's work. Thoughtfully edited by Casey, who provides continuity by linking the journal entries to biographical information, the book provides a fascinating portrait of the American actor and monologist who, seated at a wooden desk on a bare stage with nothing but a glass of water, a notebook, and a microphone, would captivate audiences. The volume offers honest, often raw, frequently painful insights into the "terrors of pleasure" (to quote from the title of one of Gray's monologues) that constituted his life and work. Of particular interest are explorations of his relationships with the four central women in his life-- Elizabeth LeCompte, Renée Shafransky, Kathie Russo, and his mother, Betty, who preceded him in suicide. All played major roles in defining Gray's character, both off stage and on. An intriguing read for theater historians and anyone interested in 138 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
how 20th-century American culture shaped and was shaped by this extraordinary performance artist. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- M. S. LoMonaco, Fairfield University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanGigante, Denise. The Keats brothers: the life of John and George. Belknap, Harvard, 2011. 499p index afp; ISBN 9780674048560, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In writing of the Keats family, Gigante (Stanford) gives the poet and his brother George, a businessman, somewhat equal billing. She views the poet's elder brother Recommended somewhat more sympathetically than have previous scholars--such as Richard Milnes, Walter Jackson Bate, and Aileen Ward--but she does not make an exaggerated case for the influence of George on his brother's poetry. John Keats maintained human connections through relationships with his siblings, and these relationships protected him, to some extent, from the solipsism to which Romantic visionaries were subject. Gigante presents George's emigration to America and John's poor health and trials in love as parallel but connected stories, humanizing the poet even as she extols his genius. A bold, expressive style makes this an engaging narrative throughout. The love, misunderstanding, and rivalry between a spiritual adventurer and a worldly one are emblematic of contrasts in 19th-century British culture. Steadily specific and free of generalizations and theories, this study serves as a case study of the interpersonal and cultural contexts of English Romanticism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- R. K. Mookerjee, Eugene Lang College, The New School for the Liberal Arts Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GeneralHitchings, Henry. The language wars: a history of proper English. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. 408p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780374183295, $28.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Hitchings brings the same affable erudition to grammar that he brought to lexicography and etymology in his prize-winning books The Secret Life of Words Recommended (CH, Mar'09, 46-3675) and Dr. Johnson's Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story of the Book that Defined the World (2005). Invoking (among others) Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Lindley Murray, and Lynne Truss, Hitchings devotes 28 brisk chapters to exploring how humans have let language differences divide them. He sets out his goal from the start: to show the hypocrisy of prescriptivism and to explore arguments for regulating language. The first eight chapters cover primarily British attempts at regulating English. By chapter 9 Hitchings has brought English to the US, where new issues arise. Chapters 18 onward take up some specific grammatical issues--commas, hyphens, spelling, diction, and the like--and muse on the role of censorship, sexism, technology, globalization, and political correctness, with both Benjamin Lee Whorf and George Orwell making appearances. Hitchings is an excellent researcher (his bibliography and notes run to some 50 pages) and the book goes beyond the usual language-war generals to mention less-known linguistic players (Ann Fisher, Sir Walter Scott, H. G. Wells, C. K. Ogden). An enlightening book with a broad audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- E. L. Battistella, Southern Oregon University 139 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanHemingway, Ernest. The letters of Ernest Hemingway: v. 1: 1907-1922, ed. by Sandra Spanier and Robert W. Trogdon. Cambridge, 2011. 431p indexes; ISBN 9780521897334, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required There are more than 6,000 extant letters written by Hemingway (1899-1961); Cambridge expects them to fill 12 volumes. In this volume, the scholarly apparatus Recommended includes extensive footnotes that supply, in addition to normal identification of names and places Hemingway mentions, important biographical information about those whom Hemingway was writing about or with whom he was corresponding (summaries of correspondents' letters are included when relevant). More than those of any other writer known to this reviewer, Hemingway's letters document the process by which he made his life into literature. Early on in the letters he begins to refer to himself in the third person, and in so doing starts making himself into a persona whose places and actions letter-writer Hemingway narrates. Several years later that persona became the main character of his fictions. This first volume of letters is fundamental to understanding Hemingway's transition from all-American family son to independent agent with wide acquaintance, a man who chose his kind of life and made it the stuff of his writing. Required reading for anyone who wants to experience the fullness of Hemingway's early short and long narratives. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- S. Miller, Texas A&M University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GeneralBéjoint, Henri. The lexicography of English: from origins to present. Oxford, 2010. 458p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780198299677, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Béjoint (emer., Univ. of Lyon, France) offers a magisterial survey of the theory and practice of English-language lexicography. He devotes roughly half the book to the Recommended history of dictionaries from the 16th century to the present, with descriptions of both the American and British traditions of dictionary-making and occasional glances at Continental European examples. Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and the Oxford English Dictionary all receive extended attention. In the rest of the book, the author takes a topical approach, addressing such issues as how readers actually use dictionaries, the influence of linguistics on lexicography, and the role of computers and corpora in modern dictionary-making. General-purpose monolingual dictionaries get most of the space, although bilingual, topical, and learner's dictionaries are covered. In 1993, Béjoint published Tradition and Innovation in Modern English Dictionaries (CH, Nov'94, 32-1367), and the present volume is, in effect, a substantially enlarged, revised, and updated version of that earlier title. Developments in lexicography since 1993 more than justify another look at the subject. This volume is especially valuable for its thorough bibliography of relevant scholarship. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. -- J. T. Lynch, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanMitchell, Verner D. Literary sisters: Dorothy West and her circle: a biography of the Harlem Renaissance, by Verner D. Mitchell and Cynthia Davis. Rutgers, 2012. 200p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813551456, $72.00; ISBN 9780813551463 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 140 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required With this biography, Mitchell (Univ. of Memphis) and Davis (Barry Univ.) complete a trilogy of studies of novelist Dorothy West, poet Helene Johnson (West's first Recommended cousin), and the women they wrote with, traveled with, performed with, and slept with during the Harlem Renaissance. Mitchell introduced the nearly forgotten Johnson to a new generation with his critical edition of Johnson's poetry, This Waiting for Love: Helene Johnson, Poet of the Harlem Renaissance (CH, Oct'01, 39- 0783). He and Davis collected West's essays and a novella in Where the Wild Grape Grows: Selected Writings, 1930-1950 (2005). The present volume expands the earlier works' excellent introductions, illuminating the challenges faced by a close- knit circle of African American women artists and the excitement of living unfettered emotional and sexual lives. The authors examined primary documents, including letters and census and tax rolls, in order to trace the movements-- geographical and social--of a large group of women, in so doing correcting several misunderstandings. Though coverage of some of the women is necessarily brief, this volume reintroduces several artists long overshadowed by Zora Neale Hurston and deserving of further study. The volume includes two dozen photographs of central figures. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- C. A. Bily, Macomb Community College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanMitchell, Koritha. Living with lynching: African American lynching plays, performance, and citizenship, 1890-1930. Illinois, 2011. 251p bibl index afp ISBN 0-252-03649-2, $40.00; ISBN 9780252036491, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this creative study, Mitchell (Ohio State Univ.) reconstructs the role that black- authored lynching dramas played in countering pro-lynching discourse during the Recommended height of white lynch mob violence. Mitchell contends, in part, that black-authored lynching plays helped African Americans navigate lynching by de-emphasizing or completely eschewing the lynched black body in their narratives. Rather, the plays dramatized the effect lynching had on African American families, soldiers, and lawyers. Mitchell makes the interesting argument that African American playwrights intended their lynching dramas to be performed in community spaces such as black churches, schools, and homes rather than on stage. She shows how performing lynching plays in community spaces allowed African Americans to actualize the various subjectivities (African American lynch victims as members of respectable families, communities, and US society) that lynchings sought to expunge. This book is required reading for understanding the ways in which narrative and performance have been central to challenging white oppression as well as (re)imagining black identity in America. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- K. K. Hill, Texas Tech University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanPeters, Margot. Lorine Niedecker: a poet's life. Wisconsin, 2011. 326p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780299285005, $34.95; ISBN 9780299285036 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Peters has written an exemplary biography of an important American poet, one who is generally known as an "objectivist"--a vague label for a group of poets Recommended published together in a special issue of Poetry, edited by Louis Zukofsky (1931). 141 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Niedecker is an important member of the poetic generation after modernism, but her work took a long time finding a major publisher. This biography will supplement Lorine Niedecker: Collected Works (CH, Dec'02, 40-2036), one of the most important books in modern American poetry. Peters has done her research, as the 44 pages of notes attest, and she writes very well. She steers readers through the controversies and allegiances of modern poetry and illuminates Niedecker's work as well as her life. Sadly, poverty and isolation dominated that life. Peters documents the tragic exploitation of Niedecker by Zukofsky and his wife, Celia. The emergence of a vital poetry of place (set mainly on Blackhawk Island, Wisconsin) from Niedecker's predicaments is inspiring. The book has many photographs and a good bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- B. Almon, University of Alberta Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ ClassicalPassannante, Gerard. The Lucretian renaissance: philology and the afterlife of tradition. Chicago, 2011. 250p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780226648491, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required In the wake of Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve (CH, Mar'12, 49-3702), Passannante (English and comparative literature, Univ. of Maryland) forges Recommended another estimable link in the lengthening catena of recent Lucretian scholarship. To appropriate a phrase from the author, Lucretius is currently "in the air." Readers will be grateful for the assistance of copious footnotes and English renderings of the many Latin passages cited as Passannante guides them through the labyrinthine history of the transmission and absorption of De rerum natura, both before it was "discovered" and thereafter; he pays particular attention to the associated philological and philosophical materialities impacting the intellectual development of many seminal thinkers--Petrarch, Montaigne, Francis Bacon, Pierre Gassendi, Sir Isaac Newton, and Henry More, among others. With consummate élan, Passannante constructs an elegant exfoliative narrative characterized by comprehensive erudition and a complete command of the spectrum of scholarship relating to his purpose. Positing an analogy--derived directly from the poem itself-- of Epicurean atomic particles to alphabetic letters, the author limns the formation and reformation of a text in flux, a text coextensive with the rise of Renaissance textual criticism, which exerted its pervasive influence on literary and intellectual history well into the 17th century. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through faculty. -- J. S. Louzonis, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanWorden, Daniel. Masculine style: the American West and literary modernism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 196p bibl index ISBN 0-230-12031-8, $80.00; ISBN 9780230120310, $80.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Masculinity studies often focuses on the relationships between power and masculinity as a means of understanding how hegemonic formations of gender Recommended come into being. Worden (Univ. of Colorado, Colorado Springs), however, connects pulp Westerns and modernist novels in order to examine how both popular and literary fictions (a divide he questions) shaped contemporary understandings of masculinity by suggesting alternative possibilities for masculine identity. Chapters on dime novels, Teddy Roosevelt, Nat Love, and Owen Wister uncover the variety of masculine possibilities within a genre often read as limiting in its portrayals of 142 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
men. Turning his attention to Hemingway, Cather, and Steinbeck, Worden reveals how their works draw on popular conceptions of manhood to create alternatives for men and women. His chapter on female masculinity in Cather is particularly interesting. Given his focus on Judith Butler and theories of performativity, Worden could usefully have engaged with recent work on masculinity and melancholic modernism (Jonathan Flatley and Greg Forter come to mind). But his juxtaposition of popular Western genre writers with canonical American modernist novelists allows him to usefully rethink the production of masculinities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. E. Magill, Longwood University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanBone, Robert. The muse in Bronzeville: African American creative expression in Chicago, 1932-1950, by Robert Bone and Richard A. Courage. Rutgers, 2011. 302p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813550442, $75.00; ISBN 9780813550435 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required What was the relationship between radical politics and black art, artists, and aesthetics in Chicago from 1932 to 1950? What accounts for the proliferation of Recommended literature, creative writing, visual arts, music, and dance in "Bronzeville," i.e., black Chicago, during this era? And how does this trans-art, cross-disciplinary movement intersect with the Harlem Renaissance? Bone (Columbia Univ. Teachers College until his death in 2007) and Courage (Westchester Community College, SUNY) answer these and other critical questions in this book. They offer not only an impressively astute and comprehensive explication of the historical, cultural, ideological, and foundational contours of the Chicago Renaissance, but also a discussion of the prominent figures (Richard Wright, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker, Gordon Parks, Mahalia Jackson, Katherine Dunham) and institutions that contributed to this black artistic flourishing in Chicago's South Side during the period from the "great migration" through the post-WW II moment. Foregrounding the renaissance in Chicago, which has been largely neglected and overshadowed by the Harlem Renaissance, this study delineates continuities and discontinuities and significantly expands understanding of black artistic renaissances (generally as well as area specific) and of cultural and expressive traditions collectively in 20th- century America. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- T. C. Melancon, Loyola University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanWidiss, Benjamin. Obscure invitations: the persistence of the author in twentieth-century American literature. Stanford, 2011. 208p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780804773225, $65.00; ISBN 9780804773232 pbk, $21.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this dynamic and dense work, Widiss (Princeton) concentrates his attention on the normally disenfranchised constructions of authorship. He affirms that the Recommended death of the author and "free play" of language promote the performances of the author and cannot, in the interest of scholarly duties, be ignored. Authorship "complicate[s] received wisdom regarding the constitution of and distinction between literary movements and moments throughout the century." Widiss examines select texts by Gertrude Stein, Vladimir Nabokov, William Faulkner, and Dave Eggers, demonstrating that each acknowledges the authorial absence and 143 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
thus justifies further discernment of the author; by proclaiming the absence of the author, one seeks to find the author. Authorial control is exerted on both the text and the reader. Ostensibly, this book provides a new method for analysis of modern and postmodern texts. Widiss argues the location of the author in modern America, and his/her place in the formation of the narrative. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- C. R. Bloss, Auburn University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanMarkey, Anne. Oscar Wilde's fairy tales: origins and contexts. Irish Academic Press, 2011. 230p bibl index ISBN 0-7165-3120-8, $69.95; ISBN 9780716531203, $69.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This superb analysis of Wilde's The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891) presents a new and persuasive reading of Wilde's Recommended fairy tales. Markey (Trinity College, Dublin) notes that since the 1980s these tales have received wider critical attention--due to the surge of interest in children's literature as well as the redemption of Wilde's reputation--but she finds much of this critical attention misguided or one-dimensional. Here she "aspires to offer a fuller and more balanced evaluation" of the tales, specifically "a critical re- examination of the extent and nature of Wilde's familiarity with Irish folklore." Though many critics have made the logical assumption that Irish folklore was the source of Wilde's tales, Markey demonstrates that he appropriated themes, ideas, characters, and motifs from sources as varied as Charles Baudelaire, George MacDonald, and painter Diego Velázquez. Markey opens with a thorough literature review, presenting interpretations by postcolonial and queer theorists, along with many others. She then offers chapters on Irish folklore (Wilde's mother published two collections of Irish lore and legends) and on the tradition of the literary fairy tale. The last two chapters, one devoted to each of Wilde's volumes, offer helpful summaries and close readings. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- E. R. Baer, Gustavus Adolphus College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanAusten, Jane. Persuasion: an annotated edition, ed. by Robert Morrison. Belknap, Harvard, 2011. 341p bibl afp; ISBN 9780674049741, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This gorgeous annotated edition of Persuasion, the second annotated Austen title Belknap Harvard has released, is a must for all Janeites. For those unfamiliar with Recommended Austen's milieu, Morrison's notes provide basic information, such as explanations of words or phrases and geographical information. However, Morrison (Queen's Univ., Ontario, Canada) goes beyond the basics in his notes, explaining the intricacies of the Navy and providing details about Austen's allusions to figures such as Samuel Johnson. He also provides a fine scholarly analysis of the novel, including an extended discussion--in which he quotes the premier Austen scholars- -of Captain Wentworth's letter. And his preface firmly places the novel in the events of its setting, especially the Napoleonic Wars (which Austen never overtly refers to). The beauty of this book is the lovely pictures, such as fashion plates, naval scenes, sketches of Bath, and illustrations from various editions of the novel. This volume should please all readers, from those reading Persuasion for the first time to seasoned Austen scholars. The volume has been generating a lot of excitement in both scholarly and popular Austen circles, and rightly so! Summing 144 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Up: Essential. All readers. -- L. J. Larson, Our Lady of the Lake University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanGoodman, Susan. Republic of words: the Atlantic Monthly and its writers, 1857-1925. University Press of New England, 2011. 330p index afp; ISBN 9781584659853, $29.99; ISBN 9781611681963 e-book, $16.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Goodman (English, Univ. of Delaware) delivers an admirably concise but textured examination of one of the nation's leading intellectual magazines, The Atlantic, Recommended which was founded in 1857 as Atlantic Monthly. Melding textual analyses with biographical and historical background, the author provides something of a microcosmic look at the writing of an astonishing number of literary luminaries who graced the publication's pages. She explores, for example, the battle regarding evolution that pitted Louis Agassiz against Asa Gray; the role naturalists Henry David Thoreau and John Burroughs played in the pages of the magazine during the US's most terrible war; the talent and narcissism that brought Bret Harte fame and then infamy; and the looming presence of the nation's greatest writer, Mark Twain. Goodman also emphasizes the magazine's progressive turn under editor Walter Hines Page, how WW I impacted the magazine, and the mixed manner in which it responded to the changed circumstances of the 1920s. Among the many highlights are the accounts of Jacob Riis's grappling with the pain engendered by rapid modernization, the shifting relationship between Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, and the magazine's need to grapple with feminism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; professionals; general readers. -- R. C. Cottrell, California State University, Chico Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GeneralPennebaker, James W. The secret life of pronouns: what our words say about us. 1st U.S. ed. Bloomsbury, 2011. 352p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781608194803, $28.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Pennebaker (social psychology, Univ. of Texas) offers a breezy retelling of his academic work on the information provided by pronouns and other function Recommended words--he calls them "stealth words." For many years, the author and a legion of his students have been doing large-scale computer analysis of stealth words in a wide variety of texts and transcripts--from The Federal Papers to blogs. The research reveals how function-word use correlates with status, age, gender, emotional immediacy, and even truthfulness. Some results are what one might expect and some are surprising, and many of the experiments are quite ingenious. In the book's ten chapters, the author gives some background and recounts his studies of the stealth grammar of power, emotion, dissimulation, leadership, love, and community. He notes early on that the book may "disappoint or infuriate" serious linguists. In a way, he is right. The exposition often does a disservice to the research that underlies much of the work, and this reviewer found himself wanting things tied up more neatly. Still, the book makes one think about pronouns, auxiliaries, adverbs, and articles in a new way. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- E. L. Battistella, Southern Oregon University 145 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanLojek, Helen Heusner. The spaces of Irish drama: stage and place in contemporary plays. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 181p bibl index ISBN 0-230-11523-3, $80.00; ISBN 9780230115231, $80.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In the last decade, Lojek (emer., Boise State Univ.) has produced two important studies on the drama of Frank McGuinness: her own Contexts for Frank Recommended McGuinness's Drama (2004) and The Theatre of Frank McGuinness: Stages of Mutability (2002), which she edited. In the present book she considers how four contemporary Irish playwrights--McGuinness, Brian Friel, Marina Carr, and Conor McPherson--use space and particular Irish settings in their plays. Each of the four plays she discusses uses place--the space of the stage and the spaces of Ireland--to consider themes that recur in many late 20th century plays: home and homeland, belonging and not belonging, outsiders and insiders, self and others. Each play engages with Ireland's changing geography and culture, especially in the ways it portrays various diversities. For Lojek's analysis, the play script remains primary; however, she seeks to narrow the distance between drama as text and the nonverbal, nonlinear aspects of performance, and especially focuses on how these playwrights use dramatic sites and stage spaces as deliberate reinforcements for their themes. Though Lojek's focus is narrow, this systematic analysis can be extended to a range of plays in an increasingly global world of contemporary drama. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers -- J. S. Baggett, Lander University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ ClassicalGreenblatt, Stephen. The swerve: how the world became modern. W. W. Norton, 2011. 356p bibl index ISBN 0-393- 06447-6, $26.95; ISBN 9780393064476, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Adopting the conceit of the "swerve" as the fulcrum of this work, Greenblatt (Harvard) presents a narrative study of Poggio Bracciolini's discovery in 1417 of Recommended Lucretius's lost poem De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things). He provides an engaging synthesis of Christianity's tactical obliteration of Epicureanism and the concomitant consignment to oblivion of the poetic elucidation (i.e., works like Lucretius's) of atomic and hedonistic fundamentals the Christian world-view deemed so antithetical. Artfully woven in are erudite delineations of the arcana of medieval book production, the mores of life in a monastic scriptorium, the intrigues of 15th-century papal politics, and the considerable perils of theological heterodoxy. By fortuitous chance, a manuscript of the lost De rerum natura was discovered in one dramatic moment of instantaneous recognition by Poggio, one of the greatest of the humanist bibliomaniacs. Adducing this as the "swerve," Greenblatt causally connects this recovery of Lucretius to the unleashing of the forces of scientific inquiry and aesthetic humanism that characterize the Renaissance and thus inform the substratum of modernity--hence the subtitle. Provocative, stimulating, and certain to catalyze scholarly debate, this elegant book deserves a wide readership. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- J. S. Louzonis, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanBannet, Eve Tavor. Transatlantic stories and the history of reading, 1720-1810: migrant fictions. Cambridge, 2011. 295p bibl index; ISBN 9781107007468, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 146 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Author already of Empire of Letters (2005) and The Domestic Revolution: Enlightenment Feminisms and the Novel (2000), Bannet (Univ. of Oklahoma) here Recommended moves into the new area of "transatlantic studies," which seeks to understand Anglophone America and Europe as an integrated literary community. She is especially concerned with works that treat members of under classes (women, slaves, servants, captives, Indians) and how such works both reshape the stories told of other, more established memoirists and storytellers, and come themselves to be reworked at the hands of often distant, ideologically diverse retellers. Starting from retellings of the Crusoe story, Bannet proceeds to detailed analyses of authors both well-known (Daniel Defoe, Penelope Aubin, Oloudah Equiano, Henry Mackenzie, "Courtney Melmoth") and heretofore almost entirely unstudied (Albert Gronniosaw, John Marrant, Samson Occam, Eleazar Wheelock). Bannet's breadth of learning and sharp ear for genre make this book genuinely a history of 18th- and early-19th-century reading practices, as well as a useful introduction to a growing area of literary inquiry. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- division undergraduates through faculty. -- D. L. Patey, Smith College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanHarris, Alexandra. Virginia Woolf. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 191p bibl index; ISBN 9780500515921, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Essentially a handbook, this concise but thorough study provides a survey of the salient biographical and literary landmarks associated with Virginia Woolf. In ten Recommended chronological chapters, Harris (Univ. of Liverpool, UK) offers not only summations, but also invaluable nuanced insights about things that Woolf scholars have either missed or neglected--and always with a striking clarity, avoiding the abstruse and abstract. One learns, for example, that Woolf wrote many of her works while standing; that her relationship with her father always remained ambivalent; that she was not a recluse, and in fact enjoyed social events, fashion, and even sports; that she could be fiercely competitive and critical. Harris is especially adroit in foregrounding childhood elements in this writer of recall. One of Harris's remarkable strengths is her objectivity: she does not allow her devotion to Woolf to interfere with presentation of the facts, and she weighs in on the often- discussed sexual molestation of Woolf in her youth, her sexual ambivalence, and her unstable mental health. In an afterword, Harris offers a survey of contemporary Woolf criticism. Replete with captioned photographs and including a helpful bibliography and even a sewn-in bookmark, this volume is sure to delight both the newbie and seasoned Woolf scholar. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- R. R. Joly, emeritus, Asbury University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanKirsch, Adam. Why Trilling matters. Yale, 2011. 185p index afp; ISBN 9780300152692, $24.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Kirsch (senior editor, The New Republic) begins this elegant, accessible book by declaring, "More than any twentieth-century American intellectual, Trilling stood Recommended for the principle that society and politics cannot be fully understood without the literary imagination." Though Kirsch covers all the notable aspects of Trilling's long career, he is most compelling in his account of Trilling's The Liberal Imagination (1950), from which Trilling excluded essays addressing the Cold War issues that often condition understanding of his work. For Kirsch, such topics "are only the 147 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
point of entry, the local habitation, of a more permanent debate--which is, as always in Trilling, preeminently a debate with himself." Kirsch seems more comfortable with modern literature than with such 19th-century writers as Wordsworth and Keats, the subjects of some of Trilling's most important essays, but the book nonetheless delivers on answering the question the title implies. Trilling matters most because of his concept of "moral realism," which Kirsch describes as "the understanding that there is no such thing as purity of heart, and that those who believe in their own purity are especially capable of evil." Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- T. Ware, Queen's University at Kingston Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ English & AmericanBryant, Marsha. Women's poetry and popular culture. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 235p bibl index; ISBN 9780230609419, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Bryant (Univ. of Florida) offers a lively interrogation of "women's poetry" situated within and outside of constructions of popular, contemporary Western culture. Recommended Coalescing the poetry of H.D., Stevie Smith, Sylvia Plath, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Carol Ann Duffy with the complexities of a mainstream market comprising domestic advertising, juvenile literature, film, and tabloid journalism, Bryant's provocative work refutes historical conceptions of women's poetry as oppositional to popular culture. Rather, this refreshing fusion of feminist and cultural studies probes the dynamics of women infusing popular culture with poetry written by "cultural insiders" to chronicle this delicate and complex interplay of popular culture and women's poetry. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. -- M. L. Mock, University of Pittburgh at Johnstown
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Health Administration Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Santulli, Robert B. The Alzheimer's family: helping caregivers cope. W. W. Norton, 2011. 234p bibl index; ISBN 9780393705775, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This clearly written, timely, useful book was designed as a resource for a wide range of clinicians--doctors, nurses, counselors, psychologists, health care staff at Recommended various facilities, and more--who treat people who have Alzheimer's disease (AD) and work with the families and caretakers of those patients. The goal of geriatric psychiatrist Santulli (Dartmouth Medical School) is "to help these clinicians better understand the impact of the disease on the family, and the impact of the family on the disease." The book begins with a clear explanation of the science behind AD. A discussion of essential topics that will help clinicians navigate the difficult course of the disease follows. Readers will gain practical resources to help families deal with the decline in memory and cognition, changes in lifelong role relationships, changes in mood and behavior, increasing safety concerns, and the constant planning for long-term care needs that accompany AD. An integral component of this work is the emphasis on the importance of acknowledging and addressing caregiver stress. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. M. Slusser, DeSales University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Anti-immigration in the United States: a historical encyclopedia, ed. by Kathleen R. Arnold. Greenwood, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313375217, $180.00; ISBN 9780313375224 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," wrote Emma Lazarus in 1883. Engraved on the Statue of Liberty, these words Recommended capture the abiding civic belief that the US is a nation open to all immigrants. Always evident, however, has been a tension concerning the details of such an idealistic immigration policy. In fact, the anti-immigrant impulse is as old as the republic itself and continues with robust fervor today. "This encyclopedia," writes editor Arnold, "serves an important role in informing readers not only about current anti-immigration ideas, events, policies, and figures, but also about the history of anti-immigration sentiment throughout American history." The work includes about 200 brief entries written by more than 100 contributors. Arranged alphabetically from "African Americans and Immigration" to "Zoot-Suit Riots," this set also features a brief introduction, three essays on US immigration policy, eight statistical tables, a select bibliography, and a thorough index. A separate volume features some 50 primary documents. The editor accurately notes that this encyclopedia should be seen as "not only a history of events--with a clear chronology--but also a history of ideas." Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- T. Walch, emeritus, Hoover Presidential Library Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Topmiller, Robert J. Binding their wounds: America's assault on its veterans, by Robert J. Topmiller and T. Kerby Neill. Paradigm Publishers, 2011. 231p index afp; ISBN 9781594515712, $89.00; ISBN 9781594515729 pk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Except for family, close friends, and those who may treat the scars of war, few 149 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
people really know or understand the emotional sacrifices that warriors make. The Recommended invisibility of inner struggle adds to misunderstanding and ignorance. Binding Their Wounds is first a succinct history of how the US has dealt with veterans, but it is also the story of one individual: its first author, Topmiller (formerly, Eastern Kentucky Univ.). A historian and veteran, his affliction with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) led to his premature death. Neill, a veteran and retired clinical psychologist, completed the work. Binding focuses on the health-related impacts of war, especially PTSD, and includes chapters on radiation exposure experiments (post-WW II), Agent Orange (Vietnam War), and Gulf War syndrome. The last few chapters argue for a preventive approach and issue a plea for achieving peace without war. This well-documented work deserves a wide audience; it could be used as source material for a range of disciplines, including psychology, counseling, history, sociology, and peace studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- P. Leung, University of North Texas Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Black America: a state-by-state historical encyclopedia, ed. by Alton Hornsby Jr. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313341120, $180.00; ISBN 9781573569767 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required When considering the black experience in the US, many publications tend to focus on the South. Certainly the South was the epicenter of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Recommended civil rights movement. It was the birthplace of jazz, blues, and rock 'n' roll. Of course, slavery, segregation, political activism, and black cultural contributions were not exclusive to the South; accordingly Black America presents the black experience across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state entry in this two-volume set is prefaced with a time line that highlights important events. The concise yet rich historical overview that follows expands on these events and themes, tracing the black experience from slavery to the present. Entries also include biographical sketches of notable African Americans who were born in or active in the state, along with a section that examines black cultural contributions. Each entry concludes with a comprehensive bibliography that highlights resources specific to the state, making this an excellent resource for those looking for an introduction to the black experience across the nation. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. -- R. Walsh, Trinity College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Schneider, Diane L. The complete book of bone health. Prometheus Books, 2011. 491p bibl index; ISBN 9781616144357 pbk, $21.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Patients seeking information on osteoporosis will appreciate this book for its straightforward style. Packed with images, the text covers basic bone physiology, Recommended bone assessment, pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical treatments and preventatives for osteoporosis, and the effects of common medical problems on bone health. In her introduction, Schneider (formerly, Univ. of California, San Diego; cofounder, 4BoneHealth.org) states that she wants readers to feel that they are "having a friendly chat," and this is a perfect description of how the book is written. The conversational style makes it an easy and fun read for patients, but some may feel that this informality detracts from the book's value for 150 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
undergraduate research use. Other features, including the index and chapter references that cite articles from professional journals, make the book more student-friendly. Chapters conclude with a bulleted summary, and one can read each of the book's six parts independently. The book provides lay readers a helpful, simplified introduction to osteoporosis and its treatment. It may also be useful for entry-level health sciences students as well as nonscience students who are researching and writing papers about health-related topics. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-level undergraduates. -- S. L. Knight- Davis, Eastern Illinois University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Controversial bodies: thoughts on the public display of plastinated corpses, ed. by John D. Lantos. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 145p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402710, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required German anatomist Gunther von Hagens initially developed the technique of plastinating bodies and body parts to create specimens for medical students in the Recommended 1970s. His work was first publicly displayed in Japan in 1995, and his exhibits have since traveled the globe. These exhibits have raised moral questions about public anatomical display, with only recent discussion in the academic literature on the topic. Controversial Bodies explores these moral issues in 12 essays written by historians, bioethicists, and theologians. The authors examine "the ways in which the current craze in plastination and the commercial success of the museum shows interact with ideas about medicine and medical education and the appropriate viewing of the dead body and its liminality in culture." The contributors discuss the moral and legal dilemmas of human body plastination and display, similarities and differences between public display and medical anatomy, cultural and religious perceptions of anatomical displays, and the aesthetic aspects of plastinated anatomic bodies. This work is an important contribution to the bioethics literature and one of the first volumes dedicated to the ethics of the public display of plastinated corpses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Henderson, D. Scott. Death and donation: rethinking brain death as a means for procuring transplantable organs. Pickwick Publications, 2011. 196p bibl index; ISBN 9781608996223 pbk, $23.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Death is unique for each individual. However, brain death is determined, diagnosed, and decided by uniform consensus authority of physicians and Recommended lawmakers, not by the individualized informed consent of the patient. Here, Henderson (Luther Rice Univ.) promotes the importance of philosophers discussing biomedical ethical issues; Henderson also consider the consequences of the loss of autonomy for individuals (and their families) in determining aspects of their death. From significant metaphysical conceptual confusions (higher/lower consciousness or biological functions) to inconsistencies in defining persons (unified system or collection of discrete parts), serious problems challenge brain death decisions. Along with problems with diagnoses, medicine's technical interests in transplantable organs (hearts) can bias the brain death test, raising serious ethical concerns. In addition, there are empirical gaps and ambiguities about connecting a viable concept of human life to the death event. Logically and ethically, Henderson's criticisms raise the option to return to the previously publicly and 151 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
medically accepted cardiopulmonary tests to satisfy pragmatic concerns for larger numbers of organs, eliminate confusion, coordinate public/professional standards, and retain public trust and respect for the medical profession's integrity. This well- written book importantly challenges these concerns for everyone in biomedical ethics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- J. Gough, formerly, Red Deer College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Sanders, Delia González. Dementia care with black and Latino families: a social work problem-solving approach, by Delia González Sanders and Richard H. Fortinsky. Springer Publishing, 2012. 314p index afp ISBN 0826106773 pbk, $55.00; ISBN 9780826106773 pbk, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although there is a plethora of literature regarding dementia, the primary focus has been on the biogenic origins, the treatment, and the pharmacological Recommended interventions. Sanders (Central Connecticut State Univ.) and Fortinsky (Univ. of Connecticut School of Medicine) seek to help current and future social workers understand the social contexts of both the dementia patients and their caregivers who grapple with the challenges of living with the symptoms. They focus on the two largest racial and ethnic groups in America, African Americans and Latinos. The authors analyze the reality of adverse life conditions and circumstances that often impact these two groups, but depict the ethnic caregiving families as capable, adaptive, resilient, and skillful in engaging "familismo" networks to problem solve difficult situations. This scholarly work uses attachment theory, self-efficacy theory, and cognitive behavior theory to frame the analysis. Each chapter is extremely well documented. The authors have created a book that comfortably combines substantial research findings with readable, practical guidelines for assessment and intervention in the real-world practice of social work. This authoritatively researched, well-written volume will appeal to the multiple disciplines involved in assisting dementia patients and their families. It will also be useful for academic health care collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. B. Hamilton, formerly, Western Michigan University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Disease eradication in the 21st century: implications for global health, ed. by Stephen L. Cochi and Walter R. Dowdle. MIT, 2011. 319p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262016735, $38.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE Required This work, part of the "Strüngmann Forum Reports" series, is based on the forum on global health initiatives held in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2010. The Strüngmann Recommended Forum "provides a creative environment within which experts scrutinize high- priority issues from multiple vantage points." At this particular meeting, participants assessed present global disease patterns, explored the challenges of disease eradication, and suggested a framework to define targets for disease eradication. The current volume is a collection of essays by forum participants focused around these themes. The contributions fall into two types: background information on key aspects of a theme and a discussion of aspects of eradication and/or elimination of disease. Contributions of both types are divided among the five sections and 19 chapters, which discuss current initiatives, determining eradication feasibility, classes of eradication initiatives, and more. Together, the 152 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
contributors illustrate how much has been learned about disease elimination and/or eradication, but they also identify the need for more efforts to enlarge the scope of conquering disease. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences The Encyclopedia of migration and minorities in Europe: from the 17th century to the present, ed. by Klaus J. Bade et al. Cambridge, 2011. 768p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780521895866, $185.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Very few nations can say that their current residents represent the original population for their region. Migration has always been--and always will be-- Recommended important because it keeps in flux resource distribution and population density, which are dependent on a myriad of ever-changing factors. This encyclopedia boldly attempts to wrangle this enormous and difficult subject into one volume so that readers can understand population movement trends in Europe. Following a section titled "Terminologies and Concepts of Migration Research," it treats migration and minority movement in two ways. First it takes a macro look at the various areas in Europe and beyond that are involved in migration. Then it deals with the topic on a more micro scale, delving into 200-plus specific groups and migration periods with more specificity. This ambitious volume is very successful in its coverage of subject matter that is interdisciplinary in nature. Perhaps future editions of this work will treat material that extends even further back into Europe's complicated migratory history to shine more light on the original migratory patterns that shaped the people discussed in this volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- G. Johnson, Washtenaw Community College Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Encyclopedia of school crime and violence, ed. by Laura L. Finley. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313362385, $173.00; ISBN 9780313362392 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The alphabetically arranged entries in this two-volume set provide a wealth of information about crime and violence in the school setting. Encompassing high Recommended schools to college campuses, the set reviews significant cases, including professional and community responses to various incidents along with theories about why the event(s) happened. Entries vary in length but provide the pertinent facts and include a "further reading" list. Along with cases, contributors discuss many types of violence related to theft, bullying, cybercrime, dating, and sexual assault. Numerous tools beyond the alphabetical entries assist readers in locating information. A topical list of the 80-plus entries (e.g., Case Studies: Kent State Shootings, Kip Kinkel; Global Comparison, Media, and Theory) offers quick access to information. A time line of significant events pertinent to school-related crime and violence provides data from 1927 to 2010. The set also provides an international perspective with material on school crime and violence outside the United States (Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe). Extras that add to this publication's value include discussion questions, extension activities, recommended films and resources, and five appendixes. This is an excellent resource on a troubling problem in the education field. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- K. 153 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Evans, Indiana State University
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences End-of-life care: a practical guide, ed. by Barry M. Kinzbrunner and Joel S. Policzer. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Medical, 2011. 858p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780071545273 pbk, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Kinzbrunner and Policzer, of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, focus on physician education, although their book is a valuable resource for all health professionals. Recommended The volume is organized into six sections: "Preparing Patients for End-of-Life Care," "Management of Symptoms," "Diagnostic and Invasive Interventions," "Ethical Dilemmas," "Specific Populations," and "Diversity." Each chapter in this new edition (1st ed., 20 Common Problems in End-of-Life Care, 2002) concludes with self-assessment questions to help readers glean the main points. The comprehensive section on symptom management, with its strong emphasis on the psychosocial and spiritual well-being of patients and families, is one of the book's strongest assets and the area of greatest deficiency in the education of most health professionals. Other strengths include discussions on caring for pediatric patients and on cultural and religious diversity. The chapters are well researched, and the references are state of the science. Overall, the book is a testament to the development of palliative medicine as a specialty and will hopefully help eliminate the phrase "There is nothing more to do" when curative therapies have run their course. Health professionals need to use their greatest skills to provide the highest quality of living for those in their final days of life. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All health students, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- L. K. Strodtman, University of Michigan Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Cawthon, Elisabeth A. Famous trials in history. Facts On File, 2012. 463p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8160-8167-0, $85.00; ISBN 9780816081677, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The public's fascination with trials does not stem only from tabloid cases such as that of O. J. Simpson. It evolves from important issues such as religion (Salem witch Recommended trials) and war (Nuremberg trials). Historian Cawthon (Univ. of Texas at Arlington) assembles a concise volume of famous world trials that covers the characters, cases, and stories. Inside, readers will find 100 trials arranged chronologically, from "Socrates" (399 BCE) to the "Killing Fields of Cambodia" (2010). Since this work is international in scope, Anglo-American readers likely will discover many trials that are unfamiliar. Likewise, one-quarter of the trials listed in the volume occur before 1600. Included are various types--jury, military, and religious trials, and inquisitions. Most entries are five pages in length and include sections on key issues of the trial, history of the case, summary of arguments, verdict, significance, and a bibliography. Special attention is given to placing each trial into historical context. This volume will serve as a useful introduction for students and the general public. Although intended as a reference book, it will be a good addition to circulating collections due to its accessible style. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic, public, and school libraries; lower- and upper-level undergraduates, and general readers. -- J. A. Hardenbrook, University of Wisconsin- Green Bay 154 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Marion, Nancy E. Federal government and criminal justice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 250p index ISBN 0-230-11015-0, $90.00; ISBN 9780230110151, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Over the last 20 years, intense interest has been evident among both academic specialists and the general public in the US concerning the politics of crime control Recommended and the growing role of the federal government in the exercising of that control. This interest is reflected in the voluminous popular and academic literature published in this area. With this monograph, Marion (Univ. of Akron), a leading specialist on the American criminal justice system, provides a badly needed overview of federal criminal justice policy. Although she discusses historical trends, Marion's main focus is on the "federalization of crime," which, she argues, began in the 1960s. The introduction addresses general trends in federal government policies. Each of the ensuing seven parts deals with federal policies on major issues including the criminal justice system, drug control, violent crime, minors as both victims and offenders, weapons, organized crime, and regulatory offenses. Each part is divided into chapters dealing with issues under general headings. In turn, each chapter deals with presidential policy (for every chief executive since President Truman and covering congressional action). An appendix lists all federal legislation enacted. With this source, Marion offers a well-organized, readable starting point for any user seeking more information on federal crime policy. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries; lower-level undergraduates and above, and general readers. -- W. F. Bell, emeritus, Aurora University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Great discoveries in medicine, ed. by William Bynum and Helen Bynum. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 304p bibl index ISBN 0-500-25180-0, $45.00; ISBN 9780500251805, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Great Discoveries in Medicine is a heavily illustrated reference book outlining in 70 topic-specific chapters significant diseases, cures, and health-related scientific Recommended advances mainly in the history of Western medicine. Each separately authored chapter ranges from two to four pages in length. Although there are seven overarching categories ranging from "Discovering the Body" to "Medical Triumphs" into which the chapters are placed, there is no comprehensive treatment of how medicine came to be what it is today in developed countries. Editors William Bynum (emer., Univ. College London, UK; Science and the Practice of Medicine in the Nineteenth Century, CH, Apr'95, 32-4468) and Helen Bynum (formerly, Univ. of Liverpool, UK) provide a British perspective. The volume lacks footnotes and, given the space allocated, subject coverage is not detailed. The typefaces used, especially in captions, are small. Includes a brief glossary and a short listing of recommendations, mostly books, for further reading. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. -- R. D. Arcari, University of Connecticut School of Medicine Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Handbook of child sexual abuse: identification, assessment, and treatment, ed. by Paris Goodyear-Brown. Wiley, 2012. 616p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780470877296, $75.00; ISBN 9781118082645 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The Handbook of Child Sexual Abuse is an excellent resource. Goodyear-Brown (Vanderbilt Univ.) states that, according to a national survey, 1 in 12 children admit 155 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended to sexual victimization. Providing help to these children is an expanding career field in many health care and law enforcement-related areas. This primer is designed to guide current and future child sexual abuse professionals through the process of helping these young victims, emphasizing the multidisciplinary approach. It explains the child abuse agency system, the forensic interview process, and the assessment and treatment of sexually abused children, including evidence-based treatment approaches. The book goes on to address the long-term effects of sexual abuse on children and discusses the complications seen in these children, such as self-injury, problematic sexual acting out, and cultural issues, as well as teen abuse victims. Chapter contributors also address the problems observed in those who work with child sexual abuse victims and how to avoid them. The final chapter focuses on the prevention of child sexual abuse. This is a wonderful guide not only for current and future child sexual abuse workers, but for all who work with children and those who strive to understand this difficult topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- J. A. Gibson, AT Still University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Schenck, David. Healers: extraordinary clinicians at work, by David Schenck and Larry R. Churchill. Oxford, 2012. 270p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199735389, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Using interviews with practicing clinicians whom colleagues and patients deemed "extraordinary," Schenck and Churchill (both, Vanderbilt Univ.) illuminate the Recommended clinical and personal practices sustaining physicians' humanity amid contemporary medicine's constant focus on productivity. They explore several angles of physician-patient interactions including the rituals of practice and interaction, and basics like the importance of physical posture in patients' hospital and clinic rooms. The authors illustrate how spirituality helps physicians cope with their own limitations and find the emotional resources to deal with the demands of patient care. The ideas in this book are not revolutionary, but the detailed interviews provide helpful information about the practices of excellence, making the authors' premises more convincing. The book powerfully shows how physicians' spiritual and physical dispositions contribute a great deal to the care they provide, showing the inseparability of personhood and excellence. Practitioners will find this a useful refresher about the things that really matter. Medical students and undergraduates who hope to be physicians will learn what they must do to become excellent practitioners. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Nelson, Arthur. Megapolitan America, by Arthur Nelson and Robert Lang. American Planning Association, 2011. 278p bibl index ISBN 1-932364-97-8, $49.95; ISBN 9781932364972, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required As the US has become more urbanized, academics, researchers, and policy makers have been challenged with defining and describing increasingly larger urban areas. Recommended For decades, the preferred unit has been the metropolitan area. Nelson (Univ. of Utah) and Lang (Univ. of Nevada--Las Vegas) make a strong case for a new paradigm, arguing connections and interrelations among proximal metropolitan areas. Based in part on Jean Gottmann's concept of megalopolis, the authors identify 23 "megapolitan" areas, each comprising multiple metropolitan areas. The 156 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
authors offer detailed demographic and socioeconomic analyses for these areas projected to the year 2040, and they discuss implications of this new paradigm for planning and policy making on the federal, regional, and local levels. They present their projections and analyses in extensive data tables, figures, and maps. This work is based largely on forecasts (seemingly linear) and economic assumptions that, unfortunately, are not explicitly articulated. To their credit, Nelson and Lang acknowledge in an epilogue the uncertainties associated with forecasting and variations that may occur. Even if the forecasts are only partially realized, this book provides a compelling paradigm for how one might conceptualize urban areas and, more importantly, how one might plan for their future. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- B. Stoffel, Illinois State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Prescott, Heather Munro. The morning after: a history of emergency contraception in the United States. Rutgers, 2011. 163p index afp; ISBN 9780813551623, $69.00; ISBN 9780813551630 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The Morning After, part of the "Critical Issues in Health and Medicine" series, is a richly detailed history of the development of one of the least known or understood Recommended forms of birth control, emergency contraception. Prescott (history, Central Connecticut State Univ.; Student Bodies, 2007; A Doctor of Their Own, CH, Apr'99, 36-4526) traces the evolution of a compound initially used to treat infertility into a legal, safe backup option to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Emergency contraception developed from the intersection of women's reproductive rights with a sociomedical model that viewed unwanted pregnancy as a "disease" of low- income women. Prescott illuminates the welter of social, scientific, political, and legal influences that fostered and discouraged women's awareness, access, and rights to emergency contraception from the 1950s to the present. Of particular interest are the delineations of the varying perspectives that feminist health activists have held regarding emergency contraception and, reciprocally, the influence of emergency contraception upon women's activism for consumer and reproductive rights. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- P. Lefler, Bluegrass Community & Technical College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Netter's infectious diseases, [ed.] by Elaine C. Jong and Dennis L. Stevens. Elsevier, 2012. 602p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781437701265 $99.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This book combines the medical illustrations of the late physician Frank Netter, new artwork by medical artists, and evidence-based chapters to deliver a unique Recommended volume that stands out as an excellent resource for students, clinicians, and faculty members. Ninety-three chapters, each authored by a medical professional, are divided into nine sections: "Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Children and Adolescents," "Skin and Soft Tissue Infections," "Respiratory Tract Infections," "Systemic Infections," "Surgical Infections," "Sexually Transmitted Infections," "Infections Associated with International Travel and Outdoor Activities," "Parasitic Diseases," and "Emerging Infectious Diseases and Pandemics." Each chapter highlights a global infectious disease state or condition and uses a clinical approach to integrate the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of infections worldwide. The authors and artists present their respective narratives and 157 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
illustrations in a synergistic, clear, and well-referenced style--combining authoritative delivery with strong visual images. The index is user-friendly, and the "Evidence" and "Additional Resources" at the end of each chapter provide further references to disease agents, clinical manifestations, and conditions. This is a well- researched, valuable resource for understanding the scope of infectious diseases. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Health science graduate students and researchers/faculty; health care providers. -- D. C. Anderson, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Netter's neurology, ed. by H. Royden Jones Jr. et al. 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2012. 749p bibl index; ISBN 9781437702736, $99.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Focused clinical vignettes, classic illustrations, remarkably readable text, easily navigable online resources, clear diagnostic images--these are all features of this Recommended exceptional resource. Netter's Neurology does justice to the famous illustrator's legacy by effectively incorporating new information in a highly organized fashion, right down to the application of color-coded section headings, tables, and text highlighting. The second edition (1st ed., 2005) is divided into 17 sections and 76 chapters, with new disease entries and updated neuroimaging and treatment information. Master clinicians attempting to utilize clinical vignettes in a classroom setting must be mindful of the quantity, relevance, depth, and focus of selected vignettes--factors that are also relevant in medical texts. Here, the editors place thought-provoking, concise vignettes at appropriate points throughout the book as master educators would. Educators and students fashioning presentations for use in accordance with the published license agreement will appreciate the full library of downloadable images available at http://www.netterreference.com/. This website also provides access to useful patient handouts and the full text of the work (separate from the illustrations). This comprehensive work can serve either as a textbook for the study of neurology or as an excellent reference source for both students and clinicians. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. A. Brugna, York College (NY) Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Pepin, Jacques. The origins of AIDS. Cambridge, 2011. 293p bibl index; ISBN 9781107006638, $85.00; ISBN 9780521186377 pbk, $28.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required In this easy-reading narrative, Pepin (Univ. of Sherbrooke, Canada) explores the more technical aspects of the AIDS virus (first two chapters) and then critically Recommended examines the evidence pointing to the origin of AIDS in Africa and the multitude of factors (economics, politics, colonization, labor, and sexual practices) that may have contributed to its worldwide spread (remaining 13 chapters). Pepin's academic credentials and his many years of experience working on a variety of AIDS-related projects in Africa give a high level of credibility to his analysis. His evaluations of the evidence, pro or con, come across as fair and reasonable. His discussion of the effects of colonization and the different sexual practices of natives and imported workers on the spread of AIDS makes interesting reading. Each chapter ends with a short, concise summary and serves as a bridge to the next topic. Pepin highlights the main points of his narrative in the second to last chapter. The superb organization of the book is noteworthy; the reader is never 158 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
left hanging, and the path to the next topic is always clear. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, general, and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. S. Kowalczyk, formerly, University of Michigan Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences The Search for the legacy of the USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, ed. by Ralph V. Katz and Rueben C. Warren. Lexington Books, 2011. 166p index afp; ISBN 9780739147252, $60.00; ISBN 9780739147276 e-book, $59.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This collection of essays looks at the historical and bioethical issues stemming from the USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, especially the legacy generated by the 40- Recommended year abuse of African American subjects in the study. In the excellent Examining Tuskegee (CH, May'10, 47-5055), Susan Reverby discussed how the long-held assumptions of the legacy have proven problematic. Here, contributors examine the evidence for two assumptions of the legacy: African Americans are less willing than whites to participate in biomedical research studies, and relative willingness to participate is associated with an awareness of the USPHS study at Tuskegee. The conclusion of the editors is that neither assumption is supported by the evidence of numerous studies of the past decade. That is just the beginning, however; the 14 essays that make up the body of the book deal, often in personal ways, with the variety of legacies that exist in the troubled landscape of racial relations, biomedicine, and the cultural realities of American life. The Tuskegee experience remains relevant and rightfully disturbing in so many ways, even if the assumptions of the original legacy have faded. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic and professional readers, all levels. -- J. H. Barker, Converse College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences The Soul of medicine: spiritual perspectives and clinical practice, ed. by John R. Peteet and Michael N. D'Ambra. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 260p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4214-0299-8, $50.00; ISBN 9781421402994, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Historical, theological, and philosophical accounts dominate the growing literature on the relationship between medicine and religion. This volume, edited by Recommended psychiatrist Peteet and anesthesiologist D'Ambra (both, Harvard), approaches the topic through a collection of health care practitioners' autobiographical accounts of how their own spiritual perspectives inform their clinical practices in the US. This book is especially useful for those serving or preparing to serve in the pluralistic world of health care since it includes the perspectives of many traditions. It allows readers to see how religion influences practitioners, instead of patients. The autobiographical accounts, while foregrounding the practical implications of spirituality, left this reviewer wanting a more detailed picture of the traditions' belief systems. This book could be best supplemented with one of the numerous existing books on the doctrinal content of the various traditions these essays discuss. Nonetheless, The Soul of Medicine is a helpful, important contribution to understanding the role of spirituality in the lives of medical professionals; it would be a useful addition to libraries supporting medicine, nursing, and other health care training programs. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health SciencesBrent, David A. Treating depressed and suicidal adolescents: a clinician's guide, by David A. Brent, Kimberly D. Poling, and Tina R. Goldstein. Guilford, 2011. 276p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781606239575, 159 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
$35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This clearly written, well-referenced book is designed for those treating this difficult population of at-risk adolescents. To craft this volume, Brent, Poling, and Recommended Goldstein (all, Univ. of Pittsburgh) reviewed the scientific literature to establish an evidence-based framework and treatment modality. In addition, the authors include rich case study contributions from their own evidence-based clinical practices, providing an impressively strong basis for the work. A well-presented refreshingly clear framework for evaluating suicidal risk emerges from the evidence. The authors guide clinicians from the completion of a comprehensive assessment, through treatment planning and interventions, to the evaluation and revision of effective treatment plans. They discuss current treatments, including forms of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, in terms of the relevant evidence. Vivid case examples help the reader to comprehend the described interventions. This edition seems poised to be the first of many. The authors describe their own continuing research and encourage others to engage in the clinical research needed to improve the framework and treatment model. This book can be a valuable resource for today's psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, advanced practice psychiatric nurses, counselors, and others who care for these depressed, at-risk adolescents. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- M. M. Slusser, DeSales University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Saxena, Anand M. The vegetarian imperative. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 259p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402420, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The abundance of reasonably priced animal food products in the marketplace of affluent communities hides the societal, ethical, and global price tag paid for their Recommended large-scale production and distribution. Current production methods obliterate the relationship between humans and farm animals and are responsible for significant suffering by livestock raised in huge, concentrated animal feeding operations that are cramped and crowded. These prompt the need for systematically administered antibiotics and growth hormones to prevent disease and encourage rapid muscle growth. Waste lagoons, containing millions of gallons of manure, blood, and drug and pesticide residues, contaminate and pollute drinking water, soil, and air. The Vegetarian Imperative seeks to persuade the reader, using published statistics and scientific references, that current agricultural methods are unsustainable. These methods waste energy and nutrient resources, harm the planet, endanger individual and public health, and are largely responsible for the unavailability of affordable food for an increasing number of people in both developing and developed nations. Saxena, a biophysicist formerly employed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for 38 years, makes a compelling case for a crucial change to a plant-based diet in order to halt the impending crisis. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. P. Boyar, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College 160 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Pecorino, Lauren. Why millions survive cancer: the successes of science. Oxford, 2011. 223p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199580552, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required If a person mentions that he/she has cancer--the dreaded "C" word--people automatically assume it is a death sentence. Not so, says Pecorino (molecular Recommended biologist, Univ. of Greenwich, UK), at least not in the majority of cases. This is the result of the many scientific advances that have provided a better understanding of the disease. Her book has three major themes. It provides a historical overview of these scientific accomplishments along with the key scientists involved; it covers the progress that has been made in managing the disease, including new drugs with fewer adverse effects and better surgical procedures; lastly, it addresses how people can reduce their risks of getting the disease through lifestyle changes. This is a work written for the general public to help them better understand cancer and its treatments. In this context, the author has done exceptionally well. She readily shares her enthusiasm and scientific wonder, taking care to rely only on peer- reviewed sources. Written in an absorbing style, this book is an important evidence-based general resource for a wide audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. D. Campbell, University of Missouri-- Columbia
161 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
History Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralMann, Charles C. 1493: uncovering the new world Columbus created. Knopf, 2011. 535p bibl index; ISBN 9780307265722, $30.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Journalist Mann presents a long view of how globalization began and how it significantly influenced events of the past 400 years. According to Mann, Recommended globalization is not a new phenomenon and has not been either predominantly good or bad for human society, which is why people are so conflicted over it. The author organized his book into four sections, each consisting of two chapters. The first looks at the rise of tobacco as a world commodity and the spread of malaria and yellow fever to the Americas. The second shows how American silver and Chinese silk and porcelain, accompanied by the spread of maize and sweet potatoes to China, brought about the globalization of trade. The third describes the potato's contributions to the 18th-century agricultural revolution, both good and bad, and the ways rubber made the Industrial Revolution possible. The final section concludes with the shifts of Old World peoples to the Americas. This fine book synthesizes much research and draws its inspiration from Alfred W. Crosby's classic work The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 (CH, Mar'73) and is a sequel to Mann's 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus (CH, Apr'06, 43-4814). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- R. Fritze, Athens State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaDaughan, George C. 1812: the navy's war. Basic Books, 2011. 491p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780465020461, $32.50; ISBN 9780465028085 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required General readers will enjoy this well-written narrative of the naval phases of the War of 1812. Historians who have focused on its diplomatic and military aspects Recommended will broaden their understanding, but at least some naval historians will be disappointed. As in his If by Sea: The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812 (CH, May'09, 46-5216), Daughan has made good use of much of the secondary literature, but cites a few works without appearing to have benefited fully from them. For example, Barry Gough's Fighting Sail on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay (CH, Feb'03, 40-3598) appears in the bibliography, but the text contains no mention of the British amphibious attack on and capture of Mackinac Island in 1812, or the failed US attempt to recapture the outpost. This lacuna is offset by clear, concise coverage of army and navy operations along the Gulf Coast. While not completely superseding Theodore Roosevelt's classic The Naval War of 1812 (1882), this volume belongs among the best of those published to mark the bicentennial of the war because it so expertly delineates the important role naval operations played in determining the war's outcome. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. C. Bradford, Texas A&M University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ AfricaGetz, Trevor R. Abina and the important men: a graphic history, by Trevor R. Getz and Liz Clarke. Oxford, 2012. 179p bibl afp; ISBN 9780199844395 pbk, $15.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 162 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Oxford heavily promotes this book as a near-revolution in the pedagogy of African history. While it is not quite that innovative, it is an excellent teaching tool on Recommended Africa, slavery, women's and legal history, and historical methodology. Getz (history, San Francisco State) came across Abina's story in the Ghanaian archives. Struck by the poignancy of this enslaved young woman's 1876 bid for freedom, he resolved to present it to a wider public and enlisted the talents of Cape Town illustrator Clarke. They painstakingly researched the era in which Abina lived, creating a beautiful 75-page graphic history and publishing the trial transcript of her unsuccessful case. Abina also includes sections on historical context, guides for reading and classroom use, and extensive question sets for students at introductory, undergraduate, and more advanced levels. It greatly facilitates analysis of the authors' own admittedly subjective views, which emphasize the agency of ordinary individuals and the processes by which obscure voices are silenced in historical records. Getz and Clarke's auto-criticism actually bolsters confidence in their interpretations (despite some necessarily invented dialogue), while providing a most instructive example of how historians recapture the past. Summing Up: Essential. All collections/levels. -- T. P. Johnson, University of Massachusetts, Boston Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Latin America & the CaribbeanGonzález-Rivera, Victoria. Before the revolution: women's rights and right-wing politics in Nicaragua, 1821-1979. Pennsylvania State, 2011. 224p bibl index afp ISBN 0-271-04870-0, $64.95; ISBN 9780271048703, $64.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This wide-ranging examination of feminism in Nicaragua from its beginnings early in the 20th century to the complex issues involving gender and politics in the Recommended present pays special attention to two stories. The first is the work of pioneering first-wave feminists such as Josefa Toledo de Aguerri, an important educator and organizer. The second concerns the women's wing of the Nationalist Liberal Party, the Ala Feminina, which supported the Somozas and provided women with access to jobs and influence during decades of dictatorial rule. In exploring these and a number of related issues, González-Rivera offers a convincing refutation of the historical amnesia about feminism and women's political activism prior to the Sandinista revolution of 1979. The most interesting later chapters explore the inherent contradictions in the way this dictatorial regime employed sexual violence against its opponents, yet used women's organizations as its public representatives. She also considers the contrast between the idealization of women in Nicaragua, where their economic role outside the home was championed, and the ideals promoted by other authoritarian regimes in Latin America, where domesticity was privileged. The work is accessible, interesting, and full of compelling questions. If assigned for undergraduates, the work will require some explanation of Nicaraguan history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. M. Rosenthal, Western Connecticut State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeGoethem, Herman van. Belgium and the monarchy: from national independence to national disintegration, [tr.] by Ian Connerty. UPA, 2011 (c2010). 295p bibl ISBN 9054876980 pbk, $42.95; ISBN 9789054876984 pbk, $42.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 163 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required For the historian of nationalism, Belgium provides a unique, instructive case study. In this book, originally published in Dutch in 2008, Van Goethem (Univ. of Antwerp) Recommended presents a history of the Belgian state and its almost continual frictions between the Flemish (Dutch speaking) northwest and the Walloon (French speaking) southeast. Van Goethem argues that the Belgian monarchy provided a crucial unifying factor, despite its German origins and predominantly French culture, for much of Belgium's history. For an English-speaking audience, the author details the complex ethnic-cultural-linguistic calculus that has characterized relations between Dutch- and French-speaking regions, along with the officially bilingual region of Brussels. Van Goethem seems fairly pessimistic about Belgium's future as a state, though he does not predict the "national disintegration" mentioned in the subtitle. Some explanation of just why Belgium was created in the first place would have been helpful. Similarly, the author notes that although the French-speaking region at times considered integration into France, the idea of fusing the Dutch-speaking area with the Netherlands was never a serious consideration--but why? For all that, this book has much of interest to anyone interested in modern European history, nationalism, and European integration. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. -- T. R. Weeks, Southern Illinois University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaHurt, R. Douglas. The Big Empty: the Great Plains in the twentieth century. Arizona, 2011. 315p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780816529704, $65.00; ISBN 9780816529728 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Hurt (Purdue), a respected historian of the 20th-century West, examines the Great Plains by first admitting that the region's geographical dimensions are ill defined at Recommended best. His reference to the "Big Empty" will strike a responsive chord among people familiar with the area, though it may anger local chambers of commerce that do their best to avoid this imagery. Utilizing a great variety of primary and secondary sources, Hurt synthesizes some of the most important themes in recent Plains history by focusing on environment, race, politics, and agriculture. He directs secondary attention to ethnicity, economic change, and daily life. Chapters follow a loose chronological approach and fairly represent all the Plains states, including urban and rural settings. Furthermore, even in its attempt to find common themes within the region, the book never underestimates the vast differences that exist within this heterogeneous entity. For instance, political preferences have ranged from mainstream Republicanism to the radical Industrial Workers of the World. Likewise, economic anchors range from the boom-and-bust oil industry of West Texas's Permian Basin to the cornfields of Nebraska. This well-written overview deserves an examination by all adult readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. L. Tate, University of Nebraska at Omaha Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Latin America & the CaribbeanPappademos, Melina. Black political activism and the Cuban republic. North Carolina, 2011. 323p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807834909, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The relevance of this meticulously researched, extremely well written, and sophisticated study of an important dimension of Cuban politics between the Recommended 1890s and 1959 goes well beyond Cuban and Caribbean history to inform a number of fields in politics, ethnic studies, postcolonial studies, and diaspora 164 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
studies. No other study of Cuban politics provides the exceptional richness of detail about black involvement in local and national life. The principal argument of author Pappademos (Univ. of Connecticut) is that black political voices, although disproportionately articulated by a small, mainly pro-national, elite, covered a wide spectrum ranging from overt support of mainstream politicians to autonomy and manifest resistance to the republican state. Black politicians responded, as did other groups, to the changing politics in creatively pragmatic ways. Families such as the Portuondo Hardy, Joubert, Serrano, Céspedes, Zamora, and Nápoles dominated local black social organizations while supporting national politicians such as Estrada Palma, Gomez, Machado, and Batista. Most importantly, black political activists formed a complex group socially and culturally, and that is extremely important in understanding national politics and "the political landscape [that] produced activists, including black activists, who by and large sought resources rather than rights." Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- F. W. Knight, Johns Hopkins University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaBlood in the hills: a history of violence in Appalachia, ed. by Bruce E. Stewart. University Press of Kentucky, 2012. 412p index afp; ISBN 9780813134277, $55.00; ISBN 9780813134314 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Since the 18th century, accounts about events in Appalachia have been embellished to paint the inhabitants of the region as particularly prone to Recommended excessive violence. Stewart (Appalachian State Univ.; Moonshiners and Prohibitionists: The Battle over Alcohol in Southern Appalachia, CH, Dec'11, 49- 2288) and 13 other contributors challenge the resulting stereotypes in essays that explore instances of violence that occurred in the 18th-20th centuries. Some of the essays illuminate the details of numerous events to demonstrate that Appalachians resort to conflict for the same reasons as every other resident of the US. Other essays demonstrate that the myth of the bloodthirsty mountaineer was created to advance the economic designs of outsiders. Particularly disquieting is Rand Dotson's exploration of the Roanoke, Virginia, Riot of 1893, which was blamed in the popular media of the day on rural inhabitants of the region, but was in fact the result of actions perpetrated by people who migrated from northern urban communities. Read alongside Reconstructing Appalachia: The Civil War's Aftermath (CH, Dec'10, 48-2290), edited by Andrew L. Slap. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. -- J. R. Burch Jr., Campbellsville University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMcGinty, Brian. The body of John Merryman: Abraham Lincoln and the suspension of habeas corpus. Harvard, 2011. 253p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674061552, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Among the neo-Confederate fringe of Civil War history, the claim of Abraham Lincoln as tyrant has become canon. Evidence of Lincoln's evildoing includes the Recommended arrest of John Merryman, whom Lincoln unconstitutionally imprisoned on faulty grounds. Lincoln defied the efforts of Roger Taney, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, to grant Merryman a writ of habeas corpus. Attorney McGinty presents a more nuanced look at the landmark case, providing a clear explanation of the political situation in western Maryland in 1861, the ramifications of 165 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Merryman's actions, and an explanation of the legal thought process Lincoln used in the Merryman case. The author establishes the extent of Merryman's guilt, dissects the shortcomings of Taney's efforts to free Merryman, and defies the imagery of Lincoln as tyrant. Most notably, McGinty explains the difference between Taney's role as a judge in circuit court, where the case played out, and his role within the Supreme Court, which never heard the case. Well written and clearly explained with a minimum of legal terms, this book provides an excellent overview of a momentous legal case. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates and above. -- S. J. Ramold, Eastern Michigan University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralMcCook, Brian. The borders of integration: Polish migrants in Germany and the United States, 1870-1924. Ohio University, 2011. 270p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780821419250, $55.00; ISBN 9780821419267 pbk, $26.95; ISBN 9780821443514 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In the decades before WW I, industrialization drew migrant workers from various regions of the world, further accelerating the process today termed globalization. Recommended McCook's study of Polish miners and industrial workers in northeastern Pennsylvania and the Ruhr region in Germany offers a comparison of how migrant workers with common peasant and cultural backgrounds responded to the challenges of their new environments. These challenges involved being treated as a stereotyped "other" due to differences in language, religion, and customs, with efforts at involuntary assimilation introduced in both the US and Germany. While many migrants relocated elsewhere, others chose a negotiated assimilation in their host countries, where they adopted new customs and habits yet retained and further developed their Polish identity. This was manifested in fraternal associations, religious organizations, and political and union activism that advanced the recognition of their status. McCook (Leeds Metropolitan Univ., UK) analyzes how policies and actions by the host countries aided or inhibited assimilation and suggests how the contemporary debate could benefit from this historical analysis. Eschewing abstract social theories, McCook renders his complex material with a graceful clarity that makes this work a pleasure to read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- R. K. Byczkiewicz, Central Connecticut State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ United KingdomEdgerton, David. Britain's war machine: weapons, resources, and experts in the Second World War. Oxford, 2011. 445p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199832675, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The image of the British, fighting alone in 1940 and muddling through until the US entry into WW II, is replaced in Edgerton's book by a Britain that stood at the head Recommended of a wealthy empire and commonwealth of over 500 million people. Despite wartime propaganda and postwar historical revisionism, Britain was confident of victory because of its ability to mobilize resources through the efforts of the "Boffins," scientists and technocrats championed by Winston Churchill, the ultimate fan of science and invention. The fruits of their work included the first operational jet fighter of the war, the Gloster Meteor, tanks that maintained a qualitative and quantitative edge over German machines for much of the fighting, 166 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
and a management system that maximized imperial and allied resources. Edgerton (Imperial College, UK) points out that Britain was able to devote such a huge percentage of its economy to war production because it sat at the epicenter of world trade, which, even during the worst period, only dipped by a relatively small percentage, and was able to maintain a war economy that outpaced most others, including that of the US for a time. A fascinating revisionist account that is also enjoyable to read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- F. Krome, University of Cincinnati--Clermont College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeSheffer, Edith. Burned bridge: how East and West Germans made the Iron Curtain. Oxford, 2011. 357p bibl index afp ISBN 0-19-973704-5, $29.95; ISBN 9780199737048, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required If, in the iconic words of the former US Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, "all politics is local," this fascinating book by Stanford assistant professor Sheffer Recommended reveals that the same principle can be applied to the communities on either side of the Iron Curtain that bisected postwar Germany. Sheffer singles out two German hamlets--sister cities connected by a medieval burned bridge--that found themselves divided by the new 1,390 km-long boundary. Sonneberg (East Germany) and Neustadt bei Coburg (West Germany) had been intertwined for a thousand years. At war's end, the boundary between the towns came to reflect the developing Iron Curtain, amply illustrated by many anecdotes and photos, passing through three stages (1945-1952, 1952-1961, 1961-1989). The populations along the frontier fell surprisingly in line, often outdoing their masters. Therein lies Sheffer's central theses: that their separation created oppositional personalities--in fact, escapees from the East were often caught and turned back by their former Western friends--and that this animosity continued long after the Wall came down in 1989; and that the new socialist East Germans along the boundary bolstered the very environment they feared and hated. Sophisticated and exemplary. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- A. P. Krammer, Texas A&M University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralStearns, Peter N. Childhood in world history. 2nd ed. Routledge, 2011. 179p bibl index; ISBN 9780415598088, $115.00; ISBN 9780415598095 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9780203839751 e-book, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Reviewers praised the first edition of this book as a "primer in the field," and the same could be said of this updated edition, published five years later. Expanding Recommended his book to include more material on different parts of the world (Africa and South Asia, for example), Stearns (George Mason Univ.) has compressed an encyclopedic perspective on global childhood into a concise, readable 14 chapters. The book is organized more or less chronologically, moving from agricultural and classical civilizations through "modern" childhood, the colonial era, and the 20th century. Thus, the organization is traditional (and somewhat uninspired), as are the topics covered, though Stearns also takes an occasional foray into thematic topics, including a fascinating chapter on the history of children's happiness. The inclusion of a thorough selection of further readings enriches the book's value. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduate and general collections. -- K. Dubinsky, Queen's University 167 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaYu, Hua. China in ten words, tr. by Allan H. Barr. Pantheon Books, 2011. 225p; ISBN 9780307379351, $25.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The first nonfiction publication in English from the celebrated fiction writer Yu Hua (b. 1960), this book is unique in conception, structure, and style. Ten simple words Recommended ("people," "leader," "copycat," to name just three) serve as titles for Yu's essays and provide thematic coherence. Through scenes of ordinary life from the present and his memories of the past, Yu shows China's amazing economic success and social change in recent decades, and also the rampant government corruption, materialistic indulgence, "moral bankruptcy," and the disturbing disparity between the rich and poor. Yu traces the causes of numerous social ills not just to the Mao era, but particularly to the crackdown on dissent in spring 1989, which halted political reform while giving economic development a free rein. In exposing many serious problems confronted by the impoverished and disenfranchised, the book is somewhat comparable to Liao Yiwu's interview-based Corpse Walker: Real Life Stories, China from the Bottom Up (2008). But Yu Hua's book is distinguished by his typical style in storytelling, his mixing of extremely moving and funny scenes, and his subtle irony--all of which, aided by Barr's fluent and succinct translation, make it an inspirational read. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. -- Y. Wu, University of California, Riverside Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryLaurence, Ray. The city in the Roman West, c. 250 BC - c. AD 250, by Ray Laurence, Simon Esmonde Cleary, and Gareth Sears. Cambridge, 2011. 355p bibl index; ISBN 9780521877503, $99.00; ISBN 9780521701402 pbk, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In 155 CE, Aelius Aristides delivered a famous panegyric on the Roman Empire, praising it for fostering peace, magnificence, and culture--all centered in its many Recommended fine cities. Modern scholars, notably Max Weber and Michael Rostovtzeff, have said much the same, filling in the details. A recent example is John Stambaugh's fine book The Ancient Roman City (CH, Nov'88, 26-1359), which is descriptive and diachronic. The present analytic and diachronic work offers something new--a study by three classical archaeologists that focuses on the West Roman city as a specific type of settlement based on a specific way of organizing space. Imperial policy was central. An additional strength of the work is its generous use of archaeological reports, most of them buried in local journals like the Revista de Estudios Andaluces, found in only a few large libraries. Students of Rome's empire will learn much from this work. Paper, binding, typography, bibliography, and index are up to the publisher's high standards, and at a fairly modest price for the paperback. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- R. I. Frank, emeritus, University of California, Irvine Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryCleopatra: a sphinx revisited, ed. by Margaret M. Miles. California, 2011. 238p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520243675, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required There is no end of books on Cleopatra. Biographies and collections of essays appear almost yearly. This collection is the proceedings of a 1999 symposium held Recommended at the University of California, Irvine. An introduction by the editor outlines the queen's biography and the history of her image. Then, lucidly written essays treat 168 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
the Egyptian aspects of Cleopatra's reign, her relations with Rome, the manner of her death, the reception of Isis in Augustan Rome, humanist uses of Cleopatra in Renaissance Rome, 16th-century forged letters of Cleopatra, and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's Cleopatra paintings and Orientalism. Two papers on Cleopatra in 19th- and 20th-century popular culture and a poetic meditation on the queen's career by Peter Green close the volume. Although the papers contain little new about the historical Cleopatra, there is much of interest about Cleopatra as a cultural icon. Two papers stand out: Robert Gurval's perceptive analysis of the development of the tradition of Cleopatra's death by snakebite from Augustan Rome to Chaucer and Ingrid Rowland's brilliant reconstruction of the Reformation context of the forgery of quasi-pornographic letters of Cleopatra and Antony. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- S. M. Burstein, emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaTsien, Tsuen-hsuin. Collected writings on Chinese culture. Chinese University Press, 2011. 453p bibl index; ISBN 9789629964221, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Tsien, professor emeritus and curator at the University of Chicago, is an iconic figure in China studies and librarianship in both China and the U.S. This collection Recommended consists of articles on the core elements of traditional Chinese culture such as ink, paper, printing, ancient documents, and artifacts, as well as on important Chinese and Western scholars who contribute significantly to Sinology. The collection also includes articles of the author's personal experience of and participation in some important events in China's modern history and modern Sino-US relations. With numerous monumental works in his six-decade contribution to Sinology and librarianship in China and the US, Tsien aims to use this collection of articles to provide a panoramic view of traditional Chinese culture and its influence upon and connections with other parts of the world. The articles on separate topics seamlessly come together as a whole entity. Despite the in-depth research and scholarship upon which the articles are based, readers will find the articles easy and pleasant to read. Definitely an important addition to all academic libraries. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. -- A. Y. Lee, George Mason University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaTomek, Beverly C. Colonization and its discontents: emancipation, emigration, and antislavery in antebellum Pennsylvania. New York University, 2011. 296p index afp; ISBN 9780814783481, $39.00; ISBN 9780814783498 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Tomek (Wharton County Junior College, Texas) provides the best work to date on the varieties of antislavery in antebellum Philadelphia. Her argument is that the Recommended polarities that contemporaries and historians have seen between immediatism and gradualism and between colonizationists and radical abolitionists were not true of Pennsylvania. Here, the gradualist Pennsylvania Abolition Society, the immediatist Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, the Pennsylvania Colonization Society, and free blacks found ways to work together against slavery and for racial justice, even as they sometimes sharply disagreed on ends and means. Tomek focuses on colonization. She finds that most Pennsylvania colonizationists, in contrast to those 169 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
in the slave states, were genuinely opposed to slavery and saw colonization as a way to hasten emancipation. The author is sensitive to nuance--she finds that even radical Pennsylvania abolitionists sometimes patronized black people, and colonizationists were willing to play on fears of a growing free black population. The result is a study that has much to say about the complexity of the antebellum antislavery movement, and deepens understanding of colonization and its implications for the broad range of opponents of slavery, white and black. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- T. D. Hamm, Earlham College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaA Companion to Benjamin Franklin, ed. by David Waldstreicher. Wiley- Blackwell, 2011. 543p bibl index; ISBN 9781405199964, $199.95; ISBN 9781444342154 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Waldstreicher's collection affords interested readers the opportunity to explore the life and legacy of a famous Revolutionary-era leader through several thematic Recommended lenses--biographical, political, diplomatic, cultural, literary, and intellectual. The entries, many written by established scholars in their respective fields, build upon existing scholarship while including fresh insights into familiar subjects, contributions that both scholars and history enthusiasts will appreciate. Part 1 sets the stage with a biographical overview of Franklin's life. The next section situates Franklin within the context of the historical, cultural, and political era in which he lived. Subjects include colonial society, religion, Native Americans, race, gender, and politics. The essays in part 3 do an excellent job of highlighting Franklin's achievements as a writer, thinker, and citizen. Eliga H. Gould, author of the essay "Empire and Nation," writes, "In many ways, Franklin's most enduring contribution ... was to personify the values that Americans believed were essential to the republic's success." The collection concludes with an interdisciplinary assessment of Franklin's place in American literature, American studies, material cultures, political theory, international relations, and popular culture. Readers will also appreciate the text's comprehensive bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduates, researchers/faculty. -- J. L. Brudvig, Dickinson State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaDale, Elizabeth. Criminal justice in the United States, 1789-1939. Cambridge, 2011. 184p bibl index; ISBN 9781107008847, $85.00; ISBN 9781107401365 pbk, $23.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Dale (Univ. of Florida) assesses the evolution of criminal justice from the nation's infancy to its imminent entry onto the global stage at the outbreak of WW II. The Recommended author's valuable study brings into view the traditional analysis of developments at the state and federal levels and also illustrates how popular sovereignty (a phrase that encompasses actions by common folk in mobs and as jurors, duelists, and vigilantes) enforced community ideals of justice during much of the republic's early history. Interesting also is Dale's contention that the states' early dominion over criminal justice was more the result of the national government's inaction than a result of a generally agreed upon imperative of federalism. By describing the national, provincial, and popular struggle over how to define and control criminal justice in the US, Dale has provided a most valuable contribution to those 170 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
interested in the relationship between order and law. Summing Up: Essential. All libraries as well as undergraduates and graduates. -- P. Lorenzini, Saint Xavier University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaGaudiani, Claire. Daughters of the Declaration: how women social entrepreneurs built the American dream, by Claire Gaudiani and David Graham Burnett. PublicAffairs, 2011. 332p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781610390316, $26.99; ISBN 9781610390323 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This is a book about the women in the history of the US republic who strived to make the nation more just and equitable. These women began their work where Recommended the writers of the US Constitution left off. Regardless of their station in life, these women became social entrepreneurs whose collaborative effort produced many social benefit organizations. These organizations fought many evils--spousal abuse, alcoholism, slavery, discrimination, disease, poverty, and ignorance. Surprisingly, many did this important work in times when women had no property rights or even the right to vote. Many, such as Jane Addams of Hull House, are well-known; many others were not well-known but equally effective. Academicians Gaudiani and Burnett note that learning just about entrepreneurs such as Rockefeller and Carnegie provides only a partial understanding of the development of the US, which grew as a nation because of female social entrepreneurs like the ones discussed herein, who worked to improve society and the lives of citizens. This book would make excellent reading for courses in US history, women's history, or public health. Exhaustive footnotes, complete bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of undergraduate students as well as general readers. -- C. J. Munson, Western Technical College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralTyerman, Christopher. The debate on the Crusades. Manchester University, 2011. 260p bibl index; ISBN 9780719073205, $95.00; ISBN 9780719073212 pbk, $30.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Anyone who believes that the Crusades have great lessons to impart for the 21st century or desires to know how historians construct history ought to read this Recommended book. Tyerman (Oxford) has distinguished himself here and elsewhere as a leading commentator on how historians and the public write and think about the Crusades. In both a readable and scathing work of historiography, he follows the study of and writing about the Crusades from the earliest authors in the late 11th century through the first decade of the 21st. He constantly reminds readers that every generation has reinterpreted the Crusades based on personal, political, national, cultural, social, economic, geographic, and religious factors. Though Tyerman maintains that academics since the 1960s have rightly tried to study the Crusades on their own terms, he does not free current scholars from the trap that ensnares all historians: their own perspective and those factors and ideas that their societies deem important at a given moment. This is criticism at its bravest: no one comes in for excessive praise; all are raked over the coals, including those who currently lead the field of "Crusade studies." Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- L. W. Marvin, Berry College 171 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaVogel, Ezra F. Deng Xiaoping and the transformation of China. Belknap, Harvard, 2011. 876p index; ISBN 9780674055445, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required One of modern China's most significant individuals, yet also its most mysterious and enigmatic, Deng Xiaoping single-handedly ushered the country into the Recommended modern global economy with his bold strategic policies, while also nearly reversing its course through his controversial decision for the crackdown at Tiananmen Square. As one of the foremost scholars of modern China, Vogel (emer., Harvard) is an appropriate authority to pen such a thorough account of Deng Xiaoping's tumultuous journey from political exile to paramount leader of China. A detailed study into Deng's dedication to the Chinese Communist Party, from his days as a student in Paris to his rise as a party cadre after the establishment of the People's Republic, to his reemergence as unrivalled decision-maker of the Chinese people, the book details how Deng's policies continue to shape the nation, and how it will most likely require a number of generations before scholars can fully appreciate his impact. In capturing the most turbulent period in the modern 20th century in this 928-page tome, Vogel contributes an important piece to the historiography of Chinese history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- A. Cho, University of British Columbia Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMillard, Candice. The destiny of the republic: a tale of madness, medicine, and the murder of a president. Doubleday, 2011. 339p bibl index; ISBN 9780385526265, $28.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Significant scholarly attention has long eluded the story of James A. Garfield; however, with this book, former National Geographic writer Millard sheds light on Recommended one of history's forgotten presidents. Garfield was assassinated just four months into his presidency; accordingly, his list of accomplishments as president is slim, though his life story before his time in the Oval Office is most compelling and is well documented in this work. The author traces Garfield's hardscrabble upbringing through his evolution into a first-rate scholar and intellectual by his early twenties and remarkable military career during the Civil War. While each segment of Garfield's life is more than adequately handled, the real strengths of this outstanding book are connected to the intrigue that surrounded Garfield's assassination. In this regard, Millard's work really shines as she combs through the long agonizing path toward the grave. The medical treatment James A. Garfield received was as much the element behind his death as the assassin's bullet itself. Readers will appreciate Millard's talent for constructing fluid, eloquent prose throughout a book that does not waste one single word. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- T. Maxwell-Long, California State University, San Bernardino Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMorris, Gouverneur. The diaries of Gouverneur Morris: European travels, 1794-1798, ed. by Melanie Randolph Miller with Hendrina Krol and Elizabeth Hines. Virginia, 2011. 736p index afp ISBN 0-8139-2949-0, $99.50; ISBN 9780813929491, $99.50. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 172 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Must reading for researchers and general readers interested in the French Revolution, late-18th-century European politics and personalities, American Recommended diplomacy and diplomats in the 1790s, the financial history of the early American republic, social history, and even climate history, the inherently interesting Diaries are a continuation of and complement to Morris's two-volume A Diary of the French Revolution (1939). The shrewd and discerning Morris travels between Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Paris, and Vienna conducting business, discussing continental events, commenting on personalities and politics, monitoring the military situation, and even alluding to his love life. Editor Miller (Envoy to the Terror: Gouverneur Morris and the French Revolution, CH, Oct'05, 43- 1150) and her assistants deserve kudos for deciphering Morris's handwriting and avoiding overediting (they limit themselves to an 18-page introduction and a clear explanation of their editorial apparatus). Acquisition librarians and general readers should not balk at the book's price; they are getting an important and almost always interesting primary source penned by one of the most significant secondary figures in the history of the new nation. Illustrations, a travel itinerary, a note on Morris and money, translated verses, a map, a four-page note on Morris's 80-day oceanic voyage to America in 1798, and a very fine index. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- C. L. Egan, formerly, University of Houston Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeBlanchard, Jean-Vincent. Éminence: Cardinal Richelieu and the rise of France. Walker & Company, 2011. 309p bibl index; ISBN 9780802717047, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Offering a lively account of the domestic intrigues and foreign campaigns that dominated French politics in the first half of the 1600s, Blanchard's new biography Recommended of Richelieu emphasizes the cardinal's "sense of opportunity, amazing decisiveness, and courage" in order to counterbalance the classic picture of a nefarious, Machiavellian political genius. Richelieu spent his career surrounded by volatile personalities at court and waged a war with the Habsburg dynasty on multiple fronts; Blanchard (Swarthmore College) characterizes his life as a constant struggle to survive. The author draws on both the best recent scholarship and an array of vivid memoirs, partisan pamphlets, and personal letters, including a number of manuscripts. While he eschews many details of Richelieu's reform program in favor of narratives of the movements of Richelieu, Louis XIII, Marie de Medici, and a cast of favorites, Blanchard offers enough scholarly apparatus to serve students and scholars well. A chronology, map, and dramatis personae offer a helpful guide for general readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates and a general audience. Recommended for graduate students and nonspecialist researchers. -- J. W. McCormack, University of Notre Dame Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralStanwood, Owen. The empire reformed: English America in the age of the Glorious Revolution. Pennsylvania, 2011. 277p index afp; ISBN 9780812243413, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This tightly organized, well-written book offers an overarching interpretation of the origins and consequences of the Glorious Revolution in English America during the Recommended late 17th century. The central theme linking the chronic instability of the 1670s through the crises of the early 1690s to the reconstitution of imperial order during 173 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
King William's War was, in this view, hostility to Catholicism, particularly as embodied in French power and its purported influence among Indians, Irish servants, Jesuit missionaries, various religious dissidents, and African slaves. Anti- Catholic rhetoric also served well in factional conflicts. The sweep of the narrative is from Bermuda to Albany and from Acadia to Barbados. It is a remarkable synthesis, replete with deftly drawn individual portraits. As an explication of this theme, with all its complexity, the argument is engaging and convincing. Related threads, perforce, are underplayed. For instance, Stanwood (Boston College) insightfully connects the contents, ambiguities, and social impacts of Whig discourse on "liberty and property" to antipopery, but does not equally explore them as independent facets of imperial tensions and reforms. Nonetheless, this work is not only fun to read but also a valuable contribution to British Atlantic studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries. -- R. P. Gildrie, emeritus, Austin Peay State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ United KingdomAlmond, Philip C. England's first demonologist: Reginald Scot & 'The discoverie of witchcraft'. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 246p bibl index ISBN 1- 84885-793-4, $90.00; ISBN 9781848857933, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The paradox explored in Almond's excellent book is implicit in its title. Scholars are accustomed to think of Scot as a forthright opponent of demonology. Almond Recommended (emer., religious studies, Univ. of Queensland, Australia) refines rather than challenges that view, pointing out that Scot's book, The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), was such a comprehensive account of occult practices falsely ascribed to the devil that it almost single-handedly initiated England's demonological tradition. In Almond's convincing account, Scot was not a thoroughgoing skeptic or "secret Sadducee," in the theological language of the time. He accepted at face value biblical references to demons and spirits and did not deny their existence in Elizabethan England. But he argued bravely that if the devil was indeed at work, his agents were the witchfinders themselves, not their hapless victims. Scot, a Kentish squire of modest means, emerges in Almond's account as a blend of the philanthropic and the spiritual. He felt genuine sympathy for the poor and melancholic old women caught up in the witch craze. At the same time, he believed himself imbued with the Holy Spirit, which gave him a privileged capacity to distinguish good from evil. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- J. Sainsbury, Brock University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ United KingdomFoot, Sarah. ^DAEthelstan: the first king of England. Yale, 2011. 283p bibl index afp ISBN 0-300-12535-6, $40.00; ISBN 9780300125351, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required When presented with the life of an Anglo-Saxon king, some students may preemptively bristle with boredom, but Foot's ^DAEthelstan is no dry biography. It Recommended is a masterful, accessible, historical analysis of the king, the man, and the era, and a critical approach to historical memory and the genre of biography. Structuring her study around the environments or spheres of ^DAEthelstan's world, rather than chronology, Foot (Univ. of Oxford) reveals ^DAEthelstan as more than the renowned victor of Brunanburh. In court, kingdom, and church, ^DAEthelstan was an avid patron of poets, a collector of relics, a concerned and innovative lawgiver, 174 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
a cosmopolitan ruler, and, demonstrably, the first king of England. ^DAEthelstan is the sort of text around which seminars are built, not only for the book's unique and critical biographical approach and masterful use of wide-ranging sources, but for its rich context for the Early Middle Ages, English history, and more. In addition to wealthy primary and secondary bibliographies, Foot provides extremely well- conceived maps and appendixes, especially Appendix II, which tracks ^DAEthelstan's reign through primary sources. Summing Up: Essential. Upper- division undergraduates and above. -- V. E. Szabo, Western Carolina University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaRobertson, David Brian. Federalism and the making of America. Routledge, 2012. 231p index; ISBN 9780415879187, $130.00; ISBN 9780415879194 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780203852125 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Scholarly attention to the evolution of American federalism rarely looks at both the political theories and the historical events that shaped the division of national and Recommended state government. This book, both a synthesis and an original study, does exactly that. It accomplishes the remarkable feat of illustrating how this has occurred through the entire run of US history in fewer than 200 pages of text. Robertson (political science, Univ. of Missouri) begins with the debates surrounding federalism during the Constitutional Convention and takes up topics ranging from race and ethnicity, economic growth, and intergovernmental relations to the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and contemporary political challenges. For those interested in current events, the third section, "Active Government," is highly valuable. Throughout the entire work, the author successfully explains how federalism has influenced US politics. The ideas he develops in his narrative are exceptionally clear, and although he provides a tremendous amount of information, this book is anything but dense. It is quite scholarly, but any reading adult with an interest in US political history will appreciate it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- T. Maxwell-Long, California State University, San Bernardino Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaHorne, Gerald. Fighting in paradise: labor unions, racism, and communists in the making of modern Hawai'i. Hawai'i, 2011. 459p index afp; ISBN 9780824835026, $70.00; ISBN 9780824835491 pbk, $28.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The most significant aspect of Horne's book is how fully it integrates the social and political history of Hawai'i from the Great Depression to statehood in 1959 with Recommended the broader history of the US. While still a territory of the US, Hawai'i was influenced by larger US debates about labor, race, and changing international relationships during the WW II and Cold War years. Very significantly, the islands experienced a major transition from a political system dominated by a white elite that sought to preserve a colonial economy into one that was more fully integrated with the larger national racial, economic, and political life at the time of statehood. Horne (Univ. of Houston) gives much attention to the essential organizing efforts of International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU) head Harry Bridges, as well as other lesser-known figures of various races who worked to protect economic and political progress. By the late 1950s, the islands had been 175 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
transformed from a colonial backwater into a state of the union with a strong progressive political structure and its own representation in the nation's capital. For collections in Pacific regional history as well as those concerned with labor and race relations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- C. K. Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaPogue, Dennis J. Founding spirits: George Washington and the beginnings of the American whiskey industry. Harbour Books, 2011. 292p index afp; ISBN 9780983556503, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required George Washington's political and military careers have been well researched, but his commercial pursuits have been largely overlooked. Pogue (Mount Vernon Recommended Estate) offers an interesting, entertaining, and unique new prism through which to view the life of George Washington, using personal correspondences and account ledgers to show Washington's somewhat pioneering role in helping shape the rise of the US whiskey industry. Although he led troops into western Pennsylvania in 1794 to quell the Whiskey Rebellion, Washington later sought to capitalize on this emerging industry. Perhaps the most interesting evidence comes from archaeological excavations conducted at Washington's whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon. Pogue creatively lays out the archaeological evidence to shed light on the scale of whiskey production at Mount Vernon and understand the type of whiskey produced there and Washington's commitment to this emerging industry. Historians and archaeologists engaged in alcohol studies now have a new tool for understanding the forces shaping the rise of early US whiskey production. US historians, alcohol studies researchers, and Washington enthusiasts will benefit greatly from reading Pogue's important study. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Fitting for both academic and general audiences, all levels. -- F. H. Smith, College of William and Mary Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryMouritsen, Henrik. The freedman in the Roman world. Cambridge, 2011. 344p bibl index ISBN 0-521-85613-2, $99.00; ISBN 9780521856133, $99.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The Roman libertus (freed slave) has not lacked attention. In English alone, there is Susan Treggiari's now classic Roman Freedmen during the Late Republic (1969) and Recommended Arnold Mackay Duff's Freedmen in the Early Roman Empire (1928; reprinted 1958 and now consulted primarily as a reference text.) Mouritsen (King's College, London) claims strong credentials in Roman politics (Plebs and Politics in the Late Roman Republic, CH, Feb'02, 39-3539), Pompeian politics (Elections, Magistrates, and Municipal Élite, 1988), and, perhaps less well known, a well-grounded study of ancient Italian Unification (1988). He is well prepared, especially because of his firm grounding in Greek and Latin epigraphy, to tackle the diverse sources for the roles, status, and activities of the Roman freedman. The study is arranged thematically, not chronologically, and is nearly comprehensive on legal, status, and economic aspects, fully exploiting literary, documentary, and epigraphic evidence. The chapter on Roman freedmen's "identity and experiences" is a historiographic gem that every historian of the ancient world should ponder. Readers would have benefited from the inclusion of the extensive iconographic evidence. Mouritsen will become the standard, accessible (because highly readable) resource for 176 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Anglophone readers. An economical paperback would thus well serve upper- division and graduate courses in Roman social and legal history. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- P. B. Harvey Jr., Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryRomm, James. Ghost on the throne: the death of Alexander the Great and the war for crown and empire. Knopf, 2011. 341p bibl index; ISBN 9780307271648, $28.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Romm (classics, Bard College) tells the gripping tale of the breakup of Alexander Recommended the Great's far-flung but ephemeral empire. The author sets the scene vividly, reaching backward and forward in time to reveal the stories and the motivations of those who would shape the post-Alexander world. Generals, bodyguards, and friends of the dead king would now vie for power, influence, and territory. Some tried to preserve what Alexander had wrought, holding together the pieces of his vast multinational domain; others sought to carve off whatever portion they could take and hold for themselves. Romm is a gifted storyteller as well as a respected scholar, and he knows that compelling history is driven by consideration of character. He resurrects Perdiccas, Ptolemy, Eumenes, and Antigonus One-Eye from the past to encounter them again as individuals. This compelling account of the conflicts that resulted from Alexander's bequeathal of his empire "to the strongest" should be included in any library collection treating Alexander or the foundations of the Hellenistic Age. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, lower-division undergraduates, and above. -- J. D. Lyons, Ashland University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeThomas, Hugh. The golden empire: Spain, Charles V, and the creation of America. 1st U.S. ed. Random House, 2011 (c2010). 646p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781400061259, $35.00; ISBN 9781588369048 e-book, $17.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required King of Castile and Aragon as Charles I (1516-1556) and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1519-1556), Habsburg Charles V ruled during tumultuous times Recommended marked by enmity with France and the Ottomans and wars spawned by the Reformation. His reign also encompassed decades of Spanish exploration, conquest, and settlement in the Americas, the creation of an administrative structure for the Indies, and the development of policies concerning both the nature of the indigenous populations and their treatment. In this sequel to Rivers of Gold (CH, Feb'05, 42-3588), Thomas provides a magisterial narrative that sets Charles's reign, victories, and defeats in Europe as the backdrop for the drama of the Spaniards' celebrated conquests of Mexico and Peru, lesser-known successes in Colombia and Chile, and disastrous expeditions led by Pánfilo Narváez and others that cost numerous Spanish lives. Thomas emphasizes the importance of New World gold and silver for Charles's European actions and clarifies the extent to which the monarch paid attention to affairs in the Indies. Based principally on extensive published primary sources complemented by relevant secondary materials, this vividly written volume is a mandatory purchase for all public and academic libraries. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- M. A. Burkholder, 177 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
University of Missouri--St. Louis
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralLandes, Richard. Heaven on Earth: the varieties of the millennial experience. Oxford, 2011. 499p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9780199753598, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Millennialism and apocalypses form the subject of this big book that traces these phenomena through the span of global history. Millennialism is broadly defined as Recommended the establishment of a perfect society on Earth, i.e., the "heaven on Earth" of the title. Landes (Boston Univ.) contends that historians have neglected and marginalized millennialism as a phenomenon of human history. He further asserts that despite that neglect, millennialism has played a significant role throughout history and in diverse geographical locations. The book begins with several chapters that discuss the theoretical, methodological, and typological aspects of the study of millennialism, and follows up with a selection of case studies to illustrate the various forms of millennialism, both religious and secular. Landes starts with Xhosa cattle-killing and Melanesian cargo cults, and next uniquely classifies Pharaoh Akhenaten's religious revolution as a millennial movement comparable to the Taiping Rebellion. For secular millennialism, he looks at the French Revolution, Marxism, Bolshevik Russia, and Nazi Germany. Finally, the author discusses the postmodern form of millennialism represented by UFO cults and the global jihad of radical Islam. Landes, an expert in medieval religion, presents arguments that will be controversial but are also largely convincing. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- R. Fritze, Athens State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryRobinson, Betsey A. Histories of Peirene: a Corinthian fountain in three millennia. American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2011. 386p bibl index afp (Ancient art and architecture in context, 2) ISBN 0-87661-965-0, $75.00; ISBN 9780876619650, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Robinson (Vanderbilt) tells the engrossing story of a famed fountain in Corinth, Greece, from myth to history to archaeology and the present. Chapters follow the Recommended fountain's traces from obscurity to clarification in this detailed analysis of the rediscovery and excavations that started in 1898 and are ongoing. Fountains were all-important in the ancient world, given a community's reliance on a safe and plentiful water supply, and natural springs were often assigned sacred status as well as mythical origins. According to Pindar, the Corinthian hero Bellerophon tamed the winged horse Pegasus at Peirene. The Fountain of Peirene endured for nearly three millennia, as a simple grotto-like spring in the geometric period to the grand structure of classical and then Greco-Roman times through the Ottoman era. Part 1 covers the spring and its legacy, documented by literature and ancient art; part 2 covers its chronological history, from humble beginnings to later ruin and recovery. There is excellent source material throughout, giving due credit to the original and recent excavators for their careful records. Robinson expertly displays her art historical and scientific expertise in this outstanding account of a worthy monument. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- L. J. Roccos, CUNY College of Staten Island 178 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryJohnstone, Steven. A history of trust in ancient Greece. Chicago, 2011. 242p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9780226405094, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Any scholar who describes his work as "a heap," even one with the ambiguities and intellectual antecedents of a Greek soros, is going to raise academic eyebrows. Yet Recommended Johnstone (Arizona) makes a very good case for it. The measure has boundaries; the heap does not. What is excluded always challenges alleged completeness. Johnstone is chasing the idea of trust in classical and early Hellenistic Greece. As readers may know, it was strongly personal: no system lacking insurance could be anything else. Yet Greek trust, in this fascinating multipronged approach, turns out to have almost as many abstract and impersonal assumptions as its modern equivalent. Economic and political practices are inextricably interwoven. What were the rules in the agora? How about weights and measures in the grain trade? What accepted protocols governed the code of group behavior? How far, and in what way, did social status confer authority? Did rhetoric have power beyond persuasion theory, and if so, what? All this and much more Johnstone discusses, moving from plays to public inscriptions, from philosophical and historical texts to lawcourt speeches, and backing the fascinating resultant heap with full documentation and a vast bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- P. M. Green, emeritus, University of Iowa Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMcCormick, John S. History of Utah radicalism: startling, socialistic, and decidedly revolutionary, by John S. McCormick and John R Sillito. Utah State, 2011. 477p index; ISBN 9780874218145, $37.95; ISBN 9780874218152 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Students of local history, third parties, and socialist and Marxist movements in the US will find this book both informative and enthralling. McCormick (Salt Lake Recommended Community College) and Sillito (emer., Weber State Univ.) both have close association with the culture and history of Utah, including the importance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) in state politics and society. They bring to this work an understanding of how US radicalism played a role in Utah's colorful past. Of special interest is their exploration of the rise and fall of the Socialist Labor Party (SLP) in Salt Lake City. The SLP was the US's first Marxist political party, but historians have focused little attention on it. With the exception of Frank Girard and Ben Perry's The Socialist Labor Party, 1876-1991 (1991, now out of print), there is no general history of it. The authors also examine the activities of mainstream Protestant churches and clergy in forwarding or sympathizing with socialist aims (much to the collective chagrin of Mormon elders and the Deseret News), as well as socialist electoral campaigns and activities of socialistically inclined Utah politicians who saw no contradiction between "radicalism" and Mormonism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- S. K. Hauser, Marquette University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryOsborne, Robin. The history written on the classical Greek body. Cambridge, 2011. 260p bibl index; ISBN 9781107003200, $85.00; ISBN 179 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
9780521176705 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This book about the shortcomings of Greek historiography as currently written proves once again that Robin Osborne (Cambridge) is one of the most original and Recommended interesting contemporary Greek historians. Its unusual title refers to the tension between history based on written texts and history as experienced by Athenians. While scholars do not have direct access to those experiences, Osborne argues that they are reflected in art such as sculpture and vase painting. Eight lucid, closely argued chapters explore this tension in gender, social structure, citizenship, ethnicity, ritual pollution, and religion. Among the interesting results of this innovative study, one stands out: the lack of obvious marks of difference between citizens and foreigners in Athenian art suggests that Athenians were less concerned about these distinctions in their daily life than their prominence in written texts suggests. Also interesting are Osborne's discussions of ritual pollution as a means of social control, and the transformative effect of Phidias' gold and ivory statue of Athena on Greek ideas of the nature of the gods. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- S. M. Burstein, emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralHistory, historians, and development policy: a necessary dialogue, ed. by C. A. Bayly et al. Manchester University Press, 2011. 276p bibl index; ISBN 9780719085765, $95.00; ISBN 9780719085772 pbk, $32.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The authors appeal to those who shape development policy to pay closer attention to relevant historical works and theories. While the examples are from natural Recommended resource management, social protection, and public health, the appeal has a wider intent. That three of the authors and editors worked on the World Development Report for 2006 published by the World Bank gives the present volume special weight. Like that report, the present volume chooses as a major focus inquiries into the complex processes involved in the development of institutions in widely varying historical contexts. By the nature of their discipline, historians are seen as well attuned to understanding how general ideas, policies, and intentions have been "translated" throughout time into viable political and economic institutions. Historians can also enlighten development theoreticians on the changing perspectives, techniques, and controversies in their own field. Using both the approaches and the skills of historians will assist in the adjusting of development theories and practices to the multitude of different contexts. The volume's ten chapters and four commentary sections lend substance to the call for action. A highly informative volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- E. A. Breisach, emeritus, Western Michigan University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeImperial Germany revisited: continuing debates and new perspectives, ed. by Sven Oliver Müller and Cornelius Torp. Berghahn Books, 2011. 348p bibl index; ISBN 9780857452528, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 180 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Müller (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany) and Torp (Martin Luther Univ. of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany) provide an excellent set of 21 essays Recommended from well-established and emerging scholars from Europe and North America in this anthology. The collection continues the robust international debate on the significance of imperial Germany for German, European, and world history. Contributors examine continuities and discontinuities of German history through a careful study of four main themes that serve as organizing sections of the anthology: the place of imperial Germany in German history; the interplay of politics, culture, and society; the impact of war and violence; and the German Empire in the world. Readers will discover that while the Sonderweg (special path) debate has lost some of its former luster because of well-researched attacks against its credibility, it continues to influence. As Helmut Walser Smith points out in one of the more notable contributions, without the Sonderweg thesis, historians have a difficult time connecting imperial German history to what came after it. Overall, a superb collection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- M. A. Mengerink, Lamar University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern EuropeDennison, Tracy. The institutional framework of Russian serfdom. Cambridge, 2011. 254p bibl index; ISBN 9780521194488, $99.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This book successfully undermines what Dennison (California Institute of Technology) calls the myth of the Russian peasant. That myth originated with the Recommended 19th-century German writer August von Haxthausen, who argued that the peasant commune was not involved with the market; the peasant was self-sufficient. Using the archival resources of the Sheremetev estates in Yaroslavl province, Dennison shows that peasants bought and sold not only land but also labor and consumer goods with the cooperation of the landlord, who derived income from his charges for the transactions. Peasants even hired laborers to substitute for themselves when conscripted for the army, and often hired substitutes to till their allotments on the estate while they went to the city to secure larger incomes as servants. Furthermore, the commune's power was subordinate to that of the master, whose approval was necessary for important actions. The irony of Dennison's account is that the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 became the occasion for strengthening the commune. The myth became reality because Russia's political leaders thought they were simply restoring the role of the commune. The author concludes that serfdom was an obstacle to economic progress, even on the Sheremetev estate. An excellent monograph on a topic of major significance. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- D. Balmuth, emeritus, Skidmore College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralAkenson, Donald Harman. Ireland, Sweden and the great European migration, 1815-1914. McGill-Queen's, 2011. 293p bibl index (McGill-Queen's studies in ethnic history, 2; 30); ISBN 9780773539570, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This work represents another ambitious project by Akenson (Queen's Univ., Canada), whose long record of scholarship in Irish history has been marked by Recommended conceptual daring and controversial assertions. This well-sustained comparison between Ireland and Sweden continues in that provocative spirit, crossing 181 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
academic divides as well as geographic boundaries. The author offers a well- balanced combination of macro-economic material and a humanistic appreciation of the mentalité of the subjects themselves. While Akenson mines mountains of empirical data on Ireland and Sweden and identifies the various forerunners of the postcalamity exoduses from the two countries, he eschews any condescension toward those individuals who remained surprisingly resistant to departure during the early 19th century. Akenson offers his latest effort as a bid to spur further comparative research in the study of the European great migration during the "real 19th century" (i.e., 1815-1914). Although the devotion to migratory push factors leaves little room for consideration of transnational networks and primary accounts from the historical actors themselves, this book still stands as a remarkable text that weaves statistical analysis with incisive historiographical commentary to produce a lively argument. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. J. O'Brien, Franciscan University of Steubenville Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaThomas, William G. The iron way: railroads, the Civil War, and the making of modern America. Yale, 2011. 281p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300141078, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Thomas (Nebraska) uses his interests in civil rights, technology, modernity, and the railroads to provide a fresh look at the US Civil War of 1861-65. He starts with Recommended Frederick Douglass's escape from slavery to freedom in 1838 and concludes with the driving of the last spike in the transcontinental railroad in 1869. It is a fascinating story that consistently shows how the iron horse linked the South into a commercial whole while leaving more than 60 percent of the counties sans rail access. Thomas's chapters on the war itself clearly show how beginning in 1863, Grant and Sherman evolved their war-winning destruction of the railways in the South to bring the war home ruthlessly to civilians, turning the rails from an asset to a deadly dagger to the heart. Thomas concludes with the Catherine Brown civil rights case, which raised issues of segregation in the post-1865 railroads. A worthy successor to John Clark's Railroads in the Civil War (CH, Jun'02, 29-5991) and complemented by Sandra Halperin's War and Social Change in Modern Europe (2004). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries. -- R. Higham, emeritus, Kansas State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern EuropeReid, Anna. Leningrad: the epic siege of World War II, 1941-1944. 1st U.S. ed. Walker & Company, 2011. 492p bibl index; ISBN 9780802715944, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The siege of Leningrad (now named St. Petersburg) by the Third Reich during WW II lasted from shortly after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union (June 22, 1941) Recommended until January 1944. During this time, only a thin stream of food and other supplies trickled into the besieged city, while escape from the city after the enemy ring closed around it became exceedingly difficult and dangerous. The consequence was a massive loss of life in the city due to starvation, aerial bombardment, artillery shelling, and other causes. Journalist Reid provides a vivid portrait of the siege, relying on a wide assortment of diaries (some located in Russian archives), memoirs, and oral histories of the participants. The author deftly weaves together these personal accounts to produce a chilling description of the catastrophe, for 182 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
the most part eschewing extended analysis and allowing the participants' words to having maximum impact on the reader. Reid touches on some of the high politics involved, but her main focus is how people lived and died during the siege. Despite the grim subject matter, this book is a fascinating read and hard to put down. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- N. M. Brooks, New Mexico State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern EuropeZahra, Tara. The lost children: reconstructing Europe's families after World War II. Harvard, 2011. 308p index afp; ISBN 9780674048249, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Zahra's book contributes significantly to understanding postwar childhood and refugee history in central Europe. The book's merit lies not only in portraying the Recommended very real welfare issues regarding thousands of stateless, expelled, and otherwise lost children in this region, but also in showing how those issues became vectors for other early postwar issues. Because children were a country's future (or the future of countries that only recently had been enemies), administrators recognized some children as their own, but marginalized, neglected, or even "converted" children classified as foreign. Zahra (Chicago) demonstrates how issues such as ethnicity, citizenship, state jurisdiction, and even the incipient Cold War came into play in this regard, and how these policies and practices, particularly those regarding transfer of children between state jurisdictions, set precedents for the later handling of children in matters such as intercountry adoption. This work has resonance beyond central Europe; historians for the Balkans or the USSR, for example, will find Zahra's insights and approaches highly useful. Scholars and students of postwar Europe more generally will appreciate the extra depth she brings to an understanding of humanitarian issues in these years. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- R. Spickermann, University of Texas - Permian Basin Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralGabriel, Mary. Love and capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the birth of a revolution. Little, Brown, 2011. 707p bibl index; ISBN 9780316066112, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required History written from a personal perspective often suffers from a lack of documentation and an excess of sentimentality. This study of Marx and his family Recommended members (and his supporters and opponents) does not. Veteran journalist Gabriel gives particular attention to Marx's relationship to his wife, Jenny von Westphalen, and their three daughters. Marx may have denounced utopian socialism but he was hopelessly utopian when it came to meeting his publication deadlines, and he led a life that meant almost continual deprivation for Jenny and their children. Yet Jenny, a woman of great intelligence, endured everything, and the daughters committed themselves to men who, like Marx, lived for radical political theory and action. The author's exhaustive use of primary archival sources and her gifts as a narrative writer have resulted in a memorable book that greatly enhances understanding of the men and women it portrays. Gabriel provides general historical background for the growth of revolutionary ferment in Europe, but deals only briefly with the development of socialist thought--a strength, as it turns out, because the author avoids repeating what earlier scholars have often said so well. 183 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Rather, Gabriel has created an unforgettable portrait of Karl Marx, Jenny von Westphalen, and their milieu. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- S. Bailey, emeritus, Knox College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ United KingdomEdwards, John. Mary I: England's Catholic queen. Yale, 2011. 387p bibl index afp ISBN 0-300-11810-4, $35.00; ISBN 9780300118100, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Edwards (Spanish, Oxford) joins an array of distinguished scholars--Eamon Duffy (Fires of Faith, CH, Dec'09, 47-2215) and Judith Richards (Mary Tudor, CH, Jul'09, Recommended 46-6415) among them--who have labored to rescue Mary I from the condescension of posterity and dismiss the canard that the hallmark of her brief reign was sterility. He succeeds in restoring agency to the queen and situates Mary in her varied roles: princess and England's first sovereign queen, but also daughter of Catherine of Aragon, consort to the King of Naples (the future Philip II of Spain), and spiritual heir to the Trastámara dynasty of her grandparents, who had ruthlessly extirpated heresy. The narrative does contain errors: Margaret Tudor was the grandmother, not mother, of Mary, Queen of Scots, while Edward Courtenay was not the nephew of Cardinal Pole (p. 76, 149). But Edwards redeems these slips with his unprecedented use of the Spanish archives and sharp analysis of the "epoch-making strategic alliance" with the Habsburg dynasty. However, his attempt to equate the marginalization of traditional belief during Edward VI's reign with the ferocious persecution of Protestants under Mary is distinctly unconvincing, and the rosy picture of Elizabeth's succession is greatly overstated. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- D. R. Bisson, Belmont University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaDardess, John W. Ming China, 1368-1644: a concise history of a resilient empire. Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. 153p index afp; ISBN 9781442204904, $75.00; ISBN 9781442204911 pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9781442204928 e-book, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this deft, elegant overview of the Ming Dynasty, Dardess (Univ. of Kansas), one of the most eminent living scholars of the period, effortlessly compresses over two Recommended and a half centuries of history into a mere 148 pages of text, including notes for further reading. Five chapters cover the Ming empire from its frontiers to its center, and from the apex of power down to the level of bandits and outlaws. Dardess argues that the dynasty was a powerful and enduring polity whose culture was shaped by the chronic steppe threat on its northern border and the efforts of the literati at the center of society to adapt to changing economic and political realities. As a concise history, the text is perforce strong on analysis and weak on events, but it is nonetheless the single best introduction to the Ming Dynasty available. An excellent starting point for those interested in the period. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- P. Lorge, Vanderbilt University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Middle East & North AfricaMarr, Phebe. The modern history of Iraq. 3rd ed. Westview, 2012. 483p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813344430 pbk, $45.00; ISBN 9780813345215 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 184 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required This book aims to present a "clear, readable one-volume account of the emergence of modern Iraq and the forces that shaped it." Marr (member of the Counsel on Recommended Foreign Relations and the Middle East Institute) accomplishes the formidable task with the best one-volume study of the subject in English. She draws on published sources in Arabic and English, supplemented by her extensive interviews with the country's political leaders and personalities, educators, and journalists, as well as ordinary men and women. The Choice review of the first edition (CH, Oct'85) called it "a timely, comprehensive, and much-needed history of Iraq, a nation in search of its social and cultural identity." After a quarter of a century, that observation is just as accurate. In this third edition, Marr has added three new chapters covering events since the US invasion. The final chapter, "Economic, Social, and Cultural Change in Iraq, 2007-11," offers an excellent analysis of current political and economic affairs and covers such current, relevant subjects as the decline of the middle class, the status of women and ethnic groups, and the rise of sectarianism. A very valuable, comprehensive, informative, balanced, objective study, with excellent bibliography, notes, and charts. For specialists as well as general readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- N. Rassekh, emeritus, Lewis and Clark College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern EuropeClark, Katerina. Moscow, the fourth Rome: Stalinism, cosmopolitanism, and the evolution of Soviet culture, 1931-1941. Harvard, 2011. 420p index ISBN 0-674-05787-2, $35.00; ISBN 9780674057876, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The title of this book references the aim of Czar Ivan the Terrible to make Moscow a world power, or the "Third Rome." His effort failed, but the idea was revived at Recommended the time of the Russian Revolution and remained alive until 1924, coinciding with the prospect of revolution in Germany in the early 1920s. When that failed to occur, Stalin enunciated his "Socialism in One Country." In this stimulating study, Clark (Yale) considers Moscow's cultural position in the 1930s. She points out and examines the reality that "Stalin, and many Soviet cultural bureaucrats and intellectuals, themselves inheritors of a messianic tradition, aspired to generate a superior civilization, to make their country a primus inter pares in a cultural confederation within their world, continental Europe." This is an invaluable study, deserving of wide attention. Those who want a broader perspective will find it in Isaac Deutscher's Stalin: A Political Biography (1949) and particularly E. H. Carr's The October Revolution: Before and After (CH, Jul'69). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- V. D. Barooshian, emeritus, Wells College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralKramer, Lloyd. Nationalism in Europe & America: politics, cultures, and identities since 1775. North Carolina, 2011. 260p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807834848, $65.00; ISBN 9780807872000 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Kramer (Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) has produced a revised, updated, and expanded version of his 1998 book Nationalism: Political Cultures in Europe and Recommended America, 1775-1865. Tackling the enormous body of secondary literature on the topic and extensively drawing on primary sources, he aligns himself with the school 185 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
of thought that argues that national identities and ideas were historically and culturally constructed in the modern era in western Europe and America after 1775, as opposed to the primordialist view that they originated in the distant past. However, he concedes that shared myths, memories, and experiences have certainly contributed to the forging of nations. Kramer describes political, linguistic, and literary themes and the links between nationalism and religion, gender, and race. He then explores the development of an American national identity marked by a sense of a unique, providentially ordained mission at home and abroad. The author analyzes nationalism's destructive role in the world wars, and, in the post-1945 era, its significant influence on Asian and African nations breaking away from European colonial rule. This excellent, authoritative, and accessible book, which includes good black-and-white illustrations and maps, is a thought-provoking survey of a complex subject. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. H. Plunkett, Piedmont Virginia Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaBays, Daniel H. A new history of Christianity in China. Wiley, 2012. 241p bibl index; ISBN 9781405159548, $89.95; ISBN 9781405159555 pbk, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bays (Calvin College) provides a lucid, cohesive, and balanced historical treatment of the growth of Christianity in China as a joint Sino-foreign endeavor. Beginning Recommended with the Nestorian mission in the seventh century, Bays charts seminal events and personages in the evolution of Christianity "from a foreign creed to an indigenized and acculturated reality in China today." In the same vein as the author's influential edited volume Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present (1996), Bays's new book highlights Christianity's intense involvement with indigenous social structures and political trajectories and the contribution of Chinese converts to Christianity and Chinese history alike. Academic readers will especially appreciate Bays's masterful synthesis of the most recent scholarship. Anybody interested in Christianity's contemporary dynamics in China will find Bays's authoritative and nuanced observation on the post-1966 era useful. Since greater weight is given to Protestants in the past two centuries, readers interested in Catholics should also consult Christians in China: A.D. 600 to 2000 by Jean-Pierre Charbonnier (2007). Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- L. Ma, State University of New York at Buffalo Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaHahamovitch, Cindy. No man's land: Jamaican guestworkers in America and the global history of deportable labor. Princeton, 2011. 333p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691102689, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required No Man's Land is a fascinating, engaging study of one of the less-known guest worker programs in the US, the temporary recruitment of Jamaican nationals to Recommended work in the agriculture industry. Basing her work on a wide range of primary documents and oral interviews, the author illustrates the harsh and vulnerable working and living conditions guest workers experienced as they toiled in the fields of the Northeast, the South, and Florida. Historian Hahamovitch (College of William & Mary) effectively demonstrates how employers' capacity to exploit, abuse, and deport guest workers, as well as Jamaica's dependency on migrants' income, 186 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
transformed the program into a successful tool against modernization and the improvement of labor conditions and relations in the countryside. Especially in the case of Florida's sugar fields, guest worker programs were a response more to employers' hostility toward labor laws and unionization campaigns than to a shortage of labor. Overall, this is a fantastic book that gives a clear understanding of how Jamaican guest workers labored, lived, and struggled in the US; the political and economic debates behind the rise and fall of temporary work programs; and the similarities and differences with other guest worker programs throughout the world. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. Vergara, California State University, Los Angeles
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaPegram, Thomas R. One hundred percent American: the rebirth and decline of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. Ivan R. Dee, 2011. 281p index afp; ISBN 9781566637114, $27.95; ISBN 9781566639224 e-book, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Pegram (Loyola Univ.-Maryland) provides a comprehensive examination of the 1920s Klan and places it in its proper historical context. He successfully challenges Recommended the idea that the Klan fit comfortably into the US mainstream in that confusing time: "The book situates the Klan within mainstream developments in American postwar life but also explains why the Klan failed to achieve mainstream status in the 1920s." Pegram relies on both the words and publications of Klansmen and their surrounding communities to illustrate how the excesses of the organized Klan made it impossible for it to truly fit in the mainstream. While not downplaying the Klan's violence, he also discusses the organization's other activities (politics, volunteering, boycotts) to show how even if it shared mainstream values (racism, anti-Semitism, etc.), it could not gain the support of the majority of Americans, nor could it retain its own popularity long after the 1920s ended. Well written, well organized, and worth the read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- K. L. Gorman, Minnesota State University--Mankato Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern EuropeFritz, Stephen G. Ostkrieg: Hitler's war of extermination in the East. University Press of Kentucky, 2011. 640p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813134161, $39.95; ISBN 9780813134178 e-book, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required When reviewing WW II, it is obvious that the Eastern Front was the principal theater of operations. Countless books have been written analyzing the Russo- Recommended German conflict, but now Fritz (East Tennessee State Univ.), the author of two previous studies about the Wehrmacht (Frontsoldaten, CH, Apr'96, 33-4668; Endkampf, 2004), has finished a penetrating narrative about Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's war of extermination in Russia. His new book does not embark on a radical interpretation of Hitler's decision for war in 1941. Instead, Fritz seeks to synthesize and build upon earlier scholarship while exclusively focusing on the struggle as seen from Berlin. For Hitler and his chief lieutenants, Operation Barbarossa was necessary to gain Lebensraum, living space, and avoid a repetition of the hunger blockade that crippled Germany during WW I. As Fritz notes, the early victories in Russia also gave additional impetus to Hitler to resolve the Jewish question in the 187 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
forests of Poland and Belorussia. Although there are many noteworthy sources chronicling Hitler's war against the Soviet Union, Ostkrieg will be a significant addition to any academic library. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- C. C. Lovett, Emporia State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern EuropeKligman, Gail. Peasants under siege: the collectivization of Romanian agriculture, 1949-1962, by Gail Kligman and Katherine Verdery. Princeton, 2011. 508p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691149721, $95.00; ISBN 9780691149738 pbk, $39.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Two senior scholars have written a seminal work on the creation of collective agriculture in Romania. It is less a study of the operation of collective agriculture Recommended than a study of the formation of the Communist Party that dominated Romania until the fall of the Ceauşescu regime, i.e., state formation through the process of agricultural collectivization. Methodologically sound, the analysis relies on, synthesizes, and draws upon the authors' own studies as well as those of 19 collaborators who studied villages and communes throughout Romania between 1998 and 2004. Based on a combination of Romanian archival material and interviews with those who experienced and carried out collectivization, this balanced, nuanced account describes the protracted, negotiated process of applying a Soviet blueprint to a diverse rural population (78 percent of Romanians lived in rural areas in 1948). The authors aptly describe their subject as "a monumental uprooting carried out with remarkable speed and fraught throughout with unintended consequences that vitiated the plans of its architects." Their theoretical conceptualization, especially the dissection of property transformation as a cultural, social, and political process at the village level, places this among the best studies of state socialism as well as peasant resistance. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- G. M. Massey, emeritus, University of Wyoming Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaGriffin, John Howard. Prison of culture: beyond Black like me, ed. by Robert Bonazzi. Wings Press, 2011. 127p afp; ISBN 9780916727826 pbk, $16.95; ISBN 9781609401474 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This beguiling book draws one more intimately into the world of John Howard Griffin. Rooted in a particular brand of Roman Catholic asceticism, Griffin's Recommended motivations for his "experiment" become clear. Griffin's was a life committed to social justice. This collection of writings, chosen to complement Black like Me, provides a portrait of the effects of racial discrimination on Americans of color, as well as insight into Griffin's reasons for his experiment and his fundamental human decency. On one level, this is a simple book. On another, Griffin's deceptively plain language reveals the extraordinary spiritual depth of this gentle man. It also introduces readers to the complex heritage of Christian traditions both in opposing and in maintaining the racial system in the US at the time of the civil rights movement. Readers will come away from it with renewed respect for the spiritual simplicity and clear vision of a devout man called to prophesy against social evils. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- T. D. Moodie, Hobart and William Smith Colleges 188 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralVann, Barry A. Puritan Islam: the geoexpansion of the Muslim world. Prometheus Books, 2011. 228p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781616145170, $26.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required One issue has dominated world affairs for the first decade of the 21st century, and that has been what political scientist Samuel P. Huntington called the "Clash of Recommended Civilizations"--in particular, relations between the Islamic and Western worlds. Thus, to suggest, as so often is expressed, that this book is "timely" would be accurate, but also trite and understated, for this book is perhaps the best geographical text produced on this subject since 2000. Too often, this clash is viewed as one of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism versus the rest of the world when, in fact, the clash is more subtle and nuanced and the cultural differences too profound for simplistic explanations. Vann (geography, Univ. of the Cumberlands) provides a subtle, nuanced study of Islam, and the world is better for it. Its strengths lie in the author's detailed knowledge of Islam and particularly the content of the Koran, but the inclusion of Islam in the US and the role of Islam in the Arab-Israeli conflict are especially worth reading. Puritan Islam is of utmost significance in finally taking the topic away from the emotional to where it needs to be--rational and explanatory discussion. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- R. W. Benfield, Central Connecticut State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralHunter, Douglas. The race to the New World: Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, and a lost history of discovery. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 277p bibl index; ISBN 9780230110113, $27.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The history of overseas discoveries during the late-15th century is plagued by frequent gaps in the historical record. Hunter (PhD student, York Univ., Canada) Recommended seeks to bridge those gaps and bring greater clarity to the era of Christopher Columbus. Historians have long discerned vague connections between various early explorers--Columbus, John Cabot, Martin Behaim, and Amerigo Vespucci. Hunter asserts some close relations among these men and in the process makes some rather dramatic speculations. Probably the most outstanding is that John Cabot may have sailed on Columbus's second voyage to the Americas in 1494. Another speculation links the globe maker and would-be explorer Martin Behaim in a sort of partnership with John Cabot as a front man: after they convinced Henry VII of England to sponsor western voyages commanded by Cabot, Behaim may even have accompanied him. Hunter is on more solid ground when he relates that Cabot actually returned alive from his mysterious 1498 voyage. He is also quite good as showing how international politics impacted the voyages of exploration. While not for beginners, Hunter's book is a welcome addition and covers the same ground far better than David Boyle's Toward the Setting Sun: Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci, and the Race for America (2008). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. -- R. Fritze, Athens State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeViejo-Rose, Dacia. Reconstructing Spain: cultural heritage and memory after civil war. Sussex Academic, 2011. (Dist. by ISBS), 301p index afp ISBN 1- 84519-435-7, $90.00; ISBN 9781845194352, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 189 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Viejo-Rose (Jesus College, Cambridge) asserts that studying the efforts of Spaniards to appropriate and reconstruct history and cultural heritage after their civil war Recommended (1936-1939) and during the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975) is helpful for the study of aftermaths of other recent international civil conflicts. Spain is a useful case study because the more than 70 years since the civil war gives scholars the opportunity to examine both short-term and "midterm" projects and the effects of reconstructing cultural heritage. That process involves the forging of a new version of the nation and its visual landscapes; rewriting history to retell the national past in light of conflict; constructing new memory with monuments and commemoration; and recodifying politics of space and place, or the "symbolscape." The book features an analysis of the destruction of the Basque village of Gernika in April 1937, the regime's attempts to physically and discursively reconstruct Gernika, and, finally, a deconstruction of those reconstruction projects. Over 200 images, tables, and text boxes pepper 200 pages of text, making for an often choppy, frustrating read. Despite this, the book is of significant value to both Hispanists and students of civil wars, memory, and reconstruction. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- E. A. Sanabria, University of New Mexico Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaHickey, Donald R. The rockets' red glare: an illustrated history of the War of 1812, by Donald R. Hickey and Connie D. Clark. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 234p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421401553, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Beginning in 2012, the US and Canada will celebrate the bicentennial of the War of 1812--a war that historian Hickey (Wayne State College) had previously termed Recommended "The Forgotten Conflict." In this illustrated history of the war, Hickey and Connie Clark have assembled iconic and rarely seen images of the conflict in a fast-paced narrative that includes abundant details about this important era of warfare. The images of this conflict did confirm that the war did not represent a second war of independence, but that it helped establish the young republic's nationhood. Oliver Hazard Perry, Thomas Macdonough, William Henry Harrison, and Andrew Jackson all entered the pantheon of American heroes; Francis Scott Key immortalized the US defense at Fort McHenry in verse that subsequently became the Star-Spangled Banner; and, the selective American memory conceived of the war as a victory for the US. Thereafter, Americans reveled in a new sense of nationalism, embraced bold confidence, and demonstrated a patriotic ability to construct a nation in their image. This outstanding book captures the stunning images of the war and that transformation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- G. A. Smith, Texas Christian University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryPaterculus, Velleius. The Roman history: from Romulus and the foundation of Rome to the reign of the emperor Tiberius, tr. and introd. by J. C. Yardley and Anthony A. Barrett. Hackett, 2011. 174p index afp; ISBN 9781603845915 pbk, $14.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Of all the classical texts that have survived, the most flawed (corrupted) is probably that of Velleius. It depends on a printed edition of 1520 that was based on a bad Recommended copy of a bad manuscript, both of which have since disappeared. But Velleius's History is a valuable source, especially for the transition from republic to empire. 190 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Readers may want to see the fundamental work of Richard Anderson, Rise and Fall of Middle-Class Loyalty to the Roman Empire (1965), and Alain M. Gowing, Empire and Memory (CH, Sep'06, 44-0484). Yet there have been only two translations of Velleius's History into English: by J. S. Watson (1852, essentially a "pony") and by Frederick Shipley (1924, reprinted 2002). The present work is a great improvement, both in accuracy and, above all, in presentation. Velleius's long, complex periods have been broken up into short, direct sentences arranged in short, unified paragraphs. The translators have drawn freely from the fine two- volume commentaries of A. J. Woodman (Velleius Paterculus, 1977-1983; CH, Mar'78). A long, perceptive introduction, comprehensive bibliography, plus a useful glossary and index add to the work's value. This will certainly be the standard translation for a long time. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- R. I. Frank, emeritus, University of California, Irvine Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaBowen, Michael. The roots of modern conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the battle for the soul of the Republican Party. North Carolina, 2011. 254p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807834855, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required If any work confirms the proposition that elections have consequences, this is the one. Analyzing the activities of the Republican National Committee in the 1940s, Recommended Bowen (Westminster College) skillfully charts the death of the old Republican Party and the birth of the conservative movement. Frustration with me-tooism during the Dewey campaigns of 1944 and 1948, along with the Eisenhower administration's "dime-store new deal," brought forth Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. This stellar account of the struggles between Thomas E. Dewey and "Mr. Republican" Robert Taft skillfully explains how the contours of the Republican ideological wars were shaped. Bowen is very adept at showing that the South, even before the civil rights era, played an important role in reshaping the GOP. Stellar descriptions of important personalities, such as RNC chair B. Carroll Reece, enliven the account. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- D. R. Turner, Davis and Elkins College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeHarris, Max. Sacred folly: a new history of the Feast of Fools. Cornell, 2011. 322p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780801449567, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Harris (emer., Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison) provides a meticulous study of the sources and scholarship on the Feast of Fools, one of the most famous, or Recommended infamous, examples of Christian carnival from the Middle Ages. Examining the liturgical, historical, and historiographical sources on the feast and its precursors, he carefully demolishes the narrative of the Feast accepted by generations of incautious scholars who separated the sources from their liturgical context, privileged ecclesiastical opposition as a defining force for the Feast, and overlooked significant changes over time in both Feast and official attitudes toward it. Harris's rewriting of the Feast's history shows that it developed in the late 12th and early 13th centuries as a complex, orderly liturgy for the day of the Circumcision (New Year's Day) that aimed to supplant the disorder and partying of secular society with dignified worship and thanksgiving for the incarnation of Christ. The supposed origins of the Feast in folk (i.e., pagan) customs largely alien 191 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
to the Christian liturgy, its alleged constant censure from ecclesiastical officials, and that it was "always and everywhere rowdy, raucous and intrusive" are all premises shown false by Harris's thorough and careful reading of sources. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. -- D. A. Rivard, Cottey College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaMauch, Peter. Sailor diplomat: Nomura Kichisaburō and the Japanese- American War. Harvard University Asia Center, 2011. 312p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674055995, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Nomura Kichisabūro is an infamous figure, known primarily as the Japanese ambassador to the US who only notified US officials of Japan's intent after his Recommended country's "sneak attack" on Pearl Harbor in 1941. This new biography seeks to put Nomura's ambassadorship in the context of his long career in the Japanese navy. It examines his growth as a navy officer along with his consistent belief that Japan could not defeat the US in an armed conflict, a view that grew out of his naval experience. The author, a historian at the University of Western Sydney, Australia, does not absolve Nomura of responsibility for the diplomatic failures of his mission, but instead seeks to show how his views about Japanese-American relations both before and after WW II were remarkably prescient. Moreover, Mauch shows that Nomura's actions can only be understood in the context of his naval career--hence the "sailor diplomat" moniker. There is much here that will expand general and professional readers' understanding of Japan's disastrous diplomacy, and those same readers will learn much about the organization and character of the prewar Japanese navy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- W. D. Kinzley, University of South Carolina Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaAnderson, Mark Cronlund. Seeing red: a history of Natives in Canadian newspapers, by Mark Cronlund Anderson and Carmen L. Robertson. University of Manitoba, 2011. 362p bibl index; ISBN 9780887557279 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this important, unique study of the imagery of Aboriginal peoples in Canadian newspapers, 1869-2009, Anderson and Robertson (both, Univ. of Regina, Canada) Recommended effectively argue that colonialism has always thrived in Canada's press, continuing to the present. Three essentialized sets of characteristics--depravity, innate inferiority, and a stubborn resistance to progress--have exemplified colonial imagery of Aboriginal peoples in mainstream English-language newspapers, informally yet persuasively teaching countless Canadians about imagined Aboriginal inferiority while using such imagery to gauge mainstream self- perceptions in positive ways. The news constitutes an organic "national curriculum" through which the status quo is continually reinforced, normalizing and naturalizing imagined ideas of the Native. In other words, the portrayal of Aboriginal peoples in the mainstream Canadian press has continually justified for the Canadian public the thinking that gave rise to the colonial practices of treaties and residential schools. Most alarmingly, Anderson and Robertson found that none of the 42 Canadian periodicals examined over a 140-year period had resisted Canada's colonial imagery. While newspaper prose may have become less blatantly racist and judgmental over the course of the 20th century, the authors argue that 192 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
this merely reflects that readers have become more familiar with the conventions of colonial discourse. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and academic levels/libraries. -- B. F. R. Edwards, Laurentian University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Central & Eastern Europe^DvZivković, Marko. Serbian dreambook: national imaginary in the time of Milo^Dvsević. Indiana, 2011. 318p bibl filmography index afp; ISBN 9780253356239, $80.00; ISBN 9780253223067 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The use of "imaginaries" in scholarship helps determine the limits of "what it is possible to think"; they provide raw material for narratives of various sorts and Recommended play a psychological and cultural role akin to discourse in shaping practical and creative endeavors. Anthropologist ^DvZivković (Univ. of Alberta, Canada) takes readers a long way toward a long overdue, fair-minded, and full analysis of the Serbian imaginary. Although one might argue that most national imaginaries contain many self-serving, exotic elements, ^DvZivković tries to convince readers that "the stories Serbs tell themselves" are so "bizarre, outlandish, and strange" that they deserve the more provocative collective title of "dreambook." The author's colorful examples and relevant analyses provide short courses on various Serbian cultural touchstones, such as archaeology and the hunt for ancient, non- Slavic progenitors, and the enduring megalomania of a "Byzantine Commonwealth." From the historian's point of view, this intriguing work does not so much explain Serbian politics as explain how Serbs explain politics, and it offers a valuable chronicle of what one might call the "default settings" for the (domestic) representation of Serbian history. ^DvZivković's focus is the Milo^Dvsević period, corresponding to the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia, although earlier and later periods call for similar treatment. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. -- J. K. Cox, North Dakota State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Latin America & the CaribbeanSchmidt-Nowara, Christopher. Slavery, freedom, and abolition in Latin America and the Atlantic world. New Mexico, 2011. 204p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780826339041 pbk, $28.95; ISBN 9780826339058 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this comprehensive yet brief synthesis, Schmidt-Nowara (Spanish culture and civilization, Tufts Univ.) provides students and scholars of Latin America with a Recommended treatment of slavery and abolition that redresses an imbalance in the subjects' historiography. Focusing primarily upon the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, rather than the Anglophone Caribbean and North America, the author surveys the rise of slavery and the slave trade within the context of Iberian culture and expansion, and then situates Latin American slavery and abolitionism firmly within their larger Atlantic context. Following each chapter is a short "portrait" section that provides succinct personal case studies representative of the chapters' themes; they range from a female Afro-Cuban slave to a conflicted Simón Bolívar wrestling with the meaning of "freedom." All of this is no mean feat for such a slender volume, and Schmidt-Nowara is to be commended for providing an eminently readable and useful book. No other synthesis of Ibero-American slavery exists in such an accessible and concise form. This volume is ideal for classroom use, yet its strong comparative and Atlantic perspective also offers insight for more 193 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
established scholars. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- K. M. Gannon, Grand View University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaBlue, Ellen. St. Mark's and the social gospel: Methodist women and civil rights in New Orleans, 1895-1965. Tennessee, 2011. 303p index; ISBN 9781572338210, $45.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Blue (Phillips Theological Seminary) has written a nuanced and compelling history of Methodist Episcopal Church South (MECS) women activists, covering the first Recommended two-thirds of the 20th century. Drawing nimbly from sources like minutes of women's meetings, publications from missionary and reform organizations, women's periodicals, journals, poetry, and letters, Blue shows that Methodist women carried the spirit and practice of the Social Gospel well into the 20th century. Correcting misperceptions of southern women activists as "conservative," for example, Blue argues that MECS activists like Mary Werlein were progressive in their social views, but were nonetheless shaped by their culture's and religion's racist attitude toward ethnic and racial minorities. Evidence for this assertion relies more heavily on documents written by men with whom MECS women either worshipped or studied, rather than documents authored by women. Nevertheless, Blue has written a well-researched book that functions as an excellent counterpart to Wendy J. Deichmann Edwards and Carolyn De Swarte Gifford's edited collection, Gender and the Social Gospel (CH, Dec'03, 41-2122). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- A. D. Cortes, Holy Cross College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeDennis, Mike. State and minorities in communist East Germany, by Mike Dennis and Norman LaPorte. Berghahn Books, 2011. 236p bibl index afp (Monographs in German history, 33); ISBN 9780857451958, $100.00; ISBN 9780857451965 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Dennis (Univ. of Wolverhampton, UK) and LaPorte (Univ. of Glamorgan, UK) present a concise study of diverse minorities in the GDR: Jews, Jehovah's Recommended Witnesses, guest workers from Vietnam and Mozambique, football (soccer) fans, punks, and skinheads, from the 1960s to the collapse of the communist regime. Conceptually, the authors characterize these years of Erich Honecker's dictatorship as the posttotalitarian phase of communist rule in the GDR, more moderate in character than the preceding harsh Stalinist era. After severe persecution during the Stalinist period failed to crush Jewish communities and Jehovah's Witnesses, the latter especially continued to endure restrictions and oppression under Honecker. Football fans, punks, goths, heavy metallers, and skinheads, though at first sometimes tolerated, were severely treated when violence erupted. Foreign workers, first from Hungary, Poland, and Cuba, and then from Vietnam and Mozambique, partially met the GDR's labor needs. Though not deemed politically hostile or socially dangerous, these workers were not allowed to interact freely with the local population and were deported when they violated contract terms. This welcome study illustrates how the various minorities managed to survive under the massive attempts of the East German regime to control them. Based on extensive archival research and interviews. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced students and researchers. -- G. P. Blum, emeritus, University of the 194 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Pacific
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaStremlau, Rose. Sustaining the Cherokee family: kinship and the allotment of an indigenous nation. North Carolina, 2011. 320p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807834992, $65.00; ISBN 9780807872048 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Stremlau's book is a beautiful synthesis of primary source research and ethnography. With the help of Cherokee Nation council member Jack Baker, the Recommended author uses the example of two Cherokee families to examine the effect of General Allotment on the persistence of traditional kinship, communal work, and gender roles. She draws heavily on the ways in which Cherokees incorporated the forced reality of allotment with their ancient patterns of land usage and inheritance, showing how those in Indian Territory resisted the dispossession of women as land "owners" and the federal efforts to make the nuclear family the locus of sustenance. Historian Stremlau (American Indian studies, Univ. of North Carolina, Pembroke) moves readers along using active verbs as chapter titles: "Dividing," "Transforming," "Sustaining." Between illustrations and copious endnotes, she reminds her audience that she used specific emic sources and does not claim homogeneity for their experiences. Missing somewhere in the title, perhaps, is an emphasis on gender that would draw like-minded readers to that element as the very foundation of all else in the book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates and above. -- C. R. Kasee, Winston-Salem State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Western EuropeTaking French feminism to the streets: Fadela Amara and the rise of Ni Putes Ni Soumises, ed. and tr. by Brittany Murray and Diane Perpich. Illinois, 2011. 171p index afp; ISBN 9780252035487, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Murray and Perpich have done valuable work introducing, compiling, and translating documents from Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS), one of the most Recommended influential French feminist groups of the last decade. The four selections trace the movement's development from its inception in 2002 to the departure of its founder, Fadela Amara, in 2007. A 20-page introduction places the movement in a variety of complex historical contexts--including 20th-century immigration to France, the Algerian War, and state policies of family reunification--that inform both Amara as a social activist and the feminism of NPNS. The editors successfully show how the conflict between Republican universalism on the one hand and ethnic, religious, and gender identities on the other has played out for second- generation immigrants in France. The strategies adopted by NPNS relate directly to the historical context in which this movement emerged, and they will be unfamiliar to students versed only in Anglo-American traditions of activism. Although the book lacks scholarly references, the introductory section coupled with analysis of the documents would be extremely valuable for undergraduate collections in contemporary history or women's studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- S. E. Cline, Johnson State College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaWelky, David. The thousand-year flood: the Ohio-Mississippi disaster of 1937. Chicago, 2011. 355p index afp ISBN 0-226-88716-2, $27.50; ISBN 9780226887166, $27.50. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 195 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required The 1927 Mississippi River flood is well known to historians, thanks in part to John Barry's terrific book published in 1997 (Rising Tide). Far less known is the 1937 Recommended Ohio and Mississippi River flood, an even bigger disaster that killed hundreds of people, left roughly one million homeless, and caused damages estimated at $1 billion. Welky's book is the first full-length scholarly study of the disaster, and it deserves to be placed alongside Barry's for its thorough research and well-crafted narrative. While providing a broad overview of the flood, Welky (Univ. of Central Arkansas) focuses on events in a few select locations, notably Cairo, Paducah, Louisville, and Shawneetown. Doing so allows him to offer a wealth of detail on how people coped with the water, the extent to which preexisting conditions shaped the flood's impact, and how they recovered. Throughout, Welky connects events to larger national debates about flood control and FDR's vision for a comprehensive plan to manage rivers and the lands surrounding them. The result is a fine work of political and environmental history that sheds light on a little- known disaster and its lingering impact on the US landscape. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. Mulcahy, Loyola College in Maryland Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaMesser-Kruse, Timothy. The trial of the Haymarket Anarchists: terrorism and justice in the Gilded Age. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 236p index; ISBN 9780230116603, $90.00; ISBN 9780230120778 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Messer-Kruse (Bowling Green State Univ.) challenges the historiography surrounding the Haymarket Square bombing and the ensuing trial of eight Recommended anarchists by alleging that these Chicago radicals "were part of an international terrorist network and did hatch a conspiracy to attack police with bombs and guns that May Day weekend." In addition, Messer-Kruse argues that the anarchists' trial was fair, according to the practiced legal standards of the Gilded Age. The author relies on the full verbatim transcript of the legal proceedings that comprise thousands of pages, and writes that previous scholarly and popular attempts to dissect this trial relied on an abridged version of the Haymarket trial testimony known as the Abstract of Record. Desiring to present a more complete and nuanced telling of this monumental event in US history, Messer-Kruse will undoubtedly ruffle many academic feathers with his revisionism. Clearly written and impressively researched, this text will spark conversation among historians and those interested in US labor history. Libraries will benefit from the inclusion of this tome in their collections, and educators will find this book useful to supplement lectures in introductory or upper-division courses in US history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. M. O'Leary, Kent State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralTributary empires in global history, ed. by Peter Fibiger Bang and C. A. Bayly. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 294p bibl index; ISBN 9780230294721, $85.00; ISBN 9780230308411 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The rise of global history study has questioned the dominance of national history-- the practice of viewing and interpreting the movement of history from the nation- Recommended state perspective. By taking the transnational approach, historians and others have turned their attention (once again!) to the role of empires in history and are 196 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
increasingly looking at them from a comparative, or global, perspective. This timely collection offers a useful and illuminating case study of empire-centered historical study. Its three parts-"Historiographies of Empire," "Theoretical Perspectives on Empire," and "Comparative Histories"--contain thoughtful and well-written essays. The first part shows how empires have been studied in the past, and the second part articulates the reasons empires could be looked at again as a way to balance the overbearing practice of national history. The third part offers interesting case studies of how this has been and could be done. Centering on empires (Roman, Mughal, Ottoman, etc.) in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and South Asia, with minor mention of their peers elsewhere, this is a valuable study of past agrarian empires and their residual influences today. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries. -- Q. E. Wang, Rowan University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Latin America & the CaribbeanLigon, Richard. A true and exact history of the island of Barbados, ed. and introd. by Karen Ordahl Kupperman. Hackett, 2011. 201p afp; ISBN 9781603846219, $48.00; ISBN 9781603846202 pbk, $15.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Ligon's True and Exact History is perhaps the most important document regarding English colonization efforts in the 17th-century Caribbean. The book offers a Recommended wealth of information about the natural world--Barbados's climate, flora, and fauna--as well as social and economic conditions on the island in the late 1640s. Scholars have long used the text as a source for tracing the development of sugar and slavery, in particular. Although previously available in a facsimile edition, Kupperman's is the first modern, edited version of the text, and it is a most welcome publication. Kupperman (NYU), one of the foremost scholars of the 17th- century Atlantic world, has written an excellent introduction that outlines what is known about Ligon and provides context on issues ranging from early modern ideas about the environment, to conditions in Barbados during the tobacco era, to the rise of sugar and the island's place in England's emerging empire. Throughout, Kupperman provides detailed, useful notes that make the text accessible to students and others. An index would have been helpful, but otherwise, this is a first-rate example of historical editing. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- M. Mulcahy, Loyola College in Maryland Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaGelber, Scott M. The university and the people: envisioning American higher education in an era of populist protest. Wisconsin, 2011. 268p index afp; ISBN 9780299284640 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9780299284633 e-book, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This impressively researched, well-written first book breaks genuinely new ground in one of the most thoroughly studied areas in US history. Gelber (Wheaton Recommended College) has mastered both the secondary and the primary sources. He takes a long view--from the roots of post-Civil War populist views about higher education through their legacy in the 20th century. Populists sought to democratize admissions standards and curricula, extend remedial work, expand extension services and short-term practical courses, broaden practical studies (including domestic sciences), and protect academic freedom, particularly in public land-grant institutions. Topical chapters address all of these questions and more. Endnotes 197 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
and a bibliography buttress Gelber's solid work. Despite this praise, there are caveats: it would have been good to ground the work in Jeffersonian and Jacksonian thought, reconsider Laurence Veysey's splendid history (The Emergence of the American University, 1965), and avoid the common pitfall of misinterpreting Richard Hofstadter's actual thesis in The Age of Reform (1955). Even with these shortcomings, Gelber's book is an important one. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. Steeples, formerly, Mercer University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaStrong, John A. The Unkechaug Indians of eastern Long Island: a history. Oklahoma, 2011. 332p bibl index afp (Civilization of the American Indian series, 269); ISBN 9780806142128, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Strong (emer., Long Island Univ.) has produced an outstanding ethnohistorical work on the Unkechaugs, also called the Poospatucks for the creek in Long Island Recommended along which their reserve is located. The tribe's experiences from English settlement to the present, unique in many ways, generally parallel those of other Native groups in the region. European trade and disease devastated social networks. Colonial demands for land impoverished them. Christianity could be disruptive, but could also enrich and reinforce the community. Some Anglo- Americans were helpful, while others took large swaths of their lands. Local and state governments, along with racist assumptions, challenged the tribe's existence. The Unkechaugs survived these challenges by maintaining a core territory, adapting to the region's shifting economy and culture, maintaining strong kinship networks, marrying and incorporating outsiders, and, in the mid-20th century, building on the national Indian revitalization movement. Strong builds each chapter on primary sources (including some only recently made available), connects these bits of information to regional patterns described in the growing body of secondary literature, and (in every chapter!) incorporates oral history and reflections from members of the tribe. An excellent case study of Native American history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- D. R. Mandell, Truman State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaThant Myint-U. Where China meets India: Burma and the new crossroads of Asia. 1st American ed. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. 361p index afp; ISBN 9780374299071, $27.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Burma, pressed by China and, to a lesser extent, by India and Thailand, may at last be modernizing. This engaging travelogue, studded with bright ideas and unusual Recommended observations, indicates why and how an expanding China seeks to dominate Burma's future and shift it from a backward-looking autarchy into a forward- lurching, warm-water province dependent upon Beijing. China has long been the stagnant Burmese ruling junta's amoral partner. Now, China seeks an adjunct more capable of becoming a worthy member of the international community. Thant advances these themes and also ruminates about potential Indian and Bangladeshi ambitions regarding Burma. Karen Connelly's Burmese Lessons (2009) and Emma Larkin's Everything Is Broken: A Tale of Catastrophe in Burma (2010) both tell part of the story, but Thant prepares readers for a Burma (or Myanmar, if its rulers insist) that becomes more responsible and marginally freer, where Aung San Suu 198 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Kyi can begin again to play a meaningful political role after decades of house arrest. That is the optimistic promise of this spirited description of Burma's coming in from the cold. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General and undergraduate collections. -- R. I. Rotberg, Harvard University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ North AmericaBuss, James Joseph. Winning the West with words: language and conquest in the lower Great Lakes. Oklahoma, 2011. 328p bibl index afp ISBN 0- 8061-4214-6, $34.95; ISBN 9780806142142, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Historian Buss (Oklahoma City Univ.) examines the construction of the official story surrounding the transfer of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois from Native American to Recommended Euro-American hands. Examining documents from 1795 to 1918, he traces the modulations that transformed lowly squatters into respectable settlers, and settlers into venerated "pioneers," weaving neatly into the official "narrative of anti-conquest" that erased the violence from the vanishing of the Red Man to empower the hardy pioneers, bringing "progress" to all they touched. Historical amnesia was draped over the fact that a thriving middle ground of cultural interface ever existed. In part 1, examining the Greenville Treaty of 1795, Buss's grasp of the fraught history from 1784 to 1794 is shaky, and his grasp of Native lore, shakier yet. However, he happily moves entirely into European culture with his succeeding discussions. When Buss is good, he is very, very good, as he zeroes in on specific examples of the creation of seminal narratives, from George Winter's paintings and Frances Slockum's biography to romanticized state celebrations of local history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduates, and graduate students. -- B. A. Mann, University of Toledo Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ GeneralStevenson, David. With our backs to the wall: victory and defeat in 1918. Belknap Press, 2011. 688p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674062269, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although the tragedy of the "lights going out" has been endlessly examined since the summer of 1914, the end of the Great War has received considerably less Recommended attention. Stevenson (London School of Economics) does much to rectify this imbalance in his brilliant new study, an analysis-cum-narrative of the epochal events of 1918. He draws on the most important academic studies of the war, personal memoirs, printed primary sources, and his own expertise, honed over almost 30 years of work, to craft a sweeping, comprehensive explanation of how and why the war turned, and turned so suddenly, from stalemate and even possible German victory to triumph for the Western Allies. Following two finely wrought narrative chapters detailing the end of the war, Stevenson examines in rich detail the "new warfare," personnel and morale, control of the seas, wartime economies, and the home fronts. In every area--the volume is superbly researched- -the liberal-socialist hybrid systems of the West proved superior to the more traditional and authoritarian Central Powers, which exhausted their remaining resources in the reckless German offensives of 1918. Indispensible for modern history collections. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- G. P. Cox, Gordon College 199 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Ancient HistoryNeils, Jenifer. Women in the ancient world. J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011. 216p bibl index; ISBN 9781606060919 pbk, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Interest in the lives of women in ancient societies has produced a wealth of scholarly publications and textbooks over the past three decades. Few of these are Recommended aimed at a general audience, and fewer still take a cross-cultural approach. This welcome addition to the field offers a rich survey of aspects of women in Egypt, the Near East, Greece, Etruria, and Rome. The real strength of the book lies in the 200 color images chosen by Neils (Case Western), a well-known authority on classical art. These range from the familiar (the Portland Vase, Parthenon frieze, Assurbanipal's wall reliefs) to the little known (Roman gem with Adam and Eve, a female gladiator relief), provocative (a Greek woman tending a phallus garden), and poignant (Assyrian prisoners of war). Concise, informative captions provide a parallel body of information on social realities and perspectives often not reflected in the usually elite- and male-biased texts. Supported by maps, time lines, and a glossary, the book's organization into chapters on real women, stereotypes, mothers and mourners, working women, body care and beautification, religious roles, and royal women make this highly accessible to all audiences. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- S. Langdon, University of Missouri--Columbia Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ Asia & OceaniaJohnson, Linda Cooke. Women of the conquest dynasties: gender and identity in Liao and Jin China. Hawai'i, 2011. 254p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8248- 3404-6, $52.00; ISBN 9780824834043, $52.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This excellent study explores the lives of women in the countries called Liao (907- 1125 CE) and Jin (1115-1234 CE), which competed with Song China (960-1279) Recommended before the Mongol conquest of East Asia. The Liao founders established their control north of the Chinese heartland via warfare on horseback; the Jin founders conquered Liao the same way. Johnson (Michigan State Univ.) has mined a wide range of sources for information on women's lives and gender ideals, including traditional histories, archaeological finds from tombs, and art representing the era. Unlike the woman warrior Mulan, who dates to an early period, Liao and Jin women did not have to disguise themselves as men when they went into battle. Martial virtues combined with literary skills characterized the heroines of the "conquest dynasties." Thematic chapters address daily life, primarily reconstructed from archaeological evidence; sexuality and marriage; widowhood and chastity; and women's roles in warfare and Buddhist patronage and practice. Comparisons with Song women, far better studied, draw on stories about women who crossed over the borders between these very different cultural zones. This readable book will be particularly valuable for those who teach world, Asian, and gender history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- K. E. Stapleton, State University of New York at Buffalo
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Modern Languages Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ Asian & OceanianStrong, Sarah M. Ainu spirits singing: the living world of Chiri Yukie's Ainu shin'yōshū. Hawai'i, 2011. 314p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8248-3512-3, $58.00; ISBN 9780824835125, $58.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Indigenous to what is now northern Japan, the Ainu have witnessed, as have aboriginal people around the globe, the cruel erasure of their culture. Strong Recommended (Bates College) participates in the effort to recuperate a glimmer of this culture by offering a richly nuanced elegiac translation and study of Chiri Yukie's Ainu Shin'yōshū. Chiri Yukie (1903-22), a frail but brilliant Ainu woman, realized the toll expansionist policies were taking on her native traditions. Trained in Japanese and the Roman alphabet, she worked tirelessly to transcribe the oral traditions she learned from her grandmother. She completed 13 kamui yukar (chants of spiritual beings) before her untimely death. The translations of these chants are at the core of Strong's study, bolstered by five contextualizing chapters that carefully chart Yukie's biography and the spiritual, social, and environmental landscapes of her Ainu world. Drawing on the work of Jonathan Culler and Walter Ong, Strong's study augments scholarship on folk traditions and orality from other countries and complements earlier studies of Ainu myth, such as Donald Philippi's Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans: The Epic Tradition of the Ainu (1979) and Kayano Shigeru's memoirs (Eng. tr., Our Land Was a Forest, 1994). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- R. L. Copeland, Washington University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ ClassicalSciarrino, Enrica. Cato the Censor and the beginnings of Latin prose: from poetic translation to elite transcription. Ohio State, 2011. 239p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8142-1165-8, $44.95; ISBN 9780814211656, $44.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this study of the elder Cato's contribution to the formation of Latin prose literature, Sciarrino (Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) offers an Recommended ambitious and wide-ranging reassessment of the beginnings not only of Latin prose but also of Latin verse. A revision of her dissertation, the volume situates the writings of Cato the Censor in both his sociocultural and sociopolitical milieux. The opening chapter lays out the theoretical and methodological frameworks of Sciarrino's study and showcases her argument against the traditional separation, in Latin literary scholarship, of prose and verse literature. Here the author engages with the work of Hinds and Edmunds on intertextuality; Dupont, Habinek, Luiselli, and Zorzetti on orality, textuality, and early Roman song culture; and Feeney, Gruen, and Goldberg on Roman "national" narratives, in the context of Mary Louise Pratt's postcolonial theorization of "contact zones." Individual chapters address the different approaches to "translation" on display in the comedies of Plautus and Terence (chapter 2) and the epic Saturnians of Livius Andronicus and Naevius, and the hexameters of Ennius (chapter 3), in contrast to the "transcriptions" of his own speeches Cato offers in his writings (chapters 4 and 5). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. -- A. M. Keith, University of Toronto Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceCascardi, Anthony J. Cervantes, 201 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
literature, and the discourse of politics. Toronto, 2012. 351p index afp; ISBN 9781442643710, $75.00; ISBN 9781442612235 pbk, $32.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Cascardi (Univ. of California, Berkeley) adds to his impressive resumé this study of Recommended Cervantes as a political thinker. The dual focus here is political theory within literature and the role of literature within the political spectrum. Cascardi notes the relation of politics to pragmatics and to questions of experience, as he examines Cervantes's presentation of such issues as the administration of justice, rules for governing, sources of authority, boundaries between the public and private spheres, and matters of virtue and ethics. The primary focus is the discourse of politics in Don Quixote. Cervantes was brilliant at synthesizing the intertext in all its breadth, and he was a type of literary alchemist as well; he re- created traditional materials and used them to forge the new, the novel, the innovative. The fictional narrative is neither a philosophical nor a political treatise, but the knight's (often misguided) idealism becomes a powerful conductor from which to contemplate and interrogate how society and its leaders operate. A master of perspectivism, Cervantes offers a variety of perspectives on politics. Each of Cascardi's nine chapters is rich, suggestive, and learned. This book is a must. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division through faculty. -- E. H. Friedman, Vanderbilt University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceHerzberger, David K. A companion to Javier Marías. Tamesis, 2011. 244p bibl index (Colección Támesis. Serie A: monografías, 297); ISBN 9781855662308, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Born in 1951 in Madrid, Marías is among Spain's best-known writers. He is the son of the distinguished philosopher Julián Marías, who was imprisoned for a time Recommended under the Franco regime. An exceptionally prolific novelist and sociopolitical columnist, Javier Marías takes pride in wearing the two hats. His vigor as a polemicist shows through in both areas, for he is critical not only of society's flaws but also of what he sees as Spanish narrative's obsession with social realism. There is a type of paradox in Marías's trajectory: the blend of a very Spanish character, however problematic that may be to define, and a literary affinity that links him more conspicuously to writers in Great Britain and the US. Herzberger (Hispanic studies, Univ. of California, Riverside) guides the reader with considerable skill through Marías's novels. He marks transitions, subtle and not so subtle, in the narrative production. In one chapter, for example, he uses two novels from the early 1990s to show striking intertextual connections with Shakespeare. Herzberger concludes with a commentary on the nonfiction writings. This is a superb "companion" to Marías. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- division undergraduates through faculty. -- E. H. Friedman, Vanderbilt University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceAlfie, Fabian. Dante's tenzone with Forese Donati: the reprehension of vice. Toronto, 2011. 214p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781442642232, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Sometime before 1296, Dante undertook a poetic correspondence with Forese Donati, the brother of Corso Donati and a relation of his own wife, Gemma. In this 202 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Recommended tenzone, Dante and Donati exchange a series of crude jokes that show Dante in an altogether new light, rounding out the reader's understanding of him and balancing the traditional image of Dante as the poet of God. Alfie (Univ. of Arizona) argues that "the same poet who developed 'a sweet new style' to write about Beatrice also created a harsh new style to denigrate Donati," and that, when viewed in context, "the tenzone constitutes Dante's most notable experimentation with satire prior to the Comedy." The scurrilous sonnets appear to be an insignificant episode in Dante's life, but the exchange cannot be removed from Dante's corpus without distorting the critical picture of him and his works. An understanding of this work is a necessity. In cantos 23 and 24 of Purgatorio, Dante meets Donati among the gluttons, and Alfie argues convincingly that the only way to make sense of the episode--which is itself a tenzone--is in the context of their scurrilous exchange a few decades earlier. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- D. Pesta, University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceAnderson, Mark D. Disaster writing: the cultural politics of catastrophe in Latin America. Virginia, 2011. 241p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780813931968, $49.50; ISBN 9780813931975 pbk, $22.50; ISBN 9780813932033 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Rather than looking at the historical relationship between literature and social transformation, Anderson (Univ. of Georgia) delves into an interdisciplinary Recommended approach focusing on the historic background and sociopolitical implications of disaster narratives in the aftermath of natural catastrophes in Latin America. According to the author, the conversion of canonical texts into narratives of power relations during national disasters facilitates the appropriation of such texts by segments of society with competing political agendas. He discusses how natural disasters put in motion disparate (cultural) narratives of national identity and citizenship that are used to either reinforce or replace existing sociopolitical standings. Anderson's sociohistorical contextualization provides an effective backdrop for comparative analysis on narratives about hurricane San Zenon (1930, Dominican Republic), drought in northeastern Brazil, volcanic activity in Central America, and the 1985 earthquake in Mexico. Beyond the comparative literary analysis, this is an important resource for readers interested in the interconnections of textual/cultural production and sociopolitical action in times of national catastrophe, particularly in Latin America. Anderson's wide range of references in the social sciences, inclusive perspectives from Latin American scholars, and effective clarification of unfamiliar jargon and historical contexts broaden the potential audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through faculty. -- I. M. Wilson, Wabash College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GermanicEmerging German-language novelists of the twenty-first century, ed. by Lyn Marven and Stuart Taberner. Camden House, 2011. 273p index afp; ISBN 9781571134219, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Including 15 contributions by established UK- and US-based scholars, this engaging, readable collection is an excellent introduction to the current literary scene in Recommended Germany. Each essay looks at an individual author and provides a succinct introduction to his or her life and work, along with a close reading of one 203 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
significant novel, placing it firmly within its historical, political, and cultural context. A major strength is the collection's emphasis on transnationalism and migrant authors, who are among the most vital literary voices writing in German today. Although the editors' definition of "emerging" writers is rather loose--the coverage stretches from the debut work of Alina Bronsky (b. 1978) to the third best seller by the well-established Sven Regener (b. 1961)--this is ultimately a strength because it allows for the inclusion of stylistically and thematically diverse writers, who also include internationally successful authors like Karen Duve, Daniel Kehlmann, and Julia Franck and writers relatively unknown in the English-speaking world, e.g., Clemens Meyer and Vladimir Vertlib (represented here through both scholarly essays and literary translations). Meticulous footnotes highlighting similarities create cohesion across the essays, contributing to the emphasis on the vibrancy and multiplicity of German letters today. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- H. D. Baer, University of Oklahoma Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceMortimer, Armine Kotin. For love or for money: Balzac's rhetorical realism. Ohio State, 2011. 333p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780814211694, $52.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Also author of Writing Realism (2000), among other works, and long an influential critic of Balzac, Mortimer (emer., Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) collects here Recommended 21 lively essays devoted to love and money, what she calls the "Balzacian Prime Movers"--an Aristotelian term designating the driving forces of Balzac's monumental opus. Mortimer argues that "what Balzac invented was precisely a world in which Love needs Money and vice versa; neither ever works alone, and it is the powerful interaction between them that defines La Comédie humaine." Divided into three sections--"Rhetorical Forms of Realism," "Semiotic Images of Realism," and "Mimetic Structures of Realism"--and anchored by a useful brief reading of Rastingac's transformation in Le Père Goriot, this volume touches on a wide range of novels and stories, from Les Chouans and La Maison Nucingen to Pierrette and La Rabouilleuse. Although the author defines her reading of the Comédie as "narrow" rather than exhaustive, in particular chapters, for example, "The Language of Sex" and "Balzac and Poe: Realizing Magnetism," she manages to develop her thesis in unexpectedly rewarding ways. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- W. Edwards, Longwood University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceFraser, Benjamin. Henri Lefebvre and the Spanish urban experience: reading the mobile city. Bucknell, 2011. 243p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781611483680, $70.00; ISBN 9781611483697 e-book, $70.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In applying his sharp analysis of Lefebvre's ideas on urban development and everyday life to Spanish modernity, Fraser (College of Charleston) performs a Recommended theoretical tour de force. He starts out with a chapter on modern Spain's first critic of urban alienation, Mariano José de Larra. He then sets up Catalan urban planner Ildefons Cerdà's work against Luis Martín-Santos's assessment of Francoist decline in Tiempo de silencio to illustrate the organic metaphor of the city as lived. Fraser looks at the problems faced by contemporary alienated urbanites in Juan José Millás's short stories and finally considers questions of representation (in tourism, 204 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
photography, and video games) alongside Juan Goytisolo's Señas de identidad. The mind-boggling range of written, visual, and digital cultural material here underscores Fraser's Lefebvrian prioritization of the mobile over the static in everyday life and large-scale social practices in city space. This is difficult prose, sometimes unpalatable and occasionally dogmatic, but the book's originality, flair, and intelligence cannot be ignored. Fraser has pushed Spanish literary and cultural studies further into the 21st century in this inventive rethinking of Spain's major cities and the cultures they engendered. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- K. M. Sibbald, McGill University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ African & Middle EasternCaplan, Marc. How strange the change: language, temporality, and narrative form in peripheral modernisms. Stanford, 2011. 342p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8047-7476-5, $60.00; ISBN 9780804774765, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required From the arcane title, one would not surmise that this is a study of comparative literature, culture, and literary theory (and part of the "Stanford Studies in Jewish Recommended History and Culture"). Caplan (Johns Hopkins) examines the similarities between "nineteenth century Yiddish literature and modern Anglophone and Francophone African literature." And there is much to learn here. The Jews of czarist Russia and 20th-century African villagers had rich oral and written traditions in marginalized languages. Pre-Sholem Aleichem Yiddish writers faced the burden of using a marginal language to communicate with their audience; likewise, modern African writers--Amos Tutuola, Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Camara Laye, Wole Soyinka, Ahmadou Karouma--have employed stigmatized native dialects to reach out to their communities. Caplan's Yiddish writers are not the usual suspects: for comparative purposes, he turns to Reb Nachman of Breslov, Yisroel Aksenfeld, Mendele Mocher-Sforim, and Y. Y. Linetski. He proposes a theoretical model called "peripheral modernism" and seeks to establish a new methodology for comparative literary criticism and theory. The reader will benefit from familiarity with Derrida, Adorno, Foucault, general schools of contemporary literary theory, and the language of territorial nationalism. The scholarly notes and intellectual task are daunting, but the book is worth the effort. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- S. Gittleman, Tufts University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ Asian & OceanianGibson, Mary Ellis. Indian angles: English verse in colonial India from Jones to Tagore. Ohio University, 2011. 334p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780821419410, $39.95; ISBN 9780821443583 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this thoroughly researched, well-theorized study, Gibson (Univ. of North Carolina, Greensborough) traces the rise of English-language poetics in India from Recommended the late 18th century to the early 20th. She acknowledges the complex, changing identity politics informing colonial affiliation, showing how poets of British, Indian, or mixed origin and affiliation were involved in the complementary project of establishing Anglo-Indian poetics. Divided into three sections, the volume deals with various topics, from contact poetics to bardic nationalism, gendered poetics, mimicry, religion, shadowed mutuality, and unhomeliness. Focusing mainly on Bengal because of its central place in the colonial administration, each of the six 205 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
chapters deals with two to three poets from various subject positions, providing detailed historical, cultural, and biographical contexts for understanding the poets' work and critical reception. Of particular note in all three sections is the author's keen attention to the paratexts, the apparatuses accompanying poems to make them legible or authenticate them for the uninitiated. A critical companion to Gibson's anthology Anglophone Poetry in Colonial India, 1780-1913 (2011), this title complements Rosinka Chaudhuri's Gentlemen Poets in Colonial Bengal (2002); An Illustrated History of Indian Literature in English, ed. by Arvind Krishna Mehrotraand (2003); and Shrinivas Aravamudan's Guru English (2006). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- J. C. Eustace, Acadia University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceAscoli, Albert Russell. A local habitation and a name: imagining histories in the Italian Renaissance. Fordham, 2011. 387p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780823234288, $99.00; ISBN 9780823234295 pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Well-known for two books that are acknowledged landmarks in their respective subfields, Ariosto's Bitter Harmony (1987) and Dante and the Making of a Modern Recommended Author (CH, Dec'08, 46-1952), Ascoli (Univ. of California, Berkeley) has written copiously on late-medieval and early-modern Italian authors. This volume gathers the best of his work on Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Tasso, and, yes, Ariosto. Eight of the nine essays have previously been published (during the last two decades), but appear here in revised versions; the ninth, "Petrarch's Private Politics: Rerum Familiarum Libri 19," is inedito. Linking the essays is Ascoli's constant concern with the interplay of literature and history or, less crudely put, his ongoing attempt to deploy the critical analysis of literary texts using formalist methods in the service of an enlarged understanding of historical contexts and processes and historicist ways of engaging with literature and history alike. An important book by an important scholar, this volume should be in collections supporting study of Italian and early modern literature and history. It will be especially valuable to smaller institutions lacking complete sets of the journals in which Ascoli's articles were first published. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- S. Botterill, University of California, Berkeley Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ ClassicalPassannante, Gerard. The Lucretian renaissance: philology and the afterlife of tradition. Chicago, 2011. 250p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780226648491, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In the wake of Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve (CH, Mar'12, 49-3702), Passannante (English and comparative literature, Univ. of Maryland) forges Recommended another estimable link in the lengthening catena of recent Lucretian scholarship. To appropriate a phrase from the author, Lucretius is currently "in the air." Readers will be grateful for the assistance of copious footnotes and English renderings of the many Latin passages cited as Passannante guides them through the labyrinthine history of the transmission and absorption of De rerum natura, both before it was "discovered" and thereafter; he pays particular attention to the associated philological and philosophical materialities impacting the intellectual development of many seminal thinkers--Petrarch, Montaigne, Francis Bacon, Pierre Gassendi, Sir Isaac Newton, and Henry More, among others. With consummate 206 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
élan, Passannante constructs an elegant exfoliative narrative characterized by comprehensive erudition and a complete command of the spectrum of scholarship relating to his purpose. Positing an analogy--derived directly from the poem itself-- of Epicurean atomic particles to alphabetic letters, the author limns the formation and reformation of a text in flux, a text coextensive with the rise of Renaissance textual criticism, which exerted its pervasive influence on literary and intellectual history well into the 17th century. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through faculty. -- J. S. Louzonis, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ SlavicBoyd, Brian. Stalking Nabokov: selected essays. Columbia, 2011. 452p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231158565, $35.00; ISBN 9780231530293 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Boyd (Univ. of Auckland, NZ) is the author of the definitive, two-volume biography of Nabokov, which comprises Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian Years (CH, Jan'91, 28- Recommended 2628) and Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years, CH, Feb'92, 29-3208). He has also authored a great many critical articles on Nabokov's works. The present volume collects 26 essays that have appeared in a wide variety of journals and collections over the last two decades. The book is a blessing for scholars, who will now be able to consult these landmark studies in a single volume. Boyd groups the essays in sections devoted to, for example, biography, bibliography, metaphysics, butterflies, story origins and endings, Nabokov and other writers, and his English writings. Each essay is prefaced by a statement of the circumstances of its composition. The handsomely produced book includes copious endnotes; the bibliography and index, particularly the latter, are especially valuable since they integrate the information in all of the essays. Required reading for serious students of Nabokov. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- D. B. Johnson, emeritus, University of California, Santa Barbara Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ ClassicalGreenblatt, Stephen. The swerve: how the world became modern. W. W. Norton, 2011. 356p bibl index ISBN 0-393- 06447-6, $26.95; ISBN 9780393064476, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Adopting the conceit of the "swerve" as the fulcrum of this work, Greenblatt (Harvard) presents a narrative study of Poggio Bracciolini's discovery in 1417 of Recommended Lucretius's lost poem De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things). He provides an engaging synthesis of Christianity's tactical obliteration of Epicureanism and the concomitant consignment to oblivion of the poetic elucidation (i.e., works like Lucretius's) of atomic and hedonistic fundamentals the Christian world-view deemed so antithetical. Artfully woven in are erudite delineations of the arcana of medieval book production, the mores of life in a monastic scriptorium, the intrigues of 15th-century papal politics, and the considerable perils of theological heterodoxy. By fortuitous chance, a manuscript of the lost De rerum natura was discovered in one dramatic moment of instantaneous recognition by Poggio, one of the greatest of the humanist bibliomaniacs. Adducing this as the "swerve," Greenblatt causally connects this recovery of Lucretius to the unleashing of the forces of scientific inquiry and aesthetic humanism that characterize the Renaissance and thus inform the substratum of modernity--hence the subtitle. Provocative, stimulating, and certain to catalyze scholarly debate, this elegant 207 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
book deserves a wide readership. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- J. S. Louzonis, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY
Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ RomanceBeauvoir, Simone de. "The useless mouths" and other literary writings, ed. by Margaret A. Simons and Marybeth Timmermann. Illinois, 2011. 408p index afp; ISBN 9780252036347, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This engaging volume, the fourth in "The Beauvoir Series," is the result of painstaking research and meticulous translation by a team of international Recommended scholars. Joining Wartime Diary (CH, May'09, 46-4904), Diary of a Philosophy Student (CH, Jun'07, 44-5569), and Philosophical Writings (CH, Sep'05, 43-0075), it provides English-speaking readers with one complete play and a wide variety of literary and philosophic texts written over a 50-year period (1928-78). Several of the texts, like the surprising short novel Misunderstanding in Moscow, were published in France only after Beauvoir's death. Two, "Notes for a Novel" and "Existentialist Theater," were just recently discovered in American university libraries. All are extensively annotated, with many accompanied by an expert introduction. Each one sheds new light on the life and career of France's preeminent feminist philosopher and adds to understanding of her ethics and aesthetics. The first selection, in a new translation of Beauvoir's only play, The Useless Mouths, has profound moral implications; it is as pertinent today as when originally written during the Nazi occupation. Thanks to the skillful editing of Simons and Timmermann, this volume represents a landmark contribution to Beauvoir scholarship. Summing Up: Essential. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- C. B. Kerr, Vassar College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Language & Literature \ GermanicHerzog, Hillary Hope. "Vienna is different": Jewish writers in Austria from the fin de siècle to the present. Berghahn Books, 2011. 289p bibl index afp (Austrian and Habsburg studies, 12); ISBN 9780857451811, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This thoroughly researched, lucid book offers a broad, insightful discussion of a complex subject. Steven Beller (Vienna and the Jews, 1867-1938: A Cultural Recommended History, CH, Apr'90, 27-4655) is Herzog's immediate scholarly predecessor, yet Herzog (Univ. of Kentucky) goes beyond the excellent work of her predecessors. Treating fin-de-siècle Vienna between the wars, the Second Republic, and contemporary Vienna from Kurt Waldheim to the present, the author provides solid political and social background for individual authors, quoting from their diaries and letters and from relevant critical opinion. She brings new understanding to Arthur Schnitzler's later writing; indeed, she demonstrates the range and depth of his influence throughout the period. Her chapter on Hofmannsthal is convincing and revelatory. Her choices of the writings to discuss are thoughtful and sometimes unexpected. Also noteworthy are the insights into today's Austrian Jewish writers, including Ruth Beckermann, Robert and Eva Menasse, and the elusive Elfriede Jelinek. Posing challenging questions while keeping the city always in view, Herzog concludes that though this rich tapestry of artists and viewpoints is irreducible, there are similarities and verities to reveal. This is the book's unique contribution. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- E. Wickersham, 208 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
emerita, Rosemont College
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Music Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicTerry, Clark. Clark: the autobiography of Clark Terry, by Clark Terry with Gwen Terry. California, 2011. 322p discography index afp ISBN 0-520-26846-6, $34.95; ISBN 9780520268463, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Terry, now more than 90 years old, is an acclaimed jazz master. He first appeared on the national scene in 1947 with Charlie Barnet's band (one of the few integrated Recommended big bands of the time), gained further notice with Count Basie from 1948 to1951, and sealed his reputation with his eight-year stint with Duke Ellington's orchestra in the 1950s. He went on to break the "color barrier" at the NBC network, where he became a fixture on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. His quick wit, musical and otherwise--embodied in his famously suggestive wordless vocals in what became known as "Mumbles"--became a staple of late-night television. Concurrently, Terry became one of the most recorded trumpeters in New York. He started his own big band and as a pioneer in jazz education found a true calling. Terry's recounting of his life and career is compelling and entertaining, imbued with strikingly colorful language. His life prior to attaining fame is particularly revealing, an inspiring story of overcoming enormous challenges in his hometown of St. Louis and around the Midwest. Included are a selected discography and lists of compositions, honors, and awards. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- K. R. Dietrich, Ripon College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicSchuller, Gunther. Gunther Schuller: a life in pursuit of music and beauty. Rochester, 2011. 664p index afp ISBN 1-58046- 342-8, $49.95; ISBN 9781580463423, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Covering fewer than half of the composer's 86 years, this ample volume is only the first part of Schuller's autobiography. Schuller has enjoyed one of the great musical Recommended lives of the age; he has known everyone and done everything. He has been employed, variously, as composer, conductor, instrumentalist, teacher, author, music publisher, and record producer. He sat with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Darmstadt and performed with Miles Davis on classic jazz recordings. He seems to have retained a remarkable memory to boot. The book does not read as a mere newspaper article but rather as a whole newspaper, replete with critical pieces on music and musicians, observations on the other arts, travelogues, and a few obituaries. Schuller had already produced a couple of important music books, so readers will not be surprised at his ability to provide a compelling narrative. John Adams's autobiography, Hallelujah Junction (CH, Mar'09, 46-3746), no less impressive, yielded up rather more in the way of an aesthetic manifesto, but perhaps Schuller is saving something for the next installment. This is an important book in several respects. It belongs in every music collection. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. -- B. J. Murray, Brevard College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicMusgrave, Michael. The life of Schumann. Cambridge, 2011. 224p bibl index; ISBN 9780521802482, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 210 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required This book is part of a series called "Musical Lives." Each title in the series provides a biographical account of its subject and in the course of the narrative also discusses Recommended the music. Musgrave (The Julliard School) does an admirable job of covering both, using as his base the latest discussions of Robert Schumann by others. Musgrave's delightful writing style--with well-chosen quotes from the sources--carries the book forward in a "must-read" fashion. Schumann emerges in rich detail as an extremely complex person, actively engaged in his historical time and with his contemporaries, not as the shy, clumsy loner so many writers have portrayed. Schumann's friendship with, and later marriage to, pianist Clara Wieck is handled with sympathy for and understanding of both of these strong-minded musicians. Musgrave also mentions the new understanding of Schumann's late works; i.e., they represent not a decline but rather a new direction by a composer still in the midst of development. An excellent book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- C. Cai, emerita, Kenyon College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicYounge, Paschal Yao. Music and dance traditions of Ghana: history, performance, and teaching. McFarland, 2011. 448p bibl index afp ISBN 0786449926 pbk, $55.00; ISBN 9780786449927 pbk, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Twenty-two music genres representing four ethnic groups, transcriptions of 41 songs, notations in score for 21 drum ensembles--this is a list that is hard to match. Recommended Younge (Ohio Univ.) includes all of these, plus outline maps, diagrams, and very clear black-and-white photos of all instruments, individual players, dancers in step- by-step poses, and full ensembles. Also included are 25 color photos of musicians and dancers in traditional attire. A set of ten DVDs is also available. The author, a Ghanaian himself, writes clearly about the technical details of the music but also makes a strong point about the interdisciplinary nature of performance in Africa, noting that instrumental music is always associated with singing, dancing, and community involvement. Specifically, the book includes all one needs for teaching the following music/dance genres: seven southern Ewe, four central and northern Ewe, three Ga-Dangbe, four Akan, and five Dagbamba. Historical background sketches are given for the country as a whole and the individual groups. All African terms are written in proper phonetic spellings, with guides to pronunciation and tonal inflection. This book is a boon to an already-popular subject, and will be greatly welcomed by anyone involved in African music and dance. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- R. Knight, emeritus, Oberlin College Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicMiller, Leta E. Music and politics in San Francisco: from the 1906 quake to the Second World War. California, 2012. 365p bibl index afp (California studies in 20th-century music, 13) ISBN 0-520-26891-1, $49.95; ISBN 9780520268913, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Miller (Univ. of California, Santa Cruz) has written previously on Lou Harrison as an exemplary composer in the Pacific Rim (the Western US and Asia). In the present Recommended volume, she takes on early 20th-century musical activity in San Francisco, discussing it in two chronological periods: from the disastrous 1906 fire to the beginning of the Great Depression and from the 1930s into WW II. She does not treat San Francisco as an insular subject, wisely referencing activities in the eastern US and Europe. For example, she compares musical and political issues of Adolph 211 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Hertz's San Francisco Symphony to those of the Boston Symphony and of state- subsidized European orchestras. She covers the gamut of activity: the politics of race, class, and labor; the conservatories; Chinatown; the symphonies and opera; the conflict of musical unions; and the many fascinating personalities (Ernest Bloch, Louisa Tettrazini, Henry Cowell, Henry Hadley, et al.). Miller starts each discussion with an attention-catching event and then reviews the entire period in detail. The book is solidly researched and of interest to a broad audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. -- W. K. Kearns, emeritus, University of Colorado at Boulder Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicMalone, Bill C. Music from the true vine: Mike Seeger's life and musical journey. North Carolina, 2011. 235p bibl discography index afp; ISBN 9780807835104, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This is a delightful biography of Mike Seeger, who is a legend in the folk music community but has been overshadowed in the general population by his more Recommended famous half-brother, Pete Seeger. Malone's book will hopefully help to remedy this inattentiveness to Mike Seeger's life and contributions to folk music's history. Though a "city boy," Seeger's lifelong appreciation and understanding of rural traditions was heartfelt, and he was instrumental in the folk revival throughout the 1950s-60s. While Seeger's work with the New Lost City Ramblers is his most visible contribution to the folk revival, Malone (emer., history, Tulane Univ.) sheds light on Seeger's many other accomplishments in promoting and invigorating interest in the US's folk-music traditions. The volume includes many photographs and the end matter is thorough, particularly Malone's "Notes on Sources" section, in which he discusses his interviews with Seeger and others in greater detail. (Given the many members of the Seeger family who were prominent musical figures, a "Seeger family tree" would have been a nice addition to the book.) A must read for anyone interested in folk music. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. -- A. C. Shahriari, Kent State University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ MusicMartin, George W. Verdi in America: Oberto through Rigoletto. Rochester, 2011. 472p bibl index afp (Eastman studies in music, 86); ISBN 9781580463881, $95.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This exhaustive survey of the reception in the US of the first 17 Verdi operas charts the dramatic shift in critical and public opinion from the beginning to the present. Recommended Martin (an independent scholar) quotes extensively from contemporaneous critics and private individuals to illustrate the changing fortunes of Verdi's oeuvre and its initial impact on a burgeoning opera culture in the New World. Detailed performance histories of each opera and descriptions of both famous and little- known productions illustrate the growing esteem these operas enjoyed in the eyes of the public, critics, and scholars. Martin's keen insight into the history of American 19th-century lyric theater and its public is reflected in extensive documentation and multiple appendixes--providing a history of the early American operatic stage through the prism of Verdi's early works. Especially pertinent is information on many of the US's most important regional opera houses--material unavailable elsewhere--and recording histories of the operas. Although of specific interest to Verdi specialists, this book will be deeply edifying to anyone interested 212 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
in the history of opera in the US and Verdi's music in particular. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- S. C. Champagne, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music
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Nursing Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Santulli, Robert B. The Alzheimer's family: helping caregivers cope. W. W. Norton, 2011. 234p bibl index; ISBN 9780393705775, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This clearly written, timely, useful book was designed as a resource for a wide range of clinicians--doctors, nurses, counselors, psychologists, health care staff at Recommended various facilities, and more--who treat people who have Alzheimer's disease (AD) and work with the families and caretakers of those patients. The goal of geriatric psychiatrist Santulli (Dartmouth Medical School) is "to help these clinicians better understand the impact of the disease on the family, and the impact of the family on the disease." The book begins with a clear explanation of the science behind AD. A discussion of essential topics that will help clinicians navigate the difficult course of the disease follows. Readers will gain practical resources to help families deal with the decline in memory and cognition, changes in lifelong role relationships, changes in mood and behavior, increasing safety concerns, and the constant planning for long-term care needs that accompany AD. An integral component of this work is the emphasis on the importance of acknowledging and addressing caregiver stress. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. M. Slusser, DeSales University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Anti-immigration in the United States: a historical encyclopedia, ed. by Kathleen R. Arnold. Greenwood, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313375217, $180.00; ISBN 9780313375224 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," wrote Emma Lazarus in 1883. Engraved on the Statue of Liberty, these words Recommended capture the abiding civic belief that the US is a nation open to all immigrants. Always evident, however, has been a tension concerning the details of such an idealistic immigration policy. In fact, the anti-immigrant impulse is as old as the republic itself and continues with robust fervor today. "This encyclopedia," writes editor Arnold, "serves an important role in informing readers not only about current anti-immigration ideas, events, policies, and figures, but also about the history of anti-immigration sentiment throughout American history." The work includes about 200 brief entries written by more than 100 contributors. Arranged alphabetically from "African Americans and Immigration" to "Zoot-Suit Riots," this set also features a brief introduction, three essays on US immigration policy, eight statistical tables, a select bibliography, and a thorough index. A separate volume features some 50 primary documents. The editor accurately notes that this encyclopedia should be seen as "not only a history of events--with a clear chronology--but also a history of ideas." Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- T. Walch, emeritus, Hoover Presidential Library Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Topmiller, Robert J. Binding their wounds: America's assault on its veterans, by Robert J. Topmiller and T. Kerby Neill. Paradigm Publishers, 2011. 231p index afp; ISBN 9781594515712, $89.00; ISBN 9781594515729 pk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Except for family, close friends, and those who may treat the scars of war, few 214 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
people really know or understand the emotional sacrifices that warriors make. The Recommended invisibility of inner struggle adds to misunderstanding and ignorance. Binding Their Wounds is first a succinct history of how the US has dealt with veterans, but it is also the story of one individual: its first author, Topmiller (formerly, Eastern Kentucky Univ.). A historian and veteran, his affliction with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) led to his premature death. Neill, a veteran and retired clinical psychologist, completed the work. Binding focuses on the health-related impacts of war, especially PTSD, and includes chapters on radiation exposure experiments (post-WW II), Agent Orange (Vietnam War), and Gulf War syndrome. The last few chapters argue for a preventive approach and issue a plea for achieving peace without war. This well-documented work deserves a wide audience; it could be used as source material for a range of disciplines, including psychology, counseling, history, sociology, and peace studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- P. Leung, University of North Texas Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Black America: a state-by-state historical encyclopedia, ed. by Alton Hornsby Jr. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313341120, $180.00; ISBN 9781573569767 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required When considering the black experience in the US, many publications tend to focus on the South. Certainly the South was the epicenter of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Recommended civil rights movement. It was the birthplace of jazz, blues, and rock 'n' roll. Of course, slavery, segregation, political activism, and black cultural contributions were not exclusive to the South; accordingly Black America presents the black experience across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state entry in this two-volume set is prefaced with a time line that highlights important events. The concise yet rich historical overview that follows expands on these events and themes, tracing the black experience from slavery to the present. Entries also include biographical sketches of notable African Americans who were born in or active in the state, along with a section that examines black cultural contributions. Each entry concludes with a comprehensive bibliography that highlights resources specific to the state, making this an excellent resource for those looking for an introduction to the black experience across the nation. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. -- R. Walsh, Trinity College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Schneider, Diane L. The complete book of bone health. Prometheus Books, 2011. 491p bibl index; ISBN 9781616144357 pbk, $21.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Patients seeking information on osteoporosis will appreciate this book for its straightforward style. Packed with images, the text covers basic bone physiology, Recommended bone assessment, pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical treatments and preventatives for osteoporosis, and the effects of common medical problems on bone health. In her introduction, Schneider (formerly, Univ. of California, San Diego; cofounder, 4BoneHealth.org) states that she wants readers to feel that they are "having a friendly chat," and this is a perfect description of how the book is written. The conversational style makes it an easy and fun read for patients, but some may feel that this informality detracts from the book's value for 215 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
undergraduate research use. Other features, including the index and chapter references that cite articles from professional journals, make the book more student-friendly. Chapters conclude with a bulleted summary, and one can read each of the book's six parts independently. The book provides lay readers a helpful, simplified introduction to osteoporosis and its treatment. It may also be useful for entry-level health sciences students as well as nonscience students who are researching and writing papers about health-related topics. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-level undergraduates. -- S. L. Knight- Davis, Eastern Illinois University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Controversial bodies: thoughts on the public display of plastinated corpses, ed. by John D. Lantos. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 145p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402710, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required German anatomist Gunther von Hagens initially developed the technique of plastinating bodies and body parts to create specimens for medical students in the Recommended 1970s. His work was first publicly displayed in Japan in 1995, and his exhibits have since traveled the globe. These exhibits have raised moral questions about public anatomical display, with only recent discussion in the academic literature on the topic. Controversial Bodies explores these moral issues in 12 essays written by historians, bioethicists, and theologians. The authors examine "the ways in which the current craze in plastination and the commercial success of the museum shows interact with ideas about medicine and medical education and the appropriate viewing of the dead body and its liminality in culture." The contributors discuss the moral and legal dilemmas of human body plastination and display, similarities and differences between public display and medical anatomy, cultural and religious perceptions of anatomical displays, and the aesthetic aspects of plastinated anatomic bodies. This work is an important contribution to the bioethics literature and one of the first volumes dedicated to the ethics of the public display of plastinated corpses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Henderson, D. Scott. Death and donation: rethinking brain death as a means for procuring transplantable organs. Pickwick Publications, 2011. 196p bibl index; ISBN 9781608996223 pbk, $23.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Death is unique for each individual. However, brain death is determined, diagnosed, and decided by uniform consensus authority of physicians and Recommended lawmakers, not by the individualized informed consent of the patient. Here, Henderson (Luther Rice Univ.) promotes the importance of philosophers discussing biomedical ethical issues; Henderson also consider the consequences of the loss of autonomy for individuals (and their families) in determining aspects of their death. From significant metaphysical conceptual confusions (higher/lower consciousness or biological functions) to inconsistencies in defining persons (unified system or collection of discrete parts), serious problems challenge brain death decisions. Along with problems with diagnoses, medicine's technical interests in transplantable organs (hearts) can bias the brain death test, raising serious ethical concerns. In addition, there are empirical gaps and ambiguities about connecting a viable concept of human life to the death event. Logically and ethically, Henderson's criticisms raise the option to return to the previously publicly and 216 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
medically accepted cardiopulmonary tests to satisfy pragmatic concerns for larger numbers of organs, eliminate confusion, coordinate public/professional standards, and retain public trust and respect for the medical profession's integrity. This well- written book importantly challenges these concerns for everyone in biomedical ethics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, professional, and general readers, all levels. -- J. Gough, formerly, Red Deer College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Sanders, Delia González. Dementia care with black and Latino families: a social work problem-solving approach, by Delia González Sanders and Richard H. Fortinsky. Springer Publishing, 2012. 314p index afp ISBN 0826106773 pbk, $55.00; ISBN 9780826106773 pbk, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Although there is a plethora of literature regarding dementia, the primary focus has been on the biogenic origins, the treatment, and the pharmacological Recommended interventions. Sanders (Central Connecticut State Univ.) and Fortinsky (Univ. of Connecticut School of Medicine) seek to help current and future social workers understand the social contexts of both the dementia patients and their caregivers who grapple with the challenges of living with the symptoms. They focus on the two largest racial and ethnic groups in America, African Americans and Latinos. The authors analyze the reality of adverse life conditions and circumstances that often impact these two groups, but depict the ethnic caregiving families as capable, adaptive, resilient, and skillful in engaging "familismo" networks to problem solve difficult situations. This scholarly work uses attachment theory, self-efficacy theory, and cognitive behavior theory to frame the analysis. Each chapter is extremely well documented. The authors have created a book that comfortably combines substantial research findings with readable, practical guidelines for assessment and intervention in the real-world practice of social work. This authoritatively researched, well-written volume will appeal to the multiple disciplines involved in assisting dementia patients and their families. It will also be useful for academic health care collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- D. B. Hamilton, formerly, Western Michigan University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Disease eradication in the 21st century: implications for global health, ed. by Stephen L. Cochi and Walter R. Dowdle. MIT, 2011. 319p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262016735, $38.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE Required This work, part of the "Strüngmann Forum Reports" series, is based on the forum on global health initiatives held in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2010. The Strüngmann Recommended Forum "provides a creative environment within which experts scrutinize high- priority issues from multiple vantage points." At this particular meeting, participants assessed present global disease patterns, explored the challenges of disease eradication, and suggested a framework to define targets for disease eradication. The current volume is a collection of essays by forum participants focused around these themes. The contributions fall into two types: background information on key aspects of a theme and a discussion of aspects of eradication and/or elimination of disease. Contributions of both types are divided among the five sections and 19 chapters, which discuss current initiatives, determining eradication feasibility, classes of eradication initiatives, and more. Together, the 217 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
contributors illustrate how much has been learned about disease elimination and/or eradication, but they also identify the need for more efforts to enlarge the scope of conquering disease. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- M. L. Charleroy, University of Minnesota Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Hanks, Reuel R. Encyclopedia of geography terms, themes, and concepts, by Reuel R. Hanks with Stephen J. Stadler. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 405p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781598842944, $89.00; ISBN 9781598842951 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Hanks (Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater) here addresses 150 terms and core concepts basic to the understanding of geography. Terms are provided via an Recommended alphabetical list of entries and also grouped under the categories of physical and human geography. Additional access is through a 20-page index. Compared to entries in standard dictionaries, these are much lengthier. At minimum, each entry covers one page, and many go up to three. Some entries contain sidebars that provide related coverage on a topic. The work is primarily text based; figures and tables are minimal. A bibliography with some 100 sources provides options for pursuing additional research on the concepts addressed. This work attempts to serve as both a geographical dictionary and an encyclopedia, but likely fails to serve either purpose well. A better work in the latter category is the Encyclopedia of Geography, edited by Barney Warf (CH, Apr'11, 48-4240), though it is significantly more expensive. Readers may find that simple term definition is more easily accomplished on the Internet. This work is most appropriate for libraries wanting to provide their patrons with a basic grounding in geography at an accessible price point. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. -- K. P. McDonough, Northern Michigan University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences The Encyclopedia of migration and minorities in Europe: from the 17th century to the present, ed. by Klaus J. Bade et al. Cambridge, 2011. 768p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780521895866, $185.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Very few nations can say that their current residents represent the original population for their region. Migration has always been--and always will be-- Recommended important because it keeps in flux resource distribution and population density, which are dependent on a myriad of ever-changing factors. This encyclopedia boldly attempts to wrangle this enormous and difficult subject into one volume so that readers can understand population movement trends in Europe. Following a section titled "Terminologies and Concepts of Migration Research," it treats migration and minority movement in two ways. First it takes a macro look at the various areas in Europe and beyond that are involved in migration. Then it deals with the topic on a more micro scale, delving into 200-plus specific groups and migration periods with more specificity. This ambitious volume is very successful in its coverage of subject matter that is interdisciplinary in nature. Perhaps future editions of this work will treat material that extends even further back into Europe's complicated migratory history to shine more light on the original migratory patterns that shaped the people discussed in this volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- G. Johnson, Washtenaw Community College 218 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Encyclopedia of school crime and violence, ed. by Laura L. Finley. ABC-CLIO, 2011. 2v bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313362385, $173.00; ISBN 9780313362392 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The alphabetically arranged entries in this two-volume set provide a wealth of information about crime and violence in the school setting. Encompassing high Recommended schools to college campuses, the set reviews significant cases, including professional and community responses to various incidents along with theories about why the event(s) happened. Entries vary in length but provide the pertinent facts and include a "further reading" list. Along with cases, contributors discuss many types of violence related to theft, bullying, cybercrime, dating, and sexual assault. Numerous tools beyond the alphabetical entries assist readers in locating information. A topical list of the 80-plus entries (e.g., Case Studies: Kent State Shootings, Kip Kinkel; Global Comparison, Media, and Theory) offers quick access to information. A time line of significant events pertinent to school-related crime and violence provides data from 1927 to 2010. The set also provides an international perspective with material on school crime and violence outside the United States (Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe). Extras that add to this publication's value include discussion questions, extension activities, recommended films and resources, and five appendixes. This is an excellent resource on a troubling problem in the education field. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- K. Evans, Indiana State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences End-of-life care: a practical guide, ed. by Barry M. Kinzbrunner and Joel S. Policzer. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Medical, 2011. 858p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780071545273 pbk, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Kinzbrunner and Policzer, of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, focus on physician education, although their book is a valuable resource for all health professionals. Recommended The volume is organized into six sections: "Preparing Patients for End-of-Life Care," "Management of Symptoms," "Diagnostic and Invasive Interventions," "Ethical Dilemmas," "Specific Populations," and "Diversity." Each chapter in this new edition (1st ed., 20 Common Problems in End-of-Life Care, 2002) concludes with self-assessment questions to help readers glean the main points. The comprehensive section on symptom management, with its strong emphasis on the psychosocial and spiritual well-being of patients and families, is one of the book's strongest assets and the area of greatest deficiency in the education of most health professionals. Other strengths include discussions on caring for pediatric patients and on cultural and religious diversity. The chapters are well researched, and the references are state of the science. Overall, the book is a testament to the development of palliative medicine as a specialty and will hopefully help eliminate the phrase "There is nothing more to do" when curative therapies have run their course. Health professionals need to use their greatest skills to provide the highest quality of living for those in their final days of life. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All health students, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- L. K. Strodtman, University of Michigan 219 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Cawthon, Elisabeth A. Famous trials in history. Facts On File, 2012. 463p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8160-8167-0, $85.00; ISBN 9780816081677, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The public's fascination with trials does not stem only from tabloid cases such as that of O. J. Simpson. It evolves from important issues such as religion (Salem witch Recommended trials) and war (Nuremberg trials). Historian Cawthon (Univ. of Texas at Arlington) assembles a concise volume of famous world trials that covers the characters, cases, and stories. Inside, readers will find 100 trials arranged chronologically, from "Socrates" (399 BCE) to the "Killing Fields of Cambodia" (2010). Since this work is international in scope, Anglo-American readers likely will discover many trials that are unfamiliar. Likewise, one-quarter of the trials listed in the volume occur before 1600. Included are various types--jury, military, and religious trials, and inquisitions. Most entries are five pages in length and include sections on key issues of the trial, history of the case, summary of arguments, verdict, significance, and a bibliography. Special attention is given to placing each trial into historical context. This volume will serve as a useful introduction for students and the general public. Although intended as a reference book, it will be a good addition to circulating collections due to its accessible style. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic, public, and school libraries; lower- and upper-level undergraduates, and general readers. -- J. A. Hardenbrook, University of Wisconsin- Green Bay Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Marion, Nancy E. Federal government and criminal justice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 250p index ISBN 0-230-11015-0, $90.00; ISBN 9780230110151, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Over the last 20 years, intense interest has been evident among both academic specialists and the general public in the US concerning the politics of crime control Recommended and the growing role of the federal government in the exercising of that control. This interest is reflected in the voluminous popular and academic literature published in this area. With this monograph, Marion (Univ. of Akron), a leading specialist on the American criminal justice system, provides a badly needed overview of federal criminal justice policy. Although she discusses historical trends, Marion's main focus is on the "federalization of crime," which, she argues, began in the 1960s. The introduction addresses general trends in federal government policies. Each of the ensuing seven parts deals with federal policies on major issues including the criminal justice system, drug control, violent crime, minors as both victims and offenders, weapons, organized crime, and regulatory offenses. Each part is divided into chapters dealing with issues under general headings. In turn, each chapter deals with presidential policy (for every chief executive since President Truman and covering congressional action). An appendix lists all federal legislation enacted. With this source, Marion offers a well-organized, readable starting point for any user seeking more information on federal crime policy. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries; lower-level undergraduates and above, and general readers. -- W. F. Bell, emeritus, Aurora University 220 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Great discoveries in medicine, ed. by William Bynum and Helen Bynum. Thames & Hudson, 2011. 304p bibl index ISBN 0-500-25180-0, $45.00; ISBN 9780500251805, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Great Discoveries in Medicine is a heavily illustrated reference book outlining in 70 topic-specific chapters significant diseases, cures, and health-related scientific Recommended advances mainly in the history of Western medicine. Each separately authored chapter ranges from two to four pages in length. Although there are seven overarching categories ranging from "Discovering the Body" to "Medical Triumphs" into which the chapters are placed, there is no comprehensive treatment of how medicine came to be what it is today in developed countries. Editors William Bynum (emer., Univ. College London, UK; Science and the Practice of Medicine in the Nineteenth Century, CH, Apr'95, 32-4468) and Helen Bynum (formerly, Univ. of Liverpool, UK) provide a British perspective. The volume lacks footnotes and, given the space allocated, subject coverage is not detailed. The typefaces used, especially in captions, are small. Includes a brief glossary and a short listing of recommendations, mostly books, for further reading. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. -- R. D. Arcari, University of Connecticut School of Medicine Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Handbook of child sexual abuse: identification, assessment, and treatment, ed. by Paris Goodyear-Brown. Wiley, 2012. 616p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780470877296, $75.00; ISBN 9781118082645 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The Handbook of Child Sexual Abuse is an excellent resource. Goodyear-Brown (Vanderbilt Univ.) states that, according to a national survey, 1 in 12 children admit Recommended to sexual victimization. Providing help to these children is an expanding career field in many health care and law enforcement-related areas. This primer is designed to guide current and future child sexual abuse professionals through the process of helping these young victims, emphasizing the multidisciplinary approach. It explains the child abuse agency system, the forensic interview process, and the assessment and treatment of sexually abused children, including evidence-based treatment approaches. The book goes on to address the long-term effects of sexual abuse on children and discusses the complications seen in these children, such as self-injury, problematic sexual acting out, and cultural issues, as well as teen abuse victims. Chapter contributors also address the problems observed in those who work with child sexual abuse victims and how to avoid them. The final chapter focuses on the prevention of child sexual abuse. This is a wonderful guide not only for current and future child sexual abuse workers, but for all who work with children and those who strive to understand this difficult topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels, researchers/faculty, and professionals. -- J. A. Gibson, AT Still University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Schenck, David. Healers: extraordinary clinicians at work, by David Schenck and Larry R. Churchill. Oxford, 2012. 270p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199735389, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Using interviews with practicing clinicians whom colleagues and patients deemed "extraordinary," Schenck and Churchill (both, Vanderbilt Univ.) illuminate the Recommended clinical and personal practices sustaining physicians' humanity amid contemporary 221 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
medicine's constant focus on productivity. They explore several angles of physician-patient interactions including the rituals of practice and interaction, and basics like the importance of physical posture in patients' hospital and clinic rooms. The authors illustrate how spirituality helps physicians cope with their own limitations and find the emotional resources to deal with the demands of patient care. The ideas in this book are not revolutionary, but the detailed interviews provide helpful information about the practices of excellence, making the authors' premises more convincing. The book powerfully shows how physicians' spiritual and physical dispositions contribute a great deal to the care they provide, showing the inseparability of personhood and excellence. Practitioners will find this a useful refresher about the things that really matter. Medical students and undergraduates who hope to be physicians will learn what they must do to become excellent practitioners. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Reference \ Social & Behavioral Sciences Nelson, Arthur. Megapolitan America, by Arthur Nelson and Robert Lang. American Planning Association, 2011. 278p bibl index ISBN 1-932364-97-8, $49.95; ISBN 9781932364972, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required As the US has become more urbanized, academics, researchers, and policy makers have been challenged with defining and describing increasingly larger urban areas. Recommended For decades, the preferred unit has been the metropolitan area. Nelson (Univ. of Utah) and Lang (Univ. of Nevada--Las Vegas) make a strong case for a new paradigm, arguing connections and interrelations among proximal metropolitan areas. Based in part on Jean Gottmann's concept of megalopolis, the authors identify 23 "megapolitan" areas, each comprising multiple metropolitan areas. The authors offer detailed demographic and socioeconomic analyses for these areas projected to the year 2040, and they discuss implications of this new paradigm for planning and policy making on the federal, regional, and local levels. They present their projections and analyses in extensive data tables, figures, and maps. This work is based largely on forecasts (seemingly linear) and economic assumptions that, unfortunately, are not explicitly articulated. To their credit, Nelson and Lang acknowledge in an epilogue the uncertainties associated with forecasting and variations that may occur. Even if the forecasts are only partially realized, this book provides a compelling paradigm for how one might conceptualize urban areas and, more importantly, how one might plan for their future. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- B. Stoffel, Illinois State University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Prescott, Heather Munro. The morning after: a history of emergency contraception in the United States. Rutgers, 2011. 163p index afp; ISBN 9780813551623, $69.00; ISBN 9780813551630 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The Morning After, part of the "Critical Issues in Health and Medicine" series, is a richly detailed history of the development of one of the least known or understood Recommended forms of birth control, emergency contraception. Prescott (history, Central Connecticut State Univ.; Student Bodies, 2007; A Doctor of Their Own, CH, Apr'99, 36-4526) traces the evolution of a compound initially used to treat infertility into a legal, safe backup option to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Emergency 222 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
contraception developed from the intersection of women's reproductive rights with a sociomedical model that viewed unwanted pregnancy as a "disease" of low- income women. Prescott illuminates the welter of social, scientific, political, and legal influences that fostered and discouraged women's awareness, access, and rights to emergency contraception from the 1950s to the present. Of particular interest are the delineations of the varying perspectives that feminist health activists have held regarding emergency contraception and, reciprocally, the influence of emergency contraception upon women's activism for consumer and reproductive rights. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- P. Lefler, Bluegrass Community & Technical College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Netter's infectious diseases, [ed.] by Elaine C. Jong and Dennis L. Stevens. Elsevier, 2012. 602p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781437701265 $99.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This book combines the medical illustrations of the late physician Frank Netter, new artwork by medical artists, and evidence-based chapters to deliver a unique Recommended volume that stands out as an excellent resource for students, clinicians, and faculty members. Ninety-three chapters, each authored by a medical professional, are divided into nine sections: "Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Children and Adolescents," "Skin and Soft Tissue Infections," "Respiratory Tract Infections," "Systemic Infections," "Surgical Infections," "Sexually Transmitted Infections," "Infections Associated with International Travel and Outdoor Activities," "Parasitic Diseases," and "Emerging Infectious Diseases and Pandemics." Each chapter highlights a global infectious disease state or condition and uses a clinical approach to integrate the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of infections worldwide. The authors and artists present their respective narratives and illustrations in a synergistic, clear, and well-referenced style--combining authoritative delivery with strong visual images. The index is user-friendly, and the "Evidence" and "Additional Resources" at the end of each chapter provide further references to disease agents, clinical manifestations, and conditions. This is a well- researched, valuable resource for understanding the scope of infectious diseases. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Health science graduate students and researchers/faculty; health care providers. -- D. C. Anderson, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Netter's neurology, ed. by H. Royden Jones Jr. et al. 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2012. 749p bibl index; ISBN 9781437702736, $99.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Focused clinical vignettes, classic illustrations, remarkably readable text, easily navigable online resources, clear diagnostic images--these are all features of this Recommended exceptional resource. Netter's Neurology does justice to the famous illustrator's legacy by effectively incorporating new information in a highly organized fashion, right down to the application of color-coded section headings, tables, and text highlighting. The second edition (1st ed., 2005) is divided into 17 sections and 76 chapters, with new disease entries and updated neuroimaging and treatment information. Master clinicians attempting to utilize clinical vignettes in a classroom setting must be mindful of the quantity, relevance, depth, and focus of selected vignettes--factors that are also relevant in medical texts. Here, the editors place 223 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
thought-provoking, concise vignettes at appropriate points throughout the book as master educators would. Educators and students fashioning presentations for use in accordance with the published license agreement will appreciate the full library of downloadable images available at http://www.netterreference.com/. This website also provides access to useful patient handouts and the full text of the work (separate from the illustrations). This comprehensive work can serve either as a textbook for the study of neurology or as an excellent reference source for both students and clinicians. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. A. Brugna, York College (NY) Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Pepin, Jacques. The origins of AIDS. Cambridge, 2011. 293p bibl index; ISBN 9781107006638, $85.00; ISBN 9780521186377 pbk, $28.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required In this easy-reading narrative, Pepin (Univ. of Sherbrooke, Canada) explores the more technical aspects of the AIDS virus (first two chapters) and then critically Recommended examines the evidence pointing to the origin of AIDS in Africa and the multitude of factors (economics, politics, colonization, labor, and sexual practices) that may have contributed to its worldwide spread (remaining 13 chapters). Pepin's academic credentials and his many years of experience working on a variety of AIDS-related projects in Africa give a high level of credibility to his analysis. His evaluations of the evidence, pro or con, come across as fair and reasonable. His discussion of the effects of colonization and the different sexual practices of natives and imported workers on the spread of AIDS makes interesting reading. Each chapter ends with a short, concise summary and serves as a bridge to the next topic. Pepin highlights the main points of his narrative in the second to last chapter. The superb organization of the book is noteworthy; the reader is never left hanging, and the path to the next topic is always clear. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, general, and professional audiences, all levels. -- R. S. Kowalczyk, formerly, University of Michigan Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences The Search for the legacy of the USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, ed. by Ralph V. Katz and Rueben C. Warren. Lexington Books, 2011. 166p index afp; ISBN 9780739147252, $60.00; ISBN 9780739147276 e-book, $59.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This collection of essays looks at the historical and bioethical issues stemming from the USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, especially the legacy generated by the 40- Recommended year abuse of African American subjects in the study. In the excellent Examining Tuskegee (CH, May'10, 47-5055), Susan Reverby discussed how the long-held assumptions of the legacy have proven problematic. Here, contributors examine the evidence for two assumptions of the legacy: African Americans are less willing than whites to participate in biomedical research studies, and relative willingness to participate is associated with an awareness of the USPHS study at Tuskegee. The conclusion of the editors is that neither assumption is supported by the evidence of numerous studies of the past decade. That is just the beginning, however; the 14 essays that make up the body of the book deal, often in personal ways, with the variety of legacies that exist in the troubled landscape of racial relations, biomedicine, and the cultural realities of American life. The Tuskegee experience remains relevant and rightfully disturbing in so many ways, even if the assumptions of the original legacy have faded. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic and 224 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
professional readers, all levels. -- J. H. Barker, Converse College
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences The Soul of medicine: spiritual perspectives and clinical practice, ed. by John R. Peteet and Michael N. D'Ambra. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 260p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4214-0299-8, $50.00; ISBN 9781421402994, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Historical, theological, and philosophical accounts dominate the growing literature on the relationship between medicine and religion. This volume, edited by Recommended psychiatrist Peteet and anesthesiologist D'Ambra (both, Harvard), approaches the topic through a collection of health care practitioners' autobiographical accounts of how their own spiritual perspectives inform their clinical practices in the US. This book is especially useful for those serving or preparing to serve in the pluralistic world of health care since it includes the perspectives of many traditions. It allows readers to see how religion influences practitioners, instead of patients. The autobiographical accounts, while foregrounding the practical implications of spirituality, left this reviewer wanting a more detailed picture of the traditions' belief systems. This book could be best supplemented with one of the numerous existing books on the doctrinal content of the various traditions these essays discuss. Nonetheless, The Soul of Medicine is a helpful, important contribution to understanding the role of spirituality in the lives of medical professionals; it would be a useful addition to libraries supporting medicine, nursing, and other health care training programs. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health SciencesBrent, David A. Treating depressed and suicidal adolescents: a clinician's guide, by David A. Brent, Kimberly D. Poling, and Tina R. Goldstein. Guilford, 2011. 276p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781606239575, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This clearly written, well-referenced book is designed for those treating this difficult population of at-risk adolescents. To craft this volume, Brent, Poling, and Recommended Goldstein (all, Univ. of Pittsburgh) reviewed the scientific literature to establish an evidence-based framework and treatment modality. In addition, the authors include rich case study contributions from their own evidence-based clinical practices, providing an impressively strong basis for the work. A well-presented refreshingly clear framework for evaluating suicidal risk emerges from the evidence. The authors guide clinicians from the completion of a comprehensive assessment, through treatment planning and interventions, to the evaluation and revision of effective treatment plans. They discuss current treatments, including forms of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, in terms of the relevant evidence. Vivid case examples help the reader to comprehend the described interventions. This edition seems poised to be the first of many. The authors describe their own continuing research and encourage others to engage in the clinical research needed to improve the framework and treatment model. This book can be a valuable resource for today's psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, advanced practice psychiatric nurses, counselors, and others who care for these depressed, at-risk adolescents. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- M. M. Slusser, DeSales University 225 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Saxena, Anand M. The vegetarian imperative. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 259p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402420, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required The abundance of reasonably priced animal food products in the marketplace of affluent communities hides the societal, ethical, and global price tag paid for their Recommended large-scale production and distribution. Current production methods obliterate the relationship between humans and farm animals and are responsible for significant suffering by livestock raised in huge, concentrated animal feeding operations that are cramped and crowded. These prompt the need for systematically administered antibiotics and growth hormones to prevent disease and encourage rapid muscle growth. Waste lagoons, containing millions of gallons of manure, blood, and drug and pesticide residues, contaminate and pollute drinking water, soil, and air. The Vegetarian Imperative seeks to persuade the reader, using published statistics and scientific references, that current agricultural methods are unsustainable. These methods waste energy and nutrient resources, harm the planet, endanger individual and public health, and are largely responsible for the unavailability of affordable food for an increasing number of people in both developing and developed nations. Saxena, a biophysicist formerly employed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory for 38 years, makes a compelling case for a crucial change to a plant-based diet in order to halt the impending crisis. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. P. Boyar, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Health Sciences Pecorino, Lauren. Why millions survive cancer: the successes of science. Oxford, 2011. 223p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199580552, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required If a person mentions that he/she has cancer--the dreaded "C" word--people automatically assume it is a death sentence. Not so, says Pecorino (molecular Recommended biologist, Univ. of Greenwich, UK), at least not in the majority of cases. This is the result of the many scientific advances that have provided a better understanding of the disease. Her book has three major themes. It provides a historical overview of these scientific accomplishments along with the key scientists involved; it covers the progress that has been made in managing the disease, including new drugs with fewer adverse effects and better surgical procedures; lastly, it addresses how people can reduce their risks of getting the disease through lifestyle changes. This is a work written for the general public to help them better understand cancer and its treatments. In this context, the author has done exceptionally well. She readily shares her enthusiasm and scientific wonder, taking care to rely only on peer- reviewed sources. Written in an absorbing style, this book is an important evidence-based general resource for a wide audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. D. Campbell, University of Missouri-- Columbia
226 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Organizational Management Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Barrow, Colin. The 30 day MBA in marketing: your fast track guide to business success. Kogan Page, 2011. 256p; ISBN 9780749462178 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Primarily intended for readers who do not have time to pursue a master's degree or even enroll in a graduate course in marketing, this book will also be useful to Recommended undergraduate students wanting an accessible overview of the major areas of marketing. From the book's 12 chapters, interested readers will learn about the marketing mix, buyer behavior, marketing strategy, product and service life cycle, advertising, distribution, pricing strategy, quantitative research, and marketing planning, among other topics. As the author states in the introduction, "Each chapter in the book covers the essential elements of each of the core disciplines in a top MBA Marketing programme." Chapters are easy to understand, and most contain helpful figures or tables. Companies mentioned in the chapters are European and may not be familiar to US readers. However, this should not detract US readers from learning about marketing and should be a benefit for students wanting a more international treatment. Other recent volumes in the "30 day MBA" series, also authored by Barrow (practitioner and academic), include The 30 Day MBA and The 30 Day MBA in International Business. Summing Up: Recommended. Students, lower-division undergraduate and up, and practitioners. -- E. Applegate, formerly, Middle Tennessee State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Garwood, Shae. Advocacy across borders: NGOs, anti-sweatshop activism and the global garment industry. Kumarian, 2011. 235p bibl afp; ISBN 9781565494558, $75.00; ISBN 9781565494541 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are ill-defined entities, although they exhibit some common characteristics, such as self-governance and absence of a Recommended profit motive. They also focus on improving the quality of life for disadvantaged populations. NGOs lack formal state power but can operate as "mobilizing structures" within social movements. In the international garment industry, NGOs often participate in transnational networks with the objective of influencing public policy and corporate behavior. This study begins with a discussion of the political economy of garment production from a global perspective, which is dominated by buyer-driven supply chains that control suppliers and producers through size and buying power. In a case study of four NGOs, Garwood (a researcher who has worked with NGOs) shows how they differ in approach but may still achieve the same positive outcomes. United Students against Sweatshops, for example, uses a consumer campaign that focuses on labor issues and is directed at universities and retailers. NGOs operate within a specific ambit of state regulatory power, and Garwood addresses the interactions between NGOs and state institutions in various countries. A separate chapter assesses the overall effectiveness of antisweatshop advocacy groups. Overall, an informative analysis of an important social issue. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers. -- R. L. Hogler, Colorado State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Tungate, Mark. Branded beauty: how marketing changed the way we look. Kogan Page, 2011. 227 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
277p bibl index; ISBN 9780749461812, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required In his latest book, fashion and advertising journalist Tungate, author of Luxury World (2009), Branded Male: Marketing to Men (CH, Aug'08, 45-6889), and Recommended Fashion Brands (CH, Feb'09, 46-3349), profiles the evolution of the beauty industry and the marketing trends that define it. Tungate states that this work is not comprehensive, but instead a "personal project" that examines the brands and entrepreneurs he finds most interesting. Employing a biographical approach, Tungate tells the dramatic stories of how beauty entrepreneurs such as Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder, and Max Factor created their businesses and thrived in the global marketplace. Readers will enjoy Tungate's storytelling, and he includes helpful bullet points that summarize each chapter. Much of the material he presents, however, is extracted from biographies already published. Chapters that discuss the rising popularity of tattooing, cosmetic surgery, digital marketing, and ethical and sustainable products are of particular interest and could be useful in forecasting trends. A more definitive and extensively researched work on the beauty industry can be found in Geoffrey Jones's Beauty Inspired: A History of the Global Beauty Industry (CH, Mar'11, 48-3959). Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division students. -- D. Salomon, UCLA Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Brennan, Louis. The business of space: the next frontier of international competition, by Louis Brennan and Alessandra Vecchi. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 174p bibl index; ISBN 9780230231733, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The front flap of the dust jacket of The Business of Space contains the statement, "As the impact of climate change and resource constraints make terrestrial survival Recommended for the human species increasingly problematic, the need to develop the means of evacuating Planet Earth and sustaining extraterrestrial human existence becomes critical." However, the book has nothing to do with this statement. In the first three chapters, Brennan and Vecchi (both, Institute for International Integration Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) present a survey of the international space industry and the 12 individual nations (US, Russia, India, Japan, etc.) with programs that contribute to it. The final, fourth chapter offers predictions for the future of the space industry in terms of three possible scenarios. The authors also briefly discuss the commercialization of the aviation industry and compare it to the commercialization of the space industry, and consider the "possibility of convergence between the airline industry and the burgeoning space tourism industry." This survey, written from a globalization point of view, will interest business students who wish to work in areas involved in space flight and space technology. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- A. M. Strauss, Vanderbilt University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Canavor, Natalie. Business writing in the digital age. SAGE Publications, 2011. 303p index afp; ISBN 9781412992503 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This volume combines a solid business communications course with up-to-date advice about analyzing audience and purpose for print and online writing tasks. Recommended Early chapters focus on identifying goals and planning communications that appeal to the targeted audience; students build upon this foundation as they are guided 228 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
through writing effective sentences and paragraphs. Business writer Canavor (adjunct faculty in corporate communication, New York Univ.) models revision strategies, showing side-by-side examples of weaker and stronger writing. She concludes each chapter with exercises for students, including items to revise, suggested group projects, and assignments that send them out to gather information or analyze practices in the business world. Later chapters familiarize readers with the conventions and expectations of business e-mail, letters, PowerPoint, Web copy, and social media. Attractive graphic design and useful sidebar content from business professionals describing best practices in their fields round out the text. Other media (e.g., infographics and video scripts) are briefly introduced in the context of content planning. Canavor's emphasis on purpose and audience throughout will strengthen critical thinking skills, and she selects examples designed to introduce students to the conventions of a range of cultures in the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of undergraduate students as well as general readers. -- P. Finley, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Bakan, Joel. Childhood under siege: how big business targets children. Free Press, 2011. 277p index; ISBN 9781439121207, $26.00; ISBN 9781439141182 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Bakan (law, Univ. of British Columbia) critiques corporate indifference and malevolence toward children. Historically, the progressive impulse to protect the Recommended vulnerable, especially children, was interrupted in 1980 when conservatives assumed leadership of the US and the UK. Absent regulatory protections of the state, corporations ran amok, marketing all sorts of pernicious products to children: violent and sexually explicit video games, off-label psychoactive medications, fat- and sugar-laden foods that contribute to obesity, narcotics of choice to adolescents, the commodification of education through a rigorous regime of tests and corporate takeover of public schools, and items containing an endless list of chemicals that had not been tested for toxicity. To this Bakan adds the lack of enforcement of child labor laws in the convergence of factors that bode ill for children. The author contends that vigorous application of the "precautionary principle" can preclude the worst of such influences until scientific evidence confirms their harmful effects and they are banned. Related books are Paul Tough's Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America (2008) and Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (CH, Nov'05, 43-1883). Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate and graduate libraries. -- D. Stoesz, Virginia Commonwealth University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Hoopes, James. Corporate dreams: big business in American democracy from the Great Depression to the great recession. Rutgers, 2011. 234p index afp ISBN 0-8135- 5130-7, $24.95; ISBN 9780813551302, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Throughout American history, there has been an intriguing tension between corporate authoritarian rule and the democratic ideals of the government. Hoopes Recommended (business ethics, Babson College) argues in this timely volume that despite 229 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
prevailing anticorporatism, Americans have been in awe of corporations and have placed too much faith in their leadership. He examines the ebb and flow of illusions surrounding business management from the Great Depression to the great recession (and periodic anticorporate reactions, usually stemming from scandal), and seeks to reveal that the corporation is a moral paradox that improves prosperity by subjecting its workforce to overbearing authority. Hoopes's examination of seminal writings (e.g., C. Wright Mills, The White Collar) and business leaders (e.g., GM's Charles Wilson, Ford's Robert McNamara) shows how they significantly shaped public views. More recently the allure of entrepreneurship and small businesses generated during the technology boom has spawned a new anticorporate mentality, even though many corporations (IBM is noted) have become increasingly entrepreneurial. Hoopes argues that Americans must understand the usefulness of corporations while being wary of their power, and must maintain discerning suspicion of corporate power as they have been mindful of politicians. Excellent chapter on critics of managerial character. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; students, upper-division undergraduate and up; faculty; professionals. -- R. M. Hyser, James Madison University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Rosenbaum, Steven. Curation nation: how to win in a world where consumers are creators. McGraw-Hill, 2011. 284p index afp; ISBN 9780071760393, $28.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required According to Rosenbaum (CEO of Magnify.net), curators are no longer confined to museums managing collections. In today's digital universe, we are all curators-- Recommended adding to and editing the world's information with a mouse click. As many media experts have noted, businesses do not have control of their brand identities anymore, and there is more to getting the word out than advertising. In a Wikipedia world, consumers and communities alike weigh in via the media to mold the brand, using texts, tweets, blogs, YouTube, and Facebook. Rosenbaum offers wise advice to business: "Curation will soon be a part of your business and your digital world. Understand it now, join in early, and reap the many benefits...." Just as Dewey organized libraries with his decimal system and Google organizes online information with its algorithm, the masses are making up their own systems of aggregation and curation, becoming coproducers of what businesses stand for and what they mean. Rosenbaum asserts that whether a business is perceived as cool, trustworthy, or relevant, or is viewed as out of touch, depends on the way it works with its new curation partners. An interesting, timely introduction to the importance of digital content curation. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division and graduate marketing and media students, faculty, and practitioners. -- P. G. Kishel, Cypress College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Reed, Susan E. The diversity index: the alarming truth about diversity in corporate America ... and what can be done about it. AMACOM, 2011. 294p index ISBN 0-8144-1649-7, $27.95; ISBN 9780814416495, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Reed, an investigative journalist, evaluates the level of diversity in American companies by examining the change in numbers of high-level executives in Fortune Recommended 100 companies from 1995 to 2009, focusing on gender, race, and ethnicity. The 230 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
data show improvement, with some organizations doing well, but they also reveal imbalances. The book includes company names and data. Next Reed details the successful strategies followed by some large companies (e.g., General Electric, IBM, Merck) to increase diversity. She also provides societal, governmental, and organizational background from 1961. This information helps the reader understand problems, often forgotten, that employers faced as the US pursued employment diversity objectives during recent decades. Always, leadership from the top was essential for the success of any strategy. Today as organizations work to integrate other groups (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), some of these strategies may be useful. Reed is concerned because many believe the national diversity objective has been achieved. However, with globalization, firms are hiring employees from many countries, often making their data on ethnic diversity look better. In fact, based on Reed's data, the increase in diversity of employees who are US citizens appears to have ended. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, graduate students, researchers, professionals. -- F. Reitman, emerita, Pace University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Gini, Al. The ethics of business: a concise introduction, by Al Gini and Alexei Marcoux. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 170p index afp; ISBN 9780742561618, $70.00; ISBN 9780742561625 pbk, $37.00; ISBN 9781442214347 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This concise introduction to applied business ethics is refreshingly unlike most business ethics textbooks. While others focus primarily on negative examples of Recommended moral failure at the C-level (Enron) or blockbuster financial disasters (Bernie Madoff), Gini and Marcoux (both, Loyola Univ. Chicago) speak to the common activities of ordinary businesspeople. Their work addresses the question of what it means to be a person of character and integrity while engaged in entrepreneurial activity: buying, selling, and interacting with others. Traditional ethical philosophies (Mills's utilitarianism, Kant's duty-based and Aristotle's virtue-based ethics) are presented in a practical, nontechnical manner. The essential components of business activities are evaluated in discussions on the ethics of trust, truth, competition, loyalty, leadership, and the global marketplace. The excellent chapter titled "Work-Life Balance" raises the philosophical question of what our work is doing to us. "Even though work gives us our identity, and even if we love our jobs ... we also need an antidote to work in order to work well," it suggests. Extensive quotes and examples add clarity. Useful as primary or supplemental reading for business ethics courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through practitioners. -- T. R. Gillespie, Northwest University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor DeLong, Thomas J. Flying without a net: turn fear of change into fuel for success. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. 257p bibl index afp ISBN 1-4221-6229-X, $29.95; ISBN 9781422162293, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Employing a psychodynamic perspective, DeLong (Harvard Business School) examines the factors that drive the performance of high-achieving professionals Recommended and how these factors also adversely impact high achievers' continued success. Starting with David McClelland's theory of human motives, DeLong describes the 231 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
attributes and characteristics that contribute to the success of professionals with a high need for achievement. Conversely, he also posits that it is these very same 11 traits that stall the careers of high achievers. After providing readers with a four- factor performance framework, DeLong examines in detail three primary anxieties: purpose, isolation, and significance. The author then describes the four things that keep high-achieving professionals from changing: busyness, comparing, blame, and worry. He concludes the book with a set of tools that high achievers can use to precipitate their success. Throughout the work, DeLong provides probing questions that enhance the reader's level of self-awareness. This book will appeal to serious students enrolled in upper-level undergraduate and graduate business, leadership development, or counseling psychology courses. Readers will gain professional knowledge and personal insights from DeLong's book. Extensive bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- M. J. Safferstone, University of Mary Washington Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Burtenshaw, Ken. The fundamentals of creative advertising, by Ken Burtenshaw, Nik Mahon, and Caroline Barfoot. AVA Academia, 2011. (Dist. by Ingram Publisher Services), 183p bibl afp ISBN 2940411565 pbk, $38.50; ISBN 9782940411566 pbk, $38.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This book combines beauty and edginess with its blend of four-color ads, groundbreaking campaigns, and how-to narrative. Part of the "AVA Fundamentals" Recommended series of art and design books (e.g., The Fundamentals of Marketing by Edward Russell, CH, May'10, 47-5122), it puts the reader right in the middle of the creative advertising process. Step by step, the chapters outline the formation of an ad campaign: evaluating media options, carrying out campaign planning and strategy, and developing the creative concept. From utilizing traditional advertising media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, to low-cost, high-impact "guerrilla advertising" techniques, the authors (all, Southampton Solent Univ., UK) cover all the bases. The design aspects of typography, copy elements, logos, and layout are not only explained but also illustrated, bringing the whole process together. Some of the advertisers represented include VW, Honda, Virgin Atlantic, Sony, Dr. Pepper, Cadbury, London Transport, and Heinz. Designed for both advertising professionals and students, the book can be used as a reference guide or text. Its artful presentation of print and illustrations makes for a pleasurable reading experience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division and graduate marketing and design students, faculty, and practitioners. -- P. G. Kishel, Cypress College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Parment, Anders. Generation Y in consumer and labour markets. Routledge, 2012. 153p bibl index (Routledge interpretive marketing research, 15); ISBN 9780415886482, $125.00; ISBN 9780203803073 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Parment (research fellow, Stockholm Univ.) examines the role of Generation Y in consumer and labor markets, shedding light on how society, the market Recommended environment, and the social environment have shaped the values and attitudes of this generation. This insightful volume is based on data collected from a series of surveys and focus groups, mostly in Europe and the Americas. Findings from these 232 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
data with respect to the labor market indicate that members of Generation Y prefer individual career plans, workplaces located not far from home, and work that is fun and enjoyable. Commitment to one firm is out, whereas changing jobs by working with qualified and demanding organizations is in. Also, Generation Y workers like to focus on performance rather than just putting in hours. Concerning the market environment, most Generation Y individuals are flexible in terms of choosing budget, value, and premium brands, depending on availability and purchase situations at hand. Parment finds that social networking is becoming increasingly important with this group to build brand awareness and acquire new customers. Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman's The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking the Workplace (CH, Jan'11, 48-2784) provides related labor relations information. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Business managers, business faculty, and undergraduate and graduate business students. -- G. E. Kaupins, Boise State University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Good company: business success in the worthiness era, by Laurie Bassi et al. Berrett-Koehler, 2011. 279p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781609940614, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Economist Bassi and her coauthors argue, as have many others, that being a "good" business in the 21st century is the key to sustainability and success. They Recommended suggest society is entering what they have labeled the "Worthiness Era," in which socioeconomic and political forces are creating stakeholders who demand, as a prerequisite to long-term profitability and competitive advantage, corporate accountability emphasizing ethical behavior, global stewardship, and social responsibility. The book's easy-to-read chapters are divided into four sections: "The Worthiness Era," "Evidence and Rankings," "Good Employer, Good Seller, Good Steward," and "The Future." Excellent original research combined with a plethora of substantive data and a series of real-life vignettes documents and supports the authors' thesis that companies whose organizational culture reflects a conscientious concern for worthiness consistently outperform their peers, by any standard of evaluation. The authors have created an exciting new metric--the "Good Company Index"--that ranks Fortune 100 companies as marketers, employers, and corporate citizens. This index provides unique insight into the commitment of contemporary organizations to the "Worthiness" imperative. Readers will appreciate the helpful summaries at the end of the chapters. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections. -- S. R. Kahn, University of Cincinnati Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Osterman, Paul. Good jobs America: making work better for everyone, by Paul Osterman and Beth Shulman. Russell Sage Foundation, 2011. 181p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780871546630 pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9781610447560 e-book, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This timely, provocative, and very accessible book is an effort to make constructive recommendations for improving the quality of jobs in the US. The book has a Recommended specific point of view, but rather than being a polemic, is a reasoned examination of the factors that keep good jobs out of the reach of many Americans. It is 233 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
noteworthy not just for the arguments made about the positive efficacy of public policy, but also for the way it provides a calm, substantive discussion of various objections to governmental involvement in the labor market. Osterman (Sloan School of Management, MIT) and Shulman (senior fellow, Demos) discuss traditional responses to the lack of good quality jobs, such as the need for additional education and training, and show why these responses are insufficient. They consider and eventually reject the notion that upward mobility in the US is sufficient to elevate most people out of poverty and into desirable positions in the labor market. Ultimately, their call for a combination of public and private initiatives to improve the quality of jobs and of the labor market is appealing and sensible. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students; professionals. -- A. J. Grossberg, Trinity College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Edwards, Douglas. I'm feeling lucky: the confessions of Google employee number 59. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. 416p index; ISBN 9780547416991, $27.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Edwards shares his interesting insider story of Google in the early days from 1999 to 2005, when he served as Google director of consumer marketing and brand Recommended management. He recounts how he left a stable newspaper job to join a startup that had no clear organizational structure and/or direction. Edwards describes the long, intense work hours, the unconventional work environment, and the styles, ethics, and conflicts of Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who prefer to operate in informal wear rather than formal suits. He discusses how Google rejected traditional marketing practices and traces the company's growth and associated challenges, including Netscape, Yahoo!, America Online, spammers, AdWords, Gmail, and orkut. Google's reaction to the events of September 11, 2001, is also detailed; it included official blogs, newsfeeds, and Google-produced YouTube videos. The book reads much like a chronological story with numerous quotes. A time line of Google events and an entertaining but informative glossary conclude the book. I'm Feeling Lucky will interest anyone wanting to learn more about Google. See also Ken Auletta's best seller, Googled: The End of the World as We Know It (CH, Jul'10, 47-6349). Summing Up: Recommended. All business collections. -- G. E. Kaupins, Boise State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & LaborDyer, Jeff. The innovator's DNA: mastering the five skills of disruptive innovators, by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. 296p index afp ISBN 1-4221-3481-4, $29.95; ISBN 9781422134818, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Prominent academics Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen (author of several books on innovation, including Disrupting Class, CH, Feb'09, 46-3377) provide very helpful Recommended information on the basic building blocks for becoming more innovative. They detail actionable "tips" on how to improve on the five key skills related to innovation: associational thinking, questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting. The authors effectively show that these five skills are integral to generating innovative ideas. Challenging the status quo in positive ways and having the courage to take risks are shown to be characteristics of very innovative people. Guiding readers to become more innovative and impactful, this truly helpful book will assist managers 234 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
and anyone else who wants to better engage their skills and thinking and create disruptive innovations. Through numerous examples of innovative people and companies, the authors inspire readers to make a positive impact through innovation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- J. J. Bailey, University of Idaho Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Juon, Catherine. Internet marketing start to finish, by Catherine Juon, Dunrie Greiling, and Catherine Buerkle. QUE Publishing, 2012. 293p index; ISBN 9780789747891 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required We are now firmly rooted in the "Internet Age." Marketing books such as Internet Marketing Start to Finish now suppose that a business already has a Web presence Recommended and is functioning in virtual space. This altogether excellent compilation of best practices and practical advice is intended to guide businesses with their Web presence. The authors, Internet marketing professionals, offer guidance on improving and integrating Web functions into a business, specifically focusing on marketing strategies. While breaking down "silos" is as old as humanity, this quest can be aided by the authors' evidence-based approach, which attempts to provide a rational base for employing Web strategies and integrating business functions to bring customers into business processes to build efficiency and customer loyalty. This process can be led by marketing, as the authors posit. This excellent book argues persuasively for the marketing perspective and is must reading for practitioners and students interested in developing Web strategies for business success. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All business collections. -- S. A. Schulman, CUNY Kingsborough Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Mansfield, Heather. Social media for social good: a how-to guide for nonprofits. McGraw- Hill, 2012. 266p index afp; ISBN 9780071770811, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This handbook provides step-by-step guidance for organizations wanting to use today's social media to connect with supporters. Divided into "three eras of Recommended nonprofit Web communications and fundraising," the book evolves just as social media has. Beginning by walking the reader though "Web 1.0: The Static Web," Mansfield (creator of Nonprofit Tech 2.0, http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/) discusses how organizations can use websites for fundraising and advocacy in addition to effectively using e-newsletters. In the next section, "Web 2.0: The Social Web," each chapter tackles a different channel of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, and blogs. The final segment, "Web 3.0: The Mobile Web," deals with today's newest communication technology, applying the previous tools in a mobile format. The book concludes with a "tech checklist" for nonprofits to assist in developing their social media strategy, but it can easily apply to other businesses as well. Mansfield guides nonprofit personnel through the maze of effectively using today's technology to communicate with their publics. A must read for anyone working with nonprofits as well as communications professionals and students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional audiences; general readers. -- N. E. Furlow, Marymount University 235 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Martin, James William. Unexpected consequences: why the things we trust fail. Praeger, 2011. 280p index afp ISBN 0-313-39311-7, $48.00; ISBN 9780313393112, $48.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required From natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, to the technological and human errors of the BP oil spill or the failure to anticipate Recommended and prevent the 9/11 attacks on the US, Martin (a consultant and academic with an MS in mechanical engineering as well as an MBA) searches for a common thread, some kind of universal explanation or critical risk recurrence factors underlying the cause of these diverse catastrophic events. He contends that by identifying such factors, these failures and their devastating consequences can more effectively be prevented or reduced in the future. The book's seven chapters provide an interesting, timely perspective on the unique interrelationship among a project's technological design, an organization's culture and dynamics, and social- psychological factors such as attitudes, information filtering, self-concept, social influence, status, self-esteem, and volition as causal factors in the often unexpected and usually catastrophic failures. Martin concludes that in the disasters under study, technology was usually a minor causal factor. Instead he finds that cognitive factors (e.g., people and systems), along with organizational culture and structure, significantly influenced the probability of the disastrous impact of product and service failures. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduate students; professionals. -- S. R. Kahn, University of Cincinnati
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Arnold, Frank. What makes great leaders great: management lessons from icons who changed the world. McGraw-Hill, 2011. 297p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780071770514, $25.00; ISBN 9780071772112 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Starting with the premise that management know-how is the key to success, Arnold has crafted a practical book that identifies and describes significant Recommended management concepts. Using a three-factor framework--managing organizations, managing innovation, and managing people--he highlights the lives and accomplishments of more than 50 well-known leaders from business, science, and technology as well as the arts and the humanities (e.g., Coco Chanel, James Watt, Gustave Eiffel, Thomas Edison, Michelangelo, Hillary Clinton, and of course, Peter F. Drucker). He also links each individual's accomplishment to a specific management principle or practice. For example, Bill Gates's success at Microsoft highlights the significance of a simple business mission; Alfred P. Sloan Jr.'s work at General Motors demonstrates effective decision making; and Frederick W. Taylor's principles of scientific management address the value of being productive. Chapters conclude with "Action Points" and "Food for Thought," which prompt the reader to apply the management principle or practice. This book is valuable for undergraduate business students as it delineates well-known management concepts; demonstrates that management is a much-needed skill in all fields of endeavor; and provides opportunities for students to further their knowledge by pursuing further research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of 236 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
undergraduate students as well as general readers and practitioners. -- M. J. Safferstone, University of Mary Washington
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Business, Management & Labor Women in management worldwide: progress and prospects, ed. by Marilyn J. Davidson and Ronald J. Burke. 2nd ed. Gower Publishing, 2011. 395p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780566089169, $119.95; ISBN 9780566089176 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required As with the first edition (CH, Oct'04, 42-1044), this is a valuable compilation of data and commentary on women's progress toward the managerial ranks and the Recommended barriers they continue to encounter. An overview chapter highlights trends across continents and cultures: more women in managerial and professional positions but ongoing underrepresentation at senior levels of management. Individual chapters constituting most of the book examine the workplace status of women in 19 countries spanning Europe; North, Central, and South America; Australasia and Asia (China and the Middle Eastern countries of Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey); and Africa. Chapters address labor force characteristics, education, women in managerial positions, women entrepreneurs, legislation, and "the future." The consistent format is useful for comparative research, but, as the editors acknowledge, the data provided vary in quantity and quality. Some chapters (Greece, Argentina, and Mexico) contain good longitudinal data, some as recent as 2010, and the chapter on Spain includes useful comparisons across European Union countries. Others present minimal or old data, but in the case of Lebanon and Russia, their very inclusion is noteworthy, given the challenges of data collection. Overall, a useful update to the earlier edition and an important contribution to scholarly research on this topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through researchers. -- M. S. Myers, Carnegie Mellon University
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Philosophy Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyWaller, Bruce N. Against moral responsibility. MIT, 2011. 352p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780262016599, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Moral responsibility is deeply embedded in ethical theories, legal systems, and even notions of common sense. As Peter van Inwagen has stated, "to deny the Recommended existence of moral responsibility ... would be absurd." Yet, working within a strict naturalistic framework, Waller (Youngstown State Univ.) offers a compelling argument to the effect that compatibilism does not entail moral responsibility and that systems of moral responsibility are inherently unfair. For Waller, one can keep a robust account of free will and responsibility without the trappings of a specifically moral responsibility. The upshot is that in abandoning the obfuscating burden of moral responsibility, one can better understand the factors that shape one's ethical behavior, engage in more-meaningful relationships, and cultivate a stronger sense of non-moral, "take charge" responsibility. Waller's prose is easy to read, and his meticulous research runs the gamut from philosophy to neuroscience to cognitive psychology. As unorthodox as his thesis may be, Waller's argument cannot be dismissed easily and should be taken very seriously by all scholars interested in the nature of free will. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- level undergraduates and above. -- L. A. Wilkinson, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyDerrida, Jacques. The beast & the sovereign, v.2, tr. by Geoffrey Bennington. Chicago, 2011. 293p index afp (Seminars of Jacques Derrida, 2) ISBN 0-226-14430-5, $35.00; ISBN 9780226144306, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This splendid translation of Derrida's last 10 seminars brings to completion the 23 seminars he devoted to "The Beast and the Sovereign" (the first 13 are in volume Recommended 1, edited by M. Lisse, M-L. Mallet, and G. Michaud, CH, May'10, 47-4942). Derrida's last project demonstrates that sovereignty is bound to a nonhuman force exempt from the very law whose conditions it measures out and sustains--an unconditional power that founds and undoes all notions of the world and humankind's place in it. Derrida's argument proceeds through a juxtaposition of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and Heidegger's The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics, wherein the shipwrecked sailor on the "Island of Despair," haunted by phantasms of death and being buried alive, becomes a fellow traveler of the German phenomenologist who, over two centuries later, is no less beset by the thought of that which overwhelms thinking. Reminiscent of his parallel readings of Hegel and Genet in Glas, Derrida shows how these disparate writers and texts engage an enigmatic otherness that captivates and rules over them. Derrida here settles accounts with Heidegger, whose keyword, walten (to reign over), "puts everything in a new perspective." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates and above. -- N. Lukacher, University of Illinois at Chicago Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyNadler, Steven. A book forged in hell: Spinoza's scandalous treatise and the birth of the secular age. Princeton, 2011. 279p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691139890, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 238 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Nadler (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison) shows, for a general audience, why Spinoza's Recommended Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) evoked such opposition from contemporary religious and political leaders. Nadler places Spinoza and his book in their historical context, explains the issues that were at stake, and discusses the book's subsequent influence. Persons interested in the history of political liberalism, modern Judaism, biblical interpretation, and early modern philosophy will welcome this excellent book. This reviewer has only three minor gripes. First, an explanation would be useful as to why some philosophers of science disagree with Spinoza's assertion that natural laws are universal, necessary, and invariant. Second, it should be noted that most historical critics do not share Spinoza's belief that Ezra was the chief redactor of the Torah. Finally, Spinoza champions freedom of speech but believes that governments may prohibit malicious falsehoods or conspiracies. Nadler suggests an absolutist position that forbids any prohibition of speech. Nevertheless, the absolutist position--which would allow slander, libel, and conspiracies--is not credible. Spinoza correctly believed that some speech should be prohibited. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. -- J. M. Fritzman, Lewis & Clark College Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyJohnston, David. A brief history of justice. Wiley- Blackwell, 2011. 265p bibl index; ISBN 9781405155762, $89.95; ISBN 9781405155779 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required According to Johnston (Columbia Univ.), a sensibility for reciprocity among individuals lies at the core of the concept of justice. He traces this thought from Recommended the ancient code of Hammurabi through the Old Testament, Homeric poems, and on into Western philosophy beginning with Plato. It is unfortunate, Johnston contends, that the notion of social justice developed in the last 200 years has displaced, rather than complemented, the core idea of justice as reciprocity. While he is sympathetic to Rawls's monumental project, making the "basic structure" of society the subject of justice misses the ways in which justice is sensitive to relations among individuals. Johnston pays special attention to need as opposed to desert. Inevitably, in a brief history of a rich concept such as justice, much must be barely mentioned or skipped over--in particular, the entirety of medieval Western thought--but Johnston does provide solid analyses of Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Kant, Marx, and Rawls, among others. Unfortunately, he has nothing to say about the capability approach championed by Amartya Sen, which touches on several of his key concerns. That said, this book will be a valuable resource for the general public and college students of all levels. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. -- H. Oberdiek, Swarthmore College Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyWellman, Christopher Heath. Debating the ethics of immigration: is there a right to exclude?, by Christopher Heath Wellman and Phillip Cole. Oxford, 2011. 340p index afp; ISBN 9780199731732, $99.00; ISBN 9780199731725 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This volume is essentially a point/counterpoint debate between Wellman (Washington Univ. in St. Louis), who argues that states have the right to control Recommended immigration across their borders, and Cole (Univ. of Wales, Newport), who argues 239 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
they do not. Both authors rebut and refute objections to their respective positions and put forth independent arguments in favor of them. Both address various approaches to this issue: utilitarian, libertarian, egalitarian, and liberal democratic. Both consider nuanced social and political realities, such as the myriad types of immigrants: refugees, political dissidents, guest workers, visitors, and temporary residents. Although this book is highly readable and evenly balanced, its subtitle casts the debate in terms that some readers may find questionable or even regrettable. The debate might very well be different if framed in terms of whether or not states have a duty or obligation to include. Additionally it might be different if it were framed in the language of duty/utility/compassion rather than in the language of rights. Nonetheless, this worthwhile volume raises important questions not only about immigration practice/policy, but also about the nature of rights/agency, and states' legitimacy/role in the contemporary world of porous borders. A very fine treatment of an important, timely topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- D. B. Boersema, Pacific University Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyLyotard, Jean-François. Discourse, figure, tr. by Antony Hudek and Mary Lydon. Minnesota, 2011. 516p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9780816645657, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Lyotard's novel, innovative approaches to art, aesthetics, and language only now are beginning to receive due consideration from scholars. This work--the first full- Recommended length translation of Lyotard's doctoral thesis--presents the best-developed treatment of many ideas and arguments in his writings. Translated into English for the first time, this beautifully rendered edition contains the late Mary Lydon's unfinished translation of two sections, already published in journals and now greatly expanded by Hudek, whose painstaking efforts have brought it to this exemplary state. Lyotard's rich, suggestive examination of the contrasting interpretive puzzles presented by word and image in modern art (e.g., Mallarmé, Klee) here receives a fully developed argument, splendidly anchored by its scholarly apparatus, including 29 illustrated plates. An appendix containing Lyotard's own translation of Freud's short text "Die Verneinung" rounds out the edition. This volume should revive critical interest in one of contemporary philosophy's most intriguing writers; besides casting light on a pivotal French poststructuralist figure, Discourse, Figure could be one of the late-20th-century's most important works on the dueling logics of word and image. Some authors (e.g., Heidegger), who appear in substantive contexts in Lyotard's discussion, inexplicably are left out of the index; this omission mars this otherwise superb edition. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- J. G. Moore, Lander University Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyEssays on Anscombe's Intention, ed. by Anton Ford, Jennifer Hornsby, and Frederick Stoutland. Harvard, 2011. 313p indexes afp ISBN 0-674-05102-5, $45.00; ISBN 9780674051027, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The philosophy of action, as developed in the postwar period up to the present, is recognized, particularly in English-speaking contexts, to have been strongly shaped Recommended by Elizabeth (G. E. M.) Anscombe. This fine collection of essays focuses on Anscombe's seminal 1957 book, Intention. Emerging from a tension between neo- 240 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Wittgensteinian conceptualist (noncausal) views, on the one hand, and covering- law (causal) analyses of action, on the other, the original theory that Anscombe founded was noncausal but opened up a radically new epistemic view of action. The epistemics are based on three tenets: a focus on description of action, an analysis of the knowledge of action without observation, and a shift from a belief/judgment model to a capacities model of knowledge of action/intention. This volume begins with a superbly crafted introduction by Frederick Stoutland to Anscombe's work generally and to Intention in particular, furnishing a historical situating of the work that brings much clarity to otherwise difficult passages. Other essayists gathered in this volume include John McDowell, Kieran Setiya, Jennifer Hornsby, Sebastian Rödl, Richard Moran, Anselm Winfried Müller, and Michael Thompson. This is indispensable reading for specialists in the philosophy of action and for others working in related areas in the philosophy of mind. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners. -- J. C. Swindal, Duquesne University Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyKitcher, Philip. The ethical project. Harvard, 2011. 422p index afp; ISBN 9780674061446, $49.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Kitcher (Columbia Univ.) elaborates a comprehensive vision of the evolution of human morality. He conceives of the human ethical project as evolving from Recommended capacities for altruism and concern for the welfare of others. He is an optimist for global ethical progress despite recognizing the slow and uneven historical emergence of moral reform. The epigraph from John Dewey expresses the naturalist stance: "moral conceptions and processes grow naturally out of the very conditions of human life." Kitcher rejects attempts to ground moral codes in anything transcendent, such as God's will or a Platonic idea, or in a Kantian appeal to a faculty of reason that can inform one what actions are truly right; for him, there is no eternal, unchanging moral truth. Though few would challenge the judgment of website blurbs that describe this volume as a "magnificent book" with a "stunning synthesis" of evolutionary biology, ethical philosophy, and contemporary life, it is less likely to appeal to those who believe firmly in a transcendent source of ethics or to those unwilling to devote the necessary effort to follow the complex argumentation. For serious students of ethics, however, this is the indispensable book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. -- H. C. Byerly, emeritus, University of Arizona Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyVelkley, Richard L. Heidegger, Strauss, and the premises of philosophy on original forgetting. Chicago, 2011. 203p bibl index afp ISBN 0- 226-85254-7, $40.00; ISBN 9780226852546, $40.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In this lucid book, Velkley (Tulane Univ.) examines the neglected relationship between the thought of political theorist Leo Strauss and philosopher Martin Recommended Heidegger. Heidegger's work clearly influenced Strauss, but the relationship was largely one-sided. By examining their published texts and correspondence, Velkley makes a convincing case that Strauss engaged in a polemic with Heidegger concerning the latter's historicism. Strauss's problem with Heidegger's historicism was that it left essential moral and political questions unasked. Although Heidegger returned to the philosophical tradition to reopen the question of philosophy as a question, he missed the essential moral and political implications of this move--an 241 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
oversight that has profound implications for Heidegger's thought and for his own political missteps (though Velkley refers to biographical implications, he focuses on Heidegger's thought). Heidegger's philosophy ended in quietism as mortals awaited the new gods or the new sending of Being, but Strauss stressed the essentially Socratic dimension of philosophy as an unrealizable ascent toward wisdom; this is the transhistorical identity of philosophy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty interested in political theory and modern German philosophy. -- C. R. McCall, Elmira College Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyAnnas, Julia. Intelligent virtue. Oxford, 2011. 189p bibl index; ISBN 9780199228782, $85.00; ISBN 9780199228775 pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Distinguished scholar Annas (Univ. of Arizona) provides readers with an exceptionally lucid, commonsensical account of virtue and of the practical Recommended intelligence that underlies its acquisition and exercise. She accomplishes two aims. First, she shows how the cultivation of virtue is like the cultivation of many complex practical skills, requiring teachers and an increasing understanding of the reasons for exercising skills in specific ways in particular situations. Second, she shows that virtue is an essential ingredient in human flourishing. Annas offers succinct replies to standard objections to virtue theory, e.g., that it is less adequate as a guide to action than other ethical theories and that it is inherently conventional. In an inspiring account of the abolition of the slave trade at a time when this seemed economically impossible, Annas reminds readers how ordinary people do act out of the desire to be just and compassionate. Readers can see how contemporary efforts to alter deeply embedded unjust social structures have inherent value and plausibility. For further reading, see Annas's influential book The Morality of Happiness (CH, Feb'94, 31-3189) and Rosalind Hursthouse's encyclopedia article "Virtue Ethics" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/. For information on "modern slavery," see Slavery Footprint http://slaveryfootprint.org/. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- S. A. Mason, Concordia University Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyPodmore, Simon D. Kierkegaard and the self before God: anatomy of the abyss. Indiana, 2011. 248p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780253355867, $70.00; ISBN 9780253222824 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Podmore (Univ. of Oxford, UK) offers a probing examination of Kierkegaard's existential treatment of the relations between human sin and divine forgiveness. Recommended He seeks to counterbalance a dark portrait of Kierkegaard as obsessed only with human sin with a picture of the philosopher as gripped by divine forgiveness toward humans. As Podmore remarks, "it is the paradox of an 'impossible' forgiveness [from God] which holds the key to the paradox that one will express one's own nature most adequately when one expresses this difference [between God and humanity] absolutely." The latter difference underlies the mention of the "abyss" in the subtitle. The human self acquires its transparent selfhood, in this approach, as it embraces its creaturely relation to God, including its forgiveness from God. In illuminating this theme, the book expounds Kierkegaard on such 242 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
existential topics as despair, melancholy, spiritual trial, and forgiveness. Podmore carefully relates some of Kierkegaard's ideas to the works of Luther, Karl Barth, and Rudolf Otto, among others, but he maintains careful scholarship regarding Kierkegaard's own positions. This book will be a valuable addition to libraries that support Kierkegaard studies or the philosophy of religion. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- P. K. Moser, Loyola University Chicago Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyLandesman, Charles. Leibniz's mill: a challenge to materialism. Notre Dame, 2011. 182p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780268034115 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Throughout this volume, Landesman (emer., Hunter College) argues against a philosophical/scientific model of materialistic reduction wherein physical aspects Recommended control mental activity. The title, and running example throughout the book, refers to Gottfried Leibniz's mill--a machine that appears to think but in which no single aspect can be found that functions as anything nonmechanical. Despite what the title might make one think, Descartes is much more prevalent throughout than Leibniz, and this book is best understood as a broader discussion of materialism and dualism. Landesman carefully argues for an understanding of mental activity as occurring in a dualistic fashion, which is to say that there are nonphysical aspects of cognition. While the book makes connections to thinkers ranging from the ancient Greeks to contemporary neurophilosophers, the text remains readable and engaging throughout. The second chapter ("Other Minds") is perhaps the strongest, but the whole is quite well done. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- R. E. Kraft, York College of Pennsylvania Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyMcGinn, Colin. The meaning of disgust. Oxford, 2011. 248p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199829538, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Although not the first philosophical book on disgust, this volume by McGinn (Univ. of Miami) is certainly one of the more approachable. He analyzes disgust in both Recommended theory (disgust, unlike fear or hatred, concerns the Sosein of the object rather than its Dasein) and practice (how it relates to one's understanding of social relationships, culture, and the definition of humanity itself). One's Cartesian "dual nature" defines and offends: one dwells in the lofty realm of the mind, yet is housed in a body that eats and excretes. As McGinn states, "He who thinks also shits." The fact that people's souls are so dependent on their bodies naturally leads McGinn to the interesting intertwining of death and disgust. More so, people resent death because from the vantage point of the soul, while death is inevitable for the body, it is only contingent for the soul--the mind has no life-threatening illness lurking somewhere. As McGinn indicates, the soul is repulsed by the fact that it will die, but feels it does not have to be this way. The soul is meant to continue, but is trapped in a slowly decaying and faltering vessel. Disgust, thus, is a philosophical emotion. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- S. J. Shaw, Antioch University Midwest Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyTuozzo, Thomas M. Plato's Charmides: positive elenchus in a "Socratic" dialogue. Cambridge, 2011. 359p bibl indexes ISBN 0-521-19040-1, 243 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
$90.00; ISBN 9780521190404, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Unlike many contemporary scholars, Tuozzo (Univ. of Kansas) persuasively argues that the earlier dialogues of Plato, including the Charmides, do not have simply an Recommended aporetic purpose, leaving the interlocutor in confusion and uncertainty, but one that generates positive advances toward truth. Rather than establishing a conclusive philosophical truth, the Socratic elenchus was intended to direct readers to pursue the course of inquiry that remains open at the conclusion of the dialogue. Tuozzo based this insightful interpretive paradigm on direct statements by Plato, who was skeptical that true knowledge could be obtained through writing. This leaves the dialogue as simply an imperfect tool insufficient in itself to lead to philosophical truth. After laying out this interpretive paradigm and exploring various issues involving Critias, Charmides, and the meaning of sophrosyne in chapters 1 and 2, Tuozzo carefully examines the Charmides in chapters 3 through 10. He concludes in chapter 11 that if sophrosyne is knowledge, it is knowledge of the good and the bad and thus provides some success in bringing the interlocutor to truth by showing a possible path of inquiry. This is an original and superbly argued study. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- J. R. Asher, Georgetown College Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyLötter, H. P. P. [Hennie]. Poverty, ethics, and justice. University of Wales Press, 2011. 310p bibl index; ISBN 9780708324004, $130.00; ISBN 9780708324363 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Lötter (Univ. of Johannesburg, South Africa) has the twofold objective of showing poverty to be a complex and human problem and addressing the equally complex Recommended ways that poverty can be eradicated. Principal in this study is the moral demand that eliminating poverty must be the focus of any moral person or institution. The author claims that democratic political institutions fail when they do not address a "disruptive and destructive" condition such as poverty. "Absolute" and "intermediate" poverty are equally destructive of a person's ability to engage in the goods of social life, and thus poverty in a broadened sense becomes the subject of discussion. The driving question of this study is this: "why are human societies so ineffective in the ways they deal with poverty?" Thoroughly supported by broad research and vivid description, this book makes a compelling case for the eradication of poverty as a complex and central moral focus. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- R. Ward, Georgetown College Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophySharp, Hasana. Spinoza and the politics of renaturalization. Chicago, 2011. 242p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780226750743, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Sharp (McGill Univ.) demonstrates that Spinoza's metaphysical account of nature has much to contribute to contemporary debates surrounding theories of Recommended oppression. She argues that a presumption of human exceptionalism pervades postmodern projects that "denaturalize" thought: social constructivism characterizes all thought as artifice, thereby shaping political discourse in ways that structurally privilege the human and ignore or exclude the nonhuman. The continuity of the human and the nonhuman in Spinoza's metaphysics recommends 244 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
an alternative approach that calls for a "renaturalization" of the understanding of human activity: all action, including thought and discourse, is inevitably shaped by human and nonhuman forces beyond one's control. Thus efforts to address oppression and domination must reconceive freedom in radically relational terms and require that one incorporate consideration of nonhuman forces into political discourse. Sharp can only hint at the possibilities of this Spinozan approach, but her discussion touches on topics ranging widely from feminism and identity politics to deep ecology and animal rights. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- D. A. Forbes, West Chester University of Pennsylvania Faculty Member: Humanities \ PhilosophyCholbi, Michael. Suicide: the philosophical dimensions. Broadview Press, 2011. 191p bibl index; ISBN 9781551119052 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This outstanding example of contemporary applied ethics also represents state-of- the-art philosophical thought on suicide. Not unexpectedly, it rehashes old Recommended semantic debates surrounding "self-killing": suicide versus sacrificial death (wartime heroism), suicide versus deliberate long-term self-destructive behavior (smoking), and suicide assistance versus euthanasia (degrees of assistance). But most of the book explores deontological moral questions (rights and duties). Is suicide assistance, intervention, and/or prevention (always, sometimes, or never) morally required, permissible, or impermissible? And, if so, under what conditions? Cholbi (California State Polytechnic) concludes that both the extreme liberal argument (suicide is always morally permissible) and the extreme conservative argument (suicide is never morally permissible) are unsound. Therefore, he defends a moderate position, arguing that the ethics of suicide is about identifying the circumstances under which suicide, intervention, prevention, and/or assistance might be morally permissible. Some might complain that the book falls short in the area of the legality of suicide. Others might question the inclusion of the 11-page epilogue titled "Why?" or suggest it might have been better incorporated into a more captivating introduction. Nevertheless, this well-written, rigorously argued book will be very valuable for courses and programs in applied ethics, health care ethics, and death and dying. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- R. F. White, College of Mount St. Joseph
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Psychology Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyNydegger, Rudy. Dealing with anxiety and related disorders: understanding, coping, and prevention. Praeger, 2012. 230p bibl index afp ISBN 0-313-38422-3, $48.00; ISBN 9780313384226, $48.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Many people believe anxiety--that aversive state of vigilance, worry, and unpleasant arousal--is an inevitable (and regrettable) byproduct of contemporary Recommended living, the price one must pay for working and playing too hard. According to Nydegger (management and psychology, Union Graduate College and Union College), the problems anxiety poses are much worse than people realize: every year some 40 million Americans experience some anxiety disorder and, worse still, anxiety disorders are among the most commonly misdiagnosed and least treated of psychological problems. The family of anxiety disorders is large, including everything from a general feeling of anxiety to social phobias to obsessive- compulsive behaviors and post-traumatic stress disorders, among other possibilities. Written primarily for lay audiences, this tight, focused 12-chapter book introduces anxiety in its many guises; provides compelling cases of anxious individuals; reviews theories, physical reactions, and typologies; explores treatment options and suggestions for seeking help; and offers helpful discussions of somatoform and dissociative disorders. Threaded throughout the book is concrete advice and helpful reassurance on how to navigate anxiety's shoals. Successful treatment exists, usually via a combination of medication, therapy, and behavior change. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduate students; professionals; general readers. -- D. S. Dunn, Moravian College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyDisorganized attachment and caregiving, ed. by Judith Solomon and Carol George. Guilford, 2011. 427p bibl index afp ISBN 1-60918-128-X, $50.00; ISBN 9781609181284, $50.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book builds on the work Solomon (Bridgeport Hospital, CT) and George (Mills College) presented in their first edited volume, Attachment Disorganization (CH, Recommended Mar'00, 37-4169). The central argument of the present volume is that disorganized attachment and caregiving should be viewed as the product of a dysregulated parent-child relationship, rather than as characteristic of an infant, child, or caregiver. The subjective experiences of parents and children engaged in disorganized attachment relationships are explored, and the intergenerational transmission of these dysregulated processes is addressed, to demonstrate that a focus on the two-party caregiving system can benefit research and clinical practice. The second section of the book, "New Directions," looks at new approaches to the study of disorganization; e.g., chapters examine a new questionnaire to assess caregiving helplessness, assess the impact of gender on disorganized attachments, and analyze disorganization with adolescents. The final section focuses on the clinical applications of these themes across the life span and across populations-- such as mothers who have lost custody of their children and maltreated children in foster care. Chapters focusing on the use of the Adult Attachment Projective Picture system with patients diagnosed with borderline personality or dissociative 246 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
disorders are particularly interesting. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. -- R. B. Stewart Jr., Oakland University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyCooper, Terry D. Don Browning and psychology: interpreting the horizons of our lives. Mercer University, 2011. 236p index afp ISBN 0881462543 pbk, $30.00; ISBN 9780881462548 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Providing an overview of Browning's ideas on religion and psychology, Cooper (psychology, St. Louis Community College, Meramec; adjunct, religious studies, Recommended Webster Univ.) adds this work to his Paul Tillich and Psychology (2006) and Reinhold Niebuhr and Psychology (2009). The late Browning (1934-2010), a theologian who was affiliated with the University of Chicago, applied his theological background to various other disciplines, including cultural analysis, family studies, law, and ethics, among others in the social sciences. Cooper focuses on Browning's view of Erik Erikson, Heinz Kohut, and Carl Jung, but he also considers William James, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, and others. This book would be a suitable companion to Cooper's other works, cited above, and to Browning's Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies (1987), the second edition of which (2004) Cooper coauthored with Browning. Summing Up: Recommended. Large collections supporting work at the upper-division undergraduate level and above. -- J. Bailey, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyBagwell, Catherine L. Friendships in childhood & adolescence, by Catherine L. Bagwell and Michelle E. Schmidt. Guilford, 2011. 389p bibl index afp ISBN 1-60918-646-X, $55.00; ISBN 9781609186463, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Anyone interested in learning about children's friendships will benefit from this incredibly well-organized resource. Bagwell (Univ. of Richmond) and Schmidt Recommended (Moravian College) trace the development of friendships across the child and adolescent years to explore the social and emotional significance of friendships. They emphasize not only that friendships are important, but also that a child's development influences the nature of his/her friendships and the nature of the friendship provides a context that influences development itself. The authors explore topics such as what draws particular individuals toward one another, how friendships vary in quality or function, and the ways some friendships support adjustment and well-being while others promote negative outcomes. A six-domain model for the assessment of friendship experiences is presented and serves to organize and integrate the current literature concerning friendships. These domains are employed to provide coherent summaries of both the normative nature of friendships and the more idiographic aspects of the dark side of friendship experiences, including the absence of friendships altogether. Cultural differences in the function and roles of friendships are considered. The authors close by exploring potential interventions to assist children who may be having difficulties establishing friendship relationships. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- R. B. Stewart Jr., Oakland University 247 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyRichardson, John T. E. Howard Andrew Knox: pioneer of intelligence testing at Ellis Island. Columbia, 2011. 309p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231141680, $55.00; ISBN 9780231512114 e-book, $43.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The history of IQ testing is a well-worn topic, but Richardson (psychology, Open Univ., UK) makes a genuine contribution to the literature with this biography of Recommended Howard Andrew Knox (1885-1949), a physician who developed intelligence tests that did not require significant verbal skills. Knox's role in testing immigrants at Ellis Island was overshadowed by that of Henry Goddard, who was famous for declaring so many immigrants to be "feeble-minded." Most histories of psychology discuss Goddard in detail but never mention Knox, whose critiques of Goddard would be shared by many of today's scholars. This exploration of Knox's views usefully corrects the narrative presented in many historical accounts of IQ testing, in which the "experts" were unable to see the biases in their testing procedures. Richardson's writing is clear, and his use of a variety of sources (Knox's personal files, archived newspaper articles, and Knox's published works) makes for a model biography. He assumes no background in IQ testing or the history of psychology, and he connects his coverage of Knox to many of the standard figures in the history of IQ testing. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- B. J. Lovett, Elmira College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyGilligan, Carol. Joining the resistance. Polity, 2011. 192p bibl; ISBN 9780745651699, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Gilligan (NYU) writes about her 40-year history in psychology and in the feminist movement. The "resistance" she describes is to patriarchy, which keeps people Recommended oppressed in a democratic society. The resistance promotes the value of women and girls and celebrates their power in, for example, electing Barack Obama to the presidency of the US. Gilligan writes eloquently about the need for ethics in living, an ethic that includes caring that is neither gendered nor prescribed. She states that resistance and relationships can be promoted at the same time with this system of caring. First, society must honor girls and women as equals. Gilligan gives a profound example of this need when she describes an adult entering a museum with a group of girls with an assignment to "observe how women and girls are portrayed." One eight-year-old immediately states, "Naked." The whole group becomes silent. Gilligan seeks to promote women and girls as valuable people without objectification and with a voice. She argues that only then can relationships be sustained in a democratic society. Required reading for those interested in psychology and women's studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduate students; general readers. -- S. K. Hall, University of Houston--Clear Lake
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyPfaff, Donald W. Man and woman: an inside story. Oxford, 2011. 226p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780195388848, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 248 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required An esteemed, well-published researcher of neurobiology, Pfaff takes the reader through scientific work on determinants of sex differences in behavior. The Recommended techniques for doing the research are so new and some of the relationships between chromosomes, prenatal hormones, neonatal hormones, prenatal stress, and other factors are so complicated that the first four chapters will be difficult for a non-neuroscientist to follow. However, it is worth some effort because the later chapters tell the reader much about how males and females differ and how this is influenced by the interactions of genes, hormones, and environment. Pfaff examines, respectively, how these factors influence mating and parenting behavior, aggression and violence in males, and females' capacity for friendship. After examining influences on normal behavior, the author devotes three chapters to what happens when these factors go astray--anorexia in women and autism in males being the main focus. Most of the research comes from Pfaff's lab. Instead of standard references, Pfaff tells the reader something about the researcher he is citing--a method that increases the book's readability. The numerous illustrations clarify the interactions discussed. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper- dvision undergraduates through faculty and professionals. -- W. P. Anderson, emeritus, University of Missouri--Columbia Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyWilson, Timothy D. Redirect: the surprising new science of psychological change. Little, Brown, 2011. 278p bibl index; ISBN 9780316051880, $25.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required A major premise this book is that social programs that appear at face value to be beneficial may in fact promote no positive social change, or may in fact be harmful. Recommended Wilson (social psychology, Univ. of Virginia)--who thinks about human behavior in a rigorous, scientific manner--is clear in describing the value of proper scientific research procedures for determining if programs genuinely help those receiving services. He identifies widely implemented programs found, after careful study, to be ineffective: these include "critical incident stress debriefing," "scared straight" programs for at-risk adolescents, and D.A.R.E, a drug- and alcohol-use prevention program. In contrast, a set of techniques he terms "story editing" has been shown to produce measurable, long-lasting positive change. Story editing allows individuals to "redirect" their personal stories/narratives, including rethinking stories about their intelligence, interests, and values. Wilson provides clear examples of the effective use of story editing and specific exercises for immediate use. His examples of positive change span a variety of ages and social problems, including teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, and racism. This book provides good information that may help the less-experienced reader; sophisticated students are going to be familiar with the book's content. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates and general readers. -- C. J. Jones, California State University, Fresno Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologySocial anxiety in adolescents and young adults: translating developmental science into practice, ed. by Candice A. Alfano and Deborah C. Beidel. American Psychological Association, 2011. 310p bibl index; ISBN 9781433809484, $69.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Alfano (psychology and pediatrics, George Washington Univ. School of Medicine) and Beidel (Univ. of Central Florida) divide this no-nonsense compilation into three Recommended sections. The essays in the first section provide an overview of the clinical 249 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
presentation and etiology of social anxiety disorder (SAD); those in the second look at individual and contextual differences associated with the disorder; those in the third consider assessment and treatment of SAD. Several themes emerge. One is the paucity of research on SAD in the adolescent/young-adult population. Though partly due to the difficulties associated with conducting research on adolescents, the lack of data is nevertheless striking given that SAD is most likely to surface in adolescence and ought to warrant more scientific inquiry as a result. A second theme is the key role social-skills deficits, behavioral inhibition, and compromised social-information processing play in the development and maintenance of social anxiety. The strongest chapters--those on peer relations, cultural influences, and pharmacotherapy, among them--address both comorbidities associated with SAD and directions for future research and treatment. Though the editors provide a strong introduction, they provide no conclusion to bookend and reinforce "translating developmental science into practice." Still, the book aptly showcases the topic and the need for further study. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper- division undergraduates through faculty/professionals. -- L. E. Barnes-Young, American Military University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyThe Social psychology of morality: exploring the causes of good and evil, ed. by Mario Mikulincer and Phillip R. Shaver. American Psychological Association, 2012. 440p bibl index; ISBN 9781433810114, $79.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Comprising 22 chapters divided into 5 sections--"Basic Issues and Controversies," "Motivational and Cognitive Processes," "Developmental, Personality, and Clinical Recommended Aspects," "Good and Evil," and "Synthesis"--this idiosyncratic volume explores morality psychology with specific focus on the causes of good and evil. (The summary chapter begins with the essential question: Why is there evil?) As is often the case with collections, what is included or excluded can seem subjective. International in scope, the volume includes work by both major researchers (e.g., Roy Baumeister, Jonathan Haidt) and newcomers; the missing include Robert Jay Lifton. Much of the material will be familiar to those working in the field--for example, whether evil is a normal human dimension or an aberrant condition; but the volume also covers new ground, especially in the area of cognitive processes. Here the age-old questions regarding morality are reformulated according to the paradigms advocated in cognitive science. This brings researchers full circle, since Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg first looked at the development of morality in conjunction with the developmental schemas of cognition. This volume serves as a fine summary for experts and those new to the study of evil as a function of morality. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty/professionals. -- D. M. Chirico, York College CUNY Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ PsychologyRuti, Mari. The summons of love. Columbia, 2011. 180p index afp; ISBN 9780231158169, $22.50; ISBN 9780231527989 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This lovely little meditation on the meanings of love--from its anxious beginnings to its painful, occasionally self-annihilating dissolution--sits serenely in the realm of Recommended psychology, philosophy, women's studies, critical theory, and ancient wisdom. Drawing heavily on several traditions of psychoanalytic writing, notably that associated with French postmodernism, Ruti (English, Univ. of Toronto)--whose 250 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
previous works include A World of Fragile Things: Psychoanalysis and the Art of Living (CH, Jan'10, 47-2880) and Reinventing the Soul: Posthumanist Theory and Psychic Life (2006)--offers a series of wonderfully counterintuitive insights about what one learns from love and the pain and sadness one must sometimes endure to get it, keep it, and survive it. Much in the same way that Adam Phillips (in On Balance, 2010) wrestles deep and pleasurable meanings from the everyday, Ruti takes inspiration from psychoanalytic thinking but weaves her observations into a pattern all her own. This is particularly true of the discourse on relational ethics, with which she ends the book. The book is written with enormous compassion and good sense; this reviewer's only complaint is that it lacks footnotes and bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- R. R. Cornelius, Vassar College
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Recreation Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ PhysicsDenny, Mark. Gliding for gold: the physics of winter sports. Johns Hopkins, 2011. 189p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781421402147, $65.00; ISBN 9781421402154 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Winter Olympics fans with an interest or background in physics may find much to appreciate in this book. Denny, a theoretical physicist and popular science writer Recommended (e.g., Their Arrows Will Darken the Sun, CH, Sep'11, 49-0228; Float Your Boat!, CH, Apr'09, 46-4511) provides an enthusiastic, almost breezy tour of the rules, art, and science of skating, hockey, curling, skiing, and snowboarding. He first discusses the sometimes-baffling physics of snow and ice. Next, in each sport, the author examines in detail the design of the equipment and its interaction with snow and ice, along with considerations of aerodynamic drag. The book includes photos and charts. Though some of the math is in the main body of the text, most is given in technical notes at the end, where some derivations are sketched in outline. Gliding for Gold may not have enough detail for those who enjoy thorough mathematical derivations, but for the scientifically inclined reader it provides an interesting window on the science of winter sports. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate students of all levels and general readers. -- K. D. Fisher, Columbus State Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ History, Geography & Area Studies \ United KingdomDougall, Alistair. The devil's book: Charles I, the Book of sports and Puritanism in Tudor and early Stuart England. University of Exeter, 2011. 230p bibl index; ISBN 9780859898560, $90.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In his thoroughly researched book, historian Dougall argues that the uniquely strident and comprehensive Puritan response to the early Stuart Book of Sports Recommended was a major factor propelling the nation toward civil war. Challenging Kenneth Parker's thesis that English sabbatarianism had a long history, Dougall asserts that festive culture in the past was attacked only if it promoted bad habits or led to the neglect of archery and absence from church services. The author provides a standard narrative of the Book's publication and enforcement while laying out the issues and debates in coherent, compelling fashion. At times, though, he pushes the argument beyond what the sources can sustain, sometimes arguing from negative evidence. For example, he concludes that even though the old ways were in precipitous decline, the people overwhelmingly supported them, as did a majority of bishops. Dougall is most convincing when arguing that Charles I, rather than Archbishop Laud, was behind the reissue, and that the earliest Protestants were less sabbatarian than their medieval ancestors and Puritan descendants. His sound contention that the English Civil War was also a cultural war has been around for a while, but whether the Book of Sports was as determinative as he claims remains debatable. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- B. Lowe, Florida Atlantic University Faculty Member: Science & Technology \ Sports & RecreationGamble, Paul. Training for sports speed and agility: an evidence-based approach. Routledge, 2012. 188p bibl index; ISBN 9780415591256, $155.00; ISBN 9780415591263 pbk, $47.95; ISBN 9780203803035 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Gamble has written a readable book on coaching speed and agility performance. 252 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
He has combined theory and practice to provide an extremely useful guide to Recommended developing skills that are many times considered innate and not easily subject to training improvements. He provides an exhaustive list of physical parameter assessments of speed and agility and many illustrations of unique exercises that are not typically presented in training manuals--in doing so providing step-by-step instruction for athletes and coaches alike. He addresses such modern methods as functional training, core-stability training, unilateral exercises, and metabolic training from a theoretical standpoint that fully supports his suggestions for application of appropriate exercises. Finally, he presents technical and perceptual aspects to developing speed and agility typically not addressed in training guides. This book will make a wonderful resource for students, coaches, and athletes who aspire to get the most out of training. Gamble's writing is accessible to all readers: he provides an erudite discussion of theory yet easily reaches an audience needing a more practical guide to developing these motor abilities. Intended primarily as a textbook, this volume will also be a useful resource outside the classroom. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. -- J. A. McClung, Berea College
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Religious Studies Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionVolf, Miroslav. A public faith: how followers of Christ should serve the common good. Brazos Press, 2011. 174p index; ISBN 9781587432989, $21.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In any election year, debates rage about the role of religion in public life. This excellent volume should be required reading for all candidates running for public Recommended office, among others. Volf (Yale Divinity School) here explores a position that he designates as "religious political pluralism." He rejects both religious totalitarianism and the "secular exclusion of all religions from public life." His goal is to offer an alternative to these unfortunate extremes. He explores malfunctions of faith, rejects idleness and coerciveness, and argues that "in order to counter malfunctions of faith, it is important for Christians to keep focused on God and on the proper understanding of human flourishing." Volf urges a faith engaged to mend the world: "to help people grow out of their petty hopes so as to live meaningful lives, and to help them resolve their grand conflicts and live in communion with others." This sharing is an act of love to sustain and promote peace. The politics of multiple communities then involves arguing productively as friends and not as enemies. Creative acts follow next, and make for a life worthy of being called good. Excellent notes and index. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- G. H. Shriver, emeritus, Georgia Southern University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionArai, Paula. Bringing Zen home: the healing heart of Japanese women's rituals. Hawai'i, 2011. 261p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780824835354, $52.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required When one thinks of Zen Buddhism, one thinks of an austere, monastic form such as Sōtō Zen that tends to concentrate on "sitting mediation." In Bringing Zen Home, Recommended Arai (Louisiana State Univ.) shows, through her relationships with 12 Japanese Buddhist women over 14 years, that Sōtō Zen's teachings are also at the root of a paradigm for healing in the home. After an extensive discussion in chapter 1, "Mapping the Terrain," which includes methodology and cross-cultural difficulties, the author illustrates that healing is at the center of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism: to move from suffering to the cessation of suffering. Here healing is not the result of action; it is not a process of curing or getting better. It is a mode of mindfulness in which one experiences interrelatedness, impermanence, and ultimate emptiness. Mindfulness changes domestic activities into Zen ritualized activities, including those bringing beauty and its healing power: calligraphy, painting, drawing, composing, flower arranging, nature viewing, and tea ceremony. These women have discovered that performing activities mindfully is a powerful means of experiencing interrelatedness, "opening the heart to accept reality as it is," and actualizing Buddha-nature. This excellent ethnographic study has relevance beyond its field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. F. Nefsky, emerita, University of Lethbridge Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionMacLeod, Sharon Paice. Celtic myth and religion: a study of traditional belief, with newly translated prayers, poems, and songs. McFarland, 2012. 235p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780786464760 pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr 254 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
CHOICE.
Required This well-organized, readable book (based on MacLeod's scholarship, teaching, and musical performances over 15 years) unites a widely scattered body of primary Recommended information on the myths, ritual practices, songs, cosmology, poetry, folklore, and symbolism created within and shared among the Celtic cultures of western Europe. The detailed bibliography clearly shows that the existing body of documentation on Celtic myth and religion includes many works no longer in print, or that are focused on a specific aspect of the subject. The use of shamanic perspectives as an analytical tool allows the separation and examination of such topics as wisdom texts and the nature of the supernatural and its relation to the world of humanity. The author's thoughtful review of the history of the survival of Celtic lore (and the growth of inaccurate portrayals of it by well-meaning scholars and philosophers, beginning in the late 18th century) and her deft use of a diverse array of new translations from several Celtic languages to illustrate specific points are particularly valuable. Though this is not a necessary work for academic collections, it is a good general volume on Celtic myth and religion. Summing Up: Recommended. Public libraries and some academic libraries; general readers. -- R. B. M. Ridinger, Northern Illinois University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionKierkegaard, Søren. Discourses at the Communion on Fridays, tr. by Sylvia Walsh. Indiana, 2011. 147p index afp ISBN 0-253-35673-3, $29.95; ISBN 9780253356734, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Walsh (Stetson Univ.) brings together and freshly translates 13 discourses by Kierkegaard (1813-55) intended for Holy Communion services. Seven of the Recommended discourses come from Kierkegaard's collection Christian Discourses (1848); three originate from an 1849 collection by Kierkegaard; one comes from his book, Practice in Christianity (1850); and two come from an 1851 collection on Communion on Fridays. Walsh begins this volume with a very helpful 33-page introduction that illuminates Kierkegaard's main intentions and themes in the Communion discourses. She observes that Kierkegaard's authorship as a whole, by his own report, culminates in the Communion discourses and thus achieves its "decisive point of rest" at the foot of the altar. The themes of human consciousness of sin and divine forgiveness of sin loom large in these discourses, and nicely summarize two of Kierkegaard's main concerns. The book is very nicely produced and has an excellent index. It will be a valuable resource for all libraries supporting religious studies, theological studies, philosophy of religion, and Kierkegaard studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- P. K. Moser, Loyola University Chicago Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionEvidence and religious belief, ed. by Kelly James Clark and Raymond J. VanArragon. Oxford, 2011. 214p bibl index afp ISBN 0-19-960371-5, $65.00; ISBN 9780199603718, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required These essays, bordering philosophy of religion and philosophical theology, explore varieties of evidentialism, the view that positive epistemic standing for religious Recommended beliefs requires evidence; and reformed epistemology, the Alvin Plantinga-inspired project of grounding warranted religious beliefs in proper functioning of human cognitive endowments. Elaborations on these themes and convergences between 255 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
them occupy essays by Linda Zagzebski (a consensus gentium argument), James Ross (arguing the ubiquity of faith underpinning all beliefs), Chris Tucker (arguing for phenomenal conservatism), and others. The drift makes the concept of evidence more complex in ways that are congenial to the defense of religious belief. Other essays expound the person-relativity of evidence (William Wainwright), and the alleged dependency of all beliefs on religious commitments (Thomas Crisp, following Descartes's appeal to God's guarantee of the trustworthiness of perceptions). The book features several interesting reprisals of classic theistic arguments (Stephen Evans, Thomas Kelly, William Rowe, and William Hasker). Elegance of argumentation gives this volume an interest beyond its presumptive chief audience--those who wish to track the progress of Plantinga- influenced inquiries into belief and evidence. There are also occasional historical aperçus, such as a point of Zagzebski's about Hume's essay "Of Miracles." Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners. -- J. Churchill, formerly, Hendrix College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionFeminism, sexuality, and the return of religion, ed. by Linda Martin Alcoff and John D. Caputo. Indiana, 2011. 194p index afp; ISBN 9780253356215, $70.00; ISBN 9780253223043 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This collection gathers essays from a 2009 Syracuse University conference titled "The Politics of Love." The contributors are less interested in "whether people Recommended believe in religion or god" than in "what the modern notion of religion has done in the world, what kinds of subjectivities it has produced ... what forms of inequalities, what conceptions of justice and freedom [it has] enabled and foreclosed." French feminist Hélène Cixous (Le Prénom de Dieu, 1967) reflects poignantly on her 40-year dialogue on God's existence with Jacques Derrida, her experience of his death, and her hopes for resurrection (i.e., "what one doesn't believe in"). Mark Jordan (Harvard Divinity School; Recruiting Young Love, CH, Sep'11, 49-0219) offers an essay titled "The Return of Religion during the Reign of Sexuality"; Saba Mahmood (Univ. of California, Berkeley; Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject, 2005) critiques the genre of women's anti- Islamic autobiographies so popular among feminists; Gianni Vattimo (emer., Univ. of Turin; The End of Modernity, CH, Nov'89, 27-1492) defends postmodern atheistic Christianity; and Sarah Coakley (Univ. of Cambridge; editor, Religion and the Body, 1997) explores a nonviolent, nonviolating conception of sacrifice. A thought-provoking roundtable transcript concludes this worthwhile, eclectic collection. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- S. Young, McHenry County College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionVecsey, Christopher. Following 9/11: religion coverage in The New York Times. Syracuse, 2011. 477p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8156-0986-8, $34.95; ISBN 9780815609865, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Vecsey (Colgate Univ.) provides a sweeping yet detailed account of the changing role of religion and the social perception of religion, using a detailed analysis of Recommended stories and editorials from The New York Times. Although the focus is on religion since 9/11, this book provides a broader context, noting the change in coverage of religion in The Times over the last century. The author discusses the impact of secularization on the declining coverage of religion, and the emergence of a 256 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
preponderance of journalists who themselves are not sympathetic to religious sentiments and movements. Coverage of religion becomes heightened only around issues involving the collision of religion and politics, such as the emergence of the Moral Majority, debates over evolution and creationism, and most notably the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing wars. Vecsey provides a microscopic analysis based on stories that have run in The Times. A central focus is Islam and its role in the so- called war on terror, and the impact of reporting on the social perception of Islam. This book highlights both the ability and limitations of the media to deal with complex religious issues. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. -- C. L. Kammer, The College of Wooster Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionSimmons, J. Aaron. God and the other: ethics and politics after the theological turn. Indiana, 2011. 376p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780253355928, $80.00; ISBN 9780253222848 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book is an encouraging sign about new directions in Continental philosophy-- and Continental philosophy of religion more specifically. Like Nick Trakakis in The Recommended End of Philosophy of Religion (2008), Simmons (Furman Univ.) bridges the lamentable gap between "analytic" discussions (which are the mainstream in North American philosophy) and voices in the Continental tradition (particularly French thinkers Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida, and Jean-Luc Marion, but also hearkening back to Kierkegaard). But rather than focusing on issues of epistemology, as so much philosophy of religion does, Simmons configures this conversation around ethics and politics. One need not affirm all of Simmons's conclusions to nonetheless receive this book as an important exercise that advances the conversation. His is a model to be emulated. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers/faculty. -- J. K. A. Smith, Calvin College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionBaker, Kelly J. Gospel according to the Klan: the KKK's appeal to Protestant America, 1915-1930. University Press of Kansas, 2011. 326p bibl index afp ISBN 0-7006-1792-2, $34.95; ISBN 9780700617920, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this well-written, persuasively argued book, Baker (Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville) shows that early-20th-century Ku Klux Klan members were not as Recommended removed from the 1920s religious and cultural mainstream as scholars who tout themes of tolerance in American history might desire them to be. The era from the 1910s to 1930s, which could be described as 30 years of "tribalisms," saw not only the Klan, but the rise of American eugenics, anti-Semitic quota systems, strict Jim Crow laws, and closed-door isolationist policies that kept nonwhite Protestant immigration to a minimum. Baker argues that the Klan, a racist white Protestant organization that reached its membership peak of four million in 1924, "was representative of 1920s America in its white supremacy, anti-Catholicism, anti- semitism, and other vices." In chapters on the movement's Protestantism, nationalism, racism, and gender discourses, Baker provides readers with the most detailed study of the early-20th-century Klan's religious concepts and practices to date. Her suggestion that the Klan's intertwining of nationalism and religion makes it part of the lineage of the American Right is particularly provocative, and sure to 257 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
stimulate some heated discussion. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- S. McCloud, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionDeConick, April D. Holy misogyny: why the sex and gender conflicts in the early church still matter. Continuum International Publishers Group, 2011. 182p bibl index ISBN 0-8264-0561-4, $24.95; ISBN 9780826405616, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required DeConick (Rice Univ.) documents the participation of women in the earliest leadership of Christian communities and then traces their steady exclusion from Recommended such roles in the developing Apostolic or Catholic Church. Alongside this narrative, she follows the persistent disputes among ancient Christians over the sinfulness or rightness of sexuality (marital and otherwise) and procreation. She concludes that both these themes ultimately reflect the ancient conviction that women's bodies are inferior to those of men but present such a strong temptation that men must be protected from their power. The later books of the New Testament reflect this notion, as do the interpretations of the creation story in Genesis that eventually dominated Christian thinking. DeConick therefore concludes that no religion based on the Bible can ever fully accept the equality of women in its leadership or its spiritual life. The book is academically rigorous, but at every point DeConick interprets her data in the light of her intended conclusion. Full documentation and bibliography are included, but readers should note that the last few chapters appear to have been written and edited in great haste. This volume is suitable for libraries at the intersection of women's studies, the history of Christianity, and theology. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- R. Goldenberg, SUNY at Stony Brook Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionJewish mysticism and Kabbalah: new insights and scholarship, ed. by Frederick E. Greenspahn. New York University, 2011. 250p index afp; ISBN 9780814732861, $25.00; ISBN 9780814732885 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This interesting and valuable, if somewhat uneven, collection of new essays on a wide variety of subjects related to the academic study of Jewish mysticism is aimed Recommended at educated nonacademics. Ten well-respected experts in their specific areas offer well-done contributions. The collection's unevenness is related to two main factors. First, the contributors take disparate approaches to their subjects. Second, the level of sophistication with which the essays are written varies considerably. Despite these problematic features the quality of the work presented is such that the volume is, on the whole, successful. Though the essays by Eitan Fishbane and Elliot Wolfson on the Zohar and Abraham Abulafia, respectively, are very different from the one on Safed by Lawrence Fine and the one titled "Mystical Messianism" by Matt Goldish, all four are valuable contributions. The same can be said of the dissimilar studies titled "Kabbalah at the Turn of the 21st century," by Jody Myers, and "Gender in Jewish Mysticism," by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson. In sum, libraries serving religion and Judaic programs will want to add this volume. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- S. T. Katz, Boston University 258 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionShaw, Jane. Octavia, daughter of God: the story of a female messiah and her followers. Yale, 2011. 398p bibl index afp ISBN 0-300-17615-5, $35.00; ISBN 9780300176155, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Shaw (formerly, Oxford) offers a superb account of the English Panacea Society and its autocratic founder, Octavia (Mabel Barltrop, 1866-1934). The Panaceans were Recommended heavily influenced by the writings of Joanna Southcott (1750-1814), who taught that God's child would appear on Earth to prepare for Christ's millennial reign. Anglican vicar's widow Barltrop adopted this role and organized a group of middle- aged women at Bedford, England, in 1919. Followers believed that she was God's daughter, that Christ would return to earth at Bedford--the New Jerusalem--and that the followers would never die. They developed a vigorous internal discipline; followed the guidelines of Octavia, who produced written messages from God; and reached beyond their small utopian community of 60-70 members to offer a mail- order healing ministry, promised to subscribers through water blessed by God's daughter. With access to the group's archives and to conversations with survivors, Shaw provides an account that is sympathetic and appreciative of Octavia's achievements. But Shaw also fully recounts Panaceans' internal struggles, rivalries, personal animosities, sex difficulties, and family problems, along with the group's growing rigidity, their distress over the death of God's daughter, and rejection of the Panaceans' views by most of the established English church and society. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- W. L. Pitts Jr., Baylor University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionMcKanan, Dan. Prophetic encounters: religion and the American radical tradition. Beacon Press, 2011. 326p index afp; ISBN 9780807013151, $34.95; ISBN 9780807013168 e-book, $31.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required In a time when political discourse sometimes seems dominated by the religious Right, it is refreshing to be reminded of the rich traditions of social critique Recommended grounded in the Left. Tracing the religious threads of the American radical tradition, or simply "the Left," McKanan (Harvard Divinity School) begins his definitive study with the reflection, "Everyone needs a history." From early labor movements, the abolition of slavery, temperance, utopianism, and women's suffrage in the 19th century to Prohibition, civil rights, pacifism, women's liberation, and gay rights in the 20th, McKanan discovers fascinating points of intersection between diverse voices for social change. He spotlights figures such as Frederick Douglass, John Brown, William Lloyd Garrison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard, Dorothy Day, Saul Alinsky, Martin Luther King Jr., and Starhawk, all of whom bring their prophetic encounters with spiritual realities to bear on the political realm. Although McKanan laments that the American radical tradition may have ended with the fall of communism in 1989, he is hopeful that the Left might aspire to fulfill the promises of the radical tradition with visionary responses to global climate change. This excellent volume is a must for all academic libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- P. K. Steinfeld, Buena Vista University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionCheah, Joseph. Race and religion in American Buddhism: white supremacy and immigrant adaptation. Oxford, 2011. 178p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199756285, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 259 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Cheah (Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT) explores the thesis that, in most instances, white supremacy operates in the US and western Europe as an "invisible Recommended standard of normality" for most white Buddhists. This is so, he argues, because the values and attitudes of white supremacy are often embodied by many white Buddhists even if they do not consciously embrace racial prejudice or white supremacy as they appropriate and adapt Asian Buddhist practices like meditation to white cultural values and norms. Cheah's test case is the experience of Burmese immigrant Buddhists as they adapt their practices to the demands of American culture. In the author's view, race and religion are so tightly bound together with white supremacy in the US and western Europe that Asian immigrant Buddhists have had to adapt their traditions to Western culture in order to maintain their religious identity. Although Cheah's test case is limited to the experiences of immigrant Burmese Buddhists, this book is a compelling account of how Buddhism in general has been received in the US and Europe. It is an excellent contribution to Buddhist studies in particular and the study of the dynamics of racism in religion in general. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- P. O. Ingram, emeritus, Pacific Lutheran University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionSardar, Ziauddin. Reading the Qur'an: the contemporary relevance of the sacred text of Islam. Oxford, 2011. 406p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199836741, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In keeping with his progressive stance, Sardar's goal in this work is to free the Qur'an from the controlling influence of the medieval exegetical tradition and, in Recommended the process, to open the text up to the light of reasoned reflection and critical methodology. Although Sardar (City Univ., London) is a committed Muslim who views the Qur'an as the word of God, he is also convinced of the place for critical methods in the analysis of the sacred text. He makes a serious effort to apply these methods to select portions of the Qur'an as a way of demonstrating the value of modern exegesis. The volume is divided into three parts: in part 1, Sardar takes up a discussion of the Qur'an's principal literary features; in part 2, he focuses attention on the first two surahs to demonstrate concretely the value of critical methodology; in parts 3-4, he addresses a range of contemporary issues--among them domestic violence, homosexuality, and suicide--in the light of his exegetical findings. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic libraries supporting lower- level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; public libraries serving general readers. -- M. Swartz, Boston University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionTeeter, Emily. Religion and ritual in ancient Egypt. Cambridge, 2011. 226p bibl index; ISBN 9780521848558, $85.00; ISBN 9780521613002 pbk, $28.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Focusing on the personal aspects of ancient Egyptian religion, rather than the intricacies of its mythology or the role of the king, Teeter (Oriental Institute, Recommended University of Chicago) offers readers the opportunity to explore Egyptian religious experience from the perspective of the individual. Indeed, this book might have been titled "Practical (or Personal) Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt." It proceeds thematically and thus assumes a certain amount of familiarity with ancient Egyptian chronology, geography, and mythology; it also includes many translations of Egyptian texts to complement the material evidence presented. Newcomers to the topic may feel overwhelmed in attempting to keep the 260 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
dynasties, kingdoms, and personal names straight, but in general the abundant translations are well chosen and contextualized. Teeter surveys an array of interlocking themes, though not always in equal detail; included are priests, festivals, communication with the dead, and magic. The final chapter on the Amarna period is a succinct, excellent presentation of the episode and its impact. The bibliography is scholarly and mostly in English; a brief paragraph with suggested further reading might have aided novice readers. An annotated chronology, several maps and plans, and the 18 color and 80 black-and-white images enhance the work. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. -- E. A. Waraksa, Loyola Marymount University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionStephens, Randall J. The anointed: evangelical truth in a secular age, by Randall J. Stephens and Karl W. Giberson. Belknap, Harvard, 2011. 356p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674048188, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Conservative American Christians often turn to different institutions and authorities to learn the "truth" about science, family life, and history. Stephens Recommended (Eastern Nazarene Univ.) and Giberson (emer., Eastern Nazarene) explore some of the individuals and institutions to which evangelicals turn, including the work of Kentucky's Creation Museum and the Institute for Creation Research, historical research on American origins done by David Barton's Wallbuilders, and the family life advice of James Dobson and Focus on the Family. The book also tells the story of a Christian college student who transferred from a fundamentalist college in Tennessee to a more liberal evangelical college in Massachusetts, showing how one person both inhabited and challenged networks of authority in searching for a personal faith. The book's final chapter explores the role of "anointing" for authority in evangelical circles and the reasons that some figures and institutions gain authority. With its coverage of wide-ranging figures and issues, the book reveals important facets of ways evangelicals maintain both their ideology and boundaries in what they perceive as a threatening culture. This insightful work is an important contribution to readers' understanding of the ways evangelicals maintain their self-identity and worldview. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. -- A. W. Klink, Duke University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionTucker-Worgs, Tamelyn N. The black megachurch: theology, gender, and the politics of public engagement. Baylor, 2011. 255p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781932792744, $39.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required This agile study of African American megachurches richly details the demographics, activism, beliefs, and cultural transformations that underlie the social force of Recommended these congregations. Tucker-Worgs (Hood College) examines issues such as the transition from protest to entrepreneurial intervention through community development organizations; gender patterns in megachurch leadership; and the pivotal role that theological traditions like conservative Evangelicalism and black liberation theology have played in shaping the mission and form of various congregations. One central theme is how African American churches position themselves with respect to the imperative of social justice. Tucker-Worgs demonstrates that the 149 predominantly black congregations addressed in this study have generated an array of responses--some more socially progressive and 261 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
emphasizing community well-being, others more conservative and devoted to theological purity and individual prosperity. All constitute one of the most important developments in the past three decades of American religious history: the explosive growth of megachurches. Solidly grounded in social-scientific research methods, this is unquestionably the definitive study of African American megachurches. It should stand for years to come as necessary reading for scholars and students of American religion. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above. -- S. A. Johnson, Indiana University Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionThe Cambridge companion to the Trinity, ed. by Peter C. Phan. Cambridge, 2011. 417p index; ISBN 9780521701136, $90.00; ISBN 9780521877398 pbk, $32.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Phan (Georgetown Univ.) more than delivers on the "Cambridge Companion" series' promise to provide an accessible introduction to important topics in Recommended religious studies. Along with tracing the biblical roots and the historical development of Trinitarian theology, these essays--written by a wide spectrum of Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic scholars--demonstrate the extensive influence of the Trinity in systematic theology, the life of the church, interreligious dialogue, and sociopolitical ethics. Offering an overview of the recent recovery and centrality of the Trinity within the theological landscape, the essays also make significant contributions to classical theology. Elaine Wainwright presents a compelling case for adopting a multilayered hermeneutical approach to interpreting scripture and naming God as triune. Miguel Díaz's essay from black, Latin American, and US Hispanic perspectives and Patricia Fox's chapter on feminist theologies bring to greater fullness talk about God from those who largely have been marginalized from classical Trinitarian reflection. Four different Trinitarian essays engage in comparative theological inquiry with Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. Overall this is an ideal companion-guide to travelers interested in Trinitarian theology. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. -- S. D. Klopfer, Georgetown College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionHartman, Laura M. The Christian consumer: living faithfully in a fragile world. Oxford, 2011. 256p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199746422, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This volume by Hartman (Augustana College) joins a number of other recent publications that focus on consuming from within a Christian ethical perspective. Recommended The author makes clear that her topic is consumption, not consumerism per se (though the latter will be affected by a critical look at consumption). Hartman draws widely on thinkers and activists across the theological spectrum, from prosperity preachers such as Creflo Dollar to ascetic sacrificers such as Dorothy Day. She cites evangelical, mainstream Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox thinkers, as well as more secular environmentalists. By the end of the book, readers will be challenged in numerous ways to place personal acts of consumption within a reflective, critical, and spiritually informed framework. The author's breadth of references does sometimes run the risk of including so many aspects of consumption that the focus of the book gets lost. Additionally, this book could have benefited from greater use of economic analyses. These would have grounded the author's ethical and spiritual reflections in empirical realities whose complexities make the moral obligation to consume with discretion even 262 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
more complicated. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- F. G. Kirkpatrick, Trinity College (CT)
Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionNovak, David. The image of the non-Jew in Judaism: the idea of Noahide law, ed. by Matthew Lagrone. 2nd ed. Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2011. 325p bibl index afp ISBN 1906764077 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9781906764074 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Novak (Univ. of Toronto) demonstrates an intimate acquaintance with Jewish law and philosophy in this work of impressive scholarship. Little changed from the first Recommended edition (CH, Feb'85), this second edition includes helpful chapter summaries and a lucid afterword by Matthew LaGrone (Univ. of Delaware). The book, with a focus that is narrower than the main title suggests, is a painstaking description and analysis of the concept of Noahide law in classic Jewish legal and philosophical texts. "Noahide" refers to the prohibitions against blasphemy, idolatry, murder, theft, sexual immorality, and eating the flesh of a living animal required of "the sons of Noah," or non-Jews, as fundamental moral obligations. Consideration of these laws has occasioned rich reflection on revelation/natural law, particularism/universalism, necessity/freedom, and self/other. Novak tracks the complex, inductive thinking of rabbis and philosophers on the significance of these prohibitions from the first century to the present. Although this is not a work for novices, Novak's account of the myriad ways that Jewish texts and thinkers have thought about "Others"--especially Christians and Muslims--provides historical and philosophical context for contemporary discussions of topics ranging from human rights to interreligious dialogue. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- S. Gowler, Berea College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionJefferson, Thomas. The Jefferson Bible: the life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth extracted textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French & English, essays by Harry R. Rubenstein, Barbara Clark-Smith, and Janice Stagnitto Ellis. Smithsonian ed. Smithsonian Books, 2011. 83p bibl afp; ISBN 9781588343123, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In 1820, former president Thomas Jefferson completed The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Popularly known as "Jefferson's Bible," it comprises 82 pages, Recommended each with the Greek, Latin, French, and English texts of the New Testament passages that Jefferson viewed as authentic purveyors of Jesus's life and ethical teachings. Jefferson literally cut and pasted this material onto blank sheets of paper. Casting out all passages that were, in his opinion, contrary to reason, he ended up with the one form of religion in which he believed. The largest part of this 2011 book is an exquisitely reproduced full-color facsimile of this older work-- the result of painstaking efforts by conservators at the Smithsonian and elsewhere, described in considerable detail in a chapter titled "Conservation." A preceding chapter, "History of the Jefferson Bible," puts this work within the context of Jefferson's life and the lives of contemporaries such as Benjamin Rush, Thomas Paine, and Joseph Priestley. Everything in this volume shows great care and erudition, and it deserves a place in almost every library. Nonetheless, readers might wish that more attention had been paid to the overall teachings of Jefferson's Bible and their influence on subsequent generations up to today. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through 263 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
researchers/faculty; general readers. -- L. J. Greenspoon, Creighton University
Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionJenkins, Philip. The next Christendom: the coming of global Christianity. 3rd ed. Oxford, 2011. 346p index afp ISBN 0199767467 pbk, $15.95; ISBN 9780199767465 pbk, $15.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required The first edition (CH, May'03, 40-5174) of this study by Jenkins (Penn State) of modern Christianity created a new way of thinking about Christianity in its history Recommended and in the modern world. Christian churches in Asia, Africa, and South America often were considered European and American colonial exports, but Jenkins challenged this convention by demonstrating that Christianity is--and throughout history has been--strongly established in Asia and Africa as a traditional and orthodox religion with a strong supernatural orientation. In this third edition, Jenkins argues that the future of Christianity--the new Christendom--belongs to the global South, and demonstrates this by tracing the expansion of Christianity in southern regions. He also devotes considerable attention to the conflicts between Christianity and Islam; differences between northern and southern churches regarding secularity, gender, and sexuality; economic and political issues involved in Third World Christianity; and the appeal of Pentecostal Christianity. Gracefully written and skillfully argued, The Next Christendom shows the many changes Christianity has undergone and its capacity to survive. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- L. J. Alderink, emeritus, Concordia College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionWandel, Lee Palmer. The Reformation: towards a new history. Cambridge, 2011. 281p bibl index; ISBN 9780521889490, $90.00; ISBN 9780521717977 pbk, $26.99. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Unique among Reformation textbooks, this volume by Wandel (Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison) integrates the European voyages of exploration into its analysis. Recommended Additionally, Wandel adroitly balances social and intellectual history, explaining how Reformation ideas created new mental frameworks of understanding and encouraged concrete changes in practices and material culture. For example, Wandel explains how different theological ideas among Catholic and Protestant traditions shaped the organization of worship space and the development and arrangement of ecclesiastical furniture. Her presentations of confessional positions are placed one after another, giving readers concrete points of comparison among Tridentine Catholic, Lutheran, reformed, and Anabaptist positions. Wandel devotes considerable attention to the Eucharist, which permits her to explore the range of Reformation understandings and questions about the relationship between the spiritual and the material. The entire first section, almost one-third of the book, is dedicated to the state of European understandings of faith, the world, and scripture immediately before the Reformation. This volume does not focus on biography or political history. Although it does not emphasize one tradition over another, it pays less attention to the Anglican Reformation. This textbook would be particularly suitable for an upper-level undergraduate course that covers the intellectual and social history of early modern Europe. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. -- G. J. Miller, Malone University 264 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionDweck, Yaacob. The scandal of Kabbalah: Leon Modena, Jewish mysticism, early modern Venice. Princeton, 2011. 280p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691145082, $69.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Seventeenth-century Venice was the capital of Hebrew printing and thus occupied a pivotal place in the wider dissemination of Kabbalah, which expounded esoteric Recommended dimensions of Jewish tradition. Leon Modena sought to counter Kabbalah's growing influence with his Ari Nohem (1639; "The Roaring Lion"), in part by refuting the claims to antiquity for the Zohar, the most canonical of kabbalistic sources. In this excellent monograph, Dweck (Princeton) situates Modena's literary activity in the polarity between print and manuscript, paying critical attention to the reading and writing practices informing these polemics. Dweck subtly illuminates personal levels in Modena's writings, through the relationships with his prized student, son-in-law, and grandson, just as he examines more public aspects of Venetian culture and politics. Modena's prescient criticisms of Zoharic authorship were undertaken alongside a spirited defense of Maimonides, whose Guide for the Perplexed Modena held up as the standard-bearer for rationalist Judaism. This is a meticulous work of scholarship, from its careful examination of ligatures in handwritten manuscripts to the nuanced ways in which Dweck outlines broader intellectual currents, such as early modern skepticism and the emergence of historical criticism. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- G. Spinner, Skidmore College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionDixie, Quinton H. Visions of a better world: Howard Thurman's pilgrimage to India and the origins of African American nonviolence, by Quinton H. Dixie and Peter Eisenstadt. Beacon Press, 2011. 246p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807000458, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Dixie (Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. at Fort Wayne) and historian Eisenstadt offer an outstanding and remarkable study of Howard Thurman's personal journey toward Recommended nonviolence. Combining biography and intellectual history, the book focuses on the "Pilgrimage of Friendship" in 1935-36 by a black delegation that included Thurman, his wife, and Edward and Phenola Carroll. Sponsored by the Student Christian Movements of the US, India, Ceylon, and Burma, they traveled to numerous cities in each Asian country. The highlight of the trip for Howard Thurman was a brief two-hour meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, who avowed that "it may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of nonviolence will be delivered to the world." After this inspirational trip, Thurman began to lay the foundations of a nonviolent challenge to the racial order in the US, establishing the interracial Fellowship Church. He also outlined his vision of a renewed Christianity in Jesus and the Disinherited (1949), which influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and other key leaders of the civil rights movement. This study also reveals the influence that the writings of Olive Schreiner, a South African feminist, had on Thurman. Both Schreiner and Thurman were nature mystics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. -- L. H. Mamiya, Vassar College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionWray, T. J. What the Bible really tells us: the essential guide to biblical literacy. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 249p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780742562530, $24.95; ISBN 9781442212930 e-book, $23.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 265 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required In her introduction, Wray (Salve Regina Univ.) states that Americans need to know what the Bible says because 81 percent of them believe that the Bible Recommended communicates God's truth(s) in some way. Yet Americans in general and college students in Bible classes in particular are remarkably ignorant about the Bible's contents--a point she proves with a "sixty-second super-easy Bible quiz" of five true/false questions that almost all of her college students fail the first day of class. After two chapters featuring general information about the history and the contents of the Bible, Wray explores seven issues discussed therein: pain and suffering, heaven and hell, wealth and riches, sexuality and gender, law and justice, the environment, and prayer and worship. The book's conclusion points readers to a list of resources for studying the Bible. This volume is not an introduction in the usual sense (i.e., a discussion of the individual books in the Bible), but instead an introduction to the basic issues for human readers, and to the Bible's overall take on those issues. With her fresh approach to "introducing" the Bible, Wray succeeds in broaching issues without trivializing them. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. -- P. L. Redditt, formerly, Georgetown College Faculty Member: Humanities \ ReligionRuether, Rosemary Radford. Women and redemption: a theological history. 2nd ed. Fortress, 2012. 332p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780800698164 pbk, $39.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Feminist theologian Ruether (Claremont Graduate Univ. and School of Theology) here offers an updated history of women and theology, ranging from the time of Recommended Jesus to coverage of indigenous feminists. She connects the contemporary work of theologians like Ada-Maria Isasi-Diaz and Mary Daly to 19th-century suffragists, the medieval Hildegard of Bingen, and the biblical Phoebe. In this helpful, updated introduction to feminist Christian theology (1st ed., CH, Jan'99, 36-2718), Ruether balances general history with particular personalities. Chapters conclude with thought-provoking research questions. Rather than being a work of feminist theology trying to rescue the role of women in Western history, this is a march through Christian history with an eye to women's role in making theology. Ruether also parses the relationship between secular and religious feminism in a way that puts them in conversation. The addition of a ninth chapter highlights the contributions of postcolonialism in feminist theology. The only hesitations with this book concern the very nature of feminist theology. The "young" theologians in this book, born in the 1940s-50s, are now in their 60s and 70s. Ruether makes much of an emerging interest in ecology among feminists, but does not give adequate attention to the history of this phenomenon. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates. -- K. A. Dugan, Northwestern University
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Social Sciences Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsLogan, Enid. "At this defining moment": Barack Obama's presidential candidacy and the new politics of race. New York University, 2011. 216p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780814752975, $75.00; ISBN 9780814752982 pbk, $23.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Logan's exciting, informative book on the sea change taking place regarding race and elections in the US is timely and important to the conversation on race and Recommended politics in the 21st century. Logan (sociology, Univ. of Minnesota) uses law, history, politics, and sociological data to show the impact of the white-originated postracial and colorblind narrative. Logan's most powerful section of the book may be the discussion of what she terms "in defense of the white nation." Logan incorporates the impact of Sarah Palin on the national discourse regarding race and politics. The "real America" that many conservatives longed for is clearly presented by Logan as an exclusivist vision of the nation. It is a nation that defines individuals as either a patriot or not, hardworking or lazy, and basically "us" or "them." It is clear that Logan understands not simply the rhetoric used here by politicians but also the impact that such rhetoric has on future elections. Logan's political stance is not always clear, which allows the reader to feel that the information is objective. The book is best suited for laypeople, political junkies, and those generally interested in the connections between race and politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, and graduate students. -- A. R. S. Lorenz, Ramapo College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyDrucker, Ernest. A plague of prisons: the epidemiology of mass incarceration in America. New Press, 2011. 226p index afp; ISBN 9781595584977, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Drucker (John Jay College of Criminal Justice) has produced an outstanding work whose research is as innovative as it is compelling for all social science academics, Recommended especially criminal justice faculty and scholars. The author has skillfully crafted an indictment against the discredited, misguided practice of the attenuated use of imprisonment in the US as a continually dysfunctional correctional policy. By brilliantly focusing on three key variables (gender, age, and social class) through the illuminating light of historically significant facts, Drucker provides irrefutable comparative data challenging flawed practices of the corrections system. The author challenges readers to dispute his facts and conclusions regarding the epidemic of prison construction and its use in correctional application. This enlightening text is a superb literary work of genuine lasting value that will stand prominently in the field of incarceration literature. Appropriate for any topic- related criminal justice or sociology-based course at either the graduate or undergraduate level. Enthusiastic and highest endorsement. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- R. M. Seklecki, Minot State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyHamer, Jennifer F. Abandoned in the heartland: work, family, and living in East St. Louis. California, 2011. 244p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520269316, $60.00; ISBN 9780520269323 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. 267 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required Hamer (American studies, Univ. of Kansas) has written an excellent volume that brings awareness to the plight of the critical mass of African Americans who Recommended experienced the disenfranchisement of black voters in the 2000 elections; the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina; the joblessness that is twice the number for whites; the victimization of discrimination in mortgage lending and housing; and a monumental 40 percent poverty rate for black children in the US in 2009. Hamer gives readers a microcosmic picture that illustrates the stories of residents of East St. Louis, a suburb formerly known for manufacturing and transportation and once designated an "All American City," now riddled with urban poverty and deindustrialization. The author takes readers on an ethnographic journey between 1996 and 2003 and introduces working-class families who live in a spiral of distress in a toxic environment with few municipal services and a decaying infrastructure, yet search for meaning and hope. Most important to these impoverished East St. Louis residents is to protect children and aged kin and build community networks to meet cumulative social, physical, cultural, and economic demands. Hamer's writing style paints a picture that allows students, particularly undergraduates, to "get" it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries. -- J. L. Burnett, Idaho State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyMessner, Timothy C. Acorns and bitter roots: starch grain research in the prehistoric Eastern Woodlands. Alabama, 2011. 195p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780817356491 pbk, $21.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The interaction between peoples and flora provides insights into resource selection, utilization, and ecological alterations. This important contribution Recommended provides an in-depth analysis of Woodland period people and plant interactions in the Middle Atlantic Delaware River watershed region. To accomplish this task, Messner (Smithsonian) constructed a regional starch grain comparative reference collection, establishing the largest published assemblage of economic starches in eastern North America. Using starch grain analysis, analyzing microscopic plant residues adhering to artifacts from 12 Woodland period archaeological sites, the author interprets the data from a biocultural perspective, giving attention to the physiologic implications of consumption in association with the selection of plant resources in local economies. To further comprehend flora selection and use, he draws on the evolutionary concept of niche construction that proposes that humans interact with their environment, altering it consciously and unconsciously, shaping the ecosystem. In an era of postprocessual interpretations in archaeology, it is refreshing to encounter a study that is firmly grounded in empirical data, enriched by theory. Readers will discover a clearly written study in association with an invaluable reference database that is a contribution to Eastern Woodland archaeology and ethnobotany. The work will certainly provide a foundation for further research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- G. R. Campbell, The University of Montana Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyAdoption by lesbians and gay men: a new dimension in family diversity, ed. by David M. Brodzinsky and Adam Pertman. Oxford, 2011. 266p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9780195322606, $37.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This informative, authoritative collection of 11 essays by leading experts challenges 268 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
the myth that lesbians and gay men are unfit to adopt and provides adoption Recommended professionals with best-practice standards. A number of contributions stand out. Annette R. Appell provides an overview of adoption law and concludes that the "overall trajectory for lesbian and gay adoption has been toward acceptance and accommodation rather than exclusion." Coeditor Brodzinsky's essay demonstrates that lesbians and gay men adopt children regularly and in large numbers. His research shows that although homophobic and heterosexist attitudes persist, the dominant trend is of "a growing willingness by adoption agencies to place children with lesbians and gays." Charlotte J. Patterson and Jennifer L. Wainwright's contribution, one of the best in the volume, demonstrates conclusively that children and adolescents who grow up with lesbian and gay parents are psychologically well adjusted and develop positively compared to others. This superbly successful collection shatters the misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding adoption by lesbians and gay men and should be widely disseminated among legislators, social workers, lawyers, judges, and the general public. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- E. W. Carp, Pacific Lutheran University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ GeneralDuany, Jorge. Blurred borders: transnational migration between the Hispanic Caribbean and the United States. North Carolina, 2011. 284p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807834978, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Anthropologist Duany's book is a comprehensive survey of migration and transnational practices between Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Recommended the US. The author seeks to bring the three nations--understood as exceptions-- into the same frame, highlighting similarities in the experiences of migrants and migration histories and systematically addressing differences. Duany (Univ. of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras) argues Cuba has too often been left out of analyses of transnationalism, perhaps because it predated the initiation of the contemporary era of transnational migration (after 1965), and because political relations between the US and Cuba have constrained practices that are more freewheeling and frequent for Dominicans, for example. Nonetheless, in an analysis that echoes Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodríguez de Tío's formulation of Cuba and Puerto Rico as un pájaro las dos alas (two wings of the same bird), Duany sees more common ground than difference, with variations of practices of transnationalism differing mainly in degree, not in character. The book has been compiled from several previously published essays, and the chapters are diverse, including material from two different ethnographic studies and a great deal of quantitative data. However, an overarching synthetic analytical frame links them together to make a convincing, readable, and comprehensive whole. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. F. Galvez, Lehman College/CUNY Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsMelusky, Joseph A. Capital punishment, by Joseph A. Melusky and Keith Alan Pesto. Greenwood, 2011. 207p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313335587, $49.95; ISBN 9781440800573 e- book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Capital Punishment provides an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to begin research on the death penalty. The book is divided into four sections: Recommended "History"; "Facts, Figures, and Methods of Execution"; "The United States Constitution and Capital Punishment"; "Arguments for and against the Death 269 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Penalty." Each section provides a coherent overview of the topic. In addition, footnotes are found at the end of each section rather than at the end of the book, which expedites the search for sources. The book concludes with three extremely useful appendixes: an annotated list of cases with the question that the case tried to answer; a capital punishment time line from 621 BCE to 2011; and a bibliography to guide further research. The book is well written and the information concise. In general, Melusky (St. Francis Univ.) and Pesto (US Magistrate Judge, Johnstown Division, US District Court for Western District Pennsylvania) accomplish their goal, namely, "to provide a balanced and evenhanded analysis of the issues." The targeted audience is, as they suggest, "public, high school, college, and university libraries." Highly recommended for these groups of readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. -- M. A. Foley, Marywood University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyComing of age in America: the transition to adulthood in the twenty-first century, ed. by Mary C. Waters et al. California, 2011. 242p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520270923, $60.00; ISBN 9780520270930 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required This book provides a unique look at the ways in which race, ethnicity, immigrant status, culture, social class, gender, and region of the country all impact (or not) Recommended the ability of young adults to attain markers of adulthood, including marriage, childbearing, employment, education, and home ownership. With an introduction and conclusion that provide the context for the book, each of the four middle chapters reports on original research conducted by the authors. The research takes place in different geographic locations--rural Iowa, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Diego, and New York City--and relies on different methodological approaches ranging from pure ethnography to the sophisticated analysis of large date sets. A must read for scholars interested in family sociology, transition theory, and/or race, class, and gender models. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. J. Hattery, George Mason University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Political TheorySajó, András. Constitutional sentiments. Yale, 2011. 382p index afp; ISBN 9780300139266, $75.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This thoughtful book seeks to "consider the role of emotions in constitutional law, accepting that one cannot understand human behavior and law as a purely rational Recommended venture." Sajó (Central European Univ.), a practicing judge at the European Court of Human Rights, offers a compelling legal and theoretical alternative to the positioning of reason and emotion as the extremes of jurisprudential thinking, while also explicating the pivotal function emotion assumes in constitutional design and law. The book consists of seven chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the author's argument on the behalf of a social constructivist concept of emotion, as well as the disadvantages of neglecting emotion more generally. The second chapter outlines the importance of "enhanced emotions" as defined by the French Declaration of Rights. The third and fourth chapters detail the role that the emotions of fear and empathy have assumed in modern politics. The fifth and sixth chapters articulate how emotion is pivotal to defenses of freedom of speech and assembly. The final, and arguably the most compelling, chapter argues for the importance of shame as a corrective emotion for past 270 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
injustices, and the "recognition of responsibility." Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- H. L. Cheek Jr., Gainesville State College
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsCushman, Clare. Courtwatchers: eyewitness accounts in Supreme Court history. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. 312p index afp; ISBN 9781442212459, $35.00; ISBN 9781442212473 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Cushman (director of publications, Supreme Court Historical Society) has written a truly entertaining and informative work on the nation's highest court. The chapters Recommended are organized around themes such as the first years of the Supreme Court, appointment and confirmation of justices, circuit riding, feuds among the justices, how justices manage their workload, oral argument, a justice's first year on the Court, stories by the law clerks, and how to know when to step down from the Court. Each chapter is completely infused with stories from those who were there, such as the justices, journalists, attorneys, spouses, children, and friends. Drawing from firsthand accounts, journals, letters, interviews, and books, the author has painted as rich a tapestry of life inside the Court as could possibly be imagined. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the history and culture of the Supreme Court. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- M. W. Bowers, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyDeep China: the moral life of the person: what anthropology and psychiatry tell us about China today, by Arthur Kleinman et al. California, 2011. 311p index afp; ISBN 9780520269446, $65.00; ISBN 9780520269453 pbk, $26.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required There may be no other country in the world that has undergone as many changes Recommended in the last 30 years as China. During this period, China has been transformed from an agricultural society into the second largest economy in the world. In addition to economic, political, and ideological changes during these fast-moving and sometimes turbulent years, the Chinese have gone through some fundamental transformations in their values, morals, and worldviews as well. Consequently, these transformations have impacted the mental and physical health of the Chinese people and their understanding of themselves. Deep China is a collection of extraordinary scholarly works by Harvard medical anthropologist Kleinman and seven Chinese anthropologists and psychiatrists. The issues examined are diverse, from family politics, sexual revolution, social injustice, and mental illnesses, to people's quests for happiness, justice, respect, contributions to the world, and so on. The authors have gone deeply into different geographic areas and populations of Chinese society to reveal people's emotional and moral adaptations to their fast-changing social and economic environments as well as their continuous exploration of the meanings of all of these transformations. A must-have for medical anthropology and China studies. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- A. Y. Lee, George Mason University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyEthnographic contributions to the study of endangered languages, ed. by Tania Granadillo and Heidi A. Orcutt- Gachiri. Arizona, 2011. 230p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780816526994, $55.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 271 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required This anthology is a valuable addition to the growing number of works on endangered languages. The volume's contributions all have an ethnographic Recommended approach to the subject and are case studies from a variety of cultures throughout the world. The authors discuss issues that have led to the endangerment of the language and that are involved in its revitalization. The 12 contributions are grouped into three parts: "Effects of Educational Policies," "Effects of Revitalization," and "Effects of Sociohistorical Processes." Each of the languages and cultures has its own story, which not only makes the book a fascinating read, but also effectively conveys the complexity of language loss and revitalization. For example, one chapter may attribute language loss in one culture to active suppression, while another chapter will discuss the role of beautiful scenery and real estate prices in language loss in a different culture. The book's foreword and afterword are themselves of great value and are written by important figures in the field, Jane Hill and Ofelia Zepeda. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- C. L. Thompson, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyFrench colonial archaeology in the Southeast and Caribbean, ed. by Kenneth G. Kelly and Meredith D. Hardy. University Press of Florida, 2011. 250p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8130-3680-1, $74.95; ISBN 9780813036809, $74.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The title says it all. These essays focus on archaeological materials such as tombstones, ceramics, house construction items, animal bones, and flora, etc.-- Recommended remains recovered at sites in South Carolina, Maryland, Biloxi, Nouveau Biloxi, and New Orleans in the US and French Guiana, Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, and French settlements along the American Gulf Coast. Contributors also discuss the archaeological potential of sites associated with the Second French-Chickasaw War and how old plantation sites can reveal the everyday life of slaves, a subject underreported in diaries and local histories. Especially interesting is an essay on foodways and the role of early cookbooks on developing French and Creole cuisine. However, the book's most important aspect is its rich discussions of the role of the French--political, economic, and cultural--in the colonial history of these regions, a role much neglected in many US history books covering the period up to American independence. In addition to the obvious--archaeology students and professionals--the book's audience should include teachers of US history in secondary schools and in introductory college classes. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. -- P. J. O'Brien, emeritus, Kansas State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyVander Ven, Thomas. Getting wasted: why college students drink too much and party so hard. New York University, 2011. 215p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780814788318, $70.00; ISBN 9780814788325 pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9780814788400 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Sociologist Vander Ven (Ohio Univ.) accomplishes his goal of raising the level of understanding about the circumstances of getting wasted. His sociological Recommended approach utilizes symbolic interaction to investigate the phenomenon of binge drinking on college campuses. Nearly 500 students at three four-year universities shared their drinking stories. The data were enhanced by 25 intensive interviews that allowed the researcher to shed light on the social nature of drinking. He is 272 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
clear that college drinkers drink to get obliterated; reasons include "it's game day," "school's out," and peer pressure. Vander Ven maintains that getting wasted is an intoxication process starting with intoxication management and ending with the postintoxication experience. Chapters 4 and 5 illustrate the seriousness of getting wasted. The discussions concerning drunk support and crisis management are strengths of this work. Vander Ven leaves readers with three reasons for the persistence of binge drinking: belief in systematic, socially facilitated strategies to avoid trouble; association of social awards with drunkenness; and social support extended by co-drinkers when trouble arises. A must read for undergraduates, students, faculty and administration, and parents. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- A. A. Hodge, Buffalo State College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsGoverning at home: the White House and domestic policymaking, ed. by Michael Nelson and Russell L. Riley. University Press of Kansas, 2011. 326p index afp; ISBN 9780700618101, $39.95; ISBN 9780700618118 pbk, $19.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Two leading presidency scholars gathered other scholars together with domestic policy advisers from past presidential administrations in 2009 for a two-day Recommended symposium at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs. Their purpose was to explore the complex and sometimes-mysterious world of domestic policy making in the US. Nine White House alumni joined the scholars for extensive discussions of how policy was made and the structures and processes through which decisions were made in various modern presidential administrations. The result was an excellent collaboration of scholars and practitioners that produced a valuable, important, and highly readable work that is certain to impact future presidential administrations as well as the study of policy making. The scholars who participated are among the best in the nation, and the practitioners were candid and forthcoming in their reflections. Various important "lessons" were derived from this symposium (see the chapter by Bruce Miroff) and are likely to be employed by future administrations. This book is highly recommended for college audiences and the politically interested public. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, and graduate students. - - M. A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyHuman rights, suffering, and aesthetics in political prison literature, ed. by Yenna Wu and Simona Livescu. Lexington Books, 2011. 216p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780739167410, $65.00; ISBN 9780739167427 e- book, $64.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Interest in prisons, particularly in the US, has been increasing in the past ten years or so, but for the most part the interest has led to scholarly or popular books Recommended detailing the extent of incarceration. Works devoted to prison writing have tended to be anthologies--among the recent ones, Bell Gale's Doing Time (2011). The current volume is surprising in that Yu (comparative and Chinese literature, Univ. of California, Riverside) and Livescu (PhD candidate, UCLA) focus on the aesthetics of past and present political prison literature, from Mao's forced-labor camps to Morocco's gender-biased justice system. The "aesthetics" in general--whether marked by decentered "rhizomatous forces" (to quote Yu) or articulating a quest for freedom--is seen in relation to the central problem of the material: the inexpressibility of the political prisoner's experience. Steering clear of broad 273 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
sociological theories about repression or authoritarianism, the essays have a laudable sobriety, treating prison writings as imperfect evocations of torture, attempts at resistance, and even expressions of happiness in captivity. The wide geographical scope of the volume adds to the sense of objectivity. A fascinating and welcome book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; faculty; general readers. -- R. K. Mookerjee, Eugene Lang College, The New School for the Liberal Arts Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsAnawalt, Howard C. Idea rights: a guide to intellectual property. Carolina Academic, 2011. 266p index afp; ISBN 9781594603136 pbk, $37.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required This guide is not a reference tool but an excellent text for students, scholars, legal professionals, and the general public. With its practical examples, illustrations, and Recommended case studies, laypeople will find it very readable. Others will appreciate its incorporation of tables of principal legal authorities and numerous footnotes, mostly referring to case law. After the initial chapter on intellectual property, Anawalt (emer., Santa Clara Univ. School of Law) provides detailed chapters on patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. The final two chapters are titled "Other Legal Theories" and "Policy." The first deals with topics like fairness, privacy, contracts, and antitrust, and ends with legal remedies. "Policy" details current issues like privacy, length of copyright/trademark protection, and intellectual property as capital. Suggestions for legal alternatives and changes are put forward as ways to balance private versus public interest. Readers will find that the impact of the Internet permeates this volume. The appendix is an Internet case study with excerpts of documents from the Perfect 10 v. Google court case. This book's only major weakness is editorial, with many typos and deleted words evident throughout the text. A comparable source is Richard Stim's Patent Copyright and Trademark (11th ed., 2010). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. - - M. M. Strange, formerly, University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsGrossman, Joanna L. Inside the castle: law and the family in 20th century America, by Joanna L. Grossman and Lawrence M. Friedman. Princeton, 2011. 443p index afp; ISBN 9780691149820, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The history of American law is the story of the American family. The book describes how the law both reflects and seeks to mold conceptions of what a family is and Recommended who its members are. Covering four sections and 14 chapters, Grossman (law, Hofstra Univ.) and Friedman (law, Stanford Univ.) begin by discussing marriage law, tracing it back from the British origins through state laws defining who could get married and legal remedies for those left alone at the altar. Part 2 looks to the rise of sexual freedom, the decline of traditional marriages, and the emergence of cohabitation and same-sex marriages as redefining the family. Part 3 discusses the transformation of divorce law and the way it affected issues such as alimony and child support. The last section looks to the role of reproductive technologies in defining parenthood as well as to inheritance, parental duties, and extended families in challenging contemporary views of the household. The conclusion is that the family has undergone dramatic change in America since 1787, and will evolve as new social practices emerge. Excellent for collections on American law, 274 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
history, family, and gay/lesbian/transgender politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- D. Schultz, Hamline University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsPillar, Paul R. Intelligence and U.S. foreign policy: Iraq, 9/11, and misguided reform. Columbia, 2011. 413p index afp; ISBN 9780231157926, $29.50; ISBN 9780231527804 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Pillar (Georgetown Univ.) offers an enlightening glimpse into the relationship between intelligence and foreign policy makers. His primary example is in the Recommended decision to invade Iraq. After the 9/11 attack, policy makers were convinced that Iraq was to blame. The president appointed a commission to investigate the matter. Most of the members were neoconservatives who were convinced of Iraq's guilt. The CIA was much more circumspect, as its national intelligence estimates reflected. Nonetheless, the agency's analyses were overlooked, or worse, not read. When the presumptions of Iraq's guilt proved false, the national security community blamed the event on faulty intelligence. The intelligence community tries to provide decision makers with relative probabilities, not accurate predictions. In the case of Iraq, it was difficult to get policy makers to reexamine their presumptions. Intelligence analyses, no matter how good or flawed, are virtually useless in such an environment. Reform of the intelligence community was the administration's response. However, this only created additional layers of bureaucracy. This is a well-written effort by a former intelligence officer and academician. Hopefully, members of the national security community and their staffs will read and benefit from it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. -- A. C. Tuttle, emeritus, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsJustice and the American metropolis, ed. by Clarissa Rile Hayward and Todd Swanstrom. Minnesota, 2011. 267p bibl index afp (Globalization and community, 18); ISBN 9780816676125, $75.00; ISBN 9780816676132 pbk, $25.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This excellent collection of essays on topics ranging from inequality in cities and suburbs to redevelopment planning, voting rights, and institution-building to help Recommended poor people, particularly in the suburbs, is a welcome addition to recent work on sociospatial justice. Hayward (Washington Univ.) and Swanstrom (Univ. of Missouri) have brought together a fine group of scholars to examine ways to highlight and overcome "thick injustice," a situation where unjust power relations and institutional structures segregate space by race and class in a manner that can be difficult to see and even more difficult to assign responsibility. In chapter 1, the editors examine theories of justice from the perspectives of Marx, John Rawls, Michael Walzer, and Robert Nozick. Thereafter, the book is split in four parts that investigate the roots of justice in the metropolis, metropolitan inequality, planning for justice, and justice and institutions. As such, this volume covers a broad range of topics, although one area that is largely missing from the discussion is environmental justice. Despite this, the book is highly recommended to planners, policy makers, political scientists, geographers, and others interested in making the metropolis a more just, equitable, and inclusive place. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate 275 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
students, and research faculty. -- B. Hanlon, Ohio State University
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsHudson, David L., Jr. Let the students speak!: a history of the fight for free expression in American schools. Beacon Press, 2011. 195p index afp; ISBN 9780807044544 pbk, $17.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This is an extraordinarily valuable book on the history of free speech in US schools. Hudson (Vanderbilt Univ. Law School) uses law, history, politics, and related social Recommended sciences to demonstrate the changes regarding free expression in schools over the past several generations. His discussion of cases from the 1800s is especially helpful because a great deal of the focus is on contemporary cases. Rather than simply presenting the cases, their contexts, and the Supreme Court's rationales, he explains the sociolegal significance of each case. The most powerful section of the book may be the discussion of what Hudson terms "a new era." He recounts cases that hold great precedential value and presents their future value in a way that allows readers to see their importance. The final chapters of the book lead to a most valuable discussion about the prospects for free speech in schools in the future. Hudson's tempered hope matches his biting analysis that schools may be producing citizens ill equipped to govern themselves. This innovative, highly intellectual book is best suited for the laypeople, legal scholars, and others interested in the connections between civil liberties and democracy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- A. R. S. Lorenz, Ramapo College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyTatum, Charles M. Lowriders in Chicano culture: from low to slow to show. Greenwood, 2011. 223p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313381492, $55.00; ISBN 9780313381508 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required With a pedigree firmly rooted in the evolution of the US automobile, lowriders trace their origins to the low-slung custom cruisers and social clubs of the 1930s- Recommended 40s. Mexican immigrants of that time were drawn to Latino mutual aid societies in their quest for kinship, camaraderie, and support. While African Americans are similarly identified with the lowrider automobile, it is the Chicano youth variant of the now internationally famous lowrider phenomenon that constitutes the subject of this book. From the outset, Tatum (Spanish, Univ. of Arizona) acknowledges that he sought to address lowrider culture for the broadest possible audience. Consequently, the jargon and theoretical meanderings that so often characterize more academic treatments are absent here. Nevertheless, the author addresses a whole host of invaluable social science and Chicano studies issues and topics, and does so with particularly critical and astute observations pertaining to both Chicanos and Chicanas and the broader history and heritage of the US Southwest. In this latter sense, Tatum has succeeded in producing a classic treatment of one of the most iconic symbols of the Chicano cultural tradition. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- R. G. Mendoza, California State University, Monterey Bay 276 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyOne hundred years of kibbutz life: a century of crises and reinvention, ed. by Michal Palgi and Shulamit Reinharz. Transaction, 2011. 347p index afp; ISBN 9781412842297, $59.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required What ever happened to the Israeli kibbutz, that great social experiment in communal living and economic production that seemingly faded away some Recommended decades ago? This marvelous collection examines the causes, processes, and paths of change that led to a transformation of kibbutz society in a quickly evolving, new nation-state. While some of the material is derived from traditional and oral history sources, literary and sociological research contributes other valuable data, especially regarding spousal and family relations and attitudes and values. A bit of ethnographic observation would have added more presence and insight into the real effects of both radical and potential evolutionary alteration in these communities. Also, as usual, not much attention is paid to the religious kibbutz movement, where change seems to be far less sweeping. Otherwise, there is much well-presented information on re-establishment of the nuclear family, the kibbutz as a bedroom community rather than an integrated work commune, the rise of materialism, outside and foreign workers in the agricultural/industrial sphere, eco- Zionism, shifting ideologies, etc. Clearly, the kibbutz is alive and well and ... different. This is currently the best source to learn about it. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- L. D. Loeb, emeritus, University of Utah Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsRose, Richard. Popular support for an undemocratic regime: the changing views of Russians, by Richard Rose, William Mishler, and Neil Munro. Cambridge, 2011. 206p bibl index; ISBN 9781107009523, $85.00; ISBN 9780521224185 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Rose (Univ. of Aberdeen, Scotland), Mishler (Univ. of Arizona), and Munro (Univ. of Edinburgh, Scotland) have put together a very useful book that achieves four Recommended objectives. First, the study is rooted in the New Russia Barometer data set that includes 18 surveys of Russian public opinion gathered by the Levada Center from 1992 to 2009. Second, the authors utilize those data to defend their thesis that popular support for the regime has increased steadily over the past two decades, in spite of the fact that the regime itself has moved away from democratic promises and become a "sovereign democracy." There are two explanations: this type of democracy fits with perceptions of the Russian national tradition level, and democratic practices, such as elections, look better than they did in Soviet times. Third, the book interweaves statistical analysis with an informative summary of key political developments. Fourth, the authors carefully link the level of regime support to broad categories of variables such as social differences, political performance, and economic conditions. Overall, the work is an important contribution to scholarship that spotlights the unexpected linkage between public support and regimes that do not live up to democratic expectations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, and graduate students. -- J. W. Peterson, Valdosta State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyTattersall, Ian. Race?: debunking a scientific myth, by Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle. Texas A&M, 2011. 226p bibl index afp (Texas A&M University anthropology series, 15); ISBN 9781603444255, 277 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
$35.00; ISBN 9781603444774 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required American Museum of Natural History curators Tattersall and DeSalle critique the validity of using race as a heuristic device for the classification of humans for the Recommended scientific investigation of human diversity. The authors note that although expansion of Homo sapiens out of Africa (divergence) naturally led to genetic and morphological differences among populations, from an evolutionary standpoint most of this variation accumulated within a relatively short time frame, and ongoing and accelerated global reintegration through contact and interbreeding makes the use of racial classification a "hopeless and counterproductive task." The book includes a succinct history of racial classification in Western science, offers an evolutionary perspective, and evaluates the relatively recent use of racial classification to study population-based genetic differences of medical importance and applications in forensic science. This well-written, enjoyable book should be suitable for a broad range of readers interested human diversity, its origins, and its future. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. -- S. D. Stout, Ohio State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsReaching for a new deal: ambitious governance, economic meltdown, and polarized politics in Obama's first two years, ed. by Theda Skocpol and Lawrence R. Jacobs. Russell Sage Foundation, 2011. 448p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780871548559 pbk, $27.50; ISBN 9781610447119 e-book, $27.50. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required This excellent collection of essays examines policy success and failure during the first two years of the Obama administration. As the title suggests, a major theme Recommended of the book involves evaluating the administration's attempt to produce New Deal- style reform in the midst of a major economic crisis. Identified barriers to this goal include the asymmetrical polarization of the political landscape, with Republicans moving far to the Right, and the timing of economic collapse, which, unlike in the 1930s, placed the reform administration in power at the beginning of the crisis rather than at its trough. Both factors made it more difficult for the administration to push for adequate economic stimulus or more fundamental systemic change. Nevertheless, the contributors find considerable, if imperfect, policy successes, especially in the areas of health care, education, and financial regulation. Key to these reforms is the space these changes open up for future reform efforts at various levels of government--for instance, a health care waiver would allow Vermont to pursue a single-payer system. Policy failures include immigration reform and promised progressive changes in labor, energy, and tax policy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- S. E. Horn, Everett Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsJaffrelot, Christophe. Religion, caste, and politics in India. Columbia, 2011. 802p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231702607, $90.00; ISBN 9780231702614 pbk, $30.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Jaffrelot is prolific French political scientist who directs the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Europe. He has researched and written extensively on Recommended South Asia, focusing on India and Pakistan. His present volume gathers very informative articles and other works that he has written since the 1990s into a 278 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
unified work. Indian politics are described in detail in this very clearly written and large book, which presents readers with a rich body of details about contemporary Indian politics, especially as they relate to religion and to the caste system. Indian nationalism, the rise of Hindu nationalism, and the rise of the untouchables (Dalits) and other lower-caste Indians in the postcolonial era are described in great detail. Some aspects of contemporary politics are explained with historical sketches of the development of Indian politics under the British. These give general readers a fascinating view of Indian political development over the last 200 years. In contrast, recent events involving interreligious communal conflicts, political actors, and party politics are powerful. Well written and wonderfully informative, this is a major book on Indian politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- A. J. Waskey, Dalton State College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ International RelationsCaldwell, Dan. Seeking security in an insecure world, by Dan Caldwell and Robert E. Williams Jr. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. 317p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781442208032, $90.00; ISBN 9781442208049 pbk, $39.00; ISBN 9781442208056 e-book, $38.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In this second edition of their well-received survey (1st ed., CH, Dec'06, 44-2361), Caldwell and Williams (both, Pepperdine Univ.) offer an exceptional overview of Recommended international security challenges and the status of threats to both states and individuals. Seeking Security in an Insecure World is a sober reminder that while the threat of interstate war has severely diminished in the developed world, developing nations remain plagued by political instability, civil wars, crime, infectious diseases, and persistent environmental challenges. The transnational nature of these problems has led to a progressive securitization of issues not previously perceived as part of a dynamic threat environment, and necessitates that state-centered security paradigms give way to new realities--including the fact that human security is very often threatened by the very states responsible for its assurance. This updated book is a measured and comprehensive appraisal of the contemporary security environment. While the authors offer advice and suggestions for policy moving forward, the level of insecurity presented as endemic to 21st-century geopolitics is such that it leaves the reader intellectually challenged yet highly concerned about the prospects for international security in the near term. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- M. O'Gara, Rocky Mountain College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ GeneralAlmeling, Rene. Sex cells: the medical market for eggs and sperm. California, 2011. 228p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520270954, $60.00; ISBN 9780520270961 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Sociologist Almeling (Yale) has written an engrossing and revealing account of how bodily goods are redefined as commodities, assigned an economic value, and Recommended marketed as products. Although the sale of human organs is illegal, sperm donors and egg donors are paid for their gametes. The author addresses this seeming inconsistency by drawing on sociological theories to examine how socially constructed definitions of biology and gender shape the market for bodily goods. While sperm and eggs contribute equally to the formation of a zygote, they are not assigned equal values as saleable commodities, nor are donors viewed similarly. 279 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
The culturally determined gender expectations that lead to the definition of a sperm donor as performing a job, and an egg donor as giving a gift, are partly responsible for the marked differences in the experiences of the men and women who are chosen to donate. From her interviews with donors and recipients as well as with physicians and staffs of egg agencies and sperm banks, Almeling explores gamete donation from the perspectives of people who have experienced various parts of the process. A fascinating window into a part of modern technology that is well known, but not well understood. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- C. Apt, South Carolina State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsShari'a politics: Islamic law and society in the modern world, ed. by Robert W. Hefner. Indiana, 2011. 329p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780253356277, $80.00; ISBN 9780253223104 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The volume edited by Hefner (anthropology, Boston Univ.) includes essays that analyze the status of Islamic law in eight countries. In Saudi Arabia and Iran, shari'a Recommended has a consolidated position in the legal system and receives popular support. In Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Egypt, shari'a is constitutionally established, but its implementation continues to be a contested issue. The other three countries reflect more diversity and complexity. In Nigeria the federal state is secular, while shari'a is in place in most of the Muslim-majority states; in Indonesia the federal state is secular, while legal codes based on shari'a were passed in 53 of 470 districts and municipalities; and Turkey is a centralized secular state. Chapters examine the impacts of colonization, state-building, and local traditions, as well as the roles of governmental and societal actors, on the diverse practices of Islamic law. The contributors successfully expose both opponents and proponents of shari'a in a balanced way. This interdisciplinary book challenges various misperceptions about Islamic law by revealing the dynamic relationships among the state, society, and shari'a in significant cases. It is a must reading for those who are interested in Islam, law, and politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- A. T. Kuru, San Diego State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ GeneralSmashed!: the many meanings of intoxication and drunkenness, by Peter Kelly et al. Monash University, 2011. 229p bibl indexes; ISBN 9780980651287 pbk, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required The study of alcohol drinking presents a complicated journey through societal ambivalence. Alcohol is a social lubricant that enhances sociability and a social ill Recommended that sparks aberrant behavior. This interesting, well-written book draws on multiple scholarly, professional, and popular perspectives to unravel the ambiguous meanings of intoxication and drunkenness. Highlighting the contemporary experiences in Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK, the authors trace the history of mixed messages concerning intoxication and drunkenness. They show how modern media outlets continue to struggle with the ambiguous nature of intoxication and drunkenness, which further obfuscates the understanding of drink and society's attempts to resolve drinking-related problems. The lack of certainty among medical experts and psychologists has also complicated the efforts of public officials and policy makers who are faced with the day-to-day challenge of curbing alcohol-related problems. The authors foreground 280 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
individual attitudes toward drinking and explore alcohol's role in reducing individual accountability. This important study sheds new light on the societal tensions that shape the many meanings of intoxication and drunkenness. It is a must read for scholars, medical experts, policy makers, and media personnel engaged in discussion about alcohol. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- F. H. Smith, College of William and Mary Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyStuntz, William J. The collapse of American criminal justice. Belknap, Harvard, 2011. 413p index afp; ISBN 9780674051751, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Noted former Harvard law professor Stuntz (d. 2011) contends that unlike many works on criminal justice written by specialists in economics, history, sociology, Recommended psychology, or legal studies, his work seeks to provide an overview of a system of justice that is all but fatally flawed, grossly ineffective, and highly discriminatory. Stuntz's generalist approach is motivated by his desire to provide a critical assessment of US criminal justice and much-needed corrective suggestions, the latter of which, he maintains, are all too often missing in the work of scholars whose discipline-inspired isolation seldom allows for effective communication across formal academic boundaries. Of particular interest is the author's claim that the elimination of local democratic control over the administration of justice and the unbridled use of discretionary powers of arrest and prosecution by police and prosecutors have produced a dysfunctional system in which little justice is to be found. Summing Up: Essential. All academic and public libraries, as well as undergraduates, graduates, and faculty. -- P. Lorenzini, Saint Xavier University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ GeneralKnowles, Scott Gabriel. The disaster experts: mastering risk in modern America. Pennsylvania, 2011. 347p index afp; ISBN 9780812243505, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Experience provides wisdom if one learns. Wisdom is valuable only if people use what they learn. Safety is an option in risky circumstances, but people are often Recommended unaware that they have made critical, if not deadly, decisions, decisions that experts knew they might make. Such decisions could have been avoided had other factors not interfered. Historian Knowles (Drexel Univ.) traces the threads of risk (probabilistic danger) arising from modern urban development and illuminates those who attempted to minimize them. He examines hazards (urban fires, electrification, vertical construction, nuclear weapons, terrorism, technology, and human occupation of natural environments) and the past and potential future causes of major urban catastrophes. Knowles adroitly chronicles in fine historical detail the emergence of the experts (and their intellectual disciplines) who worked to understand and mitigate the constantly changing human and technological landscapes of urban risk. Their greater struggle, however, was (and still is) for their messages to be heard over the din emanating from promoters of progress, profit, growth, and wealth. Unfortunately, hazard reduction efforts in the US have been too often regarded as inconvenient and costly and conflict with more important-- ironically, selfish--goals. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- J. P. Tiefenbacher, Texas State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyFalk, Dean. The fossil chronicles: how two controversial discoveries changed our view of human evolution. California, 2011. 259p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520266704, $34.95. Reviewed in 281 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
2012apr CHOICE.
Required Falk (Florida State Univ.), a physical anthropologist whose research focuses on the evolution of the brain and cognition in humans and other primates, has written an Recommended excellent book that details several important 20th-century discoveries of hominin (prehuman) fossils. More than that, the author presents a lively examination of how the science of human ancestry is supposed to work, but often does not. Two finds take center stage: the 1924 discovery of the Taung child in South Africa, and the 2003 discovery of the three-and-a-half-foot-tall woman, widely known as Hobbit, on Flores Island, Indonesia. Falk herself played (and continues to play) a major role in the unfolding story of Hobbit (and at least seven other individuals), which Falk and other paleoanthropologists contend represents a new species (Homo floresiensis). A competing view is that the small-statured individuals represent microcephalic modern humans. Evidence is shifting decidedly toward the former proposition, but Falk's point is that deeply rooted scientific beliefs--for example, that Homo sapiens must be the only extant human species--have consistently retarded the growth of paleoanthropological knowledge. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Interested laypersons, scientists, and students of all levels. -- M. J. O'Brien, University of Missouri--Columbia Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsBleich, Erik. The freedom to be racist?: how the United States and Europe struggle to preserve freedom and combat racism. Oxford, 2011. 205p bibl indexes afp; ISBN 9780199739684, $99.00; ISBN 9780199739691 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required A classic dilemma of democratic republics is balancing private rights with public good. Bleich (Middlebury College) argues that racism creates one of the most Recommended challenging of these balances in liberal democracies. The central question is, how can liberal democracies foster freedom and combat racism? To examine this subject, Bleich carefully compares historical developments in multiple national and cultural contexts. The book makes an outstanding effort to draw comparisons among the US, Britain, Denmark, and Germany, and throughout European political parties and groups. The trend is toward limiting both freedom and racism, although there are exceptions. For example, the American experience has led to enhanced freedom for racist expression while simultaneously legislating against hate crimes and discrimination, effectively punishing racists for their opinions. Bleich concludes that citizens themselves must decide how much freedom may be risked to oppose racism based on national and historical circumstances, and to rely less on courts and more on elected leaders and representative institutions to lead society toward a culture of antiracism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. -- A. R. Brunello, Eckerd College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ International RelationsThe Middle East and the United States: history, politics, and ideologies, ed. by David W. Lesch and Mark L. Haas. 5th ed. Westview, 2011. 540p index afp; ISBN 9780813345291, $50.00; ISBN 9780813345307 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. 282 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Required In this fifth edition of a respected text, Haas (Duquesne Univ.) joins longtime editor Lesch (history, Trinity Univ.) for the first time. The focus of this collection of essays Recommended remains on 20th-century US foreign policy in the Middle East region, but the editors have broadened the focus beyond the original first edition (CH, Sep.'96, 34- 0560) and the previous edition (2007). They have included three new chapters: US relations with Syria, Iran's American policies, and US relations with al Qaeda. They have also removed chapters covering the 1958 US intervention in Lebanon, the US- PLO relationship, the US-Kuwait relationship, and the US role in Iraqi decision making from 1988 to 1990. And they have commissioned revisions of several other chapters, making this volume an indispensable resource for understanding contemporary US policies in the region. Future editions will need to address more extensively the changes unleashed by the pro-democracy movements of the Arab Spring, which crested after the book went to press. Overall, however, this volume remains an authoritative resource for practitioners and academics, for students in courses in US foreign policy or modern Middle Eastern history, and for the general reading public. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- S. Waalkes, Malone University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Political TheoryGreenfield, Kent. The myth of choice: personal responsibility in a world of limits. Yale, 2011. 244p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300169508, $27.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Greenfield (law, Boston College Law School) examines the frequently ignored limitations to the idea of choice. In the first two chapters he establishes the central Recommended social importance of the concept. But in the following two chapters he illustrates how subconsciously determined behavior and cultural norms serve as constraints on real choice. Chapter five features the famous Milgram electric shock experiment, which demonstrated the powerful effect of authority on individuals, an effect Greenfield sees as replicated in many social contexts. Next Greenfield rejects the market as an arena of self-interested choice, arguing that many individual decisions are irrationally based. Nor, he contends, can choice serve as the key attribute of personal responsibility. In the penultimate chapter Greenfield criticizes the stance of judicial neutrality and suggests that a more useful approach to judging would invoke intellectual empathy on the part of the judge. The final chapter contains suggestions for policy initiatives that could make choice more meaningful. This book is exceptionally well written and a pleasure to read. The author's examples are right on target, and his arguments for limiting the (often hyperbolic) rhetoric of rationality are both clear and convincing. Summing Up: Essential. General readers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. -- R. Heineman, Alfred University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsKarolewski, Ireneusz Pawel. The nation and nationalism in Europe: an introduction, by Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski and Andrzej Marcin Suszycki. Edinburgh University, 2011. 223p bibl index; ISBN 9780748638062, $100.00; ISBN 9780748638079 pbk, $32.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Nationalism has long been one of the more controversial subjects among scholars, which makes an overview of the literature particularly timely. Karolewski (Univ. of Recommended Potsdam, Germany) and Suszycki (Humboldt University, Germany), focusing on the controversies, review the literature on the study of the nation and nationalism. 283 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Following a consideration of the problems of defining the two concepts, including their typologies, Karolewski and Suszycki construct a four-level approach to the analysis of nationalism. This rather jargon-laden formulation is applied to eight European countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Sweden. The brief sketches of these cases are not always consistent with the known specifics of the case, (e.g., that of Latvia). Because the choice of cases is based on the authors' overly subjective conception of the most "controversial" or most "interesting," the brief descriptions do not offer a basis for either validating their four-level approach or providing a scholarly foundation for further research. There are endnotes but no bibliography, which would have been useful as the book is most suitable for undergraduate students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, and graduate students. -- R. P. Peters, University of Massachusetts at Boston Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ GeneralLutz, Helma. The new maids: transnational women and the care economy, tr. by Deborah Shannon. Zed Books, 2011. 241p bibl index; ISBN 9781848132870, $120.95; ISBN 9781848132887 pbk, $34.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Women and gender studies professor Lutz (Goethe Univ., Germany) carried out Recommended this detailed analysis of migrant women's paid domestic work in three locations: Münster, Berlin, and Hamburg. Seventy-three interviews with 27 employees and 19 employers occurred between 2001 and 2003. The focus is on how migrant women obtained employment, how work is organized to meet employers' varying expectations, how trust is achieved and broken, and on the nature of the worker- employer relationship. Lutz conducted interviews in German and transcribed and analyzed them using the hermeneutical method. The results are a detailed, exhaustive description of the lifeworld experiences of these workers (26 females and 1 male) organized around the themes of employer relationships, motherhood (relationships with children and family left behind), and the challenges of being illegal in Germany. The author produces case studies that incorporate subjects' voices; Appendix A details each of their social-demographic characteristics with a detailed listing of job descriptions, travel requirements, and arrangements for payment. This study adds considerably in understanding the feminization of migration. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- A. S. Hunter, Idaho State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsForsythe, David P. The politics of prisoner abuse: the United States and enemy prisoners after 9/11. Cambridge, 2011. 315p index; ISBN 9781107004665, $85.00; ISBN 9780521181105 pbk, $29.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Prolific human rights author Forsythe (emer., Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln) has produced a study of the post-9/11 dramatic turn in US policy away from recognized Recommended human rights standards regarding treatment of prisoners. Forsythe recognizes the difficulties of upholding such standards in times of grave national danger and denotes a spectrum of views: at the extremes, utilitarian-nationalism verses moral- legalism and a middle ground of "necessary defense," characterized by limited exceptions governed by the judiciary. Though the information in the book is widely available, Forsythe compiles a coherent and compelling narrative of the resulting 284 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
policies. He does so while naming names of the officials pushing these policies and the legal maneuverings that led to Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, and black sites. Addressing these serious violations carried out during the Bush administration remains a task the Obama administration has largely sidestepped. The appendixes include a summary of numerous official reports with Web citations and selected excerpts of basic human rights treaties with commentary. Abundant footnotes provide additional context for future students and scholars of this dark period in US foreign policy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- N. N. Haanstad, Weber State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsThe Presidency in the twenty-first century, ed. by Charles W. Dunn. University Press of Kentucky, 2011. 201p index afp; ISBN 9780813134024, $35.00; ISBN 9780813134031 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required In 2009, Charles W. Dunn (Regent Univ.) assembled an all-star team of scholars of US politics--Hugh Heclo, Stephen Skowronek, Robert J. Spitzer, William G. Howell, Recommended Brandice Canes-Wrone, George C. Edwards III, Gene Healy, and Jeffrey Tulis--for the Ronald Reagan Symposium at Regent, "The Future of the American Presidency." All these authors contributed chapters to The Presidency in the Twenty-First Century. As might be expected, this timely volume features work by each scholar on key issues regarding the modern chief executive: the president's constitutional role, war power, communications, the theory of the unitary executive, bipartisanship, the cult of the presidency, and others. The book is an effective snapshot of where the presidency appears to be heading in the 21st century and is carried along by thoughtful insights provided by some of the discipline's best minds. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- J. P. Crouch, American University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyDu Bois, W. E. B. The sociological souls of black folk: essays, introd. and ed. by Robert A. Wortham. Lexington Books, 2011. 211p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780739150733, $70.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required By lifting up out of the scholarly reservoir the essays of Du Bois, Wortham (North Carolina Central Univ.) calls attention to one of the most significant works by one Recommended of the most gifted scholars of sociological thought in the modern era. Wortham's contribution raises one major academic question immediately: why has Du Bois not been given the academic accolades of other scholarly giants in the discipline of sociology? Wortham makes the point that The Souls of Black Folk has been mostly viewed as a classic in African American literature, or for scholars studying the African American experience. But it has not been seriously considered a major scholarly contribution within the discipline of sociology. Also, why are not Du Bois's works, especially the essays, a part of the core curriculum within the discipline of sociology, including a focus on Du Bois's research methodology and conceptual and analytical skills as demonstrated in the essays? Wortham's presentation, including the reconstructed essays, makes one of the most significant contributions to the modern era of sociological thought. And he raises a most significant question: where is Du Bois's place among the discipline's scholarly giants, such as Tönnies, Weber, Parson, and Durkheim? Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. -- E. A. McKinney, Cleveland State University 285 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ AnthropologyHunt, Terry. The statues that walked: unraveling the mystery of Easter Island, by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo. Free Press, 2011. 237p bibl index; ISBN 9781439150313, $26.00; ISBN 9781439150320 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has been the source of numerous books and articles on how the Polynesian colonists, after 1300 CE, restructured the landscape and Recommended moved the immense stone statues from their quarries. In this revolutionary book, the authors' analysis of recent archaeological research (including their own) has led them to a new, refreshing interpretation of Easter Island society prior to Dutch contact in 1722. Hunt (Univ. of Hawai'i, Mānoa) and Lipo (California State Univ., Long Beach) discuss and explore, among other topics, settlement patterns; population densities; the lack of evidence for warfare; the destruction of the millions of slow-growing palms by both humans and introduced rats; the transformation of cultivable land by lithic mulching, which formed the basis of the agricultural system; the use of roads throughout the island to transport 500 of the 900 known statues from the quarries; and the movement of statues in an upright or "walking" position. The authors prove incorrect Jared Diamond's theory of collapse due to environmental degradation, for it was only after European contact that Easter Island society was drastically impacted. This well-written, remarkable book is a must for anyone wishing answers to the many questions on how Easter Islanders managed and structured their cultural landscape. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- J. B. Richardson III, emeritus, University of Pittsburgh Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyAdler, Patricia A. The tender cut: inside the hidden world of self-injury, by Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler. New York University, 2011. 252p bibl afp; ISBN 9780814705063, $70.00; ISBN 9780814705070 pbk, $22.00; ISBN 9780814705186 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Penetrating deeply into the lives of those who engage in self-injury, the authors, respected and prolific sociologists of deviance from the University of Colorado, Recommended Boulder (Patricia) and the University of Denver (Peter), gained the trust of self- injuring students who shared their intimate viewpoints. Though it may seem that self-injury is a purely psychological phenomenon, the authors show its sociological underpinnings. Self-injury has expanded dramatically in the cybernetic age with chat groups, listservs, and Web sites bringing together those engaging in self-injury and promoting its proliferation in like-minded communities. A common theme among many who injure themselves is that the experience of emotional hurt and self-injury serves to distract those who would otherwise be enduring intolerable pain. The Adlers collected over 135 in-depth life history interviews and over 30,000 Web postings, offering readers solid evidence of the social and psychological causes of self-injury, population diversity among practitioners, the extent of physical harm, and self-injury's time-limited nature. Mental health professionals and students of youth behavior will not want to miss this unforgettable and important study. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- W. Feigelman, Nassau Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ SociologyLareau, Annette. Unequal childhoods: class, race, and family life. 2nd ed. California, 2011. 461p bibl index afp ISBN 0520271424 pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9780520271425 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012apr 286 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
CHOICE.
Required In this worthy successor to the original volume published nearly a decade ago (CH, Apr'04, 41-4975), the original book remains intact, and three entirely new chapters Recommended have been added. Twelve families that were in the original study were reinterviewed 10 years later, and these interviews bring into even sharper focus how young people's life chances are greatly affected by whether they came from working-class or middle-class families as they attempt to attain their educational goals in early adulthood. Despite the fact that both classes greatly endorse ideas of educational advancement for their children, it is the middle-class children who realize their educational ambitions, and the working-class children who get sidetracked. The first edition of this book deservedly won much critical acclaim and was adopted by many undergraduate sociology classes for the clarity it brought to demonstrating stratification principles vividly and personally. Lareau (Pennsylvania) is a most gifted teacher, and her unrivaled communications skills make this book an indispensable acquisition for libraries and students to readily understand social class dynamics in the contemporary US. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. -- W. Feigelman, Nassau Community College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ Comparative PoliticsJoireman, Sandra F. Where there is no government: enforcing property rights in common law Africa. Oxford, 2011. 208p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199782482, $59.95. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Weak governments, particularly in Africa, have problems providing effective operating legal systems at local levels. What, then, substitutes to provide a Recommended modicum of order? Joireman (Wheaton College) illuminates the problem with her insights into property rights enforcement in Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda. In a short, concise, and insightful study, she seamlessly weaves her fieldwork with the framework of theory and academic precedents to explain the dichotomy between state and nonstate actors in dealing with property rights where legal administration is missing and traditional authorities inadequate. As expected, she finds "no government" in rural areas but also in the heart of Nairobi and Accra. Three actors pick up the work of stabilizing property use (if not ownership): entrepreneurial bureaucrats, localized NGOs, and agents of violence. Joireman utilizes a set of evaluative tools that indicate mixed results when evaluating the utility of these agents in comparison to ponderous government agents, even if available. Economic and social improvement might well be anchored in the understanding of secure property rights. If readers want to understand ground- level Africa today, they could do worse than using this text as a guide. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- R. M. Fulton, Northwest Missouri State University Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ International RelationsChenoweth, Erica. Why civil resistance works: the strategic logic of nonviolent conflict, by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan. Columbia, 2011. 296p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231156820, $29.50; ISBN 9780231527484 e-book, $23.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Chenoweth (Wesleyan Univ.) and Stephan (US Department of State) argue that campaigns of nonviolent resistance have a record of being more than twice as Recommended effective as their violent counterparts. Combining statistical analysis and extensive 287 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
case studies of specific countries, they detail the factors that enable the nonviolent campaigns to succeed, as well as factors that sometimes to cause them to fail. However, they point out the added benefit that nonviolent movements lead to a more durable and more democratic outcome. The case studies focus on the Iranian Revolution, 1977-79; the First Palestinian Intifada, 1987-92; the Philippine People Power Movement, 1983-86; and the Burmese Uprising, 1988-90. Buttressed by an appendix, extensive notes, and an impressive bibliography, the authors put forward a strong argument that nonviolence is preferable, more likely to succeed, and much less costly than violent resistance movements. The work belongs in all academic libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. -- J. A. Rhodes, Luther College Faculty Member: Social & Behavioral Sciences \ Political Science \ U.S. PoliticsKatz, Leo. Why the law is so perverse. Chicago, 2011. 239p index afp; ISBN 9780226426037, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE.
Required Why are court cases so often decided on an either/or basis? Why is not every immoral action also criminal? Can legal loopholes be eliminated? Why cannot Recommended convicts opt for torture over long-term incarceration? And why cannot people sell their kidneys if they feel like it? These are not new questions, and varieties of them have been examined from philosophical, theological, and jurisprudential perspectives. Katz (Univ. of Pennsylvania Law School) brings another angle to the analysis, social choice theory, and the result is entertaining, enlightening--and even convincing. Relying heavily upon Kenneth Arrow's General Possibility Theorem and various related laws, paradoxes, and corollaries, Katz walks readers through different legal "perversities" and demonstrates how they are either inevitable or more desirable than their alternatives. Surprising conclusions, no doubt, but they are argued with a good lawyerly wit, verve, and mastery of the material, and the book is written in a style that nonexperts will appreciate. Even serious scholars, however, will find that it repays a couple of close readings, and it would be perfectly appropriate for any class in legal problems. It is rare that this reviewer is willing to call an academic book "delightful," but this one deserves it. It is just plain fun. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- M. Berheide, Berea College
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Speech & Communication Faculty Member: Humanities \ CommunicationMohammed, Shaheed Nick. Communication and the globalization of culture: beyond tradition and borders. Lexington Books, 2011. 191p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780739166512, $65.00; ISBN 9780739166529 e- book, $65.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Mohammed (Penn State, Altoona) investigates the fate of local cultures that once were territorially bounded but now, due to modern communication techniques Recommended and the power of Western transnational corporations, have been penetrated and eroded by more potent and mobile cultures. "Culture" is an elusive term, but Mohammed excels at naming those of its elements that can be kept distinct for analytical purposes--elements ranging from brand names to musical compositions. His coverage is broad, from the Roman Empire to the postcolonial Caribbean and beyond, and thus sometimes too thin, e.g., when he discusses traveling concepts of sex as sin and the commercialization of romance. But he effectively demonstrates the ways in which cultures either choose to or are pressed into coexisting with others; often, he shows, the result is not some beneficial form of multiculturalism but the erosion of one culture for the benefit of the commercial/imperial interests of others. Mohammed's argument is marked by some ambivalence; he both laments the corrosive cultural impact of the current form of globalization and seeks comfort in the fact that cultural interactions have been global for a long time. A good, teachable overview and analysis of the impact of the globalization of communication and business. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- K. Tölölyan, Wesleyan University Faculty Member: Humanities \ CommunicationLocke, John L. Duels and duets: why men and women talk so differently. Cambridge, 2011. 241p bibl index; ISBN 9780521887137, $28.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required The controversial premise of this book: the difference in men's and women's talk originates in the "'sexed' expression of ancient biological dispositions." Locke Recommended (linguistics, CUNY) uses wide-ranging examples and many authorities to track the evolutionary path from ancestral men and women to the present. Testosterone has led men to duel not only with swords but also with words; the claim is that no women have ever dueled. Oxytocin accounts for the link between the female voice and the hormones associated with it, thus the duetting, or "honest exchange of emotion and intimate experience." Locke argues that whereas duetting regulates social and moral behavior, "dueling provides information about the ability of men to compete with other men, to mate with women." This text counters Deborah Tannen's That's Not What I Meant (1986) and John Gray's Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (1992), which argue that men and women should have the same speaking style. Rather, Locke concludes, men and women should have different speaking styles, for each satisfies specific needs and together they "facilitate effective collaboration." Of interest in psychology, linguistics, and communication. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- T. B. Dykeman, formerly, Fairfield University Faculty Member: Humanities \ CommunicationBerger, Arthur Asa. Understanding American icons: an introduction to semiotics. Left Coast, 2012. 184p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781611320381, $79.00; ISBN 9781611320398 pbk, $22.95. Reviewed in 2012apr 289 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
CHOICE.
Required Berger (emer., San Francisco State Univ.) is one of the most prolific writers on and critics of American popular culture. This book is a kind of sampling of the kind of Recommended work that semioticians and cultural critics do. However, it is important to note that the subtitle of the book is highly misleading. The book's brief chapters go deeply into neither the subject of semiotics nor Berger's own academic critiques. Instead, Berger offers a series of observations on iconic American places (such as St. Louis's Gateway Arch, Mount Rushmore, Graceland) informed by other critics and semioticians. As a result, the book is a helpful introduction to some of the luminaries whom Berger has found important in his work but not to semiotics per se. This is a resource for those just beginning to study popular culture. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. -- S. Skaggs, University of Louisville
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Theater Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ Theater & DanceBlau, Herbert. As if: an autobiography. Michigan, 2011. 274p index afp; ISBN 9780472117789, $60.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required There is perhaps no subgenre with greater potential for fussy, fustian, self- regarding prose than the scholarly autobiography. Happily, the scholar in question Recommended here is Herbert Blau, eminent theorist of performance and legendary theatrical director. The title As If resonates triply, as the imaginative constituent of theatrical fiction, as the shrugging acknowledgment of "the inadequacy in the suction of memory itself," even as the insouciant put-down of schoolgirl slang. Blau offers no gentle, magisterial retrospective of a life well spent; he still has unfinished business, still needs to know "why make theatre at all?" The story of Blau's Brownsville Jewish childhood segues into a Bildungsroman as he studies first engineering at NYU and later English at Stanford, then co-founds (with Jules Irving) San Francisco's Actor's Workshop, which without false modesty he apostrophizes as "the greatest single accomplishment ... in the history of the American theater." Familiarity with Blau's dense critical writings helps when reading this rigorous, thrilling, almost Nabokovian performance of memory with its urgent, profuse, paratactical sentences. For Blau, as for Brecht's Galileo (the subject of a long section), "thought itself is an appetite." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty/professionals; general readers. -- R. Remshardt, University of Florida Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ Theater & DanceWyles, Rosie. Costume in Greek tragedy. Bristol Classical Press, 2011. 154p bibl index ISBN 0715639455 pbk, $32.00; ISBN 9780715639450 pbk, $32.00. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Wyles (Univ. of Nottingham, UK) provides a readable account of costume in Greek tragedy, filling a gap in this area. The book first surveys the historical evidence, Recommended primarily vase paintings from antiquity. This section is well illustrated and offers judicious interpretation of the available evidence. The author demonstrates a relative fluidity in costume during the Greek period before the more standardized costuming during Roman times. In a second chapter, Wyles discusses the likely materials and production methods of ancient costumes. Subsequent chapters are devoted to how costuming affects the understanding of individual plays and of drama in general. Particularly interesting are Wyles' comments on how costumes would have influenced audiences' expectations and reactions. Concluding her study is a discussion of costuming theories in modern staging of classical Greek plays. Appendixes with technical terms and quotations on costuming from classical commentators are also included. Wyles' study is both accessible to less- experienced readers and useful for specialists. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- S. E. Goins, McNeese State University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ GeneralBogle, Donald. Heat wave: the life and career of Ethel Waters. Harper, 2011. 624p bibl index; ISBN 9780061241734, $26.99. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Blues/pop singer, actor, and cultural icon Ethel Waters (1896-1977) has been virtually forgotten in entertainment history. Yet she had a seven-decade career: Recommended she began in black vaudeville, headlined in 1920s Harlem nightclubs, became a 291 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
major recording star in the 1930s, and culminated her life as a stage and film actor, most memorably in A Member of the Wedding. As Bogle (NYU and Univ. of Pennsylvania) relates in great detail, Waters's life and career were tempestuous, a roller-coaster ride with myriad ups and downs. She was both religious and profane; erratic and often difficult in her professional life; and frequently plagued with health and financial problems. Bogle, who first established his credentials as a major authority on African American popular culture with Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretative History of Blacks in American Films (CH, Nov'73; now in its 4th edition), proves himself the ideal biographer for Waters. He offers a balanced account of her private life (including numerous sexual partners) and onstage personae, providing a rich contextualization of her story during a long period of racial tension and personal challenges. Illustrations are excellent. This is destined to be the standard work on Waters. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- D. B. Wilmeth, emeritus, Brown University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ GeneralCroall, Jonathan. John Gielgud: matinee idol to movie star. Methuen Drama, 2011. 720p bibl filmography index afp; ISBN 9781408131060, $45.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE.
Required Croall's first biography of actor-director John Gielgud (Gielgud: A Theatrical Life, CH, Oct'01, 39-0849), completed shortly before Gielgud's death in 2000, was Recommended exhaustive, compared with other efforts; it was described then by Choice as "detailed, balanced, and well written." If that earlier coverage of some 80 years of activity by the man many called the 20th-century's greatest classical actor was thorough and superior to others, why would one wish to acquire this new biography, written a decade after his death by the same author? Quite simply, because this new biography is encyclopedic in coverage, incorporating personal letters and papers of Gielgud previously unavailable plus input from about 100 new interviews. Though much is replicated from the first biography, this one is more nuanced, differently structured (with three additional parts), and 150 pages longer, with more details on Gielgud's personal life (and its controversies) and his career in film and television. Neither effort is adequately documented, but both provide excellent narratives of Gielgud's life. Nevertheless, those who have the 2000 version can likely manage without this new one. For others, this new volume is a must. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- D. B. Wilmeth, emeritus, Brown University Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ Theater & DanceHohman, Valleri J. Russian culture and theatrical performance in America, 1891-1933. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 209p bibl index; ISBN 9780230113688, $85.00. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required Hohman (Univ. of Illinois) packs a wealth of data and cultural analysis into this volume, and enhances it with illustrations, notes, and a chronicle of 45 Russians Recommended who contributed to the American stage. Her purpose, which she achieves, is to show Russian influences on American theater beyond the well-known Stanislavsky. She provides close examinations of seminal artists--playwright Jacob Gordin, impresario Morris Gest, designer Boris Aronson--and a broad view of cross-cultural negotiations and audience reception. Hohman observes that though many Russians overlooked the necessity of advertising, publicity, and press agency in the US, Gest and Sol Hurok were masters of the media. The author looks at Russian 292 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
influence in three phases, devoting a part of the book to each. Part 1 covers 1891- 1908, when most work emanated from New York's Lower East Side; part 2 looks at 1909-25, a peak period in American appreciation of Russian art, particularly dance companies. Part 3 covers 1926-33, a period, Hohman argues, characterized by the influence of constructivism and revolutionary theater: Blue Blouse troupe, Moscow State Yiddish Theater, the Habima Theatre, the Artef, and others. A useful addition to the literature on the history of theater. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- division undergraduates and above; professionals; general readers. -- F. H. Londré, University of Missouri-Kansas City Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ GeneralCatanese, Brandi Wilkins. The problem of the color(blind): racial transgression and the politics of black performance. Michigan, 2011. 214p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780472071265, $75.00; ISBN 9780472051267 pbk, $28.95. Reviewed in 2012apr CHOICE. Required Catanese (Univ. of California, Berkeley) explores questions of racial representation in the narrow contexts of regional theater, Hollywood, and reality television. The Recommended smoothly written first chapter considers 21st-century "racial etiquette," reframing W. E. B. Du Bois's famous dictum to the color-blind--"those who wish to disavow the continued material manifestations of race in our society." Drawing on Butler, Foucault, and Gilroy, the author uses first-person narratives of the contemporary college classroom and voter defeat of California's Proposition 54, the 2003 "Racial Privacy Initiative," to theorize racial transgression. Case studies include August Wilson/Robert Brustein debates over color-blind casting (1996-97); the "limits of color blindness" in the suppression of Denzel Washington's erotic film personae, especially in The Pelican Brief (1993) and Devil in a Blue Dress (1995); and the original production of Suzan-Lori Parks's play Venus (1996). The final chapter considers Ice Cube's trajectory from gangsta rapper to family film star, and his work as producer of the controversial 2006 television program Black. White. The author also provides a brief, helpful discussion of "postblackness," a term that "does what postrace does not: it names and thereby keeps blackness alive even while demanding that its significance to the public sphere be renegotiated." Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. -- T. F. DeFrantz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Faculty Member: Humanities \ Performing Arts \ Theater & DanceBayer, Mark. Theatre, community, and civic engagement in Jacobean London. Iowa, 2011. 258p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781609380397 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9781609380403 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012mar CHOICE. Required By focusing on the Fortune and the Red Bull, the two amphitheaters competing with the Globe Theatre during the early 17th century, Bayer (English, Univ. of Recommended Texas, San Antonio) achieves a striking reevaluation of the social and communal role played by the Jacobean playhouses. He argues that after the late 1590s, when companies settled at particular venues for long periods, "the troupes that occupied particular theatres began to form unique identities and strong reciprocal bonds with their audiences." The plays presented at the Fortune and Red Bull, along with the special effects associated with the latter, suited the desires and tastes of the artisans and apprentices who lived nearby, and these audiences were possessive of "their" theaters. Bayer shows that the Shrove Tuesday riot that damaged the newly built Cockpit Theatre in 1617 was an attempt by the apprentices to prevent the 293 Suggested Titles List April, 2012
company from moving away from the Red Bull. Offering an innovative, well- researched argument, this lucidly written book is must reading for anyone interested in early theater history and culture. Bayer provides thorough endnotes and a good bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- B. E. Brandt, South Dakota State University