Bookviews - May 2012

By Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

I have known Brian Sussman from the years when he and I would get together on the radio in his hometown of San Francisco on KFSO to discuss the events of the day. A television journalist turned meteorologist, Sussman used his knowledge to debunk the global warming hoax and, when a cache of emails between its leading perpetrators was leaked to the Internet, he wrote “Climategate”, a book still worth reading, but his latest book, Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda Will Dismantle America ($25.95, WND Books) should be “must” reading for anyone who has begun to suspect something very dangerous about the activities of the leading environmental organizations, the United Nations Environmental Program, and the Environmental Protection Agency, all of whom are engaged in an attack on private property, the keystone of capitalism and foundation of the U.S. economy. Step by step, Sussman demonstrates how environmentalism hides its deep roots in communism and its contempt for humanity. Even as the global warming hoax fell apart, the Greens are engaged in a new version in the name of “sustainability”, claiming the Earth cannot sustain its population and the use of its bounty, particularly in the area of energy, is destroying the Earth. Communism is responsible for at least 110 million deaths since it was introduced in Russia in 1917 and later in China and elsewhere. It is the enemy of freedom and its latest reincarnation as environmentalism is as well. This is a chilling examination of the way Americans are being denied access to the nation's treasure trove of oil, natural gas, and coal. It is a look at the way more and more of the landmass of the nation is being put off-limits to development by the government. If you read no other book this year, this would be the one I would recommend for your sake, for your family’s and the nation’s future.

Funding the Enemy: How US Taxpayers Bankroll the Taliban by Douglas A. Wissing ($25.00, Prometheus Books) is one of those books that the mainstream press doesn’t want you to know about. The author was recently interviewed on C-Span as he related the way that the government, over two administrations, has mismanaged billions of development and logistics dollars, bolstered the drug trade, and literally dumped untold millions into Taliban hands. It is a scathing critique of the war in Afghanistan. The troops in the field are well aware that the war is lost and of the way the corrupt Karzai government and the Taliban has gamed all the “development” money spent there to enrich his cronies as well as the Taliban we’re told we are fighting. The result is that Americans have been funding both sides of the war. While Americans have a general awareness of the menace that Islam poses for the nation and the world, one can gain a far more thorough understanding by reading Ali Sina’s new book, Understanding Muhamad and Muslims ($18.95, Felibri.com, an imprint of Freedom Bulwark Publication). As an occasional contributor to Sina’s website, FaithFreedom.org, I have come to know Sina through his books and writings. Born in a Muslim family in Iran, educated in Italy, and now living in Canada, Sina has established himself as a leading critic of Islam and has helped thousands to leave Islam and secure a life free of this cult built around the life of Muhamad. Passing himself off as a prophet, Muhamad fashioned a religion to impose his will on gullible followers. Sina has put together a psychological portrait of a man for whom the ends always justified the means. The violence associated with Islam was an early element of the emerging cult and is, of course, practiced today by suicide bombers and those who perpetrated 9/11. I highly recommend this book.

Dog lovers and owners will love Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You To Know by Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson ($12.99, Sourcebooks, softcover), a collection of essays written from dog’s point of view revealing why they do what they do. Just as human behavior is often a mystery, now you can learn why they wait by the table for scraps, regard your bed as theirs, and “The Reason I Ate the Sofa” among more than a hundred other topics by Conrad, one of the original writers for the TV series “Monk” and Johnson who works in advertising. It is hilarious and a great gift for anyone sharing their lives with a dog. I have a friend, Ron Marr, who has always had companion dogs in his life. He is also the author of An Explorer’s Guide: The Ozarks—Includes Branson, Springfield & Northwest Arkansas ($21.95, The Countryman Press, Woodstock, VT, softcover) that is available via Kindle as well. It has been completely updated in its second edition and it is a treat, especially as more Americans are choosing to vacation in destinations to which they can drive. The Ozarks offer a bounty of cultural delights, museums, great dining and shopping. Ron’s guide is jam-packed with the kind of information that guarantees some great one-day trips or longer stays for all manner of recreation. Did you know that you can visit “Stonehenge” in Rolla, Missouri, or that the region is filled with some great state parks? Here’s a book that unlocks a wonderful part of the nation.

Do you ever get the feeling that we live in a society that encourages immaturity through escapism, various distractions, and an emphasis on youth? Do you suspect you have not fully matured in your own life? If so, an interesting book, Dare to Grow Up: Learn to Become Who You are Meant to Be by Paul Dunion ($16.95, Bartleby Press, Savage, MD, softcover) is a soulful new guide to personal accountability and emotional maturity. This book is about a self-examined life, offering counsel on how to develop self-loyalty, avoiding self-betrayal, and developing a solid foundation for emotionally intimate relationships. In short, it is about integrity and when you have that, your life is vastly improved. I normally am wary of self-help books, but this one is well worth reading.

Memoirs, Biographies, Autobiographies

I confess that over the decades I have seen so many books written by survivors of the Holocaust—the Nazi program to kill all the Jews of Europe—that I have sometimes thought that every one of them has written a book about it. I think they have written these memoirs as a warning to future generations not to forget what occurred in the mid-20th century. Three softcover books representative of this genre have arrived and each one of them is worth reading. Noike: A Memoir of Leon Ginsburg ($15.00, Avenger Books) by his daughter Suzanne Ginsburg. Leon Ginsburg has been the subject of several books on World War II. Known as a child by his Hebrew name, Noike, Leon was the only child survivor from Maciejow, a shtetl of 5,000 in Eastern Poland (now part of the Ukraine). Leon was interviewed by Peter Jennings for his seminal book, The Century and by Jane Marks for her book, Hidden Children of the Holocaust. It is an extraordinary story of survival by a ten-year-old child who eluded death many times. Surviving the Angel of Death by Eva Mozes Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri ($8.95, Tanglewood) was written for younger readers, age 12 and up, but older readers will find its story of twins who arrived in Auschwitz at age ten and, while their parents were swiftly killed in its gas chambers, were turned over to Dr. Josef Mengele who performed sadistic “medical” experiments. Many sets of twins died as a result. It is the story of extraordinary evil and, yes, of survival. Lastly, there’s Bitter Freedom: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor by Jafa Wallach ($18.95, Gihon River Press), the personal account of a Polish Jew who survived a Nazi sweep of Southern Poland. After sending her 4-year-old to safety, she with her husband spent twenty-two agonizingly long months in a grave-like space hidden by a brave Pole, the town’s mechanic, who provided food and water. The hole was located less than twenty feet from a Gestapo headquarters in the small town of Lesko. Ultimately the family made their way to America in May 1947.

Religion is at the heart of an interesting memoir by Mary Johnson, An Unquenchable Thirst, ($32.95, Bond Street Books, an imprint of Random House Canada). At age 17 Mary Johnson saw a picture of Mother Teresa, founder of the Missionaires of Charity, and was so moved by it that she entered a convent in the South Bronx to begin her training. From a typical Texas teenager she was transformed by her quest for meaning in her life, for an identity. She became Sister Donata and rose through the ranks of the order to find herself working with Mother Teresa. All along the way, however, she had to wrestle with her own desire for love and a deeper personal connection to a life with faith. In 1997 she left the order after twenty years and has become a respected teacher and public speaker.

A life spent around madness is the subject of Riding Fury Home: A Memoir by Chana Wilson ($17.00, Seal Press, softcover). In 1958, when she was age of seven, her mother held a rifle to her head and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed and she was taken away for the first of many visits to a mental hospital. Other suicide attempts would follow and the author chronicles forty years of her relationship with her mother and the way it was affected by the changes in the social landscape of their time. She was the sole caretaker of her mother and it was not until she left for college in Iowa that she was able to break the dysfunctional bonds and find her own space which included her own lesbianism. The author has been a psychotherapist for twenty-five years and this book must surely have been cathartic.

A more traditional biography is found in Gordon Bowker’s James Joyce ($35.00, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) due out in June. Fans of this author will find this an absorbing account of his life and work. Bowker deftly connects all the dots between his writing and his life such as how his years in Trieste influenced the shaping of “Ulysses” and the way he dealt with friends, poverty, and ill health. The miracle is how he was able to write epic novels celebrating the lives of ordinary people. He was an extremely complex man and hard even on his friends. Joyce is an acquired taste and regarded as a literary giant. This may well be the best biography to have been written about him.

Finally, Ron Reagan, the former President’s son, authored a memoir of their lives together that is now in softcover, My Father at 100, ($16.00, Plume). For fans of Ronald Reagan, this is a privileged portrait by someone who knew him as a father, a mentor, and a moral compass. A century after Reagan’s birth, even his son had to undertake a journey to learn about his youth. It is an interesting story.

Reading History

In March a Financial Times article was titled “Bleak Outlook for U.S. Newspapers” and called them “America’s fastest-shrinking industry.” Advertising revenues are half what they were in 2005 and now at 1984’s levels. Part of the challenge has come from the growth of the Internet as the go-to source for news, but part can be attributed to the loss of confidence in the objectivity and accuracy of what newspapers, with exceptions, report as news or fail to report entirely. For those like myself who began his career as a reporter and editor, that is sad news, but Christopher B. Daly, a veteran journalist and historian, has just had a splendid book published, Covering America: A Narrative History of a Nation’s Journalism ($49.95, University of Massachusetts Press) that will please its readers on many levels. Daly remains optimistic, noting that American journalism has always been challenged, going through deep change in the 1830s and again in the 1920s. Daly provides a lively, interesting review of journalism’s many personalities, events and trends. It is an excellent work of history concerning the profession and business of journalism, filled with anecdotes and intriguing facts. It surely belongs on the shelves everywhere journalism is celebrated.

An excellent look at The Elizabethans by A.N. Wilson ($30.00, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) is out this month. It is worth reading because this period in England’s history set in motion so much that followed. It was a time of exceptional creativity, wealth creation, and political expansion and was filled with colorful and dynamic characters, not the least of which was Elizabeth I. Sir Francis Drake not only defeated the Spanish Armada, but circumnavigated the world. Shakespeare wrote his plays in this period. Declaring its independence from the Church, England laid the foundations for the explosion of the British Empire. This extraordinary era is captured in a single volume that anyone interested in history will want to read and add to their personal library.

If you love a historical mystery, you will enjoy Midnight in Peking, subtitled “How the murder of a young Englishwoman haunted the last days of old China” by Paul French ($26.00, Penguin original). It is a true crime story about the murder of a British school girl, Pamala Werner, found at the base of the Fox Tower. With the Japanese already in Manchuria and encircling Peking, an investigation by a former Scotland Yard officer takes him deep into Peking’s seedy underworld of crime, drugs, and prostitution. Her father’s life is consumed with his own investigation. The author provides the resolution and transforms a front page murder into an absorbing and emotional expose.

History was on Tim Wendel’s mind when he wrote Summer of 68: The Season that Changed Baseball and America Forever ($25.00, Da Capo Press). For those too young to recall and those old enough to do so, 1968 was a tumultuous year, filled with political turbulence, civil unrest, and violence. There were riots in a hundred cities and the year saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. 1968 was also “the year of the pitcher” with men like Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Luis Tiant of the Cleveland Indians, Denny McClain of the Detroit Tigers, and Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals. Wendel captures the spirit of the time and weaves together the stories of the year’s events, the teams and players in a thoroughly entertaining fashion; particularly for anyone who loves the game. This book demonstrates the deep connection between the nation and its national game. For Yankees fans, there's The New York Times Story of the Yankees ($29.95, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers). Edited by Dave Anderson, it is a compendium of 382 articles, profiles, and essays from 1903 to the present. This book will bring joy and hours of great reading for any fan of this legendary team, Anderson is one of the leading sportswriters of our era and has done a great job selecting and organizing the book that is also filled with memorable photos.

We are getting deeper into the election year activities that will dominate the latter part of the year. For anyone who loves history and all the electioneering paraphernalia, there is a unique book, Presidential Campaign Posters, from the Library of Congress that includes 100 ready-to-frame posters ($40.00, Quirk Books). Each poster is accompanied by a short text about the particular election, starting in 1828 with Andrew Johnson’s campaign. This is a great way to learn about the campaigns that have shaped our nation. Not surprisingly, candidates have pretty much campaigned on the same issues.

Getting Down to Business Books

There is a constant stream of books about doing business. Anyone who is engaged in management, sales or entrepreneurial endeavors can benefit from them. A lot about success has to do with one’s personal attributes. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling ($28.00, Free Press) have teamed up to address the issue of execution because, as they say, MBA programs focus heavily on strategy, but virtually no training in execution—actually getting things done. The authors work for the FranklinCovey firm, a company with operations in 141 nations worldwide, providing guidance to corporations and organizations on getting the best results by training people to be their best and to thus achieve their goals. The book addresses strategic organizational changes that improve performance. Anyone in a managerial position will greatly benefit from reading this book.

The Winning Factor by Peter Jensen ($24.95, Amacom) takes his experience in sports psychology and applies it to workplace leaders, teaching them how to coach employees and coworkers to be the best they can be. “Success for these coaches is not only about the results but also about building competence, commitment, capacity and passion in their performances. They take on a bigger role than simply supervising, directing or managing.” Beginning with oneself its techniques will help you get the best from others. Sports plays a role in Click! The Competitive Edge for Sports, Entertainment, and Business ($14.95, Peak Performance Strategies, LLC, softcover). Dan Schaefer, PhD, the author, is a performance consultant and founder of the firm that published the book. He helps individuals, management, teams, and companies get the competitive edge through techniques to enhance personal and/or business performance. He has done this for clients throughout the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. He can do it for you if you read his book. The irony is, of course, he is competing with the other book noted, but these books demonstrate that one can learn techniques to enhance one’s life.

Selling with Soul 2.0: Achieving Career Success without Sacrificing Personal and Spiritual Growth by Sharon V. Parker ($16.95, Berrett-Koeler’s Open Editions /iUniverse, softcover) is one of those titles that describe the book. The author is an award winning author and sales consultant. This is a guide to successful sales, but the advice she offers helps people maintain their personal values and effectively perform the sales process. In the end, honesty is the best policy.

There is lots of buzz about doing business in China as that huge market has become available to companies large and small. It has its pitfalls, however, and Stephen M. Perl, MS, MBA, an expert in Asia trade, has penned Doing Business with China: The Secrets of Dancing with the Dragon ($19.99, ChinaMart USA Book Publishing, Los Angeles, softcover). It’s estimated that China represents a $10 trillion market that is up for grabs in the next decade. This book is essential reading for any American firm that wants to do business in China. It is a practical, nuts-and-bolts handbook. There are secrets to establishing successful relationships with the Chinese government and business leaders. This book provides an invaluable cultural, political, and business insight from the U.S. perspective and it is not just for CEOs of large companies. Rather, it applies to small companies as well, to entrepreneurs, and is useful for government and private think-tank policymakers, as well as employees, who are doing or planning to do business with China.

Parenting and Women’s Issues

To most men, women remain a mystery. Being either sex poses its unique challenges and there are books with advice. Susanna Foth Aughtmon has written I Blame Eve: Freedom from Perfectionism, Control Issues, and the Tendency to Listen to Talking Snakes ($12.99, Revell, softcover), a humorous and encouraging book that explores “our deep need to be in control.” It blends Scripture (Revell is a Christian publishing house) with insight and the view that there is “a unique path laid out for each of us.” In contrast, Orna Gadish addresses the fact that 47% of young adults have never been married, 51% are living without a spouse, and choosing to be single is now a worldwide phenomenon. Don’t Say I Do! Why Women Should Stay Single ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) officially due off the press in July. Our society has afforded women the freedom to hold jobs that give them a freedom that did not exist for earlier generations. The author focuses on the “inadequacies and dissatisfaction with traditional marriage” encouraging women to think for themselves and stay single. Clearly this is transforming the male-female relationship that has been the keystone for society and has significant implications for the future. I am old fashioned enough to think that marriage has worked well enough for generations and single women raising children have a raft of problems that need to be addressed. Some women, however, will find comfort in this book.

Parenting has long been a topic for authors and these days are no different. The loss of parental control to schools and government agencies is beginning to percolate into a major issue. Honeycomb Kids: Big Picture Parenting by Anna M. Campbell, the mother of three ($17.95, Chelsea Green Publishing, softcover) has a strong environmental focus. Unfortunately the way environmentalists have been terrorizing children with doomsday scenario needs to be addressed, but this book, despite its otherwise useful advice, contributes to this problem. I don’t recommend it. One reason for concern is the way schools have been turned into indoctrination centers for environmentalism and increasingly for teaching socialism as superior to capitalism. Your Teacher Said What? Trying to Raise a Fifth Grade Capitalist in Obama’s America by Joe and Blake Kernan ($15.95, Two Harbors Press, softcover) recounts the challenges of teaching the value of free market capitalism to a child in the grip of the nation’s educational system and a popular culture that attacks capitalism in the name of the redistribution of wealth, communism’s promise. Prior to his anchoring duties, Joe Kernen was CNBC’s on-air stock editor, after having joined the Financial News Network. Previously he had been a stock broker. If this is your concern too, I recommend you read this book. A growing trend over the years has been homeschooling and it is well known that such children score better and do better than their contemporaries in schools that often resemble minimum security prisons. More than 1.5 million Americans have chosen this for their children. Homeschooling: Why and How by Gail Nagasako ($15.95, Two Harbors Press, softcover) provides a wealth of information on how parents can provide their children with an excellent education and positive socialization.

Bay and Her Boys: Unexpected Lessons I Learned as a (Single) Mom by Bay Buchanan ($25.00, Da Capo Press) offers a very different, far more cheerful look at parenthood. As of 2011, 24% of children in the United States were living in single-family homes. It is no longer a rarity. A former Treasurer of the U.S., she is a political strategist and an influential conservative leader. She tells of a surprise and devastating divorce twenty-three years ago. Pregnant at the time, she was left to raise her sons while becoming a working mom. She hopes to change the national dialogue about single women while recounting what it was like to hold on to traditional values. The book offers some very good advice for all mothers, single or married.

A problem that has been gaining more public attention is autism. Stop Autism Now: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Reversing Autism Spectrum Disorders by Dr. Bruce Fife ($17.95, Picadilly Books, Ltd., Colorado Springs, CO, softcover), a prolific author of health-related books, addresses the fact that more than a million people have autism and it appears to be on the rise. Other related disorders include attention deficit and hyperactivity syndrome. Autism remains a mystery to the medical community and to the parents of children, but this book undertakes to solve the mystery offering a theory on the brain’s microglia that have a function similar to white blood cells, protecting the brain from assaults by infectious microorganisms and toxins. Dr. Fife says it is not a hopeless condition and offers his solutions. I cannot attest to his findings, but he makes a strong case.

Parents will love Don’t Sit on the Baby! The Ultimate Guide to Sane, Skilled, and Safe Babysitting by Halley Bondy ($12.99, Zest Books, softcover). Due out in June, babysitting is a popular part-time job for teens and this book is written for parents to their babysitters to impart everything they need to know from dealing with diaper rash to CPR. It is filled with advice on what to expect from infants to those age ten and provides strategies for communicating with parents. If you are the parent of a teenager contemplating this as a way to earn a few dollars, I would heartily recommend you give them this book.

Books for Kids and Young Readers

There are so many books for kids and younger readers that it is a bounty of entertainment and knowledge.

Starting with books that a parent can share with pre-schoolers, reading to them, or for early readers, there’s a new addition to the popular “Chester Raccoon” series. A Color Game for Chester Raccoon by Audrey Penn, illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson ($7.95, Tanglewood) it is made to survive the often rough handling the very young give a book. Its great artwork and text provides an introduction to different colors. The Animal Masquerade by Marianne Dubuc ($16.95, Kids Can Press) is a fanciful tale of animals that disguise themselves as other creatures, providing an introduction to different creatures in a very entertaining way. A very amusing story is told in The Klampie Mystery by Luis Rodriguez ($14.95, Mascot Books) about Samantha who gets a life-sized stuffed Koala toy whose arms clamp onto anything. When her family takes a trip to Australia, she takes the toy named Klamie along and there the fun begins when a real koala replaces it. A growing concern among parents is the way video games and electronic devices not only keep kids indoors, but ill-serve the development of their imagination, a key factor in creativity. That’s why I liked One Day I Went Rambling by Kelly Bennett, illustrated by Terri Murphy ($17.95, Bright Sky Press) for those ages 5-8. It is about a boy who finds all kinds of things while playing outside and how his imagination converts them into things like a pirate’s magic ring. This is a great book for the very young. Kids are naturally fascinated by all living creatures and that can include insects. Bug Off! Creepy, Crawly Poems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by some great photos by Jason Stemple ($16.95, WordSong, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Honesdale, PA) is an excellent introduction to bees, butterflies, ants, spiders and other common insects.

A Pirate Girl’s Treasure: An Origami Adventure by Peyton and Hilary Leung ($18.95, Kids Can Press) that uses the Japanese art of folded paper sculptures combined with a story about a girl whose pirate grandfather sends her a treasure map. This, too, is for the pre-schooler or very early reader, aged four and up. Parents of twins will welcome Take Two! A Celebration of Twins by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, illustrated by Sophie Blackall ($16.95, Candlewick) may have something to do with the fact that Lewis is a twin. It is filled with facts about all things “twin”, fraternal, identical, and record-setting, all told with poetry. Daisy’s Perfect Word by Sandra V. Feder and illustrated by Susan Mitchell is a great introduction to independent reading and the joys of playing with language. As a longtime writer, I am biased, but the gift of reading and writing is one of the best a parent can pass along to any youngster.

For readers age eight and older, a number of books will provide hours of great reading. Robert Jae Sky has written To Dream the Impossible ($9.95, Create Space, Charleston, SC, available from Amazon.com). This father of three and grandfather of five was inspired by Olympic gold medalist Ross Powers and has written a lovely story of Rippy, a rabbit who wants to ski despite being told by everyone that rabbits do not ski. Not one to take no for an answer, Rippi perseveres and young readers will learn a value lesson while being highly entertained by this story. Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit and Kari Trogen ($15.95, Kids Can Press) It is a classic story of an orphanage, a wicked woman who runs it, how Margaret defeats her and learns the power of making friends to find happiness in life. Alexander, Spy Catcher by Diane Stormer ($10.95, iUniverse, softcover) is about Alexander and his brother Ben who enjoy the usual things while coping with learning algebra, sports tryouts, and talking with girls. Then they discover that their Uncle Charlie may be in danger because of a secret government project he is working on. When they tell him of the strange things they have noticed, he disappears without a trace! They have to help their family discover what has happened to him and therein lies a gripping story. Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers by Chris Grabenstein ($16.99, Harpercollins Childrens) is a title that instantly appealed to me. Written by a former improv comedian and president of the New York chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, it introduces seventh-grade mastermind, Riley and his pals, the “Gnat Pack”, as they fight the town bully and his crooked cop of a father. They liberate dogs held captive in a puppy mill and thwart a bank robbery! This one is a real page turner that is sure to please.

Finally and especially for girls, American Girl has a number of new books with clever twists such as its “Innerstar University” series that include The New Girl and Behind the Scenes, ($8.95 each) books that have twenty different ends starring the reader. These are interactive and take place on the Innerstar University campus where girls can discover how their decisions can change the outcome of the story. Clever idea. Another useful book is A Smart Girl’s Guide to Liking Yourself—Even on Bad Days ($9.95) that teaches how to overcome low self-esteem and develop confidence; always a good thing for any youngster. A series of mysteries featuring young girls in different time periods of America’s history includes The Crystal Ball, The Hidden Cloud and The Cameo Necklace at an affordable $6.95 each. In each a girl experiences an adventure that will keep any reader turning the pages.

Novels, Novels, Novels

Day after day I receive emails promoting new novels. They come from established publishing firms and from self-published novelists. They are so frequent I have an automatic email reply message wish them well, but noting that the volume of new novels makes it impossible to accept their request.

Here are just a few new novels that have arrived in the last month or so. Let’s begin with the hardcover novels and move on to the softcover. I am convinced that inside of every lawyer is a novelist. Margaret McLean is a former criminal prosecutor who has drawn on a notorious chapter of Boston history as the framework of her second novel, Under Oath ($24.90, Forge) to create an exciting courtroom mystery involving a murder, conspiracy, and the infamous code of silence that has kept murders on the streets. When gangster Billy Malone stands accused of killing Trevor Shea, a suspected informant, with a poisoned dose of heroin, prosecutor Annie Fitzgerald must get witnesses to testify. When her chief witness is killed the question is whether justice will prevail over FBI cover-ups and a jury that defies their instructions. This is a worthy contribution by Emily St. John Mandel from one of the best publishers of novels, Unbridled Books. The Lola Quartet by ($24.95) begins with a photograph. Eilo Sasaki takes a picture of a young girl she meets while handling a home foreclosure in Florida. The child bears a striking resemblance of her brother Gavin and is approximately ten years old. Her last name is Montgomery and, ten years earlier, Gavin’s girlfriend, Anna Montgomery, disappeared amidst rumors that she was pregnant. When Gavin is shown the photo, he begins to ask questions about the past. This is her third novel and Mendel is making a name for herself in literary circles and with a growing fan base. If you read this novel, you know why.

Bethany Frankel is a three-time bestselling author, a popular TV reality star, successful businesswoman and devoted mom. She makes her fiction debut with Skinnydipping ($25.00, Simon and Schuster), a sexy and hilarious story of Faith Brightstone, an iconic aspiring actress just out of college who wants to conquer Hollywood and have all the perks of fame. Like so many others, her plans do not pan out as she gains a behind-the-scenes experience, suffers heartbreak, and abandons La La Land for New York. The resemblance to Frankel’s real life is unmistakeable. Faith is discovered at a fancy food show after establishing a business, becomes a reality TV star, and wins a contest for her own show. Frankel’s fans will jump at the chance to read this thinly disguised autobiographical novel. A unique look at life in Israel is provided by Sayed Kashua, an Arab who has enjoyed success there, having written two previous novels and as the creator of a groundbreaking Israeli sitcom, “Arab Labor”. He straddles two cultures and his novel, Second Person Singular, ($25.00, Grove Press) is about an Arab criminal attorney in Jerusalem who has a thriving practice in the Jewish part of Jerusalem. By chance, in a bookstore he picks up a book by Tolstoy that has a love letter in his wife’s handwriting. He is immediately consumed by suspicion and jealousy, and determined to find the book’s previous owner. This is a powerful novel of love and betrayal, a complex psychological mystery, and a searing dissection of individuals who live in a divided society.

Some softcover novels offer entertainment and insight. The Mermaid Garden by Santa Montefiore ($16.00, Simon and Shuster) is now in softcover. It is a complex and compelling story that spans four decades in the lives of its characters, set in Tuscany and on the coast of Devon, England that begins when a young girl spies on a beautiful palazzo from beyond its iron gate. Abandoned by her mother and left in poverty by her alcoholic father, ten year old Floriana finds La Magdalena a perfect place to escape into daydreams. One day she is spotted by Dante, the son of the villa’s wealthy owner. He invites her inside and shows her the villa’s enchanting Mermaid Garden. They become friends and Floriana becomes convinced that her destiny in that garden with him. The story moves to a charming old hotel by the sea that has fallen on hard times. When a charming, handsome Argentine artist, the lives of the owner and her family. Another story takes you to Japan. The Briefcase by Hiromi Kawakami traces the story of Tsukiko who happens to meet a former high school sensei (teacher) in a local bar. Their relationship develops from a perfunctory acknowledgement of each other as they eat and drink alone at the bar into an enjoyable sense of companionship, and finally into a deeply sentimental love affair. Memoirs of a Porcupine by UCLA professor Alain Mabanckou is set in Africa ($15.95, Soft Skull Press) and is an example of magical realism based on an African legend that says all human beings have an animal double! Some are benign while others are wicked. When Kibandi at age ten is initiated into this world, he fuses with an animal and, from then on, he and his porcupine double become accomplices in nefarious adventures.

Last, but hardly least, is a delightful collection of 88 “short-short” stories found in Flush Fiction ($16.95, softcover) “you can read in a single sitting.” Published by Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader (Ashland, Oregon), it was compiled by the editors of the Bathroom Reader’s Institute. They are all shorter than a thousand words and run the gamut of various genre from humor to mystery, romance to adventure, et cetera. You can check it out at http://www.bathroomreader.com/ and for folks who love to read no matter where they are, it is a real treat.

That’s it for May. Be sure to tell all your book-loving friends, family, and coworkers about Bookviews.com so they too can learn about the many fiction and non-fiction books that stand out from the deluge and deserve to be read. Then come back in June for more!

Bookviews - April 2012

by Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

I love reading history and for anyone trying to figure out the trends occurring worldwide there is no better way of understanding what is occurring now. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson ($30.00, Crown) addresses and answers questions that have stumped the experts for centuries. Acemoglu is the Killian Professor of Economics at MIT and Robinson is a political scientists and economist, an expert on Latin America and Africa, teaches at Harvard. The book is a hefty tome, but reads smoothly as the authors explore why some nations are wealthy and others are poor. One example is the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Some nations have had several revolutions without any real change in the way they are governed. Egypt is such an example. The authors address the question of whether America’s best days are behind it and whether China authoritarian growth machine is sustainable. Without giving away any secrets, the answer to the question of growth and failure is freedom. Put this book on your reading list this year. Charles Goyette has written Red and Blue and Broke All Over: Restoring America’s Free Economy ($25.95, Sentinel, an imprint of the Penguin Group) takes a look at our present crisis from a libertarian point of view and, not surprisingly concludes that the increasing size of government, crony capitalism, and too much spending has brought us to the brink of a financial crisis even greater than what occurred in 2008. It is a thought-provoking book and very timely. Sometimes you cannot improve on an author’s own description of what he has written. I am a fan of James D. Best’s novels based on the old West and the early days of the American Republic, so I was not surprised that he turned his hand to non-fiction to write Principled Action: Lessons from the Origins of the American Republic ($13.95, Wheatmark, Tucson, AZ, softcover). “Prior to 1776, world history was primarily written about kings and emperors. The American experiment shook the world. Not only did the colonies break away from the biggest and most powerful empire in history, they took the musings of the brightest thinkers of the Enlightenment and implemented them. The Founding of the United States was simultaneously an armed rebellion against tyranny and a revolution of ideas-ideas that changed the course of world history. Principled Action shows how the Founders built this great nation with sacrifice, courage, and steadfast principles.” There is no more important time in our present times to learn the how and why of the founding of our great republic. This highly readable book is a very good place to start.

I keep wondering if it is going to take another 9/11 for Americans to wake up to the threat of Islamo-fascism that exists within our very midst? Peter Feaman has written The Next Nightmare: How Political Correctness Will Destroy America ($14.99, Dunham Books, softcover) with a foreword by Congressman Allan West. It is a short read, but it is one that makes clear how the failure to recognize the spread of Islamic fanaticism within the nation continues to pose a threat to our society, noting how the number of mosques has gone from around fifty after World War II to more than 1,200 today and that many, if not most, are centers for radical Islamism, including recruiting efforts inside America’s prison population. How Americans cannot witness the assault by Muslim communities on European nations and not understand that it can and will happen here is suicidal. Put this one on your reading list! Of course, not all Muslims are plotting terrorism and Irshad Manji’s book, Allah, Liberty and Love: The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom ($16.00, Free Press, softcover) reveals how, within Islam, many of its faithful are yearning for a reformation and greater tolerance of other faiths. The author gained notice with her bestselling book, “The Trouble With Islam Today”, and she makes her case for the need for change. She teaches “moral courage” and that is necessary for change from within and for the willingness to speak out against the imposition of Sharia law by terrorism that intimidates its victims and encourages its perpetrators. The United States has had a long history of dealing with the Middle East dating back to President Thomas Jefferson’s decision to respond to attacks on American ships by Barbary pirates (“to the shores of Tripoli”). In 1866, American missionaries founded a small college in Beirut, Lebanon that would later be renamed the American University of Beirut. Under the leadership of four generations of the Bliss and Dodge families, it became an influential institution of higher learning. It’s story is told in American Sheikhs by Brian VanDeMark ($25.00, Prometheus Books). Far more than just a family saga, it is the story of how the university graduated countless leaders, legislators, ambassadors, educators, scientists, doctors and businessmen whose lives and accomplishments played a significant role in the modern history of the Middle East. Anyone who loves to read history will enjoy this book.

Just out this month is the second edition of a terrific compendium of facts, The Handy Religion Answer Book by John Renard, PhD, ($21.95, Visible Ink, softcover) that provides a world of facts about the different faiths; what people believe and how their faith profoundly influences the way they act. It provides descriptions of major beliefs and rituals worldwide. This publisher also offers "The Handy Science Answer Book ($21.95) now in its fourth edition. These books are treasuries of knowledge that will make you the smartest, best informed person in the room! For folks who like to find a lot of information in one spot, there’s International Affairs by Davis K. Thanjan ($22.95, Bookstand Publishing, Morgan Hill, CA, softcover). Nation by nation, the author has accumulated the most recent information with an emphasis of U.S. foreign policy and foreign relations. The result is a quick, short analysis of each nation’s economic and strategic importance in relationship to U.S. interests. It is a prodigious piece of research that puts the data at your fingertips and for anyone who wants to understand America’s position in the world today, it is filled with insights that would require tons of research that, happily, the author has done for you..

This is a political year and there are some 600,000 public offices up for election throughout the nation. Though it is not widely known, the majority of Americans self-identify as politically conservative. For them Craig Copland has written the 2012 Conservative Election Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Elect Conservatives from Dog Catcher to President ($14.95, available in various e-reader formats at www.conservawiki.com and elsewhere). This is an excellent book that covers all aspects of planning, running, and winning an election. (It’s even available for free if you are a conservative running for office.) While its purpose is to elect conservatives, this book is so thorough that, it must be said, a liberal candidate would benefit just as much from it. I have seen a number of such books over the years and this qualifies as one of the best.

Animal lovers, particularly of horses, will love The Rescue of Belle & Sundance: One Town’s Incredible Race to Save Two Abandoned Horses by Birgit Stutz and Lawrence Scanlan ($22.00,Da Capo Press.) The horses had been abandoned on Mount Renshaw in Canada’s British Columbia province. Everything was fine until winter set in at which point a four-person effort to save them turned into a village-wide, week-long mission to dig a path off the mountain through six feet or more of snow to create an 18-mile descent to safety. It is a delightful story that is well worth reading. In December of last year I recommended The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray. It was rather pricey in its hardcover edition, but now for those who love science and learning, it is available in softcover for $19.95 (Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers) offering gorgeous photos of the 118 elements in the periodic table, packed with information about the building blocks of the universe. This is the kind of book that, in the hands of a young or old exploring mind, opens entire new vistas to our world, stimulating one’s sense of wonder.

Like everyone else, I like to dress fashionably and, frankly, have not given it much thought. Jessica Wolfendale and Jeanette Kennett have and the result is an interesting book, Fashion—Philosophy for Everyone ($19.95, Wiley-Blackwell, softcover). This is not one of your usual fashion books on what’s hot and what’s not. It is a serious look at the subject by two scholars, an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at West Virginia University and a Professor of Moral Psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Together they explore the strong connection between fashion and the aesthetic of an era, the difference between the servile and sensible fashionista, the politics of individual style and fashion choices, and much more. It is a book for the intellectual fashionista and, believe it or not, a lot of fun to read. What I know about woman’s fashion you could put in a bug’s ear, but fortunately Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, a practicing clinical psychologist and wardrobe consultant has written a book to help the fashion-challenged in time for the new spring line. You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You ($16.00, Da Capo Press, softcover) provides insights into the way your choices reflect inner struggles, fears, desires and dream. Her book’s nine chapters diagnose nine distinct shopping complaints and wardrobe mistakes from failing to dress one’s age to being a slave to labels. For anyone who approaches the purchase of new clothes either buying and spending too much or with a certain sense of dread, this is definitely the book to read!

Memoirs, Biographies, Lives

Reading about other people’s lives, whether they are famous or just sharing their experiences, is one of the best ways to understand your own life. A number of books fit that description this month.

One of the delights of my youth were the Saturday matinees where one could see movies starring cowboys like Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans, both of whom transitioned to television. Roy was in the tradition of singing cowboy and had a long career. He and Dale had thousands of fans and Tricia Spencer was among them. She has written a delightful book, The Touch of Roy and Dale ($21.95, West Quest, softcover) subtitled, “The impact and influence of Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys, and Dale Evans, the Queen of the West, as Only Their Fans Could Tell It.” In the 1990s She acquired a treasure of 40,000 pieces of fan mail from the Rogers estate and draws on them and the collected recollections and essays of their children, family friends, and western silver screen stars and others emerge a picture of a couple who lived their Christian faith. The book is greatly enhanced by many photos from their lives. Roy and Dale left behind a great legacy, including their non-profit charity, The Happy Trails Foundation, that can be enjoyed in this wonderful book.

Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul by Mark Bego ($16.95, Skyhorse publishing, softcover) will surely please her fans. She celebrated her 70th birthday in March and the author, one of the best popular culture biographers around, has provided a no-holds-barred look at this extraordinary talent. I was surprised to learn she recorded her first album at age 14 and found stardom in her twenties. It has not been an easy life. She had two teen pregnancies and an abusive marriage, plus drinking problems, and battles with her weight. Then there was the murder of her father, so fabled as her singing career has been, she has had her share of troubles. In the end, it will be her career that people will remember her for, but for those who want to know about the rest, this book will fill in the gaps. Another singer/song writer who left his mark on American culture was Woody Guthrie and Robert Santelli, executive director of the Grammy Museum, has written a homage to him in This Land is Your Land ($24.00, Running Press). This large format book is a definitive Guthrie biography, filled with the kind of information that often comes as a surprise. Among his numerous friendships, for example, were John Steinbeck, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan. Guthrie is remembered for his advocacy for the working man and it was a part of all his music. His travels throughout the nation inspired much of it. Any fan of folk music will want to add this book to their library.

The story of four remarkable sisters is told in Sisters of Fortune: America’s Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad by Jane Wake ($16.99, Touchstone, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, softcover) reads like a Jane Austen novel, but they were real life women, daughters born to wealth in nineteenth century America, arguably the first American heiress. There was Marianne, a soul-mate to the Duke of Wellington; Bess who was a wizard at the stock market and successful speculator; Louisa who became the first American duchess and was a friend of the Queen; and Emily who stayed home in America, marrying a Scots-Canadian fur trader, remaining her sister’s lifeline to their childhood home and family life.

For lovers of history, Westholme Publishing of Yardley, PA, is a treasure of excellent books. Due out officially in May is The Final Mission by Elizabeth Hoban and Lt. Col. Henry Supchack ($24.95) about a mission in July 1944 that the Colonel was flying in his B-17 when it was hit by antiaircraft fire. As the plane was going down, he realized it was on a collision course with an Austrian village and managed to steer it away before escaping the craft. He would later be liberated by Patton’s Third Army in 1945. Years later, little did he know that a world away, an Austrian entrepreneur was searching for the pilot that had fallen out of the sky and whom he had never forgotten. This is an inspiring story of forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing from the devastation of war. Click on www.westholmepublishing.com to check out a number of interesting books drawn from history that are well worth reading.

The Book of Drugs, a Memoir is Mike Doughty’s account ($16.00, Da Capo Press, softcover) of a life that could have been wasted in addictions to drugs and alcohol, but which he escaped after several close calls with death convinced him he had to get sober. In a music career that included a 90s rock group, Doughty began to make a name for himself, but his addictions stole the joy from the fame that came his way. When Dave Matthews signed him to his label, ATO Records, he realized he had been given a second change to redeem himself and his music. He has stayed sober for more than eleven years and this story will interest those who following the contemporary music scene and who will enjoy a look behind the spotlights and glamour. There may be no more frightening experience than to be falsely accused of a crime and been found guilty in a court of law. That was the experience of Gloria Killian, a law student who spent 16 years in prison for a murder she did not commit. Her story is told in Full Circle: A True Story of Murder, Lies and Vindication by Gloria and journalist Sandra Kobrin ($24.95, New Horizon Press) and just out this month. After ten years in prison, massive exculpatory evidence, hidden evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct and perjury was found and ultimately led to her release. During her years of incarceration, she became an advocate for others who were unjustly convicted and for the humane treatment of women prisoners. What happened to her could happen to anyone and her book is a riveting story of injustice and redemption.

A very different story is told in The Sorcerer’s Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adria’s Elbulli ($16.00, Free Press, softcover) by Lisa Abend. Available at last in softcover, the author was given extraordinary access to a famed chef and his restaurant; one elected the best restaurant five times before it made international headlines when it closed in 2011. Here is a look behind the scenes where culinary magic is created and how he trained a new generation of chefs as they struggle to master the long hours, the techniques, and the tensions evoked. For “foodies”, it is a grand read.

To Your Health!

There are so many books that address various aspects of one’s health that there is hardly any condition that does not deal with a problem shared by others.

Paintracking: Your Personal Guide to Living Well with Chronic Pain by Deborah Barrett ($20.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) is a perfect example. Millions of people suffer from debilitating chronic pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain, chronic headache syndromes, neuropathies and other painful conditions. This book offers a hands-on approach to improving life with chronic pain, whatever its underlying cause. The author is a psychotherapist and sociologist with firsthand experience. She provides a systematic method to empower individuals with the ability to navigate the often overwhelming array of treatment options in order to incorporate the most effective ones into their lives. The same publisher also offers Choosing Cesarean: A Natural Birth Plan by Dr. Magnus Murphy, MD, and Pauline McDonaugh Hull ($21.00, Prometheus Books, softcover). Cesarean delivery is often portrayed as an emergency procedure when a woman cannot deliver naturally, but the authors argue that these attitudes are misguided. While not promoting planned cesarean delivery as the best or safest option for all women the authors make a case for it as an option. Written in accessible, jargon-free language with a glossary of medical terms, it is a very useful guide for women, their families, and medical professionals as well.

Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: 4 Simple Steps to Overcome Worry and Create the Life You Want by Tamar Chansky, PhD ($16.00, Da Capo Press, softcover) is one of those titles that says it all. It is written for everyone, not just for those struggling with anxiety disorders or depression. She explores how one can change negative thoughts to achieve a more rational way of seeing oneself and the world, using real life examples of the way fear of criticism, procrastination, perfectionism and other ways people encounter and foster anxiety in their lives. If this problem is one in your own or the life of someone else you know this book will prove a life-changing experience. Harness Your Dark Side: Mastering Jealousy, Rage, Frustration and other Negative Emotions is the subject of Al Graves’ new book ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover). The author is a licensed psychologist, a PhD who addresses how we can stop being so hard on ourselves, providing strategies and techniques to confront the negative drives, deep-rooted incorrect beliefs, and troubled feelings that make up our dark sides. He offers therapeutic self-help exercises and strategies to living well by becoming aware of our emotions. Our prisons are filled with people who failed to do so and our lives are often stunted by our own failure to harness our feelings. This is the first step to real self-help for many people. New Horizon Press has many self-help books worth checking out at www.newhorizonpress.com.

Why Is Brian So Fat? We all know examples of some child, often dealing with a dysfunctional family, who turns to eating as a way to avoid dealing with his feelings. Gary Solomon, PhD knows whereof his speaks ($14.95, Central Recovery Press) and that is why he has written a book for youngsters aged 8 to 14, along with families dealing with overeating issues, as well as teachers and other professionals trying to help such youngsters. Due out officially in May, the book focuses on a young boy’s feelings and what changed his life so that he could get in touch with those feelings. There are very few books that address the subject of overeating and the resulting obesity. It includes a list of websites that children and adults can access to learn more about it. Written in a friendly and welcoming tone, young readers will instantly relate to Brian.

What’s Cooking?

My mother taught the fine art of gourmet cuisine for more than three decades, so we had a lot of cookbooks in our home. They ranged from inspired and gorgeous to useful and practical. I tend to look at cookbooks with a practiced eye.

These days there are all sorts of crazes about food with everyone telling everyone else they’re too fat, eating too much the wrong thing, will surely die from fast food, et cetera. Eating in moderation is the key to good health and, after that, eat the main course before you treat yourself to dessert, okay? I was reminded of these time-tested truths while reading Shirley Law Jacobus’ We’re Eating What? It is “a memoir, recipes, and how-to-guide from America’s longest-running gourmet group” ($24.95, Publish America, softcover) that truly lives up to its title. The author invites the reader into her life and the lives of a group of people who loved to prepare and taste new foods. For anyone who shares this enthusiasm, the book will read like an old friend who is sharing favorite recipes and memories of good times together with friends. It is offbeat and a lot of fun.

We tend to associate cookbooks with countries like France and Italy, but Poland, that’s unique. Of course, every nation and group has its own particular cuisine and getting to know about it is part of the fun. Rose Petal Jam by Beata Zatorska and Simon Target ($35.00, Tabula Books) is a real treat as Ms. Zatorska shares memories of learning to make rose petal jam, pierogi, and other Polish recipes in the kitchen of her grandmother’s farmhouse in a remote village in the foothills of the Karkonosze Mountains where she grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. Accompanied by her husband, Simon, Beata spent a summer exploring her home country in what became a culinary journey as well. The book is beautifully and lavishly illustrated with hundreds of full color photographs of the recipes, the countryside, and the main cities, Warsaw, Gdansk and Krakow. You will want to try your hands at beetroot-shoot soup, cabbage rolls, beef goulash, apple pancakes, Carpathian vanilla torte and, of course, rose petal jam.

I confess I have never understood why anyone would give up meat, pork, fish or any other animal worth eating to pursue a vegan lifestyle. A lot of people, however, must be doing this because there are three vegan cookbooks on my desk. Chloe’s Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You love the Vegan Way by Chloe Coscarelli ($18.99, Free Press, softcover) lives up to its title by this TV personality. The book’s foreword by Dr. Neal D. Barnard explains how a vegan diet can help you lose weight, reduce cholesterol, and deal with diseases. The author demonstrates that vegan cooking need not be bland, visually unappetizing and mostly just sprouts. Fact is, the photos will make your mouth water. Da Capo Press is a major publisher of books about the vegan lifestyle and two of its latest titles are Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food by Susan O’Brien ($18.00, softcover) and Let Them Eat Vegan! ($20.00, softcover) by Dreena Burton, a hefty book with 200 recipes while the “gluten” book offers 125. Ms. Burton has authored two previous books of vegan recipes while Ms. O’Brien wears a number of hats as a food-management consultant.

Getting Down to Business

The way the Internet has changed doing business so swiftly that a new book, The Age of the Platform by Phil Simon ($19.95, Motion Publishing, Las Vegas, NV, softcover) will prove a very useful way to make sense and take advantage of it. It is subtitled “How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business” and Simon, a technology expert, shows how these companies have pioneered an entirely new business model based on a model that other businesses, large and small, should adopt if they want to thrive in the years ahead. The key has been their ability to secure passionate users, adapt quickly to change, embrace risk-taking and experimentation, continually add valuable planks—products, services or user communities, and integrate multiple devices, websites, and services under one umbrella. It is a treasure trove of information that can help any enterprise grow.

Earn What You’re Really Worth by Brian Tracy ($25.99, Vanguard Press) is a practical program for getting to the top for today’s businessperson. Whether you work at an entry level position or aspire to the corner office, this book is about working smarter, gaining respect, and earning more. There’s a lot of pressure on everyone these days of high unemployment to either keep or secure a job. The author offers tested strategies for modern career advancement for employees who are undervalued by their companies, people in job transition situations, students who are entering the workforce, and, of course, those who are unemployed. It is a combination of a motivational book with one that provides insights to today’s workplace. Due out next month, the author of The 3 Power Values: How Commitment, Integrity, and Transparency Clear the Roadblocks to Performance ($32.95, Jossey-Bass) by David Gebler examines how the culture of the workplace can harm any business venture and why it is necessary to spot the signs that it is harming growth. He points to troubling shop talk that suggests workers believe they are just cogs in a machine, are working under a cloud of fear, and simply in a survival mode. This can happen to any company and can lead to costly problems when safety procedures are ignored or internal scandals occur. Removing roadblocks like inconsistent policies and bad managerial attitudes keep employees from applying the right values to their jobs. It is filled with good advice to keep everyone happy, motivated, and on the right track so that everyone enjoys the feeling of success. Snap: Seizing Your Aha! Moments by Katherine Ramsland ($25.00, Prometheus Books) is not just about business, but it surely applies in that area. The author examines how sudden flashes of inspiration have triggered many discoveries and inventions throughout history, offering a fascinating overview of the latest neuroscience thought processes or “snaps.” She explains that snaps are much more than new ideas. They are insights plus momentum, often occurring after ordinary problem solving hits an impasse. When the brain “reboots”, the solution can suddenly pop into our heads. Written in an accessible, jargon-free narrative, it can jump-start your problem solving skills.

If money is the root of all evil, than many of us are rooting for it! David Walman takes us on a journey, The End of Money: Counterfeiters, Preachers, Technies, Dreamers—and the Coming Cashless Society ($25.00, Da Capo Press) in which he explores what the world would be like without cash, giving the reader a crash course on the rise and fall of physical money, beginning with Marco Polo’s fascinating with the paper notes who saw circulating in China, then taking a look at the gold standard and the ascent of national currencies. In our rapidly changing, technologically advanced world, people around the world are embracing new ways of replacing the local bank with a cell phone apt. It is an interesting look at the way the exchange of money has changed over the years and what it is likely to be in the future.

Novels, Novels, Novels

Douglas Wilson likes to write books. He has authored over thirty on a variety of topics. As the pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, he brings his experience and deft wit to bear in a satirical novel called Evangellyfish ($21.00, Canon Press) about the slow-motion collapse of the fictional Chad Lester’s Midwest megachurch. As the head pastor of Camel Creek, Lester is riding high as thousands gather every Sunday to hear him preach, others hear him via the airwaves, and his books are read by millions (often before he reads them himself.) Then Lester is accused of molesting a young male counselee and everything starts to come unglued. This is a gripping novel about sex, scandal, and hypocrisy in contemporary church culture. You will laugh, get angry, and laugh some more, but you will not be bored.

The gospels of the New Testament get a re-write in Kristen Wolf’s audacious novel about Jesus, The Way ($25.00, Crown Publishers) told through the experiences of a tomboy, Anna, who is disguised as a boy and sold to a band of shepherds and then captured by a secret society of women hiding in the desert. Instead of running away she embraces their teachings and healing abilities they call “the Way.” And along the way she crosses paths with Jesus and with a “magician” who uses accomplices to simulate healing and make his living from the money the crowds give him. The actual events portrayed mingle with the fictional ones she creates as she relates life in ancient Israel devoted to an omnipotent male deity and the powerful Roman occupiers. Both the old Testament and New celebrate the role of women and this novel brings a perspective that many will find challenging and fascinating.

If the stacks of novels in my office suggest anything, it is that lots of women are writing them these days insofar as most of those I have received of late are by women. One that stands out is Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli ($25.95, Viking) and though it debuted just last month it is already collecting rave reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist to name just two. It involves six generations of a family that evolve through deep-rooted ethnicity, family secrets, and the land they believe is theirs. It begins in 1941 when Amelia McGee, a young woman of Cherokee and Scotch-Irish descent, active in the NAACP, hastily puts her young daughter, Ella, on a bus to Georgia. What follows is a story told in five voices, rich in the history that preceded Ella, reflecting the society and politics of the South. Having lived in Georgia in the 1960s, the novel had a familiar to it and rings true. Also from Viking is a completely different and often quite daffy family story, A Surrey State of Affairs by Ceri Radford ($25.95), who assumed the character of a 53-year-old meddling mother, Constance Harding, to blog a satire of the conservative, middle class values of England’s “Home Counties” for the Daily Telegraph. Expanded into a novel, Constance, long oblivious to much of what has been going on around her, including a scandal involving her husband, a daughter who’s become a bit of a strumpet, and a son who will not settle into a proper Surrey lifestyle. You don’t have to be British to get a kick out of how the blinds fall from Constance’s eyes or how she copes.

Among the softcover novels is Gothic Spring by Caroline Miller, her second novel, ($15.95, Koho Pono). Victorine Ellsworth knows something about the death of the vicar’s wife…but what? Is she the killer? Or the next victim? It is a journey into a mind that is unraveling. She is a young woman poised at the edge of sexual awakening and cursed with more talent and imagination than society will tolerate. The conflict between her desire and the restrictions that rule her life lead to tragic circumstances arising out of the death of the vicar’s wife. The Caribbean is famed as a place to vacation, but for those who live there, it can be a challenge. Dr. Alvin G. Edwards has played a role in the popular Caribbean television series “Paradise View” while also a medical practitioner who resides in Antigua. Now he’s an author as well with Once Upon An Island ($14.95, Author House). It is a fictionalized account of events experienced by friends, family and others concerning a family that leaves Jamaica to start a new life on Antigua, but who discover the transition isn’t as easy as they had thought. Life on a new island comes with the same problems as life on the larger one, particularly if the legal systems leave something to be desired. The author’s island is fictional, but for a taste of life in the Caribbean, this novel is probably as close to the truth as you will experience.

That’s it for April! The world of non-fiction and fiction is alive and well, and changing. What you will find here is a selection of traditional hard and softcover books. What you will not find are ebooks even though they are in ascendancy as new way to read books. If you enjoy Bookviews monthly look at new and unique titles, tell your family, friends and coworkers to visit here to get news of books you may not find anywhere else. And come back in May!

Bookviews - March 2012

By Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

Charles Murray, a scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, has written a number of books that have garnered both recognition and controversy. He’s back with another that is sure to do the same, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 ($27.00, Crown Forum). Murray has looked back, dating his conclusions from November 21, 1963 when the assassination of President Kennedy set the nation off in a new direction with Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” spending and the expansion of the Vietnam War. Murray, however, is interested in the values Americans shared then and the erosion of those shared values, along with the rapid pace of technological and other changes in society, has brought us to the point where the old class divisions have given way to a new, narrow “elite” of perhaps five percent of the population and everyone else. These are people, 25 and older, the children of the “Boomers” who arrived on the scene after World War Two. These are the people in management and the professions, those whose rise has depended on superior educations and just generally being smarter than others. At the top are those who have “risen to jobs that directly affect the nation’s culture, economy, and politics.” This book is not light reading, densely and thoroughly researched, and coming to conclusions about our society, our culture, and our future that do not bode well unless our former, nationally shared values can be renewed and restored.

In his book, American Nightmare, Randal O’Toole ($25.95, Cato Institute, softcover) says “The 2008 financial crisis was not caused by regulation, low interest rates, or other federal actions alone, but by the conflict between federal efforts to stimulate home ownership and state and local efforts to discourage single-family housing.” O’Toole argues that policies implemented by state and local governments to slow the supply of houses caused wild swings in housing prices. No doubt that urban growth policies and stringent zoning and land-use laws played a role, but the heart of the financial crisis was the purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac of mortgages that were then “bundled” and sold as secure assets. Together they still own some 50% of all the mortgages in American and the “toxic” assets they created bankrupted investment houses and put banks at risk of insolvency. If this is a topic of interest to you, the book is surely food for thought.

Another phenomenon in American life has been the spontaneous movement called the Tea Party. We tend to forget it was a response against the passage of Obamacare. It has since evolved and had a significant affect on the 2010 elections, electing enough Republicans in the House of Representatives to give the party control and narrowing Democrat control of the Senate. Tea Party Patriots: The Second American Revolution by Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin ($23.00 Henry Holt and Company, softcover) tells the story of what may well be the most famous modern grassroots movement, a political force with which to reckon. It is composed of people who believe the federal government is increasingly out of control, over-regulating, borrowing and spending recklessly. If you believe power in America belongs to the people (the Constitution says it does), then this book will interest you with its long range plan for the future that applies to the government, the educational system, and even the entertainment media.

All In: The Education of General David Petraeus ($29.95, The Penguin Press) is a book for anyone trying to understand the Iraq war and our continued presence in Afghanistan, now the longest war in U.S. history. Written by Paula Broadway with Vernon Leob, it is by a woman who graduated with honors from West Point and knows the U.S. Army A-to-Z. She has had considerable access to the man who now is director of the CIA and who had an illustrious military career. Patraeus is the classic over-achiever, gifted with intelligence, the personality of a born leader, and a dedication to his nation. He wrote the Army manual on counter-insurgency and saved the Iraq war when former President Bush ordered the “surge”. He was put in command in Afghanistan by President Obama where his methods achieved a measure of success, but the real message of the book is that billions have been wasted on that effort. The sheer level of corruption there was and is a defeat for U.S. efforts. Much of this book will appeal to those who are interested in recent military history and the men charged with carrying out our campaigns in a region that defies modernization and democracy as we know it in the West. It is well written, well-researched, and a lesson about U.S. efforts since 9/11.

A book written by an environmentalist, David Owen, The Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate Problems Worse ($14.00, Riverhead Press, softcover) overtly and inadvertently exposes the failure of the environmental cult and the “solutions” it offers for things over which humans have no control, i.e., the climate and population. At its heart, Owen embraces environmental beliefs in manmade emissions of “greenhouse gases” that are believed to cause “global warming” when, in fact, the Earth’s atmosphere keeps it from being a desiccated version of Mars or the Moon. Carbon dioxide is the gas that is responsible for all vegetation on Earth and, without it, all animal life would die. Owen exposes the failure of environmental beliefs, ideas, and its desire to “transform” human behavior to “save the Earth” which requires no saving. While goals of clean air and clean water are laudable, a massive bureaucracy determined to require changes in our behavior and the destruction of our economy is not. For a quick look into the “greener than thou” mentality, this book is worth reading.

The gun invented by Samuel Colt is famed as the one that won the West. Later two gentlemen, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson created some marvelous firearms. Now a book, Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun by Paul M. Barrett ($26.00, Crown Publishers) tells the story of the invention of the iconic handgun of modern times. In the 1980s, Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian engineer, came up with an innovative design of a handgun, one with only 36 durable, interchangeable parts, and one that could fire 17 bullets without reloading. It has since become the handgun of choice for two-thirds of America’s law enforcement departments and countless handgun owners. It is an intriguing story of genius marketing, uncanny timing, and the glamour that came to be associated with the semi-automatic handgun, filled with political maneuvering, bloody shoot-outs, and even an attempt on the life of the inventor. In turbulent and dangerous times, it is a reminder that Founding Fathers understood the need for an armed citizens as a brake on a potentially tyrannical government. There’s a reason why, after guaranteeing freedom of speech, the press, religious practice, and free assembly in the First Amendment, the right to own and bear arms was the Second Amendment.

Rabbi Shumley Boteach has authored 27 books and his latest is Kosher Jesus ($26.00, Geffen Publishing House.) It is bound to stir controversy because Rabbi Boteach asserts that the biblical Jesus and the historical Jesus are quite different and the facts that can be known about the human Jesus cancel out the belief that he was also divine. This is, of course, the heart of Christianity which assigns divinity to Jesus, but Rabbi Boteach makes a strong case that the human Jesus was a charismatic rabbi in a time of tumult in Israel as Jews sought to throw off the occupation of the Roman Empire. Citing the gospels as well as the Torah and Talmud, Rabbi Boteach effectively demonstrates that the historical Jesus was preaching exclusively to Jews as a Jew. The New Testament that came about several decades after his crucifixion is the Christian sect’s effort to seek accommodation with the Romans and assign a divinity that no Jew of that time or the present would ever accept as anything other than a form of paganism. That said, the author argues for Jesus as a bridge between the two religions, both faced with an Islamism that threatens them. It is, to say the least, a thought-provoking book.

I love “fun” books, often collections of items that have become part of our national culture. Scandalous! 50 Shocking Events You Should Know About (So You Can Impress Your Friends ($13.99, Zest Books, softcover) fulfill this description with a timeline that begins in 1906 with the murder of famed architect Stanford White by his ex-lover’s rich husband and concludes with the drama of the 2000 Bush-Gore election that was decided by a Supreme Court verdict. The events are real and they made headlines for good reasons. Over the years I have edited Bookviews I have rarely included individual poets because it tends to bring a deluge of books by other poets. Poetry is a highly individual literary artform and I prefer anthologies with lots of different poems from which to select. Recently I received Night of the Republic by Alan Shapiro ($21.00, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). As a founding member of the National Book Critics Circle, I note that he was an award finalist and has won many awards for his work. Being a traditionalist, I like my poetry to rhyme and am reminded of Robert Frost’s definition of modern poetry as “playing tennis without the net.” Shapiro does not rhyme, but he brings a poet’s eye to his own life and life around him. His work reflects well on our republic.

Editorial Services

Are you writing a novel, a memoir, and any other kind of book or project? Need some mentoring and editing to ensure it comes out just right? If so, I recommend you visit http://www.ronmarr.com/ and access the experience and skills of a published author, a former journalist, and a skilled magazine writer who can help you produce something of which you can be proud. I have known Ron for years, have his books in my collection, and seen him guide many writers of varying skill levels toward the satisfaction of a job well done.

Pregnancy, Caring for the Ill, and other Health Issues

The 7th edition of Your Pregnancy Week by Week ($15.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) is now available. Co-authors, Dr. Glade Curtis, MD, and Judith Schuler, have written 18 books together over the years. Dr. Glade is board certified by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and this book has been updated to provide as comprehensive a body of information about pregnancy as you will find anywhere. Formatted in an weekly schedule, it covers all the questions and concerns that pregnancy involves, including a new appendix for couples having trouble conceiving. Not all pregnancies go smoothly and High-Risk Pregnancy—Why Me? Understanding and Managing a Potential Preterm Pregnancy is a medical and emotional guide by Kelly Whitehead with Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, MD ($26.95, Evolve Publishing, softcover). A scientist by training, the author was facing a high risk “preemie” pregnancy after the loss of her first child at nearly 23 weeks. She discovered there was a scarcity of information for women facing a similar situation and joined forces with Dr. Berghella, a specialist in fetal/maternal medicine. The objective was to write a book that the lay person could understand. An estimated 500,000 women in the U.S. encounter this and now there’s a book to guide them through to successful births. An interesting and disturbing book, Grade A Baby Eggs: An Infertility Memoir by Victoria Hopewell ($15.95, Epigraph Books, softcover) addresses the 7.3 million couples “whose eggs and sperm are not quite up to the task. Infertility is an existential slap in the face.” The author, a clinical psychologist who has held academic appointments at the medical schools of both Harvard and Cornell, reveals the truth about the in-vitro fertilization industry, “a wild-west baby business where women’s eggs are bought and sold over the Internet, and prices are based on everything from the donor’s SAT scores to how much you’re welling to pay to make sure your baby is technically Jewish.” The IVF attempts each year average more than $12,000 each “and it’s virtually unregulated” says the author. For anyone encountering this problem, this book must be read. It deserves wider media attention as well.

Walking on Eggshells: Caring for a Critically Ill Loved One ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) by Amy Sales is filled with pragmatic advice and insightful self-assessments for caregivers. It advises what to say in difficult conversations, how to regain the patient’s sense of control, and new methods for self-care in order to bring their best to care-giving. This book addresses the unique needs of care-givens of parents, children, adult children, and spouses. It offers advice for care-givers who need to attend to their own health while providing for seriously ill loved ones. Anyone who has been through it will tell you it can be a difficult and daunting task. If you or someone you know is dealing with this, this book will prove invaluable. In April the Central Recovery Press of Las Vegas will publish When the Servant Becomes the Master by Dr. Jason Z.W. Powers, MD ($18.95, softcover) described as “a comprehensive addiction guide for those who suffer with the disease, the loved ones affected by it, and the professionals who assist them.” It covers a wide range of topics from what addiction is, its dynamics and neurochemistry; to drugs of abuse, treatment approaches and interventions, to relapse prevention. Not all addictions involve substance abuse. The book includes gambling, food, and sex addictions as well. Addiction is treated like a disease, not a moral failure. Colleagues have great praise for this book, noting that it is filled with relevant, clinically useful information that will help people understand addiction and take the right steps toward healing.

A Lethal Inheritance: A Mother Uncovers the Science Behind Three Generations of Mental Illness by Victoria Costello ($19, Prometheus Books, softcover) is part memoir, detective story, and scientific investigation as the author tells the story of the mental unraveling of her 17-year-old son compelled her to look back into her family history for clues to his condition. She traced it back to his great grandfather’s suicide in 1913, but that brought no relief because, within two years of Alex’s diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, both she and her youngest son succumbed to two different mental disorders, major depression and an anxiety disorder. After a struggle to secure the best mental health care for her sons and herself, they each achieved full recovery. In the process, she discovered new science that explains how clusters of mental illness traverse family generations. If this describes your family or one you know, this book provides needed information and insight, particularly now that it is known that mental illness can be passed or skip from generation to generation.

Love, Loss, and Laughter: Seeing Alzheimer’s Differently by Cathy Greenblat ($24.95, Globe Pequot Press) is a remarkable collection of photos and text by the author who documents that those receiving an emerging kind of care that treats the person, not just the “patient”, is a portrait of how Alzheimer’s can be dealt with effectively by sustaining their connections to others, to their own past lives, with a level of success higher than is generally believed at this time. The book has a foreword by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the daughter of movie star, Rita Hayworth, who had Alzheimer’s. “This book is not about the difficulties of dementia can cause, as some might expect. It is about the lives that continue in spite of it. It really is about seeing Alzheimer’s differently.” She is the president of Alzheimer’s Disease International and honorary vice chair of the Alzheimer’s Association (USA). The book is filled with excellent and inspiring advice for the families of those afflicted with this cruel disease. It’s photos are wonderful and it would make a great gift for anyone who is caring for a loved one.

Love, Love, Love

What kind of a world would it be without love? Dreadful! Much Ado About Loving: What our Favorite Novels can Teach you about Date Expectations, Not-so-Great Gatsbys, and Love in the Time of Internet Personals is one of those titles that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the book. For lovers of fiction, Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly ($19.99, Free Press) have gotten together to examine the vast body of literature with the view that there is much to be learned from the characters portrayed that can be applied to our own lives as we read about their foibles, misadventures, and eventual triumphs. The authors, relationship gurus, know that finding and keeping love is often tough for present-day folks who often turn to all manner of self-help books, daytime TV, magazines, friends, relatives and shrinks for guidance. This is a book about how to form relationships and make them work, using literature as signposts.

We know that fifty percent of marriages these days do not last, but Tiffany Current, the author of How to Move In With Your Boyfriend (and Not Break Up With Him) is of the opinion that living in sin ain’t what it used to be. She thinks that “shacking up” is almost a rite of passage with more couples living together than ever ($12.95, Hunter House, softcover). Let us note that Tiffany successfully navigated the perils of her live-in relationship and went on to marry the man who provided the fodder for her entertaining guidebook. She admits they got off to a rocky start and, as many couples discover, cleaning habits, house rules, and decorating tastes, and everything else can turn into an argument. She emphasizes communication, teamwork, and compromise to make a relationship work. It’s a witty and very sensible book that any girl should read.

Love for No Reason: 7 Steps to Creating a Life of Unconditional Love by Marci Shimoff ($15.00, Free Press), a bestseller, is now in softcover and has been hailed by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Jack Canfield, the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and has a foreword by Marianne Williamson, all renowned in their own fields as relationship gurus. The best relationships in life are based on this principle and, if you are seeking to achieve it, this is the right place to begin. Then there is love at the end of life. When All That’s Left of Me is Love: A Daughter’s Story of Letting Go by Linda Campenella ($17.99, Tate Publishing, softcover) was published in August 2011, so I am reporting on it a bit belatedly, but its message is eternal and the memoir about learning her mother had terminal cancer will resonate with many who have had time to bid goodbye to a beloved parent while ensuring their last days would be filled with as much joy as possible. She made that last year count and those who are experiencing a similar situation, they should too.

Loving History

When it comes to reading, I love history and a number of excellent new books serve it well.

We are all taught about the Lewis and Clark expedition, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, our third President. It did much to help open up the American West, at that time largely terra incognita to most who lived along the East Coast and in the South. Thomas C. Danisi has written a biography, Uncovering the Truth About Meriwether Lewis ($26.00, Prometheus Books), shedding light on the adventurous life and controversial death of this great explorer. Lewis encountered many difficulties in his life, suffering from incurable malaria for much of it, being court martialed at one point, enduring the challenges of the expedition, and either being murdered at the end or taking his own life.

The Civil War was the nation’s great trauma and continues generate many books on the subject. One of the latest is Decided on the Battlefield: Grant, Sherman, Lincoln and the Election of 1864 by David Alan Johnson ($27.00, Prometheus Books). The critical election for Lincoln’s reelection is the focus as the war had dragged on for more than three years with no end in sight. Lincoln was being challenged by George B. McClellen and he needed a victory to lift the voter’s spirits. It was the battles of Generals Grant and Sherman that made that possible and, in particular, the conquest of Atlanta. Lincoln would be reelected with a majority of 400,000 votes. The war would continue for five months before the South surrendered and the republic was reunited. This is a very interesting book on many levels and well worth reading. The South, of course, has its own version of the Civil War and it is served up by Leonard M. Scruggs in The Uncivil War: Shattering the Historical Myths ($16.95 plus $2.95 shipping, Universal Media, Inc., softcover). For southerners and others who pursue this chapter of our history, there is much they will find of interest in this book. For the South, the issue was state’s rights and the U.S. Constitution which they replicated in large part for the Confederacy. The war’s casualties were nothing less than astonishing. Its conduct was brutal.

Another brutal conflict occurred when Egyptians revolted against the decades of dictatorship of Hosni Mubarack and the military that backed him. Revolution 2.0: The Power of the People is Greater Than the People in Power by Wael Ghonim ($26.00, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) tells the story of the author’s anonymous launch of a Facebook page in 2010 to protest the death of an Egyptian man at the hands of the security forces. The page’s followers quickly expanded and, on January 14, 2011, it made history when more than 350,000 friends clamored to join and a revolution was declared. Ghonim was captured and held for twelve days of brutal interrogation. This is a remarkable story of how the modern communications technology of social networking on the Internet sparked a revolution and what came to be called the Arab Spring.

A much lighter topic is the subject of The Persian Room Presents: An Oral History of New York’s Most Magical Night Spot by Patty Farmer ($28.95, Vantage Press) which tells the story of this famed gathering place for the glitterati and visitors to the city. For more than forty years, from 1934 to 1975, the Persian Room showcased an unparalleled array of performers and many of them recall it. Among its contributors are Andy Williams, Polly Bergen, Diahann Carroll, Carol Lawrence, and others. It is filled with show business stories of the famous entertainers and other figures of that era. It is a wonderful remembrance of a past time of glamour and talent.

Kid’s Books, Younger Readers

The next time you’re feeling blue, if you have a pre-schooler, one in grade school, buy a book for their age group and watch how much fun it is to read it together. For pre-teens, sometimes called “tweens”, there are some excellent new books as well.

You can never go wrong with a published called Kids Can Press. They have some of the most imaginative books for both age groups. When I read the ones for the very young, I find myself laughing just like one of them!

Dear Flyary, as in “diary”, by Dianne Young and illustrated by John Martz ($16.95) is a hoot! It involves a kid from another galaxy who gets bright, new red spaceship and all problems that ensue when it begins to make strange noises, not unlike cars do on occasion. The fun is in the language of the story which is a space-talk version of English and very amusing. This one is for the very young up to around five. Also for this age group is Larf, written and illustrated by Ashley Spires ($16.95) about a hairy, seven-foot-tall vegetarian Sasquatch who is quite content to live alone with his pet bunny, Eric. Thinking he is the only Sasquatch, when he reads that another Sasquatch will be at a nearby town, he decides to go. He disguises himself (which is not easy for a Sasquatch to do) but it turns out it’s just some guy in a costume. Fate intervenes in the form of Shurl, a girl Sasquatch—also disguised—who he invites for supper. A happy ending is expected. A Hen for Izzy Pippik, written by Aubrey Davis and beautifully illustrated by Marie Lafrance ($16.95) has the feel of a Yiddish tale from former times. When a chicken turns up on Shaina’s doorstop, she tries to return him to her owner, Mr. Pippik, but he’s no where to be found. As time goes alone, more chicks are born until they are everywhere in the town. The townspeople discover that the chickens were so popular that business began to boom as people came from all around to see them. When Mr. Pippik turns up, he decides to give them all to the town. Roosters crowed. Children cheered. Hens cackled with glee! Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault ($16.96) is not about the famed author—spelled Woolf—but rather the sister of Vanessa who has awakened in a foul mood, like an angry wolf. Cheering her up is the task before Vanessa and this is the story of how she did it.

On a more serious and educational note, there’s Faith: Five Religions and What They Share by Dr. Richard Steckel and Michele Steckel ($17.95) and provides a brief description of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. There are chapters on the cultural aspects of each such as their houses of worship. For ages six to ten or so, this book provides an look at the way various people pursue their religious lives. Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors ($16.95) is written y Jane Drake and Ann Love, and illustrated by Heather Collins. It is filled with activity that will put kids in touch with life beyond computer games and television, from building a birdhouse, making a tire swing, planting a garden, and much more. When I was a child, we were outdoors all the time and I would recommend this one to today’s parents.

Early readers, aged seven to ten or so, will enjoy three stories that include Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week by Caroline Adderson with illustrations by Ben Clanton ($15.95). These are books where the story is the main attraction. This book is the first of a series about Jasper, a quirky and enthusiastic boy with an offbeat view of the world. Young readers will find much to laugh about when they read this one. Lower the Trap: The Lobster Chronicles 1 by Jessica Scott Kerrin ($15.95) tells of a gargantuan lobster caught by the main character’s father and the adventures that result. It’s a delightful introduction to lives devoted to the bounty of the sea. Finally, there’s The Island Horse by Susan Hughes ($16.95) It is a wonderful story of a girl who has to move to Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia, but home to wild horses. While Ellie loves horses, she is not happy to leave her little village. Once there, however, she forms a friendship with a beautiful chocolate-colored horse, but will he and his herd be taken away? These three books are a great introduction to the fun of reading.

Novels, Novels, Novels

The flood of novels continues and, happily, there are a number of very good ones worth recommending.

For those who love stories involving America’s intelligence services, The Right Guard by Alexandra Hamlet ($24.95, Foxboro Press, Annapolis, MD) is going to prove a suspenseful and satisfying story with ramifications of present times. Set in 1978, it reflects the present political and economic climate of the United States. Recall that Jimmy Carter was still president and the Iranian hostage taking of our diplomats was still a year away. When more than one million military weapons and equipment are missing from U.S. military inventories across the nation, CIA operatives struggle to find out who is involved in a secretive, “phantom” group hostile to a wildly spending, intrusive U.S. administration. The action is set against the world of intelligence and defense in the 1970s and chapters often begin with actual newspaper articles relating to the topics that are contained in the novel. This is the author’s debut novel and one can only hope she has another on the way.

Before the Poison ($25.99, William Morrow) by Peter Robinson is an old-fashioned thriller about a composer, Chris Lowndes, who leaves California after twenty-five years there writing musical scores for films. He has decided to return to the Yorkshire dales in England where he has bought, sight-unseen, a big, old, remote mansion. Turns out that his realtor neglected to mention that it was the scene of a murder in 1953 and Grace Fox, the wife of the victim was hanged for having poisoned him. Intrigued, the more he learns about the case, the more convinced he becomes that she was innocent. Despite warnings, he digs into it and you will dig into this mystery too. A thriller by Aric Davis, A Good and Useful Hurt, ($14.95, 47North, Las Vegas, softcover) features a tattoo artist who uses the ashes of the customer’s loved ones in their tattoos. The author is himself a tattoo artist who works at a popular parlor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the novel his fictional tattoo artist is on a collision course with a serial killer. As more requests for similar tattoos commemorating a lost one, his life begins to spin out of control when Deb, another tattooist, joins his firm and a romance ensues. This is a complex story worth reading. In a Long Drive Home by Will Allison ($14.00, Free Press, softcover) a single impulsive act leads to unintended consequences. When Glenn Bauer jerks his steering wheel to scare a reckless driver, it results in a crash that kills the driver. Realizing that he is the only witness to the accident—as well as the likely cause—he begins to lie to the police, his wife, and even his six-year-old daughter. When his wife panics with the potential of punishment, he begins to wonder if he did cause the crash. This novel is an exploration of culpability.

Everybody Says Hello by Michael Kun ($30.00, Livingston Press, University of West Alabama, softcover) is about someone we all know. In this novel it’s Sid Straw and his correspondence, and it reveals a man who is a good and decent person, but one for whom things just always take a wrong turn. He comes close to a right decision, but then swerves into a wrong one. Sid tries too hard, says a little too much, makes that extra effort that proves his undoing. If he could get out of his own way, his life was be so much better. This novel draws you into his life and is written by an author whose work has been well received over the past two decades. Welcome to the world of Sid Straw. The South has given us many fine novelists and has his own distinct culture. In The Lost Saints of Tennessee ($25.00, Atlantic Monthly Press), Amy Franklin-Willis mines the fault lines in one Southern working class family as it moves from the 1940s to the 1980s. It revolves around Ezekiel Cooper and his mother, Lillian. As the saying goes, if Zeke didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all. He loses his twin brother to a mysterious drowning and his wife to divorce. Only the ghosts remain for him in Clayton, Tennessee and he decides to leave and, in doing so, leaves behind two adolescent daughters and his estranged mother, herself a figure of sadness too, hoping to save what remains of her family. Zeke finds refuge with sympathetic cousins in Virginia’s horse country until he must decide whether to cling to the past or to move on. This novel is the real deal. In The Union Quilters ($15.00, Plume, softcover) Jennifer Chiaverini takes us back to the days of the Civil War with a story that addresses the challenges faced by women left behind when their men answered the call to arms and as they dealt with southern sympathizers as well as the many ethical questions the war raised. An informal group of women come together for comfort and support in a deeply moving story of an era fraught with conflict.

The Pacific Northwest is the setting for an historically based novel, Bring Me One of Everything ($16.95, Grey Swan Press, softcover) by Leslie Hall Pinder. Twenty-five years ago this Canadian writer debuted with her first novel to much critical acclaim. Four years later her second novel was published and now, twenty years later she returns after devoting herself to being an attorney protecting the rights of indigenous people. The result infuses this novel with her knowledge of native rituals and practices. An anthropologist, Austin Hart, who was charged by the Smithsonian to “bring me one of everything”, he was responsible in the 1950s for bringing the last of the totem poles of the Haida tribes who inhabit the Queen Charlotte islands in British Columbia. Now Alicia Purcell has been commissioned to create the libretto for an opera about him. The fusion of both their lives and the conflicts within her life are the heart of this remarkable novel.

For those who love an epic story, Jack Whyte has authored The Forest Land ($25.95, Forge) based on the life of the heroic figure of Scotland’s William Wallace. It is the first in his “Guardian’s trilogy” that will include the fight for Scotland’s freedom by Robert the Bruce and Sir James (the Black) Douglas. This is history writ large and in a fashion that will please anyone who loves the great battles of the past and the men who led them.

That’s it for March. So much to read and enjoy. So much more to come. Tell your family and friends about Bookviews.com so they too can have their lives enriched by the fiction and non-fiction that light up the dark places of our heart and illuminate our lives with their stories. Come back in April!