By Alan Caruba
My Picks of the Month
There’s a new book that should be essential reading for parents, educators, employers and others dealing with the new Generation Y and its subset, the title of Tim Elmore’s Generation iY: Our Last Change to Save the Future ($16.99, Poet Gardener Publishing in association with www.GrowingLeaders.com, softcover). They are the children of the late Baby Boomers and the early Gen-X’ers between 1984 and 2002. They have been called Millennials and the Digital or Internet Generation. They are stuck in a kind of extended adolescence, experiencing a lot of depression and disillusionment as they face adult expectations in college and in the workplace. They are also the generation we will look to lead the nation soon enough and they can barely cope with their own lives, having been told how great they were by their parents, having failed to develop interpersonal skills due to iphones, ipads, texting and hours before TV and computer screens in their own imaginary world. They have been raised to be consumers, but lack the skills to be contributors. Real life and real commitments overwhelm them easily. The result is that growing numbers drop out of high school, are unprepared for the rigors of college, are prone to quit jobs rapidly, whom an older generation must wait until they get past age 25 to show signs, if any, of anything deemed maturity. Elmore says today’s adults have to begin changing how they raise, teach, and train this generation for adult responsibilities because they will be the next generation of adults, for better or worse.
A growing number of Americans are deeply disappointed by the failure of the Obama administration’s solutions to the financial crisis and failure to turn the economy around with “stimulus” spending and other “quick fix” programs. The present mood reflects the ten years in the 1930s during the Great Depression when many current liberal programs were introduced and similarly failed. However, the legacy of the FDR administration is the “entitlement” programs such as Social Security and, later, Medicare. Both are essentially insolvent. Why don’t liberal ideas translate into any measure of success? And why are so many coercive with the intent of limiting people’s choices in a nation based on freedom? Terence P. Jeffrey, the Editor-in-Chief of CNSnews.com, has written Control Freaks: 7 Ways Liberals Plan to Ruin Your Life ($$27.95, Regnery Publishing Inc) and, in the interest of full disclosure, I have been a contributor, a commentator for this news and opinion website for many years. Putting aside the book’s title is cleverly provocative title, Jeffrey does an excellent job of providing the historic context of how the role of the federal government has grown despite the specific and limited role for it that is spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. Since the 1930s, both Democrats and Republicans alike have deliberately ignored the Constitution and even the Supreme Court has reinterpreted it or perhaps one should say misinterpreted it. Jeffrey demonstrates how increasingly intrusive into everyone’s life the federal government has become and he documents it with 57 pages of citations of the facts presented. You will be appalled by the actual debt in which the nation is mired, not just for this generation, but the next and the one after that. This is a book I would recommend everyone read before the November 2nd midterm elections. The decline in President Obama’s approval ratings suggest that people of all political persuasions are increasingly concerned about his policies and programs.
While President Obama has been successful, thanks to a party-line vote, in forcing legislation through Congress, the opposition to much of it remains. That is why, if politics interests you, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America, by Pamela Geller with Robert Spencer ($27.00, Threshhold Editions, an imprint of Simon and Schuster) will prove helpful in understanding the “transformation” Obama promised is resulting in high unemployment, a free-market system under attack, and the nationalization of large elements of the economy. This book is so thoroughly researched it takes 30 pages of small print to list all the footnotes cited throughout its text. This is a very close examination of the actual acts and statements of a president who is alienating Americans on a virtual daily basis.
Israel continues in the news, threatened by its neighbors, under attack in the United Nations, and the on-again, off-again trials of its relationship with changing U.S. administrations. How to Make Peace in the Middle East in Six Months or less Without Leaving Your Apartment by Gregory Levey ($25.00, Free Press) is the often hilarious and sometimes horrifying look at the inner workings of international government agencies. Also available in softcover is his previous book, Shut Up I’m Talking to You ($15.00, Free Press).The author relates his return to the United States after a stint in his mid-twenties writing speeches for the Israeli government. He discovered that everyone seems to believe they have the solution to the intractable Middle East’s conflicts and they all want to tell him about it. He concludes that he must find the answer for himself, sorting out the many different “answers” offered by White House officials, D.C. lobbyists, congressmen, advisers to presidential candidates, high profile journalists, and others. Unraveling the ancient claims and modern rivalries has yet to hit upon a formula for peace in a region filled with conflict. The author provides a window to the process. I recommend both books.
We are all so occupied with the daily headlines of events around the world, it is easy to forget that for millennia Europeans believed the world consisted of three parts; Europe, Africa, and Asia. The trade routes between these regions was well established in early times, but The Fourth Part of the World by Toby Lester ($16.99, Free Press, softcover) is the story of what was widely regarded as an inaccessible place, North and South America, that until 1507 wasn’t even on the maps of that era. The book is a thrilling saga of geographical and intellectual exploration that sweeps across continents and centuries. Early traders like Marco Polo and early Christian missionaries had trekked to Asia. The Portuguese were explorers of Africa and the Far East, but it took Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci to put a then unknown but rumored continent on the map. This is a piece of history worth visiting.
Writers frequently and understandably enjoy the companionship of other writers. It is a difficult and demanding craft. Memorable Days: The Selected Letters of James Salter and Robert Phelps ($25.00, Counterpoint Press) chronicles the correspondence between these two that began with a letter of admiration for James Salter’s novel, “A Sport and a Pastime” that developed into a long friendship spanning two decades. Phelps authored “Heroes and Orators” and “The Literary Life”, but is perhaps better known as the editior of “Earthly Paradise: Colette’s Autobiography.” Some two hundred letters examine the trials of writing and their mutually supportive relationship. Salter has written novels, essays, screenplays, and short stories, and divides his time between Aspen and Long Island. Phelps passed away in 1989.
If there is one thing that people who love to read have in common is the ambition to also write. Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob ($15.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) is subtitled, “The complete guide to writing cookbooks, blogs, reviews, memoir and more” and has proven so popular it is now in its second edition. Its focus is on writing about food and for anyone wanting to break into this arena it is filled with good advice about the various genres of food writing. I have been a professional writer for decades so I can confirm that this is the real deal that is based not only on her own successful career, but on interviews with other food writers, literary agents, cookbook editors, and others. It is an essential tool for every foodie hoping to put pen to page One of the most practical cookbooks I have seen in a while is the Gooseberry Patch Keepsake Cookbook ($27.95, Oxmoor House, an imprint of Time Inc). It’s 420 pages, filled with great recipes and great color photos, of which 50 are blank pages on which you can add your own recipes, but mostly it is its unique format, a three-ring binder, so the book can lay flat on the kitchen table while you sample Gooseberry co-founders, Jo Ann Martin and Vickie Hutchins’ collection of delicious, but sensible dishes perfect for any evening meal. Gooseberry began as a mail-order business and the recipes included in their catalogs quickly became such favorites customers were saving them. Today, the company is serving its third generation of customers. You will never be without great ideas for great dinners and other meals with this timeless and timely cookbook. Check it out at www.oxmoorhouse.com.
I spent my college days driving from New Jersey to Florida on Interstate 95, so I have some memories of it. They have been awakened by Dianne Perrier’s delightful history, Interstate 95: The Road to Sun and Sand ($24.95, University Press of Florida) and, for those with similar memories of Interstate 81: The Great Warriors Trace, she has explored its history as well. Interstate 95 stretches along the East Coast from Maine’s Canadian border almost all the way to the Florida Keys, passing through fifteen states, plus the District of Columbia where Interstate 81 starts on Wellesley Island, New York and makes its way through the Appalachians to its southernmost point, Dandridge, Tennessee. Both were part of the great highway system envisioned by President Dwight Eisenhower and both created a whole new mobility for Americans, creating greater economic growth as well. If you love history as I do, you will enjoy either or both of these adventures on the highways and discover how they reflected trails blazed by Indians and early Americans.
Ever wonder why we say “God bless you” when someone sneezes? Or why hanging a horseshoe over the door is a good luck symbol? These and many other “old wives’ tales and superstitions” that are a daily part of our lives as we knock on wood to ward off bad luck or we avoid walking under ladders, are explained in Black Cats & Four-Leaf Clovers by Harry Oliver ($13.95, Perigee, softcover). I recommended his previous book, “Bubble Gum and Hula Hoops” and I recommend this one as yet another entertaining collection of information.
Relationships and Aging
Every so often one comes across a compelling title like Everyone Marries the Wrong Person: Turning Flawed in Fulfilling Relationships ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) by Christine Meinecke, PhD. The author dismisses conventional viewpoints on relationships and shows how to transcend the initial infatuation called love in order to create a mature, lasting love because the two partners in the marriage change. Marriages fall apart for many reasons, but it often comes back to the expectations brought into the relationship and the simple fact that life imposes changes on both. The author offers a proven plan to salvage a marriage that is on the fast track to divorce. If this describes your own or a friend’s, than this book will likely prove helpful.
Raising Confident Readers is surely a subject close to my heart. J. Richard Gentry, PhD ($14.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) tackles a big problem insofar as studies have shown that four out of ten eight-year-olds cannot read independently, largely because of a lack of word exposure in their formative years. If you have a youngster returning to school with poor reading skills you need to step in and help. This book will show you how. The good news is that it doesn’t take long to improve a child’s reading skills and the author provides reading and writing exercises that any parent can use. There is little doubt that we live in stressful times and that our new age of technology and information access often contributes to that stress. A corollary to this is Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools, and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework by Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed ($14.95, Advantage Books, softcover. Kids are coming home with more and more homework these days and this poses a problem for them and their parents. The author, a former public school teacher with more than 20 years experience, offers lots of good advice for parents of children from age six to 18 and identifies six key types of children who struggle with school and homework. She spells out six study skills that need to be developed and the organization of time that help students master content and build self-confidence. In a very real way, this is homework for adults and well worth reading. For parents that have children exhibiting learning problems, I recommend The Learning Tree: Overcoming Learning Disabilities from the Ground Up by Stanley I. Greenspan, MD, and Nancy Thorndike Greenspan ($26.00, Da Capo Press). Whether one is a parent of a child who is behind in several academic areas or of a gifted child with subject-specific weakness such as math, they know the issue needs to be confronted and the authors provide an overview of problems children face in early development and beyond. They not only identify the symptoms of learning disabilities, but the missing developmental steps that cause the symptoms. This book will provide peace of mind along with a game plan to address problems.
Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness by Susan Smalley, PhD, and Diana Winston ($16.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) discusses the beneficial effects of mindfulness techniques that can improve attention and concentration, decrease addictive behaviors, boost performance, and help with challenging thoughts and emotions like depression and anxiety. A good companion volume is Life Unlocked: 7 Revolutionary Lessons to Overcome Fear by Dr. Srinivasan S. Pillay, MD ($25.99, Rodale). The World Health Organization calls stress “the health epidemic of the 21st century” and given the global financial crisis, rogue nations seeking or having nuclear capabilities, and the rise of Islamo-fascism, there is plenty about which to be anxious. Dr. Pillay’s book could be called “tough love” because he advises against making excuses for not turning positive ideas into action such as how to visualize success and make it happen, explains why powerful leaders engage in infidelity, dealing with a fear of commitment or fear of rejection, and how to cope with loneliness, among other common human experiences.
Not only are Americans in particular living longer lives, they are seeking ways to live longer and healthier lives. The Longevity Diet ($14.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) by Brian M. Delaney and Lisa Walford addresses how diet can ward off health problems, delay the aging process, and extend life expectancy. This is the second edition of the book that focuses on a calorie restriction diet that the authors say can help with weight loss and prevent common ailments such as type 2 diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure, among other health related concerns. I cannot attest to its recommendations, but for anyone interested in this subject, there is sure to be something of value to be found in this book. I am in my seventh decade and, for most of my life, I dined at the table with parents who were dedicated to eating well. Good food and good wine is probably the best antidote to aging there is. My late Mother taught haute cuisine, the secrets of gourmet cooking and baking for thirty years, was an internationally famed authority on wine, and an author of several cookbooks. She lived to 98. My Father lived to 93 and would probably have lived longer had a trip to a hospital not contributed to shortening his life. A large consort of Americans is aging. A whole generation of Baby Boomers from the 1950s is beginning to retire or at least receive Social Security. Thus, Aging Gracefully, Aging Defiantly by Norma Roth ($18.95, Author House, softcover) not only proved to be interesting and inspiring reading to me, but will no doubt find a large audience among my contemporaries. The expression is that old age is not for sissies and there’s enough truth in that for Roth to have developed “ten tips to keep people off your back” when family and others begin to wonder if you are having “senior moments”, occasional forgetfulness that, in someone younger, would be ignored. This book is so full of really good advice on making the transition to one’s sixties and beyond that I cannot say enough good things about it. If you have an aging member in your family or a friend possibly having a problem or two as they age, I recommend you give them this book.
The Lives of Real People
Every so often someone writes a memoir that is so unique that is quite compelling. That’s the case with Black & Bulletproof : An African-American Warrior in the Israeli Army (24.95, New Horizon Press) that is officially due out in December. It is the story of Marcus Hardie, a man who was raised in the gang-infested streets of Los Angeles, but who through intelligence and pure grit escaped to graduate from college and law school, and became a special assistant to a California governor. Religion had always played a role in his life, but he found himself increasingly drawn to Judaism and, because he always amerced himself in anything that interested him, he volunteered to help out at a Jewish home for the aged, learning about the Holocaust from its survivors, discovering the pleasure of the discipline that Judaism offers through study of its holy book, the Torah, and finding a welcome from Jews who saw passed his skin color. He not only converted, but journeyed to Israel where he worked in the offices of the Mayor of Israel who later became Prime Minister. His commitment went further when, at age 28, he volunteered to join its Defense Force despite being told it was largely composed of people a decade younger. His experiences in the elite anti-terrorism unit are worth reading as is the entire book as proof that real faith is colorblind.
The life of Howard Hughes, the billionaire who took a company that made oil drill bits and multiplied it into a life making films in Hollywood, developing aircraft, and owning a number of Las Vegas casinos. He eventually became famed for his reclusive ways, avoiding the media, conducting the business of his empire by phone, and ultimately becoming the focus of a fake autobiography that made international news when he exposed its author who went to jail. Now his story takes an even more extraordinary turn in Boxes: The Secret Life of Howard Hughes by Douglas Wellman ($10.95, softcover), available from WriteLife or via Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and other outlets. Wellman became friends with Eva McLelland and in the course of that friendship she confided to him that she and Hughes had been married for several decades before his passed away. When they met in Panama, he became smitten with her, but remained a mysterious figure, until they married and he revealed his true identity. With her help, Wellman delved into the way he literally enlisted a mentally ill, aging substitute to lead people to believe he was a man of bizarre behavior unable to function in society, a recluse. The real Hughes lived a quite normal life behind this clever ruse to avoid the Internal Revenue and an army of lawyers pursuing him. I have no doubt he was able to pull this off and this book documents how he did it. Another compelling story is told in Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber – The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI’s Most Elusive Criminals by Dane Batty ($15.95, Nish Publishing, Hillsboro, NC, softcover). For twenty years he robbed more than thirty banks without firing a shot. Caught and jailed twice, he escaped and went sailing around the Caribbean with his wife and dog! His life was filled with adventures that took him to Alaska, Antigua, and Cancun. For years the FBI tried to capture him, but it wasn’t until he turned himself in that his life of crime ended. In this book, he relates his successes, failures, robbery techniques, his passion for sailing and his love for his wife. If this interests you, then download the first chapter at www.nishpublishing.com. You will want to read the whole book after that. A very different tale of life on the water is told by Rick Rinehard in Men of Kent: Ten Boys, a Fast Boat, and the Coach Who Made Them Champions ($14.95, Lyons Press, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press, softcover). A private school in Kent, Connecticut and its rowing team became a sensation in 1972, meriting a banner headline in the New York Times’ sports section when it had a 46-0 winning streak, broke three course records, and claimed a national championship in the Royal Regatta in England. Rinehart was part of that team and he relates this extraordinary story of the team and its coach. The author now lives in Lafayette, Colorado, and he has written a story that is well worth reading.
World War Two has spawned enough books to fill an entire library. The greatest conflict in modern history, it continues to fascinate those whose interest is military history. Inside the Nazi War Machine: How Three Generals Unleashed Hitler’s Blitzkrieg Upon the World by Bevin Alexander ($26.95, NAL Caliber) is the story of how Rommel, von Manstein and Guderian turned the Blitzkrieg (lightning war) into a fearsome weapon of war in France in 1940 and elsewhere. The war began in 1939 with the invasion of Poland, drawing both Britain and France into it. America joined in 1941 after Pearl Harbor. Alexander, a renowned expert on military strategy and history, recounts how Hitler botched his best opportunity to defeat Great Britain. These generals changed the face of modern warfare forever. A later war in Vietnam produced a Medal of Honor winner for his role at Dai Do during a three-day battle in which the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, numbering only eight hundred men, victoriously fought back ten thousand North Vietnamese Army regulars. Noble Warrior ($28.00, Zenith Press) is told by that Medal of Honor recipient, James E. Livingston, along with Colin D. Heaton and Anne-Marie Lewis. He had been the commanding office of 2/4’s Echo Company. When you consider that 80% of all Medals of Honor are awarded posthumously, his story is even more inspiring because, despite wounds received, his service in the Marines was far from over after that battle. In 1975, he returned to Vietnam to help plan and execute the evacuation of Saigon. After the war he served in a variety of positions around the world, retiring as a major general in 1995. Our two most recent wars, ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan remind us of our need for such men.
Getting Down to Business Books
The Smart Swarm by Peter Miller ($26.00, Avery, an imprint of Penguin Group) is subtitled, “How understanding flocks, schools, and colonies can make us better at communicating, decision making, and getting things done.” Miller is a senior editor at National Geographic so it’s obvious where the idea for this interesting book originated. While not specifically a “business” book, it is a look at the basic principles behind how groups self-organize and tackle problems and how that applies to human activities in business, politics, and technology. Computer scientists studied ant colonies’ governing rules to write programs to streamline factory processes, telephone networks, and truck routes. Groups in nature have had millennia to develop their strategies and there is much to learn from them. The Connectors by Maribeth Kuzmeski ($22.95, Wiley) offers a pragmatic approach for many of today’s job seekers because the job market, such as it is, is flooded with competition and, in these days of online communication, it is essential to understand how to survive in a virtual world. It takes more than just a resume. The author says the key is networking, networking, networking, and then she tells you how. “You want to be the first person who comes to mind when someone in your network hears about a great job opening.” Good advice!
Competitive Selling: Out-Plan, Out-Think, Out-Sell to Win Every Time is one of those titles that tells you the author means business (no pun intended!). Landy Chase ($22.95, McGraw-Hill) discusses how the marketplace today offers many choices for consumers. As a result, today’s salesman or woman has to develop an attitude that says they are going to crush the competition. The author takes one through the gamut of obstacles to overcome in making the sale such as value versus price, how to evaluate client needs, the games people play, the need for face time, and the art of closing the sale, among many other aspects. Brian Tracy is the author of Time Power: A Proven System for Getting More Done in Less Time Than You Ever Thought Possible and now he has an audiobook version available ($39.98, Hachette Audio) in which he shares his system on how to make better decisions faster, set clear goals, overcome the people problems that sap your time, and the five tools and techniques you can use to make you more productive.
For anyone trying to understand what is happening to the U.S. economy Robert E. Wright’s Fubarnomics: A Lighthearted, Serious Look at America’s Economic Ills ($26.00, Prometheus Books) takes a stab at explaining it. “Fubar” is a WWII acronym for “fouled up beyond all repair.” The author is the Nef Family Chair of Political Economy at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. He formerly taught at NYU’s Stern School of Business for many years, so don’t let the small college credential fool you. I have one caveat and that is the style, not the content, of the book which tends to spend too much time explaining everything and trying to be clever in the process. Economics can be quite boring to everyone except economists and the author seems to be over-compensating for that. You will, however, if you hang in, learn why the nation experienced a financial crisis and what the author recommends we do to get out of the mess.
A Bounty of Books for Kids and Teens
September is traditional as the month the kids go back to school. Getting a child into the reading habit early in life is one of the greatest gifts any parent can give and Bookviews has received a bounty of books for ages from the very young (who must be read to) to those up through their teens.
Starting with toddlers, there’s a cleverly packaged group of four “early learning board books” with pop-up market and press-out characters called Market Day by Victoria Roberts and Tomislav Zlatic ($19.95, Kane Miller of Tulsa, Oklahoma. These books introduce them to colors, shapes, opposites, and numbers. They represent a great way to teach these concepts. Kane Miller is a major publisher of children’s books and the quality is always excellent. Here are a few more. The Gobble Gobble Moooo Tractor Book by Jez Alborough ($15.99) spins of tale of how, as Farmer Dougal sleeps, sheep and other animal friends board his tractor and take turns making noises. And what kid doesn’t love to do that? The illustrations are fun, too. For the very early, first readers there’s A Garden for Pig by Kathryn K. Thurman, illustrated by Lindsay Ward ($15.99). Pig lives on an apple farm and is frankly tired of apples for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He dreams of vegetables. His dream comes true after some fun adventures. Then there’s The Church Mouse by Graham Oakley ($16.99) in which Arthur the mouse invites the other mice to live there. It doesn’t take long for people to notice and Sampson the church case, Arthur’s friend, must confront the population explosion. When a burglar sneaks in to steal the candle holders, the mice and Sampson capture him and alert the townspeople and there is, of course, a happy ending. Based on a true story, Old Age, Eagle Hero ($15.99) recounts the story of an eagle raised and adopted by a northern army detachment during the Civil War as told by Patrick Young and illustrated by Anne Lee. A nice combination of animal and history story.
A great toddler and early reader series is the Howard B. Wigglebottom series for ages 4 to 8 by Howard Binkow and illustrated by Susan F. Cornelison. These are excellent teaching tools and includes Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen, Listens to His Heart, Learns about Bullies, Learns About Mud and Rainbows, and Learns It’s OK to Back Away. They are priced at $15.00 each and produced by a non-profit organization, the We Do Listen Foundation of Sarasota, Florida, in association with Lerner Publishing Group of Minneapolis, MN. Teachers love these books because they use humor and real situations with which children can identify. They have won tons of awards such as Best Home School Product of the Year for Children, Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice for Children, Independent Publishers Annual Award of Excellence, and others. To check them out, visit www.wedolisten.com.
The children’s book author, Jane Yolen, has had her 300th book published this month. She has won every award there is for her stories and poems. She marks the milestone with Elsie’s Bird ($17.99, Philamel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group), illustrated beautifully by David Small. For those aged seven to ten, this is a beautiful story of a young girl and her father after his wife had died. He leaves Boston for life as a farmer in Nebraska and Elsie’s only friend is a canary that sings to cheer her. There is a bit of drama to this story when it escapes its cage, but it has a very happy ending.
Raindrops: A Shower of Colors by Chieu Anh Urban and illustrated by Viviana Garofoli is another book for the pre-schooler, aged 3 to 5, that teaches what the various colors’ names are in a “board” book that will stand up to handling ($8.95, Sterling Publishing). The author was born in Vietnam in 1975 and fled to the U.S. with 7,000 others. She grew up in Northern Virginia and now lives near Washington, D.C. with her three daughters. Another book about the rain is full of poetry. One Big Rain was compiled by Rita Gray and illustrated by Ryan O’Rouke ($9.95, Charlesbridge Publishing). It will light up the imagination of any youngster, ages 7 to 10, and prove a perfect book to read on a rainy day. Charlesbridge is one of my favorite children’s book publishers and Boo Cow by Patricia Baehr, wonderfully illustrated by Margot Apple, is a hilarious story of how the Noodleman’s discovered, after leaving city life, that their chicken farm came with a ghost, a Boo Cow, that they thought was scaring the chickens who they though were not laying eggs. Turns out there was an egg thief lurking around. Any pre-schooler will love having this read to them and any early reader will get a lot of laughs out of it.
I started with Kane Miller and there still others to recommend to readers aged 10 to 14, small, short novels. A series called “Extreme Adventures” by Justin D’Ath includes Shark Bait and Scorpion Sting and there are “Chloe & Levesque” mysteries, Double Cross and Over the Edge, both by Norah McClintock, a charming story Hooray for Anne Hibiscus who loves to sing and has some serious stage fright when chosen to sing at school in front of the president. A visit to www.kanemiller.com will tell you more, but I can tell you these books, generally priced at $5.99, are just right to slip in a backpack or a pocket.
For parents who embrace a conservative philosophy and want to pass it on to their children, particularly those old enough to be asking questions of the direction the nation is taking, capitalism versus socialism, differences between Republicans and Democrats, then I would recommend Janie Johnson’s Don’t Take My Lemonade Stand: An American Philosophy ($24.95, Bascom Hill Publishing Group, Minneapolis, MN, softcover). This is one of the best books on these fundamental topics I have read in a very long time and it is written in a fashion that any teenager can understand (and smart pre-teens, too) and enjoy. As noted in my recommendation of “Generation iY” above, it is essential to get this new generation involved now if we are to have a future in which widely accepted American values continue to guide the nation.
Novels, Novels, Novels!
The fall is the season, along with spring, when publishers unleash an avalanche of new fiction and 2010 is no exception. I have stacks of hardcover and softcover novels to wade through and will do so this month and those ahead.
William Morrow, now an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, has been around the publishing scene a long time with many fine novels to its credit. If you like mysteries and thrillers, they have two, Judgment & Wrath by Matt Hilton ($24.99) and Bad Boy by Peter Robinson ($25.99). Hilton is already building a following as this is second novel starring Joe Hunter whom some would call a vigilante. When a father comes to him to help rescue his daughter from her abusive millionaire boyfriend, Hunter cannot say no. The problem is that the daughter does not want to be rescued and a psycho contract killer has been hired to kill her and her boyfriend. There are plenty of questions to be answers and plot twists to keep any guy turning the pages. The same holds true for Robinson’s novel in which Detective Inspector Alan Banks stars, as he has through a series of novels since 1987. He’s away on holiday in San Francisco when a distraught woman arrives at the Eastvale police station desperate to speak to him. His partner Annie Cabbot steps in. She has found a loaded gun in her daughter’s bedroom, a punishable offense under British law (did I mention both authors are British and their novels reflect that?) but the situation quickly spins out of control. It turns out that her best friend and roommate is Banks’ daughter who was last seen running off to warn the owner of the gun, a very bad boy. Things get very shocking, very quickly. The Brits seem to have a special talent for such stories.
Venom by Joan Brady is subtitled “a novel of suspense” ($26.99, Touchstone, a Simon and Schuster imprint) and it more than lives up to its title starring two characters from a previous novel and takes the readers from Illinois to an Alabama bee farm, and into the high-stakes world of industrial espionage in London while shadowing the lives of those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Complicated? Oh yes, but it never stops from the moment an ex-con, David Marion, opens the door to a man sent to kill him. Shortly after, he calmly walks away from his house, gets into his beat-up Volkswagen, and drives away as a huge explosion leaves his home a burning pit. It is assumed the body that’s found is him. Suffice to say, you will not be able to put this book down because it is filled with twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages. Power Slide is part of the Darcy Lott mysteries series by Susan Dunlap ($25.00, Counterpoint Press). Darcy, a stunt double, is on location at the Port of Oakland, positioned for a power slide, a dangerous trick in which she falls off a bike and skids under an 18-wheeler. An injury ensues, making for trouble between her and her boyfriend, a stunt driver, Damon Guthrie. Meanwhile, Darcy’s siblings are pressuring her to search for Mike, their missing brother. Complicated enough for you? Women authors seem especially adroit at complex stories and either one of these will prove a very satisfying piece of fiction.
It is a time of great turmoil in America. The United States, operating under the Articles of Confederation, is on the brink of total collapse. The military has been reduced to near extinction, economic turmoil is everywhere, and world powers are circling like vultures to pick off parts of the new nation and largely unknown continent. To address this, a group of fifty-five men meet secretly in Philadelphia starting in May 1787 to replace the Articles with a Constitution. That is the heart of the novel by James B. Best, Tempest at Dawn, ($28.95, Wheatmark, Tucson, AZ, available via Amazon.com). It took Best twelve years to research and write this novel, but it was worth it. While the story of the writing of the Constitution has been told many times, the novel captures the real drama that ensued behind closed doors as they hammered out what is now the oldest living constitution and the foundation of the nation. Read it for its historical value. Read it for its dramatic value. But read it!
Finally, there are two interesting novels about living in a different culture and nation than one’s place of birth. Cecile Garnst Berg is the author of Blonde Lotus ($15.00, Haven Books, softcover). When she ran away from her native Norway in the late 1980s in search of adventure, Berg knew little about China, but after a casual stop in Beijing she decided to visit for a while. That was over twenty years ago and she hasn’t left. The novel is reminiscent of “Lost in Translation” and “Sex and The City”, as her main character, Kat Glose, discovers a very different China while falling in love with it and its people. This is an interesting way to learn about the real China while being thoroughly entertained in the process. In a similar fashion, I Was an Elephant Salesman by Pap Khouma ($55.00/$18.95, Indiana University Press, hardcover and softcover) tells the story of an illegal immigrant, an African street vendor in Italy who has invented a life for himself as an itinerant trader of carved elephants, small ivories, and other trinkets. It is, in a larger sense, the story of a Europe coming to grips with multiracial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural realities while the main character struggles to hold on to his identity and dignity under very difficult circumstances. A bestseller in Italy, it has been translated by Rebecca Hopkins. It is a very rewarding reading experience in many ways.
That’s it for September! Remember to tell your friends about Bookviews so they too can learn about the many new books that can hold the key to their questions or just entertain with a lively story.
See you in October!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Bookviews - August 2010
By Alan Caruba
My Picks of the Month
There’s no debate that North Korea is the classic “rogue nation”, making nuclear weapons and missiles for sale to anyone that has the price. Ruled by dictators, now into the second generation, reading anything good about the place is rare. You will, however, find it in Eating With the Enemy: How I Waged Peace with North Korea From my BBQ Shack in Hackensack by Bobby Egan and Kurt Pitzer ($25.95, St. Martin’s Press). It is the story of how Egan who was involved with the issue of POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War era caught the eye of government officials along with his Vietnamese contact, Le Quang Khai during a time when Vietnam was trying to normalize relations with the U.S. in the early 1990s. What occurred next with North Korea, however, was unprecedented. Khai talked to the North Korean consulate about Egan and recommended they get to know him. It led to a meeting with North Korean consul Han Song Ryol and an amazing friendship was forged over the course of a decade. Egan accomplished a great deal over the years using his gift for friendship. His story suggests that the effort can accomplish much even in the face of longstanding hostilities between the two nations. The World for Ransom by D.R. Burgess ($26.00, Prometheus Books) looks at the rise of piracy along the Somali coast. A jurist and historian, he argues a case for linking piracy and terrorism that goes much deeper than just the headlines. It may offer civilized society the key to fighting international terrorism if terrorists were defined as pirates. It would eliminate the current maze of legal restrictions that hampers the prosecution of both pirates and terrorists. For anyone interested in the legal aspects of dealing with terrorism, this makes for some very interesting reading.
If science is your area of interest, you might consider reading Absolutely Small: A Layman’s guide to the Miraculous Realm of Quantum Theory that Explains Our Everyday World. Written by Dr. Michael D. Fayer, PhD, ($24.00, Amacom) it looks at everyday realities we take for granted and how physics attempts to explain them. Why are blueberries blue and oranges orange? Why does white-hot molten lava look red while the sun appears yellow? Most quantum physicists can only provide answers that will make your hair catch on fire, but Dr. Fayer has the gift of explaining the complex in a way that is completely accessible and, happily for me, free of math. This is an intriguing and excellent book that unravels the mysteries of nature and life around us. Those who keep an eye on such things believe that Iceland is in for a major volcanic eruption that could make the most recent one small by comparison. If such things interest you, pick up a copy of Volcano: Iceland’s Inferno and the Earth’s Most Active Volcanoes ($19.95, National Geographic, softcover), edited by Ellen J. Prager with a foreword by Marcia K. McNutt, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. Despite the claims that humans are altering the atmosphere and causing climate change (they’re not), even the most disinterested observer knows instinctively that the powers of the Earth are so much more vast that the claims are absurd. Volcanoes are living testimony to that and, an eruption in Iceland could transform the weather of the northern hemisphere as it spews enormous amounts of chemicals and cloud-filled particulates into the atmosphere. The other major volcanoes are examined with a reminder of what occurred when Mount Pinatubo altered the climate for years after its eruption.
Amil Imani’s new book, Obama Meets Ahmadinejad uses satire to reveal some fundamental truths about these two men. Ahmadinejad, of course, is the president of Iran and so hated there that crowds filled the streets to protest. Iran is the classic Islamic nation that uses brutality and oppression against its own people. Imani’s book ($17.95, Free American Press, softcover) has already been hailed by some of the leading voices warning against the Islamic threat to freedom and liberty. They include Robert Spencer, the author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades; Dr. Wafa Sultan, author of “A God Who Hates”; and Dr. Ali Sina, the author of “Understanding Muhammad and founder of FaithFreedom.org. It is available directly from his website, http://www.amilimani.com, or from Amazon.com. Amani, born in Iran, is an American with deep insights regarding Islam. He has been warning Americans and others around the world about the threat the present Iranian regime represents to its own people, the Middle East, and global peace. I add my voice to those recommending it. For those who want to delve into Islam, Ibn Warraq, the author of “Why I am Not a Muslim” has had a collection of his essays, Virgins? What Virgins?, published ($19.00, Prometheus Books) that are insightful, controversial, and frequently witty. He discusses the totalitarian nature of contemporary political Islam and explores whether there is any prospect for a reformation comparable to the Protestant Reformation in the West. Indeed, one essay is titled, “Why the West is Best.” One really needs to read this and comparable books to truly understand the threat to western civilization that Islam poses.
Britain continues to produce some great literature, art and entertainment. A case in point was the television series, “Prime Subject”, starring Helen Mirren. I watched every episode in the 1990s when it was aired and am delighted that Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection will debut in September in a 9-disc set of feature length mysteries as well as a 50-minute behind-the-scenes special ($124.99, Acorn Media.) The tenacious, driven, and flawed main character, Detective Jane Tennison, has risen through the ranks, solving some awful crimes while battling office sexism and her own demons. Mirren is an Oscar® and Emmy ® winner, and her performance in this series is testimony to her extraordinary talent. For sheer viewing pleasure, this is worth having in your own collection of great drama or as a great gift. Since the 1950s when I discovered the poetry of Dylan Thomas, I have often taken a collection of his poems from the bookshelf to read again and again. They are magical and totally unique. Along the way I have read biographies of the man, memoirs of his last trip to New York in 1953 where he died from what was medically deemed an “alcoholic insult” to the brain. His personal life was messy. A drunkard, he was married, the father of a son, Colm, and a daughter, Aeronwy. She took ten years to set her memories of him to paper, starting with the move her parents made to a boathouse in the small Welsh village of Laugharne when she was six. She would become her father’s literary executor, a writer and poet in her own right. In 2009 she passed away just before the British publication of My Father’s Places. The American edition will be officially published in September by Skyhorse Publishing ($19.95). For those who love his poetry and other writings, this book fills in a missing piece of the puzzle that was Dylan Thomas
I have always been fond of books that contain information in a compact presentation that would be difficult to acquire otherwise. Such is Nathan Belofsky’s The Book of Strange and Curious Legal Oddities ($13.95, Perigee, softcover). There are those, including myself, who think there are just too many laws being passed, burdening enterprise and individuals without good reason. This entertaining book is proof of that as it reveals a plethora of often idiotic laws such as the one in 2006 that got a Brooklyn man sentenced to 5 to 11 years in jail for killing a goldfish. Reaching back in history, it is astonishing how frequently the death penalty was the choice for almost any infraction. The creation of writing, first on stone tablets, papyrus, and printing led to the publication of many laws, many of which dealt with crimes common to the modern times, but whose punishment was draconian. The proliferation of laws has led to the increase in lawyers, but the book does demonstrate that humans have long striven for order in society. Entertaining in a totally bizarre way is People of Walmart: Shop and Awe by Luke Wherry, Adam and Andrew Kipple ($12.95, Sourcebooks, softcover), due out in September. It is page after page of photos of people who shop there wearing and doing very strange things in such a public place. Every page makes you wonder whatever possessed these people to even leave the house. Weird tattoos. Weirder haircuts. Still weirder clothes. It would make a great gift for the Walmart shopper in your life.
Getting Down to Business
The paralysis that has seized the economy, accompanied by the massive government spending we’re told will get us out of it has forced Americans to seriously question what some economists, particularly those writing for mainstream publications, keep telling us. Most people know that, if you’re in debt, the first thing to do is stop spending, cut back on expenses, and begin saving as much money as possible. I am sure most people would be astonished to learn that, over the past twenty years, Americans have purchased $6 trillion more in goods from other nations than we have sold to them. This is just one of the many facts to be found in Ian Fletcher’s book, Free Trade Doesn’t Work, What Should Replace It and Why ($24.95, U.S. Business & Industry Council, Washington, D.C., softcover). Normally, reading anything dealing with economics makes my eyes glaze over, but Fletcher provides a lively look at the realities of why the U.S. is in such a terrible place economically. Primarily, we are not manufacturing goods as we once did and, when we do the work is often outsourced to nations like China and India, for assembling here. The result is fewer jobs for Americans, less tax revenue for the nation, and a trade deficit. Any time trade is discussed in terms of protecting U.S. industries, some people cry “protectionism”, but the fact is that other nations practice it all the time. Free trade is a misnomer. Letting your global competitors beat your brains out is a very bad idea. I recommend this excellent analysis. I only hope those in power and executives responsible for making decisions for American companies will read this excellent book. The place to go is http://www.freetradedoesntwork.com.
Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men seems ripped from today’s headlines and it is surely interesting reading ($24.95, Skyhorse Publishing). Tom Ajamie and Bruce Kelly note that, in the fiscal year 2009, the FBI saw a 105% increase in new high-yield investment fraud investigations compared to 2008; 314 such cases versus 154. Many involved losses exceeding $100 million. The authors identify the warning signs and strategies that perpetrators of fraud use to scam average Americans out of their life savings. Ajamie is an attorney who has recovered hundreds of millions from fraudulent individuals, corporations, and organized crime organizations. Kelly is the news editor for Investment News and provides true stories of people who have been scammed, explaining how they could have avoided their losses. The problem is, like Bernie Madoff, some con artists can have good reputations. The book is full of good advice to save you from financial fraud. You’re not too young or too old to read this book. Another book for people trying to figure out survival in these hard times is If I’m So Smart…Where Did All My Money Go? Balancing Your Financial Objectives for Lasting Wealth by Doug Warshauer ($24.95, CFMB Books, Morton Grove, IL). The author looks, for example, at why so many people bought homes they couldn’t afford with mortgages they couldn’t pay? Also, why people with good salaries can’t seem to put money aside at the end of the month in savings or an investment account? The book is about financial stability for families, individuals, and senior citizens. Using a fictional financial seminar, he explains his recommendations through the stories of ten people attending it. If this is a problem with which you are grappling, this book will prove helpful.
Anyone hiring the “linkster generation”, born after 1995, knows they are quite different from their predecessors such as Generation Y, born 1981 to 1995, and earlier ones such as Generation X and, of course, the Baby Boomers. All require special handling and skills. Happily, Meagan Johnson and her dad, Larry Johnson, have written Generations, Inc. ($16.95, Amacom, softcover) to provide the key to understanding the different comfort levels and expectation of these very different generations. The book addresses the need to create cross-generational alliances, reconcile disparate values, and different work styles. Today’s manager may find themselves managing great talent from five or more generations and each has different approaches to the workplace. When I started in the workplace there were no cell phones, ipods, or computers. This old dog had to learn new skills and use new technology. I am in the “traditional generation”, but many of the Baby Boomer generation, 1946-1964, intend to stay on past retirement age and they work well with others, but are experiencing age discrimination. Those in Generation Y cannot even imagine being that old! A lot of folks are trying to navigate through the new world of “social media” in order to use it more effectively to grow their business. Sherrie A. Madia, PhD and Paul Borgese have written The Social Media Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Business Exponentially with Social Media ($24.95, Full Court Press, an imprint of Base Communications, Voorhees, NJ). Here’s the lowdown on what Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is all about. The authors offer advice on the best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and step-by-step strategies for creating smart social media campaigns. This is an excellent guide to the confusing new world of interactive websites, blogs, podcasts, social network sites, image and video-sharing e-communities, and so much more that is available to the savvy marketer. It no longer matters if you are a mom-and-pop operation or a big corporation. Knowing what choices to make and how to maximize social media to sell one’s product or service is still the bottom line. Little wonder that the one job category that is growing these days is that of social media manager!
Better Make It Real: Creating Authenticity in an Increasingly Fake World by Jill J. Morin, ($32.95, Praeger) addresses the increasing demand for trust and transparency from corporations in addition to the quality of their products and services. The headlines are testimony to that, but how does a company achieve that? Ms. Morin provides a guide that focuses on organizational authenticity as a company strives to assure its many stakeholders from employees to customers, vendors and other business partners. It’s not a destination. It’s a journey. She provides a roadmap stressing perception, people, products and services, and place. The Corporate Storyteller: A Writing Manual Style Guide for the Brave New Business Leader by Elaine Stirling ($13.95, Rising Star, softcover) takes a look at the way texting, emails, Facebook and Twitter has changed the way people communicate. Ms. Stirling says formal letters, thank you notes, and snail mail correspondence are all disappearing. Too often, however, hitting the send button before proofing and editing one’s message are frequent communication pitfalls. Too many business folk are fearful these days and this book will help eliminate that.
The Topic is Health & Happiness
Are you wondering how the new health care law will affect your life, your family, or your business? It’s not light reading, but Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law by Michael D. Tanner ($10, Cato Institute) is just over 50 pages of tightly written, well researched, and carefully footnoted bad news. It’s more a booklet than a book, but why quibble when you discover that Obamacare, as promised, does not achieve universal coverage, will cost more than $2.7 trillion over ten years of full implementation, will increase the cost of coverage for younger, healthier workers, and will increase taxes by more than $669 billion between now and 2019. My experience with Cato publications is that they are so well prepared that they are bulletproof to any charge of partisanship. Little wonder than surveys show that well over 65% of Americans want Obamacare repealed.
Judging from the news reports and ads on television, diabetes is on the rise. The disease is largely controlled with pharmaceutical insulin, but there was a time when that did not exist and many died as a result. Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle ($24.99, St Martins Press) by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg is set to officially be published in September so mark your calendar if you find reading medical history of interest. This book tells how, in 1918, Elizabeth Hughes, the daughter of Charles Evans Hughes, who would become a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was suffering from juvenile diabetes mellitus. At the time it was a virtual death sentence. However, in Toronto, a surgeon and his assistant had successfully purified insulin from animal pancreases and a little-known pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, would make insulin available. Elizabeth became one of the first to receive insulin injections. The whole story is fraught with drama due to scientific jealousies that nearly derailed the discovery along with intense business competition. I heartily recommend this book.
The Preemie Primer: A Complete Guide for Parents of Premature Babies—from Birth through the Toddler Years and Beyond is one of those titles that pretty much says it all as regards its contents ($16.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) and, for parents of premature babies it is “must” reading. Authored by Dr. Jennifer Gunter, MD, it reflects the fact that approximately five hundred thousands babies are born prematurely every year in the United States. Dr. Gunter provides a comprehensive resource that covers everything from delivery and hospitalization to issues involving preemie development. Virtually every aspect is covered in the book. In a similar fashion, Life Over Cancer by Dr. Keith I. Block, MD, is written by an author who, as medical director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Evanston, Illinois, has treated thousands of patients who have gone onto to live full lives beyond their original prognosis. Now he has distilled almost thirty years of experience into the first book that gives patients a systematic, research-based plan for developing the physical and emotional vitality they need to meet the demands of treatment and recovery. For anyone encountering cancer in their lives, this too is “must” reading. Atypical: Life with Asperger’s in 20 1/3 Chapters by Jesse A. Saperstein ($14.95, Perigee, softcover) is an account of living with Asperger’s syndrome, the mildest form of autism. I frankly was totally unaware of this syndrome, largely because it has been stigmatized for so many years that little has been written or spoken of it. This memoir demystifies a condition that is characterized by repetitive routines or rituals, peculiarities in speech and language, and difficulties with empathy that lead to socially inappropriate behavior. Until 1994, it was not even recognized as a separate disorder. Those afflicted suffer from being teased or bullied because of their inability to fit in. The book is itself a triumph over the disorder and is worth reading just for its story. Indeed, you may recognize its symptoms in someone you know.
Seth David Chernoff faced death as a two-time cancer survivor and, as a result, he learned to experience the fullness of life. He shares that knowledge in A Manual for Living: Reality, a User’s Guide to the Meaning of Life ($15.95, Spirit Scope Publishing, softcover). With nearly fifty years of reviewing under my belt, I tend to steer clear of such books because, frankly, they come out every year in one form or another, but this one pulls no punches as Chernoff writes about the hard subjects of death, illness, fear, finding balance, a toxic environment, and our perception of what is real, our finances, and our need to accumulate things. He asks and answers questions we often ask about why are we always in a hurry? Are our physical ailments caused by frustration, anxiety or stress? And why is it such a challenge to maintain inner peace? Since life comes with no guarantees except an expiration date, it’s probably a good idea to learn how to find a measure of real happiness. I suspect the increase in books about how to live life fully has something to do with the horrid economic times that are imposing hardships on so many. Finding the Zone: A Whole New Way to Maximize Mental Potential by Gordon D. Lawrence ($19.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) discusses the mental attitude we feel when we excel at work or play. He suggests that our minds are actually wired from birth to achieve the zone, though we often do not experience it enough. Based on research on the mind, attitudes, and motivation, he offers advice on how to find your own zone. Not due out officially under November, Tapping the Source by a trio of authors ($17.95, Sterling) this book asserts that success in life results not just from random choice, predetermined fate, good connections, or even hard work. Many comparable books encourage people to overcome negative attitudes and habitual thoughts, but say the authors, they often create more frustration than fulfillment. This book teaches a pragmatic daily practice that offers a seven-step process to quiet one’s mind and tap into one’s inner strength. I do not know if it will work, but I suspect it will be of great help to those seeking peace of mind and a more meaningful life.
Books for Kids and Teens
This is the time for a trip to the beach and, for the pre-school and early readers, Sunny Bunnies by Margie Blumberg and illustrated beautifully by June Goulding ($15.95, MB Publishing) tells in rhyme the story of a family trip that is charming and a good way to prepare any youngster for his or her first trip. As the world continues to shrink thanks to the ease of communications and travel, children need to grasp not only how big it is, but also how modernization is making nations more alike in many ways. I See the Sun in China, written by Dedie King with illustrations by Judith Inglese, has both English and Mandarin Chinese text that is aimed at children 5 years and older ($12.95, Satya House Publicans, Hardwick, MA, softcover) as it relates a trip by a Chinese girl who, along with her family, visits her aunt in Shanghai, a gleaming city of commerce, the equal of any such city in the world. It is officially due for publican in October along with I See the Sun in Nepal. For the young reader, it is like spending a day in either place. I thoroughly enjoyed it and so will the younger set.
It’s written for ages 8-10 or thereabouts, any early reader, and it is hilarious. Clementine – Monkey Princess by Adam Knight and illustrated b y Nora Kay Golay ($11.95, Monkey Monkey Media, 552 12th St., Suite 101, Elko, NV 89801) Clementine is a very bright young girl who loves to climb things. Her dad nicknames her a Monkey Princess and the word got around. In fact, it reached a far off jungle where a group of monkeys decided they should have a Monkey Princess. A team of monkey commandos were dispatched to kidnap her! They immediately fell in love with her. Back home her parents were hot on her trail to the land of Flim. Much adventure ensues until she and her family return home. If you have a little monkey of your own at home, this book will keep him or her in stitches.
The Jewish new year celebration, Rosh Hashanah, arrives in September and Margie Blumberg, the author of the “Sunny Bunnies” series, teamed with illustrator, Laurie McGaw, to publish Avram’s Gift ($10.00, MB Publishing). It is the story of a young Jewish boy, Mark, growing up in America. A picture on the wall of his home; that of his great-great-grandfather, Avram, portrays a stern-looking man. When the family gathers to celebrate, he learns the story of this man as his grandfather answers his questions. He learns of the shofar, a ram’s horn, a gift passed from generation to the other and how each is linked to the past and to the ancient heritage of Judaism. Suffice to say, this is a story for a young Jew, but it is also every immigrant family’s story. As the High Holy days approach, it would make an ideal gift. For teen Christian girls, there’s a series from Revell called “His Princess” by Sheri Rose Shepherd intended to provide biblical insights regarding some of the questions that arise in a young girl’s life today. His Princess: Girl Talk with God ($14.99, Revell) contains devotional reading that serve as a guide to those in these age group.
From Heaven to Hell as in Hellfire: Plague of Dragons will satisfy the demand for fantasy stories, resplendent with excellent artwork. Written by Robert Weinberg from a story and artwork by Tom Wood ($19.95, Running Press) this thriller based on the period of the Black Death in Europe, is the story of a lost manuscript and art by a 14th century French wine merchant who was a confidant of popes and kings, Robertus of Avignon, who along with his brother Thomas and a loyal, brave band of soldiers, must deal with a pack of dragons. Wood’s work has sold millions of products since 2005. Weinberg, a prolific author, is a two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award, along with others. Though presumably aimed at teens, it would intrigue older readers as well. Elminster Must Die is a fantasy genre novel written by Ed Greenwood ($25.95, Wizards of the Coast). The book is part of The Saga of Shadowdale series and focuses on Elminster’s shattered world after the goddess of magic’s murder. Once the most powerful wizard in the world and the bane of villainy, Elminister is now a tired old man with a lot of enemies. Though the wizard is immortal, the author uses the story to explore what it means to grow old and nearly powerless. Any lover of fantasy of any age will thoroughly enjoy this story that debuts this month. It’s back to school next month and that’s the theme of Tianna Logan and the Salem Academy for Witchcraft Written by Timothy Craig Everhart ($22.00, American Book Publishing, softcover) it tells of how, after her parents are killed, Tainna is left in the care of her grandmother and enrolled in the Salem Academy for Witchcraft where adventure exists around every turn. She soon learns about the night her parents died and a book is discovered after being hidden in the academy and, surprise, it belongs to her. The story is filled with wonderful twists and turns that are sure to delight any young person who has read through all the Harry Potter novels and is yearning for more spooky stuff.
Novels geared to the younger set provide some fun summer reading, particularly for the girls. John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles ($14.00, Gallery/MTV Books), a debut novel, offers an offbeat and unexpectedly moving story of two teenagers whose obsession with celebrity death begins to interfere with their lives. It follows pink-haired Hilda and her long friend, Benji, as they haunt the places where celebrities have died and, while their adventures begin as fun and games, neither can escape the danger and sadness inherent in their unusual hobby.
Teens have loved the debut series from Stephanie Morrill as have the identified with high school student, Skylar Hoyt and her struggle to discover who she is. So Over It ($ll.95, Revell) is the final book of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. Eager to get away at the end of her senior year, she jumps at the change to spend the summer with her grandparents in Hawaii. Revell is a leading Christian book publisher and the story has a religious theme to it, but is essentially a coming-of-age story. Also from Revell, Perfectly Dateless by Kristin Billerbeck ($9.99) is about the countdown to the prom for Daisy Crispin in which she has 196 days to find the right date, but she has a problem. Her parents won’t let her data or even talk to a guy on the phone! She wears lame homemade clothes and possesses few social skills, so she has more than one problem. Can she turn her parents around? Can she enjoy one of the great rituals of teen life? You will have to read the book.
Novels, Novels, Novels!
There are so many novels being published these days that it takes a superhuman effort to keep up with them all. Here are just a few that have arrived at Bookviews.
Following up his debut with 8 in the Box, Raffi Yessayan is back with a terrific cop thriller, 2 in the Hat ($25.00, Ballantine Books). The author knows the Boston crime scene having formerly been the chief prosecutor of the elite Gang Unit in Boston’s Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Now he is practicing criminal defense law and writing novels that portray a stark gripping portrait of law enforcement professionals on the job and under the gun. The title comes from cop lingo for “two shots to the head.” The novel focuses on a major spike in gang homicides that has the city on edge. When a pair of students is bizarrely slain, homicide detective Angel Alves suspects there’s a serial killer on the loose. His partner agrees, noting similarities to the work of the Prom Night Killer whose unsolved crimes are a decade old. This is the kind of book you cannot put down once you begin to read it.
James King tells a very different story in Bill Warrington’s Last Chance ($24.95, Viking) about the main character’s desire to make things right with his long-estranged children before a recently diagnosed disease takes its toll. His children, however, have their own issues. One is trying to raise her headstrong teenage daughter on her own while another is unable to move on with his life after his wife’s death. A third’s self-absorbed philandering threats his career and family. To get their attention, he kidnaps his 15-year-old granddaughter, April, who is a willing accomplice, eager to escape her mother. This is a compelling multigenerational saga told with humor, compassion, and considerable insight to a wounded family’s dynamics.
I love history and when a novel incorporates it well it makes an entertaining read. This is the case of Tiberius Julius Alexander by Daniel M. Friedenberg ($22.00, Prometheus Books) that reconstructs the conflicted life of a figure from ancient Jewish history. Mentioned by Flavius Josephus, a historian in the days when Rome ultimately tired of Jewish resistance and destroyed Jerusalem, Tiberius was a real person, the son of a pious Jew living in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. He, however, was not interested in his heritage and became an apostate, joining the ranks of the Roman army, devoting himself to a career as a soldier in military and civil service. Friedenberg uses what is known of Tiberius’s real life and times to serve up a fictional memoir that brings to life Roman society in the Near East of the first century with all its luxurious refinements, brutal realities, competing religious cults, and social unrest.
Let’s take a stroll through the stacks of softcover novels. It’s likely the theme of one or more of these books will catch your interest. One that leaps off the stack is The Breaking of Eggs by Jim Powell ($15.00, Penguin Books). A debut novel, it is the story of the curmudgeonly Feliks Zhokovski, Polish by birth, Communist at heart, who at age 61 finds that everything on which his life is based is crumbling. It is 1991 and the Berlin Wall as fallen and Communism has collapsed. What unfolds includes a reunion with a brother in Ohio he hasn’t seen in fifty years and much more to fill the empty vessel that his life had become. Also set in foreign shores is The Debba by Avner Mandelman ($14.95, Other Press). In Middle East lore, the Debba is a mythical Arab hyena that can turn into a man who lures Jewish children away from their families to teach them the language of beasts. It is also the name of a play by the main character’s father that was staged just once in Haifa in 1946, causing a riot. The year is 1977 and David Starkman, his son, has renounced his Israeli citizenship and is living in Canada when he learns of his father’s gruesome murder. He returns to Israel to settle his father’s affairs only to learn his father’s will demands the play be staged within 45 days of his death. What unfolds is filled with dark forces as the novel barrels toward its shocking climax.
Murder and mayhem are major themes of novels. Here are a few that tap into them.
Murder in the Hamptons by Danita Carter ($15.00, Atria Books, division of Simon and Schuster) brings the worlds of music, money, and murder together when a rapper and his unruly crew move into an elite community in the Hamptons where Coco Beach is a private enclave of black society snobs are incensed when a rapper moves in. When the sister of TuSmArt is founding floating face down in the bay, the police deem her death a suicide, but he knows better and vows to find her killer. Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis ($14.95, Counterpoint) is set in northern California’s wine country where renowned wine critic, Richard Wilson, makes a living elevating and destroying winemaker’s reputation with the stroke of a pen. When he disappears after a Napa Valley wine tasting it is not long before his body is founding floating in a vat at Norton’s Winery. What a way to go! His sister enlists the help of her ex-husband to hunt for the killer and, while the police work to quickly clear the case, the trail begins to fade. The trail leads all the way to Burgundy, France. My late Mother, an international authority on wine would have loved this novel. Cadger’s Curse by Diane Gilbert Madsen ($14.95, Midnight Ink Books) is a debut novel with an interesting back story. Hired by a software giant in Chicago to vet some new trainees who need top security clearance, freelance insurance investigator, DD McGil arrives at headquarters to find her brother-in-law is dead. Her investigation reveals the trainees’ strange connections, industrial espionage, and a counterfeiting operation that threatens the world economy. At the same time, her Scottish aunts arrives for the holidays with what might be a long-lost, unpublished Robert Burns manuscript. It is authentic? Meanwhile, the murders pile up!
Stephen J. Harper’s novel, The Partnership, (Borealis Books) reminds us of why we love John Grisham novels involving lawyers. This one is a legal thriller that involves the behind-the-scenes of a large law firm with elements of a power struggle, some insider trading, with a dash of twisted romance and a friendship that turns horribly sour. The author draws on his own three decades as a lawyer. Having joined the firm as law student associates and clawed their way to the top, the two attorneys have become arch rivals and any trace of idealism they might have had is long gone as they compete for the premier position on the executive committee and the affections of a beautiful woman. Mystery and thriller readers will get their money’s worth with this novel. An entirely different story can be found in Sweetwater Burning by Heather Sharfeddin ($15.00, Bantam Books) that is set in the small Idaho town of Sweetwater. It is there that Chas McPherson tends his sheep and keeps to himself. Honoring his familial ties, he hires a home-care nurse to help care for his elderly father in his last days. Mattie Holden arrives and makes her place in the home just as trouble ensues when the home of the town’s lone Muslim family is burned on Christmas Eve and the town begins to point a finger at Chas. It is up to Sheriff Edelson, new to Sweetwater, to untangle the strange stories about the McPherson men and, in particular, Chas’ father, Franklin, a long time minister believed to be able to look into people’s souls. This is definitely not your standard novel, but it is a compelling story.
Finally, there's a coming-of-age novel Ticket To Ride by Philip Scott Wikel ($8.95, Julian Day Design, available via Amazon,com). Set in the 1970s, it is filled with allusions to literary and rock’n roll classics as Morgan and Livy move from being innocent 17-year-olds to becoming fully realized adults. This is an interesting look at an era that included the Vietnam War, the “sexual revolution”, and a wide distrust of politicians, the government, organized religion, and anything considered part of the “establishment.”
That’s it for August! Tell all your book-loving friends and family about Bookviews. You can even sign up to be a “Follower” of this monthly report on the best in non-fiction and fiction. It’s back to school time next month and Labor Day signals a new business cycle after the summer months. Lots of great new books on the way (some mentioned in this month’s report).
My Picks of the Month
There’s no debate that North Korea is the classic “rogue nation”, making nuclear weapons and missiles for sale to anyone that has the price. Ruled by dictators, now into the second generation, reading anything good about the place is rare. You will, however, find it in Eating With the Enemy: How I Waged Peace with North Korea From my BBQ Shack in Hackensack by Bobby Egan and Kurt Pitzer ($25.95, St. Martin’s Press). It is the story of how Egan who was involved with the issue of POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War era caught the eye of government officials along with his Vietnamese contact, Le Quang Khai during a time when Vietnam was trying to normalize relations with the U.S. in the early 1990s. What occurred next with North Korea, however, was unprecedented. Khai talked to the North Korean consulate about Egan and recommended they get to know him. It led to a meeting with North Korean consul Han Song Ryol and an amazing friendship was forged over the course of a decade. Egan accomplished a great deal over the years using his gift for friendship. His story suggests that the effort can accomplish much even in the face of longstanding hostilities between the two nations. The World for Ransom by D.R. Burgess ($26.00, Prometheus Books) looks at the rise of piracy along the Somali coast. A jurist and historian, he argues a case for linking piracy and terrorism that goes much deeper than just the headlines. It may offer civilized society the key to fighting international terrorism if terrorists were defined as pirates. It would eliminate the current maze of legal restrictions that hampers the prosecution of both pirates and terrorists. For anyone interested in the legal aspects of dealing with terrorism, this makes for some very interesting reading.
If science is your area of interest, you might consider reading Absolutely Small: A Layman’s guide to the Miraculous Realm of Quantum Theory that Explains Our Everyday World. Written by Dr. Michael D. Fayer, PhD, ($24.00, Amacom) it looks at everyday realities we take for granted and how physics attempts to explain them. Why are blueberries blue and oranges orange? Why does white-hot molten lava look red while the sun appears yellow? Most quantum physicists can only provide answers that will make your hair catch on fire, but Dr. Fayer has the gift of explaining the complex in a way that is completely accessible and, happily for me, free of math. This is an intriguing and excellent book that unravels the mysteries of nature and life around us. Those who keep an eye on such things believe that Iceland is in for a major volcanic eruption that could make the most recent one small by comparison. If such things interest you, pick up a copy of Volcano: Iceland’s Inferno and the Earth’s Most Active Volcanoes ($19.95, National Geographic, softcover), edited by Ellen J. Prager with a foreword by Marcia K. McNutt, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. Despite the claims that humans are altering the atmosphere and causing climate change (they’re not), even the most disinterested observer knows instinctively that the powers of the Earth are so much more vast that the claims are absurd. Volcanoes are living testimony to that and, an eruption in Iceland could transform the weather of the northern hemisphere as it spews enormous amounts of chemicals and cloud-filled particulates into the atmosphere. The other major volcanoes are examined with a reminder of what occurred when Mount Pinatubo altered the climate for years after its eruption.
Amil Imani’s new book, Obama Meets Ahmadinejad uses satire to reveal some fundamental truths about these two men. Ahmadinejad, of course, is the president of Iran and so hated there that crowds filled the streets to protest. Iran is the classic Islamic nation that uses brutality and oppression against its own people. Imani’s book ($17.95, Free American Press, softcover) has already been hailed by some of the leading voices warning against the Islamic threat to freedom and liberty. They include Robert Spencer, the author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades; Dr. Wafa Sultan, author of “A God Who Hates”; and Dr. Ali Sina, the author of “Understanding Muhammad and founder of FaithFreedom.org. It is available directly from his website, http://www.amilimani.com, or from Amazon.com. Amani, born in Iran, is an American with deep insights regarding Islam. He has been warning Americans and others around the world about the threat the present Iranian regime represents to its own people, the Middle East, and global peace. I add my voice to those recommending it. For those who want to delve into Islam, Ibn Warraq, the author of “Why I am Not a Muslim” has had a collection of his essays, Virgins? What Virgins?, published ($19.00, Prometheus Books) that are insightful, controversial, and frequently witty. He discusses the totalitarian nature of contemporary political Islam and explores whether there is any prospect for a reformation comparable to the Protestant Reformation in the West. Indeed, one essay is titled, “Why the West is Best.” One really needs to read this and comparable books to truly understand the threat to western civilization that Islam poses.
Britain continues to produce some great literature, art and entertainment. A case in point was the television series, “Prime Subject”, starring Helen Mirren. I watched every episode in the 1990s when it was aired and am delighted that Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection will debut in September in a 9-disc set of feature length mysteries as well as a 50-minute behind-the-scenes special ($124.99, Acorn Media.) The tenacious, driven, and flawed main character, Detective Jane Tennison, has risen through the ranks, solving some awful crimes while battling office sexism and her own demons. Mirren is an Oscar® and Emmy ® winner, and her performance in this series is testimony to her extraordinary talent. For sheer viewing pleasure, this is worth having in your own collection of great drama or as a great gift. Since the 1950s when I discovered the poetry of Dylan Thomas, I have often taken a collection of his poems from the bookshelf to read again and again. They are magical and totally unique. Along the way I have read biographies of the man, memoirs of his last trip to New York in 1953 where he died from what was medically deemed an “alcoholic insult” to the brain. His personal life was messy. A drunkard, he was married, the father of a son, Colm, and a daughter, Aeronwy. She took ten years to set her memories of him to paper, starting with the move her parents made to a boathouse in the small Welsh village of Laugharne when she was six. She would become her father’s literary executor, a writer and poet in her own right. In 2009 she passed away just before the British publication of My Father’s Places. The American edition will be officially published in September by Skyhorse Publishing ($19.95). For those who love his poetry and other writings, this book fills in a missing piece of the puzzle that was Dylan Thomas
I have always been fond of books that contain information in a compact presentation that would be difficult to acquire otherwise. Such is Nathan Belofsky’s The Book of Strange and Curious Legal Oddities ($13.95, Perigee, softcover). There are those, including myself, who think there are just too many laws being passed, burdening enterprise and individuals without good reason. This entertaining book is proof of that as it reveals a plethora of often idiotic laws such as the one in 2006 that got a Brooklyn man sentenced to 5 to 11 years in jail for killing a goldfish. Reaching back in history, it is astonishing how frequently the death penalty was the choice for almost any infraction. The creation of writing, first on stone tablets, papyrus, and printing led to the publication of many laws, many of which dealt with crimes common to the modern times, but whose punishment was draconian. The proliferation of laws has led to the increase in lawyers, but the book does demonstrate that humans have long striven for order in society. Entertaining in a totally bizarre way is People of Walmart: Shop and Awe by Luke Wherry, Adam and Andrew Kipple ($12.95, Sourcebooks, softcover), due out in September. It is page after page of photos of people who shop there wearing and doing very strange things in such a public place. Every page makes you wonder whatever possessed these people to even leave the house. Weird tattoos. Weirder haircuts. Still weirder clothes. It would make a great gift for the Walmart shopper in your life.
Getting Down to Business
The paralysis that has seized the economy, accompanied by the massive government spending we’re told will get us out of it has forced Americans to seriously question what some economists, particularly those writing for mainstream publications, keep telling us. Most people know that, if you’re in debt, the first thing to do is stop spending, cut back on expenses, and begin saving as much money as possible. I am sure most people would be astonished to learn that, over the past twenty years, Americans have purchased $6 trillion more in goods from other nations than we have sold to them. This is just one of the many facts to be found in Ian Fletcher’s book, Free Trade Doesn’t Work, What Should Replace It and Why ($24.95, U.S. Business & Industry Council, Washington, D.C., softcover). Normally, reading anything dealing with economics makes my eyes glaze over, but Fletcher provides a lively look at the realities of why the U.S. is in such a terrible place economically. Primarily, we are not manufacturing goods as we once did and, when we do the work is often outsourced to nations like China and India, for assembling here. The result is fewer jobs for Americans, less tax revenue for the nation, and a trade deficit. Any time trade is discussed in terms of protecting U.S. industries, some people cry “protectionism”, but the fact is that other nations practice it all the time. Free trade is a misnomer. Letting your global competitors beat your brains out is a very bad idea. I recommend this excellent analysis. I only hope those in power and executives responsible for making decisions for American companies will read this excellent book. The place to go is http://www.freetradedoesntwork.com.
Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men seems ripped from today’s headlines and it is surely interesting reading ($24.95, Skyhorse Publishing). Tom Ajamie and Bruce Kelly note that, in the fiscal year 2009, the FBI saw a 105% increase in new high-yield investment fraud investigations compared to 2008; 314 such cases versus 154. Many involved losses exceeding $100 million. The authors identify the warning signs and strategies that perpetrators of fraud use to scam average Americans out of their life savings. Ajamie is an attorney who has recovered hundreds of millions from fraudulent individuals, corporations, and organized crime organizations. Kelly is the news editor for Investment News and provides true stories of people who have been scammed, explaining how they could have avoided their losses. The problem is, like Bernie Madoff, some con artists can have good reputations. The book is full of good advice to save you from financial fraud. You’re not too young or too old to read this book. Another book for people trying to figure out survival in these hard times is If I’m So Smart…Where Did All My Money Go? Balancing Your Financial Objectives for Lasting Wealth by Doug Warshauer ($24.95, CFMB Books, Morton Grove, IL). The author looks, for example, at why so many people bought homes they couldn’t afford with mortgages they couldn’t pay? Also, why people with good salaries can’t seem to put money aside at the end of the month in savings or an investment account? The book is about financial stability for families, individuals, and senior citizens. Using a fictional financial seminar, he explains his recommendations through the stories of ten people attending it. If this is a problem with which you are grappling, this book will prove helpful.
Anyone hiring the “linkster generation”, born after 1995, knows they are quite different from their predecessors such as Generation Y, born 1981 to 1995, and earlier ones such as Generation X and, of course, the Baby Boomers. All require special handling and skills. Happily, Meagan Johnson and her dad, Larry Johnson, have written Generations, Inc. ($16.95, Amacom, softcover) to provide the key to understanding the different comfort levels and expectation of these very different generations. The book addresses the need to create cross-generational alliances, reconcile disparate values, and different work styles. Today’s manager may find themselves managing great talent from five or more generations and each has different approaches to the workplace. When I started in the workplace there were no cell phones, ipods, or computers. This old dog had to learn new skills and use new technology. I am in the “traditional generation”, but many of the Baby Boomer generation, 1946-1964, intend to stay on past retirement age and they work well with others, but are experiencing age discrimination. Those in Generation Y cannot even imagine being that old! A lot of folks are trying to navigate through the new world of “social media” in order to use it more effectively to grow their business. Sherrie A. Madia, PhD and Paul Borgese have written The Social Media Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Business Exponentially with Social Media ($24.95, Full Court Press, an imprint of Base Communications, Voorhees, NJ). Here’s the lowdown on what Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is all about. The authors offer advice on the best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and step-by-step strategies for creating smart social media campaigns. This is an excellent guide to the confusing new world of interactive websites, blogs, podcasts, social network sites, image and video-sharing e-communities, and so much more that is available to the savvy marketer. It no longer matters if you are a mom-and-pop operation or a big corporation. Knowing what choices to make and how to maximize social media to sell one’s product or service is still the bottom line. Little wonder that the one job category that is growing these days is that of social media manager!
Better Make It Real: Creating Authenticity in an Increasingly Fake World by Jill J. Morin, ($32.95, Praeger) addresses the increasing demand for trust and transparency from corporations in addition to the quality of their products and services. The headlines are testimony to that, but how does a company achieve that? Ms. Morin provides a guide that focuses on organizational authenticity as a company strives to assure its many stakeholders from employees to customers, vendors and other business partners. It’s not a destination. It’s a journey. She provides a roadmap stressing perception, people, products and services, and place. The Corporate Storyteller: A Writing Manual Style Guide for the Brave New Business Leader by Elaine Stirling ($13.95, Rising Star, softcover) takes a look at the way texting, emails, Facebook and Twitter has changed the way people communicate. Ms. Stirling says formal letters, thank you notes, and snail mail correspondence are all disappearing. Too often, however, hitting the send button before proofing and editing one’s message are frequent communication pitfalls. Too many business folk are fearful these days and this book will help eliminate that.
The Topic is Health & Happiness
Are you wondering how the new health care law will affect your life, your family, or your business? It’s not light reading, but Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law by Michael D. Tanner ($10, Cato Institute) is just over 50 pages of tightly written, well researched, and carefully footnoted bad news. It’s more a booklet than a book, but why quibble when you discover that Obamacare, as promised, does not achieve universal coverage, will cost more than $2.7 trillion over ten years of full implementation, will increase the cost of coverage for younger, healthier workers, and will increase taxes by more than $669 billion between now and 2019. My experience with Cato publications is that they are so well prepared that they are bulletproof to any charge of partisanship. Little wonder than surveys show that well over 65% of Americans want Obamacare repealed.
Judging from the news reports and ads on television, diabetes is on the rise. The disease is largely controlled with pharmaceutical insulin, but there was a time when that did not exist and many died as a result. Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle ($24.99, St Martins Press) by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg is set to officially be published in September so mark your calendar if you find reading medical history of interest. This book tells how, in 1918, Elizabeth Hughes, the daughter of Charles Evans Hughes, who would become a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was suffering from juvenile diabetes mellitus. At the time it was a virtual death sentence. However, in Toronto, a surgeon and his assistant had successfully purified insulin from animal pancreases and a little-known pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, would make insulin available. Elizabeth became one of the first to receive insulin injections. The whole story is fraught with drama due to scientific jealousies that nearly derailed the discovery along with intense business competition. I heartily recommend this book.
The Preemie Primer: A Complete Guide for Parents of Premature Babies—from Birth through the Toddler Years and Beyond is one of those titles that pretty much says it all as regards its contents ($16.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) and, for parents of premature babies it is “must” reading. Authored by Dr. Jennifer Gunter, MD, it reflects the fact that approximately five hundred thousands babies are born prematurely every year in the United States. Dr. Gunter provides a comprehensive resource that covers everything from delivery and hospitalization to issues involving preemie development. Virtually every aspect is covered in the book. In a similar fashion, Life Over Cancer by Dr. Keith I. Block, MD, is written by an author who, as medical director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Evanston, Illinois, has treated thousands of patients who have gone onto to live full lives beyond their original prognosis. Now he has distilled almost thirty years of experience into the first book that gives patients a systematic, research-based plan for developing the physical and emotional vitality they need to meet the demands of treatment and recovery. For anyone encountering cancer in their lives, this too is “must” reading. Atypical: Life with Asperger’s in 20 1/3 Chapters by Jesse A. Saperstein ($14.95, Perigee, softcover) is an account of living with Asperger’s syndrome, the mildest form of autism. I frankly was totally unaware of this syndrome, largely because it has been stigmatized for so many years that little has been written or spoken of it. This memoir demystifies a condition that is characterized by repetitive routines or rituals, peculiarities in speech and language, and difficulties with empathy that lead to socially inappropriate behavior. Until 1994, it was not even recognized as a separate disorder. Those afflicted suffer from being teased or bullied because of their inability to fit in. The book is itself a triumph over the disorder and is worth reading just for its story. Indeed, you may recognize its symptoms in someone you know.
Seth David Chernoff faced death as a two-time cancer survivor and, as a result, he learned to experience the fullness of life. He shares that knowledge in A Manual for Living: Reality, a User’s Guide to the Meaning of Life ($15.95, Spirit Scope Publishing, softcover). With nearly fifty years of reviewing under my belt, I tend to steer clear of such books because, frankly, they come out every year in one form or another, but this one pulls no punches as Chernoff writes about the hard subjects of death, illness, fear, finding balance, a toxic environment, and our perception of what is real, our finances, and our need to accumulate things. He asks and answers questions we often ask about why are we always in a hurry? Are our physical ailments caused by frustration, anxiety or stress? And why is it such a challenge to maintain inner peace? Since life comes with no guarantees except an expiration date, it’s probably a good idea to learn how to find a measure of real happiness. I suspect the increase in books about how to live life fully has something to do with the horrid economic times that are imposing hardships on so many. Finding the Zone: A Whole New Way to Maximize Mental Potential by Gordon D. Lawrence ($19.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) discusses the mental attitude we feel when we excel at work or play. He suggests that our minds are actually wired from birth to achieve the zone, though we often do not experience it enough. Based on research on the mind, attitudes, and motivation, he offers advice on how to find your own zone. Not due out officially under November, Tapping the Source by a trio of authors ($17.95, Sterling) this book asserts that success in life results not just from random choice, predetermined fate, good connections, or even hard work. Many comparable books encourage people to overcome negative attitudes and habitual thoughts, but say the authors, they often create more frustration than fulfillment. This book teaches a pragmatic daily practice that offers a seven-step process to quiet one’s mind and tap into one’s inner strength. I do not know if it will work, but I suspect it will be of great help to those seeking peace of mind and a more meaningful life.
Books for Kids and Teens
This is the time for a trip to the beach and, for the pre-school and early readers, Sunny Bunnies by Margie Blumberg and illustrated beautifully by June Goulding ($15.95, MB Publishing) tells in rhyme the story of a family trip that is charming and a good way to prepare any youngster for his or her first trip. As the world continues to shrink thanks to the ease of communications and travel, children need to grasp not only how big it is, but also how modernization is making nations more alike in many ways. I See the Sun in China, written by Dedie King with illustrations by Judith Inglese, has both English and Mandarin Chinese text that is aimed at children 5 years and older ($12.95, Satya House Publicans, Hardwick, MA, softcover) as it relates a trip by a Chinese girl who, along with her family, visits her aunt in Shanghai, a gleaming city of commerce, the equal of any such city in the world. It is officially due for publican in October along with I See the Sun in Nepal. For the young reader, it is like spending a day in either place. I thoroughly enjoyed it and so will the younger set.
It’s written for ages 8-10 or thereabouts, any early reader, and it is hilarious. Clementine – Monkey Princess by Adam Knight and illustrated b y Nora Kay Golay ($11.95, Monkey Monkey Media, 552 12th St., Suite 101, Elko, NV 89801) Clementine is a very bright young girl who loves to climb things. Her dad nicknames her a Monkey Princess and the word got around. In fact, it reached a far off jungle where a group of monkeys decided they should have a Monkey Princess. A team of monkey commandos were dispatched to kidnap her! They immediately fell in love with her. Back home her parents were hot on her trail to the land of Flim. Much adventure ensues until she and her family return home. If you have a little monkey of your own at home, this book will keep him or her in stitches.
The Jewish new year celebration, Rosh Hashanah, arrives in September and Margie Blumberg, the author of the “Sunny Bunnies” series, teamed with illustrator, Laurie McGaw, to publish Avram’s Gift ($10.00, MB Publishing). It is the story of a young Jewish boy, Mark, growing up in America. A picture on the wall of his home; that of his great-great-grandfather, Avram, portrays a stern-looking man. When the family gathers to celebrate, he learns the story of this man as his grandfather answers his questions. He learns of the shofar, a ram’s horn, a gift passed from generation to the other and how each is linked to the past and to the ancient heritage of Judaism. Suffice to say, this is a story for a young Jew, but it is also every immigrant family’s story. As the High Holy days approach, it would make an ideal gift. For teen Christian girls, there’s a series from Revell called “His Princess” by Sheri Rose Shepherd intended to provide biblical insights regarding some of the questions that arise in a young girl’s life today. His Princess: Girl Talk with God ($14.99, Revell) contains devotional reading that serve as a guide to those in these age group.
From Heaven to Hell as in Hellfire: Plague of Dragons will satisfy the demand for fantasy stories, resplendent with excellent artwork. Written by Robert Weinberg from a story and artwork by Tom Wood ($19.95, Running Press) this thriller based on the period of the Black Death in Europe, is the story of a lost manuscript and art by a 14th century French wine merchant who was a confidant of popes and kings, Robertus of Avignon, who along with his brother Thomas and a loyal, brave band of soldiers, must deal with a pack of dragons. Wood’s work has sold millions of products since 2005. Weinberg, a prolific author, is a two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award, along with others. Though presumably aimed at teens, it would intrigue older readers as well. Elminster Must Die is a fantasy genre novel written by Ed Greenwood ($25.95, Wizards of the Coast). The book is part of The Saga of Shadowdale series and focuses on Elminster’s shattered world after the goddess of magic’s murder. Once the most powerful wizard in the world and the bane of villainy, Elminister is now a tired old man with a lot of enemies. Though the wizard is immortal, the author uses the story to explore what it means to grow old and nearly powerless. Any lover of fantasy of any age will thoroughly enjoy this story that debuts this month. It’s back to school next month and that’s the theme of Tianna Logan and the Salem Academy for Witchcraft Written by Timothy Craig Everhart ($22.00, American Book Publishing, softcover) it tells of how, after her parents are killed, Tainna is left in the care of her grandmother and enrolled in the Salem Academy for Witchcraft where adventure exists around every turn. She soon learns about the night her parents died and a book is discovered after being hidden in the academy and, surprise, it belongs to her. The story is filled with wonderful twists and turns that are sure to delight any young person who has read through all the Harry Potter novels and is yearning for more spooky stuff.
Novels geared to the younger set provide some fun summer reading, particularly for the girls. John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles ($14.00, Gallery/MTV Books), a debut novel, offers an offbeat and unexpectedly moving story of two teenagers whose obsession with celebrity death begins to interfere with their lives. It follows pink-haired Hilda and her long friend, Benji, as they haunt the places where celebrities have died and, while their adventures begin as fun and games, neither can escape the danger and sadness inherent in their unusual hobby.
Teens have loved the debut series from Stephanie Morrill as have the identified with high school student, Skylar Hoyt and her struggle to discover who she is. So Over It ($ll.95, Revell) is the final book of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. Eager to get away at the end of her senior year, she jumps at the change to spend the summer with her grandparents in Hawaii. Revell is a leading Christian book publisher and the story has a religious theme to it, but is essentially a coming-of-age story. Also from Revell, Perfectly Dateless by Kristin Billerbeck ($9.99) is about the countdown to the prom for Daisy Crispin in which she has 196 days to find the right date, but she has a problem. Her parents won’t let her data or even talk to a guy on the phone! She wears lame homemade clothes and possesses few social skills, so she has more than one problem. Can she turn her parents around? Can she enjoy one of the great rituals of teen life? You will have to read the book.
Novels, Novels, Novels!
There are so many novels being published these days that it takes a superhuman effort to keep up with them all. Here are just a few that have arrived at Bookviews.
Following up his debut with 8 in the Box, Raffi Yessayan is back with a terrific cop thriller, 2 in the Hat ($25.00, Ballantine Books). The author knows the Boston crime scene having formerly been the chief prosecutor of the elite Gang Unit in Boston’s Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Now he is practicing criminal defense law and writing novels that portray a stark gripping portrait of law enforcement professionals on the job and under the gun. The title comes from cop lingo for “two shots to the head.” The novel focuses on a major spike in gang homicides that has the city on edge. When a pair of students is bizarrely slain, homicide detective Angel Alves suspects there’s a serial killer on the loose. His partner agrees, noting similarities to the work of the Prom Night Killer whose unsolved crimes are a decade old. This is the kind of book you cannot put down once you begin to read it.
James King tells a very different story in Bill Warrington’s Last Chance ($24.95, Viking) about the main character’s desire to make things right with his long-estranged children before a recently diagnosed disease takes its toll. His children, however, have their own issues. One is trying to raise her headstrong teenage daughter on her own while another is unable to move on with his life after his wife’s death. A third’s self-absorbed philandering threats his career and family. To get their attention, he kidnaps his 15-year-old granddaughter, April, who is a willing accomplice, eager to escape her mother. This is a compelling multigenerational saga told with humor, compassion, and considerable insight to a wounded family’s dynamics.
I love history and when a novel incorporates it well it makes an entertaining read. This is the case of Tiberius Julius Alexander by Daniel M. Friedenberg ($22.00, Prometheus Books) that reconstructs the conflicted life of a figure from ancient Jewish history. Mentioned by Flavius Josephus, a historian in the days when Rome ultimately tired of Jewish resistance and destroyed Jerusalem, Tiberius was a real person, the son of a pious Jew living in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. He, however, was not interested in his heritage and became an apostate, joining the ranks of the Roman army, devoting himself to a career as a soldier in military and civil service. Friedenberg uses what is known of Tiberius’s real life and times to serve up a fictional memoir that brings to life Roman society in the Near East of the first century with all its luxurious refinements, brutal realities, competing religious cults, and social unrest.
Let’s take a stroll through the stacks of softcover novels. It’s likely the theme of one or more of these books will catch your interest. One that leaps off the stack is The Breaking of Eggs by Jim Powell ($15.00, Penguin Books). A debut novel, it is the story of the curmudgeonly Feliks Zhokovski, Polish by birth, Communist at heart, who at age 61 finds that everything on which his life is based is crumbling. It is 1991 and the Berlin Wall as fallen and Communism has collapsed. What unfolds includes a reunion with a brother in Ohio he hasn’t seen in fifty years and much more to fill the empty vessel that his life had become. Also set in foreign shores is The Debba by Avner Mandelman ($14.95, Other Press). In Middle East lore, the Debba is a mythical Arab hyena that can turn into a man who lures Jewish children away from their families to teach them the language of beasts. It is also the name of a play by the main character’s father that was staged just once in Haifa in 1946, causing a riot. The year is 1977 and David Starkman, his son, has renounced his Israeli citizenship and is living in Canada when he learns of his father’s gruesome murder. He returns to Israel to settle his father’s affairs only to learn his father’s will demands the play be staged within 45 days of his death. What unfolds is filled with dark forces as the novel barrels toward its shocking climax.
Murder and mayhem are major themes of novels. Here are a few that tap into them.
Murder in the Hamptons by Danita Carter ($15.00, Atria Books, division of Simon and Schuster) brings the worlds of music, money, and murder together when a rapper and his unruly crew move into an elite community in the Hamptons where Coco Beach is a private enclave of black society snobs are incensed when a rapper moves in. When the sister of TuSmArt is founding floating face down in the bay, the police deem her death a suicide, but he knows better and vows to find her killer. Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis ($14.95, Counterpoint) is set in northern California’s wine country where renowned wine critic, Richard Wilson, makes a living elevating and destroying winemaker’s reputation with the stroke of a pen. When he disappears after a Napa Valley wine tasting it is not long before his body is founding floating in a vat at Norton’s Winery. What a way to go! His sister enlists the help of her ex-husband to hunt for the killer and, while the police work to quickly clear the case, the trail begins to fade. The trail leads all the way to Burgundy, France. My late Mother, an international authority on wine would have loved this novel. Cadger’s Curse by Diane Gilbert Madsen ($14.95, Midnight Ink Books) is a debut novel with an interesting back story. Hired by a software giant in Chicago to vet some new trainees who need top security clearance, freelance insurance investigator, DD McGil arrives at headquarters to find her brother-in-law is dead. Her investigation reveals the trainees’ strange connections, industrial espionage, and a counterfeiting operation that threatens the world economy. At the same time, her Scottish aunts arrives for the holidays with what might be a long-lost, unpublished Robert Burns manuscript. It is authentic? Meanwhile, the murders pile up!
Stephen J. Harper’s novel, The Partnership, (Borealis Books) reminds us of why we love John Grisham novels involving lawyers. This one is a legal thriller that involves the behind-the-scenes of a large law firm with elements of a power struggle, some insider trading, with a dash of twisted romance and a friendship that turns horribly sour. The author draws on his own three decades as a lawyer. Having joined the firm as law student associates and clawed their way to the top, the two attorneys have become arch rivals and any trace of idealism they might have had is long gone as they compete for the premier position on the executive committee and the affections of a beautiful woman. Mystery and thriller readers will get their money’s worth with this novel. An entirely different story can be found in Sweetwater Burning by Heather Sharfeddin ($15.00, Bantam Books) that is set in the small Idaho town of Sweetwater. It is there that Chas McPherson tends his sheep and keeps to himself. Honoring his familial ties, he hires a home-care nurse to help care for his elderly father in his last days. Mattie Holden arrives and makes her place in the home just as trouble ensues when the home of the town’s lone Muslim family is burned on Christmas Eve and the town begins to point a finger at Chas. It is up to Sheriff Edelson, new to Sweetwater, to untangle the strange stories about the McPherson men and, in particular, Chas’ father, Franklin, a long time minister believed to be able to look into people’s souls. This is definitely not your standard novel, but it is a compelling story.
Finally, there's a coming-of-age novel Ticket To Ride by Philip Scott Wikel ($8.95, Julian Day Design, available via Amazon,com). Set in the 1970s, it is filled with allusions to literary and rock’n roll classics as Morgan and Livy move from being innocent 17-year-olds to becoming fully realized adults. This is an interesting look at an era that included the Vietnam War, the “sexual revolution”, and a wide distrust of politicians, the government, organized religion, and anything considered part of the “establishment.”
That’s it for August! Tell all your book-loving friends and family about Bookviews. You can even sign up to be a “Follower” of this monthly report on the best in non-fiction and fiction. It’s back to school time next month and Labor Day signals a new business cycle after the summer months. Lots of great new books on the way (some mentioned in this month’s report).
Monday, June 28, 2010
Bookviews - July 2010
By Alan Caruba
My Picks of the Month
If you read no other book this year, you must read Killing Wealth, Freeing Wealth: How to Save America’s Economy…and your Own ($24.95, WND Books) by Floyd Brown and Lee Troxler. Together they reveal what has been done and is being done to the nation’s economy by the Obama administration. It can only lead to total collapse if not reversed. They explain the long succession of financial “bubbles” that have come and gone, stripping wealth from investors, and why U.S. taxes will inevitably soon rise to 50% or more of the wealth of those who pay taxes. Some forty percent of the population no longer does and gets a “tax credit” check from the government consisting of other people’s money. This book describes why any sign of “recovery” is a false hope in a society where the government is nationalizing huge pieces of the economy, taking over healthcare, the auto industry, and trying to do the same with banking. The policy of “monetizing the debt” will only lead to a dollar worth about 40 cents. The authors bring excellent credentials to their investigation and do not frame their book terms of the Left versus the Right, Red States versus Blue States, although they do spell out the differences, explaining why many who can leave high tax states for those offering a friendlier place to do business and live. This extraordinary book strips away all the lies the public is told and explains why the politics of hope is not match for the reality of economics, nationally and globally.
Timing is everything and Tim Bowers, the author of Oil: Money, Politics, and Power in the 2lst Century, ($26.95, Grand Central Publishing) has had the good fortune to have his book published just when the eyes of the world are on the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Bower has thoroughly researched the history of the oil industry over the past thirty years. From $7 a barrel twenty years ago to $148 in 2008, the price of this global commodity has moved up and down dramatically as oil companies spend billions in a search for oil in places where it is still permitted to be extracted. In the late 1970s a windfall tax on oil companies caused them to stop exploring for domestic sources and thereafter restrictions on drilling in Alaska’s ANWR and on 85% of our coastal offshore areas drove them to drill in ever deeper waters. Bowers provides a narrative of the conflicting forces of politics, economics, and advances in technology for a dramatic story of oil, the lifeblood of industrialized nations and all other nations around the world. Best of all, he brings the many people, the movers and shakers in the world of oil, to life. We see them as the world’s greatest risk-takers as they seek the global commodity that drives modern civilization.
A professor of mine once said that no nation is more than two weeks away from revolution if it cannot feed its people. I really looked forward to reading Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, ($27.00, Free Press), but I discovered within its first pages that its authors, Evan D.G. Fraser and Andrew Rimas, have a dim view of everything modern, whether it is a dam to provide irrigation, fertilizers that yield more crops or modern cities, transportation, et cetera. As far as they’re concerned, farming simply “depletes” the land. The fact that modern agronomy feeds six billion people is an affront to their delicate environmental senses. The authors rely on the debunked theories about global warming, now called climate change. The book is less history, than polemic. From ancient Egypt, to the Roman Empire, to the Mayans, and down through history to modern times, the role that food plays in peace and war is worth examining, but this book is more propaganda than a useful examination of the role of food throughout history. By contrast, Alice Albinia’s Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River ($16.95, W.W. Norton, softcover) won the Somerset Maugham Award among others for its story of one of the longest rivers in the world, the Indus that rises in Tibet, flows west across India, and south through Pakistan. The rivers of the world shaped mankind’s history and this is true of the Indus. The author follows the river upstream and back in time on a voyage of two thousand miles of geography and five millennia of history. Anyone who loves history will thoroughly enjoy this book and, at the same time, gain insights regarding today’s headlines as well.
At a time when many Americans are despairing for our future, Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century by Michael Hiltzik, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, revisits a feat of engineering that shaped, not only the American West, but the American century. It was done in the heart of the Great Depression when spirits were at an all-time low in the 1930s. The construction of the Hoover Dam was a monumental achievement that required new equipment and construction methods that were applied in a very inhospitable environment. Hiltzik argues that it wreaked havoc on the geology of the West, claiming it has caused earthquakes and droughts, at the same time it created the electricity, the power, essential to the development of Western states. This is, in fact, not a very positive view of an extraordinary and transformative event that contributed to the growth of the agricultural and industrial economy.
I am very fond of what I call “useful books” and two recent arrivals fit that description. Real Man’s Guide to Fixin’ Stuff: How to Repair Anything You Need to Know How to Fix by Nick Harper ($12.99, Source Books, softcover) is one of those titles that tell you everything you need to know. The book is, in fact, filled with brief descriptions and accompanying illustrations that will make any man (and woman) look brilliant in the course of fixing dead remote controls, weak vacuum cleaners, sharpen knives and scissors, and dozens of commonplace problems. Rachel Singer Gordon has written Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom’s Guide to Saving and Making Money Online ($19.95, Cyber Age Books, softcover). Gordon, a work-at-home mom has gathered a following for her blog, MashupMom.com. “As a former librarian, I’m all about sharing information” says Gordon and the information she shares is particularly useful in tough economic times. The book is devoted to Internet-based money-saving tips for all types of products for everyday life, from groceries to gas and much more. It’s also about making money on the Web and, from cover to cover, filled with some great advice.
Some books don’t fit neatly into any category. Some are just fun like Overrated: The 50 Most Overhyped Things in History by Mark Juddery ($13.95, Perigee, an imprint of Berkley Publishing Group, softcover) wherein the author picks apart everything from princesses to Superman, bra burning to the Grand Canyon. An amusing cynic, the author devotes short chapters to the brontosaurus as the most overrated animal, “Titanic” as an overrated film, Star Trek as the most overrated television show, and the Oscar as the most overrated honor. It’s just pure malicious fun by an Australian-based writer. Another book promises to banish boredom forever. The Telephone Doodle Book ($13.00, Gotham Books, softcover) provides more than 150 doodles to complete while you are on hold on the telephone. Illustrator Andrew Pinder provides doodles to help unleash your inner cartoonist when you fill in the missing parts. They’re funny and they’re fun.
It has taken three decades to finally burst the “science” behind “global warming” to reveal it as one of the greatest hoaxes in history. Two books explain the real science and explore the politics that have distorted entire economies in the effort to reduce carbon dioxide as its “cause.” My friend, Robert M, Carter has authored Climate: The Counter Consensus and Christian Gerondue has written Climate: The Grand Delusion: A Study of the Climatic, Economic, and Political Unrealities, both published as part of the “independent minds” series of Stacey International, London. Carter is an internationally known paleoclimatologist, a man who has studied climate cycles dating back thousands of years. Like others who disputed “global warming”, the assertion that the Earth was overheating, he was labeled a “denier” and “skeptic.” Well, today thousands of scientists are openly skeptical and recent revelations about how the data was “cooked” by a handful of renegade scientists has begun to undue the damage down by a hoax that has cost nations billions of dollars. Gerondeau is a major figure in French science and engineering circles. These two books deserve as wide an audience of readers as possible and are particularly timely as the current U.S. administration tries to steer the economy away from traditional sources of energy to a fictional wonderland of “green” alternatives while still insisting that global warming is real.
Serendipitously, Stanton T. Friedman and Kathleen Marson have just had their book, Science Was Wrong ($16.99, New Page Books, softcover) published. It is about scientific theories that were initially disparaged, but later proved true. There were, for example, many scientists who declared that heavier-than-air machines could never fly, but the Wright brothers were right and they were wrong. Germ theory was first advanced in ancient Sanskrit texts thousands of years, but was not widely accepted until late in the 19th century. Space travel was yet another theory that was called by some “utter bilge.” This book is a fascinating collection of stories about the pioneers who created or thought up “impossible” cures, theories, and inventions that were widely regarded at the time as untenable. Ultimately, science that is proven true or false cannot be denied.
Another instance where the science is wrong is the frequently stated view that wind power can replace coal, natural gas, and nuclear power to provide electricity. Combined with solar power, it represents barely three percent of the electricity generated in the United States. Charles S. Opaleck, a professional engineer, has written Wind Power Fraud: Why Wind Won’t Work ($19.70, www.lulu.com, softcover) and the title says it all. If you want to learn the specifics of why, this book examines the realities behind the claims. This is not light reading, but rather a documented review of the specifics involved. Simply stated, the wind does not blow all the time. The turbines must be hooked to an external source of power to keep the blades turning to avoid malfunctions. There has to be a reliable backup in the form of tradition power generation sources when the fields of turbines fail to generate even a minimum required. Need it be said this applies to solar power as well?
Cookbooks, Mostly Vegan
Years ago my Mother wrote a book filled with recipes from the earliest days of American history so naturally I found Andrew Beahrs book of interest. Twain’s Feast: Searching for America’s Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens ($25.95, Penguin Press) will delight fellow “foodies” that uses Twain’s life and extensive travels as the platform for an exploration of what our ancestors ate before the age of fast-food, refrigeration, and other modern advances. Early Americans could make a meal of possum and enjoyed oysters and Philadelphia terrapin; once abundant wildlife could be found on the dinner plates of Americans. A world traveler, Twain once paused during a tour of Europe to compose a fantasy menu of American dishes he missed the most. For anyone who loves both history and food, this is the perfect combination of topics.
I am not a vegetarian or vegan, having grown up in a home where Mother, a teacher of haute cuisine, served up fabulous dinners, but she did believe in the importance of vegetables in one’s diet. And every nation has their own approach to preparing them. Terry Hope Romero has written, Viva Vegan! ($18.95, Da Capo Press, softcover). She has collected 200 authentic recipes for Latin food lovers that will make you drool as you read how diverse herbs, spices, vegetable, legumes and fruits come together as enchiladas, green tomatillo sauce. taquitos, and flans. The book is divided into two sections, both of which are accessible to professional chefs as well as beginners. It’s all here, from how to peel a mango to where to purchase parchment paper for tomales. It includes sixteen pages of full-color photos as well. Or perhaps you prefer the tastes of Asia? The 30-Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray ($18.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) serves up 150 “Asian inspired” recipes that adapt some of the tastiest food on Earth to the vegan lifestyle.
Dr. Neal Barnard, MD, and Chef Robyn Webb weigh in with The Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook ($18.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) offering 125 recipes intended to “jump-start weight loss” and provide other health benefits. They note that recent studies indicate that a healthy vegan lifestyle can effectively control type 2 diabetes. There’s plenty of diversity among the recipes that include green chile and oyster mushroom crepes, sweet potato soup, and even snacks. All recipes are low in fat. If you’re new to the vegan lifestyle, this book will appear intriguing, but it provides the usual fare. I cannot speak for the effectiveness of the regimen this book offers, but the book has a tone that suggests vegetarians regard themselves as superior to the rest of us.
Marriage and Parenting
Reviewers often get books well in advance of their release date and this is the case of When You Have Outgrown Him: Whether to Stay or Go by Dr. Kimberly Ventus-Darks ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) that will be available in October. It is a truism that some marriages fail because one partner has matured or changed in ways that put strains on the marriage. In this book, the issue of women that outgrow their mate is directly addressed and advice is offered on whether to stay or to go. The author has academic credentials and addresses the way today’s wives often have jobs in addition to families. This requires a husband who will pitch in around the house and devote time to the kids while the wife is working on her career. A multitude of problems arise even if the husband is a loving father, good family man, and a hard worker. Even so, many wives say they are seeking more maturity and other forms of support. In fairness, men often encounter comparable problems in their wives. Little wonder that half of all marriages end in divorce. Any woman wrestling with this problem would do herself a favor by reading this book. Runaway Husbands: The Abandoned Wife’s Guide to Recovery and Renewal by Vikki Stark ($16.95, Green Light Press) offers advice to women who come home to discover that her husband leaves without having been told that he has been unhappy in the marriage. Not infrequently he moves in with a girlfriend, but whatever the circumstances, the experience is devastating. The author has twenty-five years experience as a family therapist and educator so she has seen this enough to regard it as familiar situation. She lays out the elements of it as the wife tries to understand how her husband has become an angry stranger, how to transition using seven steps to move ahead, while getting relief from feelings of hurt and anger by coping effectively. She writes from experience because her husband left her. She began the “Sudden Wife Abandonment Project” in which more than four hundred women shared their stories and strategies,
Great Parents, Lousy Lovers by Dr. Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham ($17.99, Tyndale House Publishers, softcover) is another one of those books that will not be officially released until September. Dr. Smalley has authored sixteen books on family relationships and Cunningham is a pastor who co-authored three of them with him. Both have been guests on leading radio and television shows, sharing their expertise. Filled with wit, wisdom, and practical advice, the good news is that partners can be great parents and still maintain a healthy love life to ensure a happy marriage which they regard as essential to good parenting. Readers will learn how to maintain a proper balance and to avoid or deal with the frustration and fatigue that the demands of parenting often impose. If this describes your marriage, put this book on your reading list. Momology: A Mom’s Guide to Shaping Great Kids by Shelly Radic ($13.99, Revell, softcover) is the result of the author’s research into successful parenting, identifying four areas that most significantly influence a woman’s mothering success. These include self-knowledge and acceptance, understanding the limits on her time and energy, knowing who she can count on for support, and, having a strong spiritual life. Being a mom is a constantly changing learning experience as children grow, but those early years can be very demanding and this book provides lots of good advice.
Biographies, Memoirs, and Stories
Three books from the Free Press provide great reading and a look at the people who built this nation. Abigail Adams by Woody Holton ($ 18.00, Free Press, softcover) was the wife of the second president of the United States and the mother of the sixth. She is rightly remembered as one of the most outstanding and influential women of the Founding Era. She led the fight for equality and she demonstrated extraordinary strength, permitting John Adams to lead the fight for independence and shape the new nation. This is a first class biography that examines how she coped with unexpected pregnancies and untimely deaths. Three of her five children died before she did. Their marriage was one of enduring love, tested by the most dramatic times in the nation’s history and what emerges is two brilliant people who often disagreed on a host of issues, but throughout it all, she managed the family farm, raised her children while often alone for long stretches of time. In many ways, she was a financial wizard. Anyone who loves history will enjoy this excellent biography. You will find a most unusual memoir, My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America by Jessica DuLong ($16.00, Free Press, softcover), the story of how this Stanford University graduate and former dot-com content provider got laid off her job joined the restoration team on a retired New York City fireboat and spent ten years learning the complex machinery that had been built decades before the advent of computers. She not only helped bring the boat back to life and discovered a passion for hands-on work, but became one of a very few women fireboat engineers. The story takes place on the Hudson River, the birthplace of American industry. This is a tribute to a nation of innovators and doers, craftspeople who make things, and of workers who toil, sweat, and labor with their hands. In The Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land, David Mas Masumoto ($14.00, Free Press, softcover) connects the reader with farm life in a part memoir, part inspirational book about reconnecting with the land. He came from a family that had labored in the fields for decades and he relates the story of what it took to grow flavorful heirloom peaches. “Most organic farmers don’t do what we do for the money,” says Masumoto. When his father suffered a stroke, the author nursed him back to health, having learned his wisdom, and acquiring his own as well. It is a transformative story of revitalization and redemption.
Hemingway: So Far from Simple by Donald F. Bouchard ($19.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) combines literary criticism with a look at the life of one of the most honored novelists of the modern era. Hemingway earned both a Nobel Prize for literature and the Pulitzer Prize. His writings were subject, nonetheless, to much criticism for his machismo and for topics that included warfare, bullfighting, and hunting. Bouchard takes one through his long career and Hemingway’s self-conscious focus on his career as a writer and the ways he addressed critical responses to his works. A Portrait of Hemingway as a Young Man: Romping Through Paris in the 1920s is by a fellow member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Jerome Tuccille ($13.95, Blue Mustang Press, softcover), the author of more than twenty-five books including bestselling biographies of Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, and the Hunts of Texas. A vice president at T. Rowe Price, a financial services firm, he is surely a man of prodigious energy as well as talent. This slim volume is a partly satirical and partly serious homage to Hemingway and those men and women who emerged as literary giants of their era. Hemingway and his first wife lived in Paris from 1922 to 1930 where they met and associated with other expatriate writers that included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and John Dos Passos. Suffice to say, he cut a bold figure at six foot tall, the very image of a writer and one that both men and women wanted to meet. It’s a short read, but a totally engaging one.
He is the most listened-to radio talk show host in America, so it is no surprise that he is finally the subject of an unauthorized biography. Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One by Zev Chafets ($25.95, Sentinel, an imprint of Penguin Group) will please those who enjoy his unique style and, of course, his political point of view. Behind the bluster is a very sharp mind, largely self-educated, with role models that include Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, and even Muhammed Ali. It is a rollicking story that begins in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He now influences national policy in many ways and he has been doing it to growing success for more than two decades. He is utterly fearless. His shocking comment in January 2009 regarding Barack Obama, “I hope he fails”, is proving to be prescient and influences the Republican agenda, setting the stage for what well may be a major victory in the 2010 midterm elections. Simply stated, love him or hate him, this is a very entertaining biography.
One of my favorite comedians was the late George Carlin who passed away in 2008. He was far more than just a funny man. He was a philosopher and a debunker of bombast no matter the source. He told us the truth about ourselves and the world, and he made us laugh in the process. Seven Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin by James Sullivan ($26.00, Da Capo Press) chronicles a career that covered fifty years of humor based on language, politics, and American culture. In doing so he provides an inside look at Carlin’s unique views as well as his personal battles with addiction, his scrapes with the law, and comedic routines that pulled back the curtain of political correctness to make audiences confront life as he saw it. No topic was off limits. There was a reason for his success and it was his brilliant mind, his courage, and his bountiful talent. If you love show business, there’s Hollywood Stories by Stephen Schochet ($24.95, Hollywood Stories Publishing) that is filled with stories about those stars that have become household names such as John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn and the animator, Walt Disney. It’s a blend of biography, history, and the lore of Hollywood, full of humorous tales that often have an unexpected ending. Schochet is a professional tour guide with two decades of research that ensure he is one of the best storytellers. The book is great fun to read on many levels.
I confess I had never heard of Albert Ellis, a psychologist who created Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Ellis was in practice for over sixty years, counseling families, addressing issues of marriage and sex. He wrote more than 75 books! Some of them were bestsellers such as “The Myth of Self-Esteem”. If psychology interests you, you will find All Out! An Autobiography by Ellis ($30.98, Prometheus Books) of interest, not just for his contributions to the field, but for its candor as he discusses a life well-lived, but filled as well with the same problems as those who came to him for help. His widow wrote the final chapter. Ellis was a preeminent thinker as his many books suggest, but he like everyone else was also fallible, a principle that informed his work.
If you would prefer to listen to people’s lives, Hachette Audio has three interesting memoirs to offer. They include Queen Latifah’s Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom ($22.98, 4 CDs), Jerry Weintraub’s When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead ($29.98, 8 CDs), and Christopher Hitchen’s Hitch 22: A Memoir ($34.98, 15 CDs). Queen Latifah is a Grammy-winning entertainer as well as an Oscar-nominated actress. It wasn’t an easy, straight path, but she summoned her inner strengths and says you can too. Weintraub is a Hollywood producer, a deal maker and friends to politicians and stars. He is known for producing “The Karate Kid” and “Ocean’s Eleven” among other hits. Hitchens is a public intellectual. A contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School, he has authored many books. He is never boring.
War and Rumors of War
As speculation rises as to when the Israelis perforce must bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities or anywhere else where the usual belligerency manifests itself, war remains a favorite topic for authors and nowhere is this more active than Zenith Press of the Quayside Publishing Group.
Here are some of their recent books that chronicle World War II. While Americans resisted being drawn into another European conflict, the Battle of Britain raged on. Stephen Bungay has written a large format book, filled with photos, The Most Dangerous Enemy; An Illustrated History of the Battle of Britain ($40.00) that brings to life the story of the Spitfires, Merlins and Hurricanes that fought to protect Britain’s skies and cities. The success of the RAF was critical to saving England from an invasion by Germany. Michael Green and James D. Brown have authored War Stories of the Battle of the Bulge ($28.00). The battle was triggered by a major German counteroffensive operation against the American First Army in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944. It became the greatest single extended land battle of World War Two. It centered on the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg, ending in January 28, 1945. The Allies lost nearly 80,000 men and all but 1,400 were Americans. The Germans are estimated to have lost between 90,000 and 120,000. Hell Hawks by Robert F. Dorr and Thomas D. Jones ($17.99) is subtitled, “The untold story of the American fliers who savaged Hitler’s Wehrmacht. “ Most of the group of young pilots was barely twenty years old! Fresh from flight training, they risked everything in their P-47 Thunderbolts and it is fair to say that we have never seen anything like them since. They flew in close support of Eisenhower’s ground forces as they advanced across France and into Germany. They took a tremendous toll on Hitler’s air force as well as laying waste to enemy gun emplacements. By the time the war ended on May 8, 1945, they had lost 69 pilots in the fight over the course of 1,241 combat missions.
Switching to the war in the Pacific, Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific January 1942-April 1943 is Bruce Gamble’s account ($28.00) relates how when Japan invaded the Southwest Pacific island of New Britain in early 1942, Rabaul on the northern tip of the island was quickly developed into a major military complex. It became a major operations center for a hundred thousand soldiers and navel personnel. By mid-1943 its air strength was six hundred planes. American and Australian air forces attacked from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. It is a compelling story of military strategy and might, a little told or understood chapter in the history of World War Two. The war was also fought beneath the waves of the Pacific. Tales from a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay tells the story of the submariners who manned the ship. Michael Keith Olson tells the story of this ship that remarkably received little or no damage for the entire length of the war despite fighting from beginning to end. This is the story of the men and their mission. It is quite remarkable. Finally, from Zenith, is Outnumbered by Cormac O’Brien ($19.99, softcover) is a look back throughout history at some of the most surprising battlefield upsets from Alexander the Great to Robert E. Lee to World War Two; fourteen momentous occasions when a smaller, ostensibly weaker force prevailed in epochal confrontations. Those who enjoy military history will definitely enjoy this book.
Such Men as These by David Sears ($25.00, Da Capo Press) tells the story of the Navy pilots who flew the deadly skies over Korea when, in 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea with the intention of annexing that republic to the communist regime. As exhausted as America was, thousands of men set out to fight a war that has received very little attention in our history books. A heroic three-year struggle ensued that ended in a stalemate that exists to this day. The recent sinking of a South Korean military vessel is a reminder that a state of war still exists on the Korean peninsula. Sears brings the story of the Navy pilots to life. There’s the audio book, War, by Sebastian Junger ($29.00, Hachette Audio, 7 CDs) that follows a single platoon based on a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan. Since this conflict is still in the news, this is a way to gain insight into the truths of combat there, complete with the fear, the honor, and the trust among the men who fought it, Junger is best known for his bestseller A Perfect Storm and this book is a heartfelt and acutely observed depiction of war as young men have lived it for millennia.
The end of World War Two in 1945 set in motion the most extraordinary succession of events and trends for America in its entire history. W.H. Brands, a historian who has taught at Texas A&M University for sixteen years and authored several excellent books, has set his skills and talents to examine American Dreams: The United States Since 1945 ($32.95, The Penguin Press). I promise, if you read this book, you will gain an insight, not only to where we’ve come since then, but to understand what has shaped our present times. Those of us who lived those years look back nostalgically at the nation’s achievements and success and long for a return to the values that underwrote them. The men and women, the domestic and international struggles, are all set forth in a brilliant narrative.
Kid’s Stuff and Teen Reading
New Horizon Press, like many publishing houses, thinks that books for the early reader should be educational as opposed to merely entertaining. Two examples are Cassandra Gets Her Smile Back: Teaching Children to Care for their Teeth and Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows: Helping Children Adjust to Change. Both retail for $8.95 and are nicely illustrated. The Cassandra book is by a dentist and the Harry book is by a psychotherapist. If you have a child who fears going to the dentist (like me!) or one who has problems adapting to new situation, either of these books could, no doubt, prove helpful. I suspect, however, that even the youngest child can spot the message a mile away.
Teens apparently are a real market for books. I suppose the popularity of the Harry Potter series is proof of that. Publishers continue to publish books intended for this age group, from pre-teens as early as age ten and up to perhaps fifteen or so. After that, they are beginning to read at an adult level. My Life with the Lincolns by Gayle Brandeis ($16.99m Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group) is an excellent example of combining learning with an enjoyable reading experience. It is a laugh-out-loud story of Mina Edelman, a girl with a passion for all things Abraham Lincoln. She is also a hypochondriac and believer in reincarnation. She is convinced her father is the reincarnation of Lincoln and has three months in which to save him from Lincoln’s fate! After her dad begins taking her to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak Mina proceeds toward through the often puzzling experience of growing up during the era of the Civil Rights movement.
The 1930s is the backdrop for Orphan! This was, of course, the period of the Great Depression. Men were hopping freight trains and crisscrossing the nation in search of work. They were called hobos. In this book by John Weber, aimed at those age 14 and up, he tells the story of Homer, a boy who has always expected to take over his family’s farm in rural Iowa, but whose life is turned upside down when his father shocks him with the news that he was adopted and his biological family lives in New York City. Feeling betrayed he decides to grab a train going east and his best friend, Jamie, decides to go along to keep Homer out of trouble. Together they learn about the rules of hobo life. There is much more to this story that I will not reveal, but it is a page-turner and one I think a young reader will enjoy.
Kids love stories about wizards, vampires, and the invaders from outer space. Nocturne by L.D. Harkrader ($9.95, Wizards of the Coast Books for Young Readers) is aimed at those ages 8 to 12 and is a companion to “A Practical Guide to Vampires”, featuring a strong-willed heroine with a talent for magic. If you have a youngster who’s into this genre, pick up Sucks to be Me and Still Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley, the “true confessions” of Mina Hamilton Smith, a teen vampire. Both of the latter have already gained a large following. Parents can check out these and other books at www.DungeonsandDragons.com. Lovers of fantasy can visit www.wizards.com.
Novels, Novels, Novels
Summer is the traditional time for reading a good novel, but in truth any time is a good time.
Silencing Sam by Julie Kramer ($23.99, Atria Books) is a timely and provocative new thriller, just out in June. Using her experience as an award-winning investigative journalist, the author explores the fine line between news and gossip in this era of celebrity journalism. In the novel, TV reporter Riley Spartz is investigating the murder of a newspaper columnist whose gossip about the famous means that a small army of people have a reason to want him dead, including Riley. There’s even a sub-plot about someone who is blowing up wind turbines. Suffice to say, there’s enough here to keep the reader going to the very end. For those with a taste for suspense, Tana French knows how to dish it out. With two novels under her belt, she has made a name for herself writing psychological mysteries. She’s back with Faithful Place ($25.95, Viking). Set against the background of the “troubles” in Ireland, this novel explores the youth of Frank Mackey who, in 1985, is nineteen and growing up poor in Dublin’s inner city. He is in love with his neighbor on Faithful Place, Rosie Daly. Together they hatch a plan to escape to London and put behind them their damaged, dysfunctional families. Except that Rosie does not show up. Twenty-two years later, Frank, now an undercover detective, gets a call from one of his sisters. A suitcase belonging to Rosie has been found and triggers a search to determine what fate befell her.
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay ($25.95, Viking) has a back story to it insofar as the author, Beverly Jensen, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 49 and never saw her novel published. Her husband Jay ensured that it would be published and her powerful and vivid writing talent spoke for itself. The novel opens in 1916 in a remote village in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It is where Avis and Idella Hillock’s childhood is filled with trials, adventures, and loss. Their stories unfold as Idella settles down in Maine, has a family and a philandering husband. Avis leads a devil-may-care life of serial romantic disasters, but the devotion between the two sisters never wavers. What is Left: The Daughter by Howard Norman ($25.00, Houghton Mifflin) will continue to cement his reputation as an excellent storyteller. Originating in World War Two when the parents of 17-year-old Wyatt Hillyer both commit suicide by jumping off two different bridges, the result of an infidelity, Wyatt is suddenly orphaned and must move to a small town to live with his uncle, aunt, and ravishing cousin, Tilda. As the story unfolds, one is drawn into its multi-layered events and characters. The author is a three-time winner of National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a Lannan Award for fiction. When you read this novel, you will know why. In his new book, Through A Crack, Martin Lubran examines this real life disaster through a fictional dramatization ($19.99, plus $3.99 shipping, Narbul Publishing, Las Vegas). While the names of the real individuals involved have been changed, this fictional account still captures all of the drama and excitement of the real disaster. Set as a mystery novel, private investigator Shawn uncovers pieces of the puzzle as plot twists and turns provide the reader with a thrilling fast paced adventure. Trying to figure out the next development will prove challenging so be prepared to just keep reading. Prepare for a wild ride.
With all eyes on the oil company, BP, Andie Ryan’s novel of corporate intrigue, Shakedown, ($15.95, Lenox Road Publishing, softcover) draws on her experience working in financial services. Taking a cue from the Enron scandal, the author spins a story of how an unscrupulous executive, the interim co-president, Marcus Edison of Sledd Payne Corporation, plans to acquire billions in an illegal trading scheme. Crude and power-hungry, he is the opposite of co-president, Tom Hollister. When he sets out to prove that Marcus is engaging in criminal activity, Marcus engages in a no-holds-barred effort to stop him. It is a suspense thriller, but it is right out of the pages of today’s newspapers. It’s a very timely page-turner. Also very timely is The Hornbrook Prophecy by Robert Wickes ($18.95, Crystal Dreams Publishing, a division of Multi-Media Publications, softcover) a political thriller that poses the question, what would happen if the U.S. government suddenly went bankrupt? When an independent U.S. Senator fights an unscrupulous president, a nationwide tax revolt threatens to plunge the nation into chaos. This is the first novel of the author who has written widely on politics and economic issues. It is such a compelling story that it is easy to blur the line between reality and fiction as the suspense drives an intriguing plot. It is officially due out in August.
Three softcover novels are worth a read this summer. Duplicity ($15.00, Atria/Strebor Books, softcover) tells the story of Parrish Clovis, a motion picture mogul who has it all; a luxurious home, fancy cars, and even an Emmy Award-winning wife. Clovis, however, discovers that everyone in his life is hell bent on his destruction and willing to go to great lengths to engineer his downfall. Suddenly he is accused of the brutal rape of his wife. A horrible con game is in motion and Clovis discovers it, along with the fact that a date rape drug was used to “erase” his memory and cause his blackouts. Solving the plot against him will either win him an Oscar or earn him his own funeral.
The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina by M. Padilla ($14.99, Thomas Dunne Books) is a hilarious, insightful debut novel that captures the comforts, and dangers, of friendship with irreverent, edgy humor and a sharp sense of Southern California culture. Focused on Julia Juarez and Ime Benevides, two Mexican-American women from the barrio, they have risen from humble beginnings in the barrio to brisk, career-oriented lives in the San Fernando Valley. Then both women fall for Julia’s new coworker, Ilario. It disrupts their friendship and nearly ruins Julia’s career. She looks to other friends for support and a full range of characters emerge to entertain you to the very last page. Between the Assassinations is by the Man Booker Prize-winning author, Aravind Adiga. This novel has already received many accolades as it introduces readers to the fictional town of Kittur on India’s southwestern coast. It is a chaotic jumble of Untouchables and Brahmins, Muslins and Christians, where there are the inevitable tensions of caste and religion. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Ziauddin and is a classic story of temptation into wrongdoing. The many characters that swirl around the boy provide a panorama of life in India, filled with humor, sympathy, and unflinching candor.
For those who enjoying listening to a good novel, Hachette Audio has plenty to offer this summer. Among its heavy hitters are Nelson Demille with The Lion, abridged and unabridged at $29.98/8 CDs and $39.98/14 CDs. Published in January 2000, it was another huge bestseller that looked at the world of international terrorism. Scott Turow’s The Laws of Our Fathers is now available, unabridged at $29.98 on 21 CDs, along with Turow’s Pleading Guilty at $29.98 on 11 CDs. Both of course explore the world of the law and courts. Robert Ludlum’s iconic hero returns in The Bourne Objective, a new Jason Bourne novel by Eric Van Lustbader. Its abridged version is $29.98 on 5 CDs and unabridged, it is $49.98 on12 CDs. Suspense is served up by James Patterson in Private ($34.98/6 CDs) as a private investigator who deals with a case involving a huge gambling scandal and an unsolved murder of 13 teenage girls. For those in search of some stimulating summer listening, there’s Elin Hilderbrand’s The Island ($34.98, 13 CDs), Joshilyn Jackson’s Backseat Saints ($34.98, 11 CDs). Both feature women encountering and dealing with some real challenges.
That’s it for July! Whew! The year is flying by and, happily, it is filled with wonderful fiction and non-fiction books. So, too, is August, so make a note to return next month and, in the meantime, please do tell all your friends, family and coworkers who love to read about Bookviews. There’s no other literary blog like Bookviews!
My Picks of the Month
If you read no other book this year, you must read Killing Wealth, Freeing Wealth: How to Save America’s Economy…and your Own ($24.95, WND Books) by Floyd Brown and Lee Troxler. Together they reveal what has been done and is being done to the nation’s economy by the Obama administration. It can only lead to total collapse if not reversed. They explain the long succession of financial “bubbles” that have come and gone, stripping wealth from investors, and why U.S. taxes will inevitably soon rise to 50% or more of the wealth of those who pay taxes. Some forty percent of the population no longer does and gets a “tax credit” check from the government consisting of other people’s money. This book describes why any sign of “recovery” is a false hope in a society where the government is nationalizing huge pieces of the economy, taking over healthcare, the auto industry, and trying to do the same with banking. The policy of “monetizing the debt” will only lead to a dollar worth about 40 cents. The authors bring excellent credentials to their investigation and do not frame their book terms of the Left versus the Right, Red States versus Blue States, although they do spell out the differences, explaining why many who can leave high tax states for those offering a friendlier place to do business and live. This extraordinary book strips away all the lies the public is told and explains why the politics of hope is not match for the reality of economics, nationally and globally.
Timing is everything and Tim Bowers, the author of Oil: Money, Politics, and Power in the 2lst Century, ($26.95, Grand Central Publishing) has had the good fortune to have his book published just when the eyes of the world are on the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Bower has thoroughly researched the history of the oil industry over the past thirty years. From $7 a barrel twenty years ago to $148 in 2008, the price of this global commodity has moved up and down dramatically as oil companies spend billions in a search for oil in places where it is still permitted to be extracted. In the late 1970s a windfall tax on oil companies caused them to stop exploring for domestic sources and thereafter restrictions on drilling in Alaska’s ANWR and on 85% of our coastal offshore areas drove them to drill in ever deeper waters. Bowers provides a narrative of the conflicting forces of politics, economics, and advances in technology for a dramatic story of oil, the lifeblood of industrialized nations and all other nations around the world. Best of all, he brings the many people, the movers and shakers in the world of oil, to life. We see them as the world’s greatest risk-takers as they seek the global commodity that drives modern civilization.
A professor of mine once said that no nation is more than two weeks away from revolution if it cannot feed its people. I really looked forward to reading Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, ($27.00, Free Press), but I discovered within its first pages that its authors, Evan D.G. Fraser and Andrew Rimas, have a dim view of everything modern, whether it is a dam to provide irrigation, fertilizers that yield more crops or modern cities, transportation, et cetera. As far as they’re concerned, farming simply “depletes” the land. The fact that modern agronomy feeds six billion people is an affront to their delicate environmental senses. The authors rely on the debunked theories about global warming, now called climate change. The book is less history, than polemic. From ancient Egypt, to the Roman Empire, to the Mayans, and down through history to modern times, the role that food plays in peace and war is worth examining, but this book is more propaganda than a useful examination of the role of food throughout history. By contrast, Alice Albinia’s Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River ($16.95, W.W. Norton, softcover) won the Somerset Maugham Award among others for its story of one of the longest rivers in the world, the Indus that rises in Tibet, flows west across India, and south through Pakistan. The rivers of the world shaped mankind’s history and this is true of the Indus. The author follows the river upstream and back in time on a voyage of two thousand miles of geography and five millennia of history. Anyone who loves history will thoroughly enjoy this book and, at the same time, gain insights regarding today’s headlines as well.
At a time when many Americans are despairing for our future, Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century by Michael Hiltzik, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, revisits a feat of engineering that shaped, not only the American West, but the American century. It was done in the heart of the Great Depression when spirits were at an all-time low in the 1930s. The construction of the Hoover Dam was a monumental achievement that required new equipment and construction methods that were applied in a very inhospitable environment. Hiltzik argues that it wreaked havoc on the geology of the West, claiming it has caused earthquakes and droughts, at the same time it created the electricity, the power, essential to the development of Western states. This is, in fact, not a very positive view of an extraordinary and transformative event that contributed to the growth of the agricultural and industrial economy.
I am very fond of what I call “useful books” and two recent arrivals fit that description. Real Man’s Guide to Fixin’ Stuff: How to Repair Anything You Need to Know How to Fix by Nick Harper ($12.99, Source Books, softcover) is one of those titles that tell you everything you need to know. The book is, in fact, filled with brief descriptions and accompanying illustrations that will make any man (and woman) look brilliant in the course of fixing dead remote controls, weak vacuum cleaners, sharpen knives and scissors, and dozens of commonplace problems. Rachel Singer Gordon has written Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom’s Guide to Saving and Making Money Online ($19.95, Cyber Age Books, softcover). Gordon, a work-at-home mom has gathered a following for her blog, MashupMom.com. “As a former librarian, I’m all about sharing information” says Gordon and the information she shares is particularly useful in tough economic times. The book is devoted to Internet-based money-saving tips for all types of products for everyday life, from groceries to gas and much more. It’s also about making money on the Web and, from cover to cover, filled with some great advice.
Some books don’t fit neatly into any category. Some are just fun like Overrated: The 50 Most Overhyped Things in History by Mark Juddery ($13.95, Perigee, an imprint of Berkley Publishing Group, softcover) wherein the author picks apart everything from princesses to Superman, bra burning to the Grand Canyon. An amusing cynic, the author devotes short chapters to the brontosaurus as the most overrated animal, “Titanic” as an overrated film, Star Trek as the most overrated television show, and the Oscar as the most overrated honor. It’s just pure malicious fun by an Australian-based writer. Another book promises to banish boredom forever. The Telephone Doodle Book ($13.00, Gotham Books, softcover) provides more than 150 doodles to complete while you are on hold on the telephone. Illustrator Andrew Pinder provides doodles to help unleash your inner cartoonist when you fill in the missing parts. They’re funny and they’re fun.
It has taken three decades to finally burst the “science” behind “global warming” to reveal it as one of the greatest hoaxes in history. Two books explain the real science and explore the politics that have distorted entire economies in the effort to reduce carbon dioxide as its “cause.” My friend, Robert M, Carter has authored Climate: The Counter Consensus and Christian Gerondue has written Climate: The Grand Delusion: A Study of the Climatic, Economic, and Political Unrealities, both published as part of the “independent minds” series of Stacey International, London. Carter is an internationally known paleoclimatologist, a man who has studied climate cycles dating back thousands of years. Like others who disputed “global warming”, the assertion that the Earth was overheating, he was labeled a “denier” and “skeptic.” Well, today thousands of scientists are openly skeptical and recent revelations about how the data was “cooked” by a handful of renegade scientists has begun to undue the damage down by a hoax that has cost nations billions of dollars. Gerondeau is a major figure in French science and engineering circles. These two books deserve as wide an audience of readers as possible and are particularly timely as the current U.S. administration tries to steer the economy away from traditional sources of energy to a fictional wonderland of “green” alternatives while still insisting that global warming is real.
Serendipitously, Stanton T. Friedman and Kathleen Marson have just had their book, Science Was Wrong ($16.99, New Page Books, softcover) published. It is about scientific theories that were initially disparaged, but later proved true. There were, for example, many scientists who declared that heavier-than-air machines could never fly, but the Wright brothers were right and they were wrong. Germ theory was first advanced in ancient Sanskrit texts thousands of years, but was not widely accepted until late in the 19th century. Space travel was yet another theory that was called by some “utter bilge.” This book is a fascinating collection of stories about the pioneers who created or thought up “impossible” cures, theories, and inventions that were widely regarded at the time as untenable. Ultimately, science that is proven true or false cannot be denied.
Another instance where the science is wrong is the frequently stated view that wind power can replace coal, natural gas, and nuclear power to provide electricity. Combined with solar power, it represents barely three percent of the electricity generated in the United States. Charles S. Opaleck, a professional engineer, has written Wind Power Fraud: Why Wind Won’t Work ($19.70, www.lulu.com, softcover) and the title says it all. If you want to learn the specifics of why, this book examines the realities behind the claims. This is not light reading, but rather a documented review of the specifics involved. Simply stated, the wind does not blow all the time. The turbines must be hooked to an external source of power to keep the blades turning to avoid malfunctions. There has to be a reliable backup in the form of tradition power generation sources when the fields of turbines fail to generate even a minimum required. Need it be said this applies to solar power as well?
Cookbooks, Mostly Vegan
Years ago my Mother wrote a book filled with recipes from the earliest days of American history so naturally I found Andrew Beahrs book of interest. Twain’s Feast: Searching for America’s Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens ($25.95, Penguin Press) will delight fellow “foodies” that uses Twain’s life and extensive travels as the platform for an exploration of what our ancestors ate before the age of fast-food, refrigeration, and other modern advances. Early Americans could make a meal of possum and enjoyed oysters and Philadelphia terrapin; once abundant wildlife could be found on the dinner plates of Americans. A world traveler, Twain once paused during a tour of Europe to compose a fantasy menu of American dishes he missed the most. For anyone who loves both history and food, this is the perfect combination of topics.
I am not a vegetarian or vegan, having grown up in a home where Mother, a teacher of haute cuisine, served up fabulous dinners, but she did believe in the importance of vegetables in one’s diet. And every nation has their own approach to preparing them. Terry Hope Romero has written, Viva Vegan! ($18.95, Da Capo Press, softcover). She has collected 200 authentic recipes for Latin food lovers that will make you drool as you read how diverse herbs, spices, vegetable, legumes and fruits come together as enchiladas, green tomatillo sauce. taquitos, and flans. The book is divided into two sections, both of which are accessible to professional chefs as well as beginners. It’s all here, from how to peel a mango to where to purchase parchment paper for tomales. It includes sixteen pages of full-color photos as well. Or perhaps you prefer the tastes of Asia? The 30-Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray ($18.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) serves up 150 “Asian inspired” recipes that adapt some of the tastiest food on Earth to the vegan lifestyle.
Dr. Neal Barnard, MD, and Chef Robyn Webb weigh in with The Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook ($18.95, Da Capo Press, softcover) offering 125 recipes intended to “jump-start weight loss” and provide other health benefits. They note that recent studies indicate that a healthy vegan lifestyle can effectively control type 2 diabetes. There’s plenty of diversity among the recipes that include green chile and oyster mushroom crepes, sweet potato soup, and even snacks. All recipes are low in fat. If you’re new to the vegan lifestyle, this book will appear intriguing, but it provides the usual fare. I cannot speak for the effectiveness of the regimen this book offers, but the book has a tone that suggests vegetarians regard themselves as superior to the rest of us.
Marriage and Parenting
Reviewers often get books well in advance of their release date and this is the case of When You Have Outgrown Him: Whether to Stay or Go by Dr. Kimberly Ventus-Darks ($14.95, New Horizon Press, softcover) that will be available in October. It is a truism that some marriages fail because one partner has matured or changed in ways that put strains on the marriage. In this book, the issue of women that outgrow their mate is directly addressed and advice is offered on whether to stay or to go. The author has academic credentials and addresses the way today’s wives often have jobs in addition to families. This requires a husband who will pitch in around the house and devote time to the kids while the wife is working on her career. A multitude of problems arise even if the husband is a loving father, good family man, and a hard worker. Even so, many wives say they are seeking more maturity and other forms of support. In fairness, men often encounter comparable problems in their wives. Little wonder that half of all marriages end in divorce. Any woman wrestling with this problem would do herself a favor by reading this book. Runaway Husbands: The Abandoned Wife’s Guide to Recovery and Renewal by Vikki Stark ($16.95, Green Light Press) offers advice to women who come home to discover that her husband leaves without having been told that he has been unhappy in the marriage. Not infrequently he moves in with a girlfriend, but whatever the circumstances, the experience is devastating. The author has twenty-five years experience as a family therapist and educator so she has seen this enough to regard it as familiar situation. She lays out the elements of it as the wife tries to understand how her husband has become an angry stranger, how to transition using seven steps to move ahead, while getting relief from feelings of hurt and anger by coping effectively. She writes from experience because her husband left her. She began the “Sudden Wife Abandonment Project” in which more than four hundred women shared their stories and strategies,
Great Parents, Lousy Lovers by Dr. Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham ($17.99, Tyndale House Publishers, softcover) is another one of those books that will not be officially released until September. Dr. Smalley has authored sixteen books on family relationships and Cunningham is a pastor who co-authored three of them with him. Both have been guests on leading radio and television shows, sharing their expertise. Filled with wit, wisdom, and practical advice, the good news is that partners can be great parents and still maintain a healthy love life to ensure a happy marriage which they regard as essential to good parenting. Readers will learn how to maintain a proper balance and to avoid or deal with the frustration and fatigue that the demands of parenting often impose. If this describes your marriage, put this book on your reading list. Momology: A Mom’s Guide to Shaping Great Kids by Shelly Radic ($13.99, Revell, softcover) is the result of the author’s research into successful parenting, identifying four areas that most significantly influence a woman’s mothering success. These include self-knowledge and acceptance, understanding the limits on her time and energy, knowing who she can count on for support, and, having a strong spiritual life. Being a mom is a constantly changing learning experience as children grow, but those early years can be very demanding and this book provides lots of good advice.
Biographies, Memoirs, and Stories
Three books from the Free Press provide great reading and a look at the people who built this nation. Abigail Adams by Woody Holton ($ 18.00, Free Press, softcover) was the wife of the second president of the United States and the mother of the sixth. She is rightly remembered as one of the most outstanding and influential women of the Founding Era. She led the fight for equality and she demonstrated extraordinary strength, permitting John Adams to lead the fight for independence and shape the new nation. This is a first class biography that examines how she coped with unexpected pregnancies and untimely deaths. Three of her five children died before she did. Their marriage was one of enduring love, tested by the most dramatic times in the nation’s history and what emerges is two brilliant people who often disagreed on a host of issues, but throughout it all, she managed the family farm, raised her children while often alone for long stretches of time. In many ways, she was a financial wizard. Anyone who loves history will enjoy this excellent biography. You will find a most unusual memoir, My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America by Jessica DuLong ($16.00, Free Press, softcover), the story of how this Stanford University graduate and former dot-com content provider got laid off her job joined the restoration team on a retired New York City fireboat and spent ten years learning the complex machinery that had been built decades before the advent of computers. She not only helped bring the boat back to life and discovered a passion for hands-on work, but became one of a very few women fireboat engineers. The story takes place on the Hudson River, the birthplace of American industry. This is a tribute to a nation of innovators and doers, craftspeople who make things, and of workers who toil, sweat, and labor with their hands. In The Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land, David Mas Masumoto ($14.00, Free Press, softcover) connects the reader with farm life in a part memoir, part inspirational book about reconnecting with the land. He came from a family that had labored in the fields for decades and he relates the story of what it took to grow flavorful heirloom peaches. “Most organic farmers don’t do what we do for the money,” says Masumoto. When his father suffered a stroke, the author nursed him back to health, having learned his wisdom, and acquiring his own as well. It is a transformative story of revitalization and redemption.
Hemingway: So Far from Simple by Donald F. Bouchard ($19.00, Prometheus Books, softcover) combines literary criticism with a look at the life of one of the most honored novelists of the modern era. Hemingway earned both a Nobel Prize for literature and the Pulitzer Prize. His writings were subject, nonetheless, to much criticism for his machismo and for topics that included warfare, bullfighting, and hunting. Bouchard takes one through his long career and Hemingway’s self-conscious focus on his career as a writer and the ways he addressed critical responses to his works. A Portrait of Hemingway as a Young Man: Romping Through Paris in the 1920s is by a fellow member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Jerome Tuccille ($13.95, Blue Mustang Press, softcover), the author of more than twenty-five books including bestselling biographies of Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, and the Hunts of Texas. A vice president at T. Rowe Price, a financial services firm, he is surely a man of prodigious energy as well as talent. This slim volume is a partly satirical and partly serious homage to Hemingway and those men and women who emerged as literary giants of their era. Hemingway and his first wife lived in Paris from 1922 to 1930 where they met and associated with other expatriate writers that included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and John Dos Passos. Suffice to say, he cut a bold figure at six foot tall, the very image of a writer and one that both men and women wanted to meet. It’s a short read, but a totally engaging one.
He is the most listened-to radio talk show host in America, so it is no surprise that he is finally the subject of an unauthorized biography. Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One by Zev Chafets ($25.95, Sentinel, an imprint of Penguin Group) will please those who enjoy his unique style and, of course, his political point of view. Behind the bluster is a very sharp mind, largely self-educated, with role models that include Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, and even Muhammed Ali. It is a rollicking story that begins in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He now influences national policy in many ways and he has been doing it to growing success for more than two decades. He is utterly fearless. His shocking comment in January 2009 regarding Barack Obama, “I hope he fails”, is proving to be prescient and influences the Republican agenda, setting the stage for what well may be a major victory in the 2010 midterm elections. Simply stated, love him or hate him, this is a very entertaining biography.
One of my favorite comedians was the late George Carlin who passed away in 2008. He was far more than just a funny man. He was a philosopher and a debunker of bombast no matter the source. He told us the truth about ourselves and the world, and he made us laugh in the process. Seven Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin by James Sullivan ($26.00, Da Capo Press) chronicles a career that covered fifty years of humor based on language, politics, and American culture. In doing so he provides an inside look at Carlin’s unique views as well as his personal battles with addiction, his scrapes with the law, and comedic routines that pulled back the curtain of political correctness to make audiences confront life as he saw it. No topic was off limits. There was a reason for his success and it was his brilliant mind, his courage, and his bountiful talent. If you love show business, there’s Hollywood Stories by Stephen Schochet ($24.95, Hollywood Stories Publishing) that is filled with stories about those stars that have become household names such as John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn and the animator, Walt Disney. It’s a blend of biography, history, and the lore of Hollywood, full of humorous tales that often have an unexpected ending. Schochet is a professional tour guide with two decades of research that ensure he is one of the best storytellers. The book is great fun to read on many levels.
I confess I had never heard of Albert Ellis, a psychologist who created Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Ellis was in practice for over sixty years, counseling families, addressing issues of marriage and sex. He wrote more than 75 books! Some of them were bestsellers such as “The Myth of Self-Esteem”. If psychology interests you, you will find All Out! An Autobiography by Ellis ($30.98, Prometheus Books) of interest, not just for his contributions to the field, but for its candor as he discusses a life well-lived, but filled as well with the same problems as those who came to him for help. His widow wrote the final chapter. Ellis was a preeminent thinker as his many books suggest, but he like everyone else was also fallible, a principle that informed his work.
If you would prefer to listen to people’s lives, Hachette Audio has three interesting memoirs to offer. They include Queen Latifah’s Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom ($22.98, 4 CDs), Jerry Weintraub’s When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead ($29.98, 8 CDs), and Christopher Hitchen’s Hitch 22: A Memoir ($34.98, 15 CDs). Queen Latifah is a Grammy-winning entertainer as well as an Oscar-nominated actress. It wasn’t an easy, straight path, but she summoned her inner strengths and says you can too. Weintraub is a Hollywood producer, a deal maker and friends to politicians and stars. He is known for producing “The Karate Kid” and “Ocean’s Eleven” among other hits. Hitchens is a public intellectual. A contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School, he has authored many books. He is never boring.
War and Rumors of War
As speculation rises as to when the Israelis perforce must bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities or anywhere else where the usual belligerency manifests itself, war remains a favorite topic for authors and nowhere is this more active than Zenith Press of the Quayside Publishing Group.
Here are some of their recent books that chronicle World War II. While Americans resisted being drawn into another European conflict, the Battle of Britain raged on. Stephen Bungay has written a large format book, filled with photos, The Most Dangerous Enemy; An Illustrated History of the Battle of Britain ($40.00) that brings to life the story of the Spitfires, Merlins and Hurricanes that fought to protect Britain’s skies and cities. The success of the RAF was critical to saving England from an invasion by Germany. Michael Green and James D. Brown have authored War Stories of the Battle of the Bulge ($28.00). The battle was triggered by a major German counteroffensive operation against the American First Army in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944. It became the greatest single extended land battle of World War Two. It centered on the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg, ending in January 28, 1945. The Allies lost nearly 80,000 men and all but 1,400 were Americans. The Germans are estimated to have lost between 90,000 and 120,000. Hell Hawks by Robert F. Dorr and Thomas D. Jones ($17.99) is subtitled, “The untold story of the American fliers who savaged Hitler’s Wehrmacht. “ Most of the group of young pilots was barely twenty years old! Fresh from flight training, they risked everything in their P-47 Thunderbolts and it is fair to say that we have never seen anything like them since. They flew in close support of Eisenhower’s ground forces as they advanced across France and into Germany. They took a tremendous toll on Hitler’s air force as well as laying waste to enemy gun emplacements. By the time the war ended on May 8, 1945, they had lost 69 pilots in the fight over the course of 1,241 combat missions.
Switching to the war in the Pacific, Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific January 1942-April 1943 is Bruce Gamble’s account ($28.00) relates how when Japan invaded the Southwest Pacific island of New Britain in early 1942, Rabaul on the northern tip of the island was quickly developed into a major military complex. It became a major operations center for a hundred thousand soldiers and navel personnel. By mid-1943 its air strength was six hundred planes. American and Australian air forces attacked from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. It is a compelling story of military strategy and might, a little told or understood chapter in the history of World War Two. The war was also fought beneath the waves of the Pacific. Tales from a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay tells the story of the submariners who manned the ship. Michael Keith Olson tells the story of this ship that remarkably received little or no damage for the entire length of the war despite fighting from beginning to end. This is the story of the men and their mission. It is quite remarkable. Finally, from Zenith, is Outnumbered by Cormac O’Brien ($19.99, softcover) is a look back throughout history at some of the most surprising battlefield upsets from Alexander the Great to Robert E. Lee to World War Two; fourteen momentous occasions when a smaller, ostensibly weaker force prevailed in epochal confrontations. Those who enjoy military history will definitely enjoy this book.
Such Men as These by David Sears ($25.00, Da Capo Press) tells the story of the Navy pilots who flew the deadly skies over Korea when, in 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea with the intention of annexing that republic to the communist regime. As exhausted as America was, thousands of men set out to fight a war that has received very little attention in our history books. A heroic three-year struggle ensued that ended in a stalemate that exists to this day. The recent sinking of a South Korean military vessel is a reminder that a state of war still exists on the Korean peninsula. Sears brings the story of the Navy pilots to life. There’s the audio book, War, by Sebastian Junger ($29.00, Hachette Audio, 7 CDs) that follows a single platoon based on a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan. Since this conflict is still in the news, this is a way to gain insight into the truths of combat there, complete with the fear, the honor, and the trust among the men who fought it, Junger is best known for his bestseller A Perfect Storm and this book is a heartfelt and acutely observed depiction of war as young men have lived it for millennia.
The end of World War Two in 1945 set in motion the most extraordinary succession of events and trends for America in its entire history. W.H. Brands, a historian who has taught at Texas A&M University for sixteen years and authored several excellent books, has set his skills and talents to examine American Dreams: The United States Since 1945 ($32.95, The Penguin Press). I promise, if you read this book, you will gain an insight, not only to where we’ve come since then, but to understand what has shaped our present times. Those of us who lived those years look back nostalgically at the nation’s achievements and success and long for a return to the values that underwrote them. The men and women, the domestic and international struggles, are all set forth in a brilliant narrative.
Kid’s Stuff and Teen Reading
New Horizon Press, like many publishing houses, thinks that books for the early reader should be educational as opposed to merely entertaining. Two examples are Cassandra Gets Her Smile Back: Teaching Children to Care for their Teeth and Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows: Helping Children Adjust to Change. Both retail for $8.95 and are nicely illustrated. The Cassandra book is by a dentist and the Harry book is by a psychotherapist. If you have a child who fears going to the dentist (like me!) or one who has problems adapting to new situation, either of these books could, no doubt, prove helpful. I suspect, however, that even the youngest child can spot the message a mile away.
Teens apparently are a real market for books. I suppose the popularity of the Harry Potter series is proof of that. Publishers continue to publish books intended for this age group, from pre-teens as early as age ten and up to perhaps fifteen or so. After that, they are beginning to read at an adult level. My Life with the Lincolns by Gayle Brandeis ($16.99m Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group) is an excellent example of combining learning with an enjoyable reading experience. It is a laugh-out-loud story of Mina Edelman, a girl with a passion for all things Abraham Lincoln. She is also a hypochondriac and believer in reincarnation. She is convinced her father is the reincarnation of Lincoln and has three months in which to save him from Lincoln’s fate! After her dad begins taking her to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak Mina proceeds toward through the often puzzling experience of growing up during the era of the Civil Rights movement.
The 1930s is the backdrop for Orphan! This was, of course, the period of the Great Depression. Men were hopping freight trains and crisscrossing the nation in search of work. They were called hobos. In this book by John Weber, aimed at those age 14 and up, he tells the story of Homer, a boy who has always expected to take over his family’s farm in rural Iowa, but whose life is turned upside down when his father shocks him with the news that he was adopted and his biological family lives in New York City. Feeling betrayed he decides to grab a train going east and his best friend, Jamie, decides to go along to keep Homer out of trouble. Together they learn about the rules of hobo life. There is much more to this story that I will not reveal, but it is a page-turner and one I think a young reader will enjoy.
Kids love stories about wizards, vampires, and the invaders from outer space. Nocturne by L.D. Harkrader ($9.95, Wizards of the Coast Books for Young Readers) is aimed at those ages 8 to 12 and is a companion to “A Practical Guide to Vampires”, featuring a strong-willed heroine with a talent for magic. If you have a youngster who’s into this genre, pick up Sucks to be Me and Still Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley, the “true confessions” of Mina Hamilton Smith, a teen vampire. Both of the latter have already gained a large following. Parents can check out these and other books at www.DungeonsandDragons.com. Lovers of fantasy can visit www.wizards.com.
Novels, Novels, Novels
Summer is the traditional time for reading a good novel, but in truth any time is a good time.
Silencing Sam by Julie Kramer ($23.99, Atria Books) is a timely and provocative new thriller, just out in June. Using her experience as an award-winning investigative journalist, the author explores the fine line between news and gossip in this era of celebrity journalism. In the novel, TV reporter Riley Spartz is investigating the murder of a newspaper columnist whose gossip about the famous means that a small army of people have a reason to want him dead, including Riley. There’s even a sub-plot about someone who is blowing up wind turbines. Suffice to say, there’s enough here to keep the reader going to the very end. For those with a taste for suspense, Tana French knows how to dish it out. With two novels under her belt, she has made a name for herself writing psychological mysteries. She’s back with Faithful Place ($25.95, Viking). Set against the background of the “troubles” in Ireland, this novel explores the youth of Frank Mackey who, in 1985, is nineteen and growing up poor in Dublin’s inner city. He is in love with his neighbor on Faithful Place, Rosie Daly. Together they hatch a plan to escape to London and put behind them their damaged, dysfunctional families. Except that Rosie does not show up. Twenty-two years later, Frank, now an undercover detective, gets a call from one of his sisters. A suitcase belonging to Rosie has been found and triggers a search to determine what fate befell her.
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay ($25.95, Viking) has a back story to it insofar as the author, Beverly Jensen, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 49 and never saw her novel published. Her husband Jay ensured that it would be published and her powerful and vivid writing talent spoke for itself. The novel opens in 1916 in a remote village in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It is where Avis and Idella Hillock’s childhood is filled with trials, adventures, and loss. Their stories unfold as Idella settles down in Maine, has a family and a philandering husband. Avis leads a devil-may-care life of serial romantic disasters, but the devotion between the two sisters never wavers. What is Left: The Daughter by Howard Norman ($25.00, Houghton Mifflin) will continue to cement his reputation as an excellent storyteller. Originating in World War Two when the parents of 17-year-old Wyatt Hillyer both commit suicide by jumping off two different bridges, the result of an infidelity, Wyatt is suddenly orphaned and must move to a small town to live with his uncle, aunt, and ravishing cousin, Tilda. As the story unfolds, one is drawn into its multi-layered events and characters. The author is a three-time winner of National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a Lannan Award for fiction. When you read this novel, you will know why. In his new book, Through A Crack, Martin Lubran examines this real life disaster through a fictional dramatization ($19.99, plus $3.99 shipping, Narbul Publishing, Las Vegas). While the names of the real individuals involved have been changed, this fictional account still captures all of the drama and excitement of the real disaster. Set as a mystery novel, private investigator Shawn uncovers pieces of the puzzle as plot twists and turns provide the reader with a thrilling fast paced adventure. Trying to figure out the next development will prove challenging so be prepared to just keep reading. Prepare for a wild ride.
With all eyes on the oil company, BP, Andie Ryan’s novel of corporate intrigue, Shakedown, ($15.95, Lenox Road Publishing, softcover) draws on her experience working in financial services. Taking a cue from the Enron scandal, the author spins a story of how an unscrupulous executive, the interim co-president, Marcus Edison of Sledd Payne Corporation, plans to acquire billions in an illegal trading scheme. Crude and power-hungry, he is the opposite of co-president, Tom Hollister. When he sets out to prove that Marcus is engaging in criminal activity, Marcus engages in a no-holds-barred effort to stop him. It is a suspense thriller, but it is right out of the pages of today’s newspapers. It’s a very timely page-turner. Also very timely is The Hornbrook Prophecy by Robert Wickes ($18.95, Crystal Dreams Publishing, a division of Multi-Media Publications, softcover) a political thriller that poses the question, what would happen if the U.S. government suddenly went bankrupt? When an independent U.S. Senator fights an unscrupulous president, a nationwide tax revolt threatens to plunge the nation into chaos. This is the first novel of the author who has written widely on politics and economic issues. It is such a compelling story that it is easy to blur the line between reality and fiction as the suspense drives an intriguing plot. It is officially due out in August.
Three softcover novels are worth a read this summer. Duplicity ($15.00, Atria/Strebor Books, softcover) tells the story of Parrish Clovis, a motion picture mogul who has it all; a luxurious home, fancy cars, and even an Emmy Award-winning wife. Clovis, however, discovers that everyone in his life is hell bent on his destruction and willing to go to great lengths to engineer his downfall. Suddenly he is accused of the brutal rape of his wife. A horrible con game is in motion and Clovis discovers it, along with the fact that a date rape drug was used to “erase” his memory and cause his blackouts. Solving the plot against him will either win him an Oscar or earn him his own funeral.
The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina by M. Padilla ($14.99, Thomas Dunne Books) is a hilarious, insightful debut novel that captures the comforts, and dangers, of friendship with irreverent, edgy humor and a sharp sense of Southern California culture. Focused on Julia Juarez and Ime Benevides, two Mexican-American women from the barrio, they have risen from humble beginnings in the barrio to brisk, career-oriented lives in the San Fernando Valley. Then both women fall for Julia’s new coworker, Ilario. It disrupts their friendship and nearly ruins Julia’s career. She looks to other friends for support and a full range of characters emerge to entertain you to the very last page. Between the Assassinations is by the Man Booker Prize-winning author, Aravind Adiga. This novel has already received many accolades as it introduces readers to the fictional town of Kittur on India’s southwestern coast. It is a chaotic jumble of Untouchables and Brahmins, Muslins and Christians, where there are the inevitable tensions of caste and religion. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Ziauddin and is a classic story of temptation into wrongdoing. The many characters that swirl around the boy provide a panorama of life in India, filled with humor, sympathy, and unflinching candor.
For those who enjoying listening to a good novel, Hachette Audio has plenty to offer this summer. Among its heavy hitters are Nelson Demille with The Lion, abridged and unabridged at $29.98/8 CDs and $39.98/14 CDs. Published in January 2000, it was another huge bestseller that looked at the world of international terrorism. Scott Turow’s The Laws of Our Fathers is now available, unabridged at $29.98 on 21 CDs, along with Turow’s Pleading Guilty at $29.98 on 11 CDs. Both of course explore the world of the law and courts. Robert Ludlum’s iconic hero returns in The Bourne Objective, a new Jason Bourne novel by Eric Van Lustbader. Its abridged version is $29.98 on 5 CDs and unabridged, it is $49.98 on12 CDs. Suspense is served up by James Patterson in Private ($34.98/6 CDs) as a private investigator who deals with a case involving a huge gambling scandal and an unsolved murder of 13 teenage girls. For those in search of some stimulating summer listening, there’s Elin Hilderbrand’s The Island ($34.98, 13 CDs), Joshilyn Jackson’s Backseat Saints ($34.98, 11 CDs). Both feature women encountering and dealing with some real challenges.
That’s it for July! Whew! The year is flying by and, happily, it is filled with wonderful fiction and non-fiction books. So, too, is August, so make a note to return next month and, in the meantime, please do tell all your friends, family and coworkers who love to read about Bookviews. There’s no other literary blog like Bookviews!
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