SirReadaLot.org
We Review the Best of the Latest Books
ISSN 1934-6557
September 2005, Issue #77
Guide to This Issue
Issue Contents: Art:
Virtual Touring Italy, Rethinking Design,
French Style, A History of Western
Architecture, Small Boatbuilding,
Fiction: Suspense: Patriot Shenanigans,
An Alternative WWII, Novel: Coming-of-Age in Civic
Dissolution, Science Fiction: Posthumanity in
Technological Morphing,
Arts & Photography / Architecture / Travel
Dreaming of Italy:
For centuries, foreign visitors have been drawn to
Dreaming of Italy examines the transformations Las Vegas has
experienced from a city dedicated to gambling, to a city theme-park,
to what is now a popular tourism destination, and, finally, to a
laboratory of contemporary architectural design. In this book,
Giovanna Franci compares three
Franci shows how the builders of these three casinos use
architectural language to unite the themes and functions of American
consumer culture with the romantic mythology of some of the world’s
oases of pleasure. In this context,
The Grand Tour is a crucial episode in the grain of Western
culture. This wonderful book juxtaposes the ancient traveling to
According to Robert Venturi,
In
Dreaming of Italy, Franci’s perceptive commentary offers unique
insight into the trends and intentions behind recent development in
Arts & Photography / Graphic Design / Architecture
Emotionally Durable Design: Objects, Experiences and Empathy by Jonathan Chapman (Earthscan)
Einstein once stated that a problem could not be solved from within the mindset that created it. Indeed, fresh thinking is imperative if we are to successfully transcend current working methods and stride forth into new commercial territories. Emotionally Durable Design reframes the environmental paradigm, increasing resource productivity and reducing waste by elongating the lifespan of products. In this provocative text, Jonathan Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Three Dimensional Design at the University of Brighton and founder of sustainable design and research company Safehouse Creative, proposes a radical design about-face to reduce the impact of modern consumption without compromising commercial viability or creative edge, empowering alternative modes of consumption through provocative genres of objects that expand our experience of daily life, rather than closing it down through endless cycles of desire and disappointment. Emotionally Durable Design does not propose a sweeping overhaul of the entire designed world. Instead, it espouses the emergence of a specialist design genre that caters to deeper, more profound and poetic human needs, taking users beyond the ephemeral world of technocentric design toward a rich, interactive domain of emotionally durable objects and experiences.
Chapman explores the essential question, why do users discard products that still work? The book transports readers beyond symptom-focused approaches to sustainable design such as design for recycling, biodegradability and disassembly, to address the actual causes that underpin the environmental crisis we face. Emotionally Durable Design is an exploration into product lifetimes; belonging to the growing knowledge field of sustainable design, the book essentially embarks upon an investigation into why users dispose of products that still work, while providing designers from a range of creative disciplines with a toolbox of inspiring strategies to extend product life, interlaced with insightful critiques of the motivational drivers that underpin the human consumption and waste of goods. Emotionally Durable Design is not a moralizing tale, nor does it claim to present any singular universal truth. Rather, like a much needed food parcel strategically dropped into a defined region of growing concern, this research delivers timely reappraisal of both economic and environmental sustainability in a destructive age of transient design, consumption and grossly misplaced sustainable agendas.
The result is a revealing exploration of consumer psychology and the deep motivations that fuel the human condition, and a rich resource of creative strategies and practical tools that will enable designers from a range of disciplines to explore new ways of thinking and of designing objects capable of supporting deeper relationships with their users. This is fresh thinking for a brave new world of creative, durable and sustainable products, buildings, spaces and designed experiences. The book is a call to arms for professionals, students and academic creatives; proposing the emergence of a new genre of sustainable design that reduces consumption and waste by increasing the durability of relationships established between users and products.
Arts & Photography / Fashion / History
The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour by Joan DeJean (Free Press)
What makes fashionist as willing to pay a small fortune for a
particular designer accessory – a luxe handbag, for example? Why is
it that people all over the world share the conviction that a
special occasion only becomes really special when a champagne cork
pops – and even more special when that cork comes from a bottle of
Dom Pérignon? Why are diamonds the status symbol gemstone, instantly
signifying wealth, power, and even emotional commitment?
One of the foremost authorities on seventeenth-century French culture provides the answer to these and other fascinating questions in her account of how, at one glittering moment in history, the French under Louis XIV set the standards of sophistication, style, and glamour that still rule our lives today. Joan DeJean takes readers back to mid-1600s France to explain how all that we now consider the ultimate in sophistication originated in France during the reign of Louis XIV, the king who consciously turned Paris into the most talked about and emulated city in the Western world. DeJean in The Essence of Style explains how a handsome and charismatic young king with a great sense of style and an even greater sense of history decided to make both himself and his country legendary by making France a mercantile superpower that would stand out from all its European rivals.
DeJean takes us back to the birth of haute cuisine, the first
appearance of celebrity hairdressers, chic cafes, nightlife, and
fashion in elegant dress that extended well beyond the limited
confines of court circles. And
- Modern day shopping: Before Louis XIV's reign shops were mere storehouses where shoppers purchased their wares through a window from the street without ever entering. Now they shopped in elegantly decorated interiors where a dazzling selection of goods was artfully displayed.
- Fine Cuisine: The first modern cookbooks promoted a new doctrine: use only the freshest ingredients and prepare them according to newly codified techniques. They convinced the world that the only cuisine worthy of the name was French.
- Fashion seasons: In 1678, fashionistas first learned that they absolutely had to wear certain new styles, colors, and fabrics and that the styles, colors, and fabrics from 1677 were completely passé.
- Street lighting:
- Tourism industry: All of the above transformations brought
tourists from all over
As the author observes, without the Sun King's program for redefining France as the land of luxury and glamour, there might never have been a Stork Club, a Bergdorf Goodman, a Chez Panisse, or a Cristophe of Beverly Hills – and President Clinton would never have dreamed of holding Air Force One on the tarmac of LAX for an hour while Cristophe worked his styling genius on the president's hair.
Not only do French women not get fat, they've led the world in
style for the past 300 years. French historian DeJean's premise is
simple yet wonderfully effective: largely because of one obsessive
spendthrift, Louis XIV, France, in the late 17th century, became the
arbiter of chic, a position from which it has never since faltered.
… Louis was enthralled by glitter, which fostered a huge increase in
the diamond trade; the theft of the Venetians' mirror-making secrets
and subsequent rise of
The Essence of Style is about what its author calls "the most
crucial period ever in the history of elegance, élan, and luxury
goods." … Precisely where all of this fits in the larger scheme of
things is not entirely clear, apart from the obvious economic
benefits to
The first hairdresser, the first celebrity chef, and the first
bubbly. The list is almost endless. … An unusual and delightfully
educational perspective on snob appeal. – Barbara Jacobs, Booklist
A most readable and civilized book that reveals, in fascinating
detail, some of the reasons for the French superiority complex. –
Peter Mayle, author of A Year in Provence
The Essence of Style takes readers on a trip back to a time when
all things cultural and fashionable were excitingly new. Written
with wit, dash, and élan by an author who knows this true story
better than virtually anyone – DeJean shares her time between
Audio / Mysteries & Thrillers
Cold Hit: A Shane Scully Novel: Abridged Audio CD, 5 hours, 4 CDs by Stephen J. Cannell, narrated by Scott Brick (Audio Renaissance Audiobook)
What if, under the
What if government agents could bug one’s home, car, place of business – one/s entire life – with nothing more than spoken permission from a secret panel of judges?
What if the Department of Homeland Security could pull police officers off the street and hold them in cells indefinitely as material witnesses – because they're working on ‘sensitive’ investigations? These questions are explored in Cold Hit written by the Edgar and Emmy award-winner Stephen J. Cannel, who, in his thirty-five year career, has created over 40 TV series. The audio is read by audio-award-winner Scott Brick.
In Cold Hit, Detective Shane Scully suspects that Robert Allen Virtue, the regional boss of the Department of Homeland Security, is thwarting a major murder investigation. But why?
Shane and his partner are investigating the Fingertip Killer, a
serial murderer preying on homeless
A bullet taken from one victim's skull matches the bullet that killed another man ten years earlier. An unexpected ballistics match that links one unsolved case to another is what police call a ‘cold hit.’ When the previous victim turns out to have been an LAPD cop, the investigation becomes personal for Shane. But there's a problem: Robert Allen Virtue wants him taken off of it. Scully teams up with his wife and boss, Alexa, and a pair of tough cops from the LAPD’s anti-terrorism squad. To solve the cop's murder, and possibly the Fingertip Killer case, Scully goes behind the powerful bureaucrat's back and into deep undercover – where he begins unraveling a deadly, far-reaching conspiracy that threatens to destroy everything he loves: his career, his freedom, and his family.
In his new outing,
Scott Brick’s reading is the latest in a string of superb
performances. Brick’s ability to inject irony and wit into the novel
adds to his performance, particularly because his sense of timing is
impeccable... Brick is Scully and always should be. – AudioFile on
Vertical Coffin
Cannell’s brand of thriller is served straight up and he knows
how to cut to the chase. – The New York Times
Cannell delivers non-stop action and intrigue in Cold Hit, the latest installment of his New York Times bestselling Shane Scully series.
Audio / Mysteries & Thrillers
Double Cross Blind, Audio CD, 6 hours, 5 CDs by Joel N. Ross, narrated by Hunter Graham (Random House Audio)
This debut novel by Joel N. Ross, writer and English teacher,
narrated by Hunter Graham, was inspired by Ross’s father and five
uncles’ service in World War II and incorporates some details from
their service in the plot.
Double Cross Blind is another of those what if…things had gone
differently… novels based on the major facts of World War II.
It is seven days before the Japanese attack
For American Tom Wall, the days have run together as he awakens to
find himself locked in a British military asylum. Wounded and
shell-shocked, all he knows is that his brother, Earl, betrayed his
unit in
MI5 releases Tom by way of a bargain – pretend to be Earl and
convince Sondegger to reveal how and where he has arranged to
transmit his intelligence to
But Sondegger proves himself to be a formidable opponent. Even as he
surrendered himself to the British, he knew the Japanese fleet had
sailed for Pearl Harbor. The question is: Who will gain more if the
Allies prevent the attack? Sondegger, MI5, the OSS, Tom, and Earl’s
wife, Harriet, all have different answers. Unable to trust anyone,
Tom attempts to save the Twenty Committee and stop the attack on
This debut thriller joins a long list of espionage novels that
use what-might-have-happened scenarios regarding the signature
events of World War II … So begins a dizzying cat-and-mouse game in
which switches and double switches abound, and the allegiances of
all the principals are never clear until the end. Ross' grasp of the
political dynamics behind Pearl Harbor gives the novel an extra
dimension, despite his only limited success at building full-bodied
characters. Still, a solid debut of definite interest to WWII
espionage fans. – Bill Ott, Booklist
Masterfully told,
Double Cross Blind is a superb WWII thriller. It is haunting and
unforgettable. – Patricia Cornwell
Intelligent, fresh, exhilarating. A new career is launched. –
Daniel Silva
In his debut, Ross combines political insights with the high stakes and fast pace of classic espionage fiction, and he delivers what others have not in more than a decade – a Nazi spy novel that readers will not be able to put down. The audio is convincingly narrated by Holter Graham, stage, television and screen actor.
Audio / Religion & Spirituality
Forever Ours: Real Stories of Immortality and Living from a Forensic Pathologist, unabridged, 4 CDs, running time 4 hours by Janis Amatuzio (New World Library)
Forever Ours: Real Stories of Immortality and Living from a
Forensic Pathologist by Janis Amatuzio (
Written by a scientist in approachable, nonjudgmental language for anyone who has lost someone they love, Forever Ours offers stories that can't be explained in purely physical terms.
Forensic pathologist Janis Amatuzio,
Over the years, several of those ‘left behind’ shared a certain
intimacy with Amatuzio through the death of their loved ones and
they have revealed to her extremely personal accounts of visions and
synchronicities surrounding those deaths. For example, one woman
reflects on the night when she was fast asleep, and was suddenly
awakened by a very real visit from her husband, who died just
moments before in a tragic car accident. He tells her that he loves
her and where his body is located relative to the car he was thrown
from on a desolate highway. Her 911 call to the police leads them to
his body within 40 minutes.
Here is a doctor with a heart. Her book brings tears to my eyes
and joy to my heart and that is what life is about. Though pathology
is her specialty, life is her teacher. Read and learn about life and
the gifts of our mortality. – Bernie Siegel, MD author Love,
Medicine & Miracles
As a forensic pathologist, Dr. Janis Amatuzio looks death in the
eye every day, and she has come away from this confrontation with a
message of promise and hope. ... a stark contrast to the dismal
pronouncements of modern science that death is the end of
everything.
Forever Ours is the only book I know that finds buoyant,
optimistic meaning in the morgue. – Larry Dossey, M.D., author,
Healing Beyond the Body
In years of broadcast interviews few authors have written
material with such universal meaning and healing content as you
have. – Brad Walton, WCCO Radio
Amatuzio explores the mysterious realms of visions, experiences
and communications by families at the threshold of the death of
their loved ones. These unforgettable stories, never documented in
autopsy reports, offer readers' profound lessons on living. A
passionate storyteller, Amatuzio weaves her own life experience
among the true-life stories she has collected, creating a stunning
tapestry of threads of love and hope.
Forever Ours leaves readers comforted and hopeful about the
continuum of life and death.
Biographies & Memoirs / Entertainments
Crossworld: One Man's Journey into
Sixty-four million people do it at least once a week. Nabokov wrote about it. Bill Clinton even did it in the White House.
The crossword puzzle has arguably been our national obsession
since its birth almost a century ago. Now, in
Crossworld, writer, translator, and lifelong puzzler Marc Romano
goes where no Number 2 pencil has gone before, as he delves into the
minds of the world’s cleverest crossword creators and puzzlers, and
sets out on his own quest to join their ranks.
While covering the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for the
Boston Globe, Romano was amazed by the skill of the competitors and
astonished by the cast of characters he came across – like Will
Shortz, beloved editor of the New York Times puzzle and the only
academically accredited ‘enigmatologist’ (puzzle scholar); Stanley
Newman, Newsday’s puzzle editor and the fastest solver in the world;
and Brendan Emmett Quigley, the wickedly gifted puzzle constructer
and the Virgil to Marc’s Dante in his travels through the crossword
inferno.
Chronicling his own journey into the world of puzzling – even
providing tips on how to improve crosswording skills – Romano,
former staffer at the New York Review of Books – tells the story of
crosswords and word puzzles themselves, and of the colorful people
who make them, solve them, and occasionally become consumed by them.
But saying
Crossworld is a book about puzzles tells only half the story. It
is also an explanation into what crosswords tell us about ourselves
– about the world we live in, the cultures that nurture us, and the
different ways we think and learn.
With wit and verve, puzzle devotee Romano offers a bird's-eye
view of the arena of crossword addicts, combining basic information
with engaging anecdotes about those who populate this intense,
competitive corner of the universe. … Clearly infatuated with his
hobby, Romano claims, not entirely tongue-in-cheek, that solving
crosswords can help make you into a ‘better, more informed, fairer,
and more tolerant person.’ – Publishers Weekly
Finally a book about crosswords that's as intelligent, literate,
and funny as the puzzles and people it covers. Thoroughly
entertaining. – Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, New York Times
For those readers who are puzzlers, Crossworld will enthrall. But for those readers have no idea why their spouses spend so much time filling letters into little white squares, Crossworld will explain all – and with luck, save their marriages.
Biographies & Memoirs / Historical
From Prairie to Palace: The Lost Biography of Buffalo Bill by John M. Burke, edited by Tim Connor, with an introduction by Jason Berger (Marquette Books)
Although historians credit Burke with turning Cody into the
legendary ‘Buffalo Bill,’ the book Burke wrote has often been
ignored or overlooked by historians of the ‘Wild West.’ In fact,
public relations scholar and assistant professor Jason Berger has
found that only one of four major biographies about Cody cites
Burke’s book.
Berger, who writes the introduction to
From Prairie to Palace, speculates that Burke’s book has been
overlooked partly because the original has not been widely
available. Indeed, a survey of major public libraries in the
Edited by Tim Connor is an investigative reporter, this reprint, which also includes two news stories published about the Wild West show in 1895, is offered to help remedy that shortage. In the introduction, Berger points out that Burke – although controversial and often accused of distorting facts – was a genius when it came to marketing and public relations. As such, From Prairie to Palace is useful not just to historians, but also to public relations practitioners and student of popular culture, who are still trying to understand the ‘Buffalo Bill phenomenon’ and its impact on field of public relations.
Biographies & Memoirs / Historical
“Shakespeare” by Another Name: A Biography of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, the Man Who Was Shakespeare by Mark Anderson (Gotham Books)
From the soaring soliloquies of Hamlet to the sensual imagery of
the ‘Eighteenth Sonnet,’ the plays and poems of William Shakespeare
have captivated the world from their first printings in the late
sixteenth century. But in the centuries since the death of the man
conventionally assumed to be the author of these immortal works –
William Shakspere of
Now, in
“Shakespeare” by Another Name, journalist Mark Anderson creates
an unforgettable portrait of de Vere, a prominent courtier and
quintessential Renaissance man, a scholar, spendthrift, scoundrel,
cosmopolitan traveler, military adventurer, artistic patron, and
prolific ghostwriter. Weaving together a wealth of evidence
uncovered over ten years of research,
Weaving together a wealth of evidence uncovered in ten years of
research,
“Shakespeare” by Another Name is a wake-up call. The wealth of
new and revelatory corroborative evidence in this biography fleshes
out Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford, as the man behind
the plays of Shakespeare, and as the story unfolds, the background
to some of Shakespeare's most important plays springs into life.
Mark Anderson's book will be a galvanizing force for actors and
theatre people with its richly nourishing and illuminating
information. No biography of the
Without exaggeration, this is the most important Shakespeare biography of the past 400 years. Mark Anderson brings Shakespeare out of biographical limbo and, in fully documented and convincing detail, shows who he was, how he fit into his time, and how he became the genius of our culture. This will be a hotly debated book, and doubtless no one will agree with all its conclusions; but anyone who claims to have a serious interest in Shakespeare must read Mark Anderson. – Sarah Smith, author of Chasing Shakespeares
This book, with fascinating specificity, suits ‘the action to the
word, the word to the action.’ Innumerable instances of de Vere's
experiences, his relationships, his travels, and his unusual
circumstances find expression in his plays and poems.
“Shakespeare” by Another Name is one of the very best whodunits
you will ever read. – Sir Derek Jacobi, acclaimed Shakespearean
actor
… The earl's inconvenient death in 1604, however, requires Anderson
to explain away all contemporary references in the last phase of
Shakespeare's output with the same vehemence with which he found
earlier coded identifications. The anti-Stratford movement currently
favors the Oxfordians, who will eat this up; others will find it
hard to swallow. – Publishers Weekly
Insightful and compelling, “Shakespeare” by Another Name is a voyage into the Elizabethan age and the secret history of the immortal bard's masterpieces. Anderson’s page-turning and groundbreaking biography offers tantalizing evidence that it was the 17th Earl of Oxford, who actually created this timeless body of work. The book is a triumph of literary detective work: the first popular biography of the adventurous Elizabethan earl whose life and letters indicate that he may very well have been the true author of the works of Shakespeare.
Biographies & Memoirs / Religion & Spirituality / Politics
Charles W. Colson: A Life Redeemed by Jonathan Aitken (WaterBrook Press)
Charles Colson is often described as a man of extremes. His
involvement in the Watergate conspiracy led him to prison – and then
to a life-changing encounter with God. Once the second‑most-hated
man in
More than thirty years after his spectacular fall from grace, Colson's life has turned full circle. He is a nationally known Christian leader, broadcaster, and best-selling author. Amazingly, he is once again an influential voice in presidential politics, enjoying regular access to the White House, with close ties to President George W. Bush and old friends such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Few figures in contemporary society have in their lives stirred up greater passions, negative and positive, secular and spiritual.
Jonathan Aitken's biography, Charles W. Colson, seeks to shed new light on Colson's conversion, his prison sentence, and his creation in the late 1970s of a prison ministry based on his own incarceration.
Aitken, the British author of the award-winning biography Nixon: A Life, is the first biographer to be given complete access to Colson's private archives and personal papers. From these, and from his knowledge of Colson and his circle for some seventeen years, Aiken has written Charles W. Colson. Not so incidentally, Aiken’s story is not unlike Colson’s; his political career as a British cabinet member ended in 1999 when he served a seven-month prison term for perjury in a civil case.
… Aitken's prose, usually lively, sometimes turns breathless. At
times Aitken's obvious admiration for his subject leads him to
downplay Colson's critics, including the disaffected associates he
has left behind in his ministry career. But if this falls short of
the definitive critical biography, it is still a compelling portrait
of a flawed but faithful man. – Publishers Weekly
… Colson seeks through his Prison Fellowship to redeem not only
himself but others who have fallen from grace. Therein lies the
reason to read this book: the story of helping others to help
themselves perhaps cannot be told often enough. – Donna Chavez,
Booklist
Rich in detail, Charles W. Colson looks at Colson's life and vocation and analyzes his role in current affairs and matters of faith. Aitken has crafted a revealing portrait of this complex and colorful man.
Business & Investing / Economics / Politics
The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation by Greg LeRoy, with a foreword by William Greider (BK Currents Series: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.)
It's an all-too-familiar story: a large company is in the news, promising to move in or expand operations and create good paying jobs, or threatening to leave and lay off workers. According to Greg LeRoy in The Great American Jobs Scam, in each case, the price demanded is huge tax breaks and other subsidies from state and local governments.
Playing states and communities off against each other in a
bidding war for jobs, corporations reduce their taxes to
next-to-nothing and win subsidy packages that routinely exceed
$100,000 per job. But the subsidies come with few strings attached,
so companies feel free to provide fewer jobs, or none at all, or
even outsource and lay people off. They are also free to pay poverty
wages without health care or other benefits.
All too often, communities lose twice. They lose jobs – or gain
jobs so low-paying they do nothing to help the community – and lose
revenue due to the huge corporate tax breaks. That means fewer
resources for maintaining schools, public services, and
infrastructure. In the end, the local governments that were hoping
for economic revitalization are actually worse off. They’re forced
to raise taxes on struggling small businesses and working families,
or reduce services, or both.
LeRoy, winner of the 1998 Public Interest Pioneer Award, cites dozens of companies and episodes, revealing scams such as ‘job blackmail’ (Raytheon in Massachusetts), ‘payoffs for layoffs’ (IBM in New York State), ‘exaggerate the ripple effects’ (Illinois for Boeing), ‘stick taxpayers with hidden costs’ (Wal-Mart in many states), ‘soak the taxpayer’ (Dell in North Carolina), ‘ride Enron's coattails’ (ConAgra in Nebraska), and ‘take the money and run’ (Sykes Enterprises, shutting down call centers in several Plains states).
LeRoy also explains, in plain English, arcane tax-rule changes – such as ‘Single Sales Factor’ – that companies demand in the name of jobs. Such giveaways, he documents, are costing states such as Massachusetts and Illinois billions of dollars in lost revenue – with no guarantee that even one job will be created or retained.
The Great American Jobs Scam also reveals that corporate subsidies are a significant cause of runaway suburban sprawl, paying companies as they leave urban areas to pave farmland and other natural spaces. LeRoy gives examples of massive subsidies that lead to retail sprawl, such as $1 billion benefiting Wal-Mart facilities and a $31 million subsidy to reduce ‘blight’ in an affluent St. Louis suburb, when an upscale mall decided it needed a Nordstrom store.
LeRoy shows how carefully corporations orchestrate the bidding wars between states and communities. He dissects government and corporate mumbo-jumbo with plain talk.
Behind it all, LeRoy argues, is an orchestrated 30-year drive by
many of
The Great American Jobs Scam concludes with a series of simple, common sense reforms to make the job-subsidy system more transparent and effective.
Called by some ‘the leading national watchdog of state and local economic development subsidies,’ LeRoy directs Good Jobs First (www.goodjobsfirst.org), a national resource center he founded in 1998 to promote corporate and government accountability in economic development and smart growth for working families.
We have supported Greg’s work since 1998. This book is a welcome
resource for leaders of our union all over. – Sandra Feldman,
American Federation of Teachers
Greg LeRoy has exposed the problem of corporate misuse of taxpayer
subsidies and promoted real working solutions. – Gerald W. McEntee,
American Federation of State County, and Municipal Employees
LeRoy reveals why corporate tax cuts don’t work: corporations get
huge subsidies while workers get trickle-down lip service. – Jim
Hightower, author of Thieves in High Places and Let’s Stop Beating
Around the Bush
Companies like Wal-Mart aren’t going to want you to read this book –
all the more reason why you should. – Carl Pope, Executive Director,
Sierra Club
…should be required reading for governors, mayors and legislators
who want to invest their citizens’ money wisely and effectively. –
Robert S. McIntyre, Citizens for Tax Justice
Here is the secret history of our economic times, a tale of
public larceny told plainly and painstakingly and also with a dash
of mordant humor. Our erstwhile corporate benefactors have taken us
all for a ride. This book is the first step on the long road back. –
Thomas Frank, author of What's the Matter With
This is the definitive Community Defense Manual for every citizen
who wants to stop corporations from looting the public treasury and
win real community economic development. – Chuck Collins, Senior
Fellow, United for a Fair Economy, and coauthor of Economic
Apartheid in America
The Great American Jobs Scam is a blistering exposé about corporate tax chicanery. LeRoy shows how in case after case, these promises – of good jobs and higher tax revenues in exchange for massive taxpayer subsidies – prove false or exaggerated. In this important book, LeRoy shows how companies are using the sheep's clothing of ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ to fuel bidding wars between both states and localities, resulting a massive drop in corporate taxes and a burden shift onto working families and small businesses. By popularizing these grassroots reforms – most of which are already on the books in some states and cities – The Great American Jobs Scam showcases a movement that has been percolating in the states and places it on a national stage.
Children’s / Ages 4-8
I Is for Idea: An Inventions Alphabet by Marcia Schonberg, illustrated by Kandy Radzinski (Sleeping Bear Press) is for every budding scientist who would like to think beyond the smoking volcano, diorama, and colored graphs of the typical school science fair.
Curious kids will find plenty of inspiration as they discover the answers to their continuous questions. What is the basis for the phrase ‘the real McCoy’? What actually is the mother of invention? What kitchen appliance was developed after a scientist's candy bar suddenly melted?
I Is for Idea explores the development of bicycles, zippers, toilets, computers, and many other inventions that we now take for granted in our daily lives. Readers will learn about the inventors and the genesis behind these ever-present and useful items.
Written by prolific children’s book author Marcia Schonberg, I Is for Idea inspires creativity and imagination in readers as they learn about inventions. Schonberg weaves interesting facts, history and culture into her poetry and text. She brings together men and women who made incredible contributions to our everyday lives through their inventions in this A to Z pictorial.
Able to weave facts and timelines of numerous inventions into her commentary, she connects youngsters to inventors from all over the world and throughout many historical time periods. Illustrator Kandy Radzinski's vibrant, quirky art adds both a whimsical and culturally diverse dimension to Schonberg's work.
From the English patent for Sybilla Masters' method of preserving the cornmeal given to her by Native Americans to Doug Englebart's ‘mouse’ invention that lives happily on many desktops, I Is for Idea will spark imaginative enthusiasm in every reader. Written in a two-tier format with captivating poetry suited for younger children combined with detailed-filled expository text for older readers, this book is sure to grab the attention of many.
Jim Morrison by Michael Burgan (Rock Music Library Series: Capstone Press)
On
According to Jim Morrison, Morrison did more than sing the words to the songs. He performed as if he were acting in a play. Sometimes he fell to the stage and pretended he was in pain. Then, he leaped up and jumped into the air. Later, Morrison ripped off his shirt and threw it into the crowd.
The Doors finished with two encores, then left the stage. The crowd stood and called for the band to play more. Some of the fans rushed onto the stage. Morrison had stirred strong feelings in the fans who loved him and his music.
With the Doors, Morrison was one of the most popular performers in rock music. He wrote both poetry and song lyrics. Many of his poems and songs were about love, death, or other personal topics. Other lyrics dealt with war or problems in society.
According to Michael Burgan in Jim Morrison, Morrison was a talented and troubled artist, a poet and a spokesman for his generation. Young Americans during the 1960s often questioned the rules set for them by adults, and Morrison and the Doors shared many of those feelings.
Burgan relates that Morrison was intelligent and talented, but he had problems with drugs and alcohol. His drug and alcohol abuse often hurt his ability to work. It also may have led to his early death – he was only 27 when he died. Fans still wonder what great songs and poetry he might have written if he had lived longer. The book also discusses Morrison’s impact on later music, especially Pearl Jam and the Doors of the 21st Century.
Jim Morrison gives young readers the opportunity to learn about Jim’s rise to fame as the lead singer of the 1960s group the Doors, and about the drug and alcohol abuse that lead to his death at age 27. The book, written in consultation with Meredith Rutledge, Assistant Curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, explores these issues at the pre-teen level and at a reading level of fourth grade.
Children’s Books / History & Historical Fiction
How to Be a Medieval Knight by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by Mark Bergin (How to Be... Series: National Geographic Children’s)
How to Be a Medieval Knight is designed to help young readers
put themselves ion the place of legendary medieval knights and
imagine what it would be like for them living in medieval
Author Fiona Macdonald, who has taught in both secondary schools and universities, and illustrator Mark Bergin, specialist in historical reconstructions, present the job requirements:
- Obey orders from the king, royal princes, and great nobles on campaigns at home and abroad.
- Excellent sword-fighting and horse-riding skills and knowledge of medieval armor and weapons.
- Keep law and order in peacetime.
- Fulfill the proper image of a knight through chivalry, loyalty, and honor.
Readers learn exactly what the requirements for being a knight are. Knights generally left home at age 8 and were in training until they were 21. Gradually advancing from a page or a groom, knights-in-training became squires between the ages of 14 and 21.
According to How to Be a Medieval Knight:
You will need to practice swordsmanship and horse-riding skills. You must have your own war-horse, weapons, and armor. You will go on long campaigns, perhaps even a Crusade. You'll be away from home for long periods of time – maybe even years. Other times you may be barricaded inside your lord's castle during a siege. For entertainment knights do what they do best – fight! But during tournaments the only battles are fake ones, meant to show which knights are the strongest and most clever. What else will you do while you are not at war? You will run your estate, give feasts followed by dancing, oversee the village court, and help the needy. And you will use your best manners to impress the ladies of the court. Perhaps you will sing, play an instrument, or recite poetry! What will your future be like? Who will take care of you if you are injured, or sick? What will happen when you die? All of your questions will be answered to prepare you for the job interview section at the end of the book – a clever way to test if you are ready to become a medieval knight!
With lively text and engaging illustrations, How to Be a Medieval Knight explains everything readers need to know to imagine themselves as medieval knights: they will see what their training covers and what sort of weapons they use. The ideas are well sequenced and the interview at the end is a clever device to focus readers.
Education / Business & Investing / Careers
Blueprint for Action: Achieving Center-Based Change Through Staff Development, 2nd edition by Paula Jorde Bloom (Gryphon House, New Horizons)
Blueprint for Action provides a framework for understanding the
dynamics of organizational change in early care and education
settings. It helps administrators move beyond a ‘quick fix’ notion
of center improvement by serving as a guide for organizational
analysis and action. The book, written by Paula Bloom, professor of
early childhood education and executive director of the
The premise for Blueprint for Action rests on two assumptions: the first assumption is that every center has areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. High-quality programs are distinguished by their willingness to deal with their imperfections. The role of the director is that of catalyst, setting the climate that allows staff to reflect on how program practices might be improved. The second assumption is that organizational change can come about only through change in individuals. That is why the emphasis in Blueprint for Action is on linking individual needs to organizational needs.
The book is organized so that the first three chapters of Blueprint for Action give a global perspective on the issues. Chapter 1 presents a social systems model to help readers better understand the significance of events in the day-to-day life of their center. Chapter 1 also introduces the case study featuring Martha, the director of the Children's Corner. Martha's experiences applying the ideas presented in the book breathes life into the theoretical concepts that serve as the foundation for this approach to center improvement. Chapter 2 addresses the nature of change, providing an overview of how change occurs in early care and education programs. This chapter sets the stage for Chapter 3 which describes more specifically the director's role in the change process.
In the second half of the book readers see how the theoretical concepts introduced in the first three chapters become a blueprint for action. Chapter 4 provides the essential tools that will help readers assess the needs of their center as a whole. This chapter explores issues regarding communication, supervisory processes, goal consensus, leadership style, center climate, and a host of other organizational characteristics. It presents a step-by-step process for collecting data about their center along with practical assessment tools that readers can adapt to their unique situation.
Chapter 5 looks more specifically at how readers can assess the needs of the individuals who work at their center. It presents a framework for developing individual profiles for each member of the staff. This information serves as the springboard from which to implement the staff development model they will learn about in Chapter 6. Chapter 6 takes readers through a step-by-step process for designing an individualized model of staff development. This model serves as a template for putting readers’ philosophy of center improvement into action. The model of staff development presented is in sharp contrast to what is customarily called in-service education, where an inspirational speaker is invited, a smorgasbord of workshops is offered, and dozens of donuts are consumed, but little in the way of substantive behavioral and attitudinal change results.
Chapter 7 links the notion of individualized staff development to the supportive organizational structures that ensure its success. This chapter presents information that will help readers design a comprehensive performance appraisal system and a career ladder for professional advancement. Chapter 8, the final chapter, helps readers learn how to connect organizational needs and individual needs in a unified approach for achieving change. It underscores the importance of thinking of the center as a professional-learning community, a place where collaboration, shared decision making, and team building are the driving forces that make the vision of center-based change possible. The book includes an appendix of assessment tools and worksheets that can be adapted to meet the specific needs of the program. The accompanying CD-ROM can be used to print out reproducible versions of the assessment tools and worksheets.
A four-star blockbuster! Blueprint for Action is an indispensable guide for any director who is serious about staff development. With insight and keen awareness of the realities facing the field, this book provides realistic strategies for promoting change, planning staff development, and increasing program effectiveness. Blueprint for Action is flexible enough to be used in a variety of settings. It is a must for your professional library! – Roger Neugebauer, Publisher, Child Care Information Exchange
Blueprint for Action will help you pinpoint organizational
problems, link staff development to performance appraisal, and
create action plans to achieve your goals. This book is the catalyst
for change, the blueprint you've been looking for. – Marilyn Brink,
Head Start Education Coordinator, Children's Home and Aid Society
Those of us who care deeply about quality in early care and
education settings know that it is not achieved without knowledge
and skill at the administrative level.
Blueprint for Action addresses what goes into a healthy program.
It is a wonderful balance of theory and practical hands-on tools. –
Gwen Morgan, Senior Fellow for Child Care Policy,
This is a guidebook full of practical theory and examples of real-life situations directors encounter with staff in day care centers. It provides a model for implementing change, for evaluating oneself as an administrator and for evaluating staff for their yearly review. From the aspiring or new director to the most seasoned and experienced administrator, this book has something for everyone. Blueprint for Action is comprehensive, providing both a theoretical rationale and practical suggestions for making staff development come alive. And there is a lot of evidence that this book really works – since its first publication nearly 15 years ago, Bloom has received hundreds of letters from directors who provide examples of how they wove the principles described in this book into the fabric of their centers and witnessed the changes in staff morale and job performance.
Education / Sociology / Politics
Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life: Democracy’s Promise and Education’s Challenge, 2nd edition by Henry A. Giroux (Cultural Politics & the Promise of Democracy Series: Paradigm Publishers)
Democracy has never been more threatened in the United States than now – it is under attack by Christian fundamentalists who view the government as an adjunct of the church; by market fundamentalists who believe that consumerism is the only obligation of citizenship; and by neoconservatives who cheapen its meaning by imposing through bombs and military actions the dictates of empire, all the while legitimating such action in the name of democracy.
Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life provides a different
understanding of the meaning of democracy as both a reality and a
promise. According to Henry A. Giroux, professor of education at
This new edition of Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life contributes to that debate and struggle. Written in the late 1980s, the book examines the relationship between democracy and schooling and argues that schools are one of the few spheres left where youth can learn the knowledge and skills required to become engaged, critical citizens. Not only is the legacy of democracy addressed through the work of John Dewey and others, but the democratic possibilities of schooling are analyzed through a range of issues, from the politics of teacher authority to the importance of student voices.
… Giroux argues that the proper function of schools is that of
‘citizenship education,’ the teaching of critical skills that
advance emancipatory interests, promote equity and justice, and
improve not merely SAT scores, but the quality of public life.
Giroux … and addresses a wide range of interrelated subjects –
authority in the classroom, ethics, teacher education, literacy in
terms of their ‘critical’ significance, that is, their role in
making the school into a "progressive force in the ongoing struggle
for democracy as a way of life.” – Publishers Weekly
Although Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life was first written during another trying time in American history, it is, in many ways, more critically useful now than it was when first published. This perceptive, piquant proposal for educational reform exposes the anti-democratic assumptions and underlying elitist prejudices of several of today’s leaders who see education in terms of a narrowly defined labor market perspective.
Entertainment / Music
Best Songs of the Movies: Academy Award Nominees and Winners, 1934-1958 by John Funnell (McFarland and Company)
‘Thanks for the Memory.’ ‘Swinging on a Star.’ ‘The Way You Look
Tonight.’ Three great and popular standards of the American songbook
– and all three won Oscars for best song. But who wrote these songs?
What movies were they written for? Which stars introduced them? In
the 25 years covered by
Best Songs of the Movies, 160 songs by 114 songwriters were
nominated for Academy Awards. Some are well known, but many are
nearly forgotten.
Best Songs of the Movies written by semi-retired teacher and
publisher John Funnell, tells the stories behind all these songs,
year by year. After announcing the nominated songs, the text
describes the way each song was presented and performed, critiques
the lyrics and melody, and provides appropriate historical and
biographical insights.
Some of these songwriters are household names, especially those who
wrote highly successful Broadway shows: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter,
the Gershwins, and so on. And when these and other Broadway
songwriters were induced to write for
In the 1930s and 1940s,
In part it was a desire to track down songs such as these, and to try and discover what led to their nomination, that provided the impetus for Best Songs of the Movies. Another motivation was the desire to discover how nominations for the Best Song Oscar come about. According to Funnell, members of the songwriters' guild decide on the list of nominations for Best Song, voting in secret. Later, the full membership of the Academy votes to determine the winner from the list of nominees. The criteria for the Best Song Oscar nominations have changed over time, but the award has almost always been given only to a song that, as the Academy rules, must be ‘specifically created for the eligible feature-length motion picture.’ This rule means that the songs from film versions of Broadway shows are ineligible. Therefore, when Roberta was filmed in 1935, Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach's lovely song ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ could not be nominated, though ‘Lovely to Look At,’ written especially for the film, could be. According to Funnell, songs that became popular and were then included later in a film should always have been ineligible, and the Academy's rules now state that the song must be "recorded for use in the film prior to any other usage including public performance or exploitation through any of the media whatsoever." This rule was not enforced in 1941 when ‘The Last Time I Saw Paris’ won.
The first years of the Academy Award for Best Song coincided with a time when the popular music of the day appealed to people of all ages. The primary reason, according to Best Songs of the Movies, was that whole families listened to the radio together, all age groups hearing and enjoying the music of the top artists of the day: for instance, 50 million Americans a week (approximately 40 percent of the population) listened to Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall in the 1930s, and Benny Goodman's radio show Let's Dance also attracted huge audiences.
Things are very different today. Far fewer people are aware of the nominations for Best Song. Media speculation in the lead-up to each year's Awards rarely mentions them. The fragmentation began in the 1950s with the emergence of rock 'n' roll: The new phenomenon of teenagers with money to spend led to the development of a music aimed specifically at this age group. The trend has continued over the years, and today there are many styles and genres, each with its devotees who rarely listen to any other kind of music. The decline in production of original screen musicals is also significant in the shift from high levels of interest and awareness of the nominated and winning songs to the current situation where they are largely ignored.
But it is the first 25 years of the Best Song Oscar that are
featured in
Best Songs of the Movies. These years, 1934-1958, coincide with
the golden age of the
Because many of the 114 highly talented writers of the songs were overlooked, Funnell includes an appendix that gives biographical information on each. Another appendix lists the Oscar-nominated and winning songs from 1959 through 2003. A bibliography and index complete Best Songs of the Movies. With many black-and-white photographs from the movies, this compendium of winners and also-rans will appeal to all fans of musicals, but especially to those who were growing up during the heyday of radio.
Entertainment / Music / History
Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music by Arthur
Kempton (The
The boogaloo, a dance akin to the jitterbug as well as the title
of a record by a Chicago soul group, in 1965 leapt out
of the communities of black
In
Boogaloo, a survey of the history of soul music in
From Thomas A. Dorsey and gospel to Sam Cooke and the classic age
of boogaloo ('soul') to George Clinton and hip hop, this
comprehensive analysis of African-American popular music is a deep
and gorgeous meditation on its aesthetics and business. – Henry
Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities,
Harvard
Surpassingly sympathetic and probing. . . . a panoramic critical
survey of black popular music over seventy-five years. . . .There is
no book quite like it. –
. . . moving, dense, and fascinating. . . . – New Yorker
. . . a grand and sweeping survey of the history of soul music in
. . . a fascinating and often original addition to the extensive
literature. . . . an astute and witty account. . . . there is plenty
in
Boogaloo to set the mind and heart alight, as well as some
flashes of brilliance and originality rare in music writing today. –
Times Literary Supplement
Boogaloo is the much-anticipated paperback edition of Kempton's story on the art, influence, and commerce of Black American popular music. This readable and brilliant history succeeds in conveying the sweep of the topic as well as providing detailed portraits of the key players.
Health, Mind & Body / Alternative Medicine
Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies: A User's Guide by David R. Card (Hohm Press)
The condition of facial skin is a primary indicator of overall bodily health. Deficiencies in diet and metabolism, together with disease conditions, are easily observed in the face if readers know what to look for.
Cell salts are twelve inorganic biochemicals found in the blood and tissues, catalysts for many essential processes, including digestion. Today, homeopathic practitioners and naturopathic doctors use cell salt supplementation to treat a spectrum of disease conditions. Based in the pioneering work of German researcher W.H. Schuessler (1880), and American physician George W. Carey (1920), Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies presents a guidebook for health practitioners and patients. The book is about how to ‘read the face’, one’s own face, to determine which essential cell salts are lacking in the body. When a diagnosis is determined, the condition can be remedied by supplementing with the proper cell salt.
Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies includes:
- How to Read the Face – by skin color, condition of eyebrows, size and color of lips, musculature, blemishes, and under-eye circles.
- How to Use Cell Salts – explanations of the twelve
cell salts (corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac)
correlated with disease or imbalance conditions.
Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies is a fabulous, comprehensive resource that every physician who wants to incorporate natural medicine in their practice should have. It not only thoroughly reviews the pathophysiology of each cell salt, but also details the physical signs if one's body is deficient. Each chapter has a summary and color facial photos of each cell salt deficiency in its acute and chronic states. I highly recommend this book. – Cindi Croft, D.O.
David R. Card is very knowledgeable in the field of Homeopathic medicine, and his approach is practical and articulate. His books can be used as a guide to wellness in Alternative Medicine, and they have been a great tool in my own practice. The pictures in Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies allow patients to relate to their medical concerns. …– Cesar Diaz, M.D., Family Practice/Natural Medicine
This well-illustrated guidebook by a well-known European
cell-salt practitioner promises to guide individuals, providing
visual cues to the causes of physical conditions.
Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies is focused on a
common self-diagnosis obsession in
Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling
Virtue and Psychology: Pursuing Excellence in Ordinary Practices
by
Virtue and Psychology issues a clarion call for psychologists and other mental health professionals to recognize the reality of virtue in social interaction. Virtues are character strengths – such as generosity, loyalty, and honesty – that make it possible for people to pursue worthwhile goals.
Blaine J. Fowers explores the current terrain of psychology, a field that actively avoids discussion of virtue while it implicitly endorses values such as independence and mastery. Some of these implied values derive from and feed into the individualism and instrumentalism of modern cultures, often to the detriment of individual and communal well-being. Virtue and Psychology describes an alternative framework that not only acknowledges virtue but also shows how values that we already hold in common may be incorporated into psychological practice and into our lives as a whole. Indeed, according to the virtue ethics framework proposed in this book, professional and personal lives cannot be separated – at least if one is to lead the best possible existence.
Psychologist Fowers, professor and director of training for the
counseling psychology program at the
Virtue and Psychology is an extraordinary book.
Virtue and Psychology will be a valuable resource for
psychologists seeking to integrate their lives with their work in a
way that rewards themselves, their loved ones, and society at large.
In one of those rare books that have the possibility of transforming
a discipline, Fowers argues persuasively for putting virtue at the
heart of psychological thought and practice.
Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling
Addiction, Assessment, and Treatment with Adolescents, Adults, and Families edited by Carolyn Hilarski (Haworth Social Work Practice Press) examines addiction concerns ranging from prevention to relapse, offering intervention techniques and assessment tools to serve a variety of populations.
In
Addiction, Assessment, and Treatment with Adolescents, Adults, and
Families, editor Carolyn Hilarski, assistant professor,
Rochester Institute of Technology, brings together leading addiction
researchers to address new developments in theory, methodology,
treatment, and assessment on counselor beliefs, contingency
management, group treatment, rapid assessment instruments,
behavioral couples therapy (BCT), family-based intervention,
motivational interviewing, and 12-step programs and faith-based
recovery. This professional and academic resource presents case
studies, reviews, research findings, and empirical papers that offer
unique perspectives on a variety of topics, including
evidenced-based practice, theory of reasoned action, harm reduction,
juvenile justice, and treatment outcomes. Topics addressed include:
- The gap between research and practice in substance abuse
counseling.
- Prevalence and patterns of illicit drug use among juvenile
offenders.
- The relationship between the reported substance abuse of
African-American and Hispanic youth and their perceived
attachments with their primary caregivers.
- Using a harm reduction approach to the evaluation of
treatment outcomes.
- Using a non-confrontational approach to substance abuse
counseling when addressing client denial.
- Why contingency management interventions are underutilized.
- Motivational interviewing and adapted motivational
interviewing.
- How to use non-abstinence-based prevention services in
working with adolescents.
- How to use and score the k6 scale to screen serious mental
illnesses.
- How to use receiver operating characteristics analysis.
…very timely. . . Covers some of the latest and best-supported
practices in the field of addictions. – Bruce A. Thyer, PhD,
Professor,
The book benefits readers by pulling together important research
studies in the substance abuse field. – Robert H. Keefe, PhD, ACSW,
Associate Professor,
Addiction, Assessment, and Treatment with Adolescents, Adults, and
Families presents sophisticated, cutting-edge theory and
practice concepts that provide professionals, practitioners, and
educators with a more varied focus than most current available books
on addiction. Counselors working in mental health settings and EAP
programs, psychiatric nurses working in hospitals and outpatient
settings, social workers, and students pursuing degrees in social
work, nursing, psychology, and criminal justice will benefit from
the book’s wide range of appropriate addiction, treatment, and
prevention methodologies. In addition,
Addiction, Assessment, and Treatment with Adolescents, Adults, and
Families is a vital professional resource and an invaluable aid
to anyone suffering with some level of addiction and their families.
Health, Mind & Body / Self-Help / Dreams / Death & Dying
Dreaming Beyond Death: A Guide to Pre-Death Dreams and Visions by Kelly Bulkeley & Patricia Bulkley (Beacon Press)
Dreams have long been viewed as religious experiences that can
ease the transition to death. Now in
Dreaming Beyond Death, dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley and
Presbyterian minister Patricia Bulkley argue that pre-death dreams
and visions are of the utmost importance in helping terminally ill
patients – regardless of religious faith or practice – accept death.
Kelly Bulkeley, visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union,
and Patricia Bulkley, hospice worker for some ten years, examine the
recurring symbols that occur in dreams and show how these images can
be used to change a person's view of death, allowing them to die
peacefully, and providing comfort to those in mourning.
Documented throughout time and across cultures, dreams experienced
by those on the verge of death offer profound insight into the
process of dying. Drawing from a rich understanding of dreaming in
culture, history, psychology, and through modern dream study,
Dreaming Beyond Death offers interpretations to aid both the
dying person and the caregiver. A final chapter provides resources
and concrete methods for a caregiver to guide a dying person through
the dreaming process and, ultimately, to a sense of peace.
"Our goal in writing this book has much more to do with the practical consequences of taking pre-death dreams and visions seriously in the care of the dying," write Bulkeley and Bulkley in their introduction. "Whatever the origin of these experiences may be, what matters is their emotional impact. As a direct result of the dream or vision, the person's fear of death diminishes, and in its place there arises a new understanding of living, dying, and that which lies beyond death."
Bulkeley and Bulkley write that dreaming is largely consistent with the dreamer's interests and concerns in the waking world. Furthermore, dreaming is extremely responsive to waking attention, they note – merely reading a book or article will enhance the dreamer's recollection. These dreams then can be used to produce an emotional transformation. The authors focus on three types of dreams: dreams where death is portrayed as a journey, dreams where the dreamer meets a guide – often a trusted family member who has already died – and dreams where the dreamer faces deep anxiety or an unresolved conflict.
Because they believe that pre-death dreaming is most powerful when done in a safe, loving environment, the authors wrote Dreaming Beyond Death as a resource for caregivers, whether they are clergy, hospice workers, or family members. They stress that the health care system needs to examine the effects of medication and painkillers on the dying person’s dreams and to be prepared to take this in to account during care-giving in their final days. Often pre-death dreams are attributed to illness, medication, or mental illness, the authors observe, and are ignored when they should be explored.
The authors offer a unique how-to on interpreting dreams, one has
during the period just before death. With a nod to various
scientific and religious factions whose opinions of dreams range
from considering them to be of no value to believing they are works
of Satan, the authors contend that "one of the functions of dreaming
is precisely to create the meanings that will help us face the end
with courage and understanding." If the very thing that defines
humans is the ability to find meaning, they say, then allowing
oneself to experience, remember, and find meaning in dreams can only
serve to enrich one's last days. To support that supposition, they
present anecdotes gleaned mainly from hospice spiritual-services
provider Bulkley's professional experience. They make a case in
favor of dreams as endowing the journey to death with opportunities
for mending fences, making peace with a troubled conscience, and
looking beyond temporary pain to a rich reward or, at least, a
welcome serenity. – Donna Chavez, Booklist
Suitable reading for both the dying and for their caregivers, Dreaming Beyond Death brings to light a distinct and profound part of the dying process. Bulkeley and Bulkley bring together their diverse areas of expertise to create a guide to pre-death dreams that offers practical advice and provides a broader understanding of this phenomenon. Rev. Bulkley’s experience with the transformative possibilities of pre-death dreams as a hospice spiritual counselor lend this book a deeply personal and human touch, while Kelly Bulkeley’s insightful analysis and intellectual framework make it easy to understand the deeper meanings behind this type of dreaming. Let us hope with the authors, that this book provides “a window into the dreaming and visionary experiences that can make this final phase of our bodily existence so richly meaningful.”
History / Military
Warriors and Scholars: A Modern War Reader edited by Peter B. Lane & Ronald E. Marcello, with a foreword by Alfred F. Hurley (University of North Texas Press)
The papers in
Warriors and Scholars, originally from the
The book is edited by
Veterans and their topics include flying with the Bloody 100th by
John Luckadoo; an enlisted man in the Pacific theater of World War
II, by Roy Appleton; a POW in
The
Whatever his wish, Johnson is remembered as a war president, and
among
An outstanding collection of war stories related by men who have
been there and done that. A must-read book for those who recognize
the influence of warfare on the creation and development of nation
states. – Alexander R. Bolling, Jr.,
This collection provides a vivid collage of the American way of
war in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It gracefully
combines the observations of top scholars with the ‘I-was-there’
testimony of articulate and intelligent veterans – a happy mating of
ivory tower erudition with the voice of personal experience. –
Gregory J. W. Urwin, professor of history,
Few works of military history are able to move between the battlefield and academia. But Warriors and Scholars takes the best from both worlds by presenting the viewpoints of senior, eminent military historians on topics of their specialty, alongside veteran accounts for the modern war being discussed. Editors Lane and Marcello have added helpful contextual and commentary footnotes for student readers.
History / Military / World War I / World War II
Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber, the Nobel Laureate Who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare by Daniel Charles (ECCO)
Fritz Haber (1868-1934) – a Nobel laureate in chemistry, a friend
of Albert Einstein, a German Jew and World War I hero – may be the
most important scientist readers have never heard of. During his
lifetime, he was considered among the giants of European science, as
prominent as Einstein, Planck, and Bohr. The Haber-Bosch process,
which he invented at the turn of the twentieth century,
revolutionized agriculture by converting nitrogen to fertilizer in
quantities massive enough to feed the world. The invention has
become an essential pillar for life on earth; some two billion
people on our planet could not survive without it. Yet this same
process supplied the German military with explosives during World
War I, and Haber orchestrated
In Master Mind, Daniel Charles offers the first biography for general readers of this controversial genius. As he recreates Haber's little-known life story, Charles – a former technology correspondent for National Public Radio – probes the complicated characteristics of this brilliant man, whose accomplishments in the end wore a mantle of disgrace.
Born a Jew in the Prussian city of
Controversial from the start, the use of these poisons was
condemned by many as barbaric. Haber's first wife, herself a trained
chemist, committed suicide, possibly recognizing that her husband's
knowledge had unleashed a horror upon the world. Once
In the eyes of the Nazis, however, Haber's devotion to
"Had German politics taken a different turn, Fritz Haber might be considered a hero, and statues of him might stand in prominent places," Charles writes. "Instead, Haber became a tragic figure, trapped within the moral blinders of his time, unable to recognize the direction of history Haber could not foresee the ultimate consequence of the path he chose; perhaps it isn't fair to expect that he should have. But those consequences – the fateful prolongation of a senseless war, the invention of new methods of dealing out death – stand as a warning to all who follow."
Charles delivers an eminently readable account of German chemist Fritz Haber's life (1868-1934) and precepts. … A perceptively intelligent writer, Charles, one senses, is the biographer Haber would have wanted. – Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
A deeply thoughtful study of Fritz Haber – a brilliant, fascinating and finally tragic figure – and his equivocal legacy. – Oliver Sacks
This is an excellent biography – the fascinating and ultimately tragic story of an extraordinary scientist, a loyal German Jew, rejected by the country he loved, who failed to foresee the bloody history of the twentieth century and became its victim. – W. Michael Blumenthal, director of the Jewish Museum, Berlin and former Secretary of the Treasury
Fritz Haber's brilliance produced discoveries that fed the world, gassed World War I soldiers, and eventually slaughtered millions. Skillfully narrated with verve and sympathy, Master Mind offers a challenging insight into the nature of a man driven by patriotism and absorption in science, and blind to the rise of Nazism that would destroy his world. – David Edmonds and John Eidinow, authors of Wittgenstein's Poker and Bobby Fischer Goes to War
Master Mind resurrects an important, nearly forgotten chapter
from the annals of science, a story that has far-reaching
ramifications today. It is a compelling story of triumph mired in
tragedy, rife with drama, disillusionment and hubris. The book
provides a complete chronicle of Haber’s tumultuous and ultimately
tragic life, from his childhood and rise to prominence in the heady
days of the German Empire to his disgrace and exile at the hands of
the Nazis; from early decades as the hero who eliminated the threat
of starvation to his lingering legacy as a villain whose work led to
the demise of millions. With narrative grace and fair-minded
insight, Charles offers this thought-provoking, long-overdue
reassessment of a seminal figure of the 20th century.
History / Military / 19th Century
The Battle: A New History of
One hundred and ninety years ago, Napoleon faced his final defeat
at the Belgian
Barbero, an Italian historian and novelist, professor of Medieval
History at the University of Piemonte Orientale in Vercelli, Italy,
provides an original narrative-driven perspective of the days and
hours leading up to the battle. After Napoleon's sudden return to
power in the spring of 1815, allied European nations quickly
mobilized their armies. By June a showdown in
Recreating the conflict as it unfolded, Barbero recounts
individual miracles and tragedies, moments of courage and
foolhardiness, from the commands of
Barbero invokes the memories of British, French, and Prussian soldiers and re-creates the conflict as it unfolded, from General Reille's early afternoon assault on the chateau of Hougoumont, to the desperate last charge of Napoleon's Imperial Guard as evening settled in. From privates to generals, Barbero recounts individual miracles and tragedies, moments of courage and foolhardiness, skillfully blending them into the larger narrative of the battle's extraordinary ebb and flow. One is left with indelible images: cavalry charges against soldiers formed in squares; the hand-to-hand combat around farmhouses; endless cannon balls and smoke.
… The narrative is unusually accessible, and as experienced
readers march on, they will find some novel insights and analyses. …
The author also does a better job than many popular historians in
dealing with factors such as rate of fire, accurate range and the
sights, sounds and smells of a Napoleonic battlefield. And while
rejecting certain ‘patriotic myths,’ he supports the concept of
Italian historian Barbero offers a very readable narrative of one of
the most significant battles in European history. …Barbero also
provides enough information on tactics to depict how and why as well
as what the commanders were trying to do, which makes the book an
excellent resource for those with limited knowledge of the battle. …
– Frieda Murray, Booklist
. . . A resounding piece of reportage . . . It does for
Napoleonic-era warfare what Roberto Calasso did for Greek mythology.
– Kirkus Reviews
The Battle is a masterpiece of military history, a vivid human history of the legendary battle. This majestic new account stands apart from previous British and French histories by giving voice to all the nationalities that took part. To its credit, the book leaves readers with a powerful appreciation of the inevitability and futility of war.
History / Transportation
The Haywire: A Brief History of the Manistique and
More properly known as the Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad
for much of its existence, ‘The Haywire’ was one of what Willis
Dunbar called the ‘Little Fellows.’ In its earliest days it was the
product of a
The Haywire tells the story of ‘The Haywire’ as it played a
major role in the industrial development of Manistique and
Schoolcraft counties. But for much of its existence it existed in
virtual anonymity – merely the northern branch of a
Started by visionaries, it was finished by scavengers. By 1968
‘The Haywire’ had outlived its usefulness; it had become an economic
drain on its parent, the
A long-held dream of mine is that someday there would be
comprehensive histories for every notable
Most of its records went into a bonfire at the Manistique depot
in 1955. Hugh Hornstein has replaced an important part of this loss
with his research into the life of the Manistique and
The story of
The Haywire is told by Hugh A. Hornstein, Emeritus Professor of
Muskegon
Home & Garden / Animals & Pets
Cow Tails & Trails: A Fun & Informative Collection of Everything Bovine by Willow Creek Press (Willow Creek Press)
Frank Lloyd Wright once asked, “Has anyone sung the song of the
patient, calf-bearing, milk-flowing, cud-chewing, tail-twitching
cow?”
Not until
Cow Tails & Trails! This informative book is packed with North
American cow facts and trivia. Both dairy and beef cows are
discussed and illustrated in color photographs. Classic cow stories,
historic cattle drives and trails, the development of cows, cheeses,
and other dairy and cow products are herded together in
Cow Tails & Trails, which includes these chapters:
-
Part One: The Cow’s Story
-
Part Two: The Breeds
-
Part Three: Dairy & Beef
The book compares
The large format color photos of the cows are the highlight of this light-hearted, artful celebration of everything bovine.
Home & Garden / Architecture
New Country Houses by Dominic Bradbury
(Abbeyville Press) explores how architects today seek to reinvent
the country house and develop a new rural architecture for the
twenty-first century, rather than simply remodeling or recreating
the methods and manners of the past.
The thirty houses featured in New Country Houses range from a Portuguese vacation home whose granite facade blends seamlessly into an ancient system of agricultural terraces to a Japanese family residence whose translucent walls glow like a paper lantern in the nighttime, but they all embody the same contemporary architectural trend: a radical shift in thinking about the residential architecture of the countryside. According to Dominic Bradbury, freelance journalist and design writer, an increasing exodus from the stresses of urban living has brought a positive and powerful design consciousness out of the cities into new and challenging environments.
Exercising his eye for architectural style, Bradbury divides the book thematically into four chapters which correspond to contemporary architects’ primary approaches to the challenge of designing for the countryside: organic, vernacular, contemporary, and experimental. The individual case studies within these chapters include insights from the architects themselves and are augmented by detailed plans and elevations and 175 full-color interior and exterior photographs. The book has a full complement of supplementary features, including an introduction tracing the history of the country house, a bibliography, and an index.
Beautifully illustrated,
New Country Houses will serve as a guide and inspiration to
architects, their clients, and all readers who are interested in the
aesthetically groundbreaking, flexible, and ecologically conscious
way of living represented by today’s new country houses.
Home & Garden / Professional & Technical / Architecture
At Home in Maine: Houses Designed to Fit the Land by Christopher Glass, photography by Brian Vanden Brink (Down East Books)
Its foundations follow with delightful frankness the variations of the grounds upon which it stands, while its good proportions and harmonious arrangement of its rooflines give it that truly architectural character in which dignity may lie for the most modest building. It is so appropriate to its surroundings that it seems to have grown out of them by some process of nature, and it is equally appropriate to its purpose…. – Marianna Griswold Van Rensselaer, 1888
Just what is the quintessential
At Home in Maine covers a wide variety of
Following an introduction explaining the book's design principles, three sections provide examples of these principles: homes that have been renovated with respect for the land, while valuing the original builder's intent; non-residential buildings that have been turned into homes; and new homes designed to fit their sites. The houses chosen for the book are relatively small and serve as inspiration for designers, builders, and homeowners everywhere who want to suit their homes to their natural and cultural settings.
A rich visual and written celebration of the wonderful sense of
place that characterizes so much of [
This is a book to savor. – Philip M. Isaacson, architecture critic,
It's full of examples, both simple and ornate, that illustrate why
In At Home in Maine, a compelling and visually fascinating book, Glass describes each house as only a skilled designer can, exploring its history, its strengths, and even its weaknesses. For his part, photographer Vanden Brink uses light and line to underscore his collaborator’s points, at once delighting the eye with color and perspective.
Law / Business & Investing
Business Law: A Hands-On Approach by Neal Bevans (West Legal Studies Series: Thomson Delmar Learning)
Business Law is designed to act as an introductory text to business law, providing a practical, hands-on guide that gives the student a firm foundation in commercial practices, with an eye toward the kind of law that a legal professional, not a business major, should know.
Written by Neal R. Beavens, J.D., a former private attorney and
Assistant District Attorney, now an instructor for 9 years at
- Each chapter analyzes the elements of business law and business structures from basic contracts to UCC transactions.
- Significant cases are excerpted and explored in great detail.
- Websites for further research or discussion are provided.
- Step-by-step analysis of the creation of contracts is presented, as well as the common clauses contained in them.
- Chapter discussions are based on actual business problems.
- Numerous hypotheticals and practical examples are offered to bring home the issues discussed in each chapter.
- Practical assignments are given, based on real-world problems faced by business people and attorneys on a daily basis.
- Numerous sidebars are presented in each chapter addressing a wide variety of issues.
- The end of chapter exercises, hands-on assignments, and practical applications emphasize the theoretical concepts presented in the text.
- A ‘Business Case File’ appears in each chapter that profiles various businesses and how they carry out their daily activities and how legal concerns often feature in their business decisions.
The text engages and holds readers’ interest, and presents information in a variety of styles to take advantage of different learning styles. Each new concept is presented in a multilayer fashion, first with the basic concepts and then adding greater complexity once the intellectual foundation is laid. Charts and diagrams are provided to illustrate concepts as they are discussed and to provide the instructor with additional material for class discussion. Sidebars, tables, and interviews are also presented to supplement the chapter information in a different format for students who may not fully grasp the concepts on initial presentation. Finally, practical, hands-on assignments and discussion questions are presented to reiterate and emphasize the concepts.
The author has developed an instructor's manual to accompany the text available both in print and online. Recognizing the needs of instructors for multiple resources, the author has provided the following features:
- Suggested syllabi and lesson plans
- Annotated outlines for each chapter
- Answers to all end-of-chapter questions
- A test bank, including a variety of test questions.
Online Companion is available online to students, providing supplemental resources including study tips, chapter outline websites and Powerpoint slides
This practical, application-oriented business law book is written specifically for the paralegal. Business Law balances theoretical discussions and practical examples, all presented in a well-written, enjoyable style. The numerous examples of business organizational documents make the concepts easy to grasp and apply. Based on the recognition that students who apply their newly acquired knowledge often retain it much better than those who do not, this text takes a strong ‘hands-on’ approach to business law by emphasizing practical applications of important concepts. Business Law is a must-have resource for the paralegal student studying business law.
Literature & Fiction / Native American / Reference
A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children
edited by Doris Seale & Beverly Slapin
(Contemporary Native American Communities Series: Altamira Press) is
a book of reviews, critically evaluating children’s books about
Native Americans, along with stories, essays, and poems from its
contributors.
Since the 1950s, non-Native authors and illustrators of books for children have turned increasingly to Indian literatures, lives and histories as sources of material for their efforts. Publication of the results has become big business: lavishly illustrated, and brought out with carefully orchestrated publicity. Several have become best sellers: some have won awards. They are nearly invariably praised for their beauty and sensitivity, and frequently for their ecological messages, by reviewers who do not know enough to know that the works are inauthentic, patronizing, full of lies, and an insult to the people out of whose lives money is being made. On the other hand, Native writers, unless well-known, do not find publishers in the mainstream. This is unfortunate, not only for Indians, but for the world of letters, because some of the most original and creative work being done today is by Indian authors and artists.
Edited by Doris Seale and Beverly Slapin, A Broken Flute is not intended to be a buying guide, but to bring attention to some of the gifted writers and illustrators of the past ten years or so, frequently published by Native and small presses, and also to evaluate as much as possible of the most objectionable work of the non-Native writers. Some of what is included can not be comfortable reading. Seale says clearly that Native peoples were never meant to survive – their histories include the publicly stated objective of their extinction. One of the more ingenious ideas to come out of the extinction era was the establishment of the Indian residential schools, where the children, forcibly removed from their parents, were forbidden to speak their own languages. When they lost their words, these children lost access to their past, and the stories their parents and elders might have told them. Corey Harris, a young bluesman, said on the PBS series, The Blues: "You can’t know who you are until you know the past. You can't know where you're going until you know where you’ve been." Whole generations of our young people have grown up not knowing who they were, how to live, or how to raise their own children.
Almost without exception, those who have taken Indian stories to use for their own purposes have not understood the nature of an oral literature at all. The assumption is that, because it was not originally written, it is not really to be granted the same status as the printed word, or require the same laws for its use. What happens when a story has been translated from a language as complex as, say, Navajo, into written English, and then edited, adapted or ‘retold,’ for young children? What then remains of its essential nature? Taking a story from word to paper is difficult enough, even when one knows it as well as an old shoe. Where is the gesture, the change of facial expression, the pacing, the turn of a head, the intonation, that can tell as much as the actual words? Even more so, when one is translating from an unknown culture. And there is this: Taking something that has not been offered to you does not make it yours. That makes it stolen. Stories are never free.
Seale says that those who have contributed to A Broken Flute are people who have given their lives to preserving languages and the life-preserving traditional ways; to taking back some of what has been taken from them, including the bones of their relatives; and to talking to the elders before it is to late and to telling their stories.
[Seale and Slapin's] latest volume evaluates hundreds of books
for children and teenagers published from the early 1900s through
2004, [and] it is more brutally honest than anything else out there.
Seale, Slapin, and their reviewers and commentators – noted
storytellers, poets, fiction writers, scholars, teachers, and
student and community activists – take on Newberry and Caldecott
medalists and reading-list perennials for their simplistic,
stereotype-filled, condescending, and outright false portrayals of
American Indians.... Here, we see concerned parents and grandparents
and strong Indian children who have grown up with the good examples
that ultimately stand out in this book. – Multicultural Review
If you are teaching children's literature to prospective
teachers, Head Start staff, librarians, or others who make vital
decisions about acquisition and use of appropriate books for kids,
you have got to own this book. If you are teaching Native American
kids, you also must own this book. It critically reviews and
assesses the cultural authenticity and historical accuracy of
hundreds of well-known (and elsewhere highly regarded) children's
titles of the past ten years with a particular scrutiny for the
taint of misinformation, cultural theft, and lack of balance. –
Strong American Indian voices permeate
A Broken Flute. In innovative stories at the beginning, adults
and young people speak movingly of how certain books have brought
pain – or healing – to their lives. Readers of all ages can relate
to these powerful words, which vividly reinforce the book reviewers'
excellent critiques.
A Broken Flute is a compelling call for truth-telling and
healing. – Marilou Awiakta (Cherokee), author of Selu: Seeking the
Corn Mother’s Wisdom
A Broken Flute will be a valuable resource for community and educational organizations, and a key reference for public and school libraries, and Native American collections. Readers will turn to this volume repeatedly, especially because of the multiple indexes, for help with book evaluation and to broaden their understanding of the community in which they work and live.
Literature & Fiction / Saga / Historical Fiction
The King of Kings County: A Novel by Whitney Terrell (Viking)
Few first novels elicit the rave reviews enjoyed by Whitney Terrell for The Huntsman. The New York Times called it ‘a searing first novel,’ while the Chicago Tribune compared Terrell to "Faulkner, Conrad, and Melville." In The King of Kings County, Terrell, New Letters visiting writer at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, again takes readers to his native Kansas City for a heartrending look at a young man’s coming-of-age as he confronts his father’s – and his city’s – dissolution.
Jack Acheson begins his tale in the 1950s, when his father, Alton
Acheson, part con-man, part visionary, is busy conning local farmers
out of their land on the outskirts of
Throughout, Terrell weaves an intensely private portrait of Jack's entire life, a stunning, fifty-year arc through the heart of the American dream. In it, readers meet the math-whiz son of a mob accountant, John Birch-crazed ranchers, and blockbusting black real estate agents. Readers learn of Jack's first love, Geanie Bowen, the redheaded, improbably progressive daughter of the city's greatest developer, who protests apartheid from her father's crumbling estate. And how Jack, in his fifties, remains haunted by one particular event that he and Geanie witnessed in a quarry during their junior year of high school – a secret that eventually forces him into a clear-eyed confrontation with the true consequences of his father's legacy.
Combine J. D. Salinger with Mark Twain and you'll have some idea
of the irony, humor, and harrowing sorrow in Whitney Terrell's tale
of the improbable rise and fall of a farcical, con-man father and
his watchful, melancholy, embarrassed son.
The King of Kings County is the finest novel of delusional lives
in
The King of Kings County is a scandalously convincing novel and
Whitney Terrell writes prose as smooth and quietly sparkling as that
of the finest old masters. He follows a small cast of privileged
Kansas City characters who are alive enough to kiss, or maybe punch
on the nose, and through them conveys with intimate detail the
thumping hearts and cold logic of the powerful as they congregate
and connive to change forever the future of a fine city. His eye is
sharp and his sentiments firm. – Daniel Woodrell
In The King of Kings County, Terrell offers us the story of the creation of the streets and neighborhoods of Kansas City – from the once-bustling downtown sidewalks to the antiseptic ranch homes of this prototypical American city – and in the process draws a tender and comic portrait of a family's suspect pursuit of fortune in the U.S. This extraordinary saga in essence examines the manufacturing of an American Dream, one whose contradictions divide us to this day.
Literature & Fiction / Science Fiction & Fantasy
Accelerando by Charles Stross (Ace Books)
Now, expanding upon his award-winning short story cycle from the
pages of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Charles Stross in
Accelerando presents a startling vision of humanity's inability
to cope with rapid technological advancement.
The Singularity. It is the era of the post human. Artificial
intelligences have surpassed the limits of human intellect.
Biotechnological beings have rendered people all but extinct.
Molecular nanotechnology runs rampant, replicating and reprogramming
at will. Contact with extraterrestrial life grows more imminent with
each new day.
Struggling to survive and thrive in this accelerated world are three
generations of the Macx clan: Manfred, an entrepreneur dealing in
intelligence amplification technology whose mind is divided between
his physical environment and the Internet; his daughter Amber, on
the run from her domineering mother, seeking her fortune in the
outer system as an indentured astronaut; and Sirhan, Amber's
permanently space-bound offspring, paying witness to the fruits of
his grandfather's early innovations as something ominous and
nonhuman is systematically dismantling the planets from Pluto to
Earth. And Sirhan finds his destiny linked to the fate of all of
humanity.
For something is systematically dismantling the nine planets of the solar system. Something beyond human comprehension. Something that has no use for biological life in any form...
This new brand of science fiction, like all the best SF before
it, is not just about predicting the future or pushing an agenda or
even plain old entertaining techno-fun. It is all that, but it's
also about expanding the boundaries of the possible, building
far-out worlds and then populating them with characters who bring
the big ideas down to Earth. – Popular Science
There is an intrinsic unknowability about the technological
singularity. Most writers leave it safely offstage or invent reasons
why it doesn’t happen. Not Charles Stross.
Accelerando lives up to its name, the most sustained and
unflinching look into radical optimism I’ve seen – Vernon Vinge,
author of the Peace War
…Stross has his thumb squarely on the pulse of technology's leading edge and exults in extrapolating mere glimmers of ideas out to their mind-bending limits. His brilliant and panoramic vision of uncontrollably accelerating technology vaults him into the front rank of SF trailblazers, alongside Gibson and Stephenson, and promises to become a seminal work in the genre. – Carl Hays, Booklist, starred review
Where Charles Stross goes today, the rest of science fiction will
follow tomorrow. –
Expanding upon his award-winning short story cycle, Stross
delivers the story fans have been waiting for with
Accelerando, a novel destined to change the face of the genre.
An ideological tour-de-force,
Accelerando is destined to stand beside Neuromancer and Snow
Crash as a seminal work in science fiction.
Literature & Fiction / Women’s / Native American
Silko: Writing Storyteller and Medicine Woman by Brewster E.
Fitz (American Indian Literature & Critical
Studies Series, Volume 47:
I suppose that if I didn't have the outlook of a writer, I might
get better at storytelling . . . – Leslie Marmon Silko
Laguna Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko was raised in a culture with a strong oral tradition. The critical focus on orality in Native literature has kept the equally important tradition of Native writing from being honored.
But Silko also grew up in a household where books were cherished
and reading at the dinner table was not deemed rude, but instead was
encouraged. In his examination of Silko's award-winning literature
in
Silko, Brewster E. Fitz explores the complex dynamic between the
spoken story and the written word, revealing how it carries over
from Silko's upbringing and plays out in her writings.
Focusing on critical essays by and interviews with Silko, Fitz
argues that Silko's storytelling is informed not so much by oral
Laguna culture as by the Marmon family tradition in which writing
was internalized long before her birth. In Silko's writings, this
conflicted desire between the oral and the written evolves into a
yearning for a paradoxical, written orality that would conceivably
function as a perfect, nonmediated language.
A penetrating, shrewd, learned, and elegantly written book. –
Arnold Krupat, author of Red Matters: Native American Studies
[Silko]
is stimulating and beautifully written, bringing together a
fascinating mix of influences on Silko and her writing. – Southwest
Book Views
By offering close readings of stories from Storyteller and
Ceremony, as well as passages from Almanac of the Dead and Gardens
in the Dunes, Fitz, Associate Professor of English at
Medicine / Philosophy / Ethics
Ethical Health Care by Patricia
Illingworth & Wendy E. Parmet (Pearson Prentice Hall) provides
an interdisciplinary perspective to bioethics, relying heavily upon
the insights of such diverse fields as economics, law, and public
health.
For those interested in the human rights dimensions of medicine, many may accuse physicians of ‘meddling’ in societal issues that go beyond their scope or competence. Also, issues of human rights inherently and inevitably represent a challenge to power – and health professionals are often part of, or direct beneficiaries of, the societal or institutional status quo that is challenged by the claims of human rights and dignity.
The factors that determine the health and well-being of individuals and communities are complex and multi-faceted, ranging from the competency of health care providers to social policies that affect the distribution of resources between nations. The same is true of the ethical questions that arise in the context of both the provision of health care and the determination of public polices that affect human health. Ethical Health Care identifies and addresses these compelling questions. The book broadens the scope of traditional bioethics by integrating the social, economic, public policy and legal influences on health care. Written by Patricia Illingworth & Wendy E. Parmet, both of Northwestern University, Ethical Health Care explores the nature of the relationship between patients and clinicians, health care providers and the societies in which they live, and the relationship between the health care enterprise and the international community. Chapters include:
- Bioethics: Expanding Our Horizons
- The Building Blocks of Health
- The Health of Individuals
- The Ethical Obligations of Health Care Providers
- The Ethical Obligations of Health Care Institutions
- Individuals, Society, and Health
- Individuals, Society, and Biomedical Science: Emerging and Reemerging Issues
Illingworth and Parmet in Ethical Health Care note that there is more to modern health than new scientific discoveries, or development of new technologies, or emerging or re-emerging diseases, or changes in patterns of morbidity and mortality around the world. For we are living at a time of paradigm shift in thinking about health, and therefore about medicine and public health. Health as well-being, despite the World Health Organization's definition, lacks more than rudimentary definition, especially regarding its mental and societal dimensions. The universe of human suffering and its alleviation is being more fully explored. Awareness of the limits of medicine and medical care, growing recognition of the health impacts of societal structure and function, globalization and consequent interdependence, and the sometimes active, sometimes ineffectual actions of nation-states, all intersect to lead toward a new vision of health.
The authors note that at such times of profound change, another kind of value becomes more vital. To build bridges – between medicine and public health, and between ethics and human rights – the critical underlying question may be, Do we believe that the world can change? Do we believe that the long chains of human suffering can be broken? A high-minded exploration of the intersection of health care and ethics, aimed at clinicians and other health care providers, Ethical Health Care carefully and thoughtfully reframes the agenda and approach to bioethics, offering a broader perspective to our understanding of the struggle for human health and freedom.
Mysteries & Thrillers / Religion & Spirituality / Historical Fiction
The Franciscan Conspiracy by John Sack (RiverWood Books)
Do not tell me that Francis failed. The Spirit of Compromise
captured his dream and pared it down; it captured his brothers ...
and changed them, as it had tried to change him from the first, into
good but commonplace monks. It captured his body and buried it in
one of the greatest churches of
700 years ago church officials hid the body of St. Francis from the world. What secret went with Francis of Assisi to his grave?
The Franciscan Conspiracy explores the great thirteenth-century mystery: Why was the body of St. Francis stolen and hidden? This historical tale investigates what caused the Franciscan Order to destroy all early biographies of Francis by his closest disciples in favor of a sanitized biography by the powerful St. Bonaventure.
The Franciscan Conspiracy is set against the chaotic backdrop of
The story, written by prolific author John Sack, begins 30 years
after Francis death, when Father Leo, Francis' closest friend, is
dying. Father Leo refuses to take his secrets with him to the grave
even though he is bound to a vow of silence. In a cryptic farewell
message, Fra Leo launches his favorite student, the young hermit
Conrad into a labyrinth, connecting him with an unlikely companion,
sixteen-year-old Sister Amata. The two begin to search for the truth
about St. Francis. In the labyrinth, every passage confronts Conrad
with his deepest fears – there to make sense of the bizarre and
puzzling events that followed the death in 1226 of Francis of Assisi
and to find the truth – a truth that will shake the foundation of
the Franciscan Order and the faith of the masses.
The Franciscan Conspiracy is based on an actual event, the
kidnapping and hiding of the remains of Saint Francis of
Philosophy / Civil Rights
Universal Human Rights: Moral Order in a Divided World edited by David A. Reidy & Mortimer N.S. Sellers (Philosophy and the Global Context Series: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.)
Human rights talk is now ubiquitous. Human rights claims permeate political, legal, and even commercial practices. And human rights stand at the center of philosophical inquiry into global or international justice, one of the most active and productive areas of philosophical inquiry in recent decades. Nearly all governments of the world have now expressed their commitment to "fundamental human rights, . . . the dignity and worth of the human person, [and] . . . the equal rights of men and women" everywhere. The Charter of the United Nations commits nearly all nations of the world to promote, realize, and take action to achieve human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, yet this formal consensus masks an underlying confusion about the philosophical basis and practical implications of rights in a world made up of radically different national communities. The nearly universal recognition by governments of a nearly identical list of ‘universal’ and ‘inalienable’ rights neither confirms that such rights exist nor guarantees their effectiveness. It is often not very clear what human rights talk is about or is intended to accomplish or could accomplish in a world as divided as our own. Many governments do little to secure the rights of their subjects, and many violate the very rights they have solemnly promised to uphold.
Edited by David A. Reidy, assistant professor of philosophy at
the
Chapters and their authors include:
- Introduction – David A. Reidy and Mortimer N. S. Sellers
Part I: The Nature of Human Rights
- The Structure of Arguments for Human Rights – Alistair M. Macleod
- Human Rights: Constitutional and International – Rex Martin
- Universalism and Relativism in Human Rights – David Duquette
Part II: The Particular in Universal Human Rights
- Are Women Human? Feminist Reflections on ‘Women's Rights as Human Rights’ – Lucinda Joy Peach
- Human Rights and the Ethic of Listening – Helen Stacy
- Rights against Institutions: What Governments Should and Can Do – William Nelson
Part III: Enforcing Universal Human Rights
- Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention – Steven P. Lee
- Genocide and Political Responsibility – Larry May
- Human Rights and the Rule of Law: Sovereignty and the International Criminal Court – Kenneth Henley
Part IV: Rights in Extremis
- Is Terrorism Ever Morally Permissible? An Inquiry into the Right to Life – Stephen Nathanson
- Thwarting Suicide Terrorists: The Locus of Moral Constraints and the (Ir)Relevance of ‘Human Rights’ – Jonathan Schonsheck
Although human rights discourse is becoming the recognized lingua
franca of international relations, differences of justification,
interpretation, application, and enforcement abound. This set of
original essays throws fresh light on these differences while
clearly exemplifying the greater importance of the basic
similarities that all parties to the debate share. – Richard T. De
George,
This impressive and timely volume brings together some of the
most hotly debated issues in the philosophical discourse on human
rights and offers new ways of thinking about them. The essays raise
all the hard questions on the theory and practice of human rights,
providing wide-ranging and sharply contested arguments. The book is
a must for anyone interested in the normative and institutional
issues of human rights and their global dimensions. – Deen
Chatterjee,
Universal Human Rights brings some clarity to this important and contested new discourse of universal human rights. Contributors to this important volume demonstrate from very different perspectives how human rights can help to bring moral order to an otherwise divided world.
Politics / Social Sciences
Silenced: International Journalists Expose Media Censorship edited by David Dadge (Prometheus Books)
What happens to journalists who expose uncomfortable truths?
How far are they prepared to go in order to report a difficult
story?
Silenced, written by David Dadge of
From Mexico, where journalist Isabel Arvide faced imprisonment for publishing a series of articles on the chilling activities of criminal gangs and their protectors in local government, to Zimbabwe, where the harsh treatment of the Andrew Meldrum led to him being arrested and forcibly deported from the country because he dared criticize President Robert Mugabe, Silenced is a powerful reminder of the risks – both personal and financial – accepted by the media on our behalf.
In other parts of the world, journalists face more traditional
problems, whether it is the pressure placed on Gary Hughes and
Gerard Ryle when highlighting police corruption in
Told through the personal experiences of fourteen professional journalists, Silenced offers insight into the lives of working reporters. In essence, it is an insider's view that allows readers to see how the media operate, the vital principles of press freedom, and the difficulties – indeed, the dangers – faced by many journalists in their everyday work.
Canadian professor Stephen Kimber found himself increasingly censored when the newspaper in which he penned a daily column was bought out by a corporation that controlled other media outlets. Michael McKinnon struggled in the courts to restore the original intent of the Australian Freedom of Information Act. These stories demonstrate that in democratic countries, where fundamental liberties such as freedom of speech are supposedly held dear, journalists can be punished simply for reporting the truth.
Even in the
But the consequences of reporting in other countries are far more
severe. In
Silenced British photojournalist Tim Lambon recounts his
near-fatal experience in
Other chapters show how Russian law was turned on its head in an effort to quiet journalists, how the selling of a Hong Kong-based newspaper to a wealthy Chinese family led to some startling changes, and how journalism in the South Pacific differs from that practiced in the Western world.
This hard-hitting collection shows that pressure and persecution
are still inescapable aspects of a journalist's job description.
Dadge (Casualty of War: The Bush Administration's Assault on a Free
Press) gathers 14 mostly first-person stories from journalists about
the obstacles and threats they have faced. Many of the reports
concern underdeveloped countries … The journalists take on a range
of targets, from bureaucrats to media conglomerates as well as their
own colleagues' lazy collusion with official sources. The result is
a vigorous defense of press freedoms by journalists who are unafraid
to confront the powers that be. – Publishers Weekly
Powerful and compelling, Silenced is more than a book on the media; it is an expression of the bravery and persistence of journalists everywhere. Edited by a journalist working for a global press freedom organization, Silenced greatly adds to our understanding of the growing pressures on the global media.
Professional & Technical / Architecture / History / Reference
A History of Western Architecture, 4th edition by David Watkin (Watson-Guptill Publications)
In
A History of Western Architecture David Watkin traces the
history of western architecture from the earliest times in
Adopting an approach that sees architectural history as a living continuity rather than a museum of neatly labeled styles, Watkin, Professor of the History of Architecture at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Peterhouse, emphasizes the ongoing vitality of the Classical language of architecture, underlining the continuity between, say, the work of Ictinus in fifth-century BC Athens and that of McKim, Mead and White in twentieth-century NewYork.
The fourth edition of
A History of Western Architecture has been expanded in both text
and illustration. As well as containing new material on ancient
Egyptian and Mesopotamian architecture, where the roots of western
architecture can be seen, it has been reshaped so that each chapter
now contains a full account of urbanism. Watkin has taken the
opportunity of expanding the account of twentieth-century
architecture from the 1930s to the present day. The book is thus
brought up to date by its survey of the extraordinary flowering of
architecture around the world at the start of the millennium. From
The preface of the first edition presented this book as the first history of western architecture from the ancient world to the present day to have appeared since the demise of the certainties of the Modern Movement. According to modernist doctrines, the birth of something called ‘modern man’ in the twentieth century called for a new architecture devoid of historical resonances. However, according to Watkin, contemplating the whole history of architecture from ancient times onwards, it seemed improbable that traditional forms would never recur. Indeed, in the last decades traditional architecture has reestablished itself inescapably as a solution to the many problems presented by new needs and new materials.
The years since the appearance of the first edition also saw
other events which few anticipated: the demise of the totalitarian
Communist systems in
Looking at the successive rebirths of classicism, it is clear that each generation has had to rediscover the classical language for itself, finding in it what it wanted to find. Alberti in the fifteenth century, Palladio in the sixteenth, Perrault in the seventeenth, Adam in the eighteenth, Schinkel in the nineteenth, Lutyens in the twentieth: all made a personal rediscovery of the language of the orders; all brought expectations of their own to their search for the secrets of ancient design, expectations that colored their response to what they found or thought they found. Architectural and archaeological scholarship has also kept pace in the 1980s and 1990s with this new receptivity to our continuing historical legacy. It is clearly the principal aim of A History of Western Architecture to tell that story. However the book does not predict the future, other than to confirm the truth of the claim in the Apocalypse that, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’
In the opening years of the twenty-first century, ‘flagship’ buildings have been used as never before to advertise institutions, notably art galleries and museums of all kinds. This process frequently includes the rejuvenation of run-down and outdated nineteenth- and twentieth-century industrial sites with buildings whose striking new shapes have sometimes been made possible by the use of CAD. While steel, glass and concrete are used as prolifically as in the twentieth century, many architects make a point of using traditional materials such as timber, sandstone, terracotta, copper, bamboo and even paper. As a result, a varied if sometimes confusing picture is being built in which architecture, often controversial but constantly debated, occupies a central position in contemporary culture.
Far and away the best narrative summary of western architecture in existence…it stands out as an intellectual triumph. – Sir John Summerson
This authoritative, comprehensive and highly illustrated survey provides a fresh perspective which will be invaluable to students and anyone interested in the history of architecture. This fourth edition of A History of Western Architecture, a highly acclaimed, standard work, has been expanded to bring the story of western architecture right up to the present day.
Reference / Education / Test Guides
Master the GED 2006 by Arco (Master the GED Series: Thomson Peterson’s)
ARCO’s Master the GED 2006, written by staff writers who have been working on this highly successful book for twenty years, is designed to help readers gain a clear idea of what to expect and how to prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) examination. By following the advice in this book, readers can earn a high school equivalency diploma and increase their chances of professional and personal success. It gives a fair and reasonable explanation of testing procedures, scoring information, and useful test-taking hints. The book provides:
- In-depth lessons that cover the GED from start to finish.
- A diagnostic test to help readers pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.
- Detailed answer explanations for every question on each of the practice tests.
- Proven test-taking techniques and score-raising strategies.
The GED tests are a series of examinations that are designed to
determine whether a person has the literacy and computational skills
equivalent to those of the upper two thirds of the students
currently graduating from high schools in the
According to the American Council on Education, the tests measure "broad concepts and general knowledge, not how well they (test-takers) remember details, precise definitions, or historical facts. Thus, the tests do not penalize candidates who lack recent academic or classroom experience or who have acquired their education informally."
The current edition of this book, Master the GED 2006, represents a broadly updated version, revised after numerous consultations with the GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education, to comply with the changes made in the test, as well as with national standards in the different academic areas. These changes include:
- A greater emphasis on business-related skills broadly applied to all academic areas, and the potential needs of the third-millennium workplace.
- An expanded use of graphics and other visual modes of presenting information.
- More emphasis on practical, commonsense approaches and skills as related to academic subjects.
- A greater recognition of the increasing impact of technology on daily life.
Some features include:
- The Mathematics sections provide user-friendly explanations of math processes in recognition of the particular difficulty many students have in this area. The answer explanations are written with care, taking students ‘by the hand’ to coach them, and enable them to comprehend difficult concepts that might have been previously elusive in the classroom. There is also a clearly presented step-by-step section on using the special scientific calculator effectively, as this instrument is utilized in part of the GED Mathematics Test.
- The Language Arts, Reading Section provides an opportunity for improving these skills necessary for good performance in reading, as well as in all the other academic areas.
- Master the GED 2006 has an extensive Business Reading section that helps readers become familiar with selections of a business, practical or work-related nature. This enables students to deal more easily with readings of this kind throughout the GED.
- The book offers brief but broad-based suggestions, labeled ‘Quick Tips,’ which are proven aids in improving readers’ performance in the specific areas tested on the GED test.
- A list of telephone numbers for GED contact centers
throughout the
- Review of all 5 GED subjects: Language Arts,
- Exercises and drills that cover every type of question on the exam.
- Three full-length practice tests.
Readers will find that Master the GED 2006 is a useful guide for taking and passing the GED exam with the least possible heartache and headache. This is an easy-to-use book with a direct and uncluttered format. The Diagnostic Test, the full-length Practice Tests, and the practice questions for each subject area will give readers an understanding of the kinds of questions they may expect. The book also contains instruction tips for teachers of GED prep courses.
Religion & Spirituality
Divine Rainbow: Nature as Spiritual Teacher by M. Louise Heydt (Sunstone Press)
In
Divine Rainbow, Louise Heydt weaves together a one-year cycle of
nature in a small valley in the Tecolote Mountains east of Pecos,
New Mexico, and an inspirational spiritual journey as taught by
nature. According to Heydt, scholar of Eastern Studies, self-taught
naturalist, artist and poet, the land and the spiritual path are
interconnected; the outer landscape of nature is the guide for the
journey through the inner landscape.
Readers are shown how to find sacred places in the land, and how
these places are gateways or thresholds for quiet observation and
meditation. The realm of mystical experiences can be explored while
in the embrace of nature.
Divine Rainbow also shows that it is a contemporary delusion that humans and nature are separate, and how in the process of immersing oneself into experiences in nature one nourishes his or her inner nature. In the process of this nurturing, a spiritual awakening begins in which one also learns the power of prayer, thus bringing to light one’s intimate relationship with the Divine.
These meditative chapters – Rainbow Woman, October, Moon Dragon, November, and so on – flow in a stream of consciousness manner. Those who are strongly drawn to nature will find Divine Rainbow an inspiring and uplifting book, perhaps one they may want to read outdoors.
Religion & Spirituality / Apocrypha / Gnosticism
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle by Karen L. King (Polebridge Press)
Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is
the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a
woman. Karen L. King, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at
Where did the Gospel of Mary come from?
According to
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, over a hundred years ago, in
January of 1896, a seemingly insignificant event took place on the
antiquities market in
Reinhardt could tell that the book was ancient, but he knew
nothing more about the find than that the dealer was from Achmim in
central
Reinhardt purchased the book and took it to
From the beginning, the publication was plagued by difficulties.
First of all, there is the problem of the missing pages. The first
six pages, plus four additional pages from the middle of the work,
are missing. This means that over half of the Gospel of Mary is
completely lost. Schmidt thought those pages must have been stolen
or destroyed by whoever found the book. The manuscript itself was
found protected inside its original leather and papyrus cover, but
by the time it reached Carl Schmidt in
By 1912 Schmidt's edition was ready for publication and was sent
to press in
By the time the war was over, news had reached
At last in 1955, the first printed edition of the text of the Gospel of Mary finally appeared with a German translation. And scholars continue to make changes. Of foremost importance was the discovery of yet another early third-century Greek fragment of the Gospel of Mary, which was published in 1983. With the addition of this fragment, we now have portions of three copies of the Gospel of Mary dating from antiquity: two Greek manuscripts from the early third century and one in Coptic from the fifth century.
Because it is unusual for several copies from such early dates to have survived, the attestation of the Gospel of Mary as an early Christian work is unusually strong.
What does the Gospel say?
According to The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, when Jesus died, he did not leave behind him an established church with a clear organizational structure. Early Christians experimented with a variety of formal arrangements, from relatively unstructured charismatic organizations to more fixed hierarchical orders. In some congregations, leadership was shared among men and women according to the movement of the Spirit in inspiring gifts of prophecy, teaching, healing, administration, and service. Others were headed by elders, bishops, deacons, and widows. In many, women and slaves were important leaders; others resisted this reversal of the dominant social order and worked to exclude them. The Gospel of Mary was written at a time when it was not yet clear which direction church organization would take.
From at least the time of Paul, Christian churches had stressed the presence of the Spirit within the churches, and the manifestation of spiritual gifts among all believers. They assumed that Jesus intended to generate a movement that would spread his teaching to all nations. The Gospel of Mary traces its own spiritual legacy to the early Christian tradition that Jesus had commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel. The dialogues among the disciples are framed in order to explore the meaning of Jesus' admonition to preach the gospel. What is the content of that gospel? Who has understood it and who has the authority to preach it? What insures that the true path to salvation is being taught? The Gospel of Mary takes very clear positions on each of these issues, but the controversy that erupts among the disciples also shows that the author of the Gospel of Mary was fully aware that not all Christians agreed with its views.
Increasingly the tide would turn toward favoring a patriarchal, hierarchical authority. It was the predominant form by which power was exercised in the Roman world, and it afforded at once more stability and more respectability than charismatically organized groups, which stern Roman sensibilities apparently found radical and disorderly. In the early fourth century, when the Roman emperor Constantine first legalized Christianity by issuing an edict of toleration, he recognized a group of male bishops as the established leadership of the church, and in doing so sanctioned a power structure that would govern Christianity for centuries to come. This succession of past witnesses, it was argued, ensured the truth of the Church's teaching and guaranteed the salvation of believers.
The Gospel of Mary directly challenges the validity of such claims, and offers instead a vision of Christian community in which authority is based not solely or even primarily upon a succession of past witnesses, but upon understanding and appropriating the gospel. Authority is vested not in a male hierarchy, but in the leadership of men and women who have attained strength of character and spiritual maturity. Prophetic speech and visions are given a place of primacy as the manifestation of spiritual understanding and the source of sound teaching. Christian community constituted a new humanity, in the image of the true Human within, in which the superficial distinctions of the flesh lacked any spiritual significance. Women as well as men could assume leadership roles on the basis of their spiritual development. The Gospel of Mary rejects any view of God as divine ruler and judge and, hence, repudiates those as proper roles for Christian leadership. The true model for leadership is the Savior, the teacher and mediator of divine wisdom and salvation who cautions his disciples against laying down fixed laws and rules that will come to enslave them.
The historical importance of the Gospel of Mary lies in letting us see the contours of some crucial debates over the authority of apostolic tradition, prophetic experience, and women's leadership. We are in a better position to judge what was at stake in the road Christianity followed by walking a way down one of the paths that has been little trodden.
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, a second-century gospel that was
discovered in the 19th century and not published until 1955, shows
Mary to be the apostle (yes, apostle) to whom Jesus revealed deep
theological insights. King, a professor at Harvard Divinity School
and author of What Is Gnosticism?, argues that the Gospel prefers
inner spiritual knowledge to exterior forms such as the law and that
it reveals some of the gender conflicts and spiritual divisions of
the early Christian movement. … In the brief text, the male apostles
are afraid and despondent after Jesus' post-resurrection departure,
so Mary tries to cheer them by revealing some of the esoteric
teachings that Jesus imparted to her alone. But the teachings cause
discord, as Peter and others refuse to believe that Jesus would have
given such ‘strange ideas’ to a woman. ("Did he choose her over us?"
a petulant Peter asks.) The bulk of King's book takes up various
issues raised by the text – questions about the Son of Man, law,
women's authority, visionary experiences and the body. This is a
serious scholarly study with the apparatus of an academic book,
including Coptic facsimiles of the papyrus, and Coptic and Greek
phrases sprinkled throughout the text. – Publishers Weekly
Karen King’s
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala is a book that many readers are
waiting for – a complete translation of the Gospel of Mary together
with a lucidly written, marvelously informative discussion of where
it comes from and what it means. – Elaine Pagels, Harrington Spear
Paine Foundation Professor of Religion at
This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is – a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.
Religion & Spirituality / Christianity
God, Truth, and Witness: Engaging Stanley Hauerwas edited by L. Gregory Jones, Reinhard Hütter & C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell (Brazos Press)
In 2001, Time magazine named him ‘
God, Truth, and Witness is a collection of writings to celebrate the influential career and writings of Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University and the author of many books, including Performing the Faith, The Peaceable Kingdom, With the Grain of the Universe, A Better Hope, and most recently Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words.
On the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday, Stanley Hauerwas is being honored – this time by peers who are themselves world-class thinkers on theology, politics, ethics, and history. God, Truth, and Witness celebrates a man whose mind and life have been, and continue to be, engaged with God, truth, and witness to both. Hauerwas's peers offer spirited essays discussing and sometimes even arguing with his notions of a wide variety of topics. Pulled together by editors L. Gregory Jones; dean and professor of theology at Duke Divinity School; Reinhard Hotter, associate professor of Christian theology at Duke Divinity School; and C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell, professor at South American Theological Seminary in Brazil; the international lineup of contributors includes:
- Rowan A. Greer
- Hans S. Reinders
- Arne Rasmusson
- Emmanuel M. Katongole
- Bernd Wannenwetsch
- George Lindbeck
- Nicholas Lash
- Peter Ochs
- David B. Burrell, Csc
- Robert Louis Wilken
- Robert N. Bellah
- Robert W. Jenson
- H.Tristram Engelhardt Jr.
- Neville Richardson
- Harry Hueibner
Touching on topics such as church and civil religion and Jewish-Christian relations, this stirring celebration evokes thoughtful engagement and spiritual reflection. God, Truth, and Witness also engages Hauerwas's contributions to key theological twentieth-century developments, including narrative theology, virtue and medical ethics, Christian pacifism, and ecclesiology in a post-Christendom era. The book is a must read for anyone who has followed Hauerwas's career with interest or for those who wish to seek a new perspective on Christian issues through a lens colored by one of the sharpest Christian thinkers of our time.
Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / Philosophy
Creed without Chaos: Exploring Theology in the Writings of Dorothy L. Sayers by Laura K. Simmons (Baker Academic)
Dorothy L. Sayers has been called the "the most significant female British Christian intellectual of the twentieth century." A contemporary of C. S. Lewis, she possessed keen theological sense, tremendous writing skill, and deep concern about how ordinary people understand Christian life. Scholars and even Sayers herself are quick to note that the person who wrote detective fiction, the person who wrote religious plays and essays, and the person who translated Dante are not different people. Rather, Sayers was a woman of huge intellect and convinced faith whose convictions permeated whatever she wrote, though in different ways.
According to Laura K. Simmons, teacher at George Fox Seminary in
Sayers contributed to theological reflection and discussion in three main ways. Based on her observation of the theological ignorance of many of her contemporaries, some of her work serves to restate and/or clarify doctrine. Chapter 3 addresses this clarifying function in her work. Another body of Sayers's work explores, either implicitly or explicitly, traditional theological themes: the incarnation and the person of Christ; redemption, atonement, forgiveness, and justice; sin, death, and evil; the Trinity; liturgical moments (Advent, Epiphany); and the nature of doctrine itself. Chapters 4 through 6 explore these themes.
In some situations, Sayers addressed a theological theme specifically in light of her daily experiences, one of the characteristics of a theology of the laity as described above. A third contribution of Sayers the lay theologian was to reflect theologically on themes related to everyday life but not traditionally discussed by professional theologians: education, learning, and the intellect; creativity and art; vocation, work, and business ethics; the war and politics; theater, plays, and playwriting; women's issues; time and aging; words and language. By ‘reflecting theologically’ we might say that she was examining a subject through God's eyes. While most of these reflections were explicit, some were also presented in implicit ways. Chapters 7 through 10 provide a taste of this kind of theological reflection in Sayers's oeuvre. Chapter 11 explores some specific ways in which Sayers's work can benefit the church in the twenty-first century.
Throughout the analysis of Sayers as a lay theologian, in Creed without Chaos Simmons examines both what she said and how she said it. Sayers both articulated the need for theological literacy among laypeople and embodied what that might look like. Combining a constant integration of ‘theology and’ – theology and work, thought, art, life – with an engaging intellect, Sayers modeled how a layperson brings God into all aspects of his or her daily existence. She practiced what she called ‘sanctifying the intellect,’ disciplining her learning, reading, and writing to be used by God and for God's purposes.
Part 2 contains case studies examining some of Sayers's main theological contributions in more detail. Part 3 involves an examination of Sayers's contribution to the people of God, exploring how the church can use the various categories of Sayers's writings.
Various appendices provide additional resources helpful to an understanding of Sayers as a lay theologian. Appendix A lists many of Sayers's published explicitly religious writings. Appendix B contains the text of the three main creeds of Christendom: the Nicene, Apostles', and Athanasian creeds. Appendix C provides Sayers's suggestions for dates to air The Man Born to Be King in anticipation of Easter. Appendix D contains an article Sayers wrote on how to read creatively and thoughtfully. A glossary defines the various specialized theological terms scattered throughout Sayers's work.
A church newsletter in 1938 published a brief review recommending one of Sayers's essays, The Greatest Drama Ever Staged, as “a clear, forceful and exciting statement of Christian doctrine in wholly untechnical language. . . . And it is real theology, the genuine thing.... After all, is there any reason why theology should not be made interesting?” Creed without Chaos asks the same question. Even before Sayers's death, admirer Deborah Webster wrote, "Who is this challenging, ironic woman who has only to phrase an article of faith to have it come afire?'" In the book Simmons examines that woman, how she phrased the articles of faith, and the fire they brought to life.
In this superb commentary on Sayers, Laura Simmons brilliantly
helps church members and leaders of all sorts recover the task of
speaking biblical truth clearly. Not only did this book inspire me
immensely with Sayers's (and Simmons's) keen theological insights
into such topics as how the writing process illustrates the Trinity,
but it also offers great suggestions for future study of Sayers. …
This is an exceedingly timely book. – Marva J. Dawn, teaching fellow
in spiritual theology,
A thorough evaluation of Sayers's theological contribution is
long overdue. In recent years, attention has been paid to important
features of her life, literary work, and fictional writings. This
volume, the fruit of more than a decade of investigation into
Sayers's thought, draws on the full range of both her creative
writings and her informative letters. In doing so, it further
enhances Sayers's reputation as one of the twentieth century's most
significant and vigorous apologists for the Christian faith. –
Robert Banks, senior fellow, Center for the Study of Christian
Thought and Experience,
Creed without Chaos provides a cogent argument for Sayers's continuing relevance for today's church. In today’s world, which is ever more confused about what Christianity has to offer, Sayers's clarifications of doctrine are still useful. Her observations on vocation and her use of her own vocation to live out her theology provide inspiration for the working laity. This well-researched book performs a service for theology students and interested laypeople alike by providing a theological, rather than a literary, introduction to Sayers's writings as well as a way to instruct the church in its own history.
Religion & Spirituality / Judaism
Twilight of the Gods: Polytheism in the Hebrew Bible by David
Penchansky (
Since the middle of the twentieth century, one of biblical
scholarship's chief assumptions has been that ancient
David Penchansky's
Twilight of the Gods shows a historical
According to Penchansky, Professor of Theology at the
Polytheism, in many and varying forms, seems to revisit ancient
Israelite texts as a kind of Freudian ‘return of the repressed.’
Freud claimed that those parts of our psyche we repress come out in
a hidden or dreamlike manner. Certain emotional conflicts, if we
force them down, return disguised. Although
Jews proclaim, Hear, O
The Bible, however, indicates that the ancient Israelites believed differing and conflicting things about God. First, some Israelites believed that only one God existed from the beginning of time. Second, some Israelites believed that only one God existed but that earlier times saw many gods involved in people's lives. Finally, some Israelites (along with most of West Semitic culture) believed that the gods were organized in tiers, and Yahweh inhabited the highest tier alone.
The second and third of these options would not meet contemporary criteria for monotheism, and yet they too shaped the meaning of monotheism for subsequent generations. In their own way, they each elevate Yahweh above other deities.
Penchansky in Twilight of the Gods defines monotheism more broadly, including in his definition of monotheism those Israelites who worshiped Yahweh exclusively while acknowledging the existence of other gods, commonly called henotheism. Those Israelites centered Yahweh in their devotion, regarding him as the chief and most powerful god, as the god who specifically cared about their nation.
Our understanding of
Monotheism might be described most simply as the belief in one god. But such a definition does not preclude the belief in the existence of other gods. You shall have no other gods before me (Exod. 20:3) By ‘before me,’ the writer affirms that other gods actually exist, and might theoretically be brought into Yahweh's presence.
Historically, biblical scholarship has tended to see paganism displaced over time by monotheism. However, the struggle was more an ongoing process. The ancient Israelites had never quite resolved the ‘god question,’ so they oscillated from one extreme position to another.
Therefore, upon the surface of strict monotheism that is the Hebrew Bible, one occasionally sees faint stirrings of a world where, although Yahweh is the supreme God, he is not always the only god. The literature of the Hebrew Bible gives significant evidence that the Israelites drew deeply from the well of mythology that they found among the people in whose land they dwelt.
There are two parts to Twilight of the Gods: Gods of Ancient Israel and Goddesses of Ancient Israel. As to gods: Miqreh (chapter 2) is not a divine personality, but more like a force. The Israelites carefully distinguished miqreh from the realm of the gods. But the others, Chemosh and the members of the divine council, all fit into the category ‘gods.’ They exist as part of the Israelite pantheon, which includes Yahweh. With Chemosh and miqreh (chapters 1 and 2), they compete with Yahweh. The divine council (chapters 3 and 4) submits to Yahweh and does his will, but its members are gods nonetheless. Finally, in chapter 5, Second Isaiah satirizes the gods, because he believes they do not exist.
As to goddesses: Penchansky says that when he began to write Twilight of the Gods, he expected to find that Yahweh and each of the goddesses mentioned in the Bible formed a couple, that at various times Yahweh would have chosen this or that female deity as his consort or wife. Instead he found that two of these goddesses (Hokmah and Lady Zion) were Yahweh's daughters, and the only evidence that Yahweh had a wife is found outside the ancient text, in ancient inscriptions dug up in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The first chapter of Genesis describes humans as made in the
image of God. The writer carefully specifies through parallel
writing that the image of God is male and female: So God created
humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male
and female he created them. By making parallel the terms ‘image of
God’ and ‘male and female,’ the writer stressed that the God of whom
he spoke had the qualities of both maleness and femaleness.
Ordinarily, gods in the ancient Near East were either male or
female, and both were needed to bring life and fertility to the
world. They achieved this through their sexual union. But the writer
of Genesis 1 insists that God needed no consort because he possessed
the qualities of both male and female, so in a sense, he could
self-fertilize and bring life into the world with no help from a
wife.
Penchansky's
Twilight of the Gods is the first accessible book that shows a
historical
Quite readable, the book provided a nuanced portrait of the
beliefs of ancient
Science / Astronomy / History
Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope by Fred Watson (Da Capo Press)
From its humble beginnings in seventeenth-century
The history of the telescope is a rich story of human ingenuity and perseverance involving some of the most colorful figures of the scientific world – Galileo, Johann Kepler, Isaac Newton, William Herschel, George Ellery Hale, and Edwin Hubble.
Stargazer is written by Fred Watson, Astronomer-in-Charge of the
Anglo-Australian Observatory at Coonabarabran in central
Stargazer traces the history of the telescope, from its origins
with Tycho Brahe (
Stargazer captures the life of the modern astronomer – an intensely competitive individual who is "driven not only by the desire to reveal new insights into the mysteries of the Cosmos, but also to be the first to do so." Watson even exposes the ‘aperture fever’ that grips most astronomers as they vie for the telescope with the largest light-collecting surface, or mirror. Apparently, at least when it comes to telescopes, size matters, and Stargazer acquaints us with the biggest and the best.
[A] pleasing history...told with gleeful professionalism...A fine
piece of science writing, from an author as intelligibly capable as
Brian Greene or Richard Dawkins. – Kirkus (starred review)
[Watson is] a gifted science communicator...Treating readers to
an insider's view of the competitive and passionate culture of the
astronomers who devote their lives to gathering data about the
universe, Watson describes in readable engaging prose the technical
obstacles to improving our knowledge of the universe...As accessible
as Isaac Asimov's Eyes on the Universe and broader in scope than W.
Patrick McCray's more recent Giant Telescopes, this book will appeal
to many...Recommended. – Library Journal
A lively and well-illustrated history of the development of the
telescope and its impact on science and society,
Stargazer brings to life the story of these brilliant, and
sometimes quirky, scientists as they turned their eyes and ideas
beyond what anyone thought possible. Watson, one of
Science / Biology
The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body by Desmond Morris (Thomas Dunne Books)
Every human female has a beautiful body. The brilliant end point
of millions of years of evolution, loaded with amazing adjustments
and subtle refinements, it is the most remarkable organism on the
planet.
At different times and in different places, human societies have tried to improve on nature, modifying and embellishing the female body in a thousand different ways. In The Naked Woman, internationally bestselling author and world-famous human behaviorist Desmond Morris, tackles one of his most fascinating and challenging subjects to date, turning his attention to the female form and taking readers on a guided tour of the female body from head to toe. Highlighting the evolutionary functions of various physiological traits, Morris's study explores the various forms of enhancement and constraint that human societies have developed in the quest for the perfect female form. Chapters go through the body parts one by one, and there are pictures of each part featuring women both famous and unknown. Each chapter not only explains the exciting biological features that all human females share, but also discusses the many ways in which these features are exaggerated or suppressed, enlarged or reduced, and thus attempts to give a rounded picture of the most fascinating subject in the world – the naked woman.
The admiration evinced throughout Morris's ‘guided tour of the
female body’ will make a nice change for women… body parts are
special, he points out, in being superior to the male equivalent. –
Guardian (
Morris to the rescue, handing us girls back our evolutionary
birthright with this celebration of ‘the most fascinating subject in
the world – the naked woman.’ – Telegraph (
Written from a zoologist's perspective and packed full of scientific fact, fascinating accounts, and thought-provoking conclusions, The Naked Woman builds on Morris's unrivalled experience as an observer of the human animal. This is vintage Morris, delivered in his trademark voice: direct, clear, focused, and communicating what is often complex detail in simple language. The author of the international bestsellers The Naked Ape and Manwatching, Morris applies the friendly and accessible approach which has made him one of the best-known figures in the field of natural history. The book incorporates some of his previous work, Bodywatching, but not much.
Sports / Home & Garden / Animals & Pets
Ride from Within: Use Tai Chi Principles to Awaken Your Natural
Balance and Rhythm by James Shaw (Trafalgar
Square Publishing) is an exploration of Tai Chi as it relates to
riding and to developing a mind-body connection on and off the
horse.
James Shaw asks readers: Have you ever seen a talented dressage
rider performing an exquisite test, her seat seemingly melding with
her horse’s back, and his movements airy, animated, and effortless?
Or, perhaps you’ve watched a great cutting horse at work, his
direction and momentum changing on a dime as he reads his cow, his
rider’s body flowing fluidly above him as if they were one.
Riders dream of experiencing a ‘connection’ with their horses, not only in the show ring, but during daily lessons and on peaceful trail rides. In Ride from Within, Shaw teaches readers how the practice of Tai Chi – an ancient Chinese art that unifies the body, mind, and spirit in a series of flowing movements – can help riders achieve this oft-dreamed connection.
Readers learn to calm the mind, control the breath, and center the body, so that the body increasingly acts as one cohesive unit. The riding position softens so movements become relaxed and free of tension, and the foundation of smooth, rhythmic breathing allows readers to communicate from their center. Then by asking the horse for the same thing with the body that one is in the mind and spirit, they improve their horse's performance as an athlete and a partner and experience a connection like never before.
Ride from Within helps readers:
- Develop a sensitive seat and learn to use their breath as an aid.
- Reduce tension unconsciously held in their hands.
- Lower their center of balance and expand their center.
- Create free movement in their lower back and spine.
- Heal pain and stiffness in their neck, shoulders, lower back, hips, and hands.
Working with James is a profound experience. He is a clear, patient, gentle, and very effective teacher who understands the inner workings of people and horses. I love what James did for me, and my horse Gideon does, too. – Kim Walnes, teacher, coach, and US Equestrial Team member, 1980-1986
James Shaw uses Tai Chi principles to teach riding from the
inside out. I have used his exercises with many of my students and
have repeatedly seen breakthroughs. I highly recommend the book to
riders, instructors, and trainers of all levels and disciplines. –
Kate Selby, American Riding Instructors Association Instructor of
the Year, 2002 and
With a step-by-step guide readers and a basic discussion of Eastern philosophy, Ride from Within provides a great foundation for a new way of riding. Shaw's techniques have worked for hundreds of riders, so he has won the right to claim that as readers gain Tai Chi experience and apply it to their riding, they will find their horsemanship becoming not just more skilled, but more satisfying.
Sports / Kayaking / Arts & Crafts
Stitch-and-Glue Boatbuilding: How to Build Kayaks and Other Small Boats by Chris Kulczycki (International Marine)
In Stitch-and-Glue Boatbuilding, Chris Kulczycki, one of the leading practitioners and teachers of the craft assembles the definitive how-to manual for the most popular method of amateur boatbuilding today. Enlivened with tales of boat shop mishaps and designs gone bad that entertain as they instruct, this book includes full plans and assembly instructions for nine boats – seven kayaks, a sailing skiff, and a wherry. Step-by-step photos and drawings make this an ideal guide for visual learners.
Kulczycki, founder of Chesapeake Light Craft, the largest boat-kit and plan manufacturer in the world, author of The New Kayak Shop, explains why readers don't need to be master craftsmen with dozens of specialized tools to create a sleek, responsive small boat. He lays out the basic stitch-and-glue building techniques; outlines the shortcuts and pitfalls; and details the materials boat builders will need. Then he guides readers through each phase of the building process, from cutting plywood panels and stitching them together to gluing the seams with epoxy to fiber glassing, sanding, painting, finishing, and outfitting.
Building a stitch-and-glue boat brings readers as close as they are likely to get to instant boatbuilding. Stitch-and-Glue Boatbuilding presents the fastest, easiest method yet devised for creating a strong, beautiful, seaworthy craft with one’s own hands. Kulczycki, one of the world's premier stitch-and-glue designers, builders, and teachers gives readers the information and guidance their need to build the boat of their dreams in their backyard, basement, or garage.
Sports / Martial Arts
Kodokan Judo: Throwing Techniques by Toshiro
Daigo, translated by Francoise White (Kodansha International) is
the complete book of judo throwing techniques from the headquarters
of
Throughout the long history of Japan's martial traditions, judo
has evolved into one of the nation's richest and most revered
cultural legacies. The vast array of judo techniques has branched
out into three distinct categories: throwing techniques, grappling
techniques, and striking techniques. Of these, throwing techniques
(nage-waza) represent some of the most dynamic and compelling
aspects of this world-famous martial art.
Recent developments in competition (shiai) and free practice (randori) have seen an increase in the number of forms of nage-waza, leading to often confusing interpretations of the techniques' names. The purpose of Kodokan Judo, therefore, is to provide a comprehensive and correct classification of nage-waza terminology as used in both competition and practice.
Written by Toshiro Daigo, the manager of the Japanese judo team
at the 1976 Olympic Games in
For many years Daigo has held the prestigious position of chief instructor at the Kodokan, regarded as the mecca for all judo enthusiasts. Kodokan Judo, the result of painstaking research into the constantly changing forms of judo's nage-waza, will be an invaluable resource for practitioners everywhere.
Travel /
Hiking in Ontario by Tracey Arial (Ulysses Green Escapes Series: Ulysses Travel Guides; distributed by Hunter Publishing)
Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade,
Trees where you sit shall crowd into a shade:
Where'er you tread, the blushing flowers shall rise,
And all things flourish where you turn your eyes.
Alexander Pope never hiked along
- In-depth coverage of some 400 trails in 65 parks and conservation areas, rated by level of difficulty, plus a listing of more than 160 additional hiking locations.
- All the necessary practical information (directions, trailheads, services) as well as descriptions of each area's natural and cultural features.
- More than 20 maps to keep readers on the right track.
- A listing of the best trails, to help readers choose.
In this the second edition of Hiking in Ontario, author Tracey Arial, staffer at Ulysses Green Escapes, outlines 70 of the province's most interesting hiking trails in detail. According to Arial all of them are worth driving a day or more to get to, either because of an unusual geological feature or because there are many diverse walking experiences nearby. She advises readers to plan on spending at least one full day in each of these major locations. Some conservation areas; others are provincial parks or nature reserves; and others are small towns. Each section describes all the possible trails hikers might experience in a single location. These hiking trails are further divided within regional sections so that they can select the length of hike, whether that means doing two or three sections of a long trail or a couple of trails in one region. At the back of each region, all the other hiking trails in the area are listed so that residents, long-term or frequent visitors can explore everything on return visits.
These trails will take readers to some of
Hiking in Ontario also identifies 18 favorite locations which are specially marked – these trails are the ones with the most awe-inspiring locations, either because of the type of landscape, the importance of a cultural site, the plants or animals that live within the location or simply for the unique experience they provide.
To help readers identify hikes that match their own passions, the
first chapter provides a big-picture look at
The rest of
Hiking in Ontario is divided into six major regions, which are
roughly based on telephone area codes. They include
Whether readers are looking for a day away from the city with the baby strapped to their backs and the dog on a leash, a week-long trek through the wilderness or a wheelchair-accessible trail, Hiking in Ontario has it covered. The book can make a real difference if time is limited and readers want to choose the best trails. The book would have been greatly enhanced, albeit also made more expensive, by the inclusion of photos.
Naturalists will particularly appreciate the bird and plant species mentioned within each listing, while budding geologists will want to hike the trails that lead past potholes, kettle lakes and drumlins.
Travel /
Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Breweries by Lew
Bryson (Stackpole Books)
…one night in my senior year at
It was big, full in the mouth, and touched by a strange bitterness that I'd never tasted before. That bitterness made another sip the most natural thing in the world, like pepper on potatoes. I've been looking for beers outside the American mainstream ever since that night. – from the book
Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Breweries is a travel guide
about breweries and the region that is home to startling natural
beauty and man-made wonders. Sharing information has been a part of
the success of the rise of micro-breweries in the
It does not present a comprehensive history of any brewery, nor
is it one of the ubiquitous books that try to rate every single beer
produced by every single brewery. It is not a conglomeration of beer
jargon – Original Gravities, International Bittering Unit levels,
Apparent Attenuations, and so on. And it's not about homebrewing.
The book is a compendium of information about
Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Breweries is organized in
alternating parts. The meat of the book, the brewery information, is
presented in seven sections. Each of these geographical sections –
The history and character of the brewpub or brewery, highlights, Bryson’s observations, and other information are presented in a narrative section. A brew pub sells beer to be enjoyed on location, whereas a brewery sells its beer primarily off-premises. If any beers have won Great American Beer Festival (GABF) or Real Ale Festival (RAF) awards those are noted, but not every brewery enters these competitions.
In
Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Breweries, Bryson explains how
microbreweries got started: Fritz Maytag bought the Anchor Brewery
in
Next came the microbreweries. Ambitious home brewers, maverick
mega brewers, and military or businesspeople who had been to
The revolution started in the West and grew very slowly. Sisson's
and Baltimore Brewing opened in
Then the long-anticipated shakeout hit the industry, and the
press has gleefully reported several times since then that micro
brewing is dead. Most of the larger micros had troubles, and some of
the undercapitalized ones went under. The tragic events of
Things looked bad for a few years. But Bryson thinks that micro brewing is not just a passing fad, that Brewpubs are established in their communities, and that more are still opening. The area's smaller microbreweries are doing well; a number of them were returning to growth and planning expansions.
I first got to meet Lew in 1998 during a beer festival at Henry
Ortlieb's revived brewery in downtown
…I’m sure Lew is going to keep searching for the ultimate beer
experiences. There are some real treasures out there, and with Lew's
guidance, you can discover them for yourself. Enjoy the trip.
Cheers. – Sam Calagione, President, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, from
the foreword
Well,
Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Breweries made this reviewer
consider switching the plans to tour the wine regions of
Guide to This Issue
Issue Contents: Art:
Virtual Touring Italy, Rethinking Design,
French Style, A History of Western
Architecture, Small Boatbuilding,
Fiction: Suspense: Patriot Shenanigans,
An Alternative WWII, Novel: Coming-of-Age in Civic
Dissolution, Science Fiction: Posthumanity in
Technological Morphing,