SirReadaLot.org
We Review the Best of the Latest Books
ISSN 1934-6557
December 2005, Issue #80
Guide to This Issue
Contents: Photography and Community in
the Twentieth Century, Biography of George W. Bush,
Ben Franklin:
Arts & Photography
American Exposures: Photography and Community in the Twentieth
Century by Louis Kaplan (
Photographs have the power to define and shape a community of
people – for those who are revealed as well as for those who view
them. Louis Kaplan addresses this phenomenon through a constellation
of essays that draw on the artistic renderings of national, ethnic,
and global community. Spanning the twentieth century,
American Exposures sheds light on a wide range of photographs,
from Arthur Mole’s propagandistic ‘living photographs’ of American
icons and symbols to the exploration of contemporary sub-cultural
communities by the Korean-born photographer and performance artist
Nikki Lee, and asserts that the depiction of community is a central
component to photography.
Examining an eclectic collection of photographers,
American Exposures deploys a number of critical concepts and
theories developed by Jean-Luc Nancy in The Inoperative Community,
as well as other philosophers, and applies them to the field of
photography studies. Combining artistic and historical material with
interdisciplinary theory, Kaplan, associate professor of history and
theory of photography and new media in the Graduate Department of
History of Art at the
Without minimizing their differences, Louis Kaplan examines a
heterogeneous set of works to demonstrate the many links between the
practice of photography and endless efforts to delineate concepts of
community. Few studies could be more relevant for rethinking the
role of photography in the ‘American’ twentieth century. – Sally
Stein,
The profusely illustrated
American Exposures sheds an innovative light on photographs of
the twentieth century. With an original approach to photography,
from Edward Steichen’s Family of Man exhibition to Pedro Meyer and
the rise of the digital image, Kaplan points to a new way to think
about the intimate relationship among photography, American life,
and the artistic imagination.
Biographies & Memoirs / Leaders & Notable People
George W. Bush: Portrait of a Leader by Tyndale with an introduction by Karen Hughes (Tyndale House Publishers)
The essence of the presidency is often captured in small moments…. This book is a collection of those moments, captured by the White House photographers, whose work provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes account of the Bush presidency. – Karen Hughes, from the Foreword
Small moments…a bullhorn clasped in one hand as the other encircles a retired fireman; a fallen policeman's badge, given by a grieving mother that becomes the symbol of "lives that ended and a task that does not end;" a handshake between the leaders of Britain and the United States, whose shared resolve toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein. George W. Bush is a behind-the-scenes account of the Bush presidency as captured by the White House photographers. The White House Photo Office documents the presidency. For those readers who do not know, for almost 40 years White House photographers have accompanied each President throughout his working days in American and around the world. Eric Draper, the current director of the White House Photo Office, leads a team of photographers and photo editors from the West Wing of the White House.
Originally developed for limited distribution by the 55th
Presidential Inaugural Committee,
George W. Bush is being made accessible to the general public by
Tyndale House Publishers. The book contains over 100 photos, select
quotes from George W. Bush, and a reprinting of Bush's 2005
inaugural address. It also contains an introduction by Karen Hughes,
who has worked for the President since he ran for Governor of Texas,
serving as Counselor to the President in the White House, helping
run his 2000 presidential campaign, and serving as his
communications director during his six years as Texas Governor.
George W. Bush gives readers a look at public and private moments of the 43rd President from his first Inaugural to his second, during some of the most difficult days in the nation's history. This beautiful book captures the essence of the day-to-day responsibilities of the presidency. In George W. Bush readers are able to view in one place many behind-the-scenes photographs of a sitting President, taking readers inside the presidency in a way few have ever experienced.
Business & Investing / Biographies & Memoirs
Ben Franklin:
The most versatile Founding Father was a husband, a father, a writer, an inventor, a statesman, a fundraiser and a military leader, but first and foremost a businessman. Franklin's captivating adventures include his almost single-handed responsibility for establishing the first media empire, the first public library, the first fire brigade, the University of Pennsylvania, the first book club and the first franchise – all of which are detailed within these pages with Franklin's characteristic mix of humility and pride.
Ben Franklin is the only modern translation of
- Part I details
- Part II covers
- Part III showcases a highly effective
In
Ben Franklin,
Although this modernized version of
Anyone who’s got the bug and drive to become a great leader and
innovator can only be inspired by the life of Benjamin Franklin, who
quite literally wrote the book for getting the most out of himself
and bringing out the best in others. His genius – scientific,
entrepreneurial, diplomatic, and literary – was sui generis. His
Autobiography is a classic of American letters, and he emerges from
the pages of Professor McCormick’s version not only as our
contemporary, but also as a 21st century visionary, not to mention a
wise companion. – Judith Rodin, Ph.D., President Emerita, The
Statesman and inventor are the first images that come to mind
when we think of Benjamin Franklin, but as his autobiography will
remind us, he was also a very successful entrepreneur and a most
fascinating individual. Dr. McCormick brings the story of
The only modern adaptation of Benjamin Franklin's l8th century
autobiography,
Ben Franklin’s is one of the greatest business stories ever
told.
Business & Investing / Management & Leadership
The Pebble and the Avalanche: How Taking Things Apart Creates Revolutions by Moshe Yudkowsky (Berrett Koehler Publishers Inc.)
What is the common denominator linking most of the technical and business innovations from the past 200 years? According to Moshe Yudkowsky, the answer can be summed up in one polysyllabic word: disaggregation.
Important revolutions of the past 30 years include the Internet,
personal computers, the XML programming language, and the breakup of
AT&T. What do they have in common? All are based on innovations that
break technology apart. After breaking a technology apart, it still
works – phone calls could still be made after the breakup of AT&T –
but it is composed of smaller and more flexible pieces that can be
used to create new innovations. This process is called
‘disaggregation,’ so named because the pieces of the technology that
were formerly stuck together are pried apart. Using the simple
metaphor of the pebble and the avalanche – prying rocks loose from a
mountaintop releases tremendous energy –
The Pebble and the Avalanche explains the workings and benefits
of disaggregation.
Yudkowsky, physicist, inventor, president of Disaggregate and Chair of the Midwest Speech Technology Association, explains how prying pieces of technology apart can unleash a similar outpouring of tremendously powerful, groundbreaking ideas. Through a variety of high-profile historical examples – the break-up of AT&T, the age of digital music, and the phenomenon of the Internet – Yudkowksy details exactly how the process of disaggregation works.
The book is filled with dozens of examples from the past 200 years. Thus, in tangible terms Yudkowksy differentiates between the five different ways things are taken apart, highlights the many benefits of disaggregation, and suggests how to use disaggregation to develop new innovations. Yudkowsky also demonstrates how some of the most important innovations in history – interchangeable parts, the automobile, personal computers – were displays of disaggregation in action. And there are more subtle examples – separating information from the storage medium – digital music doesn't rely on records, tapes, or CDs; digital photographs don't require paper; and digital movies don't need film – has enabled millions of people to create and share their work (and others') far more easily than ever before, with enormous implications.
The Pebble and the Avalanche also offers strategies for successfully adapting to a disaggregation revolution – a necessary course of action for anyone who wants to survive and thrive in the 21st century. And in that same line of thought, the book provides precautionary advice against futile attempts to suppress disaggregation. Yudkowksy also points toward the future, identifying several industries that are about to be completely transformed by disaggregation.
A terrific book – it's full of ideas that helped me rethink our
company's position in our commercial ecosystem. And it's
entertaining, too! – Lin Chase, Ph.D., Vice President,
This book started pebbles bouncing around in my head. If you're
tired of incremental progress and want to make a big difference,
then stop reading this endorsement and buy this book. – Richard
Axelrod, author of Terms of Engagement, and coauthor of You Don't
Have to Do It Alone
Mr. Yudkowsky offers a novel perspective on the forces of
destructive creation. His analysis and numerous examples of the
benefits and pitfalls of disaggregation draw from sources as diverse
as trains, bears and Lenin. An entertaining and thought provoking
read. – Tom Rowley, CEO, Preventsys
… This isn't another generic change-in-the-workplace book. This
book offers rational advice and sensible tools that really make a
difference when making decisions, both big and small. – Ed Bennett,
Director of Web Strategy, University of
In The Pebble and the Avalanche Yudkowsky shows why the dynamic of disaggregation is crucial to survival in the 21st century marketplace – and how readers can use it to bring about change in their industries. This is a thought provoking book, full of ideas and strategies; it will appeal particularly to those who are idea oriented, especially those in high tech fields, and it is entertaining too.
Business & Investing / Management & Leadership
Resonant Leadership by Richard E. Boyatzis & Annie McKee, with a foreword by Daniel Goleman (Harvard Business School Press)
We've all seen it before: the ambitious leader who enjoys great success and then, inexplicably, crashes and burns. Why does this happen, in spite of the leader's vision, talent, and emotional intelligence?
Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, coauthors, with Daniel Goleman, of the international bestseller Primal Leadership, argue that today's leaders face unprecedented challenges that result in a vicious cycle of stress and sacrifice, with little or no recovery time built in. Consequently, even the most resonant leaders – whose ability to deftly manage their own and others' emotions once drove their companies to greatness – end up spiraling into dissonance.
In
Resonant Leadership, Boyatzis, Professor in the Department of
Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at
Case Western Reserve, and McKeeis, co-chair of the Teleos Leadership
Institute and teacher at the
Through examples from the front lines of organizations worldwide, Resonant Leadership illustrates the ways that three key elements – mindfulness, hope, and compassion – are essential to enabling renewal and sustaining resonance. Boyatzis and McKee show that these seemingly ‘soft’ concepts have proven implications for the practice of leadership, invoking physiological and psychological changes that enable leaders to overcome the negative effects of chronic stress. The book also provides dozens of exercises and a field-tested Intentional Change Model to guide leaders on their path to resonance and renewal.
Resonant Leadership reveals that the path to resonance, by
intentionally employing mindfulness, hope, and compassion, creates
effective and enduring leadership.
...Boyatzis and McKee's methodology is appropriately academic,
with extensive footnotes and research citations, but it also uses a
nice blend of anecdotes from their field work as consultants, and is
expressed through decidedly touchy-feely language. What emerges is a
highly engaging, readable work that takes business audiences into
somewhat unusual psychological territory, far beyond the usual bar
charts and spreadsheets.
… whether already-strong leaders looking to maintain their
effectiveness, or burned-out ones aiming to get back in the
proverbial saddle – will find this is a thought-provoking read. –
Peter Han, Amazon.com
… when business leaders are under scrutiny for moral lapses on
financial and social fronts, the exercises and arguments in this
book can help executives learn to improve their interests by
strengthening their ethics. – Publishers Weekly, starred review
Resonant Leadership goes straight to the heart of what it takes
to be a leader in today's pressure-cooker world. It is data driven,
full of unconventional wisdom, and highly practical. Superbly
written,
Resonant Leadership represents an extraordinary contribution to
the world of business. – Jim Loehr, Chairman and CEO, LGE
Performance Systems, and coauthor of the bestseller The Power of
Full Engagement
The authors provide a practical guide to sustaining success as a leader in the face of relentless stress through cultivation of mindfulness, hope, and compassion – in the workplace and in daily life. They support their theories with instructive real-life examples. This is a rare business book, truly a pleasure to read. I recommend Resonant Leadership to all who lead or aspire to lead. – Barbara Krumsiek, President and CEO, Calvert Group
The quality and sustainability of any organization rests on the intellectual and emotional connection between its leaders and its key stakeholders. The work of Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee is inspiring to anyone wanting to resonate deeply with those they lead. – Mats Lederhausen, Managing Director, McDonald's Ventures LLC
Leaders can't sustain effectiveness if they can't sustain themselves. Resonant Leadership offers inspiration and tools – to help readers become and remain successful leaders in their work and in their lives.
Business & Investing / Non-profits & Charities
Results that Matter: Improving Communities by Engaging Citizens, Measuring Performance, and Getting Things Done by Paul Epstein, Paul M. Coates, & Lyle D. Wray, with Swain Swain (Jossey-Bass)
Is your community strong and vibrant or merely struggling to
survive?
Today's communities – whether they are strong or struggling –
face difficult challenges if they want to be tomorrow's healthy,
vibrant communities. The challenge for community leaders and
citizens is not just to solve specific problems today. Their real
challenge is to keep learning from their experience so they can keep
improving their communities tomorrow.
In a time of increased scrutiny and heightened demands for accountability, community and public leaders must demonstrate more than good intentions: they must produce results. Results that Matter presents the new Effective Community Governance Model that brings together valuable tools of community improvement – especially performance measurement and citizen engagement – to empower communities to achieve the outcomes their citizens most desire.
Results that Matter is filled with real-life examples from twenty-five communities across the country that demonstrate the benefits and practicality of the model and related practices. The authors are Paul D. Epstein, principal of Epstein and Fass Associates, a New York-based consulting firm; Paul M. Coates, director of the Office of State and Local Government Programs and associate professor of public policy and administration in the Department of Political Science at Iowa State University; Lyle D. Wray is executive director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments based in Hartford; and David Swain, a Florida-based consultant who managed the Jacksonville Community Council Inc.'s pioneering community quality of life indicators. They provide down-to-earth guidance, including self-improvement practices of effective communities and new roles for citizens, community leaders, and managers. Government and nonprofit managers learn how to combine these tools in new ways, not only to achieve one-time improvement of their organizations and communities, but to foster continual community renewal and improvement.
Too many politicians think that being a leader means being a
powerbroker.
Results that Matter clearly demonstrates that leadership means
letting the people lead. – Mayor William Johnson,
Results that Matter provides concrete teaching tools for
nonprofit developers, local governments, residents, or anyone else
working to build strong and healthy communities. The authors
demonstrate that results-based governance and citizen engagement not
only enrich community improvement efforts, they are necessary
ingredients for success. – Michael Rubinger, president and CEO,
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Results that Matter is a must-read for any community leader,
especially those outside of government, who want to create a
community culture of high expectation for success. The book provides
an engaging depth of information while staying in the comfort zone
of those of who aren't experts in performance measurement. – Michael
Meotti, president and CEO,
The authors effectively show how two compelling and potentially
conflicting forces – modern managerial techniques and citizen
engagement – can be combined to produce livable communities where
things get done and people invest in the future and care about the
present. As a local government educator and former mayor, I see in
this book a rare combination of practical case examples and
intellectual guidance that should appeal to citizens, public
officials, and students concerned about community building. – John
Nalbandian, chair and professor, Department of Public
Administration,
Read
Results that Matter. Learn how citizens, governments, and
nonprofit organizations can work together and improve their
communities. – Joe Wholey,
What is more important than results? Rock solid examples to
emulate. – Michael Van Milligen, City Manager,
Results that Matter offers ‘how to’ guidance to public and nonprofit managers, including promising practices for effective communities, and new roles for citizens, community leaders, and managers. Using the information and tools in the book, government and nonprofit managers, civic reformers, and community leaders and activists will learn not only how to achieve one-time improvement of their organizations and communities but how to foster a continual cycle of community renewal and improvement.
Cooking, Food & Wine
America's Great Delis: Recipes and Traditions from Coast to Coast by Sheryll Bellman (Collectors Press)
A
The true American deli is an endangered species with many older
establishments closing their doors. As more delis take on
characteristics of diners, the traditional menu offerings are
becoming more homogenized and less individual. The stories, recipes,
and images offered in
America's Great Delis preserve the great deli tradition and keep
the doors open for future generations to nosh to their heart’s
content. The book is a gathering place for great food, history, and
the celebration of Jewish cuisine and culture.
The book features:
- More than one hundred nostalgic deli photographs, historical food and deli details, and a guide to ‘deli speak.’
- Recipes including Ben’s Kosher Noodle Kugel, Zingerman’s Hamentaschen, Ratner’s Potato Pancakes, Nate ‘n Al’s Corned Beef Hash, and many more.
- Famous delis such as the
- More than 75 recipes from
- Beloved recipes found in the glass cases and on the menus of delis nationwide.
- Historical information on the popularity and origins of the deli.
Bellman reveals the origins and evolution of many favorites like
challah, corned beef, matzo, cheesecake, and bagels, which were
created in
Whether it’s a pastrami on rye or a bagel with a schmear,
America's Great Delis explores the history and recipes of the
country’s most beloved delis. Bellman highlights classic American
delis with their colorful characters and rich histories by way of
recipes that have been passed down by family-owned establishments
for generations.
Cooking, Food & Wine
The Food and Cooking of Greece: A Classic Mediterranean Cuisine:
History, Traditions, Ingredients and over 160 Recipes by Rena
Salaman & Jan Cutler (Lorenz Books), with over
700 photographs, shows readers how to recreate the flavors, aromas
and colors of sunny
With a culinary heritage shaped by the sun, the sea and the Mediterranean landscape, eek cuisine is bursting with rich flavors and fresh ingredients. It makes full use of ripe summer fruits, herbs and vegetables, particularly tomatoes and olives, to produce the foundations of dishes that are both healthy and packed with taste. To these signature staples, ingredients are added from the surrounding area – succulent lamb; freshly-caught fish, such as swordfish, hake, tuna and squid; yogurt; feta cheese; and bread, baked slowly in smoky local ovens.
The Food and Cooking of Greece is all about translating and recreating the evocative tastes, textures and traditions of Greek food easily in the kitchens of readers. Written by Greek cookbook author Rena Salaman, and freelance editor and food writer Jan Cutler, the book opens with a history of Greek cuisine and its regional influences, and then gives full details on how to choose the best ingredients and how to prepare these foods in the traditional method.
The recipe section offers more than 160 authentic dishes, both classic and modern – mezes, soups, man courses, vegetable dishes and desserts. Every recipe is tested for the modern kitchen and uses ingredients that can new be found in the local supermarket.
All recipes are illustrated step by step, demonstrated visually so they are easy to follow and copy with confidence, and there is a photograph of every finished dish to show the reader exactly what to aim for. Mezes include such delights as Grilled Vegetable Terrine, Stuffed Vine Leaves, and Taramasalata. For the main course, there are dishes such as Spring Lamb Casserole with Fresh Peas, and Grilled Swordfish skewers. For these with a sweet-tooth, The Food and Cooking of Greece provides mouthwatering specialties such as Walnut Cake or Sifnos Cheese and Honey Tart.
The Food and Cooking of Greece provides a collection of 150
wonderfully flavored classic Greek recipes using popular traditional
ingredients, all lavishly photographed to make them easy to follow.
Cooking, Food & Wine
Hotter than Hell: Hot & Spicy Dishes from around the World by Jane Butel (Northland Publishing)
Using popular spicy ingredients from the
Jane Butel, an internationally recognized authority on the regional cooking of the American Southwest shows how to start with smaller amounts of the hot stuff in each recipe. Readers of Hotter than Hell eventually work their way up to zingly, tingly, tongue-numbing dishes like Zesty Szechwan Salmon and Hot to Trot Tarts. The book includes fired-up recipes of all kinds including appetizers, soups, salads and main dishes. There is also basic information on ingredients, mail order sources and an index. Butel includes icy cold beverages and creamy desserts like the Pink Mermaid and Butterscotch Peach Crisps to soothe the palate and put out the fire.
Butel, a native of
In 1983, she founded her own
Butel's ‘hell’ is undefined, but her recipes are pungent, often
imaginative, and just what she says: Hot! …Butel, an experienced
author and lover of spicy foods, wisely includes a few desserts and
both soothing and fiery beverages. A fiendish success. – Library
Journal
These international ingredients bring the unexpected flavors of the world to the table. So if readers like it hot, they will love Butel's newly updated and revised Hotter than Hell!
Cooking, Food & Wine
Untrodden Grapes by Ralph Steadman (Harcourt, Inc.)
In The Grapes of Ralph, Ralph Steadman brought his singular artistic style and contagious curiosity on a global wine tour that yielded delicious results.
Untrodden Grapes is Steadman's latest journey into the world of
wine as only he can experience it. Steadman, a well-known
illustrator and wine aficionado, chronicles his adventures touring
wine regions from
[Untrodden
Grapes] is luscious, acidic, stylish. – Sawur
Steadman, illustrator of several of Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo
narratives, also has a reputation in the world of wine. … it's
Steadman's sketches that make the book: vertiginous mountain
vineyards; splotchy caricatures of idiosyncratic vintners; lumpy,
mustachioed villagers (male and female); even a brief album of wine
dogs, ‘grand cru mutts.’ Although he's designed many wine labels
himself, Steadman's no label snob; indeed, he rails against ‘the
rigid aristocracy of fine appellation’ and misses the ‘good, bad old
days’ when you could decant a nice Roussillon into your own jug
straight from a pump at the wine cooperative. Readers dithering over
the right bottle to surprise a wine-loving friend with might do
better to shop at the bookstore for a Steadman instead. – Publishers
Weekly, starred review
Throughout
Untrodden Grapes, Steadman brings the landscape and people to
life with full color illustrations and vivid prose. Witty and
irreverent, he infuses his wine tour with a personality that makes
it this season's must-have wine accessory. From die-hard oenophiles
to casual wine aficionados, the book provides something for every
wine lover to appreciate.
Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling
Domestic Violence and Family Safety: A Systemic Approach to Working with Violence in Families by Jan Cooper & Arlene Vetere (Whurr Publishers) explores the opportunities offered by a systemic approach for mental health professionals and psychotherapists working with domestic violence in intimate relationships.
The main purpose of the book lies in the application of systemic thinking to safety and to understanding the complexity of domestic violence on family relationships over time. The authors, Jan Cooper and Arlene Vetere, outline their approach to these complex issues based on their eight years of joint experience in the Reading Safer Families project. They draw from a broad field of family psychology and systemic psychotherapy to distill the theories, methods and techniques most helpful to practitioners working in modern public and voluntary agencies.
Domestic Violence and Family Safety is divided into eight chapters which describe both theory and clinical practice. Chapter 1 is an introduction to Reading Safer Families' approach to risk assessment and risk management and outlines their systemic way of working and their focus on safety. Chapter 2 continues their discussion on risk assessment and risk management by outlining their policy on confidentiality and how they develop a ‘stable third’ relationship with referrers. It includes a description of how they create and maintain contracts of no violence. Chapter 3 shows how they use multiple theories within a systemic approach to practice, situated within a critical feminist framework. Cooper and Vetere introduce the importance of language use and linguistic research in their clinical work and report writing around family violence. Chapter 4 deals specifically with their particular use of reflecting processes. Chapter 5 outlines the impact of domestic violence on children and the implications for practice. Chapter 6 deals with issues for adults as victims, perpetrators and childhood witnesses. Cooper and Vetere discuss theoretical and practice ideas for working clinically with issues of shame and blame in current and past relationships. Chapter 7 addresses accountability and responsibility and the experiences of families in the court system. Chapter 8 considers the emotional impact of doing this type of work on practitioners and draws some implications for the supervision of practitioners working with domestic violence. Finally, they close Domestic Violence and Family Safety with their reflections on the importance of a safety focus and look towards future work. They use examples from their practice as points of illustration, examples that illustrate how diverse people approach some common problems in intimate living when violence is of concern.
Cooper and Vetere have written a major book. Family violence is a vexing social problem that cannot be solved with one-size-fits-all theories or styles of practice. The approach described here addresses the painful complexity of these issues with moral clarity and psychological humanity. The book has both breadth and depth, and will provide a basic education for professionals who will read just one book in this area, while also offering experienced workers with a creative, state of the art model that should become a standard reference for the field. – Virginia Goldner, PhD, Ackerman Institute for the Family
Domestic Violence and Family Safety will be of interest to practitioners in clinical and educational psychology, social work, nursing, psychiatry, probation, health visiting, counseling and psychotherapy, who work with individuals living in intimate relationships where violence may be of concern, and also to practice supervisors, trainers, trainees and students in these disciplines. Their systemic approach to issues of risk, responsibility and collaboration provides a coherent framework within which to integrate practice. The authors provide a practice orientated and detailed approach to risk assessment, risk management and family reunification.
Health, Mind & Body / Psychology & Counseling
Social Cognition in Adolescence: A Tribute to
Social Cognition in Adolescence is a special issue of the European Journal of Developmental Psychology. It aims to develop a greater understanding of the relationship between social cognitive development in adolescence and social behavior; to discuss the mediating effects of other aspects of development in adolescence such as the parallel emergence of ideas concerning personal identity, and patterns of relationship development within or outside the family; and to examine new approaches to the study of social development in adolescence. Social Cognition in Adolescence considers the problems (practical, methodological and ethical) associated with intervention in adolescence and how the approaches which are adopted may be guided by our understanding of young people's social cognitive development.
The role of the individuals’ social cognitive processes is
largely unexplored in research. In Sandy Jackson's opinion this was
remarkable in the face of the varied social problems and negative
outcomes of social development, such as ongoing difficulties in
relationships with parents, teachers, and authority figures,
engagement in abusive or antisocial behavior, and problems in peer
relations and social isolation.
To illustrate his interest in this area,
Unfortunately
Sandy Jackson's contributions to developmental psychology comprise his interconnected clinical and scientific experiences and publications. His enthusiasm and his warm, outgoing style of interaction with colleagues all over the world made him also a leader in boosting the internationalizing of adolescence psychology and developmental psychology at large, particularly at the European level. He was the founder and first president of the European Association for Research on Adolescence and he was, together with the late George Butterworth, the founder of the European Society for Developmental Psychology as well as the cofounder of its flagship journal, the European Journal of Developmental Psychology. Sandy Jackson retired in June 2002, and an international workshop was organized to wrap up the impact of his work.
This special issue is simply the publication of the contributions
to a symposium organized in June 2002 at the retirement of A.E.
Jackson.
The papers presented at the original workshop and the articles in
this special issue reflect the main themes in
- First, what scientific progress has been made with regard to the study of fundamental processes and developmental pathways in social cognitive development in adolescence? – articles by Mascolo & Margolis and by Berzonsky.
- Second, how is social cognitive development related to other areas of development in adolescence? – articles by Persson, Stattin, & Kerr and by Van Aken & Dubas; and Honess.
- And, finally, how effective are interventions in social cognitive development in adolescence? – articles by Seiffge-Krenke; Kurtines et al. and by Lichtwarck-Aschoff & Van Geert.
The series of papers in Social Cognition in Adolescence highlights the preoccupations of Sandy Jackson, which at the same time are major issues of present-day adolescence research. In the concluding discussion, the participants of the original workshop focused on the question how ‘social cognition’ is construed and brought into adolescent research. Two perspectives emerge. One position can easily be characterized by the statement that ‘all cognition is social’ – from this perspective social cognition permeates all the work presented at the workshop and in this special issue. Is it actually an umbrella concept; participants who favor the other position (as Sandy Jackson did) argue that social cognition should be defined much more specifically. It then refers to literatures such as the social-psychological literature on biases in self-perception, and the developmental traditions on perspective taking and the child's theory of mind. From this perspective, is there a gap in our knowledge, for example, on how social cognition develops in adolescence, and which factors and processes are involved?
Editors Koops and Bosma cannot say that the papers in the workshop, published in Social Cognition in Adolescence, provide final answers, but they do say that over a long period, past, present, and future, these Jacksonian issues have remained and will remain among us, motivating and stimulating theoretical discussions.
History /
Billy the Kid Rides Again by Jay Miller (Sunstone Press)
In early 2003, three sheriffs set out to prove that Pat Garrett
killed Billy the Kid, thereby also proving that Brushy Bill of Hico,
Governor Richardson found an attorney willing to work free and provide Billy with a voice.
In
Billy the Kid Rides Again readers can follow ‘Billy’ as he
speaks for himself in court, requesting that he and his mother be
dug up to examine the DNA in their dusty remains for evidence that
they were related. And they can follow the small towns of
Author Jay Miller followed the strange unfolding of events, digging to find the source of the money that financed an official murder investigation and the court action against two courageous small towns struggling to prevent the exhumations.
Anyone interested in learning about
As a syndicated newspaper columnist, Miller has written often about Billy and the Lincoln County War and has used a collection of those columns to weave, in Billy the Kid Rides Again, a riveting story of just what happened when Billy rode again.
History / World / Earth Sciences
Mapping the World: An Illustrated History of Cartography by Ralph E Ehrenberg (National Geographic)
The map is one of humankind's most basic and essential tools. The oldest to survive is a 4,300-year-old road map inscribed on a clay tablet by an ancient Babylonian; the most modern are marvels of technical accomplishment that are viewed on a computer screen and chart everything from nearby towns to craters of the moon and Mars. The story of their evolution is a revealing exploration of how we have understood and represented our world throughout history.
A giant in the world of cartography, National Geographic taps the Library of Congress, the British Library and its own vast, rich archives to present Mapping the World. This one-of-a-kind collection of rare and popular maps spanning centuries and cultures guides readers expertly through the ages of mapmaking. Mapping the World contains more than 100 maps and color illustrations. Organized chronologically with an astonishing variety of mapping styles and techniques, the book depicts groundbreakers such as the first known map and the first representation of the world as a globe, as well as the invention of the magnetic compass and the chronometer, and later the computer that revolutionized the science of mapmaking.
The introduction and a running commentary is provided by Ralph E.
Ehrenberg, former Chief of the Geography and Map Division of the
Library of Congress, and a former director of the Center for
Cartographic and Architectural Archives at the U.S. National
Archives and Records Administration. His narrative identifies key
cartographic innovators, milestones in the ever-advancing technology
of cartography, and priceless artistic masterworks, such as the 1507
Waldseemüller world map, the first to use the name ‘
The book also presents maps with a place in history, ranging from
sea charts of the Age of Discovery, closely guarded state secrets
that shaped the rise and fall of empires, to the widely circulated
and fabled routes of the
Featuring scores of superb cartographic art culled from the finest collections in the world, Mapping the World more than lives up to the National Geographic Society's long tradition of cartographic expertise as it spans centuries and continents to dazzle everyone with an interest in maps and mapmaking. Highlighted by more than a hundred arresting, often breathtakingly beautiful, maps, mapping the world features authoritative text and draws on the world's finest map collections.
Home & Garden
The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual: Essential Know-How for Keeping (Not Killing!) More Than 160 Indoor Plants by Barbara Pleasant, with photography by Rosemary Kautzky (Storey Publishing LLC)
Award-winning author Barbara Pleasant starts out with a friendly
welcome to a whole new world of houseplants – and a whole new
generation of plant lovers ready to embrace the joy of indoor
gardening. For the nearly 50 percent of U.S. households who spend
six billion dollars every year on indoor plants to decorate, purify
the air, and generally boost the spirits,
The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual provides practical,
hands-on advice showing readers how to care for 160 beautiful
houseplants, including many new selections that have entered the
retail market in the last ten years.
For new indoor gardeners, Pleasant offers basic information on how
to identify their plants, as well as where to place them and how to
keep them healthy. In-depth plant profiles provide troubleshooting
guidelines to quickly identify symptoms, causes, and remedies to
common problems for each species. Information about how to repot,
propagate, and display each plant, as well as advice on the best
varieties is included.
According to Pleasant, the first step to success is to know what you've got. One plant may look a lot like another but require very different care. Devil's ivy for example, is similar to blushing philodendron but needs less water than the philodendron, which should be kept lightly moist at all times. To keep readers from mistaking one plant for another, the book opens with an easy-to-follow, color-coded plant ID guide that uses simple observations to help identify plants.
For more experienced gardeners, the heart of The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual features two in-depth plant encyclopedias, one for flowering plants and one for foliage, arranged alphabetically by botanical name. The profiles of each species include light and temperature needs for both winter and summer, and information on propagating, repotting, and pruning the plant. Watering is one of the things that people wonder most about, and the profiles also include guidelines on the watering needs of each plant throughout the year. Each entry includes a troubleshooting section to help identify what can go wrong and how to fix or prevent it.
Rounding out this volume is a complete, illustrated A-to-Z primer on general houseplant care, along with useful appendices, including a common/botanical name cross-reference.
With The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual, no green thumb is required to be successful at keeping, not killing, indoor plants. Pleasant shares the joys and frustrations of plant care with a warm and engaging voice, sure to encourage even the blackest thumbs, and bring lush indoor foliage and flowers to every home. The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual is the only guide indoor gardeners will need to not only help their plant survive, but thrive.
Law / Biographies & Memoirs
My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton and Fighting the War on Terror, Abridged audio CD, running time 6 hours by Louis J. Freeh, narrated by Adam Grupper (Audio Renaissance)
My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and
Fighting the War on Terror by Louis J. Freeh (
From
In part, Freeh's term as FBI director is defined by his
relationship with Bill Clinton, who initially wooed him to take the
job. While spending almost his entire tenure working for President
Clinton, Freeh rarely spoke to or heard from the president, as their
relationship became increasingly fractured over time. With an
apolitical, dedicated work ethic, Freeh was frustrated by both the
politics of the
Inside My FBI:
- Soon after the bombing of the
- How Dan Rather almost disrupted the apprehension of Ted Kaczynski after he was tipped that the FBI had found the Unabomber.
- During Freeh's tenure, the FBI discovered that
- Over three fiscal years, 2000-2002, the FBI asked for a total of nearly 1,900 special agents, analysts, and linguistics experts to enhance its counter-terrorism program. In all, the FBI received 76 people to fill those critical gaps.
- The FBI was pursuing Bin Laden pre-9/11 and unsuccessfully
attempted to persuade
A former FBI agent himself, Freeh was the most hands-on director
in Bureau history. He didn't sit in
Freeh defends his performance as FBI director (1993-2001) and
retaliates against Richard A. Clarke's Against All Enemies and Bill
Clinton's My Life in this smooth memoir…. "I spent most of the
almost eight years as director investigating the man who had
appointed me," Freeh declares on the book's first page ... –
Publishers Weekly
For nearly a dozen years, Louis J. Freeh has been pointedly silent
about the man who appointed him director of the FBI. That moratorium
ends officially and loudly with the publication of Freeh's
My FBI, a scorching account of his relationship with Bill
Clinton and of leading the bureau at a time when, as Freeh writes,
the president's "scandals . . . never ended." ... the heart of
Freeh's complaint is that until Sept. 11, terrorism was viewed by
both the Clinton and Bush administrations as a law enforcement issue
– sifting through bomb sites looking for evidence, as the FBI did
with Khobar Towers and not as an act of war, as he now argues that
it should have been. …
My FBI is ultimately a sad tale, and it's clear Freeh saw it
this way, too. He had planned to resign before the end of
In the audio version, listeners can hear to actor Adam Grupper narrate Freeh's tale of his rise to the nation's top law enforcement office, from his early years as a field agent in New York City to his successful prosecution of the New York mafia as a U.S. attorney – as well as his work as a federal judge. My FBI is the definitive account of American law enforcement in the run-up to September 11. Freeh is clear-eyed and frank, the ultimate realist, and he offers his resolute vision for the struggles ahead.
Law / Criminology
Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice by Charles F. Levinthal (Allyn & Bacon) is an adaptation of Levinthal’s Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, Fourth Edition, in order to fit more closely the interests of sociology and criminal justice students.
Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice is a textbook on drug use
and abuse, oriented toward a psychological/sociological perspective,
with significant attention to issues related to criminal justice. In
particular, it focuses on the implications for society and the
criminal justice system. Some distinctive chapters that address
issues of drug abuse, crime, and criminal justice include:
Chapter 2: The History of Drug Use and Drug Legislation
Chapter 13: Drugs and Crime
Chapter 14: Drugs and the Criminal Justice System
Chapter 15: Drug Policy: Prevention, Education, and Treatment
Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice introduces the basic facts
and major issues concerning drug-taking behavior in a
straightforward, comprehensive, up-to-date, and reader-friendly
manner. Charles Levinthal,
According to Levinthal, a particularly important theme in
understanding the relationship between drug use and the criminal
justice system that exists in the
The chapters in Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice are organized in four major sections:
Part 1 (Chapters 1-3): Drugs and Society: Past and Present
Part 2 (Chapters 4-9): Legally Restricted Drugs in Our Society
Part 3 (Chapters 10-12): Legal Drugs in Our Society
Part 4 (Chapters 13-15): Drug Abuse and Drug Policy
Discussions of drugs have been grouped not in terms of their pharmacological characteristics but rather according to their access to the general public and the societal attitudes toward their use. The last section concerns itself with crime and the criminal justice systems, as well as approaches toward education and treatment.
The special features throughout Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice serve as learning aids; they include Quick Concept Checks, Portraits, Drugs…in Focus, and Health Alerts.
The Portraits put a human face on the discussion of drugs, society, and criminal justice. They remind us that throughout this book we are dealing with issues that affect real people in all walks of life, now and in the past. Some examples of Portraits are:
- Eliot
- Nora D. Volkow – Imaging the Face of Addiction in the Brain (Chapter 3)
- Barry Tuttle and Russell Fitch – The Two Sides of Oxycontin (Chapter 5)
- Timothy Leary – Whatever Happened to Him? (Chapter 6)
- Patricia White, GHBB, and the ‘Perfect’ Crime (Chapter 8)
- Bill W. and Dr. Bob – Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (Chapter 11)
- Sigmund Freud – Nicotine Dependence, Cigars, and Cancer (Chapter 12)
- Pablo Escobar – The King of Cocaine (Chapter 13)
Some of the Drugs ... in Focus represent a look on a question that readers might have wondered about, for example:
- What Happened to the Coca in Coca-Cola? (Chapter 4)
- Strange Days in
- Can You Control a Marijuana High? (Chapter 7)
- Resistol and Resistoleros in
- THG and the War on Performance-Enhancing Drugs (Chapter 9)
- Alcohol, Security, and the NBA (Chapter 11)
- Lighting Up in
- Drug Smuggler Profiles (Chapter 14)
Health Alerts feature important facts that readers can use to recognize the signs of drug misuse or abuse and ways readers can respond to emergence drug-taking situations, as well as warnings about risk situations. Examples of some Health Alert features are:
- Adverse Effects of Drug-Drug and Food-Drug Combinations (Chapter 1)
- The Physical Signs of Possible Cocaine Abuse (Chapter 4)
- Emergency Guidelines for a Bad Trip on LSD (Chapter 6)
- The Symptoms of Steroid Abuse (Chapter 9)
- Emergency Signs and Procedures in Acute Alcohol Intoxication (Chapter 10)
Other features include a running glossary positioned on the page where new terminology is first introduced, a pronunciation guide for difficult-to-pronounce drug names and terms, a summary at the end of each chapter, and an alphabetized list of key terms previously presented in the running glossary.
Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice is a highly readable, pedagogically-oriented text, designed for students in sociology and criminal justice courses that focus on issues of drug use, misuse, and abuse. A background in biology, sociology, psychology, or chemistry is not necessary; the only requirement is a sense of curiosity about the range of chemical substances that affect minds and bodies and an interest in the challenges these substances bring to our daily lives.
Literature & Fiction / Historical
Why She Married Him: A Novel by Myriam Chapman
(Other Press) is a first novel by a French teacher at
Inspired by an unpublished memoir by her grandmother, found years
after her death, Myriam Chapman wrote this novel, infused with
passion.
Set in
The answer to the question of why she marries Abraham Podselver,
a struggling fashion illustrator with socialist dreams, lies in the
sum of Nina's experiences – which unwind like a bolt of silk as the
novel moves backward in time. We see Nina enjoy her first real love
– who abandons her for better opportunities in
With wisdom, graceful writing and vivid settings, Myriam Chapman
transports us right into the world of Tsarist
Poignant . . . filled with vivid detail ... this first novel
depicts a Russian Jewish emigre coming of age in
In
Why She Married Him history and fiction merge in the richly
embroidered tale of a young Jewish woman in early 20th-century
Literature & Fiction / Poetry
Lofty Dogmas: Poets on Poetics edited by Deborah
Brown, Annie Finch, & Maxine Kumin (the
Compiled by three noted poets,
Lofty Dogmas is an eclectic and informed selection of poets'
remarks on poetry spanning eras, ethnicities, and aesthetics. The
102 selections from nearly as many poets reach back to the Greeks
and Romans, then draw on Chaucer, Shakespeare, Sidney, and Milton,
on to Shelley, Keats, Coleridge, and Poe, then Hopkins, Yeats,
Eliot, Rilke, and Pound, concluding with many of our contemporaries,
including Hall, Clifton, Mackey, Kunitz, and Rukeyser. Selections
from lesser known poets are also included, such as Moira Egan,
Phyllis Wheatley, Fanny Howe, Lyn Hejinian, Joy Harjo, and Li-Young
Lee. The book is edited by Deborah Brown, professor of English at
the
Lofty Dogmas is divided into three sections. ‘Musing’ concerns
issues of inspiration; ‘Making’, issues of craft, from diction to
meter to persona and voice; and ‘Mapping,’ the role of poetry and
the poet. Headnotes at the beginning of each selection provide
interesting background information about the poet and commentary on
the significance of the selection. There is also a useful appendix
with a listing of essays arranged according to more specific topics.
As the poets/editors write in their introduction: "This book was intended to deepen readers' understanding of age-old poetic ideas while at the same time pointing out new directions for thinking about poetry, juxtaposing the familiar and the strange, reconfiguring old boundaries, and shaking up stereotypes."
Once again the brilliant Maxine Kumin and her co-editors have given us exactly what we need, this time an anthology of important works by poets on their craft. We who teach and write, edit and read will use Lofty Dogmas in full knowledge of wisdom in the gathering and delight in the words. – Hilda Raz, author of Divine Honors and Trans, editor of Prairie Schooner
What a wonderful, valuable, and original book this is! . . . It has my highest recommendation. – Leon Stokesbury, author of Autumn Rhythm
Lofty Dogmas will introduce you to an academy of poets talking about their craft. This is a multipurpose book. It's good for teachers and students. – E. Ethelbert Miller, author of How We Sleep On The Nights We Don't Make Love
From Sappho to Heaney, Lofty Dogmas is a stimulating anthology of poets on poetry.
Medicine / Surgery
Year Book of Surgery, 2005 edited by Edward M. Copeland III, with an editorial board of 8 distinguished surgeons (Elsevier Mosby)
The Year Book of Surgery brings readers abstracts of the articles that reported the year's breakthrough developments in surgery, carefully selected from more than 500 journals worldwide. Expert commentaries evaluate the clinical importance of each article and discuss its application to readers’ practice. Sections include General Considerations, Trauma, Burns, Critical Care, Transplantation, Surgical Infections, Endocrine, Nutrition, Wound Healing Gastrointestinal Oncology, Vascular Surgery and General Thoracic Surgery. In the 2005 Year Book of Surgery, 68 journals are represented.
Hot topics in the 2005 Year Book of Surgery included: A 20-year follow-up of the seminal randomized trial comparing breast conservation and radiation to mastectomy; Patients with previous colorectal cancer are at higher risk of developing colorectal adenomas, administration of daily aspirin helps to prevent development of future adenomas; The significant reduction of postoperative complications through use of Perioperative and postoperative nutrition; Minimally Invasive Surgery: all aspects of organ site surgery advancing to MIS approaches; Use of RAI and PET to comprehensively evaluate cancer; Islet cell transplants; and the 80 hour work-week for residents, among many others.
The editor is Edward M. Copeland III, Edward R. Woodward
Professor, Department of Surgery,
There is no faster or easier way for busy surgery faculty, or anyone with an interest in the current research in surgery, to stay informed than with Year Book of Surgery.
Mysteries & Thrillers
Air Dance Iguana by Tom Corcoran (Alex Rutledge Key West Mystery Series: Thomas Dunne Books)
In his four previous novels, Tom Corcoran, DJ, Navy officer,
screenwriter and journalist, exposed the steamy, eccentric core of
Too many of photographer Alex Rutledge's friends are dead,
injured, or accused. After straying from ad agency jobs, freelance
assignments, and his carefree
Rutledge’s lover, Detective Bobi Lewis knows this, but phones
with a pre-dawn request. Another crime in paradise. Against his
better judgment, Alex must document a gruesome murder,
Within hours Rutledge is reminded that you can’t pick your relatives. His brother, Tim, with a lifetime of issues and baggage, jacks the complications and multiplies the danger. Piecing wisps of information to archives dug up by journalist friend Marnie Dunwoody, Alex suspects that shoddy police work may be linked to a long-forgotten cover-up. He also learns that his connection to the cops can't prevent harassment and arrest. And revenge is always more deadly than original crimes. Alex connects the current-day murders to a thirty-year-old scam amidst revenge smoldering since the Nixon years. He races time to thwart a final killing and, if possible, to prove his brother’s innocence.
Air Dance Iguana was the reading highlight of the year for me.
With characters as strong and intriguing as the story they move
through, I went cover to cover without coming up for air. Tom
Corcoran and his creation, Alex Rutledge, are great new discoveries
that will go on the regular reading list. – Michael Connelly, author
of The Closers and The
Corcoran is a master at setting the scene, and his wonderfully
descriptive writing pulls the reader to
Tom Corcoran knows the human heart, sure as hell knows how to
write a good book, and knows
Corcoran in
Air Dance Iguana once again delivers a deftly plotted and
gripping mystery with all of the flavor and intrigue that
Mysteries & Thrillers
Sad Cypress: A Hercule Poirot Mystery, 4 audiocassettes: run time 6 hours, 5 minutes, by Agatha Christie, narrated by David Suchet (Mystery Masters Series: Audio Partners)
Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is the world's bestselling author and
deemed the most popular mystery writer of all time. She achieved
In
Sad Cypress Elinor Carlisle has everything a girl can want:
beauty, brains, money, and the man she loves. But Elinor also has
something no one would ever want: a murder indictment and her own
criminal trial. She stands accused of ingeniously poisoning her
rival, Mary Gerrard. It seems Elinor had means, motive, and
opportunity. The prosecutor insists she is also heartless and
calculating. As a verdict of guilty seems a foregone conclusion, she
turns to the indomitable Hercule Poirot for assistance. Poirot is
the only one who assumes she is innocent until truly proven guilty.
Only he stands between Elinor and the gallows. Only he can sift
through clues and red herrings, searching for the complex truth
hidden within a maze of deceit.
Elinor Carlisle has everything, so when she's to be tried for
murder, everyone is shocked. Christie's clever plotting keeps even
the most practiced sleuths on the trail until the very end of this
topsy-turvy story. David Suchet renders each character with great
individuality, interest, and seeming innocence, adding to the
intrigue. Each of the stereotypes is fun, and even acceptable, under
Suchet's influence. Listeners are in for an added treat because
Sad Cypress is also one of Christie's best efforts. Not just for
mystery fans, this portrait of manners will have wide appeal among
fiction lovers. – AudioFile
Elegiac, emotionally involving, and the ingenuity and superb clues put Sad Cypress among the very best of [Christie’s] classic titles. – Robert Barnard, mystery writer
Sad Cypress is another great audio rendition read by David Suchet, British stage and screen actor, the definitive Poirot, and another great companion on that interminable daily commute.
Mysteries & Thrillers
Delete All Suspects by Donna Andrews
(Turing Hopper Mysteries Series:
One of the most cleverly conceived detectives of the decade. –
Kirkus Reviews
From award-winning mystery series writer Donna Andrews comes Delete All Suspects, the fourth book in the Agatha Award-winning series starring Turing Hopper – Turing Hopper, the quick-thinking sleuth – so quick that she can process up to a billion pieces of information per second. She's an Artificial Intelligence Personality, an almost sentient mainframe computer with a mind like Miss Marple and hardware that hides a suspiciously human heart.
Delete All Suspects starts with a hit-and-run that leaves a young techie named Eddie in the hospital; his grandmother hires Turing’s PI friend Tim to find out who did it. While Turing tries to break into Eddie's computers, her human friends do the legwork. The grandmother thinks the collision has something to do with Eddie’s business, which he runs out of their computer-filled basement. It seems Eddie lets his seedy friends use his computers – and some are running highly unsavory websites. Others are using Spam to con people out of their credit card numbers. Then the feds show up, looking for an online vigilante who's also using Eddie's computers. Now Turing and her friends are caught in the middle. They can't let the online vigilante continue – but they also can't tell the FBI everything without revealing Turing's identity to the world. So they become vigilantes themselves, hoping to make sure the original vigilante has logged in for the last time. What started as a simple hit-and-run becomes a deadly game of computer-and-mouse.
Expert plotting and a highly original heroine...she observes
everything with the wry, witty musings on human-computer relations
that make this 'techno-cozy' series a true standout. – Publishers
Weekly (starred review)
Charming mystery with a delightful heroine. –
Turing is a true original. – Margaret Maron, author of High
Country Fall
A clever, well-written mystery with a distinctly futuristic feel.
– Earlene Fowler, author of
The most engaging new detective to come down the data stream in a
long time. – Daniel Stashower, author of Houdini Specter
A novel concept sure to keep readers guessing and amused. –
Library Journal
Donna Andrews has either gone stark raving mad...or else she's a
genius. – Steve Hamilton, author of Blood Is the Shy
Full of twists and turns, Delete All Suspects should appeal to techies, to lovers of the new idea, and especially to all lovers of mysteries.
Outdoor Recreation / Education
The Physical Education Activity Handbook,10th Edition by Neil Schmottlach & Jerre McManama (Benjamin Cummings)
Now in its tenth edition,
The Physical Education Activity Handbook reveals learning
activities that emphasize more effective skill learning and are
appropriate for meeting the special needs of P.E. students. This
revision of a tried-and-true book helps readers learn and organize
at beginning and intermediate levels of physical education.
Thoroughly revised and updated with the latest information in the field, this authoritative reference book offers the most complete resource of physical education activities for educators, student researchers, physical education majors, recreational leaders, and sports enthusiasts.
The authors, Neil Schmottlach,
New features include:
- An Appendix on Contemporary Activities recognizes the emergence within physical education of activities such as hiking, canoeing, kayaking, skin and scuba diving, snowboarding, in-line skating, and skateboarding. The nature and purpose of these types of physical activity are offered. Necessary equipment, types of skills involved, and references for further investigation are described.
- A chapter on Yoga investigates the beneficial effects of relaxation and stretching and assists instructors in developing effective lessons.
- An introductory chapter addresses how technology may be used by physical education teachers, describes the mechanics and psychology of learning, and explains how to use the text effectively.
- Web site references at the conclusion of each chapter invite further research.
- Tips for modifying skills or activities designed for people
with special needs are included in every chapter.
With revised chapters, new material, updated pictures, an opening
chapter that directs the reader on how to effectively use the book,
and new URLs at the end of each chapter,
The Physical Education Activity Handbook coaches teachers on
principles of physical fitness, contemporary activities, and over
thirty physical activities. The text is intended for preservice and
in-service physical education teachers.
Outdoors & Nature / Biological Sciences
Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada by Ray S.
Vizgirdas & Edna M. Rey-Vizgirdas (
The Sierra Nevada of California and
Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada inventories the flora of the
entire range, including comprehensive descriptions of the plants;
their traditional uses as food, medicine, or for making tools and
other utensils; and their habitat; plus ‘quick keys’ to help
identify similar species. Authors Ray S. Vizgirdas, fish and
wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in
Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada is the first comprehensive look
at the flora and their many uses, from historical to
pharmacological, of vascular plants found in the
Philosophy / Ethics & Morality / Consciousness & Thought
On Desire: Why We Want What We Want by William B.
Irvine (
A married person falls deeply in love with someone else. A man of
average income feels he cannot be truly happy unless he owns an
expensive luxury car. A dieter has an irresistible craving for ice
cream. Desires often come to us unbidden and unwanted, and they can
have a dramatic impact, sometimes changing the course of our lives.
In
On Desire, William B. Irvine, Professor of Philosophy at
William B. Irvine has written a disarmingly seductive and easily
readable treatise on the origins, nature, vicissitudes, and ‘crises’
of desire. He simply and clearly discusses biologically instilled
incentive systems, the rich psychological research on the
peculiarities of our motivation, and the wisdom of various religious
and spiritual traditions. It is a well-informed, wise, informal
interdisciplinary book that is highly recommended for the general
reader. – Robert C. Solomon, author of The Passions, About Love, The
Joy of Philosophy, Not Passion's Slave, and In Defense of
Sentimentality
Irvine has given us a very engaging book on what desire is: how
central it is to human existence, what science has to tell us about
it, and what we can do with it and about it. He combines knowledge,
wisdom and wit with a light but sure philosophical touch. – John
Perry, Professor of Philosophy,
In a ruminative volume that falls, thankfully, between mass-market,
silver-bullet self-help guide and unreadable thesis,
Brimming with wisdom and practical advice, On Desire offers a thoughtful approach to controlling unwanted passions and attaining a more meaningful life.
Politics / Religion & Spirituality
Our Endangered Values:
Our Endangered Values:
In
Our Endangered Values, former president Jimmy Carter offers a
personal consideration of ‘moral values’ as they relate to the
important issues of the day. He puts forward a passionate defense of
separation of church and state, and a strong warning about where the
country is heading as the lines between politics and rigid religious
fundamentalism are blurred.
Carter describes his reactions to recent disturbing societal
trends that involve both religious and political worlds as they
increasingly intertwine and include some of the most crucial and
controversial issues of the day. Many of these matters are under
fierce debate – they include preemptive war, women's rights,
terrorism, civil liberties, homosexuality, abortion, the death
penalty, science and religion, environmental degradation, nuclear
arsenals,
Carter speaks eloquently of how his own faith has shaped his moral vision and of how he has struggled to reconcile his own values with the Southern Baptist church's transformation under increasingly conservative leadership. Notably, he avoids mentioning the current president in Our Endangered Values.
…Fundamentalism has gotten
Since Carter was defeated in the presidential election of 1980 by Ronald Reagan, he has received great praise for his efforts to alleviate domestic poverty, his campaigns for human rights and free elections, and his efforts at mediation in several foreign ‘hot spots.’ But Carter has also been condemned as a naive, presumptuous meddler who frequently does more harm than good. This book contains ample ammunition for both views. … Carter may be a kind, decent, even admirable man, but this book preaches to the choir and will not change many minds; expect demand, however. – Jay Freeman, Booklist
Sustained by his lifelong faith, Jimmy Carter assesses issues of the day in a courageous and often partisan way in Our Endangered Values.
Professional & Technical / Medicine / Philosophy
Cognition and the Brain: The Philosophy and Neuroscience Movement edited by Andrew Brook & Kathleen Akins (Cambridge University Press)
Cognition and the Brain provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophy and neuroscience movement, which applies the methods of neuroscience to traditional philosophical problems and uses philosophical methods to illuminate issues in neuroscience. At the heart of the movement is the conviction that basic questions about human cognition, many of which have been studied for millennia, can be answered only by a philosophically sophisticated grasp of neuroscience's insights into the processing of information by the human brain. Essays in Cognition and the Brain are clustered around five major themes: data and theory in neuroscience; neural representation and computation; visuomotor transformations; color vision; and consciousness.
The book is edited by Andrew Brook, Director of the Institute of
Cognitive Science and Professor of Philosophy at
In Cognition and the Brain, Valerie Hardcastle and Matthew Stewart present compelling evidence in ‘Localization and the Brain and Other Illusions’ that even a system as simple and biologically basic as oculomotor control is the very reverse of localized. To the contrary, it involves contributions from units dispersed widely across the cortex. They also show that a given nucleus can be involved in many different information-processing and control activities. They point out that the brain's plasticity – its capacity to recover function by using new areas when damage to an area affects function – holds the same implication.
In Cognition and the Brain, two contributions focus on the role of introspection in neuroscience. Evan Thompson, Antoine Lutz, and Diego Cosmelli argue in ‘Neurophenomenology: An Introduction for Neurophilosophers’ that first-person reports about real-time subjective experience made after training and practice can play and should play a vital role in neuroscience, especially the neuroscience of consciousness. They call their approach neurophenomenology; their chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the approach and the context out of which it arose, together with two extremely interesting examples of neurophenomenology actually at work experimentally.
By way of contrast, in ‘Out of the Mouths of Autistics: Subjective Report and Its Role in Cognitive Theorizing’, Victoria McGeer urges that first-person utterances other than introspective reports can also be an important source of evidence. She studies autistics and their self reports. Because of the extensive cognitive deficits found in autistic people, many hold that their first-person utterances are suspect. McGeer argues that behind this belief is an assumption that the job of first-person utterances is to describe what is going on in people's heads. If, instead, we treat self-reports as expressions of the underlying cognitive and affective systems, then we can see that there is a great deal to be learned from them.
According to Brook and Akins, the neurophilosophical questions concerning computation and representation nearly all assume a definition of computation in terms of representation transformation. Thus, most questions concerning computation and representation are really questions concerning representation. There are three general kinds of questions: questions to do with architecture, questions to do with syntax, and questions to do with semantics. The question of architecture is the question of how a neural system having syntax and semantics might be structured. The question of syntax is the question of what the formats or permissible formats of the representations in such a system might be and how representations interact with one another on the basis of their forms alone. The question of semantics is the question of how it is that such representations come to represent – how they come to have content, meaning.
In Cognition and the Brain, two papers are devoted to neural architecture, one on the issue in general, one on how time might be represented neurally. In ‘Moving Beyond Metaphors: Understanding the Mind for What It Is’, Chris Eliasmith suggests that past approaches to understanding the mind, including symbolicism, connectionism, and dynamicism, fundamentally rely on metaphors for their underlying theory of mind. He presents a new position that is not metaphorical and synthesizes the strengths of these past approaches.
Rick Grush, in ‘Brain Time and Phenomenological Time’, focuses on the structures in a neural system that represent time. His target is not objective time, actual persistence, but rather the subjective time of behavior: the temporal representation that is analogous to egocentric space (in contrast to objective or allocentric space). There are two parts to his theory. The first concerns the neural construction of states that are temporally indexed; mechanisms of emulation can be augmented to maintain a temporally ‘thick’ representation of the body and environment. The second part of the story concerns how these temporally indexed states acquire specifically temporal phenomenal content.
In addition to these chapters, in ‘The Puzzle of Temporal Experience’, Sean Kelly tackles a very specific kind of representational content, the representation and conscious experience of temporality, and the neuroscience of same. He starts from Karat's famous distinction between a succession of independent representations and a representation of a single, unified, temporally extended object, the distinction between a succession of representations and a representation of succession. He shows how neither Specious Present Theory nor Kantian/Husserlian Retention Theory gives us a satisfying account of our experience of the passage of time. Since representation of objects as persisting through time is a completely general feature of representation, Kelly's paper identifies something that we have to understand if we are to understand neural representation. He concludes the chapter with a revealing overview of the current state of' neuroscience on the issue.
Grush's chapter and, less directly, Eliasmith's also connect to the first of the two more specific topics to do with neural representation examined in Cognition and the Brain, visuomotor transformation, that is to say, the use of visual information to guide motor control.
In ‘Grasping and Perceiving Objects’, Pierre Jacob starts from the A. D. Milner and M. A. Goodale hypothesis that we have two complementary visual systems, vision-for-perception and vision-for-action, based on a double dissociation between two kinds of disorder found in brain-lesioned human patients: visual form agnosia and optic ataxia.
The chapter by Pete Mandik, ‘Action-Oriented Representation’, relates to Jacob's. Focusing on the claim that spatial perception and motor output are interdependent, Mandik asks how best to characterize this interdependence. There are two broad approaches. One favors the positing of mental representations mediating between perception and action; the other opposes the idea. He favors the former proposal, urging that sensori-motor interdependence is best accounted for by a novel theory of representational content whereby the most primitive forms of representation are those that have the function of commanding actions.
The second of Cognition and the Brain’s two more specific topics having to do with neural representation is color vision. In ‘Chimerical Colors’, Paul Churchland presents a stunning example of neurophilosophy at work. He shows that by exploiting shifts in experienced color due to tiredness and habituation, experiences of color can be brought about where the colors do not exist in nature and, what is even more striking, could not exist in nature according to an extremely long-held and well-confirmed color theory. They are impossible.
Focusing on perceived color similarity, in ‘Opponent Processing, Linear Models, and the Veridicality of Color Perception’, Zoltan Jakab argues against views of color experience that hold that the representational content of a color experience is exhausted by the color property in an object for which the experience stands. To the contrary, he argues, color experience arises from processing that distorts the stimulus features that are its canonical causes in numerous ways, thereby largely constructing our world of perceived color.
Most of the philosophical interest in consciousness started from the question of whether consciousness could possibly be a physical process, even a brain process. A common view in philosophy of neuroscience is that if there is anything appropriately given the name ‘consciousness’, it must be physical and, furthermore, explicable in terms of neurophysiology – no explanatory autonomy allowed. Using recent neurobiology and cognitive psychology in ‘A Neurofunctional Theory of Consciousness’, Jesse Prinz argues that consciousness arises when mechanisms of attention allow intermediate-level perceptual systems to access working memory. He then supports this view by appeal to multiple other modalities, which suggests that consciousness has a uniform material basis. He then draws out the implications of his analysis for the traditional mind-body problem. Both leading current approaches, functionalism and identity theory or radical reductivism, fail to appreciate the extent, he argues, to which the solution to the mind-body problem may rely on multiple levels of analysis, with constitutive contributions at relatively abstract psychological levels and levels that are often dismissed as merely implementational.
In the final essay, ‘Making Consciousness Safe for Neuroscience’, Andrew Brook ignores the antiphysicalist claim that at least some element of some kind of consciousness is not neural or even physical at all (put forward by most cognitive scientists) and says that throwing science at it will leave many – and not just dyed-in-the-wool antiphysicalists – feeling that the real thing, consciousness itself, has been left out, that the researcher has covertly changed the subject and is talking about something else, not consciousness. This is how many react, for example, to suggestions that consciousness is some form of synchronized firing of neurons. “Surely,” they react, “you could have the synchronized firing without consciousness. If so, consciousness is not synchronized firing of neurons. Maybe this firing pattern is a neural correlate of consciousness, but it is not what consciousness is.” Ignoring this reaction, Brook argues, is a bad idea – it is not going to fade away on its own.
Brook and Akins assert that neuroscience is not going to be relevant. The most effective appeal to neuroscience in this context is probably the kind of appeal mounted in Thompson et al. in this volume. Because neurophenomenology puts first-person conscious experience front and center, it does not even have the appearance of leaving consciousness out, changing the topic. However, even such consciousness-centered work can still be accused of studying mere correlates, of not telling us anything about the nature of consciousness. According to Brook, what we need to do instead is to tackle head-on the urge to split consciousness off from cognition and the brain and the antiphysicalist arguments that aim to support the urge, to show that attempts to split consciousness off from cognition and the brain do not succeed.
Cognition and the Brain provides a representative, up-to-date, fairly comprehensive snapshot of the work currently going on in the philosophy and neuroscience movement.
Reference / Encyclopedias / History
The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories by Michael Newton (Checkmark Books)
Conspiracies, simply put, occur when two or more parties work together to commit some unlawful or immoral act and no nation's history has been left untouched by them.
- Was Jack the Ripper the product of a Freemason plot to
conceal an embarrassing dalliance among
- Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy?
- Was the
- Does the CIA covertly utilize ‘mind control’ drugs and techniques?
- Are satanic messages subliminally hidden in popular music?
- Did Kurt Cobain really commit suicide, or was he murdered?
- Did American astronauts really walk on the moon or was the whole event concocted on a sound stage?
- Does a vote really count or is the
There is no doubt about the influence hundreds of documented conspiracies have played in shaping the modern world. In more than 500 concise entries, The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories, written by Michael Newton, professional true-crime writer, explains numerous true conspiracies from around the world and throughout history, while also closely examining those that remain unproven. From the ‘inheritance powder’ of the Medicis to the United Nations Oil-for-Food program scandal, the author details the key points of each case and notes its historical significance.
Entries include biographies, specific events, profiles of groups, and thumbnail histories of notorious nations, each noting whether the conspiracy at hand is documented (BCCI, Project Paperclip) or speculative (alien abductions, New World Order) and offering concise analysis of the evidence and plausibility of those that remain unproved.
Other entries include assassinations, cults, financial shenanigans, global banking powers, intelligence operations, international power struggles, municipal corruption, murders, political scandals, secret brotherhoods and organizations, terrorism, and voting fraud.
In an objective, fact-based manner, The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories thoroughly documents and explores these provocative issues. Featuring more than 80 photographs, a bibliography, and an index, this volume is a must-have guide to the dark and mysterious history of conspiracies.
Reference / Library & Information Science / Computers & Internet
Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners edited by William Miller & Rita M. Pellen (The Haworth Information Press) makes separate library services for distance learners a thing of the past.
With the development of the World Wide Web and the evolution of
Web-based services, reference librarians are adding a human element
to the virtual library, blurring the difference between distance
learners and traditional users.
Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners takes a
comprehensive look at the efforts by librarians and information
specialists to provide distance learners with effective services
that match those already available on campus. The book examines how
they deal with a wide range of related topics, including standards
and guidelines, copyright issues, streaming media, and chat and
digital references, and presents a historical overview of how
reference and instructional services have been delivered to distance
users – before and after the creation of the Internet.
Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners reveals that
librarians do not make a sharp distinction between reference and
instruction within the context of distance learning, and that there
is no clear boundary between ‘true’ distance learners and more
traditional students who might use services designed for
nontraditional users.
Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners, edited by
William Miller, Director of Libraries and Rita Pellen, Associate
Director of Libraries, both at
- How librarians can ‘keep IT simple’ when designing reference
support.
- Why library Web sites are vital sources of communication
between the distance learning student and the reference-based
instructional component.
- How to set up a university chat service, including software
selection, staff training and assessment.
- How to provide students services beyond traditional
provision of resources, including advising, enrollment, and
payment of fees.
- How to create an online assistance site that incorporates
online versions of traditional print handouts, faqs, subject
guides, course-specific guides, learning modules, and
instructional videos in one central location.
- How to work with faculty to create support for students in
Blackboard courses.
- The pros and cons of using open-source software.
- How to create an online library assistance site.
- How to create online information literacy course to teach
independent research skills to remote students.
- How to avoid copyright infringement and educate library
personnel about copyright law.
- How to use Camtasia Studio, a screen capture program to create audio and video for online presentations.
Any librarian involved with the delivery of instruction or
reference service using the internet will find this book invaluable.
Addresses a variety of important topics. . . . Of particular
interest is the emphasis on establishing collaborative associations
with other libraries to provide this electronic service. – Patrick
Mahoney, MLS, MBA, BSBA
Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners takes a comprehensive look at efforts by librarians and information specialists to provide distance learners with effective services. This unique book examines how they deal with a wide range of related topics, and presents a historical overview of how reference and instructional services have been delivered to distance users – before and after the creation of the Internet. Internet Reference Support for Distance Learners is an invaluable resource for librarians working in academic, school, special, and public settings, and for library science faculty and students.
Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / History
Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845: A Documentary History edited by Devery Scott Anderson & Gary James Bergera, with a foreword by Todd Compton (Signature Books)
The first Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies were performed, not
in
Preparations to initiate the first members of Joseph Smith's Quorum
of the Anointed, or Holy Order, as it was also known, were made on
In Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845, the editors assemble available primary references to the Anointed Quorum and its regular gatherings in the locations prior to construction of the Nauvoo temple.
Despite the secrecy imposed upon members of the Anointed Quorum, word of the gatherings above Smith's store soon spread. In one instance, housekeeper Maria Jane Johnston helped prepare the special ceremonial clothing for Smith to wear at the group's meetings. In another, Ebenezer Robinson innocently opened the upstairs door at the mercantile and was startled to see church apostle John Taylor in a long white robe and ‘turban,’ carrying a sword. Only Nauvoo's elite were invited to participate in these new ceremonies – never more than ninety individuals and even fewer during Joseph Smith's lifetime – and, as editors Devery Scott Anderson and Gary James Bergera write in Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845, only those who had been introduced to the prophet's doctrine of plural marriage.
An unusual aspect of the Quorum of the Anointed, compared to the
membership in the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge, was that women were
initiated as regular members. However, the women effectively
disappear after Brigham Young's assumption of leadership in 1844,
following Smith's death, and remain virtually absent until the
Among Latter-day Saints today, temple worship is a sensitive topic; but Anderson, Mormon writer and telephone company employee and Bergera, managing director of the Smith-Pettit Foundation and Mormon publications editor, do not present anything that would be considered invasive or indelicate. In fact, the accounts, which come almost exclusively from the early LDS leadership itself, manifest discretion about what to report.
The sources include excerpts from the diaries of William Clayton, Joseph Fielding, Zina D. H. Jacobs, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, George A. Smith, Joseph Smith, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Brigham Young; autobiographies and reminiscences by Joseph C. Kingsbury, George Miller, and Mercy Fielding Thompson; letters from Vilate Kimball and Lucius N. Scoville; the Manuscript History of Brigham Young; General Record of the Seventies, Book B; Bathsheba W Smith's unedited testimony from the 1892 Temple Lot Case; other manuscripts such as the Historian's Office Journal and ‘Meetings of Anointed Quorum’; and published records such as the History of the Church, Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, and Times and Seasons.
Never before have these primary, authoritative sources been correlated by date for comparison and fuller understanding of the gradual development of the temple ceremonies. Readers of Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845 may find an added benefit in discovering some of their own ancestors' names included in these records; but in fact, anyone interested in LDS temple worship will find this compilation of primary documents fascinating.
Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / Bible
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart Ehrman (Harper SanFrancisco)
Since the advent of the printing press and the accurate
reproduction of texts, most people have assumed that when they read
the New Testament they are reading an exact copy of Jesus' words or
In Misquoting Jesus top Bible scholar Bart Ehrman reveals where and why these changes were made and how scholars go about reconstructing the original words of the New Testament as closely as possible. He makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself stem from both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes – alterations that dramatically affected all subsequent versions of the Bible.
In example after example, readers learn where and why changes were made in the earliest surviving manuscripts, changes that continue to have a dramatic impact on widely-held beliefs. Ehrman, chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an authority on the history of the New Testament, the early church, and the life of Jesus, frames Misquoting Jesus with his own personal story – his reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible.
In Misquoting Jesus Ehrman shows how:
- The King James Bible was based on corrupted and inferior manuscripts that in many cases do not accurately represent the meaning of the original text.
- The favorite Bible story of Jesus' forgiving the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-II) does not belong in the Bible.
- Scribal errors were so common in antiquity that the author of the Book of Revelation threatened damnation to anyone who ‘adds to’ or ‘takes away’ words from the text.
Engaging and fascinating.... [Ehrman's] absorbing story, fresh
and lively prose, and seasoned insights into the challenges of
recreating the texts of the New Testament ensure that readers might
never read the Gospels or Paul's letters the same way again. –
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Misquoting Jesus is a fascinating report on the scribes who
wrote the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the scholars who
used these thousands of manuscripts to establish the best text, and
Bible translators who use their results to produce the modern
translations we use today. I recommend it enthusiastically to
everyone interested in the wording of the New Testament. – James M.
Robinson, author of The Gospel of Jesus
Here, at last, in
Misquoting Jesus is the fascinating history of the words of the
Bible themselves. This is one book sure to liven up conversations
this fall and lead to more talk about putting a fence around
Religion & Spirituality / Christianity / Bible
Slaves in the New Testament: Literary, Social, And Moral
Dimensions by J. Albert Harrill (
If it were a matter to be determined by personal sympathies,
tastes, or feelings, I should be as ready as any man to condemn the
institution of slavery, for all my prejudices of education, habit,
and social position stand entirely opposed to it. But as a Christian
. . . I am compelled to submit my weak and erring intellect to the
authority of the Almighty. For then only can I be safe in my
conclusions, when I know that they are in accordance with the will
of Him, before whose tribunal I must render a strict account in the
last great day. – John Henry Hopkins (1792-1868), Episcopal Bishop
of
The God who, in
Slaves in the New Testament is a new analysis of slaves and
slavery in the New Testament. In it, J. Albert Harrill, Associate
Professor of Religious Studies at
Chapters include:
- The Slave Self: Paul and the Discursive ‘I’
- The Slave Body: Physiognomics and Invective against Paul
- The Comedy of Slavery in Story and Parable
- Subordinate to Another: Elite Salves in the Agricultural Handbooks and the Household Codes
- The Vice of the Slave Trader
- The Domestic Enemy: Household Slaves in Early Christian Apology and Accounts of Martyrdom
- The Use of the New Testament in the American Slave Controversy: A Case History in the Hermeneutical Tension between Biblical Criticism and Christian Moral Debate
In
Harrill says he mentions the Southern Baptist Convention not to single it out but to point to a wider trend in American religious culture of which it is representative. Liberal positions that claim Paul's letters or the Gospels to be fundamentally subversive of slavery and other Roman moral values are equally problematic, as he note many times in Slaves in the New Testament. Liberal theologians and scholars are also at fault for perpetuating favorably disposed opinions about the New Testament that are just as specious.
Doubtless some of the readers of this volume will always believe
in appealing solely to the Scriptures to settle Christian moral
debate. Although he says he does not entertain delusions of
convincing everyone, Harrill does hope that he has demonstrated that
such a view fails to comprehend the complexity of either moral
reasoning or biblical interpretation. Appeals to ‘what the Bible
says’ do not promote knowledge but merely attempt to end inquiry
altogether. On the level of exegesis, one goal of
Slaves in the New Testament has been to argue that any critical
interpretation of the New Testament must start by situating the
early Christian writings in their literary, social, and moral
context of the early
Harrill combines wide-ranging knowledge of ancient sources with a
sharp eye for the jugular of a text. The result is that rare thing
in biblical scholarship, genuinely fresh insights into an old
question. A book both delightful and disturbing,
Slaves in the New Testament demolishes a card house of wishful
thinking about early Christian views on slavery. Everyone who
believes that the Bible has something to say about moral issues
needs to pay attention. – Wayne A. Meeks, Woolsey Professor Emeritus
of Biblical Studies,
Far more than a historical study of slavery in early
Christianity, Harrill's remarkable book raises profound moral
questions for the field of biblical studies and for the Christian
churches. Nineteenth-century debates over whether the Bible supports
slavery forged the schools of thought that shape today's debates
over the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered
people; the full emancipation of women; or capital punishment.
Harrill deftly analyzes a range of New Testament and other Christian
sources, demonstrating how frequently they echo Roman society's
slave-holding values and anxieties about living with people forcibly
held in bondage. – Bernadette J. Brooten, Robert and
In this exciting new analysis of slaves and slavery in the New
Testament, Harrill in
Slaves in the New Testament breaks new ground with his extensive
use of Greco-Roman evidence, discussion of hermeneutics, and
treatment of the use of the New Testament in antebellum U.S. slavery
debates.
Social Sciences
Appalachian Cultural Competency: A Guide for Medical, Mental Health, and Social Service Professionals edited by Susan E. Keefe (The University of Tennessee Press)
Health and human service practitioners who work in
The lapses between practitioners' expectations and outcomes are often due to inadequate attention to the Appalachian cultural context. While the Appalachian region has received significant attention from scholars and writers in the last three decades, there is little literature directed to helping health and social services professionals who work in the region. Editor Susan Keefe relates that professionals she has come into contact with are aware of the importance of understanding Appalachian culture, but, they remark, there is no single reference work that clarifies the practical relevance of a cultural approach in their particular field.
In Appalachian Cultural Competency, Keefe, professor of anthropology at Appalachian State University, has assembled fifteen essays by a multidisciplinary set of scholars and professionals, many nationally renowned for their work in the field of Appalachian studies. These authors, despite the diversity of their fields of expertise, share the conviction that providers of health and human services in the region often face common situations and problems that could benefit from a cultural perspective. Together, they argue for the development of a cultural model of practice based on respect for local knowledge, the value of community diversity, and collaboration between professionals and local communities, groups, and individuals. A cultural approach assumes, first of all, that people are intelligent actors and that peoples' beliefs and behavior reflect their understanding of the way the world works. If a group of people acts in a way that puzzles us, the cultural perspective demands that we investigate that action from their point of view, what anthropologists refer to as the ‘emic’ perspective. This book assists the readers in understanding this emic basis for the cultural approach. It is divided into four sections, each of which describes a key strategy in the successful professional's cultural toolbox: the reflexive stance, the acquisition of cultural competence, the avoidance of stereotyping, and the adoption of a cultural theoretical paradigm.
The essays in
Appalachian Cultural Competency address issues of both practical
and theoretical interest, from understanding rural mountain speech
to tailoring mental health therapies for Appalachian clients. Other
topics include employee assistance programs for Appalachian
working-class women, ways of promoting wellness among the Eastern
Cherokees, and understanding Appalachian death practices.
The book demonstrates the utility of a cultural approach from a
variety of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, social
work, counseling, nursing, psychology, linguistics, and church
ministry. What binds this collection together is the authors'
understanding of
Social Sciences / Anthropology
The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's
Most Ordinary Citizen by Kevin O'Keefe
(PublicAffairs) tells the story of an intrepid author who sets
himself this task: to find the most perfectly average person in the
nation.
John Q Public. Plain Jane. The Average Joe. We think we know the type, but have we ever actually met the person?
To be the perfectly, statistically average American is harder than it might seem: you must live within three miles of a McDonald's and two miles of a public park; you must be better off financially than your parents, but earn no more than $75,000 a year; you must believe in God and the literal truth of the Bible, yet hold some views that traditional churches deem sacrilegious.
After years as a successful marketing executive, asserting to his clients that he could predict the behavior of the ‘average American,’ Kevin O'Keefe got curious. Who actually was the Average American? Equipped with his trusty Mr. Q, a notebook that he has compiled with over 1,000 facts about the Average American, O'Keefe, media and marketing consultant, made a tour of America in search of the sublimely ordinary, the man and woman who each represent most definitively all that is average in our country – The Average American is his report on his travels.
In his travels from New York to Nevada, Pennsylvania to Hawaii,
Kansas to Connecticut and beyond, O'Keefe talks business and
pleasure with the proprietors of Average Joe and Jane Athletics,
visits the polls on election day with the first candidate for the
Average American party, bypasses both Peoria and Normal, Illinois
(for, as he explains, they are not that normal), and watches the
magician Myklar the Ordinary wow the kids at a church in rural
Maryland. At the end of the road he discovers that the Average
American is, up close, rather extraordinary.
And he asked, what does
Combining his search with a look into the history and assumptions about the average American, O'Keefe discovered that many myths about Americans are untrue. We are not as culturally divided as is often said, nor as fat. Most people are staying in suburbs rather than moving to exurbs, IQs are rising, and no, not everyone wants to be famous. In his search, as he had hoped, he learned a lot about this country, the people in it, and whether it's okay to be average.
The Average American delivers a fascinating, often surprising, look into the idea of what is common, normal, and ‘average’ in American culture. The book is lively, fun, and thought provoking, packed with interesting facts, and, as readers will discover, more moving than one could have any right to expect. With an ending – a final destination and a final Average American – that surprised even O'Keefe to no end, he found that sometimes average is not just okay; sometimes it's amazing.
Social Sciences / Media Studies
Feet to the Fire: The Media after 9/11, Top Journalists Speak Out edited by Kristina Borjesson (Prometheus Books)
If the president says I’m going to war for reasons A, B, and C, I
can’t very well stand there and say, “The president is not telling
you the truth, the actual reason that he’s going to war is some
reason he hasn’t even mentioned. – Ted Koppel
... to say “the ... president is lying” is considered a partisan
statement even if you can document that he is lying, unless it
involves a private matter, like a consensual affair. But if he's
lying about a public matter; a number, a policy, or a rationale for
war; it's unacceptably partisan to say that. – Paul Krugman
Why did we go to war? At this point, astonishingly enough, I do
not think the public yet fully understands why we went to war in
These are dangerous bloody times when the administration can get
away with the WMD lie. And then they can switch in midstream and
say, “We’re all for freedom.”' Like hell. – Peter Arnett
They took the nation to war using a lot of bogus information. –
John Walcott
The administration wanted
The American people should be clamoring to find out the why. When
it turns out and becomes very clear there are no weapons of mass
destruction, why aren’t they saying, “Why are we there?” – Helen
Thomas
Focusing on the post 9/11 crisis period, Borjesson has
interviewed ABC’s Ted Koppel, Hearst Newspaper’s Helen Thomas, Paul
Krugman of the New York Times, Barton Gellman and Walter Pincus of
the Washington Post, Associated Press President/CEO Tom Curley,
Harpers publisher John MacArthur, and many others. Kristina
Borjesson’s collection of interviews unveils a journalistic
environment that rivals any long-running soap opera on television.
Filled with personal stories, conflict, and drama,
Feet to the Fire gives readers the rare opportunity to walk a
mile in the shoes of this nation’s most powerful journalists and
news executives. Most of them have spent long stretches of their
professional lives in what can only be described as pressure-cooker
environments ranging from deadly war zones to high-rise corporate
offices.
As a first-hand account of contemporary mainstream journalism,
Feet to the Fire has no equal. Mindful of the broader historical
context and the value of comparing the coverage of recent conflicts
to Vietnam War coverage, Borjesson, Emmy and Murrow Award-winning
investigative reporter, who has worked for CBS and CNN, has included
long interviews with Vietnam-era reporters who are still working
today, like Peter Arnett. Arnett won a Pulitzer Prize as an
Associated Press reporter in
With each interview, Borjesson gathers details from national
security and intelligence reporters, White House journalists,
Borjesson, an award-winning investigative reporter turned media
critic, gathers an impressive list of journalists in what purports
to be "an oral account of the current era of crisis," but the author
is less interested in her group's answers than whether they agree
with her premises: the Bush administration is evil, the American
media are largely complicit, and the American public is idiotic. …
this book is full of such insightful commentary. Just skip the
questions. – Publishers Weekly
American media has garnered severe criticism, particularly abroad,
for failing to more vigorously question the Bush administration's
insistence on going to war against
Thoughtful questions asked during individual meetings with these men
and women...gave reporters emotional and intellectual space for
candor... – Library Journal
Feet to the Fire is all unprecedented and deeply disturbing
insider's report on how diverse factions within our society have
collaborated and clashed to bring about profound change. Zeroing in
on a stunning lineup of first-hand sources, Borjesson presents a
unique and fascinating record of self-examination by some of
Guide to This Issue
Contents: Photography and Community in
the Twentieth Century, Biography of George W. Bush,
Ben Franklin: