[book reviews] sciences-sociales_15/07/2009

(source: Library Journal, 15/07/2009)

Communications

Morrell, Jessica Page. Thanks, but This Isn’t for Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing Is Being Rejected. Tarcher: Penguin. Aug. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-58542-721-5. pap. $16.95. COMM
Morrell (writing, Evergreen State Coll.; The Writer’s I Ching) takes us through the school of hard knocks faced by writers who are struggling to get published. Without removing the creativity from creative writing, Morrell convincingly portrays the craft of writing for publication as no accident of fate by revealing the “trade secrets” of the publishing industry through the eyes of that all-important gatekeeper, the editor. Having seen too many writers making the same mistakes, Morrell examines what makes a book publishable and what makes a story suck. She goes over dozens of common writing mistakes—from character, to plot, to dialog—and helps the would-be author find the ways in which to fine-tune a manuscript to avoid another rejection letter. VERDICT From beginning to end, whether novel, short story, or memoir, each element of a narrative is reviewed, with each chapter ending with quick tips to improve one’s writing. This is one to add to any library shelf—it won’t gather dust there.—Ann Schade, Sun Prairie, WI

Zinsser, William. Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher. Harper: HarperCollins. 2009. c.196p. ISBN 978-0-06-172902-7. $22.99. COMM
Influential writing mentor William Zinsser (On Writing Well) here briefly recounts his prolific and varied career and its many unusual work environments. Zinsser’s characteristic good humor and conversational tone are present as he describes his numerous changes of job description and employers, all while he pursued the same underlying vocation of communicating—and teaching others to communicate—via the written word. From the New York Herald Tribune to Yale to offices outfitted with fire pole exits, Zinsser demonstrates that good writing does not depend on one’s surroundings. He also encourages his readers and students to pursue their passions wherever they may lead, presenting his own interesting career as proof of this wisdom. VERDICT The best parts of this book are Zinsser’s nuggets of writing advice; the memoir portions, especially in passages listing names and places from the author’s past, are less successful than other memoirs such as Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life or Stephen King’s On Writing. Although some general readers may be interested, this book is recommended mainly for students of writing.—Stacey Rae Brownlie, Lititz P.L., PA

Economics

Ad Nauseum: A Survivor’s Guide to American Consumer Culture. Farrar. Jul. 2009. c.336p. ed. by Carrie McLaren & Jason Torchinsky. illus. ISBN 978-0-86547-987-6. pap. $15. BUS
McLaren and Torchinsky (Stay Free! magazine) provide a loose collection of essays and interviews to critique various aspects of American consumer culture. Two of the more thought-provoking entries are Julie Scelfo’s (Newsweek) interview with NYU law professor Richard Sherwin on how television legal dramas shape expectations of jurors, and a debate between Sut Jhally (communications, Univ. of Massachusetts-Amherst) and James Twichell (English & advertising, Univ. of Florida-Gainesville) about the relative merits and demerits of advertising. There are some interesting pieces from inside the world of advertising, such as one on how holidays like “National Denim Day” and “National Private Investigators’ Day” came to be, and others related to how magazine media kits try to attract ad revenue. VERDICT Readers familiar with Stay Free! magazine will recognize that, while some notable original essays are included in this book, many of them, as well as fake advertisements, are reprints of material freely available on Stay Free!’s web site (www.stayfreemagazine.org). The book will appeal to readers with an ironic sense of humor or a general suspicion of consumerism as well as those who enjoy keeping track of popular culture.—Elizabeth L. Winter, Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta

The Capitalist’s Bible: The Essential Guide to Free Markets—and Why They Matter to You. Harper: HarperCollins. Sept. 2009. c.320p. ed. by Gretchen Morgenson. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-06-156098-9. pap. $16.99. ECON
Morgenson, the New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has produced a timely and informative primer. Alluding to the current economic recession, she stresses that “getting wise to the ways of world financial markets…has never been more crucial than it is right now.” To help educate readers to that end, she provides a thorough overview of capitalism—its essential tenets, names of chief theorists, historical background, as well as describing its mechanisms and institutions. Not only chronicling capitalist success stories like the explosive growth of the American middle class, she also examines capitalist disasters such as the Great Depression, evaluating the legacies of both growth and failure in an evenhanded way. She also performs the exemplary task of dissecting the advanced economic jargon, explaining how its application impacts people’s lives. She rightly claims the “21st century has seen capitalism become the dominant economic system worldwide.” Nowhere is this evolution more apparent than in modern-day Russia or China. Unfortunately her choice in presenting a selection of profiles of various countries in the chapter “Capitalism Around the World” seems both arbitrary and perfunctory, offering minimal critical insight on how capitalism has transformed these countries. Yet this remains a minor shortcoming. VERDICT Morgenson’s book is essential for all who want to improve their capitalism literacy.—Richard Drezen, Brooklyn, NY

Kilborn, Peter T. Next Stop, Reloville: Life Inside America’s Rootless Professional Class. Times Bks: Holt. Jul. 2009. c.272p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8050-8308-8. $26. BUS
Kilborn offers an analysis of the lives of “relos”—individuals who move up in their careers by moving around, both within the United States and internationally. The author is a longtime correspondent for the New York Times and it shows; the book reads quickly but is still thought-provoking, and moves logically from an extended example of a relo family, through chapters on the cities where relos settle (including Alpharetta, GA, and Plano, TX); the companies for which they work; the communities they form (or don’t); the houses they buy and sell; and the impact of their moving around upon their family life. Kilborn’s tone is largely reportorial; he opts to focus mainly on the economic and professional repercussions of rootlessness rather than on its social impact (an earlier book to which he contributed, Class Matters, included a bit more editorializing). VERDICT This book might have benefited from a more synthesizing conclusion, but overall it is a solid, business-centric read that will appeal to fans of Richard Florida’s Who’s Your City? or Bill Bishop’s The Big Sort. Recommended for interested general readers and business students.—Sarah Statz Cords, The Reader’s Advisor Online

Murray, David Kord. Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-1-592-40478-0. $26. BUS
Half of this book is an unremarkable self-help program for creativity. On the premise that creativity results from the combination of existing materials, Murray advocates “borrowing” successful ideas and giving them new applications. He offers a six-step creativity program with such insights as the need to define a problem before you solve it and the admonition to eliminate weak points while enhancing strong points. As the six steps progress Murray provides inspirational anecdotes about various luminaries (Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, etc.), which occasionally support the point at hand. The second half of this book is a paean by the author, a former aerospace engineer, to his self-proclaimed brilliance. Through various flashbacks to his childhood and later, he attempts to build himself up into a mythic figure who has overcome all the odds and who breaks all the rules, producing one innovative triumph after another; a character very familiar to motivational speaking. VERDICT There are simply better-written, catchier, more motivational self-help books out there. There is also a legal danger for the unwary reader who gets too excited about “borrowing” successful ideas from others. Not recommended.—Robert Perret, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow

Stewart, Matthew. The Management Myth: Management Consulting: Past, Present, and Largely Bogus. Norton. Jul. 2009. c.304p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-393-06553-4. $27.95. BUS
Taking aim at the business management establishment, Oxford philosophy graduate Stewart (The Courtier and the Heretic), after some years as a management consultant, sinks his teeth into everyone from the pioneers of management theory to the more recent management gurus (Peter Drucker, Tom Peters). He also critiques management education, asserting that a liberal arts degree is a more suitable preparation than an MBA. Alternating as he does between memoir and management theory, Stewart ends up with a disjointed and inconsistently meaningful work. He raises appropriate questions (e.g., about the validity of research from past management thinkers) and highlights serious problems in contemporary management (greedy and opportunistic consultants), but offers few solutions other than recommending a degree in philosophy. VERDICT While aspects of Stewart’s argument are certainly valid, a lot of the content here was already available in his June 2006 Atlantic Monthly article of the same name. Although Stewart has added some substantive information regarding the history of management, and quite a bit of seemingly melodramatic details from his brief consulting career, the results are not recommended.—Allen McGinley, Piscataway P.L., NJ

Political Science

Aid, Matthew M. The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency. Bloomsbury Pr., dist. by Macmillan. 2009. c.448p. index. ISBN 978-1-59691-515-2. $30. POL SCI
Electronic signals/communications intelligence (SIGINT) is a vital part of the information-gathering efforts of intelligence agencies. The National Security Agency (NSA) is the primary eavesdropping and code-breaking arm of the U.S. government. Aid goes over its operations during the crises of the 1950s and 1960s and the Vietnam War era, much of which was covered by James Bamford’s The Puzzle Palace. But what is new and more important here is the evaluation of NSA activities since 2000. Using interviews with those in positions to know, the author discusses NSA’s troubled bureaucratic working relations with the CIA and FBI, how its product was used before, during, and after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the massive domestic spying operation directed by the White House. VERDICT This book provides useful background for the current national security debate, with the author generally siding with the NSA as a misused agency that needs still more resources. With extensive endnotes; index and photos not seen. Suitable for general and advanced readers.—Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL

Graham, Bradley. By His Own Rules: The Ambitions, Successes, and Ultimate Failures of Donald Rumsfeld. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Jul. 2009. c.816p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-58648-421-7. $35. POL SCI
Donald Rumsfeld, the most powerful and arguably the most controversial secretary of defense in U.S. history and the only person to hold the position under two presidents (Gerald Ford and George W. Bush), gets a full assessment from Graham (Hit To Kill: The New Battle Over Shielding America from Missile Attack), longtime military affairs reporter for the Washington Post. Graham covers Rumsfeld’s life from childhood on, with the focus of course on his years in politics, from four terms as an Illinois Republican in Congress to his several positions under Ford, Nixon, and George W. Bush, and in private industry. The author conducted many interviews, including eight with Rumsfeld. His opinion? That Rumsefeld failed to expand the military to meet the challenges of the war in Iraq and that he neglected to plan effectively for postwar Iraq. Graham concludes that Rumsfeld will mostly be remembered for the American deaths in the Iraq war under his watch and the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. But he does not see Rumsfeld as a war criminal, as in Michael Ratner’s The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld, nor as an appropriate fall guy. VERDICT This book would still have been thorough if slimmed down considerably. It will be of interest chiefly to policy wonks and academics.—Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Michel, Serge & Michel Beuret (text) & Paolo Woods (photogs.). China Safari: On the Trail of Beijing’s Expansion in Africa. Nation Bks. 2009. c.336p. tr. from French by Raymond Valley. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-56858-426-3. $26.95. INT AFFAIRS
A significant book that insightfully examines China’s role in Africa, China Safari reveals not only the complexities of Chinese immigration to Africa, but also the political rivalries that result from it. While much scholarship has focused on the economic and political context, European-based journalists Michel, Beuret, and Woods emphasize the day-to-day social and cultural interactions and relationships that are often excluded in such analyses of Chinese-African relations. Through in-depth interviews with Chinese sojourners and Africans, the book reveals Africa as the new “Wild West” frontier for China; Africa is experiencing exploitation of its resources in a way reminiscent of its colonial past. Paradoxically, as African countries such as Zimbabwe, Congo, and Sudan are willingly dependent on Chinese capital to sustain their economies, the Chinese laborers there face increasing anti-Chinese crimes—robbery, blackmail, and personal violence—particularly led by opposition political parties and civil society groups. VERDICT Recommended for all interested readers.—Allan Cho, Univ. of British Columbia Lib., Vancouver

Social Sciences

The Face in the Mirror: Writers Reflect on Their Dreams of Youth and the Reality of Age. Prometheus. Sept. 2009. c.300p. ed. by Victoria Zackheim. ISBN 978-1-59102-752-2. $25. SOC SCI
Zackheim (instructor, Univ. of California-Los Angeles Extension Writers’ Program; The Bone Weaver) has assembled essays from 20 authors who reflect on their advancing age and compare how they turned out with who they thought they would become when they were much younger. Among the relatively well-known essayists featured here are Malachy McCourt, Joyce Maynard, Alan Dershowitz, Beverly Donofrio, Eileen Goudge, and editor Zackheim; included are dual photos of each in youth and from the present. The authors reveal their highly personal, frank thoughts on their desire to achieve success, obstacles that hindered their life journey, their accomplishments and failures, the state of their families, how some ended up replicating their parents, and on meeting personal goals and living with unfulfilled dreams. A common thread is the writers’ expressions of a sense of completeness, of becoming whole, and of learning how to live within themselves and be comfortable with whom they have become. One of the more remarkable stories is Donofrio’s, sharing her life’s experiences as she became a teenage mother, then a convicted felon, and later a college student and a notable author, now living in a monastery in the Colorado mountains. VERDICT Aging boomers will likely relate to these sensitive, refreshingly honest musings that tackle universal questions about the choices faced in life and the critical self examination that comes with age. Recommended.—Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Forman-Brunell, Miriam. Babysitter: An American History. New York Univ. Aug. 2009. c.336p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8147-2759-1. $29.95. SOC SCI
So that young couple thought they were just hiring the kid next door to “mind” their toddler for a couple of hours while they took in a movie! Who knew that babysitting—past and present—was so fraught with meaning. Forman-Brunell (history, Univ.of Missouri-Kansas City; Made to Play House: The Commercialization of American Girlhood), that’s who. In this well-documented, illustrated discussion of our culture’s perceptions of babysitters through the years, the author skillfully demonstrates how changing social mores and attitudes toward girls and women were responsible for the astonishing range of notions about babysitters, running the gamut from child-care provider to home wrecker. Despite her initial observation that she found little archival material on the history of babysitting, Forman-Brunell makes excellent use of the various babysitting handbooks published over the years, and, particularly, of the commercial novels (e.g., The Baby-Sitters Club series) and movies that came out, from domestic comedies to horror films reflecting parents’ (and babysitters’) worst nightmares. VERDICT The results of her admirable research are highly recommended for all interested readers.—Ellen Gilbert, Princeton, NJ

Laderman, Scott. Tours of Vietnam: War, Travel Guides, and Memory. Duke Univ. 2009. c.288p. index. ISBN 978-0-8223-4396-7. $79.95; pap. ISBN 978-0-8223-4414-8. $22.95. SOC SCI
Laderman (history, Univ. of Minnesota- Duluth) offers a fascinating view of the United States in Vietnam, using tourism to illustrate a contentious history that reveals much about the collective American identity and memory of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Laderman shows how travel literature, first directed at American soldiers (published by the Department of Defense) and thereafter at veterans and tourists, was written to favorably suit the American, and supposedly well-intentioned, perspective. Even the Lonely Planet guides fail to deviate from the accepted American recollection of events in Vietnam. For example, the War Remnant Museum in Ho Chi Mihn City illustrates how out of touch Americans may be with the Vietnamese reality. The museum focuses on the Vietnamese experience of the war; its exhibits have met with dismissal and hostility in American travel guides, illustrative of a contentious history that hits a raw nerve. VERDICT Thoroughly researched, Laderman’s book offers a different angle on the conflict through the lens of tourism and collective memory. Highly recommended.—Patti C. McCall, Albany Molecular Research Inc., NY

Meston, Cindy M. & David M. Buss. Why Women Have Sex: Sexual Motivation—from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between). Times Bks: Holt. Oct. 2009. c.320p. index. ISBN 978-0-8050-8834-2. $25. SOC SCI
What do women want? According to University of Texas at Austin psychology professors Meston (director, Sexual Psychophysiology Lab) and Buss (The Evolution of Desire), this is a perplexing question, particularly with respect to sex. In 11 chapters, they provide the answers generated by clinical research and survey responses from 1,006 women aged 18 through 86 in the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and China. Interspersing quotations from the survey with state-of-the-art research, Meston and Buss demonstrate the surprising span of relevant motivating factors. They conclude that women want sex for the following reasons: pleasure, emotional and spiritual connection, the thrill of conquest, a means of guarding a mate or trading up, a sense of adventure, health rewards, to fulfill a sense of duty or responsibility, to bolster body image, and desire for sexual punishment, cruelty, and violence. VERDICT This study will intrigue and inform students and readers of Havelock Ellis, William Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, and Alfred Kinsey.—Lynne F. Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., PA

Solnit, Rebecca. A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster. Viking. 2009. c.405p. ISBN 978-0-670-02107-9. $27.95. SOC SCI
Prize-winning author Solnit (A Field Guide to Getting Lost) delivers an insightful glimpse into the compelling human interest stories behind five major disasters: the San Fransisco earthquake of 1906, the Halifax explosion of 1917, Mexico City’s 1985 earthquake, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. But more than just the stories, she turns her attention to the larger subject of the sociology of disasters and the incredible community spirit that can arise amid disaster. In contrast to media portrayals of negative human behavior in times of distress, Solnit believes that humans have an intrinsic need to help each other and work together in communities forged by disaster. These surreal situations demonstrate how deeply most of us desire connection, participation, altruism, and purposefulness. Thus the startling joy in disasters. Solnit wonders if some of these ephemeral moments could be recaptured in our normal day-to-day routines, thus enhancing our sense of community. VERDICT Despite wandering into some murky what-ifs, this book offers a timely study in community during these uncertain times.—Holly S. Hebert, Rochester Coll., Rochester Hills, MI

Taylor, Candacy A. Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress. ILR: Cornell Univ. Jul. 2009. c.160p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-8014-7440-8. pap. $19.95. SOC SCI
Photographer, cultural critic, and erstwhile waitress Taylor traveled through 43 U.S. cities collecting stories from career diner waitresses for this respectful, celebratory collection of oral histories and photographs. Nearly every page features a portrait or on-the-job action shot of one of Taylor’s 57 interviewees, and each chapter ends with several waitresses’ reflections—some funny, some poignant—on their lives, careers, and customers. In between, Taylor explores the history of diners, issues of power in the workplace, the daunting variety and volume of work, and how and why some women continue in this physically challenging, disrespected occupation for decades, with no thought of, let alone desire for, retirement. Many of these self-termed “lifers” do surprisingly well financially and have tremendous job satisfaction, thanks to years of developing the customer care techniques—and genuine affection for their regulars and workplaces—that result in plum shifts and good tips, and thanks also to the organizational skills and no-nonsense attitude that allow them to thrive in their niche. VERDICT Taylor offers these women, many in their sixties, seventies, and eighties, and perhaps the last of their kind, a well-deserved tribute. Recommended for all who love human interest stories or interesting characters.—Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Worthington Libs., OH

[book reviews] business_01/07/2009

(source: Library Journal, 15/06/2009)

Culwell, Lori. Million Dollar Website: Simple Steps To Help You Compete with the Big Boys—Even on a Small Business Budget. Berkley: Penguin Group (USA). 2009. c.240p. ISBN 978-0-7352-0441-6. pap. $19.95.
This do-it-yourself guide shares the web-design best practices of successful enterprises, especially Fortune 500 companies, and offers advice, tips, and free Internet tools for entrepreneurs to create or redesign their web sites. Culwell, an experienced web site consultant to major corporations, believes that the same “big picture” strategies that have proved fruitful for these larger concerns, such as branding, the targeting of specific audiences, and the identification of keywords, can lead to success for any business’s web site. Culwell also discusses content, aesthetics, and personalization features. Key factors are the effective uses of web site statistics and user feedback. In addition, the book discusses affiliate marketing, search engine optimization, and Web 2.0 applications as important methods to drive traffic. This easy-to-use book is recommended for small business owners as well as anyone else wanting to establish a productive and winning web presence.

Miller, Michael. Selling Online 2.0: Migrating from eBay to Amazon, craigslist, and Your Own E-Commerce Website. Que: Pearson. 2009. 360p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-7897-3974-2. pap. $21.95.
This detailed guide offers sellers alternatives to eBay auctions, and, more importantly, strategies to assess which online retail web sites are the best for selling which products and services. Although the book does not address doing business using social networking web sites, such as Facebook or Second Life, the analytical techniques presented here will assist business professionals with making decisions about using all such Web 2.0 applications. Miller also discusses multichannel selling and preparing business plans. Because many more sales transactions are taking place online than ever before, his book is a recommended read for all retailers.

Shih, Clara. The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks To Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff. Prentice-Hall. 2009. 256p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-13-715222-3. pap. $24.99.
Web 2.0, the next generation of the Internet that is characterized by social networking sites, has revolutionized the ways individuals communicate. It has also transformed the way business is conducted, especially by companies that have used social networks’ information about people and affiliations to form customer profiles and profitable customer relationships. Shih, a Web 2.0 business applications pioneer, shows readers how to use the power of social networks in business functions, such as sales, marketing, recruitment, and identification of opportunities. Companies’ future abilities to compete may be dependent upon the implementation of strategies in this book, which recommends it to all business professionals.

Snyder, Scott. The New World of Wireless: How To Compete in the 4G Revolution. Wharton. Sept. 2009. c.208p. illus. ISBN 978-0-13-700379-2. $34.99.
Modern business is being revolutionized by high-speed wireless technologies that are dramatically transforming the ways business is done. Snyder believes that “digital swarms”—self-organized, interconnected groups of individuals and wireless devices—are evolving in forward-thinking enterprises. Companies that welcome wireless capabilities and use these technologies in combination with others, including Web 2.0 applications, to rethink their organizational structures and gain competitive advantage will be best positioned to succeed now, and all the more so when the fourth generation (4g) of wireless technologies emerges. The book is enhanced by many case studies and “Key Insight” sidebars. Recommended for all business professionals.

[book reviews] sciences-sociales_01/07/2009

(source: Library Journal, 15/06/2009)

Economics

Anderson, Chris. Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Hyperion. Jul. 2009. c.288p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-4013-2290-8. $26.99. BUS
While the best things in life may be free, a business model based on giving stuff away seems a little crazy. But Anderson (editor in chief, Wired), who made a big splash with The Long Tail, tells us that this business model is already here. In The Long Tail, he showed how online businesses were making good by selling less of more, that is, by selling a huge range of niche or low-volume products that added up to big bucks. Here he demonstrates that the concept of making money by giving things away has already taken hold in the digital world. VERDICT With explanations of basic economic principles like supply and demand and an analysis of the differences between products in the physical world and those in the digital world, Anderson makes the Free premise sound quite reasonable. Lots of companies are making lots of money from “free.” Google and Yahoo, for instance, have some of the biggest computer server complexes in the world, yet they let us use their email, news, and search services every day. While this book may not be free, it will generate interest among both academic and general readers.—Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin, Whitewater

Leopold, Les. The Looting of America: How Wall Street’s Game of Fantasy Finance Destroyed Our Jobs, Pensions, and Prosperity—and What We Can Do About It. Chelsea Green. Jun. 2009. c.224p. index. ISBN 978-1-60358-205-6. pap. $14.95. BUS
Leopold (founding director, Labor Inst. & Public Health Inst.; The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor) spends much of this text providing an excellent “lemonade stand” explanation of the history and mechanics of the various mortgage-related securities and their derivatives that have come under scrutiny as a result of the current financial crisis. Many readers will find the simplicity of this exercise a welcome parry to the mass media refrain that only the most highly trained Wall Street professionals can comprehend these financial instruments. The Whitefish Bay, WI, school board’s foray into these unregulated markets supplies Leopold with a suitably disastrous example of how such securities and derivatives multiplied exponentially the losses resulting from the mortgage default surge that began in 2007. VERDICT Leopold uses the Whitefish Bay study to good effect. Although he doesn’t fulfill the promise of the subtitle in any special way, his clear and basic explanations will at least help readers understand the financial jargon bandied about so readily over the last couple of years.—Steve Wilson, Dayton Metro Lib., Dayton

Plotkin, Robert. The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing Is Revolutionizing Law & Business. Stanford Law & Politics: Stanford Univ. 2009. c.288p. index. ISBN 978-0-8047-5699-0. $29.95. BUS
There is little argument that invention spurs innovation, competition, and economic growth. With technology today, however, inventors can simply input a problem (a “wish”) into a program and have the computer (a “genie”) generate, or “invent,” the ultimate solution. Who or what, then, is the true inventor of the final product? Plotkin, an intellectual property attorney, tackles this intriguing question by stating that patent law today does not lend itself to such broad interpretation. Further, the author convincingly illustrates an urgent need to reform current law so that it is neither too strong nor too weak in order to protect the future rights of inventors, businesses, and consumers. VERDICT Plotkin posits that “Computer Automated Inventing” or “Artificial Invention Technology” does not replace the human mind; rather, it augments and partners with its human counterpart to build a better mousetrap, whatever that might be. From toothbrushes to auto assembly, the author uses easy-to-understand analogies that most lay readers will understand. Recommended for committed readers in business, computer science, or law.—Judy Brink-Drescher, Dowling Coll., Oakdale, NY

Shell, Ellen Ruppel. Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2009. c.320p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59420-215-5. $25.95. BUS
Just in time for the current economic recession, Shell (The Hungry Gene: The Insider Story of the Obesity Industry) investigates America’s fixation with discount retail prices. Historically, consumers have believed that “buying cheap” was “buying smart,” but Shell assembles convincing evidence that our appetite for cheap products has led to an explosion of “shoddy clothes, unreliable electronics, wobbly furniture and questionable food.” She points out that the rise of the Industrial Revolution in this country saw the simultaneous rise of mass production, which fostered the aims of early retail pioneers such as John Wanamaker and F.W. Woolworth. Now, with its cheap labor force producing cheap goods for the American market, China is largely responsible for much of the discount boom prevalent today. Ironically, Americans have significantly curtailed their buying, thus impacting retailers and in turn causing enormous problems for the Chinese economy. Shell rightly concludes that “technology, globalization and deregulation have made competition a death march,” forcing companies to eliminate jobs, lower quality standards, and depress wages, all with the purpose of creating cheaper goods, resulting in a kind of unending vicious cycle. VERDICT This highly intelligent and disturbing book provides invaluable insight into our consumer culture and should be mandatory reading for anyone trying to figure out our current financial mess. As Shell proves, the hunt for cheap products has hurt us all. Highly recommended for smart readers. —Richard Drezen, formerly with the Washington Post/New York City Bureau

Yellin, Emily. Your Call Is (Not That) Important to Us: Customer Service and What It Reveals About the World and Our Lives. Free Pr: S. & S. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-4165-4689-4. $26. BUS
Telephone customer service has been with us nearly as long as the telephone, and complaints about telephone customer service have been around for just about as long. From wry poems about the “hello girls” who used to connect each and every call at the turn of the 20th century to the consumer activist blogs of today, Yellin documents the history of disconnect between customers and telephone agents. Almost everyone who has picked up a phone can empathize with such tales of woe as when Vincent Ferrari made national headlines after recording an AOL representative’s seemingly pathological refusal to let Ferrari cancel his Internet service. But Yellin also introduces us to the agents themselves—Mormon housewives and Argentinean college students who absorb eight to ten hours of verbal abuse a day trapped between irate customers and often indifferent companies. We also meet virtual agents like Amtrak’s “Julie” and learn why they will probably be the future of customer service and how they can’t possibly replace real, even if sometimes only human, people. VERDICT This fascinating history of humanity and technology meeting head-on will be of interest to a wide variety of readers and is highly recommended.—Robert Perret, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow

Political Science

Brookhiser, Richard. Right Time, Right Place: Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement. Basic Bks: Perseus. Jun. 2009. c.272p. ISBN 978-0-465-01355-5. $27.50.
Meehan III, William F. Conversations with William F. Buckley, Jr. Univ. Pr. of Mississippi. Jun. 2009. c.204p. index. ISBN 978-1-60473-224-5. pap. $22. POL SCI
William F. Buckley’s 2008 death will surely lead to an extension of the already considerable Buckley bookshelf, which he himself populated during a career spanning six decades, years when he began the National Review, produced television’s Firing Line, and godfathered the conservative movement that came to dominate American politics. These two books are among the first to join Buckley’s own on that shelf. Buckley bibliographer Meehan has gathered 15 interviews from 1970 to 2005 for Mississippi’s long-running “Literary Conversations” series. Readers who agreed with Buckley’s politics and enjoyed his wit will savor the collection of conversations. Those who disagreed, and dismissed Buckley, may be surprised at how well they like him here and surprised again at some of his opinions, which address topics ranging widely from politics to writing to sailing to music to any number of other areas. Among his opinions, stated in a 1970 interview: “It is still hard as hell to find a young conservative with writing talent.” The prior year he’d found Brookhiser, who had submitted an article to National Review, which Buckley published as a cover story in 1970 when Brookhiser had just turned 15 years old. Brookhiser, known for a series of popular biographies that began with Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington, joined the National Review staff in 1977 and at one point was Buckley’s heir apparent; he is still a senior editor at the magazine. His is an engaging memoir of the conservative movement, of one of its engines (the National Review), and of Brookhiser’s somewhat oedipal relationship with Buckley. VERDICT Meehan’s book is a highly recommended introduction to a wide-ranging man, while Brookhiser’s work is recommended for any reader trying to get a better understanding of the conservative movement in late 20th-century America. Recommended for all interested readers.—Bob Nardini, Nashville, TN

Mattson, Kevin. “What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?”: Jimmy Carter, America’s “Malaise,” and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Jul. 2009. c.272p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59691-521-3. $25. POL SCI
Mattson (contemporary history, Ohio Univ.; Rebels All!) revisits the 1970s, the Carter presidency, and the major television address that has come to symbolize Carter’s term in office—the “malaise” speech of July 15, 1979. In terms of content and delivery, it was an effective performance. The author reminds us that Carter never uttered the word malaise in his address and that his popularity actually rose after delivering it. Moreover, Mattson argues that the content of the speech still resonates with ongoing concerns over consumer wants, the nation’s dependence on oil, and a loss of trust in government. Unfortunately, after delivering this key speech, Carter undermined it by an unexpected mass purge of his cabinet. Carter’s image became that of the amateur blunderer, allowing Ronald Reagan, a smiling and friendly grandfather on a horse, to ride into Washington to lead the nation. VERDICT With background to the speech that is itself fascinating to read, this book becomes a page-turner for those interested in the decadent disco decade, Jimmy Carter himself, and the modern presidency.—William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport

Noveck, Beth Simone. Wiki Government: How Technology Can Make Government Better, Democracy Stronger, and Citizens More Powerful. Brookings Inst. 2009. c.200p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-8157-0275-7. $28.95. POL SCI
Noveck (director, Inst. for Information Law & Policy; New York Law Sch.) reports on the unexpected success of a pilot initiative to develop a type of Web 2.0 collaborative model for the patent review process, easing the monumental work of patent examiners with the peer-to-patent initiative. Noveck initially proposed this peer-to-patent initiative in a blog post and subsequently refined it into a platform for e-government with authentic citizen participation. Here she presents what she considers the best practices for online community experts contributing to the evaluation of patent claims, together with examples that show the importance of interfaces that foster group work. She also points to probable governmental applications, like substantive commenting on regulatory issues for the environment or education. VERDICT Noveck’s approach to e-governance is to study where citizen online collaboration can have an impact, and she shows that one can design for participatory democracy with compelling results. Buyer beware if you are looking for a Wiki how to—this is not the essence of Noveck’s book. Well reasoned but clearly for informed readers only.—Jim Hahn, Univ. of Illinois Lib., Urbana

Social Sciences

My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them. Terrace: Univ. of Wisconsin. 2009. c.320p. ed. by Michael Montlack. ISBN 978-0-299-23120-0. $24.95. SOC SCI
A diva. Every good gay man has one, it seems, and, to paraphrase the editor, it’s amazing that no one thought of this before. Montlack (English, Berkeley Coll.) has assembled essays, chiefly by up-and-coming writers, that explore the symbiotic relationship between the gay male and the diva—those beloved, larger-than-life ladies who have served as role models, muses, and even therapists. Sounds like a hoot, but this is more than a camp fest. The essays, mostly three to five pages, are touching and thoughtful as well as funny, as they lovingly detail what each author’s personal diva has meant to him. Show business and popular culture icons abound, with most of the usual suspects present (Liza, Marlene, Cher, both Bettes, and Joan), as well as choices from history and politics (Elizabeth I, Eva Perón), the culinary arts (Julia Child, Jennifer Patterson), and even fictitious figures (Auntie Mame, Princess Leia, Endora). VERDICT This is one of those delightful books you can open at random and be amused, enlightened, or moved by. The concept seems too rich to be confined to one volume; don’t be surprised if a sequel appears in a year or two. Highly recommended for all LGBT readers.—Richard J. Violette Special Libs. Cataloguing, Inc. & Greater Victoria P.L., Victoria, B.C.

[book reviews] sciences-sociales_02/06/2009

(source: Library Journal, 01/06/2009)

Economics

Bradford, Stacey L. The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents. Three Rivers: Crown. Jun. 2009. c.208p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-307-40707-8. pap. $14.95. BUS
Bradford, an associate editor at SmartMoney.com, presents a relevant and witty overview of the awesome task facing new parents—affording their kids. She covers all the major issues, including child tax credits, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, flexible spending accounts, and 529 plans; even wills, trusts, and disability insurance are considered. Bradford writes from a female perspective, and humor abounds: “Along with hemorrhoids and hormonal mood swings, meager maternity benefits are just one more harsh reality that no one warns pregnant women about.” Considering the enormous and long-term expense of a new bundle of joy, her money-saving tips are sure to be popular. Bradford clearly grasps the mindset of new parents and keeps information complete but concise; the chapters on health care and college savings plans are so succinct that it would be nearly impossible not to understand them. Only the chapter “Where Should You Nest?” disappoints, as it is not broad enough to serve most readers. VERDICT Bradford’s book offers a more comprehensive framework than Steve and Annette Economides’s America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money. Here’s one work that all new and prospective parents worried about finances should consider.—Tracy Mohaidheen, M.L.I.S., West Bloomfield, MI

Political Science

Caldwell, Christopher. Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West. Doubleday. Jul. 2009. c.416p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-385-51826-0. $30. INT AFFAIRS
Respected conservative journalist Caldwell (senior editor, Weekly Standard) writes with deep skepticism about Europe’s future relations with the Islamic world. He most clearly expresses his attitude when arguing that immigration has had unintended consequences, “importing not just factors of production but factors of social change.” More specifically, Caldwell is concerned about what he sees as Islam’s tendency to “trump” other social identities and ultimately form a single identity contrary to the values of democratic rule; at its peril, Europe neglects religion as the “anchor” of this identity. The values and culture of secular Europe are dependent on “ethical survivals of Christianity,” says Caldwell, but the same is not true of Islam, despite the number of European converts. Caldwell also rejects American-style assimilation as a model for European immigrant “integration.” VERDICT Regardless of one’s attitude toward immigration, Caldwell interprets an important European policy debate and illuminates why anti-immigrant sentiment cannot be dismissed as simple bigotry. Recommended for informed readers.—Zachary T. Irwin, School of Humanities & Social Science, Penn State, Erie, Behrend Coll.

Griffin, David Ray. Osama Bin Laden: Dead or Alive? Olive Branch: Interlink. Aug. 2009. c.276p. index. ISBN 978-1-56656-783-1. pap. $15. INT AFFAIRS
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one of the reasons for George W. Bush’s invasion of Afghanistan was to uproot al Qaeda and “get” its leader, Osama bin Laden, “dead or alive.” President Bush was widely criticized by his opponents, including presidential candidate Obama, for failing to achieve this objective. Why has the United States, with its massive intelligence apparatus and military might, not been able to apprehend bin Laden? In this provocative book, Griffin (codirector, Ctr. for Process Studies, Claremont Sch. of Theology: The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions), a leading conspiracy theorist on the subject of 9/11, seeks to solve this puzzle by asking, What if Osama bin Laden is no longer alive? He points out that the last time a message to or from bin Laden was intercepted was December 2001. Using a vast array of public statements and writings by public figures, military analysts, and former CIA officials and relying on publicly available data, Griffin deconstructs the report of the 9/11 Commission and highlights its omissions. He also examines purported messages from bin Laden since 2001 and finds little evidence that these in fact have come from bin Laden himself. VERDICT After presenting evidence worth pondering about bin Laden’s possible demise, Griffin concludes more broadly by evaluating the policy implications of pursuing a debilitating war in Afghanistan. His highly recommended work is worth consideration by both general readers and students of 21st-century international affairs.—Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile

Social Sciences

Cohen, Arianne. The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life from on High. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Jun. 2009. c.256p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59691-308-0. $20. SOC SCI
Inspired by her own height and a serious lack of popular material on tallness, 6′3″ journalist Cohen (coeditor, Confessions of a High School Word Nerd) takes great pride in announcing that tall people have higher IQs, earn more money, and live longer than average-height folks. Cohen discusses the economic, physical, and psychological benefits and disadvantages of being a tall person in a personal and humorous tone. She arranges her book into a series of thematic essays that address the biological causes of tallness, its economic, sociological, and medical aspects, and the consequences of living daily life in an infrastructure created for shorter people. Readers come away understanding how one’s height can affect everything from one’s relationships, personal and professional, to national economies. VERDICT With more material available on the causes and ramifications of short stature, Cohen’s book fills a gap in the popular literature, complementing Susan Cohen and Christine Cosgrove’s more academic Normal at Any Cost: Tall Girls, Short Boys, and the Medical Industry’s Quest To Manipulate Height. Her work includes references, graphs, and illustrations but is defined by its humor and the filter of personal experience. Recommended for good leisure reading.—Kate Farley, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah, GA

Pierce, Charles P. Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free. Doubleday. Jun. 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-7679-2614-0. $24.95. SOC SCI
Pierce (writer-at-large, Esquire) begins by relating his visit to the Creation Museum in Kentucky, during which he sees on display a dinosaur wearing a saddle. That outlandish sight leads him to consider other examples of irrationality taking the place of reason in America, as he examines talk radio, denials of global warming and evolution, the war in Iraq, Sarah Palin, the case of Terry Schiavo, etc. With droll prose and an appreciation for irony, Pierce skewers what he sees as America’s lamentable embrace of idiocy, and he illustrates how it has thrown us perilously off balance. He contrasts the ubiquitous ignorance and gullibility of today’s body politic with the thoughts of James Madison, who heralded common sense, knowledge, and experience as virtues. VERDICT Pierce contends that the founding fathers (men of the Enlightenment) properly guaranteed a place in society for cranks to be able to champion eccentric ideas, but now any crank who can draw attention to himself using mass media is viewed as an expert while genuine authorities are not trusted. Intelligence is discounted and gut reactions hold sway, or, as Pierce maintains: “Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is measured by how fervently they believe it.” Recommended.—Donna L. Davey, NYU Lib.

[book reviews] sciences-sociales_25/05/2009

(source: Library Journal, 15/05/2009)

Communications

Greene, Bob. Late Edition: A Love Story. St. Martin’s. Jul. 2009. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-312-37530-0. $25.95. COMM
In a touching homage to the daily newspaper, Greene weaves a wistful tapestry of “the sights, sounds, and smells” of his first job working at his hometown newspaper, the Columbus Citizen-Journal, from 1964 to 1968. He recalls the wonder of his first day as a copy boy and the subsequent years spent writing for the paper’s sports and city desks. In his youth, argues Greene, when TV was just beginning to take hold, American families cherished their local newspapers as “the daily scrapbook of a city’s life.” People subscribed to the morning paper produced by one news organization and the evening edition of another in order to keep abreast of local business, school, civic, and sporting events. Greene also recollects when his “first love,” the Citizen-Journal, printed its last edition in 1985, a time when cities could no longer sustain two competing newspapers. This nostalgic look at the importance of newspaper reporting in American life is valuable reading for anyone concerned about the possibility of having no newspapers to turn to for their local news.—Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

Morton, Paula E. Tabloid Valley: Supermarket News and American Culture. Univ. Pr. of Florida. May 2009. c.224p. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8130-3364-8. $24.95. COMM
Freelance journalist Morton has written a concise overview of the American supermarket tabloid, emphasizing the National Enquirer and others owned by Florida-based American Media, Inc. Drawing on interviews and various print sources, she traces the history of the tabloid format from its beginnings in England, its American roots in yellow journalism, and the rise in the importance of photojournalism in the age of the Internet. As Morton shows, the National Enquirer was developed from a failing New York newspaper by Generoso Pope Jr, who used shocking or gory content to help increase circulation. He then began to include more celebrity stories, which increased the tabloid’s popularity in supermarkets. Morton reviews the move of the newspaper to Florida, where it helped create a thriving publishing industry in the Palm Beach area. A number of tabloid covers are included here, as are anecdotes about various popular tabloid stories. Though it is somewhat brief, this book provides useful information for those interested in American media history.—Joel W. Tscherne, Bryant & Stratton Coll., Cleveland

Economics

Fox, Justin. The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street. Collins Business: HarperCollins. Jun. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-06-059899-0. $27.99. BUS
Fox, a Time editor at large and economics columnist, here takes readers through the history of academic research on financial markets since the late 19th century. He focuses on the development of the Efficient Market Theory and its fall from dominance, which resulted largely from the rise of behavioral finance. The Efficient Market Theory uses mathematical models to show that investors act on information as it becomes available, making pricing so efficient that an investor would be unable to beat the market without insider information. Fox argues convincingly that this theory has been eclipsed by behavioral finance, which studies investors’ psychology to show that markets are not as rational as the Efficient Market Theory presents. The style here is journalistic, with personal stories that make the book entertaining, but ultimately this is a history of academic thought—complete with endnotes—and is best suited for students of finance or people interested in financial theory.—Robbie Allen, St. Johns River Community Coll., Palatka, FL

Frank, Robert H. The Economic Naturalist’s Field Guide: Common Sense Principles for Troubled Times. Basic Bks: Perseus. Jun. 2009. c.240p. index. ISBN 978-0-465-01511-5. $26. BUS
New York Times columnist Frank (management & economics, Cornell Univ.) is no slouch at making often misunderstood economic precepts easier to grasp. This collection of Times columns is handily organized into thematic sections; Frank’s writing sparkles, and the topics, which include health care and the subprime-mortgage crisis, are timely. However, many readers may find this more a political treatise than an economic one, as Frank’s conclusions tend toward the progressive (he supports both the estate tax and a single payer health-care system). He explored such stances in greater depth in his earlier books, including The Winner-Take-All Society and Falling Behind, which housed more comprehensive and research-based arguments than this one. This book is best as a recreational read and may appeal to fans of Malcolm Gladwell; however, coming only two years after Frank’s The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas, it’s an optional choice.—Sarah Statz Cords, Reader’s Advisor Online, Madison, WI

Samuel, Larry. Rich: The Rise and Fall of American Wealth Culture. AMACOM: American Management Assn. Jul. 2009. c.320p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8144-1362-3. $24.95. BUS
Samuel (founder, Culture Planning, LLC) has made a career of studying the superrich and consulting with companies that cater to them. Here, with an anthropologist’s eye for detail, he covers the rise of megamillionaires over the 20th century. Each generation has produced new industries that have created different kinds of millionaires, from the Texas oil baron to the Silicon Valley dot-commer. While these groups have varied in what they spend on luxury items and philanthropy, they have much in common, such as difficulties with hiring the help, tensions between old and new money, and the rapid rise and fall of fortunes. Samuel also analyzes the American middle- and working-class obsession with get-rich-quick schemes and the range of admiration, envy, and disgust toward the wealthy. While Samuel acknowledges the present economic crisis and its effect on the wealthy, he argues that many have exaggerated the downturn and that the superrich will rise again. Fascinating, humorous, and readable, this book is recommended for anyone—general reader or scholar—interested in wealth in this country.—Kathryn Stewart, Centreville, VA

Political Science

Allitt, Patrick. The Conservatives: Ideas & Personalities Throughout American History. Yale Univ. May 2009. c.336p. index. ISBN 978-0-300-11894-0. $35. POL SCI
The only problem with this book is that it makes you want to read so many other books, if that can be called a problem! Allitt (history, Emory Univ.) traces leading voices of American conservative thought from the American Revolution to the end of the 20th century. He is amazingly widely read, surveying the field and presenting not just the usual suspects (John C. Calhoun, William F. Buckley, Milton Friedman) but forgotten giants (Edward Everett, William Graham Sumner) and some who were always pretty obscure (e.g., John Randolph of Roanoke, Jerome Tuccille). Most books on political conservatism today are full of invective, their authors preaching to the choir. Allitt isn’t trying to convert or demonize anyone; instead, he merely presents a history of ideas. He has written a marvelous book that will be enlightening to both conservatives and liberals and is the rare university press book that is a page-turner, readable while also scholarly. Libraries, be prepared for some interesting purchase and ILL requests from the citations in this book!—Michael O. Eshleman, Greene Cty. Common Pleas Court, Xenia, OH

Feinstein, Andrew. After the Party: Corruption, the ANC and South Africa’s Uncertain Future. Verso, dist. by Norton. 2009. 320p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-84467-356-8. $26.95. INT AFFAIRS
Feinstein, a former member of parliament for the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party since 1994, and a frequent political commentator, delivers a detailed and very personal account of the key groups and players inside (and outside) the ANC in the fight against apartheid and for democratic elections in South Africa. Both memoir and historical account, this book is a challenging read in the best meaning of the phrase, inviting readers to look at a very difficult topic through the experiences of a man who was there. While Feinstein’s descriptions of poverty, segregation, and racism will be familiar, American readers might just learn something about the concept of apartheid and its effect on South Africa and its diverse population. Feinstein, himself a Caucasian Jew, tells of not voting in any election (even though he had the right) until 1994, when voting was integrated and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president. The book focuses on the time from Mandela’s election to the ANC’s splintering, the author’s resignation from the party, and his emigration to London. With notes and a very helpful list of abbreviations; readers with some knowledge of South Africa will especially appreciate this book.—Jenny Seftas, Southwest Florida Coll., Fort Myers

Gerken, Heather K. The Democracy Index: Why Our Election System Is Failing and How To Fix It. May 2009. c.192p. index. ISBN 978-0-691-13694-3. $24.95. POL SCI
In 2007, Gerken (Yale Law Sch.) wrote an article proposing that states and localities be ranked on the effectiveness of the elections they administer, prompting senators Obama and Clinton to introduce bills in support of her idea. Now Gerken, who worked on the 2008 Obama campaign’s “election protection team,” explains her proposal at book length. She argues that a national debacle such as Florida’s in the 2000 election is only as far off as the next close election, since our system remains plagued by “long lines, registration problems, a dearth of poll workers, [and] machine breakdowns.” Unlike other democracies, with centralized professional administration, we rely on a “hyper-decentralized” and partisan election apparatus, often underfunded and run by amateurs. Further, we operate in a “world without data,” a problem her Democracy Index would address through data collection on matters like length of polling-place lines, number of poll workers, and number of ballots cast against number counted. Public rankings would then, she argues, serves as a nonpartisan path to reform. Addressing a timely topic in highly accessible style, this book is recommended for all interested readers.—Bob Nardini, Nashville, TN

Haas, Michael. George W. Bush, War Criminal?: The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Praeger. 2009. 405p. index. ISBN 978-0-313-36499-0. $39.95. POL SCI
Haas (political science, emeritus, Univ. of Hawaii) is the first author to compile a comprehensive list of alleged war crimes committed by the Bush administration during its global war against international terrorism. Haas’s benchmark is the set of Geneva Conventions adopted after World War II, of which the United States was a critical state sponsor. At the least, this work should be read with close scrutiny, given Haas’s insistence on the centrality of the rule of law even (or especially) in time of international conflict—an insistence recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court, most notably in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006), in which the Court overturned the Bush administration’s system of military commissions. Perhaps most likely to be acknowledged (and even then it’s a long shot) is Haas’s call for a truth commission to investigate the past deeds of various Bush officials, including the President himself. This work’s greatest achievement, however, may be its detailed treatment of the Geneva Conventions and their role in establishing an international regime based on the rule of law, a regime applicable to American law and politics. Highly recommended, especially for serious students of the topics covered.—Stephen K. Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Univ., Nampa, ID

Mamdani, Mahmood. Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror. Pantheon. 2009. c.400p. index. ISBN 978-0-307-37723-4. $26.95. INT AFFAIRS
The World and Darfur: International Response to Crimes Against Humanity in Western Sudan. McGill-Queen’s Univ. 2008. c.344p. ed. by Amanda F. Grzyb. index. ISBN 978-0-7735-3535-0. $29.95.
Highlighted by the International Criminal Court’s recent indictment of Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the turmoil in the Darfur region of the Sudan continues to evoke both impassioned advocacy and controversy. The latter stems primarily from the power inherent in one word—genocide—and whether or not it should be applied to events in the region. The World and Darfur, edited by Grzyb (information & media studies, Univ. of Western Ontario), uniquely encompasses a diversity of scholarship by both social scientists and scholars in the humanities (all genocide scholars), who examine the West’s response (or lack thereof) to Darfur. The essays from humanities scholars are especially powerful, ranging from the deconstruction of language used by Western and Sudanese politicians to the messages conveyed in art drawn by children in Darfur refugee camps. The message is clear: genocide occurred and continues to occur in Darfur, and Western nations—stalled by bureaucracy and politics—have a moral and legal obligation to intervene.

In stark contrast, Mamdani (Good Muslim, Bad Muslim) argues that calling the events in Darfur genocide is inaccurate and irresponsible. In his sweeping history of Darfur, Mamdani claims that the political and cultural complexities of the region have brought about events that are indeed tumultuous but do not constitute genocide. He believes that the West’s concern with Darfur is a preferred distraction from the failed U.S. occupation in Iraq, offering Western citizens a means to reclaim the moral high ground. At the core of Mamdani’s argument is an explicit fear that the claim of genocide and call for justice is a thinly veiled attempt to recolonize Africa. These books offer strikingly disparate interpretations of Darfur, each stamped as truth. At times, the in-depth academic analyses betray a certain level of detachment from the human experience in Darfur that can be a bit disheartening. That aside, both books provide valuable historical and cultural background to recent events in Darfur and the sure-to-continue scholarly debate on genocide.—Veronica Arellano, Univ. of Houston Libs.

Otto, Nathan & Amber Lupton. Give Peace a Deadline: What Ordinary People Can Do To Cause World Peace in Five Years. Greenleaf. 2009. c.273p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-929774-86-9. $22.95. POL SCI
This is an introduction to the authors’ newly launched P5Y (Peace in Five Years) organization, which puts the deadline for achieving peace at February 14, 2014. The authors are calling for an international peace movement to end politically organized warfare, offering a business-oriented model that includes accountability, deadlines, and measurable goals. Otto, who formerly organized several successful Internet ventures, and Lupton, a personal development expert, describe here an infrastructure that enables planning and development, centered at their web site (www.P5Y.org) and supporting as many peace collaborations as individuals or groups are willing to propose. Skeptics, take note: the authors assert that they do not see peace as a Utopian conclusion; they acknowledge that disagreements and struggle will continue but argue that resources freed from the machinations of war can be reallocated to other worldwide problems of poverty, hunger, and disease. While this book takes a self-actualizing approach to changing the world, it is ultimately a call for volunteers willing to devote themselves to a movement that has a recognizable and imperative outcome as its goal and is worthwhile reading for anyone interested in that goal. [A portion of the proceeds will go to support the movement.—Ed.]—Jim Hahn, Univ. of Illinois Lib., Urbana

Social Sciences

de Botton, Alain. The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. Pantheon. Jun. 2009. c.336p. photogs. ISBN 978-0-375-42444-1. $26. SOC SCI
This exploration of how and why we labor arrives at a poignant time, as global economic turmoil cuts off countless workers from their livelihoods—and the meaning work gives them. Essayist and novelist de Botton (How Proust Can Change Your Life) spends time with workers in England as well as the United States, including fishermen, rocket scientists, accountants, a landscape painter, and a career counselor, in pursuit of some fundamental truth about work. His conclusion is, perhaps unavoidably, elusive; he variously seems to praise commitment to a task and to deride it, to glorify and to condemn modern industry. De Botton filters his subjects’ experiences through his own; though he is a witty, engaging interlocutor, his dominant voice distances the reader from those he aims to portray. Photographer Richard Baker contributes visual images of workers and workplaces, including a photo-essay documenting the process by which a tuna in the Indian Ocean becomes dinner for an English child. Providing provocative insights on specialization and the transitory nature of significance, this is sophisticated reading on a timely subject. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/09.]—Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Worthington Libs., OH

Dirt: The Quirks, Habits, and Passions of Keeping House. Seal, dist. by Publishers Group West. 2009. c.280p. ed. by Mindy Lewis. ISBN 978-1-58005-261-0. pap. $15.95. SOC SCI
In this anthology of 38 pieces, by writers ranging from Rebecca Walker to Ann Hood to Joyce Maynard, essayist Lewis (Life Inside: A Memoir) turns her attention to housekeeping. Dirt in our homes and the process of cleaning it up is a universal task that all of us can appreciate. But while some of us enjoy housekeeping and excel at it, others abhor it and ignore it as long as possible. The contributors discuss their cleaning experiences and how those experiences have shaped them; clutter, neatness, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, hoarding, and dust bunnies are all covered here. This book certainly differs from the usual how-to manuals. Indeed, even though it offers no direct help with cleaning, its heartening prose could encourage even dedicated slobs to raise their standards. It is effectively a cumulative story about our lives and a great read to pick up now and then: the short entries and interesting points of view make this a pleasing and accessible volume.—Holly S. Hebert, Rochester Coll., Rochester Hills, MI

Lemke-Santangelo, Gretchen. Daughters of Aquarius: Women of the Sixties Counterculture. Univ. Pr. of Kansas. 2009. c.256p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-7006-1633-6. $24.95. SOC SCI
Not surprisingly, Tim Hodgdon’s Manhood in the Age of Aquarius: Masculinity in Two Countercultural Communities, 1965–83 appears in the selected bibliography of Lemke-Santangelo’s book on hippie women. Both books look at the counterculture and alternative lifestyles that became popular among younger people beginning in the 1960s, and they share an academic writing style (not to mention the use of the same Irwin Klein photograph, “Alan and Mickey in Meadow”). Manhood began as Hodgdon’s dissertation, and it reads like one: earnest and kind of plodding. Lemke-Santangelo (history, St. Mary’s Coll. of California) similarly generalizes and strives to explain things (like why communes relied on food stamps), using quotes from a seemingly random selection of folks who were there, interspersed with out-of-context bons mots from people like Benjamin Spock and Barbara Ehrenreich. For a really fun read and a nice cultural history of the times, Sheila Weller’s Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon—And the Journey of a Generation goes over a lot better. Daughters of Aquarius may be of interest, however, to students and specialists on 1960s America.—Ellen Gilbert, Princeton, NJ

Malaby, Thomas M. Making Virtual Worlds: Linden Lab and Second Life. Cornell Univ. Jun. 2009. c.184p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8014-4746-4. $24.95. SOC SCI
Examining the challenges of developing and governing one of the most hyped virtual worlds today, this ethnographic study details Linden Lab’s ongoing organizational evolution in response to its mercurial creation, Second Life. Because Linden Lab eschews vertical authority, Second Life, while based in part on game design principles, is primarily an open world where users self-govern and design their own social environments. Linden Lab sees its role chiefly as a provider of tools to aid user creativity and content construction. Malaby (anthropology, Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) focuses on how Linden Lab can guide and manage a world where users are not only allowed but encouraged to take unpredictable, idiosyncratic actions that will influence other users’ experiences of Second Life. Overall, this is an illuminating study, but one caution: it’s slim on details for translating these findings into applications for other organizations. Recommended for readers familiar with Second Life or seeking to learn more about it. [For more on Second Life, see Sue Martin Mahar & Jay Mahar's The Unofficial Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life Virtual World, LJ 5/1/09.—Ed.]—David Ward, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Smith, Paul Chaat. Everything You Know About Indians Is Wrong. Univ. of Minnesota. May 2009. c.192p. photogs. ISBN 978-0-8166-5601-1. $21.95. SOC SCI
With acerbic wit and unflinching honesty, social critic Smith (associate curator, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution; coauthor, with Robert Warrior, Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee) offers a collection of essays that were written over approximately a 15-year period. It is an eclectic collection that chronicles the evolution of his views on the politics of being a Native American, beginning with his obvious naïveté as a committed activist within the American Indian Movement to his present employment with the federal government. No target is safe from his pointed barbs, not even himself. The explanation of how quickly his views toward the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian changed when the practicality of needing employment entered the equation is alone worth the price of the book. In addition to being an entertaining read, this book gives one much to consider as Smith challenges many of the tropes that too many authors utilize when writing about native peoples. Highly recommended.—John Burch, Campbellsville Univ. Lib., KY

Sweeney, Matthew. The Lottery Wars: Long Odds, Fast Money, and the Battle Over an American Institution. Bloomsbury Pr., dist. by Macmillan. 2009. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59691-304-2. $25. SOC SCI
New York journalist Sweeney offers a history of the lottery in America, interwoven with tales of individual wins and losses, as well as descriptions of the battles fought over whether or not to create lottery systems in various states. While much has been written from economic and popular perspectives on the merits and evils of lotteries, this book combines history and personal anecdote, presumably in an attempt to provide a comprehensive picture. Perhaps the best part of the book is the inclusion of personal stories taken from interviews with lottery winners, losers, and addicts; readers are allowed to make their own judgments about the relative benefits and demerits of lotteries. Unfortunately, the book suffers from a lack of organization. The introduction jumps from topic to topic, with no statement of purpose; the loosely arranged chapters would have benefited from structural clues, such as section headings and summary sentences. Owing to these problems, it is difficult to recommend this book, though there will be readers in popular culture who will want to see it.—Elizabeth L. Winter, Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta

Vollmann, William. Imperial. Viking. Aug. 2009. c.1344p. photogs. maps. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-670-02061-4. $55. SOC SCI
Award-winning writer Vollmann (Europe Central) spent more than ten years researching Imperial County, CA, and the result is this complex, detailed, but often frenetic look at Southern California’s border region. Vollmann uses Imperial’s history to explore larger issues, such as immigration policies. Unfortunately, it appears that Vollman wanted to include every nugget of information he discovered—every interesting anecdote, roadside sign, or newspaper advertisement—and cram it all into this book, with the rationale for arrangement mostly unclear and with no synthesis or analysis (though plenty of his own bias). For example, he includes a series of hand-drawn maps at the beginning but waits until the final pages to explain them and put them into context. In addition, at least 12 different font types and sizes were used throughout, which only proves distracting. Overall, this book suffers under its own weight—it comes in at over 1300 pages, and evidently no index is planned. Perhaps Vollmann’s accompanying photo book, to be published simultaneously by powerHouse (not seen by reviewer), would be a better purchase for interested libraries. Not recommended, though Vollmann fans will still ask.—Mike Miller, Austin P.L., TX

[book reviews] sciences-sociales_04/05/2009

(source: Library Journal, 01/05/2009)

Economics

Mahar, Sue Martin & Jay Mahar. The Unoffical Guide to Building Your Business in the Second Life Virtual World: Marketing and Selling Your Product, Services and Brand In-World. AMACOM: American Management Assn. 2009. c.320p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-8144-1270-1. $24.95. BUS
Business as we know it is being revolutionized by Second Life, a Web 2.0 application that enables registered users to create animated identities called avatars and to construct and spend time in virtual worlds represented by these avatars. In the process of building these online worlds, users have also created new virtual marketplaces for buyers and sellers. Second Life users can convert Linden dollars to U.S. dollars, and avatars can give tours of both virtual products and real-world products, directing other avatars to online billboards, movies, and virtual meetings. Sue Martin Mahar, a longtime Second Life resident, and Second Life guide Jay Mahar here show how enterprises (including Fortune 500 firms like IBM) are strategizing ways to use Second Life to gain competitive advantage. This guide shows entrepreneurs how to assess potential opportunities and conduct business in Second Life and includes many handy lists of practical dos and don’ts. With Second Life continually evolving, business possibilities there are in fact limitless, as this book shows. Essential reading for all entrepreneurs and recommended for both the general public and business students.—Caroline Geck, Library Media Specialist, Newark Pub. Schs., NJ

Posner, Richard A. A Failure of Capitalism: The Crisis of ‘08 and the Descent into Depression. Harvard Univ. May 2009. c.324p. index. ISBN 978-0-674-03514-0. $23.95. BUS
With the stock market tumbling and the unemployment rate rising, the current financial crisis is dominating the headlines. Prolific author Posner (circuit judge, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; senior lecturer, Univ. of Chicago Law Sch.; How Judges Think) examines the causes and consequences of the financial crisis as well as governmental measures aimed at dealing with it. In the first five chapters, he explores how and why the economy “has gotten itself into such a fix and what the government is trying to do to get the economy out of it and how likely it is to succeed.” The final six chapters describe the lessons that can be learned from the crisis and ways to avoid the next depression. The text is current to the early days of the Obama administration. Highly recommended for both general readers and students as a top title among the growing number of books about the current crisis.—Lucy Heckman, St. John’s Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY

Rushkoff, Douglas. Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How To Take It Back. Random. Jun. 2009. c.304p. index. ISBN 978-1-4000-6689-6. $25. BUS
What do fundamentalist Christians, Margaret Thatcher, and the Rand Corporation all have in common? They are all part of a vast conspiracy that began during the Renaissance when the British East India Company began indoctrinating Europe in corporatism, the belief that corporations should be venerated. So successful were they that we now unknowingly live in a corporatist state, argues Rushkoff; the world is so slanted toward rewarding self-interested, short-term decisions that we have lost all autonomy and humanity, devolving from citizens into consumers. Rushkoff advocates for sustainable, bottoms-up activism, but many of his suggestions (including garden shares and “complimentary credit” bartering) seem like willful amnesia; history has proven that a commune by any other name remains unviable. Still, Rushkoff’s prose is eminently readable, and he weaves together a colorful fabric of facts and anecdotes more than interesting enough to carry the reader past a little kookiness; the first 200 pages are truly conspiracy theorizing at its best. The last 50 pages do suffer from excessive moralizing, unsupported idealism, and a limp call to pseudoaction, but otherwise this is an entertaining screed for those who agree with Rushkoff’s position.—Robert Perret, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID

Yellen, Pamela. Bank on Yourself: The Life-Changing Secret to Growing and Protecting Your Financial Future. Vanguard: Perseus. 2009. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-59315-496-7. $25.95. BUS
In this current economic downturn, investors have been looking for more secure ways to invest. Here, consultant Yellen outlines how to use a particular type of whole life insurance policy as a personal bank. The concept has much in common with the infinite banking method developed by Nelson Nash and relies on a thorough understanding of the intricacies of life insurance policies and when they become taxable. The methodology behind the Bank on Yourself® (BOY) system has been proven sound and effective, but it requires a long-term commitment from the investor and an investment adviser who knows about setting up a dividend-paying life insurance and what companies offer it. Most of this book is dedicated to stories and testimonials of how it has worked for individuals, but it provides very little information on the best way to start the program. When Yellen does provide information, it is generally linked to her web site. Overall, her book comes off as a pitch for the program rather than a balanced explanation on how to use life insurance as a potential investment strategy. For some interested readers.—John Rodzvilla, Simmons Coll., Boston

Political Science

Dowden, Richard. Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. PublicAffairs: Perseus. 2009. c.596p. maps. index. ISBN 978-1-58648-753-9. $29.95. INT AFFAIRS
Dowden (director, Royal African Soc.) can be forgiven if each of the 18 chapters in his massive tome feels like an abridged version of a larger book; summarizing the history, politics, and people of an entire continent in one volume is a daunting task. Dowden, however, has a wealth of personal experience to qualify him for the job, having first visited Africa as a volunteer teacher in the 1970s and then become a highly regarded Africa-based journalist. Here he attempts to educate readers about Africa’s many different nations and to counter the claim that journalists have harmed Africa by publicizing only negative news about it. He alternates chapters each devoted to a particular African nation with chapters on particular issues. Dowden writes in a conversational tone, freely offering up his opinions on controversial topics including politics, foreign investment, the AIDs crisis, and Africa’s leadership vacuum. Like other recent works in English on Africa, such as Martin Meredith’s The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence and John Reader’s Africa: A Biography of the Continent, this work is essentially subjective; unfortunately, books that describe Africa more objectively at this time are primarily directed at juvenile readers. Despite Dowden’s optimistic conclusion, much of what he discusses is deeply tragic and can leave the reader feeling discouraged about Africa’s future. Recommended for informed readers; includes an introduction by famed African author Chinua Achebe.—April Younglove, Linfield Coll. Lib.; Portland, OR

Khosrokhavar, Farhad. Inside Jihadism: Understanding Jihadi Movements Worldwide. Paradigm. Jun. 2009. 320p. index. ISBN 978-1-59451-616-0. pap. $22.95. INT AFFAIRS
Jihadism, a radical global Muslim movement, has arguably become the most persistent challenge to Western capitalist democracies and security interests since the demise of the Soviet Union. For many in the West, it has become synonymous with al Qaeda and its terrorist activities. However, as this thought-provoking book demonstrates, jihadism is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon that is much broader than al Qaeda. Khosrokhavar, a first-rate academic expert on Islamic radicalism, distinguishes two types of jihadi movements: one rooted primarily in the Sunni Islamic countries and the other based in the West. He explains the differences between these two movements and analyzes their major motivations for resorting to extreme acts of violence. In addition, he traces the origin and development of fundamentalism in Islam, distinguishes religious fundamentalism from jihadism, reviews the jihadi critique of conservative Islam, and identifies principal theological and political causes of jihadi violence in today’s world. The author’s intimate knowledge of and keen insight into the dynamics of jihadism and his reliance on important primary sources make this book essential reading for anyone interested in obtaining a critical understanding of jihadism.—Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile

Neiwert, David. The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right. PoliPoint. May 2009. c.272p. index. ISBN 978-0-9815769-8-5. pap. $16.95. POL SCI
Vile, slanderous attacks in politics are not new. But their distribution via modern technology is. Neiwert sees the language of Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Anne Coulter, Michael Savage, and others on the Right as paving the way for American fascism, claiming that these individuals are the successors to lynch mobs and the Klan. Unfortunately, the links and parallels Neiwart draws are not credible; he does not establish a valid historical connection between earlier varieties of group hate in America and today’s provocative right-wing personalities. Nonetheless, some readers may be attracted to his book, with its clearly written text and well-laid-out research, in the interest of sparking debate and conversation on a worthy topic.—Michael O. Eshleman, Law Clerk, Greene Cty. Common Pleas Court, Xenia, OH

Nelson, Brian A. The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup Against Chavez and the Making of Modern Venezuela. Nation: Perseus. May 2009. c.384p. index. ISBN 978-1-56858-418-8. $25.95. INT AFFAIRS
The events of the April 2002 Venezuelan coup to oust President Hugo Chavez are brought to light here in unparalleled investigative reporting by Nelson (Ctr. for American & World Cultures, Miami Univ., Ohio), who has spent time in Venezuela both before and after the coup. His fascinating and harrowing account is part documentary, part eyewitness to history, yet always riveting. Nelson utilizes a rich variety of firsthand accounts to reconstruct what happened, how, and why, all sourced in an extensive set of notes. At times reading like fiction, his enjoyable text is the definitive account of Chavez’s ouster and return, devoid of loyal or opposition rhetoric. Nelson concludes that Chavez’s countercoup was accomplished with cell phones, not tanks, and, contrary to various reports, denies any direct U.S. involvement. Finally, he states that neither internal nor external opposition presents the biggest challenge to Chavez’s future—the faltering world economy and the dramatic drop in oil prices are his biggest enemies. Highly recommended.—Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Alabama

Ramo, Joshua C. The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New Global Order Constantly Surprises Us and What To Do About It. Little, Brown. 2009. c.288p. index. ISBN 978-0316-11808-8. $25.99. POL SCI
You can learn a lot by reading this book. China scholar Ramo (managing director, Kissinger Assoc.) explains his theory of “Deep Security” through a variety of wide-ranging analogies. While much of the focus is on peace in the Middle East and the role of Hizb’allah, we also learn about Gertrude Stein and cubism at the beginning of World War I, the development of video games from Donkey Kong to the Wii, the problem of maximum sustained yields for fish populations, the relationship between treating HIV and drug-resistant TB in South Africa, and the perils of running a business in Brazil while coping with hyperinflation. Again and again, Ramo reminds us of the power of individuals and the accomplishments that can be achieved by taking advantage of creativity and underutilized capacity. While (not surprisingly) he offers no great solutions, much can be learned from the examples he sets forth. Overall, a fascinating look at various aspects of today’s complicated world and how interconnecting systems often come to bear in unexpected ways.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ., Oxford, OH

Warshaw, Shirley A. The Copresidency of Bush and Cheney. Stanford Univ. May 2009. c.280p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8047-5818-5. $29.95. POL SCI
Warshaw (political science, Gettysburg Coll.; Powersharing) is not the first writer to refer to Dick Cheney’s “copresidency” with George W. Bush. She is, however, the first to present the idea at length and to give as much weight to how this operated as to the results. With an early tacit agreement on division of labor, Bush would focus on what mattered to him—a domestic faith-based agenda—leaving Cheney to focus on energy, the economy, and foreign affairs. Given his knowledge of how the bureaucracy worked, penchant for secrecy, control over administration staffing, and lack of ambition to become president, Cheney was able to see that Bush “essentially rubber-stamped” his recommendations. More than that: after 9/11 Bush “abrogated his presidency and turned it over to Cheney.” Warshaw traces Cheney’s ideas on presidential power to his service in the Ford administration and is particularly good on how power was exercised in the Bush administration. Occasionally repetitive, this work of scholarship complements Barton Gellman’s Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency, a fine journalistic narrative. Because the Bush/Cheney literature is already substantial and no doubt will continue to grow, Warshaw’s book is best for readers who can’t get enough on the subject.—Bob Nardini, Nashville, TN

Social Sciences

Crawford, Matthew B. Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. Penguin Pr.: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2009. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-59420-223-0. $25.95. SOC SCI
Philosopher and motorcycle mechanic Crawford presents a fascinating, important analysis of the value of hard work and manufacturing. He reminds readers that in the 1990s vocational education (shop class) started to become a thing of the past as U.S. educators prepared students for the “knowledge revolution.” Thus, an entire generation of American “thinkers” cannot, he says, do anything, and this is a threat to manufacturing, the fundamental backbone of economic development. Crawford makes real the experience of working with one’s hands to make and fix things and the importance of skilled labor. His philosophical background is evident as he muses on how to live a pragmatic, concrete life in today’s ever more abstract world and issues a clarion call for reviving trade and skill development classes in American preparatory schools. The result is inspired social criticism and deep personal exploration. Crawford’s work will appeal to fans of Robert Pirsig’s classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and should be required reading for all educational leaders. Highly recommended; Crawford’s appreciation for various trades may intrigue readers with white collar jobs who wonder at the end of each day what they really accomplished.—Dale Farris, Groves, TX