Nonfiction

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 2/5/2007

Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder
David Weinberger. Times, $25 (288p) ISBN 978-0-8050-8043-8

In a high-minded twist on the Internet-has-changed-everything book, Weinberger (Small Pieces Loosely Joined) joins the ranks of social thinkers striving to construct new theories around the success of Google and Wikipedia. Organization or, rather, lack of it, is the key: the author insists that "we have to get rid of the idea that there's a best way of organizing the world." Building on his earlier works' discussions of the Internet-driven shift in power to users and consumers, Weinberger notes that "our homespun ways of maintaining order are going to break—they're already breaking—in the digital world." Today's avalanche of fresh information, Weinberger writes, requires relinquishing control of how we organize pretty much everything; he envisions an ever-changing array of "useful, powerful and beautiful ways to make sense of our world." Perhaps carried away by his thesis, the author gets into extended riffs on topics like the history of classification and the Dewey Decimal System. At the point where readers may want to turn his musings into strategies for living or doing business, he serves up intriguing but not exactly helpful epigrams about "the third order of order" and "useful miscellaneousness." But the book's call to embrace complexity will influence thinking about "the newly miscellanized world." (May)

Otherwise Normal People: Inside the Obsessive and Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening
Aurelia C. Scott. Algonquin, $22.95 (256p) ISBN 978-1-56512-464-6

Scott, a freelance journalist from Maine, hung out with several of the gardeners competing in the American Rose Society's 2004 spring national show. She discovered a subculture "where brain surgeons and construction workers are social equals," with a freewheeling competitive "spirit of make-do and can-do" that inspires improvisations like creating rose beds out of 40-gallon trash cans. (Two glossaries explain the classifications and other terminology for unfamiliar readers.) Scott's narrative structure—a chapter with each of her topics, building up to the competition, with a brief epilogue—is similar to the film Best in Show, but she doesn't poke fun, and for the most part she's caught up in their "infectious" enthusiasm for roses. Whatever weight they exert on her own passion for gardening, however, remains largely unspoken. When Scott admits that her desire to practice organic gardening is dampened by her jealousy of the blooms an interview subject achieves spraying with chemicals, the personal revelation is jarring in its unexpectedness. The backseat approach frees Scott to elaborate on the outsized personalities of the gardeners she met. If only their colorful stories were matched by photographs of the flowers they raised. (May 18)

Reasonable People: A Memoir of Autism and Adoption
Ralph James Savarese. Other Press, $25.95 (496p) ISBN 978-1-59051-129-9

Savarese, a writer and professor at Grinnell College, writes a moving account of his family's adoption of DJ, an abused, autistic youngster. Throughout, he describes the process of helping DJ communicate with the world and discusses larger issues of the rights of people with neurological differences. Savarese's wife, an autism professional, first encountered DJ when he was only two and a half; by the time they could adopt him, three years later, he'd lived in several homes and been badly abused in foster care. Because he didn't speak, people were unaware of what he'd suffered; some doubted he even could suffer, believing the myth that the autistic have no sense of self or others. As the Savareses worked with their son, teaching him to sign and to use "facilitated communication" with a keyboard, they learned more about his very deep thoughts and feelings. As they fought to include him in mainstream classrooms, they also struggled with his emerging demons: his memories of abuse, his pain from parental abandonment. Savarese writes with passion and humor, careful to include extensive excerpts from DJ's typing, so readers get a sense of his remarkable growth. (May)

The Suicidal Planet: How to Prevent Global Climate Catastrophe
Mayer Hillman, Tina Fawcett and Sudhir Chella Rajan. St. Martin's/Dunne, $22.95 (320p) ISBN 978-0-312-35355-1

Despite its off-putting title, this book presents a clear-eyed and well-documented overview of global warming, and an optimistic but practical plan for avoiding the worst of the damage. Drawing on scientific consensus, Hillman, Fawcett and Rajan describe the havoc global warming will likely wreak in 20 to 100 years if we do not act : a rise in infectious diseases and outbreaks of desert across the American plains and western Europe, as many as 150 million environmental refugees and possibly 95% species extinction. Their conclusion: to keep atmospheric carbon dioxide to a safe level, U.S. citizens will have to cut their carbon emissions by 80% by 2030. With governments and individuals in a "near-universal state of denial" on the topic, the authors propose what they consider the only realistic and fair solution. Each person on earth would be given an equal, tradable "carbon allowance" that would steadily shrink over time, they suggest, to keep atmospheric carbon dioxide in check to avert unacceptable climate change. Environmental activists may already be familiar with these ideas, but this comprehensive, concise and beautifully organized overview of an undeniably important issue make it a must-read for anyone even slightly concerned about our future on this planet. (Apr.)

Lust in Translation: The Rules of Infidelity from Tokyo to Tennessee
Pamela Druckerman. Penguin Press, $24.95 (223p) ISBN 978-1-59420-114-1

Former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal now living in Paris, Druckerman offers an anecdotal rather than a scholarly exploration of the international etiquette of adultery. From American prudishness about the subject to French discretion, and from Russian vehemence about the obligatory affair to Japanese adherence to the single marital futon, one factor rings true in all cases: people lie about sex. Druckerman interviews numerous adulterers, starting with the conflicted Americans who "gain status by radiating an aura of monogamy" while sneaking around on the side; guilt more often than not brings them to confession and absolution by therapy. Druckerman is at pains to uncover reliable statistics about infidelity where such research is suppressed, such as in Islamic countries or those formerly Communist; in contrast, Finland demonstrates the best sex research, e.g., clearly half of men there enjoy "parallel relationships." Druckerman concludes from one study that people in warmer climes cheat more (Scandinavia is the exception), while people in wealthy countries tend to cheat less than those in poor countries (exception: Kazakhstan). Druckerman found that the rules of sexual cultures differ widely: adultery is the least dangerous social evil in Russia, while in Japan, buying sex doesn't count as cheating. Druckerman's work is quirky, digressive and media quotable. (Apr.)

Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations
Simon Rich. Random, $12.95 (160p) ISBN 978-1-4000-6588-2

A contributor to Mad, 22-year-old Rich is a Harvard senior, a former president of the Harvard Lampoon and the son of New York Times columnist Frank Rich. Half of the short humor pieces collected here previously appeared in the Harvard Lampoon, and Rich has taken his college collage and mixed it with new material for a satirical salmagundi that bites back. Since brevity is the soul of wit, the book has 57 varieties of playlets, essays and mirthful monologues, and most are only two pages long. Imaginative premises abound, such as X Files with dog characters. In the title piece, ants plot an escape: "We've been digging tunnels ever since we got here. We always end up hitting glass." Since a college-level audience is targeted, older readers might find some references puzzling. In his original proposal to Random House (a portion of which was printed in the New York Observer), he claimed that the "subject matter—horrible, inescapable doom—is well-suited for a younger audience.... I think kids will be attracted to the book's unpredictability. The tone remains constant throughout, but the topic changes every page with the abruptness of an iPod shuffle." True, these fragments are fun, and some are so abrupt they could have been iPhoned in. Others are as unpredictable as YouTube, as in your face as MySpace (which will both surely be used for online promotions). (Apr. 3)

Shades of Difference: Mac Maharaj and the Struggle for South Africa
Padraig O'Malley. Viking, $32.95 (611p) ISBN 978-0-670-85233-8

In this groundbreaking biography of a central figure in the fight to end South African apartheid, O'Malley draws on every aspect of Maharaj's life and the society in which he lived in order to understand South Africa's changing racial and political context over the past 100 years. Based on extensive interviews with Maharaj, this is an often harrowing read, recounting his torture as a political prisoner and the many difficulties and setbacks suffered by underground activists within and outside of South Africa. Maharaj—a first-person narrator in most of the book—comes across as an imperfect and deeply human hero, animated by his stubborn streak to devote his entire life to the cause. Few people have had a more eventful life, and the book has some of the flavor of spy vs. spy: "My blazer was stolen from the bedroom of our hideout. In the blazer, which was part of my disguise, was three thousand dollars. The blazer had my pocket diary, in the inside cover of which I had written key contact numbers." A lengthy foreword by Nelson Mandela touches on his relationship with Maharaj, his decision to make him minister of transport in the first free South African government, and the time they shared imprisoned on Robben Island. (Apr.)

The Door of No Return: The History of Cape Coast Castle and the Atlantic Slave Trade
William St Clair. BlueBridge (IPG, dist.), $24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-1-93334605-2

Culled from previously unexplored papers in the British National Archives by historian St Clair, this gripping history describes the British headquarters at Ghana's Cape Coast Castle, the "last look" point for more than three million men, women and children sold into the 17th-century slave trade. They would have seen majestic breakers crash below the white fortress that functioned as a hot, smelly, utilitarian slave mall before they headed into its bowels. Held together by a skeleton crew of expatriates who often died there, the building bustled with local tribespeople, mulattoes and the odd European woman. St Clair introduces them all through personal correspondence, governors' logs, notes canoed from castle to ship and his own interpretations of artifacts, to recreate perhaps the most impressively detailed picture of slave-trading lives to date. In the end, the book reveals as much of British mores and culture as any history of England. The writing captivates, hinting at the author's intense curiosity that must have sustained copious hours of research. Yet owing to his ability to take in the entire view, the details rarely overwhelm. Coinciding with the bicentennial of the abolition of the Anglo slave trade, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in this essential history. (Apr.)

Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign
Stephan Talty. Crown, $24.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-307-23660-9

Journalist Talty (Mulatto America) entertainingly chronicles the life of legendary privateer Capt. Henry Morgan and his crucial role in challenging Spain's hegemony in the New World in this informative popular history. Seeking his fortune, Welshman Morgan arrived in the Caribbean just as British King Charles II decided to challenge Spain by using pirates "as a stick with which to beat [them]." Morgan accepted a privateer's commission from the British—in effect, a license to steal—and set out in 1661 to make his fortune. Smart and charismatic, Morgan quickly rose to the rank of captain and became "fabulously rich." His attack on the Spanish stronghold at Portobelo "showed the world that the empire was vulnerable," and his raid on the city of Panama—the "greatest raid in the history of buccaneering"—forced "the Spanish to renounce their exclusive rights to the New World." Charles II knighted Morgan and appointed him deputy governor of Jamaica, a position that tasked him—"the greatest of the buccaneers"—with exterminating piracy. Morgan died of the effects of alcohol abuse in 1688 at 53. Talty strips away the legend to recreate a pivotal era in this accessible portrait of the pirates of the Caribbean. (Apr.)

Freedom's Power: The True Force of Liberalism
Paul Starr. Basic, $26 (304p) ISBN 978-0-465-08186-8

Part political theory and part intellectual history, this book tracks the development of liberalism as the world's dominant political tradition and argues for its continued ascendancy as the best guarantor of individual rights and prosperity on the global stage. Starr, a Princeton sociology and public affairs professor and founding editor of the American Prospect, explains modern liberalism as an evolutionary process, rooted in classical laissez-faire liberalism, and gradually accreting a greater role for the state to provide a social safety net, defend equal rights for all and institute true democratic pluralism. Defending liberalism from its socialist as well as its conservative critics, Starr sees his ideology as a middle path, harnessing the creative power of the free market while tempering some of its capriciousness. A central thesis is that "[t]he peculiar internal tension of liberal constitutions is that they constrain power even as they authorize it—that is, they attempt to curb the despotic power and ambitions of individual rulers and officials and, by doing so, to permit stronger systemic capacities." The first section of the book discusses the causes and consequences of liberal revolutions in Britain, America and France, while later chapters cover recent events, including the 2006 congressional elections. Complex macroeconomic, demographic and philosophical trends are presented engagingly and understandably for casual readers and political buffs alike. (Apr.)

American Spy: My Secret History in the CIA, Watergate and Beyond
E. Howard Hunt with Greg Aunapu. Wiley, $25.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-471-78982-6

Career spy, Watergate conspirator and prolific suspense novelist Hunt (Guilty Knowledge) collaborated with journalist Aunapu (Without a Trace) on this breezy, unrepentant memoir. Hunt (who died recently at 88) recalls the highlights of a long career, from WWII service with the fabled Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—predecessor of the CIA—to a career with the agency itself and a stint as a consultant to the Nixon White House. As a White House operative, Hunt specialized in dirty tricks and break-ins—including the Democratic National Committee's headquarters—and served 33 months in federal prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. He claims to have been a magnet for women, especially models, and shamelessly drops the names of the rich and powerful. He also played a key role in the disastrous Bay of Pigs operation. As for his role in Watergate, he blames his "bulldog loyalty" and concedes only that he and his fellow conspirators did "the wrong things for the right reasons." In a postscript, Hunt urges reforming the beleaguered CIA in the image of the wartime OSS and its "daring amateurs." Hunt's nostalgic memoir breaks scant new ground in an already crowded field. (Apr.)

Defending the Damned: Inside Chicago's Cook County Public Defender's Office
Kevin Davis. Atria, $25 (320p) ISBN 978-0-7432-7093-9

A colorful lawyer and a cop killing are at the center of this skillfully crafted narrative look at the Murder Task Force of Chicago's public defender's office. A veteran crime reporter, Davis focuses on the case of Aloysius Oliver, a 26-year-old ex-convict charged with fatally shooting undercover police officer Eric Lee. In sharp journalistic prose, Davis portrays a variety of public defenders driven by idealism, ambition and the excitement of legal battles. At the heart of this story is Oliver's lawyer, Marijane Placek, an excellent lawyer and a character who loves "high profile, seemingly impossible cases" like a cop killing. Placek views the court as a stage where she performs before a hostile audience. Despite her best efforts to prove that Oliver's confession was coerced with physical abuse, that he didn't know Lee was a police officer and did not intend to fire his weapon, the jury found him guilty; the judge gave him life without parole. Davis ably captures the drama of the courtroom and makes a powerful case for the necessity of the often unpopular public defenders within the criminal justice system, conveying their dedication to obtaining justice for their clients. (Apr. 3)

To Die Well: Your Right to Comfort, Calm, and Choice in the Last Days of Life
Sidney H. Wanzer, M.D., with Joseph Glenmullen, M.D. Da Capo/ Merloyd Lawrence, $24 (192p) ISBN 978-0-7382-1083-4

A leader in the right-to-die movement, Wanzer advocates measures that allow patients to control decisions about end-of-life treatment and ensure a peaceful death. With the help of Harvard Medical School faculty member Glenmullen (The Antidepressant Solution), Wanzer, the former head of Harvard University Health Services, provides clear legal and medical guidelines for the terminally ill and their loved ones who are facing these decisions. Drawing on case histories, the author outlines the rights of patients, advises them on how to appoint a health care proxy and on ways to refuse unwanted treatments. Wanzer also supports opting for only comfort care, in which the focus is on minimizing pain and making patients comfortable. Although he emphasizes the need to differentiate between a terminally ill patient's rational decision to end his or her life and suicidal depression, Wanzer argues that when someone is terminally ill and in uncontrollable pain with no hope of improvement, hastening death—through large doses of morphine, refusal of fluids or inhaling helium—should be an option. Wanzer and Glenmullen clearly delineate a patient's rights and provide a wealth of information on a matter most of us would rather not think about. (Apr. 1)

The Death of Religion and the Rebirth of Spirit: A Return to the Intelligence of the Heart
Joseph Chilton Pearce. Inner Traditions/Park Street, $22.95 (304p) ISBN 978-1-59477-171-2

Building on Darwin, Pearce pleads that humanity rise above its lower, instinctual "brain" to allow "our newest brain"—the "fourth brain"—to flourish. This will bring about a higher stage in evolution that prizes love and altruism. According to Pearce (The Biology of Transcendence), the biggest roadblocks to this new order are religion and science, which together promote violence and arrogance. These "two mongrels" of culture have long forced civilized people into a false either/or choice, one that Pearce characterizes as a choice "between being hanged or shot." For Pearce, the two disciplines have produced "a single monoculture sweeping the globe and bringing a mounting tide of irrational and ever more intense violence," and leaving us—and especially our children—"spiritually starved." To overcome the terrible evils of science and religion and fulfill the promises of the fourth brain, we must cultivate what Pearce calls "the dynamic of the heart-brain-mind relationship," literally listening to our heart as a kind of brain itself that prioritizes love and intimate relationship above all else. Heavy on the science, Pearce's overall argument is slow going but worthwhile because of his fluid prose and intriguing understanding of human evolution. (Apr.)

Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven System for Building Your Own Team of Champions
Daniel Harkavy. Nelson Business, $19.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-7852-1982-8

Guiding readers not only in mentoring others but also in building one's own leadership skills, Harkavy, CEO and "head coach" of Building Champions International, draws on years of experience mentoring clients in business and in their lives as a whole. The most successful sections of the book deal with less traditional business subjects, such as seeing the big picture of your own life and developing vision and mission. Though Harkavy's clients often want him to simply fix their business problems, the book's central section emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach. He walks the reader through a strategic progression, from "finding your life" to refining your business vision and business plan. The most concrete section is on priority management, where Harkavy teaches his readers to stop reacting to the issues in their lives and focus on proactively accomplishing their goals. Using a handy Daily Routine Time Blocking Schedule, Harkavy teaches readers to divide up their day so that they're always maximizing their time on high-value activities. While the introductory section of this book occasionally slips into the abstract, the latter half provides enough concrete tools to make this book worthwhile. (Apr.)

1941—The Greatest Year in Sports: Two Baseball Legends, Two Boxing Champs, and the Unstoppable Thoroughbred Who Made History in the Shadow of War
Mike Vaccaro. Doubleday, $23.95 (326p) ISBN 978-0-385-51795-9

Vaccaro, a sports columnist for the New York Post, would have readers believe that 1941—the year the U.S. entered WWII—had further significance as the "greatest year in sports," with sporting events taking on an enhanced role as a diversion from imminent war. According to Vaccaro, the four events that made the sports year so great were Whirlaway's Triple Crown run; the first Billy Conn–Joe Louis fight; Joe DiMaggio's assault on baseball's consecutive-game hitting record; and Ted Williams batting over .400. While Vaccaro's thesis—that sports became of particular interest to a nation emerging from the Depression and facing world catastrophe—has merit, his four choices seem fairly arbitrary (pick any year). While a capable researcher, Vaccaro has an unfortunate tendency toward exaggeration (Hank Greenberg did not have a "reasonable chance" of surpassing Ruth's home run record), and sports clichés (Billy Conn's "oversized Gaelic heart") are deployed all too frequently. The effect of moving on the same page from a baseball game to a torpedoed freighter is unintentionally surreal, if not downright macabre. (Apr.)

Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
Cait Murphy. Collins/Smithsonian, $24.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-06-088937-1

It's been almost a century since the loopy shenanigans of 1908 that produced what Fortune magazine editor Cait Murphy calls "the year that baseball comes of age," but the resultant drama has hardly faded with time. Although baseball books tend to sag with nostalgia, Murphy's wisecracking yarn digs right into the era's brawling, vivid ugliness with little regard for such niceties, and is all the better for it. Her book is so rife with corruption, greed, stupidity and downright weirdness that it makes today's sport of sanctimony and clean behavior look positively sleepy in comparison. This isn't surprising, given that 1908 was not just the last year that the shockingly victorious Chicago Cubs made it to the World Series, but also the year when a game would be called a tie through sheer Rashomon-like confusion and when a game day riot would take the lives of two people. The titanic matches between the rival Cubs and New York Giants are thrilling enough, but what really makes Murphy's book an addictive pleasure is the joy the author takes in the colorful asides where she fills in the chaotic blanks of an America discovering not just the joy of its national pastime but its very character. (Mar.)

Allah's Bomb: The Islamic Quest for Nuclear Weapons
Al J. Venter. Lyons, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 978-1-59921-205-0

The peril of nuclear proliferation is urgent and intractable, argues journalist Venter (Iran's Nuclear Option, etc.) in this sprawling exposé, which examines the supply and demand side of the international nuclear black market. Iran, Venter contends, is the most determined and—given its anti-Israel animus—dangerous seeker of nuclear weapons, but al-Qaeda is in the market, as are possibly Saudi Arabia, Syria, Algeria and Egypt. Underpinning their ambitions is a dense web of suppliers, centered on the Pakistani proliferation entrepreneur A.Q. Khan. His network is a dark caricature of globalization, bringing together stolen fissile material from the former Soviet republics, European nuclear technology, Pakistani uranium-enrichment expertise, nuclear-capable North Korean missile designs and know-how from Russia, China, South Africa and elsewhere. With so much support and lax oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Venter warns, covert nuclear-weapons programs like Iran's are far more advanced than is generally understood. Meticulously tracing who sold what to whom, Venter offers a comprehensive, if sometimes disorganized and repetitive, account of the industry, complete with sketchy sidebars on nuclear science and engineering and unhelpful (one hopes) diagrams of atom bombs, centrifuges and missiles. The welter of details about proliferation's intricate maze can be eye-glazing, but they make Venter's book a useful introduction to this unavoidably complex—and dire—issue. (Mar. 1)

Koudelka
Photos by Josef Koudelka, Essays by Robert Delpir, Dominique Edde et al. Aperture, $65 (276p) ISBN 978-1-59711-030-3

Revealing the breadth of Josef Koudelka's artistic achievement, this lavish collection gathers over 150 of the photographer's major works in one volume for the first time. Born in 1938 in Moravia (now in the Czech Republic), Koudelka grew up behind the Iron Curtain and trained to be an aeronautical engineer. His early images, including production stills for a Czech repertory theater company and tense shots of the Soviet invasion of Prague demonstrate the rigorous compositional eye, taste for the theatrical and otherworldly strangeness that define his work. The pictures are always accessible, but Koudelka's arrangements and printing style push much of his work toward somber dreaminess. (Some of the brief monographs interspersed with the pictures are informative; others are filled with pretentious jargon.) After his exile from Czechoslovakia in 1970, he quickly found a home at the renowned Magnum agency with the support of Cartier-Bresson. In Koudelka's subsequent work—a series on Gypsies; stunning, nearly abstract landscapes; the shipping of a colossal Lenin statue through the Balkans—he remains a poet with a lens, capturing a deeply personal vision while documenting the real world. This collection confirms Koudelka's status as one of the most versatile and singular age-makers in contemporary photography. (Mar.)

Freud's Wizard: The Enigma of Ernest Jones
Brenda Maddox. Da Capo, $26 (384p) ISBN 978-0-306-81555-3

In writing the life of the man who established psychoanalysis in Britain, veteran biographer Maddox (Nora: The Real Molly Bloom) gives an equally fascinating (if more familiar) picture of the early world of psychoanalysis, with its conflicting egos and theoretical battles, particularly between strict Freudians and the followers of Melanie Klein, which fiercely divided the English psychoanalytic society founded and ruled over by Ernest Jones. Maddox frames Jones's life as the story of a man whose enormous gifts finally allowed him to triumph over early disgrace. A Welshman who'd shown brilliance as a medical student, Jones (1879–1958) had to leave England in 1908 after accusations of sexual impropriety while examining several youngsters; Maddox finds the evidence in one case "damning." But Jones returned two years later to practice psychoanalysis and advocate tirelessly for it, soon becoming a member of Freud's inner circle. While one wishes for a bit more insight, Maddox wisely refrains from psychoanalyzing Jones, who took full advantage of his ability to mesmerize women before finally settling into a happy marriage, and his alternately affectionate and irritable relationship with his mentor (Jones at one point accused Freud's daughter, Anna, of being "insufficiently analyzed"; Freud in turn called Jones a lying Welshman). Perhaps Jones's greatest moment was in saving Freud and many other Jewish psychoanalysts from the Nazis. Maddox adds an important chapter to the history of psychoanalysis in this balanced and skillful biography. (Mar. 19)

Pedro Guerrero: A Photographer's Journey
Pedro E. Guerrero. Princeton Architectural, $55 (224p) ISBN 987-1-56898-590-9

A careful hybrid of art monograph and anecdotal autobiography, this compilation places the recollections of Guerrero, who was Frank Lloyd Wright's on-call photographer for 20 years, in direct relation to his body of work. As a result, the book largely documents the lives and works of three prominent personalities of art and architecture—Frank Lloyd Wright, Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson. Guerrero's work occupies an odd zone, more compositionally purposeful than documentary photography but without the ideology or invention that suggests an ambition toward high art, like many architectural photographers of his generation. Guerrero shows deep devotion to his subjects, but his respect sometimes comes across as adulation. Many photographs look as if they were composed for the subject's approval rather than to record a spontaneous moment. As a portraitist, he never seems to catch his subject off-guard. A seasoned storyteller with a keen appreciation for the punch line, Guerrero relates anecdotes of his encounters with celebrities with a youthful excitement and conversational ease. The stories work best when paired directly with photographs and the lengthy captions are often the most engaging. The chapters about Guerrero's childhood and family that open and close the book are inspirational, but feel out of place among the outsize personalities of Wright, Calder and Nevelson. (Mar.)

Lifestyle

Food & Entertaining

Rogues, Writers & Whores: Dining with the Rich and Infamous
Daniel Rogov, illus. by Yael Hershberg. Toby, $24.95 (250p) ISBN 978-1-59264-172-7

The title is not the only thing saucy in this rich collection that matches 69 brief, punchy biographies of historical foodies with the recipes for which they are associated. Several of the subjects are, themselves, the essence of sauce. There's Louis de Bachameil, for whom the famous French concoction was named; the mysterious Suzette, she of the flaming crepe; and tart-baker Franz Sacher, "a fun-loving man who consumed enormous amounts of his own pastries." Among the rogues' gallery, Lucrezia Borgia had a leek tart named for her on her wedding day (though the food taster probably had the first bite) and the Marquis de Sade enjoyed not whipped cream but rather, Partridge à la Burgundy, brutally stuffed with grapes, chorizo and prosciutto. Though some concoctions prove complex, the writing throughout is refreshingly free of pretense. Rogov, the wine and restaurant critic for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, includes only three Americans—Hemingway, Alice B. Toklas and A.J. Liebling—who are best known for their overseas exploits. Papa is paired with sautéed goose liver, a favorite Parisian dish. It's duckling for Toklas, and Liebling evidently once gorged on Lobster Quenelles in Shrimp Sauce. Bonus points for the many amusing illustrations by Yael Hershberg, which include Louis XIV confronting a pineapple. (May)

A Twist of the Wrist: Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes
Nancy Silverton with Carolynn Carreño. Knopf, $29.95 (264p) ISBN 978-1-4000-4407-8

In this beautifully illustrated book, renowned Los Angeles baker and chef Silverton (Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book) uses premium prepared ingredients as shortcuts to ease the home cooking time crunch. Most recipes are timed at 30 minutes or less, but the elegance and seeming difficulty of the dishes set them apart from the usual quick-fix crowd pleasers: Pomegranate-Glazed Lamb Chops with Stuffed Grape Leaves and Tahini Sauce, or Buttermilk-Fried Oysters with Pickled Vegetables and Chipotle Mayonnaise sound like they should take much longer than half an hour, but with the ready-made ingredients, few cooks will have a problem. They might, however, have trouble actually finding those ingredients; even big-city dwellers may have to turn to the Internet for specialty items like green masala paste or fennel pollen, though a helpful glossary provides insight into locating them and some substitutions. Famous chef friends like Charlie Trotter and Mario Batali provide recipes revealing their own secret shortcuts. Fans of Silverton's last book will love the chapter on crostini with innovative toppings like ventresca, piquillo peppers and caper mayonnaise, using leftovers from jars bought for other recipes. Cooks looking for upscale yet quick meal ideas, and who will pay extra for pricey exotic items, are sure to appreciate this stylish cheat sheet. 38 color photos. 75,000 first printing. (Mar.)

The Ethnic Paris Cookbook: Bringing the French Melting Pot into Your Kitchen
Charlotte Puckette and Olivia Kiang-Snaije. DK, $35 (128p) ISBN 978-0-7566-2645-7

Taking a detour from the bistros and brasseries of Paris, this cookbook explores another side of the city's cuisine: its Moroccan cafes, phô kitchens and sushi bars. Exploring the culinary heritage of decades of immigrants, London-based journalist Kiang-Snaije and Cordon Bleu chef Puckette have solicited recipes from their favorite restaurants, along with the family favorites of Parisians from North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Each chapter focuses on a particular country, beginning with a history of the region as well as an overview of its cuisine. The dishes here are earthy, simple and relatively inexpensive to make, like a Moroccan lamb tagine with canned artichokes and frozen peas, and a Warm Laotian Beef Salad with crisp vegetable garnishes. For the most part these are authentic recipes, and the authors assist in locating obscure ingredients—Argan oil, for example, can be obtained from a company in Michigan. The layout can be confusing, as recipe directions sometimes precede the ingredients list, but the book charms with quirky illustrations, literary quotes and personal vignettes. With listings for restaurants (including the best place to get couscous) and sidebars describing Tunisian greengrocers, Puckette and Kiang-Snaije have assembled an informative book that broadens the discussion of Parisian food while offering the Francophile home chef some alternatives to the standard croques monsieur. (Apr.)

The Art of the Dessert
Ann Amernick with Margie Litman. Wiley, $40 (384p) ISBN 978-0-471-44381-0

As generous as she is accomplished, Amernick wants home cooks to be able to do what she does; even in the introduction, she explains that she regrets the organization of her 1992 book, Special Desserts, which required page-flipping between recipes to produce some of her more complicated pieces. The new book compensates by risking repetition: for instance, listing ingredients and technique for pastry cream twice in five pages, with a very minor variation—two tablespoons coffee extract for Coffee Eclairs after Robert and two tablespoons Pear William plus heavy cream for Custard-Filled Babas with Pear William. Some cooks will be delighted with the scheme and fascinated by the nuanced differences in the repeated recipes; others may feel babied. Similarly, readers with a feel for history will cherish anecdotes from the author's years in the White House kitchen and her fond relationships with bygone culinary stars, while those in a hurry to get baking may skim the interstitial matter. But everyone—newcomer and seasoned pro—will find solid and sometimes revelatory information about such basic matters as oven temperature. And the triple chocolate terrine she devised when working for Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate restaurant is a simple (though tricky) classic that's worth the price of admission. (Apr.)

The Glory of Southern Cooking: More Than 380 Recipes for Buttermilk Biscuits, Barbecue, Butter Beans, Burgoo, and Beyond
James Villas. Wiley, $34.95 (448p) ISBN 978-0-7645-7601-0

Villas, the former food and wine editor of Town & Country and the author of 12 cookbooks, explores the distinctive cuisine of Southern cooking. Villas sees Southern cookery as the only legitimate cuisine in this county, being on the same level with French and Italian home cooking. His collection spans the entirety of the Southern states, including recipes for such classics as fried chicken, pork barbecue, and grits and greens, and lesser known dishes such as Baked Oysters with Mustard Greens and Bacon, Nashville Turnip Greens with Ham Hock, and Memphis Casserole Cheese Bread. Recipes highlight the abundance of natural food ingredients found in the South as well as the multitude of ethnic influences that contributed to the cuisine's evolution. Chapters include Cocktail and Tea Foods; Soups, Chowders, and Gumbos; Rice and Grits; and Cornbread, Biscuits, Hush Puppies, and Other Breads. Villas also provides helpful sections on equipment, ingredients, special cooking techniques, and a glossary of terms for those unfamiliar with the cuisine. This is a solid primer for those who like comfort food or have an interest in Southern cooking. (Mar.)

Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking
Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Morrow, $29.95 (464p) ISBN 978-0-06-072343-9

In her previous cookbooks, which include Flavors of Tuscany and Flavors of Puglia, Jenkins distinguished herself with a no-nonsense and informative approach. She employs the same tone in her latest effort, which offers recipes from the regions of Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia and Sicily. As the author explains, these regions, called the Mezzogiorno, boast a vibrant and varied cuisine. Indeed, the only criticism that might be levied here is that each of the five regions could support a cookbook of its own rather than being lumped into one. Poverty appears to have been the mother of invention in Southern Italy: Jenkins provides several versions of pancotto, basically soup stretched with leftover bread. She also points up the much less frequent use of meat and the prevalence of vegetable stews such as Basilicata's Ciaudedda o Stufato di Verdure with artichokes and fava beans. Jenkins is frank about the difficulty of finding some ingredients in the U.S.: the recipe for Sicily's classic Pasta Colle Sarde acknowledges that its wild fennel is both irreplaceable and hard to track down. A chapter on travel to Southern Italy rounds out this pragmatic volume about an area that Americans are just beginning to explore in large numbers. (Mar.)

Health

Bobbi Brown Living Beauty
Bobbi Brown. HBG/Springboard, $29.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-8212-5834-7

This artful, well-meaning book on beauty tips for women of "a certain age" might make a nice gift, but has little more depth than a glossy magazine. Now in her 50s, international makeup artist and beauty writer Brown celebrates female faces that have laugh lines. She encourages women to "age gracefully" without unnecessary plastic surgery by living healthy, taking care of their skin and utilizing a few tricks with makeup, hair and clothing. The first section features "Words of Wisdom" from older celebrities, such as Susan Sarandon, Vera Wang and Lorraine Bracco—most of which prove to be pretty thin. But it's Bobbi's suggestions on how to minimize problems particular to older women, (such as sunspots, baggy eyes and dull skin) that give the book an anchor. Subsequent chapters sensibly cover clothes and hair, then into menopause and hormone replacement therapy, plus diet and exercise. A final chapter celebrating "Women Who Get It" might have been fun, but the successful women profiled are not famous enough to merit much interest (e.g., the president of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, the vice chairman of Burberry and the CEO of Brooks Food Group). One of the most engaging aspects of the book are the photographs. Whether of beautifully aging faces, makeup that looks good enough to eat or healthy food that looks good enough to eat, the photos make the book coffee-table worthy. (Apr.)