Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 11/05

-- Publishers Weekly, 11/5/2007

NONFICTION

American Liberalism: An Interpretation for our Time
John McGowan. Univ. of North Carolina, $29.95 (296p) ISBN 9780807831717
“Democracy ain’t worth a damn if it’s not liberal. And liberalism isn’t worth much if it isn’t democratic.” So says author and academic McGowan, who weighs in on the contemporary political scene for a decidedly more general audience than his previous, more academic work (Postmodernism and its Critics; Democracy’s Children; etc.). Contrasting the values of today’s conservatives to their liberal opponents’, McGowan argues convincingly that today’s liberals are far more in line with the founders of the U.S. than conservatives, whose “social and economic concentrations of power… are as threatening to liberty as political concentrations of power.” Touching base on a number of contentious (if familiar) issues—constitutional law, immigration policy, pluralism, economic regulation, widening income disparity and the role of the neo-cons in President Bush’s diplomatic strategy—McGowan provides some historical and philosophical context, but most of this volume reads like an election-prep talking points memo, picking apart the weak spots in conservative thought and policy, and cheerleading liberal ideas of public protection and the general welfare. Unwavering in its sense of righteousness, this detailed primer may preach to the choir, but it will prove insightful for armchair democrats and the progressive-curious. (Oct.)

The Anti-Matter Anthology: A 1990s Post-Punk and Hardcore Reader
Norman Brannon. Revelation Records, $15 (256p) ISBN 188970301
In the early 1990s, New York City-based Brannon began work on Anti-Matter, an indie rock fanzine, and his canny timing enabled him to catch well-known acts like Elliott Smith, Rancid and Sick of it All at key points in their careers. But it’s Brannon’s skill as an interviewer that makes the book essential reading for fans of just-off-the-radar rock. Brannon’s experience on the scene (in bands such as Shelter and Texas is the Reason) serves him well, as artists treat him more like a friend than a journalist; he gets away with much more personal questions than most reporters would venture, proving several shades more illuminating than the average Q&A. Zach De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine reveals how a two-faced journalist brought him to tears, Rob Fish of Resurrection speaks candidly about his mother’s death, and Ian MacKaye offers a frank look at the intricacies of running influential independent record label Dischord. Also included are lesser-known bands that don’t appear to have survived the decade: Endpoint, Garden Variety, Mouthpiece, Orange 9mm and others. Though Brannon assumes throughout that his audience is familiar with the artists profiled—he offers few introductions, but does include a “recommended listening” appendix—fans of punk, hardcore and emo are sure to find previously hidden aspects of some favorite musicians revealed with tact and respect. (Nov.)

Beyond Hell and Back: How America’s Special Operations Forces Became the World’s Greatest Fighting Unit
Dwight Jon Zimmerman and John D. Gresham. St. Martin’s, $25.95 (320p) ISBN 9780312363871
Looking at seven landmark U.S. military Special Operations missions, from 1970s Vietnam to Iraq in the 21st century, military writers Zimmerman and Gresham (Special Forces: A Guided Tour, with Tom Clancy) detail how the secretive, oft-misunderstood Special Ops forces have developed into “the best in the world” at carrying out high-risk/high-reward, and often highly classified, missions. Both successes (like the “Immaculate Mission” during Operation Iraqi Freedom) and failures (like the 1980 attempt to rescue U.S. Embassy personnel in Iran) are documented in exhausting detail, and cogent analysis spells out the consequences; for example, a raid on a POW prison in Hanoi didn’t bring anyone home, but did drive the North Vietnamese to treat its prisoners more humanely, and pushed them toward peace talks in Paris. Zimmerman and Gresham excel at distilling incredibly complex mission planning and execution, making this a great read for military buffs, as well as for casual readers interested in the underlying issues that have fueled recent U.S. military conflicts. (Oct.)

The Chomsky Effect: A Radical Works Beyond the Ivory Tower
Robert F. Barsky. MIT, $29.95 (388p) ISBN 9780262026246
With this study, Vanderbilt professor Barsky follows up Noam Chomsky: A Life of Dissent, his first expositionary volume on the octogenarian MIT linguist-cum-political writer. It focuses on how Chomsky’s political writings—often published in small venues and in reaction to developing events—get disseminated and used throughout the world. The result is an indirect approach to a compelling subject, namely: what are Chomsky’s politics, and what broader lessons can be drawn from them? Barsky begins by defining what he calls “The Chomsky Effect,” whereby Chomsky’s ideas get distorted and argued about in degraded form, whether by bolsterers or naysayers, resulting not only in bad arguments, but in undeserved infamy for Chomsky. He tracks the effect through the academy, the radical left, legal studies, literature and media, and, along the way, provides very lucid commentary on, and summation of, Chomsky’s ideas. That said, Barsky, like Chomsky himself, refuses to distill Chomsky’s thought to sound bites as he sifts through all the claims and counter-claims. That may prove frustrating for some readers, but it is fully in the spirit of Chomsky’s own work. (Oct.)

Conversations with Woody Allen: His Films, the Movies and Moviemaking
Eric Lax. $30, Knopf (352p) ISBN 9780375415333
Woody Allen biographer Lax has been conversing with the elusive, beloved film director for 36 years, and here’s the proof: transcripts of their detailed shop talk distilled into chapters covering seven elements of filmmaking—writing, casting, shooting, etc.—and Allen’s career as a whole. Despite a reputation for being odd and unapproachable, the man revealed in these dialogues is likable, forthcoming and even humble: “It’s just not in me to make a great film; I don’t have the depth of vision to do it.” Fans, of course, will want to argue otherwise, but they’ll be too absorbed by this fascinating, decades-long discussion to register the grievance. From the tremendous stable of actors Allen has directed—especially former muses Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow—to the deceptively intriguing details of editing Another Woman, Lax’s interviews are penetrating but far from formal, giving readers the unique opportunity to hear Allen’s thoughts on projects-in-progress (everything from Bananas to Match Point) and to join him on location. Fans will find a trove of Woody-on-Woody insight (heavy on second-guessing, light on personal details), and there’s much advice for the aspiring artist: “The key is to work, enjoy the process, don’t read about yourself… and keep your nose to the grindstone.” Even casual fans will appreciate this work; with a handy index for tracking down favorite films and something interesting on nearly every page, it’s a perfectly browsable volume. B/w photos. (Oct.)

The Emotional Plague: The Root of Human Evil
Charles Konia. A.C.O. Press (P.O. Box 490, Princeton, NJ, 08542), $29.95 paper (500p) ISBN 9780967967035
Psychiatrist Konia has been a practicing Reichian therapist for over 40 years. Taking his title from a term coined by Wilhelm Reich, Konia argues that in the current “emotional plague” there is a mass “displacement of intra-psychic conflicts of armored people onto the social and political sphere.” To put it another way, Konia believes that what Freud saw as normal human defenses are, in the 21st century, growing out of control. It is happening because of the dominance of an overly mechanistic view of human life, where the function of human life is reduced to its bodily mechanics, and all individuals are seen as interchangeably made to serve the same meaningless ends. One result, Konia argues, is a reactionary mysticism, one that, he says, feeds everything from alternative medicine to jihadist Islamism. In chapters including “Freedom, Responsibility and Sociopolitical Ideology” and “Democracy in Armored Society: Formal Democracy versus Work Democracy,” Konia shows the macro effects of “armored society”—a humanity splintered into groups in conflict—in detail. By way of a solution, Konia argues for a recognition of a “biological core” than unites humanity in need, and in differences. While Konia’s discussion can get fairly technical, it is passionate and engaged throughout. (Nov.)

Energy of Delusion: A Book on Plot
Viktor Shklovsky, trans. from the Russian by Shushan Avagyan. Dalkey Archive, $14.95 paper (440p) ISBN 9781564784261
Just in time for the publication of two new translations of War and Peace comes the first publication in English of what is arguably the greatest critical work on Tostoy’s masterpiece. Soviet critic Shklovsky (1893–1984) is the author of Third Factory and many other critical books. (They are slowly being translated into English and released by Dalkey Archive.) All are written in Shklovsky’s inimitable, signature digressive style, but none perhaps has as grand a concentric development as this book, which radiates out from War and Peace and into Pushkin, Turgenev, the Opayaz period, Anna Karenina, the Neva, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, the Bible, Chekhov, Picasso, and many, many more figures, books, rivers, places, things. The result is a deep, and deeply satisfying, meditation on the form of the novel, and on what reading novels “now” (Shklovsky finished the book at the end of his life) is like. Shklovsky takes his title from a letter of Tolstoy’s regarding “an earthly, spontaneous energy that’s impossible to invent”; he has that energy in spades here, delightful even if one has been unable to finish Tolstoy’s novel. (Oct.)

The Healthcare Fix: Universal Insurance for All Americans
Laurence J. Kotlikoff. MIT, $17.95 (128p) ISBN 9780262113144
Taking off from the statistic that 47 million Americans have no health insurance, this treatise from Boston University economist Kotlikoff (The Coming Generational Storm) argues forcefully that on one hand, emergency room and other medical debt incurred by the uninsured is a crippling force in the economy, and that, on the other, Medicare and Medicaid benefits are spiraling beyond the system’s ability to sustain them. Humanitarian concerns aside, Kotlikoff argues for a voucher-based “Medical Security System” that issues benefits to individuals (rather than doctors or hospitals) based on existing medical conditions. The plan’s goal is the preservation of the existing private health care industry, in part through allowing the government to control costs by establishing the value of the vouchers. Kotlikoff’s passionate exposition of the details of his plan is sure to add to the growing health care debate. (Nov.)

The Hypocrisy of Disco: A Memoir
Clane Hayward. Chronicle, $22.95 (242p) ISBN 9780811859455
An absurdist reference to her atypical 1970s upbringing, the title of Hayward’s debut memoir suits her offbeat tale of preadolescence, when she lived according to the whims of her hippie mother, H’lane, moving from one West Coast commune to the next. Struggling to fit in despite denied holiday celebrations and sporadic attendance at school (H’lane considers them “zoos run by the government to keep kids safe in cages”), Hayward’s direct, borderline-juvenile voice chronicles in vibrant detail her puzzling misadventures with H’lane, her jealously and awe of friends with “straight moms” and her eventual exile to New Mexico to live with her negligent dad. Amidst unnecessary hardship and borderline abusive parenting, Hayward’s remembrances are surprisingly positive; she bears no ill will toward her parents, writing about them with remarkable honesty and respect. The zippy narrative is divided into short chapters and propelled by a somewhat disjointed chronology (young Hayward’s sense of time is appropriately sketchy). Unfortunately, the narrative ends with Hayward’s 13th birthday, leaving hinted-at future events (“I did not see [H’lane] again until I was twenty-one”) unexplored, and readers unsatisfied. Hopefully, this solid memoir is just the first from Hayward. (Oct.)

Journals: 1952-2000
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Penguin, $40 (928p) ISBN 9781594201424
The beloved cultural and political commentator Schlesinger (1917-2007) formed his left-leaning worldview during FDR’s New Deal; a liberal scholar and historian, Schlesinger produced more than 25 books (his last was 2005’s War and the American Presidency), won two Pulitzers and became a powerful force in shaping liberal political thought. Taking readers through Schlesinger’s diaries year by year, the book begins with Schlesinger’s first encounters with presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, for whose (unsuccessful) campaign he would become a speech-writer; fortunately, off-years pass by quickly (1953-1959 take up fewer than 30 pages), picking up again in 1960, when Schlesinger became special advisor to President Kennedy. With characteristic candor, Schlesinger weighs in on both: of Stevenson, “probably even more conservative than I had thought”; of JFK, “[he] has most of FDR’s lesser qualities. Whether he has FDR’s greater qualities is the problem for the future.” Subsequent years bring the expected: Vietnam and LBJ, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, Nixon and Watergate, the rise of Reagan and the fall of the Soviets, the first Gulf War and the second George Bush, all viewed through Schlesinger’s singular perspective. Interspersed between an endless, engrossing parade of lunches with luminaries such as Henry Kissenger and Jackie Onassis, Schlesinger discusses his own work and a few personal details (“Another year; another house… spent most of the month getting settled at 118 East 82nd Street with my beloved Alexandra”). Most of the memoir, however, is a pleasingly understated whirlwind of big names and bigger issues. Rich in insight and cagily observed history, Schlesinger’s weighty memoirs will mesmerize political junkies; even lay-readers will be charmed and fascinated by Schlesinger’s take on the 20th century’s last half. (Oct)

Movies and the Moral Adventure of Life
Alan A. Stone. MIT, $14.95 (244p) ISBN 9780262195676
Stone has had an illustrious career in psychiatry: he was president of the American Psychiatric Society and director of medical training at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, and is currently professor of Law and Psychiatry at Harvard. The 15 essays on individual films collected here were published in the Boston Review from 1993–2006. The foreword from Boston Review editor Joshua Cohen notes that Stone’s “enthusiasms run particularly to films that enlarge our sense of human possibilities.” The result is a book that sees Schindler’s List as a film in which Spielberg’s “accomplishments cannot be gainsaid” (and in which the director is “vindicated as a director and a Jew”) and that views The Battle of Algiers as fundamentalist propaganda. American Beauty points up the failure of beauty “to draw virtue from the flames,” while Pulp Fiction “unmasks the macho myth by making it laughable and deheroicizes the kind of power glorified by Hollywood violence.” Stone’s writing is thoughtful, but the humanism that Cohen points to in the foreword proves more of a limit here than a lens. (Oct.)

Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition
Editors of The Onion. Little, Brown, $27.99 (256p) ISBN 9780316018425
The first all-new publication from The Onion’s stable of mad satirists since 1999’s Our Dumb Century, this globe-spanning volume raises the bar for topical humor. Known for their savage, irreverent newspaper parody, The Onion staff delight in playing up stereotypes and skewering perceptions, and they have picked an enormous playground in which to do so; this skewed world atlas compiles enough fictional facts to tickle—and probably offend—just about everyone. Profiling every country in the world—from the United States (“The Land of Opportunism”) to Greenland (“The Largest Land Mass on Earth”) to “The Who Cares Islands”—this handsome parody is visually indistinguishable from genuine reference materials, but with jokes crammed into every inch, from topographical maps (“Largest Mayan casino in Mexico”) and tiny vital statistics boxes (Syria’s ethnicity: “Anti-Semitic Semites”) to historic timelines (Ireland, 1387: “Luck of the Irish runs out”) and photo captions (“Emergency shipments of food, water, and Bono reach Sudan”). The group’s humor can demand a rarified kind of knowledge—as in the entry for Nicaragua, which revolves entirely around the now-ancient Nintendo game “Contra”—ensuring that some jokes will fall flat; for anyone with a cultural pulse, however, the hit-to-miss ratio will be high. Eminently browsable and compulsively re-readable, this is an essential book for fans of Stewart, Colbert and (of course) The Onion. (Oct.)

The Second Life Herald: The Virtual Tabloid that Witnessed the Dawn of the Metaverse
Peter Ludlow and Mark Wallace. MIT, $29.95 (288p) ISBN 9780262122948
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the online virtual communities like Second Life—where, recently, the how’s and why’s of having a “unicorn baby” were all the rage—have their own virtual newspapers and blogs. The very real world constraints such organs have come under, however, may surprise more than a few readers. University of Michigan philosophy professor Peter Ludlow has written and edited various monographs on language and cyberspace; under the name of his online avatar, Urizenus Sklar, Ludlow muckraked within The Sims Online community and was later publisher of SL’s The Second Life Herald. He here teams with freelance journalist Wallace, who has had his own adventures covering online virtual communities, to give a blow-by-blow account of how Urizenus Sklar’s writings caused a big stir online, with ramifications that are still unfolding. With wit and a real sense of suspense, the two dramatize the “killing” of Urizenus (“Uri”) in late 2003, and then work backwards, giving a history of online multiuser environments, providing a vivid sense of what it is to participate in them, detailing the larger forces at work in the conflicts that killed Urizenus, and urgently raising still-very-unresolved issues about law, censorship and cyberspace. Anyone with even the slightest curiosity about online virtual communities will find it engrossing. (Oct.)

LIFESTYLE

Never Trust a Man in Alligator Loafers: What His Shoes Really Say About Hhis True Love Potential
Donna Sozio. Citadel, $12.95 paper (256p) ISBN: 9780806528403
Though it uses every shoe pun in the English language (“thought clogs,” “the sole truth”), it’s quickly apparent that this gimmicky relationship guide is no light-hearted spoof, but a serious approach to finding a man. Unfortunately, “soleology” is about as substantive as a flip-flop. Still, Sozio’s main text is funny, if not exactly fair, as she breaks the male population into a series of archetypes: for example, a classic “noncommunicator” can be spotted by his “Ubiquitous White Sneaker.” It’s not quite that simple, however: the shoes point to a particular continuum, but the man’s attitude toward them places him on it; for instance, a Tevas-wearing man falls on the “Authority” continuum somewhere between the compliant “Yes, Sir!” type and the “Rebel,” depending on whether his message is “I’m a river guide” or “I am the river.” Though the author hits some practical high notes while identifying “red flag shoes” (“unraveling” shoes are the worst: “where else is he coming undone?”), some absurd counsel (pretending to drop something so “you can conveniently check out his shoes”), goofy lists (“Ten Reasons why Shoes are Better than Men”) and other filler will try readers’ patience. (Nov.)

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Perseus, $27.50 (298p) ISBN 9781569242643
While most vegan cookbooks are anemic, underfed volumes—some no-brainer pasta recipes, a few things to do with tofu, maybe some oddball desserts—this slam-bang effort from vegan chefs Moskowitz and Romero (Vegan with a Vengeance) is thorough and robust, making admirable use of every fruit and vegetable under the sun, without once asking readers to make do with fake meat products and egg replacements. Instead, the eccentric authors offer dozens of novel, delicious ways to get excited about eating meat-, dairy- and egg-free. Take Southwestern Corn Pudding, a winning casserole rich with coconut milk and an unexpected dash of maple syrup—a likely MVP at your next Thanksgiving (whether it’s centered around turkey or tofu). Almost as addictive are Rustic White Beans and Mushrooms, which get their bite from fresh herbs, and Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions and Spiced Pita Crisps, a transcendent Middle Eastern comfort food. Vegan breakfasts get overdue attention: sitting in front of a hot stack of velvety Blueberry Corn Pancakes and hearty Blue Flannel Hash, who’s going to miss the bacon? Best of all is the wide selection of terrific desserts: everything from Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies to decadent Caramel-Apple-Spice Cupcakes boldy fill the space where most eggless, milkless and butterless cookbooks fear to tread. (Nov.)

ILLUSTRATED

The Nature of Dogs
Mary Ludington. Simon & Schuster, $35 (176p) ISBN 9781416542872
Animal photographer Ludington’s stunning collection of dog portraits, packaged in a tasteful coffee table format, is sure to win the hearts of dog lovers with its obvious yet understated reverence. Unlike other books of this type, Ludington’s portraits of well-known breeds such as the French Bulldog, Rhodesian Ridgeback and Dachshund treat the animals with a high degree of respect—no funny costumes, anthropomorphic asides or cloying sweetness here. Ludington’s candid shots—dogs in grass, snow, forest and river—are largely devoid of sentimentality, focusing instead on each animal’s unique spirit, an effect perhaps best exemplified in her study of the ghostly Greyhound, whose coiled potential for sudden, shocking speed gives its portraits a feeling of tension and transience. Each entry is augmented with a brief history of the breed and key characteristics, but the photographs rightfully take center stage. Unfortunately, the handful of essays scattered throughout don’t live up to the same high standard—Mary Gaitskill’s is especially cringeworthy—with the notable exception of Kevin Kling’s opening essay, a lyrical rumination on the ferocity of canines. (Oct.)

Playing with Fire: Third Edition
Eileen Blumenthal, Julie Taymor and Antonio Monda. Abrams, $50 (227p) ISBN 97808138793
Best known for her colorful, hyper-imaginative visual effects, Taymor has become one of the most celebrated directors of our time, having won Tony Awards for her work on Broadway (such as The Lion King) and accolades from critics for her other plays, operas (The Magic Flute, Grendel) and movies (Titus, Frida). The latest edition of her illustrated retrospective, which covers more than 20 Taymor productions, adds 40 new pages of material ranging from unpublished sketches to notes on her 2007 film Across the Universe. A lengthy biographical essay by Eileen Blumenthal traces the artist’s journey from high school apprenticeship to travels in Sri Lanka and India, to studies in stagecraft, mythology, folklore, Indonesian masked dance-drama and Japanese shadow puppetry (though it has not been updated since first written in 1995). Taymor’s own thoughts accompany each work, and her behind-the-scenes insight is sure to please fans. Though the printed page can’t hope to match the vibrancy and impact of live, in-person performances—characteristically bright, high-contrast Taymor colors, for example, appear washed out in a number of photos—this volume does well capturing Taymor’s immaculate attention to detail as well as the enormity of her vision. 352 full-color illustrations (Oct.)

FICTION

Doubtful Cañon
Johnny D. Boggs. Five Star, $25.95 (216p) ISBN 9781594145575
The latest from Spur Award winner Boggs follows the terrific Northfield, and is loosely based on an 1861 incident of massacre and lost treasure in New Mexico. In 1881, three bored 12-year-old kids, Jack Dunivan, Jasmine Allison and Ian Spencer Henry, are eager for adventure and escape from their dull mining town of Shakespeare, New Mexico. They meet a frightening albino gunman named Whitey Grey who tells them a fantastic story of an Apache stagecoach ambush 20 years earlier that left lost treasure he needs help recovering. The kids sign on with the vicious old coot to get the loot, and dramatic arrivals ensue: two vicious gunfighters, one pretty young lady and a bloody-minded Apache war party. Greed dominates everyone’s actions, but fancy gunplay, clever deception and the three smart, resourceful kids keep this tricky, fast-paced horse opera alive with expectation. Boggs’s quirky western doesn’t take itself too seriously, making this a fanciful and fun ride into some dangerous business. (Dec.)

Troy: Fall of Kings
David Gemmell and Stella Gemmell. Ballantine, $25.95 (464p) ISBN 9780345477033
In this last installment of David Gemmell’s Trojan trilogy (following Troy: Shield of Thunder), Helen is a plain, mousy woman whose beauty is entirely of the inner sort, and Hektor is a cuckold left raising another man’s son. Agamemnon is depicted as a rapacious predator seeking the riches of Troy to support the armies he needs to hold the territories he has conquered, and Priam a shadow of his former glory, brought low by an Alzheimer’s-like disease. Strong characterizations and sturdy plotting evoke the horror of the conflict, and the story’s mythic power. David Gemmell left the novel uncompleted upon his untimely death in 2006, but his wife, Stella, who did most of his research, has brought the books to a satisfactory conclusion. (Dec. 26)