Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 12/3

-- Publishers Weekly, 12/3/2007

NONFICTION

City of Widows: An Iraqi Woman’s Account of War and Resistance
Haifa Zangana. Seven Stories, $20 (176p) ISBN 9781583227794
In her opening line, Iraqi novelist (and former prisoner of Saddam Hussein) Zangana lays out this Iraq primer’s unapologetic intent: “that readers in the West will gain insight into a country they have impacted so fully and terribly.” With 300,000 widows in Baghdad alone, another million across the country, and thousands of women imprisoned without acknowledgement—much less hope for legal recourse—Zangana’s dispatches are different from those of U.S. and Iraqi officials who, she says, claim to support “women’s empowerment” while sponsoring militant sectarian forces with “barbaric ideas” about women in society. The U.S. media, according to Zangana, is happy to fall in line: by repeating the story that Iraqis are killing Iraqis by the hundreds each day, the American reflex has become to blame the victims, rather than an occupation that has deliberately dismantled the country’s only ways of coping. Putting the current moment in perspective with an engaging history of women’s rights in Iraq, Zangana convincingly indentifies the current Iraqi moment “a terrible state of regression.” This angry, unforgiving and powerful book is as vital as it is hard to swallow. (Nov.)

The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda
Jerrold M. Post. Palgrave, $26.95 (320p) ISBN 9781403966117
Those who believe there’s a fundamental difference between themselves and terrorists may be alarmed by what they discover in this psycho-social investigation from Post, a professor of Political Psychology and International Affairs at George Washington University. Through comprehensive histories of people stripped of their land, identity and/or independence by governments with skewed (or self-serving) ideas of justice, Post maps the formation of terrorist mindsets—which prove neither as foreign nor as psychotic as their actions might appear. Post is objective and perceptive while identifying and exploring three types of terrorism: national-separatist, social-revolutionary and religious-extremist. Analyses of beliefs and motives—often taken from the personal statements of members and leaders—illustrate how a psychologically normal person becomes an agent of extraordinary violence. According to Post, understanding the psychology and sociology of terrorists is vital in a true war on terrorism, which is, after all, often rooted in conflicting ideologies. Concluding with a plausible strategy for waging such a war, Post adds critical knowledge to the ongoing debate over how best to deal with terrorism. (Dec.)

The Professor and the Pupil: The politics of W. E. B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson
Murali Balaji. Nation, $15.99 paper (496p) ISBN 9781568583556
Though honored as two of the most influential African-American leaders of the past century, journalist and novelist Balaji (House of Tinder) compensates in this political biography for “revisionist” historians who regularly omit Du Bois and Robeson’s long-standing involvement with the Communist Party, distorting their impact on anti-colonial and radical political thought, eroding their legacies and diminishing their courage in the face of McCarthyism. Du Bois (1868-1963) began his career as an academic and authored 34 books, most notably Souls of Black Folk, co-founded the NAACP and was an early advocate of Pan-Africanism. Best known for his Show Boat performance of “Ol’ Man River” and his portrayal of Shakespeare’s Othello, Robeson (1898-1976) gained international celebrity status (called “America’s No. 1 Negro”) with starring roles on Broadway and the London stage. With both narrative chronology and close reading of their work, Balaji demonstrates how over time each became more radical, moved into the communist orbit in the 1930’s, and ultimately met professional defeat in the 1950’s when they refused to recant their convictions. Though overly detailed and occasionally rambling, this book provides a sharp look into an often overlooked aspect of black history. (Dec.)

Reporting the War: Freedom of the Press from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism
John Byrne Cooke. Palgrave, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 9781403975157
Historical novelist Cooke (The Snowblind Moon) gives an excellent, incisive commentary on how freedom of the press in the U.S., from the time of the 13 colonies on, has played out in times of war. Cooke points out that many newspaper publishers during the Revolutionary War had warrants for their arrest, and likely would have been executed for treason against the crown had the colonies lost; he also notes that several publishers were arrested for printing critical editorials by none other than the Lincoln administration, during the Civil War. Taking readers through U.S. history war by war, Cooke shows how the press served both to propel national fervor toward war and to criticize loudly its execution; among the worthy examples covered here are the campaign of shame and outrage launched by William Randolph Hearst to push the president and congress into the Spanish-American war, Walter Lippman’s challenge to President Johnson and the other architects of the Vietnam conflict, and countless contemporaries. A timely study, Cooke’s history presents the fifth estate in all its conflicted glory: a power that ensures accountability and the visibility of a loyal opposition just as easily as it vilifies individuals and manipulates the conscience of America. (Nov.)

The Secret Pulse of Time: Making Sense of Life’s Scarcest Commodity
Stefan Klein, translated from the German by Shelley Frisch. Marlowe, $25 (368p) ISBN 9781600940170
A witty, engrossing journey through the science, culture, concept and nature of time, the latest from German science journalist Klein (The Science of Happiness) is a treatise on temporality brimming with insight. Exploring the extensive research on time perception—from Michel Siffre subjecting himself to months alone in a pitch-dark cave to the burrowing behavior of single-celled euglena—Klein amasses hard evidence, amusing anecdotes and unlikely consequences of the enormous disparity between time as we perceive it (inner time) and time as we conceptualize it (i.e, clock time). For example, an investigation into the slippery idea of “the present” indicates that “The Now is an Illusion,” synthesized by the mind from disparate, often non-simultaneous sensory elements: “The brain can delay the present by up to a half-second” in order to compensate for the relative speed of, say, sound over sight. Klein’s suggestions for slowing down arise seamlessly throughout the book from the biological and physical data (well documented in chapter notes and a thorough bibliography), and the epilogue pares them down to six individual steps. Sure to give readers fresh perspective on their everyday lives, Klein’s concepts are well illustrated in copious examples from literature and popular culture, and Frisch’s fluid, flawless translation makes his text as captivating as it is enlightening. (Nov.)

Ticket to Exile: A Memoir
Adam David Miller. Heyday, $14.95 paper (256p) ISBN 9781597140652
Growing up in Depression-era South Carolina, African-American writer, poet and teacher Miller “knew that white people could, if they wished, do anything to black people for any reason.” This eloquent, melancholy memoir puts the truth to that sentiment, beginning with Miller’s imprisonment, at age 19, for passing a friendly note to a white girl. Facing charges of attempted rape, Miller tells his life story in flashback, hoping to find what “had brought me to this point.” Mired in poverty but blessed with hope—in the form of education, religion and each other—Miller’s family moved often, putting him in 13 different homes by the time he was 19. Each chapter opens with an original poem—worthy of their own volume—before performing a skillful act of time-travel: Miller’s memories are so vibrant that he could be describing incidents from last month, despite the fact that he’s not told anyone about his episode behind bars for 57 years. Complete in its portrait of a struggling Southern family and undeniably powerful in its portrayal of racial injustice, Miller captures a time and a place with resonance, honesty and wisdom. (Nov.)

Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe
Rich Eisen. Thomas Dunne, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 9780312369781
Named after and authored by the host of the NFL Network’s signature program, this loosely-structured year-in-the-life memoir is essentially the book version of the network, established in 2003 to provide unprecedented access to players, coaches, games and events (from draft weekend to Hall of Fame inductions). Bookended by the Super Bowl and the debut of the NFL Network’s “Eight Game Package” (a series of Thursday and Saturday games that began late in the 2006 season), this sportscasting odyssey follows Eisen in and out of makeshift studios at football’s biggest occasions, reprints verbatim his interviews with everyone from quarterback Brett Favre to former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, and provides insight into NFL luminaries-turned-on-air-colleagues such as Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci. Along the way, there are plenty of insider-only tidbits, including how veterans haze rookies at the Pro Bowl and what really happens during the top-secret Scouting Combine. Eisen writes with the same dry wit he uses on-camera, a likable voice that’s unfortunately prone to name-dropping and network-boosting; still, there’s much vicarious pleasure to be found in Eisen’s on-the-job adventures. (Nov.)

Trappings: Stories of Women, Power and Clothing
Tiffany Ludwig and Renee Piechocki. Rutgers Univ., $29.95 (256p) ISBN 9780813541846
“What do you wear that makes you feel powerful?” Artists Ludwig and Piechocki posed this question to women of all ages and backgrounds and gathered their responses for this unique celebration of womanhood. Each woman’s story, accompanied by one or more photographs, presents an intriguing portrait of both inner and outer strength; one example is a glamorous-looking Oxford, Miss. woman training for the pro-boxing circuit, who confides, “I’m overcompensating. I buy the flowered-y dresses for a reason.” The expected power suits and uniforms are represented, but accessories prove more popular; a Santa Fe “risk-taker” and former Playboy bunny always carries her passport, while a Nashville woman uses her grandmother’s pearls as “armor” during a nerve-wracking party. Many testimonies cover life journeys and important events, forming short but satisfying narratives (some of which are deepened by multiple interviews over time). Of course, many Dumbo-esque lessons ensue (“I always had that power in me… [and] I got a lot of it now”), but they hardly diminish the fun of reading and sharing these revealing, funny and entirely identifiable stories. 108 color and 40 b/w photos. (Nov.)

When Asia was the World
Stewart Gordon. Da Capo, $26 (288p) ISBN 9780306815560
Gordon, a Senior Research Scholar at the University of Michigan, recalls Thomas Cahill’s “Hinges of History” series in this accessible history-in-portraits. Covering “the thousand years from 500 to 1500, [when] Asia was an astonishing, connected, and creative place,” Gordon bases each chapter on the actual memoir of someone who lived, worked and traveled there. Each story has its own unique appeal, the most compelling of which is probably Abraham bin Yiju’s: a Jewish spice trader living in southwestern India around 1140 CE, his life proves dramatic and transient, and his letters poignant, as in this plea for news of relatives caught up in the Crusades: “No letter… [detailing] who died and who remained alive, has arrived. By God, write exact details and send your letters with reliable people to soothe my mind.” It’s a rare joy—and a slight shock—to find such rich evidence of lives lived 1,000 years ago; given the way time erases personal history, however, it makes sense that each man’s story feels incomplete. Gordon lacks the vision and distinctive voice of a Cahill, but history buffs will find this book more than worthwhile. (Dec.)

LIFESTYLE

Altar Your Space: A Guide to the Restorative Home
Jagatjoti S. Khalsa. Mandala, $29.95 paper (144p) ISBN 9781601090089
Khalsa, part owner of Venice, Calif. home furnishings store Tara Home, presents a guide to creating a peaceful living space “that truly reflects and expresses who you are.” While he does address the literal incorporation of altars into one’s home, the focus is on turning your home into “a sanctuary for the body, heart and soul of you and your family.” Khalsa returns again and again to the idea of self-reflection and listening to one’s inner voice (“At some point you may feel intuitively drawn to certain colors, tones, images…”), a valid but frustratingly obtuse point. Specifics are sparse: Khalsa includes few of his clients’ goals (whose homes appear in photographs) and little information on choosing elements or room composition. What it lacks in detail, the book makes up for in abundant, lush photography; heavy on Tibetan, Chinese and Indian furnishings—there are multiple statues of Hindu and Buddhist gods, ornately carved beds, bureaus and dressers and rich, vibrant fabrics—these gorgeous full-color images will prove useful for anyone considering an Eastern approach to home decor. (Dec.)

Cajun and Creole Cooking with Miss Edie and the Colonel: The Folklore and Art of Louisiana Cooking
Edie Hand and William G. Paul. Cumberland, $29.95 (282p) ISBN 9781581826173
If you find the terms “cajun” and “creole” interchangeable, this primer on authentic Louisiana cooking from Gulf Coast natives Hand and Paul will school you with delicious lessons in the subtleties of each. Devoting the first third to everything from seasoning a new iron skillet and defining local favorites (Ribbon Cane Syrup, Filé Powder) to a timeline of Louisiana culinary history, Hand and Paul ably guide newcomers toward the first recipes: 18 classic sauces (Remoulade, Espagnole, etc.) that crop up often. Entrees include well-loved standards like Crawfish Etouffée, Jambalaya and Bananas Foster, as well as Cajun takes on ribs, roast duck and popcorn balls (known as Tac Tac, they’re laced with pecans). Catering to extra-regional tastes, Hand and Paul offer key variations, such as five basic gumbos, that illustrate the breadth of a staple. Novices might be intimidated by the sheer number of ingredients required for a given dish (Vegetarian Gumbo calls for 24), though it’s mainly herbs and spices adding to the count; well-stocked cooks should get by with a minimal investment in new spices. The authors’ devotion to doing things the “right way”—homemade stocks, fresh herbs, etc.—isn’t for everyone, but the New Orleans-authentic results are surefire crowd-pleasers. (Dec.)

Down to Earth with Helen Dillon: Advice and Inspiration from One of the World’s Great Gardeners
Helen Dillon. Timber, $29.95 (224p) ISBN 9780881928594
Gardening from a pristine Dublin plot, droll green thumb Dillon offers equal measures of witticism and advice—both expert techniques and common sense tips—in this verdant, photo-rich guide, imbued with enough passion to inspire an all-consuming hobby. The perfect book for anyone contemplating a leap into the gardening lifestyle, Dillon is mercifully easy on newcomers (a full third is devoted to “Beginners’ Stuff”), the busy (“The one-hour-a-week garden”) and the brown thumb (“Why did it die?”). Dillon’s organic approach to plant care will play well with the environment-savvy, and she’s quick to suggest simple cures for common problems such as slugs (a saucer of beer should get rid of them). With patience and humor, Dillon covers a wide range of topics, most in two- or three-page chapters, coaching readers through pruning and “deadheading,” the “May gap” and late summer, how to cadge plant cuttings from more experienced gardeners and informative asides like “Dog in the garden” (“your ideal garden dog is a male dachshund”) and even some social history: “Years ago, in Ireland, high garden society only liked to spread special plants to their friends and equals.” With this informative, personal and gorgeous book, it’s clear Dillon considers her readers to be both. (Nov.)

Good Housekeeping Soups & Stews
Editors of Good Housekeeping. Sterling, $14.95 (240p) ISBN 9781588165497
The cooks at Good Housekeeping magazine offer another thorough, practical collection of recipes, this time for 150 reliable soups and stews. The book’s from-scratch approach and user-friendly spiral binding make it easy to lay flat on the counter as the soups simmer. Cooks with patience will be rewarded with rich, flavorful dishes, as most meat-based fare requires at least an hour to complete. That said, the editors offer a few quick takes on classics such as Quick Cassoulet, which comes together in roughly 30 minutes (thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken and canned beans), and Beef Stew with Red Wine, which employs a fully cooked beef roast au jus and a bag of precut vegetables to shave prep time. The selections heavily favor classics such as Senate Bean Soup, Chicken and Rice and Cioppino, though variations such as Southwest Chicken Stew, a flavorful combination of chicken thighs, potatoes, corn, black beans and spices, and Mussels in Saffron-Tomato Soup will keep cooks and their families from getting bored. Those looking for a solid collection of everyday soup and stew dishes will find the book a welcome resource, but cooks interested in stretching their soup and stew repertoire may find it lacking. (Dec.)

Great Food, Great Beer: The Anheuser-Busch Cookbook
Editors of Sunset Books. Sunset, $24.95 paper (304p) ISBN 9780376020482
Emphasizing beer-as-pairing rather than beer-as-ingredient, this cookbook offers something for virtually everyone, even if they don’t enjoy a frosty lager. Classic beer-alongs like burgers, chili, chicken-fried steak and pigs in a blanket make an appearance, but otherwise, the folks at Sunset take a global approach, including classic European brasserie fare like mussels with pomme frites (make that pommes oven-frites), Argentinian chimicurri-laced steak and a Mediterranean-inspired Chicken Stew with Olives and Lemon. Though Crisp Roast Duck rests atop cabbage cooked with cherries and Michelob Amber Bock, grilled lobster tails are basted with a symphonic Budweiser-butter reduction laced with vanilla, and a luscious gingerbread cake gets a kick from the addition of stout, beer-free recipes are the rule rather than the exception. Hearty, non-alcoholic favorites include Leek and Chanterelle Tart, Rigatoni with Green Olive-Almond pesto and Roadhouse Steaks with Ancho Chile Rub, as well as a full range of desserts. Complemented with a guide to pairing beer with everything from cheese to chocolate as well as the dishes in the book, this is a must-have for fans of beer and pub fare. (Jan.)

The Way of the Small: Why Less is Truly More
Michael Gellert, foreword by Thomas Moore. Nicolas-Hays, $14.95 paper (186p) ISBN 9780892541294
Psychoanalyst Gellerts (The Fate of America) gives readers a chance to feel big in small ways with this guide to cultivating a “less is more, simpler is better” life. Both a zen-like meditation on the significance of insignificance and a cultural-historical tour of an idea—an “organic way of living” rather than a “theory, formula, or fixed belief system”—Gellert locates and celebrates the small in individual experience (including his own and those of his patients), all the major world religions and the Big Bang, among other settings. Eloquent consideration of ideas like “celebrating the right details” and “embracing diminishment” follows, as well as more practical strategy like “facing adversity with humor,” “letting go of perfection” and the “mystical idea of amor fat, or loving your fate.” Covering a decidedly large range of issues—love, death, warfare, morality, humankind and the cosmos—Gellert applies his “small” principle confidently but perhaps too broadly; still, Gellert’s graceful text will definitely boost readers’ capacity for accepting one’s predicament and finding satisfaction in the slight. (Nov.)

ILLUSTRATED

The Art of William Steig
Claudia J. Nahson, with contributions by Robert Cottingham, Edward Sorel, Jeanne Steig and Maggie Steig; foreword by Maurice Sendak. Yale, $40 (208p) ISBN 9780300124781
William Steig (1907-2003) was a one-of-a-kind cartoonist, artist, children’s book writer and larger-than-life personality; as his wife Jeanne puts it, “He was not, as he was moved to say of those who puzzled him, like the other boys and girls.” Hailed as the “King of Cartoons” in a 1995 Newsweek article, his 70-plus-year career included over 1600 illustrations and 120 covers for the The New Yorker, 18 books of drawings and 31 children’s books (including Shrek! and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble). Steig’s jittery, energetic, highly influential style draws from his bustling New York City childhood as the son of hard-working Eastern European Jewish immigrants; in her introduction, curator Nahson characterizes his cartoon cast of “curmdgeons, cranks, and complainers.… [as] a rich source of humor, but… also crucial to one of his central insights—there is much to be dissatisfied with in the word.” With more than 280 of his haphazard, wonderfully emotive illustrations, readers will find a reason to smile (if not laugh out loud) on every page. Alongside reminiscences from colleagues, friends and family, this companion to The Jewish Museum exhibit is a delight for devotees of The New Yorker, children’s book illustration and cartooning. (Nov.)

Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967
Dominic Molon with Diedrich Diederichsen, Anthony Elms, Dan Graham, Richard Hell, Mike Kelley, Robert Nickas, Simon Reynolds and Jan Tumlir. Yale, $50 (288p) ISBN 9780300134261
Published in conjunction with the exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, this elegant, impressive book charts key moments of convergence between avant-garde art and music (a distinction that apparently rules out much poster art, including the work of Frank Kozik, Derek Hess and Robert Williams). That said, those with an academic bent, an eye for the out-there and an ear for indie rock will find a veritable feast. Roughly divided into regions (New York, the U.K., Europe, LA/West Coast and everywhere else), various authors analyze everything from influential clubs like CBGBs and the culture of L.A.’s Sunset Strip to a treatise on punk as propaganda and an entertaining list of 35 observations on AC/DC ( “33: it is difficult to bungle a good riff”). The academic approach favored by most of these essays can detract from the immediacy of many pieces; exhibit patrons will likely get the most out of this volume, but the crisp reproduction of compositions by Thaddeus Strode, Jim Lambie and Mark Flores prove breathtaking regardless. Closing with a timeline and long list of discographies, bibliographies and exhibitions, this volume is a handsome (though narrow) look at the art-rock intersection. (Dec.)

FICTION

Murder in the Rue Chartres: A Chanse MacLeod Mystery
Greg Herren. Alyson, $14.95 paper (258p) ISBN 9781555839666
Post-Katrina New Orleans provides the engrossing backdrop for Herron’s third Chanse MacLeod whodunit (after 2004’s Murder in the Rue St. Anne). The gay investigator returns to the battered city, determined to stay despite the devastation. Before the hurricane, Iris Verlaine, granddaughter of a local shipping magnate, hired Chanse to find her father, Michael Mercereau, missing for 32 years. But before Chanse could dig into the case, Iris fired him. Shocked to learn that Iris was shot and killed shortly before Katrina, Chanse agrees to help his friends, NOPD detectives Venus Casanova and Blaine Tujague, solve the murder. Joshua Verlaine, Iris’s big brother, also hires Chanse to continue the search for Mercereau, though his grandfather disapproves. Uncovering a disturbing link between Mercereau and a tragic cold case from 1973, Chanse realizes he’s stumbled onto something huge. Herron, a loyal New Orleans resident, paints a brilliant portrait of the recovering city, including insights into its tight-knit gay community. This latest installment in a powerful series is sure to delight old fans and attract new ones. (Nov.)

The Vicious Circle: Mystery and Crime Stories by Members of the Algonquin Round Table
Edited by Otto Penzler. Pegasus (Consortium, dist.), $23.95 (304p) ISBN 9781933648675
As mystery expert Penzler admits in his introduction, this volume contains “little classic detection… and less nail-biting suspense” than the usual crime fiction anthology, but those curious about the legendary figures of the Algonquin Round Table—a group of New York City writers and critics from the 1920s, many affiliated with the New Yorker—will get at least a taste of the wit and sophistication for which they were known. Of the dozen selections, the highlights are three parodic pieces by S.J. Perelman, notably the laugh-out-loud “Farewell, My Lovely Appetizer,” a send-up of the hard-boiled genre that’s a clear literary precursor to Woody Allen’s Kaiser Lupowitz stories. Another stand-out is the wickedly absurd “The Mystery of the Poisoned Kipper” by Robert Benchley, perhaps best known today as the grandfather of the author of Jaws. While some tales disappoint, readers new to these authors may be inspired to sample more of their work. (Dec.)