Nonfiction Reviews: Week of 1/7/2008

Journalist Foege (Confusion Is Next) brings objectivity and insight to this exploration of Clear Channel, one of the most reviled media conglomerates in the U.S. The author aims for an unbiased understanding of the corporation and its practices, how it came to be and what it says about our culture. The reader follows the Clear Channel operation from its inception as a family business in the 1990s through commercial expansion, megamergers, vertical integration, antitrust lawsuits and the eventual sale of a third of its holdings. Foege cobbles together an oral history of the company, painting Clear Channel executives as businessmen first and foremost. To them, payola (accepting financial gifts in exchange for airplay) and voice tracking (phoning in “local” broadcasts from a centralized location) just made sense for the bottom line. The result has been the homogenization of radio—a phenomenon that has produced one, single, all-too-familiar classic rock station that Foege characterizes as “a mild condition of being. Like a toothache or a strained knee.” While many are quick to call this evil, media monopolies of this kind have been sanctioned by the government through deregulation. Foege’s history is at its best while unpacking this confrontation of American values between art and commerce. (Apr.)

Journalist McMasters’s look at the toxic relationship between Brookhaven National Laboratory and the neighboring Long Island towns careens into a tedious memoir of childhood. McMasters moved to the unpromising working-class town of Shirley in the early 1970s when she was five and her golf pro father got a job with Hampton Hills Golf & Country Club. For a child without siblings, the street teeming with young families was a magical place to grow up, and McMasters made lifelong girlfriends. However, the town was economically depressed, despite its optimistic founding by Walter T. Shirley in the early 1950s. And Shirley was in the shadow of the top-secret Brookhaven atomic research laboratory, whose nuclear reactor was completed in 1965 regardless of the dangers posed to the growing community. Tritium, the waste from nuclear experiments, leaked into the adjacent rivers and aquifers for decades, and the author ploddingly traces the seepage into private wells. The town flirted with a name change to bolster property values, just as residents were plagued by alarming cases of cancer. Indeed, thanks to the Long Island Breast Cancer Research Project of 1993, a “cluster” of cases was discovered within a 15-mile radius of Brookhaven. Intermittently, McMasters summons considerable research and critical powers, yet the litany of Shirley’s resident misery resists an elegant synthesis. (Apr.)

Art, music and dance critic Gruen’s exuberant and enjoyable memoir begins with his birth in France in 1926 and his cultured though emotionally complicated childhood in Berlin, Milan and (fleeing fascist anti-Semitism) New York. Gruen wittily recounts his college years in Iowa, where he met his wife, artist Jane Wilson—he was so obsessed that he switched his field to art history just to enroll in all of her courses. Gruen, who was music and art critic for the New York Herald Tribune and chief art critic for New York magazine, focuses on their lean and later prosperous years at the center of New York’s cultural world during the 1950s and ’60s, a world including e.e. cummings, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Beckett and Rudolf Nureyev. Gruen’s writing is breezy, ebullient (exclamation points abound) and light. At times Gruen confirms those who’ve called him a “sycophant of the super-famous.” Often even more fascinating than his celebrity circle is Gruen’s personal life: his openness about his bisexuality, his fraught relationship with his parents and his clearly unwavering love for his accomplished and supportive wife. This will appeal to the general reader who would like an insider’s view of some of the most interesting figures in the visual and performing arts. 100 b&w and color photos. (Apr.)

Although Morrison’s powerful novels on race and identity have secured her literary reputation, the commanding voice of her essays, speeches and reviews offers compelling insights into family, history, other writers and politics. The pieces span from 1971, when Morrison was an editor at Random House, to 2002, the year she won the Nobel Prize, and range from book introductions to thoughts on the nature of writing and reflections on 9/11. In a 1971 New York Times Magazine article, Morrison bluntly observes that black women’s response to the nascent feminist movement is, “Distrust.... They look at white women and see them as the enemy.” Following Toni Cade Bambara’s death in 1995, Morrison recalled her friend’s writing gift: “Bambara is a writer’s writer, an editor’s writer, a reader’s writer... nothing distracts from the sheer satisfaction her story-telling provides.” In a powerful address delivered to the American Writers Congress in 1981, Morrison proclaims, “[W]e don’t need any more writers as solitary heroes. We need a heroic writers’ movement—assertive, militant, pugnacious.” Denard’s judicious selections offer eloquent insights into the themes that are the rich ground for Morrison’s haunting fiction. 10,000-copy first printing. (Apr.)

England’s “Glorious Revolution”—when the ruling, quasi-Catholic Stuart dynasty was usurped by the robustly Protestant William of Orange—has traditionally been regarded as the most boring revolution ever. It was quick, it was bloodless, it was polite—all very English, in other words. As Vallance’s epigraphs show, commentators as diverse as Karl Marx and Margaret Thatcher agreed that William’s ascent to the throne led to Britain’s rise as a commercial, democratic, religiously tolerant world power. Vallance, a professor of early modern history at the University of Liverpool, aims to upset this comfortable consensus and to inject some vividness, action and even gore into the story. He succeeds nicely and his account serves as an admirable introduction to this confusing era. Writing with brio, Vallance possesses a sound grasp of narrative pacing and clarifies the often incomprehensible (at least to modern readers) political, religious and constitutional issues of the time. Paradoxically, Vallance is weakest on the personal character and motivations of the deposed king James II, who remains something of a cipher. Though Vallance wrote originally for a British audience, American readers will be startled to discover how greatly their founders relied on the principles of the Glorious Revolution a century later. 8 pages of color illus. (Apr. 16)

As he travels through Mexico’s Sierra Madre, one of the largest drug-producing regions in the world, British journalist Grant (American Nomads) encounters a rugged landscape where the mythical old Mexico meets the challenges of the new. The birthplace of Pancho Villa and the Apaches’ last refuge, the Sierra Madre has long been home to outlaws and eccentric characters that inspired a variety of American westerns. Into this legendary danger zone, with its exceptionally high murder rate, rides Grant—on horseback, though he has never ridden previously. Grant is the finest kind of travel narrator; though fully cognizant of the dangers and foolhardiness of his obsession with this land, he throws himself into crazy situations, such as a quest for buried gold treasure, a sampling of Mexican folk remedies, a terrifying Tarahumara Indian ritual when “God gets into his annual drinking bout with the Devil,” a little cocaine or “blasting parakeet” with local drug dealers, and lots and lots of drinking. He narrates these adventures with unflappable charm and humor, risking his life to the reader’s benefit, shared fear and delight of discovery. Though eventually worn out by his physically and emotionally challenging journey, Grant still manages to produce a clear-eyed, empathetic account of this complex, fascinating place. (Mar.)

When Nathan arrived fresh out of Harvard in 1961, he had little inkling of all that Japan would offer him. In short order he found a Japanese wife and eventually parlayed his language skills into wide-ranging projects as an interpreter of Japanese culture, becoming a translator and biographer of celebrated novelists Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe and a film documentarian of Japanese life. He also gained entree to Tokyo’s glitterati of writers, artists and movie stars, which furnishes him many a droll anecdote juxtaposing Japan’s formality, reticence and clannishness with its geisha-filled excesses and frenzied love-hate relationship with America. Worried that his success there depended on his novelty as a hulking, hirsute Western barbarian, Nathan abandoned Japan to try to make it in the States as a screenwriter and director of commercials and business documentaries. Here the narrative meanders into a somewhat aimless account of a mediocre showbiz career, with the requisite tales of Hollywood phoniness and philistinism and encounters with celebrities from Francis Ford Coppola to New Kids on the Block. Nathan is an engaging raconteur and a sharp-eyed observer of the Japanese-Western culture clash, but the whole has the slapped-together feel hinted at in the title. (Mar. 18)

You have to love a self-help book that extols doing nothing: “The truth is,” says Gottlieb, “if we become comfortable with who we are rather than who we think we should be, then we will be less insecure.” As a therapist, Gottlieb frequently sees people who are convinced that changing themselves or their circumstances would lead to happiness. Gottlieb disagrees. A columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of Letters to Sam (addressed to his autistic grandson), Gottlieb also happens to be quadriplegic, which makes him somewhat of an expert in self-acceptance. And while he says his condition has taught him to listen, learn and care deeply, one senses Gottlieb is a born mensch and a man with a big heart. Warm, wise, compassionate, humble and often funny, he displays not a shred of self-pity or false modesty. Best of all, his message has the unmistakable ring of truth to it: love rather than change yourself or anyone else. “Trying to change others is about intolerance, which is at the core of so much enmity. We cannot find peace unless we are trying to help others find peace also.” (Mar.)

There is probably no one who knows more about aging than Butler, who coined the term “ageism,” and founded the federal National Institute on Aging and the first medical school department of geriatrics. Winner of a Pulitzer for Why Survive? Butler now examines the health, economic and social consequences of the growing elderly population. Increasing longevity brings a host of challenges, such as finding better (and cheaper) treatments for chronic health problems; building a health-care system capable of handling the load; and legal protection against age discrimination. Many of Butler’s topics overlap with family and women’s issues, whether creating a fair elder-care system or strengthening profamily work policies. The author supplies plenty of hard data and lengthy notes. Although his discussions of Alzheimer’s and various theories of aging are too technical for the average reader, most of his points are clear and concise, and quite optimistic; for example, Butler urges the need to “reinvent” ourselves to stay in the workforce. He presents a strong argument for why everyone, from individuals to doctors, marketers and policy makers, should pay far more attention to the growing elderly population worldwide. (Mar.)

As a teenager, future television and comics writer Evanier became an assistant to Jack Kirby, one of the foremost artists in the history of American comics. Kirby played a major role in shaping the superhero genre, not only through his innovative, dynamic artwork but through collaborating with Stan Lee to create classic Marvel characters like the Fantastic Four, the Hulk and the X-Men. Evanier has now written this magnificently illustrated biography of his mentor. Rather than employing the academic prose that one might expect from an art book, Evanier, a talented raconteur, tells Kirby’s life story in an informal, entertaining manner. Although Evanier does not delve into psychological analysis, he brings Kirby’s personality vividly alive: a child of the Great Depression, a creative visionary who struggled most of his life to support his family. The book recounts how Kirby was insufficiently appreciated by clueless corporate executives and close-minded comics professionals. But the stunning artwork in this book, taken from private collections, makes the case for Kirby’s genius. A landmark work, this is essential reading for comics fans and those who want to better understand the history of the comics medium—or those who just want to enjoy Kirby’s incredible artwork. (Mar.)

Drug companies have institutionalized deception,” said a former pharmaceutical executive at a 1990 Senate hearing. And former New York Times reporter Petersen details these deceptions with information that will be startling even to those who closely follow the news on big pharma. Her subtitle, “How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs,” is most effectively illustrated in a chapter detailing Parke-Davis’s aggressive marketing of the epilepsy drug Neurontin “for everything,” in blatant disregard of regulations against promoting drugs for uses not approved by the FDA. Such reporting, rather than style or analysis, is Petersen’s strength. Much of what she recounts—such as the glut of copycat drugs like antacids, and marketers’ lavish wining and dining of doctors—has been covered in books by others, like Marcia Angell. But Petersen fleshes out these issues and names prominent doctors who, she says, are on the take. She is particularly strong on the ghostwriting of medical journal articles by advertising agencies. She also covers less familiar matters, like the environmental impact of drug residues in water. There are quibbles; for instance, Petersen accepts without examination the bromide that most people take prescription drugs as a “quick fix.” But she ends with tough, sound suggestions for reforms to make the pharmaceutical industry honest and to protect consumers. (Mar.)

High school American history classes present indentured servitude as a benignly paternalistic system whereby colonial immigrants spent a few years working off their passage and went on to better things. Not so, this impassioned history argues: the indentured servitude of whites was comparable in most respects to the slavery endured by blacks. Voluntary indentures arriving in colonial America from Britain were sold on the block, subjected to backbreaking work on plantations, poorly fed and clothed, savagely punished for any disobedience, forbidden to marry without their master’s permission, and whipped and branded for running away. Nor were indentures always voluntary: tens of thousands of convicts, beggars, homeless children and other undesirable Britons were transported to America against their will. Given the hideous mortality rates, the authors argue, indentured contracts often amounted to a life sentence at hard labor—some convicts asked to be hanged rather than be sent to Virginia. The authors, both television documentarians, don’t attempt a systematic survey of the subject, and their episodic narrative often loses its way in colorful but extraneous digressions. Still, their exposé of unfree labor in the British colonies paints an arresting portrait of early America as gulag. 8 pages of photos. (Mar.)

Thomas Jefferson called it “the best commentary on the principles of government which ever was written.” High praise, indeed, for The Federalist, that compendium of brilliant essays on power written in 1787–1788 by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison (with an assist from John Jay) to persuade waverers to ratify the proposed Constitution. Recent scholars have downplayed the work’s influence, claiming the essays circulated only among New Yorkers or convinced no one who wasn’t already convinced. Meyerson (Political Numeracy), a professor of law at the University of Baltimore, argues conversely that The Federalist remains of critical importance for understanding not only early America but today’s divisive debates on issues like clean-air regulation and medical marijuana. In the book’s first half, he succinctly narrates the astonishing story of how Hamilton and Madison—the first combustible and heedless, the other priggish and intellectual—subsumed their differences and forged a genuine friendship that lasted only as long as their writing partnership. In the second part, Meyerson analyzes the various meanings and conflicting interpretations of The Federalist over the following centuries. By combining the personal and the constitutional, law and history, Meyerson has produced a remarkably insightful volume on a crucial American document. (Mar.)

The subtitle’s overextended claim that the Civil War era started in 1829 sets the tone for this hulking second volume (after Freedom Just Around the Corner) of Pulitzer-winner McDougall’s projected multivolume history of the U.S. The author tries both to deflate national pride and celebrate national progress in the era in which the nation spread across the continent, shattered in a war and came back together. He does so in an opinionated, breezy narrative that focuses on individuals—lesser known as well as famous, writers and thinkers as well as political and military leaders. But McDougall’s history is basically a traditional one about party conflicts, the westward course of empire, war, the Transcendentalists, frontier tensions, railroads, slavery, religious tensions and robber barons. You’d never know that a huge body of history on the real lives of 19th-century Americans had been produced in recent decades. Not many women appear, or Indians, slaves and freedmen, or working people, many of whom helped make the young democracy vital and tumultuous. McDougall’s strength lies in deflating cherished reputations, like de Tocqueville’s, and restoring others’, like pastor and intellectual Orestes Brownson’s. A pleasing romp through a critical period in the nation’s history, it sticks to the tried and true. 19 maps. (Mar. 11)

Leaders from the world’s five major diplomatic forces—Great Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia—convened in Vienna in 1814 to found a new order for post-Napoleonic Europe. Historian King (Finding Atlantis) calls it “the greatest and most lavish party in history,” at which delegates “would plot, scheme, jockey for position, and, in short, infuriate each other as they competed in affairs of state and the heart.” King covers the diplomatic wrangling well, particularly over the fates of Poland, Saxony and the Kingdom of Naples. His greater strength is in depicting the personalities and motivations of the key players, such as Metternich’s daring love affair with a baroness and Czar Alexander I’s growing reliance on a German mystic. Despite endless parties, the Congress achieved pioneering work in culture and human rights, including Jewish rights and a vote to abolish slavery. Most important, it established alliances that defeated Napoleon’s attempt to regain power in 1815 and helped “foster a spirit of cooperation that, in some ways, has still not been surpassed.” King’s fine work is not quite as scholarly as the book it recalls, Margaret Macmillan’s Paris 1919, but it is more deftly paced and engagingly written. 16 pages of b&w photos. (Mar.)

University of Illinois historian Fritzsche (Germans into Nazis) effectively takes up one of the key controversies surrounding the Third Reich: to what extent were the German people accomplices of the regime? Over the years, the answers have ranged widely. Daniel Goldhagen’s argument that the annihilation of the Jews was what the German people had always wanted has never persuaded specialists. Others have argued that the German people were either manipulated and deceived by, or converted to, Nazism. Fritzsche provides a more nuanced argument that the Nazis were quite successful in winning the people’s support, but it took time and effort. He cites diaries showing that individuals had to examine how they could become reconciled, or converted, to National Socialism. The fabled Volksgemeinschaft—people’s community—was not mere propaganda but had a powerful allure that drew Germans into the Nazi orbit. Fritzsche mines diaries and letters written by the famous and well-placed as well as the unknown, to show that the prospects of German grandeur and unity resonated deeply with many people, even when it meant a hugely destructive war and the genocide of the Jews. Fritzsche offers a significant interpretation of Nazism and the German people, and writes with a vibrancy that is not often found in studies of the Third Reich. (Mar.)

Former New York Times Washington correspondent Clymer (Edward M. Kennedy) argues in this straightforward, able account that Jimmy Carter’s loss in the 1980 presidential election can largely be attributed to his widely unpopular negotiations to return the Panama Canal to Panama. America was demoralized after Vietnam, and many citizens were opposed to giving up the canal, long a symbol of American progress and power. Conservatives seized on the issue. As early as 1975, Reagan condemned returning the canal as a sign of American weakness, declaring with his characteristic simple directness: “we bought it, we paid for it, we built it and we intend to keep it.” Clymer also examines several Senate races in which incumbents who had voted to give up the canal were unseated by right-wingers. Although Clymer acknowledges that many forces contributed to the rise of the Right, his relentless focus on the canal is tendentious at times. Still, Clymer makes an innovative contribution to the growing literature that seeks to explain how conservatism triumphed after Goldwater. 20 photos. (Mar.)

In this sequel to Hollinshead’s first volume (which focused on America), Renaissance expert Rabb joins him as they ask scholars to choose well-known moments in Western history to inhabit and recreate. Ross King joins 7,000 visitors at the 1863 opening of Paris’s Salon des Refusés, probing what prompted the tradition-loving Edouard Manet to paint a naked woman picnicking with two frock-coated men. As Katherine Duncan-Jones watches an incendiary Globe Theatre performance of Richard II on the eve of Essex’s violent uprising against Elizabeth I, she ponders the similarities between two charismatic monarchs who became remote and unpopular. Katherine Fischer Drew studies the origins of the Magna Carta, honoring the mostly nameless bureaucrats who composed this brilliant compromise restoring good government to rebellious 13th-century England, and John Elliott accompanies Charles, prince of Wales, to Madrid in 1623 as he hopelessly begs Philip IV for his sister’s hand in marriage. Readers will be transported to Alexander the Great’s deathbed in Babylon in 323 B.C.; to 1905 Russia as Nicholas II signs the October Manifesto, giving Russian citizens their first taste of civil liberties; and to Renaissance Florence when it was invaded by 10,000 French soldiers. This sound, quirky and savory offering will kindle the imaginations of armchair historians. (Mar.)

In this extended riff on Samuels’s New Yorker article of the same name, the author pursues James Hogue, portrayed as a cunning, intelligent drifter who at age 28, in 1988, created a new identity for himself as Alexi Santana, a 16-year-old cowboy, who became the Princeton University admissions committee’s darling. Santana’s Princeton matriculation was delayed because, unbeknownst to school authorities, Hogue was doing time for bicycle theft. One year later, Santana, a talented runner, entered the school without a hitch until a track meet spectator outed the impostor during his sophomore year. Though Samuels has a gift for contextualizing people and events, he misses his mark in this repetitive and fragmented profile. He is so taken by his elusive subject, whom he calls “a convicted fabulist,” that he lets Hogue, a compulsive liar and criminal with repeated offenses, off the hook far too easily. To Samuels, Hogue’s behavior is as harmless as the youthful lies the author formerly told strangers on airplanes. But the lie and the con are not one and the same, and the reader winces as Hogue cons his way past Samuels’s otherwise intelligent grasp. (Mar.)

In this collection of previously published stories by Harper’s contributing editor Samuels, he claims “writing for magazines is like playing sports.” Whatever the journalistic game—Samuels’s subjects range from Woodstock 1999 to a Goodyear blimp pilot, among others, plus a few personal essays—Samuels is a solid player who sometimes hits home runs. “Every building begins as a dream,” he states in “Bringing Down the House,” a profile of a demolition company, but “[d]estroying a building... [is] a slow, almost biblical reckoning.” Behind the scenes at such places as the Sedan Crater nuclear test site; the antiglobalization Mecca of Eugene, Ore.; and Super Bowl XL with Stevie Wonder, Samuels’s reportage is at its best. He wryly flays false constructions of American reality on the right, left and places in between. “Ideologically, what Chad Sweet has in common with his newfound friends in the Republican Party is that nothing he says makes any sense,” Samuels writes about a new Republican at a $2,000-a-plate Bush-Cheney ’04 fund-raising party. Samuels could give a little Bush-bashing wink here; instead he observes that “politics isn’t about coherence anymore.” Neither is much of life in our “Golden Land of Mini-Moos,” according to Samuels, who captures this “free floating weirdness” with clarity. (Mar.)

You cannot say that University of North Carolina professor Glatthaar (Partners in Command) did not do his homework in this massive examination of the Civil War–era lives of the men in Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Glatthaar spent nearly 20 years examining and ordering primary source material to ferret out why Lee’s men fought, how they lived during the war, “how they came close to winning, and why they lost.” Glatthaar marshals convincing evidence to challenge the often-expressed notion that the war in the South was “a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight” and that support for slavery was concentrated among the Southern upper class. Lee’s army included the rich, poor and middle-class, according to the author, who contends that there was broad support for the war “in all economic strata of Confederate society.” He also challenges the myth that because Union forces outnumbered and materially outmatched the Confederates, the rebel cause was lost, and articulates Lee and his army’s acumen and achievements in the face of this overwhelming opposition. This well-written work provides much food for thought for all Civil War buffs. (Mar.)

Starting your own business is tough, but learning to think like an entrepreneur is half the battle, say small-business consultants Abarbanel and Freeman. Part portable success coach, part step-by-step guide through the life cycle of a small-business launch, the book presents real-life stories—from the famous, such as makeup entrepreneur Bobbi Brown and stylish maternity-wear pioneer Liz Lange, to startups in the worlds of baking, filmmaking and high tech software. A great deal of space is given to tools for developing the emotional mind frame to succeed outside the comfort of the traditional workplace, and the authors devote particular attention to commitment, courage, persistence and other traits. Later chapters delve into the nitty-gritty of asset assessment, money management, support systems, success strategies and common pitfalls. This information is backed up with handy chapter-closing quick tips, checklists, action steps, real-life examples and a helpful resource guide. With the number of women-owned businesses growing in the U.S. at the rate of one every 60 seconds—roughly 600,000 launches a year, according to the authors—the audience for this positive, cheerful, practical book should be substantial. (Mar.)

Books on world elites tend to focus on the superwealthy, but political scholar Rothkopf (Running the World) has written a serious and eminently readable evaluation of the superpowerful. Until recent decades, great-power governments provided most of the “superclass,” accompanied by a few heads of international movements (i.e., the pope) and entrepreneurs (Rothschilds, Rockefellers). Today, economic clout—fueled by the explosive expansion of international trade, travel and communication—rules. The nation state’s power has diminished, according to Rothkopf, shrinking politicians to minority power broker status. Leaders in international business, finance and the defense industry not only dominate the superclass, they move freely into high positions in their nations’ governments and back to private life largely beyond the notice of elected legislatures (including the U.S. Congress), which remain abysmally ignorant of affairs beyond their borders. The superelites’ disproportionate influence over national policy is often constructive, but always self-interested. Across the world, the author contends, few object to corruption and oppressive governments provided they can do business in these countries. Neither hand-wringing nor worshipful, this book delivers an unsettling account of what the immense and growing power of this superclass bodes for the future. (Mar.)

Today there are “more slaves than at any time in history,” according to journalist Skinner’s report on current and former slaves and slave dealers. Skinner’s travelogue-cum-indictment focuses most sharply on Haiti, Sudan, Romania and India, and is interspersed with a detailed account of the work of John Miller, director of the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, or “America’s antislavery czar.” Skinner reiterates that sexual trafficking is only one component of slavery, but devotes the bulk of this book (when it is not following Miller’s State Department career) to this issue. The text teeters toward the travelogue, taking the reader to “Dubai’s most notorious brothel” and Skinner’s adventures in “pos[ing] as a client to talk to women... [or] as an arms dealer to talk to traffickers.” Nevertheless, Skinner’s story merits reading, and not just because the cause is noble and the detail often fascinating, such as the moral complications of Christian Solidarity International’s “redemption” or purchase of 85,000 slaves’ freedom. Skinner’s account of the internal workings of the State Department and the deep links to faith-based antislavery groups and their special interests is seriously newsworthy and, at times, moving. (Mar.)

Traveling the globe as the U.N.’s under–secretary general for humanitarian affairs and its emergency relief coordinator from 2003 to 2006, Norwegian diplomat Egeland has seen the best and worst of what humanity has to offer; in this emotionally and politically charged tome, he bluntly summarizes his findings. From crises as varied as genocide in Darfur, the 2004 East Asian tsunami and the religious fanaticism keeping Israel and Palestine in conflict, Egeland is concerned about innocent lives forever altered in these situations, and actively—and unabashedly—bemoans the lack of financial aid from larger nations. Tracing his passion for social justice to age 17, when he spent a summer volunteering for Colombia’s El Minuto de Dios, the special envoy, now a married father of two daughters, has been around enough presidents, dictators and NGOs to insightfully share his outlook on the conditions of the world, share fascinating details of conversations usually held behind closed doors, yet also concede mistakes made by both himself and the U.N. Though Egeland’s clipped and often clichéd prose can distract from the point he is trying to emphasize, he is a strong storyteller and an essential and candid eyewitness to the last three decades’ tragedies. (Mar.) 

On March 27, 2007, hundreds of women across the country created an on-the-job “day diary,” chronicling the joys, triumphs, frustrations and hilarities of their chosen or given professions for this entertaining collection that shows women in every career under the sun. The 35 full-length stories, and many more highlights and excerpts, afford readers a glimpse into worlds as diverse as the women who work in them: orthopedic surgeon, stripper/magician, school custodian, Avon lady, prison intake counselor, voice-over actor, life coach, boxing promoter, among others. Most of the women are unknown—blogger Heather Cocks and chef Sara Moulton are among the few familiar names—and this glimpse into their lives is both fascinating and eye-opening. Unsurprisingly, women in every field and income bracket struggle in their own ways between career and family, but the grace and humor with which they do it is fresh and compelling. The wide scope should satisfy women readers casting a wide career net or anyone curious about the lives of women at work. (Mar.)

The Colfax Massacre, a buried episode in American history, took place on an Easter Sunday afternoon in 1873. Within four hours, at least eighty black American men had been brutally murdered by white vigilantes in Colfax, La. Journalist Lane’s groundbreaking and persuasive work illustrates this “pivotal event in the political and constitutional history of post–Civil War America” and its social, political and judicial aftermath. Full of illuminating detail, this well-paced account clarifies the controversial events that surrounded the massacre—the development of a community of freed slaves, politicians’ struggles and shenanigans, unchecked white vigilante intimidation and murder, the perpetrators’ trials and the Supreme Court decision that, in effect, left it up to individual states to protect the rights of African-American citizens. Lane provides succinct background (biographical, historical and geographical) on persons, politics and places. Lucidly written, thoroughly readable, carefully documented, and impressively coherent, Lane’s rendition of this “turning point in the history of American race relations and racial politics” ends a long silence in American history books. Students of American and African-American history will find it particularly valuable; fans of American history will find it a moving and instructive drama. (Mar.)

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Binkley offers this story of the “trio of tycoons” who took over Las Vegas and transformed it from a “crushed-velvet world” with a “libidinous frontier air” into a place where, increasingly and sometimes surprisingly, “entertainment and good taste go hand in hand.” Binkley provides an inside look at deal-maker Kerkorian, casino visionary Wynn and professor-turned-mogul Loveman and their lavishly competitive lives: their exclusive and “aggressive” tennis games, the one-way conveyor belt created to transport customers away from a competing casino, the battle to build the biggest and the best. The author shares intriguing details about these power players—Wynn has a secret entrance, behind some fake books on a shelf, to a sprawling closet—and is also adept at portraying a seedier Vegas, where aged Mafia barons dined “on the osso buco at Piero’s Italian restaurant, their canes hanging from their chairs.” Sometimes her chronology gets a little murky. Still, Binkley offers plenty of nuggets mined from her years on the beat, producing a full, flashy tale of powerful men and their pride, vanity, envy, greed—and all the other cardinal no-nos that earned Vegas the name “Sin City.” (Mar.)

The U.S. is “the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee necessary health care to all of its citizens,” and as former senator Daschle observes, “Skeptics say we can’t afford to cover everyone; the truth is that we can’t afford not to” because U.S. economic competitiveness is being impeded by the large uninsured population and fast-rising health costs. Daschle’s book delineates the weaknesses of previous attempts at national health coverage, outlines the complex economic factors and medical issues affecting coverage and sets forth plans for change. Daschle proposes creating a Federal Health Board, similar to the Federal Reserve System, whose structure, functions and enforcement capability would be “largely insulated from the politics and passion of the moment,” in addition to a merging of employers’ plans, Medicaid and Medicare with an expanded FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) that would cover everyone. “There is no more important issue facing our country,” Daschle asserts, “than reform of our health-care system,” and the book’s “health-care horror stories” bring this immediacy home. (Feb. 19)

Peltason, an editor and breast cancer survivor, founded and hosted the “First Person Plural” Web site project, an online forum for women facing the disease. Their dialogue provides the content for this book, culled from the entries of 800 women across the U.S. and around the world. Peltason organizes the material into three general parts: “Diagnosis,” “Living with Breast Cancer” and “The Big Picture,” with such subtopics as “Sharing the News,” “Being Womanly” and “Anniversaries and Milestones.” Participants use screen names for privacy, approaching their disease with candor and freely discussing their feelings about their bodies and their relationships. At times, those overcome by anger and fear far outweigh those with a bright outlook, but when these survivors “look in the mirror” at the conclusion of the text, many envision a hopeful future. Perhaps the most poignant entries are from younger women, some of whom have been driven into early menopause and infertility by chemotherapy. Although this is an informative book, some survivors may discover that these raw entries churn up disturbing emotions; others will find comfort in these voices, and in the knowledge that they aren’t alone—either in their sorrow or in their strength and courage. (Feb.)

The monster in this heartfelt memoir is polymicrogyria, an extremely rare brain malformation that, in the case of Rummel-Hudson’s daughter Schuyler, has completely impaired her ability to speak. During her first three years, as her parents seek to find out what hidden “monster” is causing her wordlessness, they endure “two years of questions and tests and at least one unsatisfactory diagnosis.” But while Rummel-Hudson initially rages at God for giving Schuyler “a life that would never ever be what we’d imagined it to be,” his depiction of her next four years becomes a study not only in Schuyler’s vivacious and resilient personality, but also in the redeeming power of understanding and a “stupid blind father’s love.” As he describes how Schuyler eagerly takes to various forms of communication, such as basic sign language and an alternative and augmentative communication device that provides whole words she can type to express her thoughts, Rummel-Hudson effectively and compassionately shows how the “gentle strangeness about her, like a visitor from some realm where no one spoke but everyone laughed,” leads him to understand that “she was the one teaching me how to make my way in this new world.” (Feb.)

While the premise of this memoir by novelist Day (The Circus in Winter) is promising, the narrator comes across as self-absorbed and whiney; the story of a 30-something professional’s search for love in her new home of Pittsburgh, Pa., neither inspires nor consoles women in similar situations. Indiana native Day has a way with words and successfully incorporates quotes from classic sports movies and legends in her personal story. The parallel she draws between her beloved Indianapolis Colts football team’s comeback season and her attempt to win at the game of love—including imaginary postgame recaps of her relationships and the inspiration she draws from her team’s personal stories of hardship and triumph—is effective, if a bit contrived. Readers are witness to the play-by-play of her setbacks: failings of various dating services, the unfavorable demographics of Pittsburgh’s dating scene, her now seemingly irreversible choice of profession over family. Momentary reflections on the lives of her relatives and the role they play in her life are heartwarming, but so short-lived that they seem nearly accidental. Readers will walk away with a larger knowledge of the Colts’ 2006 season, but little else. (Feb.)

Grammy Award–winning country singer Trisha Yearwood throws her hat into the celebrity cookbook ring with this cheerful if uninspired collection of home-style Southern recipes. Among family and friends, Yearwood is known for her cooking, she writes, and a foreword by her husband and fellow singer, Garth Brooks, explains that Yearwood’s secret is that she cooks with love, a technique not fully explored in this book. Aimed at the kitchen beginner, the book presents a list of necessary equipment and hints on substitutions, like making confectioner’s sugar from granulated sugar, and is sprinkled throughout with helpful notes from Yearwood and her mother and sister—both of whom are co-writers. International stardom clearly hasn’t dampened Yearwood’s enthusiasm for down-home treats like Pimento Cheese Spread, Hashbrown Casserole, and Cranberry Salad with Cool Whip, Cream Cheese and Gelatin. Her family members make frequent appearances in the many color photographs and in the form of favorite dishes like Jack’s Brunswick Stew and Gwen’s Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy. Yearwood is an advocate for no-fuss, simple cooking with plenty of supermarket shortcuts, and this volume will most appeal to fans who want to get a little closer to Yearwood and Brooks (like a chance to recreate the celebs’ wedding cake at home). (Apr.)

Smith, founder of MissVickie.com, a highly trafficked Web site devoted to all things steam-pressured, compiles her expertise in a single tome, covering the history of pressure cookery from its inception in the 17th century to its resurgence today. Smith extols pressure cooking’s benefits, including fuel efficiency, faster cooking time, reduced fats, higher levels of nutrient retention and the ability to create lower-cost one-pot meals. Several pages are devoted to exact cooking times for specific vegetables, meats, fish, beans and even pasta shapes. Though there are a fair number of recipes featuring legumes, for example, this cookbook is mainly geared to a meat-eating audience. As might be expected, a good deal are stewlike creations, but Smith covers eclectic ground with dishes like Italian Seasoned Veal Tortellini Stew; Walnut Chicken Braised in Pomegranate Juice; and Mexican Posole (pork stew with green chile and hominy). Outside of the one-pot meals are ragus, pilafs and pulled meats for sandwich stuffing. Smith even rounds up some intriguing desserts like Sweet Dumpling Flan with Caramel Sauce and a basic bread pudding with six variations. Eminently thorough and enlightening, Smith’s cookbook is bound to please the beginner pressure cooker and aficionado alike. (Mar.)

Addressing recent troubling studies about boys in the U.S. authors Thompson and Barker (Raising Cain; Speaking of Boys) underscore the developmental differences between girls and boys that often compel boys to underachieve in school and embrace destructive behavior. The authors aim to rectify a sense of parental “loss of trust” in boys’ development by advocating early unconditional love, strong maternal attachment, restraint of corporal punishment and sexist stereotyping, strong father participation and “safe places” where boys can engage in “undirected, outside play.” The trend toward earlier academic performance in school does not suit boys’ development, as they tend to learn language and reading slower than girls, hear less well and fidget. Educators and psychologists share their opinions, all in the spirit of embracing boys’ unique energy and intellect. Ages 11 to 13 bring startling changes, which the authors examine under “the five tasks of adolescence,” while ages 14 to 15 invite a mysterious inner life, and ages 16 to 18 present challenges regarding independence, sexuality and responsibility. In this upbeat guide, Thompson especially relies on his good-sense experience as a father and educator to remind parents not to criticize behavior that is typical for boys. (Mar.)

Well-organized, comprehensive and written with humor, this book covers all the bases. Each chapter is informative, with useful illustrations, and helpful lists such as “The Real Life Layette,” essential clothing and items needed for newborns; “Tricks of the Tired,” suggestions for getting through the day when sleep isn’t an option (soaking up sun, eating enough protein); and exactly what to pack in your diaper bag. “Baby Boot Camp” focuses on surviving the first six weeks with advice on how to clean and dress your baby and when to call the doctor. “The Growing Year” explains your baby’s development (senses, reflexes) and discusses “milestone madness”: parents’ tendency to panic when their children aren’t the first to accomplish things. “The Stuff of Motherhood” helps keep your shopping list under control, with advice on gear that’s great and gear you just don’t need. Also included are chapters on premature babies, multiples and adoption. Personal accounts from mothers across the country help ease common anxieties and give the reader different perspectives on topics such as bottle feeding, sleep deprivation and being a working mom. The authors manage to give a wide range of practical advice without preaching or passing judgment, making this book a must read for new parents. (Feb.)

Commonly used in ancient and traditional societies, herbal cleansing remains central to health care in Asian, Indian and Native American cultures. In her five-part RENEW program, written with physician Smith, nutritional consultant Watson (The Fiber35 Diet) applies her winning style, demonstrated in her PBS specials, to educate readers about pervasive toxins that cause alarming rates of illness and death. With facts, studies and statistics, Watson contends that consumers cannot rely on regulating agencies to protect them (for example, in 1972 the U.S. banned the carcinogen DDT, but it is still produced here, exported to other countries and then imported back in DDT-treated foods grown there). The program, running from six weeks for basic and advanced cleanses to 14 weeks with optional liver and heavy-metal cleanses, shows readers how to reduce exposure; eliminate toxins from their bodies; and support their natural detox capacity with herbal supplements, diet, exercise and such treatments as colonics and therapeutic baths. Watson includes a few recipes, sample menus and a schedule for periodic cleanses. The weight of toxic exposure from unavoidable sources (pesticides, dental work, processed foods, home furnishings, clothing, playground equipment and fluorescent lighting, among many others) can seem overwhelming, but Watson’s balanced approach provides readers with effective ways to gradually lessen the load. (Mar.)