Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 3/17/2008

-- Publishers Weekly, 3/17/2008

NONFICTION

Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East
Robin Wright. Penguin, $26.95 (480p) ISBN 9781594201110
Despite having lost several of her friends in the 1983 US Embassy bombing in Beirut, Wright (The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran) is guardedly optimistic for the Middle East’s future: “a generation [after the Beirut bombing], Islamic extremism is no longer the most important, interesting, or dynamic force in the Middle East.” Her observations, of a “budding culture of change”—even, perhaps, a “renaissance”—are bolstered by platinum credentials; for more than 30 years, Wright has been covering the region for major American publications including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly and Foreign Affairs. She illuminates her assessment with stories of the new “voices in the region” pushing for a more open, democratic society: activists, reformers, political leaders and ordinary citizens (like an Egyptian “middle-aged soccer mom” so outraged to learn of female government agents beating female demonstrators that she became an activist). Wright also tackles the big targets; though a staunch supporter of Israel, Wright sees the potential for reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, in an effort to maintain democracy in Palestine, as a positive harbinger of change for the entire region. Further interviews, anecdotes, a crystalline sense of the area’s multifarious history and a clear message—practical, progressive change requires “sorting out the past or at least trying to move beyond it”—make this a vital, compelling and surprisingly uplifting piece of reporting. (Mar.)

Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire
Rajmohan Gandhi. Univ. of Calif., $34.95 (759p) ISBN 9780520255708
The author, Professor Gandhi of the Univ. of Ill., was 12 years old when his grandfather was assassinated by a Hindu extremist. Besides being the global symbol of nonviolent resistance, Mohandas Gandhi (called Mahatma, “the great soul,” by his people) is still venerated in India today. In his rigorous account of Mahatma’s life, Gandhi (Gaffar Kahn) writes movingly of the man, his family and his ideas, culminating in his monumental stand against India’s British rulers. Born in India in 1869, Mahatma studied in London and then practiced law in South Africa, where he opposed both the color bar against Indians and inter-Indian discrimination against “untouchables,” their lowest caste. Joining the radical wing of the Congress Party, Mahatma returned to India, insisting on nonviolent protest despite British provocations like the Amritsar massacre, in which soldiers shot into a crowd of unarmed demonstrators. His tactics resounded with his followers; his fasts kept them inspired and won concessions from the British. Along the way, the author provides interesting glimpses of a family baring the brunt of Mahatma’s rejection of the typical middle-class lifestyle afforded an Indian professional. This thorough, inspiring account is notable not just for the author’s personal ties and obvious passion, but for his considerable research and the enormity of his undertaking. (Mar.)

Good Neighbors, Bad Times: Echoes of My Father’s German Village
Mimi Schwartz. Univ. of Nebraska, $24.95 (280p) ISBN 9780803213746
When Schwartz’s (Thoughts from a Queen-Sized Bed) father was born in 1898, half of his native German Black Forest farming village of 1,200 was Jewish and religious. Many years later, as a secular American, he continued to revere his birthplace, where he insisted Jews and Gentiles got along beautifully despite the ugly reach of Nazism. To reconcile this paradox and to reclaim her father’s village for herself, the author recorded stories of Jews and Gentiles in New York City, Germany and Israel and discovers that her father’s villagers, while not overwhelmingly brave or altruistic, managed to perform small acts of kindness or defiance during the Nazi years, such as a policeman who saved two Torahs or carpenters who fixed Jewish windows after Kristallnacht. Schwartz’s decision to refer to her father’s village by pseudonym is a serious misstep in a book that tries to sort historical truths from fiction. Her writing is genial and lucid and her aim to understand how decent people remember a dishonorable past is worthy, but Schwartz’s penchant for lobbing softball questions at her interviewees’ is frustrating and her book seems more a cozy kaffeeklatsch than a rigorous historical examination. Photos. (Mar.)

His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics In the US
Geraldo Rivera. Penguin/Celebra, $24.95 (272p) ISBN 9780451224149
With lengthy anecdotes and limited analysis, journalist Rivera attempts to change the negative misconceptions about Hispanic migrants in this exploration of illegal immigration in the US today. Often reading like a rebuttal to the pundits and politicians he’s come to blows with throughout his storied career—Lou Dobbs, Rep. Tom Tancredo, Michelle Malkin and others—Rivera’s counterarguments frequently come in the form of Latino success stories such as Eddie Olmos and Cheech Marin (with whom, as he never misses an opportunity to mention, Rivera maintains close, personal relationships). More worthy sections deftly refute claims that illegal immigrants have hurt the economy, using strident statistical evidence and cagey reasoning. Rivera’s wide net can lead to rambling; the immigration stance of Cesar Chavez and race relations in Miami are notable digressions. His most poignant (and fresh) argument comes in his closing statement, that the burgeoning Latino voting bloc, alienated by conservative immigration vitriol, could very well be the undoing of the GOP in 2008. Astute observations such as this save what could ultimately been written off as another Al Capone’s Vault. (Mar.)

Roll Call to Destiny: The Soldier’s Eye View of Civil War Battles
Brent Nosworthy. Basic, $27.95 (336p) ISBN 9780786717477
Military historian Nosworthy (The Bloody Crucible of Courage, The Anatomy of Victory), a specialist in combat tactics and weaponry, gets more personal in this book and offers a soldier’s eye view of the Civil War. Focusing primarily on the on-the-ground experiences of Union and Confederate troops, Nosworthy sketches the roles of small units in a series of engagements, big and small, including a Union brigade’s part in the first Battle of Bull Run, a New York regiment’s role in the little-known battle at Fair Oaks and the cavalry engagements on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The heart of the book, relying heavily on soldiers’ memoirs, diaries and unit histories, is readable and evocative. While the writing in the introduction and conclusion is a bit stilted, this book will doubtlessly appeal to Civil War enthusiasts. (Mar.)

Screen Plays: How 25 Scripts Made it to a Theater Near You—For Better or Worse
David S. Cohen. Harper Entertainment, $25.95 (352p) ISBN 9780061189197
As a well-placed observer who knows intimately many of tinsel town’s key players, Variety reporter and 25-year Hollywood insider Cohen reveals the story behind 25 scripts that became such high-profile projects as Lost in Translation, Troy, American Beauty and The Aviator. On the way, budding screen-writers convinced their own story seems like a long-shot will find inspiration (or at least comfort) in stories like Milo Addica and Will Rokos’s, whose screenplay for Monster’s Ball was rejected by top industry brass as “the best script that will never get made.” With the deep background reporting he’s known for, Cohen produces revealing nuggets of moviemaking trivia, alongside stories of serendipity and triumph; for instance, had Erin Brockovich not shared a chiropractor with her future producer, Carla Santos Shamberg, her movie probably would never have been made. Nowhere is Cohen’s understanding of the tempestuous film industry more apparent than in the compelling account of Black Hawk Down screenwriter Ken Nolan, who was terminated from that project only to get himself re-hired and, ultimately, sole writing credit. Cohen’s is a surefire crowd-pleaser for casual movie fans and true cineastes. (Feb.)

Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sport
Barbara Smit. Ecco, $26.95 (400p) ISBN 9780061246579
It’s a long road between the Nazi spectacle of Adolf Hitler’s 1936 Olympic Games in Munich and the media frenzy of David Beckham’s 2007 move to Los Angeles, but there has been one constant during the intervening years of athletic history—sports shoes. This book traces the evolution of Gebrüder Dassler, a Bavarian shoe company founded by two brothers whose vicious feud led to the creation of two rival, iconic businesses: Adidas and Puma. Smit, an international business journalist, delivers a fascinating story of the complicated intrigues in the lives of both companies, as well as the founders and their descendants. The tale encompasses almost ever major sports figure in modern times, from Jesse Owens, (who wore Dassler shoes during the 1936 Games, unaware that the two brothers were members of the Nazi Party), to basketball legend Walt Frazier, whose signature Puma “Clydes” sold “well over one million pairs throughout the Seventies,” kick starting the sports shoe-as-fashion statement trend. Overall, Smit provides a necessary account of how the growth in sports-related businesses has moved athletics “from jolly amateurism to unapologetic greed.” (Mar.)

Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow
Jim Hightower with Susan DeMarco. Wiley, $25.95 (224p) ISBN 9780470121511
Syndicated columnist Hightower (Thieves in High Places) joins writer and activist DeMarco to produce this irreverent and uplifting look at how individuals and companies can be both successful and socially responsible. Disproving the notion that a business must operate solely to improve its bottom line, they share inspirational stories from a variety of industries including international banking, real estate development, medical services, and environmentally safe, sustainable farming. Hightower and DeMarco include portraits of progressive community organizations, activists and individuals—such as ACORN and the Rev. Rich Cizik—who have bucked the system and realized richer, happier lives. To their credit, the authors do not traffic in abstracts. They provide tangible steps to escape “corporate tentacles” and become catalysts for change; the book even lists contact information for a majority of the individuals and companies discussed. An entertaining and insightful look at making a living while staying true to one’s values, this book will please Hightower’s many fans and will earn him more than a few new ones. (Mar.)

Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso: 1821-1900
Mike Cox. Forge, $25.95 (496p) ISBN 9780312873868
Formerly the stuff of dime-novel legend, Texas Rangers have since fallen into disrepute as vigilantes who were primarily occupied with murdering Native Americans and hunting escaped slaves. Texas journalist Cox retains much of the old admiration however, and has produced a thick compendium of gunfights, pursuits and general skullduggery that contains everything anyone would want to know about the Rangers, the “mounted irregulars operating with government authority to meet an exigency.” That exigency was the Native American presence in the rich Mexican territory of Texas. Early local governments quickly recruited young men to secure the land for American colonists. The early Rangers had to provide their own horses and arms, but there was no shortage of pugnacious adventurers. There was always a shortage of money, however, and governments rarely financed more than a year of service. Only in 1874 did the state government set up a permanent force. Cox mines contemporary newspapers, letters and diaries to cobble together a journalistic account that—except for the occasional detour into politics (invariably about raising money for the Rangers)—consists overwhelmingly of sketches and human interest stories. Old West buffs will enjoy the steady stream of anecdotes, but readers looking for a thoughtful or critical history of law enforcement along the Texas frontier will be left unsatisfied. (Mar.)

The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur
Daoud Hari. Random, $23 (224p) ISBN 9781400067442
“Unique,” a word avoided by most journalists, is just the first to describe this heart-stopping memoir, written by a native Darfuri translator who, after escaping the massacre of his village by the genocidal Janjaweed, returned to work with reporters and UN investigators in the riskiest of situations. Taking readers far from their comfort zones, Hari charts the horrific landscape of genocide in the stories of refugee camp survivors: “It is interesting how many ways there are for people to be hurt and killed, and for villages to be terrorized and burned… I would say that these ways to die and suffer are unspeakable, and yet they were spoken: we interviewed 1,134 human beings over the next weeks.” Danger is rampant, especially at border crossings, and the effect on outsiders is profound: “Some of the BBC people had to return to Chad, where they were in a medical clinic for three days to recover from what they saw, and smelled, and learned.” Homey facts about the loyalty of camels, the pecking order in villages and vast family networks bring respite from more dire tales, including Hari’s long, multi-site imprisonment with a U.S. journalist and their Chadian driver. The captives’ endurance through uncertainty and torture is unbelievable, and their eventual rescue reads like James Bond by way of boldface politicos like recent presidential contender Bill Richardson. Throughout, Hari demonstrates almost incomprehensible decency; those with the courage to join Hari’s odyssey may find this a life-changing read. A helpful appendix provides a primer on the Darfur situation. (Mar.)

Two Weeks of my Life: A Memoir of Love, Death and Politics
Eleanor Clift. Basic, $26. (336p) ISBN 9780465002511
In this elegant, heartrending account of the final choices we make, journalist Clift (Founding Sisters) juxtaposes the death of two people, one close to her and the other a national cause célèbre. Clift’s husband of 20 years, Tom Brazaitis, also a journalist, was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer in 1999, and after undergoing various debilitating treatments, by March 2005 he lay dying in his home hospice. Meanwhile, the fate of Terri Schiavo, a woman in a permanent vegetative state in a Florida hospice, hung in the balance, decided by courts and President Bush himself. Shiavo’s husband and parents were battling over the decision to cease feeding her by tube, and their family custody case turned into a crusade led by vociferous fundamentalist Christians. In diary format, Clift recounts the history of Tom’s illness and their relationship while weaving in references to the Shiavo case and touching knowledgeably on the history of the hospice movement. The two main narratives work surprisingly well together, the tenderness and pathos of the first serving to illuminate the complex moral issues of the second, and visa versa. The result is a moving portrait. (Mar.)

When the Husband is the Suspect
F. Lee Bailey with Jean Rabe. Forge, $24.95 (272p) ISBN 9780765316134
Readers expecting that Bailey—one of the best-known criminal defense attorneys of the last half-century—would provide insight into spousal homicide will be disappointed by this book, which adds nothing fresh to our understanding of the 20 cases discussed. The case studies (including some of the most prominent examples of accused wife-killers, such as O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, Sam Sheppard, Scott Peterson, Claus Von Bülow and Jeffrey MacDonald) are presented in chronological order, but the chapters jump around in time, becoming confusing and sometimes repetitive. Bailey’s commentaries at the end of each chapter often digress to general criminal-justice issues rather than focusing on novel interpretations of the evidence. The chapter on Simpson (Bailey was a member of his defense Dream Team) is a tease—the author begins his comments by noting that “a proper delineation of what would need to be said” in Simpson’s defense “is best left for another day.” And the account neglects defense lawyer Barry Scheck’s contributions to the football star’s acquittal with his discrediting of the DNA evidence. Facts referred to in the commentary do not always appear in the main text, and the choice of breadth over depth leaves readers feeling short-changed. (Mar.)

LIFESTYLE

The Kitchen Shrink: Food and Recipes for a Healthy Mind
Natalie Savona. Duncan Baird, $14.95 paper (144p) ISBN 9781844836079
Though a proper diet is just one of many factors crucial to physical and emotional wellbeing, this enlightening, beautifully organized guide to eating well from British nutritionist and author Savona (Wonderfoods) offers a bevy of dietary tips to help readers defeat specific, everyday maladies from a number of angles. She lucidly explains how particular foods affect the body, from the spiking blood sugar levels caused by coffee or a cocktail to the epidermal benefits of oily fish like mackerel and salmon. Though none of the material is revolutionary, Savona’s direct tone, sensible approach and bright, clean presentation are certainly refreshing, and always inviting. Armed with nutritional data, readers can begin modifying their diet to alleviate health complaints such as lack of energy, gut problems and even depression; for each malady, Savona provides a breakdown of the nutrients involved and helpful recipes for sides, light meals and mains. Recipes are within the range of novice chefs and range from salads and stuffed potatoes to dishes like Broiled Swordfish in Caper Salsa. Those looking for a complete introduction to basic nutrition and a sensible, healthy diet should book an appointment. (Mar.)

The Mother Factor: How Your Mother’s Emotional Legacy Impacts Your Life
Stephan B. Poulter. Prometheus, $18.95 paper (325p) ISBN 9781591026075
Family psychologist Poulter (The Father Factor) claims that anyone can be free from their mother’s influence—if you first take the time to understand what it is. No matter how terrible your mother was, he asserts, she is no longer running the show. His clear, sensible advice about an emotionally loaded topic will at the very least give readers a place to start making peace with themselves. Poulter describes five different mothering styles—Perfectionist, Unpredictable, Me First, Best Friend, and Complete—and then details the emotional fallout from each. Using examples from his own practice and life, Poulter provides instructions and exercises on how best to move forward without shame, emotional deprivation, co-dependence, fear of intimacy, abandonment or anger. Readers who haven’t considered the ways in which this relationship has affected their lives, or those stuck in a cycle of blame or victimization, will be well-served by this book. Though he does not address the mothers that cross the “type” lines he has defined, readers are sure to find his overall message affirming and empowering. (Mar.)

Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth
The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Touchstone, $15 paper (384p) ISBN 9780743274869
In this third spin-off of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the self-described women’s health “bible” first published in the 1970s, the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective focuses on pregnancy, birth and recovery. This book will help women make confident and informed choices about the birth process as they negotiate the healthcare system and balance their options. The chapters are arranged chronologically along the journey into motherhood, with useful sections on the physical and emotional changes of each trimester, fetal development and prenatal testing. Other topics include choosing a healthcare provider, prenatal testing, labor, pain management, recovery, breastfeeding, emotional ups and downs and many other issues. The text is interspersed with pertinent personal narratives, as well as with more than 70 black and white photos and illustrations; the emphasis is on up-to-date information, probing the use—and overuse—of various practices and medical interventions. “Informing yourself about these practices and their alternatives,” the editors write, “is an essential step toward creating a better birth experience for yourself and your baby.” This comprehensive guide is sure to take its rightful place among its sister titles, empowering a new generation of expectant mothers. (Mar.)

ILLUSTRATED

John Alexander: A Retrospective
Jane Livingston. Yale Univ., $50 (240p) ISBN 9780300125061
Emotionally raw, physically intimidating, beautiful and barbed, the work of American painter Alexander in the 1970s and ‘80s captures perfectly the artistic sensibility of the time. Growing up in the Gulf Goast marshlands of east Texas, Alexander came of age in the midst of the turbulent 1960s, and the contention of the Civil Rights movement, along with a distrust of his religious upbringing, are common themes. An artist’s artist, he combines his political message with stunning depictions of nature, portraiture and the occasional bizarre still-life, often taking the theory and conscience of Expressionism into satirical territory—works Pope Dewey, Pope Huey and Pope Louie depict the holy men in beaked masks and dunce caps. The course of Alexander’s evolution from chaotic drip paintings of devils and pigs to a more refined and illustrative technique are chronicled, tied by “dramatic light-and-shadow effects” and an “overall apocalyptic atmosphere.” Also included are post-9/11 works, many concerning capitalist greed and religious hypocrisy. Alexander is anything but subtle, and this volume—as informative as it is beautiful—frames his work well without diminishing its impact. (Feb.)

FICTION

The Lost Highway
David Adams Richards. MacAdam/Cage, $25 (400p) ISBN 9781596922846
Prize-winning Canadian author Richards (The Friends of Meager Fortune) spins a sad, thoughtful tale around Alex Chapman, a community-college ethics teacher living in a small Canadian town of English- and French-speaking whites and Micmac Indians. Alex’s lifelong feud with his tyrannical great-uncle James drives him to desperation. At the opening of the novel, James has lost his paving business. He asks Alex to take his truck in to have the oil changed; Alex refuses. James vows that Alex won’t inherit, and Alex is furious, though in fact it is he who contrived to make his uncle lose his biggest contract. When the mechanic, a simple man named Burton, gives James a lottery ticket worth thirteen million dollars, Alex decides to steal it. He blames his uncle for an old humiliation that caused him to refuse to admit his feelings for Minnie, the soft-spoken girl who loved him. The novel draws on a number of different perspectives including Burton, Minnie’s daughter, Amy, and Leo Bourque, the schoolmate who bullied Alex when he was a child. Richards goes to unnecessary lengths to explain his characters’ motivations, and this slows the narrative pace considerably. Still, the novel presents complicated ethical dilemmas and offers sharp insights into complex emotional motives. (Mar.)

Mighty Old Bones: A Thistle and Twigg Mystery
Mary Saums. St. Martin’s Minotaur, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 9780312360641
A most unlikely twosome, worldly Jane Thistle and her stay-at-home friend, Phoebe Twigg, once again find murder and mayhem in the sleepy Alabama village of Tullulah in Saums’s appealing second Thistle and Twigg mystery (after 2007’s Thistle and Twigg). The two friends are preparing for the annual Halloween party at the town’s library when a severe thunderstorm fells a tree on Jane’s property, unearthing the remains of a human body. Jane and the local officials suspect that the bones may be part of an Indian burial site, and there’s some paper evidence for their assumption. As the site is secured and experts are called in, Jane draws on her archeological experience to help out on the dig while puzzling over the disappearance of one of the town’s beloved old citizens and other strange happenings. The author’s portrayal of the book’s charming small town activities and people, plus some lovable canines and a little touch of the supernatural, make this a most enjoyable Southern cozy. (Mar.)

Mortal Shield
Thomas Taylor. Southeast Missouri State Univ., $35 (306p) ISBN 9780979871405; $19 paper ISBN 9780979871412
Full of authentic detail about protective operations, Taylor’s debut gets off to a good start, but a one-dimensional and unsympathetic central character is likely to put off some thriller fans. When Missouri governor William Stovall is hit in the face by a pie just after taking office, he replaces his long-time head of security with the relatively inexperienced Sgt. David Armstrong. This transition comes at a perilous time for Stovall, a former prosecutor pushing for stronger anti-terror legislation, who’s become a target of domestic terrorists known as the Phineas Priests. These sophisticated radicals plan to infiltrate a major anti-terror summit, where the undermanned security team must battle Stovall, who’s portrayed as an unmitigated jerk, to put the necessary safeguards in place. Taylor, a security professional who has helped protect every U.S. president since Gerald Ford, casts the people in this vital business as heroes, but this admirable impulse leads to some stilted dialogue. At the climax, for example, Armstrong delivers a patriotic speech that even the character himself admits may sound “hokey.” (Feb.)

COMICS

Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story
Frederik Peeters. Houghton Mifflin, $18.95 (192p) ISBN 9780618820993
Originally published in Switzerland, Peeters’s comics memoir of his romance with an HIV-positive woman named Cati (whose young son is also seropositive) is a new and sweeter kind of AIDS narrative—set in the era when HIV has become a chronic condition rather than a death sentence. There’s not much of a plot here (the unnamed boy gets sick, then better; Peeters and Cati panic after a condom breaks, and are reassured by their doctor), but the book is much more about Peeters’s fluid, slashing, unfailingly evocative ink brushwork documenting the psychological changes he’s gone through. Sure-handedly caricatured facial expressions and body language tell a lot of the story, and almost every page is punctuated with a silent panel or two that suggests the way Peeters’s newly expanded awareness of his mortality has made him more aware of the world he lives in, too. The final chapters feature an ingenious visual metaphor: after a doctor tells Peeters that he has “as much chance of catching AIDS as you have of running into a white rhinoceros on your way out,” he imagines himself stalked everywhere by the rhino. It’s a small gem of a book, whose only real flaw is an ungainly English translation, larded with unfiltered Gallicisms. (Jan.)