Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 7/21/2008

-- Publishers Weekly, 7/21/2008

Web Pick of the Week

Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes Jennifer McLagan. Ten Speed, $32.50 (256p) ISBN 9781580089357 Persuasively arguing that the never-ending quest for “health” has gone too far, McLagan’s elegant and informed look at this most maligned ingredient is appropriately unctuous. A crucial part of our diets, fat not only provides health benefits but pure pleasure: few ingredients can carry flavor the way fat does. Breaking the topic down into categories (butter, pork, poultry, beef-and-lamb), McLagan carefully chooses recipes that showcase the role of fat in imparting and carrying flavor. Versatile butter adds richness to pastry dough, a sweet nuttiness to Brown Butter Ice Cream, thickens classic sauces and can be used to gently poach scallops. A classic BLT gets a jolt of flavor from bacon-fat mayonnaise, and sliced Yukon Gold potatoes cooked in duck fat are practically ambrosial. While there’s a fair number of indulgent dishes (3-inch bone-in ribeyes served with a red wine sauce and roasted bone marrow, a pork-fat laden twist on peanut brittle), McLagan emphasizes flavor and application over decadence. Digressions like those on the history of Crisco, fat as an art medium and a thoughtful look at foie gras are welcome and enlightening. Her mixture of science, cultural anthropology and culinary imagination are intoxicating, making this a crucial work on the topic. (Aug.)

Nonfiction

Beating Lyme: Understanding and Treating This Complex and Often Misdiagnosed Disease
Constance A. Bean with Lesley Ann Fein. Amacom, $15.95 paper (320p) ISBN 9780814409442
Author and health educator Bean (Methods of Childbirth), along with Lyme disease awareness activist Fein, present the complete story of Lyme disease, a resilient and difficult-to-treat disease transmitted by deer ticks: its identification in 1975, the two-decade increase in reported cases (it’s now “the fastest-growing infectious disease in America”), symptoms (which can be “arthritic, neurological, behavioral, cardiac, dermatological, muscular, or otherwise”), diagnosis and, most disturbingly, the disconnect between two powerful groups of physicians regarding its treatment. “Just as likely to be found in suburban yards as they are in woods and fields, or among coastal bushes and grass,” the deer tick’s ubiquity accounts for cases in 46 states in 2006 alone; alarmingly, “at least 10 percent” of contractors become chronically ill due to lack of treatment, which “remains remarkably unavailable” unless the bite is caught promptly. Occurring as both acute and chronic disease, Lyme has a cost to society of “about $2 billion a year” total; the authors’ recommendations for avoiding exposure to deer ticks, as well as detailed information on diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical treatments, will prove useful to readers and medical personnel in Lyme-endemic regions. (July)

The Best Creative Nonfiction: Vol. 2
Edited by Lee Gutkind. Norton, $15.95 paper (352p) ISBN 9780393330243
In his follow-up to last year’s volume, the first in a re-launched, annual version of his journal Creative Nonfiction, Gutkind gathers another fresh collection of exemplary essays from a wide range of authors and sources, tackling everything from multiracial love and familial exile to the connection between memory and digital photo manipulation. Relatable situations and eccentric writers keep the stories intelligent but accessible, and often poignant; especially resonant is Gwendolyn Knapp's attempt to rehabilitate her mom’s terminal case of pack-rat fever. Sarah Miller-Davenport provides some levity in a piece on guilty (and expensive) pleasures called “Here I Am in Bergdorf Goodman.” Many accounts run up the old stranger-than-fiction flag, most notably Sewell Matter's piece regarding her discovery, on an Icelandic beach, of a page torn from a book; captivated by the “amazingly, almost unbelievably, bad” excerpt, she sets off on a global search for the complete novel. Proving again his chops as an anthologist, Gutkind’s latest collection—which also includes Heidi Julavits, Pagan Kennedy, William deBuys and the guy behind IAmGettingFat.blogspot.com—is a 30-run homer, a whirlwind of moods and thoughts captured by some of the biggest talents on the essay and blog beat. (July)

Candy Barr: The Small-Town Texas Runaway Who Became a Darling of the Mob and the Queen of Las Vegas Burlesque
Ted Schwarz. Taylor Trade, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 9781590771266
Author and entertainment reporter Schwarz (The Hillside Strangler) documents the life of Juanita Slusher (1935-2005), from her birth and troubled childhood in Edna, Tex. to her days as a 14-year-old runaway, enslaved in the South Dallas sex trade, before escaping and becoming the popular Las Vegas erotic dancer Candy Barr—celebrated for the beauty and body that lured, all her life, the worst kinds of men. Schwartz’s research includes a hundred hours of exclusive interviews with Slusher, who would only allow her story to be told after her death. A local legend, her connections to Jack Ruby and Mickey Cohen have been overstated in the title, but her story is a compelling, brutal tragedy set against a country’s loss of innocence; she’s even brushed by the investigation into JFK’s assassination. Additionally, there's no redemption after a lifetime of abuse; she lived to see 70 and, according to Schwarz, spent the last 30 years of her life bitter and isolated. There was once talk of a Candy Barr biopic starring Farrah Fawcett; this is definitely the stuff of edgier television movies (think HBO, not ABC), and clearly a story she wanted told. 16 pages of b&w photos. (July)

Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Atria, $26.95 (352p) ISBN 9781416577454
In this follow-up to their around-the-world motorcycle travelogue Long Way Round, actors/bike enthusiasts McGregor and Boorman chronicle an 84-day road trip from Scotland to South Africa. Taking turns with the narrative, both are funny, smart and skilled at evoking the thrill of the open (dusty, sandy, gravelly, pot-holed) road. With a trusty team of logisticians, plus local “fixers” in each country, the duo survive spills, wildlife, nutty drivers, border delays, searing heat and misdirection, while squeezing in some time for sightseeing. A compassionate thread limns the macho derring-do, which includes efforts to raise awareness for UNICEF and other children’s charities. Bearing witness to the health and poverty crises in Africa, they put human faces and stories to the statistics, and find hope in a visit with Riders for Health, who bring medical help to hard-to-reach sites via motorcycles: “the most effective answer to the problems of reaching people in remote areas; I could see it working all over the world.” Though long and exhausting, McGregor reports of the journey that he “didn’t want it to end”; readers—especially fans of their first volume—will likely agree. 20 b&w illus., 48 pages of color photos. (July)

The Man on Mao’s Right: From Harvard Yard to Tiananmen Square, My Life Inside China’s Foreign Ministry
Ji Chaozhu. Random, $19.95 (384p) ISBN 9781400065844
Born in 1929 China to a privileged family of Communist sympathizers, Chaozhu has witnessed a country transform while catapulting to its newly-emergent centers of power. Chaozhu’s memoir begins during the 1937 Japanese occupation, when his father sent him and his brothers to the U.S. to help raise money for the communists and get “a first-class education,” after which they would return to “help build the new China.” Returning to China in 1950, after dropping out of Harvard, Chaozhu began working as an interpreter in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, before rising to become a deputy director. After Nixon’s ground-breaking 1972 visit to China, Chaozhu had several postings to the U.S. and was appointed as an Ambassador to the U.K. His last position was a 1991-94 stint as under-secretary-general of the United Nations. Chaozhu paints a vivid picture of life in China, both the extreme poverty (by 1958, 30 million Chinese had starved to death) and the civil unrest generated by Mao’s draconian economic measures and purges of so-called dissidents. Chaozhu describes hard times but also exciting, eye-witness to history stories featuring Kissinger’s and Nixon’s first meetings with Enlai. This absorbing book should make an invaluable political (and personal) primer for anyone dealing with today’s China. (July)

An Orange Revolution: A Personal Journey Through Ukrainian History
Askold Krushelnycky. Harvill Secker (IPG, dist.), $16.95 paper (368p) ISBN 9780436206238
In this engrossing history of the Ukraine’s 2004-05 Orange Revolution, journalist Krushelnycky recounts the sociopolitical changes that have wrenched the nation since before the fall of the Soviet Union. Beginning with the history of the Neolithic Trypillians in 3500 B.C., Krushelnycky glides through the centuries of history that shaped modern Ukrainian identity. Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, President Kuchma led the Ukraine into a downward spiral of corruption, violence and oppression. After years of government-controlled media, falsified election results, economic distress and widespread bribery, the 2004 presidential election exploded in a peaceful but determined struggle by progressive, pro-democracy forces to unseat the long-ruling, Kremlin-endorsed authoritarian regime. Krushelnycky captures skillfully the excitement and optimism that surrounded Viktor Yuschenko’s tumultuous victory, and Krushelnycky seamlessly asserts himself and his own observations within the larger framework of local and world politics. If Krushelnycky’s first book falters, it’s only in its devotion to detail; the compelling narrative is occasionally sidetracked by topics like the architectural construction of the city of Donetsk and the origin of Russian political slang. Krushelnycky’s enthusiasm for Ukranian culture is palpable throughout, and his honest, far-reaching account makes this an invaluable resource. (July)

The Ridiculous Race: 26,000 Miles. 2 Guys. 1 Globe. No Airplanes.
Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran. Holt, $15 paper (336p) ISBN 9780805087406
Hely and Chandrasekaran are friends, TV comedy writers, and 20-something Los Angelinos who decide to circle the globe and make a race of it, starting in LA and going in opposite directions. The hook: no planes. Told in alternating voices, their story fails to engage, but is funny. Hely, for example, arranges passage on a container ship from Long Beach to Shanghai: “about as exciting as a giant floating Kinkos… Entire days I spent staring at the ocean. I read so much that my eyes broke and I couldn’t see words.” Chandrasekaran begins his adventure with a days-long drive to Mexico City, where he makes an absurd attempt to purchase a jetpack. Beyond comedy, the experiment yields little. Virtually formless, the narrative becomes a slave to its subject, racing from antic to antic without slowing for reflection or a sense of the world’s impact on the travelers. At the finish line, Hely confesses that their conclusion is “impossibly anticlimactic,” but given the setup it’s more like an inevitability. What’s seemingly impossible (and unfortunate) is how quickly this speedy narrative runs out of momentum. (July)

Rock Star Babylon: Outrageous Rumors, Legends, and Raucous True Tales of Rock and Roll Icons
Jon Holmes. Plume, $13 paper (288p) ISBN 9780452289413
This compilation of wild, salacious rock ‘n’ roll debauchery stories, most of which may or may not be true, probably seemed like a good idea at the time. But in the hands of British writer and comedian Holmes, it’s a self-aggrandizing mess that’s to be endured more than enjoyed. With smug self-satisfaction, Holmes blithely relates tales of rock excess, many of which have already made the rounds: the infamous Van Halen rider that stipulated no brown M&Ms backstage, Stevie Nicks’s bottoms-up delivery system for cocaine and a fair number of non-events like KISS’s inclusion of band members’ blood in the ink of their 1970s comic book. Holmes goes from bad to worse by padding the book with pointless footnotes that lean heavily on U.K. references and add nothing to the narrative. Perhaps worst of all, most of the stories (except for the most famous, which were already verified by others—i.e., “As Ozzy told Rolling Stone”) have not been fact-checked, leaving it up to the reader to determine their veracity. The result is frustrating, unfunny and often pointless. (July)

The Samaritan’s Dilemma: Should Government Help Your Neighbor?
Deborah Stone. Nation, $25.95 (304p) ISBN 9781568583549
Stone, a research professor and author (Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision-Making), takes a critical look at America’s shifting attitudes toward public policy over the past thirty years, during which “economists, social scientists, conservatives, and free-market ideologues have had us believing that self-interest makes the world go ’round.” Her aim, to “reunite politics with doing good,” challenges “the new conventional wisdom: ‘Help is harmful.’” She covers well-known objections to the welfare state in her second chapter, including the ideas that help makes people dependant, entitlements undermine good citizenship, and that “markets are better helpers than government.” Citing surveys, anecdotes and the work of volunteer organizations and charities, Stone pushes back against the modern myth of American self-reliance and its guiding thesis, Ayn Rand’s idea that “the only rational ethical principle for human relationships… is free-market trade.” Illustrating that most average Americans are not innately greedy, but rather willing partners in community action, Stone finds America’s true spirit in “everyday altruism.” She makes the argument that the real “moral hazard” we face, as individuals and as a nation, is not coddling the poor, but walking away from those in need. (July)

LIFESTYLE

Improvisation for the Spirit: Live a More Creative, Spontaneous, and Courageous Life Using the Tools of Improv Comedy
Katie Goodman. Sourcebooks, $14.95 paper (256p) ISBN 9781402211911
A long-time, nationally touring comedian and contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine, first-time author Goodman manages to slip an improv-inspired free-for-all format and a good dash of humor into the self-help genre, making a winning and creative volume that will help the shy, the fearful, and the controlling to loosen up and enjoy life. Each of twelve chapters covers a concept such as “Be Open & Flexible” or “Allowing Imperfection”; Goodman explains the concept, provides anecdotes from her work (some are helpful and sincere, others seem to have been pulled off her publicity brochure) and encourages self-exploration with writing, drawing and doing exercises. Goodman’s advice is helpful for small issues, such as controlling self-doubt: “[O]ur Inner Critic is trainable. Think Young Frankenstein singing ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz.’” Broader advice, however, may seem more appropriately applied to stage relationships than to real ones. Still, Goodman’s quirky, thoughtful approach and breezy tone should give wound-up readers some new ways to relax, relate and think about their lives. (July)

The Well-Adjusted Dog: Dr. Dodman’s Seven Steps to Lifelong Health and Happiness for Your Best Friend
Nicholas Dodman. Houghton Mifflin, $24 (288p) ISBN 9780618833788
Dogs, like humans, need a well-rounded life for happiness and health, says author and animal behaviorist Dodman (The Dog Who Loved Too Much, Dogs Behaving Badly) in his latest. Many of his seven steps—enough exercise, the right diet, proper corrective measures—will be familiar, but Dodman’s clear delivery and insight make this a worthwhile cover-to-cover read. A strong advocate for positive reinforcement (nixing measures like choke chains and shock collars), Dodman’s techniques may strike some as coddling, but his supporting arguments and anecdotes are strong and sensible. The latter half covers topics like conflict resolution and unwanted behaviors (anxiety around strangers, compulsive tail chasing), giving dog lovers multiple suggestions for each problem point—with the notable exception of storm phobia, a multifaceted fear-generating experience that’s almost impossible to defuse (though the new static electricity-blocking Storm Defender cape offers promise). Dodson refrains from sweeping pronouncements, frequently pausing to explain that different breeds have different needs, enabling readers to fine-tune their regimens. While this handbook isn’t the be-all end-all (and of course doesn’t replace regular trips to the vet), it’s thorough and informative enough to benefit any dog owner. (July)

When Organizing Isn’t Enough: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life
Julie Morgenstern. Fireside, $24 (272p) ISBN 9780743250894
Morgenstern, a professional organizer with clients like Time Warner, shares advice and anecdotal revamp stories for anyone who ever needed to clean out a drawer, closet or personal planner. Her guiding principle in fighting clutter, over-scheduling and bad habits is called SHED: Separate treasures, Heave the rest, Embrace identity from within, and Drive yourself forward. Morgenstern’s chatty advice includes ways to let go, develop a “theme” for your future and “heave” successfully (with lists of places to send stuff). Her theory is that, although one may miss certain possessions or habits, freed-up space will inevitably open unseen vistas, allowing the new you to move forward. Morgenstern supplies timelines, entire chapters on living in the moment and breaking the mold, as well as quizzes and work sheets. She also examines, in-depth, typical emotional reactions to shaking free of the old, and encourages small steps toward revolution: “Don’t be so quick to reenact the Boston Tea Party.” Client case studies pose intriguing challenges, from obsessive email checking to good but unfulfilling jobs to an overabundance of shoes and accessories. (June)

FICTION

One Nation, Under God
Keir Graff. Severn, $28.95 (256p) ISBN 9780727866233
A simplistic plot line and unsophisticated characterization undermine the message of this contemporary political thriller from Graff (My Fellow Americans). After performing with Crucifer, a satanic band, recovering drug addict Seth Stevens has found a more spiritual outlet for his musical gifts with the Christian band, Salvation, in Tulsa, Okla. When a lone Mormon missionary goes missing after crossing Terry Kinsman, a member of Salvation and a youth pastor in the Free Church of God’s Slaves, Stevens begins to question his new life. He’s gradually drawn into the church’s covert political wing by Kinsman, who’s determined to defeat a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate by any means necessary. While Stevens manages to overcome the lure of his former friends from Crucifer, disentangling himself from the radicals involved in his church proves more of a challenge. A routine romantic subplot doesn’t help this unconvincing fictional effort to paint the extreme religious right as a major threat. (July)

AUDIO

The Sum of Our Days
Isabel Allende, read by Blair Brown. HarperAudio, unabridged, nine CDs, 11 hrs., $39.95 ISBN 9780061571169
Allende follows Paula, the heartbreaking memoir she wrote while her daughter lay in a long coma, with another missive to the young woman, now dead, to update her on the Allende clan’s adventures and dramas, which often seem straight from her novels. For most of the narration, Brown’s bright voice and careful delivery are an ideal conduit for Allende’s renowned prose, working in tandem with the author’s unique descriptions to make interesting what in other lives would hardly be remarkable. When speaking as Allende, she uses a husky Spanish accent that is distinctively charming and appropriate without going over the top. Brown’s pronunciation of occasional Spanish phrases and names sometimes lack fluency but the frank, twangy voice she gives to Allende’s friend Tabra is refreshingly at ease. By the end, even listeners who are unfamiliar with Allende’s history and writing will feel they know this feisty woman and brilliant writer as a friend. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 18). (May)

The Steel Wave
Jeff Shaara, read by Anthony Heald. Random House Audio, abridged, five CDs, 6 hrs., $29.95 ISBN 9780739334652
Just as his father captured the heart of the Civil War with such fine novels as The Killer Angels, Shaara has done the same with his tremendous non-fiction saga of the Allied landings on Omaha Beach in Normandy. Anthony Heald is an ideal reader; his authority relays the epic story in a way that never loses track of the humans affected by war. He brings historical figures like Eisenhower and Rommel to life, but his best work is portraying the ordinary troops who did the war’s heavy lifting. The audiobook feels like a group of soldiers and sailors sitting around in a VFW lounge, swapping stories of the greatest event in their lives, with Heald giving their memories voice. The abridgement trims the book but not its power. A Ballantine hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 31). (May)

A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
Tony Horwitz, read by the author. Random House Audio, abridged, seven CDs, 9 hrs., $31.95 ISBN 9780739317235
Horwitz was a smart choice to read his wonderful book about all he—and we—didn’t know about American history, and he’s done an excellent abridgement , choosing parts from his long work that work best in audio form. This is as far from a series of history lectures as most listeners could hope. Imagine meeting the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Confederates In The Attic at your favorite coffee shop and listening to him tell you, with a voice filled with amazement, a few of the surprising things he learned after visiting Plymouth Rock and realizing how little he knew of what happened in America before the Pilgrims arrived. This audio experience will have listeners hoping for a refill with Horwitz. A Holt hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 10). (May)

What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception
Scott McClellan, read by the author. Blackstone Audio, unabridged, 10 CDs, 12 hrs., $29.95 ISBN 9781433214342
Some listeners may get to the end of this audiobook and still be asking “What happened?” for even in his own words, McClellan’s book appears either woefully naïve to the point of negligence or a continuance of spin and lying (or has he says, “shading”). As he traces his early years working with Bush in the Texas government through his tenure as White House press secretary, McClellan continues to applaud Bush with only a mild dash of criticism while laying much of the blame for Bush’s poor decisions upon the “permanent campaign” political culture of Washington. Hailing from the party of “personal responsibility,” this approach seems awkward at best. Even when he identifies the administration as a group of “well intentioned but flawed people,” he still shies away from making strong and definitive statements. Predominantly hovering around his experience and problems as press secretary at the height of the Valerie Plame incident, McClellan’s analysis and reporting of the Bush administration doesn’t forge any new ground. As narrator, he manages well enough in a matter of fact tone with moderate inflection, minimally hindered with background noises and some stumbling or mispronunciations. However, on occasion, he does execute a good Bush impersonation. A Public Affairs hardcover. (June)