Nonfiction Reviews

Guiding readers on a journey across the “three interlocked powers of the late 18th century”—France, Britain and the new United States—historian Andress (The Terror) regales with stories of such leaders as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès, who stoked the flames of revolution, and Edmund Burke, who tried to extinguish the blaze. Looking at the social, economic, political and imperial factors coming together in 1789, Andress weighs the ironies of that revolutionary moment: the Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man both appeared in that year, but Andress points out the familiar truth that the freedoms proclaimed by these documents were often compromised by the very governments that trumpeted them. A new language had emerged to confront those holding power, but that language too often licensed aggression against slaves, women and others seen as not subject to guarantees of liberty. Although Andress pedantically covers much familiar ground, he reminds us that the struggle between individual rights and oppressive social systems might have begun in 1789, but it is still with us today. Illus., maps. (Mar. 10)

This sensitive and elegantly written life of Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855), sister of the poet William Wordsworth, centers on four small notebooks, her so-called Grasmere Journals. These journals reveal how William functioned as Dorothy's male muse and how she, more traditionally, was his. What is most untraditional, and certainly peculiar, is the not-quite-stated true relationship between brother and sister. Commentators and biographers describe Dorothy Wordsworth as having virtually no inner life, existing solely for and through her brother. Yet, Wilson relates, the opium-eater De Quincey found her a most sensuous creature; she was a big part of William's friendship with Coleridge as well. First teasing out Dorothy's truly rich interior life through careful examination of the journals and other writings, Wilson (Literary Seductions) then uncovers the nature of Dorothy's emotional connections to William, his work, his wife and even the French mistress he had as a younger man. Most controversial in the Grasmere Journals are several blotted lines regarding William's wedding ring—which Dorothy wore to sleep the night before the wedding. These lines, as well as Dorothy's visionary tendencies, her migraines and trances, almost of an epileptic nature, and a long depressive decline are scrupulously analyzed. 31 illus. (Feb. 24)

There is far more to the universe than meets the eye: invisible dark matter and dark energy constitute the vast bulk of the cosmos and are responsible for its accelerating expansion. Gates, assistant director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, explores the science of these invisible phenomena and the questions they raise about the universe's origins, its present and its future. Gates explains how scientists discovered the existence of dark matter and their theories about the nature of the particles (with named like WIMPs) that form it. Astrophysicists have found tools to measure the invisible mass: the stars themselves. Drawing on Einstein's theory of general relativity, scientists can “see” dark matter using “gravitational lensing”—by measuring the deflection of light around a cosmic object, they can measure the object's mass. Presenting complicated topics concisely and clearly, Gates explains what we know about the universe, what scientists wish they knew, and what's at stake—the fate of the universe itself. 8 pages of color and 40 b&w illus. (Feb.)

With one eye toward the Enlightenment and another toward contemporary politics, Wolfe (Does American Democracy Still Work?) mounts a passionate defense of why liberalism—broadly defined—continues to be relevant and essential in this thorough, scholarly text. The author refers to liberalism both in its classical and modern sense, emphasizing its commitment, from its emergence to the present, to the two goals of liberty and equality. Despite the title, the book takes a primarily historical approach, surveying a multitude of liberal thinkers from John Locke to John Rawls—drawing especially heavily on the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill—applying their theories to both historical and contemporary political issues. The author uses the frame of liberalism to examine terrorism, globalization and the politics of religion. Wolfe ruminates on conservatism's hand in the Hurricane Katrina debacle and, in his musings on globalization, focuses on how liberalism prescribes a philosophical commitment to global welfare rather than parochial concerns or national protectionism. More a work of political theory than a policy text, this book will strongly appeal to readers interested in the tradition of Western liberal thought. (Feb.)

Benedict (The Mormon Way of Doing Business) has taken a complicated court case centered on eminent domain and turned it into a page-turner with a conscience. In 1997, an EMT named Susette Kelo left her husband, bought a cottage and started over in the economically depressed Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Conn. In February 1998, the New London Development Corporation began trying to muscle the neighborhood into selling homes to make way for a Pfizer research complex. Benedict's passionate account is rife with heroes and villains—he delights in pillorying Kelo's foil, Claire Gaudiani, the president of Connecticut College who lured Pfizer to consider New London. The fight escalated when the city tried exercising eminent domain to seize the homes of Kelo and others who refused to sell, leading to the case, Kelo v. City of New London, reaching the Supreme Court in 2005. Raising important questions about the use of economic development as a justification for displacing citizens, this book will leave readers indignant and inspired. (Feb.)

In 1925, renowned British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett embarked on a much publicized search to find the city of Z, site of an ancient Amazonian civilization that may or may not have existed. Fawcett, along with his grown son Jack, never returned, but that didn't stop countless others, including actors, college professors and well-funded explorers from venturing into the jungle to find Fawcett or the city. Among the wannabe explorers is Grann, a staff writer for the New Yorker, who has bad eyes and a worse sense of direction. He became interested in Fawcett while researching another story, eventually venturing into the Amazon to satisfy his all-consuming curiosity about the explorer and his fatal mission. Largely about Fawcett, the book examines the stranglehold of passion as Grann's vigorous research mirrors Fawcett's obsession with uncovering the mysteries of the jungle. By interweaving the great story of Fawcett with his own investigative escapades in South America and Britain, Grann provides an in-depth, captivating character study that has the relentless energy of a classic adventure tale. (Feb.)

After Gwartney and her husband—“two people who didn't belong in a marriage together but who couldn't manage to find a decent way to split up”—divorce, her two older daughters, barely in their teens, run away. In this bitingly honest memoir, Gwartney, a former correspondent for Newsweek, tells of her daughters' paths of self-destruction as street children, with intervening stints in various treatment centers (among them, a state group home, the foster child program, a “wilderness-therapy program”). As daughters Amanda and Stephanie move back and forth between their parents' homes of squabbles and angry rebellion and the street world of self-maiming—socially (dropping out of school), physically (drugs, scabies), emotionally (attempted suicide)—Gwartney builds a life around trying to bring them home again, into which her younger daughters, Mollie and Mary, are inexorably drawn. After a grim and frustrating two years, she is successful. Gwartney's memoir, however, is not just about the runaways; rather it's a reflection of her emotional state as months go by not knowing where one or the other daughter is. Her story was originally told in an episode of public radio's This American Life. While she occasionally overwrites, she offers readers comfort and some hope. (Feb.)

Known for her psychologically perceptive relationship books, Sills (Excess Baggage) turns her attention to dating for women of a certain age, particularly those recently out of long marriages. The author advises older women how to get back “out there” and how to contend with the anxiety that can ensue after a long period of celibacy. While Sills addresses the ugly truths that older women have to work harder than men to find eligible partners, she argues that courtship, companionship and sex are all available, especially if women remain “open to a wide variety of partners who are not necessarily prospects for love. They are practice, stimulation, and possibly even pleasant company.” Sills's clinical psychology background comes to the fore when she dissects the scenario of a suddenly single woman who has been used to socializing with a group of couples but now may be perceived as a threat by other women, or an opportunity by the men, suggesting behavioral strategies for keeping boundaries clear. Sills also addresses transitional relationships, the heartbreak of rejection or of premature attachment to a new partner and includes welcome male perspectives. (Feb.)

Comedian Mac wants to cure women of their confusion about how men think and what their words really mean. His book, relying heavily on broad comedy—which mostly works—and wearisome clichés of the “man as caveman,” is at once entertaining and disturbing. An analysis of the first date and a handy glossary of terms to decipher the real meanings of “I give great massages” and “of course I wasn't looking at her” are entertaining and uncomfortably accurate, but the author unwittingly turns his own gender from “simple” to simpleminded in his portrayal of men as profoundly uncomplicated creatures primarily motivated by sex. On occasion he lets women in on some valuable truths: for example, men don't fear intimacy, challenging women or commitment—unless they don't like you—or that men are capable of having sex with women “they actively dislike.” He does a fine job of warning women against certain unsavory types as well as alerting women to their own bad habits—participating in flattering delusions (“he's not calling me because he's scared of how much he likes me”). (Jan.)

In a businesslike, astute and self-empowering look at the sex business, New Jersey brothel owner Lee shares her hard-won secrets of success. A Korean orphan, born “in the mid-1970s,” Lee was adopted at age six (to the tune of $100,000, she later learned) by a wealthy Connecticut couple who soon divorced. Living with an unstable mother, Lee first ran away from home at age 13, living on and off at a state group home in Maine and ending her formal education at eighth grade. By 15, she was working at strip clubs, quickly learning the “pimp and ho game,” and drifting to Boston with a series of sugar daddies, some abusive and dealing drugs. With the backing of a smooth operator named Andre, for whom she worked as his “personal money manager” (she learned how $10,000 worth of $20 bills fit perfectly into a sandwich bag), she started up her first brothel on West 21st Street in Manhattan to great success, before the cops closed it after four months. But Lee was a natural entrepreneur and creative startups in Baltimore, Montreal and northern New Jersey led to lucrative ventures. She presents her career in remarkably transparent, direct terms, not above hiring thugs or criticizing harshly her own workers for allowing men to control them. (Jan.)

Minor's motivational wisdom is exactly what you'll find in most books in the genre: accept responsibility for your own choices, he advises; love yourself and “always give people more than they were expecting.” And though he does take readers “backstage” in his role as the music director of American Idol, don't expect any major revelations; the scenes he presents are largely generic, with no names named. The book does pick up some interest when Minor looks back at his career leading up to his TV job, starting with the vocal group he started growing up in Watts through gigs with Gladys Knight and other musicians. In one especially memorable passage, he recounts the resistance that other musicians and network reps offered to Whitney Houston's unorthodox arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” for a Super Bowl appearance; that her performance would go on to set a new standard, he says, is evidence of the power of staying true to your own convictions. Unfortunately, there are not enough of these powerful moments to overcome the platitudes and make Minor's advice truly stand out from the pack. (Jan.)

“Many people in the United States believe that low-income children can no more be expected to do well in school than ballerinas can be counted on to excel in football,” begins Washington Post education reporter Mathews (Escalante: The Best Teacher in America). He delves into the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) and follows the enterprise's founders, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, from their days as young educators in the Teach for America program to heading one of the country's most controversial education programs running today. Luckily for many low-income children, Feinberg and Levin believed that with proper mentors, student incentives and unrestrained enthusiasm on the part of the teachers, some of the country's poorest children could surpass the expectations of most inner-city public schools. Mathews emphasizes Feinberg and Levin's personal stakes in the KIPP program, as they often found themselves becoming personally involved with the families of their students (in one case Feinberg took the TV away from a student's apartment because the student's mother insisted that she could not stop her child from watching it). Mathews innate ability to be at once observer and commentator makes this an insightful and enlightening book. (Jan.)

Reminiscing about his loves and losses, writer Bouillier (The Mystery Guest) probes the murky shallows of his life in search of himself. Born in Algiers, he soon moves with his family to Aubervilliers, in France, where he almost dies from a staph infection that robs him of his sense of smell. Moving back and forth in time, Bouillier recalls his great loves, including his early crush on the sister of a friend. He experiences his first sexual stirrings when he glimpses his friend's mother rinsing herself at the bidet. The desire for sex then so consumes him that he engages in a pathetic episode with a prostitute and French kisses his mother (who responds eagerly) as his hand cups her buttocks. Along the way, Bouillier recounts his love of Frank Zappa, his feelings of alienation from the world, his parents' bohemian lifestyle and his use of the Odyssey as a code for understanding life. While his first book was a lyrical self-exploration, Bouillier here comes across as little more than self-indulgent. (Jan.)

Weissman, professor at the Washington School of Psychiatry, examines Charlie Chaplin's life and work from a psychoanalytical perspective. Believing in “using a life to read a film and a film to read a life,” Weissman focuses on Chaplin's childhood and early career, giving scant attention to his later adult life. Most telling is the relationship with his mother. Her madness, brought on by starvation and syphilis, Weissman believes, manifests itself in Chaplin's films with a recurring theme: the rescue of a downtrodden female. For example, City Lights is a “childhood rescue fantasy” of saving his parents, while Limelight is filled with references to his alcoholic father. Weissman uncovers the source for the “shabby gentility” of the Little Tramp, as well as the development of that extraordinary character. En route, he paints an engaging if narrowly focused portrait of how a cinema artist is created and how he practices his craft. (Jan.)

Grandin (Animals in Translation), famed for her decades-long commitment to treating livestock as humanely as possible on its way to slaughter, considers how humans and animals can best interact. Working from the premise that “an animal is a conscious being that has feelings,” the autistic author assesses dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, poultry, wildlife and zoo animals based on a “core emotion system” she believes animals and humans share, including a need to seek; a sense of rage, fear, and panic; feelings of lust; an urge to nurture; and an ability to play. Among observations at odds with conventional wisdom: dogs need human parents, not alpha pack leaders, and cats respond to training. Discussions of why horses are skittish and why pigs are arguably the most intelligent of beasts—raccoons run them a close second—illuminate the intersection of people and more domesticated animals; chapters on cows and chickens focus more generally on animal welfare, particularly the horrific conditions in which they are usually raised and slaughtered. Packed with fascinating insights, unexpected observations and a wealth of how-to tips, Grandin's peppy work ably challenges assumptions about what makes animals happy. (Jan.)

Egerton (Gabriel's Rebellion) traverses the rise and the debatable inevitability of slavery in the United States between the end of the Seven Years' War (1763) and Jefferson's election (1800), arguing that the “division of the Republic into free wage labor sections and proslavery regions did not have to happen that way.” But it did; in spite of the uprisings by Denmark Vesey and Gabriel echoing slogans from the fight for independence, the American Revolution “failed to fulfill its promise of freedom.” If the territory seems familiar, the author approaches it on a road less traveled, surveying what the revolution meant to black contemporaries: Jefferson's servant Richard responds to the ideological arguments concerning slavery; Quok Walker's successful lawsuit merges with an account of emancipation in the states north of Delaware; Titus, who fought with the Loyalists, leads to the examination of the role of black combatants. Egerton has crammed a great deal of political, legal and social history into this dense but accessible book. He has achieved an extraordinary synthesis, while maintaining a careful attentiveness to regional, even state, differences during this period when the United States was aborning and things might have happened differently. (Jan.)

This historical whodunit relates the tale of the 1806 murder of one of the early nation's most celebrated jurists and public figures. Virginia's George Wythe was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution. He was also teacher and friend to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Marshall and Henry Clay. Few were as beloved and admired; the advice of no other was so sought after. But one day in 1806, he and two of his servants were poisoned. Historian Chadwick (George Washington's War) takes readers through the circumstances of Wythe's murder and gradually reveals—no surprise to the attentive reader—the murder suspect. It's a good story, well told, of a sliver of life in Richmond, a small, elite-driven capital city in the young nation's most influential state. The walk-on figures include a good proportion of the early republic's leading men. If Chadwick pads the book with too much on, say, arsenic poisoning, as well as the contemporary practices of autopsies, it's all pertinent to the tale's outcome: the acquittal of the likely murderer. Illus. (Jan.)

The Battle of Britain has become as much myth as history. Korda (Ulysses S. Grant), former editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, gives its story fresh life with the expertise of an established popular historian and the polish of a master narrator. In the summer of 1940, Britain stood alone against the Third Reich, which had quickly overrun Western Europe and seemed poised to finish the job. All that blocked the Nazis were a couple of thousand fighter pilots and their commander, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, the story's hero. Dowding fought to build Spitfires and Hurricanes, and trained men to fly them. He set up the radar system and the observer networks that kept watch for German raids. In the face of initial defeats, he husbanded his resources for a greater battle he knew would come. Korda is no triumphalist, demonstrating the mistakes, misunderstandings and simple cussedness that threatened the chances for a British victory. But Dowding's Brylcreem Boys, nicknamed for their favorite styling gel, succeeded against an enemy no less brave and skilled. 7 pages of color and 16 pages of b&w photos. (Jan. 6)

In 2003, college student Katie Autry was brutally raped, stabbed and set on fire in her dorm room at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky. Returning to his hometown, journalist Van Meter explores Autry's murder, and the subsequent investigation and trial. But his scattershot approach leaves the account as full of holes as the suspects' alibis. Authorities tracked down several people who'd been at a fraternity party Autry had attended before focusing on Stephen Soules, a high school dropout who at first said he'd had consensual sex with the drunken girl in her dorm. But Soules blamed the murder on Luke Goodrum, a 21-year-old with a history of domestic violence. Despite mounting evidence implicating Soules, Goodrum was tried for the crime, while Soules—who now claimed Goodrum forced him to rape Autry—agreed to testify in exchange for life in prison, thus avoiding a capital trial. Instead of exploring the glaring legal errors that ran rampant during the investigation and Goodrum's trial, Van Meter instead cobbles together a melodramatic narrative that doesn't do Autry's tragic death justice. (Jan.)

Peterson, cofounder of the Work Itself Group, and Nielson, cofounder of the Ascent Group, seek to answer why people spend so much time doing so little real work—what they term a “fake” work phenomenon that mires employees in redundant tasks that result in low morale, cost overruns and organizational stagnation. While the authors nimbly dissect the problem, they fail to provide a road map for what they say is the most basic ingredient to doing “real work,” which is strategy; they reiterate the importance of a organizational strategy and keeping priorities, but fail to provide any sort of blueprint for floundering organizations to develop that strategy. Instead, the authors cover a number of irrelevant topics—how to be a good listener, how to be a good manager and how to maneuver in corporate culture. This overambitious book wants to be all things to all people: advice to workers and tactics for managers, but after the tests and stories and steps, there is little analysis to uncover better practices and processes. (Jan.)

Crook, editor of the Wall Street Journal Sunday, offers a clear, no-holds barred look at the pros and cons of owning a home—rather than renting one from a bank via a mortgage—along with its ultimate costs. The author debunks popularly held views about the wisdom of viewing a home as a piggybank and how that can easily lead to financial disappointment. Owning a home is essentially an expense, he contends, providing repeated proof that few home buyers build accessible wealth through home ownership except in bullish real estate markets. His advice on making the purchase decision, especially in a weak housing market, along with how and when to use debt to do so, are invaluable. For those aspiring to own a home and those trying to manage the affordability of their biggest asset, this is a must read. It is applicable to home buyers and owners of all economic backgrounds, and in any phase of their financial life from the newly employed to the retired. (Dec.)

Kunkel, a communications consultant, posits that the most persuasive and powerful icons and brands owe their success to an uncanny ability to appeal to one or more cultural and biological universals, our species' emotional and behavioral responses to certain stimuli (for example, the need for security and comfort, distrust of classically beautiful people). Unfortunately, Kunkel's evidence of these universals is vague and speculative—referring to research into the effect of sound waves on cellular structure, she asserts that just as plants dislike heavy metal music and uncooked rice thrives on compliments, “our body processes are altered” by sound waves—and she advises her readers to speak in rhythms that resonate on a cellular level. The author's appeal to science that is either clearly marginal or only vaguely related to her conclusions, along with her tendency to label as “universal” a wide gamut of folk beliefs and obviously culturally determined phenomena (such as the effect of certain words that have no meaning outside of the speaker's linguistic community), make even the more reasonable arguments in the book seem suspect. In the end, the author overreaches her grasp, producing a marketing guide that is unlikely to convince practical readers. (Dec.)

A rehashing of old—if successful—ground from his 2001 book Getting Things Done, Allen revisits his simple yet comprehensive system of organizing every aspect of one's life for career, professional and personal development—even addressing how to plan a vacation, choose a babysitter or arrange eldercare for a parent. The author's inarguable premise is that a complete and current inventory of commitments organized and reviewed in a systematic way can sharpen focus and allow for wiser decision making. Allen cautions that the book does not provide answers to tricky life choices; its methods will aid in developing the self-assurance to trust one's own solutions. Readers are guided through the process of obtaining control and perspective, organizing tasks and goals to reach the “Getting Things Done” (GTD) “holy grail” of an empty in-basket and e-mail inbox. Although the book purports to expand on the principles of GTD, there's very little new material in this latest offering, which serves more as a sales tool for the first one than for a project all on its own. Those seeking organizational nirvana would do best to invest in the original and give this one a pass. (Dec.)

Eighty percent or more of all corn, cotton and soybeans grown in the United States consists of genetically modified (GM) varieties, according to Weasel. But she only gives these statistics at the end of her account of the battle over GM organisms, leaving readers till then with the impression that an equal “tug-of-war” is in progress. The author, a biologist at Portland State University in Oregon, also skimps on the science in the battle over whether genetically modified organisms and foods are safe for both the environment and people, focusing instead on the legal, political and emotional aspects of the tussle between big business, which claims that GM products can solve world hunger and reduce disease, and environmentalists asserting that bad science is being driven by corporate greed. She summarizes a number of the most important skirmishes, such as over golden rice (manipulated to have high levels of vitamin A) and the injection of artificial bovine growth hormone into cattle to boost milk production. But her account is relatively flat and superficial, doing a workmanlike job of covering political issues but leaving readers short of what they need to evaluate GM. (Dec.)

Inspired by a journal her fiancé wrote to their infant son while stationed as a sergeant in Iraq, New York Times editor Canedy tenderly recreates the couple's love story and decision to have a baby before he died. Canedy, an army brat herself, vowed to stay away from military men, but at 33, she was attracted to the shy, newly divorced artist and first sergeant Charles Monroe King, whom she met in the home of her parents in Radcliff, Ky., even if not quite like the intellectual men she typically dated back in New York. Over several years, their relationship developed despite their busy, separate lives, and when Charles was ordered to duty in Iraq in 2005, they discussed marriage and decided to conceive a child. Charles could not get back for baby Jordan's delivery, and the sergeant spent only two weeks with his baby son before returning to duty—he was killed in 2006. Canedy's account of Charles's last visit with his wife and child is heartbreaking. Unflinching and thorough, Canedy offers a sense of shared grief with other families whose loved ones have died in the war. (Dec.)

Ritchen (In Our Own Image) offers a supple, politically astute and fascinating account of the dizzying impact of the digital revolution on the trajectory of the photographic image that, like all new media, changes the world in the very act of observing it. The myth of photographic objectivity has concealed fakery as old as the medium itself, he notes, but in the digital era, concealment and manipulation come to shape the very experience of the image as sui generis: “The lens has dimmed and a distorting mirror has been added.” All is not lost for photography as a truth-telling medium, however: the author suggests methods for verifying the authenticity and provenance of images through footnoting and labeling. Moreover, Ritchen stresses how digital media, linked through the Web, offer an appropriative and hypertextual approach to photography that promises to reinvent the embattled authorial image into an evolving collaboration, conversation and investigation among an infinite number of ordinary people. Cautiously optimistic, the author poses provocative questions throughout, including whether digital technology and Web 2.0 together provide a means for regaining a sense of the “actual” from deep within a “virtual” world. (Dec.)

This lushly illustrated and highly informative catalogue argues that the art of the Cultural Revolution represents an important cultural movement in China necessary to comprehend both the revolution's context and contemporary Chinese art. Essays and interviews illustrate the collection's focused yet diversified scope: topics range from contemporary artist Zheng Shengtian's reflections on the influence of Soviet art on Chinese artists to portraits of Mao as artistic genre. Of particular note is an instructive introduction to the origins and implications of the Cultural Revolution by Harvard historian Roderick MacFarquhar; an absorbing essay on the No Name group, the Cultural Revolution's first underground art group; a revealing interview with contemporary Chinese artist Xu Bing; and artist Zhao Yannian's rousing, lyrical account of his release from prison and makeshift trial at a struggle session. A useful appendix provides relevant historical documents including Mao's most influential speeches on cultural policy and a chronology of historical and art events from 1949 to 1979. This is a valuable and varied collection for those interested in the fascinating interplay between art and politics during the Cultural Revolution and the period's significance for contemporary China. 150 color and 50 b&w illus. (Nov.)

In this densely argued and exhaustive book, religion professor Fredriksen (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews) does for Augustine what she has already done so brilliantly for the historical Jesus. Drawing primarily on Augustine's Confessions and on his little-studied treatise, Against Faustus, she recreates the religious and political tensions of late fourth-century Christianity in North Africa and its attempts to understand its relationship to Judaism. While many early Christian writers condemned Jews as killers of Christ, Augustine turned the rhetorical tables on such polemic. As Fredriksen elegantly contends, Augustine argued that the Jews should be exempt from Christian persecution. Since the religious practices of the Jews devolved from God the Father—the same God Christians worshipped who was also the source of Jewish scriptures, tradition and practice—therefore God and the Jews, and thus the church and the Jews, maintain an abiding relationship. Contrary to many traditional interpretations, Fredriksen's deeply nuanced study demonstrates that the bishop of Hippo's later writings forcefully challenge the anti-Jewish tendencies of much of early Christianity and offer fresh ways of thinking about contemporary dialogue between the two religions. (Dec.)

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard gets a refreshingly clear and concise introduction in this latest book from Vardy, author of three The Puzzle of... books (God; Sex; Ethics). The author's skill as a teacher is apparent, as he manages not only to render the themes and intellectual characteristics of Kierkegaard's theology accessible to general readers but also to elicit sympathy for the occasionally off-putting and morose Dane. Dedicated to “that solitary individual” to whom Kierkegaard aimed his own writings, this book makes the 19th-century philosopher's explanation of a faith lived in the face of the absurdity of the incarnation engaging and sensible. Some thoughtful Christians will find it inspiring. Drawing from a variety of Kierkegaard's writings, Vardy shows how Kierkegaard's principled and uncompromising definitions of truth and sin, his understanding of the function of suffering and his view of love and the God-relationship are all crucial to understanding the Danish thinker's intellectual arguments and personal sense of purpose. Although this introduction cannot treat Kierkegaard's works exhaustively, it succeeds in making his key ideas come to life and gives the primary sources valuable context. (Dec.)

Writer, farmer and cultural critic Wendell Berry is a man whose time has arrived. It only took more than 40 years for his critique of rootless and restless modernity to gather enough steam to help fuel the movement toward a greener way of life. Authors Bonzo and Stevens, both university professors, tease out the spiritual and cultural themes found in more than four decades of essays, fiction and poetry by Berry. They argue that Berry's thought spans an ideological spectrum that increases the importance and urgency of his views, and they look carefully at how his central ideas about creation, place, community and hospitality lead to individual and social health and healing. Concluding chapters apply Berry's thought to churches and higher education—both objects of Berry's criticism—to offer ideas for improving both institutions. The prose sometimes lapses into the cryptic (“the healing church becomes an embodied narrative”) that harder editing could have fixed. But Berry deserves attention, and the authors have patiently worked to enlarge the circle of those who appreciate Berry's consistent call for meaningful living. (Dec.)

Dorff, a professor of philosophy at the American Jewish University, and Willson, a student of divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, claim that Jews and Christians will better understand each other if they learn that both religions share the concern for tikkun olam, repairing the world. This debatable assertion enables them to cite Christian and Jewish sources in their effort to explain tikkun olam. They limit the term to social interactions and practices such as helping poor people, avoiding foul language and gossip, telling the truth (with exceptions), visiting the sick (and sitting down with them), comforting mourners and rejoicing with bridal couples. Within the family, harmonious relationships with spouses, parents and children are deemed to be part of tikkun olam. Concern for the environment is not discussed in order to keep a strict focus on the human and social realm. This book usefully prescribes proper interpersonal relationships according to Judaism and Christianity. The tenuous relationship between this subject and the obligation to repair the world is, however, thinly presented. Dorff and Willson have given us a useful but limited book on human relationships. The yet-to-be written comprehensive book on tikkun olam awaits new authors and a fresh approach. (Dec.)

For an explanation of God that covers the holy waterfront of world religious thought, it doesn't get much shorter than this. Lundstrom, who did commercial writing for Apple and Microsoft, tackles the low-tech but highly complex topic of God in less than 100 handbook-sized pages. After two uneven introductory chapters (not everyone will agree that the object of our deepest desires is God, or that God is spirit and also inscrutable), Lundstrom does a decent job of providing a general picture of the ways that Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as pantheists and pagans imagine the Absolute that some call God. Although the project requires considerable distillation, Lundstrom does not conclude that all religions say the same thing about God. His warning against the “magical” appropriation of God's power for ourselves is interesting but strays from the topic into reflections on the human condition as inherently imperfect; he also digresses about the importance of hope. Though a bit idiosyncratic, the style is chatty and inviting, providing an easy read on a difficult subject. (Dec.)

A diagnosis of uterine fibroids sent Bryan, an energy healer and clairvoyant, from Northern California to poor villages in the Philippines to pursue a nonsurgical cure for her condition. There, she finds several “psychic surgeons” who claim to remove tumors and disease with only their minds. At times, Bryan's writing is lovely, filled with vivid descriptions of the Philippine countryside and its people. But her writing falls short in her own experiences with the psychic healers, who fail to “cure” her, but instead initiate her into their field. In her descriptions of her medical treatments, it is sometimes unclear if the blood and tissue she says she sees is actually seen literally, with her eyes, or imaginatively, through her inner vision. The book will appeal to readers who already believe beings from other planets can inhabit our world as psychic healers, but will likely fail to convince others to fly to the Philippines to find them. The simple energy healing techniques presented at the end may be a better—and less expensive—alternative medicine choice. (Dec.)

When he first visited the Taizé ecumenical community in France's Burgundy region, author Santos, now a doctoral candidate at Princeton University, had no plans to write a book. By his second trip, however, the idea for one had taken root. Geared to an English-speaking, North American audience and said to be a first-of-its-kind account, this lovely and instructive book mingles the community's history with descriptions of day-to-day life and practical information about making a pilgrimage to Taizé. Although many American Christians are familiar with Taizé's chants, few may know the details Santos imparts. Most compelling among them is the author's witnessing Taizé founder Brother Roger's violent death in 2005 at the hands of a disturbed woman during evening prayers. Santos insists that this did not lead him to write the book, but it provides a remarkable context for writing about the community that has attracted so many with its message of reconciliation, trust and freedom. Besides Santos's careful research, readers will appreciate his thoughtful ideas about how to take Taizé's spirit beyond the community. (Nov.)

It is often the work of biblical literalists to find harmonies and agreements in the scriptural record. Others seek, and celebrate, the differing views of the biblical writers. Freund, professor of archeology, history and Judaic studies, and director of Jewish studies at the University of Hartford, has put together a masterful and eminently readable study of these differences, not to resolve them, but rather to explore the rich traditions that produced these writings. In an invaluable introductory chapter, he leads the reader through the world of biblical archeology, examining the methods of textual criticism and historical research. He then explores the biblical and archeological foundations for our understandings of such notables as Abraham, David, Jesus, Mary and many others. Freund's quest for history brings him also to Qumran and to the search for “the teacher of righteousness.” He masterfully studies the rise and centrality of the synagogue system within the Hebrew community. His conclusions may be discomfiting to some, but his commitment to objective research and sound exegesis will surely inspire and inform every reader. (Nov.)

Picknett and Prince are the authors of controversial and provocative works, including The Templar Revelation and The Turin Shroud, that challenge popular assumptions and bring into question much of what many consider truth. In their newest volume, the authors strike boldly and unreservedly against what they see as the mythos that transformed the historical Jesus into a God, namely, the Christ. Studying the traditions and tensions that surrounded the early Christians and filtering these through the lens of skepticism, they create a picture that is both challenging and disturbing. If they are correct, then the Christ of today's Christianity is a corruption of the mission of the rabbi Jesus of Nazareth. In the end, they conclude that “it seems that even Jesus himself would once have agreed that Christians have been worshipping the wrong Christ for two millenia.” Tough words. Readers will decide for themselves whether the authors prove their case. (Nov.)

Human beings are constantly searching for happiness, but too often seek it from insufficient and disappointing sources. This is the message that Naugle, professor of philosophy at Dallas Baptist University, eloquently presents. He argues that human beings have always searched for happiness, but come up empty most of the time because we cling to things of the created world rather than to the Creator. His prose is engaging, peppered with intriguing quotes from pop culture books, music and movies that propel his exposition along. The author's discussion of virtues is particularly compelling, and his presentation breathes new life into this topic. Many Christians will enjoy this book and be renewed in their quest for true happiness. Others will not, given the author's insistence that accepting Jesus is the only way to real happiness. In a religiously pluralistic world, the wisdom of Christianity can be shared with everyone if presented correctly. While the author lost that opportunity here, he is able to capture the sense of longing to live for something greater than themselves that so many feel, regardless of their religious views. (Nov.)

Hauerwas, a leading theologian, and Vanier, founder of L'Arche, an international community for the disabled, examine how fragility, friendship and the witness of people with disabilities might transform the Christian church. Part of a new series that pairs academics and practitioners to examine issues of Christian life and thought, the book's chapters alternate between the mostly theoretical voice of Hauerwas, professor of ethics at Duke, and the personal stories of Vanier. The two authors upend notions of normalcy and oddness, strength and weakness, and progress and death. They also challenge the assumption that autonomy indicates success for disabled people and make the case that community offers the best context for growth for all of us. With between 60% to 90% of fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome being aborted, Hauerwas and Vanier insist on the holiness of people with disabilities. Hauerwas writes, “L'Arche stands as a reminder that 'progress' should not mean eliminating all that threatens us.” His discussion of the political implications of gentleness in the last chapter is worth the entire book. (Nov.)

Infused with common sense and seasoned with candor, the latest work from McKnight (The Jesus Creed), religious studies professor at North Park College, takes a stand in controversial territory by bravely asking the question: how is it that even Christians who claim to be led by an authoritative Bible read it so differently? In response, the author asserts that believers need to take a fresh look at how they adopt and adapt Scripture before they can read the Bible in a way that renews a living relationship with the God behind the sacred text. Using the analogy of a water slide, McKnight argues that the Gospel is the slide, the Bible and church tradition the walls that both protect and liberate the believer as he or she discerns how to apply Scripture as a living document. In the last section, McKnight tackles the controversial issue of women's role in church ministry in a way that is both scholarly and confessional, documenting his own journey alongside that of the apostle Paul and other biblical characters. Enriched by folksy anecdotes, this volume could be very useful for evangelical readers and any others wanting a safe place to ask the same bold questions. (Nov.)

In this book based on his acclaimed classes at the University of Maryland, Bushrui, a Baha'i professor of the history of religions, empathetically describes each major world religious path and shows its connection to the spiritual quest of humanity from earliest ages. In collaboration with four other experts, the author begins with traditions of the first peoples, moves through the major world religions and ends with the Baha'i faith, which views many of the world's significant religious teachers—Zoroaster, Buddha, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad—as messengers of the divine who preceded founder Baha'u'llah. General readers interested in religion will find a helpful travel guide to today's global religious community in this book, neither lightweight nor unnecessarily dense. The origins and founders of each religion are presented along with explanatory passages from other works. With notes and an extensive bibliography, readers will find this book a well-grounded starting point for understanding the interrelationships, commonalities and differences of faiths, and for seeing development of religious expression through time. (Nov.)

A veteran in foreign affairs offers this lucid case against an American foreign policy that either ignores religion or sees it as an obstacle to human freedom. Farr suggests that American foreign policy is “unduly limiting our capacity to defend ourselves” by overlooking religion as a powerful influence on how nations act. He argues for a strong connection between religion and democracy, urging U.S. foreign policy makers to encourage Islamic and other religious leaders to use their own sacred texts to derive “liberal norms” that promote human dignity. Bright narrative spots, such as the story of a family persecuted in its native land for religion but now living and worshipping freely in the U.S., pepper a too lengthy history of the International Religious Freedom Act. About Islam, the author takes a prescriptive line, setting out concrete steps and arguments for training diplomats about religion. Although the conclusion is thin, one irony stands out: even as America has learned the religious ideology behind the 9/11 attacks, its strategy of promoting democracy has largely ignored “the critical role religion must play if freedom is to endure.” (Nov.)

While many assume that the question of Christian involvement in politics is a recent one, this work traces the 2,000-year history of Christian thinking on the place of religion and politics—“the story of how we got to where we are now”—a philosophical tradition going back to the ancient Greeks. Christian scholar Forster locates the origins of this story in the faith's first three centuries, when believers faced persecution, making the church suspicious of political power. Even after Christianity was established as the religion of the state, this initial experience with persecution continued to influence Christian thinking about the relationship between the church and political institutions. Forster offers an intellectual history that is learned and accessible, and he fills his account with the lives and works of some of Christianity's most important thinkers, from Augustine and Aquinas through Luther and Locke to Reinhold Niebuhr and C.S. Lewis. Most helpful is the clear account Forster gives of natural law theory and its influence on Christian political thought. Some readers may strain to see the “crisis” that Forster predicts, and others may not share his clearly Christian frame of reference, but this is a work that offers a thorough account of a long and complicated history. (Nov.)