Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 5/04/2009

-- Publishers Weekly, 5/4/2009

NONFICTION

Cheek by Jowl: Talks and Essays on How and Why Fantasy Matters
Ursula K. Le Guin. Aqueduct (www.aqueductpress.com), $16 paper (160p) ISBN 9781933500270
The work of poet and novelist Le Guin (Lavinia, The Left Hand of Darkness) spans genres, including science fiction, fantasy and kid lit, and here she collects scholarship and opinion on the importance of fantasy in every stage of our lives. Aside from taking on “the whole misbegotten procedure” of condemning a genre with the standards of another (why not “judge Moby Dick as science fiction” or “Pride and Prejudice as a Western”?), Le Guin delineates a number of intriguing points just by focusing on animal characters, and their relationships to humans, in her multi-part essay “Animals in Children's Literature”: Jack London’s White Fang, for example, uses the perspectives of canine and human characters to create a genuine understanding of the love between them. Le Guin’s most charged argument tackles the idea that fondness for fantasy equals lack of maturity; instead, Le Guin attests that fantasy is the only type of fiction that can be fully appreciated at any age, and is often involved in important poetry and unique imagery. This compact collection will stoke readers' affection and appreciation for fantasy by highlighting important but overlooked qualities in many familiar tales (such as the duplicity at work in Lewis Carroll) that prove its lasting value as literature. (May)

Hit the Ground Running: A Manual for New Leaders
Jason Jennings. Penguin/Portfolio, $25.95 (256p) ISBN 9781591842477
At a tumultuous time in business, this book makes a smart appeal to the new generation of leaders. Though his research comes from a pre-crash environment, business writer Jennings (Less is More) derives rules from interviews with 10 highly successful CEOs based in solid, honest values like simplification, communication and cooperation: “don't deceive yourself,” “ask for help,” “cultivate a sense of urgency,” etc. Unfortunately, Jennings's chatty delivery focuses more on anecdotes than points and strategies. Chapter four, “Find, Keep and Grow the Right People,” offers useful background on Staples but buries the nut: “People don’t quit teams; they only quit organizations... [Staples CEO] Ron Sargent has mastered the art of turning an organization into a team.” Team-developing strategies (promoting from within, making “everyone an owner,” prioritizing diversity) are examined only briefly. Rule eight, “Be accountable,” is represented well in Goodrich's “top-to-bottom accountability,” but gets weighed down in clumsy metaphors like, “I’m convinced that if you stop and take a deep breath, all companies have a smell.” Though it isn't an MBA-level tome, this volume's affable approach might work for those new to business books or for befuddled managers with time to spare. (Apr.)

Haunting Museums: The Strange and Uncanny Stories Behind the Most Mysterious Exhibits
John Schuster. Forge, $14.95 paper (272p) ISBN 9780765322920
No ghost story, this collection of museum curiosities is devoted to demystifying legendary exhibits like the 19th century Cardiff Giant and the worldwide array of shrunken heads. For many obscure subjects, Schuster’s explanations provide an extensive history. Most of the second half of the book features niche museums covering everything from murder to medicine—including the “Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast and Museum” of Fall River, Mass. (“guests are treated to a breakfast similar to the one the Bordens ate on the morning of the murders”) and Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum of medical anomalies, which houses a tumor taken from Grover Cleveland's mouth and a post-autopsy plaster cast of famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng. More familiar topics, such as the Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart exhibits at The National Air and Space Museum, get lengthy histories but little fresh insight; further, the first piece (on paleontologists’ original reconstruction of the Brontosaurus) sets a rigorous academic standard that's never recaptured. As a guide to some obscure exhibits and venues, this is an amusing and informative read, but readers will likely find Schuster an inadequate curator for better-known subjects like the Smithsonian and New York's American Museum of National History. (May)

How to Live Dangerously: The Hazards of Helmets, the Benefits of Bacteria, and the Risks of Living Too Safe
Warwick Cairns. St. Martin’s Griffin, $12.95 paper (176p) ISBN 9780312533892
Cairns’ droll, entertaining book examines how we’ve become a world of people afraid of the world: “survey after survey shows that most people, nowadays, believe the world to be a far more dangerous place now than it was in the past.” Not only do we worry too much, we worry about the wrong things. With a witty, occasionally whiny British inflection, Cairns catalogs the innocuous things that grab our attention (airplane crashes), the real dangers we rarely consider (hundreds of thousands home gardening accidents), and the real victims: the children. Along with many funny, outrageous anecdotes illustrating a society whose members are no longer willing to take responsibility for their own safety or well being, Cairns makes many salient points about litigation, obese children and the pacifying effects of the safety state (ironically, the safest course of action may be the one that seems the most dangerous, since we become more cautious when we perceive danger). Cairn’s lighthearted approach is informative and easy to read, in spite of occasionally obscure British references, and should briefly alleviate anxiety, if only because it’s hard to worry and smile simultaneously. (May)

Plastic Fantastic: How the Biggest Fraud in Physics Shook the Scientific World
Eugenie Samuel Reich. Palgrave MacMillan, $26.95 (272p) ISBN 9780230224674
Reich, a former editor at New Science, unravels the absorbing story of Jan Hendrik Schön, a researcher at the prestigious Bell Laboratories from 1998 to 2002, who achieved star status in cutting-edge materials technology—super-conductivity, lasers, nanotechnology—by falsifying data. A graduate of Germany's “low key” University of Konstanz, he dove immediately into “a demanding environment… known for big discoveries, ambitious expectations.” When his papers on experiments with organic crystals were rejected, he manipulated data and made false claims; publication followed. When the tech bubble burst, Bell came under increasing pressure from parent company Lucent to justify its existence; short-circuiting the normal process of peer review, the lab turned to public relations, “press-releasing exciting scientific findings” to fool investors, customers and Lucent into believing Bell had “a sound long-term technological future.” Reich’s clear explanation gives general readers a real sense of the excitement generated in the scientific community by Schön’s “discoveries,” how he made them appear credible and how his ability to dissemble eventually failed him; he also raises profound ethical questions that resonate with current concerns over science and its place in the public sphere. (May)

Poisoned Heart: I Married Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones Years)
Vera Ramone King. Phoenix, $22.95 (256p) ISBN 9781597776127
With an over-reliance on exclamation and cliché, but a proper dose of attitude, King pulls back the curtain on her life with Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002), founding bassist of the first punk rock band and “the baddest and loudest boy in the room.” Born Douglas Colvin, King's Dee Dee is a creature of extremes: obsessed with violence, he spent years collecting knives and martial arts weapons, but also made love to King up to five times a day. Married to Dee Dee from 1978 to 1995, King's adoring account doesn't gloss over the physical and mental abuse she suffered—including the night Dee Dee almost beat her to death—or her husband's multiple drug overdoses (the only episode she does sugarcoat is his ill-conceived foray into rap). She also shares her own struggle with brain cancer, but her focus is on the mayhem, much of which is amusing and highly opinionated; she portrays late guitarist Johnny Ramone as a tyrant and producer Phil Spector as a psychopath. Unfortunately, this quick read misses the opportunity to put the Ramones’ significant body of work into greater context. Though her narrative can be compelling, King’s amateur style may be too DIY even for Ramones fans. 24 color photos. (June)

 Take Your Shirt Off and Cry: A Memoir of Near-Fame Experiences
Nancy Balbirer. Bloomsbury, $16 paper (256p) ISBN 9781596914780
This funny, bravura memoir describes life as a young actress, and all the “head-banging frustration, demoralizing options, and bewildering compromises” that come with it. Balbirer begins with her time as an undergrad at New York University, using just the right combination of humor, embarrassment and righteous indignation, with just a touch of name dropping: in David Mamet's course, for instance, the playwright's first lecture posited that “Bill Cosby was a whore.” A star student, Balbirer was unprepared for the real world, where work is scarce even for the very talented; working the avant-garde circuit led her to become known in “certain fringe theater circles” as “the Chick Who’s Willing to Show Her Tits in the Show If Need Be.” Her adventures in television include a humiliating stint on MTV’s first original program, traveling cross-country for a meeting with Lorne Michaels that never materializes, and a part on Seinfeld that gets whittled down to a one-liner. Other misadventures include demoralizing casting calls, conniving friends and a string of callous boyfriends. Turning her poor-little-L.A. girl material into a read this witty, reflective and charming takes real talent; if there's any justice, that talent will find the fame it deserves among the book buying public. (Apr.)

LIFESTYLE

 Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken: Transform Your Life with the Power of Authenticity
Mike Robbins. Jossey-Bass, $19.95 (256p) ISBN 9780470395011
Robbins, the highly visible lantern-jawed motivational speaker/coach/author/guru (author of Focus on the Good Stuff), returns with a primer on authenticity: what it means, what it can do, and how to achieve it. A master of his craft, Robbins' guide is thorough, direct and carefully organized, with an understanding and enthusiastic voice. Beginning with the reasons we lose our authentic selves, Robbins enumerates the pressures to conform in family, school, religion, politics and the media, as well as the damaging messages we absorb, like “be a good boy,” “calm down” and “shut up.” Robbins explains how these pressures lead to self-criticism and fear, then how to overcome them through greater awareness and compassion for one's faults. With questions, exercises, action points and sound practices, Robbins provides a map to transforming fear, gaining self-knowledge and celebrating your authentic self, with a measured pace and a minimum of distraction (no sidebars, charts or breakout boxes). Readers looking for a positive, no-nonsense guide to self-actualization should find Robbins an ideal guide. (Apr.)

Down Home with the Neelys: A Southern Family Cookbook
Patrick Neely and Gina Neely with Paula Disbrowe. Knopf, $27.95 (288p) ISBN 9780307269942
Husband-and-wife television personalities with their own Tennessee chain of barbecue joints, the Neelys unveil their first cookbook, full of 120 recipes that pull back the curtain on their award-winning seasonings, sauce, and fixings. Emphasizing their personal story and family recipes, this cookbook is brimming with down-home personality (“Girl, my favorite nut is the pecan!”) and dishes that are “simple, stylish, and not too fussy.” Those include tweaked standards like Warm Artichoke and Collard Greens Dip, Southern Crostinis featuring pimento cheese, Broccoli Cheddar Cornbread, and sweet potatoes with Marshmallow Streusel. Entrees include the expected (Pat's Wings of Fire, Spicy Fried Chicken, Old-Fashioned Glazed Ham, barbecued ribs, chicken and fish), the unexpected (Barbecue Spaghetti, Deep-Fried Pork Chops) and the playful in-between (like Get Yo' Man Chicken). They don't skimp on desserts either, including Momma Neely's “calling card,” Sock-It-to-Me Cake, a yellow cake with streusel filling perfect for ending a meal or starting the day. Family stories, wise sourcing tips and plenty of commentary from Pat and Gina make this a warm, welcome addition to any cooking library's Southern shelf. (May)

Emeril at the Grill: A Cookbook for All Seasons
Emeril Lagasse. HarperStudio, $24.99 paper (248p) ISBN 9780061742743
After a dozen cookbooks, popular TV personality and restaurateur Lagasse is unflagging in his enthusiasm and encouragement for home cooks, evidenced by this dense appreciation of all things grilled. A smart and approachable mix of the familiar (burgers, garlic bread, Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce) and the exotic (spicy Portugese piri piri kebabs, tandoori chicken drumsticks), Lagasse's latest includes over 150 recipes suitable for the next cookout. Lagasse packs in plenty of flavor without requiring too much effort in terms of sourcing; most cooks should be able to find the necessary requirements for his Vietnamese BBQ Pork Meatballs, Pork and Chorizo Burgers with Green Chile Mayo or Thai-Style Beef Salad with minimal fuss. A consummate entertainer, Lagasse also gives readers plenty of hosting ideas, starting with Watermelon Margaritas and Caipirinhas, can’t-miss crowd-pleasers like baked beans and grilled corn (with cheese and chilis), classic desserts like root beer floats and s'mores, and signature southern riffs like mint julep sorbet. Grillers looking to broaden their repertoire are likely to find more than a few new standards here. (May)

Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever
Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman. Rodale, $27.95 (480p) ISBN 9781605299563
According to futurist Kurzweil (The Singularity is Near) and homeopathic medical doctor Grossman (The Baby Boomer's Guide to Living Forever), medicine is transforming into an information technology, which by its nature advances at an exponential rate. Thus, those interested in “radical life extension” must make it their immediate goal to live through the next 20 or so years, in order to see advances like DNA reprogramming and submicroscopic, cell-repairing robots. This “guide to Bridge One” outlines nine areas: talking with your doctor, relaxation, assessment, nutrition, supplementation, calorie reduction, exercise, new technologies, and detoxification. Familiar common-sense health advice abounds, but is practical and thorough; along with one to five cups of green tea each day, the authors provide low-cal recipes like Ginger Turkey Burgers and Herbed Zucchini. A detailed exercise routine for aerobic and weight training is also included. Kurzweil and Grossman, who last explored this subject together in 2005's Fantastic Voyage, also look at supplements, medical tests and hormone “optimization”; happily, chapters on calorie reduction and detoxification avoid trendy, potentially dangerous approaches. Whether or not it's true that, within two decades, we'll have the tools to live forever, this is an intelligent, optimistic guide to healthy living, with an intriguing view of medicine's future. (Apr.)

ILLUSTRATED

The Pictures Generation, 1974-1984
Douglas Eklund. Yale Univ., $60 (352p) ISBN 9780300148923
A gleeful sense of irony takes center stage in this coffee table catalog of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Pictures Generation exhibition. Immersed in the political era book-ended by Nixon and Reagan, the artists here came of age during mass media’s first years, and their wildly divergent experiments with Pop, minimal and conceptual art hold a common concern with social commentary, including race relations, sexuality, feminism and consumerism. Of Eklund’s three essays, the Met associate curator’s opener, “Image Art after Conceptualism,” is the standout, examining the photographers who hailed from the then-nascent West Coast Institute of Art and made up the “CalArts Mafia.” The movement concerned itself with deconstructing the myth and artifice behind stereotypical images of women and minorities, and the subtle dismantling of advertising campaigns and icons, preceding by decades the culture jamming/ad busting trend of the 1990s and 2000s. Long overdue for a retrospective, this class of artists produces a stunning collection; though the text is largely aimed at professionals or academics, this handsome volume should appeal to any reader interested in conceptual arts. (May)

Zebrato
Michael Levin. Dewi Lewis (www.dewilewispublishing.com), $45 (96p) ISBN 9781904587705
Ethereal, ghostly images abound in this eye-catching volume filled with the black and white landscape photographs of young, celebrated Canadian photographer Levin. Using long exposures, Levin gives his monochromatic photographs a haunting, hazy quality cut by the solid, heavy lines of buildings, bridges, rock formations and walls. Devoid of people, the images’ sense of loneliness reveal a debt to the cinematic work of artists like Antonioni, who emphasized style and stillness over straightforward beauty. Many photographs attest to Levin’s fascination with texture and the constant evolution of natural scenery; in “Spring Field, 2006,” Levin captures the striations of unsown earth, creating a supple pattern that resembles fabric. Whether captured in Canada, France, Japan or Iceland, this collection coheres in its otherworldly sense of calm; in a spare introduction, writer Barry Dumka explains that, “despite their exacting clarity,” the subjects of Levin’s photos “are loosened from their quotidian values to serve better [his] goal.” Also clear is this photographer’s talent to parse out the beauty and resonance of seemingly utilitarian structures, creating quietly unforgettable images. (May)

FICTION

Max: A Maximum Ride Novel
James Patterson. Little, Brown, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 9780316002899
The fifth entry in Patterson’s all-ages Maximum Ride fantasy/thriller series finds the teenaged title character facing her greatest challenge yet. Max, leading her flock of virtually indestructible part-human/part-bird hybrids, must rescue her human mom, kidnapped by a criminal mastermind with an elaborate plan to wreak worldwide ecological catastrophe. But in order to rescue her, 14-year-old Max and the five younger members of her flock (genetically developed by an environmental group) must team up with the U.S. Navy to determine why millions of fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii. All this, and Max is falling in love, too. Patterson doesn’t spend much time on character development, opting to propel his wild story with quick action scenes, plenty of dialogue and chapters seldom longer than three or four pages; unfortunately, though, life-and-death situations are often solved by implausible plot turns. Max narrates with a precocious, snarky voice, but makes it relatively easy to jump into her complicated tale midstream. Not surprisingly, the open-ended conclusion begs for a follow-up; it’s also little wonder that a movie franchise is in the works. (Apr.)

Scared
Tom Davis. David C. Cook, $14.99 paper (304p) ISBN 9781589191020
Nonfiction author Davis (Fields of the Fatherless) makes his fiction debut with a story about two people worlds apart who help each other find redemption. An orphan girl in Swaziland endures her uncle's abuse through visions of “the illuminated man” who she believes will take her to her dead mother’s side. When photographer Stuart Daniels discovers the girl near death, he enlists a pastor and a village chief to help her and her two siblings. Facing floods, confronting and aid agency's fraud, and absorbing a brutal attack by one of many desperate starving people may be the only path toward atonement for Stuart’s past life. Davis shows insight into African cultures and his writing is vivid, but the novel is weakened by shifts in tense and point of view and lack of patience for character transformation. The novel is the first of three; the series could become popular if the quality of the writing can improve enough to do justice to the passion with which the author champions his cause. (June)