Web-Exclusive Reviews: Week of 5/18/2009

-- Publishers Weekly, 5/18/2009

NONFICTION

40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation
James Carville with Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza. Simon & Schuster, $24 (224p) ISBN 9781416569893
Known for his acerbic, take-no-prisoners style, Democratic political consultant and pundit Carville (Take it Back) does not pull punches in this aggressive manifesto. Surveying the political landscape, the bull-headed liberal finds the right pursuing “ridiculous positions” and “pontificat[ing] on silly-ass things that have been decided a long time ago” like global warming, WMD in Iraq, abstinence-based education, and rumors of Obama’s secret Muslim heritage. Despite its provocative packaging, and some obvious recycling (yes, Bill O’Reilly and Fox News get a thorough rebuke), Carville has a serious message and some compelling analysis. Examining the demographics in the last election and the Bush administration’s record, Carville concludes that the Democrats will easily defeat the opposition for years to come. A lead campaign strategist for both of Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns, Carville has plenty to say regarding Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential run (though he’s careful to note that she’s the politician “I admire the most”). He also believes that if Pres. Obama follows the path set by Bill Clinton, enacting “solid, sensible policies,” Americans will accept him as “the Real Deal.” Pitched squarely in the southpaw strike zone, Carville hasn’t mixed up his standard delivery, but he should find a larger audience of moderates than he has in recent years. (May.)

Bad Girls Go Everywhere: The Life of Helen Gurley Brown
Jennifer Scanlon. Oxford Univ., $27.95 (352p) ISBN 9780195342055
Helen Gurley Brown, best known for her 32 years as editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, gets the full feminist icon treatment in this lively, engaging biography from gender studies professor Scanlon (Inarticulate Longings: The Ladies’ Home Journal, Gender, and the Promises of Consumer Culture). Brown invented the term “mouseburger” to describe herself—a “young woman of average looks, with some intelligence, more likely working in a job than pursuing a career”—but grew into a New York media diva after finding her niche penning women’s articles and, later, best-selling books like Sex and the Single Girl. Combing girlish banter with a frank, no-nonsense attitude toward sex, Gurley’s trademark voice gained her popularity and, eventually, the editorial gig at Cosmopolitan. There, she resuscitated the flailing publication with a sexy, transformative makeover. While contemporary 1960s society considered Brown the antithesis of feminist stars like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, Brown’s push for freedom in the office and the bedroom presaged feminism’s approaching third wave. Scanlon skillfully avoids caricature, depicting instead an intelligent and complex woman who, for all her talk of wild sex and steamy affairs, remained happily (and monogamously) married, lived as frugally as possible, encouraged women’s independence, and frequently educated readers on vital issues like contraception, queer culture, abortion and rape. (Apr.)

The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing is Revolutionizing Law and Business
Robert Plotkin. Stanford Univ., $29.95 (288p) ISBN 9780804756990
Sure, MIT’s new Jeopardy-playing computer just got challenged by Ken Jennings, the quiz-show’s Kasparov, but could a computer surpass Edison at invention? As tech-centric patent lawyer Plotkin explains, computers have already developed a revolutionary toothbrush and radio antennae, and in some ways are better suited to invention. Able to conceive of and abandon ideas without biases, and with greater speed and range, they would likely have saved Edison’s lightbulb about 10,000 failed attempts. With the rise of invention-assisting computer programs he calls “genies,” Plotkin predicts a “digital renaissance,” provided patent law doesn’t stunt its progress; to compare, he considers how the Internet might have been hobbled by restricting tools like HTML and Java. Plotkin argues that genies should be open platforms, free for anyone to use, and that the commands used to create parameters for the end-product (“wishes”) should be patentable (despite potential grumbling from programmers and big business). At times, Plotkin overindulges in pedantic language and tangents (like the prehistory of genies), at the expense of compelling topics like, for instance, how genies work, or the underlying principles of patent law. Nevertheless, this absorbing look at the democratizing advances in invention technology should capture the imagination of engineers, programmers and entrepreneurs. (May)

The Hunger: A Story of Food, Desire, and Ambition
John DeLucie. Ecco, $23.99 (256p) ISBN 9780061579240
With a cooking class and a Dean & Deluca’s prep gig under his belt, DeLucie left behind a comfortable finance career for the cutthroat culinary industry of 1990s New York City. Eventually, he’d become a celebrity chef with his own destination restaurant co-owned by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. Beyond talent and drive, DeLucie had the requisite outsized ego to make it in the NYC culinary scene, persevering despite the staggering number of failures (some almost immediately, and sometimes on the word of a single reviewer) he helps open. Readers may find DeLucie’s self-important prologue hard to stomach, but if they’re willing to humor him they’ll find a genuinely good story as well as a survey of celebrity eating habits, drawn from his popular Greenwich Village restaurant The Waverly Inn (after his visit, Karl Lagerfeld sent out for “just our roasted carrots...every day for a week”). When he puts aside his ego, DeLucie provides an excellent balance of personal details and authentic backstage culinary tales. For all the name-dropping, DeLucie’s is a satisfying triumph of hard work and sticktoitness. (May)

Lost Boy
Brent. W. Jeffs with Maia Szalavitz. Broadway, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 9780767931779
In this moving debut memoir, the nephew of a Mormon sect leader chronicles life in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and what came after. Among a 10,000-member Mormon community, Jeffs grew up with three mothers, more than a dozen siblings, and a deep fear of the world outside of the church. Within the secretive community, Jeffs was taught that purity came from special attention to dress, hard work, generosity and, most importantly, obedience to one’s elders (especially his uncle, the prophet Warren Jeffs). The focus of this fast-paced memoir is the sexual abuse Jeffs and his brothers endured at the hands of their relatives during church and school functions, for which he would file a class-action lawsuit in 2004. Jeffs’s descent into depression proves the beginning of the end for his relationship with the church and, consequently, with much of his family. Jeffs outlines the core beliefs of the Church, along with the oppressive ends to which they were used, and the heartbreaking fate of those church members expelled into a society they were raised to see as evil and corrupt. This hard-to-put-down, tightly woven account pulls back the curtain on what’s become a perennial news story, while illustrating the impiety of absolute power and the delicacy of innocence. (May)

The Rise and Fall of the Cthulhu Mythos
S.T. Joshi. Mythos (www.mythosbooks.com), $40 (308p) ISBN 9780978991180
The Cthulhu Mythos—the myth pattern spun from the alien entities, forbidden books, and haunted New England towns of H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction—is a popular fiction phenomenon that has inspired thousand of horror tales from fans and professionals writing under Lovecraft’s spell since the 1920s. In this opinionated but entertaining study, the world’s foremost Lovecraft scholar closely scrutinizes the Mythos and finds much to criticize. Separating out as the “Lovecraft Mythos” the stories in which Lovecraft developed his unique mythology, Joshi (H.P. Lovecraft: A Life) sees a distinct difference from the Cthulhu Mythos as practiced by most other writers, primarily in the absence of a cosmic perspective that gives the fictional horrors intellectual weight and gravity. Joshi lays the blame for the Mythos reducing Lovecraft’s work to its most superficial aspects on Lovecraft’s disciple August Derleth, who misinterpreted the intent of his mentor’s work and created the template from which most Mythos fiction ever since has been struck. Though written for the small subculture of horror enthusiasts who will find its arguments provocative, this volume nevertheless offers cogent analyses of hundreds of horror stories that constitute an essential reading list for further study. (May)

The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public
Susan M. Schweik. New York Univ., $35 (448p) ISBN 9780814740576
In 1881, the Chicago City Code read, “Any person who is diseased, maimed, mutilated, or in any way deformed... shall not... expose himself to public view.” These “ugly laws” began in San Francisco in 1867, then spread through the U.S. and abroad; many in the U.S. weren’t repealed until the 1970s. English professor Schweik (A Gulf So Deeply Cut: American Women Poets and the Second World War), co-director of UC Berkley’s disabilities studies program, explores the emergence of these laws and their tragic consequences for thousands. Motivated largely by the desire to reduce beggar populations and to expand the role of charitable organizations, in practical terms the ugly laws meant “harsh policing; antibegging; systematized suspicion...; and structural and institutional repulsion of disabled people.” Schweik discusses the nineteenth century conditions that created a demand for these laws, but notes how the resulting practices have carried through to the present. Schweik draws on a deep index of resources, from legal proceedings to out-of-print books, to tell the story of individuals long lost to history. Her detailed analysis will be of primary interest to those involved with the history of social justice in the U.S. and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 18 Illus. (May)

LIFESTYLE

Get Off Your “But”: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself
Sean Stephenson. Jossey-Bass, $19.95 (224p) ISBN 9780470399934
In Stephenson’s powerful and practical debut, the psychotherapist and professional speaker reveals how to banish self-doubt and insecurity in a world where they may seem omnipresent. Beginning with the source of his own struggle, a rare and painful disease that causes his bones to weaken and break under minimal pressure, Stephenson offers a structured approach to a wide array of topics, including dating, weight loss, lack of motivation, friendship, finances, and goals. While his advice is encouraging and insightful, Stephenson’s text is also notable for examples, mottos and resonant personal stories of enormous obstacles and accomplishments (his work with the Clinton administration, attaining his Ph.D., opening his own private practice). Though his unwavering optimism can be daunting (bringing one’s day-to-day gripes into sharp relief), Stephenson is empowering and uplifting throughout, and should prove helpful whether facing a lifelong challenge or a more immediate battle. (May)

Grillin’ With Gas
Fred Thompson. Taunton, $19.95 (312p) ISBN 9781600850318
After picking up a few tricks for 2007’s Barbecue Nation, Thompson presents another volume aimed at backyard cooks ready to sweat a little for their meal. Few arcane ingredients or lengthy preparations are called for; Thompson’s cornbread requires only six ingredients, his New York Strip just five. Geared for gas, many of Thompson’s dishes require little grilling time, and are in general an easy transfer to charcoal. While it’s easy to throw some wood chips on a charcoal fire to add smokiness, Thompson offers a handful of easy gas grill work-arounds that diners will never suspect are substitutes. The recipe deck is stacked with favorites like burgers (including lamb, salmon and tuna variations), steaks and sides like baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad, making this ideal for cooks still in their honeymoon stage with the new grill. More adventurous palates should enjoy flavorful riffs on North African Grilled Shrimp (topped with a burst of lemon and crunchy pine nuts) and Cornish game hens, which get a lift from a blueberry, garlic, thyme and vinegar marinade. Finished with sound advice on everything from buying a grill to choosing the right cut of steak, Thompson’s book should prove as useful as an extra set of tongs. (May)

Mayo Clinic The Essential Diabetes Book: How to Prevent, Control and Live Well with Diabetes
Maria Collazo-Clavel. Time Inc. Home Entertainment, $25.95 (224p) ISBN 9781603200493
The latest condition-specific volume from the Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic Fitness for EveryBody, Mayo Clinic Guide to Alzheimer’s, etc.), this guide to diabetes takes on the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., a disease afflicting 24 million Americans. With contributions from a number of doctors, nurses, and educators, the message is encouraging: “you can enjoy an active and healthy life… [if you] do your part.” Chapter one presents disease facts, spelling out the differences between type I (largely heredity) and type II (the fast-rising kind, related to lifestyle issues like obesity). Subsequent chapters explain blood glucose levels, how to monitor them and how to control them with medication and diet. The book iterates often that, “contrary to popular myth,” there “is no diabetes diet,” but rather a simple strategy of moderation, variety and regular meal times (which epicureans in mourning should appreciate, along with easy, imaginative recipes like Baked Chicken with Pears). The next chapters deal with food, exercise, self-motivation, and specific medical issues like insulin pumps and prescription treatments. Much information on prevention gives this volume a wider appeal; any household with a diabetes patient (or a family history) should find use for this thorough, friendly, fully-illustrated overview. (Apr.)

The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference
Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. Doubleday, $17.95 (144p) ISBN 9780385526555
According to successful authors and marketing business leaders Thaler and Koval, paying attention to the small things can improve your effectiveness in both personal and professional situations. Written in an appropriately succinct style, Thaler and Koval make a big deal of simple steps like paying better attention to what you’re saying (“Bill Clinton... wait[s] until he has come to the end of a sentence to shift his attention to another person”) and picking up after yourself (“Professional organizer Molly Boren... [says] to put away three things in the morning and three things at night”). Some chapters are more professionally oriented, like a chapter on gaffes at work (“Little Mistakes Spell Disaster”), but widely-applicable, everyday advice gets much of the attention, as in the “Take Baby Steps” chapter: “Smaller, more attainable goals will also give you quicker, more frequent mini-rewards.” Though not necessarily for front-to-back reading, quick dips should yield enough practical inspiration for most seekers. Clean, simple writing, familiar to anyone who picked up the authors’ bestselling The Power of Nice, ensures a fast-paced reading experience, and an admirable example of the subtle, considered approach it advocates. (Apr.)

ILLUSTRATED

Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine 1880-1930
John Harley Warner and James M. Edmonson. Blast (PGW, dist.), $50 (208p) ISBN 9780922233342
This is a startling window into the education of American doctors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—on both a visceral level and for its revealing cultural record. Cringe-worthy shots of medical students—bare-handed gentlemen and a few ladies in street clothes show off their scalpels, saws and textbooks—while their cadavers, mostly poor and black, are awkwardly posed, and exposed. In one stunning shot, a black woman looks out from behind the young students. “What are we to make of an African-American woman, standing, broom handle in hand, behind the dissection table, her gaze fixed on the camera?” the authors ask. More importantly, they conclude, the photo is now drawn “out of the shadows of history” where “we can at least bear witness.” A blood-soaked dissection table makes you want to look away and the dark humor of students playing pranks with skeletons are both hilarious and horrible. Postcards sent to family and friends must have caused shock and awe for postmen and recipient alike. Here, a difficult glance into medicine’s “uncomfortable past” offers a grand opportunity to understand the legacy doctors and patients live with, and benefit from, today. (June)

World Atlas of Dog Breeds: 6th Edition
Dominique De Vito with Heather Russell-Revesz and Stephanie Fornino. TFH, $99.95 (959p) ISBN 9780793806560
Obviously an invaluable reference book, completely rewritten over three years, this handsome volume soon seduces even the average reader with any interest in man’s best friend. Covering more than 420 breeds, the guide is easy to use, alphabetically arranged with ratings for a number of important breed characteristics such as compatibility with children, with other pets, grooming, and energy level. Beautiful photographs portray each breed, accompanied by origin and history, recognized by the seven foremost breed clubs and registries. Also useful are the appendices, including glossaries of canine terminology, disorders and diseases, as well as an extensive bibliography and index. An important volume for those who operate in “the world of dogs,” it’s also a surprising, fun, informative page turner for anyone contemplating owning a dog (or just wishing they could). (May)

POETRY

100 Essential American Poems
Edited by Leslie M. Pockell. Thomas Dunne, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 9780312369804
In this poetry collection, Pockell (100 Poems to Lift Your Spirits), associate publisher at Time Warner Books Group, focuses on poems that have fueled the American identity. Covering 400 years, the poems range from classic, to familiar (and for nostalgics, poems most likely memorized and recited), to those that touch upon the seminal events in America’s history. The collection aims to present an evolving American “voice” while following the country’s growth in human rights, feminism and diversity. A short author bio prefaces each selection, beginning with the 17th century’s Anne Bradstreet, who celebrates being female in a harsh environment. Well known names like Herman Melville, Emily Dickenson, William Carlos Williams, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath are represented by their seminal works, and the beauty of this collection is the coming together of the best loved poems of the best loved American poets. A work that serves as reference, comfort, and a reminder poetry’s significance in the everyday experience of American life, this is a volume worthy of any shelf. (Apr.)

FICTION

Empties
George Zebrowski. Golden Gryphon, $24.95 (163p) ISBN 97819308846593
A potentially bloodcurdling concept—a woman who can kill by teleporting people’s brains outside their skulls—gets philosophized to death in this disappointing tale of supernatural noir. In the course of investigating several brainless corpses and corpseless brains that turn up on his Manhattan beat, Det. William Benek meets Lower East Side landlord Dierdre Matera. Shortly after becoming her lover, Benek discovers that Dierdre has the power literally to think men brainless. A ghoulish cat-and-mouse game ensues in which Benek struggles to get his superiors to believe in Deirdre’s terrifying talents, even as Deirdre tracks and kills anyone whom Benek has tipped off about her. Zebrowski (Black Pockets) writes this story in a gritty hardboiled style suitable for its gory set pieces, but his characters spend so much time talking stuffily about how Deirdre acquired her powers, and what they symbolizes in the battle of the sexes, that the horror of his tale never registers as shockingly as it should. Only in its fast and frightening brains-apoppin’ finale does this short novel live up to the promise of its premise. (May)

A Little Intelligence and Other Stories
Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett. Crippen & Landru, $42 (173p) ISBN 9781932009705
In the 1950s, acclaimed SF authors Silverberg and Garrett wrote mystery-themed short stories under the joint pseudonym of Robert Randall, and seven of them are collected in this engaging volume. All the stories are well-written and display the imagination evidenced in the author’s individual work. There’s something for most tastes, including the hilarious “The Mummy Takes a Wife.” For many readers the high points will be the three tales mixing science fiction, mystery and theological elements. In “No Future in This” and “Deus ex Machina,” the discovery of a device that can predict the future places a great moral burden on Father Sean Riley, who’s uniquely able to use it. Father Brown fans, and those who remember Anthony Boucher’s Sister Ursula stories fondly, will be delighted by the title story, in which Sister Mary Magdalene must solve the murder of an alien. Both SF and mystery readers will hope that more of these tales will be reprinted in the future. (Apr.)

The Minerva Club: The Department of Patterns and Others
Victor Canning. Crippen & Landru, $29 (232p) ISBN 9781932009767
Crippen & Landru again rescues an author from undeserved obscurity with the 27th volume in its Lost Classics series. This collection includes representative stories from Canning’s three series, which vary widely in setting and tone. P.G. Wodehouse fans will be delighted with the five Minerva Club tales, centering on an exclusive London club of hapless excons, whose misadventures will have many readers chuckling. The seven stories featuring the Department of Patterns will remind John Dickson Carr admirers of that author’s Department of Queer Complaints; Canning’s department is a mysterious branch of the French police devoted to combing through mounds of data to figure out, for example, why six trucks have been robbed of one case of tinned chicken breasts each. The nine very short stories featuring Dr. Kang, a Peking University philosophy Ph.D., that close the book are well written but less engaging than the others. (Apr.)