Nonfiction Reviews: 8/10/2009

Following his biographies of H.L. Mencken and George Balanchine, Teachout turns to another mighty pillar of 20th-century American culture, Louis Armstrong, “a black man born at the turn of the century in the poorest quarter of New Orleans who by the end of his life was known and loved in every corner of the earth.” It may seem odd to speak of someone of Louis Armstrong's stature as needing recuperation, but his popularity has long been held against him by jazz purists and other music critics. Teachout brings a fresh perspective that, while candid about the ways “Pops” could hold himself back artistically, celebrates his ambition and capacity for renewal. The other knock against Armstrong is that if white Americans loved him so much, he must have been an “Uncle Tom,” a notion Teachout neatly demolishes. While Armstrong was keenly aware of the social realities of his time, his relentless work ethic was fueled by an equally intense optimism. (His patience, however, was not infinite; he publicly criticized President Eisenhower as having “no guts” for failing to enforce desegregation—one of the few celebrities who could be so outspoken without suffering substantial backlash.) Teachout's portrait reminds us why we fell in love with Armstrong's music in the first place. B&w photos throughout, many previously unpublished. (Dec. 2)

Among the 19 authors Ellis interviewed for this book, there are two points of consensus. Almost all of the interviewees call revision the most essential element of successful writing, and in general they agree that a love of reading is the best preparation for a writing career. Ellis (Now Write!) is an astute reader. Her questions show insight and sensitivity. Most of her subjects—who include Jill McCorkle, Edward P. Jones, Paul Lisick, Ron Carlson, Margot Livesey and Julia Glass—seem open, candid and eager to talk about their creative process. (Yiyun Li, author of the novel Vagrants, offers the most provocative opinions.) Yet for all of the interesting information, the interviews have a certain sameness, due in part to the q&a format, with the same questions in every interview: how do authors choose a title; what comes first, plot or character; she quotes from authors like Virginia Woolf or Ha Jin in each interview, asking the interviewee to agree or disagree. Those cavils aside, this will be a useful volume to aspiring writers and to readers eager to plumb the creative process of writers whose work they admire. (Nov.)

In this honest memoir, Koterba, nationally syndicated political cartoonist and jazz musician, depicts a childhood burdened with both Tourette's syndrome and an eccentric, overbearing father. A failed musician, the older Koterba drank heavily and turned his frustrations on his family. He also had a part-time business repairing and selling televisions, which turned their Omaha, Neb., home into a Sanford and Son–style junkyard. Like his son, he suffered from Tourette's, which has a genetic component. The painfully shy Koterba struggled as a young man to escape the family chaos and follow his artistic inclinations. Koterba renders scenes of family dysfunction with an artist's feeling for nuance and detail. His psychic turmoil is portrayed with equal facility, and the junkyard house becomes a fearsome presence. However, the book lacks thematic unity. While Koterba offers a number of recurring themes—his Tourette's, the Apollo moonwalk, a journalist uncle killed in a plane crash—none of these receive enough focus to sustain the narrative. Yet Koterba's weakness is also his strength: the closeness to his material. (Nov.)

Novelist and critic White (A Boy's Own Story; The Joy of Gay Sex) weaves erotic encounters and long-ago literati into a vast tapestry of Manhattan memories. He arrived from the Midwest in 1962, worked at Time-Life Books, haunted the Gotham Book Mart and went street cruising: “We had to seek out most of our men on the hoof.” In 1970, he quit his job to live in Rome, returning to find “sexual abundance” in New York. An editor with Saturday Review and Horizon, White knew artists, writers and poets, yet his own writing remained at the starting gate. He fictionalized Fire Island rituals for his first novel, Forgetting Elena (1971), which took years to find a publisher and then sold only 600 copies. Nabokov later labeled it “a marvelous book,” ranking White along with Updike and Robbe-Grillet. His second novel, about hetero/homosexual friendships, was never published, yet he “longed for literary celebrity.” How he overcame setbacks and confronted his insecurities to eventually write 23 books makes for fascinating reading. Along the way, he notes how Fun City became Fear City with the AIDS crisis, and he recalls meeting everyone from Borges, Burroughs and Capote to Peggy Guggenheim, John Ashbery, Susan Sontag, Robert Mapplethorpe and Jasper Johns. White writes with a simple, fluid style, and beneath his patina of pain, a refreshing honesty emerges. This is a brilliant recreation of an era, rich in revels, revolutions and “leather boys leading the human tidal wave.” (Oct.)

Mehmet II (1432–1481) ascended to the throne of the Ottoman Empire when he was only 12. In spite of his youth, he had an energetic desire to rule the kingdom, physical prowess and a precocious intellect, which made him one of the most brilliant and most feared of all medieval Muslim rulers. In this alternately tedious and fast-paced chronicle, historian Freely, of Bosphorus University in Istanbul, shows Mehmet as cunning and politically and militarily astute. Mehmet turned his back on a peace treaty he had signed with emperor Constantine XI and attacked Byzantium's capital, Constantinople, capturing the city when he was barely 21. His troops looted much of the city and Mehmet, who reportedly shed tears at the destruction of such beauty, spent much of the rest of his reign rebuilding it. By 1463, Mehmet the Conqueror ruled the former dominions of the Byzantine Empire from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. In one short chapter, Freely then rushes through roughly 450 years of history to the Ottoman Empire's end after WWI. Mehmet's colorful and dashing exploits deserve better than this colorless biography. B&w illus., 2 maps. (Oct.)

Attorney Crocker brings comprehensive research and fresh perspective to his first work He presents Sir William Braddock's disastrous 1755 campaign against the French as a defining event of American history, not a “one-shot loss.” It brought together a large number of men who later played prominent roles on both sides of the Revolutionary War—not only George Washington but Thomas Gage and Charles Lee, Daniel Morgan and Daniel Boone, among others. The campaign provided lessons that shaped the American consciousness. It showed the vulnerability of the British redcoats and the potential of irregular warfare. It introduced the political issues of burden sharing and taxation. Above all, says Crocker, Braddock's march was a human story. In his fast-paced description of events, Crocker calls it a “pilgrimage of destiny.” At the narrative's center is the general. Hard-drinking, hard-driving, sustaining discipline with the lash and confronting increasing disaffection, Braddock was more complex—and more competent—than the stubborn dunce of myth. Crocker describes him as “done in... by a confluence of adverse circumstances” ranging from geography to lack of support from the colonies. The judgment is debatable, but Crocker's justification is worth reading. 66 illus. (Oct. 1)

Anyone with a taste for charming, talented, complex, troubled, duplicitous and needy historical figures will savor this book. A Revolutionary War general at age 20, James Wilkinson (1757–1825), whom few now have heard of, knew everyone of consequence in the early nation, from Washington on down. But he squandered his gifts in repeated and apparently uncontrollable double dealing, betrayals (he spied for Spain), conspiracies and dishonesty in the decades following the war. Wilkinson seemed to pop up everywhere, always trying to make a deal and feather his nest. To those ends, he would as soon turn on those whom he had pledged to help as be traitor to the army he served. The only man he remained true to was Jefferson, who in the end spurned him. No one trusted him, as no one should have. Linklater (Measuring America) skillfully captures this sociopathic rogue who, for all his defects, still commands attention from everyone trying to understand the 50 years after 1775. His charisma reaches across two centuries to perplex and fascinate any reader of this fast-paced and fully researched work. 16 pages of b&w illus., 2 maps.(Oct.)

Nelson's grandfather fought in WWI. Wounded in 1917, he survived until 1993 but said little about his experience. Inheriting only his grandfather's dog tag, a Purple Heart and a few postcards, Nelson, a former staff writer for the Miami Herald, resolved to tell his story and that of his 250-man company. Using these scraps, old newspaper accounts, government archives, secondary sources and a good deal of imagination, Nelson delivers biographies of dozens of young men, poor and middle-class, swept into the American Expeditionary Force and shipped to France, where General Pershing, anxious to prove the superiority of American fighting men (and convinced that trench warfare was for sissies), flung them at German lines, where they performed magnificently but suffered terrible casualties. Despite a dearth of primary material (no diaries turned up), Nelson delivers a creditable performance, bringing to life an America of 90 years ago in which many eagerly answered their president's call, but others (Nelson's grandfather among them) went about their business until drafted and then dutifully joined the carnage. 16 pages of b&w photos. (Oct.)

The United States economy is failing, a war overseas threatens global security, and a president who tells the country “I still believe in ideals” manages to keep hope alive. That president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Golway (Let Every Nation Know) describes Roosevelt's use of radio airwaves to become not merely a political figure but a beloved and trusted friend, almost “a guest in the homes of everyday Americans.” This is examined with great attention to FDR's rhetorical prowess and illustrated by the accompanying CD, which includes audio clips from some of FDR's most famed speeches and fireside chats. We can hear him telling Americans that isolationism was impossible because the world had shrunk; that despite the Depression “we have nothing to fear but fear itself”; that sometimes we must sacrifice at home for liberty abroad. The book and CD will resonate deeply with those seeking a historical context for today's economic crisis, interested in WWII or merely fascinated by the spoken word's power to inspire hope. Photos. (Oct.)

Wolpert, professor emeritus of biology at University College London (Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast), conceives bodies as complex societies of cells, with each individual cell and cell type fulfilling a very specific role. As Wolpert explains, cells are incredibly complicated, representing evolution in action. Indeed, Wolpert asserts, “However clever one thinks cells are, they almost always turn out to exceed one's expectations.” He provides basic biological information about cell structure, genetics and reproduction, and then discusses the roles cells play in disease, aging, death, reproduction, memory, emotion and much more. In focusing on the process of human development, he marvels at how a single cell, a fertilized egg, can grow into a complex organism. Along the way, Wolpert lightly touches on some hot-button topics like the ethics of stem cell research; when a developing fetus might be considered human; and the ethics of cloning. His range is so great that he has little time to delve beneath the surface of any of the subjects he raises, making this a cursory introduction for the novice in basic cell biology and its implications. (Oct.)

Tomasello, codirector of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, shares his theories on how human cooperation evolved and suggests it is a defining characteristic of our species. To test the innate quality of cooperation in human interactions, Tomasello studies the cooperative behavior of preverbal children, generally 12 months to 24 months in age, and compares their behavior to that of apes in similarly structured experiments. The results are remarkable, demonstrating that even preverbal children have a natural predilection to cooperate and help others. Chimpanzees, on the other hand, especially where food is concerned, tend to act in ways that increase their own individual gain. Tomasello's writing is followed by contributions from four other leading scientists—John B. Silk, Carol Dweck, Brian Skyrns and Elizabeth Spelke—whose comments are illuminating, and while they do not fully agree with Tomasello, they all agree that “[h]is cutting edge theory and research has altered the face of developmental psychology by merging cognitive and social development, historically quite separate fields.” The book (which originated as a lecture series at Stanford) is generally dryly scientific, but the fascinating approach to the question of what makes us human renders this a singularly worthwhile read. (Oct.)

Asma's book zooms in on the subject of monsters, both mythical and real, past, present and future, detailing how they have fascinated and frightened the human imagination through all of recorded time. Conjuring dread, the mind's eye has embraced the Philistine giant Goliath, Grendel, the golem of Jewish lore, Frankenstein's monster, freak shows, monster spectacles and werewolves with equal parts affection and terror, writes Asma, a philosophy professor at Columbia College Chicago. Using varied media sources, from history to legend and literature, Asma studies the symbolic meaning of monsters (e.g., biblical monsters represent arrogance in the face of God's power) and their psychological function. He concludes that humans need an excuse to fight, protect and defend, as well as to transfer those horrific qualities, our own monstrous desires, to inhuman beings. A wide-ranging exploration of fear and evil, Asma's presentation and theories are original and practical, depicting those dark, repulsive notions of an unstable, turbulent world in which everybody must struggle to remain human and civilized. 30 b&w illus. (Oct.)

An assimilated Jew, journalist London (One Day the Soldiers Came) was shaken to learn that his thoroughly modern grandmother was born in a small, Orthodox, Yiddish-speaking community in Virginia. A reunion of this now-gone “shtetl” that had coexisted peacefully with its gentile neighbors inspired him to discover other Jewish communities in challenging circumstances that live peacefully with their gentile neighbors—which he rather simplistically opposes to Israel, whose violence in the West Bank and Gaza he deplores. In Rangoon, Burma, in the midst of a military crackdown, he wonders why the city's Jewish community is dying; in Iran, he finds a Jewish community not too worried about anti-Semitism, with a guaranteed seat in Parliament, 30 synagogues and six schools. In Cuba, London wonders whether Jews join the Jewish community more for spiritual connection or for perks like a government beef ration; in Bosnia, he finds an inclusive Judaism that gave back to society at large. Finally, Israel's powerful Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial makes London believe for the first time in the necessity of a Jewish state. While a sincere and soul-searching observer, London often comes across as politically naïve and admittedly ill-informed about Jewish history and rituals. Photos. (Oct.)

An empathetic look at the notorious Marc Rich, one of the most successful and controversial commodities traders in recent history and a key figure in the invention of the spot market. With unparalleled access to Rich, his family and associates, business journalist Ammann paints a nuanced portrait of the man vilified for trading with Iran and apartheid-era South Africa, accused of being the biggest tax fraudster in U.S. history and recipient of an infamous presidential pardon. At the pinnacle of his power, Rich presided over a multinational empire, and his opinion on “key people in power” in various “rogue” nations was routinely, if clandestinely, sought by the State Department despite his criminal status. Rich has scrupulously guarded his personal history, but Ammann reveals the struggle it was—from his family's escape from the Holocaust through their internment in a North African refugee camp to their bitter years as immigrants in the U.S. in the aftermath of WWII. This meticulous account sets the record straight on a reluctant public figure who lost in the court of public opinion, but escaped being tried in a court of law. Photos. (Oct.)

The key to a successful business is affording your employees more breathing room, claim journalist Carney and management professor Getz. Using examples of worker-centric companies countrywide, they make the case that the more freedom employees are given, the more rewards the company will reap. Starting with the history of workplaces—Thomas Jefferson's theories figure prominently—and a plethora of stories of such successful companies as FAVI, USAA, Vertex and Harley, the authors concentrate heavily on the importance of running a “why” company—making sure employees know why they're doing what they're doing—rather than a “how” company, in which employers instruct their employees on how to do their jobs. Much space is given to the art of listening to employees, building an environment that allows them to grow and self-direct, breaking away from hierarchical and bureaucratic corporate structure, treating workers as equals and motivating them to self-motivation. Worthy prescriptions all, but without the backing of wide-reaching data or larger vision, repetition replaces argument—and the whole suffers. (Oct.)

While the editors of this generous anthology of fiction and nonfiction describe social action rather dryly as “a form of critical inquiry and an act of social responsibility,” the passionate pieces making up the collection elevate it into a meditation on the sanctity and wonder of each life. It's that overarching sensitivity that gives these diverse creative voices their moral and political force—and is echoed in the Buddhist “mindfulness” practiced by Vietnamese monk and social worker Chân Không, or the “small things” that make sense of the greatest transformations for novelist-activist Arundhati Roy, or the alertness to “the trauma of being different” in editor García's own migrant labor camp recollections. It comes as a refreshing antidote to the obfuscating abstractions clustered around the most pressing issues of the time—including those that become thematic categories in the anthology, such as war, the environment and labor. The general quality of writing, among both better and lesser known writers of conscience, ensures the collection is as timeless as it is timely. (Oct.)

Kostioukovitch, Umberto Eco's Russian translator, seems an unlikely source for a volume that feels like an instant Italian food and food history classic, but she's lived in Italy for 20 years and brings a nonnative's eye and taste to a fairly comprehensive gastronomical project. “Structured as an imaginary journey from region to region, north to south,” the book opens with a chapter on Friuli Venezia Giulia and proceeds down the peninsula from one region to the next. Each chapter takes a more or less similar approach, leisurely discussing the respective region in a variety of terms from history to geography and culture; sooner, as with the chapter on Puglia, or later, as with Lazio/Rome, food becomes the paramount topic. Though the book is “absolutely not about wine,” the author deftly touches on matters like the history of Campari and Frascati. Though there are no recipes, there are helpful sidebars that list dishes, products and beverages typical of each region, and in between are chapters on subjects pertinent to Italy's food and identity. Some, such as olive oil and pasta, are to be expected, while others are organized around topics like pilgrims, joy or larger themes like the impact of the Americas or totalitarianism; all are full of the sort of well-researched literary arcana and cross-cultural connections that enrich the entire book. (Oct.)

In this fitting tribute to one of Hollywood's greatest directors, journalist Zuckoff (Ponzi's Scheme) chronicles Altman's remarkable life both in and out of the spotlight. Though it's arranged roughly chronologically, Zuckoff wisely chooses to reflect the director's nonlinear approach to storytelling in crafting the biography. Interspersed with Altman's own words—from interviews with Zuckoff near the end of his life—are memories from his large family and extended circle of cinematic collaborators, and excerpts from critics' reviews of his almost 40 films. More interested in character than traditional stories, Altman put his own spin on everything from war films with 1970's M*A*S*H—which Pauline Kael dubbed the “best American war comedy since sound came in”—westerns with 1971's McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and English murder mysteries with 2001's Gosford Park. Despite his artistic achievements, Altman's personal life was often rocky, with philandering and a penchant for alcohol, aspects that Zuckoff's interview subjects confront with refreshing frankness. The myriad stars who worked with Altman and share their reflections with Zuckoff include Lauren Bacall (Prêt-à-Porter), Julie Christie (McCabe & Mrs. Miller), Paul Newman (Buffalo Bill and the Indians) and Robin Williams (Popeye). A rebel to the end, Altman's spirit is perfectly captured in this fascinating read. (Oct.)

The difficulties of writing cogently about jazz—of discerning musical regularities in a genre built around improvisatory jams, and a narrative thread that transcends haphazard biography—are admirably addressed in this history. Critic Giddins (Bing Crosby) and historian DeVeaux (The Birth of Bebop) have an easier task in the book's first half, which traces jazz's coalescence in New Orleans out of varied strands of black music, its shaping by Armstrong, Ellington and other giants and its efflorescence in the big band era as the soundtrack of the American century. The tune grows unavoidably less catchy as postwar bebop and successor avant-garde tendencies transform jazz into a “self-conscious art music” epitomized by John Coltrane's “existential squawk.” (The authors maintain a cordial respect for every strain of modern jazz except Kenny G: “There are many things to dislike about smooth jazz—for example, everything,” they sputter.) The multimedia work contains moment-by-moment exegeses of classic recordings (“2:13: [Artie] Shaw's line climaxes on a dramatic high note”) that readers can find on the publisher's Web site, along with study aids. The authors' fluent, engaging treatment mixes scholarly lore and sociocultural analysis with piquant character studies and rapt evocations of musical artistry; the result is a treasure-trove for fans and students alike. Photos. (Oct.)

Stanley's life spans the history of recorded bluegrass and country music, but his high, lonesome voice encompasses human suffering throughout time. Born in 1927, Stanley and his brother and first singing partner, Carter, grew up in the mountains of southwestern Virginia where Stanley learned old-time music in a Primitive Baptist church and from his mother, who picked the banjo clawhammer style. As a young man he often doubted his future as a musician, farming and working briefly in a sawmill, before committing himself to the music business. He stuck with it after Carter's alcohol-accelerated death in 1966 even though his career did not prove lucrative until very late in life when he was featured on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. He won the 2001 Grammy for best male country vocal performance, besting the likes of young commercial country star Tim McGraw, of whom Stanley writes, “[W]ouldn't know a real country song if it kicked him in the ass.” Stanley's plainspoken narrative is told in a rural diction as though he were sitting in the front seat of an old Ford headed down the mountain for his next show. His story is a comprehensive and endearing cornucopia of authentic mountain music, place, family, friends, rivals, faith, love, life, death and the road. (Oct.)

As part of the publisher's ongoing Jewish Encounters series, Lehman, poet, anthologist (The Oxford Book of American Poetry) and critic (The Last Avant-Garde), melds dreamy personal reflections with impressive archival excavation for a thorough look at the popular early-20th-century songwriters and what made their work quintessentially Jewish. Delving into the iconic hits of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, Larry Hart, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, among selective others, Lehman ponders how these Ashkenazi Jews, mostly raised speaking Yiddish in New York as cantors' sons, melded their particular wit, melancholy and sophistication with the rhythmic richness of African-American music—a blending of blues and jazz. In their many beloved seminal hits—e.g., Berlin's “Alexander's Ragtime Band” (1911), George Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” (1923), Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' ” (1943)—these sons (Dorothy Fields being the female lyricist exception) of refugees from anti-Semitic rumblings in Europe “were conducting a passionate romance with America,” Lehman maintains. The author himself grew up in the Inwood section of New York City, under the warm spell of these songs; by the time he graduated from Stuyvesant High School and attended Columbia, where many of these songwriters had met, rock and roll was supplanting that old-time magic. Digressive, nostalgic and deeply moving, Lehman achieves a fine, lasting tribute to the American songbook. (Oct.)

When Vince Lombardi took over as head coach for the moribund Green Bay Packers in 1959, both parties had much to prove, as Eisenberg, a former Baltimore Sun sports columnist, makes clear in this bio. Lombardi, a longtime assistant in college and pro football, hadn't been a head coach in more than a decade, and that was for a New Jersey high school. The Packers were perennial losers, with players who had become accustomed to lazy coaching and good times. Lombardi's arrival was pivotal, as his attitude and discipline inspired the Packers, who became a football powerhouse during the 1960s, while allowing for the emergence of future Hall of Famers like offensive juggernaut Paul Hornung and quarterback Bart Starr. Eisenberg is at his best detailing the players' response to Lombardi's unforgiving approach, especially in training camp, which some veterans treated as vacation. Unfortunately, the author's account gradually loses steam, as too much space is reserved for detailed game recaps that detract from Lombardi's work in constructing a champion team. Still, the book is a brisk, sometimes revealing look at Lombardi's early days in Green Bay and is a nice complement to the existing works on the legendary coach. (Oct.)

Marketing consultants Thomas and Brain offer a well-meaning if woefully dated paean to the power of the consumer. In the brave new world of blogging, YouTube and Consumerist.com, business leaders must harness the energy, ideas and enthusiasm of their customers, rather than relying on the talent and budget of their marketing departments—a lesson politicians would also be well-advised to learn; the authors speak admiringly of Obama's campaign, and less so of Hillary Clinton's, which seemed tainted by the power of her political machine. They urge marketers to forgo expensive advertising campaigns and didactic attitudes in favor of giving their customers, partners and employees a greater say in business operations. Drawing on such successes as gethuman.com and Dove's “Real Beauty” campaign, they warn against underestimating the average Joe Blogger and praise such “social corporations” as Apple, which go to great lengths to meet customers and stakeholders face to face. The practical advice and enthusiasm about new media is admirable, but the information—particularly their analysis of the 2008 election—already feels stale. (Oct.)

Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed) delivers a trenchant look into the burgeoning business of positive thinking. A bout with breast cancer puts the author face to face with this new breed of frenetic positive thinking promoted by everyone from scientists to gurus and activists. Chided for her anger and distress by doctors and fellow cancer patients and survivors, Ehrenreich explores the insistence upon optimism as a cultural and national trait, discovering its “symbiotic relationship with American capitalism” and how poverty, obesity, unemployment and relationship problems are being marketed as obstacles that can be overcome with the right (read: positive) mindset. Building on Max Weber's insights into the relationship between Calvinism and capitalism, Ehrenreich sees the dark roots of positive thinking emerging from 19th-century religious movements. Mary Baker Eddy, William James and Norman Vincent Peale paved the path for today's secular $9.6 billion self-improvement industry and positive psychology institutes. The author concludes by suggesting that the bungled invasion of Iraq and current economic mess may be intricately tied to this “reckless” national penchant for self-delusion and a lack of anxious vigilance, necessary to societal survival. (Oct.)

In concert with the 100 days of the Rwandan genocide, “between 250,000 and 500,000 women and girls were raped,” commonly with extraordinary brutality by Hutu militias and occasionally even by those sent to save them. From interviews that took place in 2008 under the auspices of a “survivor-run organization,” de Brouwer and Chu redact oral accounts of 17 rape survivors, including one male. In the dire aftermath of the traumatic assaults, 70% of the survivors are now HIV positive and suffer the added trauma of isolation and alienation. The editors introduce the survivors' testimonials with a brief, lucid account of the events in Rwanda supplemented by a list of “sexual violence in conflict situations” around the world. The grim testimonials are followed by a clarion call by Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues), whose afterword exhorts readers to “end this violence,” and a list of organizations dedicated to aiding the survivors. Muscati's 35 b&w photographs of the survivors and their families are as moving and unforgettable as their words. (Sept.)

Bill Clinton finds a genial Boswell for this absorbing inside account of his White House years. Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Branch (Parting the Waters) met regularly with Clinton as interlocutor for a taped “diary” of reflections, distilling from the rambling conversations illuminating commentaries on major issues, including the failed health-care reform, budget battles with congressional Republicans, scandals and impeachment, and foreign policy crises. They depict Clinton as both a principled man and a born operator—Branch wonderfully captures the shrewd political calculations Clinton elaborates to justify his triangulations—with a restless intellect that revels in the details of everything from Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to the Hubble Space Telescope. (The book also offers a warm portrait of the first family, with young Chelsea forever rushing in for help with homework.) Branch, who worked on presidential speeches, often seems less than objective; he treads lightly around Whitewater and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, for example. Still, browsers and scholars will find perceptive insights on Clinton's policies and magnetic personality. (Sept.)

In these 45 thoughtfully crafted short essays written for London's Times Literary Supplement from 2003 to 2009, Greenberg (Hurry Down Sunshine) touches on his decades of trying to make good as a writer in New York City. Greenberg starts with early memories of growing up in Brooklyn, where he opted out of joining his father's scrap-metal business, instead dropping out of school in the early 1970s in search of a “blunt exotic experience” in Argentina and New York's Lower East Side. He ended up strapped with a young family of two children and faced years of plying odd jobs, like driving a cab, giving Spanish lessons, selling cosmetics on the street and ghost writing, all the while trying to write his novel. He fashions an anecdote for each of these experiences, in gently self-deprecating prose, such as writing for the movies and working the stock market, both to some success despite his naïveté. He tapped into an enthusiastic group of dachshund owners when he had to find another home for his child-nipping Eli, a troublesome pooch with a “disgraceful domed head”; he devotes chapters to the Negro Burial Ground and the paupers' cemetery on Hart Island, in New York City. As well, he offers touching reflections on the life of novelist William Herrick and editor Ted Solotaroff, and chronicles some funny run-ins with New Yorkers of all stripes. These are graceful ponderings by a deeply sympathetic soul, a consummate New Yorker and terrific writer. (Sept.)

Novelist and memoirist Gordon (Circling My Mother) examines her faith by closely reading, in a kind of literary lectio divina (sacred reading), the four Christian gospels that recount the life of Christ. The accounts by evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of the life of Jesus have a common subject and amazingly different treatments. Gordon tackles the power and puzzle of the Christian gospels with measure and imagination, providing welcome relief for those left cold by scholarly or fundamentalist parsing. Raised Catholic, she writes as a layperson and cradle believer thrilled and troubled by these history-shaping texts, unafraid to articulate questions: what does it mean to be perfect? what exactly is a miracle? Her savoring of particular lines is poetic and amplifies the beauty and sometimes ambiguous challenge of the language, stories and injunctions of the gospels. Gordon writes to find out what she thinks and lets readers listen in. Those whose faith is infused with humanism and love of the power of words will love Gordon's words about matters and mysteries of faith. (Oct. 27)

What shape will the Christian faith take in the 21st century? In the midst of fast-paced global changes and in the face of an apparent resurgence of fundamentalism, can Christianity survive as a living and vital faith? With his typical brilliance and lively insight, Cox explores these and other questions in a dazzling blend of memoir, church history and theological commentary. He divides Christian history into three periods: the Age of Faith, during the first Christian centuries, when the earliest followers of Jesus lived in his Spirit, embraced his hope and followed him in the work he had begun; the Age of Belief, from the Council of Nicaea to the late 20th century, during which the church replaced faith in Jesus with dogma about him; and the Age of the Spirit, in which we're now living, in which Christians are rediscovering the awe and wonder of faith in the tremendous mystery of God. According to Cox, the return to the Spirit that so enlivened the Age of Faith is now enlivening a global Christianity, through movements like Pentecostalism and liberation theology, yearning for the dawning of God's reign of shalom. Cox remains our most thoughtful commentator on the religious scene, and his spirited portrait of our religious landscape challenges us to think in new ways about faith. (Oct.)

Miller, the accidental memoirist who struck gold with the likable ramble Blue Like Jazz, writes about the challenges inherent in getting unstuck creatively and spiritually. After Jazz sold more than a million copies but his other books didn't follow suit, he had a classic case of writer's block. Two movie producers contacted him about creating a film out of his life, but Miller's initial enthusiasm was dampened when they concluded that his real life needed doctoring lest it be too directionless for the screen. Real stories, he learned, require characters who suffer and overcome. In desultory fashion, Miller sets out to change his own life—to be the kind of guy who seeks out his father, chases the girl and undertakes a quest. Along the way, he comes to understand God as a master storyteller who doesn't quite control where his characters are going. An unexpected bonus of this book is Miller's insights into the writing process. Readers who loved Blue Like Jazz will find here a somewhat more mature Miller, still funny as hell but more concerned about making a difference in the world than in merely commenting on it. (Oct.)

It must be true that God can be found even in the quirkiest of places. Chicago Sun-Times religion journalist Falsani mined the 14 films (since 1984) of Joel and Ethan Coen to find God and to articulate their spiritual and religious questions and challenges. The Coen brothers have a reputation for injecting a lot of dark humor into their movies, but as the author illustrates, the comedy is an avenue to deeper issues. Death, betrayal, greed, the seeming absence of God and the dire consequences of one's choices are the complex themes expertly handled by the filmmakers. Falsani does not posit that these films are overtly religious, but she does successfully convey their spiritual insights about the human condition. Each chapter provides a movie plot summary and concludes with an insightful segment dubbed “The Moral of the Story.” Falsani is an expert at pop culture analysis and her love for the celluloid arts shines forth brightly—her interpretations are nuanced and sophisticated without being pretentious. Film lovers, whether religious or not, will be pleased. (Oct.)

As archbishop of Chicago, George is pastor of one of the largest Catholic communities in the United States, and as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops he presides over a powerful collection of churchmen. George is also one of the most thoughtful men in the American hierarchy, and somehow he found time to gather his ideas in a collection of essays on the role of the Catholic faith in the modern world. The essays generally reflect George's traditional approach and his style—for good and ill. He ranges widely and is always challenging; his writing can be as scholarly as it is spiritual. The work is organized like a catechism, which makes it easy to dip into. George invokes the late Pope John Paul II as his model. Yet this book has more in common with an earlier work on faith in the modern world, “Introduction to Christianity,” also by a well-known cardinal—Joseph Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI. (Oct.)

For his latest book, Williams, a Catholic priest and CBS Vatican analyst, gathered a team of researchers and asked people for their views on trusting God. He incorporates their responses—some in the form of breakout boxes—in what amounts to a gentle defense of God's trustworthiness. Adept at making the Christian faith accessible to general audiences, Williams looks at why trust in both God and people is important and why it is difficult, especially once lost. He examines how education, wealth, personal networks and ideologies compete with people's reliance on God and, in a section on “God's Nonpromises,” explains how trusting God doesn't necessarily result in perfect justice, explanations for why bad things happen, knowledge of what's coming and inner consolation. Williams also devotes a chapter to the need for balancing trust in God's care with personal responsibility and concludes by referring readers to the biblical book of Psalms, which he recommends as a resource for growing in trust through prayer. This is good reading for anyone who has asked the questions Williams poses. (Oct.)

In this short book Silberberg weaves snippets from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with personal anecdotes, classic Buddhist sutras, koans and popular culture to illustrate Zen approaches to the true nature of enlightenment: “When we get to the other shore, to what I am calling Wonderland, we may experience One Mind.” Rather than using Zen to explain Alice, Silberberg playfully mingles, for example, the upside-down logic of the Caterpillar and Mock Turtle with the wisdom of the Diamond Sutra to explain key ideas. A longtime practitioner and former vice abbot of the Kanzeon Zen Center in Utah, the author is adept at explaining Buddhist teachings and ideas, such as the causes of suffering and Siddhartha's search for the truth of existence. Silberberg's description of the Zen path demonstrates more rigor than gentleness, reflecting a “warrior” approach to the search for knowledge that isn't present in all forms of this Eastern philosophy; indeed, a little more clarification about which approaches are specifically Zen among the range of Buddhist practices would have been helpful for the novice. While the Alice analogies are thin, Silberberg's clear writing and in-depth knowledge of his subject make this addition to the “Zen of” genre engaging. (Oct. 1)

Arterburn, author of 60-plus books, this times turns his heart and mind to helping readers deal with regret, “one of the biggest inhibitors to living the life God most wants you to live.” He readily admits his own regrets (girlfriend's terminated pregnancy, failed marriage) as he honestly and pointedly guides readers toward a life of peace, patience and self-control. Arterburn first addresses the signs of an unhealthy relationship, moves on to how to admit the need for help and then to acknowledge one's own part in problems. His trademark humor and honesty make the responsibility pill easier to swallow as he leads readers toward knowing how to withdraw from conflict, keep dignity intact and get rid of baggage of the past. Forgiveness, says Arterburn, is “the essential ingredient to living a regret-free life,” and he coaches readers on how to reach that point. Arterburn fans new and longtime will find more useful life lessons here, always pointing to God, who is “showing us our path along a magnificent, God-centered, regret-free life.” (Oct.)

Inspired by A.J. Jacobs's The Year of Living Biblically, evangelical pastor and author Dobson (The Jesus Study Bible) devotes a year to emulating Jesus' life and teaching. His initial commitment to keep kosher, observe Jewish holy days, not shave and read the four gospels weekly expands into an exploration of Judeo-Christian devotional practices. Seeking teachers from several religious traditions, Dobson incorporates Jewish prayers, the Catholic rosary, Orthodox prayer rope and Episcopal prayer beads into his daily devotional life. The book's form morphs from a somewhat choppy daily log into a series of thoughtful reflections on traditions he engages and gospel stories whose messages Dobson aspires to live. Weaving in tales of his fundamentalist roots, work with Jerry Falwell and long-term pastorate, Dobson reflects on the evolution of his religious consciousness: while maintaining a devout prolife stand, he votes for Barack Obama. With dignity and humor, the author addresses his personal struggle with ALS, seeking to model a prayerful response to his degenerative illness on Jesus' approach to suffering and healing. Dobson's strong faith, open mind, humility (“I'm a confused individual!”) and compassion infuse this offering from a self-proclaimed “follower of Jesus.” (Oct.)

It always seems counterintuitive to moderns that warfare and religion can be consistent. Ideally, followers of the prince of peace are to avoid the sword and shield. Clearly, this has not always been the case. Frequently in the crosshairs of critics are the Christian wars against Muslims known as the Crusades, commonly viewed as the birth of European imperialism and the forced spread of Christianity. But what if we've had it all wrong? What if the Crusades were a justifiable response to a strong and determined foe? Stark, a prominent sociologist and author of 27 books on history and religion, has penned a compelling argument that these bloody encounters had less to do with spreading Christianity than with responding to an ever more dangerous enemy—the emerging Islamic empire. There is much to be learned here. Filled with fascinating historical glimpses of monks and Templars, priests and pilgrims, kings and contemplatives, Stark pulls it all together and challenges us to reconsider our view of the Crusades. (Oct.)

Connell, an attorney and Marian authority, calls on readers to listen to Mary in a book that combines reports of apparitions with Catholic teaching and some history of devotion to the mother of Christ. The book has an apocalyptic feel, based largely on the content of recent Marian messages. Connell also opens with talk of the biblical “end times,” going on to suggest that Mary's appearances to people of diverse cultures and beliefs in this generation are unprecedented. The author writes devoutly of Mary and her own relationship with the Madonna, incorporating such personal experiences as her interview with two young men who witnessed an apparition of Mary in Oliveto Citro, Italy, in 1989. The text is thoroughly referenced, though the author does not indicate the source of what appear to be messages from Mary and God at the conclusions of chapters. Some also are in other places, but always without a footnote. This may leave readers wondering whether Connell received them herself or simply wrote them based on her knowledge of other Marian messages. Those who share the author's devotion to Mary will most appreciate Connell's work, but her book also serves as a good introduction to Mary for the merely curious. (Oct.)

Retreat leader and speaker Hershey offers his growing fan base of faithful Christ followers a smart, sensible and so practical primer on the power of pausing. Hershey (Soul Gardening) presents 52 nifty ways to hit the pause button no matter what the season of life. In an eight-part text in which sections are defined by the four seasons, each with an early and late aspect—readers will find themselves removed from the tyranny of the urgent and moved to a peaceful, reflective and deliberatively inactive place of reflection. Hershey, funny and honest about his own foibles, will have thoughtful readers resonating with his human struggles while gratefully accepting his kindly offered yet stern cautions on the dangers of the busy life. Well-written and issuing continual invitations to pay attention, live in a centered way and say yes to the moment, Hershey shows people how to pause and makes them want to do so. (Sept.)

After years of investigating whether basic ethical principles are shared by all people, Küng, a leading Catholic theologian, brought to the World Parliament of Religions in 1993 the issue of ethical universality. The parliament endorsed a “Declaration Toward a Global Ethic,” which is reprinted at the end of this book. Küng recognized the centrality of ethics in Judaism and worked with Homolka, a Jewish scholar and head of a Jewish seminary in Germany, to demonstrate how Jewish tradition contributes to worldwide values. Six core ethics are identified: the value of the human being; the golden rule; peace; justice; truth and tolerance; equal rights between men and women. For each one, quotations from Jewish sources are presented. The result is a potpourri that shows the authors' diligence in selecting useful references while also demonstrating that stringing together loosely connected citations falls short of creative scholarship. (Sept.)

This isn't your Christian youth group leader's testimony. These “un-testimonies” of growing up evangelical, edited by Notess, creative writing editor of Mars Hill Graduate School's The Other Journal, are “not necessarily linear, may not have had a tidy resolution, and may not lead to an earth-shattering change in our beliefs.” This compilation of 22 stories covering a range of topics (education, worship, etc.) is the first in a new “Experiences in Evangelicalism” series. Written by experienced women writers from diverse evangelical Christian backgrounds, the tales are honest, approachable and revealing. Each author has put aside her inhibitions about exposing the flaws of her home church—from power struggles to the indoctrination of shame—and takes evangelicalism to task for its “carefully filtered” yet ambiguous conventions. Yet all of the authors tell of a more realistic, meandering faith, enduring even while rife with doubt. Readers will be inspired to re-examine their own beliefs and perhaps even create their own un-testimonies. (Sept.)

The crossover fiction and nonfiction author of the half-million–selling Heaven throws down a heavy response to a spate of recent bestselling atheism books. Because the main argument of atheists against the existence of God is suffering in the world, Alcorn lays out a weighty and classically reasoned argument to the problem of suffering in this thoroughly modern book. His biggest trump card is that atheists were hardly the first to ask about suffering and evil. Ancient writers did, and “the fact that the Bible raises the problem of evil gives us full permission to do so.” Evil and suffering are addressed in tandem but approached differently. Evil comes from human rebellion or sin, and suffering is a secondary evil brought on by that primary evil. By granting free will to humanity, God allows for an eternal good that humans don't always see now but will experience in the life to come if faithful. Not academic but well-reasoned, Alcorn may not convince atheists, but apart from them readership is wide open. (Sept.)