Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 2/4/2008

-- Publishers Weekly, 2/4/2008

NONFICTION

The 99th Monkey: A Spiritual Journalist’s Misadventures with Gurus, Messiahs, Sex, Psychedelics, and Other Consciousness-Raising Experiments
Eliezer Sobel. Santa Monica, $16.95 paper (312p) ISBN 9781595800282
While a romp through the New Age is not everyone’s cup of tea, novelist, publisher and editor Sobel (Minyan) does a fine job making his 30-year quest for spiritual awakening widely identifiable with a funny, clear-eyed account that takes readers around the world and through a gauntlet of gurus, shamans, workshops and retreats, not to mention sex and drugs (legal and otherwise). Sobel’s twin assets are his willingness and his sense of humor, both apparent from the start in his encounter with a guru named Ram Dass, whose first instruction to Sobel is to take off his pants (“So I did”). Other episodes include Primal Therapy training with a teacher who rents his office space for porn production, the “est” training that teaches people to accept reality as it is (and then rope everyone they know into the program), and tours through Jerusalem, India and Brazil. Sobel’s spiritual journey doesn’t provide any answers (these days, the title on his business card is “Human Being”) but provides lots of engaging, regular-guy perspective on modern man’s confounding array of ancient and contemporary fulfillment schemes. (Mar.)

Alternative Medicine?: A History
Roberta Bivins. Oxford, $29.95 (264p) ISBN 9780199218875
As a child, medical historian Bivins was treated by a healer in Nigeria and an M.D. in Boston; the experience left her convinced that, though effective, the Western model of medicine is “far from complete.” Looking from Aristotle’s day to the present, Bivins compiles a history of patient care as performed by the “rival systems” of traditional-cultural healing practices, more or less the global norm before the late 18th century, and the scientific orthodoxy that came to replace it in Europe and America. Looking at such examples as a West Indian herbal cure for gout that gained purchase in 18th century Europe, Bivins traces the infiltration of such ideas as acupuncture, mesmerism and homeopathy into the rapidly calcifying biomedical hegemony of the West, and the “‘legitimate’ medical offspring” they engendered. Bivins’ research is thorough throughout—including a wide range of scientists, thinkers and spiritualists while shifting from Europe to India to the Far East and back—but so is her disdain for a system that posits “increasingly costly” and ever-narrowing options for both patients and practitioners. Her strident tone may not convince anyone not already on her side, but Bivins’ history is a provocative, far-sighted take on a long-debated subject. (Feb.)

Amazon Expeditions: My Quest for the Ice-Age Equator
Paul Colinvaux. Yale, $32.50 (368p) ISBN 9780300115444
Colinvaux, an ecologist at the forefront of pollen research for the past 40 years, has turned his path breaking career into a scientific detective story, from his days as a graduate student drilling glaciers in the Alaskan tundra, to his explorations of lake beds in the steamy Amazon forest. The narrative follows his efforts to untangle “one of the knottiest problems of ecological theory,” why the Amazon is the most biodiverse region in the world, with a unique population of birds and 80,000 plant species. Could this be explained by catastrophic changes in the climate during the ice age? Colinvaux’s research takes him across South America, and his conclusions turn on its head the hypothesis endorsed by most of the scientific community, that the equatorial temperature was constant but arid, so that life could only exist in enclaves (his findings indicates a moist climate and a temperature drop of four degrees). An exciting account of field work under challenging and sometimes dangerous circumstances, this is a rewarding read for anyone with an interest in environmental and biological history. (Feb.)

How to Fossilize Your Hamster: And Other Amazing Experiments for the Armchair Scientist
Mick O’Hare. Holt, $14 paper (256p) ISBN 9780805087703
If you’ve ever wondered why a dried spaghetti noodle, when bent, always breaks into three or more pieces, rest assured that none less than Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman devoted hours to the same puzzle. O’Hare, a member of the New Scientist editorial team that produced Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?, provides such entertaining tidbits and empirical knowledge, alongside hours of activities, in this volume of science experiments for adults. Perfect for home scientists, it requires only basic household supplies (cornstarch, vinegar and milk are frequent components) and approximate measurements to carry out such tasks as measuring the speed of light (using a microwave and a chocolate bar), extracting DNA at home (with dish soap and alcohol), and accounting for toothpaste’s effect on orange juice. Beside fun, each provides lessons in fundamental scientific principles, logic and problem solving. O’Hare even makes complex fluid dynamics such as thixotropy easy to understand—it’s what makes ketchup “gloopy,” but able to change from “gelatinous” to “runny” through “the input of energy, typically by shaking.” From food science to party tricks (complete with booze), O’Hare offers entertainment and edification for anyone who enjoyed (or missed out on) a childhood chemistry set. (Feb.)

How to Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative
Allen Raymond with Ian Spiegelman. Simon & Schuster, $25 (256p) ISBN 9781416552222
Republican campaign advisor Raymond achieved some notoriety when he plead guilty in federal court to jamming Connecticut phone lines in a 2002 Democratic get-out-the-vote effort—small potatoes compared to what he had gotten away with for more than a decade, vividly and hilariously chronicled in this outrageous career retrospective. For 13 years, Raymond worked his way up the ranks of GOP operatives by smearing opponents and worse in campaigns across the country, including the aborted presidential bid of Steve Forbes. Besides documenting such ingenious strategies as arranging for phone calls during the Super Bowl touting his candidate’s opponent, Raymond witnesses the Republican party’s rise to power in the 1990s, and the effects of that power, in both professional and personal terms. (“Bill [Martini]’s screaming fits were reaching exciting new heights all the time.”) Though Raymond appreciates the depravity of his former enterprise (“if you could find two of us [Republican operatives] who could still tell the difference between politics and crime, you could probably have rubbed us together for fire as well”), his confession often sounds a lot like boasting; naturally, Raymond is charming enough to get away with it, taking a deliciously cynical view of everyone involved (voters especially). For those who care about the electoral system, this look inside the sausage factory of contemporary campaigning is compelling, arguably essential, reading. (Feb.)

Make More, Worry Less: Secrets from 18 Extraordinary People Who Created a Bigger Income and a Better Life
Wes Moss. Financial Times, $24.99 (272p) ISBN 9780132346863
Moss proposes fresh ways to succeed in a corporate environment using the four-step HUNT method he established in his first book, a primer on entrepreneurship called Starting from Scratch: Harness what you have, Underestimate your obstacles, Notice your network and Take the first (or next) step. The book’s four parts cover each leg of the acronym, and each of the 18 chapters are tied to a specific individual’s success story on the frontlines of such companies as Ogilvy Public Relations, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Warner Music, Coca-Cola and GE. Narratives are mined for principles (“Keep it simple”) and practical tips (put off casual reading in favor of “think[ing] through the coming meeting”) while keeping a steady eye on the big picture—moving forward and building momentum. Conversational and straightforward, this guide to sensible career advancement should prove useful and encouraging for those new to the workforce, as well as those stuck on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder. (Feb.)

Motoring: The Highway Experience in America
John A. Jakle and Keith A. Sculle. Univ. of Georgia, $34.95 (288p) ISBN 9780820330280
In their latest collaboration (after 2004’s Lots of Parking: Land Use is a Car Culture), University of Illinois landscape architecture professor Jakle and Illinois Historic Preservation Agency researcher Sculle take a detailed look at the history of the American highway, and the cascade of commercial and sociological changes it precipitated. Providing a driver’s-eye-view of “motoring,” Jakle and Sculle follow the development of the modern road system, from the first “named” highways through federally-subsidized state departments, focusing on “tourist travel, the source of motoring’s early exhilaration, which energized much of what came after, such as commuting and the journey to shop.” They look also at attendant industries like repair shops and gas stations, fast-food restaurants and motels, amusement parks and fresh fruit stands that collectively make the roadside “a place of legendary recreation.” Though equally thorough, subsequent chapters on truck culture and bus travel prove less engrossing; otherwise, a compelling read about America’s fascination with the open road. 75 b&w photos. (Feb.)

The Physics of Nascar: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed
Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, foreword by Ray Evernham. Dutton, $25.95 (304p) ISBN 9780525950530
Having caught, by chance, the broadcast of a multi-car NASCAR crash on television, Nebraska University physics professor Leslie-Pelecky found herself compelled to understand why it happened. Soon, a growing list of scientific questions (“How do you build an engine…[that] can run at 9,000 rpm for three hours without blowing up?”) steer her to meetings with engineers, ground crews and drivers who work together “at the limits of what we understand about aerodynamics, structural engineering and even human physiology.” The first part of the book deals with materials, and looks at how combustion, power and aerodynamics work together to maximize speed. But it’s the driver and his crew who win the race, and Leslie-Pelecky gets plenty of time with the men behind the machines, joining Ray Evernham’s crew to watch him race, and taking a turn behind the wheel herself. Along the way, the nanotech specialist becomes an unlikely racing fan; this fun physics primer should give any NASCAR aficionado a similar appreciation for science. (Feb.)

Sensing the Past: Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Tasting, and Touching in History
Mark M. Smith. Univ. of Calif., $55 (192p) ISBN 9780520254954; $19.95 paper 9780520254961
Smith (How Race is Made: Slavery, Segregation, and the Senses) presents a controversial thesis that puts human senses in a historical context, arguing they are “not universal but, rather, a product of place and, especially, time.” South Carolina history professor Smith directs his arguments at academics, but aims some telling shots at pop-history institutions like Civil War re-enactments and Colonial Williamsburg that inspire a “dangerous” sense of “unwitting faith that these are the ‘real’ sounds [or sights, smells, tastes] of the past,” not just in tourists but in “many professionals, not least… some historians.” Canvassing scholarly work over the past 30 years, Smith is critical of the dominant “great divide theory” that privileges sight over the other senses. As such, Smith looks at the full range (one chapter for each) in politically charged historical moments, taking on, for instance, a strain of reasoning put forth by Louisiana’s district attorney in Plessy v. Ferguson: “I might not be able to see that he is black, but I can certainly smell his racial identity.” Though dry, this is an eye-, ear-, mouth- and nostril-opening primer for the relatively new field of sensory history. (Feb.)

The Thing About Life is that One Day You’ll be Dead
David Shields. Knopf, $23 (256p) ISBN 9780307268044
Inspired by the immense vitality of his 90-something father, author Shields (Body Politic: The Great American Sports Machine) looks at the arc of a human life in order to come to terms with mortality. Organized into four stages of life—infancy and childhood, adolescence, adulthood and middle age, old age and death—Shields’s short, snappy chapters are crafted from personal anecdotes (many featuring his wife and teenage daughter), literary-philosophical musing and enlightening scientific data, examining a wide range of human concerns relating to “the beauty and pathos in my body and his body and everybody else’s body as well.” Shields also visits historical and contemporary figures, from Sigmund Freud to John Ruskin and Woody Allen, for their thoughts on mortality; says Picasso, “One starts to get young at the age of sixty, and then it’s too late.” Shield’s eclectic approach and personal voice makes this extended meditation on living and dying a pleasing and occasionally profound read. (Feb.)

Warring Parents, Wounded Children and the Wretched World of Child Custody: Cautionary Tales
Joseph Helmreich and Paul Marcus. Praeger, $39.95 (144p) ISBN 9780313349737
With journalist Helmreich, psychoanalyst Marcus, a veteran forensic evaluator for New York State child custody cases, has collected a sad, scary docket of divorce stories, taken from his 20-plus years on the job, that expose the dysfunctional legal system currently making the worst of already traumatic situations. Each chapter presents the narrative of a different family struggling through divorce, a breakdown of Marcus’s recommendations in their court case and “reflections” that draw out hard-earned lessons; the Gordons, for instance, could have avoided more than a decade in litigation had one of the spouses done a better job hiding an affair. Accurately labeled “cautionary tales,” the stories’ cumulative portrait is of a legal system as useful in family problem-solving as a hammer is in dentistry. The tone is suitably professional and detached, and the final chapter lists the take-home messages in clear language (encouraging “correct attitudes” and self-critical honesty), but the practical upshot can get lost in the parade of unhappiness, betrayal, abuse and familial collapse. (Jan.)

LIFESTYLE

Cooking Outside the Box: Easy, Seasonal, Organic: The Abel and Cole Cookbook
Keith Abel. Collins UK (Trafalgar Sq., dist.), $24.95 (224p) ISBN 9780007230709
Following a recent trend, this attractive, cleverly-photographed recipe collection is dedicated to seasonality, organic ingredients and simple home cooking. What distinguishes it is its author’s British accent; the co-founder of an English catering company, Abel’s takes on Heekerbeeker Kedgeree and The One and Only Traditional Cornish Pasty look and taste like a weekend in Brighton. Other recipes show off New British Cooking at its most cosmopolitan: Venison Saltimbocca is a novel twist on an Italian classic, while Lemon Sole with Wine, Toasted Almonds and Capers exposes the Brits’ deep connection to France. India also proves influential, in treats like Bombayed Jersey Royals, a snappy potato dish, or Calcutta Lamb Burgers with Radish and Yogurt Salad, a loving tribute to two former British colonies. There aren’t as many desserts as one might expect—after all, Brits are known for their “puddings”—but the few included, such as Mulled Wine, Pears and Clementines with Dark Chocolate Shavings, are all winners. Divided by seasons, the text is generally easy to follow but hasn’t been Americanized; certain British food terms (“broad beans,” “courgettes,” vanilla “swede” puree) may cause confusion. (Feb.)

Massimo’s Italian Kitchen: Authentic One-Dish Meals from a Seasoned Chef
Massimo Capra. Sellers, $22.95 paper (192p) ISBN 9781569069950
Charmingly sprinkled with Italian wisdom and Capra’s memories of childhood in Cremona, Italy, this cheery collection is full of simple recipes and colorful photographs, making an appealing addition to shelves already heavy with Italian cookbooks. Recipes, taken from Capra’s Toronto restaurant Mistura, span the length of Italy from Naples to Milan, but also make detours to the Pacific Northwest for Salmon Steak with Roasted Black Olives and England for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie. Italy’s guiding light shines on traditional recipes like Seafood Stew and Venetian Liver and Onions. Mediterranean Sea Bass Fillet and Fennel, finished with a half cup of blood orange juice, tastes like it swam in from Naples, while wonderful pastas like Garganelli with Fava Beans and Crispy Prosciutto, and Spaghettini with Seafood, are more than worth the carbohydrate indulgence. Even vegetarians will be satisfied by unique spins on the meat-free theme: Milanese Fennel Cutlets, Baked Cardoons with Pecorino, and Sautéed Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce are each refreshingly substantial one-pot suppers. (Feb.)

RELIGION

Spiritual Delights and Delusions: How to Bridge the Gap between Spiritual Fulfillment and Emotional Realities
Steve Posner. Wiley, $24.95 (272p) ISBN 9780471698258
Posner has a great intention: reconcile the loftiness of enlightenment with the day-to-day realities of minor pettiness and major suffering. The same question has prompted, and anguished, spiritual seekers at least as far back as Job, and produced countless books on the subjects of good and evil, of active spiritual response to life’s challenges. Unfortunately the author, who cites many spiritual teachers, is better at questions than answers, in both the figurative and literal sense. The rhetorical question is so frequent a device of his (“Isn’t all of reality worth grasping? Is our consciousness so fragile that it can’t withstand the whole truth of human existence?”, two of 36 such questions in a single chapter) that it becomes annoying. A fair portion dwells on the need to respond to terrorism—frequently characterized as Islamic—a good question that isn’t answered by much reflection beyond personal anecdotes about travel in Israel and China. Experience is authentic, but also limited. A macho spirituality (“This is not misguided patriotism or crude flag-waving fanaticism. It is a realistic spirituality...”) may have its fans, but many better books on this perennial subject are available (After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield; anything by Thich Nhat Hanh). (Mar.)

FICTION

Good Man Hunting
Lisa Landolt. Avon A, $13.95 paper (368p) ISBN 9780061340390
Does a handsome Prince Charming ever fall for a geeky assistant manager of pizza joint? In Landolt’s wild wish-fulfillment romance, he might—with the help of the matchmaking Hunt Club. While at a friend’s wedding, would-be Cinderella Sandra is approached by a Hunt Club member who invites her to join up. At first, Sandra enjoys the game-playing, although she doesn’t like how one member lands a D.C. hotshot by sleazy methods. Sandra’s target is former sitcom star Mike Warren; the club members get Sandra gussied up in preparation for the match-up, but the potential love connection suffers a setback when the FBI gives Sandra some disturbing news about the Hunt Club. Is happily-ever-after an impossibility? Landolt supplies an answer with a wide-eyed naivety that’s charming and funny if far-fetched. (Mar.)

River
Lowen Clausen. Silo (IPG, dist.), $14.95 paper (304p) ISBN 9780972581127
Inspired by a 1,700-mile, 50-day kayak voyage novelist Clausen (Third and Forever) and his daughter took from Nebraska’s Loup River to where the Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico, this novel is narrated by a bereaved father following the same route. Haunted by his grown son’s death, his failed marriage and his own unfulfilled childhood dreams, the middle-aged man, known only as John, leaves his ranch and sets off in a homemade kayak named “Gloria,” pursuing an echo of Huckleberry Finn’s search for freedom and identity. Though his self-pity can be overbearing, John gradually opens up to the reader through flashbacks, dreams and conversations, revealing a complex character unsure of his own motives and desires. Clausen’s best moments turn up on dry land, where John runs into a cast of intriguing characters, but the majority of the action occurs between man and river; as such, the plot can get stuck in slow-moving waters. Still, Clausen’s vivid prose and attention to detail should keep the readers’ interest, especially those intrigued by river kayaking. (Jan.)

AUDIO

Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism
Ha-Joon Chang, read by Jim Bond. Brilliance Audio, unabridged, eight CDs, 9 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 9781423346838
Chang’s detailed, thorough book puts another theoretical nail in the coffin of free trade and unbridled capitalism. Chang illustrates a vast array of contradictions and hypocrisies spouted by the neoliberal agenda (sometimes known as neo-conservative in the U.S.) to completely deregulate developing governments. Looking at the history of capitalism, he reveals how often free trade has failed where protectionism has benefited many of the richer countries today including the U.S. and U.K. Bond, who has his work cut out for him with Chang’s long, technical and fact-laden work, does a good job of emphasis and pacing. But staying atop the tidal wave of information and complex connections in Chang’s writing may require listening to the audiobook in small chunks or listening to some sections more than once. Bond’s smooth but stern delivery proves a useful companion. Simultaneous release with the Bloomsbury hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 12). (Dec.)

The Big Con: The True Story of How Washington Got Hoodwinked and Hijacked by Crackpot Economics
Jonathan Chait, read by David Drummond. Tantor Audio, unabridged, eight CDs, 9 hrs., $34.99 ISBN 9781400105502
Straying from the actual concept of “conservative,” today’s Republican Party is heading toward an economic self-destruction that will wreak harsh consequences upon the country, according to the author. With great detail and numerous examples, Chait illustrates how the neoconservatives’ mantra of “no taxes” as part of the theory of supply-side economics is an unjustified and threatening ideology—so threatening that the Republican leadership must hide its true nature through subterfuge and outright lying to its constituency lest they discover the true “con” taking place. While concentrating on the Republicans, Chait doesn’t hesitate to reveal the Democrats’ complacency and ineptitude in preventing the pending economic crisis. Drummond is at ease with nonfiction books and guides listeners through complicated texts with speed and emphasis, directing them to the key points in every section. Several often repeated words such as “Reagan” aren’t always pronounced the same and the production includes several vocal shifts. However, from beginning to end, Drummond’s consistency of tone and emphasis makes a lasting, positive impression. Simultaneous release with the Houghton Mifflin hardcover (Reviews, July 23). (Dec.)

House of Abraham: Lincoln & the Todds: A Family Divided by War
Stephen Berry, read by Michael Prichard. Tantor Audio, unabridged, eight CDs, 10.5 hrs., $34.99 ISBN 9781400105724
Historian Berry takes Abraham Lincoln’s “house divided” to heart, detailing the president’s own family fissions. The Todds, his wife’s family, were longtime slaveholders, and their sympathies were split between the Union and the Confederacy during the war. The well-regarded Prichard reads Berry’s tale of the Todds with long, significant pauses and a stentorian rigor. A taste of the old South’s molasses creeps into Prichard’s voice and into the respites he takes in the middle of a sentence, which often linger one beat longer than might be expected. Having recorded more than 450 audiobooks, Prichard knows that little tricks like these keep listeners on their toes, happily waiting for the next word or the next sentence. By stretching time out like taffy, Prichard manages to make it flow faster than it otherwise would. Simultaneous release with the Houghton Mifflin hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 3). (Dec.)

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