Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 4/21/2008

-- Publishers Weekly, 4/21/2008

NONFICTION

Web Pick of the Week

What Now?
Ann Patchett. Harper, $14.95 (112p) ISBN 9780061340659
Just in time, novelist Patchett’s 2006 commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College has been expanded, postscripted and published in a handsome small-format hardcover volume, cleverly designed by Chip Kidd and priced to sell—making it quite possibly the best graduation present on the market (at least until Bird by Bird gets the full gift-book treatment). Personal but direct, with a warm, searching voice, Patchett (Run, Bel Canto) looks at her own struggle with the perennial question “what now?” and finds some surprising moments of revelation: a conversation with an airport Hare Krishna, a job waiting tables at Fridays and, less surprising, the counsel of friends and teachers Allan Gurganus and Alice Ilchman (the late president of Sarah Lawrence). Wise, illuminating observations abound, putting Patchett’s talent for cogent, colorful metaphor to brilliant use: “Receiving an education is a little bit like a garden snake swallowing a chicken egg: it’s in you but it takes a while to digest.” Though Patchett’s thesis boils down essentially to “one must never stop learning,” every example she provides is fresh and worthwhile. A wise, generous and compact primer for life that could well become a touchstone, readers will return to this book, and probably find something new each time they do; deserves to be given often and enthusiastically. (Apr.)

NONFICTION

Dinner with a Cannibal: The Complete History of Mankind’s Oldest Taboo
Carole A. Travis-Henikoff. Santa Monica, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 9781595800305
“The truth is, we all have cannibals in our closets,” writes Travis-Henikoff in her introduction to this meticulously researched, compulsively readable history of mankind’s greatest taboo. As she eloquently illustrates, cannibalism has been around for as long as humans, and it’s quite possible that its outlaw is a recent development in terms of recorded history. Many readers are no doubt familiar with the Chilean rugby team immortalized in Piers Paul Read’s Alive (recounted again here), but not with the fact that widespread cannibalism has been documented in parts of war-torn Africa as recently as 2003. Sadistic serial killers and the oft-stereotyped tribesmen of the Amazon figure prominently, but where Travis-Henikoff truly excels is in her sociological and anthropological analysis, offering thoughtful insights into the whys of cannibalism, lucidly explaining how cannibalism can begin in a society, as well as its historical employment in times of famine, war and even during a period of political witch hunting in Communist China. A brief but entertaining digression into folklore examines cannibalism in fairy tales such as the Brothers Grimm. Throughout, Travis-Henikoff maintains a thoughtful tone, free of judgment, that frequently challenging readers’ beliefs. The result is an eminently enjoyable, albeit very dark exploration of a taboo topic that should give armchair anthropologists, sociologists and historians plenty to chew on. (Apr.)

I Lost My Love In Baghdad: A Modern War Story
Michael Hastings. Scribner, $24 (288p) ISBN 9781416560975
In his powerful debut, a young Newsweek reporter details two tumultuous years covering the war while falling in love with his long-distance girlfriend Andi, who would join him in Iraq only to be killed in a botched kidnapping. Largely concerned with describing on-the-ground conditions, Hastings reports with insight and grim humor from the front lines, embedded with soldiers in “a world with its own language and geography.” Hastings handles the grisly particulars directly, the way he talks with the troops; the account is pocked with their tales, short bursts of heart-stopping sadness (“One American and at least fifteen Iraqi children killed”) with no lesson or redemption indicated, and often without follow-up. The chaos is given shape by Hastings’ romance with Andi, who remains in New York for a year before joining him in the Green Zone; dates, emails and instant messages provide a welcome reprieve, and drive the narrative toward its devestating conclusion like a tightly-plotted thriller. Like Mariane Pearl’s A Mighty Heart, this is a tragic love story with broad appeal married to an unflinching account of wartime violence and brutality; as such, it should do even more than that bestseller to fill in a general audience on the dire state of Iraq. Photos. (Apr.)

It’s Not All About Money: Memoirs of a Private Banker
Hans J. Baer. Beaufort, $29.95 (528p) ISBN 9780825305474
In this surprisingly warm and wise memoir, banker and first-time author Baer recounts his privileged but accomplished life, taking readers from Zurich to New York and back again, with stops around the globe. Following his father’s death at the end of 1940, Baer’s mother took him and his siblings to America, where he attended private schools, fell in love with New York and, ultimately, made the difficult decision to return to Zurich to follow in his father’s footsteps at the family banking firm, the Julius Baer Group. Highly knowledgeable regarding shifting political and economic climates worldwide, Baer’s perspective—on everything from banking to the 9/11 attacks to music and friendships—is clear-eyed and intriguing, especially his honest account of the banking world’s reaction to the World Jewish Congress’s attempts to win back the assets of Holocaust victims. Though an unremitting cascade of names may frustrate, Baer’s account is a smart, personal look at the international challenges of the post-war world, as well as a life lived well through philanthropy, the arts and rich relationships, with a motivational streak that should connect even with those who don’t have a successful Swiss financial institution on their side. 32 pages of b&w photos. (Apr.)

Living Jonathan’s Life: A Doctor’s Descent Into Darkness & Addiction
Scott M. Davis. Health Communications, $14.95 paper (260p) ISBN 9780757306495
In a charged, honest memoir, physician Davis relates his struggle with addiction and recovery following the 1993 loss of his twin brother, Jonathan, to AIDS. Hopscotching through their lives together and apart, Davis tells twin stories of disease—his an addiction to pain medication—that take the author through grim, desperate times, but culminate in a hopeful breakthrough. Almost as long as the narrative are the appendices, which include a directory of treatment programs, intervention resources and the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Sentimental touches—like liberal use of poems from Jonathan’s found journal—may not be to everyone’s taste, but this brief memoir makes a detailed primer on the struggles of the addicted, and a fine resource for anyone facing a substance abuse problem, their own or that of a loved one. (Mar.)

Mad, Bad, and Sad: Women and the Mind Doctors
Lisa Appignanesi. Norton, $29.95 (540p) ISBN 9780393066630
Award-winning British novelist Appignanesi (The Memory Man) has written a fascinating if somewhat diffuse study of how, over the past two centuries, women’s ability to live creative lives has been controlled by culture, and how their unsuccessful attempts to rebel frequently lead to mental illness—itself a slippery, ever-evolving cultural concept. Appignanesi’s sources are wide-ranging but largely literary, based upon letters, diaries, articles and fiction from feminist writers such as Betty Friedan, historians like R.D. Laing and Jacque Lacan, psychologists such as Melanie Klein, and troubled subjects like Zelda Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe. Beginning with the lives of mentally ill women in the 19th century, Appignanesi moves chronologically through the history of psychology—as ideas like schizophrenia replace earlier notions of hysteria—and its relationship to the creative woman, using in-depth profiles of Virginia Woolf, Alice James and others. Looking at the complex cultural, political and familial circumstances under which mental illness emerges, and their implications for the present (in which depression and eating disorders have become major problems), Appignanesi convincingly asserts that “symptoms and diagnoses… cluster to create cultural fashions in illness and cure,” suggesting provocatively that “[w]hat is at issue here is not psychic disorder so much as social deterioration of a radical kind.” (Apr.)

Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq
Patrick Cockburn. Scribner, $24 (226p) ISBN 9781416551478
Cockburn (The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq), a veteran Middle East correspondent for The Independent, knew the Iraq occupation was doomed when, in 2004, his Irish passport saved him from certain death at the hands of Mehdi Army militiamen convinced he was an American spy: “[Bush and Blair] never seemed to understand that the problem was not training or equipment, but legitimacy and loyalty.” Building on this idea, Cockburn takes a close look at Muqtada al-Sadr, the country’s major Shi’ite opposition leader, who has been consistently demonized and belittled by U.S. authorities even as he gains legitimacy among Iraqis. Calling him “the most important and surprising figure to emerge” in post-invasion Iraq, Cockburn details Muqtada’s rise, beginning in 1999 when he took his assassinated father’s place as head of the Sadrists, a populist religious movement. Mounting frustration toward the U.S. led many to join the Sadrists, the only Shia group to oppose outright the occupation, quickly making Muqtada the political representative of millions. Cockburn’s incisive critique of U.S. policy mistakes in Iraq goes back to the first invasion, and draws some dire conclusions, among them that it’s too late for Iraq “to exist as anything more than a loose federation.” This probing look at a singularly divisive, undoubtedly important figure makes an invaluable resource for anyone weighing U.S. policy in Iraq. (Apr.)

Women On Top

Pearls, Politics and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead
Madeleine M. Kunin. Chelsea Green, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 9781603580106
Having risen from the Vermont State House to the Lieutenant Governorship to become the first woman elected governor of Vermont (1985-1991), Kunin (Living a Political Life) is part of the new wave of women in the top ranks of government, and she’s recruiting: “Women will not have all the answers, but they are sure to inject new talent, ideas, and optimism into a political system desperately in need of all three.” Detailing her own experiences in the corridors of power—including her time as Ambassador to Switzerland under President Clinton—Kunin also calls on a long list of women in politics to discuss the problems they’ve overcome, the issues that have driven them and the reasons that gender does make a difference. As a guide, Kunin proves practical and candid, offering chapters on becoming a politician, “being the leader” and “working with the jerks,” but she also disseminates with chapters on women presidents around the world and female leaders in a number of settings (business, military, education). If one gets the feeling of being set up, there’s reason: the ninth chapter, “A Woman President of the United States?” indulges Kunin’s enthusiastic support of Hillary Clinton for president. Otherwise, Kunin’s book will help any woman looking to take a leadership role, with a list of issues and resources to explore. (Apr.)

Making Waves: Navy Women of World War II
Evan Bachner. Abrams, $35 (160p) ISBN 9780810995239
As in his previous collections (At Ease and Men of World War II), photographic historian Bachner has raided the National Archives for the work of the Naval Aviation Photographic unit—which included outstanding photographers like Edward Steichen, Harry Bristol, Charles Steinheimer and Dwight Long—whose mission it was to “visually describe the war to the American people.” In 150 photos, this group of “New Realists” depict the working lives of the first women to join the U.S. Navy, the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). Taking readers into the training, transportation, work and down time of these women, it’s clear that their efforts—as radio operators, aviation machinists, aircraft repairmen, public information officers, meteorological technicians and others—were taken seriously not just by the women themselves, but by the all-male team that documented them. As such, their photos convey beautifully the “We Can Do It!” spirit of the time, when sacrifice and service were expected of every American. In addition, Bachner’s work in the National Archives allows him to include many of the women’s names, deepening the connection one immediately feels with these skillful, revealing and charismatic portraits. This collection of little-seen photographs will undoubtedly make a valuable addition to anyone’s WWII library. (Apr.)

Powerlines: Words that Sell Brands, Grip Fans, and Sometimes Change History
Steve Cone. Bloomberg, $22.95 (272p) ISBN 9781576603048
Why do we remember slogans for Diet Coke from the mid 1980s, but not what we had for breakfast yesterday? In this exploration of the phrases, lines and expressions so well-written and compelling that we can’t forget them—no matter how hard we’d like to—marketing veteran Cone (Steal These Ideas!) presents “the Powerline Perspective,” that all enterprises “rise or fall on powerful lines, mottos, and sayings.” After a brief look at the definition and history of the powerline, Cone mines memorable phrases in politics, movies, television and advertising for the hows and whys of their success. Heavy on lists, with analysis for most individual entries, Cone’s book is best read in pieces. That said, the practical advice he offers—between cogent consideration of everything from “M&Ms melt in your mouth” and “There’s no place like home” to a collection of his 10 favorite poems (with just “a little commentary”)—is helpful and straightforward, and often entertaining (if blustery). Marketers, advertisers or campaign managers looking for inspiration could hardly find a better resource. (Apr.)

Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality
Loretta Napoleoni. Seven Stories, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 9781583228241
After looking into how terrorism gets paid for (Terror Incorporated: Tracing the Money Behind Global Terrorism), Napoleoni tackles the whole of capitalism’s dark side: the economics of illegal, criminal and terrorist activities worldwide. There’s no shortage of material, including the sex trade of Eastern Europe, internet fraud, piracy (both nautical and intellectual), human slavery, drugs and even the subprime mortgage lending scandal. Unsettling, eye-opening statistics abound—one third of all fish eaten in the UK is illegally poached; today, 27 million slaves worldwide generate annual profits of $31 billion; up until 9/11, 80 percent of the $1.5 trillion underworld economy was laundered through the US (the Patriot Act moved much of this business to Europe)—and Napoleoni’s bold analysis begs controversy. From page one, she ties the illegal business boom directly to the spread of democracy, pointing to the fall of the Berlin Wall as the moment when “rogue economics” were unleashed in their current, globe-enveloping iteration. Timely and fascinating, Napoleoni’s top-notch reporting, in which her attention turns from Viagra to blood diamonds to the banana price wars in a few pages, works in the vein of Freakonomics and Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, but much grimmer. Like those, this volume doesn’t provide many answers, but the questions it raises are profound. (Apr.)

So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits—and the President—Failed on Iraq
Greg Mitchell. Union Square, $14.95 paper (320p) ISBN 9781402756573
In this pertinent but ego-driven compilation of writings on the Iraq War, Mitchell, editor of media industry magazine Editor & Publisher, argues that, from the outset, the press did not adequately question the reasoning behind American operations in Iraq. Quoting his publication, Mitchell condemns the press’s tendency “to accept the military’s word first and ask questions later,” citing specific examples like the media’s blind approval of Secretary of State Powell’s Feb., 2003, speech favoring a call to arms. Mitchell describes incidents like this as a symptom of the media’s “failure of will” to probe matters of national security. His thesis—that a weak press deserves blame for the Iraq quagmire—is hard to argue with, but it’s not exactly news. Still, he provides a valuable roundup of media reactions from across the spectrum, and his grievances are substantial. Ultimately, though, Mitchell is difficult to distinguish from the one-sided, single-minded figures he rails against; readers will learn a great deal about the media politics behind the Iraq war, but will have to decide for themselves how trustworthy a pundit Mitchell really is. (Apr.)

You Call This the Future?: The Greatest Inventions Sci-Fi Imagined and Science Promised
Nick Sagan, Mark Frary and Andy Walker. Chicago Review, $14.95 (160p) ISBN 9781556526855
Science fiction writer Sagan (Idlewild) teams up with journalists Frary (Codebreaker) and Walker (Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Security) for a delightful “expedition in search of the future,” providing clear explanations of today’s cutting-edge technologies in transportation, computers, weapons and domestic life to find where science fiction has become reality. They explain why the jet pack, first featured in Buck Roger’s 1920s comic strip, is a loser, but that a flying car appears promising. Jules Verne comes out a big winner with his 1865 prediction of the space shuttle in From Earth to the Moon, as do the 1966 Star Trek episodes featuring pocket computers, Robert Heinlein’s 1940s short story anticipating cell phones, Dick Tracy’s video-phone and Da Vinci’s mechanical knight (forerunner to the humanoid Honda Asimo robot and the Roomba vacuum cleaner). Also included are amazing in-development devices such as the eyephone (suggested in a 1952 story by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth), which projects visual images directly onto the retina, with potential for helping the vision-impaired. Full-color photos, charts, graphics and diagrams make each profile pop, taking readers seamlessly from H.G. Wells to military stealth technology (and the promise of a real invisible man). (Apr.)

LIFESTYLE

Mayan Cuisine: Recipes from the Yucatan Region
Daniel Hoyer. Gibbs Smith, $34.99 (240p) ISBN 9781423601319
In his latest, chef Hoyer (Culinary Mexico) offers a vibrant, thorough guide to Mayan cooking. Once cooks master the basic recado, a thick seasoning paste that serves as a key flavor component, they’re ready to tackle dishes like Salpicón de Venado (a roast venison salad), polenta studded with wild mushrooms, classic Mexican Lime Soup and meaty dishes like Pavo en Chilimole (Turkey in Black Seasoning Paste) and the classic pit-roasted pork, Cochinita Pibil. Those looking for shortcuts will likely be frustrated, as Hoyer is a traditionalist who makes tortillas and masa from scratch for his tamales, including the elaborate Tamales de la Bola Colados, a traditional wedding dish in which shredded chicken is enveloped in a smooth, custard-like masa and steamed. That said, many less-complicated dishes are just as rewarding, including pumpkinseed dip and brittle, luscious Chayote Squash Pudding, Cuban roast pork and crunchy Xol-Chon Kek, a jicama and orange salad. Hoyer is encouraging and enthusiastic, offering salient tips for key techniques like working with tamale wrappers and charring tomatoes, as well as sources for hard-to-locate ingredients. Those interested in expanding their cultural and culinary horizons will find this collection both educational and all-inclusive. (Mar.)

Storms Can’t Hurt the Sky: A Buddhist Path Through Divorce
Gabriel Cohen. Da Capo Lifelong, $14.95 paper (267p) ISBN 9781600940507
When his wife walks out on him, novelist Cohen (Red Hook) is stunned: “I didn’t call out, didn’t follow her to the door, I just lay down on the couch… as if I was settling into the coffin of our marriage.” How he gets through the subsequent weeks and months provides the focus for this philosophical self-help. Cohen isn’t trying to convert anyone, just passing along the key Buddhist principles he gleaned from a few lectures and applied to his own situation. Sound advice and short chapters fill his narrative of recovery, unadorned by bullet-pointed lists, side-bars or “get-enlightened-quick scheme[s],” which should do much to engage readers and keep them that way. Subjects like anger management, self-pity and substance abuse lead Cohen to the heart of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths that promise an end to suffering for anyone: “Our sadness and happiness and anger… come only from within,” meaning that control over them can and must also come from within. Encouraging and accessible throughout, Cohen’s book will make a useful tool for readers going through a difficult break-up. (Mar.)

Top Chef: The Cookbook
The creators of Top Chef, introduction by Tom Colicchio. Chronicle, $29.95 (256p) ISBN: 9780811864305
Part fanzine, part cookbook, this volume will appeal to the anyone who tunes into Top Chef each week to see contestants out-cook each other, using vending-machine ingredients to make appetizers or preparing lunch for the cast of a telenovela. Replete with dozens of glamour shots of contestant/contributors and sweetly old-fashioned profiles of the judges (host Padma Lakshmi is “a no-nonsense kind of gal”), this volume feels like a guide to a strange, food-obsessed cult. The author sighs over pretty, eccentric Betty Fraser, “[i]t was always hard to know what to make of Betty,” and notes that season two winner Ilan Hall was “good at falling into the kind of cliquish drama you might find in a high school cafeteria.” The recipes themselves, taken directly from the show’s “quickfire” and elimination challenges, are dauntingly involved, much more suited to cooking competitions than the average home kitchen: they never use one ingredient when three will do, nor do they shy away from expensive options like foie gras, truffles and abalone. Even simple-sounding dishes like Chiles Rellenos are accented with complicated sauces and garnishes. It’s hard to imagine anyone consulting this book to whip up dinner, but it’s easy to see how a Top Chef obsessive would get much satisfaction out of it, if not necessarily a full stomach. (Mar.)

The World in Bite Size: Tapas, Mezze, and Other Tasty Morsels
Paul Gayler. Kyle, $19.99 paper (192p) ISBN 9781904920724
Globe-trotting gourmand Gayler (A Passion for Vegetables, The Gourmet Burger, Hot! Hot! Hot!: Cooking With Fire and Spice) has compiled a terrific collection of small dishes in this voluminous, mouthwatering guide to appetizers from around the world. Organized by region (Americas, Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, etc.), Gayler offers something for every palate and occasion. Diners will recognize regional American favorites like Cajun Popcorn (breaded, fried crawfish tails) and Crab Nachos, though Grayson’s take on guacamole, which includes wasabi, ginger and crème fraiche, is a distinct deviation from the norm. He offers multiple winning takes on ceviche, a dish in which seafood is “cooked” in an acidic sauce, with variations calling for scallops, mackerel, oysters and halibut. Fans of the classic fried croquette will find versions ranging from the doughy Coxinha of Brazil and Stilton Fritters from Great Britain to an Italian version employing porcini mushrooms, and Crispy Pork Rillettes (a breaded, fried terrine of shredded pork) from France. Those pressed for time will find Gayler’s simple yet impressive preparations for Razor Clams with Romesco Sauce, Chilled Oysters with Cava Granita and the whimsical Inside-Out Sushi easy to prepare. Once they get their hands on it, adventurous entertainers will find this book indispensable. (Apr.)

FICTION

Ghosts of El Grullo
Patricia Santana. Univ. of New Mexico, $24.95 (290p) ISBN 9780826344090
In her sequel to the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize-winning Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility, novelist Santana follows Yolanda Sahagún, now a young woman struggling to find an identity of her own within her Mexican-American community while uncovering the secrets left behind by her oddly secretive, recently deceased mother: “What I knew of my mother was like looking at movie previews, teasers.” Lost almost equally amidst peers and her tight-knit immigrant family, Yolanda faces off against her father, whose temper and need for control repeatedly spin family gatherings out of control, and eventually makes her way to her parents’ hometown of El Grullo, Mexico. While Yolanda’s search has rich potential, the novel ultimately lacks enough complexity to overcome redundancy. Santana’s obvious talent lies in the engaging, revealing anecdotes that gracefully cross-section the Sahagún family dynamic; unfortunately, these narrative morsels prove more delectable than the meat of the story. (Mar.)

Loving and Losing
Pamela Oldfield. Severn House, $28.95 (240p) ISBN 9780727865168
Oldfield’s novel of grief and compassion in WWI London is among the latest titles by the British author to see U.S. release. As the war nears its conclusion, Eve Randall eagerly awaits the return of her army-scientist husband Harvey, who is in the States working on a cure for a fatal influenza that has struck hundreds of young soldiers. But when the disease claims Harvey, Eve’s dreams of reunion and motherhood are upended; soon, she opts to adopt two neighborhood children orphaned by the virus. At the same time, James Ferber, an army pathologist who lost his wife to the pandemic, fatefully enters Eve’s life, delivering a letter Harvey had written her during his final days. Veteran author Oldfield (Fateful Voyage) shines, swiftly moving her story between London and Camp Devens in the States, and segueing seamlessly to memorable descriptions of the English countryside for the book’s latter half. Oldfield’s lofty writing aptly captures both the era and the subject, making this a worthwhile introduction for American readers. (Apr.)

Reunion
David Daniel. St. Martin’s/Dunne, $24.95 (352p) ISBN 9780312363710
Ghosts of the past haunt the present in Daniel’s ninth novel (after The Marble Kite), a scattered affair that offers nothing surprising save for a distracting detour into the complicated territory of time-travel and mind-swapping. In September 1994, 48-year-old Tom Knowles attends his 30th high school reunion, where an old buddy, Paul “Brain” McClain, surprises the alumni with a hologram show featuring three-dimensional images of the teenaged gang at a high school dance, including the 1963 version of Tom, a shy would-be writer nicknamed TK. Things go well until an electrical mishap leads to the psyches of Tom and TK merging. Dual narratives then follow Tom as he attempts to find a “reconciliation of then and now” and TK, with his new knowledge of the future, trying to stop the local heartthrob from shipping off to Vietnam and having premonitions about JFK’s assassination. Unfortunately, the parallel plots prevent either from gaining momentum, and the pages are full of underdeveloped possibilities. A strange literary hybrid of The Last Picture Show and Back to the Future, the novel ends up feeling both thin and over-crowded. (May)

Ruby Among Us
Tina Ann Forkner. WaterBrook, $9.99 paper (336p) ISBN 9781400073580
Forkner’s debut novel about family secrets never quite gets off the ground. When Ruby DiCamillo dies unexpectedly from asthma, her eight-year-old daughter Lucy blames herself for not reaching her mother’s inhaler in time. As she grows into a young woman, her grandmother Kitty overprotects her, filling her life with art, music and schoolwork but leaving wide gaps in her knowledge of family history. When Lucy insists on learning about her heritage, the secrets are as complicated as her grandmother’s intricate quilts. Fortner struggles with creating successful flashbacks, and the pacing drags. In several places the plot takes a contrived twist (a photo conveniently falling out of an album, a chance meeting in a coffee shop) in order to move forward. Most difficult to believe is that the key tragedy that has shaped the family’s history has kept Lucy’s grandmother estranged from her family for so long. However, Fortner creates some memorable descriptions, and readers of faith should appreciate the strong Christian themes of this novel and its redemptive ending. (May)

Starbucks Nation
Chris Ver Wiel. Arcade, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 9781559708685
Delivering an exhaustive inventory of L.A. archetypes, this debut by the writer/director of Who is Cletis Tout? fails to offer insight into the media-blitzed circus at which it discharges its big guns. Morgan Beale, a jaded screenwriter of “mythic” stature busy adapting bestselling book The Chihuahua in the Blue Prada Bag for the screen, one day runs into his long-dead writing partner, Luke. Luke quickly entices Beale into a Hearse, and so begins a hallucinatory if largely incoherent trip into an alternate universe where Ver Wiel allows Beale to go about shooting fish in a barrel. Beal targets “chimp” producers, paparazzi, reality TV hosts and contestants, actors, celebutantes, critics (“I hate critics”), TV anchors (and their segment producers), FEMA and his starlet wife—“the whore of the corn.” Unfortunately, this reads mostly like a score-settling hit-list than Tinseltown parody, and it rarely rises above the level of a drugged-out diatribe—particularly during a lengthy, surrealist delirium involving a talking Chihuahua. Beale’s bilious outpouring makes his Hollywood shooting gallery almost endearing by comparison. (May)

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