Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 10/20/2008

-- Publishers Weekly, 10/20/2008

Web Pick of the Week

The Tyranny of Oil: The World’s Most Powerful Industry and What We Must Do to Stop It
Antonia Juhasz. Morrow, $26.95 (480p) ISBN 9780061434501
In this thorough, readable takedown of Big Oil, the most profitable industry in the world, Juhasz (The Bush Agenda) exposes the ways in which a half dozen oil companies have achieved control over American families and U.S. politics, triggering environmental and humanitarian catastrophes they have no intention of resolving. Within 10 years of Standard Oil's founding in 1870, John D. Rockefeller monopolized the refining, marketing and output of U.S. oil; ever since 1890's Sherman Antitrust Act split the company into small constituent parts, oil players have scrambled to evade regulation, regather into ever-larger corporations and regain the ability to set prices and control output. Debunking industry claims over recent oil price escalation, Juhasz exposes how Big Oil has used techniques like speculative futures markets and the “Enron Loophole”―along with massive operations opacity―to reap record profits year after year while growing their political influence; indeed, Juhasz locates the current “oiligarchy” making “the most pressing decisions of our time” from inside George W. Bush's White House, crafting policy and advocating war. Calling for a “Separation of Oil and State,” this excellent, wide-ranging study of disastrous monopoly capitalism should shake up notions that major energy players are interested in any alternative to more oil, money and power. (Oct.)

NONFICTION

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008
Edited by Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin, $28 (320p) ISBN 9780618834464
Groopman (How Doctors Think) has collected a wide range of articles, covering futurology to forensics, for this sparkling entry in Tim Folger's annual series. In “Our Biotech Future,” Freeman Dyson claims that “the century of biology” is upon us, when biotechnology follows the path of the computer industry, giving “the tools of genetic engineering” to the average breeder of animals or plants. In a New Yorker article, Jeffrey Toobin compares forensic experts who actually give testimony in court to the characters in television's C.S.I. series. Christopher Conselice, in “The Universe’s Invisible Hand,” discusses how the 1998 discovery of “so-called dark energy” in the universe has led some scientists to create models predicting that its evolution might “rip apart” existing galaxies. Robin Marantz Henig warns in “Our Silver-Coated Future” that there may be serious unforeseen risks in unchecked use of nanotechnology, especially the most commonly used, “nanosilver,” an “antimicrobial” added to many consumer products. Though prolific readers may argue over the “best” moniker, each piece more than exceeds Groopman's standards (“novel and surprising arguments, protagonists who articulate their themes in clear, cogent voices, and vivid cinema”), making this a delight for any fan of popular science. (Oct.)

The Devious Book for Cats
Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman. Villard, $16 (224p) ISBN 9780345508492
A gleeful riff on the Dangerous Book for Boys (and its followers), this collection of feline’s-eye-view essays is a mostly winning effort from past and present staffers of parody newspaper The Onion. Less cringe-worthy than its predecessor, The Dangerous Book for Dogs, Garden and the gang focus on a litany of cat quirks and behaviors that should give cat owners a nod and chuckle on practically every page. Including a field guide to cardboard boxes, profiles of famous felines like Garfield (“the ten ton gorilla in the comics room”), the three waves of felinism and an illustrated guide to napping positions, the book lends itself to casual perusal, though cat fanciers will likely consume it in one sitting. Like listening in on cat-to-cat communications, readers are treated to tactics for “Getting Away With It,” explanations of “What’s in There?” and the “Legend of the Crazy Cat Lady” (a cat’s campfire scare story). Rounded out with original larks like a TV Guide-style program schedule for the window (“4:00 p.m.: Parallel Parking. Watch as Susie Crook fails the test again”) this funny collection boasts an impressive hit-to-miss ratio while managing to avoid cute overload. (Oct.)

French's Opus Continued

In November, the Feminist Press will release the final two books in Marilyn French's ambitious history of women, From Eve to Dawn. The first two volumes were published in April.

From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World, Volume 3: Infernos and Paradises: The Triumph of Capitalism in the 19th Century
Marilyn French, foreword by Margaret Atwood. Feminist, $19.95 paper (400p) ISBN 9781558615830
In the third volume of her remarkable four-volume survey, French (The Women’s Room) illuminates how the industrial revolution worked against women over the course of the 19th century. French begins with imperialism in Africa, documenting the introduction of slavery and industrialization that would decimate traditional African society―including active and powerful positions traditionally held by women, who today are still threatened by the slave trade. In Europe and America, the industrial revolution offered for many family-bound young women a chance at freedom and camaraderie―but only through exploitative, dangerous work in poor conditions and for menial pay. Even then, the patriarchic society worked to keep women and children from any kind of economic or political freedom. At the same time, oppression only drove female workers closer together; with fellow suffering came organization, strength and ultimately a push for labor reform and women’s rights. French’s well-researched account spans the globe and offers fascinating insight and detail; unfortunately, it loses steam as it progresses, cruising through the labor and women's rights movements in typical textbook fashion. (Nov.)

From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World: Volume 4: Revolutions and the Struggles for Justice in the 20th Century
Marilyn French, foreword by Margaret Atwood. Feminist, $19.95 paper (492p) ISBN 9781558615847
In the final installment of her four-volume feminist history, French gratifies readers with an all-encompassing view of women's major and minor 20th century victories from all corners of the globe. French honors both male and female leaders, locating feminist uprisings in such unexpected places as Turkey, where reformist president Mustapha Kemal accepted women in his army and appeared in public with his educated wife unveiled. With patience, research and an extraordinary sense of scale, French examines the effects that the current major forms of government have had on women throughout the centuries, and correlates those findings with the current social and political moment in locations throughout the world. She also tackles the subjects of religion and war, which she claims are the two modern forms of patriarchy―men's way of successfully dominating not just women but other men. Her most curious and insightful volume, this book leaves no angle unexplored. Though often wordy, French offers a striking overview of feminist theory and action alongside her own views, polishing off an exquisite history useful for both personal and classroom study. (Nov.)

The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer
Jack Vitek. Univ. Press of Kentucky, $29.95 (248p) ISBN 9780813125039
In his first solo effort, journalist and author Vitek (Idol Rock Hudson) introduces the original tabloid boss: Generoso Pope Jr., creator of the National Enquirer, mother of the ubiquitous supermarket tabloid (and, arguably, upper-class iterations Us Weekly and People). Vitek's material largely focuses on the fiery management, harsh opposition to, and heavy influence of the Enquirer since 1952, when Pope purchased it (then the New York Enquirer) with help from the Mafia. The endeavor's stunted beginning was rife with gory photos and absurd stories deemed unsuitable for grocery store checkouts―one early issue included photos of Lee Harvey Oswald's autopsy―and a policy of literally putting words in subjects' mouth. Pope Jr.'s riches-to-rags-to-riches story―born into a family of self-made millionaires (with assumed Mafia connections), devastated by his father's untimely death, shunned by his family and left penniless, redeemed as a successful media mogul―fascinates with the ins and outs of bottom-basement journalism and the ferocity with which Pope Jr. ruled and defended his media foxhole (becoming a model for none other than Rupert Murdoch). Vitek lays on the Mafia lingo a bit too thick―overusing language like “whacked,” with a mob movie reference always at the ready―but offers an original American story of a tough, embattled media player with uncanny gifts for giving the public what they want. Photos. (Sept.)

Holidays on Ice
David Sedaris. Little, Brown, $16.99 (176p) ISBN 978031635903
For those dreading the holiday season, bestseller Sedaris (When You Are Engulfed In Flames) makes life a little easier with this re-release of his uproarious essay collection, newly expanded from the original 1997 edition. Sedaris gets the most mileage out of Christmas, from his stint as a Macy’s elf in “SantaLand Diaries,” to comparing American and Dutch holiday traditions in “Six to Eight Black Men.” In “Jesus Shaves,” Sedaris recalls a French class in which students try to explain to each other, in broken French, the concept of Easter: “on the Easter we be sad because somebody makes [Jesus] dead today.” This updated version includes “The Monster Mash,” poached from When You Are Engulfed, in which Sedaris spends Halloween at the morgue; and “The Cow and the Turkey,” a new story featuring the Secret Santa woes of barnyard animals. Longtime fans will be happy to have all Sedaris's holiday stories in one volume, and those who've managed to miss the literary funny-man couldn't get a better gift. (Oct.)

Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles
Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly. Overlook, $26.95 (384p) ISBN 9781585678600
Encapsulating deftly the worldview, historical context, and public psychology of Southern Californians over a number of decades, Los Angeles journalists Jacobs and Kelly examine the approaches they've made to the region's chronic pollution issues, many of which presage current, nation-wide trends in both pollution and its “Greening.” With casual language and a cinematic sense of the dramatic, Jacobs and Kelly detail the buildup to the famous orange-brown L.A. smog of the 1950s and '60s: “Just at that moment, the beast started to evolve... Sometime in the late 1950s, legend had it that a hen laid an egg that L.A. pollution unaccountably turned green.” Highlighting the pioneering people and groups that blazed the trail for the environmental movement, Jacobs and Kelly also explore the progress and setbacks established by policymakers, including a famously conflicted Ronald Reagan. Finished with a particularly powerful, forward-looking epilogue, this friendly, accessible history should appeal to any American environmentalist. 15 b & w photos. (Oct.)

Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee
Bee Wilson. Princeton Univ. $26.95 (400p) ISBN 9780691138206
Columnist and food writer Wilson takes readers to the beginning of the 19th century to document the history of food adulteration―at heart “two very simple principles: poisoning and cheating.” Concentrating on Britain and the U.S. (other countries, especially France, navigated food supply industrialization with wiser government policy), Wilson finds the first food crusader in Frederick Accum, a German immigrant who used chemistry to expose the dishonesty of London food purveyors in his Treatise on Adulterations of Food and Culinary Poisons; she finds the first ineffective government response in Parliament's commitment to laissez faire economic policies over citizen safety. In the U.S., New York's 1850s “swill milk” epidemic and Chicago's meat packing industry would eventually lead to the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act―which probably wouldn't have passed without the popularity of Upton Sinclair’s meat packing expose The Jungle, and couldn’t stop the most nefarious and prevalent of food frauds, the development of fake foods: margarine, baby formula and thousands more. Wilson follows the economic, cultural and political threads skillfully, reporting on developments as recent as the China baby formula scandal. Prescribing more awareness and regulation, Wilson contends that consumers and governments must recognize the continuous pressure on companies to make money by substituting nutritious, genuine ingredients with adulterants. Timely, witty and purposeful, this thorough history should open a lot of eyes, and close some mouths. (Sept.)

Voices of the Holocaust

Two powerful new additions to the field of Holocaust literature release this month, one a you-are-there memoir of hiding and hoping in the sewers beneath Lvov, the other a rare document footnoting the oppressed, dwindling, covertly vibrant life of a transit camp for condemned Jews.

The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow

Krystyna Chiger with Daniel Paisner. St. Martin's, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 9780312376567
In thus puissant memoir, Holocaust survivor Chiger and co-author Paisner detail Chiger's early years, largely spent hiding from Nazi and Ukrainian persecution. Told from a precocious child's point of view, Chiger chronicles long, dark hours spent in silence with her younger brother, Pawel, in makeshift bunkers and behind false walls while their parents worked menial jobs for meager rations. Chiger's seven-year-old cypher possesses a self-awareness that springs from her inner and outer turmoil, capturing well the despair and terror of a life in hiding. After the Chigers are forced into the underground sewer system, with a collection of strangers, by the Lvov ghetto liquidation in May 1943, the family spends fourteen months in the most unsanitary conditions imaginable, sharing quarters with rats and human waste. Amid the sick and starving, young Chiger clings to hope through make believe games, trust in her parents, and the Catholic sewer worker who provides their only access to the outside world. With a powerful story and a keen voice, Chiger's Holocaust survivor's tale is a worthy and memorable addition to the canon. Photos. (Oct.)

The Terezin Album of Miranka Zadikow

Edited and annotated by Deborah Dwork. Univ. of Chicago, $35 (280p) ISBN 9780226511863
As much a work of art as a historical record, the Poesiealbum (autograph album) of Prauge-born Jew Marianka Zadikow documents the lives of those held from 1944-1945 at transit camp Theresienstadt, a 150-year-old fortress at Terezin, Czechoslovakia. With a generously-donated stack of paper bound by a friend, the industrious 21-year-old Marianka―vividly captured in Dwork's biographical introduction―collected thoughts, wisdom, artwork, notes and other contributions from fellow prisoners and survivors, providing a map to the population's tight-knit community and inextinguishable sense of culture (evidenced in clandestine stage performances that “saved [Zadikow's] life”). Reproduced page by page in full-color plates, Dwork's treatment provides facing-page transcripts in original language and translation and, when possible, an explanatory footnote. Many footnotes are obituaries, like performing baritone Walter Windholz, “deported to Auschwitz... just a few weeks after he had signed Marianka’s album.” Some contributors she meets after the war (the Nazis fled Terezin in April 1945), back in Prague or elsewhere, though survivors' stories (including Marianka's own) are not necessarily happy; Eugen Deitelbaum's haunting entry (a “Japanese Poem”) notes that he survived five concentration camps only to die in a drowning accident. Dwork knows not to overshadow the human evidence; Emo Groag's cartoon entry is tagged with a bittersweet story made more powerful for Dolk's brevity and matter-of-fact understatement. The end result is a stirring, illuminating example of Zadikow’s cherished belief that art has the power to transcend, regenerate and reunite. (Oct.)

LIFESTYLE

The Modern Baker: Time-Saving Techniques for Breads, Tarts, Pies, Cakes and Cookies
Nick Malgieri. DK, $35 (320p) ISBN 9780756639716
Would-be bakers could hardly ask for a better instructor than Malgieri, a prolific cookbook author (How to Bake, A Baker’s Tour, Perfect Cakes) and director of the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education. Though his previous books have for years made solid home cooking resources, this volume’s clarity and simplicity may make it his most well-received yet. In it, Malgieri manages the considerable feat of condensing his process for creating pies, tarts, cookies and other baked goods into only the most crucial steps, without sacrificing taste or texture. Relying on a food processor for most mixing tasks (in place of labor-intensive steps like folding), Malgieri patiently guides readers through some of the baking world’s most daunting delicacies, including French baguettes, brioche, tart dough, and homemade puff pastry. With Malgieri’s confidence-building tutelage and a little practice, readers will be frosting cakes and cranking out scones like pros, and the chef offers multiple variations to try once the basics have been mastered. Though the layout leaves something to be desired―a mix of too-small typefaces, especially in ingredient lists, is sure to cause eyestrain―this makes a solid introduction and a dependable resource. (Nov.)

Puglia: A Culinary Memoir
Maria Pigntelli Ferrante. Oronzo Editions (www.oronzoeditions.com), $24.95 paper (264p) ISBN 9780979736919
In what is promised as the first in a series of regional cookbooks originally published by Franco Muzzio Editore, publisher Oronzo brings to America Ferrante’s tour of Puglia, nestled in the “heel” of Italy’s boot. Emphasizing traditional vegetable-based dishes and preparations some may characterize as “peasant food,” Ferrante does an exemplary job illustrating how Puglians make the most out of regional ingredients with dishes like a simple potato and artichoke gratin, stuffed zucchini and salt cod in a basic tomato sauce. Carnivores may be disappointed with the emphasis on vegetables; only a handful of chicken, pork and lamb dishes are included, though recipes for Rabbit with Potatoes and Horse Meatballs illustrate savvy use of inexpensive protein. Interspersed with stories about everything from weekly routines and evening pastimes to the glory of olives, readers will be hungering for a simple, traditional Puglian meal before they’ve finished a chapter. (Oct.)

The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Cakes, Cookies, Bars, Patries and More from New York City's Favorite Bakery
Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree. Wiley, $34.95 (272p) ISBN 9780470170748
In this terrific companion to 1996’s Amy’s Bread, bakery owner Scherber and longtime co-worker Dupree focus on the cakes, cookies, scones and bars that have gained their three New York locations rabidly loyal customers (some profiled here, along with notable employees). Sherber and Dupree give bakers plenty of tasty ideas, emphasizing comfort food classics like Pecan Sticky Buns (presented in two versions); Devil’s Food , Red Velvet and German Chocolate Cakes; Oatmeal Raisin Cookies; and a luscious, biscuit-like Strawberry Shortcake. Though some recipes can be involved, all are accompanied by thorough and encouraging directions, as well as foolproof tips on everything from dealing with temperamental ovens to the importance of cold butter in certain recipes. Success and failure are largely a matter of practicing and incorporating the techniques scattered throughout, and the authors make patient, skilled instructors. Further, every recipe provides measurements in grams, volume and ounces, helping ensure consistent results. Bakers will be hard-pressed to find a better compilation of fail-proof standards―practical bakers might want to buy two copies, as the first is sure to become dog-eared and butter-stained in short order. (Oct.)

ILLUSTRATED

21 Nights
Prince, photos by Randee St. Nicholas. Atria, $50 (256p) ISBN 9781416554448
For international pop star Prince’s first book, photographer St. Nicholas set up shop during the performer’s 2007 sold-out 21-night stand at the O2 Center in London. In Prince’s room, by the hotel elevator, backstage at the concert hall, out on the streets after-hours and on stage, St. Nicholas dazzles with one magical shot after another. Perhaps the most enigmatic and tight-lipped of modern rock stars, St. Nicholas says in her introduction that “[t]o know him is to know that you probably will never really know him and to question that is a waste of time.” Images reveal quiet joy and pronounced solitude, pensiveness and passion, like a two-shot of Prince sitting head down at his mirrored piano, eyes closed, fingers worn down by guitar strings. Though at first glance many of these images―vividly colored, dynamically framed―appear staged, this hefty, gorgeous tome is filled largely with off-the-cuff shots of the artist and his band, the New Power Generation. Accompanying photos are Prince’s lyrics and poetry―he writes a lot about women and biblical lessons―as well as a 15-track CD recorded live at London’s Indigo club, where he played most nights after the concert. Though the low-light restriction at times interferes with a perfect print, St. Nicholas has crafted a gorgeous, raw and honest portrait of one of the world’s most elusive musicians, a worthy addition to any fan’s library. (Oct.)

Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats
Pannonica de Koenigswarter. Abrams Image, $19.95 paper (320p) ISBN 9780810972353
De Koenigswarter (1913-1988), known as the “Jazz Baroness,” was a fixture on the East Coast jazz scene of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Born into the wealthy Rothschild family and married to a French aristocrat, de Koenigswarter emigrated to New York City in the early '50s and became an enthusiastic patron of artists large and small. She was also a canny amateur photographer, evidenced in this enthralling collection of candid snapshots. She also, over course of a decade, collected wishes from some 300 musicians; alongside vibrant, smoky Polaroids, these wishes―though plenty go to money, health and more wishes―provide a brief glimpse into each subjects' dreams: Julian “Cannonball” Adderley wishes for a jazz artists' subsidy organization; Dinah Washington wishes for triplet girls; and Charles Mingus wishes for “enough to pay my bills, but that’s absolutely all.” Not everyone wishes deep: Bill Hardman wishes for “a crazy old lady”; David “Fathead” Newman wishes “To get high… right now.” Legends like Art Blakey Jr., Miles Davis, Horace Silver and John Coltrane are seen as often at work as at play―de Koenigswarter's New Jersey home, “The Cathouse,” was known for housing cats both literal and jazz (Monk spent years there). Free of speculation or commentary, the work has an appropriately improvisational feel, perfect for engaged browsing―if only it came with a CD. (Oct.)

FICTION

Blood Test
Abbas Beydoun, trans. from the Arabic by Max Weiss. Syracuse Univ., $16.95 paper (136p) ISBN 9780815609124
A murky first novel by Lebanese poet and journalist Beydoun follows a young man’s obsession with his dead uncle along his journey to manhood. The narrator is a young student who suddenly finds himself the head of his household after the deaths of his sickly father, his brother in an untimely accident, and his legendary uncle some years earlier. Into the mix comes Safia, once betrothed to the narrator’s uncle, and now remarried to a rich artist, Hashim, and with a young daughter. As the narrator sifts through his father’s effects, speculating on his past and his competitive relationship with his brother, he finds himself attracted to the older Safia, partly out of his identification with his larger-than-life uncle. The two become lovers, but as Safia’s relationship with her husband deteriorates, the narrator realizes their complicated familial ties prohibit him from running away with her. Except for the immediate drama of the love affair, Beydoun’s novel consists primarily of stories within stories about family members whose significance is largely unclear to the reader. (Nov.)

The Christmas Sweater
Glenn Beck. S&S/Threshold, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 9781416594857
In Beck’s debut novel, the conservative radio and TV host (An Inconvenient Book) makes a weak attempt at a holiday classic in the vein of It’s a Wonderful Life. Despite his single mother’s financial hardships, 12-year-old Eddie is certain this Christmas he will receive his much-desired Huffy bike. To his dismay, what he finds under the tree is “a stupid, handmade, ugly sweater” that his mother carefully modeled after those she can’t afford at Sears (one of four places she keeps part-time jobs). Eddie tosses the sweater and insults his mother before the two go visit his grandparents at their farmouse. On the drive home, though, Eddie's exhausted mother falls asleep at the wheel and crashes, dying instantly. Sent to live with his grandparents, an increasingly bitter and angry Eddie lashes out at his accommodating guardians, engages in typical teenage angst and grapples with belief in God. For all his focus on traditional family virtues like respect, love and forgiveness, Beck’s lightweight parable cruises on predictability, repetition and sentimentality. (Nov.)

The Exquisite Corpusle
Edited by Frank Wu and Jay Lake. Fairwood (www.fairwoodpress.com), $20 paper (192p) ISBN 9780978907884
Starting with a painting by Hugo-winning artist Wu, 22 writers, artists and poets take turns spinning ideas off of a previous contributor’s work. The three “chains,” which include such varied ideas as a pagoda full of adversarial Raquel Welches and a sorcerer who unknowingly creates a man out of a plum pit, are eventually (and unsatisfactorily) tied together with a story by editor Lake (Escapement) and artwork by Matt Taggart. Some pieces stand alone easily: Benjamin Rosenbaum’s brilliant “Start the Clock” is set in a near future where a virus has trapped some people in prepubescent bodies, and Heather Shaw’s “Elements” follows four adventurous college students who participate in a nature ritual that goes awry. Fans of surrealism and innovative speculative fiction will appreciate this fascinating and ambitious exploration of the “groupmind.” (Nov.)

Swimming With Strangers: Stories
Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum. Chronicle, $22.95 (192p) ISBN 9780811860765
Lunstrum’s uninspired second collection of short stories focuses on women unhappy in their lives and relationships. In “Islands,” an older couple is prompted to reexamine their relationship after befriending a younger couple on a small Pacific Northwest island, while in ”Familial Kindness,” the conflict is between a woman and her long absent brother-in-law, returning to town for a funeral. Lunstrum returns often to the theme of love slowly burning out as years pass, as in “Carmel,” where the husband reminisces about his wife’s once smooth thighs and how she used to revel in parties rather than avoid them. In “The Drowning,” a teenage girl is pursued by a persistent lifeguard at the summer camp where they work, her wariness reflecting her parents’ own strained relationship. While the writing is generally competent, Lunstrum’s plotlines veer into the unlikely and the dialogue is too often unnatural. (Nov.)

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