Nonfiction Reviews

In this biography of bird enthusiast Phoebe Snetsinger, former journalist Gentile wonders whether there is a “line between dedication and obsession, and when does obsession cross the line into pathology?” Married, with four children, Phoebe was a frustrated 1950s housewife who began experiencing a depression that “felt like she was inside a tomb.” Her introduction to bird-watching by “another shy, brainy housewife,” seeing a warbler through binoculars, was a revelation; it was as if she’d seen a “blinding white light.” With the help of a local birding club, Phoebe began her “life list” of birds and gradually began traveling farther afield in search of new sightings. Diagnosed in her late 40s with incurable cancer and less than a year to live, she threw herself into birding, traveling worldwide, ignoring injury and danger to work on her life list for another 18 years, until killed in a bus accident in Madagascar at the age of 68. Gentile’s ambivalence, celebrating Snetsinger’s “having lived so fully and with so much spirit” but noting that “she had lost the capacity to take into account her family, her health and her safety,” adds a reflectiveness that Phoebe herself may have avoided in life. (Apr.)

In a forest of dry marketing books, Resnick’s animated debut stands out as its own hidden gem, filled with juicy real-life tales of marketing strategies that rocketed Resnick and her husband to astounding success with companies like Fiji Water, Teleflora, the Franklin Mint and Pom Wonderful, the wildly successful pomegranate juice. The author charms with her winning wit and a self-deprecating tone as she distills the secrets of her extraordinary career into a series of philosophies illustrated through behind-the-scenes looks at various marketing campaigns. She describes how she resuscitated Teleflora, a struggling flower delivery service, by introducing the “flowers-in-a-gift” container; how she famously endured ridicule when she purchased Jackie Kennedy’s signature strand of fake pearls at auction for $211,000 for the Franklin Mint, only to painstakingly replicate them and then sell them in droves, grossing a whopping $26 million; and how she learned to “think inside the box,” delving into the intrinsic value of products like the pomegranate. A must-read for anyone who aspires to Resnick’s level of promotional genius, success or commitment to environmental sustainability. (Feb.)

In this stunning examination of African-American life after slavery. Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Litwack recounts the physical brutality and crushing legal oppression of Jim Crow America. Drawing on African-American literature, poetry and blues music, as well as traditional archival and media records, the author details lynchings, segregation, denial of education and housing—and the dedication among African-Americans determined not to be treated as second-class citizens. The book pays special attention to the participation of black soldiers in America’s wars and concludes with a look at race relations at the dawn of the new century: the legacy of the civil rights movement largely dismantled, the segregation formerly mandated by law replaced by a segregation just as deep driven by economics and tradition, and the voice of black dissent expressed through rap instead of blues. “In the early twenty-first century,” the author writes, “it is a different America, and it is a familiar America”; Jim Crow is long gone from our law books, but the struggle for equality continues. (Feb.)

After poor career choices, a failed marriage and three moves to three different states, first-time author Greene needed to establish sanity and stability for herself and her children. What she gets when she accepts a job offer she thinks will be just a “nice resting place” turns out to be a wonderful new life. Greene, now the grandmother of seven, recounts the transformation of her life and her 20-year marriage to Marsh, a man she met after her move when she was in her late 30s. Greene kept a running list of the funny and touching things Marsh did for her each day, and each year, on Valentine’s Day, she would share the “Sweet Things List” with him. Weaving recollections from this list into her story, Greene opens up memorable times of their lives: the early period in their relationship, the years in China for Marsh’s career, their time sailing the Pacific and searching for a new home, his illness and the surprising publication of this book. What could have been a saccharine story filled with clichés is instead a gentle and genuine reminder that the smallest things in life are the most precious. This is a heartfelt tribute to what really matters. (Feb.)

In this series of loosely connected reminiscences, Manderino (Reasons for Leaving) attempts to craft an autobiography from snapshots of himself as a movie watcher, with uneven results. Each chapter focuses on a particular film, from Manderino’s childhood memories of being frightened by Death of the Dinosaurs to debating the merits of Jane Fonda’s performance in Coming Home with a date. The most evocative are those where the film in question either influences or mirrors the author’s life: he gets up the courage to confront a man in a bar after watching Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver and recreates a swooning fan letter he once wrote to Debbie Reynolds after seeing her in Singin’ in the Rain. The collection falters when Manderino strains for a connection between his own life and the lives depicted on screen, such as his “role” in a friend’s wedding video or the unoriginal parallels he draws between himself as a depressed high school senior and Laurence Olivier’s portrayal of Hamlet. Yet despite these missteps, Manderino’s love and respect for the medium is undeniable. (Feb.)

These plainspoken, cage-rattling essays, collected by Walker (What Makes a Man), address how dramatically the traditional nuclear American family has changed. Jenny Block’s “And Then We Were Poly” sets the decidedly unconventional tone by insisting that her and her husband’s embrace of other sexual partners allows them a more joyful, fulfilling commitment to each other. A gay couple adopts the child of a self-destructive street girl in Dan Savage’s “DJ’s Homeless Mommy,” then tries to keep the mother in touch with her son. In “Sharing Madison,” Dawn Friedman, another parent of an adoptee, writes of her agonizing process of overcoming the guilt she feels in having taken baby Madison away from her teenage mother. Antonio Caya, in “Daddy Donoring,” recounts his rational decision to sire his friend’s child, firmly remaining a donor, not a daddy, so as not to “muddle the issue.” Children of mixed race force a much-needed altering of people’s perceptions, as ZZ Packer explores in “The Look,” while Susan McKinney de Ortega’s choice to marry a much younger Mexican man and make a home in Mexico challenges the American notion of middle-class values. These fresh, diverse views represent an authentic, valuable new reality. (Feb.)

Two moving books by Avnery, originally published in 1949 and 1950, appear here in their first English translation. A former member of the Israeli Knesset and outspoken peace activist, Avnery was the first Israeli to meet with Yasser Arafat in 1982. Fighting in Israel’s 1948 war of independence, he sent battlefield dispatches to an Israeli newspaper describing the fluctuating morale of his platoon. As a new recruit, Avnery’s enthusiasm quickly dampens, and he reflects on the cruel arbitrariness of war when a comrade dies next to him during their first battle. After another important and successful battle, Avnery writes of how survivor’s guilt leaves him unable to face the parents of fallen comrades. In the book’s most profound moments, Avnery describes how his friends risked their lives to save his when he was critically wounded. His excruciating recovery is told in the book’s more ambitious and controversial novelistic second half, which also suggests that Israel should form an alliance with the Arab national movement. Although written more than half a century ago, Avnery’s colorfully detailed eyewitness accounts of battle are still potent, authentic and relevant. Photos, maps. (Feb.)

George Thomas remains one of the less studied and less appreciated Union generals in the Civil War. In the first full-scale biography for decades, historian Bobrick (Testament: A Soldier’s Story of the Civil War) presents a Virginian who stood by his oath to the United States; a commander who saved Kentucky for the Union; brought the Army of the Cumberland out of disaster at Chickamaugua to glory at Missionary Ridge; and destroyed an entire Confederate army at Nashville. Bobrick describes Thomas as consistently victimized by generals Sherman and Grant, who created from whole cloth an enduring image of Thomas as slow to act and think. Bobrick makes a convincing case that the only time Thomas was “slow” was in retreating under fire. Above all, Thomas understood that the modern high-tech battlefield required not heroic inspiration but deliberate preparation. When the time was right, he acted with a decisiveness comparable among his contemporaries only to Prussia’s Helmuth von Moltke. Bobrick considers Thomas the greatest Union general. That remains open to argument, but he incontrovertibly stands in the 19th century’s first rank as a master of war. 16 pages of illus.; maps. (Feb.)

Khamisa, an award-winning peace and forgiveness advocate, and Quinn, a life and spiritual coach, explore spiritual resiliency—the ability to recover from disappointment and tragedy and one of the strongest predictors of happiness. The authors assert that when individuals embrace spiritually affirming thoughts, they make more empowering choices, including maintaining good spiritual hygiene, connecting with their callings, taking care of their bodies, and creating a resilience-rich environment. Through their own personal stories and those of others, the authors reveal how spiritually bulletproof people think, providing exercises to help the reader learn and practice mental habits that support spiritual resiliency. Each chapter ends with a “Bounce Back Boot Camp” section that introduces techniques such as making time and space to mourn fully and deeply and to push into pain rather than be numb to true feelings. Thorough and enlightening, this book will help readers face life’s challenges with a full arsenal of tools. (Feb.)

With an informed eye on the history of New York City as a leading target of world terrorism, Dickey, Newsweek’s Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor, chronicles the effectiveness and resources of the high-tech intelligence operation of the New York Police Department. He speaks without bias of hard-nosed veterans Raymond Kelly, the pragmatic NYPD police commissioner, and David Cohen, a former CIA analyst, who formed the counterterrorism division, which watches over the city with more than 600 cops and operatives stationed stateside and around the world. As Cohen says: “There’s a plot taking shape on New York City every day of every week since 9/11.” Dickey examines the history of terrorism in the city, but poses the thorny question of surveillance vs. civil liberties (e.g., helicopters whose cameras can look directly into specific apartments) since the 2001 World Trade Center tragedy and the Madrid and London bombings. In the increasingly crowded field of “war on terror” books, Dickey’s (Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son) measured meditation on a secured city and its vigilant police force stands out as one of the best. (Feb.)

Veteran royal biographer Weir (Eleanor of Aquitaine) resurrects the life and times of the remarkable woman who was mistress and eventually the wife of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, third son of the charismatic and accomplished king of England, Edward III. Through John and Katherine Swynford (1350–1403) descended centuries of British sovereigns, including Queen Elizabeth II. Weir makes use of meager contemporary sources to build a convincing case for an intelligent, poised and talented woman who flouted convention and took control of her destiny in a male-dominated age. After the death of her first husband, one of John’s knights, Katherine embarked on an illicit and notorious liaison with John, married to the queen of Castile; the connection survived separations and calamities, and she bore him four children. Repentant in the wake of the Peasants Revolt, John broke off the liaison, but after his wife’s death, he risked censure to marry her, making her stepmother to the future Henry IV. Weir’s well-researched, engrossing and perceptive biography gives a gutsy beauty her due while vividly describing the age of chivalry and its many players, including Katherine’s renowned brother-in-law, Geoffrey Chaucer. 16 pages of color photos. (Jan. 27)

In this fascinating study, Werth (The Scarlet Professor) shows how the idea of social Darwinism, as codified by Herbert Spencer, took hold in the United States, underpinning the philosophy of the Gilded Age’s social, cultural and financial elite. Anchoring his story with the stunning Delmonico’s celebration honoring the departure of Spencer after a triumphant tour of the United States in 1882, Werth rightly depicts the frame of reference Spencer left behind as a predecessor to Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, with its focus on unrestrained self-interest and unbridled capitalism. As Werth explains, Spencer’s interpretation of Darwinism won the approval of not only robber barons but also prominent religious, scientific and political leaders. Henry Ward Beecher, writes Werth, “used the most acclaimed pulpit in America to preach the gospel of evolution; that is, that it was God’s way to... sort the worthy from the wretched.” This was survival of the fittest, which Spencer and his followers saw as not only just but necessary. Thus, Werth elegantly reveals a firm philosophical foundation for all the antilabor excesses of the Industrial Age. (Jan. 6)

Holmes (Suburban Safari) has been “uncomfortable with the notion that I was an animal apart, a sort of extraterrestrial on my own planet.” Hence, she examines her “animal self,” hoping to “clarify my identity in the natural world.” As in her previous works, she uses the mundane to make larger points about life and the human condition. Beginning each chapter in a scientific mode, she then glides into more personal reflections (“I’m most aware of my brain when I encounter its limitations”) and then compares humans with other animals: “My wad of wiring is so hot and bothered that it puts all the world’s other brains to shame. Or does it?” Holmes thus continually underscores that humans are not nearly as different as many would have us believe. For example, a surprising number of species communicate fairly well, and prairie dogs actually have a sizable vocabulary. Holmes’s optimistic conclusion is that we are the only species capable of thinking about the effect of our actions and acting against narrow self-interest, even if we don’t always do so. Holmes makes the scientific personal in prose that is juicy and humorous, if occasionally a bit too cute. (Jan. 20)

In this, the 150th anniversary of the original publication of Gray’s Anatomy, Richardson, a scholar of the history of science, relates how this classic came into being. Richardson does a creditable job of explaining how two young doctors, Henry Gray and Henry Vandyke Carter, teamed together to create an anatomy manual better than any available for students in surgery. Their version had better and larger drawings (in fact, their size, which contributed to the book’s success, was an accident: the illustrations were meant to be 25% smaller), simpler text and a very successful integration of surgical techniques with anatomical features. Richardson also impressively reviews the technicalities of scientific publication in the mid-19th century. Far less successful is the analysis of the two men behind Gray’s Anatomy. With little pertinent material extant, Richardson is left to surmise with a plethora of “perhaps” and “probably.” Conversations between the two authors, between Gray and his publisher, and between the publisher and the printer are simply manufactured. Nonetheless, Richardson uses Gray’s Anatomy as a springboard to present an interesting slice of scientific history. Illus. (Jan.)

Who cleans up when a killer leaves a really big bloody mess? In a chatty, tongue-in-cheek profile of Neal Smither, chief of Crime Scene Cleaners Inc., journalist Emmins lets the “Boss Cleaner” speak passionately of how he tackles spills and splotches resulting from the San Francisco Bay area’s murders, suicides and other deaths. Emmins delves into the zany character of Smither, a loving family man who puts on a coarsely humorous persona as “protective armor” as he surrounds himself with the dark realm of death, monitoring his multimillion-dollar business in a highly competitive field. Hanging around with Smither means a grisly experience of suicide surrounded by transgender porn, bodies splattered by gunfire or the decayed corpses of those ruined by meth or contagious disease. For a totally gonzo way of looking at the crime scene cleaning business, try this engrossing, wisecracking assessment (of Smither, Emmins writes, “[I]f not actually one of Death’s litter, he must be at barest minimum a cousin”) of a world we know exists but ignore as we go on about our lives. (Jan.)

Al-Ali and Pratt’s examination of women in postinvasion Iraq argues that the invasion has undermined women’s rights, as the nationalist movement supersedes the women’s movement, as heightened security risk forces many women into their homes. Aside from physical danger, gender studies scholar Al-Ali and foreign relations expert Pratt deftly illustrate cultural resistance to women’s freedom: for instance, Iraqi women are viewed as “custodians and transmitters of national culture” rather than as actors on the political stage, and as rhetorical pawns, with military invasion justified as a means of protecting them. The authors make overgeneralized statements—e.g., “militarism at home contributes to reproducing social inequalities in countries that are a target of military intervention”—rooted in assumptions not all readers will share (“military intervention is a tool of U.S. empire building”). The authors also sometimes assume knowledge of treaties, events and organizations many readers won’t be familiar with, such as the Algiers Agreement of 1975. Still, the book thoroughly exposes the disparities between the talk of politicos and the situation of Iraqi women—a timely addition to scholarship on Iraq. (Jan.)

In this compassionate memoir, Dougan, humor columnist for 13 years penning “Of All Things” for the Deseret News in Utah, writes for the first time about her mentally disabled sister, Irene. After Irene was born in 1946, their parents decided that she would not be institutionalized; with no Salt Lake City support group available, the girls’ father, who ran an ad agency, teamed with other parents to launch a local day care center in 1952. Dougan made that a family tradition, opening a workshop for teens and adults with mental disabilities in 1968 and serving eight years as president of the Utah Association for Retarded Citizens. To tell Irene’s story, she begins with a traumatizing childhood event; when she was 12 and Irene was six, they witnessed Irene’s babysitter die from a massive brain hemorrhage. The lives of the sisters intertwined: Terrell became obsessed with swimming and ice skating; Irene learned to swim and ice skate, but not to read and write. Terrell studied at Stanford and later got married and had children; Irene was sent away at age 20 to a residential school in the hope she would learn “some independence.” Influenced by Benchley and Thurber, Terrell is a skilled humorist with amusing anecdotes about Irene, such as her behavior during the family’s Venice vacation. Writing with honesty, she is equally impressive in relating the haunting memories of sadness and despair surrounding Irene’s darker days. (Jan.)

In Berry’s first novel, Redemption Song, a contemporary love story unfolds as a pair of young strangers share reading the only extant copy of a slave narrative, the work of a woman who experienced deep love for a fellow slave and savage treatment from her owner. “When I named the evil slave owner,” Berry explains in this memoir, referring to her novel, “I gave him the name of the man who owned the [Delaware] plantation that my family had lived on.” Berry’s mother had told her that “Granddaddy said John Hunn was a good man,” but Berry met such reports with utter disbelief. Her memoir is an act of contrition toward “the man whose name I tried to tarnish” as well as a journey of self-discovery and self-education as she uncovers the historical Hunn—indeed, “a good man.... a Quaker who risked life and limb in the fight for abolition” and “the southernmost conductor of the Underground Railroad.” Berry weaves abolitionist history with autobiography (her single mother’s struggle to raise a family of seven children; her own finding “a way out of poverty through education”). Berry’s competently researched book, with its sprinklings of history, folklore and scripture along with a motivational thrust (“We are all born with a purpose, a journey that must be completed”), provide an accessible, readable introduction for others “saddened... that none of this history had been made part of my education.” (Jan.)

Film marketer and business professor Martin has created a step-by-step guide on how to make an indie film and includes stories from and about such industry insiders as producer Christine Vachon and directors Doug Liman and Kimberly Peirce. Martin covers everything from raising money to distribution, while including invaluable details such as the average cost of a soundtrack song (about $15,000, but $500,000 if it’s the Rolling Stones) or the price of renting a New York City theater for a one-week run ($10,000–$50,000). Using current examples like the trial and tribulations of Sideways director Alexander Payne or the financing behind Swingers, Martin dispenses practical advice culled from real-life indie hits and misses that is both inspiring and cautionary. For certain technical information (sample budget breakdowns and representation contracts), Martin includes a solid appendix in what is ultimately an informative and very entertaining account of the indie film for would-be independent filmmakers and producers. (Jan.)

To this day, nobody knows what prompted Martin Luther King Jr. to depart from his prepared remarks during the August 28, 1963, March on Washington and deliver what is probably the most famous impromptu speech in American history. Was it the realization that the 40-year-old preacher from Atlanta hadn’t yet connected with his audience? Was it the manifest destiny he felt as a child, that one day he would “have me some big words” like the preacher of his own church? Or was it the provocation of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who called to King to “Tell ’em about the dream, Martin!” According to Sundquist (To Wake the Nation), not even the master orator could put a finger on his extemporization. “I started out reading the speech,” King recalled, then “all of a sudden this thing came out of me.” The author investigates the origin of King’s powerful words and places them in the context of JFK’s political maneuverings, the powerful new medium of television news and the complicated strategy behind the simple march. Exhaustively researched, this book delivers an exegesis of the speech and a captivating account of King’s motivations and turbulent times. (Jan.)

In this companion book to a two-part PBS series, Gates (Colored People) combines rigorous historical research with DNA analysis to recreate the family trees of African-American celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones, as well as intellectuals, authors, comedians, musicians and athletes. Most of the subjects knew very little about ancestors as recent as grandparents, to say nothing of the information DNA results provided about their African and European ancestry. Gates connects gaps in ancestral knowledge to the fundamental evil of the American slave era, when slave owners and sellers purposely “robbed black human beings of... all aspects of civilization that make a human being 'human’: names, birth dates, family ties.” Though the book relies too heavily on the notion that knowing one’s ancestry leads to a better understanding of aspects of one’s own personality, Gates proves in case after case that the past brings itself to bear on the present. In Chris Rock’s case, had he known he had a 19th-century ancestor who had served as a South Carolina legislator, “it might have taken away the inevitability that I was going to be nothing.” (Jan.)

This exposé of the treatment meted out to American veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is a breathtaking rebuke to government hypocrisy and an overdue contribution to gaining critical public awareness of this official neglect. Glantz (How America Lost Iraq), who covered the American occupation of Iraq, offers a thorough account of the plight U.S. vets face back home—from the understaffed Veterans Administration perversely geared to saving money at the expense of vets in dire need of help, to concomitant medical and social ills, including undiagnosed brain injuries and the too frequent perils of homelessness, crime and suicide. There is also grassroots resistance and mutual aid, including the eventual passage of the post 9/11 GI Bill of Rights in May 2008, fiercely opposed by the Bush administration and the Republican Congress (including John McCain). Glantz fleshes out his narrative with the voices and powerful stories of vets, their families and advocates, while helpfully including a host of resources and services for veterans. Glantz also places their experience in a longer, dismal history of government neglect, while backing up his assertion that “the Bush administration has never been seriously interested in helping veterans” with damning evidence. (Jan.)

The life story of Washington lobbyist Gerald Cassidy is used to “illuminate how Washington has changed over the past three decades” in this bleak but informative book. Kaiser, an associate editor at the Washington Post, traces the ascendance of Cassidy, from his rough childhood in the 1950s to the incorporation of his lobbying firm, a pioneer in winning congressional earmarks for its clients, which Cassidy cofounded with Kenneth Schlossberg in 1975. The relationship between the two partners was dissolved in 1984, but Cassidy continued to build what became one of the most powerful and wealthy firms in the industry before it slipped from its vanguard status in the last few years. The author also lays out a larger history of influence peddling in federal politics, stretching back to the Civil War era, and examines the evolution of today’s “permanent campaigns.” The author’s gestures to a broader historical narrative—often in alternating chapters—sometimes distract from his nuanced examination of the rise and decline of Cassidy and Associates, but Kaiser manages to vividly elaborate the firm’s history while placing it in the context of a degenerating political culture. (Jan.)

Conley (Honky) makes a prescient analysis of how technology and free markets have transformed American life, comparing the mid-20th century American with the present-day incarnation. These are two very different animals—one compartmentalized and motivated by the traditional American ethos of success, and the other a psychological hybrid of impulses connected to work, pleasure, materialism and consumption. The results of this brilliant and, at times, chilling comparison, are manifest not only on these pages but in real life. “Cheap and easy credit,” he writes, “has been a major reason why the United States recently dipped into negative savings for the first time since the great depression.” Conley examines how, technology has altered how Americans earn and spend money, playing out the behaviors characteristic of “late capitalism,” or simply an evolving economic system that, by attaching a price to virtually everything from child rearing to dating, has helped devalue people, the work they do and the material goods they desire. A sociological mirror, this book is equal parts cautionary tale, exercise in contemporary anthropology and a spiritual and emotional audit of the 21st century American. (Jan.)

Life coach Miller collaborates with Frisch, a researcher and clinical psychologist, to create a fascinating book that connects the research on goal-setting with the new science of positive psychology. Turns out these two have a symbiotic relationship, for as Miller says, “[H]appiness requires having clear-cut goals in life that give us a sense of purpose and direction.... when we make progress toward attaining goals in one area of life, we raise our overall life satisfaction in other areas because of the 'spillover’ effect.” Each chapter focuses on ways to increase happiness and self-efficacy, and directs readers to a particular “life list” at the back of the book. These range from “100 Things to Do Before I Die” to a list of mood-boosters that bring “Jolts of Joy” or a “Web of Influence Map,” where readers can chart how the closest people in their lives reflect their values; research indicates that rates of obesity and smoking are determined by who we socialize with. The authors share ingenious tips on reminders (cellphone ring tones, screen savers) that will help readers achieve long-term goals by suggestion. An excellent resource list rounds out the book. (Jan.)

“I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the past or thinking about myself,” Turner claims, but the media tycoon turns out to have a pretty good memory—except for certain events, like the death of his younger sister, which he admits he’s suppressed completely. After dropping out of college, Turner worked his way up from the bottom of his father’s billboard company, which he inherited when his father committed suicide, and then slowly turned it into an international media empire—an uphill battle he records in entertaining detail (“I don’t think of myself as losing,” he says of the occasional setbacks, drawing on his experiences as a champion sailor. “I’m simply learning how to win”). Turner’s version of events is frequently interrupted by supplementary “Ted Stories” from those closest to him, including his children and business colleagues—even competitors. These commentaries are not always complimentary; in two passages, ex-wife Jane Fonda candidly discusses the psychological blocks she believes keep him from achieving full emotional and spiritual intimacy. There’s little to challenge Turner’s provocative reputation, but his reflections reveal the depth of calculation behind his career as a so-called loose cannon. (Nov. 11)

Correction: The correct publisher of The Empathy Gap, reviewed Oct. 27, is Viking.

Entertainment-oriented. Hypocritical. Idolatrous. Consumerist. A mess. These are only some of the terms Erre uses to describe the plight of the church in contemporary American culture. A teaching pastor at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, Calif., and author of The Jesus of Suburbia, Erre delves into the Bible and church history to make the case that the church needs to recover its communal, subversive, confrontational, countercultural truth-telling mission of incarnating “the upside-down way of the kingdom of God.” Drawing on the writings of scholars in and outside of the evangelical tradition, the writer takes a fresh and compelling look at how a kingdom-focused community would approach such Christian fundamentals as mission, worship, evangelism, the Eucharist and apologetics. A culturally marginalized church, he argues, can still be a place of hope, engaging the world and pointing to God’s rule. While ceding no ground on traditional Christian doctrine, this thought-provoking book is a powerful bill of indictment and an inspirational template for church reformation that may resonate with believers and nonbelievers alike. A too brief postscript offers suggestions for clergy who want to create the “kingdom-focused” church in their own congregations. (Jan.)

Geisler is one of the most prolific authors of Christian books wielding a pen. With more than 70 works under his belt, one wonders if he has anything new to say that hasn’t been said before. This challenging book is part defense of the gospel and part primer in philosophical logic. Studying the life of Jesus from several perspectives, Geisler demonstrates how Jesus, in his life, his miracles and his teachings—indeed, in his very existence and claims to divinity—satisfies even the most stringent tests for philosophical wholeness and coherence. Jesus is presented as the ultimate apologist, as one who “was familiar with and utilized all the basic laws of rational thought and reasoning processes.” This is quite a claim, and one that may not be evident from a simple reading of the gospels. But in the competent and skilled hands of Geisler and coauthor Zukeran, who works for a Texas Ministry organization, the thesis gains some credibility. Beginning students will be challenged by the avalanche of philosophical terminology. Experienced readers will be challenged to determine the authenticity of the authors’ conclusions. (Jan.)

President of the Center for Christ and Culture in Dallas, Craven, a business executive turned minister, is long on passion but late to the discussion on postmodernism, which he sees as a socially corrosive philosophy nonetheless declining in influence. He notes, however, that the philosophy accepts that we cannot know all things and thus allows us to rediscover humility. He examines issues shaping culture today and argues that Christianity has become irrelevant in shaping society. He then seeks to promote Christian influence by engaging culture with what the Bible says about consumerism, marriage, homosexuality, spirituality, feminism. He concedes, for example, that some Christians have suppressed human rights in the name of religion, but “the Christian God is actually the foremost advocate of equality between the sexes.” Conservative readers will find a champion for not only resisting cultural shifts but actually reshaping culture with a Christian worldview, but other readers may question such sweeping assertions as “prior to the sixties, America’s moral consensus was largely derived from distinctly Christian principles and values—in essence a Christian worldview.” (Jan. 30)

Why is it so hard to say “no”? Pastor, writer and ex-New Yorker Cootsona explores the bevy of reasons why we say “yes” too often, and then delves into the virtues of “no.” Overworked and in bad health, the author describes how he had to embrace “no” in order to save his marriage, his career and his very life. Saying “no,” however, does not involve being negative or mean toward others. Technology, noise and too much entertainment are the primary culprits responsible for pulling us away from the important goals of our lives. These deserve our most emphatic “no!” The author does not recommend a radical restructuring of life, but suggests a helpful balance between being in the world and carving out time for silence, contemplation, family life and relaxation. Utilizing his gifts as a jazz drummer to drum up a helpful analogy, Cootsona describes how practice, listening and even improvisation can lead to making better choices in life. While much of the spiritual advice is not novel, the author’s personal experience, unique presentation and eagerness serve to animate tried and true ideas. (Jan. 6)

After the release of this memoir’s first edition 10 years ago, Tate, an entertainment lawyer turned novelist, received negative reactions to its bold title. In this second edition, she justifies its retention and provides an update about her life. In some ways, the title sums up the book’s two distinct sections: the first part recounts events that led to Tate’s struggle with racial identity as she moves from a mostly black university to a mostly white Midwestern setting. The second part chronicles an emotion-filled faith transformation that leads her to embrace “this other defining adjective, Christian,” an identity that she finds in conflict with black culture. The title seems to promise at least some sociological conclusions, but the author abandons that promise after the book’s introduction and instead relies on an overly simple understanding of a diverse black community. While this quick read delivers a touching reminder to Christians that their relationship with Jesus transcends color, some readers may be confused by a meandering time line that randomly refers to past events, and others may be put off by a title that’s too audacious for an isolated testimony. (Jan.)

A clinical social worker with decades of experience, Richards (Caregiving: Church and Family Together) knows her subject deeply. She proposes revising the usual understanding of caregiving; it’s not a one-way connection in which one gives and the other receives, but rather a mutual relationship of shared care that takes advantage of each person’s strengths. This is a radical and timely idea given the aging of 78 million baby boomers and the present experience of millions now caring for aging, ill or disabled loved ones. Also innovative is Richards’s steady insistence that care sharing is spiritual work; with this view, resources multiply, from congregational support to supplies of hope and meaning. The book is eminently practical, with dozens of suggestions and a helpful and manageable bibliography of key texts from the growing literature. But Richards is more than a peripheral observer; she conveys in a caring way her profound understanding of this inevitable part of the life cycle. There are, and will be, many books about caregiving; this one is sensitive and essential. (Jan.)

This book grew out of questions generated at a Web site that management consultant Beale organized to communicate the ideas of Polkinghorne (Faith, Science, and Understanding), a physicist and Anglican priest, who maintains that science and religion are complementary modes of thought. It organizes selected questions under seven topics. Each question is followed by the responses of Beale and Polkinghorne, sometimes as a single answer and sometimes by the authors individually. Its three appendixes (“Anthropic Fine-Tuning,” “Brain and Consciousness” and “Evolution”) are substantial, constituting a third of the book, although they repeat some material from earlier chapters. True to the book’s subtitle, not all of the dialogue includes science, such as “How much do you need to believe to be a Christian?” and “What place do non-Christians have in God’s universe?” While many of the questions and the authors’ answers are informed by Christian assumptions, topics such as human consciousness and suffering are of universal interest.Many readers will welcome this accessible format, but some may find the blurring of science and theology confusing. (Jan.)

In May 2007, Beckwith, the president of the Evangelical Theology Society (ETS), stepped down as president of the society and resigned his membership. Eight days earlier, Beckwith had embraced the Catholicism of his childhood and youth and had been publicly received back into the Catholic Church. In this thinly written, often plodding book, Beckwith lukewarmly chronicles his journey back to Catholicism, from his early days of reading philosophy and his academic study with Protestant Christian apologists such as Norman Geisler and John Warwick Montgomery to his graduate work at Fordham and the encouragement of various family members to embrace Catholicism once again. In the end, Beckwith takes the best from both worlds, claiming that he is an evangelical insofar as he believes in the Gospel (evangel) and a Catholic insofar as he believes that the church is universal. Since Beckwith’s book resembles a conversation among those in the know about the principles and struggles within ETS and Catholicism, it would have been more useful as a journal article. The book has little meaning for anyone outside this select circle struggling with a move from Protestantism to Catholicism. (Jan.)

Baggett, an associate professor of religion and society at the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, Calif., takes on the term “cafeteria Catholic” in this study of American Catholics. He dislikes the description, commonly applied to liberal Catholics who select which church teachings they will accept, because of the suggestion that such choices are made casually. His findings, based on interviews with 300 Catholics at six Bay Area parishes, show that most Catholics make similar selections and that they do so thoughtfully. He says Catholics live their faith by “negotiating with the broader tradition,” reframing it through use of “evocative symbols” to create religious truths and refreshing it by mingling Catholic symbols with cultural ones. Baggett quotes extensively from the interviews he and his team conducted and tallies the results in a series of charts, often comparing what he learned with the work of other researchers, especially sociologist Thomas O’Dea. His rather academic presentation will primarily interest other scholars and perhaps reform-minded church leaders, rather than the Catholic layperson. (Dec.)

Nine erstwhile evangelicals who recanted their beliefs—historical figures including George Eliot, Vincent van Gogh and James Baldwin—stand at the center of this new volume by Hempton (Methodism: Empire of the Spirit), a social historian at Harvard. Relying on letters, speeches, novels and other writings, Hempton creates minibiographies tracing the faith journeys of these disenchanted evangelicals and what such journeys reveal about the movement itself. Hempton is careful not to paint his subjects’ movement away from evangelicalism as the inevitable secularization of thoughtful people; he does, however, examine his subjects’ common reasons for leave-taking, including frustration with rigid doctrine and disillusionment with the church’s reluctance to speak out on such issues as racism and gender inequality. Hempton also points to the vestiges of evangelicalism that often remained even after his subjects had formally quit the movement, characteristics such as “moral earnestness, a desire to witness and preach, a commitment to social activism on behalf of disadvantaged people, and a concern for the truth.” Readers along the entire spectrum of religious faith and disenchantment will find this book a worthwhile read. (Dec.)

Ramadan, author and research fellow at Oxford University who in a cause célèbre has been repeatedly denied a visa to the U.S., presents a deft and timely call for radical change in the way Muslim scholars interpret and apply their central texts. Ramadan believes in an integrative approach—one that marries a reinvigorated theological, values-based approach with a spiritually realistic understanding of contemporary everyday problems. For instance, family planning through contraception is acceptable within Islam and also practical considering economic difficulties faced by Muslims in developing countries. Maintaining that Muslim scholars were once very open to creative approaches, he argues that they have now become more insular and less educated, especially in their views toward women. Ramadan’s point—that the world continues to change and requires a second look at the Qur’an and other Islamic texts to keep pace—is well taken. His insistence that scientific findings are also part of God’s revelation and should be included in Islamic analysis is consistent with the Qur’an. Ramadan’s newest book is an exciting read because it envisions a way for Muslims to be modern without turning their backs on their religion. (Dec.)

Howe (a reviewer for PW) wrote her first book, Going It Alone, for newly divorced moms who faced raising their young children alone. Now she helps mothers take steps farther down the road as children leave the nest and begin families of their own. “It is my hope and prayer that this book offers single moms a safe place—a community—where they find rest and renewed hope, strength, and shelter,” the author says. She addresses many unique challenges facing single moms as they enter a new phase of life: an empty house, helping young adult children set goals and building new relationships with them, in-laws, new career options, finances, grandparenting and more. Her chapters on caring for elderly parents and aging are especially helpful. Howe laces her book with real-life stories and adds hands-on action steps in each chapter’s “Ready, Set, Adjust!” sections. Chapters also include a prayer and final thought taken from a pertinent book. Howe targets an audience not often aimed at and hits it dead on. (Dec.)

Rubietta, author of the popular Come Closer, continues the come-to-Jesus theme in her newest book for women. She offers “a free, fuller, more intimate relationship with Jesus” through 10 encounters with him as recorded in the Bible. Readers will discover new depth in such stories as Jesus’ baptism, his encounters with an adulterous woman, a woman who has bled for a dozen years, the women who come to his empty tomb, as well as Jesus’ sharp rebuke to the religious leaders of his day. Rubietta’s strength is her ability to bring stories alive through evocative language and imagination. Scholars may quibble with her depiction of the woman who anointed Jesus with costly perfume as a prostitute, and critics may cringe when she puts a balloon in the hands of a first-century woman, but the greater picture of Jesus as a life transformer is more than clear. End-of-chapter challenges help readers translate biblical truth to their lives; a “Girlfriends’ Guide” helps with group discussions. (Dec.)

Signature

Reviewed by Simon Winchester

This is an intelligent retelling of a rather well-known story, that of Joseph Priestley, the Yorkshire dissenting theologian and chemist, and then went on to emigrate to America and advised the creators of the new republic—Thomas Jefferson, most notably—on how best to run their country.

Steven Johnson, who has a fine reputation for discerning trends and for his iconoclastic appreciation of popular culture, chooses his topics well. His most recent book, The Ghost Map, looked at the story—also very familiar—of the London cholera epidemic of 1854, and of the heroic epidemiologist, John Snow, who discovered the ailment’s origins and path of transmission. It was a good story, but essentially a simple one.

With Priestley, Johnson has now taken on a subject that is every bit as complex and multifaceted as any of the Quentin Tarantino films he so admires. Priestley was a scientist, true, and his meditations on the exhalations of gases from mint leaves and the curiosities of phlogiston and “fixed air,” his discoveries of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, ammonia gas—and oxygen, most importantly—and his relationship with his French rival Lavoisier have been the stuff of schoolroom chemistry lessons for more than two centuries.

But it is his politically liberal and spiritually dissenting views that underpin the story that Johnson chooses to tell—views that led in 1794 to Priestley, whose house in Birmingham had been sacked by rioters, emigrating to America, thereby becoming “the first great scientist-exile, seeking safe harbour in America after being persecuted for his religious and political beliefs at home. Albert Einstein, Otto Frisch, Edward Teller, Xiao Qiang—they would all follow in Priestley’s footsteps.”

Johnson unearths an interesting and illuminating statistic: in the 165 letters that passed between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the name Benjamin Franklin is mentioned five times, George Washington three times, Alexander Hamilton twice—and Joseph Priestley, a foreign immigrant, is cited no fewer than 52 times. The influence of the man—he was a fervent supporter of the French Revolution, a tolerant stoic and a rationalist utterly opposed to religious fundamentalism—was quite astonishing, and Steven Johnson makes a brave and generally successful attempt to summarize and parse the degree to which this influence infected the founding principles of the American nation.

As a reminder of the underlying sanity and common sense of this country—a reminder perhaps much needed after the excesses of a displeasing presidential election campaign—The Invention of Air succeeds like a shot of the purest oxygen. Illus. (Jan. 2)

Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman, is working on a biography of the Atlantic Ocean.

Chilling and gritty, this new account by Caine, an undercover police agent for 25 years, showcases his skills as a shrewd chameleon who could infiltrate any group while tallying their vices and offenses. Following stints in Vietnam and behind bars, he teamed with the cops to penetrate the criminal netherworld populated by cruel Asian triads and street gangs battling for territories and riches. Caine, a tough cookie, was recruited by all of the federal enforcement agencies to get the goods on the big four outlaw bike gangs—the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws and the Pagans—and some of his exploits are the stuff of high-tension torture and lawlessness. His resourcefulness is uncanny, as is his sheer will to survive as he matches wits with a group of Russian mobsters and lawmen on the take. It’s to Caine’s credit that he lived to tell this riveting tale of bloodshed and corruption. 8 pages of b&w photos. (Feb.)

In this white-knuckler, ATF agent Dobyns infiltrates a chapter of the Hells Angels to show that, aside from much of the romance surrounding the group, it is indeed a violent gang. His investigations lead him through a fascinating cast of crystal meth-heads, gun runners, gang rapists and frauds. Dobyns and co-writer Johnson-Shelton tell a bracing story in straightforward prose that doesn’t dilute any aspect of the toll his undercover act (a sprawling long-term investigation that penetrated deeper into the gang than any other) took on his life. A family guy who frequently finds himself taking calls from his worried wife while in the middle of an operation, Dobyns is brutally honest about how far his assignment takes him into the dark side and leaves the impression at the end that it’s highly unlikely he will ever be able to totally return to undercover work (Hunter S. Thompson was beaten up while writing his 1967 take on the gang in Hell’s Angels). From the medieval desert clan gatherings to breakneck-paced highway odysseys and high-noon showdowns, this is the real deal from an agent whose knack for the job and ability to transform it into elucidating reading recalls the story of Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco. (Feb.)

One of the forgotten titans in American journalism, Barney Kilgore is the subject of a new book by Tofel, a former assistant publisher of the Wall Street Journal and author of Sounding the Trumpet. A Midwesterner from Indiana, Kilgore emerged from smalltown America to rise through the ranks at the Wall Street Journal on the eve of the Great Depression. Through the war years of the 1940s into the Cold War era, he reshaped the publication’s news focus, visuals, composition, circulation and advertising. He championed a unique style of journalism as its top executive, with keen instincts, intelligence and a progressive view, transforming the broadsheet into a first-class national business newspaper. Innovative and unyielding, Kilgore had one of his finest moments when he faced down General Motors in a controversial 1954 advertising spat, bolstering the newspaper’s reputation. Tofel’s excellent work on this pivotal figure in journalism is a significant addition to the seminal books on American media. (Feb.)

The conventional understanding of newspaper magnate Hearst as haunted megalomaniac, cynical purveyor of prurience and jingoistic instigator of the Spanish-American War gets a major challenge in this scintillating biographical study. Maclean’s editor Whyte covers the years from 1895 to 1898, when Hearst took a revamped New York Journal to the top of the newspaper market by way of a bitter circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer’s rival New York World. Whyte styles Hearst a brilliant and creative media entrepreneur with a gift for managing high-strung (and often drunken) subordinates, progressive politics and a sincere social conscience that animated his paper’s crusading journalism. Even Hearst’s agitation for war with Spain, Whyte contends, was more justifiable and journalistically responsible than is thought—and may have helped forestall a “genocide” in Cuba. Whyte considers the “yellow journalism” slur often hurled at Hearst a compliment; he finds the Journal to be “a demanding, sophisticated read” that used emotion and drama to draw readers into reporting of real significance. No slouch himself when it comes to colorful profiles and engrossing narrative, Whyte makes Hearst’s rise an entertaining saga of newspapering’s heroic age, when the popular press became an unofficial pillar of democracy. Photos. (Jan.)