TALKBACK

Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 4/13/2009

-- Publishers Weekly,04/13/2009

NONFICTION

Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature’s 50 Greatest Hits
Jack Murnighan. Three Rivers, $15 paper (384p) ISBN 9780307409577
In this guide to 50 classics of literature, author and professor Murnighan (The Naughty Bits) posits that the classics aren't actually difficult to read—we've just not been taught to read them correctly. In chronological order, Murnighan breaks down classics of the Western canon, from Homer's The Iliad to Toni Morrison's Beloved, accounting for the work, the hype and the takeaway. Murnighan's strong opinions won't click with everyone, but his fresh, funny voice will keep readers thumbing through entries on The Canterbury Tales, Crime and Punishment, The Trial, Lolita and Giovanni's Room. Each entry includes a synopsis, a reputation recap, "what people don't know but should," best lines, what's sexy and what to miss. However, Murnighan's intended audience seems like a rare bird; rather than draw in those who might learn from this roundup, it's more likely the book will attract devout readers who have already read and enjoyed a number of these titles. Still, should they find reason to pick it up, the less-well-read will be pleased with Murnighan's accessibility and charm. (May)

High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler
Brian O’Dea. Other Press, $14.95 paper (368p) ISBN 9781590513101
In this wistful but honest look at a life subsumed by drugs, now-reformed smuggler O'Dea (a Canadian film producer) pulls back the curtain on the machinations and motivations of a hugely successful, outrageously addicted 1980s drug trafficker whose redemption came too late to save him from prison. Haunted by childhood sexual abuse, O’Dea found escape in drugs and alcohol, eventually building a life around them. O’Dea’s over-the-top abuse (an estimated 1000 tabs of acid in five years) and spiral of shame (he would “spend considerable energy avoiding” his brothers, sisters and parents) seemed, paradoxically, to push his illicit activities (and the justifications for them) further. Stories illustrating the lengths to which the smuggling ring would go, and their enormous potential for disaster, include a $100,000 plane rental which O’Dea almost co-pilots into the sea (steering by the lights of the fishing boats below, instead of the stars). Told through a prison-block framing device that returns again and again to the call, “Cuenta! Counting B Range!”, O'Dea maintains a sense of numbing repetition that resonates with the addiction narrative and keeps the drug cowboy tales grounded. Throughout his life's many ups and downs, however, O’Dea remains a charming, relatable narrator you can’t help but root for. (May)

The Hornet's Sting: The Amazing Untold Story of World War II Spy Thomas Sneum
Mark Ryan.Skyhorse, $24.95 (368p) ISBN 9781602397101
Even fictional spy masters James Bond and Jason Bourne would be hard-pressed to match the real-life adventures of Thomas Sneum (1917-2007), a Danish national who spied for the British during WWII. His first mission was self-assigned, risking his life to photograph a German Freya radar station and catch a daring plane flight from Denmark to England in order to trade intelligence for an opportunity to serve as a Royal Air Force pilot. British Intelligence, however, had other plans for Sneum, convincing him to return to Denmark and continue his espionage. The twists and turns his life takes after parachuting back into Nazi-occupied Denmark are more involved and excruciating than Fleming or Ludlum could dream; Sneum himself says, “There were times during the war when James Bond would have gone back. I carried on.” This involving chronicle from UK writer Ryan, based on extensive interviews with Sneum, is an excellent example of the old truth-and-fiction adage, and a treat for fans of wild WWII yarns. (Apr.)

Larry's Kidney: Being the True Story of How I Found Myself in China with My Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Skirting the Law to Get Him a Transplant—And Save His Life
Daniel Asa Rose. Morrow, $25.99 (320p) ISBN 978006170870
When his estranged cousin Larry calls to say he's dying of kidney disease, author Rose (Hiding Place: A Father and his Sons Retrace Their Family's Escape from the Holocaust) doesn’t know what to think; grimly determined, Larry makes Rose an unlikely recruit in his quest for an illegal kidney transplant in China. Along the way to finding a mail-order bride, falling in love with an alien country and saving Larry's life, the duo experience extreme culture shock, flirt with espionage and discover unimaginable qualities in each other. Rose’s rhythms and comic timing, particularly in dialog with his cousin, will keep readers laughing throughout, even when they're crying, frustrated or perplexed at the warts-and-all characters that emerge (Larry himself is particularly unpolished, gaining in empathy what he loses in likability). While they dance around the morality of their errand, the crux of the travelogue is two old friends learning to reconcile for a life-saving adventure in a foreign world. A satisfying, hysterical page-turner, this will captivate fans of travel writing and family narratives, with special interest for anyone who's helped a love one through serious illness. (May)

The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control
Ted Striphas. Columbia Univ., $27.50 (272p) ISBN 9780231148146
Attempting to short circuit the perennial chorus of eulogies for the publishing industry, the book, and/or print media as a whole, Striphas explores the culture of books and book reading in a time of rapid change—not just in media technology, but in “patterns of work and leisure, ... laws governing commodity ownership and use,” and elsewhere—without presuming the medium faces “a full-blown crisis.” A communications and cultural studies professor, Striphas (of Indiana University) traces the modern evolution of the book as it has been affected by commercial phenomena like the big box bookstore, mass distribution, e-books and Oprah’s book club, managing to craft an accessible and entertaining narrative out of a highly academic history (oddly enough, the world-wide legal adventures of Harry Potter are especially captivating). Though he can get repetitive, Striphas sees the culture clearly in its parts and as a whole, and this collection of historical and commercial analysis should fascinate those seriously involved with book culture and/or the industry. (May)

A Mathematician's Lament: How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form
Paul Lockhart. Bellevue Literary, $12.95 paper (192p) ISBN 9781934137178
Like music or painting, says long-time math teacher (K-12 and college) Lockhart, mathematics is an art—“the art of explanation,” “the music of reason”—and its method of instruction in American schools has reduced a “rich and fascinating adventure of the imagination... to a sterile set of facts to be memorized and procedures to be followed.” With passionate reasoning, Lockhart unveils the creative, flexible, open-minded side of math; an early analogy casting music education in a math instruction model—students must study proper notation for years before attempting to, say, hum a tune—makes a brilliant introduction. Making a clear distinction between “facts and formulas” and “mathematics,” Lockhart inspires a second look at received wisdom regarding math—that it's necessary to learn (do carpenters use trigonometry? Does anyone balance their checkbook without a calculator?), or that it has any direct connection to reality (“the glory of it is its complete irrelevance to our lives”). Though it features a thorough thrashing of current methods without suggesting how to fix the curriculum, Lockhart's slim volume (based on his widely-circulated essay) provides a fresh way of thinking about math, and education in general, that should inspire practical applications in the classroom and at home. (Apr.)

The Nature of Being Human: From Environmentalism to Consciousness
Harold Fromm. Johns Hopkins Univ., $35 (304p) ISBN 9780801891298
This essay collection, updated with contextualizing commentary, covers three decades of work from environmental studies pioneer Fromm (Academic Capitalism and Literary Value). His seminal 1976 article, “On Being Polluted,” describes his move from New York City to Indiana (for a teaching post at Indiana University), where emissions from local steel mills inflicted malaise and “alterations of consciousness” on Fromm and his wife. Though many at the university disapproved, Fromm became a standard-bearer for the growing environmental movement that challenged the community's major employer. Inspired by Cheryll Glotfelty's “literary-environmental writings” in 1989, Fromm organized the Modern Language Association's first ecocriticism project. This launched the second phase of his career, in which he turned a critical eye on environmentalists and the reification of nature (“natural beauty” as a “self-presenting absolute,” etc.). Fromm's contrarian view is explored beautifully in “Ecology and Ecstasy on Interstate 80,” declaring that “everything human is technological” while driving through the Sierras. The closing essays examine more esoteric issues of free will and social evolution. Fans of nature writing will find Fromm's travels witty and engaging, and his analysis unblemished by typical academic pretention or abstraction. (Apr.)

Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle is Redefining Green Business
Tom Szaky. Penguin/Portfolio, $15 paper (208p) ISBN 9781591842507
Szaky tells the rags-to-riches story of how his business TerraCycle, which the college dropout founded in 2002, used an environmentally-conscious business plan to develop and market what is now the “best-known organic fertilizer product in the country.” Captivated with the idea of letting earthworms consume ordinary household garbage, Szaky left Princeton after his freshman year, launching his business by purchasing a $40,000 worm-compost machine, then negotiating a supply of waste from the student dining hall. Along with a partner and some student volunteers, he spent back-breaking hours feeding maggoty garbage into the machine and looking for ways to cash in on his vision. The company's progress involved courting potential investors (emphasis on “potential”), drumming up press coverage (like the New York Times's “Employees Really Are Spineless”), and developing his groundbreaking ideas (like getting school children to collect used bottles for fertilizer containers). This lively, anecdotal account is also a thoughtful examination of Szaky's cost-effective, environmentally friendly methods, demonstrating how “turn[ing] a vicious cycle into a virtuous one” is not just possible, but profitable. (Apr.)

LIFESTYLE

The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen
Teri Edwards and Serena Thompson. Hearst, $27.95 (144p) ISBN 9781588167293
Stay-at-home moms Thompson and Edwards turned their passion for junking and repurposing found materials into a thriving business as the Farm Chicks, the vivacious hostesses of a wildly popular annual antiques show in Spokane, Washington. In this eye-catching hodge-podge of gingham and gumption, the duo share tips, stories and recipes along with plenty of heart. Those expecting country classics like turkey melts, granola, strawberry rhubarb pie and cinnamon rolls won’t be disappointed, but there are just as many contemporary dishes like Cardamom Griddle Cakes with Maple Cardamom Cream, Roasted Chicken and Pesto Hoagies, and Enchilada Soup to keep bellies full. Nineteen simple, homey projects—including custom blackboards, aprons and cotton food covers (to keep the flies off your cole slaw)—allow readers to replicate the Farm Chick aesthetic, right down to the logo (a stencil is included). Like their dishes, Edwards and Thompson's crafts feature easily-sourced materials and simple instructions. This warm, welcoming duo makes an excellent first impression, and should elicit enthusiastic RSVPs for their next outing. (Apr.)

India Food and Cooking: The Ultimate Book on Indian Cuisine
Pat Chapman. Sterling/New Holland, $27.95 (256p) ISBN 9781845376192
Indian cuisine, with its rich history and myriad of regional styles, can be extraordinarily daunting. Thankfully, British cooking expert Chapman (The New Curry Bible, Indian Restaurant Cookbook) has made an extraordinary catalog of the country’s many styles and flavors in this colorful volume. Chapman clearly knows his stuff—this is his 35th cookbook—but instead of losing himself in esoteric details or arcane ingredients, he manages to squeeze in centuries of history from the country's many regions and cultures, with no lack of warmth or enthusiasm. Suggestions for equipment and preparation techniques for crucial ingredients like ghee will be appreciated, but it’s the collection of recipes that is most impressive. Chapman’s selections literally span centuries: Dopeyaia Harsh or Onion-Sweetened Duck, found in a cookbook from 1590, sits comfortably alongside the contemporary Champ Bukhara, a baked lamb chop dish created by chef Alfred Prasaad of London’s Tamarind restaurant, and traditional street food like batter-fried potato balls, rissoles and tikka. Chapman’s map of the country's regions and signature flavors also makes a handy reference, as the book offers tastes from all across it. (May)

RELIGION

Martin Luther King Jr. for Armchair Theologians
Rufus Burrow Jr. Westminster John Knox, $16.95 paper (204p) ISBN 9780664232849
People today know Martin Luther King Jr. for his leadership during the American civil rights struggle. Some may know of his commitment to nonviolence and be able to connect King’s name to the Montgomery bus boycott, his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the 1963 March on Washington and “I have a dream” speech. What many may not know is that King’s authority was not simply that of an intelligent man gifted with powerful rhetoric championing an idea whose time had come. Burrow, a professor of Christian thought and social ethics at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind., describes in an accessible manner the persons, community and academic influences that shaped King’s vision and grounded his methods of change. Burrow explains how King, “the quintessential Christian social Personalist”—one who believed that God is personal and that all persons have intrinsic dignity and value—harnessed lessons learned from his family with sophisticated theological principles from the likes of Hegel and Niebuhr for the gritty practical purposes of fighting for dignity and equality. With clever and instructive illustrations, the book is clear and engaging, enriching readers’ understanding of King while also demonstrating how his ideas and methods transcend his person, time and place for application today. (May)

FICTION

Meg: Hell’s Aquarium
Steve Alten. Variance (www.variancepublishing.com), $27.95 (448p) ISBN 9781935142041
Bestseller Alten’s fourth Meg thriller recycles plot lines from earlier books in the series based on the premise that the fearsome prehistoric shark, Carcharodon megalodon, survives in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. Jonas Taylor, who discovered the giant shark in 1997’s Meg, is still running the Tanaka Institute in Monterey, Calif., a research facility that generates income from exhibiting Angel, a full-grown, 74-foot long megalodon, in a manmade lagoon. The birth of five female pups to Angel complicates the task of maintaining the huge creature. When “the Donald Trump of Dubai” offers to purchase two of the baby megs to stock a new aquarium in his country, Jonas’s college-age son, David, accepts a large fee to go to Dubai to help the two beasts get used to their new habitat. David winds up having numerous close encounters with death in setups that will be fresh only to those who haven’t read the three previous Meg books. (May)

A Robe of Feathers: And Other Stories
Thersa Matsuura. Counterpoint (PGW, dist.), $14.95 paper (192p) ISBN 9781582434896
Inspired by Japanese folklore, Matsuura’s debut story collection is as clever as the mythical spirits and creatures who romp through her fable-like tales. Although her penchant is for the malevolent and unforgiving, , the humans who populate these seventeen stories are seldom innocent victims. Even when led astray by otherworldly tricksters (such as the oni in “The Seed of the Mistake”) or tortured by spiteful gods (like the God of Smallpox in “Yaichiro’s Battle”), it is the humans’ flaws – greed, cowardice, lack of compassion – that make them vulnerable. Matsuura depicts such failings insightfully, and, at her best, reveals them gradually. In a world brimming with shape-shifters, ghosts, and devils, belief in luck and superstition is rational and even skeptics soon become believers, but these are stories about the choices ordinary people make, and the sometimes devastating consequences of those choices. Although some of Matsuura’s denouements are weak, and others overwritten, her prose is mostly tight and her characters well-crafted. The captivating stories gathered here offer lively glimpses of Japanese culture, urban and rural, present and past. (May)

Terribly Twisted Tales
Edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg. DAW, $7.99 (320p) ISBN 9780756405540
A few weak outings barely detract from the strong majority in Rabe and Greenberg’s anthology of fairy tale retellings. Masterworks include Michael A. Stackpole’s “The Adventure of the Red Riding Hoods” with its Holmesian wolf and Jody Lynn Nye’s “No Good Deed,” a science fiction re-envisioning of the thorn-stuck lion. Happily ever after isn’t inevitable, as in Chris Pierson’s compelling “Once They Were Seven,” featuring an evil Snow White, and Paul Genesse’s grim “Revenge of the Little Match Girl,” but Brendan DuBois’s “princess” Patti proudly rescues herself in the gritty urban “Rapunzel Strikes Back.” The prose and ideas are outstanding; only a handful of poorly thought-out endings, as when Pinocchia the puppet returns to an abusive Gepetto in Ramsey “Tome Wyrm” Lundock’s “Clockwork Heart,” keep this anthology from the top tier. (May)

There's Nothing I Can Do When I Think of You Late at Night
Naiqian Cao, trans. from the Chinese by John Balcom. Columbia Univ., $26.50 (224p) ISBN 9780231148108
In this collection of linked short stories, Chinese novelist Cao examines the often barbaric side of human behavior in the face of stark poverty and extreme necessity in Wen Clan Caves, a remote fictional village near the Inner Mongolian border. In “Women,” newly betrothed Wen Hai searches for a method that will force his bride to obey him, settling on a harsh solution after listening to familial advice. In “Men” Old Zhuzhu, watches moths fluttering near an open flame as he contemplates the nature of the relationship between his brother and his wife. The protagonist in “Lucky Ox,” who lends his name to the title, obsessively bursts into a song and dance routine in large crowds with less than humorous results . In “Old Yinyin,” a blind man ponders the quality of his life under a village landmark, the crooked tree at the source of the West River. Cao’s spare style may lack universal appeal, yet it deftly captures the villagers’ desolation and their hardscrabble lives. (May)

Our Reviewers

Barbara Axelson Daniel Bial Antonia Blair Patrick Brown Alexis Burling Rachell Carlisle Katrina Edenfeld Jonathan Ellowitz James Embry Christina Eng Kate Foster Shelley Gabert Isabelle Gason Adam Geiger Acacia Graddy-Gamel Gabrielle Gurley Christy Henry Christina Hinke Andrea Hoag Sarah Hoffman Joe Jeffreys Diane Langhorst Crystal Lassen Alex Masulis Tracey Middlekauff Stephen Milioti Nora Ostrofe Michael Popke Mythili Rao Shannon Reed Angelina Sciolla Andrew Seidler Joseph Shepley Diane Snyder Kyle Tonniges Carol White

Post a comment   Return to article   View other article discussions

Submitted by:	Cynthia Swaine (cswaine@odu.edu) 4/16/2009 10:53:58 AM PT
Location:	Norfolk, VA
Occupation:	librarian

For the current week 4/13/2009, there are only Web Exclusive Reviews listed under Fiction--not the full Reviews for the week. Is this the way it's going to be from now on?

---

Submitted by:	Cynthia Swaine 4/16/2009 10:50:22 AM PT
Location:	Norfolk, VA
Occupation:	librarian

Why does that February 2008 link still appear at the top whenever one goes to the Reviews: Fiction page?

---

Post a comment   Return to article   View other article discussions

Advertisement