Web Exclusive Book Reviews: 3/29/2010
Publishers Weekly Staff
Mar 29, 2010

NONFICTION

Best Little Stories from the Civil War
C. Brian Kelly with Ingrid Smyer. Cumberland, $18.99 paper (352p) ISBN 9781402239106
In more than 100 brief vignettes, Military History magazine editor Kelly covers a range of Civil War-era people, events and curiosities that readers likely never learned in history class, including the venomous temper of Mary Todd Lincoln, the Alabama county that remained loyal to the U.S. and threatened to secede from the state, and the siege of Petersburg, Vir., that saw rats, cats and even dogs make their way into residents' stewpots. Breaking their book into generally-chronological sections-Beginnings, Middles, and Endings-Kelly gives his hodge-podge a welcome sense of continuity within the context of the war, while individual entries effectively place readers in the times, providing tremendous insight to the daily lives of Americans during the mid-1800s. Coloring the most overwhelming conflict of American history in startling, intimate hues, these anecdotes make for a more immediate, and less forgettable, history lesson than many traditional Civil War narratives. (Mar.)

The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
David Remnick. Knopf, $25.95 (672p) ISBN 9781400043606
Remnick (Lenin's Tomb), editor of the New Yorker, offers a detailed but lusterless account of Barack Obama's historic ascent. As a piece of "biographical journalism," the book succeeds ably enough and offers familiar commentary on Obama's cosmopolitan childhood with strains of isolation and abandonment straight out of David Copperfield-rootless, fatherless, with a loving but naïve and absent mother, he suffered racial taunts and humiliations at the hands of his schoolmates. We read how Obama's famous composure was hard-won, how he constructed his personality in opposition to his father's grandiose self-regard, his transformation from "Barry" to "Barack," the drug use, the burgeoning racial and political consciousness-rehashing events that the subject himself has covered in his frank memoirs. But for the scope (and size) of the book, Remnick's interest is ultimately limited to a study of Obama's relationship with blackness, and Obama as the student and fulfillment of the civil rights movement-it's a rich vein but impersonal, and in the author's handling, slightly repetitive. Remnick is in deeply respectful court scribe mode, but he does shine in his treatment of more peripheral characters such as Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton, both of whom emerge as figures of Shakespearian psychological complexity. A well-researched biography that pulls many trends of Obama-ology under its umbrella but stints on fresh interpretations. (Apr.)

Natural Computing: DNA. Quantum Bits, and the Future of Smart Machines
Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere. Norton, $16.95 paper (288p) ISBN 9780393336832
In this breezy overview of current trends in computer design and software, computer science professor Shasha and writer-editor Lazere profile 15 computer scientists working on the application of "evolutionary techniques" like natural selection to robots exploring distant planets, next generation pharmaceutical designs, "analog programming," and more. While traditional computing relies on "skills learned in the last few hundred years of human history," pioneer Rodney Brooks looked to solutions developed over millennia of insect evolution, hypothesizing a robot that interacts directly with the world using touch and sonar, rather than a digital representation; today, Brooks designs bomb-disarming robots that crawl on "articulated pogo-stick sensing devices that work independently." In finance, Jake Loveless perfected "micromarket trading," which allows computers to detect patterns and adapt to changes over the very short term (such as minute-by-minute price and volume changes). Other profiles look at "computers" built out of DNA, the use of viruses to design new drugs, and other ways scientists are planning our escape from "the digital electronic prison" that dominates mainstream computing. Amateur tech enthusiasts should be absorbed by this knowledgeable but welcoming look at the bleeding edge of computing. (Mar.)

Harry Markopolos. Wiley, $27.95 (354p) ISBN 9780470553732
Markopolos, the whistleblower who filed five unheeded complaints against Ponzi king Bernie Madoff over nine years, has produced an astonishing true-life whodunit set amidst the personalities, plots, and international intrigue of Wall Street. Having collected damning information on money manager Madoff-the respected co-founder of NASDAQ who ran the largest financial scam in history-since 1999, Markopolos's work as a chartered financial analyst and certified fraud examiner, aided by an industry journalist and two colleagues from his days as a derivatives portfolio manager, lays bare the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a tragically inept regulating agency that "didn't give a rat's ass about protecting investors," and seemed to consider Madoff "just another guy cutting some corners." Realizing he had not one but two powerful opponents-"Madoff and this nonfunctioning agency"-Markopolos refused to give up, despite fearing for his life and his family; accordingly, he transmits his team's determination and fascination in contagious detail. The hows and whys of Madoff's eventual arrest, Markopolos's subsequent appearances before Congress, and the carnival of press coverage makes a satisfying conclusion to this strange epic; Markopolos also includes complete documentation of his formal submissions to the SEC, plus his recommendations for much-needed reform at the agency. (Mar.)

The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It
Scott Patterson. Crown Business, $27 (352p) ISBN 9780307453372
In a fast-moving narrative, Wall Street Journal reporter Patterson explores the coterie of mathematicians behind the Wall Street crash of 2008. The story's stars are "an unusual breed of investors" called quants, who "used brain-twisting math and super-powered computers to pluck billions in fleeting dollars out of the market." Following the first quant, Beat the Market author Ed Thorp, from his graduate school days in 1955, and introducing others like Peter Muller and Ken Griffin as they established funds at major investment firms, Patterson spins a fascinating story of riches amassed for a few and, inevitably, lost for many: a collapsing hedge fund, "imploding under the weight of toxic subprime assets," took down the system "like a massive avalanche started by a single loose boulder." Though his narrative is interesting and easy to follow, Patterson's explanations of investment terms are not for novices; a glossary would have helped. As he puts the excesses and failures of Wall Street into perspective, however, Patterson also offers evidence that Wall Street hasn't learned its lesson: as of spring 2009, "several banks reported stronger earnings numbers... in part due to clever accounting tricks... [and] other potentially dangerous quant gadgets being forged in the dark smithies of Wall Street." (Feb.)

The Quest for the Perfect Hive: A History of Innovation in Bee Culture
Gene Kritsky. Oxford Univ., $24.95 (216p) ISBN 9780195385441
In this charming book, entomology professor Kritsky (who describes himself as "stung with the love of bees") incorporates material gathered over decades, from all over the world, to present a lively history of beekeeping. No one knows exactly how long humans have been keeping bees, but depictions appear in 5,000-year-old Egyptian paintings and sculpture, using a hive style that can still be found in Egypt today (horizontal mud cylinders stacked in walls). The first beekeepers of northern Europe tended wild hives, gradually domesticating bees with log hives. With the industrial and agricultural revolutions of the 19th century, bee hives were inevitably targeted for improvement, though the Victorian tendency to over-design didn't always result in practical structures; it was the late-19th century development of removable frame hives-the familiar "white box" style still in wide use-that led to major changes in beekeeping in the U.S. and Europe (though traditional methods still prevail in many countries). Kritsky's passion for his subject translates into gentle yet clear prose, abundant historical illustrations, and careful explanations of what bees need to thrive, and how humans figured it out; though of limited appeal, this is an ideal introduction to the craft of beekeeping. 147 b&w illus. (Feb.)

Sherlock Holmes Handbook: 2nd Edition
Christopher Redmond. Dundurn (Midpoint, dist.), $32 paper (336p) ISBN 9781554884469
Canadian author Redmond's unquestioned standing as a Sherlock Holmes expert, manifested in books such as In Bed with Sherlock Holmes and Welcome to America, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, is not displayed to best advantage in this updated edition of his guide to the Great Detective. He simply doesn't meet his goal of writing a comprehensive companion to the original stories and the cultural world that has grown up around them that will satisfy both neophytes and cognoscenti. Instead, both kinds of readers are likely to be disappointed. Only 25 pages are spent summarizing the Canon, in some cases spoiling the plots, but 40 are devoted to "Fans and Followers," a history of organized devotees of Holmes and Watson. Despite the author's pride in avoiding errors in the first edition, this one is not free of them, including the assertion that a "Merivale" was one of the Scotland Yarders pitted against Holmes by Doyle to the claim that actor Jeremy Brett authored the play he appeared in, The Secret of Sherlock Holmes. Those in search of a one-volume guide might want to wait for Sherlock Holmes for Dummies. (Jan.)

Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope
Julie K. Hersh. Brown (Ingram, dist.), $19.95 paper (232p) ISBN 9781934812631
Despite an idyllic family life, including two children and a loving husband, the depression that consumed former business exec Hersh drove her to three suicide attempts in the space of six months. In this inspiring, brutal memoir, Hersh documents her struggle back to life, including stints in hospital psychiatric wards, a month at an anti-depression camp, various medications, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Hersh renders her journey in graceful prose ("My deathtrap brain failed to truncate my existence") that doesn't get in the way of her attempts to dispel the stigma that surrounds mental illness and its treatment; she faces ECT early on and finds it a particularly effective treatment far removed from its negative popular image. As a severe case, Hersh gives a clear, resonant voice to many aspects of a complicated illness, while offering a moving and hopeful (though at times frightening) narrative for those fighting to overcome depression's worst. (Apr.)

A User's Guide to the Universe: Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty
Dave Goldberg and Jeff Blomquist. Wiley, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 9780470496510
With a large measure of humor and a minimum of math (one equation), physics professor Goldberg and engineer Blomquist delve into the fascinating physics topics that rarely make it into introductory classes, including time travel, extraterrestrials, and "quantum weirdness" to prove that physics' "reputation for being hard, impractical, and boring" is wrong by at least two-thirds: "Hard? Perhaps. Impractical? Definitely not... But boring? That's where we really take issue." Breaking up each topic into common sense questions ("How many habitable planets are there?" "What is Dark Matter?" "If the universe is expanding, what's it expanding into?"), the duo provides explanations in everyday language with helpful examples, analogies, and Blomquist's charmingly unpolished cartoons. Among other lessons, readers will learn about randomness through gambling; how a Star Trek-style transporter might function in the real world; and what may have existed before the Big Bang. Despite the absence of math, this nearly-painless guide is still involved and scientific, aimed at science hobbyists rather than science-phobes; it should also prove an ideal reference companion for more technical classroom texts. 100 b&w photos. (Mar.)

David E. Nye. MIT, $27.95 (304p) ISBN 9780262013741
This captivating book zooms in with a telescopic intensity on America's blackouts, from the 1930s to the massive 2003 Northeast power failure that had many suspecting terrorism; anyone who reads this history will be unsurprised to find it was actually due to an over-burdened power grid. Beyond familiar individual frustrations, a blackout can cause major social and economic disturbance, signal political problems, and represent a massive failure of infrastructure; American history professor Nye contextualizes power failures in the U.S. as the result of long-term energy buildup and overuse. Nye examines how a "utopian" vision of electrical convenience at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair-television sets, movie equipment, a "clothes conditioning closet," the home computer-became law ("in building codes and in the ‘war on poverty' electricity became a legal requirement akin to a natural right") and how, when that right is denied, utopia can give way to chaos. Nye captures the disastrous 1977 New York City blackout in its broad causes, effects, and implications, as well as its small, frightening details: "Guests of the Algonquin Hotel found that electronic locks had sealed their doors." Other chapters discuss rolling blackouts and activist-driven "greenouts." Fans of urban studies will find this text rich with insight and information. 26 illus. (Mar.)

LIFESTYLE

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours
Regina Brett. Grand Central, $21.99 (256p) ISBN 9780446556521
On turning 50, Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Brett wrote her most popular piece ever, containing the cancer survivor and single mom's most important life lessons. Here she expands and expounds on that column, incorporating other essays penned over her 14 years as an opinion columnist, to make a rousing inspirational collection. Most of her pieces-dedicated to substantive but familiar ideas like "Overprepare, then go with the flow," "Stay put in the day you are in," and "God loves you because of who God is"-are short, sweet, and frequently resonant (if at times overly simple). Complimenting her own experience with anecdotes from friends and others, as well as poems, prayers, psalms and excerpts from treasured books, Brett employs a veteran writer's knack for keen observation and thorough self-knowledge, delivering hard-earned wisdom with deceptive ease. (Apr.)

Karen Whitley Bell. Sterling Ethos, $17.95 (240p) ISBN 9781402768385
As a hospice nurse for 16 years, Bell understands the concept of a "good death." A daily witness to fatal illness and end-of-life moments, Bell's powerful message is aimed at making sure the final months or days of a patient are well-lived, marked by peace, comfort, and a chance to say goodbye. Illustrating the tenets and benefits of palliative care with firsthand accounts of her patients, Bell manages, as stated by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine co-founder Charles G. Sasser in his foreword, to place readers "at bedsides during one of the most intimate of life's dramas." As such, she delivers a wealth of useful information on pain management, choosing a hospice and general day-to-day care giving in a powerful, hard-to-forget way. Straightforward and empathetic, with an easy-to-navigate style, Bell details what to expect in both physical and spiritual terms, including practical considerations as well as ways to find closure and cope with loss. (Mar.)

Amy Riolo. American Diabetes Association, $19.95 paper (300p) ISBN 9781580403122
Food historian, cooking instructor and author Riolo (Arabian Delights) offers over 200 recipes for diabetics in this easy-to-use guide to Mediterranean cuisine. Organized by course (small plates, first courses, side, salads, etc,), Riolo's collection offers dozens of palate-expanding, flavor-packed dishes that will appeal to diabetics and their families, including a hearty chicken, tomato and pepper stew, Braised Fennel with Orange Sauce, and a bright Orzo with Lemon, Artichokes and Asparagus salad. A Turkish riff on chicken salad incorporating ground walnuts, garlic and paprika offers a tasty diversion, and chicken kabobs marinated in tahini, lemon juice and garlic, and served with a raspberry mustard sauce, is perfect for grilling season. Vegetarians will appreciate Riolo's 70-plus vegan dishes, like a Vegetarian Cassoulet, Spicy Tunisian Chickpea Stew, and Lebanese Eggplant with Yogurt, Tahini and Pine Nuts, a silky, protein-packed alternative to mashed potatoes. Each recipe contains exchange and nutritional information, and cooks will be pleased with an index of main ingredients. Though diners and diabetics already familiar with Mediterranean cuisine will get the most out of the book, vegans and others interested in broadening their culinary horizons will be surprised at this volume's breadth and ease of use. (Mar.)

RELIGION

Between a Church and a Hard Place: One Faith-Free Dad's Struggle to Understand What It Means to Be Religious (or Not)
Andrew Park. Avery, $26 (224p) ISBN 9781583333716
One day, after Park picks his son up from his preschool classes at the local Methodist church, the three-year-old utters the word "God." A few evenings later, Park overhears his son telling his little sister how cool it is that when we die we go back to God. Because he has lived most of his life free of any faith tradition, Park finds himself anxious about how to address his son's questions about religion, and so begins to research what it means to be religious in the modern world. Part memoir and part summary of recent studies about religious belief and practice, Park discovers his great-grandfather's staunch commitment to the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and he talks with his own brother about his brother's Presbyterianism. The research about American religion that Park culls from George Barna's polls and Rodney Stark's books is so familiar that it appears as if Park has been living in a cave for the past ten years. Park's own story of his search for faith is so unremarkable and superficial that it has no features to distinguish it from hundreds of other similar memoirs. This book would have been better as a magazine article. (Mar.)

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life
James Martin. HarperOne, $26.99 (432p) ISBN 9780061432682
Ignatius of Loyola's "way of proceeding" as lived by the Jesuits, the community of men he started in 1540, forms the basis of this spiritual handbook. Author Martin, a Jesuit for 20 years, claims anyone can benefit from the methods Jesuits employ in conducting their lives. This includes not only believers in God, but those who eschew religion, reject God, explore the spiritual terrain, or are just plain confused. After all, Martin writes, the Ignatian way is about "finding freedom," and the Jesuit founder wanted it to be available to everyone, not only members of his community. Martin provides a brief history of Ignatius and the Jesuits, followed by a how-to that covers prayer in its various forms; the Jesuit vows of chastity, poverty and obedience; friendship and love; discernment; and finding a life path. Readers familiar with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius-an ordered set of spiritual themes and practices-and other facets of Jesuit life will find this rather elementary, but Martin has done a creditable job of making the Ignatian way relevant to a contemporary audience. (Mar.)

FICTION

Dearest Cousin Jane
Jill Pitkeathley. Harper, $13.99 paper (288p) ISBN 9780061875984
Jane Austen, along with her family, once again feature prominently in Pitkeathley's latest romantic, meticulously researched period melodrama. This time around, Austen's glamorous cousin Countess Eliza de Feuillide (once known as simply Betsy) takes center stage. Suggesting that Eliza made a significant impression on Jane's development as an author, Pitkeathley depicts a spirited woman who certainly made an impact on the entire Austen clan, as well as stole her share of hearts, including her first husband Jean Capot, the Comte de Feuillide, who was guillotined in 1794. Pitkeathley (Cassandra and Jane) explores several impressions of Eliza, who ultimately married Jane's brother Henry, through the various perspectives Austen family members; while Jane's is naturally appealing, Eliza's viewpoint is far more fascinating, especially as she worries about her impending death from breast cancer. (Apr.)

Every Last One
Anna Quindlen. Random, $26 (320p) ISBN 9781400065745
In her latest, Quindlen (Rise and Shine) once again plumbs the searing emotions of ordinary people caught in tragic circumstances. Mary Beth Latham is a happily married woman entirely devoted to her three teenaged children. When her talented daughter Ruby casually announces she's breaking up with her boyfriend Kirenan, a former neighbor who's become like family, Mary Beth is slightly alarmed, but soon distracted by her son Max, who's feeling overshadowed by his extroverted, athletic twin brother Alex. Quindlen's novel moves briskly, propelled by the small dramas of summer camp, proms, soccer games and neighbors, until the rejected Kirenan blindsides the Lathams, and the reader, with an incredible act of violence. Left with almost nothing, Mary Beth struggles to cope with loss and guilt, protect what she has left, and regain a sense of meaning. Quindlen is in classic form, with strong characters and precisely cadenced prose that builds in intensity. (Apr.)

Recollections of Rosings
Rebecca Ann Collins. Sourcebooks, $14.99 paper (336p) ISBN 9781402224508
The eighth of Rebecca Ann Collins' sequels to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice revolves around the children and grandchildren of a secondary character from the original book. The narrative begins with a fire at Rosings, the estate of the late Lady Catherine de Bourgh. John Adams, the somewhat mysterious curator of the estate, must handle calamity while trying to impress his love interest Lilian Harrison, the fragile daughter of Catherine Harrison and Dr. Harrison, and granddaughter of Mr. Collins. Dr. Harrison takes ill and dies shortly after the arrival of Mr. Frank Burnett, the former librarian at Rosings, now returned to help restore the estate's treasures. As Catherine reads her old diaries, she recalls she and Mr. Burnett were once quite friendly, and eventually discovers the late Lady Catherine's interference in that friendship. Interwoven into these meanderings is the story of Becky Tate, Lilian's aunt, who lives in London. Though Catherine and Lilian center the story, various and sundry Darcys, Collinses, Bingleys, and Bennetts are constantly referenced, often in a trivial manner that proves difficult to track. Stylized yet methodical-almost plodding-writing results in a slow read, likely to appeal only to staunch fans. (Mar.)

The Stolen Crown
Susan Higginbotham. Sourcebooks, $14.99 paper (400p) ISBN 9781402237669
Higginbotham's latest historical novel is set during England's turbulent War of the Roses. The title refers to King Edward IV's secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, which serves as catalyst to the exploits of the main characters, Woodville's younger sister Katherine and her first husband, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. Great artistic license is taken in fictionalizing their marriage as a mostly happy one. Those without a strong knowledge of the period will find the book daunting, due to ever-changing alliances and the sheer number of characters, but more knowledgeable readers may find the fruits of Higginbotham's imagination more difficult to swallow. Higginbotham's Henry seems to wander through his life making impolitic outbursts to King Edward, hero-worshipping Richard, and, later, innocently led by Richard's machinations. The majority of the book is narrated by Katherine, whom historians know very little about; she makes an appealing heroine, and those who can suspend disbelief will sympathize quite strongly with this character and the plight of a noble woman in Medieval times. (Mar.)

Edited by Chris Brazier. New Internationalist (Consortium, dist.), $18.50 (208p) ISBN 978196523244
As exhibited in this collection, the Caine Prize, founded in 1999 in honor of the late Sir Michael Caine's work to popularize African writing in English, has spotlighted some exceptional writing; each prize-winning short story included here (the Caine is also known as the African Booker; as such, African winners of the Booker prize also appear) examines and explodes stereotypes about Africa and its literature. Characters reveal dignity and doubt in extraordinary situations, including a grandmother who abandons her frail husband in order to carry her grandchildren to safety in Nadine Gordimer's powerful "The Ultimate Safari." J. M. Coetzee's "Nietverloren" examines the changing face of Africa through the demise of a small family farm. Binyavanga Wainaina's "Discovering Home," meanwhile, contrasts a young man's year at home in Kenya after several years of cosmopolitan Cape Town life. Despite a rich diversity of style and subject matter, each story, as described in Ben Okri's introduction, "reveals what hides in people," offering intimate glimpses into an array of African lives. Anyone who enjoys realistic literary fiction will treasure this collection. (Mar.)

The Walk
Richard Paul Evans. Simon & Schuster, $22 (224p) ISBN 9781439187319
Taking a page from The Odyssey, bestseller Evans (The Christmas Box) launches a new series of inspirational novels with a serious misstep. In the novel's outset, once-successful Seattle advertising executive Alan Christoffersen loses everything important to him: his beloved wife dies after being thrown by a horse, his business partner steals all their clients for himself, and lenders re-possess Alan's home and cars. Anchorless, Alan decides to take a walk to "the furthest point reachable by foot," Key West, Fla., in search of new meaning. In short chapters, Evans covers the first 12 days of Alan's journey, taking him from Bellevue to Spokane, Washington; the journey is largely uneventful, filled in by details of Alan's meals at small-town diners and fast food joints. Lacking a sense of dynamics or immediacy, the first leg of Evans' epic is a contrived attempt at honest seeking. (Apr.)

The Wave
Tom Miller. Sherman Asher (SCB, dist.), $18.95 paper (304p) ISBN 9781890932381
After a 6.8-point quake ravages Hawaii with a 20 foot tidal wave, biology professor Scott Richardson discovers an expanding crevasse on the Pacific Ocean floor capable of unleashing a 2,000-foot tsunami powerful enough to obliterate the entire Pacific Rim. Calling on his buddy, former Navy SEAL Chuck Palmer, Richardson attempts to determine the cause of the crevasse before it's too late. As the duo race against time and come up against violent agents of Hawaii's tourism industry, first-time author Miller proves adept at generating tension and mixing geological science with tough-guy humor. Unfortunately, forced dialogue and odd shifts in perspective work against the narrative, and Miller's cliffhanger ending makes for an unsatisfying conclusion. (Apr.)

Young Bess
Margaret Irwin. Sourcebooks, $14.99 paper (400p) ISBN 9781402229961
Originally published in 1944, the first installment of Irwin's classic Elizabeth I Trilogy returns to enthrall new readers fascinated by the Elizabethian period. Brimming with vivid period details, Irwin portrays a young Elizabeth growing aware of her doomed love for the charismatic Tom Seymour, who married Elizabeth's widowed stepmother Catherine Parr (becoming uncle to Elizabeth's brother, King Edward IV). Tom, meanwhile, has grown dangerously tempted by Bess. Irwin depicts the iconic daughter of King Henry VIII and the beheaded Anne Boleyn ("Nan Bullen") with impeccable grace. After the death of her tyrannical father, leaving behind a legacy of beheaded wives and fear, Irwin suggests Elizabeth was all too aware of her inability to control her dark future, nor the fate of Lord High Admiral Tom. (Mar.)

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