Web Exclusive Book Reviews: 4/19/2010
Publishers Weekly Staff
Apr 19, 2010

NONFICTION

Frank Meeink and Jody M. Roy. Hawthorne (PGW, dist.), $15.95 paper (350p) ISBN 9780979018824 In this profound memoir, reformed skinhead Meeink, with assistance from academic and activist Roy (Love to Hate: America's Obsession with Hatred and Violence), recounts his former life as a Neo-Nazi. Told with passion and clarity, Meeink's story begins with neglectful parents and an abusive, junkie stepfather, who sowed the anger and hatred that would make him a prime candidate for the Neo-Nazi movement that exploded in Philadelphia through the late 1980s and '90s. Before long, Meeink's mutual embrace with the National Alliance led him to his own gang of recruits and a (largely random) "holy war" that would end up haunting him: "How many of my victims had wished for death while I brutalized them?" In federal prison at age 17, surrounded by cons of all races and creeds, Meeink first began to question what he'd been taught about the "elite" Aryan race; the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing would complete his transformation, leading him to seek out the feds for confession. A brutal tour of modern American racism at its worst, a case study of traumatized youth and drug addiction, and a stark reminder of the human capacity for redemption, Meeink and Roy's account is a shocking but ultimately reaffirming read. (Mar.)

The Boy on the Beach: Building Community Through PlayVivian Gussin Paley. Univ. of Chicago, $17 (104p) ISBN 9780226645032 Looking deeply into the "why" and "how come" of children at play, author and long-time preschool/kindergarten teacher Paley (A Child's Work) presents a series of contemplative conversations (with the reader, fellow educators and herself) that use her work with spontaneous and guided theatrical play to demonstrate the value of narrative to education, intellectual development, and mental well-being. While searching for deeper meaning in the business of child's play, Paley has developed a process for theatrically staging students' own stories, and "find[ing] the metaphor in the moment" in order to guide play toward satisfying closure; chronicling her classroom visits to share her process with other educators, her methods prove highly illustrative. Paley explains how people-and not just children-play in order to find characters who represent them, place emotional events in recognizable context, demonstrate their own usefulness, and create common memories for later discussion. Paley also cites interesting literary references throughout, and includes illuminating correspondence between educators. Parents and teachers alike will gain insight from Paley's contemplative, creative approach to play. (Apr.)

Richard Phillips. Hyperion, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 9781401323806 In this fascinating, suspenseful first person account of his capture by Somali pirates, which dominated news media for five days in April 2009, captain Phillips brings the growing pirate threat (up 20 percent in 2009's first quarter) to life. An experienced Merchant Marine, Phillips was recently made captain of the cargo vessel Maersk Alabama, and, like all captains, was weary of the threat from pirates: "since 2005... captains had been going out fifty, then one hundred... then six hundred miles" to avoid the Somali coast. His feeling that "if pirates got onboard, it was all over" proves unfortunately correct; it took the armed criminals just five minutes to board the ship and take the bridge. Phillips has a sailor's penchant for the dramatic, which he puts to good use alternating between his own five-day ordeal-replete with Navy SEALs and a daring escape attempt-and the plight of his family in Vermont, watching the drama unfold on cable news. Despite his harrowing experience, Phillips stays afloat with steadfast faith and an unfailing sense of humor that are, ultimately, rewarded. Phillips's story is not just riveting and timely, but also an informative, heartening look at perhaps the least-celebrated branch of the U.S. military, the Merchant Marines. (Apr.)

The Daddy-Daughter Dance

Two new volumes explore and expound on the bond between fathers and daughters. The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be MeBruce Feiler. Morrow, $22.99 (256p) ISBN 9780061778766 In 2008, bestselling author Feiler (Walking the Bible) learned he had a rare, life-threatening tumor in his left leg. Fearing what his absence would do to the lives of his young daughters, Feiler asked six close friends ("Men who know my voice") to help raise them. Feiler chronicles his battle with cancer, from diagnosis to recovery, as well as his sentimental but moving journey to recruit friends who can carry out his wish to teach his daughters to travel, dream, and live life to its fullest. Feiler's intimate bond with his friends makes them unusually expressive and communicative (if lacking in humor), and their own biographies lend further inspirational dimensions to the story. Though his letters to friends and family can get ornate ("The Brooklyn Bridge...is looking fresh-faced and handsome overhead, its famed promenade glittering like the pot of gold at the end of a long journey to come"), it's hard not to get swept along and cheer Feiler on as he fights for his life and his daughters'. (May) What I Would Tell Her: 28 Devoted Dads on Bringing Up, Holding On To and Letting Go of Their DaughtersAndrea N. Richesin. Harlequin, $13.95 paper (304p) ISBN 9780373892105 In this follow-up to Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond, editor Richesin presents 28 candid, personal essays that demonstrate why "[f]athers are arguably the most important men in their daughters' lives." Steering clear of straight sentimentality and saccharine stereotypes, writers including Steve Almond, Rob Spillman, Richard Nash, and Thomas Beller contribute essays that are funny, hopeful, inspiring and sad-often at once. In a funny, vulnerable letter for his pre-teen daughter to read on her 18th birthday, single dad Trey Ellis wonders how she'll feel about his racy memoir Bedtime Stories. Daniel Raeburn's brave, heartbreaking essay, meanwhile, recounts the still-birth of his daughter, who they had already named Irene: "Her name came to me in the night while I was falling asleep, her hands and feet drumming against Rebekah's belly and my palms." Writing with their daughters in mind, each contributor has put obvious care and passion into his piece, turning out anecdotes and insight that will resonate with anyone who has a family. (Apr.)

Denial: Why Business Leaders Fail to Look Facts in the Face-And What to Do About It Richard S. Tedlow. Portfolio, $26.95 (272p) ISBN 9781591843139 Author and Harvard business administration professor Tedlow (Andy Grove: The Life and Times of an American Business Icon) asserts that "[d]enial goes hand-in-hand with short-term thinking," a problem that arises when a business "that once might have focused on getting the job done now is concerned with getting done with the job." The history of industry is rich with such cases, a number of which Tedlow examines with thorough understanding of both business and psychology: the initial brilliance of Henry Ford's Model T assembly lines gave way to significant setbacks when they failed to take the threat of Europe's radial tires seriously; the "great" grocery chain A&P was sunk by executives who "celebrated the statistics they liked." Tedlow also surveys the "edifice complex," in which struggling but respected companies erect monuments to themselves (like the Sears Tower) rather than tackling real challenges. Contrasting successes include tenacious DuPont, Intel's chief truth-seeker Andy Grove, and Johnson & Johnson, which faced almost insurmountable challenges head-on during the toxic Tylenol crisis. Tedlow discusses ways to overcome the denial inherent to human nature as well as the institutional variety, cautioning against "yes" men, the vocabulary of euphemisms, and trash-talking the competition: "What am I using this derision to hide-perhaps from myself?" (Mar.)

The Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial KillerM. William Phelps. Globe Pequot, $24.95 (320p) ISBN 9781599213668 To recreate the early 20th century killing spree which took place primarily in Connecticut's "Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids" (the inspiration for Joseph Kesselring's play Arsenic and Old Lace), Phelps amasses an abundance of research to complement his already-extant authority on female murderers (the author of Perfect Poison: A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine, Phelps has also consulted on serial killer TV drama Dexter). A seemingly charming setting, the Archer Home was run by Amy Archer-Gilligan, a homely "Christian woman" who provided the last hope of a comfortable home for many of her elderly residents. As a nasty heat wave overtook the East Coast, however, the number of deaths occurring in the Archer Home spiked precipitously. After 24 deaths over four years, a vigilant reporter noted that Archer-Gilligan has been purchasing large quantities of arsenic; she was using it to kill the very residents she'd sent to purchase it for her. Phelps' diligent research creates a vivid portrait of the country a century ago, but his telling is oddly dispassionate; readers may not fully understand the brutality of Archer-Gilligan's crimes until the list of the dead at end of the book, laid out over three full pages. (Apr.)

Droppers: America's First Hippie Commune, Drop CityMark Matthews. Univ. of Oklahoma, $19.95 paper (242p) ISBN 9780806140582 One of the first utopian communities to emerge in the 1960s, Drop City, Colorado was founded as a self-supporting artist's enclave. In this entertaining chronicle, author and journalist Matthews (Smoke Jumping on the Western Fire Line) recounts Drop City's story as told to him by a number of its inhabitants, including co-founder Eugene Victor Debs Bernofsky, whose plan was to "own the property, build A-frame houses, pay no rent, make films and art and... put our trust in dose [sic] Cosmic Forces" (influenced by "Bucky" Fuller, the A-frames became the commune's iconic geodesic domes). As much a look at the sex-and-drugs counterculture as it is a cautionary tale about the problems of utopia-building, the story of Drop City almost comes to an early end over a mysteriously depleted can of government commodity peanut butter; ultimately, it would devolve into a disillusioned, dilapidated slum. Matthews's attempts to contextualize (or perhaps elevate) the narrative with historical notes on other U.S. communes and the hippie stomping grounds of Haight Ashbury distract from Bernofsky's tale, which is fascinating, inadvertently hilarious, and very telling. B&w illus. (Mar.)

Duel at Dawn: Heroes, Martyrs, and the Rise of Modern MathematicsAmir Alexander. Harvard Univ., $28.95 (320p) ISBN 9780674046610 With tremendous attention to detail, historian Alexander examines the lives of 18th and 19th century mathematicians, finding much evidence to support his theory that the earlier geniuses of math (like Évariste Galois and Neils Henrik Abel) cultivated an artistic temperament, living short but fiery lives with little recognition, while the next generation (Jean le Rond d'Alembert, Leonhard Euler) pursued mathematics (and life) with purity and rigor, becoming "successful men of affairs who were the bright stars of their era and lived to a ripe old age." Though occasionally repetitive, Alexander's personable history of mathematics over two centuries (rounded out by a brief look at the present and future of the field) is filled with biographical details that will interest devoted mathematicians and historians of math or science; lay-readers may find Alexander's delivery too dry to stir their sympathies. (Apr.)

Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the WorldBirute Regine. Prometheus, $19 paper (294p) ISBN 9781616141691 Consultant and developmental psychologist Regine (coauthor, The Soul at Work) compiles wisdom drawn from several years of original interviews with 60 successful women around the world, including CEOs and businesswomen, U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Johnson, former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell, and others whose "achievements demonstrate how feminine power is changing our businesses, our organizations and our world into better places to work and live." In flowing, occasionally dense prose, this intellectual and dynamic treatise on women in the modern workplace demonstrates convincingly how empathy, emotional and strength and an embrace of vulnerability are changing traditional, male-dominated management models. Declaring the Era of Women, Regine celebrates big picture thinkers as well as mindful feelers, a powerful message reinforced by the impressive professional biographies of each subject. (Apr.)

Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers PowerJack Barnes. Pathfinder (www.pathfinderpress.com), $20 paper (432p) ISBN 9781604880212 The latest historical analysis from Socialist Worker's Party national secretary Barnes (Capitalism's World Disorder) boldly, if dubiously, asserts that the masses are about to seize power-and not (as conservative forces would posit) in accordance with progressives like President Obama, but in opposition. In Barnes's view, the current American overclass continues to exploit the working class (especially the working poor), having changed only its face: the new bourgeoisie, including Obama, is an "enlightened meritocracy" comprised "of all colors and hues" that, while "cadging" the wealth created by capitalists exploiting producers, "fear at some point being pushed back to the working classes," making a divide-and-conquer strategy all the more important. Barnes argues that Malcolm X was, at the time of his assassination, on the threshold of becoming a socialist, a stretch even considering Barnes's evidence (such as a particular 1965 interview). Still, Barnes's perspective is eye-opening: over the past 30 years, the economic position of the working class in America has been steadily eroding, and the usual suspects-NAFTA, China, and other forces of global trade-cannot be fought with strikes or picket lines. Unfortunately, Barnes's humorless, doctrinaire approach won't do much to inspire American workers; perhaps that's why he needs Malcolm X. (Mar.)

The Ptarmigan's Dilemma: An Exploration into How Life Organizes and Supports ItselfJohn Theberge and Mary Theberge. McClelland & Stewart, $28.95 (400p) ISBN 9780771085192 In this thoughtful but overlong volume, part field memoir and part scientific overview, married naturalists John and Mary Theberges (Wolves and Wilderness) probe the relationship between evolution and ecology with the provocative questions that have driven much of their 30-year careers: "How is life's marvelous self-organization accomplished? When and why might it fail?" Distinguishing the twin aspects of natural selection-the pressure for survivability and the pressure (in males) to attract sexual attention from females-the duo show how it "is not sufficient by itself to explain the existence of order." Rather, order and complexity spring from the most basic laws of matter, apparent in "sand ripples on a beach" or "chemical reactants"; the Theberges push the theory that "phenotype plasticity" at the most basic levels allow animals with identical genes to develop into separate subspecies, a process analogous to the differentiation of stem cells into various tissues (liver, skin, muscle). The duo also unpacks the ecological challenges for the human species (food shortage, pollution, overpopulation, etc.), warning that we may have passed the point of sustainability. (Mar.)

Rough Justice: The Rise and Fall of Eliot SpitzerPeter Elkind. Portfolio, $26.95 (320p) ISBN 9781591843078 The story of Eliot Spitzer, that familiar story of a powder keg of power, privilege, and sexual peccadilloes meeting its inevitable end, becomes a taut thriller in the hands of Elkind (The Smartest Guys in the Room), editor at large of Fortune magazine. He revisits the triumphs of the "Sheriff of Wall Street" who presciently took action against outlandish CEO compensation and corruption at investment banks, his capacity-even relish-for making powerful enemies, his lackluster performance as a governor, and his clandestine life as "George Fox," regular client of a Manhattan escort service. Save for surprisingly mean-spirited descriptions of some of the escorts, Elkind handles the tawdrier revelations with courtly decorum-but his interpretation that sex with prostitutes was Spitzer's "elegant solution" for getting his "needs" met without betraying his wife with an affair, strains credulity. Spitzer has said, "I don't do introspection," and Elkind mercifully skips psychologizing in favor of recounting the events with celerity and investigating what remains obscure: were Spitzer's enemies having him followed?  Did they leak the Governor's affairs to the press?  The book is a study of institutions as much as the individual, and when the sludgy state government, investment banks, law enforcement, and the press-come together at the scandal's revelation, it makes for an impressive crescendo. (Apr.)

A Tear at the Edge of Creation: A Radical New Vision for Life in an Imperfect UniverseMarcelo Gleiser. Free Press, $25 (286p) ISBN 9781439108321 For most of his career, physicist Gleiser (The Dancing Universe) was a "true believer in unification," seeing in string theory a "more profound description of Nature" with "a higher level of mathematical symmetry." He now rejects the search for a perfect theory as an improvable article of belief akin to monotheism. Explaining his turnaround, Gleiser points to the game-changing 1998 discovery that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, indicating that 96 percent of the "stuff of the cosmos" is undetectable "dark matter" or "dark energy." Even the 4 percent of matter contained in the known universe reveals anomalous behavior, like the predominance of matter over anti-matter, and the asymmetry of "left-handed" neutrinos. Gleiser argues that life, and perhaps even matter, could not have developed in a symmetrical universe: "Behind every imperfection there is a mechanism for generating structure and complex behavior." The conclusions Gleiser draws from his reconfiguration include the idea that time has a beginning and that "human understanding of the world is forever a work in progress"; though Gleiser has a remarkable gift for elucidating complex scientific concepts (without mathematics), this is not a volume for novices. (Apr.)

LIFESTYLEChicken & Other FowlJohn Torode. Firefly, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 9781554076123 Replicating the format that made 2009's Beef such an enjoyable find, British chef Torode shows readers how to get the most out of poultry. Though Torode dutifully recounts classics like roast turkey, Coq Au Vin, and pot pies, his true knack is for invention: leftovers find new life in baked curry puffs and stocks, while livers can be used for Deviled Chicken Liver Crostini, breaded and topped with Bearnaise sauce, or pan-fried for a simple sweet-and-sour salad; ground chicken, meanwhile, makes delightfully spicy patties topped with fresh salsa, or Spaghetti with Curried Chicken Meatballs. Like its bovine-focused predecessor, this volume includes eight variations for common dishes like grilled chicken thighs, pan-seared duck breast, kebabs, and various stuffings, giving devotees of a particular dish room to maneuver. More complex dishes, like "Raised" Chicken and Partridge Pie-a towering pot pie made with hot-water pastry-will give seasoned cooks a new challenge for a lazy afternoon. Specific ingredients like Juniper berries, Thai pea eggplants, and yellow rock sugar may prove difficult to source in the U.S., but even cooks who don't know a capon from a Cornish game hen will find worthwhile dishes within their skill set. (Mar.)

Sonia Day. Firefly, $14.95 paper (124p) ISBN 9781554076246 Just because you live in an apartment doesn't you can't enjoy homegrown herbs and vegetables; accordingly, urban gardener Day (The Urban Gardener) gives city-dwellers tips on 43 edible plants that can be grown in backyard gardens as well as on rooftops, balconies and patios. Using an eye-catching layout, Day patiently and enthusiastically guides gardeners of all experience levels through the ins and outs of raising everything from exotic asparagus peas to zucchini, offering general tips on choosing the right containers, keeping harmful critters at bay, and bringing your bounty in for the winter. Though slim, each entry is packed with information and photos, including all the particulars (when, where and how to plant, common problems, how much to grow) as well as considerate looks at worthwhile alternatives (fast-growing Thumbelina carrots, Mojito Mint) and those to avoid (Brandywine tomatoes, for instance, are particularly prone to disease, and shouldn't be planted in areas with high humidity). Though recipes are scattered throughout, this is first and foremost a gardening book; still, gourmands and green thumbs alike should appreciate this guide to space-restricted gardening. (Mar.)

It's All About the Woman Who Wears It: 10 Laws for Being Smart, Successful, and Sexy TooCristina Perez. Penguin/Celebra, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 9780451229496 Drawing from her work an empathetic, personable television judge, as well as a wife, mother, radio host, and columnist, Perez (Living by Los Dichos) produces 10 laws addressing common mistakes that keep women from "reaching our full potential." From the first, Cristina's no-nonsense candor will be familiar to fans of TV's Cristina's Court, and inviting to anyone who resents the coddling tone of many self-helps, though her sharp and humorous insights don't have the self-righteous aggression (or self-loathing undercurrents) of Laura Schlessinger's similarly-themed Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives. In Chapters like "Date Wisely," "Reinvent Yourself," and "Take a Risk," Perez calls for women to "create their own identity from the inside out," and to use that identity as a point of power from which to embrace life and make smarter decisions. Perez discusses issues like body image, aging, femininity and friendship, as well as romantic relationships from dating to engagement to marriage (including "Seven Deadly Sins of Marriage" to avoid). Each chapter is rounded out with tacked-on input from some (anonymous) outside voices, but Perez's fans will be satisfied, and likely inspired, by her assured but compassionate voice. (Mar.)

Cathy Thomas. Wiley, $29.95 (336p) ISBN 9780470371053 In this invaluable guide to fresh produce, food columnist Thomas (Melissa's Great Book of Produce) proceeds alphabetically through 56 popular fruits and vegetables, offering tips on varieties, buying year-round, and proper prep and storage. The real bounty, though, is the recipes-more than 400-that give readers copious suggestions for those persimmons, leeks, or eggplants that look so tempting at the market, and so perplexing on the kitchen counter. While obvious applications such as salads are included, Thomas's recipes are anything but phoned-in: cooks with too many cherries can use them in Cherry, Chocolate and Toasted Almond Ice Cream or as a relish for a grilled pork tenderloin; fresh ginger can be used to liven up Chicken Saté with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Raita; and even the spinach-averse will reconsider when facing Linguine with Baby Spinach and Blue Cheese, complemented by toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, and prosciutto. Thomas even ventures beyond mains and sides to include a tasty Kiwi Martini and White Sangria, as well as a Nectarine Barbecue Sauce, basic carrot vinaigrette, and easy-to-accomplish pickled shallots. (Apr.)

New Orleans Kitchens: Recipes From the Big Easy's Best RestaurantsStacey Meyer and Troy Gilbert. Gibbs Smith, $30 (216p) ISBN 9781423610014 Though heartfelt, Meyer's culinary guide to the dishes and art of her hometown falls short. A recipe tester and developer for Emeril Lagasse, Meyer depends too heavily on her own recipes and, aside from a few admirable exceptions (like Galatoire's Oysters Rockefeller and Trout Meuniere Amandine), includes too few classic recipes from classic restaurants (perhaps most stunning is the inclusion of just one gumbo recipe). Still, gems do emerge, such as Meyer's Mini Crawfish Pies, Galatoire's Shrimp Remoulade, La Cote Brasserie's Louisiana Oysters and Tequila Lime Granita, and Café Degas's decadent signature crepes, filled with mushrooms, asparagus and brandy-flamed crabmeat. Other dishes are hit and miss; instructions for Smoked Duck Breast Pain Perdu with Fontina Cheese and Cane Syrup are all too brief, and dishes like Community Coffee-Cured Pork Chop with Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Cedar-Smoked Tomato Puree are probably best left to the professionals. The art selection (generally paired one-to-one with recipes) is as varied as the food; the result is a wildly uneven collection that doesn't fulfill its promise. (Apr.)

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