America, North and South

George Ochoa covers the vast geographical landscape of North, South and Central America in the Atlas of Hispanic-American History. Rich with maps, photographs and other visual displays, the Atlas provides a comprehensive reference for anyone interested in the history of all of Hispanic America, from its origins, and European, Native American and African influences, through the present, and from the arrival of the conquistadors to the impact of U.S. Manifest Destiny, and on through the battle over Puerto Rican independence. (Facts on File, $85 224p ISBN 0-8160-3698-5; Checkmark, $24.95 paper 224p ISBN 0-8160-4129-6; Aug.)

Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony by Lee Miller provides clear and convincing explanations for the disappearance of the late 16th-century British settlement on Roanoke Island off North Carolina. In probing Native American land disputes and intrigue, Miller uncovers the reasons for the colonists' disappearance. Miller's prose is commanding as she speculates on what really happened to the colonists after they left Roanoke and on the inevitability of their leaving. An ethnohistorian and anthropologist, Miller authoritatively removes the fog she claims was intentionally wrapped around this mystery. (Arcade, $25.95 362p ISBN 1-55970-584-1; June)

Reading the Stars

In Llewellyn's 2002 Sun Sign Book: Forecasts by Gloria Star, astrology enthusiasts can find "the year's major challenges and opportunities for every Sun sign," "information for specific birth dates that will help you understand the inner changes you'll experience during 2002" and a "monthly forecast section for your Sun sign and Ascendant." 45,000 first printing. ($7.95 paper 480p ISBN 1-7387-0032-0; Aug.) Likewise, Llewellyn's 2002 Moon Sign Book with Lunar Forecasts by Gloria Star offers counsel via such resources as the Astro Almanac ("a quick reference tool for finding the best dates for anything from asking for a raise to buying a car"), and explains the lesser-known practice of lunar astrology. 45,000 first printing. ($11.95 paper 480p ISBN -0031-2; Aug.) Longtime professional astrologer Star (Astrology: Woman to Woman) caters to a broad range of astrological experience, wielding technical lingo ("Uranus is transiting in sextile aspect to your Sun") but explaining the ramifications of the sky's activities in lay terminology. Tables and illus.

Women and Grrrls

"Does romance weaken or empower women? Is it a debilitating illusion, a form of false consciousness, or the understandable expression of a universal human need?" asks Susan Ostrov Weisser (A "Craving Vacancy": Women and Sexual Love in the British Novel, 1740—1880), editor of Women and Romance: A Reader. Mary Wollstonecraft, Emma Goldman, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emily Dickinson, Simone de Beauvoir, Rita Mae Brown, Audre Lorde, Lillian Faderman, bell hooks and Mary Gaitskill are just a few of the eminent thinkers Weisser recruits here. "The Reconstruction of Teen Romance" (Sharon Thompson), "Silly Novels by Lady Novelists" (George Eliot) and "Women's Masochism and Ideal Love" (Jessica Benjamin) are among the topics addressed in this thoughtfully assembled and far-reaching anthology. (NYU, $21.95 paper 490p ISBN 0-814-7935-5-X; Sept. 1)

Third-wave feminists are less angry, more realistic and deal with more subtle obstacles than their foremothers. These and other popular conceptions of young feminists are explored, questioned and sometimes blown to bits in the revised and expanded edition of Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation, edited by Barbara Findlen. According to these undefeated and impressive young women, violence, rape, shame and self-hate still rear their ugly heads in the lives of girls and women. And, they attest, young feminists are as angry, self-expressive, political and interested in claiming their due as their predecessors. (Seal, $16.95 paper 310p ISBN 1-58005-054-9; Sept.)

August Publications

In Civilization: Ten Thousand Years of Ancient History, Jane McIntosh (The Practical Archaeologist) and Clint Twist (Historical Atlas of the Celts) explore the first 10,000 years of civic life. Beginning with the first agricultural settlements—"the moment when... the pace of change accelerated, leading rapidly to the very different world in which we live today"— the authors look at Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece and the Roman empire, finishing up with the Incas and Aztecs. Shipbuilding, aqueducts, pyramids, pottery and technologies of every variety are given fresh consideration. With more than 270 color photographs and illustrations, this large-format book will entertain and illuminate. (DK, $29.95 240p ISBN 0-7894-7830-7)

"I had the great good fortune to be reared in a cocoon of goodness," begins novelist Jon Hassler (Staggerford) in Good People... from an Author's Life, a memoir of the people who most impressed him with their kindness. Beginning with family members and running through childhood and adult friends and even characters from his novels, Hassler explores many permutations of goodness, its difficulties, complexities and many of its particular attributes: "It's a characteristic of anyone growing up in a happy household, I've found, this ability to wring every possible remark out of an unremarkable topic." Funny, wise and warm-hearted, this tribute will delight anyone looking for a pick-me-up or a reminder of why it pays to be kind. (Loyola, $12.95 paper 128p ISBN 0-8294-1636-6) Carol Wogrin, a psychologist specializing in death and bereavement, instructs readers on the best ways to communicate with those who are dying in Matters of Life and Death: Finding the Words to Say Goodbye. From the discussion of funeral plans to taking care of daily ailments such as nausea or aches, her coverage is very thorough, providing useful suggestions for a difficult topic. Wogrin offers an in-depth look at this process in hopes that the reader can overcome awkwardness and instead deal with the important issues. (Broadway, $10.95 paper 208p ISBN 0-7679-0395-1)

"I accept and embrace her mystery, her enigma, her memory," writes Dot Moore as she reflects on the extraordinary Amanda Mayhayley Lancaster. Through recollections from the people who knew her, Moore, with Katie Lamar Smith, recounts the amazing life of this early 20th-century fortune-teller from the poor regions of Georgia. A combination of fact and legend, Oracle of the Ages reads more like a novel than a biographical piece. Throughout these accounts, one can hear the voice of Lancaster and experience the powerful effects she had on those in her community. (NewSouth, $23.95 160p ISBN 1-58838-007-6) "When facing a major health crisis, connecting with people is an invaluable lifeline," writes Margie Levine in Surviving Cancer: One Woman's Story and Her Inspiring Program for Anyone Facing a Cancer Diagnosis. Call "friends in the medical field, and then friends of their friends"; call "hospitals, libraries and health clinics... cancer organizations and holistic health centers"; contact intimates and "fellow travelers" (others with cancer) for support. Such networking, says Levine, yields "information that may be more immediately useful... than what you find in books, because it is first-hand, people-driven, up-to-date, and customized to your specific situation by the questions you ask." That said, Levine, in a compassionate but matter-of-fact manner, offers an exceptionally helpful book. She suggests small, practical steps that can make a big difference organizationally, such as using a tape recorder and a medical notebook to record information. She outlines alternative therapies (massage, acupuncture, etc.), spiritual and psychological resources and practices (meditation, prayer, journaling), medications, diet and strategies for dealing with MRIs and stress in general. Recommended for anyone with cancer and their loved ones. (Broadway, $12.95 paper 256p ISBN 0-7679-0715-9; Aug. 14)

"Cassavetes' films were quarried from his most private feelings and experiences," writes editor Ray Carney in his introduction to Cassavetes on Cassavetes, and then illustrates his point with the writings, interviews and recorded conversations of a beloved cult figure. First an actor and then a director (Faces; A Woman Under the Influence), John Cassavetes, who died in 1989, remains known for gamely trying to make his art in Hollywood, and then gamely wreaking havoc when he was overrided. Of his television series, Staccato (later called Johnny Staccato at the insistence of network executives), the director said: "It is virtually impossible to get approval on a script that has substance." Fans and film buffs will delight in this rare look inside the mind of this talented, innovative and influential filmmaker. Photos. (Faber and Faber, $18 546p ISBN 0-571-20157-1; Aug.)

July Publication

"The magical fusion of the Web, the computer, and the stock market is a unique product of our cultural moment; the presence of visionaries who believe that they are fundamentally transforming culture is not," writes Zachary Karabell (The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election) in A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead. He traces the visionary drive behind U.S. evolution from the Puritans' city on a hillto westward expansion and Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth"; governmental growth precipitated by Teddy Roosevelt and realized under the New Deal; and the 1990s New Economy. Lastly, Karabell predicts three possible global scenarios: more people will make more money until "the rewards will be diffused throughout society"; the stock market will collapse, with all the attendant losses; or "the New Economy doesn't collapse but also doesn't fulfill its incredible promise" (see scenario one). Perceptive, edgy and articulate, Karabell embodies the voice and perspective (tempered by considerable historical research) of millions of 20- and 30-something intellectuals and professionals. (HarperCollins, $26 288p ISBN 0-380-97857-1; July)