Despite a sensationalistic title, this highly theoretical explication of public attitudes toward all three branches of federal government offers no hard evidence of any citizen revolts in the making; nor is it likely to incite any. Based on findings drawn in 1992 from 1400 30-minute telephone interviews with a nationwide sample of voting-age residents, plus eight two-hour focus-group sessions of 10 participants each at locations across the country, the book is a densely written, abstruse work likely to appeal mostly to political scientists. Readers not familiar with the scholarly sources cited will have to accept the authors' summaries--and debunkings --of previous research on faith, there being scant explanation of prior research. The authors examine at length the difference between people's feelings toward the various institutions of government and toward the members of those bodies. Perhaps most disturbing is their view that the American people, while supporting the notion of a democratic government, have little patience for the actual workings of democracy, its unruly debates and inevitable compromises. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 12/01/1995 | Details & Permalink

In another account of justice gone wrong, a good kid from a bad neighborhood, 19-year-old Jovan Mosley, had never been in trouble with the police before Aug. 6, 1999, when he was falsely accused of and arrested for participating in a fight that turned deadly. Though Mosley adamantly declared his innocence, Chicago police handcuffed him in an interrogation room for more than 24 hours, bullying him until the exhausted Mosley signed a confession. Loyola law professor and mystery novelist Caldwell (Red, White & Dead) recounts Mosley's six-year stint in Chicago's toughest county jail, awaiting a trial on a charge of first-degree murder, and her own emotional journey co-chairing his defense. After five years—during which two inept public defenders both advised Mosley to accept a plea bargain—Mosley's plight came to the attention of top-notch Chicago defense attorney Catharine O'Daniel. She took on the case pro bono, recruiting Caldwell, a former civil litigator, to help with the complex trial. Caldwell eloquently evokes Mosley's struggles to have faith in a justice system that had so obviously failed him. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 09/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

Poet Powell (The Zones of Paradise) unravels the protracted legal battle over a mother's seemingly harmless photograph and the uproar it caused. In 1999, Cynthia Stewart and her partner, David Perrotta, lived with their eight-year-old daughter, Nora, in Oberlin, Ohio. Since Nora's birth, Cynthia had regularly photographed her, both clothed and unclothed. When someone at the lab developing her film found a photo of Nora in the tub, rinsing off with the shower nozzle, the police were alerted. Cynthia was arrested on suspicion of child pornography and eventually charged with two felonies by prosecutor Greg White, who was known for his hard-nosed approach. Powell, whose son was Nora's friend, spearheaded the town's effort to support Cynthia and David through the emotional—and financial—stresses of the legal fight, which soon included threats from Children Services to remove Nora from the home. Pinning down a definition for obscenity is notoriously tricky, and Powell is smart to leave all but the most basic points of the legal wrangling out of her account, which is the compelling story of a mother who stood by her principles and the community that shored her up.(Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 08/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

Bloggers and bakers have taken spiked cakes to trend-worthy status in recent years, and authors Castella and Stone promote "fun baking" using alcohol—including beer, wine, and spirits—in traditional and creative ways. More than 100 recipes are categorized in four sections: Classic Booze Cakes (including a tiramisu and a rum cake), Cocktail Cakes (such as the Harvey Wallbanger); Cake Shots (with selections like jelly cake shots and Long Island iced tea cakes); and Cakes with a Twist (taking classics up a notch, such as a carrot cake made with 151-proof rum). The introduction includes a clever "Booze Cake Rating System" broken down by "Lightweight," "Feeling It," and "Totally Tipsy." Recipes include easy-to-follow numbered steps, and sidebars are informative—and entertaining—including information on cakes in literature and creative ingredient substitutions. Recipes for homemade liqueurs and additional treats such as cream puffs and gingersnaps round out this well-designed—and beautifully photographed—title that makes a perfect summer gift. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 06/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

It is surprising to learn that Castronovo and Falcinelli are in their 40s. On one hand they are pulling off a 20-something hipster vibe these days, lighting up Brooklyn with their Café Pedlar pastry shop and the much lauded Prime Meats steakhouse. On the other hand, their new book, with recipes culled from the Italian eatery they launched in 2004, gives the impression that they are well into their 60s, with many a meatball under their belts. Aided by New York Times food writer Meehan, they have created a heartfelt tribute to red sauce dining, bound in an embossed, gilded, faux-leather cover. Their sauce is simple math: 13 garlic cloves into 96 ounces (six pounds) of tomatoes, plus olive oil, salt, and a dash of red pepper flakes. The meatballs are slightly more complex. Whether it's the handball-size baked version or the fried golf-ball–size, they are seasoned with white pepper and contain both pine nuts and raisins. Other hearty meat options include a pork braciola and sausage with peppers and onions. Vegetarians can get their sauce fix via an eggplant marinara, or pasta choices like gnocchi marinara with fresh ricotta or orecchiette with pistachios. A 13-page chapter entitled "Sunday Sauce" is a revelry in old school family dining. Described as "the meal, the menu, the way of life," the authors expound upon this traditional Sunday dinner of meaty sauce and pasta, listing all the essential ingredients, a time line for shopping and preparation, and a vital recipe for turning the leftovers into lasagna. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 06/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

The preface makes clear that this is "not a diet book nor a road map to personal discovery." Rather, it's a well-tested collection of more than 750 recipes that employ vetted techniques and abundant flavor to create dishes that are as healthy as they can be, given what they are, without sacrificing a pleasurable eating experience. Categories run from breakfast to dessert and include pretty much everything in between; scattered among the huge number of recipes are tips for food prep, cooking, equipment, and more. In typical America's Test Kitchen style, head notes are no-nonsense—lacking personality, perhaps, but offering practical advice. Dishes run the gamut from very basic to more adventurous: readers can learn how to make spaghetti puttanesca; crisp oven-fried fish or swordfish en cocotte with carrots and chermoula; pan-seared steaks or spice-rubbed flank steak with toasted corn and black bean salsa. For certain notoriously fat- and calorie-laden dishes—such as meat and cheese lasagna, a New York cheesecake, and chocolate chip cookies—along the way are "Makeover Spotlights" explaining just what the testers did to create better-for-you recipes. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 10/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

Bradley (Inside Egypt) takes on Western prejudices and misconceptions in this sweeping exposé of Arabic sexual mores. Written in response to Western writers and pundits who view Muslim sexual repression and shame as the underlying engine of terrorism and Islamist fervor, the author takes a panoramic look at sexual behavior in the region. Emphasizing the profound differences between—and within—various Muslim and Arab communities, he definitively dispels the notion of any single dominant Muslim sexuality or moral norm. Instead, Bradley argues, the prurient concerns of the West are mostly distractions from real social, political, and economic problems faced in the Middle East—many of which the West plays a major role in perpetuating—which drive Muslim unrest. Drawing on extensive research as well as the author's own substantial firsthand knowledge of the region, the book offers an essential corrective to the fantasies and misinformation about Middle Eastern cultures. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 09/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

The cluster of cancers in Boesky's family had been identified by 1993, striking the women on her mother's side in the form of ovarian cancer through the generations, well before the BRCA mutations had been recognized. In this deftly wrought, engaging memoir, Boesky (Sweet Valley High series) tracks how she navigated her own decisions in light of her family's health history around her marriage and two pregnancies in her early-to-mid-30s. Boesky and her two sisters, who grew up in Detroit, knew that having children early and removing their ovaries by age 35 were essential to their life plan; their grandmother, several great-aunts, aunts, and a cousin had died by their mid-40s from ovarian cancer, and the sisters weren't taking any chances. Their own mother had undergone a complete hysterectomy at age 49. As Boesky chronicles her single-minded pursuit of marriage, fledgling jobs as an associate professor of English literature, first at Georgetown University, and the sense of urgency she feels at having her children as soon as possible, their mother has a small breast tumor removed, and five years later is diagnosed with full-blown, inoperable bone cancer. As a scholar of 17th-century English literature, Boesky weaves into the narrative the first uses of timepieces and watches as an ingenious leitmotiv and reminder of the fleeting nature of time, fashioning a touching resolution to this useful cautionary tale. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 08/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

Celebrity self-improvement guru McKenna (I Can Make You Rich) says there are only four things one needs to practice to become a naturally confident person: talk to yourself in a confident way, create positive mind pictures, use your body as if you were already confident, and take at least one risk every day. He expands on these "mind programming techniques" in such chapters as "Self Belief," "You Really Can Do Anything," "Public Speaking," "Dating and Sex," and "Leaving a Bad Situation." Throughout, he punctuates his advice with anecdotes about stressful situations involving such prominent figures as Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Hackett, and Steve Jobs, along with a sprinkling of encouraging quotes, such as Cher's comment, "If you really want something, you can figure out how to make it happen." Chapters conclude with visualization exercises, and the book is accompanied by a "Guided Hypnosis" CD. McKenna's ideas are hardly original, and many pages are redundant and written in a simplistic manner, but his followers may find this book of value nevertheless. (Sept. 7)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 09/01/2010 | Details & Permalink

It was one of the 20th century's medical miracles, and with this retelling of the discovery of insulin (10 months after Caroline Cox's The Fight to Survive: A Young Girl, Diabetes, and the Discovery of Insulin) it's a gripping narrative as well. In 1918, the youngest daughter of former New York governor and future Supreme Court chief justice Charles Evans Hughes was diagnosed with diabetes. At the time, a near-deadly starvation diet was the best hope for sufferers, but four years later, a "pancreatic extract" was showing promise in treating symptoms in animals. Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Hughes was among the first wave of patients to benefit from the marriage of dogged research and commercial enterprise on the part of Lilly & Co. to manufacture the drug. Author and playwright Cooper and finance-veteran-turned-author Ainsberg bolster the account with impressive sourcing. They also pay particular attention to the complexities of the human drama—the indomitable Elizabeth; her visionary parents; the quarrelsome, "crazy," and eventual Nobel Prize–winning researchers; and the bold commercial pioneers. And it's those details that make this extraordinary chapter of medical history so memorable. B&w photo insert. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 | Release date: 09/01/2010 | Details & Permalink