Social Sciences

A radical member of Parliament, libertine, spendthrift, editor, reformer, and all-around hell-raiser, John Wilkes (1726–97) remains a rebuke to any who claim the study of history dull. Wilkes's long and still relevant crusade for liberty against a government bending the laws to silence its enemies made him a hero to the English middle class and influenced the rebellious American colonials' revolution and the subsequent system of American government. The U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment provisions against unreasonable search and seizure are the legacy of Wilkes's home being ransacked on political charges under George III. Cash (English, emeritus, SUNY, New Paltz; Laurence Sterne) states he writes for a general audience, but the sheer mass of detail that makes for a comprehensive and scholarly chronicle—backed by extensive notes and bibliography—will make for slow going for his intended lay reader. Though essential for academic collections on civil liberties, 18th-century Britain, and the U.S. Constitution, this book's density of approach and its steep price make it an optional, albeit very worthy, purchase for public libraries.—Michael O. Eshleman, Kings Mills, OH

Benjamin Franklin's autobiography (available in many scholarly and popular editions) is perhaps the most famous and widely read autobiography, but he never got around to completing it. It ended in 1757, when he was 51 years old and destined to live another 33 years. This clever tome completes the book on Franklin's behalf, using his own words. Skousen (The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin), a respected academic economist and also a descendant of Franklin, has perused all of the thousands of letters, journals, memoirs, and other writings from Franklin's later life and culled those parts that are of greatest interest: Franklin's travels, his daily life, his observations on people and places, and his scientific pursuits. He has also included a handy chronology and thumbnail identifications of the persons mentioned throughout. Virtually all of the pieces in this book have appeared or are scheduled to appear in the ongoing Yale edition of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (37 vols. to date). A delight for general readers, this is highly recommended for public libraries.—T.J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., NY

The 2000 U.S. Census allowed Americans to check more than one racial category for themselves, and nearly seven million people did so. This hotly debated change in the Census questionnaire acknowledged, at last, the booming population of multiracial Americans. Mixing memoir, survey, and polemic, Lewis, a freelance broadcast journalist, offers an engaging overview of the multiracial experience. His project grew out of his own status as a child of biracial parents, both of whom had black and white ancestry. In his travels he encountered people of every combination of black, white, Asian, American Indian, Pacific Islander, and more, with numerous national backgrounds and highly diverse attitudes, politics, and self-identifications. Yet Lewis identifies within them a host of shared experiences and a shared need to be acknowledged as multiracial. Here, they discuss such issues as pressure to identify with a particular ethnic group, racist incidents, and the dreaded “what are you?” question. There is also the complex balance each multiracial person reckons with between race, appearance, and self-identity, which may or may not correspond with the self-conception of other multiracial individuals. This thoughtful but pointedly nonscholarly book is recommended for public libraries.—Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Worthington Libs., OH

Noted journalist and biographer Wicker (Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1953–1961) here offers a short life of the Wisconsin senator whose “brief arc” took place between 1950 and 1954, when his spectacular Communist-hunting ascendancy, fixing the word “McCarthyism” in our language, ended with a televised downfall in U.S. Senate hearings that gripped the nation. Based for the most part on a few standard secondary sources, particularly Thomas C. Reeves's The Life and Times of Joe McCarthy, this is a good introduction to a man who, in Wicker's words, “clearly loved the excitement, the aura of political power… the headlines that resulted from his every statement, his wildest charges, his most daring battles.” McCarthy's hunt for communists did not result in a single prosecution. After 1954 elections that brought a Democratic majority in Congress and censure by the Senate, McCarthy went into rapid political and physical decline and died three years later. Written with brevity and clarity, Wicker's study is less substantial than works by Reeves and others; an optional purchase for public libraries and undergraduate collections. [The current movie Good Night and Good Luck, directed and cowritten by George Clooney,may increase general reader interest in McCarthy and this book.—Ed.]—Robert F. Nardini, Chichester, NH

Some of today's talk radio hosts appear to have descended in a direct line from America's earliest journalists. Many of the nation's first newspapers were established by passionate political men who strongly advocated their positions. Burns (host, Fox News Channel; The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol) explores the role newspapers played in the founding of the country. Early newspapers did not purport to be objective or even to value impartiality. Burns draws on primary sources to contrast what was printed with what actually happened. He shows how skillfully Sam Adams manipulated truth in the Boston Gazette, stirring up resentment against the British and planning and hosting one of the most famous tea parties in history. Washington's administration perfected the news leak. Newspapers were vicious in their attacks. In the first truly contested presidential election (Jefferson v. Adams), Jefferson was described in the press as an infidel, an atheist, a libertine, and a spendthrift among other things. Some papers even reported rumors that he had died. Burns also traces the beginnings of politicians, conversely, making use of the press. Making excellent use of secondary and primary resources, Burns places his study in the context of existing journalism history. His colorful account of the men of the press and their coverage of the birth of the nation will be of interest to both public and academic libraries with journalism and American history collections.—Judy Solberg, Seattle Univ. Lib.

Author of Reaganomics and member of the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, economist Bartlett charges that President George W. Bush has eschewed long-term conservative economic principles for short-term political gains and has consequently damaged both the conservative cause and the national economy. Bartlett cites Bush signing into law the 2003 Medicare prescription drug plan with its trillions of dollars of unfunded future costs as a fiscally disastrous action. Bartlett also criticizes Bush on other economic issues such as trade policy, tax reform, pork barrel spending, and the unfunded costs of the war in Iraq and hurricane Katrina. He also condemns Bush's approach to policy formation for focusing on political outcomes and listening to only a narrow circle of advisors. Bartlett concludes that Bush's legacy of unfunded spending will result in massive tax increases. With this prediction in mind, he gives an enlightening explanation of the economic impact of possible future taxes such as flat income and national sales. Bartlett has the conservative credentials to make his forceful accusations very compelling and worthy of purchase by public and academic libraries alike.—Lawrence R. Maxted, Gannon Univ., Erie, PA.

A customer's experience with a retailer, call center, or web site should be positive. At a minimum, any company's customer service department should acknowledge its customers, answer their calls, and be capable of processing their orders. Customer service is one of the hottest new topics in the world of marketing. Denove and Power, both affiliated with J.D. Power and Associates, get down to the basics of the subject in this book. Most executives seem to understand that if you give people a negative experience, they will tell their friends over and over again, but, as the authors state here, those same executives often fail to see that the company call center—full of tired and unmotivated customer service employees who make up a growing industry in itself—may not be the best way to give customers what they want in the first place. In contrast, JetBlue customer service representatives often get to work out of their homes. Denove and Power do a great job of arguing why customer satisfaction is important for any business and how to make it a part of an entire organization. Similar books include Janelle Barlow and Paul Stewart's Branded Customer Service, which speaks of the emotional level at which good or bad service affects customers, and Jeffrey F. Rayport and Bernard J. Jaworski's Best Face Forward, which argues for programmed customer service technologies, as a stable and predictable solution. Because Satisfaction is really intended for practicing professionals, it is an appropriate acquisition for corporate as well as business school libraries.—Stephen Turner, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco

Business writer/consultant Massengale overcame the grinding poverty and overt racism of Depression-era Texas to become a Los Angeles millionaire through determined entrepreneurship and with moral fiber in tact. His prototypically American life is a testament to six core lessons he instilled in his six sons, among them confidence and fortitude. The notion of “‘testifying” is central to this memoir; unfortunately, like many testimonials, it is a bit too polished and blustery for its own good. Copious feel-good sentiments (e.g., “He came from a place where he had nothing and never permitted himself to feel discouraged. He's never lived any other way”) compel anecdotes toward shallowness. Tired old maxims (e.g., “Fortitude…means being ready, taking what comes when it happens and being strong enough to recover”) remain lifeless. Hardscrabble, prewar stories of sharecropping, racism, and subsistence seem downright alien in 2005. While Massengale's story is undeniably stirring, readers will have quite a time making the leap from the chronicles of a determined, hard-working man to practical self-help fare. Order on demand. [Foreword by George Foreman.—Ed.]—Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Hartford

This is one baby book that reads more like weird science fiction than a bedtime story. Spar (Harvard Business Sch.; Ruling the Waves) unwraps the blankets around the booming baby industry worldwide. Putting a price on human life seems crass at best and unethical at worst, but Spar points out the undeniable fact that fertility treatment, stem-cell research, cloning, and adoption have all created a multibillion-dollar market driven by deep-seated human yearnings to have children. Spar inspects all aspects of the fertility industry, from the quest to conceive and surrogacy to designer babies and cloning, and investigates the history, evolution, economics, and politics of domestic and international adoption. She wraps up with suggestions for changes that include assigning property rights to genetic material like sperm and eggs—which courts have been hesitant to do—and exploring various models of regulation for the fertility industry. The controversial nature of the baby business will make this book popular in public and academic library business collections.—Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin, Whitewater Libs.

There has been no shortage over the past two decades of scholars willing to tell us “what's wrong” with higher education, but Bok (president emeritus, Harvard Univ.; Universities and the Marketplace) makes a unique contribution by skillfully weaving his critique of campus and curriculum with an extensive review of the literature on student learning in a number of key areas, including writing instruction, critical thinking instruction, civic education, and diversity education. Rather than identify a narrowly defined culprit in the supposed decline of higher education, such as political correctness or neglect of the literary canon, Bok writes persuasively about the multiple aims of higher education and retains focus throughout on the question of how attention to each of these aims contributes to measurable increases in student learning. While his review of the literature in widely scattered areas (including writing across the curriculum, civic engagement and service learning, and preparing for life in a multicultural society and a global economy) is not exhaustive, it does provide a basic understanding of major issues and helps the reader tie those discrete arguments together into a vision for higher education in the 21st century. This thoughtful critique of higher education will be accessible to a wide audience; recommended for all collections.—Scott Walter, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence

A major topic of debate currently in the realm of education is whether or not to allow public schools to be run by businesses known as Education Management Organizations (EMOs). Wilson (founder & CEO, Advantage Schools) places seven EMOs, including his own, under the microscope, examining their successes and failures and discussing the obstacles each has encountered in its quest to turn schools around—and turn a profit into the bargain. For the majority of EMOs, this combined quest has so far proved an impossible task. Ignorance of federal and state regulations, compliance with union rules, and political squabbles are some of the factors they have had to reckon with. But Wilson feels strongly about the advantages EMOs offer and ends with recommendations to those interested in creating new education organizations. While the “perfect system” for running schools may not exist, there undoubtedly are better methods than those used today, both by the public education system and by businesses. Perhaps this book will fuel ideas for the future. Recommended for most libraries.—Terry Christner, Hutchinson P.L., KS

Beneath the Seven Seas: Adventures with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Thames & Hudson, dist. by Norton. 2005. 256p. ed. by George F. Bass. photogs. index. ISBN 0-500-05136-4. $39.95. ARCHAEOL

Bass (emeritus, Texas A&M Univ.; Ships and Shipwrecks of the Americas) is a pioneer in the field of nautical archaeology. The first person to fully excavate an ancient shipwreck on the seabed, and founder of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), he brings together in this handsomely illustrated book accounts by many distinguished archaeologists associated with the INA. They tell of the discovery, excavation, and preservation of more than 40 shipwrecks—and one sunken city—the world over, from ancient times through the Byzantine, medieval, and Renaissance eras and on through World War II. The shipwrecks featured range from an ancient Sea of Galilee fishing boat to the Titanic and a D-day landing craft. The sunken city is Port Royal, Jamaica, engulfed in 1692. Each narrative, rich in detail and insight, covers the planning, execution, and significance of the project and the meticulous work carried out at the site and with the excavated objects afterward. The color photography includes magnificent deep-sea shots as well as closeups of recovered artifacts. The text is framed by Bass's introduction to each chronological section, giving historical context and the significance of the excavation. A work about reconstructing, and sometimes rewriting history through nautical archaeology, this book will appeal to general readers and specialists alike in nautical archaeology. Strongly recommended.—Joan W. Gartland, Detroit P.L.

Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh. Metropolitan Museum of Art, dist. by Yale Univ. 2005. 356p. ed. by Catharine H. Roehrig & others. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-300-11139-8. $65. HIST

In the mid-15th century BCE, an extraordinary Egyptian became the most powerful woman in the world. Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, and wife and half-sister of King Thutmose II, became upon her husband's death, regent for her stepson-nephew King Thutmose III. However, this queen gradually acquired kingly status and power for herself, reigning with her coregent for nearly 20 years. Only twice before in Egypt's long history had a woman become pharaoh. This handsomely produced and scholarly catalog accompanies a landmark 2005–06 traveling exhibition (San Francisco, New York, and Fort Worth) that explores her reign in the context of the history, material culture, monumental art, and architecture of the late 17th and early 18th Dynasties. The work is divided into six main sections: “Setting the Scene,” “Hatshepsut and Her Court,” “Hatshepsut's Building Projects,” “Decorative Arts,” “The Proscription,” and “The Aftermath.” The catalog entries for the objects, assembled from 25 museums around the world and including scarabs, jewelry, pottery, furniture, reliefs, and statuary—all richly illustrated—give dimensions, museum accession number, provenance, and bibliography. These entries, along with topical essays, were written by 24 eminent Egyptologists and curators, including the editors. The controversial royal steward Senenmut and the defacing or demolition of Hatshepsut's monuments after her death are examined. Although of interest to scholars, this catalog is readily accessible to general readers and will enthrall library patrons with an interest in ancient Egypt. It complements Joyce Tyldesley's fine biography Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.—Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL

William I, Prince of Orange (1533–84), known as William the Silent, was a German-born Dutch statesman who, raised a Catholic by order of the Holy Roman Emperor, converted to Protestantism, drove Spain out of the Netherlands, and is credited thus as the founder of Dutch independence. Jardine (Renaissance studies, Queen Mary University, London; The Curious Life of Robert Hooke), seeing that William I is little known in history books outside of Holland, has provided a fascinating account of his place in history: he was the first head of state to be assassinated by a person able to approach him at point-blank range with a concealed and primed weapon, an act that struck terror into the hearts of other heads of state, especially his Protestant ally Queen Elizabeth I. Jardine deftly and efficiently places this event in the political, religious, social, and cultural context of its times. Illustrations, a map, and a genealogical table, together with endnotes make it a worthy study. Her final summary, using Bob Dylan lyrics as the epigraph, ponders the handgun violence that permeates the world today. Recommended for history and handgun sections in public and academic libraries.—Br. Benet Exton, St. Gregory's Univ., Shawnee, OK

KURLANSKY, MARK. The Big Oyster: New York on the Half Shell. Ballantine. Mar. 2006. c.320p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-345-47638-7. $23.95. HIST

Award-winning writer Kurlansky (Salt) again traces the path of one comestible in order to tell a myriad of related histories. This highly original work combines ecological, medical, economic, and political stories to encompass the role that oysters have played in the life of New York City. Beginning with the Lenape inhabitants encountered by European explorers of the pre-urban area and continuing to the 1930s, Kurlansky has many a tale to tell. With the arrival first of the Dutch and then the British in the 17th century, oyster harvesting from the rich Hudson River estuary became a thriving commercial enterprise. Although we may think of the oyster now as an indulgence of the wealthy, Kurlansky shows how the bivalve mollusks were in fact a staple enjoyed in abundance by the working classes in centuries past. It was pollution, born of massive industrial development and population growth, that contaminated the waters surrounding New York City, ultimately making the surviving oysters unsuitable for consumption. The 1920s saw the closure of local oyster beds, one after another, and thus the closure of the once booming New York oyster industry. Kurlansky has produced a tasty mixture of history and analysis, larded with illustrations. The result will appeal to a wide range of appetites. For all public and undergraduate libraries.—Kristin Whitehair, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan

Butler (East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart) has produced the first complete compilation of the correspondence of these two wartime leaders. Her introduction and her commentaries on most of the letters, which run from July 1941 through a message approved by FDR just minutes before his death in April 1945, may satisfy criticism that such a collection remains incomplete without Churchill's correspondence. In fact these letters document such well-known themes as choosing Teheran for the 1943 summit, Stalin's insistence on a second front against Germany, Roosevelt's concern for the postwar United Nations, and Soviet pursuit of a “friendly” postwar Polish government. Some lesser-known questions are illuminated as well. Readers may be surprised to learn about Roosevelt's arrangement of a 1942 trip to Moscow for his 1940 presidential opponent Wendell Willkie and the Soviet press's astonishing denunciation of Willkie more than a year later. The letters depict a relationship more nuanced than is usually indicated by secondary sources. For example, Roosevelt strenuously endeavored to accommodate Soviet requests for military assistance. Both sides were quite dependent on subordinates, Stalin on his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and FDR on his ambassador to the USSR Averell Harriman. The extent to which Soviet military progress against Germany shaped postwar expectations also becomes evident. Historians should find the letters especially useful. This book is suitable for academic and larger public libraries.—Zachary T. Irwin, Pennsylvania State Univ.-Erie

PYBUS, CASSANDRA. Epic Journeys of Freedom: Runaway Slaves of the American Revolution and Their Global Quest for Liberty. Beacon, dist. by Houghton. Feb. 2006. c.312p. index. ISBN 0-8070-5514-X. $26.95. HIST

This gripping and enlightening book traces the steps of 32 fugitive slaves who fled their American colonial masters at the onset of the American Revolution and sought refuge from the British. Pybus (history, Univ. of Tasmania; The Woman Who Walked to Russia) explains in vivid and eloquent prose how these fugitives struggled for civil and human rights before, during, and after their escapes. Upon arriving in England, some ex-slaves remained in London and strove for a better life for themselves and their families there. Some were unfairly tried for petty crimes and sentenced to banishment to the experimental penal colony established in Australia at Botany Bay, where they faced conditions reminiscent of their slavery in America. Others were exiled to Freetown in West Africa, where they once again struggled for independence. Unfortunately, there are occasional gaps in these stories, but the periodic lack of detail is justifiable owing to the paucity of reliable primary sources available. This is still an impressive and extremely important work. Readers will obtain a much greater understanding of an aspect of the American Revolution that finally gets some much-deserved scholarship. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina, Thomas Cooper Lib., Columbia

Each of these three books provides simple, user-friendly information on a specific New Age topic. Christie (Your Secret Moon) looks at the importance of numbers in human relevance and fate, covering name, heart, destiny, and karmic numbers, to name a few; Greenaway (Practical Spellcraft: A First Course in Magic) addresses the significance of tarot cards—what each signifies and how they work together to assist individuals in determining their destinies; and the Jacksons (Astrology for Success: Make the Most of Your Star Sign Potential) focus on the signs of the zodiac and how they work together in relation to human existence and fate. All three books are extremely practical and illuminating while at the same time geared toward individuals who know nothing of the topics but are interested in learning more. The authors are knowledgeable in these areas and offer a great deal of information in a short amount of space. Suitable for all public libraries and for specialized collections dealing with New Age topics.—Brad Eden, Univ. of NevadaLibs.,Las Vegas

All four of these photojournalists worked independently of one another and outside official U.S. military authorities in Iraq from 2003 to 2005. Three of them—Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson, and Rita Leister—first came to Iraq during or just before the current war; and Abdul-Ahad is a native Iraqi who has spent the majority of his life in Baghdad. Taken together, their color photographs—captioned here with the date, location, and subject—evoke shock, disbelief, and possibly anger. No further words indeed prove necessary in elaboration of the graphic nature of the presentation. There are no military actions or official political scenes shown, only the suffering of individual Iraqis and the carnage of war for civilian men, women, and children. From city streets, hospitals, and homes, the huge cost in lives and continual fear of death is vividly portrayed. Included are short bios of the contributors, with each giving a brief statement on his or her work and a separately authored foreword and introduction, both helpful in establishing the “unembedded” parameters of the book. Whether one opposes or supports the war in Iraq, this is recommended reading—or viewing—for the thought-provoking and wrenching photographs.—David Alperstein, Queens Borough P.L., NY

“Americans don't like what Republicans stand for, but they don't know what Democrats stand for,” say Bill Clinton's former advisors Carville and Begala (Buck Up, Suck Up…and Come Back When You Foul Up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room). This book is their prescription for Democrats to fight the Republican campaigns that define them as tax-and-spend elitists with no plans for correcting America's problems. Among the issues the authors discuss are abortion, moral values, gun control, national security, energy independence, effective use of the media, and tax reform. They define the popular misperceptions of Democratic positions on these issues, and then offer strong advice for correcting the image. They offer an especially bold and radical vision for campaign finance reform. In entertaining and irreverent style, they implore Democrats to take the gloves off and be more aggressive in confronting and criticizing the Republicans. They offer five imperatives they believe will define Democrats as “Progressive Patriots”: reject the Bush-era ethic of selfishness, rebuild the military, reclaim self-government, negotiate a truce in the culture wars in this country, and promote and stand for bold, big ideas. Readers who have enjoyed the authors' brash, in-your-face style on programs like Crossfire and Meet the Press will appreciate this book. Recommended for most public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/05.]—Jill Ortner, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.

Chang's forte is clear advocacy of complicated arguments and the ability to convey personalities and policies vividly. One would expect as much from a well-connected international lawyer who has worked in China and Hong Kong. The argument of his previous book, The Coming Collapse of China, while not yet confirmed, was well informed and lively. His latest book takes on a smaller country but a tougher problem. The aim is not new information, especially compared to recent works such as Bradley K. Martin's Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader, Bertil Lintner's Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korea Under the Kim Clan, or Bruce Cumings's North Korea: Another Country. Chang's aim is to draw up a hard-line, but not reckless, analysis of how America turned North Korea into a “renegade nation” with the complicity of South Korea, China, and the international aid community. Chang's proposals strike this reader as no more or less convincing than those he criticizes, but his arguments are clarifying and readable. Recommended for larger libraries.—Charles W. Hayford, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL

In what is in effect a sequel to his Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, McWhorter (senior fellow, Manhattan Institute; contributing editor, the New Republic) claims that racism is not the most daunting barrier to success for African Americans. He states that the social behaviors attributed to some poor, inner-city blacks are rooted in cultural rather than economic causes. The author's thought-provoking, insightful investigation challenges such highly regarded academic sociologists as William Julius Wilson and Elijah Anderson, by arguing that welfare dependence and inner-city drug use and violence are not caused by a lack of accessible blue-collar jobs and white racism. Instead, McWhorter concludes, these forms of conduct are rooted in a culture of poverty that emerged in the mid-1960s and in what he calls “therapeutic alienation,” which entices a minority of African Americans to remain apart from mainstream society. Included here are affirming narratives about the expansion of a vibrant suburban black middle class and about a greatly improved civil rights climate unavailable to African Americans as recently as 30 years ago. This book energizes the continuing dialogue about racism in the United States and is strongly recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/05.]—Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

DWECK, CAROL S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random. Mar. 2006. c.288p. ISBN 1-4000-6275-6. $23.95. PSYCH

Do you have two left feet or a brown thumb? Not good at math, athletics, or art? Many of us believe one or more of these statements are true reflections of our innate abilities. Psychologist and researcher Dweck (Stanford Univ.), however, argues that attributes such as intelligence, personality, creativity, and talent are all a matter of our mind-sets, or our beliefs about ourselves. She posits that there are two basic mind-sets: fixed and growth. People with the fixed mind-set believe that everything about themselves is innate—e.g., that they are either smart or they're not, talented or not. Those with the growth mind-set, on the other hand, embrace challenges, struggles, criticism, and setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth rather than indications of failure. The good news is that mind-set, according to Dweck, can be changed from fixed to growth. This book is an essential read for parents, teachers, coaches, and others who are instrumental in determining a child's mind-set, and in turn, his or her future success, as well as for those who would like to increase their own feelings of success and fulfillment. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Wendy Wendt, Marshall-Lyon Cty. Lib., MN

EDELMAN, HOPE. Motherless Mothers: How Mother Loss Shapes the Parents We Become. HarperCollins. Apr. 2006. c.432p. index. ISBN 0-06-053245-9. $25.95. PSYCH

In this fascinating, transparently titled book, Edelman (Motherless Daughters; Mother of My Mother: The Intimate Bond Between Generations) continues her pioneering work, exploring what happens to daughters when they lose their mothers at a relatively young age. Previously, she demonstrated that mother loss pervades every aspect of a daughter's life, essentially shaping who and what she becomes. Here, Edelman turns her scrutiny to the ways in which mother loss shapes mothering itself. She contends that “motherless mothers” struggle with parenting issues unique to them. Thus, a mother who has lost her own mother may find that she tries to re-parent herself as she raises her children. She may, in fact, experience difficulty in distinguishing her own abandonment issues from normal responses and behavior in her children. Drawing upon extensive interviews of motherless mothers, Edelman illuminates the transformative power of understanding mother loss. Citing Harriet Lerner's The Mother Dance and Linda Gray Sexton's Searching for Mercy Street, along with other works on parenting and death, Edelman offers essential wisdom. Highly recommended for public and university libraries.—Lynne Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., Villanova, PA

This second edition contains much updated information from the first (1996) edition regarding street drug use and misuse. Although written to address the drug scene in the United Kingdom, there is both relevance and many close parallels to concerns with illicit drug use in the United States. The focus is on young people and delivering education and prevention regarding a problem that is expansive and has no age boundaries. Part 1 provides extensive information on individual street drugs; a brief one- or two-page “Quick Reference Guide” is presented followed by a more in-depth guide that ends with a section on the pros and cons of each street drug. Beginning with cannabis and ending with the new date-rape drugs, the information spans stimulants, hallucinogens, opiates, volatile substances, tranquilizers and sleeping pills, anabolic steroids, and over-the-counter and prescription-only medications. Part 2 explores the effects of substance misuse: signs and symptoms, physical evidence, managing incidents, reasons for misuse, language of abusers, and legislative debate. Thorough, well organized, and easy to read and comprehend, this resourceis recommended for school, public, and special libraries with a focus on the misuse of drugs in our society.—Melody Ballard, Washoe Cty. Lib. Syst., Reno, NV

HARRIS, JUDITH RICH. No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality. Norton. Feb. 2006. c.352p. illus. index. ISBN 0-393-05948-0. $25.95. PSYCH

In this follow-up to her controversial 1998 book, The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do, Harris presents what may be the best personality theory since Sigmund Freud's. Why do identical twins with the same genes and raised in the same household grow up with different personalities? According to Harris, adept brains and complex culture account for the difference. With neither a doctorate nor a university behind her, Harris more than compensates with intelligence, dogged research, lively writing, a love of mystery, and droll humor. She wrestles bulging files of research data into shape, in the process taking down some champions of the old order, including Freud, James Watson, Eleanor Maccoby, and Frank Sulloway. Her three-systems theory of personality postulates a modular brain that must from infancy learn the particulars of relationships along with abstract principles of language and socialization. Harris makes behavioral genetics and evolutionary psychology enjoyable and accessible to general readers as well as scholars. Essential for general and academic libraries.—E. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, DC

Innovative industrial designer Rashid (Karim Rashid: Evolution) has designed buildings and interiors as well as a variety of packaging and consumer goods for companies like Prada and Umbra. His blob-shaped, pastel-colored, futuristic utilitarian designs—intended to be pleasurable, multifunctional, and recyclable—have been featured in permanent museum collections. In this foray into the self-help genre, Rashid explores his sometimes conflicting (e.g., addition by subtraction), sometimes commonsense (e.g., getting rid of the unnecessary) principles for living, covering such wide topics as workplace design, inspiration, fitness, travel, beauty, and death. Some of these principles may be hard to implement if you do not share Rashid's individualistic philosophy of participating fully in the present, embracing technology, and moving on when an item or idea has lost its impact. Graphics and layout (including his own “karimalogos,” which tab-index the four primary sections—”Live,” “Love,” “Work,” and “Play”) reinforce his principles but may be distracting for many readers. This book will appeal to artists and those interested in contemporary design. Recommended for large public libraries.—Lucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA

Imagination is one of the qualities that often endears children to adults. This work by artist and scholar Spitz (visual arts, Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore; Inside Picture Books) provides an explanation of how that quality exists in relation to children's grasp of “reality” and how it affects their view of the world, including their aesthetic awareness. Beginning with an appreciation of the value of imagination, Spitz examines issues of intergenerational understanding and encourages gratitude for an imaginative “aesthetic rather than anesthetic” approach toward art and life. Although her book is primarily geared toward parents, it is written in a dense, academic tone that renders it all but inaccessible to average readers; a less scholarly approach might have done more to achieve the author's stated goals. Still, this book would make a worthwhile addition to larger child development and arts collections.—Kay Hogan Smith, UAB Lister Hill Lib., Birmingham, AL

WISEMAN, ROSALIND WITH ELIZABETH RAPOPORT. Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads. Crown. Mar. 2006. c.320p. index. ISBN 1-4000-8300-1. $25. PSYCH

Wiseman's best-selling Queen Bees and Wannabes exposed the world of cliques, queen-bee teens, and outcasts. Here, she goes one step further by exploring their impossible moms and dads. Where had those queen bees come from anyway? They had been hatched, nurtured, and cultivated within families run by overanxious, pushy parents. A psychologist and mother, Wiseman does a magnificent job of cracking the code of “parentspeak” so that parents know how to approach coaches, teachers, counselors, other parents, and the principal with confidence. But that's not all—Wiseman advises that parents should not know everything about their kids. Being a great parent means showing respect for your teen's privacy and choices. She argues that giving young kids cell phones “for their safety” really teaches kids that the world is a very frightening place; moreover, it allows kids to conceal their locations. Parents who used to make phone calls to chat with other parents and their kids no longer do that. Ours is a messy, get-ahead-now world. Wiseman makes sense of it. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/05.]—Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA

Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects—from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more—this work also includes Arab proverbs, color photographs and maps (not seen), endnotes, and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections.—Elizabeth Connor, The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina Lib., Charleston

Brykman, who has been both a marketing executive and a stay-at-home mother, examines the barriers and hostility between mothers who work outside the home (a majority) and those who do not. Are stay-at-home mothers dimwitted, self-righteous, and lazy? Are employed mothers arrogant, selfish, and unkind to their children? Using market research techniques, Brykman formally interviewed 101 mothers and conversed with dozens more in an attempt to understand the barriers between these two groups. Using her study as the backdrop for this book, she explores such factors as education, insecurity, misperceptions, and schedules as well as the circumstances that lead women to their mothering and employment decisions, including day-care availability, career status, family and community support, and part-time work options. She then makes suggestions for breaking down the barriers by redefining success, abolishing guilt, and changing cultural perceptions. Although the many examples of women's lives, choices, and thoughts, with numerous quotations from those interviewed, add interest to the work, the text lacks drive, and Brykman's argument and commentary, with proposed solutions that range from dropping guilt to coparenting to broad cultural change, become repetitive. Recommended for some public libraries.—Erica Foley, Flint P.L., MI

What is “amazon grace”? According to theologian and philosopher Daly (Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation), it is women's ability to face the world with determination and humor. She depicts this post-9/11 world as a paradox for women, dangerous because of increasing patriarchal oppression and technology's assault upon the environment, but rife with opportunities for those women willing to resist. She urges women to challenge society's tendency to separate women from each other, preventing them from achieving interconnectedness, and also stresses the necessity of a sense of humor; only women who connect with each other and resist oppression with laughter can achieve “amazon grace.” Daly's well-supported arguments are wide-ranging with such highlights as “remembered” conversations with old friends and acerbic accusations against the Bush administration and the “theocratic right.” Readers not familiar with Daly's unique penchant for playing fast and loose with language may find themselves initially dizzied but will be ultimately rewarded for their perseverance. Recommended for both academic libraries and larger public libraries with women's studies collections.—M.C.Duhig, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh

On a quest for insight into the personal and social realities of human consumption, award-winning journalist and cultural critic Levine (Do You Remember Me?: A Father, A Daughter, and a Search for the Self) undertakes a radical experiment in which, for one year, she and her partner vow to purchase nothing not deemed a necessity. Levine chronicles her year of “Not Buying It” in a series of journal entries reflecting observations about her own purchasing habits, adeptly intermingled with discussions of broader issues such as the psychology of the marketplace, ideas about relative wealth and poverty, the place of public and private goods in a democratic society, and the environmental and economic implications of the human drive to acquire. She explores with refreshing doses of self-critique the emotional and social impulses that drive shopping, reflecting on how readily we define ourselves by what we do (or don't) purchase. This lively, thoughtful look at consumerism and anticonsumerism is recommended for public and academic libraries.—Elizabeth L. Winter, Georgia State Univ., Atlanta

One million people enter the United States legally each year, and another 700,000 arrive illegally, according to Nazario (Los Angeles Times), who won the Pulitzer Prize for her newspaper story on which this book is based. Here, she retraces the travel of immigrants from Central America to El Norte and writes brilliantly about the trials and tribulations that besiege the journey. Specifically, she focuses on a Honduran boy, Enrique, left behind by his mother, Lourdes, who fled to the United States, like many Central American women before her, to make enough money to give her children a better life back home and ultimately return to them. Although such women believe that they have made the right decision and that their time away will be brief, this often is not the case. Enrique is emblematic of many lonely children, feeling abandoned and missing their mothers, who decide to seek a reunion by traveling north through Mexico and, illegally, into the United States. They risk assault, robbery, rape, and even murder in the process. Sadly, the reunions between mothers and children—who felt abandoned—deteriorate to blame and resentment. Enrique's Journey is insightful and beautifully written and sheds a great deal of light on the horrific journeys immigrants risk to find a better life. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Tim Delaney, SUNY at Oswego

This is an essential read for both Mexico aficionados and those contemplating a visit there. For the newcomer, Cohan (On Mexican Time) provides a vivid and beautifully crafted overview of Mexico's diverse culture, history, food, and customs. Those who know Mexico will gain new perspective on familiar tourist attractions and a glimpse into parts of Mexico travelers rarely visit. The author, who has lived and traveled in Mexico for many years (with San Miguel de Allende as his base), takes the reader to locations as diverse as Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Palenque, the Yucatán Peninsula, and Jalapa. He does not contain his displeasure at the changes Mexican locals make to please tourists—at the cheap souvenirs they proffer in place of the fine work of local artisans or the fiestas they stage for visitors (San Miguel de Allende in particular bears the brunt of his criticism). Despite his concerns for its commercialization, Cohan still loves Mexico and its unique local environments and lovely people. His observations are astute, on point, and necessary in the continuing dialog on contemporary Mexico. Recommended for public and university libraries.—Olga B. Wise, Austin, TX

For the traveler or native who wishes to exercise by walking, jogging, or running in the cities of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington, DC, this title provides all the necessary information to make it an enjoyable experience. Along with wife Nola, Ford, who has previously published two technical titles in the electronics field, shares the 50 best four- to ten-mile routes in these cities. For each route, there is a map; a table providing basic information on distance, comfort, attractions, convenience, and destination; and a narrative with black-and-white photographs. As it may be difficult to exercise while carrying a book, the maps for each route are made available on a web site for copying (www.funonfoot.com). Ford has written a well-researched guide that will prove very convenient for the traveler interested in maintaining her or his exercise routine. Highly recommended for all public libraries in the states in which the aforementioned cities are located and for large public libraries throughout the rest of the country.—John McCormick, Plymouth State Univ., NH

Taking readers on ten walks through Rome, Speller (Athens: A New Guide) here acts as a personal tour guide, drawing attention to attractions famous and unknown. Her descriptions of buildings are enhanced with interesting stories and quotes from famous visitors to Rome throughout history. This is the way to see a city—not a mad dash from one tourist destination to another but a leisurely stroll that allows for taking in details. Alas, the small, mostly black-and-white photographs are ordinary, and the short lists of hotels and restaurants include no more than addresses and phone numbers. That said, travelers looking for more in-depth, practical information will want a more traditional guide. Speller's book, however, promises adventurous types an intimate and fulfilling visit to the Eternal City. Recommended for travel collections in larger public libraries.—Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams

In this unusual nonfiction picture book, Williamson (Hello Kitty Everywhere!), who lived in Japan for a year, illustrates an assortment of images from Japanese life: electric heating mats, the cords attached to cell phones, the differences between a maiko (an apprentice geisha) and a geisha, the soy sauce for sushi that comes in a plastic fish. She captures many of the everyday aspects of Japanese culture that visitors notice but citizens take for granted. Her brightly colored illustrations cover many full and double pages, with and without paragraphs of text alongside. This unique book on Japanese culture may have a niche market in a gift shop or souvenir store; its lack of a table of contents or index makes it something to leaf through rather than consult for practical information. The text, written in cursive script, is also sometimes difficult to read. Not an essential purchase.—Ravi Shenoy, Naperville P.L., IL