Xpress Reviews—First Look at New Books

-- Library Journal, 1/22/2008 2:16:00 PM

Week of January 22, 2008

Nonfiction

Barkley, Russell A. & Arthur L. Robin with Christine M. Benton. Your Defiant Teen: 10 Steps To Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship. Guilford. Feb. 2008. c.302p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59385-584-0. $40; pap. ISBN 978-1-59385-583-3. $16.95. CHILD REARING
Verdict: An extremely thorough and readable book, with significant detail on setting up agreements and sticking to them. Much more detailed and parent-oriented than Neil Bernstein’s Treating the Unmanageable Adolescent, this will be highly publicized and much in demand in public libraries with active child-rearing collections and academic libraries serving child social work programs.
Background: Previously, psychiatrist Barkley (SUNY Upstate Medical Univ., Syracuse) and freelance writer Benton collaborated on the best-selling Your Defiant Child; now with Robin (director, psychology training, Children’s Hosp. of Michigan), they turn to what causes teens to lose control, fight with their parents, and rebel against everything. Barkley and Robin first developed a text for therapists, but this book is written for parents seeking relief from the stress of living with an arrogant, aggressive, or noncompliant son or daughter. Using the same basic approach featured in Your Defiant Child but different techniques, parents learn how to insist that their kids exhibit appropriate behavior for family life, school, and work. “Defiant” is defined as noncompliant (not doing what’s asked) or verbally and physically resistant (screaming, threatening). And, since teens are thought to be rebellious by nature, defining what’s OK and what’s not OK can be difficult. Barkley and Robin look at the variables of family life, including parenting skills, stress, and personality characteristics of family members. Everything centers on building a new adult-to-almost-adult relationship, and it takes work.—Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA

Berkowitz, Bob & Susan Yager-Berkowitz. He’s Just Not Up for It Anymore: Why Men Stop Having Sex, and What You Can Do About It. Morrow. Jan. 2008. c.256p. index. ISBN 978-0-06-119203-6. $24.95. PSYCH
Verdict: If you can get past the title, this reasonably well-crafted book about men’s halted sexual desire in long-term relationships would be a useful addition to the self-help literature of public libraries. Readers will find it reassuring, nonjudgmental, and clear in its recommendations for changing the situation.
Background: Berkowitz (What Men Won’t Tell You but Women Need To Know) and his wife, magazine writer Jager-Berkowitz, conducted a web-based survey and received over 4000 responses from both men (33 percent) and women (67 percent) in relationships in which men had decided to stop having sex. They acknowledge the limitations of such a methodology but have supplemented their discussion with research and interviews with experts in the field of sex therapy. Numerous quotes from the respondents and experts are included, sometimes becoming redundant. The language is at times a bit simplistic and directive, which is not atypical of some self-help books. Nevertheless, the authors are also emphatic in stating that sexuality is such a complex and individually unique aspect of self that no one answer will suffice for all individuals in this situation. They address various possible causes, e.g., medications, depression, substance abuse, anger, aging, and communication issues. Appendixes include a summary of the methodology, brief demographics, and a copy of the survey. Chapter notes are included in place of a bibliography.—Paula McMillen, Oregon State Univ. Libs., Corvallis

McElwain, Jason “J-Mac” with Daniel Paisner. The Game of My Life: A True Story of Challenge, Triumph, and Growing Up Autistic. NAL: Penguin Group (USA). Feb. 2008. 272p. ISBN 978-0-451-22301-2. $23.95. PSYCH
Verdict: Readers may lose sight of McElwain’s successful role as team manager, an accomplishment that would be difficult for many with autism, yet this is a wonderful story strongly recommended for all public libraries and academic libraries with growing disability-studies collections.
Background: On February 15, 2006, the manager of a high school basketball team in the Rochester, NY, area vaulted into the national spotlight. Senior “J-Mac” McElwain suited up and scored 20 points (including six three-pointers) during the last four minutes of the last regular season game. In recounting this event, McElwain—who was diagnosed with high-functioning autism as a child—provides readers with an inspirational story of abilities, perseverance, and acceptance. He discusses challenges stemming from autism (including bullying, learning difficulties, and his obsession with basketball), but he primarily focuses on the game itself. Some details, such as a lengthy discussion of the 50/50 raffle winner or a detailed recap of the game scoring, seem out of place, but they realistically reflect an autistic’s focus on the very narrowest of details.—Corey Seeman, Kresge Business Administration Lib., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Peltason, Ruth A. I Am Not My Breast Cancer: Women Talk Openly About Love and Sex, Hair Loss and Weight Gain, Mothers and Daughters, and Being a Woman with Breast Cancer. Morrow. Feb. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-06-117410-0. $25.95. HEALTH
Verdict: A moving and comforting book that chronicles the many personal reactions to breast cancer, this is not intended as a guide to diagnosis and treatment. Consumer health libraries looking to develop psychological-support literature should definitely consider.
Background: This oral history of some 800 women who have faced the diagnosis of breast cancer derives from the experiences that were originally shared on First Person Plural, the web site (no longer active) developed by the author. Peltason, an editor who specializes in the development of books on cultural arts, has twice undergone treatment for breast cancer. In the book’s three major sections—“Diagnosis,” “Living with Breast Cancer,” and “The Big Picture”—readers learn about the author’s personal experience and follow the stories that proceed from the uncertainty and fear of diagnosis to treatment and recovery. Along the way, there is coverage of day-to-day living, dealing with loss, sex and sexuality, physical changes, body image, feelings of isolation, facing one’s own mortality, and living life as fully as possible.—Jodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Fdn. Lib., OH

Rubin, Stacey H. The ABCs of Breastfeeding: Everything a Mom Needs To Know for a Happy Nursing Experience. AMACOM: American Management Assn. Jan. 2008. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8144-8057-1. pap. $14.95. HEALTH
Verdict: A solid alternative to the classic Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (7th revised ed. 2004), this will serve as both an informative and a reassuring book to any mother. Recommended for consumer health and public libraries.
Background: Breastfeeding can be both a rewarding yet a frustrating experience, especially for first time mothers. Rubin, an advanced practice registered nurse as well as a certified lactation consultant, has written a positive and encouraging book that ranges over finding a doctor who is breastfeeding-friendly, creating a birth plan for breastfeeding in public, and going back to work while breastfeeding. The text is split into four phases with corresponding chapters: “Things To Consider Before Birth,” “Beginning To Breastfeed Your Baby,” “Continuing To Breastfeed Comfortably into the Future,” and “Develop Your Own Happy Ending.” Each chapter presents a scenario in a Q&A format and then summarizes main points in a “Breastfeeding ABCs” section. Rubin recommends that mothers practice skin-to-skin holding, i.e., holding the infant on a bare chest, as a way of bonding with and calming the baby. Her fascinating client stories, interweaved throughout, effectively illustrate the issues and success of new and experienced breastfeeding mothers alike; end notes from mostly medical and nursing journals titles support her content.—Rebecca Raszewski, Drexel Univ. Health Sciences Libs., Philadelphia

Tupac Remembered: Bearing Witness to a Life and Legacy. Chronicle. Feb. 2008. 168p. ed. by Molly Monjauze with Gloria Cox & Staci Robinson.illus. ISBN 978-1-932855-76-0. $24.95. MUSIC
Verdict: This collection presents a well-rounded portrait of Tupac Shakur, both the legend and the legacy. Taken together, the pieces and the photographs combine to describe this brilliant young man better than any single portrait would. Recommended for healthy hip-hop collections.
Background: A decade after his death at age 25, Tupac continues to be the world’s top-selling rapper. Monjauze was an assistant to Tupac, and she has compiled a collection of reminiscences from friends, peers, and students of the artist, with the help of novelist Robinson, who’s worked with the Estate of Tupac Shakur on many projects, and Cox, Tupac’s aunt. Contributors include Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Eminem, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Snoop Dogg, among others. Tupac was complex, often troubled, and it is to the contributors’ credit that the difficulties of his relationships are not glossed over. In the words of fellow rapper Common, “We will always talk about Tupac the way we talk about Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley.” Readers looking for more in-depth biographical information should try Armond White’s Rebel for the Hell of It or Sam Brown’s Tupac: A Thug Life.—Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

Yunus, Muhammad with Karl Weber. Creating a World Without Poverty: How Social Business Can Transform Our Lives. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Jan. 2008. c.256p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-1-58648-493-4. $26. BUS
Verdict: Yunus acknowledges the political and environmental challenges that lay ahead, and at times he sounds idealistic, but it is hard to be too critical of his optimism when his efforts so far have produced success after success. Suitable for public and academic libraries.
Background: Like Jeffery Sachs in his The End of Poverty, Yunus (economics, Chittagong Univ., Bangladesh) believes that the solution to poverty lies in economic growth. Yunus, however, does not envision this progress as a chronological ladder with defined steps, and he eschews charity as “encourage[ing] dependence rather than self-help and self-confidence.” Frustrated with the predatory lenders perpetuating the cycle of poverty in his native Bangladesh, he founded Grameen Bank and pioneered “micro-lending,” low-interest business loans to the extreme poor for as little as $20. Yunus then expanded the mission of the bank to chip away more of the barriers that keep the poor impoverished. In 2006, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize awarded both to him and the bank. Currently, as he relates, he is fostering what he calls social businesses, which maximize humanitarian benefit rather than profit for shareholders.—April Younglove, Linfield Coll. Lib., Portland, OR