Xpress Reviews-First Look at New Books!

-- Library Journal, 04/01/2008

Appignanesi, Lisa. Mad, Bad and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 to the Present. Norton. Apr. 2008. c.540p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-393-06663-0. $29.95. PSYCH
Verdict: This fascinating look at the development of the mental health profession reads much like a novel. Appignanesi's doctorate in literature is apparent in the numerous references. Graduate students in psychology and women's studies will most likely appreciate its depth and rigorous research.
Background: A prolific author of fiction and nonfiction often dealing with the mental health of women, Appignanesi (Memory and Desire) offers what may be her most ambitious work. Her detailed history of the diagnoses of madness, badness, or sadness in women since the 1800s suggests that these diagnoses are dependent on the times, the economic circumstances, and the country in which a woman might find herself. Readers follow the mechanics of institutionalization and various therapies as they were developed; numerous case histories of patients like Zelda Fitzgerald are reviewed, as are the development of the methods of pioneers in the field, including Jung and Freud. Throughout, Appignanesi implys a somewhat symbiotic relationship between the therapist and patient. These relationships continue into the 21st century among drug and insurance companies, doctors, and government programs. And in the final analysis, there appears to be no one right and final answer.—Margaret Cardwell, Memphis

Bernstein, Neil I. with Brooke Lea Foster. There When He Needs You: How To Be an Available, Involved, and Emotionally Connected Father to Your Son. Free Pr: S. & S. May 2008. c.266p. ISBN 978-1-4165-6073-9. $25. CHILD REARING
Verdict: Refreshingly unpreachy (though there are aphorisms aplenty), Bernstein’s overall message is enlivening: "Even cavemen can change." This should find a welcome readership among fans of Adam J. Cox’s Boys of Few Words.
Background: Clinical psychologist Bernstein (How To Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What To Do If You Can’t) notes that "it doesn’t take 24/7 devotion to be a better dad. It just takes a little extra work." Using real-life examples to the best possible effect, he quickly and effectively shows readers how other fathers have broken negative cycles and corrected mistakes that have, in some cases, persisted throughout generations. While sympathetic to readers lacking good role models, Bernstein insists that those who want to eclipse their own fathers be strong, honest, hardworking, and aware. He probes readers on these characteristics with thoughtful questions, lists eight harmful behaviors that sons say hurt them, and provides tips on engendering intimacy with sons.—Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Hartford

Greenfield, Marjorie, M.D., (text) & Beth Halasz & Linda Y.C. Chao (illus.). The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book. Yale Univ. (Health & Wellness). May 2008. c.584p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-300-11310-5. $55; pap. ISBN 978-0-300-11324-2. $18. HEALTH
Verdict: Greenfield's anecdotes about pregnancy and motherhood from women in a variety of careers result in a unique, practical resource for working women during their pregnancy.
Background: Greenfield's (reproductive biology, Case Western Reserve Univ. Sch. of Medicine) manual for pregnant working women has the hallmarks of many general pregnancy guides. Besides going over the decision to have a baby, the various steps to get there, and how to cope once you’ve gotten pregnant, it includes advice on fertility treatments, choosing a doctor or a midwife, and looking ahead to life after the baby’s birth. That said, it does place a distinctive emphasis on the mother-to-be who works full-time and plans to return to work after the baby is born. Logically, then, Greenfield covers arranging for maternity leave (even negotiating for extra time), communicating needs to your employer, finding a balance between motherhood and career, delaying pregnancy until later in life, charting your cycles to optimize fertility, and how to cope with fertility treatments while working.—Mindy Rhiger, Minneapolis

La Puma, John, M.D., & Rebecca Powell Marx. ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine: A Food Lover's Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy. Crown. Apr. 2008. c.320p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-307-39462-0. $24.95. HEALTH
Verdict: La Puma's smart organization and appealing delivery may well attract dieters, health nuts, and foodies alike. A lengthy bibliography of scholarly sources is included.
Background: Best-selling coauthor La Puma (The RealAge Diet) is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine, a past professor of nutrition, and a graduate of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, where he obtained his chef designation. His latest book is filled with numerous tips, sidebars, and facts about the nutritional value of foods and how they can be used to assist traditional treatment or possibly even prevent various common medical problems such as high blood pressure, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. He includes a discussion of the foods that every "kitchen physician’s" pantry should not be without, sample recipes, lists organized by malady with the corresponding helpful foods for each, and a sample eight-week program to optimize health.—Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib. & Information Ctr., Atlanta

Myers, Alyse. Who Do You Think You Are?: A Memoir. Touchstone: S. & S. May 2008. c.249p. ISBN 978-1-4165-4305-3. $24. PSYCH
Verdict: Myers provides a moving lesson: we attach to our mothers when we’re young, reject them as young adults, and, hopefully, as Myers does, come to a place where we can identify with them and view them with empathy. This journey has universal resonance for myriad readers.
Background: Vice president of brand programs for the New York Times, Myers, her two younger sisters, and their mother grew up in a Queens, NY, housing project in the 1960s and 1970s, Myers’s beloved father having passed away when she was 11. The backdrop of near-poverty and want informs every relationship in the family, but particularly that of Myers and her mother, who constantly berates the young Myers for wanting more out of her life than she had: a failed marriage, widowhood, single motherhood, and a series of low-paying jobs. Myers’s mother is emotionally and physically abusive as well, beating Myers and humiliating her when she tries to confide. The author, however, overcomes her background, obtaining a job at the venerable Times and starting her own family.—Elizabeth Brinkley, Granite Falls, WA

Ray, John Larry & Lyndon Barsten. Truth at Last: The Untold Story Behind James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Lyons: Globe Pequot. Apr. 2008. c.224p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-59921-284-5. $24.95. AUTOBIOG
Verdict: Owing to such excellent current books as David Kaiser’s The Road to Dallas: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy and David Talbot’s Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, which convincingly describe the murky roles played by rogue members of the CIA, the FBI, and the mafia in the Kennedy assassination only five years before, there may be some credence to Ray’s assertions about who killed King. Public libraries should make this book available to readers; they will draw their own conclusions.
Background: Readers will have cause to question this book’s veracity, written by the younger brother of the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King 40 years after the event and by "lay historian" Barsten. John Larry Ray, now age 75, spent more than 20 years in prison (he says he was framed). He sprinkles the book with unproven claims preceded by caveats such as "I can’t prove the truth behind the lie," "Simple logic tells me," and "people were regularly saying that the FBI was involved in the conspiracy to kill Dr. King." Yet this book should not be summarily dismissed. Ray claims that his older brother was not a racist, that he interacted well with African Americans, that he had ties to the CIA, and was the subject of mind control experiments while he was in the army. He concludes that his brother was framed and pled guilty to murder charges because he feared he would be killed by the CIA, FBI, or government officials if he didn’t.—Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Scharf, Michael. For Kid Rock/Total Freedom. Spectacular Bks. 2007. 94p. ISBN 978-1-934200-01-8. pap. $15. POETRY
Verdict: Beauty is not necessary to poems, or music, or even absolute sense, but does anyone really care if "The explosive energy within the cornfed cow not possible to contain in/ hypermarbling or digestive fortitude"? This book may work as a collection of dull puzzles, but as poetry it absolutely fails.
Background: In his third collection, Scharf (Telemachiad) builds a five-part sequence that incorporates dramatic poetry, lists, and epigrams. The first section, called "Antigone," was performed at Small Press Traffic in San Francisco. The second, "Mass Effects," begins with a one-page collage section—a brief intro, an epigram, eight scant lines of verse followed by pages of dates, and, in small print toward the center, the names of one country on each side, e.g., Algeria and Colombia. From a bulleted aside, the reader learns that these dates originate from nationalism studies found in Wikipedia, but does such a list constitute poetry? The second half of the poem consists of a multipage list of corporate, organizational, and nongovernmental names and acronyms—arranged alphabetically—that does little other than promote eye strain. The sections grow more dense until the penultimate one, "Model States," where politics, philosophy, and observations of modern life form an almost unreadable mish-mash: "PARTIALLY because disaffiation is a kind of death, Fanon advocat-/ ed violence as a means to catharsis and abreaction."—Doris Lynch, Monroe Cty. P.L., Bloomington, IN

Taylor, Janice. All Is Forgiven, Move On: Our Lady of Weight Loss's 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltesville. Studio: Viking. May 2008. c.258p. illus. ISBN 978-0-14-200524-8. $19.95. HEALTH
Verdict: This empowering book's underlying theme is one of self-care. Mindfulness, keeping mentally and physically active, laughing, creating pleasant environs, and daydreaming are all emphasized. New Agers and those sick of the same old, same old dieting books might like.
Background: In her second book (after Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal), Taylor continues to expound on her approach to weight loss that combines humor and creativity with tried-and-true weight loss advice. Light material in the form of cheers, crafts, recipes, and quizzes is interspersed with typical recommendations and information (e.g., a chart shows the number of calories burned from everyday activities). Some of Taylor's advice seems downright wacky, such as cleansing one’s aura or taking up juggling, but readers will appreciate efforts to break out of the traditional weight-loss mindset.—Elaine M. Lasda Bergman, SUNY Albany

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