Science & Technology

Agriculture | Health & Medicine | Home Economics | Sciences

Agriculture

Gardeners in Midwestern states (defined here as Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri) know that their tasks can be challenging. Heat, humidity, and drought are common in summer; winter brings subzero temperatures and snow (as much as 55 inches annually in some areas); and summer thunderstorms can produce damaging hail. Midwest native Kahtz identifies perennials here that are noted for their ornamental beauty and ease of growth and maintenance and that can withstand the region's wicked weather. The book's main section is an "Encyclopedia of Perennials," arranged alphabetically by botanical name, which may be a hindrance to gardeners who are unfamiliar with the nomenclature, but each plant's profile features a color photo for ease in identification. Each entry includes a shaded text box with plant hardiness, origin, mature height and spread, landscape use, season of bloom, and ornamental characteristics, as well as botanical and common names for the plant and its family. In addition, Kahtz provides a list of state-by-state resources (including web site addresses), a glossary, selected references for further reading, and an index. This book is recommended for all public libraries with avid Midwest gardeners and for special or academic libraries with strong horticultural interests.—Eboni A. Francis, Ohio State Univ. Libs., Columbus

In searching for a new dog, Kohl, a clinical psychologist and a former employee of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, stumbled upon a puppy mill (substandard kennel where overbred dogs are kept in deplorable conditions). She subsequently adopted Number 94, a "spent" miniature poodle breeder slated for euthanasia. Renamed Baby, the dog suffered such poor health that an ordinary leap from the couch resulted in a shattered leg requiring amputation. This eye-opening experience launched Kohl's crusade to raise public awareness of the many forms of animal cruelty. With a healthy, well-groomed Baby in tow, she has crisscrossed the country marshaling the support of the powerful and the famous to her campaign. In addition to Baby's story, the book contains over 150 photos of her with supporters, including politicians (Sen. Barack Obama), authors (Alice Walker), television personalities (Montel Williams), and sports figures (Martina Navratilova). Kohl ends her book encouraging readers to consider adoption and rescue. This unique book is a good purchase for public libraries. A 20-city media tour will create demand.—Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY
back to the top

It's been estimated that Lyme disease affects more than 1.7 million people in the United States. Caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is carried by deer ticks, the infection is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms vary widely and resemble those of other diseases. Laboratory tests are not always reliable, and physicians may misdiagnose Lyme disease as chronic fatigue syndrome or a psychosomatic condition. Author Bean (former program coordinator of health education, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology; Methods of Childbirth) was herself diagnosed with the disease in 1993. Here, she and Fein, a physician who specializes in treating the disease, discuss the history of Lyme disease as well as its prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. They also talk about the controversy in the medical community over the existence of chronic Lyme disease and the need for extended antibiotic treatment as well as address such topics as patients' rights, legal options in the case of a misdiagnosis, and dealing with tick bites. With summer approaching, this is a useful book for anyone planning to spend time outdoors. Recommended for public and consumer health libraries.—Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L.

With this well-organized, easy-to-follow book, spine surgeon Brown (emeritus, orthopedics & rehabilitation, Univ. of Miami) helps sufferers of back and neck pain make informed decisions about when to seek treatment for their pain. He begins by describing seven different types of back pain, providing a checklist to help readers identify which type they are experiencing, then illustrates various situations that make clear when sufferers can walk off the pain and when they should seek help immediately. Brown advises against surgery in most cases, instead espousing light aerobic exercise as an effective means of treatment. He defines medical terms and describes medical procedures (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging) in great detail as well as provides many helpful—though at times too small—illustrations. The chapter on prevention could have been expanded to include more information, but, all told, the book is quite useful. Recommended for large public libraries and large consumer health collections.—Dana Ladd, Community Health Education Ctr., Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Libs. & Health Syst., Richmond
back to the top

Chef Batali's latest cookbook, written with LJ's Cookery columnist, Sutton, covers antipasti to vegetables, stopping at pizza, fish, poultry, and meats along the way. There is also a nice section at the beginning covering Italian wines and grilling info and featuring a glossary of ingredients and techniques. Many of the recipes, including pizzas, flatbreads, shellfish, and vegetables, are grilled on a piastra, which is a metal griddle or piece of granite heated directly on the grill. This allows many foods not normally suited for the grill to be included. Rotisseries are also used for some larger cuts of meat, like fresh ham and turkey breast. Recipes are not complicated, and spices and seasonings ensure big flavors. The usually fast process of grilling also adds to the appeal. Illustrations include close-ups of beautifully prepared food. A list of sources for hard-to-find ingredients and a thorough index round out the book. With Batali's following, this will be in demand; for public libraries with cookery collections.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Unlike the two previous collections, the fourth in the series, edited by the coauthors of 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South, rejects a binding theme, instead meandering throughout the South in eight structured sections. The selections are solid, and standouts include a haunting photo-essay on the Apalachicola oyster industry by Amy Evans, Rick Bragg's stubbornly worded "This Isn't the Last Dance," Rick Brooks's report on the effort local cooks have taken to recapture recipes that were lost to Katrina, Brett Anderson's fascinating transcript of a conversation on the life and career of Paul Prudhomme, and Audrey Petty's sweet reminiscences of eating chitlins with her mother. Among the 53 selections are many recipes, not found in previous compilations, which greatly enhance the book. For regional cookery and Southern studies collections.—Rosemarie Lewis, Broward Cty. Public Schs., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Wiley's two latest baking titles, both written by professional chefs, deserve spots on the reference shelves of bakers everywhere. Professional Baking is a textbook designed to "provide students with a theoretical and practical foundation in baking" and is valuable for both professional and amateur bakers alike. It covers measurements and bake shop math, sanitation, equipment, ingredients, history, large-quantity baking, and mixing and assembling techniques. Since bakers primarily use formulas (lists and quantities of ingredients) rather than recipes, all of the material in this book is presented in the form of procedures and formulas. Procedures are outlined first; formulas that follow refer to the discussion of the procedure rather than step-by-step instructions. A glossary and index are included.

The Pastry Chef's Companion includes 4800 pastry and baking definitions, including their origins and history, along with pronunciation guides for most of the terms. Ten appendixes are included; of particular interest are "Important Temperatures Every Baker Should Know," "Weight and Volume Equivalents for Common Ingredients," and "What Went Wrong and Why." This is recommended for all larger libraries; Professional Baking is recommended for academic libraries and collections that serve culinary students.—Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR
back to the top

Alvarez (Univ. of California, Berkeley) is a distinguished geologist best known for his groundbreaking work attributing the end-Cretaceous extinction to a comet or asteroid impact, recounted in his best-selling T. Rex and the Crater of Doom. The current volume is an outcome of the author's many years of fieldwork in Italy, particularly in the Apennines, where evidence for the impact was first detected. The subject here, however, is the exciting scientific detective work involved in understanding the formation of the Apennines and of Italy in general. This subject may seem very localized and specific for a book designed to appeal to a general readership, but Alvarez manages to illustrate beautifully general geologic principles and problem-solving methods using these specific examples. Furthermore, geologic studies in the Apennines have had worldwide implications. This book is also a celebration of the ideas of pioneering Italian geologists who remain little known but have had a profound impact on the science. Highly recommended for all science collections.—Walter L. Cressler, West Chester Univ. Lib., PA

Entering a museum, especially a natural history museum, the museum visitor's focus is on the exhibits he or she is interested in that day, perhaps birds or minerals or plants, or the latest blockbuster show. How often does the visitor think of the people who created these collections, whether they are working today, where this bird, rock, or dinosaur came from, if there are more pieces stored away, and exactly what is going on behind those doors closed to the public? Fortey, a former senior paleontologist at London's Natural History Museum and author of Life, Trilobite, and Earth, spent decades working at this famous place and has the greatest respect and fondness for his institution, its history, its collections, and, most of all, his present and past colleagues. Barely dipping into the wealth of personalities and the collections, Fortey instead takes readers behind closed doors to reveal how a museum runs, how collections are built, and how scientists work. He also traces the London museum's history and the present status of scientific discovery and contributions there. He does this with wit and humor, writing in a wonderfully clear style. Readers will never enter a museum again without wanting someone like Fortey to take them behind the scenes. Highly recommended for all collections and required for natural history and history of science collections.—Michael D. Cramer, Schwarz BioSciences, RTP, Raleigh, NC

Journalist James chronicles the life of Joseph Slowinski, one of the preeminent herpetologists in the world at the time of his death in 2001. James begins his story with the last, fatal encounter Slowinski had with a many-banded krait snake, the deadliest snake in Asia, while on an expedition in Burma, then takes us back to Slowinski's childhood to reveal how this brilliant scientist ended up dying in a hut in one of the most remote areas in the world. Herpetologists seem to have a natural recklessness and flamboyance about them (think of the late Steve Irwin), and Slowinski exhibited these traits in abundance throughout his life. However, instead of using his skill and daring for personal fame, Slowinski used it in pursuit of knowledge. Both a biography of a flawed but dedicated scientist seeking to understand the natural world and a dramatic adventure/travel tale, this account gives the reader a fascinating look at the incredible hardships and dangers of field expeditions to impossibly remote places (using mouth-to-mouth respiration, Slowinski's colleagues kept him alive for 30 hours for a rescue that never came). For popular natural history collections. Photos and index not seen.—Ann Forister, Roseville, CA

With this book, Roston, a former technology reporter for Time magazine, gives readers a substantial context to the sound bytes concerning climate change—the carbon cycle, the carbon footprint, carbon emissions, global warming—that are flung at us with little explanation. The first half traces carbon's history from the beginning of the universe, the Big Bang, and the nucleosynthesis (the formation of the elements) through the life cycle of stars, and then covers the development of life and dynamics of the "natural" carbon cycle of Earth. The second section spans the last 150 years and delves into the impact of humans on the climate in creating what Roston calls the "industrial carbon cycle." Without using a great deal of scientific jargon, Roston leads us patiently and clearly through this complex issue. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Margaret F. Dominy, Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia

Beyond the flamboyant title and subtitle, this book presents an interesting view of today's physics as it moves into ever more abstract areas. Writing for the general public, Susskind (The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design), a distinguished Stanford University theorist, uses a relaxed and often humorous style of presentation. He is candid in admitting that string theory, which is at the heart of the newest physics, lacks experimental proof. Nevertheless, string theory and other approaches have succeeded in convincing nearly everybody that information is not lost via black hole radiation. The author's informal style certainly makes his book more digestible for nonspecialists, but at times he wanders so far afield that the discussion thread is lost. Tighter editing could have made the book shorter and more understandable. Recommended for college and large public libraries.—Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI
back to the top