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Biography

British author Blackburn (Old Man Goya) here recalls her rather chaotic childhood and early adulthood through the lens of her mother's final weeks. Blackburn's father was the poet and scholar Thomas Blackburn; her mother was the painter Rosalie de Meric. Both parents had significant problems, including promiscuity, impulsiveness, and alcohol and prescription-drug abuse. Yet Blackburn makes her childhood sound almost normal, though she admits to realizing early on that her family was unlike other families. After her parents' inevitable divorce, she spent time with both but primarily lived with her mother and a succession of her mother's "boarders," or love interests. Despite an adolescence loaded with conflict and high drama, she managed to forge loving relationships with her parents and, eventually, with a life partner and her own children. This is yet another memoir of brilliant, tortured parents and the damage—in this case, not irrevocable—they inflicted on those who love them. Blackburn writes well, but one is left questioning the point of this book, unless it is to encourage others like herself to persevere. Not a necessary purchase. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/08.]—Jan Brue Enright, Augustana Coll. Lib., Sioux Falls, SD

As a correspondent for Time magazine from 1961 to 1975, Lamont covered many of the major stories in the 1960s, including the assassinations of John and Robert F. Kennedy and of Martin Luther King Jr. Here he begins by reviewing the history of his family, from its Scottish background to his grandfather's involvement in the Saturday Review of Literature. He discusses his early life during World War II, as well as his college and army years during the postwar period. He began his journalism career in 1959 and covered Washington for Time from the start of the Kennedy administration to 1969, moving to London and then Canada and finishing his career for the magazine by covering the UN. His descriptions of the various stories of this turbulent period are clear and concise, although they are brief, with most stories receiving only a few pages of text. While Lamont's book does not add anything new to our understanding of the period, his behind-the-scenes view of journalism make the book more interesting than otherwise, as he talks about other journalists, such as Walter Lippmann and Arthur Krock, and how reporting has changed over time. This will likely be of interest to larger public libraries.—Joel W. Tscherne, Cleveland P.L.

Snyder (history, Yale Univ.; Sketches from a Secret War), whose previous works have won scholarly awards for historical writing, here follows the exploits of Wilhelm von Hapsburg (1895–1948) as he trots across Europe getting involved in hefty doses of both intrigue and mischief. This Hapsburg archduke was an officer, a gentleman, a would-be Ukrainian king, a lover of both men and women, a poet, an opponent of the Nazis, and, ultimately, an anti-Soviet spy for the French. Although he was a relatively minor member of European royalty, Snyder shows that he was more than just another Old World fop. Wilhelm witnessed and participated in the evolution and decline of Europe's Old Order, playing his part in two world wars and in post-World War II realignments. While the truth of Wilhelm's life seems stranger than fiction, Snyder does an excellent job of documenting this story. Appropriate for both lay readers of biography and specialists and students of 20th-century European history, this is recommended for public and academic libraries.—Antonio S. Thompson, Austin Peay State Univ., Clarksville, TN

This memoir by Tse, a finance attorney who studied law at Cambridge University, tells of three generations of Chinese women but focuses on the triumphs and hardships of Lily Kwok, Tse's grandmother. Lily's story is nothing short of remarkable. Tse recounts the early death of Lily's father, her work as a wet nurse and maid to wealthy British families in Hong Kong, and her disastrous marriage. The benevolence of Lily's British employers ultimately enabled her to open her own Chinese restaurant in England. Mabel, Tse's mother, followed tradition years later when she, too, opened a restaurant with her husband. Sweet Mandarin is the name of the restaurant Tse and her sisters opened in 2004, bringing the narrative full circle. Wrapped in the cultural and ancestral mystery of food, this memoir will be appreciated by general readers and students of Asian and women's studies. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Stacy Russo, Chapman Univ. Libs., Orange, CA

British Egyptologist Tyldesley patiently unscrambles a slew of Ptolemys and Cleopatras who ruled wealthy Egypt from 332 to 30 BCE to tell the story of the dynasty's last and best-remembered queen, Cleopatra VII (c.70–30 BCE). Using archaeological and literary evidence, Tyldesley strips away the legend of Cleopatra's debauchery, much of it propaganda by Cleopatra's archenemy, the Emperor Octavian, who renamed the eighth month after himself (August) in part to mark the date he defeated the Egyptian queen. A well-educated and powerful queen of a Greek dynasty, Cleopatra scandalized the Roman world with the independence allowed women in Egypt (she bore children to both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony) and the dynastic custom of marrying within the family (she wed two of her brothers, both Ptolemys). While cultivating her divinity in the millennia-old Pharaonic tradition, Cleopatra also made strategic political (and sexual) alliances in the Mediterranean world to hold onto her shaky throne for 20 years. Cleopatra and Antony's defeat by Octavian at Actium, and the subsequent fall of Egypt, marked the end of the Hellenistic age and the start of the Roman era. This fascinating and scholarly book belongs in all libraries.—Stewart Desmond, Madison Square Park Conservancy, New York
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Here are two writing guides that, despite divergent themes, both offer informal, conversational texts that prove hard to put down. In their book, novelists Mittelmark (Age of Consent) and Newman (The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done) define and illustrate nearly every way to write a lousy novel, the idea being that if you read these examples (which they themselves devised for the purpose of instruction) you'll avoid the same pitfalls—a surprisingly distinctive approach within the crowded category of novel-writing guides. The authors cover mistakes within each major writing element (plot, characters, style, and setting) and then give brief attention to a few areas truly ripe for trouble: sex scenes, joke telling, postmodernism, and—the final hurdle—selling your novel to a publisher. Each of the 200 mistakes covered is humorously named, given a funny tagline, and then clarified with samples of horrible writing, followed by slightly more serious passages explaining and offering solutions to the problem. This writing how-to should carry a warning: it's the kind of book one reads at the expense of other responsibilities. With a useful index; recommended for most public libraries and for academic collections serving aspiring fiction writers.

Norton (founding director, Santa Fe Writing Inst.; Hawk Flies Above) offers a similarly speedy and approachable read. Only slightly over 100 pages, it gets right to the point about the process of crafting a memoir. Norton's goal is to teach lay writers her own method of writing compassionate and arresting personal memoir. Her instruction focuses on the titular concept of "shimmering images"—memories of blazing detail, many only a moment or two in real time, which are imbedded in the mind from childhood forward. Norton first outlines the steps for conjuring these images and capturing them on paper. She then follows with simple instruction for selecting, organizing, and unifying the images. Norton's writing is friendly and refreshingly spare, with most chapters only a few pages long. Though she assures readers perhaps too many times of her years of experience teaching these methods, her book should serve writing novices especially well. Recommended for public libraries.—Stacey Rae Brownlie, Lancaster P.L., PA
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Broughton, formerly a reporter and bureau chief with London's Daily Telegraph, describes his experiences as a student at Harvard Business School from 2004 to 2006, providing a needed update to other entries in this genre of students turned authors (e.g., Francis J. Kelly and Heather Kelly's What They Really Teach You at Harvard Business School). Broughton offers an entertaining tale with a mostly positive spin on the school and its faculty, describing both the curriculum—made up of case studies drawn from real-life business situations to engage students in teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving exercises—and his own personal struggles coming from a "no-numbers" background and competing with students who studied finance at the undergraduate level. As he finishes up his degree, the job search leads him to an unsuccessful interview with the Google Book Project and then to consulting jobs, as he continues seeking stable employment. Broughton reconnects with former classmates to see what impact Harvard Business School had on their own work, then ends with his own reflections on and recommendations for the program. Of potential interest to a broader audience but recommended especially for undergraduate and business collections.—Mark McCallon, Abilene Christian Univ., TX

If readers can look past the gratuitous puns (as in the title, a play on the "G spot") and the section on the "bloghersphere," they will uncover a serious work that aims to fill a void in resources on marketing to women by providing a concise handbook specifically aimed at nonprofit organizations. PR professionals Witter and Chen (COO and senior v.p., respectively, Fenton Communications) have combed through recent major marketing-strategy books and tapped their own consulting experience to develop a nonprofit strategy emphasizing the "Four C's"—Care, Connect, Cultivate, and Control. The authors spend a chapter explaining these concepts and then allot a separate chapter to detailing each one separately, with case studies interwoven to supply object lessons. Additional chapters discuss media segmentation and web site design, as well as diversity within the female population. Executive summaries, chapter takeaways, and succinct bulleted lists focus the reader's attention on pointers and action items. Appendixes contain citations for each chapter and a list of additional resources. For libraries serving nonprofit practitioners or academic programs in nonprofit management.—Heidi Senior, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR
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Coauthors Dalin (research fellow, American history, Hoover Inst., Stanford Univ.; The Myth of Hitler's Pope) and Rothmann (Fromm Inst. for Lifelong Learning, Univ. of San Francisco) shed light on the "fuehrer of the Arab world," Haj Amin al-Husseini, and his legacy of anti-Semitism in the Middle East. Appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem by the British in 1922, al-Husseini was by 1933 making overtures to Adolf Hitler to enlist German help in eliminating Jewish settlements in Palestine. He enjoyed a cozy relationship with Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and other Nazi leaders. During the war he helped recruit Bosnian Muslims for Germany's Waffen SS. It is alleged, though the authors acknowledge that it is not proven, that al-Husseini was influential in the decision to implement the Final Solution. The mufti escaped indictment at Nuremburg and fled to Egypt despite being named a war criminal by the UN in 1945, eventually dying in Beirut in 1974. The authors have used a variety of primary sources, tracing al-Husseini from his beginnings, through Nazi Germany, and up to consideration of his impact on radical Islam today. The book is brief, but readers seeking other sources for further in-depth analysis of al-Husseini will not find much else available. Recommended.—Patti C. McCall, AMRI Albany, NY

With the support of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, French priest Desbois (secretary, French Conference of Bishops for Relations with Judaism) turned his fascination with the Holocaust into a mission to uncover the truth behind the murder of Jews in the Ukraine by German units during World War II. There, an incredible number of Jews were summarily executed by gunfire and their remains put into unknown mass graves. Using a diverse team consisting of a researcher, photographer, interpreter, and ballistics expert, Desbois endeavored to uncover these burial sites and the brutal stories behind them. He uses ample testimony from those who may have witnessed key parts of this brutal process, and he makes some surprising discoveries. The narrative flows because Desbois has such a passion for his subject; he writes simply and well, so that even readers with little initial understanding will learn a lot. The result is an outstanding contribution to Holocaust literature, uncovering new dimensions of the tragedy, and should be on the shelves of even the smallest library. Highly recommended.—Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL

In 1960, many post-independence African nations were on the cusp of political and social revolution. To help structure Kenya's society, the Kenyan government invited prominent civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall to help develop a constitution and bill of rights. Dudziak (law & history, Univ. of Southern California Law Sch.) examines the multicultural implications for both Marshall and the Kenyan leaders as they ventured into uncharted territory. Marshall used his American legal consciousness to solve the problems of Kenyan society as it moved from colonial rule to democratic self-government. Dudziak recognizes the social and political disruptions to Kenya's path to democratic norms, including the recent violent crisis following the disputed 2007 presidential election, and contrasts Kenya's peaceful regime change in the early 1960s with contemporary U.S. racial conflicts in many urban areas. She also examines how the conception of democracy and rights varies among cultures. A central element for Marshall was how to develop ideas that would engage newly independent African political power and yet protect the rights of white minorities. In America, Marshall faced the same problem, but the racial proportions were reversed. This book on a less-studied part of Marshall's career is recommended for libraries collecting in law, legal processes, and African and African American history.—Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.

Seventy-five years have passed since Adolf Hitler took power in Germany, and popular interest in his life and times has not waned. Since 1933, at least 5000 books in English have been published on Hitler and Nazism. Among the thousands of authors involved, one must place Sir Ian Kershaw at or near the top. Over the past 25 years, Kershaw (modern history, Univ. of Sheffield, Hitler) has crafted one excellent book after another seeking to understand how Hitler and his minions were able to take political power in Germany, launch a highly destructive world war, and also murder six million Jews. Kershaw's two-volume biographical study of Hitler stands as the most definitive work to date, but he has published at least eight other books all treating different aspects of the Nazi experience in Germany. This volume brings together a number of Kershaw's most significant essays and book chapters and in so doing assists the busy reader in capturing in fewer than 400 pages the essence of Kershaw's interpretive brilliance. Kershaw provides an introduction and closing piece to newly frame these works with his summary estimation of the subject. For anyone interested in gleaning Kershaw's best insights into Hitler and the Third Reich in a single volume, this work is highly recommended.—Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames

Kurlansky's 1997 best seller, Cod, was subtitled A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World. His latest work can also be described as a biography, this time of the fishing town of Gloucester, MA. Although Gloucester is unique, its history serves as an exemplar of the changing nature of commercial fishing in the North Atlantic, especially regarding people, equipment, and target species. It also serves as a means of examining the problems of modern fishing towns as they try to find new ways of surviving in a world of collapsing fish populations without losing the best of their heritage. Kurlansky is a skillful writer, holding readers' interest and educating them at the same time with his mixture of facts, anecdotes, and even recipes. All of us, not just those living on the coast, should be aware of the issues he raises here. An excellent complement to the author's Cod and Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell as well as to Eric Jay Dolan's Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America; highly recommended for all public, high school, and college libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/08; library marketing campaign planned.—Ed.]—Margaret Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib., Woods Hole, MA

Currently on tour from Santa Ana, CA, to Atlanta, Houston, and Washington, DC, through March 2010, the exhibition The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army (with an alternative title, China's Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of the First Emperor, and a different curatorial approach, at some venues) is cause for rejoicing. These two brilliant and utterly readable books will thrill both those lucky enough to see the exhibition and those who must miss this stunning tour.

Emperor Qin shi huang (259–210 BCE) was China's first emperor. As a boy king, he began construction on his tomb; his rule saw many major innovations, including the development of writing and coinage and the construction of the Great Wall. Qin was an outstanding military leader who unified China, but he has been assailed for using forced labor, burning books, and killing scholars. Fast forward to 1974, when farmers digging for water near the emperor's mausoleum discovered pits holding the astonishing figures eventually known to the world as the Terracotta Army. Discovery of this army, which consists of about 8000 warriors, chariots, and horses, has forced us to reexamine the emperor's reputation.

With China's First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors, Wood (head, Chinese Dept., British Lib.; The Silk Road) gives us a text that is wonderfully descriptive not only archaeologically but in reassessing the emperor, warts and all. Her book brims with outstanding illustrations. The Terra Cotta Army, by British historian Man (Genghis Khan), reads much like an adventure story that offers fine access to this highly detailed subject. Readers accompany Man as he walks into Pit No. 1 and contributes fascinating information on just how these terracotta figures were shaped in sections, attached, individually detailed, and baked. Like Wood, he questions the information, arguments, and myths that have come down to us regarding Qin's reign, instead offering his own analysis. Royal records and contemporary stone inscriptions are among the primary sources surveyed by both authors, who admit that interpretations will always be a matter of dispute, e.g., does this army represent a kind of repression by the emperor or an acknowledgment of communal talent? These books should be purchased by all libraries, whether or not in the cities lucky enough to get the exhibit.

[The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army, published in the U.K. by the British Museum and in the United States by Harvard University Press in 2007, is the exhibition's official companion volume and is also highly recommended. The illustrations include many haunting studio shots of the figures, as well as documentation of the tomb site and extraordinary images of the pits before and after excavation, and the accessible and fascinating text is contributed by experts in the field. End material, including a chronology and glossary of Chinese characters, add to the book's considerable value.—Ed.]—Susan G. Baird, Chicago

In focusing on an event that otherwise would have remained a footnote in the history of the American Revolution, Nelson (Benedict Arnold's Navy) brings to light an intriguing part of this country's fight for independence. Told in readable narrative style, this is the story of the confusing period following the Battle of Bunker Hill, when the question of independence was as yet undecided by the Continental Congress even as a band of over 10,000 armed but untrained men besieged the British in Boston. Congress had an army but would not agree to create a navy—a fact George Washington knew and took great pains to circumvent. He kept secret his having sent out armed merchant vessels with orders to prevent the British from being reprovisioned in Boston and the surrounding areas. Nelson recounts the struggle over Noodle Island and the valiant patriots at Machias, ME, both places blockaded to prevent the British from accessing timber there. His authorial voice puts the reader on the scene and offers a worthy addition to our understanding of the early phases of the Revolution, when Britain ruled the seas and George Washington sought to challenge its dominance. Recommended.—David Lee Poremba, Keiser Univ., Orlando, FL

This very detailed history of the World War I African campaigns focuses on the Allied efforts—ultimately unsuccessful and at great human cost—to root out a stubborn German colonial force. Numerous historians have examined the remarkable exploits of Gen. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, commander of the German East African campaign, who outthought a series of Allied commanders with many times his own force and denied masses of matériel and men to the European front. British historian Paice (Lost Lion of Empire: The Life of 'Cape-to-Cairo' Grogan) manages to bring into focus the immense logistical problems, hostile terrain, startlingly high casualties, and political disruption of a battleground that stretched from South Africa to Somalia. Readers will be particularly interested in the complex situation faced by General Smuts, Britain's South African commander, both in the field and on the highly charged home front, where the Boer War had not been forgotten. The author does an excellent job of untangling tactical issues while not losing sight of the big picture. Highly recommended for most libraries with interest in Africa or military history.—Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS

One might think that there is nothing new to be said about René Descartes, whose radical critique of scholastic thought underpins modern philosophy and opened the door to scientific skepticism. But Shorto (The Island at the Center of the World) has found an intriguing, albeit minor, new story to tell: the journey taken by Descartes's bones, from resting place to resting place and country to country, across three and a half centuries of modern (post-Cartesian) history. Are the shards and dust we know today as Descartes's indeed truly his? How does one explain the four separate skulls at one point ascribed to him? Descartes "believed he was building a wall around the fortress of faith," says Shorto, but his radical skepticism drastically limited the scope of faith and put it on the defensive. Shorto attempts to place the modern dialog between faith and reason in context, arguing that it is a dialog that neither side has won decisively. Though Shorto's musings on faith aren't as convincing as his unraveling of the unexpectedly complicated story of the successive reinterments of the French thinker, this is still a delightful book, and it plays fair by the rules of historical evidence. Warmly recommended for large public libraries and academic collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/08.]—David Keymer. Univ. of California, Merced
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On October 1, 1910, in the midst of a massive labor dispute, the Los Angeles Times building was destroyed in an explosion that left 20 people dead and many more injured. As other, similar bombs were found, it was obvious that this was not a single malicious act but a nationwide conspiracy by members of the national Iron Workers union. The hunt was on for the perpetrators. The ensuing investigation and trial brought in master detective William Burns on one side and famed attorney Clarence Darrow on the other. The trial pitted labor against management and the rich against the working class and brought out unethical behavior in both the prosecution and the defense. Adding to the carnival atmosphere were new developments in California's nascent moving picture industry, as D.W. Griffith was discovering that carefully crafted persuasive films could profoundly effect the emotions of the audience, creating a new medium for reformers—and propagandists. Though the ink given to Griffith here is somewhat out of proportion to his relevance to the story, it adds interest to this riveting account of 20th-century homegrown political terrorism. For public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/08.]—Deirdre Bray Root, Middletown P.L., OH

This is the story of a woman convicted of a crime she did not commit. It is also the story of a dedicated criminal defense lawyer who offers a real-life look at the American justice system. Smith (dir., Criminal Justice Clinic & law, Georgetown Univ. Law Sch.) was a law student interested in criminal defense when she met Patsy Kelly Jarrett, a North Carolina woman convicted as an accomplice in the 1973 murder of a gas station attendant in Sherrill, NY. Smith spent more than 20 years working pro bono to prove that her client was innocent and was nowhere near the scene of the crime when it occurred. While telling the story of Patsy Kelly Jarrett, Smith also tells the story of her own career, describing what it is like to defend clients accused of crimes and offering surprising details about the inner workings of a prison. The author also tells a personal story of how Patsy Kelly Jarrett became part of her life. The facts of Jarrett's conviction on a questionable eyewitness identification are frightening, yet this book is also touching and even funny. Ultimately, the story of Jarrett's parole from prison in 2005 after serving 28 years is profoundly moving. Recommended for all libraries.—Becky Kennedy, Atlanta-Fulton P.L. Syst.
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The politically motivated firings of seven U.S. attorneys by the Bush administration in late 2006 became a major scandal in the following year. Iglesias, one of those fired federal prosecutors, here recounts the events leading up to and following his ouster. A former Navy JAG and self-professed Republican Party faithful, Iglesias was surprised, angered, and hurt when his party turned against him after he refused to bring indictments against high-profile Democrats in the run-up to the 2006 elections. This anger and hurt comes through in the book, and not to its advantage; the narrative is emotional but not moving, detailed but not compelling. In different hands, this story would likely shock the reader; what Iglesias shares is certainly distressing. Unfortunately, he offers no real additional details, suggestions, or insights into the accounts we already have from the press; instead, we get mostly Iglesias's personal feelings as he endured what must have been an extraordinarily trying time. An optional purchase for public libraries with strong or popular current affairs collections.—Rachel Bridgewater, Reed Coll., Portland, OR

In this highly disturbing and impassioned memoir, Afghan American law school graduate and journalist Mahvish Khan writes of her experiences serving as a translator for lawyers representing detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Khan perceptively details a catalog of horrors and humiliations suffered by the prisoners, including many instances of torture, lack of medical care, and other human rights abuses. She highlights the plight of many so-called enemy combatants who ended up at Guantánamo only because of large bounties paid by U.S . forces for turning over suspected terrorists. With no right to a fair trial and often facing a litany of trumped-up charges, the falsely accused have little recourse; many resort to suicide attempts and hunger strikes in desperation. Khan's blistering exposé of the blatant injustices inflicted in the name of fighting terrorism will leave many readers shocked and disillusioned. This is not for the faint of heart. With parallels to Clive Stafford Smith's The Eight O'Clock Ferry to the Windward Side and Murat Kurnaz's Five Years of My Life, this work is highly recommended for all public libraries.—Ingrid Levin, Salve Regina Univ. Lib., Newport, RI
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Journalist and memoirist Matousek follows his 1996 memoir, Sex Death Enlightenment, with an exploration of viriditas, the phenomenon of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from unlikely sources. AIDS sets the stage for the author's inquiry into the resiliency some people display when faced with tragedy and trauma. Each chapter is an anecdote, or parable, about a person's survivoring (most of those interviewed are well known, e.g., Joan Didion, Ram Dass, and Stanley Kunitz). The attempt to thread the stories into a cohesive narrative rope is hampered by their sheer emotion, creating an odd offering that may not comfort. The subjects inspire and may teach by example, but there are no easy answers or self-help style checklists here. Matousek's elevated vocabulary and intrusive voice and persona jar. Consider where similar titles are in demand, e.g., Betty Rollin's cancer survivor-themed Here's the Bright Side, Jeanne Elizabeth Sexson's woman-focused Down but Not Out, or David Wolpe's uplifting Making Loss Matter. This title may be useful in an academic setting supporting post-traumatic and grief coursework and would make a good book-discussion selection. An optional purchase for public and academic libraries.—Shawna Thorup, Fayetteville P.L., AR
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Based on lectures given by Fox-Genovese (Within the Plantation Household), the Emory University historian who died in 2007, Marriage has the strong sense of a passionate and personal speech. Fox-Genovese was firmly pro-marriage, and here she is unabashedly frank in her advocacy. Her broad, measured tone attempts to encompass a wide sweep of human experience and cultures and is just as concerned with modern marriage as its historical context. Fox-Genovese examines marriage as a societal question rather than simply a question of individual preference and comments on divorce, same-sex unions, the sexual revolution, and other issues affecting modern marriage. Her concern is especially for the current state of marriage in American society and the tension between individual rights and responsibilities in such an institution.

Squire (The Slender Balance) begins with Genesis and works through biblical and secular history through Martin Luther, deconstructing marriage with a vengeance. Like Fox-Genovese, Squire does not pretend to be unbiased in her negative view of historical marriage, especially in terms of Christian history. The subtitle describes the book as "contrarian," but that is almost too mild a term to describe Squire's sarcastic yet breezy style, which while very amusing, is sure to offend many readers as she gleefully surveys Western history. Squire is mainly concerned with the subjugation of women within the strictures of marriage as a social and religious convention. Both works are passionate intellectual manifestos, with completely different tones and aims, and both are recommended for sociology and women's history collections.—Elizabeth Morris, Barrington Area Lib., IL

Everyone gets stuck in traffic at some point, and here freelance journalist Vanderbilt (Survival City: Adventures Among the Ruins of Atomic America) provides a fascinating look at the whys and hows of the traffic we confront on a daily basis. Deeply researched and rich in facts, his sociological study of driving habits and traffic patterns could not come at a better time. Rising fuel costs, deferred road maintenance and construction, increasing populations, and growing congestion mean that traffic is not going to get better. Among the findings here are that traffic increases by one third when parents ferry kids to school; most car crashes happen on clear, sunny days; men honk more than women; and highways can handle more cars at 55 mph than at 80 mph. In researching the book, Vanderbilt consulted government documents, behavioral journals, census and demographic data, engineering studies, and local, state, and federal transportation reports. He even provides a comparative study of traffic in other countries. Anyone who drives will not be surprised overall but may be shocked at some of the analysis that is presented here for the first time—and may become a safer driver because of it. Even pedestrians are affected by traffic and should read this book. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/08.]—Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence, RI
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Thirty-three years after taking the trek he recounted in The Great Railway Bazaar, Theroux hits the rails again, duplicating as best he can that earlier trip through Eastern Europe, central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Siberia. His new memoir abounds with comparisons to that first trip, geographically, politically, and personally. Theroux recalls how one critique of The Great Railway Bazaar described it as "caustic"; his descriptions here may not be precisely that, but his tone can be off-putting, e.g., there's a touch of misogyny in his treatment of some of the women he encounters. He also adopts a traveler-not-tourist tone, which some readers may find refreshing but others may simply see as smug. In conjunction with this outlook, he tends to seek out the seedier sides of his locales in order to find what he believes is the "real" place. These "real" places include everything from porn shops to sex traffickers. In short, this is not light reading. Nevertheless, Theroux is an important American writer. Recommended for libraries where The Great Railway Bazaar has been popular. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/08.]—Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
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