Starred Reviews: May 2009

By Jessica Roy and Heather McCormack -- Library Journal, 05/12/2009

May is going by in a blur for us here at 360 Park Avenue South, what with all the preparations for BookExpoAmerica and the revamping of our book review format (see the June 1 issue or preview the new look in Xpress Reviews). Still, we made time for starring 76 titles. Self-help made an especially strong showing with no fewer than four standouts. The mystery Short Takes showcased excellent debuts and series closers by the likes of Tarquin Hall and Donald Westlake. Biography fiends will rejoice with works on Marilyn Monroe, Gabriel García Márquez, Ted Kennedy, and Anne Frank. Starting in June, Starred Reviews will run twice a month and feature prepub mini reviews. Don't miss out! And don't forget to pair Starred Reviews with Prepub Exploded for your selection convenience.—Heather McCormack

ARTS

Alexie, Sherman. Face. Hanging Loose. Jun. 2009. c.160p. ISBN 978-1-931236-71-3. $28; pap. ISBN 978-1-931236-70-6. $18. POETRY
Poet, novelist, and National Book Award–winning YA author Alexie writes “with a ragged and rugged formalism,” he says, and has mastered both the metrical dance and fixed forms.

Allyn, Pam. What To Read When: The Books and Stories To Read with Your Child—and All the Best Times To Read Them. Avery: Penguin Group (USA). 2009. c.336p. index. ISBN 978-1-58333-334-1. pap. $16.95. LIT
Allyn, the executive director of the literacy education organization LitLife, provides many ways to promote a love of reading to children and offers top-ten lists of reasons to read to kids that incorporate practical, easy-to-use tips to encourage literacy from a young age.

Kafka, Franz. Franz Kafka: The Office Writings. Princeton Univ. 2008. c.424p. ed. by Stanley Corngold & others. tr. from German by Eric Patton with Ruth Hein. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-691-12680-7. $45. LIT
This collection of never-before-translated legal briefs, articles, and documents is a singular source for a new understanding and interpretation of Kafka’s literary works.

Maguire, Laurie. Helen of Troy: From Homer to Hollywood. Wiley-Blackwell. May 2009. c.264p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-4051-2634-2. $89.95; pap. ISBN 978-1-4051-2635-9. $34.95. LIT
Maguire is concerned with Helen’s “literary afterlife,” the different ways she has been portrayed in Western literature, from the eighth century B.C.E. (Homer) to the present (Derek Walcott). Combining wit, learning, and insight, Maguire offers delightful reading both for the specialist and for the serious general reader.

Martin, Gerald. Gabriel García Márquez: A Life. Knopf. May 2009. c.672p. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-307-27177-8. $37.50. LIT
Based on detailed research as well as personal acquaintance with the subject, this is the most substantial English-language biography written of García Márquez, winner of the 1982 Nobel prize in Literature and innovator of magical realism.

Taraborrelli, J. Randy. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. Grand Central. Aug. 2009. photogs. filmog. index. ISBN 978-0-446-58082-3. $26.99. FILM
Taraborrelli’s style is sometimes over-the-top as he assumes the feelings and motivations of his subjects, but this device makes his books readable and mesmerizing. He had access to newly released documents that were not scrutinized for other biographies.

Wald, Elijah. How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music. Oxford Univ. Jun. 2009. c.352p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-19-534154-6. $24.95. MUSIC
Wald explains musical and recording techniques and sociological phenomena in an engaging style accessible to a wide range of readers.

AUDIO

Berry, Jedediah. The Manual of Detection. 8 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 9¼ hrs. HighBridge Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-59887-870-7. $34.95; digital download. F
Merging a comedic yet dark fantasy world with the hard-boiled school of detection, this clever debut novel both amuses and confuses.

Gies, Miep with Alison Leslie Gold. Anne Frank Remembered. 8 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. Oasis Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-59859-523-9. $29.99. BIOG
Together with Gold, who’s written several books about the Holocaust, Gies here tells the heartwarming and tragic story of how she and her husband risked their lives to hide the Frank family and four other Jews from the Nazis.

King, Stephen. Just After Sunset. 13 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 14¾ hrs. Recorded Bks. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4361-7829-7. $123.75; 13 CDs. retail ed. S. & S. Audio; Playaway digital; digital download. HORROR
The talent will keep listeners engaged, while the 14 stories’ characterization, tension, and suspense will leave them wanting more.

Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy. ed. by Peter S. Canellos. 6 CDs. retail ed. abridged. 7 hrs. S. & S. Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7435-9652-7. $29.99; digital download. BIOG
Canellos and his team of Boston Globe reporters begin this insightful and informative biography of Ted Kennedy with the 2008 news of his malignant tumor, then chronicle his childhood, relating anecdotes and discussing his good humor, generosity, trials and tribulations, ambitions, many tragedies, and more.

Lincoln, Abraham & Stephen Douglas. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. 14 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 16 hrs. Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7927-6031-3. $115.95; 3 MP3-CDs. library ed.; digital download. HIST/POL SCI
Following an introduction by Lincoln scholar Allen C. Guelzo, Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss (as Douglas) and Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (as Lincoln) reenact the seven debates that highlighted the 1858 Illinois senatorial race.

O’Neal, Barbara. The Lost Recipe for Happiness. 10 CDs. unabridged. library ed. 12¼ hrs. Books on Tape. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4159-5447-8. $110; digital download. F
O’Neal’s debut, with its cast of intriguing characters and touch of magical realism, is a cut above the typical “foodie novel.”

Quiñones, John. Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices. 6 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 6½ hrs. Tantor Media. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4001-4056-5. $59.99; 6 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. retail ed.; digital download. INSPIRATION
Emmy Award winner Quiñones, anchor of the ABC show What Would You Do? and a correspondent for 20/20, here artfully and clearly illustrates that heroes come from all walks of life and all parts of the world.

Sherwood, Ben. The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life. 10 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 11½ hrs. Hachette Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-60024-145-1. $34.98; digital download. SELF-HELP
New York Times best-selling author Sherwood, who also narrates, examines why some people live while others die under the same circumstances.

Shutt, Timothy B. A History of Ancient Sparta. 7 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 14 lectures. Modern Scholar: Recorded Bks. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4361-7817-4. $98.75; Playaway digital. HIST
Shutt here delivers a superb series of 14 college-level lectures. Drawing largely on the famous Battle of Thermopylae, he explores in depth the origins of ancient Sparta and many of the key events that shaped Spartan history.

Suarez, Daniel. Daemon. 13 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 16 hrs. Penguin Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-0-14-314444-1. $44.95. F
This first novel, originally self-published under the pseudonym/anagram Leinad Zeraus, is a roller-coaster ride of a technothriller that will keep listeners tuned in from first disc to last.

The Rivalry. 2 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 1¾ hrs. L.A. Theatre Works. 2009. ISBN 978-1-58081-5697. $25.95; digital download. DRAMA
Academy Award nominees Paul Giamatti and David Strathairn square off as incumbent Illinois senator Stephen Douglas and rising legislator Abraham Lincoln, respectively, in this reenactment of their historical 1858 debates.

Todd, Charles. A Matter of Justice. 9 CDs. library ed. 11½ hrs. unabridged. Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7927-5954-6. $89.95; digital download. F
Like Todd’s previous ten Inspector Rutledge mysteries, this is a golden-age mystery with an added psychological kick. As always, prolific and deservedly popular British narrator Simon Prebble delivers a distinctive, polished, and unobtrusive performance.

FICTION

Bass, Hyatt. The Embers. Holt. Jun. 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8994-3. $25. F
This heart-wrenching debut novel from filmmaker Bass crisscrosses 16 years of one family’s life, weaving a tender tale riveting in its
realism.

Dai, Sijie. Once on a Moonless Night. Knopf. Aug. 2009. c.288p. tr. from Chinese by Adriana Hunter. ISBN 978-0-307-27158-7. $24.95. F
Dai’s latest is structurally more complex than his international hit, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. But it’s just as rich and evocative and powerfully delivers the idea that language (even more than literature, as in Balzac) truly defines us.

Downie, Ruth. Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Jul. 2009. c.336p. ISBN 978-1-59691-609-8. $24. F
This lively sequel to Medicus and Terra Incognita continues Downie’s delightful historical series. Her characters are wonderfully memorable, particularly the dry and acerbic Ruso, whose internal dialog provides some genuinely funny laugh-out-loud moments.

Finder, Joseph. Vanished. St. Martin’s. Aug. 2009. c.400p. ISBN 978-0-312-37908-7. $25.99. F
Finder offers a rousing start to a new series featuring Nick Heller, a high-powered international investigator and corporate security consultant.

Koontz, Dean. Relentless. Bantam. Jun. 2009. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-553-80714-1. $27. F
Relentless echoes the very best of the Odd Thomas series in voice; this is an exquisite crafting of the thrilling, the unexplainable, and the personal, with the mirth and whimsy that Koontz throws in seemingly effortlessly just when it’s most needed and least expected.

Lipman, Elinor. The Family Man. Houghton. May 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-618-64466-7. $25. F
With all the requisite elements, including sparkling dialog, a clash of personalities, and delightfully flawed characters—not to mention unusual family situations and overbearing matriarchs—this book offers readers hints of Lipman’s previous books

Littell, Robert. The Stalin Epigram. S. & S. May 2009. c.384p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9864-0. $26. F
Though the Cold War is long over, Littell, who met privately with Nadezhda in 1979, has resurrected the totalitarian Soviet Union in all its cruel and capricious dimensions. This novel will be treasured long after the derring-do of espionage tales is forgotten.

Rosenberg, Liz. Home Repair. Avon A. May 2009. c.328p. ISBN 978-0-06-173456-4. pap. $13.99. F
Rosenberg’s prose sings in this winning novel with a fragile heroine capable of change and a cast of unique characters.

See, Lisa. Shanghai Girls. Random. Jun. 2009. c.326p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6711-4. $25. F
In prewar 1930s Shanghai, carefree sisters Pearl Chin and younger, prettier May are the “beautiful girls” whose images on posters beckon viewers to buy products. See is masterly in her powerful depictions of the prejudice and harsh treatment the sisters encounter as they try to assimilate into the strange new world of Los Angeles.

Shepard, Sara. The Visibles. Free Pr: S. & S. May 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9736-0. $24. F
In piercingly beautiful language that tears the heart like shrapnel, Shepard shows us how protagonist Summer is forced to come to grips with the knowledge that love just might not be a deadly weapon or fatal illness.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Guibert, Emmannuel (illus.) & Didier Lefèvre & Frederic Lemercier (text). The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders. First Second: Roaring Brook. Aug. 2009. c.267p. tr. from French by Alex Siegel. ISBN 978-1-59643-375-5. pap. $29.95. MEMOIR/INT AFFAIRS
This magnificent and moving account of the human costs of war sold hundreds of thousands of copies in Europe. The heroism of the doctors contrasts with the daily hassles of surviving in Afghanistan and with Lefèvre’s loneliness, exhaustion, misunderstanding, and several rash decisions that nearly cost him his life.

Simon, Joe & Jack Kirby. The Best of Simon and Kirby. Titan. May 2009. c.240p. illus. ISBN 978-1-8457-6931-4. $39.95. F
The book sports 25 gloriously restored comics selected by Simon, plus five additional covers, and is capped with a checklist of all the comics they produced together/apart. Dazzling from beginning to end, this is a monumental piece of comics’ history.

MYSTERY

Airth, Rennie. The Dead of Winter: A John Madden Mystery. Viking. Jul. 2009. c.416p. ISBN 978-0-670-02093-5. $25.95. M
As with the other series books, Airth’s latest blends modern methods of crime detection with a superb cast of characters who inhabit a well-drawn world steeped in historical ambiance and detail.

Cantrell, Rebecca. A Trace of Smoke. Forge: Tor. May 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-7653-2044-5. $24.95. M
Cantrell’s debut offers up a grittily realistic portrayal of 1930s Berlin as the Nazis come to power.

Emery, Anne. Cecilian Vespers. ECW, dist. by Independent Pubs. Group. May 2009. c.300p. ISBN 978-1-55022-861-8. $24.95. M
Emery has written a finely plotted crime novel that incorporates some of the key still-unresolved issues confronting the Catholic Church in 1991.

Hall, Tarquin. The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, India’s “Most Private Investigator.” S. & S. Jun. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-4165-8368-4. $24. M
In his fiction debut, British journalist Hall—who lives in London and New Delhi—captures his second country with grace and humor and creates a protagonist able to put more cases in his “conclusively solved” cabinet.

Hughes, Declan. All the Dead Voices. Morrow. Jul. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-06-168988-8. $24.99. M
Hughes’s Ireland is tough, gritty, and filled with economic, political, and moral conflict. His characters are sharply drawn and deeply flawed.

Pintoff, Stefanie. In the Shadow of Gotham. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. May 2009. c.385p. ISBN 978-0-312-54490-4. $24.95. M
The first winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competion nicely contrasts academic theorizing with the reality of police detection set against the backdrop of a vividly depicted turn-of-the-century Gotham.

Quartey, Kewi. Wife of the Gods. Random. Jul. 2009. c.336p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6759-6. $24. M
Darko is a sleuth full of contradictions, a tough defender of justice and truth who is also a habitual pot smoker. Yet it’s the crossover between Dark’s professional life and personal issues that helps drive the plot and makes his story more relatable.

Ramsay, Frederick. Choker: An Ike Schwartz Mystery. Poisoned Pen. Jun. 2009. c.279p. ISBN 978-1-59058-635-8. $24.95. M
Here the author combines a Tom Clancy–like knowledge of ground-to-air missiles with a Robert Ludlum–like spy adventure to leave the reader awaiting the next Ike Schwartz.

Robertson, Michael. The Baker Street Letters. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Jun. 2009. c.277p. ISBN 978-0-312-53812-5. $24.95. M
Great characters, a complex plot, and the wonderful feeling that people still believe in Sherlock Holmes round out this debut treat.

Westlake, Donald E. Get Real. Grand Central. Jul. 2009. c.286p. ISBN 978-0-446-17860-0. $23.99. M
Westlake’s final Dortmunder novel is a winning send-up of our current fascination with reality TV.

Wilson, Laura. The Innocent Spy. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Jul. 2009. c.449p. ISBN 978-0-312-53810-1. $25.99. M
This expert blending of a police procedural with an espionage thriller reveals the danger of trust in the spy world, the naïveté of young women unexposed to life, and the culpability of men and women who want to avoid war at all costs.

REFERENCE

Dickson, Paul. The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. 3d ed. Norton. 2009. 900p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-393-06681-4. $49.95. REF
Baltimore native Dickson has devoted 25 years to creating the definitive guide to the language, lingo, and lexicon of baseball for the sport’s fanatics and lovers of language as well as nine-year-olds looking for a clear definition of the infield fly rule.

Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture. 3 vols. Sage. 2009. 1632p. ed. by H. James Birx. index. ISBN 978-1-4129-4164-8. $400; SAGE Reference Online REF
This unique set takes a strong interdisciplinary approach to a subject that is normally treated only from the scientific or philosophical perspective. Editor Birx has assembled an impressive team of contributors, including several librarians, to study the science, philosophy, theology, and culture behind the phenomenon of time.

Kemp, Thomas Jay. International Vital Records Handbook. 5th ed. Genealogical. 2009. 544p. ISBN 978-0-8063-1793-9. $49.95. REF
Updated to incorporate procedural revisions, this essential compilation of administrative forms will significantly reduce the frustration associated with obtaining official documentation, such as birth certificates.

The Nineties in America. 3 vols. Salem. 2009. 1300p. ed. by Milton Berman. illus. maps. index. ISBN 978-1-58765-500-5. $364; Online: Salem History REF
This three-volume set is the most recent addition to Salem’s popular “Decades of America” series, with titles also covering the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The focus is not only on the significant people and events of the last decade but also on the impact of technology and other advances.

SPIRITUAL LIVING

Believer, Beware: First-Person Dispatches from the Margins of Faith. Beacon, dist. by Houghton. Jul. 2009. 263p. ed. by Jeff Sharlet & others. ISBN 978-0-8070-7739-9. $16.
This extremely diverse set of essays is the second to come from Killing the Buddha, an online religion magazine “for people made anxious by churches” and the ideal home for the “spiritual but not religious” and all the other great unchurched believers in America

Smith, Huston with Jeffery Paine. Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine, An Autobiography. HarperOne: HarperCollins. May 2009. 198p. illus. ISBN 978-0-06-115426-3. $25.99.
Remarkably brief and humbly written for a man of Smith’s fame and accomplishment, Tales deals simply with his life and his encounters with the great and the good.

Wintz, Jack. Will I See My Dog in Heaven? Paraclete. 2009. 176p. ISBN 978-1-55725-568-6. pap. $14.99.
For Wintz, a careful and spiritually adept student not only of the Bible but of the life and words of St. Francis, God’s promise of a new creation at the end of time extends to the animal companions we have known and loved in this life.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Holmes, Richard. The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. Pantheon. Jul. 2009. c.576p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-375-42222-5. $40. SCI
Historian and biographer Holmes conveys the history of Romantic-era science through vivid biographies of a few individuals.

Levenson, Thomas. Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World’s Greatest Scientist. Houghton Harcourt. Jun. 2009. c.320p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-15-101278-7. $25. SCI
Levenson focuses primarily on the years in which Newton outwitted, entrapped, and convicted master counterfeiter William Chaloner. Levenson also details how Newton improved the mint’s operation and handled the incredible recoinage of the 1690s that completely replaced the silver coinage in use.

Meyer, Danny. Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer’s Acclaimed New York City Restaurants. Little, Brown. May 2009. c.224p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-316-04512-4. $29.99. BEVERAGES
Meyer, author and owner of such legendary New York City restaurants as Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, and The Modern, delivers a terrific collection of 140 tempting recipes for cocktails created by bartenders in his award-winning dining establishments.

Neely, Patrick & Gina Neely with Paula Disbrowe. Down Home with the Neelys: A Southern Family Cookbook. Knopf. May 2009. c.288p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-307-26994-2. $27.95. COOKERY
The Neelys are the owners of Neely’s Bar-B-Que, which has several locations in Memphis and Nashville, and are also hosts of a popular Food Network show, Down Home with the Neelys. Their first cookbook includes more than 120 recipes for the classic Southern cooking they both grew up with.

Seal, Mark. Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa. Random. May 2009. c.240p. photogs. ISBN 978-1-4000-6736-7. $26. SCI
Seal, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a journalist, expands on his portrait of British naturalist and filmmaker Joan Root, which appeared in the August 2006 issue of Vanity Fair following her brutal murder at her Kenyan farmhouse.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY

Baxter, Stephen. Flood. Roc: Penguin. May 2009. c.496p. ISBN 978-0-451-46271-8. $24.95. SF
The best-selling author of the Time’s Tapestry series takes a familiar doomsday scenario and gives it an unexpected twist of mythical proportions.

Grossman, Lev. The Magicians. Viking. Aug. 2009. c.412p. ISBN 978-0-670-02055-3. $25.95. FANTASY
Most of us secretly believed as children that we were somehow destined for greatness. Someday there would be a magical wardrobe, and it would turn out we were the long-lost ruler of a land in eternal winter! Time magazine book critic Grossman explores what it might be like if this really happened.

Harris, Charlaine. Dead and Gone: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel. Ace: Berkley, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). May 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-441-01715-7. $25.95. FANTASY
Three strong story lines lead to an intensely gripping finale. The ninth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series is one of the best.

Sanderson, Brandon. Warbreaker. Tor. Jun. 2009. c.592p. ISBN 978-0-7653-2030-8. $27.95. FANTASY
Chosen by the estate of the late Robert Jordan to complete the final volume in Jordan’s mammoth “Wheel of Time” series, Sanderson again demonstrates his capacity for handling large and complex themes while creating believable characters.

SOCIAL SCIENCE

Bemis, Judith. The Power of Acceptance: Finding Peace from Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Cold Tree. Jul. 2009. c.248p. ISBN 978-1-58385-277-8. pap. $12.95. SELF-HELP
Recovered agoraphobic Bemis aims to help the more than 40 million adults and teens who suffer from anxiety or panic disorders gain a better understanding of their disease.

Brown, Archie. The Rise and Fall of Communism. Ecco: HarperCollins. Jun. 2009. c.720p. illus. maps. index. ISBN 978-0-06-113879-9. $35.99. HIST
For the past 30 years Brown has devoted his considerable energies to explaining various aspects of the history of communism, especially in the Soviet Union.

Crawford, Matthew B. Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. Penguin Pr.: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2009. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-59420-223-0. $25.95. SOC SCI
Philosopher and motorcycle mechanic Crawford presents a fascinating, important analysis of the value of hard work and manufacturing.

Felton, Sandra & Marsha Sims. Organizing Your Day: Time Management Techniques That Will Work for You. Chosen: Revell. May 2009. c.272p. ISBN 978-0-8007-3315-5. pap. $12.99. SELF-HELP
Professional organizer Felton and time-management expert Sims have put together this comprehensive book to help readers quickly complete daily tasks so that they will have the time and energy to move on to significant projects.

Gallagher, B.J. Why Don’t I Do the Things I Know Are Good for Me?: Taking Big Steps Toward Improving the Big Picture. Penguin. Jun. 2009. c.272p. ISBN 978-0-425-21965-2. pap. $14. SELF-HELP
Her clear, practical treatment of a common but rarely tackled problem elevates this book above the usual self-help dreck.

Germer, Christopher K. The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions. Guilford. Jun. 2009. c.306p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-59385-975-6. pap. $15.95. PSYCH
This brilliant manual demonstrates how by accepting and embracing emotions, one can move to a higher plane of harmony with oneself and others.

Haas, Michael. George W. Bush, War Criminal?: The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Praeger. 2009. 405p. index. ISBN 978-0-313-36499-0. $39.95. POL SCI
Haas is the first author to compile a comprehensive list of alleged war crimes committed by the Bush administration during its global war against international terrorism.

Haltzman, Scott & Teresa Foy DiGeronimo. The Secrets of Happy Families: Eight Keys to Building a Lifetime of Connection and Contentment. Jossey-Bass. Jul. 2009. c.262p. ISBN 978-0-470-37710-9. $24.95. SELF-HELP
Drawing on more than 1200 family-life questionnaires, psychological research, and his own experience as a clinician, Haltzman provides the basic ingredients for creating happy families regardless of sexual, cultural, or ethnic identification.

Jones, Lisa. Broken: A Love Story. Scribner. May 2009. c.272p. ISBN 978-1-4165-7906-9. $25. AUTOBIOG
A chronicle of the author’s spiritual journey and growth and a peek at the realities of life on an Indian reservation

Khosrokhavar, Farhad. Inside Jihadism: Understanding Jihadi Movements Worldwide. Paradigm. Jun. 2009. 320p. index. ISBN 978-1-59451-616-0. pap. $22.95. INT AFFAIRS
Khosrokhavar, a first-rate academic expert on Islamic radicalism, distinguishes two types of jihadi movements: one rooted primarily in the Sunni Islamic countries and the other based in the West. He explains the differences between these two movements and analyzes their major motivations for resorting to extreme acts of violence.

Moorehead, Caroline. Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin, Eyewitness to an Era. Harper: HarperCollins. Jul. 2009. c.544p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-06-168441-8. $27.99. BIOG
The marquise’s Journal d’une Femme de Cinquante Ans is considered one of the best first-person accounts available of the French Revolution While Moorehead relies heavily on these memoirs, she also uses additional primary sources to flesh out the nearly 50 years not covered by Lucie’s memoirs

Otto, Nathan & Amber Lupton. Give Peace a Deadline: What Ordinary People Can Do To Cause World Peace in Five Years. 2009. c.273p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-929774-86-9. $22.95. POL SCI
This is an introduction to the authors’ newly launched P5Y (Peace in Five Years) organization, which puts the deadline for achieving peace at February 14, 2014. The authors are calling for an international peace movement to end politically organized warfare, offering a business-oriented model that includes accountability, deadlines, and measurable goals.

Posner, Richard A. A Failure of Capitalism: The Crisis of ’08 and the Descent into Depression. Harvard Univ. May 2009. c.324p. index. ISBN 978-0-674-03514-0. $23.95. BUS
Prolific author Posner examines the causes and consequences of the financial crisis as well as governmental measures aimed at dealing with it.

Rubenhold, Hallie. The Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal, and Divorce. St. Martin’s. Jul. 2009. c.320p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-312-35994-2. $25.95. HIST
Rubenhold does an excellent job of leading readers through the lives and relationships of the main participants and the specifics of the case itself, with ample observations on marriage, divorce, sexual mores, and personal reputation in Georgian England.

Shen, Aisling Juanjuan. A Tiger’s Heart: The Story of a Modern Chinese Woman. Soho, dist. by Consortium. Jul. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-56947-586-7. $24. AUTOBIOG
Like a suspense novel, this book is impossible to put down. All readers interested in China, as well as memoir fans (especially of success stories), must read this astonishing title.

Stone, Norman. World War One: A Short History. Basic Bks: Perseus. May 2009. 240p. illus. maps. index. ISBN 978-0-465-01368-5. $25. HIST
The distinguished Stone has compressed five years of war into admirably terse and effective prose.

Talty, Stephan. The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon’s Greatest Army. Crown. Jun. 2009. c.336p. maps. index. ISBN 978-0-307-39404-0. $25.95. HIST
As much a history of typhus as it is a history of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, this book presents both subjects in graphic detail, leaving the reader with no illusions of the “glory” of 19th-century warfare.

Temkin, Moshik. The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair: America on Trial. Yale Univ. May 2009. c.344p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-300-12484-2. $35. LAW
Built upon a foundation of meticulous research, this book discusses many fascinating elements of controversy, not least the long-term views held by Sacco and Vanzetti’s defenders and accusers and how their participation in the search for justice was perceived by their peers.

Thompson, Mark. The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915–1919. Basic Bks: Perseus. 2009. 480p. illus. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-465-01329-6. $30.
Thompson's coverage here of World War I away from the Western Front is deep and detailed, showing the horrors of the Italian campaign against Austria, as well as its influence on not only Mussolini, but writers such as Hemingway and Musil.