Arts & Humanities

Eight photojournalists from Magnum Photos—copublishing this volume with Aperture and the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria—traveled the world to document the impact of antiretroviral medications on the lives of people who are HIV-positive; they follow 30 individuals in nine countries. Successes and failures are graphically depicted in more than 450 photos in this eye-opening and informative visual document, which portrays dire health situations in Haiti, India, Mali, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, and Vietnam. For each country, journalists Swan and Bernstein (coeditors, All the Money in the World: How the Forbes 400 Make—and Spend—Their Fortunes) include a photographer's statement, photographs juxtaposed with quotations from patients and their families, and a brief factual profile describing the AIDS epidemic within that country. The multimedia essays can also be accessed via the book's DVD or the free web site (accesstolife.theglobalfund.org). VERDICT A moving document; of interest to teachers, readers on the topic of public health, and health-policy advocates.—Nancy B. Turner, Syracuse Univ. Lib., NY

Avery (Giambologna) offers a "survey of the dolphin in Western Art," the first art book dedicated to this animal. The cover beautifully conveys the content, with a detail from Raphael's Renaissance painting Triumph of Galatea of dolphins pulling Galatea through the sea. Avery writes with impressive expertise; however, none of his references to other scholars, even direct quotes, is cited in footnotes, detracting from the book's value for the serious student of art history. That said, if one reads the book as more of an essay, it is a delightful experience. The color illustrations are splendidly enjoyable, depicting dolphin images in all types of fine and decorative arts up to the present, with an emphasis on the influence of classical antiquity. The pictures tie in perfectly with the text (although occasional descriptions might not be understood by everyone, e.g., a Roman fresco that "some ancient Velázquez painted"). VERDICT Recommended for those interested in classical mythology, European art history, and, of course, dolphins.—Anne Marie Lane, Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie

This dazzling catalog celebrates the restlessness, inclusivity, and variety of baroque innovations in art, architecture, design, and applied and decorative arts in both world hemispheres and on all continents except for Australasia. Its spread outside Europe was fueled by the development of territories by European powers and along trade routes to East Asia. In addition to architecture and painting, objects for export made in the baroque style extended from furniture and textiles to cut stonework; local adaptation of baroque motifs and ornamentation also circulated among the territories and returned to Europe. Long overview essays on style, patronage, piety, performance (theater and opera), and palace arts are interspersed with shorter sections, deftly delineated by slightly darker pages, on specific topics such as politics and diplomatic power, religious processions, the Cornado Chapel, dining at court, and the baroque garden. Chairs, chintzes, and musical instruments are as prominent as ceiling frescoes and altarpieces. VERDICT As comprehensive a guide to this style as you will find; photos and accessible text will enlighten interested general readers as well as university students and researchers.—Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL

The catalog for a summer 2009 exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, this scholarly yet readable work explores the entire genre of Japanese screen painting. The contributors explain the role and history of folding screens in Japanese art, outline the influence of Chinese culture on Japanese screens, present modern examples of screens both painted and sculpted, and delve deeply into one particularly beautiful pair of screens featuring a flowering cherry with strips of paper inscribed with poems called tanzaku. Katz (curator, Japanese art, Art Inst. of Chicago) then presents each of the exhibition's 32 screens in photos of the whole piece and details with several pages of explanatory text. The photos are excellent, but they don't sweep one away as viewing screens of this grand size should. The use of gold to catch light and transport the viewer comes through only modestly because of the book's small size. VERDICT The writing here is accessible to readers without an art history degree, and the explanations of the individual screens facilitate a full appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic. Though the book is not entirely compelling, the target audience of academics and artists interested in Japanese art is well served.—David McClelland, Philadelphia

Photojournalist Eve Arnold was the first female member of the Magnum cooperative, founded by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa after World War II. Although she is best known for the many empathic photos she took of Marilyn Monroe (her collection Marilyn Monroe was published in 2005), Lardinois (ed., Magnum Magnum) does a surpassingly good job of depicting Arnold's sweeping career and vision. Born in Philadelphia, Arnold spent decades in London beginning in 1961, and much of her expansive accomplishment was expressed through her association with the Sunday Times. Perceptive and self-effacing, this diminutive woman inconspicuously inserted herself into a wide range of contexts; this collection, created with Arnold's involvement and featuring texts by Anjelica Huston, Isabella Rossellini, and others, depicts Malcolm X and his movement, pre-Tiananmen China, 1960s Afghanistan, and film stars of multiple eras (e.g., Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, and Paul Newman). Unfairly obscure in reputation, Arnold deserves the thoroughgoing treatment she receives in this pictorial tribute. VERDICT An excellent source of inspiration and entertainment for anyone who fancies classic Hollywood celebrities or documentary photography.—Douglas F. Smith, Berkeley P.L., CA

This monumental undertaking is produced in a clearly written style with 458 high-quality reproductions and careful, thorough scholarship. Although Volume 1 covers the years 600–1600, Volume 2 1600–1870, and Volume 3 1870-present, this is not strictly a chronological presentation of British art. Bindman (history of art, emeritus, Univ. Coll. London) has organized a collaborative effort in which each chapter is written by a specialist who raises a few important questions about the period under discussion and then answers them by examining important works of art. The questions are provocative and the answers both illuminating and incisive, as seen in chapters like "Signs of the Cross: Religious Images and the Interpretation of Scripture," "The Artist: Institutions, Training, and Status," and "British Art and the Social World." VERDICT This superb work of scholarship offers a strikingly new approach to viewing British art and will be appreciated by anyone interested in art history.—Martin Chasin, Fairfield, CT

Created in conjunction with a National Portrait Gallery exhibit, this book features many original and in-depth elements that allow it to stand on its own as a scholarly piece to be studied and critiqued by students of art. Goodyear (assistant curator, National Portrait Gallery) and McManus (art history, California State Univ., Chico) include portraits (paintings, collages, photographs, and sculptures) by Marcel Duchamp and portraits of Duchamp, and they encourage readers to examine Duchamp's life and image as depicted in portraits and to consider the larger role of portraiture in the 20th century. The first half of the book includes six well-cited essays addressing Duchamp's life and work, his work with women artists, portraits of Duchamp, Duchamp's self-portraits, and his portraits of others. The essays are followed by 103 portraits by Duchamp and other artists, including Man Ray, Alfred Stieglitz, Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns. Each image is accompanied by a short description or discussion. A detailed chronology of Duchamp's life is also included. VERDICT A solid accomplishment; recommended for students and scholars of art history.—Valerie Nye, Coll. of Santa Fe, NM

As a collector and archivist, Levine (former director of exhibitions, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) is particularly sensitive to the fragments of life one accumulates and how they can be interpreted by others. While sorting out her own life, she happened upon Frida Kahlo's personal archive, a treasure trove that had been lost for decades. This bilingual (English/Spanish) book is a record of her discovery, detailing both the objects themselves and the intimate relationships they evoked in viewers. Each object was photographed as it was unpacked and then returned to its original housing. In a very personal essay, the author charts revelations about this enigmatic artist yielded by the diary entries, recipes, sketches, and letters and a starkly annotated series of images of the techniques used for the amputation of her leg. VERDICT An illuminating find or an odd bit of miscellanea, depending upon the reader's interest in this artist's life, this book unravels for both author and reader the unique experience of a very human activity: storing away the little things by which we identify ourselves.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York

Although there are a number of excellent biographies, critical works, and published collections of the work of seminal American artist Thomas Eakins, this is the first collection of his letters from his years as a student in Paris (1866–70). Meticulously edited and annotated, the letters—taken from the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian, Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and private collections—show the young artist studying with Jean-Léon Gérôme as part of the program of the École des Beaux-Arts, struggling to master the problems of drawing and painting and to find his own subjects and style, and striving to make a career as an artist. Homer's (Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art) compilation also illustrates a young man far from home for the first extended period in his life, advising his sisters and accounting for his daily expenses and justifying his life's ambition to his parents. Eakins's correspondence diminished when he returned to Philadelphia, and few letters that exhibit such youthful enthusiasm exist. VERDICT Highly recommended for scholars and art history students as well as general readers and young adults.—Marcia Welsh, Dartmouth Coll. Libs., Hanover, NH

Garnering praise and recognition in the 1960s with The Tomb, a haunting and provocative installation piece, American artist Paul Thek was, by his death in 1988, all but forgotten by an indifferent New York art establishment. Interest, however, in what many consider his groundbreaking sculptures, environments, and paintings never entirely disappeared, most notably in Europe, where he created much of his oeuvre. In this exhaustive survey, copublished with Germany's ZKM (Ctr. for Art & Media Technology) to accompany a 2008 retrospective there, cocurator Falkenberg and Weibel, director of the ZKM, attempt to position the artist as a seminal and influential force in late 20th-century art. VERDICT Nineteen essays by scholars, curators, collectors, and artists, along with a uniquely comprehensive visual record (more than 500 images, 300 in color) of Thek's works, provide ample documentation for artists and art historians to reassess the significance of an artist whose contrarian personality and disregard for art world economics rendered him an outsider for much of his life.—David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

In his second monograph (after Figure and Ground), Renaldi documents the lives of young men in the old textile town of Fall River, MA, not far from the Atlantic Ocean, over the course of nine years. In spring 2000, Renaldi made the first of many trips to Fall River and began a series of portraits of young men coming of age, symbolically within the shadows of a lost industrial landscape. As character studies and environmental portraits, the 89 fine black-and-white photographs offer a slice of life of a fading New England factory town. There is a touch of irony in the collection, which captures the hopefulness of youth within the context of decline. Award-winning novelist Michael Cunningham contributes a thoughtful introduction. VERDICT This impressive collection will appeal not only to fine-art photographers but to all serious photographers, from amateurs to photojournalists. It will also attract anyone interested in American popular culture and social history. Highly recommended.—Raymond Bial, First Light Photography, Urbana, IL

This remarkable follow-up to photographer Stephenson's Visions of Heaven: The Dome in European Architecture follows the same track: it starts with a short introductory essay offering theoretical background; moves to a core section consisting of about 120 exemplary, breathtaking, detailed color photographs of individual elements of churches, synagogues, and mosques; and ends with important information on each piece of religious architecture, which is extremely useful to tourists. Together, these two books represent a combination of philosophic commentary, artistic photography, and historical scholarship that will have enormous impact for many years. Readers will come away with an appreciation for the windfall of religious architectural art—embracing the eternal, the celestial, the sublime, the ethereal, the structural, the transcendental, and the natural—in the Middle Ages and beyond. Larger versions of much of Stephenson's work are available online. VERDICT With Stephenson's Visions of Heaven, this work is highly recommended for anyone interested in religion or architecture as well as for travelers (armchair and otherwise).—Peter Kaufman, Boston Architectural Ctr.

Jacoby, who has directed many public art projects, writes, "The best way to view the murals of the Mission is through the cracked windshield of the Mexican bus that regularly tours the neighborhood." This book admirably imitates that chaotic and stimulating visual experience, documenting over 30 years of street art (murals, graffiti, billboards, and paintings on nearly every conceivable urban surface) in San Francisco's Mission District, a culturally mixed neighborhood that is home to over 500 painted murals and has long been known as an artistic haven. The extensive essays that document the evolution of public and street art in San Francisco take a backseat to the 900 full-color images of the art itself, leaping from each page in vivid colors and conjoined imagery. VERDICT A visual treat, this work adds a historical and sociological foundation to two recent publications by Steve Rotman, Bay Area Graffiti and San Francisco Street Art; together they form a thorough examination of the street art of San Francisco.—Kraig Binkowski, Yale Ctr. for British Art, New Haven, CT

As Wilkin writes, when Edward Gorey's name is mentioned, people either ask "Who?" or dive into a lengthy discussion of why they absolutely love the man and his art. Even if you don't recognize his name, you have probably seen his work in the opening of Mystery! on PBS. His careful crosshatch drawings take audiences to the edge of safety and drop them off in uncertain waters, yet the drawings still manage to delight and provoke. Wilkin provides an exhibition catalog to accompany the first traveling showing of Gorey's work, organized by the Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA. Different from typical exhibition catalogs, which focus on art and artists in an academic light, this book is suitable for gift giving or simple enjoyment at a good price. VERDICT Interested scholars can seek out Wilkin's other offerings on Edward Gorey (e.g., Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey or The World of Edward Gorey), while folks who like Gorey's slyly disturbing illustrations will relish this nicely produced romp of a book.—Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

Adams (English language & literature, Indiana Univ.; Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon) offers word lovers a new perspective. This is not the usual compendium of slang but an explanation of its nature and purpose. Adams intends to engage the nonacademic reader, so he boils down the lexical, social, aesthetic, and linguistic concepts of slang in chapters like "What Is It?" and "It's All in Your Head." Footnotes provide source information in a nonscholarly format for faster and easier understanding. Adams promotes slang as an integral part of American English and categorizes and defines hundreds of new words and examples from current American expressions, with an emphasis on African American slang. He believes that slang springs from resistance to authority, which has perhaps influenced his choices, for most exemplify the more outrageous elements of slang. VERDICT The style here will either irritate or entertain; Adams stays within the confines of each chapter's theme but leaps from example to example and topic to topic. These literary gymnastics may not please everyone, but the generous index facilitates access to this lively and informative book.—Nedra Crowe-Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib., Santa Rosa, CA

In the belle époque, which began in the final decade of the 19th century and lasted until World War I, cultural life in Europe thrived in a semi-Renaissance atmosphere, nowhere more so than in France. This book relates the stories of three individuals—Léon Daudet, son of popular writer Alphonse Daudet; Jean-Baptiste Charcot, son of the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, mentor to Sigmund Freud; and Jeanne Hugo, granddaughter of Victor Hugo. With hints of glamour and decadence but also subject to scandal and gossip, the lives of the three celebrity heirs were in a sense the embodiment of a generation lost in the upheaval, social unrest, and disillusionment of the dawning century's tumultuous years. In her first book, Cambor, who has written for the American Scholar and the American Prospect, succinctly and masterfully offers an illuminating glimpse into belle époque realities through the experiences of three childhood friends destined to do great things, who later saw the golden world of their childhoods disappear. VERDICT This fascinating volume is highly recommended to a broad readership in 19th- and 20th-century French studies and literature.—Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY

In this essay collection, Cherry explores the craft of writing, tracing her own development from rebellious college student to award-winning author of 19 books of poetry, fiction, short fiction, and criticism. She discusses her early life in Ithaca, NY, as the child of struggling musicians busy trying to survive and with little time for parenting. She was kicked out of college twice, but over the years she wrote—and then, receiving little encouragement, quit. Finally, she entered the writing program at the University of North Carolina and achieved success. Cherry's story will prove inspirational to aspiring writers as will her critical essays of works by such writers as Mary Ward Brown, Elizabeth Hardwick, Ann Tyler, and Bobbie Ann Mason. VERDICT Cherry's penetrating views on what it takes to be a writer and what makes for successful writing are thoughtfully explained and illustrated. Her book will appeal to creative writing students and others interested in the field.—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

There is no doubt that comic books and graphic novels have been gathering more mainstream notice and influence over the past few years. Comic book fans have known this influence for a very long time, and no one describes the impact of comic books quite like David in his "But I Digress" column from Comics Buyer's Guide. This book, which covers the years 2001 to the present, is David's second collection of his opinion columns, after But I Digress. Perhaps best known for his 12-year run writing The Incredible Hulk, David here covers a variety of topics ranging from 9/11 to the business of comics to comic conventions. His writing is undeniably accessible and charming, and although the topics covered in this collection might put off those who aren't comic book fans, newer fans wanting to learn more about the industry and established fans will delight in David's frank and open commentaries. VERDICT Highly recommended for comic book fans and those wanting to learn more about this wonderful genre.—Deborah Hicks, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton

Feminist issues, metaphysical concepts of love and death, stream of consciousness—all emerge in the crisp, engaging fiction of Brazilian author Clarice Lispector (e.g., Near to the Wild Heart). Widely read in South America, Lispector is not well known in the United States, although most academic libraries have carried her works and critiques of her writing for years. Now Moser, a book columnist at Harper's and a contributor to the New York Review of Books, presents a biography for nonacademic readers. Moser shows how turbulence in Lispector's life appears in her writing. Her Ukrainian Jewish family migrated to Brazil in 1921 when she was an infant, victims of the brutal pogroms following the Russian Revolution. Brazil's troubled politics and her role as a diplomat's wife also influenced her work. Moser's numerous sources include Lispector's own novels, interviews, and personal correspondence; histories of Ukraine and of the Jewish people during the 20th century; and family narratives. VERDICT Readers wanting a straightforward biography may be distracted by the layers of history Moser inserts, but historians of South American and Jewish cultures will appreciate Moser's research. A good introduction to an author worth knowing about.—Nedra Crowe Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib., CA

Marcus (Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music) and Sollors (English & Afro-American studies, Harvard) trace through literature the dynamism of American society and culture spanning 500 years, from the first time the name America appears on a map (1507) to the election of Barack Obama as president. The editors include over 200 chronologically arranged essays, original to this volume and including Camille Paglia on Tennessee Williams, Paula Rabinowitz on FDR's first fireside chat, David Treuer on Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha, Michael Tolkin on Alcoholics Anonymous, and Paul Muldoon on Carl Sandburg. The editors selected the entries from a pool of over 400 essays, requiring that each deal with a turning point, a new question, or a time when "what before seemed impossible came to seem necessary or inevitable." VERDICT No single volume can fully capture the range of a nation's literary history, but this book succeeds in highlighting new ideas and providing a starting point for further investigation. Above all, it is a pleasure to read.—Mark Alan Williams, Library of Congress

Much has been written about the famous literary couple de Beauvoir and Sartre. Having gained access to their private journals and letters after their deaths, scholars have been reassessing their lives and their relationship. Drawing from primary and secondary sources, Seymour-Jones (Painted Shadow: The Life of Vivienne Eliot) creates an absorbing and not always positive dual biography of these two complicated individuals. Her work spans their lives from childhood through their war, postwar, and twilight years. The author often underscores the major discrepancies between their memoirs/interviews and what they wrote privately in journals and letters. Like characters in Laclos's eponymous novel, Sartre and de Beauvoir callously played with people's lives; de Beauvoir would choose women for Sartre to seduce and then cruelly reject. Initially, this couple was apathetic about politics and expressed little resistance to the German occupation during World War II despite their later leftist tendencies. VERDICT An important contribution to the study of de Beauvoir and Sartre that will be appreciated both by general readers and by scholars of French literature and culture and women's studies.—Erica Swenson Danowitz, Delaware Cty. Community Coll., Media, PA

Booker Prize-winning novelist Swift here collects his essays, interviews, poetry, and other nonfiction pieces, many of which have previously appeared in various magazines and books. Swift has slightly revised some works and has written new introductions for the pieces. The topics range from autobiography, appreciations of other English colleagues (e.g., Ted Hughes, Caryl Phillips, Kazuo Ishiguro), and amusing stories about the filming of two of his most famous works, Waterland and Last Orders. The title essay is a touching portrait of Swift's late father, and there is a fascinating longer article about his search for an imprisoned Czech writer ("Looking for Jirí Wolf"). A number of pieces deal with the novelist's feelings about what is real and what is imagined in his fiction. The tone ranges from self-deprecating humor to high seriousness, with some essays reflecting both modes. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Swift in particular and British fiction in general, as well as for aspiring authors interested in how a novelist creates. Poetry lovers will enjoy the 40 pages of his rare excursions into verse. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/09.]—Morris Hounion, New York City Coll. of Technology Lib., CUNY

Nina Simone was one of jazz's greatest performers, but biographical works concerning her are few, perhaps because she pushed so many people away. A complex and troubled woman, Simone would verbally assault her audiences; she reputedly came from a nearly loveless upbringing, suffered from mental illness, and was naive prey in a music industry of sharks. This is a far different story from that of child prodigy Eunice Waymon, a quiet girl who dreamed of nothing more than becoming a classical pianist. Waymon would, however, grow up to be Nina Simone. Combining interviews with Simone's friends and colleagues and information from albums and Simone's autobiography, I Put a Spell on You, French music writer Brun-Lambert portrays the racial discrimination, rejection, and abandonment Simone experienced, which snowballed to create a legend who felt betrayed and lonely. VERDICT This first full-length biography of Simone is highly recommended for jazz music lovers as well as those interested in the Civil Rights Movement.—Brian Sherman, McNeese State Univ. Lib., Lake Charles, LA

Despite numerous film retrospectives and analyses of Eastwood as a director, this is the first full-blown (though unauthorized) biography since Patrick McGilligan's 2002 Clint: The Life and Legend. Best-selling biographer Eliot (Cary Grant) brings the reader up to date on Eastwood's life and includes some of Eastwood's richest creative years, during which he produced Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, Changeling, and Gran Torino. Like McGilligan, Eliot highlights Eastwood's small-town roots, his stint on TV (Rawhide), the spaghetti Westerns, his penchant for living life on his own terms, and his philandering, but Eliot's book is far more flattering. Eliot's love of movies is apparent, and he seeks to cement Eastwood's legacy as a "legitimate auteur, intriguing, unique, talented, and compelling." Eliot addresses the difficulties in writing biographies about celebrities who are still alive, and though this book was written without interviewing Eastwood, it is well researched. VERDICT Though the writing style is spare, the book is entertaining and informative. Celebrity watchers and film students alike will enjoy.—Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA

Jazz studies usually focus on facts and figures or appreciation and interpretation. This new work skillfully blends both approaches in a deeply informed and analytical way that is clear for beginners yet not condescending to aficionados. DeVeaux's (jazz history, Univ. of Virginia; The Birth of Bebop) scholarly knowledge blends evenly with Giddins's (Visions of Jazz) skills as a reviewer, though this highly accessible history and appreciation could use more of Giddins's natural style and a less scholarly tone. The book contains 78 listening guides written with "mostly nonmusicological descriptions," unlike many guides that provide musical transcriptions without descriptive accompaniment. The songs in question are available on a four-CD set that can be ordered separately; as several of these songs are hard to find, the CDs should have accompanied the book, however much that might have increased the price. VERDICT This can and will be used successfully as a textbook and, as such, is less for the casual listener than anyone seriously interested in exploring jazz. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/09.]—Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA

More than three decades after Charles Chaplin's death and after hundreds of books about the film legend have been written, does the world need another book about Chaplin? Biographer Louvish (Mae West; Stan and Ollie; Cecil B. DeMille) believes so. He isn't interested in Charlie the man, per se, but rather with the journey of his most famous character, the Tramp. It is difficult for our modern era to truly comprehend just how famous Chaplin was in his heyday—a global superstar in an age before television and the Internet. To those legions of fans, Chaplin was the Tramp. Louvish sets out to explore not the man but the mask through synopses of his films and perceptive observations into the relationship between an artist's creation and his audience. VERDICT Those new to Chaplin should start with David Robinson's Chaplin: His Life and Art, which is widely held as the definitive biography. Louvish's book is best for those interested in early film, the cult of celebrity, or the 1910s–30s.—Teri Shiel, Westfield State Coll. Lib., MA

Masur (1831: Year of Eclipse; Autumn Glory: Baseball's First World Series) has written what is essentially the biography of a classic American rock album. In 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born To Run, a collection of songs articulating the desire to escape, the promise and sometimes futility of personal dreams, and, ultimately, the search for connection and love. After briefly examining Springsteen's early life and work, Masur details the painstaking making of the album, analyzes each song's lyrics and musicality, discusses the album's reception and what he refers to as its spatial and temporal "geography," and relates its impact and continued resonance. Masur includes quotes from published interviews and articles from critics, musicians, and Springsteen himself, who eloquently reflects on his art and vision and the album that defined themes he continues to explore. VERDICT Springsteen fans and rock devotees generally will want to read this well-thought-out book. While not a lot of new information is presented, the synthesis of history and analysis of a specific album is different from the many works published about Springsteen.—Jim Collins, Morristown & Morris Twp. Lib., NJ

Members of the Woodstock nation would have been hard pressed to find the likes of Rudy Vallée, Al Jolson, or any other hit makers of 1929 on their car radios as they were stuck miles deep in traffic on their way to the festival chronicled in Pollock's (Rock Song Index) sprawling take on a historic year. Forty years on, the music of 1969 is unavoidable, driving classic rock radio and iTunes sales. Pollock provides the social and political background, discusses regional musical and recording differences, and devotes sections to albums, singles, and festivals. With such a large scope, the book becomes something of a survey course, and Pollock does include more autobiography, repetition, and bias (the author wrote the liner notes for a Sha Na Na LP and rates their influence a little too highly) than necessary. VERDICT Readers with a strong interest in Woodstock should look to Michael Lang's The Road to Woodstock or Pete Fornatale's Back to the Garden; for others, Pollock provides a wide-ranging overview of musical happenings during that memorable year.—Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

In Grace Kelly's brief but spectacular career (1950–56), she made almost a dozen films in which she starred opposite Hollywood's leading men until she married Prince Rainier of Monaco. Using an extensive series of interviews he conducted with the princess, best-selling biographer Spoto (Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies) has produced an affectionate portrait, which, at her request, he waited 25 years after her death to publish. Spoto covers Kelly's life chronologically, from her childhood and early career through her growing distaste for the Hollywood scene, her enduring friendships with costars and Alfred Hitchcock, and her little-known support for civil rights. There is comparatively slight coverage of her years in Monaco, and readers looking for information on her life as princess may be disappointed. Spoto scored a coup in securing wide-ranging interviews with Kelly—the book's outstanding feature. VERDICT Spoto's obvious fondness for his subject, plus his intimate knowledge of how Hollywood works, make this honest, refined biography an appealing read for movie buffs and the star struck alike. Arguably the best general book on Grace Kelly currently available.—Stephen Rees, Levittown Lib., PA

Teachout (The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken), a former jazz bassist, weaves together scholarly work, primary sources (e.g., newly available recordings of Armstrong's conversations), and his subject's extensive writings to produce a lively biography of the first jazz icon. Starting with Armstrong's deprived childhood in New Orleans, he writes about the trumpeter's stint with Joe Oliver's band, his marriage, and his move to New York. Teachout continues with Pops's seminal work in the late 1920s, charts his rise to international fame, and concludes with his swing-era fall from the spotlight and revived interest in his small combo in 1947 to his death in 1971. Overall, the author successfully shows the complexity of Armstrong, who onstage seemed eternally happy but exploded in moodiness in private, who insisted on a doctrine of self-help but exhibited boundless generosity, and who seemed passive but criticized President Eisenhower for his racist policies. VERDICT Though unearthing no new revelations, Teachout offers a readable, reliable, and evenhanded account of the life of Louis Armstrong that complements biographies that are more groundbreaking (e.g., Thomas Brothers's Louis Armstrong's New Orleans) or controversial (James Lincoln Collier's Louis Armstrong: An American Genius).—Dave Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Pop icon Williams's memoir is an entertaining look at a show-business life that began in Iowa and progressed steadily to a worldwide career. After the Williams Brothers Quartet (Andy Williams and his three brothers) broke up in the early 1950s, Williams went out on his own, at first with little success. Eventually, he was given his own television variety show in 1962 and became one of the best-known pop crooners in the post-World War II era. His book is a treasure trove of anecdotes from the celebrity world. He was acquainted with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Chico Marx, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Fred MacMurray; Williams was a fast friend of Robert and Ethel Kennedy. The singer's fans will be absorbed by his accounts of his early years in the Midwest and Hollywood, his marriage to Claudine Longet and his role in her trial for manslaughter, and his therapeutic use of LSD. VERDICT An entertaining read for those who love celebrity biographies or autobiographies, especially those who remember the pop scene in the 1950s and 1960s.—Bruce R. Schueneman, Texas A&M Univ. Lib., Kingsville

In a short work that's part of Profile Books' "Big Ideas" series, Baggini (Atheism: A Very Short Introduction) examines a common occurrence in our daily lives: complaining. Often, our complaints are gripes about everyday events or things we cannot change. While Baggini addresses these types of minor complaints, he is more concerned with examining how complaint can be used as a way to confront social injustice. He explains that complaint "is a sense that things are not as they ought to be." For Baggini, our complaints should be based on reason and reflection and should stem from moral considerations rather than a sense of entitlement or unrealistic expectations. This will help us shed our negative perception of complaint and allow our complaints to be used to bring about positive change. VERDICT Baggini does a wonderful job of showing the complexity of a topic that on the surface seems very simple. His clear writing style and presentation makes this a very engaging book that will appeal to a wide range of readers.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

Sinnott-Armstrong (philosophy & legal studies, Dartmouth Coll.) is in no doubt about the question posed in his book's title. Not only is morality possible without God, but belief in God is, in his view, harmful to proper morality. Theists argue that without God, we have no reason to be moral. Sinnott-Armstrong writes that morality has an objective basis in avoiding harm to others, and the desire to avoid inflicting such harms gives us sufficient reason to be moral. Divine command theories of morality are arbitrary and do not offer an adequate foundation for morality. Sinnott-Armstrong claims that the Bible contains commands inconsistent with ordinary morality. Historical experience supports these conclusions of moral theory: in practice, atheists are not morally worse than believers and are often better. The book is well argued, although readers who go on to consult the author's more technical Moral Skepticisms may be surprised at the limited nature of his commitment to moral objectivity. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in morality and religion—And who isn't?—David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OH

Addonizio doesn't do pretty; beneath her considerable wit is a wickedly sharp edge. The first section of her third book of poems (after What Is This Thing Called Love) opens with the false bravado of a bar fly: "O everyone's dead and the rain today is marvelous." In the title poem, Lucifer makes a case for taking over as world CEO, promising to do better even than God at being bad. Addonizio cleverly borrows for comic effect ("I have been one acquainted with the spatula"), referencing poets from Berryman to Eliot to Frost, but she owes her true debt to the New York School and the Beats. Her poetry has a deceptively easy feel, spinning tour de force into unexpected intensity, as in "The Smallest Town Alive," which has one sign: Now Entering, Now Leaving. VERDICT No matter how depressing the topic, Addonizio can't help enjoying her own imagination, and the pleasure is infectious: "the moon gets up as usual, heads for the refrigerator or the bathroom,/ then lies awake, longing for/ the Xanax it resembles." A winner.—Ellen Kaufman, New York

What makes a great poem? Voice, as former U.S. poet laureate Glück said in Proofs & Theories, her 1994 essay collection; poems will not survive on content alone. The Wild Iris, which received the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 and established Glück as a poet to be reckoned with, offers a telling example of the mesmerizing power of voice. Unfortunately, only a few of the poems in this 11th collection could be called mesmerizing. Written from the outside looking in, the poems concern love, courtship, sexual liaisons, birth, and death as experienced by ordinary inhabitants of a nameless village, as well as the earthworms, bats, dogs, and mice that co-inhabit the place. A first-person narrator holds the poems together and gives the collection its somewhat bleak focus. VERDICT Readers will be reminded of Edgar Lee Masters's Spoon River Anthology, especially as the poet notes the underlying "savagery of this place,/ the way it kills people for no reason." But instead of presenting an insightful portrait brimming with irony à la Masters, Glück's poetry seems more like a quick sketch. Recommended for those who read poetry extensively.—Diane Scharper, Towson Univ., MD

In his first book, Juniper Prize winner Klatt marches through the jungle of overused words and symbols to create a refined language yearning to be new. Mixing references to cultural symbols, popular games, and mass media figures, his poems sometimes reflect the influence of poet Ezra Pound, especially in his integration of shapes or figures with nonliterary texts to create a poetic effect. In this regard, he acts like a prophet and a repairman; he is both a visionary and a fixer of our sensual and intellectual antennae. In the end, the poems feel like they're in the process of realizing life rather than simply expressing it, with surreal imagery and humor used to restore a sense of elusiveness to the language: "My name was smeared after the cigar butt/ of the sun had fizzled out West/ & my hands had left hoof prints on wet cement." VERDICT Klatt's poems are charged with primeval energy that rejects finalities in meaning and embraces the act of becoming. The result is rewarding reading for those who seek a unique and fresh poetic voice.—Sadiq Alkoriji, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL

In his fourth collection (following Mississippi Sudan), Miller explores the shared terrain of the spiritual and the quotidian through carefully wrought poems that also reveal a great depth of emotional intelligence. The author clearly has an affinity for poetry that has come to be called metaphysical—a noted literary critic, he recently published George Herbert's "Holy Patterns"—but he wears his scholarship lightly. The movement from biological to iconographical families enriches poems that address both realms of feeling. A poem called "River," a closely observed narrative that depicts a father's final days from a son's perspective, offers these evocative lines: "I kneel by my father's stapled body./ He suctions thick liquid from his lungs. He coughs to clear them; it hurts. He wants more air. He wants/ To live, the heart's valve's parachutes/ Opening with oxygen to feed/ the body's healing." Miller breaks the stanza between the parachutes and their opening, so that the poem, like the body, rests briefly before lifting itself—and the reader—up from the page. VERDICT For all readers of poetry, not just those who can appreciate the references to Herbert and Donne.—Sue Russell, Bryn Mawr, PA

"You will hold to a faith absurd in its forgiveness of God./ I will blind the eye of my beholder." In this new volume, award-winning poet Rawson (Quarry) doesn't turn a blind eye; even the removal of a tree is cause for unrest. Yet in the world in which these poems live, in which we all reside, there are more serious upheavals: the first female suicide bomber in Baghdad; a boxcar of immigrants, forgotten for months; bombers strafing a nearby field—all kill-boxes of the modern world. In a series of long, lyric-narrative poems, Rawson uses lines built of equally extended and sometimes fragmented images to create a conceit that links the narrator's garden and the unruly beauty of crows with global mayhem: "when one of us twitches the/ others' nerves detonate." Rawson makes liberal use of the popular vernacular—words like blowback, incursion, insurgency, occupation, and kill-box that have become common—and like all of us wonders what to do about this ceaseless hot static everywhere. VERDICT This is sometimes difficult material but worth the effort.—Karla Huston, Appleton Arts Ctr., WI

A son who follows in the footsteps of his father must acknowledge parental influence even as he struggles to create work that is formally and stylistically distinct. In his poetry (e.g., Walking to Martha's Vineyard), Wright has long alluded to his troubled relationship with his father, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Wright, and this volume is peppered with similar references. The elder Wright showed an affinity for outcasts in his work, and the narrators of Franz Wright's poetry seem determined to embody those qualities that so fascinated the father. This work relates harrowing tales of mental breakdown and substance abuse in a tone that is almost confessional, and the poem's protagonists often view the external world as a malign force to be resisted or overcome by sheer will. Wright's language is at once wry and talky, at times very powerful, but the effect is uneven; sometimes the poems come across as self-absorbed. VERDICT Both bleak and intensely personal, this book will appeal to those with a taste for tragedy.—Chris Pusateri, Jefferson Cty. P.L., Lakewood, CO

Cox (theology, Harvard Divinity Sch.; The Secular City) poses the question "What does the future hold for religion, and for Christianity in particular?" and answers by exploring how religious history has moved through three phases. The Age of Faith lasted from the time of Jesus until Constantine adopted Christianity as the state religion. During the Age of Belief, creeds and doctrinal divisions dominated, but Cox sees an Age of the Spirit underway that is marked by the decline of dogma and the rise of spirituality. In short chapters, he leads readers through the evolution of Christianity as we know it today and speculates on a future where less emphasis is placed on rigid belief systems and more on spiritual experience within the Christian framework. The author of many books that combine scholarship and personal narrative, Cox once again brings a wide range of current scholarship to examine "a profound change in the elemental nature of religiousness." VERDICT Accessible and readable, this is highly recommended for all interested readers.—Diane Harvey, Duke Univ. Libs., Durham, NC

In a well-wrought essay in natural theology that shows the influence of Heidegger and Spinoza while critiquing philosopher René Girard, Johnston examines religious truths from a purely philosophical perspective. Rejecting the arguments of Richard Dawkins and other recent writers advocating atheism, Johnston (philosophy, Princeton) makes the case for religious belief. His is not a religion that includes an afterlife, however. He argues that Jesus's life and, particularly, his crucifixion give us an example of agape, that is, unselfish love. The "other world" is actually meant to be a transformation of this world. VERDICT For a more direct, accessible critique of Dawkins, readers might try Alister E. McGrath and Joanna Collicut McGrath's The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine. Johnston's book, a reflection on the role of religion in leading a meaningful life, is not meant to be highly academic (as his forthcoming Surviving Death will be), but the average reader would need to put a lot of effort into reading it.—Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ

Centuries ago, Jesus Christ asked, "Who do you say I am?" Here, the prolific and best-selling Lahaye ("Left Behind" series) posits the question again. He also asks why the world was and is fascinated by Jesus, a legitimate question since secularists as well as believers esteem Christ's teachings as wise and revolutionary and still at the forefront of theological argument. In this defense of Jesus and Christianity, Lahaye outlines the basics of traditional belief, using the reliability of the Bible and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies as bulwarks in defense of his belief. Of Lahaye's central hypothesis, that Christ remains culturally relevant and influential, there can be no argument. However, nothing new is presented here, and what is presented allows no room for interpretation or disagreement. VERDICT This is a quick, concise, well-written introduction to belief in Jesus Christ that those exposed to academic apologetics will not need. More suitable for general readers, who may use the extensive footnotes for further study.—Nancy Richey, Western Kentucky Univ., Bowling Green

McGrath (theology, religion, & culture, King's Coll., Univ. of London; Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century) has written a scholarly synthesis of recent studies on the history of heresy in the Christian church, incorporating social, cultural, and theological aspects. Although he individually examines numerous heresies (mostly from the patristic period), it is primarily to use them as case studies to illustrate salient points about heresy in general. This work is not intended to be a comprehensive history of heresies but a history of the development of the concept of heresy, including its implications for the church today. Throughout, McGrath contrasts his findings with various other perspectives from church history, including the currently fashionable view of heresy as the heroic suppressed victim of history's arbitrary winners, found in many newer works about noncanonical gospels, Gnosticism, or the historical Jesus. VERDICT Although there are sections in which McGrath seems to wander away from the book's principal focus, this is still a useful contribution to the dialog on the nature of heresy from an orthodox Protestant perspective. Recommended for students of theology.—Brian T. Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

This book actually tells not one but several stories: the grueling feat of undertaking Victorian-era Middle Eastern travel, especially for well-born ladies; the theological and cultural misgivings between Scots Presbyterian sensibilities and Greek Orthodox monasticism; the serendipity, misogyny, and double dealings that lie behind some of the greatest biblical manuscript finds of the 19th century; bickering between academic and scholarly egos; and what the lives of intelligent, educated Protestant widows looked like in Britain in the late 1800s. The two determined Scottish sisters discussed here strove to break free from those limited cultural constraints. Soskice (philosophical theology, Univ. of Cambridge; The Kindness of God) knits all these strains together, offering a fascinating look at the lives of twins Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Smith Gibson, who are credited with uncovering the earliest known copies of the Gospels in Syriac, the language of Jesus, at the monastery of St. Catherine's at Mount Sinai. VERDICT Rich in detail, this is really the story of the twins' lives set against the momentous manuscript work that was their Christian witness and calling. Recommended for a wide readership, not just those interested in religion.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA

Recent books by authors such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens lay out some of the core ideas of what has been dubbed the "New Atheism" and have generated significant buzz. Stenger (philosophy, Univ. of Colorado; God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist) continues the debate with a review and defense of some of the key principles of the New Atheism as well as a general response to some of its critics. This book is largely focused on the scientific and expands upon Stenger's thesis that the question of God's existence is not beyond science. It also debunks numerous myths about religion and atheism and explores the possibility of a nontheistic "way of nature" based on the teachings of ancient sages such as Lao Tzu. VERDICT Although the text is not as engaging or well written as some of the other New Atheist books, and the level and quantity of science may make it difficult for some general readers, this book is recommended for those already interested and engaged in the current discussion about God and religion, from either side of the fence.—Brian T. Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

As new books about NASCAR auto racing continue to appear, one hopes for fresh directions or new outlooks on ground already well trodden. This offers neither, but it may have appeal as an introductory survey of NASCAR's past and present for young or novice fans. This largely photographic work provides a snapshot overview of selected drivers, grouped by legends, champions, and current drivers. White (The Bobby Allison Story) briefly profiles each driver, including some racing history, milestones, and statistics. Kinrade's (photographer, Jimmie Johnson) many large photographs, most in vivid color, show each profiled driver and his cars. What works against the book are its many inconsistencies and errors, e.g., the pairing of one driver's profile with a photo of a car of a different driver. Photo captions, which would clear up many ambiguities, are a serious omission. VERDICT Though this book may be of interest for newer or casual NASCAR fans, public libraries should certainly approach it as an optional purchase.—David Van de Streek, Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs., York