Magazine Reviews

Reviews of HerStoria, a new feminist mag; University Link, by & for college kids

By Steve Black -- Library Journal, 09/01/2009

New Reviews for September:
Fit Parent | HerStoria | Lalitamba | University Link | Zone 4

Fit Parent. 2009. bi-m. $12. Ed: Rose Reisman. ISSN 1916-4793. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Parenting. Issues examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Mar./Apr.; No. 2, May/Jun. 2009)
Distributed for free by Loblaw Companies, the largest retailer in Canada, Fit Parent is also available by subscription in the United States. This glossy, colorful lifestyle magazine focuses on fitness and good nutrition for children and young adults. Magazines of this sort are sometimes little more than an excuse for product placements, but Fit Parent uses a light touch in describing products sold by Loblaw. For instance, several articles about fitness don’t recommend buying anything and describe ways to be active for no cost beyond one’s time. Other content is the typical lifestyle mix of celebrity profiles, media reviews, recipes, and the inevitable descriptions of new products. Fit Parent is notable primarily for being targeted to a Canadian audience. It’s a good choice for public libraries wanting to offer a lifestyle magazine different from what’s found in U.S. supermarkets.

HerStoria. 2009. q. £29. Ed: Claire Jones. ISSN 1759-1449. illus. adv. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: Women—History. Issues examined: Issue 1, Spring; Issue 2, Summer 2009)
Independently published in England by the editor, HerStoria is a popular, glossy history magazine dedicated to telling the stories of women and exploring events from a female perspective. Articles in the examined issues address 18th-century manuals for the conduct of women, the lack of women historians on British TV, women and Christianity, and Victorian travel writer Isabella Bird. Of special interest is the regular column “Women’s History Walk,” which in Issue 2 is a guided tour of important landmarks of women’s history in Liverpool. Each issue includes book reviews and brief notices of competitions, conferences, and exhibits. The predominantly British perspective of HerStoria gives it a clear focus that may lessen its appeal to American readers, but its themes should resonate with anyone interested in women’s history. Competently written and attractively produced, HerStoria is a good choice for public libraries and for popular history collections in academic libraries.

Lalitamba. 2004. bi-a. $10/issue. Ed: Swamini Sri Lalitambika Devi. ISSN 1930-0662. Aud: GA (Subject: Lyric Poetry. Issues examined: Issue 2, 2006; Issue 3, 2009)
Lalitamba is a literary journal of devotional writings from a variety of faiths including Hinduism, Sufism, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. The most recent issue includes a handful of essays and short fiction, one interview, and about six dozen short poems. Printed on heavy paper with ample white space and no illustrations, the publication features a style that is simple and doesn’t distract from the text. Information on the back cover and the journal’s web site might lead one to suspect maudlin or sappy content, but the prose and poetry are sophisticated and well wrought, all suffused with a zenlike calm. Lalitamba is the antithesis of edgy lit mags. As such, it may have limited appeal for devotees of literary studies, but it would be a good choice to balance the avant-garde material in a collection of literary journals.

University Link Magazine. 2009. 10/yr. $20. Ed: Taylor Van Arsdale. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: College Students. Issues examined: Apr., May, Jun. 2009)
Assuming it can attract enough good writing from student authors, this lifestyle magazine should appeal to the younger patrons of college and university libraries. The concept is to publish articles by and for college students. The eclectic mix is written by authors from colleges across the country and ranges from serious tips for working in groups to articles on how to play beer pong. The majority of content is on the frivolous end of that spectrum. Promoted as an “edgy, fun, socially conscious campus magazine,” it fulfills the first two but needs work on social consciousness. An article in the May issue claims that global warming is not caused by humans (it’s just a power grab by Al Gore), and the magazine tacitly endorses binge drinking. University Link is an appropriate choice for college libraries whose collection development policies include offering what students want to read and not just what they should read.

Zone 4: Living in the High Country West. 2009. q. $24. Ed: Dan Spurr. ISSN 1946-0260. illus. adv. Aud: GA (Subject: Gardening—Rocky Mountains Region. Issue examined: No. 1, Spring 2009)
This gardening magazine for folks who live where winters get to 30° below zero, the growing season is short, and summers are hot and dry features full-color photography and a simple design to complement the no-nonsense articles. While definitely tailored to the target market with articles like “Growing a Year’s Worth of Vegetables in 90 Days,” much of the content has broader appeal. Sound advice is given on such topics as seed selection, how to amend soil, and bee-friendly plants. Many of the advertisements and some of the articles are specific to the region around Bozeman, MT, where the magazine is based. Zone 4 is an excellent and highly recommended choice for libraries in that area; it is also a good choice for anyone who has to struggle against nature to harvest a ripe tomato.

See Magazine Reviews for May–August