Xpress Reviews—First Look at New Books
-- Library Journal, 8/28/2009 8:53:00 AM
The week of August 28, 2009
Fiction | Nonfiction
Fiction
Carillo, Charlie. Raising Jake. Kensington. Sept. 2009. 341p. ISBN 978-0-7582-3504-6. pap. $15. F
Tabloid reporter Sammy Sullivan loses his job with the New York Star on the same day his 17-year-old son, Jake, gets expelled from his prep school. Unprepared to deal with Jake’s mother’s reaction, father and son spend two days together, with Sammy finally sharing stories of his Queens, NY, childhood. Going back to the old neighborhood is exhilarating for Jake and terrifying for his old man, who still vividly remembers his mother’s religious fanaticism: "Moths bumped into [the bare bulb in the garage ceiling], bounced off, came back for more. Moths would make great Catholics." The two are in the dark on so many levels but finally realize that the truth really does set you free.
Verdict Former New York Post reporter Carillo (My Ride with Gus) nails the language, the bluster, the rhythm, and the pulse of New York and its denizens. Fans of Jonathan Tropper will go for this one in a big way.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal
Cashmore, Ellis. Martin Scorsese's America. Polity, dist. by Wiley. Oct. 2009. c.304p. photogs. filmog. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-7456-4522-3. $59.95; pap. ISBN 978-0-7456-4523-0. $19.95. FILM
Several books have recently been published about the legendary director (e.g., Mark T. Conrad’s The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese and Roger Ebert’s Scorsese by Ebert), but Cashmore (culture, media, & sport, Staffordshire Univ., UK; Tyson: Nurture of the Beast) looks less at each film and more at Scorsese’s central themes: his fixation on masculinity and obsessions with material or emotional comfort—and what such preoccupations suggest about the director’s vision of America. Cashmore’s analyses of Scorsese’s oeuvre enhance his exploration of the thematic unity of Scorsese’s work.
Verdict Cashmore writes well, though his tone is more analytic than engaging. The only drawback is the lack of new ideas; while his approach differs, he arrives at the same conclusions as much of the previous scholarship. A worthwhile read for serious students or fans.—Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA
Christakis, Nicholas A. & James H. Fowler. Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives. Little, Brown. Sept. 2009. c.320p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-316-03614-6. $25.99. PSYCH
Christakis (health-care policy, sociology & medicine, Harvard) and Fowler (political science, Univ. of California, San Diego) offer up social psychology lite in this wide-ranging work that covers everything from the early Milgram studies on obedience to the latest analysis of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Their core argument is that social connectedness has some genetic base. The nuanced discussions about voter behavior and political influence are the strongest sections. There are also intriguing insights about the social contagion of obesity, smoking, binge drinking, and suicide.
Verdict Readers interested in social media will likely prefer the more focused and scholarly contemporary classics, e.g., James Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds, Stephen Johnson's Emergence, and Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.—Fran Mentch, Cleveland State Univ. Lib., OH
Clemons, Clarence & Don Reo. Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales. Grand Central. Oct. 2009. c.384p. ISBN 978-0-446-54626-3. $26.99. MUSIC
Clemons, the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for the last 35 years, and his friend Reo offer something distinctive in the rock autobiographical canon. In a series of first-person vignettes and set pieces that don’t always follow a strict chronology, Clemons writes about his close personal and musical relationship with Springsteen, what music means to him, touring around the world, and his more recent struggle with chronic pain. Interspersed are digressive third-person chapters comprising humorous observations and embellishments (e.g., playing pool with Fidel Castro and meeting Norman Mailer).
Verdict This is the first memoir from an E Street Band member, and its approach distinguishes it in the Springsteen scholarship. Clemons’s larger-than-life persona and love of storytelling shine. Essential reading for Springsteen fans. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/09.]—Jim Collins, Morristown–Morris Twp. Lib., NJ
Golway, Terry. Together We Cannot Fail: FDR and the American Presidency in Years of Crisis. Sourcebooks MediaFusion. Oct. 2009. c.316p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-4022-1716-6. $29.99 with CD. HIST
Award-winning historian Golway (Let Every Nation Know) offers a well-researched scholarly work that is also a readable page-turner. As with his previous books, a CD of the subject’s speeches is included. Here, it is particularly effective because Roosevelt has been called the first media president. The combination of the CD and Golway’s writing is sometimes poignant, and hearing FDR’s words is powerful. Since the release of World War II records and because of today’s acceptance of FDR’s physical handicaps and complex marriage, Golway is able to provide a new look at the mid-20th century. He also includes excellent notes, bibliography, illustrations, and indexing.
Verdict This should be a hit with high schoolers, college students, and general readers.—Suzanne Lay, Perry H.S., GA
Javerbaum, David. What To Expect When You're Expected: A Fetus's Guide to the First Three Trimesters. Spiegel & Grau. Oct. 2009. c.256p. illus. ISBN 978-0-385-52647-0. pap. $15. HUMOR
Who knew that the not-yet-born needed self-help books? Javerbaum, an Emmy Award–winning executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and a coauthor of America: The Book, spoofs child rearing classic What To Expect When You’re Expecting, covering each trimester and offering bits of wit and wisdom (presumably to the fetus). DNA, the author says, "stands for 'Do Not Alter,'" and he suggests that the fetus engage in blogging to keep the world informed about his or her development. Readers are also treated to amusing charts of breast-feeding positions and lists of possible names.
Verdict Although some of the content is in dubious taste and the language is at times crude by anyone's standards, that's the point. This is undeniably entertaining stuff. Buy where humor books are popular and if your community appreciates Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. [See our Q&A with Javerbaum in 9/17/09 BookSmack!]—Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., CA
New, Elisa. Jacob's Cane: A Jewish Family's Journey from the Four Lands of Lithuania to the Ports of London and Baltimore. Basic Bks: Perseus. Oct. 2009. c.352p. illus. ISBN 978-0-465-01525-2. $27.95. AUTOBIOG
After being shown her great-grandfather’s beautifully inscribed cane, New (English, Harvard Univ.) embarks on a journey spanning the globe to uncover her family’s history. Using the cane as her guide, New traces her family’s footprints to such diverse places as Baltimore, London, and Lithuania and delves into the background of each of her relatives. One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is her description of the tobacco industry and its effects on trade between Europe and America. New masterfully weaves information about tobacco’s cultivation and production into her tale, creating a beautiful tapestry depicting her family’s struggles and successes in this industry.
Verdict A remarkable story of five generations of a family and of Jewish American immigrants; genealogy and memoir lovers will savor this. New’s memoir might even inspire readers to begin their own family history journeys.—Troy Reed, Southeast Regional Lib., Gilbert, AZ
Stillman, William. Empowered Autism Parenting: Celebrating (and Defending) Your Child's Place in the World. Jossey-Bass: Wiley. Aug. 2009. c.220p. index. ISBN 978-0-470-47587-4. pap. $16.95. PSYCH
Stillman, an adult with Asperger’s syndrome, encourages parents of children with autism to try to understand their child’s perspective of the disorder. He urges parents to discard a "fix-it" mentality and instead embrace their children as they are and to recognize their intelligence, and contribution to society, without viewing their difficulties or deficits as a hindrance. Stillman discounts the medical and diagnostic perceptions of autism to propose a reverence of those with differences and a desire to understand better their unique communication methods and insights.
Verdict While the author makes many good points about how those with differences should be accepted in society, and Person-First language is a great way to start, medical and therapeutic interventions may be of as much benefit as an understanding parent. But for it’s suggestions of cultivating a healthier mindset, it’s a winner.—Lisa M. Jordan, Johnson Cty. Lib., KS
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