Science & Technology

Award-winning UK landscape designers Diarmuid and Conran (coauthors, Outdoors: The Garden Design Book for the Twenty-First Century) team up again, now with the basics needed to plan a successful garden. Those anxious to start digging in the dirt right away will quickly discover these authors want gardeners first to spend some serious time thinking about what is going to work best for them in their individual horticultural circumstances. While the focus is more on the philosophical side of landscape design, a few case studies of individual gardens are included to illustrate the main points. From using color wisely to choosing the right plant for the right place, the information Diarmuid and Conran include is certainly not new or revolutionary, but it embodies exactly the kind of sound design principles that new gardeners (or even longtime gardeners looking for a refresher) need if they want their gardens to flourish in the long run. VERDICT This landscape design philosophy—with a British accent—is for both armchair gardeners and real planters wishing to understand the nuts and bolts involved in creating a good garden.—John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ

Anyone who has spent a sleepless night will be tempted by the title of this book. Kornblatt (A Better Brain at Any Age) has developed a New Age methodology to manage sleepless nights and emerge relaxed from sleeplessness. Her Restful Insomnia (RI) program is a conscious meditative approach that draws on many holistic agencies, including diet, various stress-relieving means, evening rituals, yoga, and other relaxing strategies, to create distance from random thoughts and a "conscious mind," which keep one awake at night. Each relaxing procedure—e.g., "creating a night nest," "wisdom writing," "finding your spiritual center," "grounding," and "positive focus"—is presented in step-by-step detail interspersed with none-too-useful digressions from Kornblatt's case studies in RI. VERDICT Gayle Greene's Insomniac is a better choice for those needing an everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-insomnia book. Kornblatt's book is an optional purchase for those interested in exploring meditative or stress-relieving techniques.—James Swanton, Harlem Hosp. Lib., New York

In this moving book, Linde (psychiatry, Univ. of California; Of Spirits and Madness: An American Psychiatrist in Africa) relates the challenges, joys, and potential gut-wrenching errors of his work as an emergency room psychiatrist at a public hospital, who is encountering those on the margins of society in the midst of illness. Few of the many recent books on therapy, psychoactive medications, and American mental health services put human faces on their subjects as Linde does. He writes with grace, honesty, and humility about the psychiatrist's task of judging the mind and heart of another human being while remaining convinced that medicine can play a role in restoration and healing. VERDICT Those who enjoy the writings of Oliver Sacks and Sherwin B. Nuland will be enlightened by Linde's compassion and carefully wrought prose. Students of health policy, counseling, and psychology will find insight here as well.—Aaron Klink, Duke Univ., Durham, NC

The Census of Marine Life is a global network of scientists in more than 80 nations involved in a ten-year project to assess and explain the diversity of life in the oceans. On first examination, this appears to be a typical oversize book dedicated to beautiful underwater photography; however, in well-written text, Crist (American Gargoyles), Gail Scowcroft (associate director, Office of Marine Programs, Univ. of Rhode Island), and marine scientist James M. Harding Jr. describe the various aspects of the Census for the educated layperson. Illustrated with examples of creatures found in all parts of the oceans, including many newly discovered and never-before-described species, chapters cover the different project groups, how they are gathering and publishing data, and why this is important. Several one- to four-page inserts explain such concepts as hydrothermal processes and the global ocean current conveyor belt. VERDICT Intended to promote this important project, scheduled to be completed in 2010, this will appeal to readers attracted to nature photography as well as anyone interested in the ocean, science, or global climate change. Also useful for high school or college courses on climate, oceanography, or biology.—Maggie Roux, MBLWHOI Lib., Woods Hole, MA

Comprising 1,000,000 square miles and stretching 1800 miles from southern Canada to northern Mexico, the American Great Plains is one of the world's largest grassland ecosystems. Increasingly, the biodiversity of this historically resilient region is threatened by human population growth, agriculture, and climate change. In an effort to address the environmental plight of his native region, Nebraska-based photographer Forsberg has created an exquisite, bittersweet love song to the Great Plains. This magnificent pictorial collection represents three years of field work, and every image is worth lingering over. Readers unfamiliar with the Great Plains will appreciate historical geographer David Wishart's extensive introduction, which illuminates the region's often overlooked significance in American history. Award-winning novelist O'Brien (The Contract Surgeon) contributes a series of short essays reflecting his trademark mix of sentiment and cynicism, and the lyrical foreword by American poet laureate Ted Kooser is not to be missed. VERDICT Essential for readers interested in Midwestern history, ecology, and wildlife; fans of Midwestern literature will also enjoy.—Kelsy Peterson, Prairie Village, KS

Charles Darwin's observations 170 years ago indicated evidence of evolutionary processes in a nearly intact microcosm untouched by outside influences. In the intervening years, researchers have brought funding, and tourists have introduced elements of damage to the Galápagos Islands' fragile ecosystem. Published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Galápagos National Park and to promote the future preservation of this archipelago, this is an anthology of authoritative essays by international scientists of note and local naturalists—experts in the islands' volcanoes, plants, and exotic species. Accompanying the pieces are the stunning 600 color photographs by editor de Roy, who was raised and lived here for 40 years and is considered to be the world's most respected photographer of the these islands. VERDICT These readable essays and stunning photographs are highly recommended for amateur and professional naturalists and will grace many coffee tables.—Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll.-Penn Valley, Kansas City, MO

Incorporating medicine, literature, cultural studies, philosophy, and critical theory, McGilchrist, a London psychiatrist with an interest in brain research, presents an interdisciplinary perspective on the brain and the rise of Western civilization. Writing in a scholarly yet engaging, approachable, and humorous tone, he flows between anatomical descriptions of the brain and the critical theory and philosophies of Heidegger, Descartes, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Erasmus, and others. His major thesis is that the essential differences between the right and left hemispheres of the brain—with the right ("the Master") attending to the "Other" and one's relationship to the "Other," and the left ("the Emissary") creating a self-directed, self-contained world disconnected from the "Other"—have been instrumental in shaping our culture. He argues that we desperately need to begin to engage the right hemisphere's attunement to broader relationships, capacity for emotion, and ability to empathize if we want to avoid forfeiting the left-brain-oriented civilization we have created. VERDICT With 57 pages of notes and a 67-page bibliography, McGilchrist's dense tome may intimidate some readers, but his fascinating ideas are sure to attract academics and cultural critics.—Candice Kail, Columbia Univ. Libs., New York