Arts & Humanities

This title presents 300 high-resolution color images of clothing, including shoes, scarves, hair ornaments, masks, leggings, and belts, created primarily in the 19th century by native North Americans. Divided into 12 chapters covering native culture, climate, and information about the arrival of Europeans, the essays are scholarly without being complicated. This detail-rich anthology is Brasser's (art history, Carleton Univ. & Trent Univ.) second book on Native American art and is padded with his scholarly background as curator for the National Museum of Ethnology, Netherlands, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. VERDICT A good introduction to Native American culture and North American history for high school students and undergraduates, especially those interested in Native American clothing and art.—Valerie Nye, College of Santa Fe, NM

This first full-scale, lavishly illustrated, and colorful study of well-known artist Chris Ofili of Trinidad includes essays by other artists and curators as well as an in-depth conversation with Ofili. Like the highly decorative, organically derived materials used in his work, this, too, brings together shocking and graphic designs to make one extravagant retrospective. Included is an essay on the controversial "Sensations" show at the Brooklyn Museum in 1996, which featured his highly politicized painting The Holy Virgin Mary, made with cow dung. In the final section titled "Roots," Ofili juxtaposes the eclectic images of the sacred and profane—Fra Angelico, pornography, William Blake, movie posters, and photographs and drawings of African individuals that influenced him and his art. Illustrations are plentifully included here for the unfamiliar reader. VERDICT A necessary purchase for contemporary art book collectors and enthusiasts of contentious contemporary art.—Ellen Bates, New York City

The reopening of the Victoria and Albert Museum's (V&A) Medieval and Renaissance galleries is an opportunity to revisit stunning objects and art. Recapturing it here, V&A curators Davies (History of Money: From Ancient Times to the Present Day) and Kennedy construct a framework for looking at these fine representative pieces and their place in history. Detailed chapters describe the culture of art in medieval Europe, its art markets, the influence of the classical past, use of ornaments, devotions, the use of art as protection, and the meaning of possession. While the mechanical and physical aspects of the art were important, Davies posits it was the intellectual and spiritual aspects that were emphasized at the time. VERDICT The V&A is unparalleled in its European and Renaissance collections. Beginner art enthusiasts cannot go wrong here, as the images and accompanying text help put a new spin on these old objects. Informative even for veteran scholars.—Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

Built by the grief-stricken Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his late wife, the Taj Mahal is just one of many beautiful monuments included in this book. Covering the years between 1191 and 1858, Porter (Palace and Gardens of Persia) chronicles Islamic architecture in India, with some mention of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Lavishly illustrated with colorful images and floor plans, the book includes a supplementary glossary of Arabic, Persian, and Hindustani; a map of India and its surroundings; an index of the monuments; and a time line. However, the index is arranged according to the city in which the monument was found, and this will prove difficult to those unfamiliar with Indian names. VERDICT While for some the illustrations alone may be worth the cost, the lack of readability will prevent many from enjoying this book.—Nancy J. Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL

Ignoring boundaries, Bryan Sentance (Basketry: A World Guide to Traditional Techniques) and craft book researcher and photographer Polly Sentance happily place birch-bark baskets, painted spoons, scrap-metal animals, engraved calabashes, decorated pottery, embroidered clothing, modeled dough, and a host of other forms of craft on the same plane. After traveling around the world, they are able to document the astonishing and beautiful range of craft culture. Here, each continent's artistic discipline is illustrated with quality color images and declarative sentences that unfortunately read as if pitched to high school students and often include unsupported opinions. Slight factual errors also creep into the technical descriptions, like the faulty description of a Korean celadon vase, which is described as painted when in fact the decoration is formed by a series of engraved lines filled with contrasting liquid clays, a unique Korean technique. Also, the extensive bibliography suffers from a rudimentary format. VERDICT Although visually appealing and extremely wide-ranging, this will at best serve as a nontechnical survey for the general public.—David McClelland, Philadelphia

For more than 200 years, American women have been weaving quilts, as goods for the home and as forms of artistic expression, community building, and historical and personal documentation. The story of American quilting is eloquently told here, set within a broad geographic scope, putting Shaw's expansive curatorial background to full advantage. A former consultant to Sotheby's and an expert on art quilts (her previous titles include The Art Quilt, Quilts: A Living Tradition, and America's Traditional Crafts), Shaw includes 350 full-color illustrations (many from private collections), along with a chronological survey featuring explanations of the diversity of quilting traditions, like those of the Amish and African Americans, and a list of resources on the history and documentation of quilts. VERDICT With its engaging text and images, this book is suitable for admirers of folk art, needle work, and the history of American craft.—Nancy B. Turner, Syracuse Univ. Lib., NY

This is more than an amazing book—it is an epic work so breathtaking that it is nearly beyond written description. Sohm brings more than 30 years of experience and devotion as a historian, teacher, photographer, and writer to bear on this monumental pictorial work capturing the breadth, depth, and subtlety of American culture. Clearly a labor of love for American people, places, and history, the book is the expression of a lifetime, both sprawling and intimate, spanning three decades, 50 states, and 1300 images of the people and places that constitute the very heart and soul of America, from its bustling cities to its smallest farms. VERDICT An epic achievement not only in documentary photography but also in social and cultural history, this will be a delight for the general public, scholars, and photographers. Most highly recommended.—Raymond Bial, First Light Photography, Urbana, IL

In this generously illustrated book, a work of art as much as a work of literature in terms of its size, coffee-table format, and presentation, Tauber and Singh, a New York-based husband-and-wife team who are the parents of mixed-race children, here compile the portraits and interviews of mixed-race Americans, who constitute the fastest-growing demographic in the United States, anticipated to make up more than 33 percent of the population by the 2010 census (they numbered seven million in the 2000 census). The authors attempt to show how race is determined less by biology than by other factors, not limited to visual cues such as facial features and skin color, socioeconomic status, geographies, societies, cultures, political constructs, and self-identities. Included is a foreword by NBC news anchor Ann Curry, an introduction by Rebecca Walker (award-winning author of Black, White, and Jewish), and an essay by professor Alan H. Goodman (biological anthropology, Hampshire Coll.). VERDICT Similar to Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom's The Oxford Project, this is an ambitious, artful, and carefully conceived effort to explore the greater issue of race in America. For local urban, large public, and undergraduate academic libraries.—Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Books about Georgia O'Keeffe abound, including biographies; brilliantly illustrated exhibition catalogs; analyses of O'Keeffe's more or less well-known motifs; studies of particular mediums, materials, or methods; feminist considerations; and looks at her life and art vis-à-vis Alfred Stieglitz. This work contains aspects of each of those book types while remaining focused on investigating the abstract nature of O'Keeffe's work and its significance in American abstraction. It is also a traveling exhibition and catalog arranged collaboratively by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (now through January 17, 2010); the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC (February 6 to May 9, 2010); and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe (May 28 to September 12, 2010). Editor Haskell and essayists Barbara Buhler-Lynes, Bruce Robertson, and Elizabeth Hutton Turner are curators at major art museums and exceedingly prolific art historians. VERDICT This lavishly illustrated book is well documented and well laid out, as well as a page-turner to boot. Recommended for lovers of O'Keeffe, American art, and biography.—Jennifer Pollock, Coll. of DAAP Lib., Univ. of Cincinnati

Released in the bicentennial year of Edgar Allan Poe's (1809–49) birth, this timely biography shows the often tetchy writer in a sympathetic light, even though he was as famous for his drinking and erratic behavior as for his literary accomplishment. Barnes (The Beginning of the Never Ending) incorporates into the text a large amount of Poe's correspondence with friends, family, and contemporaries, helping to illuminate parts of Poe's life that have hitherto remained shrouded in mystery. VERDICT While this is a very readable account of Poe's life, those requiring more in-depth scholarship might be happier with such titles as Arthur Hobson Quinn's Edgar Allan Poe or Dwight Thomas and David K. Jackson's The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe 1809–1849.—Felicity D. Walsh, Emory Univ., Decatur, GA

Castle's new collection of autobiographical essays succeeds in entertaining, enlightening, and provoking its readers. One needs no familiarity with Sicily or with Art Pepper to enjoy Castle's pieces on these subjects; on the contrary, those with little to no knowledge of Art Pepper will be inspired to seek out recordings and books to get to know the man and his work. Shorter essays on subjects such as Susan Sontag, interior design magazines, and travels with one's mother form the lead-in to the book-length essay "The Professor," a piece about Castle's relationship, while a graduate student, with a professor. Although the relationship lasted only a few months, its effects were far-reaching. Castle is well known for her award-winning anthology The Literature of Lesbianism, as well as her essays in the London Review of Books and the New Republic. This new collection's savage wit and honesty should only bolster her popularity and garner her a whole slew of new readers. VERDICT A worthy read for anyone who enjoys a good think. With essay titles like "My Heroin Christmas" and "Desperately Seeking Susan," it will attract even those who usually steer away from "literary" essays.—Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.

Cha is best known for expressing themes of language, memory, displacement, and alienation through unusual text, photographs, and graphics. A writer, experimental filmmaker, and performance and visual artist, Cha was murdered in 1982 at the age of 31. Born in 1951 in Korea, where her family was frequently displaced by war, Cha arrived in the United States in 1962 and came of age in San Francisco during the 1970s, a decade of upheaval in the arts as well as in the cultural, social, and political arenas. Her work captures this upheaval, which is best depicted in the autobiographical Dictée, published within days of her death. Split into two parts, Exilee is the text of a past video installation, while Temps Morts is the remains of an unfinished film project. Here, the influence of James Joyce is especially noticeable in the way in which Cha plays with language. VERDICT Those interested in this work may be limited to fans of experimental and avant-garde literature and art.—Denise J. Stankovics, Vernon, CT

Mikhail Chekhov first wrote these recollections of his renowned older brother, the playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov, in 1929. Now they have been translated into English for the first time. These vignettes reveal a playful yet serious hardworking Anton, and the delightful Chekhov family (six children and two parents), often poor, but always welcoming artists and colorful visitors to share their various homes. Mikhail describes these occasions, pointing out how they inspired some of Anton's works. The artists in the Chekhovs' circle even included Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky. Mikhail writes about his brother with a warmth, clarity, and intimacy that only a brother can capture. Especially moving are his accounts of Anton's illness, the tuberculosis which he as a doctor didn't want to face even to the point of not allowing any other physician to examine him. (How frustrating this must have been for Mikhail.) VERDICT This charming book will appeal primarily to academics and those interested in Chekhov, his family, and the 150th anniversary of Chekhov's birth.—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

The 400th anniversary of Milton's birth provided Hawkes (English, Arizona State Univ.) the opportunity to reexamine the great poet not only within a 17th-century context but in a 21st-century one, too. During an era of great unrest in England, Milton provoked controversy and debate over his ideas of sex, economics, religion, and political power systems. Thought to be ahead of his time, Milton frequently declared that he was not solely speaking to his contemporaries but to the people of the future. Here, Hawkes examines Milton's iconoclasm and his belief that the worshiping of images of all kinds, both figurative and metaphorical, was destructive. Interweaving historical events of his time, such as the Rump Parliament of 1649, Hawkes illuminates Milton's philosophy via his prose and poetry. Although contemporary readers may disapprove of Milton's beliefs—he was in favor of polygamy and believed God picked "chosen ones" to lead the masses—he never made for dull reading. VERDICT Hawkes writes with little academic jargon, and his style is lively and entertaining. Political and religious history enthusiasts will find this excellent and challenging.—Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, Galveston

Oxford's "Very Short Introductions" series offers concise overviews of central issues of a topic. Distinguished writer, reviewer, and biographer Lee (Virginia Wolfe; Edith Wharton) here examines the various forms of biography throughout history. Lee details the biography as an autopsy, a posthumous exercise in scrutiny, and a portrait that captures characterization, referencing many works of classic British biography to show the changes in the writing form from the Victorian era through the golden ages and modern times. Especially informative is the comparison of how various American biographers have presented their works on Marilyn Monroe, showing how a writer's style illuminates the subliminal relationship between the biographer and the subject. VERDICT Students of biography and writing will appreciate the broad overview packed into this succinct work.—Joyce Sparrow, Clearwater, FL

In this second of a three-volume series on the genre, following The Next American Essay and preceding The Foundations of the American Essay, editor D'Agata (English, Univ. of Iowa) studies the essay as a form. Short and well-reasoned introductions accompany selected essays from the ancient world through the present that explore the international roots of contemporary nonfiction. D'Agata believes that the best of writers—over 40 luminaries are included—are willing to use significant details from anywhere and everywhere to create essays that are imaginative, memorable, and true. By returning to the original concept of the form, he encourages readers to question the ways in which the essay has or has not been encumbered by an obligation to expound facts. VERDICT This should be of particular interest to English teachers and writers of creative nonfiction. Nonfiction readers will enjoy D'Agata's intellectual approach and will appreciate the varieties of the essays included.—Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

McMurtry (Lonesome Dove; Terms of Endearment) laments that lack of interest in his books continues to this day. (Surely he means lack of critical interest, for his books check out constantly from public libraries.) Here readers of McMurtry's novels will find an interesting sequel to Books: A Memoir in Literary Life. It is an account of McMurtry's life as a writer, his "long, stutter-step affair" ranging from college to years as aspiring author to winning the Pulitzer and subsequent years as president of PEN. McMurtry delivers this plain-spoken, almost cowboy-terse account in casual chronological order. Its primary focus is upon relationships with mentors, friends, and other authors—Grover Lewis, Ken Kesey, Michael Korda, and Peter Bogdanovich, to name a few. VERDICT For readers needing to pinpoint emotive events in well-known authors' lives, McMurtry may prove a bit vague, for he shies away from personal narrative. As verbose as Gus in Lonesome Dove, he, paradoxically, like Captain Call, regards his private life as his own. McMurtry fans will enjoy this nonetheless. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/09.]—Nedra Crowe-Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib., CA

Without a doubt, disco is the genre most associated with the music of the 1970s. The classic rock of the 1960s, the sounds of Motown and Phil Spector, and the soul of Stax and Atlantic made way to funkier sounds and throbbing beats. Beginning in the 1960s, Echols (American studies & history, Rutgers Univ.; Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin), who was once a disco deejay, analyzes the development of disco from the dance floor up and ends with disco's successors. Disco became a dominant force owing to the play time dance clubs gave the music rather than radio airplay. This growth through bars and clubs opened up relationships among disco and gay liberation, feminism, and African American rights. VERDICT While this is not a comprehensive history of disco, it is an intriguing critical study of the complex relationships and the nontraditional development of the genre. A definite purchase for academic libraries and pop-music enthusiasts.—Brian Sherman, McNeese State Univ. Lib., Lake Charles, LA

Dancer and choreographer Hill (dance, Hampshire Coll.; Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers) announces in the preface her goal of creating a "twentieth century chronology and cultural history of tap dance in America." After an introductory chapter spanning 1650–1900, she proceeds through the 20th century by decade, closing with a millennium chapter. She discusses the style of many tap dancers, including Bill Robinson and Savion Glover, and includes quotations on their views of tap. Although this is a cultural history, the devastating effects of minstrelsy are only touched on, and some offensive language of the time (e.g., pickaninnies) is used as a kind of historical terminology. VERDICT This handy source for tap history and personalities packs in lots of info, but it is not always presented in a tactful way. For a different take on minstrelsy, try Spike Lee's film Bamboozled. Mark Knowles's Tap Roots will satisfy readers who would like more early history, and Rusty E. Frank's Tap!: The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories, 1900–1955 provides first-person perspectives.—Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO

Writing from personal and journalistic perspectives, Meltzer (coauthor, How Sassy Changed My Life) packs plenty of solid information into this innovative popular history. Drawn early to the riot grrrl movement, she subsequently attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, where it flourished and spread. Riot grrrls formed bands, composed and performed their singular brand of punk rock, dressed in girlish outfits and combat boots, spoke openly about politics and gender, and bonded through grassroots fanzines. They defined their own style of music and feminism. Meltzer's in-depth research and interviews blend into a tightly woven yet flowing narrative as she offers incisive commentary on the culture, criticisms, and far-reaching impact of the riot grrrl and her music, with a special focus on the historical lineage of performers, from Bikini Kill to Alanis Morissette to the Spice Girls. VERDICT Women who grew up during this time period and students of comparative feminist history, psychology, and modern musical genres will find this absorbing. It provides a personal frame of reference for those who lack their own but have an interest in the music and the era.—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

In this fascinating study of the nature of music, those who study music, and the music business, Miller (history, Univ. of Texas, Austin) explains how musicologists and folklorists tried drawing hard lines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries between what they considered music of the folk (poor black and, sometimes, white, Southern musicians) and more worldly pop music. Musicians were expected to fall in one of the two camps, and the people who studied the so-called primitive and untainted music felt it was more authentic if it hadn't been influenced by populist tastes. Miller argues that trying to put music into these slots serves little purpose other than to pigeonhole music into certain categories that do not reflect its true nature. VERDICT Elijah Wald works with a similar thesis in How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll. Although Miller's book may be a challenging read for a general audience, the author displays an incredible depth of knowledge and presents an important history of music.—William Kenz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead

Organizing his chapters around each movement of the six unaccompanied cello suites by Johann Sebastian Bach, first-time author Siblin (former pop music critic, Montreal Gazette) interweaves the connected stories of how cellist Pablo Casals's discovery of the music brought this series of great works to a wider public in the 20th century, the author's explorations of the two men, and his own musical experiences. Bach's and Casals's life stories are documented in alternating fashion, mostly chronologically, while we sympathize with the author as he tries to learn the cello and travels the world in search of original manuscripts and early printed scores relating to the suites. His turns of phrase are, save a few cutesy puns, felicitous; in general, his scholarship appears well validated despite some overly assured opinions. The up-to-date bibliography and suggested listening section are especially useful. VERDICT This winning combination of music history, biography, and whimsy should appeal to most readers; it is particularly gratifying as fewer books have been written about the cello than the usual suspects like piano and violin. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/09.]—Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

In the initial volumes of this new series, noted film critic/historian Thomson (The New Biographical Dictionary of Film) brings his opinions to bear on the lives and careers of four stars of the golden age of American cinema, all of whom remained active until their deaths. With classic films such as Jezebel, Dark Victory, and Now, Voyager, Bette Davis was the premiere leading lady at Warner Brothers for some 17 years. Gary Cooper (High Noon) became a star with the introduction of talking pictures and remained one, albeit somewhat diminished, to the end of his life. After being frequently cast as the snarling petty crook, Humphrey Bogart played a series of distinguished roles, climaxing with his Oscar-winning triumph in The African Queen. Ingrid Bergman's roles in Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Gaslight seemed to presage a lengthy stardom, but the scandal concerning her affair with director Roberto Rossellini stalled her in the late 1940s. Thomson presents little more than a brief overview of each star's career but discusses what he considers their best films in somewhat more detail. His look at the actors' personal lives includes his quirky suppositions about their sex lives, and he often writes as if speaking, sometimes quite disconcertingly, directly to the reader. VERDICT These books seem intended primarily for film buffs with limited knowledge of these particular stars as well as curious general readers.—Roy Liebman, formerly with California State Univ., Los Angeles

Watkins, who previously wrote a more traditional book on Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo (Gesualdo: The Man and His Music), briefly recounts Gesualdo's life and works before describing his apparent postmodern cultural relevance after centuries of neglect and critical abuse. Gesualdo, the bad boy of Renaissance music (he murdered his first wife and her lover, abused his second wife, and was involved with witches who were eventually tortured in the Inquisition), has been championed in modern times by musicians as eminent as Igor Stravinsky and Marilyn Horne. Watkins documents the growing interest in Gesualdo since the late 1950s, which was spurred by a new edition of Gesualdo's chief works and connections between the chromaticism in Gesualdo's music (chiefly madrigals) and modern masters like Arnold Schoenberg. VERDICT Watkins's brilliant look at how cultural influences propagate through time in strange and unpredictable ways will appeal to a small, mostly academic, audience.—Bruce R. Schueneman, Texas A&M Univ. Lib., Kingsville

In one of the best books on Derrida and deconstructionism, the French skepticism that suggests we live in a sea of language in which we can never quite find our bearings, Mikics's (The Romance of Individualism in Emerson and Nietzsche) writing is clear, comprehensive, balanced, and fun to read. That said, he provides no certain answer to the question posed in the title. Instead, this looks mostly at Derrida's experience in America. Quoted as saying, "America is deconstruction," Derrida thought Americans had deconstructed most of the constraining systems of French academia. This also looks at Derrida's concepts of morality, his interest in Marxism, Emmanuel Lévinas, and, to Mikics's apparent dissatisfaction, his defense of Paul de Man and Martin Heidegger against charges of Nazism. Here, Mikics tries to unravel Derrida's enigmatic past, but it is clear he is unable to grasp the complexity of 1960s French philosophy and makes the mistake of calling all of Derrida's French Communist and intellectual contemporaries Stalinists. VERDICT Those who are drawn to Derrida and his philosophy should turn to Marko Zlomislic's The Aporetic Ethics of Jacques Derrida instead, but this can still be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in new ideas.—Leslie Armour, Dominican Univ. Coll., Ottawa

In long-lined, energetic poems that focus on her dysfunctional family, Blevins (The Brass Girl Brouhaha) is angry with everyone, including herself, but still manages to have a good time. Blevins, who writes mostly about Virginia even though she now lives in Maine, spikes her prevalent sadness with an infectious hysteria. In one poem that recalls the early 1970s, a child narrator soaks in a tub as her parents' drunken friends intrude to pee, vomit, and carry on. No wonder she ends up empathizing with the adults, who are soused in self-pity. In another, the narrator retraces her failed marriage: "The foyer is hers because the kettle is hers as it was made for water and the water is hers/ because the sac that grew the baby was hers though the semen that made the sac was his/ like his boots are his." Occasionally, the poems falter or fail to catch fire, reinforcing the complaint that "I can't even find my heart in this house." But she does, again and again. VERDICT Lively and readable, this new work artfully captures the problems that accompany unskilled parenthood and divorce.—Ellen Kaufman, Baruch Coll. Lib., New York

No pleasures are more aesthetic than poetry and nature, so it is only natural that the two should unite. Editor Dungy here merges the worlds in a satisfying compilation that features over 100 poems by 93 African American poets, including celebrated writers June Jordan and Yusef Komunyakaa as well as newer artists like Remica L. Bingham and Indigo Moor. The collection, which is assembled in cycles that beg "Nature, Be with Us," recognizes "Pest, People Too," and recalls "What the Land Remembers," explores a multitude of themes that incorporate the beauty, transformation, and unpredictability of Earth's elements. Though the collection moves away from political and protest poetry, readers will likely appreciate "Disasters, Natural and Other," as the section draws from familiar incidents. James A. Emanuel's "Emmett Till" paints a haunting yet wondrous fantasy of his spirit, while Douglas Kearney's historical "Floodsong 2: Water Moccasin's Spiritual" has contemporary relevance following Hurricane Katrina. VERDICT Expanding the realm of traditional nature poetry and African American writings, this work will appeal to readers of both genres.—Ashanti White, Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro

This slim volume by Brasfield (Inheritance and Other Poems) covers a great range of subjects, among them ekphrastic tributes, the work of van Gogh, and re-creations of Ukrainian landscapes. The most pervasive sensation evident here is nostalgia. The sober tone, delivered in a manner reminiscent of Philip Larkin or Robert Pinsky, brings to mind places and events from the past that the poems seek to reconstruct, as expressed in the lines "to think about what around me/ is yet unaltered by others and thus/ reaches back, before the stone wall." The irony is that nostalgia, when used effectively, makes us long for a place or time that never existed as we remember it. Although every poem attempts to make a convincing argument, Brasfield's solemnity make his poetry seem distant, and he fails to generate the emotive force central to poems written in this mode. VERDICT A varied book that suffers from a lack of emotional range, this work would only be of interest to die-hard Brasfield readers.—Chris Pusateri, Jefferson Cty. P.L., Lakewood, CO

Arrayed in long lines that stretch across the page with an unhurried, restrained eloquence—unsettled somewhat by a distracting overreliance on ampersands—the poems in Cantwell's second collection (after Something Black in the Green Part of Your Eye, 2002) draw their content from a range of sources: rural Southern landscapes, imagined lives of literary figures, baseball, episodes in American history, and the poet's own memories of family and travel. Though the mood is largely elegiac ("Epistle"; "Golden Delicious") and nostalgic ("White Electrical Wire"; "Dobbs Hat"), Cantwell finds brief occasion for wit as well, particularly in "Syllabus & Catechism," which will prompt knowing smirks among those who have taught high school or college lit courses ("How does Moby-Dick end? With a period"). The poems wear their imagery and assonance lightly ("the final leaves of autumn flecked the lawn like rust"), and while some assume formal structures, others run to segmented prose. VERDICT Though carefully crafted, these poems at times exude a melancholic solipsism that weakens their emotional impact and leaves a sense of unfulfilled promise. Still, the book would not be out of place in larger academic poetry collections.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Card's first poetry collection, which won the 2009 Fence Modern Poetry Series prize, is, as the series judge's blurb states, like "Kierkegaard…[flying] a kite made of maritime charts while Swinburne sings…." The poetry here is "non-sense-ical"—as suggested by the title of Card's three-line poem "Caprice": "Leaf of one tree/ they too/ are lonely and silent." Look up caprice in your Encarta, and you'll be referred to capriccio, a "piece of instrumental music with a free form, an improvisatory style and usually a lively tempo." This describes Card's book well, and therein lies its weakness as well as its strength. The word war weaves in and out but, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, its use seems inauthentic, untethered. In fact, the poems often float away like the recent Balloon Boy, who, in a plot engineered by his father, was supposed to have been carried off by a helium balloon but was hiding all along. Capriccio also means "a lighthearted act or prank," and Card's book feels prankish in inventive ways. VERDICT Many of these poems are light enough to float away, but if you're interested in contemporary poetry, you'll want to take a look at where they go. —Emily Souza, Sacramento, CA

In her lyrical fiction debut, Dreaming in Cuban, Garcia beautifully conveyed the disjointed emotions—resentment, lament, despondency—that strike the loved ones of addicts. The poems in this first collection are separated into the years that the narrator's brother lives and, eventually, dies. The theme may be universal, but the story is far from common, as each poem paints a series of foreboding moments that compound with the anguish of the troubled brother seemingly doomed to failure: "The deluxe world we live in/ was crumbling. Who had time to welcome/ one small boy?" Garcia is at her strongest in the first half of the collection as she describes the roots of the addict's slow, pitiable descent. But the alienable voice and disengaged forms in the second half are still remarkable: "I don't know where he came from he doesn't feel apart of me I get so upset thinking about him." VERDICT While not as raw as Last Call: Poems on Addiction, Alcoholism, and Deliverance, edited by Sarah Gorham, this work is more melodic and personal and will appeal to connoisseurs of contemporary poetry.—Ashanti White, Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro

Part film noir, part horror flick, these innovative poems dwell in the cul-de-sac badlands where crimes and heinous misdeeds are recurring. McGlynn, a performance poet and author of three chapbooks (including Small Shrines, 2009), offers poems in alternating views while tangling reality, time, and space. The book's motif is not connected to one central offense, yet each poem spins into the next to create a unified, albeit disturbing, whole. As in a horror film, there is danger skulking in every corner, in every seemingly benign doorway. McGlynn's poems are often hypnagogic, balancing half in the world, half in sleep. Along with masterly line and stanza breaks and the use of white space, McGlynn uses nuances that include poems written crosswise on the page. One poem reads, "I cannot see/ the sickness, the three seconds that will snap her/ down like a switch, there/ her vision cracks like I'll always be/ the thing nascent, esophageal/ caught mid-gargle in the black." VERDICT Recommended for contemporary poetry collections.—Karla Huston, Appleton, WI

In his latest work, Lenore Marshall prize winner Revell (My Mojave) seeks kinship with nature and finds the world to be his equal: "Who put us here?/ Who put up here with eyes?/ I look at the sky. The sky looks down." In a voice that's lyric and yet colloquial, he questions and affirms his faith, the presence and wonders of God, with a pastoral innocence depicted by crickets and birdsong and a grandeur evidenced by the orchestration of the heavens. Revell's poems manage to be at once intelligent and accessible, pensive and scenic—not an easy task to accomplish and something rarely seen today. Just as uncommon is the spiritual tone of the quest depicted here. Vast in their focus yet deeply personal, his poems question the large and the small in images that are surreal or sometimes simply startling ("Like a fish on a hedge, a horsefly/ Lands on my wife's lipstick"). VERDICT Revell's recent collections form a steady progression toward the spiritual, and this latest offering is the most thoughtful, most moving, of them all. All readers of contemporary poetry will be interested.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

A powerful sense of loss echoes through Czech-born poet/translator Simko's first American collection. Some poems center on Holocaust survivors, others serve as memorials, but all resonate with the power of the said and unsaid. Like HD's poems, they resemble palimpsests in which what is written nearly conceals work about other places, other times, an almost mythical past. Simko, who left Czechoslovakia at age ten, shortly after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion, writes poems about the rupture of the past but makes them universal. He emphasizes the music of the line ("The crows roving overhead are too silent to be crows") and incorporates lists that dwell upon the unusual and ethereal ("moth-wing, bat-light, a journey home"), creating poems so exquisitely crafted that the occasional flat line stands out. Throughout, the lines and poems build upon one another, enveloping readers until they sense how "The mortality of things/ is so abrupt." The result is searing, lingering long after reading "like a fingerprint in the mind's shadow." VERDICT Beautiful, intense poetry for those who prefer lyric verse with a passionate interiority and sense of mystery as in the work of Jane Hirshfield and Linda Gregg.—Doris Lynch, Monroe Cty. P.L., IN

Sonnevi has been a major literary figure since the 1965 publication of On the War in Vietnam, a highly regarded poem that fueled the debate over U.S. involvement in the war. Considered the best poet to come of age in Sweden in the 1960s, Sonnevi has won nearly every significant Swedish poetry prize, including the 2005 Nordic Prize—known as the little Nobel. Sonnevi's 13th collection, published in Sweden in 1996, consists of two parts: "Disparates," a series of short, lyric poems, and the 200-page title poem. Primarily a meditation on family, death, and God, this lengthy work covers everything from music to history to politics to love. With its chiaroscuro imagery, it looks at the metaphysics of music as it poses existential considerations of loss, loneliness, and religious faith and is at times reminiscent of work by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. VERDICT Sonnevi uses metaphors of light and shadow both to set a mood and to draw readers into what is primarily a stunning conversation between the narrator and his deceased father. Best for serious readers of contemporary poetry.—Diane Scharper, Towson Univ., MD

Writing an introductory book on Judaism can be a difficult task, because the religion is as much a way of life as it is a set of theological convictions, religious practices, and ethical perspectives. Gelernter (computer science, Yale Univ.; Mirror Worlds) takes a novel approach in discussing Judaism. He uses four key images to address four central questions. He uses the images, or mental pictures, of separation, veil, perfect asymmetry, and inward pilgrimage to explain Jewish religious law, divine transcendence, male-female relationships, and the issue of theodicy. The advantage to this approach is that Gelernter is able to consider the whole of Judaism through four particular lenses. VERDICT The author's goal is to help those of the Jewish faith, as well as other interested people, gain a better grasp of Judaism, and this book should accomplish that. Recommended for all seeking an introduction to the Jewish faith.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib., TX

Jenkins (history & religious studies, Penn State Univ. & Baylor Univ.; The Lost History of Christianity), a well-seasoned scholar of Christianity, focuses here not only on the theological definitions of the nature of Christ, promulgated by various Christian political and ecclesiastical leaders from the fourth through the seventh centuries, but also on the political machinations, violent persecutions, and scheming that made "wars" of these debates. Jenkins includes many helpful tools for the general reader—he's writing here chiefly for interested general readers—listing the many emperors and church councils of the time, along with their chief concerns. An appendix describes important participants in these doctrinal struggles. Jenkins shows that views (e.g., on God's suffering) became somewhat silenced, only to regain vigor, especially in the 16th century and thereafter, which resulted in ancient heresy often becoming modern orthodoxy. VERDICT In showing general readers how he finds fresh ideas and the resurrections of past teachings invigorating to religious studies, Jenkins provides an accessible book, and one with mild suspense and intrigue. Although there is some overgeneralizing, the book enlightens readers on the backstory to current Christian divisions and realignments. Seminary libraries would do well to acquire this as well.—Carolyn M. Craft, emerita, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

Novelist Schaeffer, who wrote the memoir Crazy for God and is the son of prominent evangelical theologian Francis Schaeffer, offers a hopeful vision for genuine faith in a messy, mysterious, and unexplainable world full of contradictions and paradoxes. The book effectively serves as an opening of dialog among those searching for something to hold onto, the devout but doubting members of the "Church of Hopeful Uncertainty." Along the way, Schaeffer criticizes both religious and secular fundamentalism, which turn out to have much more in common than is readily apparent. His is a humble and beautiful narrative that interweaves elements of memoir, popular theology, inspiration, and meditation. The end result is a deep and rich reflection on authentic faith in the contemporary world that focuses on how to live rather than on what to believe or not believe. VERDICT Highly recommended for all general readers of religion, both believers and nonbelievers, who hunger for faith and meaning but are repelled by the polarizing exclusivity of new atheists and religious fundamentalists.—Brian T. Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

Rains (formerly, USA Today) and Carpenter, granddaughter of Naismith (1861–1939), offer readers a sound biography—and heartwarming study—of the man who invented one of our most popular games. Carpenter's introduction connects readers with her family's history, drawing them in and making them want to know more about the Canadian Naismith (he became a U.S. citizen in 1925), a dropout who later returned to graduate from high school when he was 21 (he graduated from college and later acquired a medical degree) who, in teaching physical education in Springfield, MA, devised a new indoor game for the cold winters, one that would keep athletes in shape while not requiring rough play and would develop strong skills in its players. Rains covers all aspects of Naismith's life, not simply the story of basketball, and this results in a straightforward yet in-depth look at Naismith, who vowed "not [to] let anybody work harder today than I do," a mantra that many readers will find inspirational. VERDICT In addition to its broad appeal to basketball aficionados, this would be an excellent addition to all local libraries seeking to enhance their biography section as well as their sports collection. It will certainly have appeal to YA readers as well.—Rachel Winchel, Louisiana Tech Univ. Lib., Ruston

When Paul Newman was filming Winning (1969), he and costar Robert Wagner took professional driving lessons. According to Stone (executive editor, Motor Trend magazine), Newman already had a fascination with automobiles, but it was the drivers and consultants associated with the film who fueled his passion for speed. Among Newman's accomplishments listed here are his four Sports Car Club of America titles and his being the oldest driver to post a class win at the 24 hours of Daytona. As an owner, he posted eight Champion Auto Racing Team (CART) titles. Stone includes excellent color photos of cars, crews, and drivers, and heartfelt tributes from Newman's associates in motor sports over the years. The big names include Bobby Rahal, Christian Fittipaldi, and Mario Andretti, who wrote the book's foreword. There's just enough text to tell the story but not get in the way of the photos. A complete list of Newman's races is appended. VERDICT This is an essential read for Newman fans and auto-racing enthusiasts.—Susan Belsky, Oshkosh P.L., WI