Xpress Reviews-First Look at New Books
-- Library Journal, 05/21/2010
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Week ending May 21, 2010
Kennedy, Douglas. Leaving the World. Atria: S. & S. Jun. 2010. c.512p. ISBN 978-1-4391-8078-5. pap. $16. F
This picaresque page-turner follows Jane Howard, a bright, capable young woman whose bad luck and bad choices have turned her promising academic career into an American nightmare. Despite her Harvard doctorate and uncanny financial sense, Jane is betrayed by the most important men in her life: her father, her thesis advisor, and the father of her child. When a final catastrophe robs her of any remaining emotional resources, Jane leaves Boston for any place in which she can disappear. Disappearance, however, is not really an option in our Internet-driven world, and everyone Jane encounters suffers a similarly traumatic loss. Kennedy’s fast-paced story keeps the reader engaged and rooting for Jane’s eventual return to the world. The opportunity to rescue a missing child is the trigger for her realization that life can continue.
Verdict Kennedy is incredibly popular in Europe but has not published a novel in the United States in ten years. This oversight will be remedied when several of his novels are finally released within the next year. Readers who enjoy well-written mainstream works like those of Richard Yates, Richard Russo, Jodi Picoult, and Jane Smiley will be happy to add Kennedy to their list of favorites. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/10.]—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS
Larsson, Stieg. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. Knopf. May 2010. c.576p. tr. from Swedish by Reg Keeland. ISBN 978-0-307-26999-7. $26.95. F
The final volume of Larsson’s best-selling “Millennium” trilogy begins where The Girl Who Played with Fire left off: Lisabeth Salander lies comatose in a Swedish hospital, a bullet in the head, while a few rooms away her father, a Soviet defector, recovers from the severe axe wounds she inflicted. Meanwhile, journalist Mikael Blomqvist sets out to clear Lisbeth of murder charges by exposing a secret group of Swedish intelligence officers who had conspired to protect her father’s identity by nearly destroying Lisbeth. Unfortunately, this crackerjack opening is followed by 100 pages of tedious plot rehashing and dry summaries of Swedish history and politics. Because Larsson’s fascinating heroine is offstage for much of the early action, the novel lacks its predecessors’ compelling narrative drive, although a few surprising scenes will keep readers hanging in there. Their patience will be well rewarded in the final 200 pages, where Larsson ties his multiple plot threads together into a satisfying conclusion. Larsson’s other female characters, including Annika, Mikael’s lawyer sister who kicks some serious legal butt at the climactic trial, and Berger, Mikael’s old lover and business partner who battles sexism at a major newspaper, play bigger roles here and reflect the author’s passionate opposition to misogyny and injustice.
Verdict Despite its flaws, this is a must read for Larsson fans. New readers should start with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/10; 500,000-copy first printing.]—Wilda Williams, Library Journal
Thayer, Nancy. Beachcombers. Ballantine. Jun. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 978-0-345-51828-6. $25. F
Thayer (Summer House) explores a family’s attempts to move on from memories of a mother who lost her battle with depression. Abbie, Emma, and Lily are sisters with aspirations of moving away from their childhood Nantucket home, but when Emma loses everything, they all find themselves back under the same old roof for the summer—and grappling to get along. Determined to help Emma out of her depression, Abbie creates a business that sees the girls performing odd jobs around the island. Emma, however, finds true solace and friendship in her widowed father’s renter, Marina, who is restarting her life after a failed marriage. As the sisters come together as a family, they begin to take on new members as each woman stumbles into romance that is, at times, sudden and melodramatic.
Verdict The four separate romantic relationships will draw love story enthusiasts, but none of the relationships is fully fleshed out. Attempts at tackling clinical depression are contrived and, surprisingly, treated as an afterthought, but the themes of sisterly support and personal healing are heartwarming and will appeal to fans of women’s fiction, especially those who read Debbie Macomber and Elin Hilderbrand. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/10.]—Mara Dabrishus, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh
Tolstoy, Leo & Ben H. Winters. Android Karenina. Quirk. Jun. 2010. c.544p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59474-460-0. pap. $12.95. FANTASY
If the idea of 800-some pages of Russian literature strikes you as overwhelming, try this literary mashup of Anna Karenina. Winters (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters) does a spectacular job, adding robots and mechanical terrorism to the misery, adultery, and philosophical introspection of Tolstoy’s masterpiece. Robotic companions and functional devices replace domestic servants. Levin mines for Groznium rather than tending his farm, and Vronsky’s beloved Frou-Frou is not a magnificent horse but a transformer-like battle bot. The Union of Concerned Scientists terrorizes society, rebelling against the government control of technological advancement, but the Ministry might be more advanced than they think! Toy soldiers, emotion bombs, and planetary invasion intertwine with Anna’s societal condemnation for her tumultuous affair with Vronsky. Levin’s self-discovery and marriage with Kitty reaffirm faith and hope in freedom and integrity. Discussion questions are included.
Verdict Creepy, thrilling, and highly enjoyable!—Jennifer Anderson, Texas A&M Univ.—Corpus Christi Lib.
Barnard, Neal, M.D. & Robyn Webb. The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes To Jump-Start Weight Loss and Help You Feel Great. Da Capo Lifelong. Jun. 2010. c.272p. illus. ISBN 978-0-7382-1358-3. pap. $18.95. COOKING
Barnard (Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes) and Webb(Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes—or Less!) have put together a terrific lifestyle guide for anyone wishing to lose weight, cut cholesterol, and reverse the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. After they detail the science behind a low-fat vegan diet, the authors include tons of simple, healthful breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes for a variety of palates, including, e.g., breakfasts savory (Spicy Spinach Frittata) and sweet (Soy Yogurt Fruit and Granola Parfait). Recipes are short and contain detailed information on calories, saturated fat, and vitamins and minerals. A three-day menu plan, pantry list, themed menus, and a “Quick & Easy Shopping List” round out the book.
Verdict A good complement to Donna Klein’s Vegan Italiano and The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, this is recommended for vegetarians and those looking to expand their diabetic cookbook collection.—Mary Schons, Hammond P.L., IN
Brafman, Ori & Rom Brafman. Click: The Magic of Instant Connections. 2010. Broadway Business. 256p. ISBN 978-0-385-52905-1. 23. BUS
Many individuals use the word click in casual conversation in sentences like, “we just clicked.” Clicking is defined as a person’s senses being fully engaged. The authors, both entrepreneurs, discuss the concept using a variety of scenarios and back their claims with scholarly research, including neurological studies concerning dopamine levels in the brain. Examples include romantic situations where two people meet and marry a month later; collaborations, such as the Bell Lab scientists who invented the modern microphone; supermodels who achieved superior success because of their personalities; and business executives and MBA graduates who reach higher levels quickly. The authors assert that some individuals—described as high self-monitors—are people magnets and more successful because they are more skilled than others at clicking. They can easily adapt their behaviors and emotions to fit circumstances and can quickly establish connections with others.
Verdict Click is a sophisticated self-help book that will appeal to business professionals and those in other career fields as well. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.—Caroline Geck, Newark Public Schools, NJ
Corday, Ken. The Days of Our Lives: The Untold Story of One Family’s Dream and the True History of Days of Our Lives. Sourcebooks. May 2010. c.272p. ISBN 978-1-4022-4222-9. $24.99. TV
Corday, the current executive producer of Days of Our Lives, presents a complete history of the soap opera. The Corday family originated the daytime television program 45 years ago, and it has been on the air ever since. Other books about the show are available (e.g., Maureen Russell’s Days of Our Lives), but Corday’s is an insider’s view of all the work that has gone into the program since his parents, Ted and Betty, created it. Corday writes in plain language about the characters and story lines that made the greatest impressions on him throughout the years. He also describes the business component of soap operas and how Days of Our Lives has changed to accommodate a smaller audience in the last ten years.
Verdict Sure to be popular with fans of the show, this light read might also be enjoyed by readers interested in soap operas and show business biographies.—Sally Bryant, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA
Dyer, Gwynne. Climate Wars: The Fight for Survival as the World Overheats. Oneworld, dist. by National Bk. Network. Jun. 2010. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-85168-718-3. $24.95. SCI
In this update of a 2008 Canadian edition, Canadian geopolitician Dyer makes the final, and important, leap from merely discussing forthcoming climate change to predicting the political and economic results of a warmed Earth. The result of this move from weather forecasting to a holistic view of the future is terrifying. Through a series of scenarios, Dyer describes drastic shifts in food production (resulting in changes in the First/Third World border), walls erected to keep immigrants out, rivers rerouted to keep water in, and a catastrophic loss of life, both human and otherwise. Using documentation from scientists as well as military professionals and elected officials, Dyer makes the case for decarbonizing the world’s economy in a manner that will reach across liberal/conservative lines. The alternative, a global temperature rise, could end in nuclear war, famine, or economic collapse, but whatever it is, it’s not good.
Verdict Frightening yet essential reading. Those who can’t shake the impending sense of doom may appreciate Jeff Goodell’s How To Cool the Planet.—Jaime Hammond, Naugatuck Valley Community Coll. Lib., Waterbury, CT
Oshinsky, David M. Capital Punishment on Trial. Univ. Pr. of Kansas. 2010. 160p. ISBN 978-0-7006-1711-1. $29.95. LAW
Oshinsky, a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, here summarizes the tangled web of legal arguments for and against the death penalty. He focuses on the brief period during the 1970s when the U.S. Supreme Court banned it, how the prohibition occurred, and how it suddenly ended. The author details the appeal of William Henry Furman and how a deeply divided Supreme Court concluded that a process so pervasively riddled with discrimination and arbitrary standards violated the Eighth and Fourteenth amendments. Oshinsky concludes that it was exactly this 1972 determination that precipitated the reinstatement of the death penalty four years later. Oshinsky claims that the Supreme Court is bitterly divided over the concept, as justices continue to struggle with the legal implications of a process that attempts to impose uniform standards and guidelines while pursuing what he believes to be an arbitrary formula for death. He argues that the issue is far from settled, as the current system is racially biased, weighted against the poor, marred by substandard defense attorneys, expensive to maintain, and subject to intolerable error.
Verdict Aimed at an academic audience, this is recommended for college, university, and law libraries.—Philip Y. Blue, New York State Supreme Court Criminal Branch Law Lib., New York
Parkinson, Claire L. Coming Climate Crisis? Consider the Past, Beware the Big Fix. Rowman & Littlefield. Jun. 2010. c.428p. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-7425-5615-7. $24.95. SCI
In this examination of the global warming debate, Parkinson, a NASA climatologist, notes that our planet’s climate made many transitions, some abrupt, before civilization emerged, so that could happen again. Human activities are likely partly responsible for the present warming trend. The author points out that the “earth system” is extremely complex, still beyond our ability to model completely, so climate scientists can’t make accurate predictions. Although there is a scientific consensus on global warming, it could be overturned by new evidence. Parkinson’s main concern is that large-scale geoengineering projects will be tried with unknown consequences. An example would be fertilizing the Southern Ocean with iron to encourage phytoplankton growth and reduce carbon dioxide. She does laud many initiatives to reduce emissions and believes we should put a price on carbon, as well as reduce air travel.
Verdict This measured approach will appeal to readers who sense alarmism on the topic. However, it seems to excuse us for not doing our utmost with proven emission-control methods. [For another viewpoint on geoengineering and climate change, see Jeff Goodell’s How To Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest To Fix the Earth’s Climate.—Ed.]—David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., BC
Pearson, Justin. From the Graveyard of the Arousal Industry. Soft Skull. May 2010. c.192p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59376-262-9. pap. $14.95. MUSIC
This is ostensibly Pearson’s autobiography, but in recalling the story of his life, he provides a firsthand account of the San Diego punk scene. In scattered vignettes, he portrays with brutal honesty moments from his rough childhood and the dissolutions of his marriage and his bands. Pearson doesn’t censor the scandalous details of his life. Violence is a pervasive theme that cuts across his professional and personal experiences. Although the narrative is dark, humorous moments do emerge in the form of partying with Jaleel White (best known for playing Urkel on Family Matters) at the Eiffel Tower and appearing on the Jerry Springer Show. Amid wandering digressions, the evolution of Pearson’s current band, The Locust, unfolds.
Verdict This is a candid, entertaining read, though only for hard-core punk fans. Those unfamiliar with the exploits of Pearson and the myriad bands he mentions will lose interest.—Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH
Rattiner, Dan. In the Hamptons Too: Further Encounters with Farmers, Fishermen, Artists, Billionaires, and Celebrities. Excelsior Editions: State Univ. of New York. May 2010. c.390p. illus. maps. ISBN 978-1-4384-3263-2. $19.95. TRAV
Rattiner, who began the first of his free Hampton newspapers in 1960, misses nothing and charms everyone, which enhances his wonderful writing. In this sequel to In the Hamptons, he covers famous residents as well as ordinary people—we read about Betty Friedan as a mom and grandmother and her explanation of her views on the women’s movement over lunch at her house in Sag Harbor. Sprinkled throughout are crisp, black-and-white photographs that complement the timelessness of Rattiner’s writing and his down-to-earth approach. Most touching is a chapter entitled “Marilyn Dunn,” about a woman who worked for Rattiner as a salesperson and asked for a raise to benefit her Pentecostal church through tithing. Rattiner writes of discussing Judaism’s different approach with his rabbi and of Dunn’s eventual departure and confession of love for him.
Verdict Readers who enjoyed Rattiner’s previous book and memoir fans who appreciate a dose of nostalgia will welcome this delightful collection.—Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL
Rivlin, Gary. Broke, USA: The Business of Poverty in America. HarperBusiness: HarperCollins. Jun. 2010. 368p. ISBN 978-0-06-173321-5. $26.99. BUS
Reporter Rivlin takes a harsh look at the poverty business, which includes such industries as payday loans, pawnbrokers, subprime credit card companies, and rent-to-own stores. Even after recent regulation, these enterprises have higher profit margins than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies. He primarily focuses on the last 20 years and argues that the alternative financing sector paralleled and presaged the subprime mortgage crisis. The author clearly elucidates the financial issues involved and parades a variety of larger-than-life lenders and sympathetic borrowers so the text never gets too far from the human interest angle. Any number of recent books have covered the subprime lending crisis from the top, but Rivlin engagingly depicts the very same crisis from the bottom and convincingly argues that the pawnshop is just as important as the boardroom to the world financial situation.
Verdict Armchair economists will enjoy this new angle on the mortgage crisis. Those concerned with the economic fringe in the United States will find this book illuminating, exasperating, and maybe even shocking. Highly recommended.—Robert Perret, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow
Schatzker, Mark. Steak: One Man’s Search for the World’s Tastiest Piece of Beef. Viking. May 2010. c.304p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-670-02181-9. $25.95. COOKING
Magazine writer Schatzker is not the first to chronicle his attempts to raise livestock using traditional or sustainable methods. But, as he notes of cattle raising and steak cooking, some efforts are bound to be more successful than others. Witty, personable, opinionated, and informative, Schatzker’s account of circling the globe takes him from a Texas feedlot to a high-end restaurant in Tokyo, from an outdoor beef festival in Tuscany to the highlands of Scotland, and from Argentina’s pampas to Paris and back home to a farm near Toronto. In addition to consuming a truly remarkable amount of steak, he investigates the commoditization of beef, then tries his hand with a Canadian heifer named Fleurance, giving a pragmatic yet touching account of her as she is fattened, butchered, and consumed.
Verdict Beef lovers and others interested in the global food industry will find this humorous, engaging, and well researched.—Courtney Greene, DePaul Univ., Chicago
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