Social Sciences Reviews, May 15, 2011
May 15, 2011BIOGRAPHY
Duberman, Martin. A Saving Remnant: The Radical Lives of Barbara Deming and David McReynolds. New Pr., dist. by Perseus. 2011. c.366p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781595583239. $27.95. BIOG
Duberman (Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, CUNY; Stonewall) traces the intersecting lives of gay political activists Barbara Deming (1917–84) and David McReynolds (b. 1929), who were both dedicated to the causes of peace and civil rights, which are closely linked to their other passions: socialism for McReynolds, feminism for Deming. The selection of these two for a joint biography may at first seem unusual as they were merely acquaintances and not unique in their convictions or radical activism or in identifying as gay Americans. Nor did Deming or McReynolds always agree on the best methods for their activism, or work in concert in their efforts. Yet as readers follow the two strands of this biography, they will find numerous similarities. Albeit separately, both walked for civil rights in the South, traveled to North Vietnam to witness and protest the war, and contributed significant theory and dialog to the philosophy of their movements. VERDICT Duberman’s extensively researched work highlights their courage to confront the parts of American society they found unjust and the role they played in changing social mores. Recommended for graduate students or activists familiar with the history of radical movements of the late 20th century, as Duberman does assume some prior knowledge.—Laura Ruttum, Denver
Mellon, James. The Judge: A Life of Thomas Mellon, Founder of a Fortune. Yale Univ.2011. c.592p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300167146. $38. BIOG
Mellon (The Face of Lincoln) has created a remarkably objective portrait of his famous ancestor (1813–1908), who emigrated from Ireland as a child, his family settling near Pittsburgh. It’s the classic rags-to-riches story of striving to better oneself in a new land through education and hard work and, in this case, becoming the founding patriarch of an American dynasty. Although real-estate investing in booming Pittsburgh was surely one way to make his fortune, it was his establishment of the Mellon Bank that led him to great wealth by the time of his death at 95. His legacy enabled his children—most notably his son Andrew—in the classic next-generation pattern to turn to cultural and other philanthropic endeavors, most prominently the creation of the National Gallery of Art. VERDICT The author, having had unfettered access to Mellon archives, deserves much credit for wisely avoiding the easy target of simply writing a family genealogy, expanding it instead into a truly American generational saga, one with profound implications not only for one man’s family, but for the entire country as well. Specialists and students of American history will benefit enormously from this splendidly written and researched work. Highly recommended.—Richard Drezen, Brooklyn, NY
COMMUNICATIONS
Johnson, Christopher. Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little. Norton. Jul. 2011. c.192p. index. ISBN 9780393077407. $19.95. COMM
For a book on writing short, this is surprisingly long. Business and recreational readers seeking the “Top Ten Ways To Tweet Better” will get impatient with the in-depth analysis of iambs and trochees, though independent verbal branding consultant Johnson does explain why The Bundt Stops Here is an awkward name for a cake shop and why people prefer ordering Coke to Coca-Cola. This “field guide to everyday verbal ingenuity,” in Johnson’s words, contains many nuggets of good information—that is, for readers with the linguistic interest and background to sort through them. VERDICT With many lively statements and humorous examples mixed in among discussions of metonymy and syntactic iconicity, this book would work well in academic settings. Motivated readers looking for information on naming a product or business or creating a slogan will find good information here. Those seeking simple rules for “writing little” will be weighed down.—Maggie Knapp Trinity Valley Sch. Lib., Fort Worth, TX
ECONOMICS
Devine, Tom & Tarek F. Maassarani. The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide: A Handbook for Committing the Truth. Berrett-Koehler, dist. by Ingram. 2011. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781605099866. pap. $19.95. BUS
Devine and Maassarani present a handy guide (written in cooperation with the Government Accountability Project, for which Devine is legal director and Maassarani former litigator) full of practical considerations and suggestions as well as examples of whistle-blowers’ experiences. The admirably pragmatic chapters cover such topics as how to decide whether the wrongdoing witnessed is worth reporting, the tactics used by corporations and others to intimidate and marginalize whistle-blowers, how to create appropriate support networks, and the best ways to back up one’s whistle-blowing (and to whom one should blow the whistle). The book concludes with a meaty “Toolkit” that offers tips on filing an official Sarbanes-Oxley complaint, filing Freedom of Information Act requests, and using the appropriate federal statutes. VERDICT This is an important (and cost-effective) book for libraries to own; it well covers a subject that, understandably, potential whistle-blowers may not want to look up on the Internet, particularly on their work computers. Managers might also do well to familiarize themselves with this book, as the authors suggest that most whistle-blowers would prefer to work through official and company channels to resolve their issues (for both their peace of mind and the good of the organization).—Sarah Statz Cords, The Reader’s Advisor Online
McCall, Karen. Financial Recovery: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Money. New World Library, dist. by PGW. Jun. 2011. c.224p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781577319283. pap. $14.95. BUS
McCall, founder of the Financial Recovery Institute, defines financial recovery as “a process that helps you develop a healthy relationship with money that is both healing and life changing.” She describes her own traumatic issues related to large debt and waiting until near financial ruin and desperation to attempt recovery. She clearly explains ways for individuals to relinquish debt by reevaluating their behavior with money and preparing a strategy for rebuilding finances. Covered topics include examining one’s relationship with money (involving hiding financial woes from family and friends, shame, obsession, and denial); exploring how people get in the same money troubles repeatedly (the money/life–drain); understanding the differences between individuals’ needs and wants; looking at the nitty-gritty of financial recovery; creating a spending plan; understanding the interaction between savings and debt; and ultimately developing “sterling money behaviors.” The author uses case studies to illustrate her points and includes questions for readers to ponder about their own financial situations. VERDICT McCall offers sound, practical advice for anyone interested in learning to maintain financial solvency and, especially, those needing to get out of debt and reclaim their financial lives.—Lucy T. Heckman, St. John’s Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY
Peshawaria, Rajeev. Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders: The Three Essential Principles You Need To Become an Extraordinary Leader. Free Pr: S. & S. May 2011. c.256p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781439197745. $26. BUS
This volume is a primer on recognizing and developing personal leadership identity. After working in several global blue-chip companies and helping found the Goldman Sachs leadership-development program, Peshawaria has translated his experience with business leadership into a framework on reenergizing management. The book divides leadership into three core principles. The first requires leaders to identify their purpose and values. The second core principle is to find coleaders who mesh well as a team. The last, which is the focus of the book’s second half, is how to create a successful organizational or enterprise leadership: leadership in situations where management does not have personal connections with all employees. The book is filled with case studies of successful leaders as well as questions and forms for self-evaluation. Throughout, Peshawaria provides a clear and concise system that leaders can use to identify and strengthen their value for their company. VERDICT Required reading for MBA students through experienced leaders, the book provides practical advice and a clear vision on how individuals can improve their talents and reenergize companies.—John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston
Tierney, Thomas J. & Joel L. Fleishman. Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results. PublicAffairs: Perseus. 2011. c.272p. ISBN 9781586488956. $23.99. ECON
The goal of management consulting is to help client companies maximize their performance and potential. Tierney’s experience as a Bain & Co. executive gave him the perfect background for helping nonprofits apply those same management principles to their organizations to attain success. Tierney later partnered with Fleishman, founder and former faculty chair of Duke University’s Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society, to form the Bridgespan Group, which helps nonprofit managers and donors achieve their goals of social improvement. This book is the result of their many years of nonprofit coaching experience. It teems with practical advice for those seeking to find an effective way to give money to stimulate and accelerate societal improvement. VERDICT Though the target audience here is big-ticket philanthropists like foundations—or those seeking to establish foundations—the principles and strategies can also apply to small-scale donors seeking the best returns on their nonprofit investments. The case studies of well-known philanthropists, from Andrew Carnegie to Michael J. Fox, make for compelling and inspirational reading.—Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin–Whitewater Libs.
Weissman, Jerry. Presentations in Action: 80 Memorable Presentation Lessons from the Masters. FT: Pearson. Jun. 2011. c.208p. ISBN 9780132489621. $24.99. BUS
Weissman, founder of Power Presentations Ltd., and author of three other related books, including the best-selling Presenting To Win: The Art of Telling Your Story, returns with 80 brief lessons. Loosely structured to be a companion piece to his earlier work, Weissman’s latest covers content, graphics, delivery, Q&A, and integrating the lessons. One- to two-page chapters lead with a quick anecdote illustrating the lesson in real life and follow up to tie the lesson into a business presentation setting. Chapters range from the useful (“The Free Throw” suggests a ritual action to calm nerves before going onstage) to the obvious (Fear of public speaking is universal), and the book also features a few lessons on integrating the concepts. VERDICT seasoned presenters should find a point or two in this breezy and quick read to improve their speeches a little, but those looking for a guide to becoming a presenter should pick up Presenting To Win instead. For Weissman addicts and veteran presenters looking for a few tips to raise their game.—Brian Walton, Tampa-Hillsborough Cty. P.L., FL
What’s Next?: Unconventional Wisdom on the Future of the World Economy. Yale Univ. May 2011. c.360p. ed. by David Hale & Lyrie Hughes Hale. illus. index. ISBN 9780300170313. pap. $30. ECON
The global economy is a complex and dynamic interplay of factors. This collection of 23 pieces from a diverse group of authorities, including economists, policymakers, and former government officials, shines light on economies worldwide. The articles discuss country prospects and the ability of countries, including superpowers, to recover from crises. Insight is provided on how international decision making impacts countries’ domestic economies in the short and long term. Variables discussed range from monetary and banking policies to climate change and neuroeconomics. Surprisingly, the last chapter is an article about the Internet and diminishing returns. The book is complemented by research notes, a glossary, and biographies of the article contributors. VERDICT Because of the in-depth macroeconomic and microeconomic content, this is best suited for readers with an extensive background in economic theory, and, therefore, recommended only for academic collections.— Caroline Geck, MLS, Newark, NJ
EDUCATION
Riley, Naomi Schaefer. The Faculty Lounges: And Other Reasons Why You Won’t Get the College Education You Paid For. Ivan R. Dee. Jun. 2011. c.180p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781566638869. $19.95. ED
Riley (God on the Quad: How Religious Colleges and the Missionary Generation Are Changing America) from the outset takes issue with the “lifetime job security” enjoyed by tenured faculty and suggests that faculty who focus on getting tenure often ignore the institutional mission. She quibbles with the argument that tenure protects academic freedom and questions whether professors who teach “vocational subjects” need those protections. Riley admits that the dire financial situation faced by many colleges has not been caused by tenure but argues that “tenured faculty are among the least concerned with an institution’s bottom line.” The afterword provides a compelling snapshot of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering near Boston, where the “culture of innovation” precludes tenure of faculty members, the curriculum is overhauled every seven years, and present and past students are asked for feedback about the quality of their educational experiences. VERDICT The title of this work makes it sound like it is tailor-made for parents and prospective students. Rather, this thought-provoking book will appeal to higher education administrators and change agents. Recommended for specialized collections.—Elizabeth Connor, The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina, Lib., Charleston
HISTORY
Lodge, Tom. Sharpeville: A Massacre and Its Consequences. Oxford Univ. Jul. 2011. c.256p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780192801852. $29.95. HIST
White South Africa’s apartheid police shot dead 67 blacks and wounded 186 more at a protest on March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville, a township outside Johannesburg. The wanton slaughter rallied black South Africa’s liberation movement. It also rang an international antiapartheid alarm, explains Lodge (peace & conflict studies, Univ. of Limerick; Mandela: A Critical Life). He investigates what was truly singular about the massacre in its national and international settings. He shows Sharpeville as no moment of revolutionary transformation, liberalization, modernization, or social disintegration. Rather, he argues, Sharpeville shone a glaring and timely spotlight on the fragility of apartheid’s power inside South Africa, and it focused international indignation in Europe and North America that increased empathy with black South Africans. VERDICT Lodge’s brilliantly complex yet eminently readable analysis tops a list of works of more narrow scope to offer a comprehensive view with half-a-century’s perspective on the long-developing collapse of apartheid South Africa. This work is a must for libraries, scholars, and general readers interested in the place, period, or process of racialist South Africa’s unraveling.—Thomas J. Davis, Arizona State Univ., Tempe
Miller, Scott. The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century. Random. Jun. 2011. c.432p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781400067527. $28. HIST
Miller (former correspondent, Wall Street Journal) gives us a dual biography of President William McKinley and Leon Czolgosz, the anarchist who assassinated him in 1901. In the process he provides an overview of the rise of the anarchist movement and the expansion of American involvement in foreign affairs at the time. McKinley represented the wealthy classes profiting from the rapid expansion of the U.S. industrial economy, while Czolgosz was emblematic of those who worked the mines and factories. Loss of a job during the 1883 financial crisis radicalized Czolgosz. Miller intertwines events leading up to famous 1886 and 1892 riots and strikes with narrative on the Spanish-American War at Manila Bay, San Juan Hill, and Santiago in 1898. He also speculates that Czolgosz was not mentally ill but followed the example set by European anarchists who accepted the use of violence for political ends. VERDICT While covering familiar ground, Miller’s thesis regarding Czolgosz’s motives and the detailed picture of America and its place in the world at the beginning of the 20th century make for interesting reading that nicely complements Eric Rauchway’s Murdering McKinley. Recommended to all interested readers.—Stephen Hupp, West Virginia Univ., Parkersburg
Rosenfeld, Sophia. Common Sense: A Political History. Harvard Univ. May 2011. c.346p. illus. index. ISBN 9780674057814. $29.95. HIST
We often hear politicians and pundits speak of “common sense.” Now Rosenfeld (history, Univ. of Virginia; A Revolution in Language) insightfully traces the turns the phrase has taken since it came into use in 18th-century urban centers. She covers London, where Joseph Addison and Richard Steele offered common sense in The Spectator as a calming answer to conflicting opinion after the Glorious Revolution; Aberdeen, where a group of Presbyterians found a shared capacity to see waywardness in the skeptical thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment; Amsterdam, where a circle of French writers used the term impiously to mock conventional wisdom; and Philadelphia, where Thomas Paine employed common sense as a means to bring down a government. Here, too, is Paris, where those against the Revolution used common sense to critique democracy. Rosenfeld treats the post-18th-century era more briefly in a final chapter. VERDICT Readers may only be disappointed that Rosenfeld does not cover recent times, most especially today’s conservative purveyors of common sense. Her book is a model of how a fine work of history may enlighten readers about polemics without being a polemic itself. Rich, graceful, often witty, this is very highly recommended for academic and serious readers.—Bob Nardini, Nashville
Rothschild, Emma. The Inner Life of Empires: An Eighteenth-Century History. Princeton Univ. Jun. 2011. c.600p. illus. maps. index. ISBN 9780691148953. $35. HIST
In this exhaustively researched and superbly written microhistory, Rothschild (director, Joint Ctr. for History & Economics and Jeremy & Jane Knowles Professor of History, Harvard Univ.; Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment) skillfully explores the 18th-century lives of the 11 Scottish Johnstone siblings, whose diverse experiences within the British Empire, ranging from Florida to Bengal, also placed them at the forefront of a dynamic empire of “ideas and moral sentiments.” In an imperial network that turned information into a commodity eagerly sought by those wishing to keep abreast of rapidly changing economic, political, and intellectual trends, the Johnstone siblings recorded the sentiments they observed in others as they moved within an elite circle of intellectual luminaries of the Scottish Enlightenment including Adam Smith, David Hume, Adam Ferguson, and William Cullen. Concluding with copious notes, Rothschild’s cerebral history is never more poignant than in her discussions of the “ills of empire,” which included the fate of slaves such as Bell or Belinda and James Knight. VERDICT Scholarly in tone, Rothschild’s account will appeal to fans of Enlightenment studies, Scottish or otherwise, microhistories, and prosopographies such as Carlo Ginzburg’s influential The Cheese and the Worms. [See “Editors’ Spring Picks,” LJ 2/15/11.—Ed.]—Brian Odom, Pelham P.L., AL
Sismondo, Christine. America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops. Oxford Univ. Jul. 2011. c.320p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780199734955. $24.95. HIST
Breezy, anecdotal, and pun-laden yet complete with a selective bibliography of print sources, Sismondo’s (humanities, York Univ., Toronto; Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken and Stirred History) book surveys a myriad of American drinking establishments, accenting their importance in social, political, and cultural history and discerning subtle differences over the centuries. (Her treatment of non-U.S. drinking customs and establishments is sparse.) The author writes that these venues served as community centers; places for self-definition, determination, and articulation; surrogate corporate boardrooms; and town halls. Replete with coverage both of those who favored and those who opposed the habit of communal drinking in America, the book also covers such topics as the Pilgrims’ fondness for beer and the playing out in taverns of central dramas in the lives of figures as diverse as George Washington and John Wilkes Booth. VERDICT Joining a growing list of works, mainly by journalists, on alcoholic drinks and drinking (e.g., Eric Burns’s Spirits of America and Daniel Okrent’s Last Call), appealing to an apparently unquenchable thirst for information on the topic, this book treads ground familiar to many academic historians but may prove revelatory to popular history readers to whom it is primarily addressed. Recommended.— Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Library of Congress
TIME The Civil War: An Illustrated History. Time. 2011. c.202p. ed. by Kelly Knauer. illus. maps. index. ISBN 9781603201711. $29.95. HIST
This TIME-branded sesquicentennial coffee-table book is handsome, but there’s not enough going on inside. The focus is resolutely old-fashioned: the Civil War as a military conflict, with little reference to social or moral contexts. “Great generals” receive individual attention, either via extensive profiles or in captioned images within particular battle chapters. The publisher claims the book has the “latest discoveries and analysis by scholars of the conflict,” but the only named author to be found is military novelist Jeff Shaara, whose introduction is a fictional “mile in the shoes of an unknown warrior.” Meanwhile, a “Gallery” chapter subtitled “A Soldier’s Life” presents more images of officers than of soldiers, as if the editors were unaware of the distinction. Nonetheless, the images (mostly from the Library of Congress) are the best part of the book, especially hand-tinted pen-and-ink maps created after particular sieges and engagements, beautifully combining topographic, military, and cadastral detail. The historical photographs, many familiar ones, are striking and stirring. VERDICT An optional purchase for public libraries and readers content with old-fashioned history minus complicating context or bibliography. LC’s own digital record of American history in its American Memory Project, freely available online, offers a wealth of this material.—Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal
LAW & CRIME
Amore, Anthony M. & Tom Mashberg. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists. Palgrave Macmillan. Jul. 2011. c.256p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780230108530. $25. CRIME
From How To Steal a Million to The Thomas Crown Affair, film audiences have been fascinated by the romance of brilliant art heists. But the reality is somewhat different. Amore was hired as security director by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston 15 years after several Rembrandts had been stolen from it and immediately set about to become an expert on art thefts and on Rembrandt, whose works are stolen at an astonishingly high rate. In this book, he and journalist Mashberg generously share their research, tracing a number of Rembrandt heists, both elegant and slapdash, and revealing how the thieves were captured and the works recovered (or not). Interviews with criminals and insights from dedicated law-enforcement personnel draw the reader into this rarified world. In addition, the authors provide history on Rembrandt and his world and on the stolen works themselves. VERDICT Art history buffs and fans of the classic caper alike will enjoy this look at the great artist and those who would possess him.—Deirdre Bray Root, Middletown P.L., OH
Martelle, Scott. The Fear Within: Spies, Commies, and American Democracy on Trial. Rutgers Univ. May 2011. c.320p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780813549385. $26.95. LAW
Martelle (Blood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American West) details the 1948 arrest and trial of 12 Communist Party USA members, who were accused of espionage and conspiracy in violation of the Smith Act, which prohibited inciting acts of force and violence against the government. He carefully describes the primary defense argument, namely, that these people did nothing more than teach a doctrine and therefore the government’s case amounted to political repression. The author underscores the defense argument that the constitutionality of the Smith Act is suspect because of its inherent conflict with the First Amendment and that because the allegations involved no acts, they did not constitute a clear and present danger to the government. Nevertheless, 11 of the accused were convicted, and the author concludes that the judge’s charge to the jury was the deciding factor, as guilt rode on the defendants’ intent to overthrow the government and their use of words as a rule for action. VERDICT Aimed at an academic audience, this well-documented book is replete with analysis of the legal and political issues involved.—Philip Y. Blue, New York State Supreme Court Criminal Branch Law Lib., New York
Who Deserves To Die?: Constructing the Executable Subject. Univ. of Massachusetts. Jun. 2011. c.320p. ed. by Austin Sarat & Karl Shoemaker. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781558498822. $80; pap. ISBN 9781558498839. $28.95. LAW
Sarat (political science, Amherst Coll.; When the State Kills) and Shoemaker (history, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison; Sanctuary and Crime in the Middle Ages, 400–1500) contribute two of ten academic essays on capital punishment in this revelatory collection. Beginning with a piece on how society decided not to kill insane criminals, the essays delve into the crux of the death penalty and the selection of subjects. What distinguishes this collection from David Garland and others’ America’s Death Penalty is the use of case studies, legal theory, psychiatric doctrine, and legal philosophy in addition to historical analysis. Two essays explore the last words of death row subjects as well as their last meals. The practices, which vary by state, illustrate cultural themes present in the capital punishment ritual. Using prisoners’ own words and prison practices, the authors attempt to explain the meaning of capital punishment in today’s society and show the contradictions inherent in approving subjects for execution. VERDICT Well researched and scholarly, these essays will fascinate serious students of the death penalty. An excellent work for specialized collections.—Harry Charles, St. Louis
Winkeler, Georgette. Al Capone and His American Boys: Memoirs of a Mobster’s Wife. Indiana Univ. 2011. c.400p. ed. by William J. Helmer. illus. index. ISBN 9780253356062. $29.95. CRIME
This is not another Capone book; he is but a tangential figure in this fascinating account. The heart of this work is a recently discovered manuscript written by Winkeler in 1934 that had been tucked away in FBI files. She was married to mobster Gus Winkeler and wrote her life story after he was gunned down. She claims her purpose was to save other women from the anxiety-producing life she lived, but perhaps she was hoping for some measure of revenge or retribution from the Chicago syndicate. Gus became one of Capone’s “American Boys” during Prohibition days and, according to Winkeler, was involved in the St. Valentine’s Day massacre and the assassination of Frankie Yale in New York, all the while working to become a legitimate businessperson running Chicago nightclubs. VERDICT Readers will find Winkeler’s story compelling if a bit self-aggrandizing. Her writing style is easy to read, and her slight snootiness and melodrama over the stress of being a mobster’s wife amuses. Editor Helmer also includes FBI reports about Winkeler and her attempts to contact federal agent Melvin Purvis. Helmer offers a useful reference section of brief biographies and historical notes. For true crime and gangster story fans.—Karen Sandlin Silverman, Ctr. for Applied Research, Philadelphia
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Levine, Bruce E. Get Up, Stand Up: Uniting Populists, Energizing the Defeated, and Battling the Corporate Elite. Chelsea Green. 2011. c.272p. index. ISBN 9781603582988. pap. $17.95. POL SCI
Dissident psychologist Levine (Surviving America’s Depression Epidemic) contrasts American political apathy to the popular revolts in many countries against harmful policies pushed by the power elite. He diagnoses the numerous maladies that make ordinary Americans feel powerless in the face of “tyrannical corporatocracy”—from too much corporate-controlled news and entertainment and overprescription of antidepressant and attention deficit disorder medications to the decline of organized labor and the lack of real economic differences between our two dominant political blocs. Levine argues that ordinary folk on both the right and the left can find common ground, much like the populists who united disparate strands of anticorporatism and antielitism to storm the economic heights of the Gilded Age. Levine prescribes a mixture of education, protest, promotion of independent economic institutions, and revival of the belief that Americans can once again control their own future rather than meekly accept the dictates of the corporate powers that be. VERDICT A compelling alternative look at today’s unsettled U.S. political circumstances through the lens of social psychology, this will be attractive to those who already feel alienated and those looking for new ways to make sense of our changing world. —Duncan Stewart, Univ. of Iowa Libs., Iowa City
Sánchez, Yoani. Havana Real: One Woman Fights To Tell the Truth About Cuba Today. Melville House. 2011. c.256p. tr. from Spanish by M.J. Porter. ISBN 9781935554257. pap. $16.95. INT AFFAIRS
Sánchez is a Cuban who walks the walk—currently residing in Havana, she defies the nation’s leadership with her acclaimed blog, Generación Y, about life in Havana and around Cuba. This book represents four years’ worth of entries she has struggled to post online in a country mostly devoid of Internet access. She was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2008, among many other international citations. Her insights collected here reveal daily life in Cuba, a life focused on waiting—for food, electricity, medical care, and freedom. Most telling is one post from 2010 when word spreads that Krazy Glue, vital for fixing things, is again available in one of Havana’s shops; yet it cannot fix the daily lives of Cubans so used to dealing with shortages, empty stores, and empty promises. VERDICT Other books offer a glance at Cuba still under a Castro, but none can compare with this remarkable diary of a life most can only imagine. Although her blog has been available online translated into several languages, including English, for some years, this cumulative collection is unequivocally highly recommended not just for all who are interested in Cuba today, but for fans of memoir, non-U.S. women’s perspectives, and all who are concerned with human rights.—Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., AL
PSCYHOLOGY
Baron-Cohen, Simon. The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty. Basic Bks: Perseus. May 2011. c.256p. index. ISBN 9780465023530. $25.99. PSYCH
This book is based on the enlightened idea that psychological rather than diabolical forces are responsible for evil in the world. Specifically, lack of empathy causes a wide variety of serious pathological states from psychopathy, extreme narcissism, and borderline personality disorder to debilitating though potentially positive disorders like classic autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Baron-Cohen (experimental psychology & psychiatry, Univ. of Cambridge; Mindreading: The Interactive Guide to Emotions) describes an empathy measure and traces its association with an “empathy circuit” in the brain and empathy genes. His prior works and numerous journal articles reflect his commitment to this topic for over 30 years. While social and environmental factors are discussed, the focus is on a brain-based theory of behavior. Baron-Cohen concludes with a summary of his ten new ideas, treatment for empathy deficits, a discussion of “superempathy” (e.g., Desmond Tutu), and a proposal to acknowledge empathy-based disorders in the standard psychiatric lexicon. VERDICT Clearly written and succinct, this book will enrich but not overwhelm interested readers, although some may bristle at using the same explanatory construct for autism and psychopathy. It provides a useful perspective for understanding human pathology, including events like Columbine and the Holocaust.—Antoinette Brinkman, MLS, Evansville, IN
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Berger, Peter L. Adventures of an Accidental Sociologist: How To Explain the World Without Becoming a Bore. Prometheus. Jun. 2011. c.290p. ISBN 9781616143893. $26. SOC SCI
With reference to the subtitle of this lively memoir, eminent sociologist Berger (religion, sociology, & theology, emeritus, Boston Univ.; The Social Construction of Reality) is largely successful. A plainspoken irreverence and fondness for jokes (some of them real groaners, but he’s 82 years old, so let’s cut him some slack) give some real snap to this recounting of the life of “someone who has an abiding fascination with the vast panorama of the human world.” Berger, as a well-regarded teacher and prolific author, focused on sociological theory, the sociology of religion, and Third World development. He does make mention of his courting controversy in the late 1970s. In a chapter aptly named “Politically Incorrect Excursions,” he writes of signing on as a consultant to the tobacco industry and contributing a chapter to Robert Tollison’s industry-commissioned book, Smoking and Society, in which he described the antismoking movement as a “health cult.” VERDICT Berger expresses the hope that this ego-histoire, which he defines as an account of an intellectual career, rather than a warts-and-all autobiography, will be of interest to people in sociology, as well as “others, with the desire to explain the world or have it plausibly explained to them.” Touché.—Ellen D. Gilbert, Princeton, NJ
Skolnik, Sam. High Stakes: The Rising Cost of America’s Gambling Addiction. Beacon, dist. by Random. Jul. 2011. c.256p. index. ISBN 9780807006290. $25.95. SOC SCI
Politicians have become addicted to gambling revenues as a kinder alternative to tax increases or spending cuts to eliminate state budget shortfalls. Gambling is now legalized in every state except Hawaii and Utah. In 2010 alone, 35 states considered legislation to expand gambling. Once confined to Las Vegas, casinos are now within driving distance for most Americans. Today, they house more than 850,000 slot machines. But there is a darker side to all the flashing lights and sounding bells. Skolnik, a former reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, shows that America’s addiction to gambling has a major social cost that contributes to higher rates of divorce, domestic violence, substance abuse, personal bankruptcy, lost productivity, and suicide. The federal government, which rakes in $6 billion in withholding taxes from casinos on gambling winnings each year, doesn’t spend a penny on research relating to problem gambling, although it allocates $2.5 billion to drug and alcohol abuse programs. Almost all research on problem gambling is financed by the gaming industry itself. VERDICT This important book will be of interest to all Americans but should be required reading for politicians who see gambling as a panacea for their state’s fiscal problems.—Robert Bruce Slater, Stroudsburg, PA
TRAVEL & GEOGRAPHY
Adams, Mark. Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time. Dutton. Jun. 2011. c.336p. maps. index. ISBN 9780525952244. $26.95. TRAV
Although Adams was an editor of adventure travel magazines (Outside and National Geographic Adventure), by his own admission he last slept in a tent as a teenager in his parents’ yard. In this narrative of his trek through the Peruvian highlands and tropical forests he shares three stories. He writes of the Incas’ encounter with the conquistadors and the ultimate collapse of their empire in 1572. The second arc is that of the Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III and his three expeditions in the early 20th century to Peru in search of the lost city of Vilcabamba—the last jungle capital of the rebel Inca state. The last, but certainly not least, is Adams’s account of his own trip and the intrepid Australian guide and Peruvian handlers who got him safely to Machu Picchu and back. VERDICT This delightful travelog is reminiscent of Hugh Thomson’s The White Rock and Tahir Shah’s Trail of Feathers. Adams, both funny and insightful, is intrigued by Machu Picchu without seeming New Agey, and the characters he introduces are compelling. Recommended for adventurers and armchair travelers alike. [See Prepub Alert, 1/3/11.]—Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Paris: The Collected Traveler. Vintage: Random. Jul. 2011. c.752p. ed. by Barrie Kerper. photogs. ISBN 9780307474896. pap. $19. TRAV
Kerper, author of eight previous volumes in the “Collected Traveler” series, has gathered together a unique collection of writings suitable for anyone planning an extended visit to Paris. Interviews with cookbook authors Ina Garten and Patricia Wells keep company with essays by Stacey Schiff, Rosamond Bernier, and other contemporary writers, whose subjects include the Paris of Proust, the Dreyfus affair, and their own tales of living in this multifaceted city. Interspersed are recommended books (with annotations), restaurants, shops, museums, and hotels and numerous short pieces by Kerper on her particular Parisian favorites. The somewhat idiosyncratic organization of the chapters begs for an index, and the small, unlabeled black-and-white photographs seem incidental. VERDICT This miscellany, while a little large for packing, is a pleasure to dip into again and again and makes for engrossing reading for all travelers, armchair and otherwise. Libraries that own the previous, 2000 edition will want to purchase this update; much new, enjoyable content has been added.—Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts, North Adams
