Arts & Humanities Reviews, August 2011
Aug 15, 2011| In this Article |
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ARTS
Cox, Caroline. Vintage Jewelry Design: Classics To Collect & Wear. Lark: Sterling. 2011. c.224p. illus. index. ISBN 9781600597145. $35. DEC ARTS
Cox (cultural history, Univ. of the Arts, London; Stiletto) showcases 120 years of fabulous jewelry from well-known artisans, celebrity designers, and production houses, including Cartier, Chanel, Dalí, Fabergé, Fulco di Verdura, Alexander McQueen, Tiffany, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Historical and vintage photographs and helpful captions accentuate the succinct, well-written text. The chapters highlight major trends by decade. Examples are “Edwardian Era” (1910s), which shows the elegance of Fabergé, Cartier, Boucheron, and items from the war years; “Hollywood Glamour” (1930s), showing flashy and iconic designs and one-of-a-kind pieces for celebrities; “Mid-Century Sparkle” (1950s), which displays French figurative jewelry and the marvels of Schlumberger, Tiffany, Dior, Swarovski crystals, and charm bracelets; “Pop Goes the Future” (1960s), where anything goes, from ethnic designs and hippie motifs to space-age modern; and “Future Collectibles,” which presents new designers like Shaun Leane, Frank Gehry, and Kazumi Nagano. A “Shopping and Collecting Guide” covers where to buy, spotting fakes, caring for fine jewelry, and online shopping; a glossary and a list of museums, collections, and antique markets are also provided. VERDICT This affordably priced retrospective is recommended for individuals interested in modern jewelry history as well as libraries with collections in decorative arts and design.—Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN
The Deconstructive Impulse: Women Artists Reconfigure the Signs of Power, 1973–1991. Prestel. 2011. 176p. ed. by Nancy Princenthal. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9783791351209. $49.95. FINE ARTS
This exhibition catalog showcases the contributions of North American women artists to the deconstructivist movement, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. Deconstructivist artists subverted images from the popular media and mainstream art institutions, often by appropriating them to undermine power mechanisms upholding gender-related, racial, ethnic, and class-based inequities. In the foreword and five essays of the first section, Princenthal, former senior editor of Art in America and one of the exhibition’s curators, and four distinguished contributors from academia and the museum world explore the relationship of feminist art to deconstructivism, postmodernism, polemics, sexuality, psychoanalysis, and other topics. The second section displays the works in the exhibit—pieces by Barbara Bloom, Sarah Charlesworth, The Guerrilla Girls, Lynn Hershman, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons, and Carrie Mae Weems—with a list of works and a selected bibliography. VERDICT While many of the essays are theoretical, the emphasis on a diverse group of contemporary women artists will appeal to a broad audience, including museum visitors, students, and scholars. Insightful and well presented, it belongs in large public, academic, and special library collections.—Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Epstein, Marc Michael. The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination. Yale Univ. 2011. 344p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300156669. $65. FINE ARTS
Epstein (religion, Vassar Coll.) has produced an important scholarly work that mines the iconographies of four of the oldest known illuminated Haggadot (the Passover story of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt)—the Birds’ Head Haggadah from southern Germany (c. 1300); the Golden Haggadah from the Barcelona area (c. 1320–30); and two Spanish “siblings,” the Rylands Haggadah and its Brother (c. 1330–40). Epstein emphasizes the relationship between text and imagery, closely examining the illustrations on their own terms and also studying the manuscripts as holistic works, and presents a compelling case that these four Haggadot contain iconography of “great sophistication of conception and intentionality of organization.” He demonstrates that to understand iconography as exegesis, one must see the way scripture was read through the rabbinic lens from a “perspective of contemporary medieval experience.” He portrays medieval Jewish visual culture as a part of the holistic traditional Jewish culture but also part of the larger Christian medieval culture. VERDICT This handsome volume will be of great interest to students of both medieval and Jewish culture and art. The expert notes, chronology, select bibliography, and comprehensive index make this an important addition to academic libraries. Very highly recommended.—Herbert E. Shapiro, formerly with Empire State Coll., SUNY, Rochester
Graham-Dixon, Andrew. Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane. Norton. Sept. 2011. c.544p. illus. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780393081497. $39.95. FINE ARTS
New publications (e.g., Michael Fried’s The Moment of Caravaggio and John T. Spike’s Caravaggio) continue to appear in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of Caravaggio. This one takes a more biographical than art historical approach to the controversial artist. Art critic and BBC television art series presenter Graham-Dixon (Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel) firmly places Caravaggio in his milieu right from the beginning of his life, discussing the important connection between his family and the family of one of the heroes of the Battle of Lepanto, which took place eight days after Caravaggio’s birth. Further reading suggestions (English and Italian), an index, endnotes, and maps are included. VERDICT Recommended for special collections, art faculty and students, and interested general readers. (Final images not seen.)—Nancy J. Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL
Grillo: Expressionism; Figurative Works. Fields, dist. by IPG. 2011. c.144p. illus. ISBN 9780984618651. $50. FINE ARTS
This retrospective volume of painter John Grillo’s (b. 1917) expressionist figurative work from the 1980s onward is filled with riotous color, life-affirming paintings, and a synthesis of art movements since World War II. Grillo, who has taken his cue from some of the best painters, is well informed on the flat surface and 19th- and 20th-century masters such as Matisse, Picasso, and Gauguin as well. He is known as an abstract expressionist for his works in the 1950s, but Robert A. Whyte (curator emeritus of the Museo Italo Americano, San Francisco) indicates in the foreword (two of the book’s three pages of text, not counting the chronology and artist’s résumé) that he turned to the figure in the late 1970s. An image of Marilyn Monroe Grillo discovered in a city dump in Wellfleet, MA, spawned a series of paintings of the vulnerable temptress, including an impressive triptych with Latin influences. The book displays other series, such as his energetic tango paintings and a sexually charged erotic series that winks at Titian, Manet, and Picasso. VERDICT Mostly consisting of full-color illustrations, the book beautifully displays the artist’s solid body of work. Recommended for most contemporary art book collections.—Ellen Bates, New York
Jodidio, Philip. Rafael Viñoly Architects. Prestel. 2011. c.550p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9783791350745. $99. ARCHITECTURE
Among the handful of today’s international celebrity architects, Rafael Viñoly is perhaps the one who falls most under the radar of architecture pundits and tastemakers. Jodidio’s nearly exhaustive portfolio of Viñoly’s works, spanning built and unbuilt projects from the 1960s to the present, clearly shows why. Here is a major talent willing—and, indeed, insisting upon the need—to subordinate style to the client’s programmatic needs, which results in a dazzlingly diverse oeuvre and in consequence lacking a recognizable visual brand signature. Jodidio has published numerous surveys and monographs on contemporary architecture (e.g., Architecture: Nature), and this is one of his best yet. As usual, it’s devoid of meaningful critique, but this oversize volume offers a veritable feast of photos, illustrations, plans, and what might be called full and objective captions, which describe them all. Also included are an interview with Viñoly and statements from members of his firm. VERDICT Architects, their students, and those who must keep current with today’s best architects should consider this an indulgent but not-to-regret purchase.—David Soltesz, Cuyahoga Cty P.L., Parma, OH
Morris, Errol. Believing Is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2011. c.305p. illus. index. ISBN 9781594203015. $40. PHOTOG
Oscar-winning filmmaker (The Fog of War) Morris investigates well-known images to examine the nature of truth in photography. He chooses images from four different wars (the Crimean War, the Civil War, the Iraq War, and the Israeli-Lebanese war) as well as photographs from the Farm Service Administration and the Works Progress Administration taken during and after the Great Depression. He approaches each photographic mystery as a forensic scientist would, performing exhaustive research, consulting historical and scientific experts, traveling to the sites where the photographs were made, and conducting experiments with exposure and lighting. What Morris reveals is that regardless of an image’s historical data or metadata, inherently complex theoretical issues of intention, concealment, and revelation will always exist. VERDICT Although the research is serious, extremely thorough, and extensively detailed, Morris’s writing style is accessible and enjoyable. Originally published as individual essays in the New York Times, this book is destined to become a classic in photo theory. Recommended for undergraduate and graduate photography and art history collections. [See Prepub Alert, 11/29/10.]—Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA
Reed, Henry Hope & Francis Morrone (text) & Anne Day (photogs.). The New York Public Library: The Architecture and Decoration of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. anniversary ed. Norton. 2011. 320p. illus. index. ISBN 9780393078107. $75. ARCHITECTURE
The main building of the New York Public Library, located at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, was designed by the notable New York City architectural firm Carrère and Hastings after an extensive national competition and completed in 1911. Originally published in 1986, this book has been updated for the building’s centennial with revisions, new photographs, and full treatment of the extensive restorations and renovations that have been undertaken throughout the massive building complex. It contains over 50 beautiful pages of detailed color photographs, comprising an extensive verbal/visual glossary of classical architectural terms as well as a complete list of the sources of the principal materials and surfaces throughout the building, stretching from Athens, Greece, to Knoxville, TN, including Italy, Germany, France, and Vermont. Unfortunately, there are no footnotes or bibliography. VERDICT Few books or buildings meet the standard of this publication and its subject; it is one of the finest books this reviewer has seen on the classical style in the Beaux Arts period in America (roughly 1890–1940). Highly recommended to all larger public and academic libraries throughout the world.—Peter S. Kaufman, formerly with Boston Architectural Coll.
Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. 4th ed. Laurence King, dist. by Chronicle. 2011. c.720p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781856694599. pap. $40. ARCHITECTURE
Some 7000 years of architectural history and highlights are summarized in this classic survey, which serves equally well as a reference work and a college textbook for introductory architectural history courses. The current edition, updated from 2000, includes new material and illustrations on ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and touches on early 21st-century flagship buildings and globalization. Watkin (history of architecture, Univ. of Cambridge) captures with a fine economy architecture’s successive revivals and historical legacies. Given the book’s scope, coverage is mostly confined to acknowledged masterpieces and trendsetters. While classics such as the Parthenon (three pages) and Chartres Cathedral (two pages) receive the most attention, only 25 buildings in New York and 15 in Chicago are mentioned, often in passing. Almost 1000 photographs (50 full-page, color) illustrate buildings, interiors, and styles. A glossary, a (somewhat dated) chapter-by-chapter “for further reading” list, and a detailed index conclude the work. In anticipation of reference consultation, libraries may elect to bind this sturdy paperback. VERDICT Popular since it was first published in 1986, this title can be appreciated by a second generation of readers for Watkin’s erudition, big-picture overviews, and explanations of historical context and continuity.—Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL
LITERATURE
Blanning, Tim. The Romantic Revolution: A History. Modern Library. Aug. 2011. c.288p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780679643593. $22. LIT
The Romantic movement of the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries, asserts Blanning (formerly modern European history, Univ. of Cambridge; The Triumph of Music: The Rise of Composers, Musicians and Their Art), was as radical in its consequences as the age’s political and economic revolutions, changing permanently the way writers, thinkers, and artists perceived themselves. Blanning describes the ways Romantics turned inward (the cult of genius, the privileged status accorded dreams and nightmares), away from the emphasis on reason urged by Enlightenment thinkers. One writer railed against “the tyranny of reason.” Another boldly asserted: “God is a poet, not a mathematician.” Hegel pondered Romanticism’s “absolute inwardness.” Blanning analyzes the Romantics’ modes of engagement with the world (exaltation of history, love of nature, medievalism) and makes acute observations on the dialectical, not cyclical, progress of the arts up through today. VERDICT It’s a pleasure to read a relatively concise piece of scholarship of so high a caliber, especially expressed as well as in this fine book, with images and phrases that illumine the subject and stick in the mind. It will appeal not only to academics but to all readers with an interest in the history of literature, philosophy, and art.—David Keymer, Modesto, CA
Douglas-Fairhurst, Robert. Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist. Belknap: Harvard Univ. Oct. 2011. c.360p. index. ISBN 9780674050037. $29.95. LIT
This biography, culminating in 1838, when Dickens turned 26, presents persuasive evidence that had it not been for Dickens’s willful ambition, his path to authorial renown might have been diverted by the circumstances of his childhood and adolescence. From a close reading of Dickens’s early poetry, autobiography, and letters, Douglas-Fairhurst (English, Magdalen Coll., Oxford) portrays Dickens as a highly observant young man, fastidious in dress, disposed to schoolboy practical jokes and theatrical behavior, who suffered the humiliation of chronic domestic poverty and the trauma, at age 12, of laboring long hours in a shoe-polish (“blackening”) bottling factory. Dickens’s time as a solicitors’ clerk and shorthand court clerk were intellectually mind-numbing, but his newspaper reporting on Parliament won him attention. Douglas-Fairhurst’s acute and incisive analysis of the contemporary reception of Dickens’s journalism and then his first serialized fiction reveals how Dickens’s keen observations and storytelling talent allowed him to rise above his station, as he forged his experiences into fiction. VERDICT A perceptive and speculative biography whose style is best suited to an academic readership and whole-hearted Dickensians.—Lonnie Weatherby, McGill Univ. Lib., Montreal
Eller, Jonathan R. Becoming Ray Bradbury. Univ. of Illinois. Aug. 2011. c.328p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780252036293. $34.95. LIT
Eller (cofounder, Ctr. for Ray Bradbury Studies, Indiana Univ.–Purdue Univ.; coauthor, Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction) provides a detailed account of the experiences that shaped Ray Bradbury’s life and writing career from his childhood until he embarked on the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick in late 1953. Eller narrates biographical information pulled from primary and secondary sources and presents it in concise, informative chapters, giving much attention to the writers, editors, and artists with whom Bradbury interacted at the time, e.g., illustrator Hannes Bok and authors Edmond Hamilton and Henry Kuttner, and showcasing their involvement in Bradbury’s intellectual growth. Eller clearly analyzes many of the influences on Bradbury—such as his reading of Karen Horney’s The Neurotic Personality of Our Time (1937) and a 1945 trip to Mexico—and discusses the relationship between Bradbury’s life and his writings, perhaps most notably the writer’s meeting with Doubleday editor Walter I. Bradbury (no relation) in 1949, which prompted the concept of The Martian Chronicles. VERDICT Eller’s work is thorough and enlightening on the subject of one of science fiction’s greatest minds. Highly recommended not just for Bradbury fans but for all students of science fiction.—Jennifer Harris, Mercyhurst Coll. Lib., Erie, PA
Heller, Erica. Yossarian Slept Here: When Joseph Heller Was Dad, the Apthorp Was Home, and Life Was a Catch-22. S. & S. Aug. 2011. c.256p. photogs. ISBN 9781439197684. $25. LIT
Catch-22 (1961) made Joseph Heller famous overnight. In this bittersweet memoir, his daughter (Splinters) recounts what it was like growing up in a family headed by this celebrity author. The very qualities that made him a success with Catch-22 (brilliant satirist; eccentric sense of humor) did little to promote understanding between father and admiring daughter, e.g., despite all evidence to the contrary, Heller insisted on celebrating Erica’s birthday one month later than the actual date. As she matured, Erica struggled to understand her father and maintain a relationship with him in light of more serious offenses, e.g., a disparaging portrayal of their relationship in his second novel, Something Happened (1974) and his treatment of her mother after their divorce. Although dealing with painful issues, Erica’s story is full of wit, enlivened by observant anecdotes about her larger family and her parents’ friends. With the Upper West Side Apthorp apartments, where she was raised, as her backdrop, she also provides a nostalgic view of 1960s New York. VERDICT A rare combination of candor, humor, and compassion, this book is for all readers, especially of literary and family memoirs, and all fans of Heller. A fine combo with Tracy Daugherty’s Just One Catch: A Biography of Joseph Heller.—William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Hendrickson, Paul. Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934–1961. Knopf. Sept. 2011. c.560p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781400041626. $30. LIT
From the trout streams of his youth to the Gulf Stream of his adult years, boats and water were a constant presence in Ernest Hemingway’s journey. Hendrickson (Sons of Mississippi: A Story of Race and Its Legacy) takes a unique tack by framing the last 27 years of Hemingway’s over-dissected life with his yacht, Pilar. Outlasting marriages and relationships with friends and family, the 38' Brooklyn-built fishing machine was the lasting love of his life. Hendrickson has come neither to praise nor to bury his subject, but to give him a fair shot. Hemingway is filtered through the eyes of friends and family; with full chapters focusing on Pilar’s strange mate Arnold Samuelson and several chapters following Walter Houk, a still-living acquaintance from the Cuba days. Hemingway’s youngest and most troubled son, Gregory, is also featured prominently. Hemingway had such a dominating personality that he unknowingly damaged those around him, with siblings and offspring suffering the worst. VERDICT Featuring spry writing and clever insight but thankfully little critical analysis of EH’s work (that’s been done to death), Hendrickson brings fresh meat to the table, delivering one of the most satisfying Hemingway assessments in many years. A delight for Ernesto’s numerous fans.—Mike Rogers, Library Journal
Roe, Richard Paul. The Shakespeare Guide to Italy: Retracing the Bard’s Unknown Travels. HarperPerennial: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. c.320p. illus. maps. bibliog. ISBN 9780062074263. pap. $19.99. LIT
For this literary journey through Shakespeare’s ten plays set in Italy, Roe, an English and history scholar and an attorney who died in 2010, explored the places that inspired many of Shakespeare’s classics and presents a solid argument that Shakespeare was well traveled. Roe spent over 20 years traveling throughout Italy with Shakespeare plays in hand. The thrill of discovery he felt throughout his quest leaps off the page and makes for an accessible read. The connections he draws among the plays and locales are backed up with pictures, maps, literary references, and well-documented arguments. Particularly striking is Roe’s argument that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is not set in Greece, as traditionally accepted, but in a small town in Italy. VERDICT A fascinating look at a largely untouched aspect of Shakespeare’s identity and influences. Recommended for Shakespeare enthusiasts and scholars as well as travelers looking for a new perspective, this is also particularly intriguing as a companion to specific plays.—Katie Lawrence, Chicago
Wilson, A.N. Dante in Love. Farrar. Nov. 2011. c.400p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780374134686. $28. LIT
British historian, novelist, and journalist Wilson (The Victorians) has cultivated a lifelong love of Dante and the Divine Comedy. This book is both the product of that love and an assessment of Dante’s contribution to Western notions of love, placing him in biographical and historical context. Wilson desired, he writes, to offer the sort of book he wished he’d had to guide him through his own first bewildered encounters with the Commedia. He follows a broadly chronological organization, elaborating on the historical, philosophical, theological, and artistic as he goes, always referring to the Divine Comedy, using a variety of contemporary translations. Wilson works in the spirit of Dante scholars of previous eras such as Paget Toynbee and later Anglican humanists such as Dorothy Sayers, drawing on them for materials and interpretations. VERDICT While breaking no new ground, Wilson’s scholarship is solid and accurate, the results engaging and fluent. This is a rich compendium for those familiar with Dante and a valuable introduction for those approaching him seriously for the first time.—T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah, GA
PERFORMING ARTS
Eichenbaum, Rose. The Actor Within: Intimate Conversations with Great Actors. Wesleyan Univ. Oct. 2011. c.264p. ed. by Aron Hirt-Manheimer. photogs. index. ISBN 9780819569523. $30. FILM
Dancer and photographer Eichenbaum here uses the successful format she showcased in The Dancer Within. She interviewed and photographed well-known actors who have made indelible contributions to American theater and cinema. Portraying a full range of actors from the youngest, like Elijah Wood and Julia Stiles, to seasoned performers such as Charles Durning, Ruby Dee, and Gloria Stuart, the author gets right to the essence of how and why each chose acting as a career. She also captures each personality with a single revealing photograph. The short, enlightening interviews give glimpses into the psyches and motivations that drove these entertainers to achieve success in a profession often plagued with challenges and disappointments. What makes an actor want to act? That question is answered by 35 familiar actors in frank, honest interview responses. VERDICT Offering valuable insight into the mind of an actor, this must-read for any aspiring performer will please even the casual reader.—Richard A. Dickey, Washington, DC
Einarson, John with Ian Tyson & Sylvia Tyson. Four Strong Winds: Ian & Sylvia. McClelland & Stewart. Sept. 2011. c.352p. index. ISBN 9780771030383. $29.95. MUSIC
Einarson (Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love) follows the career of the Canadian folk duo Ian & Sylvia (best known for their song “Four Strong Winds”) from their early days in Toronto and Greenwich Village coffeehouses through their breakup as a band and couple in 1975 to their solo careers. The book includes extensive interviews with the Tysons and people who worked closely with them, and these interviews give insight into the inner workings of Ian & Sylvia and their country-rock band, Great Speckled Bird, a subject Ian left out of his memoirs (I Never Sold My Saddle; The Long Trail: My Life in the West). Einarson also includes many interviews with folk musicians such as Gordon Lightfoot who credit Ian & Sylvia for bringing them into the limelight. VERDICT This extensive biography/autobiography will appeal to fans of Ian & Sylvia and folk music enthusiasts.—Emily Hamstra, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Eliot, Marc. Steve McQueen: A Biography. Crown Archetype. Oct. 2011. c.384p. photogs. filmog. index. ISBN 9780307453211. $26. FILM
Eliot has authored several celebrity bios, including American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood. Here he focuses on Steve McQueen, whom he can’t help but compare to Eastwood. They were both born in 1940, and their careers began at about the same time. But unlike Eastwood, whose acting style is instinctive and who has essentially played the same character to great commercial success, McQueen was a product of the Method; Eliot asserts his career was hampered by less-than-inspiring directors and his early death at 50, when Eastwood was just hitting his stride. Still, McQueen starred in iconic films (The Magnificent Seven; The Great Escape). Eliot covers McQueen’s lonely and angry early life and the juicy details of his marriages, most famously to Ali MacGraw. VERDICT Eliot’s penchant for portraying the thoughts of McQueen and others (“From the moment Steven arrived in New York City, nothing felt right”) is annoying, but McQueen’s life and the cultural context Eliot explores make for a good read. Several McQueen biographies have appeared over the last few years; purchase for need and demand.—Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA
Lithgow, John. Drama: An Actor’s Education. Harper: HarperCollins. Oct. 2011. c.336p. photogs. ISBN 9780061734977. $26.99. THEATER
More than the run-of-the-mill “And then I met.... And then I was in...” actor’s autobiography, this is both a memoir full of emotion and a cautionary tale. Lithgow, well known for dramatic and comedic roles in movies and on television, teaches actors to be on guard against taking themselves too seriously—to understand that “applause is an addiction.” He details his early life as his father, a skilled director and producer who established Shakespeare festivals where the young Lithgow learned and honed his craft, moved the family following one tenuous job to another. The need to adapt to being the new kid in town had a huge impact on Lithgow’s acting, but he writes that sublimating emotions to cope took a lifetime to repair. Lithgow’s movies are mentioned occasionally, but this is primarily a book about theater and the importance of storytelling. VERDICT Lithgow shows that theater—the heightened form of storytelling—is an emotional exercise shared by the actor and the audience; the nature of its benefit is a mystery, but we can’t get along without it. A necessary gift for theater students. [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/11.]—Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead
Orlean, Susan. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. S. & S. Oct. 2011. c.288p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 9781439190135. $26.99. FILM
In this exceptional book, Orlean (staff writer, The New Yorker; The Orchid Thief) portrays the magical bond, which led to lasting international fame, between a special puppy found on a World War I battlefield and Lee Duncan, the man who rescued him. She spent ten years researching and writing their story, a richly textured narrative filled with personal accounts, astute cultural and social backdrops, behind-the-scenes details on film and television, and an informed look at the historical roles of dogs in war, on-screen, and in the home. Orlean describes Rin Tin Tin’s career from the early days in film through the popular 1950s television series. His heroic persona transformed into immortal legend, as subsequent dogs sustained both his name and the noble qualities he symbolized. Duncan and others who were a part of Rinty’s story are honestly yet compassionately portrayed. Orlean also shares her own tales of epic research. VERDICT This is a thoroughly researched and masterfully written work that will please a wide audience, especially those who remember this noble canine hero. It is also an important addition to the literature of cultural, entertainment, and animal history. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/11.]—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ
Ross, Steven J. Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics. Oxford Univ. Sept. 2011. c.512p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780195181722. $29.95. FILM
Ross (history, Univ. of Southern California; Working-Class Hollywood) reveals the wide-ranging and lasting influence of Hollywood stars and producers on American politics. He profiles ten celebrities—five on the left (Charlie Chaplin, Edward G. Robinson, Harry Belafonte, Jane Fonda, and Warren Beatty) and five on the right (Louis B. Mayer, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston, and Arnold Schwarzenegger)—who devoted themselves to political activism, sometimes at great risk to their careers. Ross situates the personal stories of his subjects within the greater cultural and political landscape, exploring the motivations that drove each of them and measuring the effectiveness of their efforts. Determining that Hollywood conservatives have been more successful at shaping the political direction of the country than those on the left because of their ability to package and sell the simple but appealing story of America as the greatest nation in the world, Ross nonetheless credits the film stars on the left for championing vital issues like anti-Nazism, civil rights, women’s rights, antiwar efforts, and economic justice. VERDICT Well written, entertaining, and enlightening, this is highly recommended, especially for film buffs interested in the intersection of politics and culture. [Although the author used the Tamiment Library collections, where this reviewer works, the two never met or communicated.—Ed.]—Donna L. Davey, New York Univ. Lib.
Soto, Jock. Every Step You Take: A Memoir. Harper: HarperCollins. Oct. 2011. c.240p. photogs. ISBN 9780061732386. $24.99. DANCE
Soto, esteemed over a 24-year dancing career (1981–2005) for his sinuous grace, elegant partnering, and the breadth of ballets choreographed on him, occupies a special place in the hearts of ballet fans generally and New York City Ballet (NYCB) fans in particular. Now a teacher at NYCB’s School of American Ballet and founder of a catering business, Soto must add “eloquent memoirist” to his attainments. As with his dancing, he moves here gracefully, weaving in and around his life, turning now to his dancing, now to his partnerships, both on and off the stage, now to reflect on his parents—his Navajo mother on whose reservation he and his brother spent their early years, and his Puerto Rican father—who both lovingly supported his wish to dance, even as they knew little about classical ballet. The stories of his parents’ peripatetic lives are as stirring as any part of the book. VERDICT There are many dancers’ memoirs around; Soto’s is lovely for its graceful inward and outward gaze and its narrative flow. Highly recommended for all dance fans, LGBT collections, and readers of today’s memoirs.—Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal
Spitz, Marc. Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2011. c.304p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781592406555. $26. MUSIC
Riding the wave of interest in the Rolling Stones after the well-deserved success of Keith Richards’s Life, this biography focuses on the more flamboyant of the two Glimmer Twins. Spitz (Bowie; We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk) skips many biographical details and skims over long periods of Mick Jagger’s 50 years in the public eye to explore a few key events in his career, including the then-young rocker’s 1967 drug arrest, the 1969 Altamont concert killing, and his 1985 venture into solo recording. Spitz ties together these sporadic episodes by repeatedly turning to the long-standing artistic and personal tension between the trend-hopping Jagger and the staunchly traditionalist Richards. Spitz relies mainly on previous research and old interviews, adding fresh insight from Jagger colleagues and confidants such as Stones cofounder Dick Taylor. VERDICT This minor work succeeds as a superficial but entertaining exploration of certain aspects of Jagger’s life and career and will have to suffice until a definitive biography or, better yet, an autobiography is published. Readers may get a little closer to understanding the notoriously reticent Jagger, but he remains a mystery. [See Prepub Alert, 3/21/11.]—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia
Terry, Clark with Gwen Terry. Clark: The Autobiography of Clark Terry. Univ. of California. Oct. 2011. c.336p. photogs. index. discog. ISBN 9780520268463. $34.95. MUSIC
When Johnny Carson gave a nod to Tonight Show Band trumpeter Clark Terry, the esteem in which he was held came through loud and clear. Most viewers probably didn’t know that it was Terry who broke the color line for musicians at NBC, and only a handful were likely aware of the incredible credentials he had accumulated since his impoverished childhood in St. Louis. Writing with his wife, Terry tells us in an engaging and vivid voice about his long and varied career performing with virtually all of the greatest names in jazz of the last century, including the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands. At 90, he displays an indefatigable sense of humor and a love of music. While he doesn’t hesitate to tell all, it is all about the music. VERDICT Terry is a national treasure, and if you’ve listened to his playing, you’ve heard his story many times over. And in words, his narrative is a delight. Beyond a great read for jazz fans, this is a great American story for all readers.—Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll., NY
Wills, Garry. Verdi’s Shakespeare: Men of the Theater. Viking. Oct. 2011. c.240p. index. ISBN 9780670023042. $25.95. MUSIC
Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Wills (Lincoln at Gettysburg; What the Gospels Meant) here turns his attention to the three operas by Giuseppe Verdi based on plays by Shakespeare—Macbeth, Othello, and Falstaff. At once scholarly and conversational in tone, the book ping-pongs between the worlds of 17th-century Elizabethan drama and 19th-century Italian opera. Wills brilliantly explores the evolution, development, and performance histories of the three plays (actually, four, counting both Henry IV and Merry Wives of Windsor as inspirations for Falstaff), the three operas, and the connections among them. Verdi was a great lover of Shakespeare, and though he could not read a word of English, he understood the complexity and emotive force of the plays and strove to create compelling works that would do justice to their sources. This meant micromanaging the work of his librettists, collaborators, and singers. In doing so, he redefined the genre with each work. VERDICT Compared to Gary Schmidgall’s excellent Shakespeare and Opera, Wills’s survey is necessarily less broad but equally interdisciplinary and thought-provoking. An essential purchase. [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/11.]—Larry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., Bethlehem, PA
PHILOSOPHY
Johnson, Paul. Socrates: A Man for Our Times. Viking. Oct. 2011. c.240p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780670023035. $25.95. PHIL
The prolific Johnson (The Birth of the Modern) wants to rescue Socrates from the manipulations of Plato. He thinks Socrates was essentially a moral philosopher with little taste for unworldly metaphysics and a positive distaste for Plato’s authoritarian politics. Johnson has his work cut out for him, for almost all we know about Socrates that doesn’t come from Plato comes from a memoir by Xenophon and some satirical references in Aristophanes’ Clouds. Johnson gives us a wonderfully readable account of life in Athens, its political quarrels, and its failures and makes sense of what we learn from Plato’s earlier (more “Socratic”) dialogs. He is good at explaining Socrates’ disastrous defense in front of the Athenian jury. His Socrates is a “conservative radical” who sympathizes with popular religion, defends the individual, and understands human frailty, while his Plato is a “radical conservative” who espoused “absolutist dogma.” VERDICT This is a charming book, much of it according with Gregory Vlastos’s Socrates, the standard work. As good as a murder mystery, Johnson’s narrative is exciting, but readers should remember that people who don’t like Plato’s metaphysics have been saying these things for 2500 years! [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/11.]—Leslie Armour, Dominican Univ. Coll., Ottawa
Nadler, Steven. A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza’s Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age. Princeton Univ. Nov. 2011. c.304p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780691139890. $29.95. PHIL
In this clearly written and accessible book, Nadler (philosophy, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Spinoza: A Life) offers up a historical and philosophical analysis of Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise (1670). While Spinoza’s later Ethics is better known, Nadler explains that the Treatise is a much more “passionate, even angry” work that offers great insight into Spinoza’s controversial theories regarding the impossibility of miracles, the Bible as a work of literature, and the importance of liberty and freedom of ideas in a society. Each chapter not only focuses on sections of the Treatise but also explains the historical context of the Treatise and why many saw it as such a dangerous and corrupting book. VERDICT In the preface, Nadler explains that he hopes to bring the Treatise to a new audience of general readers as well as academics. He has definitely succeeded in writing an extremely rewarding and engaging book. Highly recommended both for readers who have read Nadler’s other books on Spinoza and for those who have never read the Treatise or are new to Spinoza.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI
POETRY
Berry, Lauren. The Lifting Dress. Penguin. 2011. c.62p. ISBN 9780143119654. pap. $16. POETRY
Berry’s first book, a National Poetry Series winner selected by Terrance Hayes, takes place in the mind of a girl from a lush Florida “swamp town” who has been raped. The victim refers to her rapist, who becomes her lover, as the “Big Man.” Initially, she can’t speak of what happened owing to the (symbolic) carnation stuck in her throat. Nevertheless, her story is gradually revealed until it finally erupts in blood. Confusion results from the use of at least two narrators and a tendency toward easy surrealism: “My mother and I mistook our pool/ for a clean-shaven man.” But there are some terrific poems here, for example, “The Sawgrass Women Make Me Nervous,” whose speaker seeks traces of her dead mother in the public library: “… her breath/ over the bloated-bottom pitcher, the ice cubes’/ lazy shapes melting into the cream. All I can do is find her/ in this dusty newspaper engine.” This poem and others have the authority readers expect from a prize-winning collection. VERDICT Gothic lyricism from a promising new writer.—Ellen Kaufman, Baruch Coll., New York
Coleman, Wanda. The World Falls Away. Univ. of Pittsburgh. Sept. 2011. c.144p. ISBN 9780822961642. pap. $15.95. POETRY
This new collection from Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize winner Coleman (Bathwater Wine) pulses with energy, and though the interesting topics range from jazz greats to explaining skin color to a grandchild, dark themes predominate: aging, racism, death, and the failures of the body. Coleman describes life’s joys and sorrows (“call what I do a lope, a stagger, a trudge/ i’m moving, if slowly, upward—cloud by cloud”) with accomplished wordsmithing, though many lines seem dashed off or hard to interpret (“this then is// the this then/ a rainbow of/ rhythms arcing the sky of perception”). She has a real feel for dialect (“jes’ ain’t effin’ funnn”), but sometimes her word choices veer toward the comical: “I engage in scopings for mange-free strays to adopt.” In the prose poem “A Mutant Angel Speaks,” Coleman gives us an irreverent take on religion—“i cling to God/ with sticky hands. when he shakes, i shimmy. i say yeah, DaddyMan.” Most touching are the poems that honor a dead son, “the long-limbed man child with palms to his knees.” VERDICT This vibrant collection could have been winnowed but offers some excellent poems as Coleman “steal[s] words like bread like gold like bones.”—Doris Lynch, Monroe Cty. P.L., IN
Hall, Donald. The Back Chamber. Houghton Harcourt. Sept. 2011. c.96p. ISBN 9780547645858. $22. POETRY
Former U.S. poet laureate Hall’s considerable fan base will welcome what is billed as his first full-length volume of poems in a decade, a mix of naughty, funny, sweet, and sad pieces about love, family, death, and the poignancy of things. The old rooms of his grandfather’s farmhouse in New Hampshire, where Hall has lived since the 1970s, set the stage for recalled intimacies with his late wife, the poet Jane Kenyon, and recollections of the childhood that first brought him there, “too young for chores.” One lovely poem, “Goosefeathers,” retraces his boyhood train journey from the Connecticut shore to inland New Hampshire, as he moves through a progression of smaller and smaller enclosed conveyances into the feather bed in his grandfather’s house. “Meatloaf” revisits a favorite topic, the relationship between baseball, abstraction, and art. Sex, food, baseball, suicide, adultery, and poetry—the poet sidesteps sentimentality as he counts out the measures of grief, disgust, and joy that conjure the vanished present: two married poets reading “under separate cones of light.” VERDICT Featuring moving, amusing, musical poems about love, aging, and baseball, this work will have broad appeal and is recommended for all collections.—Ellen Kaufman, Baruch Coll., New York
Hirshfield, Jane. Come, Thief. Knopf. Aug. 2011. c.112p. ISBN 9780307595423. $25. POETRY
Early in her career, National Book Critics Award finalist Hirshfield (Given Sugar, Given Salt) became interested in Japanese literature. One can see this influence in her latest work, a collection of generally short nature poems with an epiphany in which the poet manages to get to the heart of an experience. The best of the poems examine the complex and often metaphysical relationships between the poet and her surroundings. In Zenlike tones, they notice telling details as experienced in ordinary moments that nevertheless seem connected to the transcendent. Take “The Supple Deer,” for instance: the narrator watches deer gracefully jumping through an opening in the fence, noting in an especially resonate metaphor how the deer seem to pour like an arc of water. The poem ends wistfully as the poet wishes to be as “porous” as the deer, allowing the world to pass through her. VERDICT Although sometimes the connections suggested by Hirshfield’s metaphors are tenuous, these are mostly powerful poems in which each word adds resonance.—Diane Scharper, Towson Univ., MD
Jones, Rodney. Imaginary Logic. Houghton Harcourt. Oct. 2011. c.96p. ISBN 9780547479781. $22. POETRY
Jones (Salvation Blues) is often cited as a Southern poet, a designation that overshadows his greatest asset: a sense of humor. Most of the poems here are narrative, though Jones questions the style in “On Fiction”: “a few people,/ professors mainly,/ claim that the story has died.” The speaker aptly responds by saying “Given language, the story tells itself.” Jones’s speakers also poke fun at the revered, as in “The Competition of Prayers”; when no one approaches the altar to pray, the pastor “would signal the pianist to play more/ gravely.” Despite their irreverence, these poems often have moments of compassion, as when one speaker, after enduring a fire-and-brimstone lecture, reflects: “Probably they just got carried away./ They meant to talk politics./ The end of time was just a pretext.” VERDICT Jones shows great flexibility of style, from the lyrical (recalling Robert Wrigley’s work) to “ultra-talk” braided poems (à la David Kirby’s The House on Boulevard St.) to charming surprises—“That each zebra masks an inadequate horse”—and he deftly places the sacred (Gandhi) next to the pop (Van Morrison). Good for a wide range of poetry readers.—Stephen Morrow, Columbus, OH
O’Rourke, Meghan. Once. Norton. Oct. 2011. c.96p. ISBN 9780393080629. $24.95. POETRY
This second collection (after Halflife), which closely follows O’Rourke’s The Long Goodbye, a well-received memoir about her mother’s death, skillfully explores the desolate country of illness and grief in a tone touched by sadness, anger, and frustration. And, perhaps, hope: “I was born/ with a spirit, like you./ I have woken, you see,/ and I wish to be/ made new.” The book opens with O’Rourke’s first memory, then moves from diagnosis of her mother’s illness to death, its aftermath, and the realization that she is powerless unless she aims, metaphorically, to embody the country in which she is the ruler. The narrator considers global mayhem as she comes to her own restoration of spirit, but the poems aren’t simply biographical; the lines are carefully shaped, the images often startling in their simplicity (“cell phones buzz like digital cicadas”). The image of ice—and the suffocating feeling of being trapped under it, with the impenetrable, translucent light above—pervades the entire collection. As O’Rourke works to find wholeness, she considers that “[h]uman emotions” might be “clichéd./ But they still exist.” The penultimate poem comes full circle, until finally “You can step out of/ violence and into// sky.” VERDICT Essential for all readers of contemporary poetry.—Karla Huston, Wisconsin Acad. of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Madison
Pollock, Iain Haley. Spit Back A Boy. Univ. of Georgia. 2011. c.72p. ISBN 9780820339085. pap. $16.95. POETRY
“And all our sadness will be old Arkansas,/ rural and misspoken, its roads smudged/ by the fog’s blue prints, its pine board shacks// daubed with mud to keep out mosquitoes/ and the cold. The kitchens and porches/ where we aren’t will cease to exist.” We all hear a personal music, and it’s up to us to create the moves to go with it. Pollock listens well (as evidenced by these opening lines), and his dance is all strut and stomp, wild and wooly, and filled with the stories he’s seen, heard, and lived. Focusing on themes of racial identity, romance, the everyday things in life, and ever-looming mortality, these poems are built on jazz, troubles, pain, gunfire in the night, blues, and the ever-present muse Naomi, who, for her part, hears whale songs in the rattle and the hum of the refrigerator. “Some neighborhood kids wondered/ why I didn’t look more like my Mom,” says Pollock, whose mother is African American and whose father is white; one day the boy in the poem steals his father’s pocketknife, and, “alone, behind the locked door,/ I tried to scrape, as if fish scales,/ the rosy skin from my forearms.” VERDICT For those interested in African American literature, to be sure, but this volume will speak to any committed reader of contemporary poetry.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia
Yang, Jeffrey. Vanishing-Line. Graywolf. Sept. 2011. c.120p. ISBN 9781555975944. pap. $15. POETRY
While Yang’s second collection displays the polymathic breadth of his first one, 2008’s An Aquarium, its mood is more elegiac, its poetics more constrained. Favoring spare, narrow poems that trickle down the page in processional solemnity, Yang meditates on the meaning of physical place within the shifting context of historical time (“lines burying lines/ of our existence”) and the blurred borderland between memory and dream. He retraces histories of vanished peoples and cultures through archaeological remnants (“strange beauty in the service of power”) and written accounts, most notably in the 50-page “Yennecott,” which—with its interpolation of primary texts—recalls the documentary pastiches of Paul Metcalf. VERDICT Yang’s lament for humankind’s self-destructiveness (“There was a before and after/ the during consumed”) and his indictment of colonial and nationalistic greed (“The wealth/ of our desolation,/ the vanity/ of a nation”) are important if familiar themes that require careful treatment, but one feels the same points being made repeatedly with little if any tonal or stylistic variation, casting a pretentious shadow over an otherwise praiseworthy effort.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY
RELIGION
Bellah, Robert N. Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age. Belknap: Harvard Univ. Sept. 2011. c.736p. index. ISBN 9780674061439. $39.95. REL
Bellah (sociology, emeritus, Univ. of California, Berkeley) examines the genesis of religion in human culture, artfully demonstrating how play, myth, and ritual developed during the Paleolithic era into the essential components that are still recognizable in religion today. He then examines the Axial Age (c. 800–c. 200 B.C.E.), with which we are more familiar: great philosophers in Greece, Israel, China, and India put forth ideas that were based on both the natural world and the spiritual plane; they effectively married the two. Bellah’s book is an interesting departure from the traditional separation of science and religion. He maintains that the evolving worldviews sought to unify rather than to divide people. Poignantly, it is upon these principles that both Western and Eastern modern societies are now based. What strikes the reader most powerfully is how the author connects cultural development and religion in an evolutionary context. He suggests that cultural evolution can be seen in mimetic, mythical, and theoretical contexts. Ultimately, Bellah contends that our society is especially informed by our lengthy biological past. VERDICT This is an academic work recommended for specialists in the field of religion and sociology. Most lay readers, even if compelled by the subject, will find it heavy going, but the intrepid ones may well want to take it on and will marvel at Bellah’s approach.—Brian Renvall, Mesalands Community Coll., Tucumcari, NM
Michaelson, Jay. God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality. Beacon, dist. by Random. (Queer Action/Queer Ideas). Oct. 2011. c.232p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780807001592. $25.95. REL
Those who oppose equal rights for LGBT people are often Christians who assert that the Bible is God’s literal word and that several passages in it condemn homosexual activity. Even Christians who aren’t Bible literalists agree that both the Bible and church traditions see homosexual activity as sinful. Here Michaelson (God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness and Embodied Spiritual Practice), an LGBT activist who works in the fields of religion, sexuality, and law, claims both that the Bible doesn’t condemn homosexuality and that the traditions of the churches generally don’t condemn it either. His is not a closely reasoned scholarly presentation but rather a popular approach to the questions, “What does Scripture really say about homosexuality?” and “What do 3000 years of Judeo-Christian history really say?” He argues convincingly that the few Old Testament passages that seem to condemn homosexuality aren’t actually referring to it at all, that our translations/interpretations are in error. For example, the Hebrew word toevah, usually translated as “abomination,” really means something like “taboo” and intends the sense of violation of true worship, an instance neither of moral nor of social failure but of idolatry. VERDICT This title is very much worth reading and particularly useful for those interested in religion, civil rights, and social progress.—James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA
Pope Benedict XVI. Great Christian Thinkers: From the Early Church through the Middle Ages. Fortress. 2011. c.328p. ISBN 9780800698515. pap. $16.99. REL
Here are a series of meditations by Benedict XVI, all originally presented as teachings in Italian at the pope’s public audiences from 2007 to 2010. They are licensed from Libreria Editrice Vaticana with no English translator credited. The pope presents portraits of notable thinkers who have shaped the intellectual and spiritual life of the Church, particularly the Catholic Church. The studies of 70 individuals aim to inspire the faithful not only with examples of piety but with appreciation for the passion for truth, beauty, and justice these men and women exemplify. In each brief sketch Benedict provides a glimpse, from the obscure Aphaates of Syria to the quintessential Thomas Aquinas. If any fault can be found, it is that these portraits are a bit too irenic. For instance, Benedict plays down Tertullian’s break with Rome, ignores Origen’s heresies, and softens the animosity that existed between Peter Abelard and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. On an inclusive note, this collection features sketches from the Eastern Church and a number of pieces about women (e.g., Hildegard; Clare of Assisi) VERDICT General readers interested in Catholic spirituality or church history before 1500 should find this collection to be a welcome addition.—James M. Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Lib., NC
SPORTS & RECREATION
Carlos, John & Dave Zirin. The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World. Haymarket. Oct. 2011. c.210p. photogs. ISBN 9781608461271. $22.95. SPORTS
At the 1968 summer Olympics, 200-meter gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist Carlos each raised a black-gloved fist on the podium in protest of the stalled progress of U.S. civil rights. The planned protest changed both of these men’s lives. Smith and Carlos went on to remarkably similar careers, first in the NFL, then coaching/teaching. Smith told his story in Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith (2007), expressing some bitterness, while Carlos offers both grace and candor. Starting with his Harlem youth, he tells his story, placing the events of 1968 in context and closing in 2008 on the 40th anniversary of the Mexico City medal ceremony. There are great stories here, with that of what Carlos and his family endured after the gesture perhaps the most moving. More about his time spent in racially intolerant East Texas before the Olympics would have been welcome, but that’s a minor complaint. With a foreword by Cornel West. Coauthor Zirin (Bad Sports) adds an afterword about athletes and protests today. VERDICT Recommended to all interested in Olympic history generally, or the Smith-Carlos story specifically, sports memoirs, or the evolution of racial attitudes in the second half of the 20th century.—Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL
Reitman, Janet. Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion. Houghton Harcourt. 2011. 444p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780618883028. $28. REL
Reitman (contributing editor, Rolling Stone) here expands her March 2006 cover story on the secretive Church of Scientology, known for courting Hollywood celebrities, suing and harassing opponents, and infiltrating government agencies. Based on meticulous research and interviews with current and former top-level and ordinary Scientologists, her book takes readers through the full history of the church. She begins with the boyhood of pulp science fiction author and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86), and continues through Hubbard’s development of the pop psychology Dianetics, the founding of the church in the early 1950s and its controversial battles with the government, David Miscavige’s takeover of the church following Hubbard’s death, and Miscavige’s cultivation of actor Tom Cruise as the religion’s most prominent advocate. VERDICT Reitman’s attention to the personal accounts of participants brings the story to life and adds a dimension of drama (and length) not as prominent in Hugh Urban’s more scholastic account, The Church of Scientology (reviewed below). Independently and together, these two books offer a much needed, engagingly told, nonpartisan portrait of Scientology over the last 60 years. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 1/17/11. —Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL
Urban, Hugh B. The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion. Princeton Univ. Sept. 2011. c.296p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780691146089. $27.95. REL
Urban (religious studies, Ohio State Univ.;Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism) describes concisely the development of the Church of Scientology from a pseudopsychological self-help business venture to a self-proclaimed “religion” fighting vigorously for government recognition. Urban argues that Scientology is a kind of carnival funhouse–mirror reflection of broader American cultural fixations, phobias, and fascinations from the 1950s through the 1990s—from Cold War secrecy and a love of all things scientific to the contemporary cultural enthrallment with celebrity. Scientology, he notes, has a lot to teach us about society’s complex and freighted contest to define just what is and is not “religion.” VERDICT Highly recommended, this is a valuable, evenhanded, academic but engaging introduction to the controversial church, both for those interested in the topic of religious studies and for general readers. Reitman’s journalistic Inside Scientology (see above) pays less attention to the church’s many legal battles. These two books offer much needed impartial perspectives on their subject.—Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL
Carol J. Binkowski Bloomfield, NJ
Periodically, LJ offers a special citation to nonlibrarians for their excellence in reviewing, and I jumped on the chance to nominate Carol J. Binkowski. A pianist and freelance journalist, she’s been reviewing performing arts books for LJ for over 20 years. Her biography of ragtime composer Joseph F. Lamb is due out from McFarland next year.
Carol consistently produces insightful and lively reviews, and her broad areas of expertise and interdisciplinary knowledge have helped LJ reflect underrepresented voices, from lesser-known international performers to LGBTQ media studies to feminist perspectives to youth activism. Her wide-ranging knowledge and eagerness to take a chance have ensured coverage of those cross-category books that are so worthwhile for the very same reasons they’re hard to put into a box.—Anna Katterjohn
