NONFICTION
Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead:The Frank Meeink StoryFrank Meeink and Jody M. Roy. Hawthorne (PGW, dist.), $15.95 paper (350p)ISBN 9780979018824In this profound memoir, reformed skinhead Meeink, with assistance fromacademic and activist Roy (Love to Hate:America's Obsession with Hatred and Violence), recounts his former life asa Neo-Nazi. Told with passion and clarity, Meeink's story begins withneglectful parents and an abusive, junkie stepfather, who sowed the anger andhatred that would make him a prime candidate for the Neo-Nazi movement thatexploded in Philadelphia through the late 1980s and '90s. Before long, Meeink'smutual embrace with the National Alliance led him to his own gang of recruitsand a (largely random) "holy war" that would end up haunting him: "How many ofmy victims had wished for death while I brutalized them?" In federal prison atage 17, surrounded by cons of all races and creeds, Meeink first began toquestion what he'd been taught about the "elite" Aryan race; the 1995 OklahomaCity bombing would complete his transformation, leading him to seek out thefeds for confession. A brutal tour of modern American racism at its worst, acase study of traumatized youth and drug addiction, and a stark reminder of thehuman capacity for redemption, Meeink and Roy's account is a shocking butultimately reaffirming read. (Mar.)
The Boy on the Beach: Building CommunityThrough PlayVivian Gussin Paley. Univ. of Chicago, $17 (104p) ISBN 9780226645032Looking deeply into the "why" and "how come" of children at play, author andlong-time preschool/kindergarten teacher Paley (A Child's Work) presents a series of contemplative conversations (withthe reader, fellow educators and herself) that use her work with spontaneous andguided theatrical play to demonstrate the value of narrative to education,intellectual development, and mental well-being. While searching for deepermeaning in the business of child's play, Paley has developed a process fortheatrically staging students' own stories, and "find[ing] the metaphor in themoment" in order to guide play toward satisfying closure; chronicling herclassroom visits to share her process with other educators, her methods provehighly illustrative. Paley explains how people-and not just children-play inorder to find characters who represent them, place emotional events in recognizablecontext, demonstrate their own usefulness, and create common memories for laterdiscussion. Paley also cites interesting literary references throughout, andincludes illuminating correspondence between educators. Parents and teachersalike will gain insight from Paley's contemplative, creative approach to play. (Apr.)
A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, NavySEALs, and Dangerous Days at SeaRichard Phillips. Hyperion, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 9781401323806In this fascinating, suspenseful first person account of his capture by Somalipirates, which dominated news media for five days in April 2009, captainPhillips brings the growing pirate threat (up 20 percent in 2009's firstquarter) to life. An experienced Merchant Marine, Phillips was recently madecaptain of the cargo vessel MaerskAlabama, and, like all captains, was weary of the threat from pirates: "since2005... captains had been going out fifty, then one hundred... then six hundredmiles" to avoid the Somali coast. His feeling that "if pirates got onboard, itwas all over" proves unfortunately correct; it took the armed criminals justfive minutes to board the ship and take the bridge. Phillips has a sailor'spenchant for the dramatic, which he puts to good use alternating between hisown five-day ordeal-replete with Navy SEALs and a daring escape attempt-and theplight of his family in Vermont, watching the drama unfold on cable news.Despite his harrowing experience, Phillips stays afloat with steadfast faithand an unfailing sense of humor that are, ultimately, rewarded. Phillips'sstory is not just riveting and timely, but also an informative, heartening lookat perhaps the least-celebrated branch of the U.S. military, the MerchantMarines. (Apr.)
| The Daddy-Daughter Dance |
| Two new volumes explore and expound on the bond between fathers and daughters. The Council of Dads: My Daughters, MyIllness, and the Men Who Could Be MeBruce Feiler. Morrow, $22.99 (256p) ISBN 9780061778766In 2008, bestselling author Feiler (Walkingthe Bible) learned he had a rare, life-threatening tumor in his left leg.Fearing what his absence would do to the lives of his young daughters, Feilerasked six close friends ("Men who know my voice") to help raise them. Feilerchronicles his battle with cancer, from diagnosis to recovery, as well as hissentimental but moving journey to recruit friends who can carry out his wish toteach his daughters to travel, dream, and live life to its fullest. Feiler'sintimate bond with his friends makes them unusually expressive andcommunicative (if lacking in humor), and their own biographies lend furtherinspirational dimensions to the story. Though his letters to friends and familycan get ornate ("The Brooklyn Bridge...is looking fresh-faced and handsomeoverhead, its famed promenade glittering like the pot of gold at the end of along journey to come"), it's hard not to get swept along and cheer Feiler on ashe fights for his life and his daughters'. (May) What I Would Tell Her: 28 Devoted Dads onBringing Up, Holding On To and Letting Go of Their DaughtersAndrea N. Richesin. Harlequin, $13.95 paper (304p) ISBN 9780373892105In this follow-up to Because I Love Her:34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond, editor Richesinpresents 28 candid, personal essays that demonstrate why "[f]athers arearguably the most important men in their daughters' lives." Steering clear ofstraight sentimentality and saccharine stereotypes, writers including SteveAlmond, Rob Spillman, Richard Nash, and Thomas Beller contribute essays thatare funny, hopeful, inspiring and sad-often at once. In a funny, vulnerableletter for his pre-teen daughter to read on her 18th birthday, single dad TreyEllis wonders how she'll feel about his racy memoir Bedtime Stories. Daniel Raeburn's brave, heartbreaking essay,meanwhile, recounts the still-birth of his daughter, who they had already namedIrene: "Her name came to me in the night while I was falling asleep, her handsand feet drumming against Rebekah's belly and my palms." Writing with theirdaughters in mind, each contributor has put obvious care and passion into hispiece, turning out anecdotes and insight that will resonate with anyone who hasa family. (Apr.) |
Denial: Why Business Leaders Fail toLook Facts in the Face-And What to Do About ItRichard S. Tedlow. Portfolio, $26.95 (272p) ISBN 9781591843139Author and Harvard business administration professor Tedlow (Andy Grove: The Life and Times of anAmerican Business Icon) asserts that "[d]enial goes hand-in-hand withshort-term thinking," a problem that arises when a business "that once mighthave focused on getting the job donenow is concerned with getting done withthe job." The history of industry is rich with such cases, a number of whichTedlow examines with thorough understanding of both business and psychology:the initial brilliance of Henry Ford's Model T assembly lines gave way tosignificant setbacks when they failed to take the threat of Europe's radialtires seriously; the "great" grocery chain A&P was sunk by executives who"celebrated the statistics they liked." Tedlow also surveys the "edificecomplex," in which struggling but respected companies erect monuments tothemselves (like the Sears Tower) rather than tackling real challenges. Contrastingsuccesses include tenacious DuPont, Intel's chief truth-seeker Andy Grove, andJohnson & Johnson, which faced almost insurmountable challenges head-onduring the toxic Tylenol crisis. Tedlow discusses ways to overcome the denialinherent to human nature as well as the institutional variety, cautioningagainst "yes" men, the vocabulary of euphemisms, and trash-talking thecompetition: "What am I using this derision to hide-perhaps from myself?" (Mar.)
The Devil's Rooming House: The TrueStory of America's Deadliest Female Serial KillerM. William Phelps. Globe Pequot, $24.95 (320p) ISBN 9781599213668To recreate the early 20th century killing spree which took place primarily in Connecticut's"Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids" (the inspiration for JosephKesselring's play Arsenic and Old Lace),Phelps amasses an abundance of research to complement his already-extantauthority on female murderers (the author of Perfect Poison: A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine, Phelpshas also consulted on serial killer TV drama Dexter). A seemingly charming setting, the Archer Home was run by AmyArcher-Gilligan, a homely "Christian woman" who provided the last hope of acomfortable home for many of her elderly residents. As a nasty heat wave overtookthe East Coast, however, the number of deaths occurring in the Archer Homespiked precipitously. After 24 deaths over four years, a vigilant reporter notedthat Archer-Gilligan has been purchasing large quantities of arsenic; she wasusing it to kill the very residents she'd sent to purchase it for her. Phelps'diligent research creates a vivid portrait of the country a century ago, but histelling is oddly dispassionate; readers may not fully understand the brutalityof Archer-Gilligan's crimes until the list of the dead at end of the book, laidout over three full pages. (Apr.)
Droppers: America's First HippieCommune, Drop CityMark Matthews. Univ. of Oklahoma, $19.95 paper (242p) ISBN 9780806140582One of the first utopian communities to emerge in the 1960s, Drop City,Colorado was founded as a self-supporting artist's enclave. In thisentertaining chronicle, author and journalist Matthews (Smoke Jumping on the Western Fire Line) recounts Drop City's storyas told to him by a number of its inhabitants, including co-founder EugeneVictor Debs Bernofsky, whose plan was to "own the property, build A-framehouses, pay no rent, make films and art and... put our trust in dose [sic]Cosmic Forces" (influenced by "Bucky" Fuller, the A-frames became thecommune's iconic geodesic domes). As much a look at the sex-and-drugscounterculture as it is a cautionary tale about the problems ofutopia-building, the story of Drop City almost comes to an early end over a mysteriouslydepleted can of government commodity peanut butter; ultimately, it woulddevolve into a disillusioned, dilapidated slum. Matthews's attempts tocontextualize (or perhaps elevate) the narrative with historical notes on otherU.S. communes and the hippie stomping grounds of Haight Ashbury distract fromBernofsky's tale, which is fascinating, inadvertently hilarious, and verytelling. B&w illus. (Mar.)
Duel at Dawn: Heroes, Martyrs, and theRise of Modern MathematicsAmir Alexander. Harvard Univ., $28.95 (320p) ISBN 9780674046610With tremendous attention to detail, historian Alexander examines the lives of18th and 19th century mathematicians, finding much evidence to support histheory that the earlier geniuses of math (like Évariste Galois and Neils HenrikAbel) cultivated an artistic temperament, living short but fiery lives withlittle recognition, while the next generation (Jean le Rond d'Alembert,Leonhard Euler) pursued mathematics (and life) with purity and rigor, becoming"successful men of affairs who were the bright stars of their era and lived toa ripe old age." Though occasionally repetitive, Alexander's personable historyof mathematics over two centuries (rounded out by a brief look at the presentand future of the field) is filled with biographical details that will interestdevoted mathematicians and historians of math or science; lay-readers may findAlexander's delivery too dry to stir their sympathies. (Apr.)
Iron Butterflies: Women TransformingThemselves and the WorldBirute Regine. Prometheus, $19 paper (294p) ISBN 9781616141691Consultant and developmental psychologist Regine (coauthor, The Soul at Work) compiles wisdom drawnfrom several years of original interviews with 60 successful women around theworld, including CEOs and businesswomen, U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Johnson, formerPrime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell, and others whose "achievements demonstratehow feminine power is changing our businesses, our organizations and our worldinto better places to work and live." In flowing, occasionally dense prose,this intellectual and dynamic treatise on women in the modern workplace demonstratesconvincingly how empathy, emotional and strength and an embrace of vulnerabilityare changing traditional, male-dominated management models. Declaring the Eraof Women, Regine celebrates big picture thinkers as well as mindful feelers, apowerful message reinforced by the impressive professional biographies of each subject.(Apr.)
Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and theRoad to Workers PowerJack Barnes. Pathfinder (www.pathfinderpress.com), $20 paper (432p)ISBN 9781604880212The latest historical analysis from Socialist Worker's Party national secretaryBarnes (Capitalism's World Disorder)boldly, if dubiously, asserts that the masses are about to seize power-and not (asconservative forces would posit) in accordance with progressives like PresidentObama, but in opposition. In Barnes's view, the current American overclasscontinues to exploit the working class (especially the working poor), havingchanged only its face: the new bourgeoisie, including Obama, is an "enlightenedmeritocracy" comprised "of all colors and hues" that, while "cadging" thewealth created by capitalists exploiting producers, "fear at some point beingpushed back to the working classes," making a divide-and-conquer strategy allthe more important. Barnes argues that Malcolm X was, at the time of hisassassination, on the threshold of becoming a socialist, a stretch evenconsidering Barnes's evidence (such as a particular 1965 interview). Still,Barnes's perspective is eye-opening: over the past 30 years, the economicposition of the working class in America has been steadily eroding, and theusual suspects-NAFTA, China, and other forces of global trade-cannot be foughtwith strikes or picket lines. Unfortunately, Barnes's humorless, doctrinaireapproach won't do much to inspire American workers; perhaps that's why he needsMalcolm X. (Mar.)
The Ptarmigan's Dilemma: An Exploration into How LifeOrganizes and Supports ItselfJohn Theberge andMary Theberge. McClelland & Stewart, $28.95 (400p) ISBN 9780771085192In this thoughtful but overlong volume, part field memoir and part scientificoverview, married naturalists John and Mary Theberges (Wolves and Wilderness) probe the relationship between evolution andecology with the provocative questions that have driven much of their 30-year careers:"How is life's marvelous self-organization accomplished? When and why might itfail?" Distinguishing the twin aspects of natural selection-the pressure for survivabilityand the pressure (in males) to attract sexual attention from females-the duo showhow it "is not sufficient by itself to explain the existence of order." Rather,order and complexity spring from the most basic laws of matter, apparent in "sandripples on a beach" or "chemical reactants"; the Theberges push the theory that"phenotype plasticity" at the most basic levels allow animals with identicalgenes to develop into separate subspecies, a process analogous to thedifferentiation of stem cells into various tissues (liver, skin, muscle). The duoalso unpacks the ecological challenges for the human species (food shortage, pollution,overpopulation, etc.), warning that we mayhave passed the point of sustainability. (Mar.)
Rough Justice: The Rise and Fall of Eliot SpitzerPeter Elkind. Portfolio, $26.95 (320p) ISBN 9781591843078The story of Eliot Spitzer, that familiar story of a powder keg of power,privilege, and sexual peccadilloes meeting its inevitable end, becomes a tautthriller in the hands of Elkind (The Smartest Guys in the Room), editorat large of Fortune magazine. He revisits the triumphs of the "Sheriffof Wall Street" who presciently took action against outlandish CEO compensationand corruption at investment banks, his capacity-even relish-for makingpowerful enemies, his lackluster performance as a governor, and his clandestinelife as "George Fox," regular client of a Manhattan escort service. Save forsurprisingly mean-spirited descriptions of some of the escorts, Elkind handlesthe tawdrier revelations with courtly decorum-but his interpretation that sexwith prostitutes was Spitzer's "elegant solution" for getting his "needs" metwithout betraying his wife with an affair, strains credulity. Spitzer has said,"I don't do introspection," and Elkind mercifully skips psychologizing in favorof recounting the events with celerity and investigating what remains obscure:were Spitzer's enemies having him followed? Did they leak the Governor's affairs to the press? The book is a study of institutions as muchas the individual, and when the sludgy state government, investment banks, lawenforcement, and the press-come together at the scandal's revelation, it makesfor an impressive crescendo. (Apr.)
A Tear at the Edge of Creation: ARadical New Vision for Life in an Imperfect UniverseMarcelo Gleiser.Free Press, $25 (286p) ISBN 9781439108321For most of his career, physicist Gleiser (The Dancing Universe) was a "true believer in unification," seeingin string theory a "more profound description of Nature" with "a higher levelof mathematical symmetry." He now rejects the search for a perfect theory as animprovable article of belief akin to monotheism. Explaining his turnaround,Gleiser points to the game-changing 1998 discovery that the universe isexpanding at an accelerating rate, indicating that 96 percent of the "stuff ofthe cosmos" is undetectable "dark matter" or "dark energy." Even the 4 percent ofmatter contained in the known universe reveals anomalous behavior, like the predominanceof matter over anti-matter, and the asymmetry of "left-handed" neutrinos. Gleiserargues that life, and perhaps even matter, could not have developed in asymmetrical universe: "Behind every imperfection there is a mechanism forgenerating structure and complex behavior." The conclusions Gleiser draws fromhis reconfiguration include the idea that time has a beginning and that "humanunderstanding of the world is forever a work in progress"; though Gleiser has aremarkable gift for elucidating complex scientific concepts (without mathematics),this is not a volume for novices. (Apr.)
LIFESTYLEChicken & Other FowlJohn Torode. Firefly, $24.95 (256p) ISBN 9781554076123Replicating the format that made 2009's Beefsuch an enjoyable find, British chef Torode shows readers how to get the mostout of poultry. Though Torode dutifully recounts classics like roast turkey,Coq Au Vin, and pot pies, his true knack is for invention: leftovers find newlife in baked curry puffs and stocks, while livers can be used for DeviledChicken Liver Crostini, breaded and topped with Bearnaise sauce, or pan-friedfor a simple sweet-and-sour salad; ground chicken, meanwhile, makesdelightfully spicy patties topped with fresh salsa, or Spaghetti with CurriedChicken Meatballs. Like its bovine-focused predecessor, this volume includeseight variations for common dishes like grilled chicken thighs, pan-seared duckbreast, kebabs, and various stuffings, giving devotees of a particular dishroom to maneuver. More complex dishes, like "Raised" Chicken and PartridgePie-a towering pot pie made with hot-water pastry-will give seasoned cooks anew challenge for a lazy afternoon. Specific ingredients like Juniper berries,Thai pea eggplants, and yellow rock sugar may prove difficult to source in theU.S., but even cooks who don't know a capon from a Cornish game hen will findworthwhile dishes within their skill set. (Mar.)
Incredible Edibles: 43 Fun Things toGrow in the CitySonia Day. Firefly, $14.95 paper (124p) ISBN 9781554076246Just because you live in an apartment doesn't you can't enjoy homegrown herbsand vegetables; accordingly, urban gardener Day (The Urban Gardener) gives city-dwellers tips on 43 edible plantsthat can be grown in backyard gardens as well as on rooftops, balconies andpatios. Using an eye-catching layout, Day patiently and enthusiastically guidesgardeners of all experience levels through the ins and outs of raisingeverything from exotic asparagus peas to zucchini, offering general tips onchoosing the right containers, keeping harmful critters at bay, and bringingyour bounty in for the winter. Though slim, each entry is packed withinformation and photos, including all the particulars (when, where and how toplant, common problems, how much to grow) as well as considerate looks atworthwhile alternatives (fast-growing Thumbelina carrots, Mojito Mint) andthose to avoid (Brandywine tomatoes, for instance, are particularly prone todisease, and shouldn't be planted in areas with high humidity). Though recipesare scattered throughout, this is first and foremost a gardening book; still,gourmands and green thumbs alike should appreciate this guide to space-restrictedgardening. (Mar.)
It's All About the Woman Who Wears It:10 Laws for Being Smart, Successful, and Sexy TooCristina Perez. Penguin/Celebra, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 9780451229496Drawing from her work an empathetic, personable television judge, as well as awife, mother, radio host, and columnist, Perez (Living by Los Dichos) produces 10 laws addressing common mistakesthat keep women from "reaching our full potential." From the first, Cristina's no-nonsensecandor will be familiar to fans of TV's Cristina'sCourt, and inviting to anyone who resents the coddling tone of manyself-helps, though her sharp and humorous insights don't have theself-righteous aggression (or self-loathing undercurrents) of LauraSchlessinger's similarly-themed TenStupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives. In Chapters like "DateWisely," "Reinvent Yourself," and "Take a Risk," Perez calls for women to "createtheir own identity from the inside out," and to use that identity as a point ofpower from which to embrace life and make smarter decisions. Perez discussesissues like body image, aging, femininity and friendship, as well as romanticrelationships from dating to engagement to marriage (including "Seven Deadly Sinsof Marriage" to avoid). Each chapter is rounded out with tacked-on input fromsome (anonymous) outside voices, but Perez's fans will be satisfied, and likelyinspired, by her assured but compassionate voice. (Mar.)
Melissa's Everyday Cooking withOrganic ProduceCathy Thomas. Wiley, $29.95 (336p) ISBN 9780470371053In this invaluable guide to fresh produce, food columnist Thomas (Melissa's Great Book of Produce) proceedsalphabetically through 56 popular fruits and vegetables, offering tips onvarieties, buying year-round, and proper prep and storage. The real bounty, though,is the recipes-more than 400-that give readers copious suggestions for thosepersimmons, leeks, or eggplants that look so tempting at the market, and so perplexingon the kitchen counter. While obvious applications such as salads are included,Thomas's recipes are anything but phoned-in: cooks with too many cherries canuse them in Cherry, Chocolate and Toasted Almond Ice Cream or as a relish for agrilled pork tenderloin; fresh ginger can be used to liven up Chicken Saté withPeanut Sauce and Cucumber Raita; and even the spinach-averse will reconsiderwhen facing Linguine with Baby Spinach and Blue Cheese, complemented by toastedpine nuts, fresh basil, and prosciutto. Thomas even ventures beyond mains andsides to include a tasty Kiwi Martini and White Sangria, as well as a NectarineBarbecue Sauce, basic carrot vinaigrette, and easy-to-accomplish pickledshallots. (Apr.)
New Orleans Kitchens: Recipes From theBig Easy's Best RestaurantsStacey Meyer and Troy Gilbert. Gibbs Smith, $30 (216p) ISBN 9781423610014Though heartfelt, Meyer's culinary guide to the dishes and art of her hometownfalls short. A recipe tester and developer for Emeril Lagasse, Meyer dependstoo heavily on her own recipes and, aside from a few admirable exceptions (likeGalatoire's Oysters Rockefeller and Trout Meuniere Amandine), includes too few classicrecipes from classic restaurants (perhaps most stunning is the inclusion ofjust one gumbo recipe). Still, gems do emerge, such as Meyer's Mini CrawfishPies, Galatoire's Shrimp Remoulade, La Cote Brasserie's Louisiana Oysters andTequila Lime Granita, and Café Degas's decadent signature crepes, filled withmushrooms, asparagus and brandy-flamed crabmeat. Other dishes are hit and miss;instructions for Smoked Duck Breast Pain Perdu with Fontina Cheese and CaneSyrup are all too brief, and dishes like Community Coffee-Cured Pork Chop withSweet Potato Gnocchi and Cedar-Smoked Tomato Puree are probably best left tothe professionals. The art selection (generally paired one-to-one with recipes)is as varied as the food; the result is a wildly uneven collection that doesn'tfulfill its promise. (Apr.)
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