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Reviewer's Choice
War and Morality: Citizens' Rights and Duties
Michael Canvanagh
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9780786469888, $29.95, PB, 207pp
https://www.amazon.com/War-Morality-Citizens-Rights-Duties/dp/0786469889
Synopsis: In democratic societies, it is said that wars and military interventions are fought in the name of the citizens of the nation engaged in the conflict. Yet, ordinary citizens, the major stakeholders in war, are seldom provided with as much information for making and acting on their moral decisions about war as they are about many other national issues that affect them.
To fill that void, with the publication of "War and Morality: Citizens' Rights and Duties", Professor Michael Cavanagh addresses the nature of conscience, various moral norms, a moral decision-making process, and the theoretical and practical issues involved in attempting to avoid war or at least to make it as moral as possible, considering its nature.
By discussing how the morality of war differs from its political, military, economic and legal dimensions, this unique work attempts to enable citizens to make informed decisions about declaring, waging and ending war, and to act on those
Critique: Of special interest to readers concerned with the morality, ethics, philosophy, and politics of military warfare with respect to democratic societies in general, and the Unites States of America in particular, "War and Morality: Citizens' Rights and Duties" is an impressively presented study that is as thoughtful and thought-provoking, and it is timely and relevant today. Extraordinary, well written, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "War and Morality: Citizens' Rights and Duties" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a six page Bibliography and a three page Index. Deserving of as wide a readership as possible in these volatile times, "War and Morality: Citizens' Rights and Duties" is unrestrictively recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library War & Philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "War and Morality: Citizens' Rights and Duties" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Michael Cavanagh, a professor of psychology and supervisor of clinical internships at Mount Olive College in North Carolina, has published extensively in the fields of psychology and law enforcement. (www.librarything.com/author/cavanaghmichael)
Common Sense Police Supervision, seventh edition
Gerald W. Garner
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
https://www.ccthomas.com
9780398094362, $54.95, PB, 374pp
https://www.amazon.com/Common-Sense-Police-Supervision-First-Line/dp/0398094365
Synopsis: Newly revised, updated, and expanded, this seventh edition of "Common Sense Police Supervision: Practical Tips for the First-Line Leader" by Gerald W. Garner continues to be a practical hands-on book that is packed from cover to cover with step-by-step guidelines and suggestions for carrying out a multitude of leadership tasks and responsibilities focused on a changing law enforcement workforce that serves an equally changing and complex society.
While emphasizing the real value of common sense in good leadership practices, Garner furnishes the aspiring law enforcement novice or veteran police supervisor with specific advice on how to train, counsel, inspect, discipline, and assess the performance of his or her subordinates. He strives to help the supervisor with the vital obligations of being a planner, a problem resolution officer, and effective communicator within as well as outside the law enforcement organization.
The major topics comprising "Common Sense Police Supervision include: (1) what supervision means and what you need to know; (2) supervisory ethics, professional responsibilities as a teacher, inspector, advocate, and role model; (3) the key qualities of true leadership; (4) the vital job as an evaluator of employee performance, discipline in the correction process, oral and written communication skills; (5) the skills needed when dealing with the news media; (6) assistance in planning a career as a first-line leader in supervision; (7) the skills necessary for effective counseling; (8) managing external and internal complaints; (9) an effective role in community policing and customer service; and (10) effective leadership of different generations.
Each individual chapter concludes with a brief "Points to Remember" that provides a quickly-read and easily remembered checklist of the chapter's salient points. This new seventh edition furnishes many more practical, helpful, and real-life examples pertaining to leadership issues. In addition, a new chapter, "Working for Someone," which offers insight into this all-important topic of what your supervisor expects, some pitfalls to avoid, addressing the boss's problems, and learning the boss's job.
This new seventh edition also offers a realistic approach to the challenging task of providing strong, effective leadership to front-line employees in a dynamic, demanding profession.
Critique: Like its six earlier editions, this newly updated and expanded seventh edition of "Common Sense Police Supervision: Practical Tips for the First-Line Leader" by Gerald W. Garner from Charles C. Thomas, Publisher is an essential, core, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, police academy, and college/university library Law Enforcement & Police Supervision/Training collections and curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: There are online listings of the police books by Gerald W. Garner at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gerald-W.-Garner/author/B001ITTG66
and www.police-writers.com/gerald_garner.html
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Universal Principles of Typography
Elliot Jay Stocks
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760383384, $40.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Typography-Concepts-Choosing/dp/0760383383
Synopsis: We communicate with text every single day, but what does it mean to really understand type -- to use it with clear intent and purpose?
The art and science of typography combines subtle tweaks to line lengths with harmonious combinations of weights and styles; considered typeface pairings with a robust set of alternate characters; exciting technological advances with the realities of font licensing. There are so many ways designers can optimize how text is read and influence the way its message is understood -- and yet so many designers miscommunicate without even realizing it.
Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, with the publication of "Universal Principles of Typography: 100 Key Concepts for Choosing and Using Type", typography expert Elliot Jay Stocks pairs clear explanations of each principle with visual examples of it applied in practice. By considering these concepts and examples, you can learn to make more informed, and ultimately better, typography decisions.
Building upon tried-and-tested principles from the world of print through to the very latest advances in browser technology, "Universal Principles of Typography" will equip you with everything you need to make the most informed typographic decisions in your design work today.
The featured principles covered in "Universal Principles of Typography" include: Characters & Glyphs; Font v. Typeface; Hierarchy; Inclusivity; OpenType; Pairing Type; Rhythm; and Web Fonts .
Each principle is presented in a two-page format. The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Sidenotes appear to the right of the text, and provide elaborations and references. The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle.
With "Universal Principles of Typography", authors, publishers, and printers will gain a deep understanding of the universal principles of typography and learn how to apply them across any work they do with type, ranging from the simplest of documents to the most complex of cross-platform design systems.
Critique: A complete and comprehensive course of instruction in typography, as well as being thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Universal Principles of Typography: 100 Key Concepts for Choosing and Using Type" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, technical college, and university library Calligraphy, Decorative Design, and Typography collections and curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Universal Principles of Typography: 100 Key Concepts for Choosing and Using Type" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Elliot Jay Stocks (https://elliotjaystocks.com) is a designer and musician, based just outside Bristol, UK. After founding the typography magazine 8 Faces in 2010, Elliot joined Typekit (now known as Adobe Fonts) as Creative Director, and helped lead the service's transition into desktop fonts and the Creative Cloud ecosystem. He then went on to take several Creative Director roles and collaborated with Google to launch the typography education resource Google Fonts Knowledge. Elliot currently focuses exclusively on typographic projects, as well as publishing the newsletter Typographic & Sporadic, and hosting the podcast Hello, Type Friends!
The Social Issues Shelf
Coming Out as Dalit, expanded edition
Yashica Dutt
Beacon Press
www.beacon.org
9780807045282, $29.95, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Out-Dalit-Memoir-Surviving/dp/0807045284
Synopsis: Born into a "formerly untouchable manual-scavenging family in small-town India," Yashica Dutt was taught from a young age to not appear "Dalit looking". Although prejudice against Dalits (who compose 25% of the population), has been illegal since 1950, caste-ism in India is alive and well. Blending her personal history with extensive research and reporting, with the publication of "Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir of Surviving India's Caste System", Dutt provides an incriminating analysis of caste's influence in India over everything from entertainment to judicial systems and how this discrimination has carried over to US institutions.
Dutt traces how colonial British forces exploited and perpetuated a centuries-old caste system, how Gandhi could have been more forceful in combating prejudice, and the role played by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, whom Isabel Wilkerson called "the MLK of India's caste issues" in her book Caste. Alongside her analysis, Dutt interweaves personal stories of learning to speak without a regional accent growing up and desperately using medicinal packs to try to lighten her skin.
Published in India in 2019 to acclaim, this newly expanded edition of "Coming Out as Dalit" from Beacon Press includes 2 new chapters covering how the caste system traveled to the US, its history here, and the continuation of bias by South Asian communities in professional sectors. Amid growing conversations about caste discrimination prompting US institutions including Harvard University, Brandeis University, the University of California system, and the NAACP to add caste as a protected category to their policies, Dutt's work sheds essential light on the significant influence caste-ism has across many aspects of US society.
Raw and affecting, Coming Out as Dalit brings a new audience of readers into a crucial conversation about embracing Dalit identity, offering a way to change the way people think about caste in their own communities and beyond.
Critique: Fascinating, informative, insightful, and extraordinarily well written, organized and presented, this newly updated edition of "Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir of Surviving India's Caste System" by Yashica Dutt is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary India History, Biography and Memoir collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir of Surviving India's Caste System" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).
Editorial Note: Yashica Dutt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yashica_Dutt) is a journalist, an activist, an award-winning writer, and a leading feminist voice on caste. Born "in a formerly untouchable 'lower' caste family," she passed as dominant caste to survive discrimination. Dutt moved to New Delhi at 17 and became one of the most widely-read culture journalists at a leading English language paper. Eventually coming out as Dalit, she introduced this expression which powerfully resonated in India. Her site, Documents of Dalit Discrimination, was among the first highly visible media spaces for caste oppressed people. Dutt's work has been published in the New York Times, Foreign Policy and the Atlantic, and she has been featured on The BBC, The Guardian, and PBS NewsHour.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Environmental Hazards, seventh edition
Keith Smith, et al.
Routledge
www.routledge.com
9780815365419, $52.95, PB, 632pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/environmental-hazards-keith-smith/1116756568
Synopsis: The newly revised and expanded seventh edition of "Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster" provides a much expanded and fully up-to-date overview of all the extreme environmental events that threaten people and what they value in the 21st century globally.
The newest edition of "Environmental Hazards" also integrates cutting-edge materials to provide an interdisciplinary approach to environmental hazards and their management, illustrating how natural and human systems interact to place communities of all sizes, and at all stages of economic development, at risk.
Part 1 defines basic concepts of hazard, risk, vulnerability and disaster and explores the evolution of hazards theory. Part 2 employs a consistent chapter structure to demonstrate how individual hazards occur, their impacts and how the risks can be assessed and managed.
This extensively revised edition of "Environmental Hazards" features: Fresh perspectives on the reliability of disaster data, disaster risk reduction, risk and disaster perception and communication, and new technologies available to assist with environmental hazard management; The addition of several new environmental hazards including landslide and avalanches, cryospheric hazards, karst and subsidence hazards, and hazards of the Anthropocene; More boxed sections with a focus on both generic issues and the lessons to be learned from a carefully selected range of up-to-date extreme events; An annotated list of key resources, including further reading and relevant websites, for all chapters; More color diagrams and photographs, and more than 1,000 references to some of the most significant and recent published material; New exercises to assist teaching in the classroom, or self-learning.
Carefully structured and balanced, "Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster" is an ideal textbook that fully captures the complexity and dynamism of environmental hazards and should be considered as essential reading for students, academicians, and practicing professionals across many disciplines including geography, environmental science, environmental studies and natural resources.
Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout, "Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster 7th Edition" is co-authored by Keith Smith, Carina J. Fearnley, Deborah Dixon, Deanne K. Bird, and Ilan Kelman. Comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, This new and current edition of "Environmental Hazards" from Routledge is an essential and core addition to personal, professional, college and university library Environmental Disaster Relief and Climate Change collections and supplemental Environmental Studies curriculum lists. It should be noted for students, academicians, environmental professionals, environmental protection activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this new 7th Edition of "Environmental Hazzards" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $39.99). Librarians should note that there is a hardcover edition (9780815365402, $160.00) from Routledge as well.
Editorial Note #1: Keith Smith was Emeritus Professor at the University of Stirling, UK.
Editorial Note #2: Carina J. Fearnley is Professor in Science Communication and Warning Research at University College London in the Department of Science and Technology Studies.
Editorial Note #3: Deborah Dixon is Professor of Geography in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow, UK.
Editorial Note #4: Deanne K. Bird is Adjunct Research Fellow at the Monash University Disaster Resilience Initiative, Australia, and a Research Specialist with the Nordic Centre of Excellence on Resilience and Societal Security (NORDRESS), University of Iceland.
Editorial Note #5: Ilan Kelman is Professor of Disasters and Health in the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction and Institute for Global Health at the University College London, UK and Professor II at the University of Agder, Norway.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being
National Academy of Medicine
The National Academies Press
www.nap.edu
9780309694674, $25.00, PB, 122pp
https://www.amazon.com/National-Plan-Health-Workforce-Well-Being/dp/0309694671
Synopsis: In the United States, 54% of nurses and physicians, 60% of medical students and residents, and 61% of pharmacists have symptoms of burnout. Burnout is a long-standing issue and a fundamental barrier to professional well-being. It was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health workers who find joy, fulfillment, and meaning in their work can engage on a deeper level with their patients, who are at the heart of health care. Thus, a thriving workforce is essential for delivering safe, high-quality, patient-centered care.
The "National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being" is intended to inspire collective action that focuses on changes needed across the health system and at the organizational level to improve the well-being of the health workforce.
As a nation, we must redesign how health is delivered so that human connection is strengthened, health equity is achieved, and trust is restored. the vision revealed in the "National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being" is that patients are cared for by a health workforce that is thriving in an environment that fosters their well-being as they improve population health, enhance the care experience, reduce costs, and advance health equity; therefore, achieving that quintuple goal.
The underlying message throughout the "National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being" is that together we can create a health system in which care is delivered joyfully and with meaning, by a committed team of all who work to advance health, in partnership with engaged patients and communities.
Critique: Deserving of as wide a readership within the medical community as possible, the "National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being" from the National Academy of Medicine is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, medical school, college and university library Health & Medical Policy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: The National Academy of Medicine (https://nam.edu) is an organization that provides independent, evidence-based advice to improve health for all. Learn about its strategic plan, awards, publications, and initiatives on topics such as health workforce, longevity, and climate.
Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research, second edition
Lisa McKenna, author
Beverley Copnell, author
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781032539539, $46.95, PB, 194pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Nursing-Midwifery-Research-McKenna/dp/1032539534
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research: A Practical Guide for Evidence-Based Practice" by co-authors Lisa McKenna and Beverley Copnell presents a unique approach to teaching the principles of health research using practical case studies with which nurses and midwives can engage to gain the skills to read and understand reports, evaluate the quality of research, synthesize different studies and be able to evaluate their effectiveness when applied to clinical practice.
"Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research" covers core concepts and principles, including: What evidence is and why understanding research is vital; Finding reliable sources of evidence; The nature of the research process; Understanding quantitative and qualitative research; Ethical considerations; Using research to guide clinical practice.
Throughout the new second edition of "Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research", are activities, summaries and review questions to help ground theory in real-life scenarios, showing how evidence-based practice can be applied in every aspect of nursing and midwifery care. It is specifically designed for nurses and midwives, ranging from those just beginning their studies to qualified practitioners undertaking their first research projects.
Critique: Informative enhanced for the benefit of the reader with Tables, Figures, a Glossary, and an Index, "Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research: A Practical Guide for Evidence-Based Practice: 2nd Edition" is especially directed to the attention of readers with an interest in Women's Health Nursing, Women's Health Care Delivery, and Midwifery. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented this new edition of "Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research" is unreservedly recommended for professional, medical/nursing school, and college/university library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists of nursing students and practitioners that this new second edition of "Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery Research" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $44.60).
Editorial Note #1: Lisa McKenna is Professor and Dean in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Melbourne. She has researched widely, particularly in the areas of nursing, midwifery and health professional education and workforce, and published over 250 refereed peer-reviewed journal articles along with a number of textbooks. Lisa's research expertise incorporates a range of methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods.
Editorial Note #2: Beverley Copnell is Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Melbourne. Before entering academia, she worked in paediatric intensive care, a field in which she maintains an active interest. She is a member of the editorial board of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and an editor of Collegian: The Australian Journal of Nursing Practice, Scholarship and Research. She has a long-standing interest in promoting research and evidence-based practice in nursing.
The Psychology Shelf
Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults
Chris Williams
Routledge
www.routledge.com
9781032389448, $39.95, PB, 244pp
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Depression-Mood-Older-Adults/dp/1032389443
Synopsis: "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" by Professor Chris Williams is part of the Routledge Overcoming Series, which includes publications that have the seal of approval by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and highly commended by the British Medical Association.
"Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" is a workbook that outlines how to use the Five Areas(R) model of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to equip older adults experiencing low mood or depression with key life skills to overcome these conditions.
Addressing the common challenges faced by older adults during times of low mood and depression, "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" provides educational life skills and resources to increase mental wellbeing in the care home, day hospital, and social support networks of this population.
The chapters comprising "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" cover topics such as understanding and changing behaviours; behavioural activation and tackling avoidance; noticing and changing extreme and unhelpful thoughts; rebalancing relationships; building assertiveness; and problem solving.
Substantially featured throughout are worksheet resources using interactive questions that can be photocopied for use by practitioners with older adults or in their routine business as a therapist or health/social care practitioner.
Critique: "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" is especially recommended reading for any healthcare or mental health professional working with older adults including psychological therapists, social care workers, residential home staff, psychiatrists and practice nurse and health visiting staff. This workbook is also an approachable resource for older adults themselves. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, this large format (8.27 x 0.55 x 11.69 inches) paperback edition of "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" from Routledge is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Psychology/Psychotherapy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted by librarians that there is also a hardcover edition of "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood in Older Adults" available (9781032389455, $170.00).
Editorial Note: Chris Williams (www.weeatelephants.com/about-us) is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, UK, and an Honorary Fellow and Past President of BABCP - the lead body for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the UK. He is a well-known writer, teacher and researcher and his work focuses on making CBT approaches accessible and usable. Discover more at www.llttf.com/evidence
The Education Shelf
Early Childhood Research for Educational Equity
Christine M. McWayne, editor
Vivian L. Gadsden, editor
Brookes Publishing Company
www.brookespublishing.com
9781681257464, $89.95, PB, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Childhood-Research-Educational-Equity-Family-School-Systems/dp/1681257467
Synopsis: As educators, how can we close opportunity gaps for young children affected by poverty and systemic racism -- and build hope and resilience for children and their families? Research points the way forward. "Early Childhood Research for Educational Equity: Family - School - Systems Connections" is collaborative compiled and co-edited by Christine M. McWayne and Vivian L. Gadsden who present articles by some 40+ leading researchers identifying new approaches, insights, and technologies that can promote educational equity and improve outcomes for children and families living in poverty.
Building on the seminal work of researcher John Fantuzzo, "Early Childhood Research for Educational Equity: Family - School - Systems Connections" focuses on identifying and expanding on child, family, and community strengths to address the urgent needs of the whole child and the whole family. The expert contributors examine the importance of 1) child-level strengths and social connections, 2) strengths-based intervention as an antidote to deficit framing, and 3) collaboration and data sharing across systems serving vulnerable children and families.
Critique: Of immense and timely relevance for readers with an interest in educational research and early child education, "Early Childhood Research for Educational Equity: Family - School - Systems Connections" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, school district, college and university library Education Policy & Development collections and supplemental Early Childhood curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academicians, teachers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Early Childhood Research for Educational Equity: Family - School - Systems Connections" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $81.18).
Editorial Note #1: Christine M. McWayne, Professor, in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University, is an applied developmental psychologist and a community-based educational researcher whose work has centered on fostering better understandings of the early social and learning successes of young children growing up in urban poverty, as well as on understanding how to better support and connect the adult contributors to children's early development -- their parents and teachers.
Editorial Note #2: Vivian L. Gadsden is the William T. Carter Professor of Child Development, Professor of Education, and Director of the National Center on Fathers and Families at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a professor of Africana Studies and of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. Her research, scholarly interests, and writing focus on learning and literacies across the life-course and address issues of equity, access, and change for young children and families in historically marginalized communities.
58-IN-MIND
Debbie Golos, et al.
Gallaudet University Press
https://gupress.gallaudet.edu
9781954622203, $48.00, PB, 402pp
https://www.amazon.com/58-MIND-Multilingual-Teaching-Strategies/dp/1954622201
Synopsis: A highly practical and engaging resource for current and future teachers, "58-IN-MIND: Multilingual Teaching Strategies for Diverse Deaf Students" describes and demonstrates theoretically-driven, research-based, and classroom-tested best practices for using American Sign Language and English in instruction across the curriculum. The multilingual and multimodal instructional strategies presented here are embedded in approaches that aid learning and foster well-being. "58-IN-MIND" will support teachers in creating meaningful educational experiences for Deaf students in all grades, from early childhood education through high school.
Each chapter is written by a team of researchers and P - 12 teachers with at least one Deaf coauthor. With seventy-five percent of the authors being Deaf, "58-IN-MIND" is the first teaching methods book to harness the expertise of Deaf professionals at this level, highlighting their vital role in Deaf education and in shaping inclusive and effective learning environments. This book meets the need for a resource that recognizes the diversity of Deaf students by creating space in the classroom to honor their home/heritage languages, cultures, races, genders, abilities, hearing levels, and other multiple and intersecting identities.
Written in a conversational tone, :58-IN-MIND" includes core recommendations for instruction of the targeted subject area, examples of key strategies, lessons and real stories from those working in the field, suggestions for practice, and recommended resources.
"58-IN-MIND" in the title refers to the version of the ASL sign "stick" that is made on the forehead, which is equivalent to the English idiom "to stick in one's mind." As in, when students learn in a culturally responsive manner, the learning is likely to stick. The title also alludes indirectly to the collective aspirations of the chapter authors that the practices discussed in "58-IN-MIND" will also stick in the readers' minds, and thus have a transformative impact on the way Deaf students are taught.
Critique: This large format (8.5 x 1.1 x 11 inches, 2.42 pounds) paperback edition of "58-IN-MIND: Multilingual Teaching Strategies for Diverse Deaf Students" is collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Debbie Golos, Marlon Kuntze, Kimberly Wolbers, and Christopher Kurz. A critically essential and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, college, and university library Deaf Education collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should also be noted for teachers and curriculum designers that "58-IN-MIND" is also available from the Gallaudet University Press in a digital book format (Kindle, $45.60).
Editorial Note #1: Debbie Golos is an associate professor of Deaf Education and lead of the Deaf Education teacher preparation program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her research and development projects focus on mitigating language deprivation in early childhood by fostering language, literacy, and identity development for Deaf children through American Sign Language and through the creation and evaluation of educational media and children's literature.
Editorial Note #2: Marlon Kuntze is Professor of Government and Public Affairs, Gallaudet University.
Editorial Note #3: Kimberly A. Wolbers is a professor in the Deaf studies program and is co-director of TPTE's undergraduate studies programs at the University of Tennesse. She earned her PhD from Michigan State University in 2007 with a focus in special education and literacy.
Editorial Note #4: Christopher Kurz is a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Cookbook Shelf
A Taste of the World: Celebrating Global Flavors
Rowena Scherer
Collective Book Studio
https://thecollectivebook.studio
9781685551728, $29.95, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-World-Celebrating-Global-Flavors/dp/1685551726
Synopsis: From Rowena Scherer (founder of Eat2Explore) "A Taste of the World: Celebrating Global Flavors" is a carefully curated collection of recipes celebrating global cuisine and designed to be made by families with kids of all ages. Each showcased recipe is a full meal and includes step-by-step instructions so parents can safely have their kids join in the fun while learning about other cultures through their traditional foods.
"A Taste of the World" offers: 64 kid-friendly recipes ranging from Pork Katsu from Japan and Vegetable Korma from India to Lamb Kebabs from Morocco and Black Bean Enchiladas from Mexico; Short selections of facts of twenty different countries as well as adorable in-color illustrations of their landmarks; Full-color photographs of each finished dish and the steps along the way.
Critique: Brilliantly illustrated throughout, "A Taste of the World: Celebrating Global Flavors" will prove to be an immediately popular and fun addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. Ideal for planning 'kitchen cook friendly' menus for any and all dining occasions with its impressive variety of palate pleasing, appetite satifsying, family friendly dishes to plan truly memorable menus with, it should be noted that "A Taste of the World: Celebrating Global Flavors" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Rowena Scherer grew up in Malaysia and her fondest memories are from when she cooked in the kitchen with her family. Years later, after working on Wall Street and living all over the world, she decided she wanted to create the same lasting memories with her children. She attended the French Culinary Institute, began to source hard-to-find non-perishable ingredients that highlighted her cherished foods, and started eat2explore, an explorer box filled with authentic recipes, activities, and collectibles that offered a worldwide cultural education through the exploration of food. (https://eat2explore.com/pages/our-story).
Sprout & Co Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads
Theo Kirwan
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781784729158, $26.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sprout-Co-Saladology-Delicious-Salads/dp/1784729159
Synopsis: The first cookbook from the acclaimed Dublin-based food brand, the "Sprout & Co Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads" by Theo Kirwan showcases more than 100 flavor-packed recipes.
Theo and Jack Kirwan (co-founders of Sprout & Co.) are devoted to celebrating the most delicious things in life, all within a 'farm to fork' context. This culinary collection of theirs feature show-stopping sides to satisfying noodle dishes. The "Sprout & Co Salad Cookbook" shows us how much more there is to salads.
With an extra chapter on dressings, toppings and pickles, this specialized cookbook will teach you how to pack your meals full of flavor while ensuring your body gets the nutrients and healthy ingredients it needs with recipes that range from Endive taco with mustard, walnut & gouda salsa; Pickled Zucchini, pistachio zaatar & ricotta; and Ratatouille con tomate; to Gochujang chicken salad; Harissa sweet potato & green yoghurt; Chorizo & halloumi honey with braised fennel; Salt & pepper prawn salad -- and so many more!
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full page, full color photos of finished dishes, this large format (7.5 x 0.77 x 9.75 inches, 1.74 pounds) hardcover edition of "Sprout & Co Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads" from Mitchell Beazley is unreservedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for family kitchen cooks and professional restaurant chefs with an interest in organic, natural food, or vegan cooking that "Sprout & Co Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Theo Kirwan and his brother Jack Kirwan are the co-founders of Sprout & Co. With 6 restaurants in and around Dublin, Sprout is the leading brand in Ireland for local, seasonal and flavorful food. In 2019 the brothers started their own organic farm in Co. Kildare, cutting their supply chain from farm to restaurant to just 24 hours. Theo, a former actor and graduate of the Ballymaloe cookery school, has led Sprout & Co's online presence with his recipe videos, gaining a loyal following of 170k people who get just as excited about food as he does.
The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Serena Ball, author
Deanna Segrave-Daly, author
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637744505, $28.95, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Mediterranean-Diet-Cookbook-Brain-Healthy/dp/1637744501
Synopsis: "The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: 101 Brain-Healthy Recipes to Protect Your Mind and Boost Your Mood " is packed from cover to cover with recipes that provide "food for thought", ranging from breakfast to dessert, as well as snacks, sides, and small plates, kitchen cooks and family chefs will reach for this culinary compendium again and again whether they are preparing a family dinner or a meal for a large gathering.
Co-authored by Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly, the dishes comprising "The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" range from Mediterranean Sun Gold Granola; Berry Smart Seeded Dressing Over Greens; and Green Falafel Fritters with Red Pepper Sauce; to Sizzling Shrimp and Peppers with Cilantro; Moroccan Spiced Hot Chocolate; Shortcut Homemade Ravioli -- and more!
"The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" also includes the tools for making nutritious meals easier than ever before, including: A reader-friendly quick guide to the principles of cognitive and mental-healthy eating; Healthy Kitchen Hacks for every recipe, including substitutions, prep tips, and timesaving suggestions; Adaptable recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, vegetarian, and vegan lifestyles; and Five-day meal plans.
Eating a Mediterranean diet is one of the most effective ways to protect and enhance your brain health, halt inflammation, improve symptoms of depression, and help to reduce daily stress. Research shows results in less than two months -- but good nutrition only works if you want to eat the food. And that's where "The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: comes in.
Serena and Deanna's smart recipes are layered with enticing Mediterranean flavors and the most potent brain-boosting ingredients. "The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" solves the dilemma of "what's for dinner" while enhancing your brain and mood with every dish.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated, thoroughly 'kitchen cook' friendly in organization and presentation, "The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: 101 Brain-Healthy Recipes to Protect Your Mind and Boost Your Mood" is an impressive and inspiring collection of step-by-step, palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying, and nutritionally healthy recipes suitable for any and all dining occasions. Highly recommended for personal, professional, community library cookbook collections, it should be noted the "The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Serena Ball, MS, RD, and Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, each have over 25 years of culinary nutrition experience and have dedicated their careers to helping people make delicious and nutritious meals. Together, they are the authors of The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, The Easy Everyday Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, and The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook. You can find them online at www.teaspoonofspice.com and doing weekly live-stream recipe demonstrations on their Facebook page, Teaspoon of Spice.
Taste of Home Mediterranean Favorites
Taste of Home, editor
Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9798889770152, $19.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Mediterranean-Favorites-Hundreds/dp/B0C99M8FXD
Synopsis: Take your taste buds on a mouthwatering trip with Greek, Tuscan, Moroccan and other vibrant flavors inspired by the sun-kissed coastal region of the Mediterranean Sea with "Taste of Home Mediterranean Favorites: Savor the Good Life with Hundreds of Popular Dishes", the follow-up to Taste of Home's top-selling Mediterranean cookbook as this culinary sequel offers even more tantalizing recipes that are light, fresh and loaded with flavor.
Featuring easy-to-find ingredients, familiar cooking methods and step-by-step instructions "Taste of Home Mediterranean Favorites: Savor the Good Life with Hundreds of Popular Dishes" makes quick work of getting a delicious meal on the table in no time flat. It's a snap with this sensational collection of tried-and-true favorites as the 240+ recipes comprising this culinary collection are shared by today's family cooks who have happily adopted this light and lively Mediterranean cuisine in their own homes.
There are recipes for every type of dish (ranging from impressive appetizers and mezze plates to satisfying entrees, soups, salads, sides and more); At-a-Glance icons make it a snap to find the dishes that best fir your lifestyle; "Fast Fix" recipes spotlight items ready in half an hour; "5-Ingredient" dishes call for just a handful of items; "Slow Cooker" items simmer up meals while you're away; and "Freeze It" recipes store well and cook up in a jiffy.
Of speciial note are the kitchen cook friendly recipes for weekend appetizers, including mezze, tapas, small plates and antipasti platters that will easily impress partygoers and guests. There is even a bonus chapter of "Yia Yia's Favorites" featuring Grandma's classic Greek and Mediterranean foods that families have adored for generations.
Critique: With the publication of "Taste of Home Mediterranean Favorites: Savor the Good Life with Hundreds of Popular Dishes", even the most novice of kitchen cooks can produce extraordinary and memorable dining experiences for all occasions. Enhanced with the inclusion of beautifully and profusely illustrated photos throughout of finished dishes, "Taste of Home Mediterranean Favorites: Savor the Good Life with Hundreds of Popular Dishes" is a fun and inspiring resource for planning appetite satisfying, palate pleasing, good health supporting menus for all dining occasions both formal and informal. Especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Taste of Home Mediterranean Favorites: Savor the Good Life with Hundreds of Popular Dishes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is America's #1 food/lifestyle brand, inspiring togetherness through cooking, baking and entertaining. Featuring recipes shared by today's home cooks, Taste of Home magazine has hundreds of thousands of subscribers throughout North America and publishes best-selling cookbooks and newsstand specials. The brand's web site is a top destination, featuring kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos and more. Taste of Home has more than 6.3 million fans on Facebook, 2 million followers on Instagram, 2.6 million Pinterest followers and receives more than 28 million unique monthly visitors. You can visit Taste of Home on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to learn more.
The Biography Shelf
Bernhard Sindberg: The Schindler of Nanjing
Peter Harmsen
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636243313, $32.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bernhard-Sindberg-Schindler-Peter-Harmsen/dp/1636243312
Synopsis: In December 1937, the Chinese capital, Nanjing, falls and the Japanese army unleash torture, murder, and rape. Over the course of six weeks, hundreds of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war are killed. At the very onset of the atrocities, the Danish supervisor at a cement plant just outside the city, 26-year-old Bernhard Arp Sindberg, opens the factory gates and welcomes in 10,000 Chinese civilians to safety, beyond the reach of the blood-thirsty Japanese. He becomes an Asian equivalent of Oskar Schindler, the savior of Jews in the European Holocaust.
"Bernhard Sindberg: The Schindler of Nanjing" by Peter Harmsen is a biography of Sindberg from his childhood in the old Viking city of Aarhus and on his first adventures as a sailor and a Foreign Legionnaire to the dramatic 104 days as a rescuer of thousands of helpless men, women, and children in the darkest hour of the Sino-Japanese War.
It also describes how after his remarkable achievement, he receded back into obscurity, spending decades more at sea and becoming a naturalized American citizen, before dying of old age in Los Angeles in 1983, completely unrecognized. In this respect, too, there is an obvious parallel with Schindler, who only attained posthumous fame.
"Bernhard Sindberg: The Schindler of Nanjing" clearly sets the record straight by providing the first complete account of Sindberg's life in English, based on archival sources hitherto unutilized by any historian as well as interviews with surviving relatives. What emerges is the surprising tale of a person who was average in every respect but rose to the occasion when faced with unimaginable brutality, discovering an inner strength and courage that transformed him into one of the great humanitarian figures of the 20th century and an inspiration for our modern age, demonstrating that the determined actions of one person (any person!) can make a huge difference.
Critique: Rescuing a genuine hero from an undeserved obscurity, "Bernhard Sindberg: The Schindler of Nanjing" by journalist and author Peter Harmsen is an inherently fascinating, inspiring, and memorable life story -- and one deserving of as wide a readership as possible. Enhanced for the reader's benefit with an Introduction (The Dane 1932), twenty-two pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "Bernhard Sindberg: The Schindler of Nanjing" is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community and college/university library World War II & Asian History & Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Bernhard Sindberg: The Schindler of Nanjing" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Peter Harmsen, PhD, is the author of "Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze" and "Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City", as well as the War in the Far East trilogy. He studied history at National Taiwan University and has been a foreign correspondent in East Asia for more than two decades. He has focused mainly on the Chinese-speaking societies but has reported from nearly every corner of the region, including Mongolia and North Korea. His books have been translated into Chinese, Danish and Romanian.
Samuel Richardson as Anonymous Editor and Printer
John A. Dussinger
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781785273537, $110.00, HC, 148pp
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Richardson-Editor-Printer-Recycling/dp/1785273531
Synopsis: During the first two decades of his career, Samuel Richardson's role as printer was hardly limited to setting the type for the periodicals that issued from his shop. Perhaps the most glaring evidence of his intervention in producing text is the fact that both The True Briton (1723-24) and The Weekly Miscellany (1732-41) just happen to have letters supposedly from women who protest the legal restraints against their participation in the public sphere.
Neither the Duke of Wharton, the owner of The True Briton, nor William Webster, the desperately impecunious producer of The Weekly Miscellany, launched their journals with the objective of advancing radical views about political equality for women. But almost inadvertently this middle-aged, rotund printer at Salisbury Court was quietly feminizing journalism.
After his first experiments in Wharton's anti-Walpole journal he developed his satiric powers in the Miscellany by creating not only his own feisty counterpart to Pope's coquette Belinda but even partnering with Sarah Chapone's subversive Delia. As an outlier in what was perceived to be a corrupt, predatory political world, Richardson readily assumed a female voice to express his resistance.
Critique: A fascinating and informatively detailed study that rescues a once influential printer/publisher from an undeserved obscurity, "Samuel Richardson as Anonymous Editor and Printer: Recycling Texts for the Book Market" will be of special interest to students, academicians, and bibliophiles concerned with the history of publishing in 18th Century Britain. Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a six page Bibliography and a two page Index, "Samuel Richardson as Anonymous Editor and Printer: Recycling Texts for the Book Market", while unreservedly recommended for college/university library 18th Century Publishing History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academicians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in ths subject that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note: John A. Dussinger, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has written widely about 18th-century authors from Astell to Austen. (https://english.illinois.edu/directory/profile/dussinge)
A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder
John J. Fry
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
www.eerdmans.com
9780802876287, $24.99, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Prairie-Faith-Religious-Ingalls-Biography/dp/0802876285
Synopsis: The beloved Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder have sold over 60 million copies since their publication in the first half of the twentieth century. Even her unpolished memoir, "Pioneer Girl" (which tells the true story behind the children's books), was widely embraced upon its release in 2014. Despite Wilder's enduring popularity, few fans know much about her Christian beliefs and practice.
With the publication of "A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder", academician and author John J. Fry shines a light on Wilder's quiet faith in this unique biography. Fry surveys the Little House books, Pioneer Girl, and Wilder's lesser-known writings, including her letters, poems, and newspaper columns. Analyzing this wealth of sources, he reveals how Wilder's down-to-earth faith and Christian morality influenced her life and work. Interweaving these investigations with Wilder's perennially interesting life story, "A Prairie Faith" also nicely illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history.
Critique: "A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder" deftly explores what role Laura Ingalls Wilder's Christian faith play in her life and in her writing. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented by history professor emeritus John J. Frey and published by the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, "A Prairie Faith" is unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library 20th Century Women Author Biography collections. It should also be noted for the legions of Laura Ingalls Wilder fans that her biography is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.99).
Editorial Note: John J. Fry (www.trnty.edu/faculty/john-j-fry) is professor of history, dean of faculty, and director of Foundations at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. He is the author of The Farm Press, Reform, and Rural Change, 1895- 1920 and the editor of Almost Pioneers: One Couple's Homesteading Adventure in the West.
The American History Shelf
Catastrophe at Custer Creek
Ian Campbell Wilson
Montana Historical Society Press
c/o Farcountry Press
www.farcountrypress.com
9780917298783, $26.95, PB, 285pp
https://www.amazon.com/Catastrophe-Custer-Creek-Montanas-Deadliest/dp/0917298780
Synopsis: Just after midnight on June 19, 1938, the Olympian No. 15, an elite passenger train operated by the famed Milwaukee Road, crashed into Custer Creek, which flows into the Yellowstone River southwest of Terry, Montana. In the moments before the train reached the small bridge spanning the typically dry creek, the waters had swelled dramatically, the result of a violent storm system that moved across Montana that day. The wreck killed forty-nine passengers and crew members and injured another seventy-five, making it the most devastating train accident in Montana history.
The sudden and violent wreck garnered national attention. It forever altered the lives of survivors and victims' families and dealt a significant blow to the Milwaukee Road's fortunes. In this vivid narrative history, author Ian Campbell Wilson reconstructs the lives of several passengers and crew members, probes what caused this unprecedented disaster, and surveys the intertwined histories of the Milwaukee Road and the eastern Montana communities that the Olympian passed through on its usual route from Chicago to Tacoma and back again.
Critique: With the publication of "Catastrophe at Custer Creek: Montana's Deadliest Train Wreck", Ian Campbell Wilson documents the final ride of the Olympian. Enhanced for the reader's benefit with a section of historic B?W photographs, this railroading history is impressively comprehensive, exceptionally well written, and of immense appeal to readers with an interest in 20th Century American railroading history. Published by the Montana Historical Society Press, "Catastrophe at Custer Creek" will prove a prized pick for personal, community, and college/university library collections.
Editorial Note: Ian Campbell Wilson (www.iancampbellwilson.com) is a writer and historian who lives in Bozeman, Montana. His 2023 book, He is the author of "Goddesses of the Sun, Tucson's Hacienda del Sol School for Girls", an article about the origins of an elite 1920s girls' school in Tucson, Arizona, published in 2017 in the Journal of Arizona History. Canadian by birth, Campbell Wilson holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of New Hampshire.
Killing over Land
Robert M. Owens
University of Oklahoma Press
www.oupress.com
9780806193625, $45.00, HC, 266pp
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-over-Land-Diplomacy-American/dp/080619362X
Synopsis: In early America, interracial homicide (Whites killing Native Americans, Native Americans killing Whites) might result in a massive war on the frontier; or, if properly mediated, it might actually facilitate diplomatic relations, at least for a time. With the publication of "Killing over Land: Murder and Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier", Professor Robert M. Owens explores why and how such murders once played a key role in Indian affairs and how this role changed over time.
Though sometimes clearly committed to stoke racial animus and incite war, interracial murder also gave both Native and white leaders an opportunity to improve relations, or at least profit from conflict resolution. In the seventeenth century, most Indigenous people held and used enough leverage to dictate the terms on which such conflicts were resolved; but after the mid-eighteenth century, population and material advantages gave white settlers the upper hand. Professor Owens describes the ways settler colonialism, as practiced by Anglo-Americans, put tremendous pressure on Native peoples, culturally, socially, and politically, forcing them to adapt in the face of violence and overwhelming numbers.
By the early nineteenth century, many Native leaders recognized that, with population and power so heavily skewed against them, it was only practical to negotiate for the best possible terms; lex talionis justice (blood for blood) proved an unrealistic goal. Consequently, Indigenous and white leaders alike became all too willing to overlook murder if it led to some kind of gain -- if, for instance, justice might be traded for financial compensation or land cessions.
Ultimately, what Professor Owens analyzes in "Killing over Land" is nothing less than the commodification of human life in return for a sense of order -- as defined and accepted, however differently, by both Native and white authorities as the contest for land and resources intensified in the European colonization of North America.
Critique: Of particular value to readers with an interest in authentic and accurate American history and evolution of Indigenous/White relationships that were to lead to the eventual domination of White settlers over Native American populations, "Killing over Land: Murder and Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier" is a seminal work of original and meticulously detailed research. Expertly written, organized and presented, Professor Robert M. Owens ground-breaking is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a fourteen page Bibliography and twenty-six pages of Notes. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library American History collections and supplemental Native American History curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, historians, Native American Rights activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Killing over Land: Murder and Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note: Robert M. Owens is Professor of History at Wichita State University. He specializes in colonial U.S. history and the Early Republic. He is the author of Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy (OU Press, 2007). His articles have appeared in the Journal of the Early Republic and the Journal of Illinois History. (https://www.wichita.edu/profiles/academics/fairmount_college_of_liberal_arts_and_sciences/History/Owens-Robert.php)
Clinton: Images of America
Peggy Adler
Arcadia Publishing
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com
9781540239198, $31.99, HC, 130pp
https://www.amazon.com/Clinton-Images-America-Arcadia-Publishing/dp/1540239195
Synopsis: Clinton, Connecticut, is a small shoreline town situated 25 miles east of New Haven. It was founded in 1663 when a committee appointed by the General Court at Hartford laid out a settlement called the Homonoscitt Plantation. In 1838, following multiple name changes during the intervening years, it came to be known as Clinton.
It is two hours by car or commuter train from New York City and two and a half hours from Boston. And for those that ski, it is three hours from Southern Vermont and New Hampshire.
Clinton was the birthplace of Yale College in 1701; the hometown of choice for a family and their performing bears, who, for years, headlined with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey; and the place where Dr. Seuss spent his summers. More recently, Tony Award-winning actor Jefferson Mays and television journalist Erica Hill grew up there.
Critique: Part of the simply outstanding 'Images of America' series from Arcadia Press, "Clinton" by Peggy Adler is a marvelous compendium of descriptively captions B/W photos of this iconic community and its history. A pleasure to simply browse through, "Clinton" will hold a very special interest for fans of American Local Histories and the history of American Photography. Especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library American History & Photography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Clinton" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781467103558, $24.99).
Editorial Note: Peggy Adler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Adler) has authored five titles for New York City publishers, illustrated two dozen, and provided art for the Bronx Zoo and the Humane Society of the United States. Additionally, she coordinated the 1969 world premiere of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for 20th Century Fox, worked as a consultant for the US House of Representatives' October Surprise Task Force, and served eight years as a Clinton police commissioner.
The World History Shelf
History of the Caucasus: In the Shadow of Great Powers
Christoph Baumer
I. B. Tauris Publishers
c/o Bloomsbury Press
www.ibtauris.com
9780755636280, $48.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/History-Caucasus-Shadow-Great-Powers/dp/0755636287
Synopsis: "In the Shadow of Great Powers" is the second volume of Christoph Baumer's 'History of the Caucasus' series. It covers the period from the Seljuk domination of the Southern Caucasus around 1050 CE to the present day.
After the Kingdom of Georgia's golden age of independent power and cultural blossoming in the 12th and early 13th centuries, the Caucasus was overrun by the Mongols and soon disintegrated into innumerable smaller kingdoms, principalities and khanates. At the same time, an Armenian kingdom in exile maintained a precarious independence in Cilicia, today's southern Turkey, by applying a three-way diplomatic policy balanced between the Mongol Il-Khanate, the Crusader states and, to a lesser degree, the Mameluke Empire.
Then followed four centuries during which the highly fragmented polities of the North and South Caucasus became political pawns of the regional great powers, above all the Ottomans, Iran and Russia.
In the wake of World War I the South Caucasus enjoyed a short-lived independence whereas its northern neighbours were engulfed by the Russian civil wars. But by 1921 the Soviet Union had re-established Russian dominance over the whole region and, from a Western perspective, the region 'disappeared' behind the Iron Curtain. Nevertheless, the Caucasian nations kept their pronounced identities even under Soviet rule, giving rise at the dissolution of the Soviet Union to a number of internecine conflicts.
Whereas the Russian Federation managed to maintain its supremacy over the North Caucasus (albeit at the cost of bloody wars and insurrections) Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia succeeded in more or less gaining control over their destiny. Of these three republics, only Azerbaijan secured a wide-ranging independence thanks to its fossil fuel resources.
Following Russian interference, Georgia lost control over two of its provinces while Armenia remains dependent on Russian support in the face of its notoriously antagonistic relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey over the unresolved issue of Karabakh.
"In the Shadow of Great Powers" includes some 200 full-color images and maps which further bring the turbulent history of this region to light.
Critique: This large format (9.8 x 1.3 x 11.7 inches, 5.15 pounds) hardcover edition of Christoph Baumer's "History of the Caucasus: Volume 2: In the Shadow of Great Powers" from I. B. Tauris Publishers is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of numerous Notes, a Bibliography, a Map List, and three Indexes (Concepts; People, Places). Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, this coffee-table style volume is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library history collections and supplemental Caucasus History curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Christoph Baumer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoph_Baumer) is a leading explorer and historian of Central Asia, Tibet and the Caucasus and has written many well-received books in the fields of history, religion, archaeology and travel. These include The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity (2006), Traces in the Desert: Journeys of Discovery across Central Asia (2008), China's Holy Mountain: An Illustrated Journey into the Heart of Buddhism (2011) and the seminal History of Central Asia in four volumes (2012 - 2018), all published by I.B.Tauris. Dr Baumer is also President of the Society for the Exploration of EurAsia, Senior Research Fellow at the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences, and a member of the Explorers' Club, New York, the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, London. He is a recipient of the prestigious Sir Percy Sykes Memorial Medal, awarded to him by the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in 2015.
Tudor Feminists: 10 Renaissance Women Ahead of their Time
Rebecca Wilson
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399043618, $34.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tudor-Feminists-Renaissance-Women-Ahead/dp/1399043617
Synopsis: The term 'feminist' would have been anachronistic in the Tudor period, but surely we would not hesitate to call Anne Boleyn (the lady who would be queen) a feminist?
With the publication of "Tudor Feminists: 10 Renaissance Women Ahead of their Time" we are introduced to all ten women, ranging from Catherine Par to Margaret Beaufort, who lived their lives in the Tudor era in a way that challenged the patriarchal world they lived in.
Each chapter comprising "Tudor Feminists" is dedicated to one remarkable woman, ahead of her time. Author Rebecca Wilson explores her achievements and examines the impacts she had on a male-dominated world, while placing her in the context of her particular circumstance and background.
Each of these Renaissance women, from the high born to the merchant class, were rule breakers, they railed against the rigid social norms of their time and stand out vividly against a backdrop of domestic servitude.
Critique: An informative and inherently fascinating study, "Tudor Feminists: 10 Renaissance Women Ahead of their Time" by historian and academician Rebecca Wilson is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a seventeen page Introduction (Domesticity and Doctrine), an eight page section of color & BW historical images, fourteen pages of Notes, and a seven page Index. An extraordinary, seminal, and ground-breaking historical study, "Tudor Feminists: 10 Renaissance Women Ahead of their Time" is a unique, impressive, and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Tudor Biography, Feminist Theory, and Women's History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Tudor Feminists: 10 Renaissance Women Ahead of their Time" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Rebecca Wilson has a bachelors' degree in history and English literature; after gaining her PGCE she taught English and history for several years. She now writes for The Historians Magazine on a range of historical periods and gets involved in archaeological digs when the opportunity arises. Rebecca is part of a group of volunteers who raise funds and awareness for the Egremont Castle, a beautiful medieval ruin. She has been a guest speaker on Talking Tudors and speaks passionately on the dissolution of the monasteries and the life and work of William Shakespeare.
The Civil War Shelf
The Cassville Affairs
Robert D. Jenkins Sr.
Mercer University Press
www.mupress.org
9780881469318, $39.00, HC, 44pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cassville-Affairs-Johnston-Confederate-Strategy/dp/0881469319
Synopsis: Civil War historians have remained baffled over the Cassville controversies for the past 150 plus years. There are two versions of events: Confederate commanding General Joseph E. Johnston's story, and Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's story. But Federal General William T. Sherman had other plans, and it was Confederates who would be "surprised" instead.
With the publication of "The Cassville Affairs: Johnston, Hood, and the Failed Confederate Strategy in the Atlanta Campaign, 19 May 1864", author Robert D. Jenkins Sr. examines two critical decisions the Confederate leadership faced: first, whether to attack a portion of the Federal army in the morning; and second, once the morning attack was no longer feasible, whether to stay and fight the next day.
Both decisions were the responsibility of Johnston, and both decisions involved the advice and assistance by Hood. Before the war even concluded, Johnston and Hood began finger-pointing as they wrote their own versions of what happened. This study promises to change our understanding of the events surrounding the Cassville controversies and close the gap in its history.
Critique: Thoroughly researched, exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Cassville Affairs: Johnston, Hood, and the Failed Confederate Strategy in the Atlanta Campaign, 19 May 1864" is a highly value contribution to the every expanding library of American Civil War histories. Enhanced for the reader's benefit with maps, a listing of abbreviations, a thirty page bibliography, and a thirteen page Index, "The Cassville Affairs: Johnston, Hood, and the Failed Confederate Strategy in the Atlanta Campaign, 19 May 1864" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Civil Ware collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Robert D. (Bob) Jenkins, Sr. has been a trial attorney in Dalton, Georgia, since 1990. He holds a BBA in Business Management from Georgia Southern University and a JD from Mercer University School of Law. He is the author "The Battle of Peach Treek Creek and To the Gates of Atlanta. Jenkins is also the president of Save the Dalton Battlefields, LLC and is vice chair of Whitfield County's Historic Preservation Commission.
J. E. B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man
Edward G. Longacre
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216806, $34.95, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/General-J-B-Stuart-Soldier/dp/161121680X
Synopsis: James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833 - May 12, 1864) was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War.
Fifteen years have passed since the publication of the last biography of Jeb Stuart. Several appeared during the last century lauding his contributions to Confederate fortunes in the Eastern Theater. Each follows a familiar tradition established by hero-worshipping subordinates portraying its subject as a model of chivalric conduct with a romantic's outlook on life and a sense of fair dealing and goodwill, even toward his enemy.
"J. E. B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man" by civil war historian Edward Longacre, is the first balanced, detailed, and thoroughly scrutinized study of the life and service of the Civil War's most famous cavalryman.
Long known to scholars and history buffs alike as "The Beau Sabreur of the Confederacy," Jeb Stuart of Virginia was possessed of many gifts, personally and professionally, and led the Army of Northern Virginia's cavalry to the all-but-complete satisfaction of his superiors. Stuart, insisted Robert E. Lee, "never brought me a piece of false information." Being human, Stuart also under-performed. On occasion, he underestimated his opponents, took unnecessary risks with his habitually understrength command, failed to properly discipline and motivate his troopers, and was prone to errors both strategic and tactical.
These flaws were evident during the Gettysburg Campaign, when his wayward route to the battlefield deprived Lee of the ability to safely negotiate his path toward a climactic confrontation with the Union Army of the Potomac. Because of his outsized wartime reputation (one embellished in the century-and-a-half since) most of Stuart's errors have passed virtually unnoticed or, when addressed, have been excused or explained away in some fashion.
Longacre's study is based on hundreds of published works, archival sources, and newspapers. He probes not only Stuart's military career but elements of his character and personality that invite investigation. Even the man's fiercest partisans admitted that he was vain and inordinately sensitive to criticism, with a curious streak of immaturity -- at times the hard-edged veteran, at other times a devotee of the pageantry of war, given to affectations such as ostrich-plumed hats, golden spurs, and the headquarters musicians who accompanied him on the march. Ever motivated by appeals to vanity, he curried the patronage of powerful men and responded readily to the attentions of attractive women even though by 1861, he was a long-married man.
Personal flaws and limitations aside, Stuart was popular with his officers and men, beloved by members of his staff, and considered by the people of his state and region the beau ideal of Confederate soldiery. The distinction endures today. Longacre's biography of J. E. B. Stuart is an attempt to determine its validity.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of numerous illustrations and maps, a twenty page bibliography, and a twenty page Index, "J. E. B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man" is a solid work of meticulous scholarship based on impressively extensive research. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "J. E. B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library American Biography collections and supplemental American Civil War curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and Civil War buffs that "J. E. B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Edward G. Longacre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Longacre) is a retired historian for the Department of Defense. He is the recipient of a Ph.D. from Temple University and taught military history at the University of Nebraska and the College of William and Mary. Ed is the author of 30 books, all but one of which covers the Civil War. The Cavalry at Gettysburg won the Fletcher Pratt Award, his biography of Wade Hampton III, Gentleman and Soldier, received the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award, and his study of First Bull Run, The Early Morning of War, received the Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Prize.
The World Will Never See the Like
John L. Hopkins
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216844, $32.95, HC, 208pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-world-will-never-see-the-like-john-l-hopkins/1143179913
Synopsis: The 1913 Gettysburg reunion is a story of 53,000 old comrades and former foes from the American Civil War reunited, and of the tension, even half a century later, between competing narratives of reconciliation and remembrance. For seven days the old soldiers lived under canvas in stifling heat on a 280-acre encampment run by the U.S. Army. They swapped stories, debated still-simmering controversies about the battle, and fed tall tales to gullible reporters. On July 3, the aging survivors of Pickett's Division and the Philadelphia Brigade shook hands across the wall on Cemetery Ridge in the reunion's climactic photo op.
Some of the battle's leading personalities attended, including Union III Corps commander Dan Sickles, who at 92 was still eager to explain to anyone who would listen the indispensable role he claimed to have played in the Union victory. Also present was Helen Dortch Longstreet, the widow of Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, who devoted her life and considerable energies to defending the reputation of her general. Both wrote articles from the reunion that were syndicated in newspapers across the country. There was even a cameo appearance by a young and as-yet unknown cavalry officer named George S. Patton Jr.
With his articulate and detailed history of the even, Hopkins fills his marvelous account with detail from the letters, diaries, and published accounts of Union and Confederate veterans, the extensive archival records of the reunion's organizers, and the daily stories filed by the scores of reporters who covered it.
"The World Will Never See the Like" offers the first full story of this extraordinary event's genesis and planning, the obstacles overcome on the way to making it a reality, its place in the larger narrative of sectional reunion and reconciliation, and the individual stories of the veterans who attended. Every reader interested in Gettysburg will find this a welcome addition to their library.
Critique: The largest gathering of Union and Confederate veterans ever held was front-page news throughout the country in 1913. But as the years passed, the memorable event was all but forgotten. Now with the publication "The World Will Never See the Like: The Gettysburg Reunion of 1913" by John L. Hopkins this once-in-a-lifetime event is rescued from an undeserved obscurity and goes a long way toward making sure the world will remember. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "The World Will Never See the Like" is a unique and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Civil War History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: John L. Hopkins is a communication and public relations professional with more than three decades of experience in strategic communication planning, issues management, media relations, crisis communication, news and feature writing, and team building in higher education, nonprofit, and agency settings.
Thunder in the Harbor: Fort Sumter and the Civil War
Richard W. Hatcher, III
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215939, $32.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Harbor-Fort-Sumter-Civil/dp/1611215935
Synopsis: Fort Sumter. Charleston. April 1861 is universally regarded as the start of the American Civil War. The bombardment and surrender of Sumter were only the beginning of the story. Both sides understood the military significance of the fort and the busy seaport, which played host to one of the longest and most complicated and fascinating campaigns of the entire Civil War.
Civil War historian Richard Hatcher's "Thunder in the Harbor: Fort Sumter and the Civil War" is the first modern study to document the fort from its origins, through the war, and up to its transfer to the National Park Service in 1948.
After its surrender, Southern troops immediately occupied and improved Sumter's defenses. The U.S. blockaded Charleston Harbor and for two years the fort, with its 84 heavy guns and a 500-man garrison, remained mostly untested. That changed in July 1863 when a powerful combined operation set its sights on the fort, Charleston, and its outer defenses. The result was a grueling 22-month land and sea siege - the longest of the Civil War. The complex effort included ironclad attacks, land assaults, raiding parties, and siege operations. Some of the war's most famous events unfolded there, including the assault against Battery Wagner, led by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (depicted in the movie Glory), the shelling of the city by the "Swamp Angel," and the beginning of submarine warfare when the H. L. Hunley sank the USS Housatonic and was herself lost at sea. The destruction of Fort Sumter remained a key Federal objective throughout the siege. Despite repeated concentrated bombardments of the fort and the city, Sumter never fell.
The defiant fort, Charleston, and its defensive lines were evacuated in February 1865 once word arrived that Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman approached Columbia, South Carolina. Hatcher, the former historian at Fort Sumter Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, mined a host of primary sources to produce an in-depth and fascinating account of the intricacies, complexities, and importance of this campaign to the overall war effort.
Nearly 18 months of shelling had rendered Fort Sumter almost unrecognizable, but the significance of its location remained. During the eight decades that followed, the United States invested millions of dollars and thousands of hours rebuilding and rearming the fort to face potential foreign threats in three different wars. By the end of World War II, sea and air power had made Sumter obsolete, and the fort was transferred to the National Park Service.
"Thunder in the Harbor" fills a large gap in the historiography and underscores that there is still much to learn about our endlessly fascinating Civil War.
Critique: A masterpiece of historical research and informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a listing of Abbreviations, Maps, a nine page Bibliography, and a seven page Index, "Thunder in the Harbor: Fort Sumter and the Civil War" by Civil War historian Richard W. Hatcher III will prove to be an immediately welcome and appreciated contribution to the growing library of Civil War Histories and is an unreservedly recommended core addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, Civil War historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Thunder in the Harbor: Fort Sumter and the Civil War" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Richard W. Hatcher, III worked as a seasonal employee at Richmond National Battlefield Park and began working permanently with the National Park Service in 1976. He retired as Historian from Fort Sumter Fort Moultrie National Historical Park in 2015. Rick is the author or co-author of numerous articles and books including the award-winning Wilson's Creek, The Second Major Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It (2001) and The First Shot (2011). He is a regular on the Civil War speaking circuit.
The Military History Shelf
The First Hellcat Ace
Commander Hamilton McWhorter III (Ret.)
Jay A. Stout, author
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636244099, $34.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/First-Hellcat-Cdr-Hamilton-McWhorter/dp/1636244092
Synopsis: Although he objected to being characterized as such, Hamilton McWhorter III's service to family and country make him a standout among America's Greatest Generation. A Georgia native whose family roots date from that region's settlement during the 1700s, "Mac" McWhorter was a naval aviation cadet undergoing training when Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941. After earning his Wings of Gold in early 1942, Ensign McWhorter was trained as a fighter pilot in the robust but technologically outmoded F4F Wildcat. Initially assigned to VF-9 (a fiercely spirited and hard-playing fighter squadron) he saw first combat in November 1942 against Vichy French forces in North Africa.
After returning to the United States, VF-9 became the first unit to convert to the new Grumman F6F Hellcat. This was the fighter the U.S. Navy would use to crush Japanese air power during the long offensive from the Southwest Pacific to the shores of Japan. From mid-1943, Hamilton McWhorter was constantly engaged in the unforgiving and deadly aerial warfare that characterized the battles against Imperial Japan. His fifth aerial victory, in November 1943 off Tarawa Atoll, made him the first ace in the Hellcat, and seven subsequent victories ensured his place in the annals of air-to-air combat.
McWhorter's combat service, from the beginning of the war to the last campaign off the shores of Okinawa, makes his story a must-read for the serious student of the Pacific air war. Hamilton McWhorter III retired from the Navy as a commander in 1969. He passed away in 2008.
Critique: An exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented biography of a genuine war hero, "The First Hellcat Ace" by military historian and author Jay Stout is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the occasional inclusion of historic B/W photos, an informative Introduction, Glossary, Guide to Abbreviations, Epilogue, and Afterword. A fascinating and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library World War II American Military Aviation History & Biography collections, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this edition of "The First Hellcat Ace" from Casemate Publishers is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).
Editorial Note #1: Commander Hamilton McWhorter III (February 8, 1921 - April 12, 2008) was a United States Navy aviator and a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down twelve Japanese aircraft. He was the first Hellcat ace, first USN carrier-based double ace, and the first Grumman F6F Hellcat pilot to achieve double ace status. He flew 89 combat missions during World War II while flying with the VF-9 and VF-12 units. On May 23, 2014, he was also posthumously awarded the American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal, when the United States Congress collectively awarded the gold medal to all flying aces. (Wikipedia)
Editorial Note #2: Jay Stout (www.jayastout.com) is a native of Indiana and a graduate of Purdue University. He was commissioned into the Marine Corps and earned his designation as a naval aviator in 1983 with orders to fly the F-4 Phantom II. He later transitioned to the F/A-18 Hornet. As a Hornet pilot, he flew 37 combat missions during Desert Storm. During his 20-year career, he logged more than 4,700 flight hours. The author of 14 books, he works as an operational expert in the defense industry, is a regular public speaker, and lives with his wife.
Witness to Neptune's Inferno
David F. Winkler
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636244075, $34.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Neptunes-Inferno-Lieutenant-Commander/dp/1636244076
Synopsis: 1942 would prove crucial for the United States in the Pacific following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and a series of setbacks in the Southwest. As the first ship commissioned following America's entry into World War II, the light cruiser USS Atlanta would be thrust into the Pacific fight, joining the fleet in time for the pivotal battle of Midway and on to the Guadalcanal campaign in the Southwest Pacific. Embarked on this vessel was an exceptionally astute observer, Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin, who faithfully recorded his thoughts on the conflict in a standard canvas-covered logbook.
Diaries were not supposed to be kept by those serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and for good reason. If recovered by the Japanese, they would likely have revealed that the Japanese code had been broken prior to the battle of Midway. Thus, Mustin's diary is a rare day-to-day accounting of the Pacific from a very opinionated mid-grade officer. Beginning with the commissioning of Atlanta at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Christmas Eve 1941, Mustin covers the ship's workups and her deployment to the Pacific in time for the battle of Midway.
It's then on to the Southwest Pacific, where the ship first engages enemy aircraft at the battle of the Eastern Solomons in late August 1942. Mustin's final entry covers the battle of Santa Cruz in late October 1942. The story is completed by an account of the battle of Guadalcanal and beyond, drawing upon Mustin's oral history. This is a valuable document, fully interpreted to provide a better understanding of the Pacific War during that critical year.
Critique: Retired Navy commander, military historian, and Naval Academy/War College academician, with the publication of "Witness to Neptune's Inferno: The Pacific War Diary of Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin, USS Atlanta (CL 51)" by David F. Winker, the diary of Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin (a very rare and impressively candid day-to-day account of life and combat in the World War II Pacific Theater) is now available through Casemate Publishers for the benefit of military historians, students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. A fascinating and informative read from start to finish, and especially recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library World War II Maritime Military History & Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and military history buffs that "Witness to Neptune's Inferno" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49).
Editorial Note: David F. Winkler (www.usni.org/people/david-winkler) is a retired Navy commander having received his commission through Penn State NROTC. Having earned his Ph.D. at American University, he served as staff historian at the Naval Historical Foundation for 25 years, has taught at the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval War College, and held the Charles Lindbergh Chair of Aerospace History at the Smithsonian. He has published five books with the Naval Institute Press and writes a monthly historical perspective column for Sea Power Magazine. At the Naval Historical Foundation he interviewed numerous retired Flag Officers, including Vice Admiral Henry C. Mustin (son of the diary author) with the aim of seeing it published.
Sparta and the Commemoration of War
Matthew A. Sears
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781316519455, $39.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sparta-Commemoration-War-Matthew-Sears/dp/1316519457
Synopsis: The tough Spartan soldier is one of the most enduring images from antiquity. Yet Spartans too fell in battle -- so how did ancient Sparta memorialise its wars and war dead?
From the poet Tyrtaeus inspiring soldiers with rousing verse in the seventh century BCE to inscriptions celebrating the 300's last stand at Thermopylae, and from Spartan imperialists posing as liberators during the Peloponnesian War to the modern reception of the Spartan as a brave warrior defending the "West", Sparta has had an outsized role in how warfare is framed and remembered.
This image has also been distorted by the Spartans themselves and their later interpreters. While debates continue to rage about the appropriateness of monuments to supposed war heroes in our civic squares, this authoritative and engaging book suggests that how the Spartans commemorated their military past, and how this shaped their military future, has perhaps never been more pertinent.
Critique: With the publication of "Sparta and the Commemoration of War" from the Cambridge University Press, historian and academician Matthew A. Sears has created a seminal, meticulous, and impressively informative study that is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a number of Maps, Figures, a seventeen page listing of References, and a seven page Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented "Sparta and the Commemoration of War" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Sparta/Greece ancient history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Sparta and the Commemoration of War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).
Editorial Note: Matthew A. Sears is Professor of Classics at the University of New Brunswick. He is the author of Athens, Thrace, and the Shaping of Athenian Leadership (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and of Understanding Greek Warfare (2019). He is also the co-author (with C. Jacob Butera) of Battles and Battlefields of Ancient Greece: A Guide to their History, Topography, and Archaeology (2019). (https://newbrunswick.academia.edu/MatthewSears)
The Wildlife Shelf
Avian Architecture
Peter Goodfellow, author
Torry D. Williams, editor
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
9780691255460, $25.95, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Avian-Architecture-Revised-Expanded-Engineer/dp/0691255466
Synopsis: Birds are the most consistently inventive builders, and their nests set the bar for functional design in nature. Describing how birds design, engineer, and build their nests, "Avian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer, and Build" by Peter Goodfellow is in a newly revised and expanded edition. Goodfellow deconstructs all types of nests found around the world using architectural blueprints and detailed descriptions of the construction processes and engineering techniques birds use.
This spectacularly illustrated volume features more than 300 full-color images and more than 40 case studies that profile key species worldwide. Each chapter covers a different type of nest, from tunnel nests and mound nests to floating nests, hanging nests, woven nests, and even multiple-nest avian cities. Other kinds of avian construction (such as bowers and food stores) are also featured.
Now with more case studies and an updated foreword, this revised and expanded edition of "Avian Architecture" includes intricate step-by-step sequences, visual spreads on nest-building materials and methods, and insightful commentary by a leading expert.
"Avian Architecture" illustrates how birds around the world design, engineer, and build their nests and features architectural blueprints, step-by-step sequences, visual spreads on nest-building materials and methods, and expert commentary.
Critique: Showcasing more than 300 spectacular full-color photographic images covering more than 100 bird species worldwide, This newly revised and expanded, large format (8 x 0.75 x 10 inches, 1.9 pounds) hardcover edition of "Avian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer, and Build" authored by Peter Goodfellow and edited by Tony D. Williams, is an fully exciting, informatively impressive, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Birds & Birdwatching collections and supplemental Ornithology curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Avian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer, and Build" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.17).
Editorial Note #1: Peter Goodfellow is a retired English teacher and lifelong birdwatcher. His books include A Naturalist's Guide to the Birds of Britain and Northern Europe and Birds as Builders.
Editorial Note #2: Tony D. Williams is professor of ecological and evolutionary physiology and chair of biology at Simon Fraser University. His books include What Is a Bird? and Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds (both published by the University of Princeton Press).
Secrets of the Octopus
Sy Montgomery, author
Warren K. Carlyle IV, author
National Geographic Press
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426223723, $30.00, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Octopus-Sy-Montgomery/dp/1426223722
Synopsis: The companion to the highly-anticipated National Geographic television special (narrated by Paul Rudd and airing for Earth Day), "Secrets of the Octopus" is a beautifully illustrated book that explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus -- a creature that resembles an alien life form, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.
"Secrets of the Octopus" is magical journey into the world of the octopus and will reveal how the large and capable brain of these creatures occupies their whole body (not just their heads) and they can actually adjust their genetic makeup to respond to the demands of the environment. It will allow readers to watch them change shape and color in order to camouflage themselves more effectively than any other species. And it will divulge how octopus mothers give their all in order to bring forth a new generation.
With the publication of "Secrets of the Octopus", author Montgomery offers current and compassionate stories about the scientists on the front lines of octopus research and conservation.
Critique: Magnificently illustrated throughout with National Geographic quality full color photography, "Secrets of the Octopus" is an inherently fascinating read and a perfect introduction to the octopus. While also available to students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "Secrets of the Octopus" is a quality pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Marine Wildlife collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Sy Montgomery (https://symontgomery.com) is the author of 31 books for adults and children including "Travels in Turtle Time". She specializes in animals and conservation. Her titles have earned numerous awards and accolades; "Soul of an Octopus" was a National Book Award finalist. She holds three honorary doctorates and is often featured in TV and podcast interviews.
Editorial Note #2: Warren K. Carlyle IV (https://warrencarlyle.com) is a professional community building strategist who works with purpose-driven brands & influencers to build highly engaged online communities. He is also founder/CEO of OctoNation(R) - The Largest Octopus Fan Club, a nonprofit organization that inspires conservation of the ocean by teaching the world about octopuses.
Velvet Ants of North America
Dr. Kevin Williams, author
Dr. Aaron D. Pan, author
Joseph S. Wilson, author
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
9780691212043, $35.00, PB, 440pp
https://www.amazon.com/Velvet-North-America-Princeton-Guides/dp/069121204X
Synopsis: "Velvet Ants of North America" is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated photographic guide to the species of the wasp family Mutillidae found in the United States and Canada. Featuring hundreds of full-color photos, it covers nearly 460 species (representing more than 9 percent of all velvet ant species, which number in the thousands worldwide) providing detailed and up-to-date coverage of this spectacular group of insects.
A one-of-a-kind guide, "Velvet Ants of North America" serves as an invaluable reference for naturalists, scientific researchers, museum specialists, and outdoor enthusiasts. Included are nearly 460 species found in North America and throughout the world; stunning high-resolution photos of each species; detailed species accounts and keys allow for easy and rewarding identification; invaluable data on taxa from Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, and beyond; silhouette images depicting the actual size ranges of species; distribution maps of nearly all diurnal species in the United States and Canada.
Critique: The collaborative work of co-authors Kevin Williams, Aaron D. Pan, and Joseph S. Wilson, "Velvet Ants of North America" must be considered as a core and essential addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Entomology, Ecology, and Insects/Spiders Biology collections and supple mental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, professional and non-professional readers with an interest in the subject that this Princeton University Press edition of "Velvet Ants of North America" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.25).
Editorial Note #1: Kevin A. Williams is an insect pest identifier for the California Department of Food and Agriculture and a leading authority on velvet ants.
Editorial Note #2: Aaron D. Pan is executive director of the Museum of Texas Tech University. His research interests range from mimicry within velvet ants to the evolution of prehistoric African forests.
Editorial Note #3: Joseph S. Wilson is associate professor of biology at Utah State University and an expert on the evolution and ecology of bees and wasps. His books include Common Bees of Western North America (Princeton).
Birds: Intimate Images, Volume 2
David Jeffrey
Orange Frazer Press
www.orangefrazer.com
9781949248739, $59.00, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Intimate-Images-David-Jeffrey/dp/1949248739
Synopsis: With the publication of the first volume of "Birds: Intimate Images" (2020), master photographer David Jeffrey invited readers to take a closer look at the inspiring majesty of our native coastlines. Now in "Birds: Intimate Images, Volume 2", David returns to the parks and sanctuaries of Florida and Massachusetts to witness again, in stunning detail, the private lives of some of our country's most beautiful birds.
With each turn of the page, we enter extraordinary scenes as he showcases his feathered neighbors in their natural environments. From the humble chores of the tiny House Wren to the impressive wingspan of the dramatic Brown Pelican, his eye is keen and decisive. Punctuating each shot with lively, up-to-the-moment descriptions in his signature disarming tone, David makes us feel right by his side (but he does all the work) waiting patiently to capture the beauty and spirit of each subject with awe and tenderness.
Bird enthusiasts can join David on another brilliant wildlife journey of technicolor splendor with "Birds: Intimate Images, Volume 2" -- a visual feast for bird watchers, bird lovers, shutterbugs, and all.
Critique: This large format (11.34 x 0.73 x 14.27 inches, 4.71 pounds) hardcover edition of "Birds: Intimate Images, Volume 2" from Orange Frazer Press is a simply stunning portfolio of full page, full color, informatively captioned photographs of a remarkable and impressive series of birds. "Birds: Intimate Images, Volume 2" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library wildlife photography collections.
The Photography Shelf
America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs
National Geographic
National Geographic Press
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426221422, $40.00, HC, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/America-Beautiful-Photographs-National-Geographic/dp/1426221428
Synopsis: "America the Beautiful" from the National Geography Press showcases the stunning spaces closest to our nation's heart ranging from the woods in the Great Appalachian Valley that Davy Crockett once called home to the breathtaking sweep of California's Big Sur coast to the wilds of Alaska.
It is also a pictorial celebration of the people who have made this country what it is, and featuring a wide range of images including the Arikara Nation in the early 1900s and scientists preparing for travel to Mars on a Hawaiian island.
Culled from more than 130 years of National Geographic's vaunted archives, this provocative collection of captioned photographs depicts the splendor of this great nation as only National Geographic can, with a dramatic combination of modern and historical imagery--from the creation of architectural icons like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lady Liberty to the last of the country's wild places currently preserved in our national parks.
Organized by chapters focused on region (west coast and the Pacific, east coast, the south, and the Midwest) that are themselves inspired by verses of the original poem America the Beautiful, this book also features a moving introduction offering perspective on the country's unique journey.
There are also behind-the-scenes commentaries from the world-renowned photographers who captured this unforgettable imagery, and observations from the conservationists, activists, and historians who help keep America beautiful today. Profound and inspiring, "America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs" is for everyone who has ever marveled at the inspiring beauty of the United States.
Critique: Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Photography collections, this compact (10.22 x 1.17 x 10.1 inches, 4.19 pounds) hardcover edition of "America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs" from the National Geographic Press is a fascinating compendium of superbly photographed images that truly showcases the diversity, the beauty, the complexity, the landscapes, and the people of America.
Editorial Note: One of the world's leading nonfiction publishers, National Geographic has published more than 1,700 titles, featuring such categories as history, travel, nature, photography, space, science, health, biography, and memoir. A portion of its proceeds is used to fund exploration, conservation, and education through ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County
Claire Swinarski
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063319875, $30.00, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Funeral-Ladies-Ellerie-County-Novel/dp/006331987X
Synopsis: Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the "funeral ladies", she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed -- it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can't fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days.
Iris, Esther's whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community. As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she's found the missing piece of her puzzle.
Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he's been looking for.
It doesn't seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness -- things might just turn out okay.
Critique: A deftly crafted, exceptionally well written, inherently fascinating, and a fun and memorable read from start to finish, "The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County" by Claire Swinarski will have immense appeal to readers with an interest in novels about women's friendship, grandmothers, daughters, and their social arrangements and relationships. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and in a paperback edition (9780063319882, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Claire Swinarski (http://www.claireswinarski.com) is the author of several books for both kids and adults. Her writing has been featured in the Washington Post, Seventeen, Milwaukee magazine, and many other publications. She lives in small-town Wisconsin with her husband and three kids, where she writes books, wears babies, and wrangles bread dough.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Romanov Brides
Clare McHugh
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063250932, $18.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Romanov-Brides-Novel-Tsarina-Sisters/dp/0063250934
Synopsis: Destined to wed well and wisely, Princesses Alix and Ella were granddaughters of Queen Victoria and two of the most beautiful princesses in Europe. But while their grandmother wants to join them to the English and German royal families, the sisters fall in love with Russia -- and the Romanovs.
Defying the Queen's dire warnings, Ella weds the tsar's brother, Grand Duke Serge. Cultivated, aloof, and proud, Serge places his young wife on a pedestal for all to admire. Behind palace gates, Ella struggles to secure private happiness.
Alix, whisked away to Russia for Ella's wedding, meets and captivates Nicky - heir apparent to the Russian throne. While loving him deeply, Alix hears a call of conscience, urging her to walk away.
Their fateful decisions to marry will lead to tragic consequences for not only themselves and their families, but for millions in Russia and around the globe.
Critique: A moving and fascinating portrait of two bold and spirited royal sisters, with the publication of "The Romanov Brides", novelist Clare McHugh brings to vivid life imperial Russia -- a dazzling, decadent world on the brink of disaster for the ancient ruling Romanov lineage. Of particular interest to fans of historical biographical fiction, "The Romanov Brides" is unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Romanov Bridges" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212900195, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Clare McHugh (www.claremchugh.com) is also the author of "A Most English Princess" which is an historical novel about the family of Queen Victoria, and The Romanov Brides. A former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, McHugh graduated from Harvard College with a degree in European history.
The LGBTQ Fiction Shelf
The Birthright of Sons: Stories
Jefferey Spivey
Texas Tech University Press
www.ttupress.org
9781682831953, $29.95, HC, 270pp
https://www.amazon.com/Birthright-Sons-Stories-Horse-Prize/dp/1682831957
Synopsis: "The Birthright of Sons" is a collection of fourteen short stories by Jeffrey Spivey centered around the experiences of marginalized people, namely Black and LGBTQ+ men. Although the stories borrow elements from various genres (horror, suspense, romance, magical realism, etc.), they are linked by an exploration of identity and the ways personhood is shaped through interactions with the people, places, and belief systems around us.
Underpinning this literary project is a core tenet: self-definition is fluid, but conflict arises because society often fails to keep pace with personal evolution. In each of these stories, the protagonists grapple with their understanding of who they are, who and how they love, and what is ultimately most important to them. In almost every case, however, the quest to know or protect oneself is challenged by an external force, resulting in violence, crisis, or confusion, among other outcomes.
"The Birthright of Sons" colors in "the other" as three-dimensional by highlighting the unique obstacles that marginalized people face while simultaneously centering their humanity and unearthing universal struggles and commonalities. Be it experiencing a sexual awakening, contemplating the cumulative effects of racial tension in the workplace, or searching desperately for a moment of peace in the attention economy, this outstanding short story collection amplifies under-represented voices in a playful and contemporary way, elevating, critiquing, and confronting its characters.
Critique: Consistently raising the short story to an impressive degree of literary excellence and social/cultural impact, "The Birthright of Sons" showcases author and poet Jeffrey Spivey's genuine flair for originality and linguistic skills as a writer. An especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted that "The Birthright of Sons" is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Jefferey Spivey (www.jeffereyspivey.com) is an author, poet, and copywriter. He was named runner-up for Poets & Writers' 2023 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. He was also a recipient of The de Groot Foundation's 2022 Courage to Write grant. His short stories have appeared in Hive Avenue Literary Journal, Punt Volat, A Gathering of the Tribes, Typehouse, decomp, and Havik.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Glimpses of the Moon
Edith Wharton
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781805330929, $16.95, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Glimpses-Moon-Pushkin-Press-Classics/dp/1805330926
Synopsis: Nick Lansing and Susy Branch are young, attractive, but impoverished New Yorkers. They are in love and decide to marry, but they realise their chances of happiness are slim without the wealth and status that their more privileged friends take for granted.
Nick and Susy agree to separate whenever either encounters a more eligible proposition. However, as they honeymoon in friends' lavish houses, from a villa on Lake Como to a Venetian palace, jealous passions and troubled consciences cause the idyll to crumble.
Critique: A young couple's love is threatened by the destructive power of money, by one of the greatest authors of her age in "Glimpses of the Moon", a beautifully crafted novel by literary legend Edith Wharton and perceptively describes the seductions and temptations of high society with all of Wharton's trademark wit and irony. Of special interest to fans of Gilded Age era romance novels, this new paperback edition from Pushkin Press Classics is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Classic Literary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Edith Wharton was born in 1862 in New York, into a rich and socially prominent family. She began to write at an early age, although it was a habit viewed by her family as unsuitable for a woman of her social class. In 1885 she married Edward "Teddy" Wharton, a Boston banker. They lived a privileged life, but Wharton gradually grew dissatisfied with the roles of wife and society matron. The Whartons moved to Paris in 1907 and divorced in 1913. Edith continued to live in France, her beloved adoptive home, until her death in 1937.
And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon: Essential Stories
Nikolai Gogil, author
Oliver Ready, translator
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781805330332, $16.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Will-Pushkin-Press-Classics/dp/1805330330
Synopsis: Few writers has captured the absurdity of the human condition as acutely as Nikolai Gogol. In a lively new translation of "And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon: Essential Stories" by Oliver Ready, this collection contains Gogol's great classic stories including "The Overcoat", "The Nose" and "Diary of a Madman" -- alongside lesser known gems depicting life in the Russian and Ukrainian countryside.
Collectively this anthology of five short stories reveals Gogol's marvelously skewed perspective, moving between the urban and the rural with painfully sharp humor and scorching satire.
Strikingly modern in his depictions of society's shambolic structures, Gogol plunders the depths of bureaucratic and domestic banalities to unearth moments of dark comedy and outrageous corruption. Defying categorization, the stories comprising this collection range from the surreal to the satirical to the grotesque, united in their exquisite psychological acuteness and tender insights into the bizarre irrationalities of the human soul.
Critique: This new paperback edition of Russian writer Nicholai Gogol's "And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon: Essential Stories" from the Pushkin Press Classic series is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an informative Introduction by the translator, Oliver Ready, a two page listing of Translator's Acknowledgments, a two page Note on Ranks, and seven pages of Chapter Notes. A classic of Russian Literature, "And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon: Essential Stories" is a significant and high value addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Literary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note #1: Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born in 1809 in Ukraine, and moved to St Petersburg after his studies in 1828 to work in an obscure government ministry. His first collection of stories, Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (1831), made him famous, and he went on to write several further collections of stories, as well as the play The Government Inspector. Part I of his great, and only novel, Dead Souls, appeared in 1842. In his later life he was increasingly tormented both physically and psychologically, and he burned much of his writing, including part II of Dead Souls. He died in 1852, possibly from self-starvation.
Editorial Note #2: In 1994-1998, Oliver Ready studied Modern Languages (Russian and Italian) at Worcester College, University of Oxford. In 2000 - 2001, he did MA in Russian Studies at SSEES, University College London. In 2007, he completed his DPhil at Wolfson College, Oxford. In 2008 - 2017, he was Consultant Editor for Russian and East-Central Europe at The Times Literary Supplement. Since 2010, he has been a Research Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford. In 2011 - 2014, he was director of the Russkiy Mir Program. Since 2014, he has been working as a teacher of Russian literature at the University of Oxford. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Ready)
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Just for the Summer
Melody Carlson
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800745615, $29.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Just-Summer-Melody-Carlson/dp/0800745612
Synopsis: Ginny Masters manages a popular boutique hotel in Seattle and manages it with aplomb. But the daily challenges and irritations of a fast-paced job and a demanding boss are starting to get to her.
Jacqueline Potter manages her grandfather's fishing lodge in Idaho because it was the only job she could find after graduating with her hospitality degree. She's grateful for the work but longs for a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan life she's just not going to find in this backwoods town.
The solution to both their problems seems obvious. Just for the summer, they'll swap jobs and lifestyles. But they never anticipated swapping love interests!
"Just for the Summer" by novelist Melody Carlson offers a fabulous new twist on an age-old fable and introduces her readers to two career-focused women who are about to discover that there's more to finding happiness than just switching up the scenery.
Critique: Clean, wholesome, and a fun read from start to finish, "Just for the Summer" by accomplished author and gifted storyteller Melody Carlson is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance collections. It should be noted for the legions of Christian romance novel fans that "Just for the Summer" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800744717, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Melody Carlson (www.MelodyCarlson.com) is the author of more than 250 books with sales of more than 7.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, her novel All Summer Long has been made into a Hallmark movie, and the movie based on her novel The Happy Camper premiered on UPtv in 2023.
The Western Fiction Shelf
The Valerons - Winter Kill
Terrell L. Bowers
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850567, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 270pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-valerons-winter-kill-terrell-l-bowers/1137640883
Synopsis: Snowstorms have paralyzed the stage and freight companies, and Castle Point is desperate for supplies. Doctor Nash Valeron wires his brother Jared, who loads up pack horses and mules with medicine and food to bring to the stricken settlement. But Castle Point is also a refuge for a pack of outlaws, who have committed a brazen robbery that left several soldiers dead. Jared must do the impossible: take twelve men into custody in a town with no sheriff or jail...
Critique: Another riveting novel featuring the Valerons by western author Terrell L. Bowers, this large print paperback edition of "The Valerons - Winter Kill" from the Linford Western Library series will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of dedicated action/adventure western novel fans and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: A lengthy listing of available novels by western author Terrell L. Bowers can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/102448.Terrell_L_Bowers
Animal Instinct
Lee Clinton
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850581, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 224pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Animal%20Instinct
Synopsis: It was the perfect hold-up, conducted with military precision by four men who calmly walked out of the Ozark Branch of the First National Bank with close to $50,000. Then it all went wrong.
One unfortunate shot hits their leader Frank Jerome as he rides away. What to do? Take the risk and try to ride out the 250 miles back to the mighty Mississippi? Or let the other three escape without being slowed by a wounded man?
Frank didn't hesitate. In a selfless act he stayed to face a prison sentence and an uncertain future. Now, years later on release, his companions have all disappeared along with the money, and it is going to take more than luck to untangle the lies, deceit and secrets that have been left behind. It is going to take animal instinct.
Critique: A simply riveting read from first page to last, "Animal Instincts" by western novelist Lee Clinton is the stuff of which Clint Eastwood 'spaghetti western' movies were made. This large print paperback edition of "Animal Instincts" from the Linford Western Library series is highly recommended for both community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists for dedicated fans of action/adventure westerns.
Editorial Note: Lee Clinton is the pen name of Leigh Alver, a hobby writer from Perth, Australia. Leigh has written and published in other genres, but a love for the Western remains unbridled believing that it allows for universal stories to be told in a variety of ways, which will still engage, excite and surprise a modern reader.
Somewhere - A Sundown
Sheldon B. Cole
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850420, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 204pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/somewhere-a-sundown-sheldon-b-cole/1137640890
Synopsis: When Blake Durant reached the town of Lincoln, he really should have just kept riding. But he didn't get the chance. Within moments of his arrival, a gun-tough named Nico Semole injured his horse and then tried to pick a fight with an old man. Blake intervened and beat him to a pulp. Yet Nico just didn't know when to quit. Later that day he came at Blake with a gun...and set off a chain of events that was to end in murder and bloody revenge.
Critique: A fun read from start to finish, "Somewhere - A Sundown" is another one of author Sheldon B. Cole's deftly crafted action/adventure westerns. This large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition for personal and community library Western Fiction collections and reading lists.
Editorial Note: There is a comprehensive and available listing of Sheldon B. Cole's novels at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19648928.Sheldon_B_Cole
Wagons West Of Hell
Cole Sheldon
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850390, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 216pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wagons-west-of-hell-cole-shelton/1136785772
Synopsis: Following the death of its guide, a wagon train bound for Gun Creek had stalled outside the small town of Conchita. But when Shane Preston and Jonah Jones rode in on the trail of the scar-faced man Shane had sworn to kill, wagon master Huston Whittaker saw an answer to his problem. Huston was an old friend of Shane's, and when he asked for help in getting the travelers to their destination, the black-clad gunfighter and his sidekick couldn't refuse...
Critique: Another of the vengeance quest novels by Cole Sheldon, "Wagons West Of Hell" continues the saga of Shane Preston and his partner Jonah Jones as once again their quest for the scar faced killer of Shane's loved one leads to an unexpected involvement in the problems of others -- problems that will require gun play and survival. This large print paperback edition of "Wagons West Of Hell" is a solid recommendation for any and all dedicated fans of action/adventure westerns.
Editorial Note: There is an impressive on-line listing of novels by Cole Sheldon at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7160486.Cole_Shelton
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
The Framed Women of Ardemore House
Brandy Schillace
https://brandyschillace.com
Hanover Square Press
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9781335014030, $30.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Women-Ardemore-House-Novel/dp/1335014039
Synopsis: Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn't know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.
After losing her job, her mother, and her marriage all in one year, she couldn't be happier to take possession of a possibly haunted (and clearly unwanted) family estate in North Yorkshire. But when the body of the moody town groundskeeper turns up on her rug with three bullets in his back, Jo finds herself in potential danger -- and she's also a potential suspect. At the same time, a peculiar family portrait vanishes from a secret room in the manor, bearing a strange connection to both the dead body and Jo's mysterious family history.
With the aid of a Welsh antiques dealer, the morose local detective, and the Irish innkeeper's wife, Jo embarks on a mission to clear herself of blame and find the missing painting, unearthing a slew of secrets about the town (and herself) along the way. And she'll have to do it all before the killer strikes again!
Critique: With the publication of "The Framed Women of Ardemore House, novelist Brandy Schillace proves that she is a master of the cozy mystery genre. All the elements are here -- an abandoned English manor, a peculiar and missing portrait, a deviously clever murder mystery, an amateur female sleuth in desperate need to find out 'whodunnit', and a wealth of unexpected plot twists and turns. A fun read from start to finish, "The Framed Women of Ardemore House" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Framed Women of Ardemore House" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212723718, $46.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Brandy Schillace (https://brandyschillace.com) is an autistic author, historian, mystery novelist, and editor. Having grown up in an underground house (next to a graveyard, in abandoned coal lands, with a pet raccoon) she spent her childhood reading about diseases and going to a lot of funerals. This led to an abiding interest in dead stuff, a PhD, and a career in science history -- a likely thing to happen when one spends their formative years in a cemetery. Brandy writes at the intersections of history, mystery, and the weird.
Murder in the Tea Leaves
Laura Childs
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593200988, $28.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Tea-Leaves-Shop-Mystery/dp/0593200985
Synopsis: When Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, Dark Fortunes, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red hot sparks fly as the film's director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident.
Or was it an accident? Though the cast and crew are stunned beyond belief, nobody admits to seeing a thing. And when Theodosia's friend, Delaine, becomes the prime suspect, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. But who among this Hollywood cast and crew had murder on their mind? The screenwriter is a self-centered pot head, the leading actress is trying to wiggle out of her contract, the brand new director seems indifferent, and nobody trusts the slippery-when-dry Hollywood agent.
Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany's Tea, a Poetry Tea, and trying to launch her own chocolate line, Theodosia doggedly hunts down clues and explores the seemingly haunted Brittlebank Manor where the murder took place. And just when she's ready to pounce, a Charleston Film Board member is also murdered, throwing everything into total disarray. But this clever killer will go to any lengths to hide his misdeeds as Theodosia soon finds out when she and her tea sommelier, Drayton, get caught up in a dangerous stakeout.
Critique: Laura Child's is one of the most talented and original storyteller novelists in the Cozy Mystery genre today. Here newest mystery, "Murder in the Tea Leaves" is part of her popular cozy mystery series 'A Tea Shop Mystery'. It has everything including an 'innocent accused', a sudden death under unusual circumstances, a determined amateur female sleuth working hard to find out 'whodunnit', and more unexpected plot twists than an Oklahoma tornado. An extraordinary, fun, and recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the legions of Laura Child fans that "Murder in the Tea Leaves" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Laura Childs (https://booksreadingorder.com/laura-childs) is the New York Times author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, New Orleans Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Before becoming one of the most popular and prolific authors in the Cozy Mystery genre, Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show.
Speculations in Sin
Jennifer Ashley
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593549919, $18.00, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Speculations-Sin-Below-Stairs-Mystery/dp/0593549910
Synopsis: Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel's wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.
When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she's treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.
Critique: A fun read and especially recommended for dedicated Cozy Mystery fans, "Speculations in Sin" by author Jennifer Ashley features a gifted by amateur female sleuth confronted with a cascading number of unexpected plot twists to uncover the true felon and absolve the 'innocent accused'. While certain to be a popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Speculations in Sin" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Jennifer Ashley (https://jenniferashley.com) is the author of the Below Stairs Mysteries series, the Shifters Unbound paranormal romances, and the Mackenzies historical romances. She also writes as USA Today bestselling mystery author Ashley Gardner.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Hidden Queen
Petere V. Brett
Del Rey
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
www.randomhouse.com
9781984817112, $30.00, HC, 608pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Queen-Book-Nightfall-Saga/dp/1984817116
Synopsis: Humanity thought the war with demonkind was over. Now, after less than a generation to rebuild, the demon corelings have returned with a vengeance. The Spear of Ala (the fortress that stands at the gates of the demon's hive) is the last bastion against the horde, and reports say it may already have fallen.
Olive Paper is expected to take the vanguard in the fight. Only an heir of Kaji can wield the artifact that opens the gates of the Spear of Ala, and as Ahmann Jardir's child, Olive seems destined for a role as leader and savior. But Olive does not wish to follow in her father's footsteps any more than she did her mother's.
Darin Bales was born with supernatural senses that he struggles to process, and even those who love him believe he can barely take care of himself. Yet to save his mother from the clutches of Alagai Ka, the demon king, Darin will brave anything to mount a rescue.
Darin and Olive each strive to walk their own path but find themselves inextricably tied to the legacies of their parents and to a fated confrontation with the demon king and his new hatchling queen.
If they fail, humanity may not survive!
Critique: A sword & sorcery saga of epic proportions, "The Hidden Queen" is the second novel in author Peter V. Brett's action packed 'The Nightfall Saga' series. Brett is a master of the genre and "The Hidden Queen" is a deftly crafted, fun and compelling read from start to finish. While unreservedly recommended for community library Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fans that "The Hidden Queen" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Peter V. Brett (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_V._Brett) is also the author of The Demon Cycle, which has sold more than four million copies in twenty-seven languages worldwide. His novels include The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, The Core, and The Desert Prince.
The Audiobook Shelf
The Fox Wife
Yangsze Choo, author/narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250329509, $49.99, CD (14 Hours 37 Minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fox-wife-yangsze-choo/1143330973
Synopsis: Manchuria, 1908. In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman's identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they've remained tantalizingly out of reach -- until, perhaps, now.
Meanwhile, a family who owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments but can't escape the curse that afflicts them -- their eldest sons always die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. When a disruptively winsome servant named Snow enters their household, the family's luck seems to change -- or does it?
Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all she's a mother seeking vengeance for her lost child. Hunting a murderer, she will follow the trail from northern China to Japan, while Bao follows doggedly behind. Navigating the myths and misconceptions of fox spirits, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur.
In her novel, "The Fox Wife", author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, "The Fox Wife" is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.
Critique: A brilliant work of literary historical fiction based on Japanese folklore and which is deftly narrated by its author, Yangsze Choo's epic novel, "The Fox Wife" is an amazing listening experience. This complete and unabridged audio book (13 CDs) from Macmillan Audio will prove to be a highly prized pick for both personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note: Yangsze Choo (https://yschoo.com) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Bride (now a Netflix Original series) and The Night Tiger, a Reese's Book Club Pick, and a Big Jubilee Read selection for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. Yangsze is happy to visit book clubs via Zoom and can be foun her on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Library CD Shelf
Little Sun
Charlie Parr
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
https://folkways.si.edu
B0CQ8SQ25V, $16.98, CD (41 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Sun-Charlie-Parr/dp/B0CQ8SQ25V
Synopsis: Charlie Parr is an American country blues musician. Born in Austin, Minnesota, he spent part of his childhood in Hollandale before starting his music career in Duluth. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt, and his self-professed "hero" "Spider" John Koerner. He plays a Mule resonator, National resonator guitar, a fretless open-back banjo, and a twelve-string guitar, often in the Piedmont blues style. Of special note is that Charlie is divorced from Emily Parr, who occasionally adds vocals to his music.
"Little Sun" is a new release from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and is comprised of eight original songs performed by Charlie Parr and include: Portland Avenue (4:30), Bear Head Lake (7.20), Boombox (3:55), Pale Fire (7.31), Ten Watt (5:30), Stray (4.40), Sloth (3:41), and the title song Little Sun (3: 57).
Critique: While unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library CD Music collections, it should be noted for Charlie Parr fans that "Little Sun" is also readily available in an MP3-CD format ($7.92) and as a Vinyl Record ($19.99).
The Stars, If You Look Closely
The Stetson Family
www.thestetsonfamily.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD
Australian bluegrass-folk band The Stetson Family presents their fourth album, The Stars, If You Look Closely. All of the songs are original creations, written by lead vocalist Nadine Budge and John Bartholomeusz. The harmonized singing superbly balances The Stetson Family's memorable guitar, banjo, and mandolin interplay. The Stars, If You Look Closely is a treasure for connoisseurs of the genre, highly recommended. The tracks are The Stars, If You Look Closely; The Other Side; Dollar In My Hand; Lonesome Valley; Nightfall; Better Left Unsaid; heading West; Brother; Angel's Hand; Make Me Ashes; and Mama's Gonna Take You Home.
Guardians
Annie Chen
anniechenjazz.com
Privately Published
$12.00 CD / $8.00 digital
https://anniechenjazz.com/music/guardians
Beijing-born, New York-based vocalist and composer Annie Chen presents Guardians, an international jazz album inspired by admiration for the flora and fauna of the natural world. The songs call upon the listener to cherish and protect fragile ecosystems from the threat of human-caused mass extinction. Guardians is beautiful, reverent of nature's wonders, and passionate in its call to environmental preservation. Highly recommended! The tracks are Rozpacz (Despair); Underground Dance; Rosemary's Lullaby; Gule Gule Istanbul; The Northern Eyes; The Whale River Song; Jellyfish All Around; and Vanished Tales, No Return.
Being Human
Lynne Arriale Trio
Challenge Records International
www.challengerecords.com
$18.99 CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Arriale-Being-Human-Lynne/dp/B0CJ47L7BZ
The Lynne Arriale Trio consists of Lynne Arriale on piano and Yamaha clavinova, Alon Near on bass, and Lukasz Zyta on drums. Together, they present Being Human, a suite of ten original compositions that celebrate positive human traits such as courage, curiosity, faith, joy, and more. A masterful work of contemporary jazz, Being Human is highly recommended for both personal and public library collections, and also makes a wonderful gift. The tracks are Passion, Courage, Love, Faith, Curiosity, Soul, Persistence, Heart, Gratitude, Joy, and Love (reprise).
Moon Over Lake
Roddy Ellias
www.roddyellias.com
KWIMU Music
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWS7GXWS
Moon Over Lake is the first solo acoustic guitar album by Roddy Ellias in over twenty years. Featuring twenty brand new, original compositions, Moon Over Lake draws upon jazz traditions to create an inspiring, adventurous, and beautiful soundscape that lingers in mind and memory like a dream. Moon Over Lake is highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are Prelude, Chant, Interlude, Butterfly Dreams, Monkey Business, Little Bird's First Flight, Rainbow Dance, Moon Over Lake, Brothers and Sisters, Flower, Summer's End, and Hope.
Spirit
Peter Calandra
www.PeteCalandraMusic.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTD5ZD1Y
Spirit is an album of elegant and heart-pulling piano compositions by Peter Calandra. Ten of the tracks are Calandra's original compositions; three are arrangements of early 1970's songs that Calandra played as a teen in bands. Evocative and masterfully performed, Spirit is a "must-have" for connoisseurs of quality piano music and also a choice pick for library collections. The tracks are Spirit, A Box of Candles, Layla, Joyful Light, Fading Memories, Stately and Kind, The Weight, Reflective Romance, Thankful, Uncle John's Band, Night Sky, Spring Hope, and Spirit.
Reflections on a Moonlit Lake
Rudy Adrian
Spotted Peccary Music
www.spottedpeccary.com
$16.00 CD / $10.00 digital
https://rudy-adrian.bandcamp.com/album/reflections-on-a-moonlit-lake
Reflections on a Moonlit Lake is a tranquil, new age album of soothing instrumental music that defies traditional concepts of melody. The songs evoke natural beauty and calm, in this choice pick for meditation, creative focus, or simple relaxation. Reflections on a Moonlit Lake is a beautiful soundscape experience, and also makes an excellent gift! The tracks are Mirror Island, Dawn Across the Southern Ocean (remix), Papanui Lagoon (remix), Lunar Shadow, Tantalised, The Belt of Orion, Midnight Angel, Within the Darkness, Rising Moon, Reflections on a Moonlit Lake, and Summer Night Rain.
The Library DVD Shelf
Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island
A film by Heidi Hutner
First Run Features
www.firstrunfeatures.com
$19.95
https://firstrunfeatures.com/radioactivevod.html
Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island is a documentary on DVD about four women who fought to expose the nuclear industry's cover-up of the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown. The four women took their local community's case against the plant operator all the way to the Supreme Court, and a female journalist was targeted for her efforts to report the unfolding story. Radioactive is a sobering true story of ordinary people's attempts to resist powerful, wealthy interests. Regardless of whether or not one feels that nuclear power will be a needed source of energy in a post-fossil fuels world, Radioactive underscores the need for strict safeguards and oversights in any project that can potentially cause an environmental disaster, including and especially nuclear power plants. Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island is highly recommended for personal, public library, and school library DVD collections. 77 minutes, optional English subtitles.
The Judicial Studies Shelf
Law and Humanities
Daniel Newman, editor
Russell Sandberg, editor
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839990366, $195.00, HC, 252pp
https://www.amazon.com/Law-Humanities-Anthem-Society/dp/1839990368
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by academicians Daniel Newman and Russell Sandberg, "Law and Humanities" is the first volume in the Anthem Law and Society series.
This edited collection provides the first accessible introduction to Law and Humanities. Each chapter explores the nature, development and possible further trajectory of a disciplinary 'law and' field.
Each chapter comprising "Law and Humanities" is written by an expert in the respective field and addresses how the two disciplines of law and the other respective field operate.
This edited work, therefore, fulfils a real and pressing need to provide an accessible, introductory but critical guide to law and humanities as a whole by exploring how each disciplinary 'law and' field has developed, contributes to further scrutinizing the content and role of law, and how it can contribute and be enriched by being understood within the law and humanities tradition as a whole.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking compendium of fifteen original articles by experts in their respective fields, "Law and Humanities" is especially and specifically recommended for college/university library collections and supplemental Judicial Studies curriculum lists. Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $63.67), should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and academicians that "Law and Humanities" also includes a listing of the contributors and their credentials.
Editorial Note #1: Daniel Newman is Reader in Law at Cardiff University. His research focuses on access to justice. (https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/newmandc)
Editorial Note #2: Russell Sandberg is Professor of Law at Cardiff University. His research interrogates the interaction between law and humanities, with particular reference to law and religion and legal history. (www.researchgate.net/profile/Russell-Sandberg)
The Mathematics Shelf
Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know
Bianca Szasz
Vibrant Publishers
https://www.vibrantpublishers.com
9781636511207, $64.99, HC, 218pp
https://www.amazon.com/Analytics-Essentials-Always-Self-Learning-Management/dp/1636511201
Synopsis: Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's world of business and government, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. (Wikipedia)
Data analytics is becoming increasingly important in today's data-driven society, and so has the demand for data analysts. With the publication of "Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know", Bianca Szasz has created a comprehensive yet succinct manual that is an ideal introduction for readers wanting to understand the fundamentals of data analytics. It provides a concise introduction to data analytics and its current applicability.
"Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know" includes: A fundamental comprehension of data analytics, including its types; An understanding of data analytics processes, software tools, and a range of analytics methodologies; A comprehension of what daily tasks and procedures the data analysts follow; An investigation into the vast field of big data analytics, covering its possibilities and challenges; An understanding of the existing legal frameworks, as well as ethical and privacy issues in data analytics; Application-based learning using a variety of real-world case studies.
"Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know" goes beyond being just a theoretical manual as it contains real-world case studies and fun facts to help its readers to enhance their knowledge. Of special note are the chapter summaries and self-assessment tests along with every chapter will help readers to test themselves as they move from one concept to the next.
"Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know " is also a great tool for professionals switching to a career in data analytics and for students who want to learn the basics of data analytics. Simply stated, "Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know" will give the reader a strong foundation by explaining everything in an easy-to-understand language.
Critique: Deftly organized into eight chapters (Introduction to Data Analysis; Data Collections and Management; Types of Data Analysis; Techniques and Tools for Data Analysis; What Does a Data Analyst Do?; Big Data Analytics; Ethics and Privacy in Data Analytics; Real-World Case Studies on Data Analytics), and informatively enhanced for the readers benefit with the inclusion of a three page Glossary and an eleven page Bibliography, "Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know" is a comprehensive DIY course of instruction in science of Data Analysis. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this edition of Dr. Bianca Szasz's "Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know" from Vibrant Publisher is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, governmental, and college/university library Business Management/Leadership collections and supplemental Information Management curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, corporate executives, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781636511184, $43.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Bianca Szasz (https://biancaszasz.com) is a Ph.D. holder in Space Engineering. Having more than 14 years of experience in engineering and a dedicated focus of 4 years in data analytics, she has used data analytics in a variety of innovative projects, like post-processing of the wind tunnel test results and the analysis of high enthalpy heating test results. Her enthusiasm for data analytics eventually expanded beyond using it for work. Now she is passionate about educating the future generation of data analysts.
Editorial Note #2: Vibrant Publishers is focused on presenting the best texts for learning about technology and business as well as books for test preparation. Categories include programming, operating systems and other texts focused on IT. In addition, a series of books helps professionals in their own disciplines learn the business skills needed in their professional growth. Vibrant Publishers has a standardized test preparation series covering the GMAT, GRE and SAT, providing ample study and practice material in a simple and well organized format, helping students get closer to their dream universities.
The Economics Shelf
Behind the Startup
Benjamin Shestakofsky
University of California Press
www.ucpress.edu
9780520395022, $85.00, HC, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Startup-Venture-Innovation-Inequality/dp/0520395026
Synopsis: In recent years, dreams about our technological future have soured as digital platforms have undermined privacy, eroded labor rights, and weakened democratic discourse. In light of the negative consequences of innovation, some blame harmful algorithms or greedy CEOs. "Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital Shapes Work, Innovation, and Inequality" by Professor Benjamin Shestakofsky focuses instead on the role of capital and the influence of financiers.
Drawing on nineteen months of participant-observation research inside a successful Silicon Valley startup, "Behind the Startup" examines how the company was organized to meet the needs of the venture capital investors who funded it.
Investors push startups to scale as quickly as possible to inflate the value of their asset. Professor Shestakofsky shows how these demands create organizational problems that managers solve by combining high-tech systems with low-wage human labor.
With its focus on the financialization of innovation, "Behind the Startup" fully explains how the gains generated by these companies are funneled into the pockets of a small cadre of elite investors and entrepreneurs. To promote innovation that benefits the many rather than the few, Professor Shestakofsky compellingly argues that we must focus less on fixing the technology and more on changing the financial infrastructure that supports it.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a four page listing of Acknowledgments, an eighteen page Methodological Appendix, twenty-six pages ofNotes, and a six page Index, "Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital Shapes Work, Innovation, and Inequality" is vital and timely reading for professional and non-professional readers with an interest in economics, venture capitalism, income inequality, and corporate evaluations. While also available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition (9780520395039, $29.95), and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49), "Behind the Startup" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, and college/university library Contemporary Economics collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Benjamin Shestakofsky (www.benjaminshestakofsky.com) is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is affiliated with AI at Wharton and the Center on Digital Culture and Society.
The Library Science Shelf
Supporting Student Parents in the Academic Library
Kelsy Kayes, author
Ellie Dworak, author
ACRL Books Association of College & Research Libraries
c/o American Library Association
https://www.ala.org
9798892555531, $82.00, PB, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Supporting-Student-Parents-Academic-Library/dp/B0CVNBT5RS
Synopsis: Student parents are a socioeconomically, racially, and financially diverse group. What they have in common is the drive to work hard to overcome steep barriers in obtaining a college education.
Co-authored by Kelsy Kayes, and Ellie Dworak, "Supporting Student Parents in the Academic Library: Designing Spaces, Policies, and Services" is part toolkit, part treatise, and part call to action presented in four parts: The Higher Education Landscape; The Role of Academic Libraries; Looking Outward to Community, For-Profit, and International Organizations; Evaluating Needs and Measuring Success.
"Supporting Student Parents in the Academic Library" includes templates, sample policy language, budgets, survey instruments, and other immediately useful tools and examples. There are field notes from academic librarians from institutions of varying sizes and resources demonstrating different ways of supporting these students, and the voices of students themselves.
Student parents can feel unwelcome and invisible in their institutions. And for every student parent who is struggling to complete an education despite these hurdles, there are many others who have not been able to find a way. "Supporting Student Parents" is an effective guide to engaging with and aiding the student parents in your libraries and leading the charge in making your institutions more family friendly.
Critique: Informed and informative, "Supporting Student Parents in the Academic Library:: Designing Spaces, Policies, and Services" is exceptionally well organized, impressively comprehensive, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and college/university library General Library & Information Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Kelsey Keyes is an Emerita Professor at Boise State University, where she worked as a research and instruction librarian from 2012 - 2023. She holds a Masters of Library and Information Science and a Masters of English Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She served on Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0 - 18, including terms as co-chair, from 2017 - 2020. Her research is focused on supporting parenting students in higher education. She provides writing and editing support for academics, business, fiction and non-fiction writers (www.kelseykeyes.com).
Editorial Note #2: Ellie Dworak is an Associate Professor and the Research Data Librarian at Boise State University. She earned her Masters in Library and Information Services from the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on higher education policy, human computer interaction, and the social impacts of living in a datafied society.
The Art Shelf
Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary
Craig Volk
South Dakota Historical Society Press
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813492, $27.95, HC, 80pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dick-Termes-Black-Artist-Visionary/dp/1941813496
Synopsis: A life-long South Dakotan, artist-educator, Dick Termes has revolutionized the art world with his signature art form, the innovative Termesphere. Over the past half century, Termes has created over 400 unique Termespheres, each one a fascinating interplay of vanishing points and multiple perspectives.
Born in 1941, Termes lives on the ranch built by his grandparents in the lower valley south of Spearfish, South Dakota. He graduated from nearby Black Hills State University in 1964. After teaching art for several years, he earned a master's degree in art from the University of Wyoming, where he first struck upon his concept of the six point perspective. In 1969, he began studies for the Master of Fine Arts degree at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, where he further developed the concept. The California art scene soon took notice.
In an unusual move for artists feted by the West Coast art world, Termes returned home to South Dakota and the northern Black Hills. He continued working as an artist-educator through artists in schools programs and met fellow artist Markie Scholz. They married in 1979, raised two sons, and built a geodesic dome on the family ranch, which has since evolved into a compound of geodesic domes, including one that has housed the Termesphere Gallery since 1992. With the publication of "Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary", author Craig Volk offers the first intellectual biography of Dick Termes and his art, focusing on the development of his Termespheres.
Of special note is an informative introduction by art critic Bill Fleming places Termes in the canon of Western art and exquisite photos by Bonny Fleming capture the unique spherical surfaces that convey Termes's artistic angle on "the gentle world we live in."
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, Carig Volk's "Dick Termes: Black Hills Artist and Visionary" from the South Dakota Historical Society Press is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Art History & Contemporary Artists collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Craig Volk (www.sdhspress.com/about/press-staff/craig-volk) is a poet, playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and memoirist. His stage dramas have been selected three times for the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and his play "Mayakovsky Takes the Stage" won the 2007 PEN-USA award for best drama. He spent twelve years working in the television/film industry, including a staff position on the Emmy-winning series "Northern Exposure." His historical bio-drama based on the writings of his grandmother and mother, titled A Dustbowl Book of Days, 1932 was published by South Dakota Historical Society Press in 2021.
Lee Krasner
Eleanor Nairne
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500094082, $50.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lee-krasner-eleanor-nairne/1129598889
Synopsis: In 1984, Lee Krasner (October 27, 1908 - June 19, 1984) became one of the few women artists to have been given a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She quipped about her belated recognition: "I was a woman, Jewish, a widow, a damn good painter, thank you, and a little too independent." One of the original pioneers of abstract expressionism, Krasner has for too long been eclipsed by her husband, Jackson Pollock. In fact, his death in 1956 marked her renaissance as an artist.
Coinciding with a major exhibition at Barbican Art Gallery, "Lee Krasner" features an outstanding selection of her most important paintings, collages, and works on paper, contextualized by photography from the postwar period, an illustrated chronology, and an unpublished interview with her biographer Gail Levin.
This richly illustrated monograph is a comprehensive survey of the work of one of the twentieth century's most dynamic artists.
Critique: Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity, "Lee Krasner" by art historian and curator Eleanor Nairne, and published in a large format (9 x 1 x 11.4 inches, 2.79 pounds) hardcover edition from Thames & Hudson, will be of special and enduring value to art students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in 20th Century Art History & Women Artists. Deftly combining biography with an insightful art appreciation critique, "Lee Krasner" is an informative and essential addition to personal, professional, community, art school, and college/university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Lee Krasner" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780500297582, $35.00).
Editorial Note: Eleanor Nairne is an art historian and curator at Barbican Art Gallery, London, where her previous exhibitions include "Basquiat: Boom for Real." She has contributed to publications including the Basquiat monograph Kings, Heroes and the Street: The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and is a contributor to Frieze. She is a former Jerwood writer in residence. (https://press.philamuseum.org/the-philadelphia-museum-of-art-announces-new-curatorial-leadership-contemporary)
The Business Shelf
The Digital-First Customer Experience
Joe Wheeler
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398612631, $110.00, HC, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-First-Customer-Experience-Strategies-Leading/dp/1398612669
Synopsis: "The Digital-First Customer Experience" is author and consultant Joe Wheeler's third book on the topic of customer experience. In it he tackles the challenges many organizations are facing as they attempt to design compelling experiences in a digital-first world. Wheeler features case studies of leading brands including Lemonade, Spotify, CEMEX, VMware, Starbucks, NIKE and Amazon.
Part One introduces the new "3 Cs", key trends associated with technology convergence, competition and culture change in a post-pandemic world.
Part Two takes a deep dive into seven design strategies, from designing emotional peaks across channels to empowering customers through immersive experiences that merge physical and digital assets.
Part Three provides a playbook for how to design digital-first experiences, including how to solve the right problems, develop a measurable business case, design digital-first experiences customers love and execute the new design at scale.
Critique: Of special and particular value to readers with an interest in industrial, global, and direct marketing in the current and ever evolving digital driven business world, "The Digital-First Customer Experience: Seven Design Strategies from the World's Leading Brands" is essential reading and a core addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library Digital Marketing collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for MBA students, academia, corporate executives, business managers, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Digital-First Customer Experience" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781398612631, $23.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.79).
Editorial Note: Joe Wheeler earned his MBA from Edinburgh Business School and is an author, speaker and consultant. He is also the CEO of CX/Digital, a subsidiary of The Service Profit Chain Institute (SPCI), a Boston-based consulting firm he co-founded with Professors Len Schlesinger, James Heskett and W. Earl Sasser of the Harvard Business School. Furthermore he is the co-author of two previous books on the topic of employee and customer experience: The Ownership Quotient (2008) and Managing the Customer Experience (2002)..
Cyber Risk Management
Christopher J. Hodson
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398613515, $201.00, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Risk-Management-Prioritize-Vulnerabilities/dp/1398613517
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Cyber Risk Management: Prioritize Threats, Identify Vulnerabilities and Apply" by Christopher J. Hodson covers the latest developments in cyber security for those responsible for managing threat events, vulnerabilities and controls. These include the impact of Web3 and the metaverse on cyber security, supply-chain security in the gig economy and exploration of the global, macroeconomic conditions that affect strategies. Also explained is how COVID-19 and remote working changed the cybersecurity landscape.
"Cyber Risk Management" presents a data-centric approach to cyber risk management based on business impact assessments, data classification, data flow modelling and assessing return on investment. It covers pressing developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and cloud mobility, and includes advice on dealing with malware, data leakage, insider threat and Denial-of-Service.
With its analysis on the innate human factors affecting cyber risk and awareness and the importance of communicating security effectively, this new edition of "Cyber Risk Management" is essential reading for all risk and cybersecurity professionals.
Critique: Essential reading for corporate executives charged with responsibilities for risk and information management, computer security, and data encryption, Cyber Risk Management: Prioritize Threats, Identify Vulnerabilities and Apply: 2nd Edition" is comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader/user friendly' in organization and presentation. A complete course of information and instruction, "Cyber Risk Management" is especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, corporate, and college/university library Business Data Protection and Cyber Security collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this newly revised edition of "Cyber Risk Management" is also available in a paperback edition (9781398613492, $53.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $45.19).
Editorial Note: Christopher J Hodson is Chief Security Officer for Cyberhaven where he oversees all facets of security to protect Cyberhaven customers and employees, including cloud and application security, security operations, and risk management. In addition, Chris serves as a board advisor at the workforce development platform, Cybrary, and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security. He has previously held CISO positions with Contentful, Zscaler, and Tanium. He is a guest lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London where he also holds a master's degree in computer and information systems security.
The Criminology Shelf
Tinseltown Gangsters
Jeffrey Sussman, author
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781538173565, $36.00, HC, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tinseltown-Gangsters-Rise-Decline-Hollywood/dp/1538173565
Synopsis: Like sharks to blood in the water, the Mafia arrived in Hollywood greedy and ready to tear away huge chunks of cash. Opportunistic mobsters saw labor unions as the means for muscling into the movie industry and extorting millions of dollars from studio bosses. Control the unions to which projectionists, art directors, cinematographers, electricians, scene designers, stagehands, extras belong, and you control the whole industry.
Painting colorful portraits of numerous mobsters, producers, actors, and directors, with the publication of "Tinseltown Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood", Jeffrey Sussman tells the gripping, fast-paced, and true story of corruption and greed in Hollywood throughout much of the twentieth century.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a two page Bibliography, and a two page Index, "Tinseltown Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented history of the Mafia's involvement with (and eventual expulsion from) the film industry in Hollywood. Unique, fascinating, comprehensive, detailed, documented and informative, "Tinseltown Gangsters" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library True Crime collections and supplemental Criminology curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Tinseltown Gangsters" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $34.00).
Editorial Note: Jeffrey Sussman is the author of seventeen nonfiction books, seven of which have been published by Rowman & Littlefield. Sussman is also the author of Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas; Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York; and Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science. (www.goodreads.com/author/list/1211074.Jeffrey_Sussman)
Church Pastor, Child Trafficker
Roger Rodriguez, author
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781538185063, $32.00, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Church-Pastor-Child-Trafficker-Cuellar/dp/1538185067
Synopsis: Since the early 1990s, Elsa Cuellar was able to operate in a way that left no trail. She would pose as a pastor, doctor, or lawyer to win the trust of her young victims. With the promise of a better life, citizenship, and education, these young girls were lured into the clutches of Cuellar's claws where they became the source of her wealth.
This in itself made her money, but the true motive was to ensure these young girls got pregnant. By posing as a doctor or midwife, Cuellar would convince the young girls that having the baby at her home was the most sanitary and natural way to give birth. But unknown to the girls, the objective was to have a delivery that would not be on record at a hospital.
This made her underground baby-selling enterprise easier. After all, who would look for a baby no one knows exists? Once Cuellar delivered the sad news to the young girls that the baby died during birth, her mission was complete.
Critique: A chilling and detailed account of an horrific criminal activity that took years to discover and put an end to, "Church Pastor, Child Trafficker: The Crimes of Elsa Cuellar in a Border Town" will have a very special value for readers with an interest in white collar and organized crime accounts. An impressively research, detailed, and informative study, "Church Pastor, Child Trafficker: The Crimes of Elsa Cuellar in a Border Town" is a compelling read and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library True Crime collections and supplemental Criminology curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Church Pastor, Child Trafficker: The Crimes of Elsa Cuellar in a Border Town" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $30.00).
Editorial Note: Roger Rodriguez (www.writingbyroger.com) is an American author born in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Long Way to Mexico which won an International Latino Book Award (2022) and Silver Book Fest Award (2022). In 2008, he was featured in the Discovery Channel for his work The Grass Beneath His Feet: The Charles Victor Thompson Story which highlights the escape of death row inmate Charles Victor Thompson. Later, this work was translated into French, German, and Italian editions.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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