Week ending January 27, 2012
Allen, Anita. Unpopular Privacy: What Must We Hide? Oxford Univ. 2011. c.320p. ISBN 9780195141375. $35. LAW
Many laws protect citizens’ privacy, and most—legislation that ensures medical confidentiality or Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches—are welcome and well liked. Allen (law & philosophy, Univ. of Pennsylvania; Everyday Ethics: Opinion-Writing About the Things That Matter Most) asks about unwanted privacies: Can a government be justified in enforcing privacies that its citizens don’t want? Allen explores whether paternalistic privacy policies are justifiable, reviewing both physical privacies (e.g., modesty, nudity, the right to solitude) and information privacies (e.g., confidentiality, racial privacy) and argues that both are foundational human goods that deserve and require protection by the government. Deeply and convincingly argued, Allen’s work draws on feminist theory, case law, and political and legal philosophy to tackle thorny privacy issues. Given the rapid changes in recent years in both social norms and government policy regarding privacy, Allen’s book is timely and challenging.
Verdict An excellent addition to academic law and philosophy collections; scholars will appreciate Allen’s scope and vision in this book. Recommended for general readers with a strong interest in the subject matter.—Rachel Bridgewater, Reed Coll. Lib., Portland, OR
Boteach, Shmuley. Kosher Jesus. Gefen. Feb. 2012. c.268p. ISBN 9789652295781. $26. REL
Rabbi Boteach (Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy) is one of the more high-profile religious figures in the country and has an admitted knack for self-promotion. His latest book reviews the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of both Jewish understandings and contemporary scholarship and identifies Jesus as a Jewish leader, patriot, and even martyr. Many Christian scholars of the New Testament now would agree with him that Jesus lived and died a Jew and that our reconstruction of him as the founder of a new faith is dubious and posthumous, so no surprises there, but Boteach’s name and the skill of his argument should draw readers in.
Verdict Don’t be misled by the media fizz around his name; Boteach writes with clarity, force, and intelligence, and his Kosher Jesus is an excellent resource for parish libraries, Jewish worship communities, individual seekers, and all interested in the historical Jesus.—Graham Christian, Pelham, MA
Eldridge, Lawrence Allen. Chronicles of a Two-Front War: Civil Rights and Vietnam in the African American Press. Univ. of Missouri. 2012. c.276p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780826219398. $45. COMM
To most Americans, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War are seen as two separate cogs in the machine that created the turbulent 1960s, but to the African American press, they formed a single war, albeit one fought on two fronts. Freelance writer Eldridge (The Gospel Text of Epiphanius of Salamis) recounts battles against racial prejudice and poverty and for equality, waged both at home and in the military. All of the major players are here: Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., Richard Nixon, and Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. However, the most compelling voices are those of the journalists, cartoonists, and editors from the 17 African American newspapers from whom the author draws.
Verdict In the first book to examine these events through the lens of the black experience, Eldridge has created a compelling and lucid text that will become a valuable addition to the shelves of academic libraries and one that will have wide appeal to anyone interested in the social history of the 1960s.—Teri Shiel, Westfield State Univ. Lib., MA
Hale, Natalie. Down Syndrome Parenting 101: Must-Have Advice for Making Your Life Easier. Woodbine. 2011. c.260p. ISBN 9781606130209. pap. $19.95. CHILD REARING
Mother of an adult with Down syndrome, Hale (Oh, Brother! Growing Up with a Special Needs Sibling) writes a positive (without being sentimental or syrupy), practical, and realistic (e.g., one chapter is titled “How To Ruin Your Child”) guide to parenting children with special needs. She describes Down syndrome as a kind of yellow raincoat that all children with a 21st chromosome wear: while the raincoat can make them look identical, there are brilliant, individual kids underneath each. It’s a compelling image, but it’s Hale’s practical advice on the next 250 pages that makes this book so worthwhile. She covers everything about raising a special-needs child—nursing, friendships, family dynamics, time-outs, drugs, avoiding pointless arguments (via Hale’s “ZZ Method”), testing and schools, apps, choosing teachers, finding the least-restrictive environments, etc. Chapters can be read here-and-there or straight through. The introduction by sociologist and best-selling author Martha Beck (Expecting Adam) sets the tone: telling parents that they are extraordinary, to trust their intuition, and believe in accepting help.
Verdict An essential book with indispensable advice for parents and teachers of kids with Down syndrome or any other mental disability. Highly recommended.—Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Kane, Russell D. The Wineslinger Chronicles: Texas on the Vine. Texas Tech. (Grover E. Murray Studies in the American Southwest). Feb. 2012. c.224p. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780896727380. $29.95. BEVERAGES
Before California became famous for wine, Spanish missionaries in the 17th century transported vines to make sacramental wine in what would become Texas. Kane—author of the VintageTexas.com blog since 2008, winner of the 2009 Press Award from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, and former executive director of the Wine Society of Texas—brings Texas wine back to the forefront. He combines an impressive degree of expertise with an engaging writing style to introduce readers to the land, people, and, of course, wines of Texas. Chapters provide historical, agricultural, and legal information about Texas viticulture, as Kane details his travels through the state. While entertaining, the text is also a good reference. The appendix is a list of wineries participating in the Go Texan Program, which supports state agriculture and businesses. There is also a bibliography and a detailed index.
Verdict Kane’s writing holds appeal for an academic audience as well as enthusiasts. Texas oenophiles and readers seeking information about Southwestern viticulture will be interested.—Meagan P. Storey, Virginia Beach
Koestenbaum, Wayne. The Anatomy of Harpo Marx. Univ. of California. Feb. 2012. c.336p. photogs. ISBN 9780520269002. $70. FILM
Koestenbaum (Distinguished Professor of Literature, CUNY Graduate Ctr.; Humiliation) is known as a poet willing to expose himself unashamedly to his readers with amazing wit and intellectual panache. But he here traverses into directionless analysis. Dissecting all 12 films starring Harpo Marx and explaining every silent movement made by the classic comic icon, the author draws from his opinions rather than any established cinematic philosophy or technique. His blow-by-blow interpretation of what Marx was trying to convey to his audience has no authoritative backing to support it. Koestenbaum attributes both Jewish and homosexual connotations to just about every comedic gesture made by Marx. If you want to know Marx, read his autobiography, Harpo Speaks! If you want to understand the madcap insanity of the Marx brothers as entertainers, there are plenty of good publications available, e.g., Joe Adamson’s Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Sometimes Zeppo (1983, o.p.) and Glenn Mitchell’s recently revised and expanded The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia.
Verdict This one-sided, narrowly focused “anatomy” does not work as a legitimate companion to the film studies genre. It can, at best, be appreciated only as an overanalyzed dissertation by an academic humorist.—Richard A. Dickey, Washington, DC
Kumar, Nirmalya & Phanish Puranam. India Inside: The Emerging Innovation Challenge to the West. Harvard Business Sch. 2011. c.208p. index. ISBN 9781422158753. $25.95. ECON
Kumar and Puranam (codirectors, Aditya Birla India Ctr., London Business Sch.) examine the present state and future of innovation in India. They try to dispel the myth that India, while being good at service and support roles, will never excel in creating groundbreaking products like Google’s search engine, Apple’s iPod, or Pfizer’s Viagra. The authors explain how Indian companies, or Indian units of multinational corporations, have brought innovation to less consumer-visible areas such as research and development, processes, and management practices. Indian innovators, they argue, have been able to leverage local market conditions to produce breakthroughs such as Tata Motors’ frugally engineered $2500 Nano car. Yet they caution that while India’s economy has benefited from its large and still-growing low-cost labor pool, there must be improvements in education, protection of intellectual property, and venture capital funding to achieve world-class innovation.
Verdict Kumar and Puranam’s writing is somewhat formal but clear and largely jargon-free. Anyone interested in globalization, particularly students and academics, will find this an insightful look at innovation in India.—Lawrence Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA
Marris, Emma. Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. 2011. c.224p. bibliog. ISBN 9781608190324. $25. AGRI
As more discussions about global warming occur—its possible causes, effects, and solutions—this refreshing book espouses a different theory about environmental change: that there is no true natural state. Freelance science writer Marris says that because nature and its variables are constantly in flux, there is not much people can do to return the earth’s environment to a prehuman state. Striking a hopeful tone similar to Alan Weisman’s The World Without Us, Marris examines the fantasy of “old-growth” forests like the Białowieża Forest in eastern Europe and “native” species in Yellowstone and reveals independent factors that drastically changed local ecosystems yet had nothing to do with humans.
Verdict A fascinating voice in an ongoing conversation about our environment, this book asks: What is an ideal world? Would we even know what is truly ideal? What if ideal doesn’t even exist? An interesting read for anyone who wants to expand their ecological worldview beyond the usual finger-pointing and hyperbole.—Stacie Mari Williams, Harvard Medical Lib., Boston
Roberts, Jon & Evan Wright. American Desperado: My Life—from Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset. Crown. 2011. 560p. photogs. ISBN 9780307450425. $28. CRIME
Roberts (née Riccobono) was born into a Mafia family. At seven, he witnessed his first murder when his father shot a man simply for blocking traffic. As a teen, instead of merely dealing drugs he robbed the drug dealers. After a kidnapping scheme went awry and he ended up in prison, he was released to serve in Vietnam, where he tortured and killed before returning to do the same for his Mafia family in New York. After the suspicious suicide of a corrupt police officer, Roberts was exiled to Miami, where he ran an even more profitable criminal enterprise. His greatest success came as cocaine smuggler—he was featured in the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys—working first with Cubans and then Colombians, including Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel. He also smuggled guns to Noriega in Nicaragua for the CIA. When he was finally indicted, he snitched his way into serving only three years. He is now living the good life in Florida as villain-cum-celebrity, happily married, and succeeding in his new career as a father.
Verdict Crime, sex, violence, drugs, celebrities, politicians—this book has it all. Recommended.—Karen Sandlin Silverman, Ctr. for Applied Research, Philadelphia
About Bette-Lee Fox
LJ Reviews Social Club