Monday, January 25, 2010

“Book reviews: History and Humor - DAILY KOS” plus 3 more

“Book reviews: History and Humor - DAILY KOS” plus 3 more

Book reviews: History and Humor - DAILY KOS

Posted: 24 Jan 2010 01:55 PM PST

A couple of 2010 paperback editions have been released of 2009 hardcovers I never got around to reviewing that are well worth a read:

Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal
By Kim Phillips-Fein
W.W. Norton & Co.: New York
Paperback, 360 pages, $16.95
Original hardcover, January 2009; Paperback, January 2010

Money quote:

... if one looks beneath the surface of the postwar years, it is clear that the "liberal consensus" on matters of political economy was never absolute. Even at its zenith, liberalism was far less secure than it appeared to be. And one of the main challenges it faced began with those few prominent business leaders who were outraged by the New Deal, which they saw as a fundamental challenge to their power and their place in American society. Their antagonism toward the economic order it created never fully abated. Rather, these impassioned, committed individuals found ways to nourish their opposition, to resist liberal institutions and ideas, and to persuade other to join in fighting back, until the liberal order began to falter and they could help to bring about the slow and pervasive revolution that would culminate in Reagan's victory in 1980.

This book is about those determined few, those ordinary businessmen (and I use the word advisedly, for they were mostly men) from companies of different sizes and from various industries, who worked for more than forty years to undo the system of labor unions, federal social welfare programs, and government regulation of the economy that came into existence during and after the Great Depression of the 1930s. These were the men who supported and helped to formulate the economic agenda of the conservative movement.

Author: Professor, teaches 20th century American history at New York University's Gallatin School. Has written articles for The Nation, Washington Post, The American Prospect, the London Review of Books, among others.

Basic premise: From the outside, the alliance that emerged between the corporate world and the religious right, which fueled the Republican Party's most recent resurgence, has seemed like one of the most blatant cases of strange bedfellows ever. But Phillips-Fein takes a closer look and finds that the two seemingly dissimilar groups actually share a basic, rock-bottom animosity toward government; the business leaders want to be free to operate in a non-regulated, non-restricted environment, and the the religious right chafes at any restrictions on its ability to proselytize or enact its "Christian nation" agenda. Tracing the corporatists' "invisble hands" at work in the 20th century is like following clues to a mystery, a task at which the author excels.

Readability/quality: Quick, easy read--almost like a broadside or pamphlet, but packs a lot of solid history into one volume. Good stuff.

Who should read it: Anyone interested in: the unraveling of the New Deal and contemporary resistance to its initial enactment; the political evolution of the religious right; corporate activism, both overt and covert; current conservatism.

Bonus quote:

On the whole, most of the scholars who have dealt with religion and ideas have looked at the activism of conservatives as roughly analogous to that which built the civil rights and labor movements--the work of ordinary people on the ground, carefully organizing through personal contacts. This book suggests that there is something about the conservative movement which fundamentally distinguishes it from the movements of the left: the role played by business.  There have, of course, been businessmen who have given financial and political support to liberal or even left-wing causes.  But the extent of businessmen's involvement in post-war conservatism, as funders but also as activists, and the role of the workplace as a site of conflict seem to set conservatism apart from other social movements.

One of the more intriguing shifts in alliance that Phillips-Fein follows down the rabbit hole and back out again is that of the suburban Southerner. Democrats were losing favor in the South due to the party's civil rights stands in the 1960s and 1970s--at exactly the same time the nation was becoming more suburban/exurban. The middle class professional class that was emerging in Dixie was educated and sophisticated enough to be uncomfortable with blatant racist jargon, and the cover that was provided by the free-market, freedom-from-regulation crowd allowed them to have their cake and eat it too. After all, they told themselves (and each other, and social scientists), it's not that they were segregationists or white supremacists when they opposed busing or affirmative action, it was because these policies "violated principles of meritocracy and private property rights," according to Phillips-Fein.

Yes, we can thank the business community for helping shape the language that today, still, allows racists to believe they're not racist.

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way: The Astonishing but True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Man and Dog
By Diana Joseph
Berkley Trade, New York
224 pages, $15.00
Original hardcover, March 2009; Paperback, February 2010

Money quote:

It had been Career Day at school, and that's what got him riled up: the future. His future. He was excited about his future. After listening to some of the speakers--an investment banker; a certified public accountant; Jacob's dad, who owns a Saturn dealership--he decided that when he goes to college he will major in business, he will specialize in purchasing and acquisitions, he will make a buttload of money, and it was all I could do to keep from putting down my foot and dashing his dreams and telling him over my dead body you're going into purchasing and acquisitions ....

"So does this mean you're a Republican?" I said. "Over my dead body. Not as long as you live in my house."

The boy wondered out loud if it was hypocritical when a Democrat makes her son into a political prisoner. "You're mean," he said.

"And another thing," I told him. "I won't pay for you to be a business major. Not one dime."

The boy said he was going to report me to Amnesty International.

Author: Came out with well-received short story collection in 2003 (Happy or Otherwise), teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Minnesota State University in Mankato.

Basic premise: Memoir. Some of this genre you read because the person is famous and extraordinary (Dreams from My Father)) or they relate a truly bizarre personal story (Running with Scissors: A Memoir). But the most powerful, for me, have always been those that convey ordinary lives in a way that evokes immediate recognition -- of things you've thought, done, dreamt of doing. Joseph does this beautifully, with tales of her working class childhood, questionable relationship choices, single-parenting and (yes) pet ownership. The main draw is that she's funny as hell. I mean that: Funny. As. Hell. And totally un-PC and at times quite appalling.

Readability/quality: Did I say she's funny as hell? Lots of quick sketch dialogue, crazy inner thinking we all can recognize. Quick, fun and (very strangely) heartwarming.

Who should read it: Moms, definitely. Dads, too. Wives, most assuredly. Husbands ... probably. Daughters and pet owners, yep. Sluts? Required reading.

Bonus quote:

My thirteen years of parenting this boy can be summed up in three sentiments:

I adore you.

What the hell do you want from me now?

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Like most pitch-perfect humor, I'm Sorry You Feel That Way contains a lot of down-to-earth truths hidden right beneath the surface. The push-pull of the drag of responsibility of parenting versus the absolute love that comes with it is probably the most prominent in the book, but the difficulty of sustaining healthy romantic relationships is another. But the least humorous, and most haunting, essay in the book is an account of the author's relationship over a decade with an alcoholic department head, who by turns was delightful, supportive, sloppy drunk, mean as hell, companionable, adoring, undermining and ultimately self-destructive. Anyone who's had to deal with important people in their lives who are in the throes of addiction will recognize this particular carousel and just how hard it is to get off of it.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Book reviews - MLive.com

Posted: 24 Jan 2010 05:27 AM PST

by Greg Iles

Scribner, 2009, 577 pages, $26.99

Iles returns to Natchez, Miss., and Penn Cage in this stellar thriller. Protagonist Cage is a former prosecutor turned novelist turned mayor of his hometown. Scenic Natchez is home to the Magnolia Queen, a floating casino that has revitalized the city's struggling economy. A childhood friend contacts Cage with allegations of illegal activity aboard the ship and Cage is quickly embroiled in a tangled web of dog fighting, prostitution and drugs. Old friends return to help Cage fight the evil on the Magnolia Queen. "The Devil's Punchbowl" is a gripping, violent read. 

— Reviewed by Amy Churchill, 

Zauel Memorial Library

"A Question of Freedom: A memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison"

by R. Dwayne Betts

Avery, 2009, 256 pages, $23

At the age of 16, R. Dwayne Betts — a promising honor student from a lower-middle class family — carjacked a man. He had never held a gun before, but within a matter of minutes he had committed six felonies.

Based on journals he kept in prison, this memoir chronicles Dwayne's years in prison, reflecting on his crime and looking ahead to how his experiences would define him.  

Since his release, Betts has shared his story on various television stations including NPR and CNN, and on the "Tavis Smiley Show." Through his gifted writing, and as a national spokesperson for the Campaign for Youth Justice, Dwayne gives remarkable insights into how the criminal system really works and the issues surrounding juvenile justice reform and rehabilitation. 

This is a compelling story about how a young man was able to survive and move from prison to poetry.  

— Reviewed by Rhonda Farrell-Butler, 

coordinator for Children's and Teen Services

For children

"Creature ABC" 

by Andrew Zuckerman

Chronicle Books, 2009, 120 pages, $19.99

Recommended for ages 3-8

Based on photographs from Zuckerman's adult coffee table book "Creature" (Chronicle, 2007), "Creature ABC" is not your typical alphabet book. This isn't just photography but stunning wildlife photography at its best. The detail in each photograph is amazing from the scales on the alligator to the whiskers around the owl's beak. Two double-page spreads are devoted to each letter: the first with the letter in large, bold, black print and a portion of an animal and the second with a larger view of the animal along with its name in bold, black print - all against a white background. This is a wonderful alphabet book for any animal-loving child. 

Reviewed by Tanya Grunwell, 

Hoyt Library

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

New and Notable book reviews - AZCentral.com

Posted: 24 Jan 2010 07:15 AM PST

'Small Wars'

Sadie Jones

(Harper, $24.99)

Words that describe Jones' writing - smart, thorough, purposeful, patient - are decidedly unsexy, which is unfortunate because her novels (this and 2008's "The Outcast") are seductive in the best way. She gives her readers everything they need in order to become immersed in the story she tells. Never self-indulgent, she doesn't resort to bells or whistles. She just makes us want to know what will happen next. Here she follows a young family as the husband, Hal Treherne, a major in the British army, is posted to Cyprus in 1956, just as terrorist acts by Greek Cypriots against the occupying British forces intensify. There are scenes of violence, and of the stress on Hal's marriage to Clara, whose role in Cyprus (they have twin toddlers) is different from Hal's but no less difficult. After an explosion kills one soldier and maims another, three of Hal's men shoot a Cypriot and rape two women. In the aftermath Hal makes a decision that changes everything. It's an arresting book about right, wrong and the price of choosing between the two.

'Just Kids'

Patti Smith

(Ecco, $27)

In 1967, 20-year-old would-be artist Smith arrived by bus in New York City. Eventually she would write poetry and rock journalism and, more famously, would become a major part of the punk-rock movement of the 1970s. But in 1967 she had no work or money, so she roamed the streets and took in the atmosphere, imagining the presence of Henry James characters as she walked by Washington Square. If that's a surprise - that an influential rock star once loved the novels of Henry James and Louisa May Alcott - then there are many more in store as you read this tender memoir. It's full of stories about being free and hungry in New York, and about people she knew there (Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Allen Ginsberg). But its main focus is her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, whom she met on her first day in the city and loved until he died of AIDS in 1989. They were kindred spirits who became artists together. Now, as she promised him, she has written their story, and she has done it very well.

'It All Changed In an Instant'

Edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith

(Harper, $12)

This is Smith magazine's third volume of "six-word memoirs" chosen from 200,000 submitted by people who have condensed their lives into autobiographical grains of sand. As usual, many are lame, but those that aren't make up for it. My favorite, which is in the introduction, came from a third-grader: "Life is better in soft pajamas." How can anyone beat that? And yet they try. Some are funny ("Bachelor party. YouTube video. Wedding cancelled."), others enigmatic ("Stranger in Sudan made everything possible."). A few are lofty, and therefore boring: "Only I define who I am," writes Montel Williams, and really, who wants to argue with him? Other familiar names show up. Novelist John Banville: "Should have lived more, written less." Ann Coulter: "Some are left alive, quick reload." John Grogan ("Marley & Me"): "That dumb dog sure paid off." You'll find that the memoirs of common folks are just as clever. Nothing is more leveling than six little words.

'The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. IV'

(Picador, $18)

I've been reading this since it arrived late last year, slowly, and always interspersed with the reading of other books. That's the perfect way to go, because reading writers' thoughts on their work is enhanced by simultaneously reading the sort of work they're talking about - one enlivens the other. There's an inherent decadence to the Paris Review interviews, which are meandering conversations with writers, both past (in this case, William Styron, Marianne Moore, Ezra Pound, Jack Kerouac, E.B. White, P.G. Wodehouse) and present (John Ashbery, Maya Angelou, Paul Auster, Philip Roth, Stephen Sondheim, V.S. Naipaul, Haruki Murakami, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman and Marilynne Robinson). Many questions are specific to a writer's work and career. Others are as universal as, "What was the first book that meant something to you?" or "How many words do you turn out on a good day?" It's a treat for people who read, write or simply love language. The introduction is by Salman Rushdie.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

EDITORIAL: Californian's Roses and raspberries - North County Times

Posted: 24 Jan 2010 11:50 PM PST

The 'Author, Author' award

A rose to 10-year-old Natalie Tinti of Temecula for writing and publishing a book.

"Sewing a Friendship" is about a group of 7-year-old girls who became friends with a former enemy. Natalie, a fourth-grade honor student at Vintage Hills Elementary School, wrote the story last year while on summer vacation. Her family helped with the effort to get the book published.

Late last year, the book made it to the final round of the Children's Chapter Book category in the Writer's Favorite Book Reviews and Award Contest, sponsored by Amazon.com.

The 'Gifted Legislators' award

A raspberry to the 38 current members of California's Assembly and Senate who did not report lobbyist-provided meals, concert tickets, sporting events ducats and other perks totaling thousands of dollars. That's about a third of the state lawmakers.

The Fair Political Practices Commission conducted a sweeping review of gift-giving by lobbyists and unearthed discrepancies by matching reports that the lobbyists must file against separate reports filed by lawmakers. The records document gifts received in 2008, the last year for which such information is available.

So far, 26 of the 38 legislators have admitted to not reporting gifts and will pay fines. One of them is state Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Temecula, who is also the Republican leader in the Senate. 

Rank-and-file California lawmakers make $95,143 a year in salary but can add as much as $30,000 annually in per diem payments. Fifteen legislative staff members were also found to be in potential violation.

The 'Good Samaritans' award 

A rose to two Temecula residents for coming to the rescue of a family who had driven their car into a 12-feet-deep drainage canal.

Rudolfo Castillo was driving home late one night with his wife and son when they came across a serious car crash off a windy road in eastern Temecula. A nearby resident named Colby called 911, and the two of them worked to get the family out. 

This marked the third time Castillo has come to the rescue after a major accident. Last Halloween, he was driving home from work along Pechanga Parkway and was the first to aid an elderly pedestrian hit by a car. The other incident occurred when he lived on the East Coast.

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