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Reviewer's Choice
Poison on Tap
By the Staff of Bridge Magazine
Edited by Bob Campbell
Mission Point Press
9781943995080 $19.95 www.missionpointpress.com
The Flint, Michigan water crisis is the disastrous result of governmental mismanagement. When
the city of Flint switched water sources to Flint River as a cost-cutting measure, the river water
corroded Flint's lead pipes, contaminating Flint's drinking water with poisonous lead. This
corrosion cannot be undone by switching back to Flint's old water source; Flint's drinking water
will likely remain unfit for human consumption until all its river-damaged pipes are replaced, an
expensive endeavor unlikely to be completed anytime soon. Worst of all, the government refused
to admit that the visibly foul drinking water was hazardous to human health for over a year.
Poison on Tap: A Bridge Magazine Analysis is an in-depth account of the extreme, arguably
criminal governmental negligence and cover-up that destroyed the drinking water of Flint,
Michigan residents and poisoned their children with lead. Chapters describe how state-appointed
"emergency managers" made a foolish cost-cutting decision to switch their water supply, without
consulting experts; how federal regulators failed to warn the public for months about lead in the
water; and how a few brave heroes refused to let the status quo lie, fighting back and sounding
the alarm. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this "must-read", highly
recommended especially for public and college library social issues shelves.
Big Data: Does Size Matter?
Timandra Harkness
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781472920058 $27.00 www.bloomsbury.com
Big Data: Does Size Matter? is expressly for readers of all backgrounds - no advanced
mathematical or computer science knowledge is required to learn from this straight-talk
introduction to what "big data" really is, and what it means both for individual people and society
at large. Broadcaster and comedian Timandra Harkness reveals how Big Data enables greater
efficiency than ever before possible, from predicting crimes to tailoring advertisements. But can
big data grow so large as to infringe on individual rights, or even undermine a democratic
society? "Many people have pointed to the hypocrisy of governments who want us to acquiesce
to mass surveillance while trying to reduce their own accountability through Freedom of
Information acts and the like. If we are to be watched and eavesdropped upon by the state, should
we not by default be able to access data collected about us, or about the activities of the
authorities themselves?" A thoughtful, reader-friendly assessment of an ongoing, revolutionary
change, Big Data: Does Size Matter? is highly recommended especially for public and college
library collections.
Hacked
Charlie Mitchell
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781442255210 $27.00 www.rowman.com
Cybersecurity journalist Charlie Mitchell presents Hacked: The Inside Story of America's
Struggle to Secure Cyberspace, an insider's view of the growing threat of hacking and
cybercrime, as well as the American government's laggard response. As cyberattacks from China,
Russia, Iran, North Korea, the Middle East, and places unknown intensify, how can leaders in
politics, business, and technology fight back? Mitchell cross-examines the failures of the recent
past, including but not limited to costly cyberattacks on Target, Home Depot, Neiman Marcus,
and databases with information about millions of U.S. federal workers. Part modern history, part
call-to-arms, Hacked places a timely focus on a cutting-edge issue with direct repercussions on
America's economic and physical security. Highly recommended.
The Cookbook Shelf
Betty Crocker Fresh from the Freezer
Betty Crocker
c/o Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
www.hmhco.com
9780544816244, $19.99 PB, $9.99 Kindle, 304pp, www.amazon.com
Most homemakers today are strapped for time and in need of all the time saving 'tips, tricks and
techniques' they can employ when it comes to preparing meals for their families that will be as
nutritious as they are delicious. That's where "Betty Crocker Fresh from the Freezer" comes into
play. Beautifully and profusely illustrated, this culinary compendium is comprised of easy to
prepare meals that can be put into the freezer until needed. The thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly'
recipes are deftly organized into six major chapters: Breakfast & Brunch; Beef & Pork; Chicken
& Turkey; Fish & Seafood; Meatless; and Desserts. The dishes themselves range from Frozen
Blueberry Breakfast Bars; Beef Enchiladas; Maple-Dijon Pork Chops; and Slow-Cooker
Rotisserie Spiced Chicken; to Pecan-Crusted Fish Fillets; Corn and Shrimp Chowder;
Apple-Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup; and Brown Sugar Refrigerator Cookies. Each
individual recipe provides an estimated serving size, prep time, and 'start to finish' time. Of
special note is the inclusion of a Metric Conversion Guide. As much fun to browse through as it
is inspiring to plan menus with, "Betty Crocker Fresh from the Freezer" is certain to be an
enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook
collections.
Naturally Sweet
Editorial Staff
America's Test Kitchen
17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
www.americastestkitchen.com
9781940352589, $26.95, PB, 309pp, www.amazon.com
Health experts and professional nutritionists are universal in recommending that Americans
lower the sugar levels that they consume every day. America's Test Kitchen has now published
an extraordinary cookbook that will allow America's kitchen cooks to prepare popular desserts
that will contain 30% to 50% less sugar than conventional recipes. Beautifully and profusely
illustrated throughout, these thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes are organized into six
major sections: Muffins, Quick Breads, and Breakfast Treats; Cookies and Bars; Cakes; Pies and
Tarts; Puddings, Custards, and Frozen Treats. Beginning with an informative 'Getting Started'
section that covers How Sugar Is Processed; Choosing Alternative Sweeteners; Substituting
Sweeteners, and more!, "Naturally Sweet" is enhanced further with the inclusion of 'Nutritional
Information for Our Recipes'; 'Conversions and Equivalents; and an Index. With recipes ranging
from Anise-Poppy Seed Muffins; Pecan Shortbread Cookies; Red Velvet Cupcakes; and Peach
Pie; to Cherry-Hazelnut Crisp; Summer Berry Gratin; Toasted Coconut-Banana Pudding; and
Striped Fruit Popsicles, "Naturally Sweet" is a delight to browse and inspiring to plan menus
with. Simply stated, "Naturally Sweet" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
family, and community library cookbook collections.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Medicare For Dummies
Patricia Barry
For Beginners LLC
155 Main Street, Suite 211, Danbury, CT 06810
www.forbeginnersbooks.com
9781119293392, $19.99, PB, 408pp, www.amazon.com
Patricia Barry is features editor of AARP Media as well its online "Ms. Medicare" columnist. A
recognized authority on Medicare and Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage who has
written extensively for consumers, Patricia has answered thousands of questions sent by
Medicare beneficiaries across the nation and in this newly updated and expanded second edition
of "Medicare For Dummies" draws upon her years of experience and expertise to present a
thoroughly 'reader friendly' compendium of exceptionally well written, organized, presented,
reliable, and practical information. Very highly recommended for personal, senior citizen center,
and community library collections, "Medicare For Dummies" proves invaluable tips on how to
avoid costly mistakes, how and when to enroll, and how to navigate the 'Medicare maze'. Of
special note is the insightful advice about Medicare's 'Part D Plan', and how Medicare works with
other healthcare benefits. It should be noted that "Medicare For Dummies" is also available in a
Kindle edition ($7.99).
The Audiobook Shelf
The Writing Game
David Lodge
Performed by Ian Abercrombie, Michael Brandon, Christine Estrabrook, et. al.
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781682660331 $29.95 www.latw.org
The Writing Game is a full-cast performance audiobook, recorded before a live audience, of
David Lodge's play about what it truly means to be a writer. Set in 17th century England, The
Writer's Game features a group of writers at a creative writing seminar. Once of them is an
strong-willed, opinionated American novelist, who quickly discovers that he has far more to
learn about writing and love than he ever could have imagined. Vivacious, witty, and
inspirational, The Writing Game is the next best thing to witnessing a performance of this
exceptional play in person, and highly recommended especially for personal and public library
audiobook collections. 2 CDs, 1 hour 38 min.
Scouting for Boys
Robert Baden-Powell
Read by Hugh Dennis
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
9781843799825 $17.98 www.naxosaudiobooks.com
Scouting for Boys is the audiobook rendition of the classic handbook "Scouting for Boys: A
Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship", first published in1908 and credited for inspiring
the scouting movement as a supplementary educational activity for children. In the handbook,
Baden-Powell drew upon material from a wide variety of sources (including his own military
experience) to cover important lessons about Tracking and Observation, Woodcraft, Camp Life,
First Aid, and much more. Highly recommended, especially for public library audiobook
collections. 2 CDs, 2 hours and 20 min.
The Aspern Papers
Henry James
Read by Adam Sims
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
9781843799863 $28.98 www.naxosaudiobooks.com
The Aspern Papers is an unabridged audiobook presentation of Henry James classic novella, first
published in 1888. When a literary biographer travels to Venice in search of the love letters of the
deceased American poet Jeffrey Aspern, he learns that the letters' owner is an unpleasant elderly
woman, living alone save for her emotionally neglected niece. To what lengths will the
biographer go to obtain the Aspern papers? Will he lie to, bribe, or steal from either of the
women? A moral parable grappling with the quandary of whether the deceased have the same
rights to privacy as the living, The Aspern Papers is as relevant today as it was over a century
ago. Highly recommended, especially for public library audiobook collections. 3 CDs, 3 hours 46
min 52 sec.
Dragon Friend
Marc Secchia
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781515900511, $42.99, CD, www.amazon.com
Complete and unabridged, "Dragon Friend" is the first audio book volume in author Marc
Sechia's action/adventure fantasy 'Dragonfriend' series. "Hualiama" is the young 15 year old
King's ward who is stabbed and thrown overboard an air ship by the traitor Ra'aba. Saved by a
dragonet named Flicker, burned by a an evil orange dragon, saved by good blue dragon, "Dragon
Friend" is the story of courageous girl who refuses to die. But only extraordinary interspecies
friendships will save Hualiama's beloved kingdom of Fra'anior and restore the king to the Onyx
Throne. Deftly narrated by Erin Bennett, this extraordinary action/adventure fantasy is brought
vividly to live in a true 'theatre of the mind' listening experience, making "Dragon Friend" an
extraordinary and highly recommended addition to personal and community library audio book
collections. (14 CDs, 17 Hours).
The Library CD Shelf
Lucky To Be Alive
Confederate Railroad
confederaterailroad.net
$7.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com
Lucky To Be Alive is a new album from the award-winning country music group Confederate
Railroad, their first release in nine years. Showcasing all-new songs as well as a revamped
version of their popular hit "Trashy Women" (featuring Willie Nelson, John Anderson, and Colt
Ford), Lucky To Be Alive is all in the moment; music that exults in the freedom of being true to
one's own desires. Confederate Railroad's rousing, energetic, and sometime edgy style comes
through as proud and strong as ever. Lucky To Be Alive is a "must" for fans of this beloved
band! The tracks are "Lucky To Be Alive", "Played the Game", "The Man I Am Today", "If I
Ever Cross That Line", "Trashy Women (20th anniversary)", "Goodbye Song", "Somebody Like
You", and "Whiskey and Women".
Harlan Road
NewTown
thenewtownband.com
Mountain Home Music Company
mountainhomemusiccompany.com
$10.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com
Kentucky-based bluegrass band NewTown presents Harlan Road, a music album embodying the
salt-of-the-earth drive to persevere through both good times and bad. Award-winning fiddler Kati
Penn and her banjo-playing husband Jr. Williams reveal their talent with both instruments and
vocals. Band members Travis Anderson (bass), Mitchell Cannon (mandolin) and Hayes Griffin
(guitar) add a rich, multi-layered quality to these country-spirit songs. Harlan Road is a "must"
for bluegrass connoisseurs! The tracks are "All That I Can Take" (2:42), "Can't Let Go" (3:08),
"Harlan Road" (3:06), "The Heart You've Been Tending" (2:26), "Hard Times" (2:29), "The
Feast of the Gryphon" (3:10), "The Crows and the Jakes" (2:37), "Drifter Blues" (3:00),
"Wildfire" (3:52), "Castaway" (3:11), and "Come Back to Me" (3:10).
Secret Garden
Monica Logani
www.monicalogani.com
$9.99 CD / Download cdbaby.com
Secret Garden is a piano album by classically-trained music artist Monica Logani. New Age
piano music is enhanced with vintage acoustic and electric guitar, in these soothing and
emotionally uplifting songs. Secret Garden evokes visions of a magnificent journey, and is highly
recommended. The tracks are "The Gardener", "Anthem", "Autumn Sky", "Amber Rust (solo
piano)", "Starboard", "Carousel", "Butterfly (solo piano)", "Bali Bells", "Nonlinear Love",
"Second Hand", "Journey's End", and "Between Two Worlds". 34 min. 12 sec.
Life Sometimes
Sarah Dukes, composer
Yaron Gershovsky, performer
www.sarahdukesmusic.com
$14.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 www.amazon.com
Life Sometimes is a solo piano composed by Sarah Dukes and performed by Yaron Gershovsky.
The notes glide with a smooth, ethereal quality stirs the heart and mind. Expressive and
evocative, Life Sometimes blends elements of serenity and New Age into a soundscape treasure.
The tracks are "Stargaze", "Violet Beams", "Rainbows and Crystals", "As the Wind Blows", "Just
Because", "Life Sometimes", "Black Rose", "Closer", "An Angel Returns", "Falling Up", "The
Road Up Ahead", "Dancing in the Dark", "Moving Forward", and "One".
Summer Breeze
Greg Murphy
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos of America, Inc. (dist.)
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
$13.99 CD / $8.99 amazon.com
Summer Breeze is a jazz album brimming with vibrant warmth. Music artists Greg Murphy
(piano, keyboards), Eric Wheeler (acoustic and electric bass), and Kush Abadey (drums),
supported by additional skilled players of the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and more, have
created an intense listening experience sure to thrill and delight. Highly recommended! The
tracks are "Solar" (4:59), "Sophisticated Lady" (6:49), "No One in Particular" (6:33), "A Reason
to Smile" (5:10), "Cedar Salad" (8:41), "Fall" (5:03), "Expectations" (5:55), "Summer Breeze"
(4:47), "Solid" (6:44), "Leo's Lullaby" (4:47), "Tsk" (5:45), and "Suspended Times" (7:41).
The Library DVD Shelf
The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West
A film by Barry Strugatz
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
$24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com
The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West is a documentary about the martial art of Tai Chi and one
of its great masters, Cheng Man-Ching (1902-1975), who brought Tai Chi and other aspects of
Chinese culture to the Western world in the 1960's. A wealth of vintage archival footage enriches
this extraordinary and captivating history. The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West is
enthusiastically recommended for public and college library DVD collections. DVD extras
include a 37 Movement Form done by Cheng Man-Ching, "The Origin of Tai Chi", and an
interview with Harvard Medical School Ph.D. holder Peter M. Wayne about "Medical Science &
Tai Chi". 72 min., optional English subtitles.
Jack Irish: Season 1
Starring Guy Pearce and Marta Dusseldorp
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
$39.99 www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, Jack Irish: Season 1 collects the first season
adapting Peter Temple's award-winning crime novels to the television screen. Jack Irish is an
Australian misanthrope and former criminal lawyer who sometimes works as a private
investigator, when he's not engaged in collecting debts, carpentry, or questionable love affairs.
Series 1 is a six-part drama in which Jack becomes entangled in a messy, potentially murderous
conflict involving Muslim extremists and born-again Christians; meanwhile, his sometimes (and
sometimes-not) girlfriend Linda Hillier pursues her journalistic career as a foreign correspondent
in Manila. Their respective challenges eventually connect, leading them to a reunion under
difficult circumstances. A modern-day noir of complex characters and hard choices, Jack Irish:
Season 1 is a "must" for connoisseurs of the genre, although viewer discretion is advised due to
the presence of violence, strong language, and sexual situations. Bonus features include a ten-
minute behind-the-scenes featurette and a photo gallery. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs, 346 min.,
widescreen.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Pitchfork of Destiny
Jack Heckel
Harper Voyager Impulse
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780062359322, $6.99, PB, 389pp, www.amazon.com
Life in the Kingdom of Royaume has been happily ever for King William Pickett and his fiancee,
Lady Rapunzel. But when Volthraxus, the Great Dragon of the North, returns looking for the
love of his life, the Great Wyrm of the South, it becomes clear that some fairy tales never end.
After Volthraxus discovers his love was slain by the newly crowned king, he seeks his revenge
by kidnaping Rapunzel. Once again, Will teams up with Edward Charming, the only man in all
the kingdom with the skill, ego, and dashing good looks to fight a dragon. Our heroes fates
depend on finding a weapon re-forged in dragon blood the Pitchfork of Destiny. But as the two
set off after the dragon, Charming's bride, Lady Elizabeth, falls into the clutches of a mysterious
sorcerer known as the Dracomancer, who has his own plans for Royaume. A riveting great read
for action/adventure fantasy fans, "The Pitchfork of Destiny" is the second volume of author Jack
Heckel's outstanding 'Charming Tales' series that began with "A Fairytale Ending"
(9780062420695, $6.99 PB, $2.99 Kindle). Laced through and through with wit and whimsey,
"The Pitchfork of Destiny" is unreservedly recommended and like "A Fairytale Ending" is also
available for personal reading lists in a Kindle edition ($2.99).
The Library Science Shelf
Digital Library Programs for Libraries and Archives
Aaron D. Purcell
Neal-Shuman Publishers
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838914502, $85.00, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com
Digital publishing is now a major part of the American publishing industry and every public,
academic, corporate, and governmental library and library system must be able to include digital
publication as an integral part of their collections. For that purpose, "Digital Library Programs for
Libraries and Archives: Developing, Managing, and Sustaining Unique Digital Collections" has
been created by Aaron D. Purcell (Professor and Director of Special Collections at Virginia
Tech) who drew upon his previous experience and expertise as a university archivist at the
University of Tennessee to provide library science students and practicing librarians with a
complete course of instruction on the creation and maintenance of library-based digital
collections. "Digital Library Programs for Libraries and Archives" traces the historical growth of
digital libraries and the importance of those digital foundations; summarizes current
technological challenges that affect the planning of digital libraries, and how librarians and
archivists are adapting to the changing information landscape; uses examples to lay out the core
priorities of leading successful digital programs; covers the essentials of getting started, from
vision and mission building to identifying resources and partnerships; emphasizes the importance
of digitizing original unique materials found in library and archives collections, and suggests
approaches to the selection process; addresses metadata and key technical standards; discusses
management and daily operations, including assessment, enhancement, sustainability, and
long-term preservation planning; provides guidance for marketing, promotion, and outreach, plus
how to take into account such considerations as access points, intended audiences, and
educational and instructional components; and includes exercises designed to help readers define
their own digital projects and create a real-world digital program plan. Thoroughly 'reader
friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Digital Library Programs for
Libraries and Archives" is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to professional,
college, and university Library Science collections in general, and Digital Library Materials
supplemental studies reading lists.
The Fiction Shelf
Shootout at Clearwater Springs
Aaron Adams
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
9781444826425 $6.98 www.ulverscroftusa.com
Part of the "Linford Western Library" of large-print novels set in the Old West, Shootout at
Clearwater Springs is a fierce saga of pride and determination. Mark Merkel's beloved River
Bow Ranch is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy; Mark owes the bank so much, has so little
collateral, that he just might have to give River Bow Ranch to his greedy neighbor, Connor
MacPherson. But Mark's son David won't surrender the ranch as easily as that! David has a
daring plan to turn around the family fortunes, but an unknown murderer wants the Merkels to
fail at any cost, no matter how bloody! A gripping, high-stakes adventure, Shootout at Clearwater
Springs is a choice pick for western connoisseurs and sure to prove a popular in community
library collections.
Schopenhauer's Maxim
Joe Formichella
Livingston Press
University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470
www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604891706, $30.00, HC, 274pp, www.amazon.com
Joe Formichella is a Hackney Literary Award winner and Pushcart Prize nominee whose work
has appeared in Grassland Review, Red Bluff Review, and anthologized in "Stories from the
Blue Moon Cafe II" and "Climbing Mt. Cheaha". He is the author of the novel "The Wreck of the
Twilight Limited", and "Here's to You, Jackie Robinson", an historical account of the all-black
Prichard Mohawks, an amateur baseball team formed in the 1950s, that shows how those young
players succeeded despite the degradations and persecutions of the Jim Crow South. In
"Schopenhauer's Maxim", Formichella has deftly crafted a novel of the religious right wing of the
America that is part political intrigue, part fairy tale, and all humor at its darkest and most noir.
An inherently and consistently compelling read from beginning to end, "Schopenhauer's Maxim"
is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Literary Fiction
collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that Schopenhauer's Maxim" is also
available in a paperback edition (9781604891690, $18.95).
The Poetry Shelf
Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems
Pablo Neruda, author
Forrest Gander, translator
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.coppercanyonpress.org
9781556594946, $23.00, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com
Pablo Neruda (1904 - 1973) is one of the world's most beloved and best-selling poets. He
received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Pablo Neruda's lost poems (recently discovered
in his archive to the delight of readers and scholars) comprise this remarkable and essential
volume. Originally composed on napkins, playbills, receipts, and notebooks, Neruda's lost poems
are full of eros and heartache, complex wordplay and deep wonder. Presented with the Spanish
text, full-color reproductions of handwritten poems, and dynamic English translations, "Then
Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems" simultaneously completes and advances the oeuvre of the
world's most beloved poet. Unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university
library Poetry collections in general, and Pablo Neruda supplemental studies reading lists in
particular, here is a sample of what has been recovered and published in the pages of "Then
Come Back: The Lost Neruda poems" for the benefit of future generations: Crossing the sky I
near / the red ray of your hair. / Of earth and wheat I am and as I close-in / your fire kindles itself
/ inside me and the rocks / and flour ignite. / That's why my heart / expands and rises / into bread
for your mouth to devour, / and my blood is wine poured for you. / You and I are the land with its
fruit. / Bread, fire, blood and wine / make up the earthly love that sears us.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Spirit in the Stone
Mark Bahti
Rio Nuevo Publishers
PO Box 5250, Tucson, AZ 85703
www.rionuevo.com
9781933855974, $16.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com
A fetish is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a man-made object
that has power over others. Native American fetishes can be viewed as charming animal
carvings, indigenous art, or objects of power. Fetishes have different meanings to different
Native American peoples and cultures. Behind each individual carving are traditional stories and
beliefs. In Now in a new revised and expanded second edition of "Spirit in the Stone: A
Handbook of Southwest Indian Animal Carvings and Beliefs", professional dealer and scholar of
Native American art Mark Bahti deftly explores the roles these carvings play, the artists who
create them, the history of fetish carvings through the twentieth century, the stories about the
animals and other objects, as well as the materials favored by carvers. Beautifully and profusely
illustrated throughout, "Spirit in the Stone" is as informed and informative as it is 'reader friendly'
in tone, commentary, organization and presentation. Simply stated, "Spirit in the Stone" is
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Native
American Studies reference collections in general, and Native American Fetish supplemental
studies reading lists in particular.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Chenoo
Joseph Bruchac
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806152073, $16.95, 224pp, www.amazon.com
The latest addition to the outstanding University of Oklahoma Press series 'American Indian
Literature and Critical Studies', "Chenoo: A Novel" by Abenaki writer, poet, and storyteller
Joseph Bruchac is the story of Jacob Neptune, a wise-cracking, two-fisted Penacook private
investigator with a checkered past, lives in upstate New York, some four hundred miles from his
tribal community on Abenaki Island. Then one night the phone rings with a call from his cousin
Dennis that sets off a series of events beginning with an attack on Jacob by bikers before he can
even board his plane. Guided by his sense of duty to his homeland, Jacob agrees to help protect
Dennis and other Penacooks as they stage a takeover of a state campground on land that should
have reverted to their tribe. But encroaching developers, government operators, and even fellow
Penacooks eager to build a casino each pose a threat to the Abenaki lands -- and all have reasons
to want Jacob Neptune out of the picture. As Jacob and Dennis contend with hired guns, police,
and security, a far greater threat appears: someone, or something, is brutally killing people in the
woods. It will take all of Neptune's skills as a martial artist and the wisdom gained from tribal
elders to battle the forces that threaten the sacred land, as well as his and his people's lives.
Author Joseph Bruchac is a master storyteller who is able to blend comedy into a solidly
compelling action/adventure with underlying themes of corporate greed, environmental
destruction, cultural erosion, and Native American values. The result is an exceptional and highly
recommended addition to community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading
lists it should be noted that "Chenoo" is also available in a Kindle edition ($16.10).
The American History Shelf
Powder River
Paul L. Hedren
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806153834 $34.95 hc /$16.17 Kindle amazon.com
Powder River: Disastrous Opening of the Great Sioux War is an in-depth analysis of the
beginning of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds and six cavalry
companies attacked a village of Northern Cheyennes (a Native American tribe allied with the
Sioux) near Powder River, inciting bloody conflict that lasted eighteen months, involved over
twenty battles and skirmishes, and resulted in a death toll of hundreds of lives on both sides. The
conflict marked the last significant resistance of the Sioux against Anglo-American settlement of
what was once their homeland. Due to the Anglo-Americans' higher population of the continent
as a whole, their eventual victory was likely foregone... in spite of the pervasive military
incompetence displayed in the war's beginning. Officers failed to take proper positions, ignored
orders to save provisions, did not cooperate effectively, abandoned the dead and at least one
wounded soldier, and more. The conflict at Powder River was ultimately a predecessor to the
military catastrophe that would later take place at Little Big Horn. Powder River is a fascinating
dissection of failure, enhanced by forty black-and-white photographs (many previously
unpublished), five new maps, exhaustive notes, and an index. Highly recommended for public
and college library American History collections.
Too Great a Burden to Bear
Christopher B. Bean
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue, University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
9780823271764 $40.00 pbk
9780823268757 $140.00 hc www.fordhampress.com
Established in 1865, and lasting for seven years (technically - draconian budget cuts reduced its
impact as the years went on), the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands -
popularly known as the "Freedmen's Bureau" - was an agency created especially to help former
African-American slaves adapt to life during and after the Reconstruction. Tragically, political
opposition, violence from the Ku Klux Klan, insufficient funds and more severely undermined
the bureau's work. Too Great a Burden to Bear: The Struggle and Failure of the Freedmen's
Bureau in Texas examines the character, qualifications, ideals and principles of those agency
members who worked in Texas. Of particular interest is how these men championed the former
slaves' right to an education and their right of mobility. Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an
index round out this nuanced, complex, heavily researched, and utterly invaluable addition to
American History and Texas History collections. Highly recommended.
Major Problems in Asian American History
Lon Kurashige & Alice Yang, editors
Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.cengageptr.com
9781285433431, $145.00, 529pp, www.amazon.com
Collaborative compiled and co-edited by the academic team of Lon Kurashige (Associate
Professor of History at the University of Southern California) and Alice Yang (Assistant
Professor of History at the University of California-Santa Cruz), this newly updated and
expanded second edition of "Major Problems in Asian American History" is an ideal and highly
recommended primary anthology that will serve as an informed and informative textbook for
courses in Asian American history. An extraordinary and impressive collection of scholarly
essays and original source documents covers the entire chronological span of Asian American
history's, This American history compendium presents a carefully selected group of readings that
puts readers on the front lines of Asian American history, as they evaluate primary sources, test
the interpretations of distinguished historians, and draw their own conclusions. While
unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library American History
collections in general, and Asian American History supplemental studies lists in particular, it
should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Major Problems in Asian American History" is also available in a Kindle edition ($58.79 Rent /
$96.49 Purchase).
The Fluid Boundaries of Suffrage and Jim Crow
Edited by Damaris B. Hill
Lexington Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9780739197875 $75.00 hc / $71.25 Kindle amazon.com
The Fluid Boundaries of Suffrage and Jim Crow: Staking Claims in the American Heartland is an
anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors discussing racial and gender oppression in the
American heartland during the twentieth century. Individual writings include "From Mexican to
Mexican-American in Kansas City, 1914-1940", "Singing and Swinging in the Heartland: Black
Women Musicians Making Music in the Midwest during the Jazz Age", "No Place Like Home:
Chicago's Black Metropolis and the Johnson Publishing Offices, 1942-1975", and more. A
thoughtful and extensive exploration of connections between the suffrage movement and the
Civil Rights movement, The Fluid Boundaries of Suffrage and Jim Crow is a welcome
contribution to college library American History and Sociology collections.
The Photography Shelf
Within the Frame, second edition
David duChemin
New Riders
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780134288628 $49.99 www.newriders.com
Now in a second edition with new images and exercises, updated chapters, a streaming
companion video, and more, Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision is an
in-depth guide and how-to book for intermediate to advanced photographers. The primary focus
is on techniques for taking pictures that serve one's creative vision. Chapters delve into the fine
nuances of photographing people, locations, or aspects of human culture; using photographs to
tell stories and provoke questions; and more. Within the Frame is essentially about the "why" and
"what" of photography, rather than the technical "how" of utilizing elaborate photography
equipment. "Before diving into technical things, it's important to remember that the heart of a
great image seldom has anything to do with the technical... No one should have to tell us we need
to understand focus and exposure. But we often need reminding that it is not those things that
carry a photograph, tell a great story, or hook us emotionally... In order to remind ourselves of
this, it's helpful to go out now and then (often, even) with only the most basic of cameras." An
excellent resource and inspirational guide for intermediate to advanced and even professional
photographers, Within the Frame is highly recommended.
The Art Shelf
Spalted Wood
Sara C. Robinson, Hans Michaelsen, and Julia C. Robinson
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
9780764350382 $60.00 www.schifferbooks.com
Spalting is wood coloration produced by fungi; even though spalted wood is usually lighter and
weaker, it often has a striking visual quality prized by woodworkers. Spalted Wood: The History,
Science and Art of a Unique Material is not primarily a how-to book, although it does contain a
brief "DIY Guide to Controlled Spalting". Instead, Spalted Wood is an exhaustive chronicle of
the history and use of spalted wood, from the fifteenth century to the modern day. Full-color
photography on almost every page showcases an immense variety of vintage woodworking
treasures, some featuring complex artistic portraits crafted with spalted wood. Spalted Wood is
an excellent addition to personal and public library art history shelves, and an inspirational
treasure trove to simply page through.
The Judicial Studies Shelf
Lloyd Gaines and the Fight to End Segregation
James W. Endersby and William T. Horner
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th St., Columbia, MO 65211
9780826220851 $36.95 www.umsystem.edu/upress
Lloyd Gaines and the Fight to End Segregation is the true-life saga of a turning point in the legal
and social battle to end segregation in America, and also a chilling tragedy. Eighty-years ago,
African-American Lloyd Gaines (1911-1939?) was rejected entry to the University of Missouri
Law School because of his race. Aided by the NAACP, Gaines successfully sued the University
of Missouri for the right to attend; the decision, "Missouri ex. rel Gaines v. Canada" (1938) was
the first in a profound succession of decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning equal
opportunity in higher education. Gaines received death threats, and moved to Chicago for his
own safety; yet before Gaines could attend law school, he vanished. The prevalent opinion is that
Gaines was murdered. Lloyd Gaines and the Fight to End Segregation scrutinizes the Gaines
case, especially the role played by the NAACP and its lawyers (including Charles Houston, also
known as "the man who killed Jim Crow"). Extensive notes, a list of references, and an index
round out this excellent, erudite, and accessible addition to American History and Judicial
Studies shelves.
Forging the Star
David S. Turk
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
9781574416541 $29.95 www.unt.edu/untpress
U.S. Marshals Service Historian David S. Turk presents Forging the Star: The Official Modern
History of the United States Marshals Service, an in-depth chronicle and analysis of the United
States Marshals in the modern era, from the 1960's to the twenty-first century and the aftermath
of the September 11th attacks. The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) is America's oldest law
enforcement agency; today, it is responsible for prisoner transport, the protection of officers of
the court, the Witness Protection Program, serving federal level arrest warrants, and more.
Forging the Star is drawn heavily from current primary source material such as interviews from
active or retired management, deputy U.S. marshals who were present for major events, and
involved administrative personnel. Exhaustive endnotes, a bibliography, and an index round out
this "must-have" resource for public and college library Judicial Studies or American History
shelves.
The Education Shelf
LGBTQ Voices in Education
Edited by Veronica E. Bloomfield and Marni E. Fisher
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017-9209
9781138187092 $49.95 www.routledge.com
LGBTQ Voices in Education: Changing the Culture of Schooling is an anthology of essays by
education professionals about how teachers can serve the needs of LGBTQ students and address
issues of gender, sexuality, and identity, as well as practical considerations for students' safety
and well-being. Ideas and principles discussed are applicable to K-12, college, and graduate
educational settings. Individual writings include "Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Creating
Spaces at the Intersection of Diversity and Controversy", "Searching for Self and Society: Sexual
and Gender Minority Youth Online", "Out of the Closet and Into the Classroom: LGBTQ Issues
and Inclusive Classroom Practice", and more. LGBTQ Voices in Education is a "must-have" for
modern educators and college library Education and LGBTQ shelves, highly recommended.
"When opponents of gay marriage say, 'We don't hate gay people. We are just trying to protect
marriage.' We can firmly say, 'We don't hate the church. We are just trying to protect our rights as
American citizens."
The Biography Shelf
Sign Talker
Hugh Lenox Scott
Edited by R. Eli Paul
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806153544 $29.95 www.oupress.com
First published in 1928, Sign Talker: Hugh Lenox Scott Remembers Indian Country is the
autobiography of Hugh Lenox Scott (1853-1934), a member of the Seventh Cavalry, the same
regiment as George Armstrong Custer. His career began at Little Big Horn, where he aided in the
reburial of Custer's fallen soldiers. However, Scott held to dramatically different principles than
Custer. Scott earned his reputation by avoiding violence and peacefully resolving disputes as
much as possible. He respected American Indians, and became one of the most skilled and
successful peacemakers ever to serve the U.S. Army. Sign Talker is an extensively annotated
edition of Scott's original writings, enhanced with a bibliography and index, and highly
recommended for public and college library biography collections.
Horseback Schoolmarm
Margot Liberty
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806153889 $24.95 www.oupress.com
Horseback Schoolmarm: Montana, 1953-1954 is the memoir of Margot Liberty during the year
when, as a new graduate of Cornell University, she worked as a rural teacher in a one-room
school in eastern Montana. With no experience or supplies, she taught her class of six boys and
one girl through activities of her own devising, including field trips into the plains; lessons on
science and history; and plays at Halloween and Christmas that helped students practice their
reading and writing skills. In the meantime, she lived in a remote "teacherage" with electricity
but no phone, plumbing, or running water; she had to park her car so far away that she made use
of a saddle horse ("Orphan Annie") in the schoolyard. Horseback Schoolmarm reveals a spunky
and creative teacher, offering both funny and heart-touching moments, and serves as a window
through time. Highly recommended, especially for public library biography collections and
personal or book club reading lists!
The Psychology Shelf
The Sleep Revolution
Arianna Huffington
Harmony Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9781101904008 $26.00 www.randomhouse.com
Arianna Huffington (cofounder, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media
Group) presents The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night at a Time, about the
America's sleep-deprivation cultural crisis. Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds,
The Sleep Revolution draws upon vetted, scientific research to show why sleep is so vital to
human health and happiness. Today's modern world seems to demand around-the-clock work or
availability, and the health consequences include weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, even
increased risk of cancer and Alzheimer's. Insufficient sleep also undermines decision making
skills and even one's sex life. So-called sleeping pills have their own hazards as well. The Sleep
Revolution offers recommendations from expert scientists for engaging in properly restorative
sleep, and is highly recommended both for personal reading lists and public library
collections.
The International Studies Shelf
Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, third edition
Julia E. Sweig
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
www.oup.com/us
9780190620370 $16.95 amazon.com
Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know is now in an updated third edition with a new foreword
and a new final chapter examining the historic developments of President Barack Obama's and
Raul Castro's announced intentions to reshape US-Cuba relations. Written by Julie E. Sweig
(Senior Research Fellow at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of
Texas at Austin), Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know discusses Cuban history with an
emphasis upon recent years, as well as Cuba's role in the world and diplomatic relations between
Cuba and the US. Chapters are subdivided into a question-and-answer format, with the questions
listed in the table of contents; they include "How did the September 11, 2001, attacks affect US-
Cuban relations?", "How did Cuba react to the war in Iraq?", "What is the status of Cuba's deep-
water oil exploration and what foreign governments and companies became involved?" and much
more. An index rounds out this superb addition to public and college library International Studies
shelves.
The Autism Shelf
The Aspie College, Work & Travel Survival Guide
J.D. Kraus
Future Horizons, Inc.
721 West Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76013
www.fhautism.com
9781941765128 $19.95 amazon.com
The Aspie College, Work & Travel Survival Guide is an award-winning resource created
especially for college students with Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.
College life is stressful enough for anyone; those with Asperger's have additional problems, such
as an aversion to eye contact, difficulty socializing, and trouble adapting to noisy or chaotic
environments. The Aspie College, Work & Travel Survival Guide discusses special
considerations when preparing for college, applications and scholarships, why friendships and
downtime are important while at school, the advantages and disadvantages of living on campus,
the difficult transition from college to career, and much more. The Aspie College, Work &
Travel Survival Guide is an excellent resource for public and college libraries, and a "must-have"
for any prospective college student diagnosed with Asperger's!
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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