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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom
Erik Nordman
Island Press
https://islandpress.org
9781642831559, $35.00 pbk / $14.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Knowledge-Elinor-Ostrom-Collective/dp/1642831557
Synopsis: In the 1970s, the accepted environmental thinking was that overpopulation was destroying the earth. Prominent
economists and environmentalists agreed that the only way to stem the tide was to impose restrictions on how we used
resources, such as land, water, and fish, from either the free market or the government. This notion was upended by Elinor
Ostrom, whose work to show that regular people could sustainably manage their community resources eventually won her
the Nobel Prize. Ostrom's revolutionary proposition fundamentally changed the way we think about environmental
governance.
In The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom, author Erik Nordman brings to life Ostrom's brilliant mind. Half a century
ago, she was rejected from doctoral programs because she was a woman; in 2009, she became the first woman to win the
Nobel Prize in Economics. Her research challenged the long-held dogma championed by Garrett Hardin in his famous 1968
essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons," which argued that only market forces or government regulation can prevent the
degradation of common pool resources. The concept of the "Tragedy of the Commons" was built on scarcity and the
assumption that individuals only act out of self-interest. Ostrom's research proved that people can and do act in collective
interest, coming from a place of shared abundance. Ostrom's ideas about common resources have played out around the
world, from Maine lobster fisheries, to ancient waterways in Spain, to taxicabs in Nairobi. In writing The Uncommon
Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom, Nordman traveled extensively to interview community leaders and stakeholders who have
spearheaded innovative resource-sharing systems, some new, some centuries old. Through expressing Ostrom's ideas and
research, he also reveals the remarkable story of her life.
Ostrom broke barriers at a time when women were regularly excluded from academia and her research challenged
conventional thinking. Elinor Ostrom proved that regular people can come together to act sustainably - if we let them. This
message of shared collective action is more relevant than ever for solving today's most pressing environmental
problems.
Critique: The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom: Essential Lessons for Collective Action examines the
environmental and economic wisdom Elinor Ostrom (1933-2012), a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Her
life's research included evidence against the idea that individuals always act out of self-interest, instead revealing how
communities can and do share resources or act sustainably for the common good. Her ideas are far more than abstract
theory; their practical implications can be seen in Maine lobster fisheries, European waterways, and among the taxis of
Nairobi. A handful of black-and-white photographs, extensive notes, and an index round out this expertly researched and
thoughtfully presented rendition of an intelligent, persevering, and insightful woman's contribution to economic studies and
behavioral science. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Erik Nordman is Professor of Natural Resources Management and Adjunct Professor of Economics at
Grand Valley State University, Michigan, and an Affiliate Scholar at Indiana University's Ostrom Workshop. Nordman has
written on a wide variety of environmental topics, from urban stormwater management and land preservation to renewable
energy. His work has also appeared in mass-market publications such as Quartz, The Conversation, and Bridge (a Michigan
public affairs magazine). Nordman holds an M.S. in forest ecosystem management and a Ph.D. in natural resource policy
and economics, both from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University. He served as a
Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, 2012-13. His publications are available
at: https://works.bepress.com/erik_nordman
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher
John Schmidt
Path Publishing
www.pathpublishing.com
9781891774959, $9.99, PB, 143pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tips-Writers-Book-Publisher-Publishing/dp/1891774956
Synopsis: "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" by John Schmidt is a compact, helpful, practical, informative, 'real
world' guide that opens up the world of book publishing seen through the eyes of a book publisher who is also an author.
Packed from cover to cover hundreds of practical tips drawn from Schmidt's fifty years of experience in the publishing
industry, "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" is extraordinarily well written, organized and presented.
Critique: Simply stated, "Tips to Writers from a Book Publisher" should be considered essential reading by any and all
aspiring writers wanting to be published. Comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Tips to Writers from a Book
Publisher" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university
library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Supplements, Lifestyle and Drugs
Mark C. Houston & Lee Bell
CRC Press
https://crcpress.com
9780367647797, $64.95 pbk / $48.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Controlling-Pressure-Nutrition-Supplements-Lifestyle/dp/0367647796
Synopsis: High blood pressure or hypertension is the most common primary diagnosis in the United States and a leading
cause of heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and stroke. Despite extensive research over the past several decades, the
cause of most cases of adult hypertension is still unknown and thought to be genetic. Current methods of controlling blood
pressure in the general population need to be improved. Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Nutritional
Supplements, Lifestyle, and Drugs provides an integrative approach on how to prevent and treat high blood pressure. It
includes scientific research, clinical evaluation, and applications which help patients learn easy solutions to implement
treatments to prevent and manage hypertension.
Key features:
Includes recommendations and clinical studies on ideal drugs to reduce blood pressure with fewest side effects and optimal
efficacy.
Presents a nutrition program for patients to manage high blood pressure and reduce weight which, if followed, helps lower
the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and early death.
Provides a comprehensive review of nutritional supplements to improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular
disease.
Written by leading experts in hypertension and nutrition, this book presents a unique and optimal approach to reducing
cardiovascular problems related to high blood pressure, it serves as a guide for both health practitioners and their
patients.
Critique: Written by expert specialists in both medicine and nutrition, Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition,
Supplements, Lifestyle and Drugs is intended for medical professionals and lay readers alike. Impressing the need of more
effective measures against high blood pressure that can benefit the general population, chapters discuss how high blood
pressure is harmful, clinical symptoms of hypertension, the limitations of the DASH diet ("Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension" promoted by the US-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), an extensive list of nutritional
supplements and what is known about their potential benefits or drawbacks, a survey of drugs used to treat hypertension,
and much more. An index rounds out this highly informative resource especially recommended for college libraries and
hypertension patients seeking to learn all they can about how to improve their lifestyle and well-being. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Supplements, Lifestyle and Drugs is also
available in a Kindle edition ($48.99).
Editorial Note: Mark C. Houston, MD, MS, MSc, FACP, FAHA, FASH, FACN, ABAARM, FAARM, DABC, is the
Director of the Hypertension Institute and Vascular Biology, Medical Director of the Division of Human Nutrition and
Medical Director of Clinical Research at the Hypertension Institute in Nashville, TN. He is a Clinical Instructor in the
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Care Sciences at George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine
and Health Science. Dr. Houston has presented over 10,000 lectures, nationally and internationally and published over 250
medical articles, scientific abstracts in peer reviewed medical journals, books and book chapters. He has published nine
books.
Lee Bell, NC, BCHN, is board certified in holistic nutrition, earned a Bachelor's degree from University of Southern
California and is also a graduate of the Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition in Berkeley, CA. She is a member of both the
NANP, National Association of Nutrition Professionals and the AANC, American Association of Nutrition Consultants. Lee
has completed Dr. Ben Lynch's program on Methylation and Clinical Nutrigenomics as well as the Institute for Functional
Medicine's Methylation Strategies in the Clinical Management of Depression and Cardiovascular Disease. She holds
certification in plant-based nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Institute at Cornell University.
8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder
Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
https://wwnorton.com
9780393706956, $24.95 pbk / $11.31 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Keys-Recovery-Eating-Disorder-Therapeutic/dp/0393706958
Synopsis: This is no ordinary book on how to overcome an eating disorder. The authors bravely share their unique stories of
suffering from and eventually overcoming their own severe eating disorders. Interweaving personal narrative with the
perspective of their own therapist-client relationship, their insights bring an unparalleled depth of awareness into just what it
takes to successfully beat this challenging and seemingly intractable clinical issue.
For anyone who has suffered, their family and friends, and other helping professionals, this book should be by your side.
With great compassion and clinical expertise, Costin and Grabb walk readers through the ins and outs of the recovery
process, describing what therapy entails, clarifying the common associated emotions such as fear, guilt, and shame, and,
most of all, providing motivation to seek help if you have been discouraged, resistant, or afraid. The authors bring
self-disclosure to a level not yet seen in an eating disorder book and offer hope to readers that full recovery is possible.
Critique: Written by medical and psychology professionals, 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective
Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience lives up to its title as a compassionate resource for
professionals and lay readers alike, especially those who have personally suffered from an eating disorder. Chapters discuss
what therapy for eating disorders entails, and offer writing assignments to aid the journey toward healing. 8 Keys to
Recovery from an Eating Disorder is a welcome contribution to public library Health/Medicine shelves, highly
recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder is also
available in a Kindle edition ($11.31).
Editorial Note: Carolyn Costin MA, MEd, MFT, founder of Monte Nido Treatment Center, is a therapist, activist, author,
and renowned eating disorder expert. Gwen Schubert Grabb is a psychotherapist in private practice. Babette Rothschild,
MSW, internationally recognized PTSD specialist, has authored seven books and edits the 8 Keys to Mental Health series
for W. W. Norton.
The Psychology Shelf
How We Practice Therapy Now
Chante D. DeLoach
W. W. Norton & Company
https://wwnorton.com
9780393714708, $28.95 pbk / $18.89 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Practice-Therapy-Now/dp/0393714705
Synopsis: Future psychotherapy is not confined to the office: it can be online, virtual, wellness-oriented, flexible, racially
conscious, and in service of public wellness. COVID-19 has forever changed the landscape of psychotherapy in these ways,
and in ways we have yet to discover.
Practicing psychologist Chante D. DeLoach invites readers to reflect on the state of psychotherapy and emerging
potentialities forged through crisis. She presents key concepts of telemental health, concierge therapy, and other
out-of-office approaches to psychological well-being.
DeLoach provides step-by-step guidance on getting started in telemental health, and points to clinical, ethical, and legal
considerations for clinicians working in a digital space and other nontraditional formations. Topics covered include: how to
screen clients for the appropriateness of teletherapy; the required equipment and infrastructure, demystifying the different
online platforms; ways to set up a warm and inviting online office, and legal and ethical issues of remote therapy. It also
considers business and practice management issues such as what to include in an informed consent for teletherapy.
Important discussions of race, intersectionality, and justice in teletherapy round out the book. Readers will be invited to
critically reflect on their own identities and comfort in integrating the challenging issues of race, power, and privilege in
clinical work.
Through interwoven examples and reflective exercises, Dr. DeLoach provides tools to support practitioners as they
reimagine their clinical identities to meet the needs of today's clients. This book offers keen insights and learning for all
clinicians, from trainees to seasoned practitioners, who are embarking on this new terrain.
Critique: Licensed clinical psychologist Chante D. DeLoach, PsyD presents How We Practice Therapy Now, a
psychotherapy book about how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed modern psychotherapy. The need to prevent the
spread of the COVID-19 virus has sparked advances in online, virtual therapy over in-person sessions. What was once an
optional convenience has become more and more mandatory. Chapters discuss how to set up teletherapy or virtual therapies,
out-of-office therapies, the rising phenomenon of concierge therapy ("one can think of it as having a psychologist or other
mental health professional on retainer"), legal and ethical issues, and much more. How We Practice Therapy Now is an
absolute "must-have" for any aspiring or practicing psychotherapist today, and a welcome addition to public and college
library Psychology collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that How We Practice Therapy Now is also
available in a Kindle edition ($18.89).
Editorial Note: Chante D. DeLoach, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing for almost fifteen years helping
individuals, couples, and families create healthier, more meaningful relationships. For almost twenty years, she has taught
various psychology and social science courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the U.S. and abroad. As an
international consultant with expertise in clinical traumatology, cultural, community, and liberation psychologies, she has
conducted research, provided clinical services, consultation and workshops in Mexico, Ecuador, Haiti, Ukraine, Ghana,
Ethiopia, and Zambia to name a few.
Subconsciousness: Automatic Behavior and the Brain
Yves Agid
Columbia University Press
https://cup.columbia.edu
9780231201278, $24.00 pbk / $11.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Subconsciousness-Automatic-Behavior-Yves-Agid/dp/0231201273
Synopsis: We are conscious of only a small fraction of our lives. Because the brain constantly receives an enormous quantity
of information, we need to be able to do things without thinking about them - to act in "autopilot" mode. Automatic
behaviors - the vast majority of our activities - occur without our conscious awareness, or subconsciously. Yet the
physiological basis of subconsciousness remains poorly understood, despite its vast importance for physical and mental
health.
The neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and
its significance. He pinpoints the basal ganglia - the ancient "basement of the brain" - as the main physiological hub of the
subconscious. Agid examines its roles in the control and production of automatic behavior, including motor, intellectual,
and emotional processes. He highlights the consequences for various brain pathologies, showing how malfunctions of the
subconscious have clinical repercussions including not only abnormal involuntary movements, as seen in Parkinson's
disease, but also psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorders and depression. Based on this understanding,
Agid considers how seeing the basal ganglia as a therapeutic target can aid development of potential new treatments for
neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Shedding new light on the physiological bases of our behavior and mental states, this book provides an innovative
exploration of the complexities of the mind, with implications ranging from clinical applications to philosophy's thorniest
problems.
Critique: Thoroughly accessible to lay readers and professionals alike, Subconsciousness: Automatic Behavior and the Brain
examines both the physiological and the psychological aspects of the human subconscious. Chapters explore the basal
ganglia, also known as the "basement of the brain", and how abnormalities in this part of the brain can manifest as various
pathologies. Notes, a list of suggested further reading, and an index round out this choice pick for public and college library
Psychology shelves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Subconsciousness is also available in a Kindle edition
($11.99).
Editorial Note: Yves Agid is founder of ICM, the International Brain Institute in Paris, and professor emeritus of neurology
and cell biology at the Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences. His
research has made major contributions to the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders, in particular Parkinson's disease
and Alzheimer's disease.
The Science Shelf
Introducing Meteorology: A Guide to the Weather, second edition
Jon Shonk
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
c/o ISBS (dist.)
www.isbs.com
9781780460918, $16.50 pbk / $12.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Meteorology-Weather-Environmental-Sciences/dp/1780460910
Synopsis: In many parts of the world the weather forms a daily topic of conversation, In others it hardly changes from one
week to the next. However, human life is governed by the weather which affects much of our activity, from farming to
fishing and from shopping to holiday-making. Introducing Meteorology has been written to provide a succinct overview of
the science of the weather for students and for interested amateurs wanting a topical guide to this complex science. The
initial chapters describe the development of the science, the atmosphere and the forces which govern the weather. The
author then discusses weather influences at global and local scales before describing the science of weather forecasting.
Copiously illustrated, this book is intended for those whose interest in meteorology has been stimulated, perhaps by media
coverage of dramatic weather events, and who want to know more. Technical terms are kept to a minimum and are
explained in a glossary.
Critique: Now in an updated second edition, Introducing Meteorology: A Guide to the Weather is an educational primer for
students and lay readers alike. Illustrated with color illustrations and diagrams on virtually every page, Introducing
Meteorology describes the components of Earth's atmosphere, mid-latitude and tropical weather systems, convective
systems such as tornadoes and thunderstorms, models used to forecast weather, and much more. A glossary rounds out this
excellent reference and resource, highly recommended especially for high school, college, and public library science
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Introducing Meteorology, second edition is also available in a
Kindle edition ($12.99).
Editorial Note: Dr Jon Shonk is a researcher in the Department of Meteorology at the university of Reading, one of the
leading meteorology centres in the world.
The Cookbook Shelf
More Veggies Please!
Nikki Dinki
www.NikkiDinkiCooking.com
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781953295569, $24.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/More-Veggies-Please-Kid-Approved-Family-Friendly/dp/1953295568
Synopsis: As a chef and cookbook author, Nikki Dinki loves veggies. But like most parents, getting her kids to love them is
a work in progress. There will always be a side of veggies on their dinner plates, but when those veggies go untouched,
Nikki doesn't stress. That's because her cooking incorporates vegetables at every turn: the kids may not have eaten their
sides of peas, but they ate cauliflower and sweet potatoes in their Mac and Cheese, devoured Green Eggs (with spinach) and
White Bean Pancakes for breakfast, and asked for seconds of the Zucchini Crust Pizzas at lunch!
Although the veggies are sometimes hidden in some of the recipes comprising "More Veggies Please!", your kids will be
eating mushrooms and eggplant without thinking twice! The real goal is using the qualities of each vegetable to make each
classic, family meals even better than the original version. In these recipes, mushrooms enhance the beefy taste of the
Mushroom and Onion Burgers, while eggplant replaces egg for breading on Chicken Tenders and Chicken Parmesan, which
keeps them irresistibly moist.
Inside, discover other delicious recipes that will become mealtime staples ranging from Chicken Pot Pie with a Sweet Potato
Crust; Taco Meat (with Pinto Beans), Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower + Sweet Potato; and Chicken Nuggets with Beans
+ Carrots; Eggplant Marinara Sauce; Brooklyn Blackout Cake (with Beets + Avocado); and more!
There are no fancy ingredients or complicated cooking techniques. These easy, accessible recipes have been tested hundreds
of times, by Nikki and other parents, for surefire family food wins! This collection of tried-and-true dishes will wow picky
eaters and foodie parents alike with creative veggie twists on breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, sides, and dessert.
Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout with full color photography, "More Veggies Please!: Easy Kid-Approved Meals and
Family-Friendly Comfort Foods with Surprising Veggie Twists" is especially recommended for parents with kids that spurn
their vegetables at dinner time (or any time!). Certain to be a prized addition to family and community library cookbook
collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "More Veggies Please!: Easy Kid-Approved Meals and
Family-Friendly Comfort Foods with Surprising Veggie Twists" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$12.99).
Editorial Note: Nikki Dinki is a chef, author, mom, TV host and picky-eater-turned-veggie-lover who is spreading the
delicious veggie word! She is also the author of "Meat On The Side", and has food-driven adventures and unique creations
on multiple Food Network and Cooking Channel series, sharing recipes regularly on the Wendy Williams and Dr. Oz
shows. She maintains an informative website at www.NikkiDinkiCooking.com
One Pan, One Meal
Elena Silcock
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600637097, $19.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Pan-Meal/dp/0600637093
Synopsis: Compiled by Elena Silcock, "One Pan, One Meal" is a compendium of 85 easy, budget-friendly recipes to suit
busy lifestyles and limited kitchen space. All the delicious dishes can be made in one of two pans (either a large saucepan or
a non-stick frying pan) and require little to no skill, as directions are just for cooking over a high, medium or low heat. All
the recipes can be cooked on a gas, electric or induction stove and you will get the same incredible result every time. The
entire meal can be made in a single pan, with no sides to be cooked separately, making these perfect lazy dishes that will
keep the washing up to a bare minimum. Featuring easy cheats and supermarket ingredients, these are handy recipes to cook
every night of the week and great for feeding a family on a budget.
From light and speedy dishes including Just-add-water beef pho and Vodka risotto with fresh tomatoes, to indulgent and
comforting meals like Sausage and broccoli gnocchi and Sweet potato, kale and cashew nut curry, alongside speedy sweet
treats such as Chocolate-centre French toast and Baby doughnuts, there are plenty of surprising, nourishing options that the
whole family can enjoy together.
Critique: Profusely illustrated with full color photography of completed dishes, "One Pan, One Meal" is an extraordinary
and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. Showcasing
thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes suitable for any and all dining occasions, it should be noted that "One Pan, One
Meal" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Elena Silcock is a food writer, chef and food stylist. She has worked for various magazines and brands,
including BBC Good Food, Coop magazine, Nando's, Kellogg's and Flora. She runs her own supper clubs and is the creator
of the Feed Them Pasta e-book as well as the online recipe and social platform You Bring the Wine.
The Provider Cookbook
Chad Belding, author
Chad Mendes, author
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637740163, $35.00, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Provider-Cookbook-Recipes-Eating-Living/dp/1637740166
Synopsis: In our modern ways of cooking and eating, we've gotten out of touch with Mother Nature. Those who hunt, fish,
and enjoy wild game know that we should always respect and cherish our food and where it comes from.
For hunter/chef Chad Belding and MMA star Chad Mendes, hunting and ethical farming are crucial ways to reinforce our
connection to nature. In "The Provider Cookbook: Fish and Game Recipes for Eating Wild and Living Off the Land",
Belding and Mendes share recipes and stories to celebrate this way of life and keep it alive for generations to come.
The recipes comprising "The Provider Cookbook" range from Wild Game Stroganoff; Elk Pizza Meatballs; Korean
Barbecue Venison Street Tacos, and Wild Turkey and Dumplings; to Mossy Pond's Smother-Fried Quail; Duck Egg Rolls;
Pulled Goose Barbecue Sandwiches; Cajun Fried Catfish Sandwiches; and Brian's Coconut Curry Halibut. "The Provider
Cookbook" also includes tips for properly storing food, plus recipes for domestic meats and their favorite vegetable sides
and sauces.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated with full color photography throughout, "The Provider Cookbook: Fish and
Game Recipes for Eating Wild and Living Off the Land" is a pleasure to simply browse through one page at a time. An ideal
culinary resource replete with kitchen cook recipes for palate pleasing and appetite satisfying recipes, "The Provider
Cookbook" will prove to be an enduringly welcome and appreciated addition to personal, professional, and community
library cookbook collections, It should be noted that "The Provider Cookbook" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $12.99).
Egyptian Flavors: 50 Recipes
Dyna Eldaief
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9789774169274, $16.95, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Flavors-Recipes-Dyna-Eldaief/dp/9774169271
Synopsis: Egyptian cuisine is one of the world's oldest and yet least known food traditions. Knowledgeably compiled by
Dyna Eldaief, "Egyptian Flavors: 50 Recipes" is charming, pocket-sized collection of recipes is the perfect introduction to
Egyptian cooking.
From classic starters and breakfast dishes like ta'miya (falafel) and fuul medammis (slow-cooked fava beans), to well-loved
main meals such as stuffed cabbage leaves (mahshi cromb), and mouthwatering almond pudding and fritter balls soaked in
syrup, Egyptian Flavors leads you on a wonderful discovery of this unique and delightful cuisine.
Celebrated chef Dyna Eldaief offers 50 easy-to-follow recipes that are rich with the vegetables, legumes, and meats that are
central to Egyptian cooking, calling forth the sun-baked land of the Nile and inviting expert and novice alike to bring
exciting new flavors to their home kitchen.
Critique: Authentic, kitchen cook friendly, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying, the fifty recipes comprising "Egyptian
Flavors" makes it a unique, desirable, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community
library Ethnic Cookbook collections.
Nordic Family Kitchen
Mikkel Karstad
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791387413, $35.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Family-Kitchen-Seasonal-Cooking/dp/3791387413
Synopsis: With the publication of "Nordic Family Kitchen: Seasonal Home Cooking" by Copenhagen Mikkel Karstad (a
consultant chef and the former culinary advisor to the NOMA team, and best known for his modern and natural approach to
food and cooking) will enable even the most novice of kitche cooks to achieve Nordic elegance while cooking with their
kids. For years this Danish chef has been teaching his own four kids the joys of simple, eco-conscious cooking. Working at
the famed NOMA restaurant Karstad helped put Northern European gastronomy on the map. But Karstad is happiest when
he is cooking with his family, either at home or on their frequent foraging trips.
In this visually beautiful cookbook Karstad shares his genius for taking simple ingredients and combining them in exciting
ways that every family member will enjoy. Divided into ten chapters, the book offers 73 recipes for breakfasts, lunches,
dinners, and gatherings in the woods, garden, and beach. There are dishes that anyone, including kids, can prepare and serve
including quick breads, sandwiches, cakes, spreads and jams, as well as more advanced projects that will hone young
people's culinary skills.
Karstad takes the family chef to the beach to roast marshmallows with strawberries; to the woods to grill flatbread with
mushrooms; and to the garden, where fresh herbs enhance everyday dishes such as pancakes and baked potatoes. Loaded
with fruit, vegetables, whole grains and herbs, these meals are largely meat-free, and will help your family adapt to a cleaner
way of eating that is both satisfying and delicious.
Critique: Beautifully Illustrated with Anders Sch nnemann's stunning full color photography, "Nordic Family Kitchen:
Seasonal Home Cooking" is a simply fabulous cookbook that will be a welcome and highly prized addition to personal,
professional, and community library ethnic cookbook collections.
Tarkari
Rohit Ghai
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857839329, $29.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tarkari-Innovative-Vegetarian-Indian-Dishes/dp/0857839322
Synopsis: With culinary recipes inspired by India's incredibly rich and varied food scene, chef Rohit Ghai has gained a
reputation for colorful, flavor-rich curries that showcase both classic and lesser-known Indian flavors. Tarkari, meaning
'vegetable' in Urdu, and "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" is Rohit's first
cookbook and celebrates this diverse ethnic heritage -- but on a more personal note.
Packed from cover to cover with innovative vegetarian and vegan dishes, "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian
Dishes with Heart and Soul" pays homage to the food his parents ate. The showcased dishes range from creative starters like
Malabar Cauliflower, to big, bold curries such as Jackfruit Masala and Lotus Root Kofta, as well as breads, rice, dips and
pickles. "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" includes everything needed to cook
truly spectacular Indian vegetarian and vegan meals at home.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout, "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul"
is delightfully inspiring to plan menus with. Offering a wealth of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, authentically Indian
dishes, "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Dishes with Heart and Soul" is highly recommended for personal,
professional, and community library collections. It should be noted that "Tarkari: Innovative Vegetarian and Vegan Indian
Dishes with Heart and Soul" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Rohit Ghai's love affair with food began in his mother's kitchen, in his native Punjab, India. He went on to
study Indian cuisine at the Institute of Hotel Management in New Delhi, before perfecting his craft at esteemed hotel groups
across the country. After moving to the UK, Rohit worked in and headed kitchens at some of London's leading Indian
restaurants including Benares, Trishna, Gymkhana, Hoppers and most recently Jamavar and Bombay Bustle. Rohit is the
first Indian chef to have won a Michelin star for Jamavar within ten months of the restaurant's opening. In 2018, he and
Abhishake Sangwan (formerly Gymkhana and Jamavar) launched their first solo London restaurant, Kutir.
The American History Shelf
Facing Georgetown's History
Adam Rothman & Elsa Barraza Mendoza, Editors
Lauret Savoy, Foreword
Georgetown University Press
http://press.georgetown.edu
9781647120962, $29.95 hc / $28.45 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Facing-Georgetowns-History-Slavery-Reconciliation/dp/1647120969
Synopsis: Georgetown University's early history, closely tied to that of the Society of Jesus in Maryland, is a microcosm of
the history of American slavery: the entrenchment of chattel slavery in the tobacco economy of the Chesapeake in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the contradictions of liberty and slavery at the founding of the United States; the rise
of the domestic slave trade to the cotton and sugar kingdoms of the Deep South in the nineteenth century; the political
conflict over slavery and its overthrow amid civil war; and slavery's persistent legacies of racism and inequality. It is also
emblematic of the complex entanglement of American higher education and religious institutions with slavery.
Important primary sources drawn from the university's and the Maryland Jesuits' archives document Georgetown's tangled
history with slavery, down to the sizes of shoes distributed to enslaved people on the Jesuit plantations that subsidized the
school. The volume also includes scholarship on Jesuit slaveholding in Maryland and at Georgetown, news coverage of the
university's relationship with slavery, and reflections from descendants of the people owned and sold by the Maryland
Jesuits.
These essays, articles, and documents introduce readers to the history of Georgetown's involvement in slavery and recent
efforts to confront this troubling past. Current efforts at recovery, repair, and reconciliation are part of a broader
contemporary moment of reckoning with American history and its legacies. This reader traces Georgetown's "Slavery,
Memory, and Reconciliation Initiative" and the role of universities, which are uniquely situated to conduct that reckoning in
a constructive way through research, teaching, and modeling thoughtful, informed discussion.
Critique: Facing Georgetown's History: A Reader on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation gathers primary sources about
the relationship between slavery and Georgetown University, up to the American Civil War. Contributions of scholarship
and journalism add perspective to this stark examination of the negative side of Georgetown University's past. An index
rounds out this seminal, extensively documented resource, highly recommended especially for college and university
American History collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Facing Georgetown's History is also
available in a Kindle edition ($28.45).
Editorial Note: Adam Rothman is a professor in Georgetown University's Department of History. He is the author of
Beyond Freedom's Reach: A Kidnapping in the Twilight of Slavery, which was named the Humanities Book of the Year by
the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and received the American Civil War Museum's book award. He is also the
author of Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South and the coauthor of Major Problems in
Atlantic History. He served on Georgetown's Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation from 2015-16, and is
currently the principal curator of the Georgetown Slavery Archive.
Elsa Barraza Mendoza is a PhD candidate in history at Georgetown University and the assistant curator of the Georgetown
Slavery Archive. She is a former Fulbright-Garcia Robles fellow. Her research has been supported by the Cushwa Center for
the Study of American Catholicism and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture.
The World History Shelf
The Sea Kings
R. Andrew McDonald
John Donald
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781910900376, $45.00, PB, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Kings-Norse-Kingdoms-c-1066-1275/dp/1910900370
Synopsis: The archipelagic kingdoms of Man and the Isles that flourished from the last quarter of the eleventh century down
to the middle of the thirteenth century represent two forgotten kingdoms of the medieval British Isles. They were ruled by
powerful individuals, with unquestionably regnal status, who interacted in a variety of ways with rulers of surrounding lands
and who left their footprint on a wide range of written documents and upon the very landscapes and seascapes of the islands
they ruled. Yet British history has tended to overlook these Late Norse maritime empires, which thrived for two centuries on
the Atlantic frontiers of Britain.
"The Sea Kings: The Late Norse Kingdoms of Man and the Isles c.1066 - 1275" by R. Andrew McDonald represents the
first ever overview of both Manx and Hebridean dynasties that dominated Man and the Isles from the late eleventh to the
mid-thirteenth centuries. Coverage is broad and is not restricted to politics and warfare. An introductory chapter examines
the maritime context of the kingdoms in light of recent work in the field of maritime history, while subsequent
chronological and narrative chapters trace the history of the kingdoms from their origins through their maturity to their
demise in the thirteenth century. Separate chapters examine the economy and society, church and religion, power and
architecture.
Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of illustrations, maps, genealogies, seventy-three pages of notes, a thirty-five page
bibliography, and a thirteen page index, "The Sea Kings: The Late Norse Kingdoms of Man and the Isles c.1066 - 1275" is
an extraordinary and comprehensively detailed work of meticulous and exhaustive research. While highly recommended,
especially for community, college, and university library Medieval History collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "The Sea Kings" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $42.75) for the personal reading
lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: R. Andrew McDonald is Professor of History at Brock University, Canada, where he was the founding
director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He is the author of many books, book chapters and articles on
medieval Scottish, Hebridean and Manx history, including "The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100
- c.1336", and is co-editor of :The Viking Age: A Reader and Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages".
Women and Weapons in the Viking World
Leszek Gardela
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636240688, $39.95, HC, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Weapons-Viking-World-Amazons/dp/1636240682
Synopsis: The Viking Age (c. AD 750-1050) is conventionally portrayed as a tumultuous time when hordes of fierce
warriors from Scandinavia wreaked havoc across the European continent and when Norse merchants traveled to distant
corners of the world in pursuit of slaves, silver and exotic commodities. Until fairly recently, Norse society during this
pivotal period in world history has been characterized as male-dominated, with women's roles dismissed or substantially
downplayed.
There is, however, ample textual and archaeological evidence to suggest that many of the most spectacular achievements of
Viking Age Scandinavians in craftsmanship, exploration, cross-cultural trade, warfare and other spheres of life, would not
have been possible without the active involvement of women, and that both within the walls of the household and in the
wider public arena women's voices were heard, respected and followed.
Lavishly illustrated throughout, "Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North" by Leszek Gardela is
pioneering book explores the stories of the female warrior and women's links with the martial sphere of life in the Viking
Age, using literature and archaeological evidence from Scandinavia and the wider Viking world to examine the motivations
and circumstances that led women to engage in armed conflict.
Critique: Bringing out of historical obscurity the role of 'Shield Maiden' in Viking culture, "Women and Weapons in the
Viking World: Amazons of the North" is a unique and extraordinary study. While an essential and core addition to
community, college, and university library Viking History & Culture collections, it should be noted that "Women and
Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99) for
the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: Leszek Garde a is a researcher at the National Museum of Denmark. He completed his PhD in archaeology
at the University of Aberdeen in 2012 and has since participated in numerous research projects in Germany, Iceland, the Isle
of Man, Norway and Poland. He has published extensively on Viking Age beliefs, ritual practices, warfare, identity and
cultural interactions.
Mughals and the Sufis
Muzaffer Alam
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438484891, $115.50, HC, 450pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mughals-Sufis-Political-Imagination-1500-1750/dp/1438484895
Synopsis: "Mughals and the Sufis, The: Islam and the Political Imagination in India, 1500 - 1750" by Professor Muzaffer
Alam examines the relationship between Mughal political culture and the two dominant strains of Islam's Sufi traditions in
South Asia: one centered around orthodoxy, the other focusing on a more accommodating and mystical spirituality.
Based on a critical study of a large number of contemporary Persian texts, court chronicles, epistolary collections, and
biographies of sufi mystics, "The Mughals and the Sufis" examines the complexities in the relationship between Mughal
political culture and the two dominant strains of Islam's Sufi traditions in South Asia: one centered around orthodoxy, the
other focusing on a more accommodating and mystical spirituality.
Professor Alam analyses the interplay of these elements, their negotiation and struggle for resolution via conflict and
coordination, and their longer-term outcomes as the empire followed its own political and cultural trajectory as it shifted
from the more liberal outlook of Emperor Akbar "The Great" (r. 1556 - 1605) to the more rigid attitudes of his
great-grandson, Aurangzeb 'Alamgir (r. 1658 - 1701). Professor Alam brings to light many new and underutilized sources
relevant to the religious and cultural history of the Mughals and reinterprets well-known sources from a new perspective to
provide one of the most detailed and nuanced portraits of Indian Islam under the Mughal Empire available today.
Critique: An exceptional work of meticulous research and detailed scholarship, "Mughals and the Sufis, The: Islam and the
Political Imagination in India, 1500 - 1750" is an extraordinary and comprehensive history that is especially and
unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Islamic History and India History in general, and
Sufis supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "Mughals and the Sufis, The: Islam and the Political Imagination in India,
1500 - 1750" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note: Muzaffar Alam is George V. Bobrinskoy Professor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the
University of Chicago. He is the author of several books, including, The Languages of Political Islam: India 1200-1800 and
The Crisis of Empire in Mughal North India: Awadh and the Punjab, 1707-1748.
Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed
Patrick Ottaway
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526710970, $60.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Velva-Roman-Lady-York/dp/1526710978
Synopsis: One of the best-preserved examples from Roman Britain, the tombstone of Julia Velva was found close to a
Roman road just outside the center of York. Fifty years old when she died in the early third century, Julia Velva was
probably from a wealthy family able to afford a fine monument.In "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and
Times Revealed" archaeologist and historian Patrick Ottaway uses the tombstone as the starting point to investigate what the
world she lived in was like.
Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries and scientific techniques, this erudite work of original scholarship
describes the development of Roman York's legionary fortress, civilian town and surrounding landscape. It also looks at
manufacturing and trade, and considers the structure of local society along with the latest analytical evidence for people of
different ethnic backgrounds.
Aspects of daily life discussed include literacy, costume, cosmetics and diet. There are also chapters dedicated to the
abundant York evidence for religion and burial customs. "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times
Revealed" presents a picture of what one would have found on the edge of a great Empire at a time when York itself was at
the height of its importance. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, specially prepared plans and illustrations, "Julia Velva,
A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" is an excellent study of one of Roman Britain's most important
places.
Critique: Enhanced for academia and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, "Julia Velva, A Roman
Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" is enhanced wit the inclusion of numerous illustrations, twenty-two pages
of notes, a fifteen page bibliography, and a four page index. While a prized and recommended addition to community,
college, and university library Roman History, Culture & Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists
that "Julia Velva, A Roman Lady from York: Her Life and Times Revealed" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $36.99).
Editorial Note: Patrick Ottaway runs an archaeological consultancy, PJO Archaeology, based in York, providing a wide
range of services to commercial and academic clients all over the UK. Educated at Oxford, Leeds and with a PhD from
York in Viking Age ironwork, He has over 30 years of experience as a field archaeologist, notably as the former Head of
Fieldwork at York Archaeological Trust, and has a particular expertise in researching the archaeology of towns.
The Civil War Shelf
The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma
Chris Mackowski, editor
Dan Welch, editor
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215724, $29.95, HC, 244pp
https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Vicksburg-Perspectives-Historians-Anniversary/dp/1611215722
Synopsis: The fall of Vicksburg in July 1863 fundamentally changed the strategic picture of the American Civil War, though
its outcome had been anything but certain. Union general Ulysses S. Grant tried for months to capture the Confederate
Mississippi River bastion, to no avail. A bold running of the river batteries, followed by a daring river crossing and
audacious overland campaign, finally allowed Grant to pen the Southern army inside the entrenched city. The long and gritty
siege that followed led to the fall of the city, the opening of the Mississippi to Union traffic, and a severance of the
Confederacy in two.
In middle Tennessee, meanwhile, the Union Army of the Cumberland brilliantly recaptured thousands of square miles of
territory while sustaining fewer than 600 casualties. Commander William S. Rosecrans worried the North would "overlook
so great an event because it is not written in letters of blood" -- and history has proved him right. The Tullahoma Campaign
has stood nearly forgotten compared to events along the Mississippi and in south-central Pennsylvania, yet all three major
Union armies scored significant victories that helped bring the war closer to an end.
The public historians writing for the popular Emerging Civil War blog, speaking on its podcast, or delivering talks at its
annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge in Virginia always present their work in ways that engage and
animate audiences. Their efforts entertain, challenge, and sometimes provoke readers with fresh perspectives and insights
born from years of working at battlefields, guiding tours, presenting talks, and writing for the wider Civil War
community.
The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging
Civil War is a compilation of some of their favorites, anthologized, revised, and updated, together with several original
pieces. Each entry includes helpful illustrations. This important study, when read with its companion volume "The Summer
of '63: Gettysburg", contextualizes the major 1863 campaigns in what arguably was Civil War's turning-point summer.
Critique: Comprised of favorite stories and fresh perspectives from the dedicated American Civil War historians and
scholars, "The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma" is an extraordinary contribution to the growing library of Civil
War histories, biograpies, and commentaries. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community,
college, and university library American Civil War collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and
Tullahoma" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).
Editorial Note: Chris Mackowski is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the online resource Emerging Civil War. A writing
professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, Chris is also
historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. The series
editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, he has authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War,
and his articles have appeared in major Civil War magazines.
The Military Shelf
The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558
Jonathan Davies
Helion and Company
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781913336417, $59.95, PB, 442pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tudor-Arte-Warre-1485-1558-Regiment/dp/1913336417
Synopsis: Traditionally, Tudor history seems to concern itself with Monarchy (mostly wives), religion (for or against the
Reformation), and with a side order of cookery (pies and pottage). Tudor warfare has either been dismissed as unimportant
or criticized for its 'backwardness'. There have, however, been recent attempts to reevaluate the achievements of the Tudors
at war, especially the part played by Henry VIII in the 'modernization' of the army, in the context of the continuing military
revolution debate.
"The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558: The Conduct of War from Henry VII to Mary I" by Jonathan Davies provides a broad
and comprehensive survey of the Tudor army, explaining its campaigns and battles in the context of its monarchs and their
diplomatic and foreign policy priorities. This detailed historical study also provides a thematic examination of key issues,
such as recruitment, fortification, equipment, tactics and supply.
While much has been written about how far the Tudor military does or does not fit into a perceived pattern of European
military development, "The Tudor Arte of Warre 1485-1558" argue that it can only be understood if the unique political,
social and economic background of England is appreciated. The conclusion drawn is that for all the 'failings' identified by
historians, it was a system that was not only 'fit for purpose' but it could on occasion achieve extraordinary feats, whether
those be the Device forts of Henry VIII or the stunning victories at Flodden and Pinkie.
Critique: An exceptional work of meticulous and exhaustive research based scholarship, "The Tudor Arte of Warre
1485-1558: The Conduct of War from Henry VII to Mary I" is an extraordinary contribution to the study of Tudor England
in general, and military history in particular. Impressively well written, organized and presented, "The Tudor Arte of Warre
1485-1558" is a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jonathan Davies has spent the last forty years teaching medieval and Tudor history as well as leading a
medieval/Tudor re-enactment group. He has written extensively on a wide range of historical subjects both civilian and
military, including a book on the navy in the reign of Henry VIII. Most recently he completed a title for Osprey, The
Medieval Cannon 1326-1494. He brings a lifetime of practical and academic experience to the subject. providing new
insights into a topic which has often been little regarded.
The Egyptology Shelf
Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples
Nigel Fletcher-Jones
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9789774169700, $12.95, PB, 200pp
https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Simbel-Short-Guide-Temples/dp/9774169700
Synopsis: The three-thousand-year-old rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel and the story of their rescue from the rising waters
of Lake Nasser in the 1960s are almost as familiar worldwide as the tale of the gold funerary mask and brief life of the boy
king Tutankhamun. Yet although they are among the most celebrated, visited, and photographed archaeological sites in the
world, the two temples are among the least understood by the visitor.
"Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples" is a lucidly written, beautifully illustrated guide, in which archaeologist and
Egyptologist Nigel Fletcher-Jones explains the main features of both temples, discusses what they teach us about ancient
Egypt during the reign of Rameses II (1265 - 1200 BC), and illustrates which gods and goddesses were worshipped
here.
With over 50 new photographs, drawings, and diagrams, and packed with fascinating insights, "Abu Simbel: A Short Guide
to the Temples" is an indispensable companion and souvenir to one of the world's great archaeological sites.
Critique: Impressively informed and informative, "Abu Simbel: A Short Guide to the Temples" is a pleasure to simply
browse and will prove to be a welcome addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library
Egyptology, Egyptian History, and Travel collections.
Editorial Note: Nigel Fletcher-Jones, with a PhD in archaeological anthropology from Durham University, UK, was director
of the American University in Cairo Press from 2012 to 2020. He is the author of Treasures of Ancient Egypt (2019), Abu
Simbel and the Nubian Temples (2019), and Ancient Egyptian Jewelry (2020).
On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel
Andrew Humphreys
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9781649031129, $29.95, PB, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nile-Golden-Age-Travel/dp/1649031122
Synopsis: Since Antony and Cleopatra honeymooned on the Nile on a gilded barge, visitors to Egypt have taken to the river
as the best way to experience the country's wonders. Early travelers took a dahabiya, an elegant triangular-sailed houseboat,
and leisurely meandered from riverside site to site, for three months or more.
Then from the late nineteenth century, Thomas Cook of Leicester, England, revolutionized the journey with a fleet of
specially built paddle steamers. For the next sixty years these 'floating palaces,' with their private cabins, and dining,
smoking, and viewing salons, red-uniformed dragoman guides, and organized donkey excursions, carried the aristocratic,
moneyed, and adventurous of international society of the time.
Using period photography, and colorful vintage posters and advertising material, "On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel"
by Andrew Humphreys tells the story of the people, the places, and the boats, from pioneering Nile travelers like Amelia
Edwards and Lucie Duff Gordon, through to famed later passengers, such as Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, and, of
course, Agatha Christie, whose staging of a death on the Nile only added to the allure.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel" is an extraordinary and unique history
that will prove to be an enduringly popular and welcome addition to personal reading lists and community library Travel
History & Guide collections.
Editorial Note: Andrew Humphreys is also the author of National Geographic Traveler Egypt (AUC Press, 2009), Grand
Hotels of Egypt in the Golden Age of Travel (AUC Press, 2012), and The American University in Cairo: 100 Years, 100
Stories (AUC Press, 2020).
The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Editing for Directors
Gael Chandler
Michael Wiese Productions
www.mwp.com
9781615933280, $29.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Editing-Directors-Guide-Creative-Collaboration/dp/161593328X
Synopsis: "Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration" by Gael Chandler guides the novice director through
post-production, starting with planning for editing during the shoot and ending with the completion of their film.
A thoroughly comprehensive and well-illustrated instruction manual, "Editing for Directors" describes the artistic,
organizational, and technical skills editors bring to the party; Tells directors what to look for when hiring an editor and the
best ways to work with an editor; Explains how and why directors should plan for editing before they shoot a frame;
Devotes a full chapter to relating the history of editing and cutting tools and how they have affected the language of cinema
and present-day editing; Defines and discusses cutting-room terms, practices, and workflows; Reveals how editors approach
footage and put shows together;
Details the postproduction process from dailies to director's cut to locked cut; Covers creating and overseeing VFX (video
effects); Demystifies spotting the show with the sound and music crew and creating, editing, and mixing sound and music;
Describes titling, color grading, the DI (digital intermediate) process, and producing a show's final deliverables; as well as
spelling out ways to archive a show and why doing so matters.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration"
is the ideal curriculum textbook on the subject and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and
film school library collection. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of film students and novice directors that
"Editing for Directors: A Guide for Creative Collaboration" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$28.45).
Editorial Note: Gael Chandler has spent over three decades in Los Angeles editing comedies, dramas, documentaries,
features, corporate videos, and promos. She cut in every medium: film, tape, and digital, and has trained hundreds of
professionals, professors, independent filmmakers, and students to operate digital editing equipment. Chandler worked on
The New Leave It to Beaver, the first show to edit on Ediflex, a groundbreaking nonlinear editing system, and was
nominated two years in a row for a Cable ACE award for Best Editing of a Comedy Series. As a member of the Editors Peer
Group of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, she judged the Emmys and student contests for years. The author
also taught classes on editing history, theory, and practice to college students at Loyola Marymount University and
California State Universities at Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Northridge.
The General Fiction Shelf
My Good Son: A Novel
Yang Huang
University of New Orleans Press
https://www.uno.edu/unopress
9781608012015, $18.95 pbk / $9.49 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/My-Good-Son-Yang-Huang/dp/1608012018
Synopsis: From award-winning author Yang Huang, My Good Son explores the power-and the cost-of parental love. A
tailor in post-Tiananmen China, Mr. Cai has one ambition: for his son, Feng, to make something of himself. With harsh
discipline and relentless pressure, Mr. Cai succeeds in getting Feng ready to attend a U.S. college, but Feng needs a
sponsor.
When Mr. Cai meets a closeted American art student named Jude, they hatch a plan to benefit them both: get Feng to the US
and help Jude come out to his conservative father. Their scheme will expose the fault lines in both Chinese and American
cultures, father-son relationships, familial expectations, gender and sexuality, social status, and mobility. Huang's writing
abounds with sharp insights and a quiet humor, revealing the complexity of family relationships amidst two rapidly
changing cultures.
Critique: My Good Son: A Novel is a thoughtful, cross-cultural novel about the quandaries of family relationships and
social expectations. A Chinese tailor who yearns for his son to become successful forms an unlikely alliance with a closeted
gay American art student, but there carefully constructed plan has pivotal weaknesses. Written by an author who grew up in
China and lived in the United States since 1990, My Good Son offers unique insights attuned to life in both nations, and is
highly recommended especially for public library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists
that My Good Son is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.49).
Editorial Note: Yang Huang grew up in Yangzhou, China and has lived in the United States since 1990. Her linked story
collection, My Old Faithful, won the Juniper Prize for fiction. Her debut novel, Living Treasures, won the Nautilus Book
Award silver medal in fiction.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Reuben's Revenge
Ben Ray
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847185, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 256pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847185
Synopsis: Reuben and Grace Chisholm led a happy, almost idyllic, life on a small homestead -- until the day that of the
infamous Quantrill raiders were to change their lives. In the saloon, Reuben heard that their closest neighbours, the Carver
family, had been murdered and their home destroyed. His first thought was for Grace, and he set off to return to her. But he
was too late. The house had been burned to the ground and there was no sign of his wife. Now he must find her -- and so
began his career of bounty hunting with Bloody Bill Anderson as his target, along with the notorious Jesse James gang.
Critique: As a western action/adventure novelist, Ben Ray is a master of the genre and "Reuben's Revenge" is one of his
best. This large print edition from the Linford Western Library is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists
of all western fans, and certain to be an enduring favorite for community library Western Fiction collections.
Merriweather Rides West
Lee Lejeune
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847123, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 272pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847123
Synopsis: Failed law student and ex-outlaw Jacob Merriweather is riding west to start a new life when he strikes up a
friendship with Sam Critchley, an eccentric traveling preacher. Sam suggests that they call in at a smallholding owned by his
friends Stan and Beth Salinger, only to find that the young couple has been shot dead. They report the murder to the local
sheriff and return to town, where they meet Marie Silversmith, a close friend of the Salingers. Marie is determined to bring
the killers to justice and she persuades Jacob and Sam to help her. They are joined by an Indian tracker called Running Deer,
and together this unlikely posse sets out on a mission that proves to be both challenging and extremely dangerous!
Critique: Gun play, plot twists, right vs. wrong, "Merriweather Rides West" by Lee Lejeune is a simply riveting read from
first page to last. This large print paperback edition is strongly recommended reading for all dedicated western novel fans
and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections.
Beware the Guns of Iron Eyes
Rory Black
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847178, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 224pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847178
Synopsis: Iron Eyes finds himself staring at a forest. A forest that reminds him of a time long before he had become the
scarred infamous bounty hunter he now was. As he waits for his beloved Squirrel Sally to show up on her stagecoach, his
mind drifts back to how it had all started - in the forest where he had been abandoned as a baby and raised by timber wolves,
and his first introduction to the white man's world.
Critique: Simply stated, the origin story of Iron Eyes the bounty hunter is a must for the legions of Iron Eyes fans. "Beware
the Guns of Iron Eyes" by Rory Black is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated western
fans and will prove to be a welcome and appreciated addition to community library Western Fiction collections.
Vulture Wings
Dirk Hawkman
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847161, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 248pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847161
Synopsis: Infamous outlaws, the Strong brothers will do anything for a quick buck and that is includes kidnaping. They are
paid to abduct two young Connor men -- don't ask too many questions when their paymaster gives them some unusual
instructions. Then, as the boys' father races to rescue his sons, he realises that their snatching is linked to dark secrets from
his old life as a bounty hunter.
Critique: Another spell binding western novel by a master of the genre, Dirk Hawkman's "Vulture Wings" is an original and
deftly crafted read from first page to last. Certain to be a favorite for all dedicated western buffs, this large print edition from
the Linford Western Library is especially recommended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction
collections.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
In the Land of Dead Horses
Bruce McCandless III
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626348639, $19.95, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Land-Dead-Horses-Bruce-McCandless/dp/1626348634
Synopsis: A novel by Bruce McDandless II, "In the Land of Dead Horses" tells the story of Texas Ranger Jewel T.
Lightfoot's pursuit of and confrontation with a resurrected horror from another age - a manifestation of the Mayan god of
darkness, unearthed from its subterranean crypt in the wastelands of the Chihuahuan Desert and set loose on an
unsuspecting world.
Lightfoot, a hard-drinking Texas Ranger, is aided by an aging silver miner named Ernesto Zavala and his grandson Antonio,
a rangy firebrand who longs to free his people from the rule of Porfirio Diaz's corrupt Mexican government. Together, these
unlikely heroes face off against a sinister German academic, a trio of religious fanatics who wants to restore the glory of the
Mayan empire, and a horror from the depths of history that grows stronger with each setting sun.
Critique: What can be best described as a 'paranormal whodunnit' that deftly combines elements of fantasy and mystery set
in the American West of 1908, "In the Land of Dead Horses" is a unique and riveting read from cover to cover. Very highly
recommended, especially for community library collections, "In the Land of Dead Horses" clearly showcases author Bruce
McCandless genuine flair for originality and distinct narrative storytelling. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
"In the Land of Dead Horses" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
The Political Science Shelf
Why Political Democracy Must Go
John Reed, author
Gaudium
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592110995, $29.99, HC, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Political-Democracy-Must-Socialism/dp/1592110991
Synopsis: "Why Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" by John Reed is an insightful
analysis of the origins of the socialist movement in the United States. Although one of socialism's fiercest proponents, Reed
exposes the myth of 'democratic socialism' by providing an overview of the development of socialist thought in America.
His devastating critique of political democracy argues that socialism cannot be achieved through democratic means.
Originally published in 1919 in serial form, "Why Political Democracy Must Go" provides critical historical insight on the
evolution of socialist thought in the United States. Today, when there is renewed interest in socialism on the American
political scene, this notable series of essays reveals the underpinnings of socialist thought. Reed's analysis will be of interest
to those on all sides of the political spectrum.
"Why Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" is deftly edited, with an introduction by
Dr. A.K. Brackob, a noted historian, and editor of John Reed's collection of writings, Romania during World War I:
Observations of an American Journalist (2018).
Critique: An inherently fascination read of a political commentary and analysis that has stood the test of time, "Why
Political Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" is especially and unreservedly recommended
for community, college, and university library Political Science 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 "Why Political
Democracy Must Go: The Origins of Socialism in the United States" is also readily available in a paperback edition
(9781592111503, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Born in Portland, Oregon, on October 22, 1887, Harvard educated John Reed was considered one of the
most remarkable journalists of his generation. He became famous for his first-hand accounts of the Mexican Revolution,
where he rode alongside Pancho Villa, and for his acclaimed account of the Russian Revolution, Ten Days that Shook the
World. Reed was also a political activist and a founding member of the Communist Labor Party of America. He died in
Russia on October 17, 1920, and is one of only three Americans buried in the Kremlin Wall.
The Gardening Shelf
Grow Easy
Anna Greenland, author
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784727352, $24.99, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Easy-Organic-crops-plots/dp/1784727350
Synopsis: A new generation of growers are hungry for the know-how to transform their balconies, front steps and back
gardens into edible spaces. Whether it's due to vulnerabilities in our global food system or the simple realization that
gardening makes you feel good, now is the time for "Grow Easy: Organic Crops for Plots & Small Plots"/
Organic gardening expert Anna Greenland offers the jargon-free information, inspiration and confidence you need to get
growing from scratch with absolutely no prior knowledge. Growing in an organic, sustainable way is central to "Grow Easy"
and it doesn't need to be difficult or more expensive.
"Grow Easy" features Anna's 30 top crop choices (10 vegetables, 10 herbs, 10 flowers/fruit) that are perfect for small spaces.
Plant 'spotlights' give in-depth advice on how to grow each crop in a pot, in the ground or on a windowsill; A year-round
planner keeps you on track with monthly tasks; Seasonal crop plans for those with small gardens, with a blueprint for two
small raised beds that gives continuous harvests and avoids gluts; Suggested planting combinations for striking pots or
windowsills inspire creativity.
Critique: Specifically designed for urban and suburban gardening enthusiasts and profusely illustrated throughout, "Grow
Easy: Organic Crops for Plots & Small Plots" will prove to be a highly valued addition to community library Contemporary
Gardening instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Grow Easy" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
The Art Shelf
Patrick Mehaffy
Patrick Mehaffy
University of New Mexico Press
1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
www.unmpress.com
9781934491843, $70.00, HC, 200pp
https://unmpress.com/books/patrick-mehaffy/9781934491843
Synopsis: Published by the University of New Mexico Press, "Patrick Mehaffy" explores and showcases the pathos and
promise of the human experience in truly memorable images created by New Mexico artist Patrick Mehaffy through his
sculptures, drawings, and, more recently, his paintings that harken back to the timelessness of cultures past while affirming
human relevance in a precarious world. Beneath the sensual surfaces of his works lies a keen understanding of the liminal
spaces between nature and society and the impact of human activity on Earth, now known as the Anthropocene.
Critique: Featuring 146 color plates, "Patric Mehaffy" is coffee-table style volume (10.5 x 12 in.) that will be a prized and
enduringly welcome addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary American
Art & Artists collections.
Editorial Note: Throughout his thirty-five-year career, Mehaffy has approached his art from the perspective of the
unconscious. His work is informed by his education and training in anthropology and museology as well as his experiences
in the wilderness and, ultimately, as an artist. He reveres animals while admiring how past cultures have done the same
through their art and objects of veneration. Mehaffy's reveries are aesthetically perceptive and keep the past alive while
interpreting it in new ways, reigniting our own need to appreciate and honor nature and culture, both past and present.
The Mythology Shelf
Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume II
Joseph Campbell
New World Library
https://newworldlibrary.com
9781608687282, $29.95 hc / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Oriental-Mythology-Masks-God-2/dp/1608687287
Synopsis: It has perhaps never been more important than it is today to understand the world around us and the world's
religions. It is now well understood that health, climate, and economic issues are truly global. On completing The Masks of
God, Campbell wrote, "Its main result for me has been the confirmation of a thought I have long and faithfully entertained:
of the unity of man, not only in its biology, but also in its spiritual history, which has everywhere unfolded in the manner of
a single symphony... irresistibly advancing to some kind of mighty climax, out of which the next great movement will
emerge."
Upon the publication of this volume, in which Campbell delves into the fables and folklore of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Taoism, and Shintoism, Professor Robert Gorham Davis of Columbia University wrote, "It is impossible to read this
startling and entertaining book without an enlarged sense of total human possibility." Oriental Mythology remains
mesmerizing in its eloquence, its scope, and its tantalizing vision of what may next emerge.
Critique: Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume II continues Joseph Campbell's seminal series about the
mythology, folklore, and philosophies that have shaped human civilization. Volume II especially focuses on the mythologies
of India, China, and Japan. A seminal, in-depth analysis, Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume II is a "must-
have" for college library Mythology shelves, as are the other volumes of the series, "Primitive Mythology" and "Occidental
Mythology". It should be noted for personal reading lists that Oriental Mythology is also available in a Kindle edition
($9.99).
Editorial Note: Joseph Campbell (1904 - 1987) is widely credited with bringing mythology to a mass audience through his
many lectures and books, including his masterwork The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the phenomenally popular PBS
series Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers.
The Nautical Shelf
Seamanship 2.0
Mike Westin, Olle Landsell, Nina Olofsson, Par Olofsson
Adlard Coles
c/o Bloomsbury
https://www.bloomsbury.com
9781472977021, $20.00 pbk / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Seamanship-2-0-Everything-yourself-trouble/dp/1472977025
Synopsis: The basic knowledge to sort yourself out when encountering problems at sea is largely forgotten. How to find
your way when the GPS plotter has a blackout, how to save the life of someone in your crew when the ambulance or SAR
helicopter is hours away... Too many rely on technology to navigate and run their boats, and this beautifully illustrated
handbook will be a literal backup when the tech fails, as well as a bible of core knowledge - seamanship - that all skippers
should know anyway, whether they're in the middle of an emergency or not.
Covering all the basics, with handy fact boxes to highlight especially important information, the authors have lent a modern,
real-world approach to the subject matter, and the wonderful illustrations bring it to life.
Critique: Seamanship 2.0: Everything You Need to Know to Get Yourself out of Trouble at Sea lives up to its title as a
practical handbook of vital seamanship skills, clarified with colorful illustrations. From preparing for a storm at sea, to
fixing sails or gas leaks, responding to emergencies such as "man overboard", to basic first aid for everything from burns to
hypothermia, Seamanship 2.0 is a potentially lifesaving "must-have" for everyone who plans to ride or skipper a boat, and
also highly recommended for public library nautical shelves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Seamanship
2.0 is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).
Editorial Note: Mike Westin has been a boating journalist since 1997, and was Editor-in-Chief of of two Swedish boating
magazines between 2003-2015. He's been a lifeboat cox'n for ten years with the Swedish Lifeboat Institution, and a fast craft
navigation trainer for other skippers.
The Photography Shelf
Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke
Masahisa Fukase
Atelier EXB/Editions
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10013-1507
www.artbook.com
9782365113106, $55.00, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Masahisa-Fukase-Sasuke-Beaux-livres/dp/2365113109
Synopsis: In 1977, photographer Masahisa Fukase turned his lens toward a new companion: his cat, Sasuke. "That year I
took a lot of pictures crawling on my stomach to be at eye level with a cat and, in a way, that made me a cat. It was a job full
of joy, taking these photos playing with what I liked, in accordance with the changes of nature." A year later, he acquired a
second cat, named Momoe. "I didn't want to photograph the most beautiful cats in the world but rather capture their charm
in my lens, while reflecting me in their pupils," he wrote of these images. "You could rightly say that this collection is
actually a 'self-portrait' for which I took the form of Sasuke and Momoe."
Featuring tipped-on cover images, "Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke" is a gorgeously book that is arranged in four chapters,
organized around the chronology of Fukase's life with his cats. As so often in his work, these tender images also express the
photographer's subjectivity and his connection to his subject.
Critique: A true cat lover's delight, "Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke" showcases a seminally Japanese approach to photography-
as-art and is a book of memorable images that will be savored page by page, and image by image -- making it an unique and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Photography
collections.
Editorial Note: Born in 1934 on the island of Hokkaido, in the north of Japan, into a family of studio photographers,
Masahisa Fukase was meant to take over the family business, but instead he launched a career as a freelance reporter in the
late 1960s. In 1971 he published his first photography book, dedicated to his family. In 1974, he cofounded the Workshop
Photography School with Shomei Tomatsu, Eikoh Hosoe, Noriaki Yokosuka, Nobuyoshi Araki and Daido Moriyama. That
same year, MoMA dedicated a milestone exhibition New Japanese Photography to their work; but it was the 1986 book The
Solitude of Ravens that was to make Fukase a revered photographer worldwide.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Romeo and Juliet: Modern English Edition
William Shakespeare
Story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Julien Choy
Modern English adaptation by Michael Barltrop
Manga Classics
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808225 $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Classics-Juliet-Modern-English/dp/1947808222
Part of the Manga Classics series that transforms great works of literature into graphic novels drawn in the art style of
Japanese manga, Romeo and Juliet: Modern English Edition presents the story of Shakespeare's memorable play about
feuding families and star-crossed lovers, brought to life with gorgeous black-and-white artwork. The text of the "Modern
English Edition" has been smoothly adapted from the original phrasing of Shakespeare's work into modern English parlance
that is much easier to read, without sacrificing any of the original's heart-wrenching tragedy. Romeo and Juliet: Modern
English Edition is a new, reader-friendly way to experience Shakespeare's great work, ideal for both high school and public
library collections. Also highly recommended is the original Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet (9781947808041, $17.99),
the version of this graphic novel which features the unabridged and unmodified text of Shakespeare's play.
Macbeth: Modern English Edition
William Shakespeare
Story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Julien Choy
Modern English adaptation by Michael Barltrop
Manga Classics
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808218 $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Classics-Macbeth-Modern-English/dp/1947808214
Part of the Manga Classics series that transforms great works of literature into graphic novels drawn in the art style of
Japanese manga, Macbeth: Modern English Edition is a rendition of Shakespeare's tragedy about the lust for power that
consumes a nobleman and his wife, leading them commit treason and murder. The striking black-and-white artwork brings
intrigue, battles, and bloodshed to life. The text of the "Modern English Edition" has been adapted from the play's original
phrasing into modern English parlance, making the dark story more accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Macbeth:
Modern English Edition is an excellent way to introduce a new generation of readers to the pathos of Shakespeare's dark
parables, and a choice pick for both high school and public library graphic novel collections. Also highly recommended is
the original Manga Classics: Macbeth (9781947808089, $17.99), the version of this graphic novel which features the
unabridged and unmodified text of Shakespeare's play.
The Library CD Shelf
This Pale
Shujaat Husain Khan, Katayoun Goudarzi, Shaho Andalibi, and Shariq Mustafa
Privately Published
$TBA
Iranian-American vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi, Grammy-nominated master sitar player Shujaat Khan, Iranian ney player
Shaho Andalibi, and tabla player Shariq Mustafa present This Pale, an album that revolves around the classic love poems of
the Sufi mystic Rumi (1207-1273). An emotional work, created in hope of inspiring compassion, discourse, and sympathy.
This Pale is heartfelt, inspirational, spiritually moving, and highly recommended. The tracks are "Wild", "One", "Tender",
"Sweetest", "Still Here", and "All I've Got".
The Library DVD Shelf
Discoveries Costa Rica: Architecture & Religion
Bennett-Watt Entertainment
www.Bennett-Watt.com
9781604903010 $24.95 DVD / $9.95 download
https://www.bennett-watt.com/products/copy-of-discoveries-costa-rica-architecture-religion
The fifth program in the "Discoveries Costa Rica" DVD series of beautiful video essays, Architecture & Religion showcases
the extraordinary, beautiful, and historic Catholic Church architecture near the central valley of Costa Rica. An eye-opening
tour of grand and pious institutions, Discoveries Costa Rica: Architecture & Religion is the next best experience to
witnessing Costa Rica's memorable religious institutions in person. Discoveries Costa Rica: Architecture & Religion is
highly recommended especially for armchair travelers and public library DVD collections. 52 min.
Discoveries Costa Rica Birds - Quetzals to Cuckoos
Bennett-Watt Entertainment
www.Bennett-Watt.com
9781604903027 $24.95 DVD / $9.95 download
https://www.bennett-watt.com/products/discoveries-costa-rica-birds-quetzals-to-cuckoos
The sixth program in the "Discoveries Costa Rica" DVD series of beautiful video essays, Birds - Quetzals to Cuckoos is a
captivating documentary showcasing rare, exotic, and striking birds native to Costa Rica. Since Costa Rica has over 900
bird species, only a fraction of its avian diversity can be portrayed in a single program, yet here are the honeycreeper, the
rufous tailed hummingbird, the black vulture, the northern emerald toucanet, and much more. Birds - Quetzals to Cuckoos is
the next best thing to personally visiting Costa Rica on a birdwatching expedition, and highly recommended for both avian
aficionados and public library DVD collections. 63 min.
The Computer Shelf
BIM-enabled Cognitive Computing for Smart Built Environment
Ibrahim Yitmen
CRC Press
https://crcpress.com
9780367861834, $160.00
https://www.amazon.com/BIM-enabled-Cognitive-Computing-Smart-Environment/dp/0367861836
Synopsis: The book provides knowledge in the Building Information Model (BIM)-enabled cognitive computing methods
for smart built environment involving cognitive network capabilities for smart buildings, integrating Augmented
Reality/Mixed Reality in cognitive building concepts, cognitive Internet of Things (CIoT) for smart cities, Artificial
Intelligence applications for cognitive cities, and cognitive smart cities using big data and machine learning. It focuses on
the potential, requirements and implementation of CIoT paradigm to buildings, Artificial Intelligence techniques, reasoning,
and Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality in cognitive building concepts, the concept of cognitive smart cities in its
complexity, heterogeneity, and scope, and the challenge of utilizing the big data generated by smart cities from a machine
learning perspective.
The book comprises BIM-based and data-analytic research on cognitive IoT for smart buildings and cognitive cities using
big data and machine learning as complex and dynamic systems. It presents applied theoretical contributions fostering a
better understanding of such systems and the synergistic relationships between the motivating physical and informational
settings. It reviews ongoing development of BIM-based and data science technologies for the processing, analysis,
management, modeling, and simulation of big and context data and the associated applicability to cognitive systems that
will advance different aspects of future cognitive cities.
The book also analyses the required material to inform pertinent research communities of the state-of-the-art research and
the latest development in the area of cognitive smart cities development, as well as a valuable reference for planners,
designers, strategists, and ICT experts who are working towards the development and implementation of CIoT based on big
data analytics and context-aware computing.
Critique: BIM-enabled Cognitive Computing for Smart Built Environment: Potential, Requirements, and Implementation is
a scholarly analysis written especially for researchers and professionals in the field. BIM stands for "Building Information
Model"; the analyzed computing techniques include cognitive networks for "smart buildings", Cognitive Internet of Things
for "smart cities", artificial intelligence applications designed for cognitive cities, and more. Lists of references and an index
rounds out this highly technical and detailed resource, highly recommended especially for university library collections.
Editorial Note: Ibrahim Yitmen received his PhD in Architecture from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. He is
currently an Associate Professor in Management of Construction Production at Jonkoping University, Sweden since
February 2018. His research focus is mainly on Innovation in Construction involving socio-technical issues regarding digital
transformation in AEC industry, and his recent special interest is on BIM-Enabled Cognitive Computing for Smart Built
Environment, Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality for Cognitive Buildings, Blockchain Technology in Construction Supply
Chains, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and BIM Integration for Construction Safety Planning and Monitoring, and Automated
BIM-based Construction Project Progress Monitoring. Dr. Yitmen have published more than 70 research papers in refereed
international journals and in peer reviewed conference proceedings.
The Mathematics Shelf
An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications
J. A. Tenreiro Machado and Vitor M. R. Cunha
CRC Press
https://crcpress.com
9780367523411, $120.00 hc / $44.49 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Bond-Graph-Modeling-Applications/dp/0367523418
Synopsis: An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications presents a collection of exercises on dynamical
systems, modeling and control for university students in the areas of engineering, physics and applied mathematics. We can
find several books on bond graphs, but most merely a small set of exercises and, in a few cases, some commands for
computer packages like MATLAB or Mathematica. It is di cult to nd books with a broad set of solved exercises and
proposed exercises with solutions, guiding researchers starting their work with bond graphs, or students who are just
beginning their study of the topic. This book aims to fill that gap, and provide a comprehensive, reader-friendly introduction
to the Bond Graph modeling tool.
An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications gives in-depth theoretical background coupled with practical,
hands-on instructions; provides a clear pedagogical framework, with numerous exercises and problems; and is suitable for
students and researchers who work with bond graphs. An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling is especially ideal for
applied mathematicians, physicists, and engineers.
Critique: A bond graph is a graphical representation of a physical dynamic system (such as a swinging clock pendulum, the
flow of water through a pipe, or any other physical system that involves movement). An Introduction to Bond Graph
Modeling with Applications lives up to its title as a reference that provides both theoretical background and step-by-step
instructions for bond graph modeling, with exercises and problems for readers to practice. Familiarity with mathematics is
presumed as chapters jump into basic mathematical models of dynamic systems, the elements of bond graph modeling, ways
to assign causality to a bond graph, and much more. An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling with Applications is an
invaluable resource of mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and college library reference collections, highly recommended.
It should be noted for personal reading lists that An Introduction to Bond Graph Modeling is also available in a Kindle
edition ($44.49).
Editorial Note: J. A. Tenreiro Machado was born at 1957. He earned his PhD. (1989) and 'Habilitation' (1995), in Electrical
and Computer Engineering at the University of Porto. He started his teaching and research activity in 1980. He is currently
the Principal Coordinator Professor at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of
Porto,. His research interests include complex systems, nonlinear dynamics, fractional calculus, modeling, entropy, control,
evolutionary computing, and others.
Vitor M. R. Cunha graduated in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Porto in 1999. He completed
his master's degree also in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto in 2009. He started
to work as a research assistant after graduating and began teaching at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Institute of
Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto in 2001. He works in a wide spectrum of subjects such as Information
Technology, Virtual Reality, Realtime Simulation, Robotics, Electronics, Modeling and Control of Dynamical Systems.
The Sports Shelf
The Brain on Youth Sports
Julie M. Stamm
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
https://rowman.com
9781538143193, $30.00 hc / $28.50 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Youth-Sports-Science-Future/dp/1538143194
Synopsis: "They're just little kids, they don't hit that hard or that much." "Girls soccer is the most dangerous sport." "Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy only happens to former NFL players." "Youth sports are safer than ever." These are all myths
propagated with the goal of maintaining the status quo in youth sports, which can subject young, rapidly maturing brains to
hundreds of impacts each season. In this book, Julie Stamm dissects the issue of repetitive brain trauma in youth sports and
their health consequences, explaining the science behind concussions, CTE, and subconcussive impacts written in an
easy-to-understand approach, so you can be a well-informed consumer and decision maker. It's not all about concussions.
Those repetitive impacts that happen on every play in football or with every header in soccer can damage the brain, too. The
consequences can be even worse for a child's developing brain. Stamm counters the myths, bad arguments, and propaganda
surrounding the youth sports industry. This book also provides guidance for those deciding whether or not their child should
play sports with a high risk of repetitive brain trauma as well as for those hoping to make youth sports truly as safe as
possible for young athletes.
Stamm, a former three-sport athlete herself, understands the many wonderful benefits that come from playing youth sports
and believes all children should have the opportunity to play sports without the risk of long-term consequences. No athlete
has to sustain hundreds of impacts and repetitive brain trauma in order to gain the benefits of sports. This work is a
must-read before you suit up your child for another practice or send your team out for another game.
Critique: Clinical assistant professor Julie Stamm, Ph.D applies her expertise in anatomy, childhood development, and
athletics in The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future, a balanced scrutiny of the risks to the brain
involved in youth sports. Stamm explains the science and medical knowledge behind concussions, CTE, and subconcussive
impacts in terms accessible to parents, educators, and readers of all backgrounds. Stamm is emphatically not against youth
sports; she is an ardent advocate of the physical and social benefits of athletic competition, but stresses that those benefits
do not have to come at the cost of potential brain trauma. The Brain on Youth Sports offers practical suggestions for making
youth sports safer for everyone, and is highly recommended especially for parents, educators, and youth coaches. It should
be noted for personal reading lists that The Brain on Youth Sports is also available in a Kindle edition ($28.50).
Editorial Note: Julie Stamm, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She brings a
unique perspective on the issues of repetitive head impacts in youth sports as a scientist and expert in the field, an anatomist
with knowledge of childhood development throughout the body and the brain, and an athletic trainer who has provided
medical care for athletes in a variety of sports. As an avid sports fan and a three-sport high school athlete from a small town
in Wisconsin, she values the importance of sports participation for children.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Coming Home to Nez Perce Country
Trevor J Bond
Washington State University Press
https://wsupress.wsu.edu
9780874224054, $24.95 pbk
https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-Nez-Perce-Country/dp/0874224055
In 1847, missionary Henry Spalding shipped two barrels to Dr. Dudley Allen in Kinsman, Ohio. The "Indian curiosities"
inside included exquisite Nez Perce shirts, dresses, baskets, and horse regalia-some decorated with porcupine quills and
others with precious dentalium shells and rare elk teeth. Donated to Oberlin College in 1893 and transferred to the Ohio
Historical Society (OHS) in 1942, the collection languished in storage until Nez Perce National Historic Park curators
rediscovered it in 1976. The OHS loaned most of the artifacts to the National Park Service. After receiving conservation
treatment, the pieces were placed on display in climate-controlled cases.
Twelve years later, the OHS abruptly recalled the collection, but after public pressure and extended negotiations, agreed to
sell the articles to the Nez Perce at their full appraised value of $608,100, with a seemingly impossible six-month payment
deadline. The tribe formed the Nez Perce Heritage Quest Alliance and mounted a brilliant grassroots fundraising campaign.
One day before the time limit, they met their goal.
Josiah Pinkham, Nez Perce cultural specialist, notes that they embody "the earliest and greatest centralization of
ethnographic objects for the Nez Perce people. You don't have a collection of this size, this age, anywhere else in the
world." The author draws on interviews with Nez Perce experts and extensive archival research to tell the collection's
remarkable story. He also examines the ethics of acquiring, bartering, owning, and selling Native cultural history, as Native
American, First Nation, and Indigenous communities continue their efforts to restore their exploited cultural heritage from
collectors and museums-pieces that are living, breathing, intimately connected to their home region, and inspirational for
sustaining cultural traditions.
Critique: Coming Home to Nez Perce Country: The Niimiipuu Campaign to Repatriate Their Exploited Heritage is the true
story of a collection of cultural artifacts of the Nez Perce people, donated to the Oberlin College and later transferred to the
Ohio Historical Society. After years of storage, the collection's display led to public pressure to return the collection to the
Nez Perce. This ultimate involved a negotiated sale of the collection's appraised value of $608,100, and a grassroots funding
campaign to aid the Nez Perce. Constructed from interviews with Nez Perce experts and in-depth archival research, Coming
Home to Nez Perce Country is more than a historical record; it also explores philosophical and ethical questions about
trading, buying, owning, and selling artifacts of Native American history and culture. Notes and an index round out this
welcome addition to public and college library Native American Studies collections.
Editorial Note: Trevor James Bond is the co-director of the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation and the associate
dean for digital initiatives and special collections at the Washington State University Libraries. He holds a Ph.D. in
history.
I Will
Sheron Wyant-Leonard
Skyhorse Publishing
https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781951627768, $27.99 hc / $18.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Will-American-Indians-Changed-History/dp/1951627768
Synopsis: In I Will, Sheron Wyant-Leonard weaves the personal recollections of four members of the American Indian
Movement--Leonard Peltier, Dennis Banks, Dorothy Ninham, and her husband Herb Powless--into a unique narrative to
expose their trials and tribulations over the course of two decades.
When the last gunshots of the Indian Wars of the nineteenth century faded away, a dark and desperate time began for Native
American people. Poverty, neglect, and hopelessness hung over the land. But as the seventies dawned, a powerful
movement for change by newly urban Indians was born with the words "American Indian Movement." This story includes a
brief look at their childhoods as told by the people who lived it, including their government boarding schools, reservation
life, the fight against termination, and the founding of their resistance with building takeovers and government saboteurs, a
prison escape, including the largest FBI manhunt in history. They walked the line between courage and fear and changed the
direction of Native history forever.
Critique: I Will: How Four American Indians Put Their Lives on the Line and Changed History presents the true stories of
four members of the American Indian Movement, a peaceful grassroots movement founded in 1968 to address systemic
poverty, discrimination, and police brutality against Native Americans. The story of each leader covers a look at their
childhood, their experience at government boarding schools, their resistance to government termination or disbandment of
the tribes, and their efforts to change Native American history. I Will is profound and inspirational reading, highly
recommended especially for public library Native American Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists
that I Will is also available in a Kindle edition ($18.99).
The Literary Studies Shelf
Impressions
Ameya Pandit
Independently Published
9781737104506 $6.99
https://www.amazon.com/Impressions-Short-Letters-Ameya-Pandit/dp/1737104504
Ameya Pandit's debut collection Impressions: Short Letters symbolize his thoughts throughout a span of years, and represents a search for life meanings through an examination of memories and world experience.
If this sounds like heady reading, be advised that the short pieces in Impressions cultivate a tone and inspection that is meant to linger in the mind without challenging the reader's ability to easily absorb their messages.
Take "On Childhood," for example - the opening piece in the collection. Pandit's memories and reflections of youth are presented in a series of vignettes, some of which may be accused of being run-on sentences unless the reader absorbs that these stream-of-thought associations are actually connected jigsaw pieces of impressions that, when linked together, form a uniform evolutionary experience: "I hear an anthem, I see the march of the troops, there is a show of strength, of stature; this is the anthem of a nation, a nation celebrating the continuance of a new era, the birth of its freedom; then after a while as the celebrations wind down, I hear a cry, a cry of a new life, one who may be a few months old; this I say is also an anthem, perhaps a far superior one, one that our ears invariably tune in to; one that needs no salute, no flag, no armor; one that lives in all yet unique to each, and one that a child speaks well before he knows his nation or his God; even the brave soldier lends his hand to protect such a one, for this anthem transcends every other, this is the anthem of life, the anthem of our humanity."
This is just one example of the form these reflections cultivates: a blend of metaphor, meaning, and memory that serve as testimonies to the rhythms and sequences of life.
As readers progress through the collection, it's evident that Pandit's works are diverse, philosophical, and reflective in nature. They hold the ability to link individual experience with the broader historical backdrop that is the human condition.
Presented in the short forms they are, these impressions serve up digestible thoughts cemented by real-world contacts that make them particularly accessible to either busy readers or those with short attention spans: "Every feeling of happiness, every celebration of victory, every excitement of a journey, and even every moment of joy comes to an end in due course. These rules apply to one and all, to every life, as history repeats, civilizations rise and fall, species come and go, to make way for what is new in form but carries much the same in spirit - the spirit of nature herself."
Perhaps there was no better time to publish Impressions than now, when the Twitter generation and others look for meaning in succinct, brief form rather than in "longhand."
With its focus on a variety of topics, from music and the arts to poetic metaphors of life experience and growth, Impressions is an item of choice for a variety of readers. It will reach literature enthusiasts and philosophy students as well as those who look for beautiful expressions that use the mechanism of language to translate the thoughts and experiences of life into a meaningful draw that illustrates both the "power of the pen" and the ability to assemble "worthy thoughts" that lend to discussion and life celebration alike.
As debut collections go, Impressions is a clear literary winner.
The Criminology Shelf
Redeeming Justice
Jarrett Adams
Convergent Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
www.randomhouse.com
https://crownpublishing.com/archives/imprint/convergent-books
9780593137819, $27.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Redeeming-Justice-Defendant-Defender-Equity/dp/0593137817
Synopsis: Seventeen years old and facing nearly thirty years behind bars, Jarrett Adams sought to figure out the why behind
his fate. Sustained by his mother and aunts who brought him back from the edge of despair through letters of prayer and
encouragement, Adams became obsessed with our legal system in all its damaged glory. After studying how his
constitutional rights to effective counsel had been violated, he solicited the help of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, an
organization that exonerates the wrongfully convicted, and won his release after nearly ten years in prison.
But the journey was far from over. Adams took the lessons he learned through his incarceration and worked his way through
law school with the goal of helping those who, like himself, had faced our legal system at its worst. After earning his law
degree, he worked with the New York Innocence Project, becoming the first exoneree ever hired by the nonprofit as a
lawyer. In his first case with the Innocence Project, he argued before the same court that had convicted him a decade earlier
-- and won.
"Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" is an
illuminating story of hope and full-circle redemption in which Adams draws on his life and the cases of his clients to show
the racist tactics used to convict young men of color, the unique challenges facing exonerees once released, and how the
lack of equal representation in our courts is a failure not only of empathy but of our collective ability to uncover the truth.
"Redeeming Justice" is an unforgettable firsthand account of the limits (and possibilities) of our country's system of
law.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight
for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" is an extraordinary story that is impressively informative, thoughtful,
thought-provoking, and inspiring. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Judicial
Studies, Criminology, and American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Redeeming
Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Jarrett Adams earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in May 2015 and
started a public-interest law fellowship with Ann Claire Williams, judge for the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, the
same court that reversed his conviction. Jarrett also clerked in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
with the late Honorable Deborah Batts. After working for the Innocence Project in New York, he launched the Law Office
of Jarrett Adams, PLLC, in 2017, and now practices in both federal and state courts throughout the country.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
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