March 15, 2011: Volume LXXIX, No 6

KIRKUS v o l.

l x x i x,

n o.

6

|

1 5

m a r c h

2 0 1 1

REVIEWS

t h e nat i o n ’s p r e m i e r b o o k r e v i e w j o u r na l f o r mo r e t h a n 7 5 y e a rs

fiction

nonfiction

children & teens

★ Musician Steve Earle pens an ambitious debut novel that draws from his experiences p. 443

★ Garrett M. Graff succeeds with an action-filled portrait of the FBI in its new guise p. 469

★ Michelle Cooper revisits the royal family of Montmaray for book two of her trilogy p. 493

★ The alleged abuse of a boy by a parish priest is chronicled in Jennifer Haigh’s latest p. 444

★ The natural world is explored by Edward Hoagland in a collection of profound essays p. 471

★ Die-cuts add excitement to Edward Gibbs’ reboot of the classic children’s game, I Spy p. 499

★ Banana Yoshimoto delivers an emotionally rich novel about a pair of lovers in Japan p. 452

★ Steven Levy offers a dense examination of the search engine that changed the Internet p. 474

★ Manatees take center stage in Peter Lourie’s latest in the Scientists in the Field series p. 505

in this issue: continuing series round-up

Adam Mitzner has a conflict of interest; Helon Habila mixes oil and water; Bobbie Ann Mason tells the tale of a World War II pilot; Douglas Kennedy unwraps a mysterious package; Ellis Cose takes on race; and more v i s i t k i rku sre vi e ws. com f or f ull versions of f eatures, q & as and thou sa n ds of archived reviews

mystery p. 453

interactive e-books p. 437

science fiction p. 458

fiction p. 441

f r om

nonfiction p. 459

t h e

children & teens p. 489 kirkus indie p. 522

p u b l i s h e r

Chairman H E R B E RT S I M O N # President M A RC W I N K E L M A N Vice President & Publisher B O B C A R LT O N bcarlton@kirkusreviews.com Editor E L A I N E S Z E WC Z Y K eszewczyk@kirkusreviews.com Managing/Nonfiction Editor E R I C L I E B E T R AU eliebetrau@kirkusreviews.com

Dear Readers, Since the end of 2010, Kirkus has been extremely busy expanding our efforts to be the go-to resource for book discovery. After our print magazine received a much-needed makeover, we dove into the e-book and app review world, becoming the first major publication to offer professional content curation of this burgeoning new medium.

The dawn of March signaled yet another exciting step forward for Kirkus: a new website. Yes, we created a much-needed new look in October, but on March 1, we launched an extensive overhaul of the site, with the goal of being the most user-friendly and interactive version of our site ever.

Not only will you find the search function to be infinitely more useful—so you can find the exact book or author you’re looking for—but you will also find editors’ recommendations for books being published that week, the latest in feature and blog content, daily videos, and a featured author (also updated daily).

Perhaps most importantly, we have integrated Facebook and a commenting feature into our site. In the past, our readers were only able to read our content, but now you become part of the conversation. Read, comment, tell your friends—it’s all there.

Finally, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with QRank, the leading provider of trivia games on the web. Each day, our editors will provide a new, engaging quiz related to books and authors. Take the challenge, test your book knowledge, and play against your friends and family.

Visit kirkusreviews.com to see all of the new developments, and let us know what you think—e-mail us at nextpage@kirkusreviews.com.

—Bob Carlton

Features Editor M O L LY B RO W N molly.brown@kirkusreviews.com Children’s & YA Books VICKY SMITH vicky.smith@kirkusreviews.com Kirkus Indie Editor P E R RY C RO W E perry.crowe@kirkusreviews.com Mysteries Editor THOMAS LEITCH Editorial Coordinator REBECCA CRAMER rebecca.cramer@kirkusreviews.com Contributing Editor G REG ORY Mc NAME E # for customer service or subscription questions, please call 877-441-3010 Kirkus Reviews Online www.kirkusreviews.com Print indexes: www.kirkusreviews.com/ book-reviews/print-indexes Kirkus Blog: www.kirkusreviews.com/blog Advertising Opportunities: www.kirkusreviews.com/about/ advertising-opportunities Submission Guidelines: www.kirkusreviews.com/about/ submission-guidlines Subscriptions: www.kirkusreviews.com/ subscription Newsletters: www.kirkusreviews.com/ subscription/newsletter/add This Issue’s Contributors Maude Adjarian • Mark Athitakis • Joseph Barbato • Joan Blackwell • Amy Boaz • Julie Buffaloe-Yoder • Gary Buiso • Lori Calabria • Christina Cintron • Kelli Daley • Michelle Daugherty • Dave DeChristopher • Gregory F. DeLaurier • David Delman • Kathleen Devereaux • Daniel Dyer • Lisa Elliott • Julie Foster • Peter Franck • Faith Giordano • Devon Glenn • Amy Goldschlager • Peter Heck • Jeff Hoffman • Robert M. Knight • Rebecca Schumejda • Judith Leitch • Angela Leroux-Lindsey • Peter Lewis • Elsbeth Lindner • Carey London • Elise V. MacArthur • Joe Maniscalco • Don McLeese • Gregory McNamee • Carole Moore • Liza Nelson • Mike Newirth • John Noffsinger • Sarah Norris • WM O’Neill • Mike Oppenheim • Jim Piechota • Christofer D. Pierson • William E. Pike • Gary Presley • John T. Rather • Erika Rohrbach • Jim Ruland • Lloyd Sachs • Michael Sandlin • Susan Sebanc • Rebecca Shapiro • Arthur Smith • Wendy Smith • Margot E. Spangenberg • Andria Spencer • Claire Trazenfeld • Steve Weinberg • Carol White • Chris White • Joan Wilentz

interactive e-books I AM NUMBER FOUR MOVIE TIE-IN

interactive e-books for children THE 3 LITTLE PIGS Pop-Up Adventure

Developer: Coleco (15 pp.) $3.99 | Version: 1.0 December 16, 2010 Coleco presents its first app, a cartoon pop-up retelling of the familiar tale. Mama Pig sends her children off, stiffly advising them to “be the best that you can be since that is a great way to get along in the world.” Following the wellestablished narrative, the younger brothers expend little effort in construction, while the eldest exchanges his labor for a lesson in brick-making—and proves the smartest. Animated (read-aloud) mode is automatic, and subtitles are on by default, with spoken words highlighted. Interactive mode (sans text) follows, though modes can be switched (laboriously) by a fastforward/replay button on the screen’s lower edge, along with buttons for help and main menu (start/continue, help, subtitles on/off). Music with a classical flair plays continuously. The app begins and ends with a gilt-lettered book on a table, and each page turn reinforces the 3-D illusion, as one pop-up tableau collapses to be replaced by the next. Animation consists of pop-up and sound effects: Cut-out figures sway, float across the screen or disappear downward and pop back up. Think stick puppets. Readers are even invited to blow the house down (like the wolf). The trick is to blow across the microphone of the device (it pays to read page two of Help). This reinvention will engage some readers, but it probably won’t blow them away. (iPad storybook app. 4-6)

|

kirkusreviews.com

Lore, Pittacus HarperCollins (480 pp.) $12.99 | February 8, 2011 978-0-06-206042-6 Series: The Lorien Legacies, Vol. 1 An enhanced movie tie-in e-pub of pseudonymous author James Frey’s slapdash, cliché-ridden foray into sci-fi for teenagers attempts to add value, though much of it is readily available for free on the Internet. A “message” from Pittacus Lore, nominal author and Elder of the planet Lorien, explains how nine children and nine guardians escaped to Earth before their planet was destroyed by the Mogadorians, but it can also be read online at iamnumberfourfans.com (advertised in the e-book). Likewise, online, readers can “meet” seven out of the 13 characters “introduced” in the e-book, learn the Lorien horoscope signs, find still images from the film and watch most of the same movie trailers (via findnumberfour.com and i-am-number-four.movie-trailer.com). The unique e-book features include an extended text version of the opening scene of the movie (how Number Three dies in Africa); five brief grid-enhanced satellite videos of “Surveillance Clues,” locations supposedly key to the plot; the first two chapters of the upcoming sequel, The Power of Six; and the journal of Sarah, the human girlfriend of the alien hero John Smith (Number Four), in which she describes 11 scenes in the book from her point of view, to complement John’s. Fans must decide if it’s worth paying $3 more than the plain e-book for such meager morsels. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

SHOULD WE GO?

Developer: Makemi Software $0.99 | Version: 1.1 November 19, 2010 There’s a nugget of a great idea—though not a terribly new one—in this app: a story tool that allows readers to pick characters, clothing, setting and mode of transportation. The result should feel like putting on a little play or directing your own movie. But the execution feels sloppy, slapdash and crude. That may be the aesthetic the developers were going for: The six available characters readers can send to such locations as the Moon, the |

interactive e-books

|

15 march 2011

|

437

beach, the zoo and the North Pole are literal stick figures, their clothing simple bow ties, ball caps or the odd astronaut costume. And the trips are to generic places for adventures that are over almost as soon as they begin. A kid who’s fast with a screen-pressing finger can get to the Moon and back in less than two minutes. It may be that it’s meant to be an imaginative exercise, but how to explain sound effects—like a busy signal that’s meant to convey a space shuttle countdown—that sound like they were pulled off a cheap sound-effects library CD? It’s a mildly interesting diversion, but even exploring every option the app offers takes about 10 to 15 minutes; it’s not exactly built to last. You can certainly go with this app, but should you? Probably not. (iPad storybook app. 2-6)

SCRUFFY KITTY

Slack, Michael Illustrator: Slack, Michael Developer: WingedChariot $4.99 | Version: 1.1 December 15, 2010 This multilingual 17-page story-and-sticker app for the youngest readers charms.

Simple rhyming text, one line per page, describes the daily activities of a lovably imperfect cat (“Scruffy Kitty adores the moon / Scruffy Kitty sings out of tune”) up until bedtime. Even the narrator seems to laugh at Scruffy Kitty’s antics, reinforcing readers’ responses. A muted blue background emphasizes the softness of the nighttime setting, while the spiky illustrations convey Scruffy Kitty’s energy. The page layout matches the uncluttered composition, with no navigation or other buttons to distract. The text fades in as it is read, then the page’s interactive element (usually Scruffy) pulses or appears to breathe. When tapped, he moves and makes a range of noises, revealing personality and emotion.

(Note: Once read or tapped, text/objects cannot be immediately replayed. Move on.) There is a separate sticker activity, available off the main menu, that allows readers to generate scenes from Scruffy Kitty’s life on a digital canvas incorporating these images: duck, guitar, bath, moon, dustbin, door, grasshopper, tree, and mouse. Creations can be saved to the device’s photo library.

Narration is available in English (with a British accent), French (Chaton Chiffon), Dutch (Zwerfkatje), Spanish (El Gato Solito) or Chinese. Toddlers will fall in love with Scruffy Kitten and this gently engaging app from Europe. (iPad storybook app. 1-4)

A CRY WOLF TALE HD

Developer: Unicorn Labs $4.99 | Version: 1.2 January 28, 2011

A clever twist on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf ” fable, this story of a prankster wolf who continually fools his 438

|

15 march 2011

|

interactive e-books

|

friends with false sightings of a four-eyed, flea-ridden boy is pretty slick. Told in cute-enough, often-stumbling rhyming couplets (“Wolf said, ‘Don’t worry! Now go back to sleep / I’ll be your protector, this promise I’ll keep’ ”), the narrative is made lively by layered, densely designed cartoon artwork with nice effects. Some of the characters quake in fear, smoke tendrils convincingly float up from a character’s smoking tail and the visual portrayal of the mythical boy-monster is more silly than scary. The creepy camping-trip locale makes for a nice change of pace, too. There’s also great narration, with expressive changes of tone and a memorable shout of, “BOY!” He learns his lesson when his camping companions, which include an owl, a snail, a chicken and other animals, prank him back. If that isn’t clear enough, a page at the beginning of the story lays out the moral even more directly. With all the animation, interactive elements and sound, the app has a tendency to slow down on some page turns, and in our testing sometimes crashed. And it’s curious why so many of Wolf ’s friends crowd so many story pages when they have so little to do. That’s likely by design: Just as “The End” appears, a banner invites readers to download another app, Rabbit & Turtle’s Amazing Race, which features all the same animated animals. (iPad storybook app. 4-8)

THE BIRTHDAY

van Ommen, Sylvia Illustrator: van Ommen, Sylvia Developer: WingedChariot $4.99 | Version: 1.0 June 17, 2010 A sweet and simple app for toddlers. A mouse letter carrier starts her day and asks readers for help in delivering letters to various animals busy at home and work in the village. It’s her birthday, and she quietly laments at the end of the day that her bag is empty, without any birthday card for her. Not until she reaches home does she realize that she’s been delivering invitations to her own surprise party. The story is told mainly via the simply drawn, colorful illustrations, with minimal animation, sound effects and text (only speech bubbles, which are read aloud).

The single touch-screen activity involves dragging envelopes to their destinations (where pulsing objects signal action), and there are no function buttons on the page. A separate sticker activity, available off the main menu, allows readers to stamp images of the fifteen animals featured in the story on a digital canvas, which can be saved to the device’s photo library.

Readers can experience the story in English (British English, as the red postal equipment strongly suggests the Royal Mail), Dutch (De Verjaardag) or Chinese. Readers in search of whizbang animation and action may be disappointed, but the youngest readers will find this a satisfying picture book delivered digitally. (iPad storybook app. 1-4)

kirkusreviews.com

|

RECKLESS ROAD: Guns N’ Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction

interactive e-books f o r a d u lt s HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING

Bittman, Mark Developer: Culinate, Inc. Publisher: Wiley $9.99 | Version 1.5.2 The iPhone, it turns out, is an ideal medium for cooking from recipes—or, perhaps, Culinate, the creators of this app, found an ideal source for iPhone cookery in New York Times food columnist Bittman’s 1,046-page original.

Some won’t easily give up the pleasures of working from a recipe on the printed page. But for gourmets who value efficiency and their time more than the need to sustain the printing industry, this is a near perfect app, awesome in its comprehensiveness, elegant organization, ease of use and lightning-fast operation. The search-and-filter function makes it easy to find recipes based on styles, ingredients and modes of preparation, but browsing with no destination recipe in mind is surprisingly pleasing in this format, as well. Bittman uses a four-letter code (FMVE) to signify whether the recipes are Fast, require to be Made ahead, are Vegetarian or Essential to the culinary canon, and you can use any of these as a filter on the search page—useful when looking for, say, a vegetarian dish that can be made in 30 minutes. All recipes are divided into steps, and each step is given its own screen.

Steps that require careful timing link to a pop-up timer preset to go off for the mentioned number of minutes in the recipe. You can add ingredients from a recipe to an editable shopping list, which can also be shared via e-mail. If you like a recipe, you can note it on Facebook or Twitter, or you can rate it and your vote will register on other uses’ phones. All this is in addition to the clearly written, near-encyclopedic array of articles that instruct cooks of all abilities in how to cook practically anything.

An app that sets the standard for usefulness and versatility.

|

kirkusreviews.com

Canter, Mark and Jason Porath Vook $6.99 | June 25, 2010 Version 1.2

Oral history of the making of an iconic rock album.

Canter is described in the meta-material of this e-book as “best friend” of guitarist Slash for 30 years. Who better to tell the story of Guns N’ Roses than an eyewitness (and obsessive collector of memorabilia) who knew the guitar hero since fifth grade? But to say Canter wrote this Behind the Music–style account of the origins of the best-known and beloved version of the Los Angeles band is, perhaps, a bit of an exaggeration. The videos Porath shot featuring snippets of interviews with three of the original band members (absent Axl Rose, of course, and Izzy Stradlin), several girlfriends, managers, hangers-on and employees of Geffen records, as well as with Canter himself, are actually the basis for much of the text. In fact, sometimes the text takes the form of a transcription of the videos. This makes the e-book occasionally redundant, particularly when several interviewees tell the same story on tape and in the text. But redundancy can’t make the story of these unusual rockers and their brilliant first record anything less than riveting. Simultaneously glam, grungy, metal and punk, GNR made their own rules and stuck to them ferociously.

They lived hand-to-mouth on the streets of L.A., sacrificing normalcy, security and safety for an art that they created collectively. And for a moment in the mid-1980s, they were rock ’n’ roll because of songs from the album like the ubiquitous anthems “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child of Mine.”

Somewhere in this Vook is a great rock movie waiting to be made. But for lovers of rock lore, this will do until it comes out.

MR. BOSTON OFFICIAL MOBILE BARTENDER’S GUIDE

Giglio, Anthony and Jim Meehan Developer: Kiwitech Publisher: Wiley $0.99 | Version 1.1

Everything you want to know about mixology in the palm of your hand.

Of course, the classic Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide, originally published in 1935, was also made to be handheld, and this app is only marginally easier to use than the book. Both are organized by main ingredient and searchable by index. As with the paper version, the app includes a charmingly written guide to bartending, with erudite references to the profession’s golden age in the late 19th century when the best known cocktails were invented and their recipes first recorded. The bar |

interactive e-books

|

15 march 2011

|

439

“Maybe not for everyone, but Godin fans and hipster marketers will want to buy it just to see the guru of smooth in action.” from unleashing the super ideavirus

basics section covers everything from essential equipment, bar stocking and glassware to mixing techniques. The app can change the text’s font as well as font size to make recipes easier to read, and you can probably find what you’re looking for a bit faster with the app’s search function than by flipping through the book’s 250-some pages. You can also share recipes easily via e-mail or Facebook, and convert to metric measurements with the flip of a switch. To make things even a little more interesting, if you give your iPhone a shake on the home page, a random drink recipe will pop up on the screen to the sound of ice cubes rattling in a shaker. Otherwise, the app is so basic in its functionality as to be a little boring. So what do you want for 99 cents?

A solid, slightly stodgy workhorse of an app.

UNLEASHING THE SUPER IDEAVIRUS

Godin, Seth Vook $6.99 | June 25, 2010 Version 1.3

An update of a wildly popular e-book from a media and marketing guru.

Godin has become a brand of his own partly for peddling the basic idea of this brief e-book, which is enhanced by beautiful, slick videos illustrating his key concepts. The “ideavirus” is a term coined back in 2000 by the compulsively termcoining Godin for something better known as a “meme.” The author offers numerous examples that have made his exemplars lots of money—or at least, lots of potential to make lots of money. Perhaps the most striking example is Hotmail, the original free e-mail service. The product was not so much the service as the idea that it was free. A more original Godin term, also discussed in the book, is “smoothness,” which describes the ease with which an idea can be spread. Hotmail’s creators put an unobtrusive one-line ad for the service with a link to join up in every e-mail their users sent. Very smooth, as Godin would say. The ultimate object of the author’s manifesto is to urge marketers off the conventional, expensive ad campaign and think of ways to get customers to market to each other.

An interesting and relevant question: Are the Vook enhancements—those slick videos, hyperlinks and updating of the text—sufficiently super an enticement to make customers pay for what the author says is the most downloaded free e-book in history, one that is still available for free?

Maybe not for everyone, but Godin fans and hipster marketers will want to buy it just to see the guru of smooth in action.

440

|

15 march 2011

|

interactive e-books

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction THE GREAT NIGHT

2030

Adrian, Chris Farrar, Straus and Giroux (304 pp.) $26.00 | May 3, 2011 978-0-374-16641-0

Brooks, Albert St. Martin’s (384 pp.) $25.99 | May 1, 2011 978-0-312-58372-9

Imagine a mashup of J.M. Barrie and Armistead Maupin, and you’ll sense the disorienting weirdness of this third novel from Adrian (The Children’s Hospital, 2006, etc.).

Buena Vista Park in San Francisco is hilly, wooded and just big enough to get lost in. That’s what happens to three strangers making their separate ways to a party they’ll never reach. Henry, Will and Molly are linked by more than having lost their way. These lonely hearts, all three damaged by unhappy childhoods, have also lost their significant others. And they are mortals, unlike the faeries living under the hill who, presto change-o, we meet next.

Their world too is newly shaped by loss. Titania, their Queen (ring any bells?), has lost her Boy, the changeling she doted on, to leukemia. And she may have lost the King, Oberon, who has disappeared after Titania’s disavowal of her love for him. Unwisely, she frees Puck (aka the Beast) from his 1,000-year bondage, panicking the faerie world. The Beast is at large! Flee! That’s the extent of the plot. The mortals live for us through flashbacks. Henry was once a changeling himself, under the hill; so was Molly’s boyfriend Ryan who, plagued by dim memories, hanged himself. The mortals enter the hill; Molly sees Ryan’s portrait in a gallery (Barrie’s Lost Boys). Henry and Ryan were abducted twice, the second time by a mortal predator. Henry, now gay, became a pediatrician; Titania’s Boy was his patient, the Queen beside his bed disguised as a mortal. She can change into anything at any time, and that’s a problem. There is no terra firma. For the reader, the experience is like walking backward through quicksand.

In his previous work, Adrian did a better job of balancing loss and death with fantasy and the supernatural. Here there is careful patterning but no unifying sensibility.

How could such a talented writer be led so astray? Blame the bad faerie Self-Indulgence.

|

Actor Albert Brooks has fun imagining a world in the future—though not too far in the future to be wholly implausible.

Crises abound in 2030, ranging from a failed health-care system to massive national debt ($3 trillion dollars just to pay the interest) to a major earthquake that levels Los Angeles.

Even seemingly good things have downsides. Dr. Sam Mueller, for example, discovered a cure for cancer, but that led to greater longevity amongst the “olds” (i.e., those over 70), and now the younger generation is resentful that they have to spend considerable sums taking care of the elderly. In fact, there have been numerous terrorist attacks against the olds. Resentment simmers, especially in Max Leonard, a terrorist manqué who winds up hijacking the Sunset, a ship carrying seniors from port to port, an event that electrifies the 100 million members of the AARP. The L.A. earthquake requires such massive infusions of money that the federal government (headed by Matt Bernstein, the first Jewish president) enters into partnership with China, a country that knows how to rebuild fast and efficiently. Shen Li, the leader of this reconstruction effort, becomes so popular that an influential senator (and Shen Li’s father-in-law) works to amend the Constitution to allow Li to become president (after Bernstein’s marriage fails and it’s clear he won’t get another term).

The tone is satiric, something Brooks usually does with a light touch, though occasionally he loses the playfulness and shows too heavy a hand.

THE BABY PLANNER

Brown, Josie Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster (352 pp.) $15.00 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-4391-9712-7 Ask not for whom the biological clock tolls— a San Francisco baby planner indulges in some planned parenthood of her own.

When California budget cuts eliminate her consumer-advocate job, Katie Johnson hits on the bright idea of starting a service to research the best and safest childcare products for new parents. Katie moves in the

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction

|

15 march 2011

|

441

“A corker of a debut novel in which a brainy, plucky female prosecutor refuses to rush to judgment.” from guilt by association

opulent circles of Bay Area tech-bubble wealth: Her husband Alex owns a private-equity firm (not entirely inaptly called S&M) which milks Silicon Valley’s richest cash cows. As a concierge ushering privileged progeny into the world, Katie’s days are soon monopolized by her clients, including Joanna, a high-powered attorney whose pregnancy by her second husband is upsetting her teenage daughter by her previous marriage, Twila, a gaming executive who is pregnant by a married work associate, and Seth, whose wife’s death in childbirth has left him hard-pressed to cope with his adorable infant daughter Sadie. But Katie’s own situation partly informs her career choice. She longs to have a child, but Alex keeps stalling: He is either too busy for children, he says, or still too traumatized by his ex-wife’s removal of his son from the country. Desperate, Katie surreptitiously pierces Alex’s condoms and goes off the pill. Months later, she still hasn’t conceived, despite many gratuitous sex scenes seemingly intended to earn the cover blurb from Jackie Collins. Seth is a founder of SkorTek, a company with which Alex has just structured a deal that involves an ultimate lucrative cashing-out of the original partners. Katie finds herself increasingly attracted to Seth, who’s being edged out of SkorTek by Alex on the pretext that his single fatherhood is dragging down his work performance. Startling revelations follow, but readers may be less than convinced that Katie, who is such an able fixer for others, could be so oblivious to the red flags in her own life.

Readers will be hard-pressed to identify with these superficial characters and their robotic behavior.

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION

Clark, Marcia Mulholland Books/Little, Brown (368 pp.) $25.99 | April 20, 2011 978-0-316-12951-0 A corker of a debut novel in which a brainy, plucky female prosecutor refuses to rush to judgment.

A 15-year-old girl is raped. The Latino boy she’d been tutoring is the sole suspect. She’s rich, the daughter of Frank Densmore, a prominent member of the medical profession. He’s poor, a prominent member of the Sylmar Sevens, an L.A. street gang. Actually, Luis Revelo isn’t all that poor thanks to modest but steady profits from various sorts of petty larceny. Still, it’s the street-gang part that matters. Since he happened to be in the vicinity at the time of the crime, and since he is who he is, it’s clear—to most of the cop brass, as well as to arrogant, selfimportant Dr. Densmore—that Luis is their perp. ADA Rachel Knight begs to differ—as does her close friend LAPD Detective Bailey Keller. Savvy women that they are, both see go-slow signs.

To begin with, Susan, the victim, simply won’t identify Luis as her molester. It was dark, she was terrified, but it isn’t Luis, she insists, who put the pillow over her head. The fact that Dr. Densmore insists that it is does little to persuade since neither Rachel nor Bailey react positively to arrogance and self-importance.

442

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

Meanwhile, closer to home, there’s an equally bedeviling case, the murder of a friend and associate. Here, too—because they’re forced to unsettle certain folks in high places—Rachel and Bailey, careers on the line, proceed with caution.

That the novel is marked by authenticity is no surprise given Clark’s credentials—she was, after all, lead prosecutor in the headline-grabbing O.J. Simpson trial—but what may surprise some readers is the quality of the writing, plus the considerable charm of Rachel and her buddies.

I’LL WALK ALONE

Clark, Mary Higgins Simon & Schuster (304 pp.) $25.99 | April 5, 2011 978-1-4391-8096-9 According to Clark’s unique take on identity theft, the thief doesn’t just want to steal your money but to ruin your credibility, snatch your son and take your life.

Interior designer Alexandra Moreland’s son disappeared from his stroller two years ago while Tiffany Shields, the babysitter Zan had hurriedly arranged to watch him, dozed nearby. Matthew’s trail has long gone cold until his fifth birthday, when a tabloid newspaper publishes a photograph of Zan removing him from his stroller. In a flash, all the friends who’ve stood by her for the past two years turn on her. Her ex, Ted Carpenter, the publicist she’d split up with before she ever knew she was pregnant, winds up their dinner at the Four Seasons by accusing her of kidnapping his son. Architect Kevin Wilson, a prospective client who’s been about to choose her designs over those of her former boss Bartley Longe, begins to waver. Bartley, who never forgave Zan for leaving his shop to set up her own, spews venom into NYPD ears. So does Tiffany, frantic to take this opportunity to defend herself against all the innuendo she’s endured. Even Zan’s friends Alvirah and Willy Meehan, long familiar to the Clark faithful (The Lottery Winner, 1994, etc.), speculate whether she could have stolen Matthew during one of her mysterious blackouts. Only her loyal assistant, Josh Green, sticks by her side, and even he wonders who ordered the bolts of fabric that have begun to arrive at their office even though she swears she didn’t order them. Meanwhile, Toby Grissom, who hasn’t long to live, flies in from Texas to search for his daughter, Brittany La Monte, an aspiring actress and makeup expert who came to New York to make her fortune but disappeared shortly before Matthew.

Fans will bite their nails to the quick while they wait for all the characters who know bits and pieces of the story to pool their knowledge before the malefactor can strike again. Experts on identity theft will marvel that no matter what raw material goes into the Clark hopper, it all comes out looking much the same.

kirkusreviews.com

|

HASSIE CALHOUN

Cory, Pamela Scarletta Press (396 pp.) $16.95 paperback original | e-book: $16.95 | June 1, 2011 978-0-9824584-7-1 e-book 978-0-9824584-8-8 In 1959, small-town Texas beauty Hassie Calhoun, 17, goes to Las Vegas hoping to sing at the famous Copa Room.

With the help of Frank Sinatra, she loses her innocence but manages to cling to her dream of stardom.

The first book in a trilogy, it goes where every other lousy book or movie about Las Vegas has gone. Fleeing a broken family, Hassie shows up unannounced at the Copa Room, thinking the business card a club underling gave her at a talent showcase in Dallas is her ticket to the top. His shady boss, Jake Contrata, quickly swoops in on her, politely backs off, gives her a waitress job and, after she’s been pawed sufficiently by the clientele, swoops back in with an offer she can’t refuse. Not only does she accept the fact that all the showgirls are prostitutes, she volunteers to become one if that’s what it takes to get ahead. A jealous type, Jake seethes over seeing Hassie spend time with Sinatra even before she falls into the sack with the singer. With the help of hotshot New York talent manager Clay Cooper, Jake’s half brother, ever-resilient Hassie pursues her music, ending up in Reno after a stint in Manhattan. But violent incidents, betrayals and the assassination of John F. Kennedy put a crimp in her progress. Cory, a former cabaret singer and voice coach, has a tin ear when describing music (she likes the word “jazzy”) and musicians. We’re told she has never been to Texas, and nothing in the book convinces us she’s been to Vegas either. Her descriptions of the scene and its players are devoid of color, and the sex scenes are by the numbers. This may be the first time Sinatra, whom she dutifully gives a heart of gold, has receded from a page. The book plods along for hundreds of pages, offering no hope that the second book in the series will be any better.

A dreary, hackneyed account of a young aspiring singer’s adventures in Las Vegas.

THE CONFESSION OF KATHERINE HOWARD

Dunn, Suzannah Harper/HarperCollins (320 pp.) $14.99 paperback original | April 5, 2011 978-0-06-201147-3 Queen Katherine’s life of clothes, music and “constant partying” comes to an unpleasant end in Dunn’s (The Queen’s Sorrow, 2008, etc.) latest historical.

As observed by her BFF Catheryn Tilney, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Kate Howard is a bit of a tramp.

Although raised in a Catholic household, Kate was apparently |

only pretending to be a virgin on her wedding night and since becoming queen has taken a lover. Dunn’s account of 19-year-old Kate’s downfall in 16th-century England uses modern language and preoccupies itself with friendships, rivalries and, above all, sex. An overlong central flashback is devoted to Cat and Kate’s younger years living with the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, which is where Kate became involved with Francis Dereham, later to be Cat’s lover and the first victim of Kate’s fall from royal grace, taken to the Tower for questioning about his early relationship with the queen. The novel’s drama is in its beginning and end, tracing Kate’s swift descent: questioned, stripped of her crown jewels, pressured to admit she was pre-contracted to Francis, which would have rendered her unavailable for the royal marriage, and eventually betrayed. A postscript offers the succinct facts and fates of the protagonists.

A sexually charged version of history angled toward a Gossip Girl audience.

I’LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE

Earle, Steve Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (256 pp.) $26.00 | May 12, 2011 978-0-618-82096-2 A thematically ambitious debut novel that draws from the writer’s experience yet isn’t simply a memoir in the guise of fiction.

Since “write what you know” is the axiom of most fledgling authors, it’s no surprise that the first novel by the acclaimed singer-songwriter who previously published a collection of short stories (Doghouse Roses, 2001) should be steeped in the cultures of San Antonio (his hometown), country music (his early musical focus) and drug addiction (which almost killed him). Yet this richly imagined novel not only takes its title from a Hank Williams classic, it audaciously employs Hank’s ghost as a combination of morphine demon and guardian angel, whose presence initially can only be witnessed by Doc, the novelist’s protagonist. Ten years earlier, Doc was Hank’s companion and fishing buddy, one of the last to see the country singer alive, and perhaps the cause of his death. By the time of this novel, set in 1963, Doc has lost his license, his home and any reason to live beyond his daily fix. He supports himself by performing cheap abortions, which is how he meets the teenage Mexican immigrant who will prove a miracle worker not only in Doc’s life but throughout the story. Graciela (who refuses to be called “Grace,” though that’s what she embodies) stays with Doc after he performs her abortion, helping assist him in a procedure that her religion considers a mortal sin, and somehow develops a miraculous healing power that not only helps Doc kick his addiction but provides salvation to so many of the San Antonio neighborhood’s other hookers and junkies. “There was something that was at once humbling and empowering about her very presence in his life,” Earle writes. With a plot that encompasses the Kennedy assassination along with the life

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction

|

15 march 2011

|

443

“A non-sensationalized novel about an inherently sensational event—the abuse of an 8-year-old boy by a priest.” from faith

and death of Hank Williams, and which draws a thematic line between spirituality and the religion which purports to embody it, the novel occasionally stumbles in its ambition but builds to a transcendent climax.

Already well-respected for both his music and his acting, Earle can now add novelist to an impressive résumé.

BENEATH A STARLET SKY

Goldberg, Amanda and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper St. Martin’s (304 pp.) $24.99 | May 1, 2011 978-0-312-54442-3

Fashionista Lola Santisi is hit with multiple personal and professional crises during a trip to the annual Cannes Film Festival.

Giving up her Los Angeles roots has proved difficult for Lola, the Hollywood princess first introduced in Celebutantes (2009). Now happily residing in New York, she gets to live and work with Julian, her Best Gay Forever (BGF,) as the busy CEO of Julian Tennant Inc., an upand-coming fashion line. However, Lola’s doctor fiancée, Luke “Lev” Levin, is still back in L.A., making a bicoastal existence a necessity. And Lola’s famous family needs her attention as well.

Her gruff director father Paulie is still making award-winning films, while her former-model mom has found a new calling as a cast member of a “Housewives” style reality show. Her aspiring director brother Christopher is in love with her best friend, Kate, an ambitious CAA agent, who has just dumped him so she could concentrate on her career. And as talented as he is, getting Julian’s name out there has proven challenging, making his deep-pocketed backers a bit skittish. But then Lola scores the major coup of having Julian’s dresses appear in Baz Luhrmann’s latest extravaganza, Four Weddings and a Bris. So they head to the French Riviera for the film’s Cannes premier, and a Julian Tennant runway show. The trip coincides with a high-profile magazine cover shoot with the film’s leading lady Saffron Sykes and her handsome boyfriend Markus Livingston. But the cover shoot looks increasingly dicey after Saffron and her starlet costar (and Kate’s client) Cricket Curtis get caught in a Sapphic clinch. Then Lev shows up in France and admits, to Lola’s horror, that he wants to quit medicine to pursue acting. Throw in a supermodel with anger-management issues; an alcoholic movie star who insists on staying in character as a cross-dressing Columbian drug lord; and an icy magazine editor bent on destruction, and it is a miracle if Lola can walk away with her life, let alone her job. The increasingly absurd plot zips along, but the constant name- and brand-dropping often comes across as more obnoxious than amusing.

Forgettable showbiz spoof.

444

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

OIL ON WATER

Habila, Helon Norton (224 pp.) $14.95 paperback original | May 16, 2011 978-0-393-33964-2 While searching for a foreign hostage, two reporters witness the despoliation of Nigeria in Habila’s (Measuring Time, 2007, etc.) latest, shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize.

The stink of oil and the orange light of gas flares emanate from this graphic account of a nation ruined by the extraction of its natural resources, in a narrative that is part political diatribe, part detective story. The quest to find Isabel Floode, the kidnapped wife of a white petroleum engineer, lures journalist Rufus and his older colleague Zaq out of Port Harcourt into the liquid landscape of the Niger delta, where beauty and subsistence have fallen victim to ecological nightmare and the violent clash between the military and the militants. Rufus is the lens through which Habila exposes the horrific landscape of poisoned wildlife and deserted villages, and the hopelessness of the people, robbed of their land, squeezed between avaricious forces.

Witnessing scenes of massacre, migration and strange worship, Rufus remains unscathed even when abducted by a crazed soldier named the Major and then the rebel leader, the Professor. Finding Isabel, and also a love interest for himself, his journey ends in unconvincing optimism.

Dreamy, criss-crossed with flashbacks and pipelines, a memorable if heavily delineated parable of the dispossessed. (Author tour to Washington, D.C., New York. Reading group guide online)

FAITH

Haigh, Jennifer Harper/HarperCollins (304 pp.) $25.99 | May 10, 2011 978-0-06-075580-5 A non-sensationalized novel about an inherently sensational event—the abuse of an 8-year-old boy by a priest.

Haigh hands over most of the narrative burden to Sheila McGann, half-sister of Art Breen, who for over 25 years has been a good man and a respected parish priest in the Boston area. Just before Easter, however, the diocese abruptly removes him from his duties and establishes him in an apartment until it completes an investigation into an allegation that he’s abused Aidan, a boy he is obviously fond of and has become emotionally attached to. Aidan’s mother is Kath, a drug- and manaddicted young woman whose credibility is problematic at best.

(One logical suspicion is that Kevin, her egregiously addled boyfriend, might be putting her up to this accusation to secure easy money in light of recent scandals in the Church.) While Sheila has faith in Art’s innocence, her other brother, Mike, is not so sure. Mike’s situation is complicated by his marriage to Abby, a

kirkusreviews.com

|

Lutheran who believes almost everything is wrong in the Catholic Church. Haigh moves seamlessly from Sheila’s reminiscence of growing up Catholic in Boston (though she’s since lost the faith) to a more neutral and objective third-person account of events that relentlessly unfold and seem to implicate Art. We eventually learn that while Art has indeed sinned, his moral trespass doesn’t involve Aidan—and we further learn that as a child Art was himself molested by a trusted family priest.

Haigh deals with complex moral issues in subtle ways, and her narrative is beautifully, sometimes achingly poignant.

(Author tour to Boston, Connecticut, Denver, Milwaukee, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.)

A WILD SURGE OF GUILTY PASSION

Hansen, Ron Scribner (272 pp.) $25.00 | June 1, 2011 978-1-4516-1755-9

Acclaimed author Hansen (Exiles, 2008, etc.) revisits the Jazz Age murder plot that inspired James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity.

Why take on a story that’s already been the source for a classic crime novel and film? Partly to move beyond the restrictions of genre fiction: Instead of ventriloquizing noir tropes, Hansen explores the slow path to dissolution that begins with doomed love, as well as the sexism that corseted women faced in the 1920s. The novel fictionalizes the lives of Judd Gray, a lingerie salesman, and Ruth Snyder, the wife of an art director at a Manhattan magazine, who both feel restricted in their marriages (though Hansen deliberately fogs just how abusive Snyder’s husband is). After meeting through a mutual acquaintance, the two pursue an intense affair that lasts more than a year. Their trysts speak to Hansen’s second alteration to the story: His sexual candor gives the book an eroticism and intensity that would have been unthinkable in Cain’s 1943 novel, Double Indemnity, or its film version. The sensual appeal of the affair wears off quickly, though, as Judd slips deeper into alcoholism and Snyder so despairs of her marriage that she begins to consider how her husband might be killed. Hansen brilliantly characterizes the denial and moral degradation that overtake Judd and Snyder, largely through a passive voice; the two don’t do things so much as have things done to them. Yet Hansen never makes them unsympathetic, a feat that’s particularly impressive after they have been arrested for their roles in the death of Snyder’s husband. Describing the Judd-Snyder trial and accompanying media circus, Hansen occasionally lapses into passages of flatfooted journalistic reportage, yet even the dry style serves a purpose: It brings into sharp relief the lurid and sexist coverage of the trial (which made Snyder into a predatory nymphomaniac who snared the hapless Gray), and questions how much Snyder was a victim of her times.

Hansen’s novel isn’t a prefeminist commentary, but his awareness of 1920s gender roles gives this familiar story additional power. |

QUEEN OF KINGS

Headley, Maria Dahvana Dutton (416 pp.) $25.95 | May 12, 2011 978-0-525-95217-6 It is not an asp that Cleopatra takes to her breast in this novel. It is Sekhmet, the daughter of Ra, the Sun God, summoned by the distraught queen and thereafter shifting into the form of a viper.

Antony, defeated at Actium, is besieged at Alexandria by Octavian, fragile boy turned emperor.

A false message from the Roman camp reaches Antony saying that Cleopatra has betrayed him. Cleopatra, however, has retreated to the couple’s fortress mausoleum and conjured a spell written by the old god-kings, a spell discovered and translated

by Nicolaus, a scholar. With its incantation, Cleopatra became that which the Romans labeled her: fatale monstrum. Headley (The Year of Yes, 2007) carries the reader beyond history, beyond Shakespearean drama, and into the realm of angry gods, shapeshifters and vampires. Imbued with Sekhmet’s power, Cleopatra becomes a night creature, flesh burnt by sun and metal, nourished only by human blood. Cleopatra, bent on revenge for the death of Antony, must watch as Octavian, her nemesis, provokes the murder of Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar. Octavian then carries Cleopatra’s three remaining children to Rome. After a visit to temple at Thebes, where a priestess keeps watch in the name of Sekhmet, Cleopatra shape-shifts into a lioness, steals aboard a slave ship and is transported to Rome. Octavian has been declared emperor, taking the name Caesar Augustus, but he still fears Cleopatra, and so he gathers three sorcerers from the Empire’s edges to protect him, one of whom conjures up Antony from his ashes. Headley’s complex plot also includes visits to Hades, circuses and gladiators, an epic battle at Avernus and the seven children of Sekhmet (plague, famine, earthquake, flood, drought, madness and violence) loosed upon the world.

First of a trilogy, this book, replete with descriptive language and a magical narrative, will appeal to fans of the fantasy genre.

CHILDREN AND FIRE

Hegi, Ursula Scribner (288 pp.) $25.00 | May 1, 2011 978-1-4516-0829-8

Hegi (The Worst Thing I’ve Done, 2007, etc.) probes the moral dilemmas facing ordinary Germans in the early days of Hitler’s Third Reich.

“No no not now. Away with this.” That’s the refrain of schoolteacher Thekla Jansen whenever she comes across some unpleasant reminder of the new state of things. Prayers addressed to the Führer, German classics banned from the classroom then burned in the streets, Jewish students and teachers barred from school—this

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction

|

15 march 2011

|

445

is all temporary, Thekla tells herself. Soon people will come to their senses, and Fräulein Siderova, the beloved mentor who inspired Thekla to become a teacher, will get back her fourthgrade class—the class Thekla is now teaching because she was desperate for a job. These are the kinds of choices the new regime forces on people, Hegi shows us. Will Thekla’s initial betrayal, relatively easy to justify, lead to worse? Hegi builds toward the answer by interweaving Thekla’s musings over the course of a single day—Feb. 27, 1934, one year after the Reichstag burned—with the story of her birth in 1899 and her unsuspected paternity, which may put her in danger. But plot is not paramount in a narrative focused on Thekla’s odyssey toward knowledge about herself. She’s a superb teacher, we see in the classroom scenes, which show her gently encouraging her students to love learning and to think for themselves. But the pressures of the outside world cannot be escaped; when one student repeats his antifascist father’s comments about “that damn Austrian,” Thekla is quick to reprimand the boy for swearing, in hopes that the other students will remember that, and not his father’s dangerous remark. Such half-measures will not long suffice, and readers will hope that Hegi’s appealing protagonist does the right thing.

A thoughtful, sidelong approach to the worst moment in Germany’s history that invites us to understand how decent people come to collaborate with evil.

THE FALLEN ANGEL

Hewson, David Delacorte (368 pp.) $25.00 | April 26, 2011 978-0-385-34152-3

In the latest from Hewson (City of Fear, 2010, etc.), Sovrintendente Nic Costa of the Questura in Rome must cope with three enigmatic young women, one of them dead since 1599.

In Shelley’s poem, Beatrice Cenci was lovely, virginal and only 17 when she achieved martyrdom.

On orders from the Vatican, her head was hacked off. There are, it’s true, skeptics, flinty revisionists who insist she was 22 and that virginal overstates the case. What seems irrefutable, however, is that for reasons unabashedly political she was tortured into admitting complicity in the murder of her father—albeit, a brutally abusive father—and summarily executed, becoming, for Romans at least, then and thereafter unforgettable. Some four centuries plus a decade or so later, ace detective Nic Costa encounters Mina Gabriel in circumstances that eerily recall the sad, old Beatrice story. Her father has just plunged to his death from a suddenly collapsed balcony, a collapse perhaps criminally engineered, and if in fact it was, it’s possible to believe in a complicit Mina. Moreover, the fatal fall ended on the pavement of the Via Beatrice Cenci, causing an immediate media frenzy, compounded by the persona of Mina herself: 17, exquisite, reliably reputed to be as virginal as Shelley’s heroine, and no less justified in parricide, given an unspeakably abusive father. But 446

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

it’s all too pat, decides Costa, a bit later than he ordinarily might have were it not for the distraction embodied in the unexpected reappearance in his life of beautiful Agata Graziano. She’s left the convent. Gone is the somber garment that served as an impenetrable barrier between them, and now there’s a message in her eyes. But he can’t read it. And it just might be that she doesn’t want him to.

A bit overplotted, but as always the writing is superior, and the characters engage. (Agent: Vivienne Schuster/Curtis Brown Group)

THE MIGHTY WALZER

Jacobson, Howard Bloomsbury (400 pp.) $16.00 paperback original | March 29, 2011 978-1-60819-685-2 An entertaining Jewish picaresque novel, following on Jacobson’s Man Booker Prize– winning The Finkler Question (2010).

This roman à clef is a Rothian romp, a Goodbye, Columbus across the water in Manchester, where we find young Oliver Walzer desperately trying to do what young men try to do, namely satisfy their baser urges while grappling with whoever the hell they are. Oliver’s not sure of any of this, and it doesn’t help that he falls under the tutelage of a ping-pong patzer, and maybe even goniff, with the resonant name of Sheeny Waxman, who has a gift for confusing things. The association is natural, and if Oliver doesn’t quite experience the “slow awakening of genius” that the novel grandly announces in its very first paragraph, then he enjoys a lively sentimental education all the same. Oliver has a family tradition to uphold: His schlimazel of a pop was an ascended master of the yo-yo, after all, and now Oliver has to carve his own reputation into the gates of Birmingham with his own chosen instrument (“cometh the hour, cometh the toy”); Oliver also strives to rise above his origins, since, as he puts it, “all we’d been doing since the Middle Ages was growing beetroot and running away from Cossacks.” Yet, hormone-driven as he is, Oliver has other aspirations, most of them things that inspire reverential circumlocution (“Mr Waxman drove her to Miles Platting, a considerable distance from her home, requested that she allow him to perform an indecent act upon her, and when she again refused he unceremoniously ordered her to get out of his car”). Will Oliver attain his several goals? That’s the question that awaits the young man who thinks of himself as a mediocre being, a Kafkaesque bug, as, worst of all, “So-So Walzer.” Jacobson is a sympathetic narrator, but not above poking fun at his characters and poking holes in their pretenses—and clearly having fun as he does so.

A delight from start to finish, and a note-perfect evocation of the gray 1950s. (Author tour to New York, Princeton, Boston, Toronto, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Los Angeles)

kirkusreviews.com

|

“An American writer is prompted by receipt of a mysterious package to reflect upon the pivotal moment of his life.” from the moment

WORLD WAR TWO WILL NOT TAKE PLACE

James, Bill Severn House (192 pp.) $27.95 | June 1, 2011 978-0-7278-8003-1

King Edward VIII invites Hitler to Britain.

With Wallis as his consort and the idea of abdication circumvented, King Edward VIII is delighted with Chamberlain’s peace accord with the Third Reich.

Despite the misgivings of some members of Parliament, he asks Hitler to come to Britain to cement their friendship. SB, head of the Section, a secret-service division, is wary of Hitler and sends undercover agent Marcus Mount to Berlin to learn if the Führer is cozying up to Stalin in preparation for war against England. Mount and his contact, a German spying for the Brits, soon draw the attention of Major Andreas Valk, who has them tailed. The plot finds time for the slapstick collapse of a living-room chair and the attempts to replace it; quality time with Inge and Olga, two good-natured whores working out of the Toledo Club; introductions to a pair of midlevel German agents who go rogue and have to be called off by higher-ups; and much opening and closing of curtains to signal when it’s OK to meet. Valk and his two renegade underlings are sent to London to oversee safety measures for Hitler’s visit and embarrass the Crown by gathering proof of a cabinet minister’s dalliance with a married lady. They do, but not before a German spymaster’s wife avenges her husband’s dalliances by tearing up the Toledo. There’ll be more tailing, murders engineered to look like accidents, suggestions of an attempt on Hitler’s life that feature a book depository and a grassy knoll and, finally, a submarine ride to safety for some lucky souls.

James, who can out-mean the noir-est of the bunch (the Harpur & Iles series), turns puckish here. He has a field day with the psychology of spycraft, from refusing to give a direct answer to a simple question to tailing one’s shadow to turning second-guessing into an art form.

THE MOMENT

Kennedy, Douglas Atria Books (448 pp.) $25.99 | May 3, 2011 978-1-4391-8079-2 An American writer is prompted by receipt of a mysterious package to reflect upon the pivotal moment of his life.

Thomas Nesbitt, a moderately successful travel writer and memoirist, administers the coup de grâce to his faltering marriage when, without his wife’s knowledge, he buys a cottage in Maine. He’s planning to live out his retirement in seclusion when a box arrives from overseas. The return address is that of Thomas’ one-time fiancée, Petra Dussmann. This |

catapults Thomas and the narrative into an extended flashback going back decades, to 1984, when he arrived in Berlin planning to write about life on both sides of the yet to be dismantled Wall. He moves into a flat sublet by a gay British painter with a heroin habit. Thomas seeks freelance assignments from a U.S.-backed radio station, where his first story is translated into German by Petra Dussmann, a refugee from East Berlin.

The two fall effortlessly in love. Up to that point, this bulky novel lags a bit, but the action accelerates when Petra recounts her story. Married to Jurgen, a wunderkind playwright who is driven mad by government repression of his work, Petra has just given birth to son Johannes when Jurgen is arrested. Her own arrest and imprisonment follow: apparently her best friend has been a Stasi informer all along. Jurgen kills himself, Johannes is adopted by a Stasi-approved couple and Petra is traded to the West for some East German agents. As their love deepens Thomas offers to use his American privilege of entering East Berlin to procure some cherished memorabilia of Johannes.

However, Petra hasn’t told Thomas everything, and what he doesn’t know will devastate them both. Kennedy’s work harkens back to an earlier era of big novels à la James Michener and Herman Wouk, which is perhaps why—regrettably—he is still more widely read abroad than in his native land.

Despite his rambling pace, Kennedy’s evocative prose makes the eventual spellbinding finish worth the trip. (Reading group guide online)

THE PREACHER

Läckberg, Camilla Pegasus (432 pp.) $25.95 | May 15, 2011 978-1-60598-173-4 More nasty Baltic hijinks from Swedish mysterian Läckberg (The Ice Princess, 2010, etc.), one of several heirs apparent to Stieg Larsson.

If you think that a bicycle trip into the Swedish woods is a pleasant way to take a vacation, you’d certainly almost always be right. It’s just that statistical blip that’ll get you, and then, like the victims of an unknown killer in the precincts of the hick town of Fjallbacka, you wind up dead. Like Larsson, Läckberg delights in peeling the scrubbed white pine veneer off Swedish society and showing the wormy nastiness that lies beneath it. She acquaints us at the outset with a pair of hillbilly rednecks—yes, Sweden has them—who live like fat and happy parasites on vacationers from the big city, the matriarch of the family a former beauty who has now become morbidly obese and sharp-tongued. The two seem an ideal clutch to dig up a few skeletons and drape freshly dead young women atop them for entertainments too foul to tell, but then that wouldn’t be much of a story, not when there are fatter fish to fry still, among them members of a weird religious sect and their outwardly respectable leader. Well, any reader of mysteries knows that behind every respectable Biblethumper lies a psycho, but also that behind every red-letter

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction

|

15 march 2011

|

447

Bible lies a red herring. Caught up in all the brouhaha is police detective Patrik Hedstrom, who has been looking forward to family-values time with pregnant girlfriend Erica but who is now eaten up, in patented Swedish angst worthy of a Bergman flick, by the thought of a world in which terrible things happen to nice people. But is all that nastiness really enough to make Hedstrom talk like Barney Fife (“The whole Hult family feels like a hornets’ nest,” nudge, nudge)? It’s enough to make the reader suspect that the translator is hatching plots of his own, though it could be that Patrik really is a stiff among stiffs, if not a sheep among religious crazoids.

An adequate thriller, though without Larsson’s deft touches; sure to please church-hating readers of the Hitchens-Dawkins set.

HECTOR AND THE SECRETS OF LOVE

Lelord, François Penguin (288 pp.) $14.00 paperback original | May 31, 2011 978-0-14-311947-0 To analyze love is to find there is no there there. So it seems to Dr. Hector, a French psychiatrist wearied by the daily litanies of floundering romance.

Hector thinks he loves Clara. In fact, he once wanted to marry her. Now Clara wants marriage, but Hector is unsure. Love’s puzzles inspire Hector to begin noting “Seedlings,” thoughts on love’s joy and pain. Clara works for a giant pharmaceutical company, perhaps Swiss, and thus emblematic of its utilitarian attitude toward love. The company invites Hector to a tropical isle to meet other experts, one a caricature of Dr. Ruth, and discusses the chemistry of love. Hector learns the company has already made progress on a pill to induce and perpetuate love. The formula, however, has been stolen by its creator, Dr. Chester Cormorant. Hector knows Cormorant, and he is persuaded by Gunther, the company’s president, to find the missing scientist. That Hector will be half-a-world away will also ease the tension in Gunther and Clara’s secret love affair. The search begins in Cambodia where Hector learns Cormorant wants to contact him, and convince him of the pill’s effectiveness. In fact, Hector takes one, and gives another to Vayla, a beautiful masseuse to whom he is attracted. The pair promptly begin a sweetly passionate love affair. Hector also meets the mysterious JeanMarcel, supposedly a sales representative, and two young female Japanese tourists. The action moves to Shanghai where the pills are tested. Pandas are involved, in a thoroughly sardonic fashion. By novel’s end, Jean-Marcel, Clara, Gunther, Hector and the Japanese pair end up among the Gna-Doas, a lost Tibetan tribe in the Southeast Asian jungles. At this point, Hector has written 27 “Seedlings,” all reminding him that “love is indeed complicated, difficult, and sometimes painful...”

Told in a wry, ironic, self-deprecating voice that sometimes addresses the reader, Lelord’s second novel (Hector and the Search for Happiness, 2010) should intrigue readers of his first.

448

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

THE GIRL IN THE BLUE BERET

Mason, Bobbie Ann Random (368 pp.) $26.00 | e-book: $26.00 | June 28, 2011 978-1-4000-6718-3 | e-book 978-0-679-60494-5 Mason (Nancy Culpepper, 2006, etc.) may surprise fans of her Appalachian stories with this historical novel about a World War II pilot who returns to France to find the families who helped him survive after his plane was shot down 36 years earlier.

In 1980, 60-year-old Marshall Stone is forced to retire as an airline pilot. His wife Loretta, whom he loved but largely took for granted, has died, and he is not close to his grown children. With an empty future looming, he decides to retrace the trail he took after he crash-landed his B-17 bomber in 1944. Marshall was copilot, but when the plane was hit on Marshall’s 10th mission, he had to take over from the fatally wounded pilot and crash land in a field. Local farmers helped him before the Germans could reach him. A French farm family took him in and then passed him into the care of the resistance. Soon Marshall has reconnected with the Albert family—his oldest son named Albert in their honor— and the Alberts’ son Nicolas, now a school principal, offers to help him in his search. Marshall sets himself up in an apartment in Paris—he has studied French—and begins to look for the Vallon family that hid him in Paris in 1944. He is particularly haunted by memories of the family’s teenage daughter Annette and her charismatic friend Robert, a member of the Resistance who led Marshall to safety in Spain. Soon he meets Robert’s illegitimate daughter, whose memories of her father are shockingly dark.

Then Marshall finds Annette, now a lovely widow, and she fills in the missing pieces—she and Robert fell in love shortly before he and the Vallons were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Robert never recovered from survivor guilt. Marshall and Annette become lovers before they set off to cross the Pyrenees, a trip full of bittersweet memories for Marshall.

Like Marshall himself, the novel maintains a reserved, laconic, even pedantic tone—off-putting at times yet often moving. (Agent: Amanda Urban/ICM)

SOLACE

McKeon, Belinda Scribner (336 pp.) $24.00 | May 1, 2011 978-1-4516-1054-3 A debut novel of love and loss set in contemporary Ireland, where a family’s troubled past cast its shadow over an uncertain future.

Looking for a distraction from writing his stalled thesis, Mark Casey falls for a green-eyed girl he meets at a Dublin pub. Joanne Lynch, however, is more than a pretty

kirkusreviews.com

|

“A debut novel that combines the politics of big law firms, securities fraud and illicit affairs.” from a conflict of interest

solicitor trainee—she comes from the same patch of rural farmland where Mark grew up. The son of a demanding and truculent farmer, Mark resents the time he must take away from his studies at Trinity College to help out at the family farm in County Longford. That his thesis is going nowhere only adds more strain to his relationship with his father. Joanne is caught in a similar bind.

Her late father was a notorious scoundrel whose dodgy dealings earned the enmity of the Casey family, but Joanne is ignorant of the feud. As the new couple navigates their complicated pasts, Joanne becomes pregnant, igniting the fuse to the powder keg into which the young lovers have unwittingly blundered. Midway through the novel, an act of horrendous violence brings the families together in unexpected ways. Though it’s not quite Romeo and Juliet, McKeon makes masterful use of the conflict between the two families to propel the story forward and gird scenes of ordinary family drama with tension and dread. Digressions into Joanne’s legal work and the subject of Mark’s thesis (the novels of English author Maria Edgeworth) prove to be welcome asides that add depth to the characters. For instance, Joanne’s infatuation with her client’s eccentric mother, a woman she only knows through court transcripts, suggests Joanne might be better-suited to the scholarly work that Mark seems incapable of finishing. At times, Mark’s struggle with his father takes on undertones of William Faulkner and Joanne is as nuanced and knowable as the heroine of an Edna O’Brien novel.

An engrossing, highly rewarding read that marks McKeon as a writer to watch.

A CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Mitzner, Adam Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster (384 pp.) $25.00 | May 17, 2011 978-1-4391-5751-0 A debut novel that combines the politics of big law firms, securities fraud and illicit affairs.

Mitzner’s tale follows the story of Alex Miller, who shares the author’s initials and occupation: defense attorney.

Miller, married to Elizabeth and father to 5-year-old Charlotte, works for one of those huge law firms that expects its employees to work nearly around the clock. When Alex’s father dies, his father’s closest friend, Michael Ohlig, a wealthy securities trader, asks for Alex’s help. Ohlig expects to be indicted for securities fraud and wants Alex and his firm to represent him.

Alex agrees, and Michael ponies up the $2 million retainer. Then beautiful Abby Sloane is assigned to the case as Alex’s second and the situation get predictably complicated from every angle: Alex finds himself drawn to her, the case heats up and things get personal with his mother, who has not been herself since her husband died. When everything starts slipping out of control, Alex faces both a personal challenge and a startling truth. The first half of the book reads like a tutorial on the operation of a big-city law firm. The author goes into dreary detail about every aspect of the securities case, even naming all of the associating |

attorneys and their clients, despite the fact that most of them never really surface again. Mitzner also has a tendency to overexplain the inner workings of the system from the lawyer’s point of view with the result that the first half reads more like a legal text than a work of fiction. In fact, the first chapters are so weighted down with legalese and filler (every meeting has a buffet, and the author provides a faithful rendition of the food choices) that the story surfaces as an afterthought. It’s not until the Mitzner moves past the securities phase that Alex becomes interesting and the story line picks up speed. Most readers aren’t going to wade through the first part to get to the second, which is a shame because that’s when the real storytelling begins.

A lukewarm legal tale that only comes alive in the second half.

WHAT ALICE FORGOT

Moriarty, Liane Amy Einhorn/Putnam (432 pp.) $24.95 | June 2, 2011 978-0-399-15718-9 From Australian Moriarty (The Last Anniversary, 2006, etc.), domestic escapism about a woman whose temporary amnesia makes her re-examine what really matters to her.

Alice wakes from what she thinks is a dream, assuming she is a recently married 29-year-old expecting her first child. Actually she is 39, the mother of three and in the middle of an acrimonious custody battle with her soon-tobe ex-husband Nick. She’s fallen off her exercise bike, and the resulting bump on her head has not only erased her memory of the last 10 years but has also taken her psychologically back to a younger, more easygoing self at odds with the woman she gathers she has become. While Alice-at-29 is loving and playful if lacking ambition or self-confidence, Alice-at-39 is a highly efficient if too tightly wound supermom. She is also thin and rich since Nick now heads the company where she remembers him struggling in an entry-level position. Alice-at-29 cannot conceive that she and Nick would no longer be rapturously in love or that she and her adored older sister Elisabeth could be estranged, and she is shocked that her shy mother has married Nick’s bumptious father and taken up salsa dancing. She neither remembers nor recognizes her three children, each given a distinct if slightly too cute personality. Nor does she know what to make of the perfectly nice boyfriend Alice-at-39 has acquired. As memory gradually returns, Alice-at-29 initially misinterprets the scattered images and flashes of emotion, especially those concerning Gina, a woman who evidently caused the rift with Nick. Alice-at-29 assumes Gina was Nick’s mistress, only to discover that Gina was her best friend. Gina died in a freak car accident and in her honor, Alice-at-39 has organized mothers from the kids’ school to bake the largest lemon meringue pie on record. But Alice-at-29 senses that Gina may not have been a completely positive influence.

Moriarty handles the two Alice consciousnesses with finesse and also delves into infertility issues through Elizabeth’s diary.

Cheerfully engaging.

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction

|

15 march 2011

|

449

PROPHECY

Parris, S.J. Doubleday (384 pp.) $25.95 | May 3, 2011 978-0-385-53130-6 This follow-up to Heresy (2010), where Parris first introduced readers to Italian Giordano Bruno, shadows the former 16thcentury monk, philosopher and author as he involves himself with deadly intrigues inside the court of England’s Queen Elizabeth.

It is the fall of 1583, and Bruno is celebrating his friend Sir Philip Sidney’s marriage to the young daughter of the powerful Francis Walsingham, when Walsingham is called to the palace to deal with a crisis. He invites Bruno to accompany him and when the two men arrive, they find one of the Queen’s young ladies in waiting has been murdered. Cecily Ashe has been found dead with an astrological sign carved into her breast and holding a small effigy that resembles the Queen. Walsingham and other members of the Queen’s inner circle believe the murder is a direct threat to Her Majesty. They suspect a Catholic plot to assassinate Elizabeth, but Walsingham is ahead of the curve: Bruno, who is living in the French embassy, is acting as a double agent on his behalf, reporting the schemes and plans of the Catholic faithful against the head of England’s government. Parris based both of her books on reallife historical figures, which include Bruno. She knows the period well, and her writing is reflective of that knowledge. Readers will hear the sounds of Elizabethan England, smell the Thames River, taste the food and feel the luxurious fabrics of the clothes worn by courtiers. Although she peppers the story with period details, the premise that both sides would willingly embrace a known heretic such as Bruno (especially the Catholics plotting the Queen’s demise) rings false. The Catholic plotters seem not to trust him, but continue to include him in their plans. It’s a flaw that good writing does not overcome. Additionally, Bruno is not that great as a double agent: Whenever he comes across crucial evidence, he withholds it, often with disastrous results.

Parris populates her tale with interesting characters and plenty of atmosphere but allows the story to ramble on until the reader grows weary of Bruno and his detective work. (Reading group guide online)

ATTACHMENTS

Rowell, Rainbow Dutton (320 pp.) $25.95 | April 14, 2011 978-0-525-95198-8 Can love survive in the information age?

It can when a newspaper’s IT guy begins reading the e-mails of the film critic.

Set long ago in 1999, when people still cared about privacy, Beth, a film critic at a Nebraska paper and Jennifer, a copy editor across the room, trade daily e-mails when boredom 450

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

strikes at work. What they don’t suspect is that Lincoln, working the graveyard shift, reads their highly personal missives as part of his job, monitoring flagged e-mails for inappropriate material. He could stop (they’re neither gambling, browsing porn nor harassing co-workers), but he doesn’t want to—Beth and Jennifer are funny and friendly and have a life—something Lincoln desperately wants for himself. Handsome and addicted to college—he just finished his second master’s degree—Lincoln is also awkward, heartbroken from his cheating girlfriend, happy to count D&D as a social life, and has just moved back in with his counter-culture mother. Somehow, reading Beth and Jennifer’s e-mails make him feel normal. And he gets an eyeful of their normal: Jennifer is obsessed with pregnancy and how to avoid it, even though good guy husband Mitch wants nothing more than to start a family. Beth wishes she was as secure in her relationship with musician Chris, but he’s hardly the type to settle down. As the two trade emails, Lincoln feels increasingly like a cyber-stalker, but then something funny happens: Beth begins confessing a crush on a mystery man at work. Her cute guy eats dinner in the break room with old Doris, helps Jennifer change a flat and sounds an awful lot like Lincoln to Lincoln. He thinks he may be falling in love (even though he’s never seen Beth), but what about Chris? All’s well that ends well in this romance that switches from the women’s e-mails to Lincoln’s narrative of his slow rise from sad sack to confident boyfriend material.

A certain light charm pervades the novel—a Spring Break kind of book.

IVORY FROM PARADISE

Schmahmann, David Academy Chicago (352 pp.) $24.95 | February 1, 2011 978-0-89733-612-3

Memories’ ghosts haunt this intriguing novel, the third from Schmahmann (Nibble & Kuhn, 2009, etc.).

Helga Divin is dying, and her two children have rallied to her side at her London home. Danny is a wealthy investment banker who lives near Boston. Bridget also lives in America with her daughter, Leora, and her husband, Tibor, a Bulgarian refuge. The Divins are natives of Durban, South Africa, although both youngsters were forced to flee penniless during apartheid. Soon after, widowed Helga, a liberal university professor, married Arnold Miro, a wealthy businessman, and moved to London. It does not help family dynamics that Miro is a boor, a greedy poseur who has isolated the normally strong-willed Helga. Miro also is attempting to misappropriate a collection of Zulu historical objects gathered by Silas Divin, Helga’s first husband, Danny and Bridget’s father. Among the artifacts are two elephant tusks given to one of the first settlers of the region, Nathaniel Isaacs, a Jew. As the Divins are Jewish, the tusks reign symbolically over the novel, as does Gordonwood, the hilltop estate Silas purchased. Also important to the narrative are Baptie, a servant at Gordonwood who feels a

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Smith tackles modern-day pirates in this adventure novel set in Africa.” from those in peril

maternal connection to Danny and Bridget, and her son Eben, whose appearance is emblematic of the nation shaping itself out of apartheid’s ashes. Told in four parts, with Danny’s point of view in the first, the story moves to Eben and new Africa in the second; and Morton Nerpelow, the family’s Durban attorney, in the third. Characters come together in the fourth. Danny’s human frailties inspire empathy, as do Bridget’s, but the imperturbable and constantly supportive Tibor is sketched admirably, and Miro as nemesis is unambiguous. Point of view sometimes slips, especially when Danny relates the tale. Chapters are very short, some less than a page, but one offers an interesting precis of the first contact between whites and the Zulu nation.

An entrancing literary effort drawn from authentic characters and settings.

THOSE IN PERIL

Smith, Wilbur Dunne/St. Martin’s (400 pp.) $27.99 | e-book: $14.99 | May 1, 2011 978-0-312-56725-5 | e-book 978-1-4299-2116-9 Smith tackles modern-day pirates in this adventure novel set in Africa.

Hector Cross has a problem. As the head of Cross Bow Security, he is tasked with protecting the assets of Bannock Oil in Abu Zara. When Somalian pirates kidnap heiress Cayla Bannock, her mother, Hazel, insists on accompanying Hector on the rescue mission. Complicating matters is Adam Tippoo Tip, sheikh of Puntland, a ragtag fiefdom of pirates, who has sworn vengeance against Hector for killing both his father and grandfather. Although Hector and Hazel start off loathing one another, their animosity inevitably gives way to passion. There’s quite a bit of sex in the book, and it’s typically gratuitous or grisly, including a horrifying gang-rape scene. Smith’s action sequences are first-rate, but he’s not a reflective writer and the story is marked by flat prose and wooden dialogue. (Cayla, for instance, doesn’t come remotely close to sounding like a young American girl from Houston.) Vengeance plays a major role here; it’s the chief motivating force for both sides. Curiously, those who have been wronged by the pirate king’s schemes embrace their tormenter’s notion of what constitutes just punishment: a life for a life. The characters mete out revenge with ruthless savagery, engage in torture and carry out executions, making them no better than the enemy. Hector and Hazel ultimately win the day, but at a price so steep only a cynic would call it a victory.

An uneven, ripped-from-the-headlines swashbuckler whose heroes dodge their enemies’ bullets and the implications of their own actions, with mixed results.

|

THE CAMELOT CONSPIRACY

Vincent, E. Duke Overlook (328 pp.) $24.95 | May 1, 2011 978-1-59020-639-3

From veteran TV writer and producer Vincent (Mafia Summer, 2005, etc.), an action novel about the Kennedy assassination.

With a cast of Mafia dons, politicians, the CIA, the FBI and a snake’s nest of anti- and pro-Castro Cubans, the novel piles conspiracy atop conspiracy. It’s 1959, and communist Castro has overthrown Batista. Eisenhower plans an invasion by anti-Castro elements. JFK gives the go-ahead but ruins the plan by seeking “plausible deniability.”

Next come plots, schemes and covert missions to assassinate Castro: by the Mafia, which wants its Havana casinos back; by anti-Castro elements who want their country back; and by the CIA, which wants a Soviet ally overthrown. Vincent relates the story in dozens of short, one-scene chapters covering everything from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion to the Cuban Missile Crisis. His knowledge of mobsters and bureaucrats, and the ugly underbelly of glitzy places like Las Vegas and Miami, lends an air of believability. The protagonist is Dante Amato, war hero turned mafioso with a CIA agent brother. Amato makes two forays into Cuba attempting to kill Castro, one accompanied by the beautiful Cuban refuge Marissa del Valle, a Bryn Mawr graduate willing to bed Fidel if the assignation presents an opportunity to poison him. Vincent does a fine job of moving the bull’s-eye from Castro to JFK, conjuring up the blood-lust resentment of mobster Sam Giancana, who delivered Chicago for the Kennedy campaign, only to be pursued even more fanatically by Robert Kennedy. Characterizations are generally superficial, with Dante realistically amoral rather than heroic, but the author makes intriguing use of historical characters, including E. Howard Hunt, CIA operative turned Watergate burglar.

Thrillers thrive on a conspiracy burning away like a fuse on a bomb. With this novel, Vincent strikes a fictional match and explodes the supposed cover-ups, machinations and disinformation surrounding the Kennedy assassination.

BEL-AIR DEAD

Woods, Stuart Putnam (304 pp.) $25.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-399-15736-3 Stone Barrington (Lucid Intervals, 2010, etc.) fights to protect a Hollywood studio from a takeover bid that goes way beyond hostile.

Arrington Calder, the most durable of Stone’s former lovers, wants the father of her son to come to La-La-Land to vote the shares in Centurion Studios her late husband, six-time Oscar-winning star Vance

kirkusreviews.com

|

fiction

|

15 march 2011

|

451

Calder, left her. By the time Stone and his NYPD ex-partner, Lt. Dino Bacchetti, land in L.A., Arrington’s changed her mind, in the first of many plot complications that go nowhere. As Stone settles into Arrington’s guest house and the battle lines form, it becomes clear that investor Terry Prince’s bid to purchase a controlling interest in Centurion from Arrington and its other leading shareholders—ancient Centurion CEO Rick Barron, Hollywood heiress Jennifer Harris and Jim Long, currently sitting in jail accused of conspiring to murder Santa Fe attorney Ed Eagle (Santa Fe Edge, 2010, etc.)—is seriously bad news. For one thing, Terry’s plan to build a hotel on Centurion’s land would gut the studio. For another, his money is coming from Mexican and Colombian drug lords. Finally, his determination to close the deal crosses the line to murder, as Jennifer Harris discovers to her sorrow. Remaining cool throughout (his reaction when his Mercedes is blown up: “I guess we’d better take the Bentley”), Stone helps Centurion fend off this unwanted suitor while he thwarts equally aggressive subplots from Terry’s beautiful, frigid executive assistant Carolyn Blaine and Ed Eagle’s homicidally resourceful ex-wife.

Redoubtable Stone not only beds the best women and corrals the best lifestyle perks but succeeds so well in his job that he’s rewarded with a full partnership in his law firm and a large share of control over Centurion himself. What a guy.

THE LAKE

Yoshimoto, Banana Translator: Emmerich, Michael Melville House (208 pp.) $23.95 | May 1, 2011 978-1-933633-77-0 The simplicity of this elliptical novel’s form and expression belies its emotional depth.

There’s almost an artistic sleight of hand in the latest from Yoshimoto (Hardboiled & Hard Luck, 2005, etc.), a novel in which nothing much seems to happen yet everything changes. Its narrator is a young Japanese woman, a graphic artist and muralist, on the cusp of 30 but still a relative innocent. She finds herself at a turning point, mourning the recent death of her mother, a death that spurs the daughter to uproot herself from her hometown and pursue her career amid the depersonalized anonymity of Tokyo. She takes an apartment, which offers a view of another apartment where a young man her age lives. “I had a habit of standing at my window, looking out, and so did Nakajima, so we noticed each other, and before long we started exchanging nods,” she explains in the matter-of-fact prose that marks the narrative style. Nods lead to more expansive forms of voiceless communication, which leads the two to meet, which leads to love.

Or something. “It was so gorgeous it almost felt like sadness,” she writes of her feeling for the man she discovers is a haunted, frail medical student. “Like the feeling you get when you realize that, in the grand scheme of things, your time here on this earth really isn’t that long after all.” As the two bond over their dead 452

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

mothers, she intuits that there are levels to his life and history that she can barely fathom. She gets a glimpse deeper into his soul when they make a pilgrimage to the lake of the title, to visit friends of his, a very mysterious brother and sister, whom she later suspects might not exist at all. The narrator and her lover bond in a way that isn’t necessarily sexual and not exactly spiritual, but more “as if we were clinging to each other, he and I, at the edge of a cliff.”

At one point the narrator feels like she is “inhabiting someone else’s dream,” which is the sort of effect the reader might experience as well.

MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU

Young, Louisa Harper/HarperCollins (336 pp.) $25.99 | May 31, 2011 978-0-06-199714-3 Innocence, devastation and restored hope cycle through two British couples after the men go to France to fight World War I and the women cope with their absence in very different ways. This is Young’s first adult novel to be published in the United States.

An epic love story, a grim war chronicle, a class study, a heartwarming tale of overcoming—London native Young’s pageturner has Masterpiece Classic written all over it. Riley Purefoy, a bright, wide-eyed, working class boy, falls for the sweet, privileged and equally adoring Nadine Waveney after stumbling into a childhood job posing for her neighbor, a famous painter. At 18, still a prize model and still in love with Nadine, Riley enlists to flee from an embarrassing encounter with a gay student painter.

He proves a good soldier and rises in rank, but immersed in daily traumas, sinks into disillusionment and then worse after a part of his face is shot off. Meanwhile, Riley’s battle-scarred commanding officer, Peter Locke, is consumed by alcohol. Back home, while Nadine works as a volunteer nurse for returning soldiers, Peter’s wife Julia obsesses over her looks after being rebuffed by him during a short leave. She risks a very different kind of plastic surgery than a devoted doctor performs on Riley to reconstruct his jaw. While following the conventions of Victorian-era fiction (unbeknownst to him, Riley’s caregiver is Peter’s cousin), Young brings a modern, frill-free sensibility to the material. There’s considerably less sentimentality than you usually encounter in such stories. Young, a graceful and light-handed writer, offers a powerful account of war, and her detailed descriptions of the experimental reconstructive surgery add a compelling element to the story.

A literate, moving wartime tale in which love triumphs over despair.

kirkusreviews.com

|

m ys t e r y MOURNING GLORIA

Albert, Susan Wittig Berkley Prime Crime (320 pp.) $25.95 | April 5, 2011 978-0-425-23913-1 A disturbing experience involves Texas ex-lawyer, herbalist, business owner and amateur sleuth China Bayles in yet another murder case.

On her way home from a friend’s party, China Bayles notices a trailer on fire. She calls 911, then races to check for occupants. But the door is locked, and although she hears cries for help, the trailer explodes before she can do anything. The trailer fire was no accident, and the unidentified female victim had been bound and shot before the fire. Jessica Nelson, a graduate student at the local college who’s doing a summer internship at the Pecan Springs Enterprise, is eager to pursue a hot story. In addition, her memory of the fire that killed her parents and her twin sister makes this assignment especially urgent for her. When Jessica can’t be found after leaving an interrupted message on China’s answering machine, China takes her disappearance seriously, but her friends in the police force are not so concerned.

With her private detective husband away on a case, China takes time away from her store to follow in Jessica’s footsteps as she looks for clues to her whereabouts. It soon becomes apparent that the dead woman may have had a drug connection. Dissatisfied, China digs up even more dirt in hopes of finding the answer.

China (Holly Blues, 2010, etc.) continues to provide good value, with solid mysteries, fascinating herbal lore and appended recipes.

IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT

Allen, Robin Midnight Ink/Llewellyn (288 pp.) $14.95 paperback original | May 8, 2011 978-0-7387-2607-6 Deboning the chef.

Flown in from Monte Carlo to Austin, Texas, to add sizzle and spice to the redesign of Markham’s, a beloved local restaurant, Chef Évariste Bontecou antagonizes everyone from the dishwasher to the sous chef.

So it’s no big surprise when he turns up dead, impaled on a large butcher’s knife. Unfortunately, that knife belongs to the restaurant owner’s stepdaughter Ursula, who is thrown in the slammer. Poppy Markham, who used to work in the restaurant before decamping to become a public-health inspector, decides to save the day, the restaurant and even Ursula with a |

bit of supersleuthing. She’s helped by her former beau, the deliciously handsome food critic Jamie, and the pair turn up a few secrets: that three mystery men who dine at Markham’s weekly are treated to complimentary bottles of lavishly expensive wine; that several deals were in place to reassign ownership of Markham’s; and that a certain waitress may have been romancing not only the roly-poly, married Bontecou but Ursula’s sometime boyfriend and even the restaurant’s new manager. Poppy’s home will be torched, her dad hospitalized and her hormones reattuned to Jamie before just deserts are served up.

First-timer Allen delivers a breezy and likable menu with perhaps a tad too much panting after Jamie.

A PINCHBECK BRIDE

Anable, Stephen Poisoned Pen (190 pp.) $14.95 paperback original | $24.95 Lg. Prt.: $22.95 | March 1, 2011 978-1-59058-858-1 | 978-1-59058-856-7 Lg. Prt. 978-1-59058-857-4 The death of a docent in a Back Bay Boston brownstone.

Newly named a trustee at Mingo House, improv comic and amateur historian Mark Winslow accompanies docent Genevieve Courson as she explains the museum’s history, including ghostly sightings, Civil War armament dealings and the tragic death of family triplets with compromised lungs. Later she asks to meet with him privately. But when he arrives, Genevieve, in a green period gown complete with bustle, has been posed in an heirloom rocker, strangled. Whodunit, and why? Mark’s lover Roberto wishes he wouldn’t get involved, but since he discovered the body, Mark can’t help being curious. Then an aged trustee falls into a coma, an antiques appraiser hired to evaluate the Mingo House contents is murdered and another trustee is learned to have formed a romantic liaison with yet another, despite marriage and his presumed sexual orientation. And there’s more.

At the time of her death, Genevieve was pregnant, her college roommate didn’t bother to show up for her funeral and her best friend was known to several of the trustees for his role in a porno film. So Mark thinks he has lots to tell the police, who have their eye on Genevieve’s father, a registered sex offender, as their main suspect. Matters won’t come to a head till after the last crab cake has been eaten at the museum fundraiser and Mark, in self-preservation, whacks the guilty party with a fireplace poker conveniently at hand.

A much-improved second effort from Anable (The Fisher Boy, 2008), who’s created a fascinating family tree for the Mingoes and a vibrant depiction of their Victorian home so in need of rehabbing.

kirkusreviews.com

|

mystery

|

15 march 2011

|

453

“Wyoming Fish and Game Warden Joe Pickett’s fondest dream becomes his worst nightmare when his loathsome mother-in-law is arrested for murder.” from cold wind

RUNNING ON EMPTY

Balzo, Sandra Severn House (192 pp.) $27.95 | May 1, 2011 978-0-7278-6981-4

A Wisconsin reporter comes home to murder and mayhem in a High Country resort town.

AnnaLise Griggs always called forceful, maternal Phyllis Balisteri “Mama,” while calling her own mother, pretty, delicate Lorraine Griggs, “Daisy.” When Mama calls to tell her that during the last blood drive, Daisy drained three pints from Ema Bradenham, AnnaLise knows it’s her filial duty to see what on earth is up. So she comes back to Sutherton just before Labor Day, by tradition the end of the tourist infestation of the North Carolina town’s lakefront attractions—which include Mama’s restaurant and Daisy’s store, now converted into a nightclub by young Tucker Stanton. Daisy does appear to be having odd spells, forgetting that her husband Tim died years ago and talking about secrets that need to come out. AnnaLise’s ex-boyfriend Chuck Greystone is already out, making him Sutherton’s first gay police chief. When Rance Smoaks, his predecessor, is found dead in the lake, Chuck doesn’t hesitate to question AnnaLise, Sutherton’s mayor Bobby Bradenham, and anyone else he thinks might have smoked the ill-tempered Rance. But Rance’s death is just the beginning. Someone takes a pot shot at Dickens Hart, who’s bent on turning his lakeside inn into condos. And Ichiro Katou, who thinks that what Sutherton needs is a sushi restaurant, also turns up dead. Realizing that all this madness coincides with her return, AnnaLise wonders how Daisy’s dementia fits into the crazy quilt her home has become.

Balzo’s Maggy Thorsen series (A Cup of Jo, 2010, etc.) was a mild jolt, but her new franchise is a full-throttle joyride.

COLD WIND

Box, C.J. Putnam (400 pp.) $25.95 | March 22, 2011 978-0-399-15735-6 Wyoming Fish and Game Warden Joe Pickett’s fondest dream becomes his worst nightmare when his loathsome mother-in-law is arrested for murder.

Earl Alden, the sixth suitor to take Missy Vankueren Longbrake Alden to the nuptial bed, was proud of the 100 new wind turbines sprouting on his spread, the Thunderbird Ranch. But someone must have disliked both them and him, because Joe finds his corpse chained to the vane of one of them, rotating briskly. Joe’s current nemesis, county sheriff Kyle McLanahan, and rookie county attorney Lisa Rich, announce that they’ve got an airtight case against Missy based on the testimony of an unnamed informant who maintains that she engaged him to kill the Earl 454

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

of Lexington, who in a reversal of the customary order of things had been preparing to divorce her before she could tire of him.

Joe, whose dislike of his overbearing, manipulative motherin-law crystallized into something harder when she divorced rancher Bud Longbrake, confiscated his family’s property and left him empty-handed, finds himself in the unwelcome position of hunting for exculpatory evidence. He’d love to have the help of outlaw falconer Nate Romanowski once more. But Nate, following a serious quarrel with Joe (Nowhere to Run, 2010), has gone to ground somewhere he hopes will be safe from the old Special Forces colleagues he suspects have been sent to find and kill him. It looks like both men will be on their own until they collide just in time for a stunning courtroom finale.

Joe, who insists that “I’m not on a side,” spends more time than he’d like in rooms with ceilings, but the mystery is strong enough to compensate, and the revelations about wind farms will curl your hair no matter which side you’re on.

BREAKING SILENCE

Castillo, Linda Minotaur Books (320 pp.) $24.99 | June 21, 2011 978-0-312-37499-0

A series of hate crimes against an Ohio Amish community turns deadly.

Painters Mill Police Chief Kate Burkholder was raised Amish. So she’s not surprised that many of the crimes committed against the community are going unreported by the clannish sect that wants to keep its distance from the “English.” When she’s called to the Slabaugh farm and finds the bodies of Solly, his wife Rachael and Solly’s visiting brother Abel in the manure pit, Kate is devastated. The fact that their deaths look like just another accident is no solace to the four children left behind: Mose, 17; Salome, 15; Samuel, 12; and Ike, 10. Their only relative is an uncle who’s not the community’s choice to raise the children because he’s no longer Amish. When the autopsy shows that Solly was hit on the head and pushed into the pit, the investigation ramps up. Did the people who’ve been killing animals, burning buggies and beating Amish people escalate to murder, or is there some other reason for the murders? Kate’s investigations turn up some scandalous discoveries. Salome, for instance, is pregnant by Mose. True, he’s adopted, but he’s still her cousin. State agent John Tomasetti, Kate’s friend and lover, is sent to help on the case. His presence is more than welcome, since the pressure has Kate drinking more than she should. She’ll have to revisit some dark places in her past before she can solve the crimes.

Kate’s third (Pray for Silence, 2010, etc.) offers plenty of violence, a surprise ending and some insight into the Amish way of life. (First printing of 125,000)

kirkusreviews.com

|

THE BRINK OF FAME

Fleming, Irene Minotaur Books (256 pp.) $25.99 | August 16, 2011 978-0-312-57544-1

1914 Hollywood beckons a fledgling filmmaker.

New Jersey isn’t big enough to hold Emily Daggett Weiss and her husband Adam, who’d developed a small filmmaking company in the Garden State. Now Emily is following Adam to Arizona with plans to make a movie in a desert setting. Before she reaches Flagstaff, Holbert Bruns, a detective she’d met while involved in a New Jersey murder case (The Edge of Ruin, 2010), joins the train. His presence turns out to be lucky for Emily, for when she arrives in Flagstaff, she discovers that Adam has lost their movie company in a poker game and taken off for Mexico with a starlet and plans for a quick divorce.

Luckily, Bruns offers to take on the destitute Emily as an assistant in a missing persons case. The pair travel to Hollywood, where Emily is promised a chance to direct a movie for film tycoon Carl Laemmle if she can help find his missing star Ross McHenry, who belonged to the mysterious Krotona movement. Emily soon becomes entangled with Krotona leader Mrs. Kazanow, the wife of the man who won the movie studio from Adam. As the plot thickens, Bruns wants to keep her on as a detective, but Emily is determined to become a director—as soon as she solves a bizarre murder case the studio wants hushed up.

Stubbornly determined Emily is a lot more focused than the meandering plot. Will she become a director? Will she hook up with the handsome detective? Stay tuned for the next installment.

KILLER IN CONTROL

Francis, Dorothy Five Star (274 pp.) $25.95 | June 15, 2011 978-1-43282-502-7

An Iowa cop confronts a murderer in Key West.

Sgt. Kitt Morgan shot the pet-store perp in self-defense, but she’s put on paid leave while the situation is evaluated. So she heads from Marshalltown, Iowa, to Key West to stay with Janell and Rex, her sister and brother-inlaw, owners of The Poinsettia B&B. She arrives just after the body of one of their guests has washed up on Smathers Beach and as the local cops are sizing up the staff as suspects. There’s the gardener, the cook with special Cuban cooking secrets, the combo that plays nightly in the B&B’s cafe and the long-time permanent renter, a retired lady claiming to be a psychic. Kitt shares dances with two of the men and does the tourist bit, popping over to Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas, watching the nightly parade of eccentrics on the pier at sunset, climbing the lighthouse steps and slathering on the sunscreen. Then she has the bright idea to |

ask the psychic if she can catch a glimmer of the murderer in her mind’s eye. This gets the poor woman killed and Kitt waylaid.

Thank goodness the local cops step in and resolve matters.

Francis (Eden Palms Murder, 2008, etc.) has an insider’s knowledge of Key West (Fast Buck Freddie’s, Blue Heaven, etc.) that’s a lot more impressive than her grasp of plotting and characterization. If you come for the scenery, don’t expect to get hooked on the people or their activities.

WICKED WORDS

Goodhind, J.G. Severn House (208 pp.) $27.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7278-6973-9 Hotelier wanders around Bath, helps solve mystery while she’s at it.

When Hannah “Honey” Driver’s overbearing mother Gloria Cross asks her daughter for one tiny favor, Hannah feels that she just can’t say no. Unfortunately, no favors for Gloria are ever small, and Honey ends up driving her mother and crew to the funeral of notorious letch Sean O’Brian. The funeral turns out to be more than Honey bargained for when O’Brian’s grave in Memory Meadow is already full. The body of travel writer Colin “C.A.” Wright is shoved into life-sized Teddy Devlin, a teddy bear usually reserved for soliciting donations. Honey sees the humor of the situation—the victim had a reputation for being distinctly unpleasant—but not her boyfriend, Detective Inspector Steve Doherty, who’s charged with investigating the crime. Even so, Doherty takes a fairly mellow approach to solving the mystery, and Honey’s preoccupied with a new project.

When one of her mother’s friends meets a sudden end, Honey is suddenly responsible for Bobo, a tiny, incontinent dog. Thank goodness her daughter Lindsey is helping her take care of the Green River, the hotel she’s trying to run in her spare time.

After a rambling and divergent collection of facts about Bath, along with interspersed moments of genuine humor, some suspense builds as Honey and Doherty try to uncover the truth.

Goodhind’s nonchalant attitude toward the mystery makes this one more likely to appeal to dedicated fans of Honey’s adventures (Murder by Mudpack, 2010, etc.) than to newbies.

kirkusreviews.com

BONES OF A FEATHER

Haines, Carolyn Minotaur Books (352 pp.) $24.99 | June 21, 2011 978-0-312-59502-9

A lesson in lying, Mississippi style.

Monica and Eleanor Levert, the last two surviving members of the Natchez clan founded by slave-trading blackguard Barthelme, ask the Delaney Detective |

mystery

|

15 march 2011

|

455

“Chicago police detective Jack Daniels faces death and a heavy dose of flashbacks.” from shaken

Agency to help prove that the family’s ruby necklace, valued at $4 million, has been stolen. Partners Sarah Booth and Tinkie, thinking the job will be safe, easy, quick and no cause for their menfolk to fret about them, agree to prepare a report for the insurance company. They’ve barely parked their blood-red Cadillac under the Levert portico when Eleanor reports that Monica has been kidnapped by a man who demands the insurance money as ransom. Agreeing to handle the arrangements, Sarah Booth and Tinkie, along with their faithful four-legged companions, Sweetie Pie and Chablis, are soon up to their southern accents in tall tales. Some are told by a devilishly handsome rogue claiming that he’s a Levert heir because he’s Monica’s illegitimate son, others by Millicent, a distant cousin who thinks she’s entitled to some largesse from the sisters. And there’s still more. Lolly the gardener is hiding his romantic trysts, Kissie the housekeeper is letting the rogue stay in a house wing unannounced, and a historian descended from a dupe of Barthelme plans a tell-all book. A stallion gallops across the plantation. A body falls off the plantation cliff. Jitty, the ghost who tweaks Sarah Booth about her love life, keeps appearing as pairs of sisters. Lies as thick as the Natchez humidity ultimately lead to two death scenes, several disappearances and a scam within a scam that almost causes Tinkie and Sarah Booth their lives.

Haines (Bone Appetit, 2010, etc.) diverts the reader from plot inconsistencies with great dollops of charm.

SHAKEN

Konrath, J.A. AmazonEncore (270 pp.) $13.95 paperback original February 22, 2011 978-1-935597216 Chicago police detective Jack Daniels faces death and a heavy dose of flashbacks.

When she comes to, Lt. Jacqueline Daniels is lying bound, gagged and stripped to her T-shirt and panties in a storage locker. Someone has kidnapped her with the firm intention of torturing her to death, and she knows who. It’s the cold-blooded hit man police have dubbed Mr. K, a man responsible for more than 100 killings across the country. Jack and Mr. K have tangled before, and while she struggles in vain to free herself and watches the clock her captor has thoughtfully provided mark off the minutes till he comes to play with her, she reminisces about the time three years ago when she and her partner, Det. Herb Benedict, almost caught Mr. K; the day back in 1989, shortly after she transferred to Homicide, when she was working the case of the tortured escorts and had to decide whether to accept her boyfriend Alan’s proposal; her eventful 29th birthday, when she was still working Vice; and the psychiatrist’s lecture to her and her fellow cadets that raised the question of whether it was more evil to kill people for money or for pleasure. The multipleflashback structure is hardly original, but Konrath works it with 456

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

an earnestness that makes his horrors considerably more disciplined than usual (Cherry Bomb, 2009, etc.).

Spoiler alert: Like an R-rated Pearl White, Jack will be rescued repeatedly from certain death, presumably to be staked out again for Stirred next year.

THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM

Larson, Nathan Akashic (200 pp.) $15.95 paperback original | May 1, 2011 978-1-617750-10-6

A nameless investigator dogs New York streets made even meaner by a series of near-future calamities.

Sometimes he calls himself Donny Smith after the name on his phony ID. Sometimes he calls himself Dewey Decimal after his passion for rearranging the disordered books in the Fifth Avenue branch of the New York Public Library. But he never calls himself by his real name, because he lost it in the endless disasters—a series of explosions, three economic collapses, the invasion of the Superflu—spun out of “the 2/14 Occurrence(s)” that decimated New York’s population. Now Daniel Rosenblatt, the unelected D.A. who seized power amid the post-apocalyptic rubble, needs the obsessive system-builder for another routine errand: to make sure community leader Yakiv Shapsko, a Ukrainian émigré, doesn’t do any more union organizing. Dewey, bent on murder, finds Shapsko, loses him, then goes to his home and finds his wife Iveta, who’s well able to take care of herself. After Shapsko tries to hire Dewey to kill Iveta, and he returns to his own office only to find three intruders there, Dewey realizes he’s stepped into something bigger and darker than he’d imagined—something presumably connected to Iveta’s ex-lover, shadowy Serbian warlord Branko Jokanovic. The complications that follow mostly involve well-armed thugs and conspirators going to early graves, most of them sent there by Dewey.

When it comes to plotting, film composer Larson is content to follow Raymond Chandler’s dictum, “When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun.” But his dystopia is bound to win fans with strong stomachs.

kirkusreviews.com

THE ILLUSION OF MURDER

McCleary, Carol Forge (352 pp.) $24.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7653-2204-3

Famously feisty feminist faces Phileas Fogg’s feat...but murder threatens to take the wind out of her sails.

In late 1889, reporter Nellie Bly challenges the 80-day global traversal of the illustrious Fogg with a trek of her own. |

“A bullied teenager returns home to find someone killing off her former tormenters.” from do you remember me now?

While she plans a book, Nellie also sends regular reports to Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World. Egypt particularly enchants her; her traveling companions, less so. Though courtly Herr Von Reich, a Viennese engineer and inventor, is companionable, she clashes with snobbish Lord and Lady Warton. As the quartet explores the crowded streets of Port Said’s native bazaar, Von Reich mentions in passing that a recent jihad may have made the precincts dangerous. His warning proves prophetic when they witness the stabbing of a hooded figure fleeing an Egyptian merchant. Nellie, who had noticed the victim earlier that day riding a bicycle, recognizes him on closer inspection as Mr. Cleveland, a fellow passenger on the Victoria. But her companions think she’s delusional and advise staying out of the matter. Undeterred, Nellie investigates and learns that Mr. Cleveland has not returned to the ship. Confirming her suspicions is only the first phase in a twisty adventure that takes her through Hong Kong and Japan to California and involves an imperious sheikh, Sarah Bernhardt and an annoying clutch of magicians.

A jaunty roman à clef studded with footnotes and vintage photographs and drawings. Bly’s second caper (The Alchemy of Murder, 2010) breezily avoids a sophomore slump.

THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY

Smith, Alexander McCall Pantheon (224 pp.) $24.95 | e-book: $24.95 | March 1, 2011 978-0-30737839-2 e-book 978-0-307-37963-4 Four last-minute complications for the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency to sort out before associate detective Grace Makutsi can tie the knot with furniture salesman Phuti Radiphuti.

Mma Precious Ramotswe’s latest client, Botsalo Moeti, made no enemies working for a mining company, and he’s hardly had the opportunity to make any as a farmer. So why has someone killed two of his cattle by cutting their Achilles tendons? Although a trip to his farm persuades Mma Ramotswe that he may have more enemies than he realizes, it doesn’t tell her which of them is responsible. Meanwhile, as usual, “the lady to help people” (The Double Comfort Safari Club, 2010, etc.) must deal with problems closer to home. Charlie, the eternal apprentice mechanic at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, the establishment owned by Mma Ramotswe’s husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, seems so determined to avoid Prudence Ramkhwane after she bears his twins that he runs away when he’s taxed with his responsibilities. Violet Sephotho, Mma Makutsi’s mantrap nemesis from Botswana Secretarial College, is standing for a parliamentary seat she’s obviously unqualified for. And Mma Ramotswe has been sighting her beloved white van, which her husband sold for parts when he finally judged it beyond even his expertise to restore, around Gaborone. If it’s true that “there is no heaven for cars,” what should she make of these spectral visions? |

Nothing very mysterious here, of course, but the solution to the problem of those dead cattle is wonderfully inconclusive, and you’ll never get through the wedding with dry eyes.

THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN JOHN EMMETT

Speller, Elizabeth Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (384 pp.) $26.00 | July 5, 2011 978-0-547-51169-6

Surviving World War I is no guarantee of survival.

John Emmett’s sister Mary can’t understand why he committed suicide.

Yes, he descended into madness following service in the Great War. Yes, he had to be banished to Holmwood, where difficult cases of shell shock were sequestered.

But she thought he was making progress. Why kill himself now?

When Mary calls for help on Laurence Bartram, an old school friend of John’s, Laurence, wrestling with an apathy that has consumed him since his pregnant wife died and his war service ended, tentatively noses around, then becomes fixated with finding out the truth. And no wonder, since it looks as if someone has killed four other members of John’s regiment linked by their participation in the duly sanctioned execution of a British officer. There are also glimmers of a wartime rape atrocity that preyed on John’s mind and enough suspects to populate one of the mystery novels beloved by Laurence’s friend Charles, who steps forward to help. Doomed love affairs come to light.

Fathers are mired in grief over the loss of their sons. And war and its aftermath truly are hell, leading to yet more tragedy and a plot twist surely no one will see coming.

Historian Speller (Following Hadrian: A Second Century Journey Through the Roman Empire, 2003, etc.) uses the Dyett and Poole executions in WWI as a springboard for this elegantly written antiwar saga.

DO YOU REMEMBER ME NOW?

Stuyck, Karen Hanson Five Star (302 pp.) $25.95 | May 18, 2011 978-1-59414-958-0

A bullied teenager returns home to find someone killing off her former tormenters.

The Six had it all. They were attractive, athletic, smart enough to get good grades, but not smart enough to be nerds. They ruled their Dallas high school with an iron fist. When Libby Norman threatened Megan Edwards’ spot on the cheerleading squad, someone put a laxative in her drink and (oops!) she missed tryouts. When Maria Vorgan looked as if she might get the lead in the school play, someone started a rumor she was sleeping with the drama teacher. Maria transferred, and

kirkusreviews.com

|

mystery

|

15 march 2011

|

457

the part went to Allison James, Lisa Smythe’s best friend. But their revenge on Jane Murphy for being greeted in the hallway by Lisa’s boyfriend Matt Phillips was beyond cruel. Lisa got fellow Sixer Todd Lawson to ply Jane with alcohol and seduce her, so the following week the whole school knew that “Plain Jane Got Laid.”

Too bad Plain Jane also got pregnant, and after graduation gave birth in such an under-equipped hospital that her baby died and an emergency hysterectomy ended any hope of further children.

Now she’s transformed herself. She uses her middle name, Kate, and her ex-husband’s name, Dalton. A nose job and a chin implant render her so attractive that Sixer Josh Edwards doesn’t even recognize her when she comes back to Dallas from Minnesota to tend to her dying mother and temporarily joins his plastic surgery practice. But when Todd, Megan and Allison all end up with slashed throats, homicide detective Sam Wolfe connects the dots that link Dr. Kate Dalton to Plain Jane Murphy—and wonders if it’s Dr. Kate who’s wielding the lethal scalpel.

Stuyck (A Novel Way to Die, 2008, etc.) offers a peek back into the creepy side of high school, with an equally creepy puzzle thrown in.

THE DRAGON’S PATH

Abraham, Daniel Orbit/Little, Brown (592 pp.) $14.99 paperback original | April 7, 2011 978-0-316-08068-2 Finally, the bankers get a fantasy that doesn’t involve our pension funds.

Inaugurating a new series, prolific fantasy novelist Abraham (A Shadow in Summer, 2006, etc.) draws deeply from the treasure vault of genre conventions and tosses some aside. Almost all fantasy, Abraham has observed, derives from J.R.R. Tolkien and the faux-medievalEuropean worlds he created. This effort is something different, even approaching science fiction in its imaginative geography, and with a strange sort of anthropology to boot—one of the first people we meet, for instance, is an exemplar of “the thirteen races of humanity” and she has fearsome tusks to match her gigantic fingers, a sort of Tolkienesque dwarf in reverse.

This ain’t your grandpa’s Tolkien, either, to judge by some of the dialogue: “Who the fuck are you?” asks a sailor, to which Strider—beg pardon, Marcus, his figurative cousin—replies, “The man telling you that’s enough.” It’s as if Clint Eastwood went to Narnia, which, come to think of it, isn’t a bad Hollywood pitch. But the setup isn’t quite as macho as all that, for 458

|

15 march 2011

|

fiction

|

in the gathering storm of Forces of Evil versus good guys, it’s a young girl, Cithrin the half-Cinnae, who’s entrusted with the secrets of the bank—and we’re not talking just any old doubleentry bookkeeping either. But even the fattest wallet doesn’t stand up to a double-edged broadsword, and there things get interesting. All the makings of a standard fantasy are there: an improbable band battles seemingly insurmountable odds to save humankind and restore someone’s birthright, evil comes close to triumphing, the darkness descends and then... But Abraham avoids the excesses of formula, and if the back-andforth is sometimes a little flat (“My Lord Issandrian forgets that this is not the first violence that your disagreements with House Kalliam have spawned”), the story moves along at a nice clip.

Will truth and justice prevail? Stay tuned. A pleasure for Abraham’s legion of fans.

AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE

Vaughn, Carrie Tor (304 pp.) $24.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7653-2555-6

In this warm homage to and deconstruction of classic comic books, a young woman demonstrates that you don’t need superpowers to be a hero.

Although estranged from her superhero parents, the amazingly strong Captain Olympus and pyrokinetic Spark, Celia West sees them every time they rescue her from villains attempting to use her as leverage against them (it’s happened so often she’s blasé about the whole thing). Possessing no superpowers herself, she’s struggled to make her own life as a forensic accountant. Asked to analyze the financial records of Simon Sito (aka the Destructor), an insane supervillain currently on trial, her investigation leads her to a criminal conspiracy, the mysterious origin of the superheroes of Commerce City and, ultimately, love with the one man truly capable of understanding her troubled history.

The author of the bestselling urban fantasy series starring radio talk-show host and werewolf Kitty Norville (Kitty Goes to War, 2010, etc.), Vaughn uses the comic-book setting to take a serious look at the seemingly superhuman pressure exerted by parents’ expectations and how difficult it can be for children to create their own destiny. The more over-the-top elements of the plot are aptly balanced by the emotional validity of Celia, whose quest to find her own strengths feels real in spite of the fantasy trappings of her world.

For readers who admire Lois Lane more than Superman.

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction LIFE, ON THE LINE A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat

Achatz, Grant and Nick Kokonas Gotham Books (400 pp.) $27.00 | March 3, 2011 978-1-592-40601-2

One of America’s most decorated chefs relates the triumphal story of his culinary genesis and epic battle with tongue cancer.

The unlikely comma in the title of this 36-year-old’s memoir, seemingly choking off the subject before it’s developed, wonderfully captures the pivotal pause cancer forced the young chef to take during his meteoric rise in the restaurant world.

Witnessed and told in part by business partner Kokonas, Achatz’s story begs comparison more with sports greats like Andre Agassi and Lance Armstrong, who famously surmounted gross physical challenges to reach the pinnacle of their careers, than with other culinary lions. While his untimely diagnosis with carcinoma of the tongue at age 33 may have compelled Achatz to share his story of life “on the line” with a mainstream audience, the bulk of the memoir focuses on the chef ’s extraordinary culinary journey. From cracking eggs at age seven in his grandmother’s café, to opening Alinea in Chicago at 31, which was subsequently named the best restaurant in the country by Gourmet in 2006, Achatz writes that the great challenge of his younger life was matching the culinary achievement of those around him. “All of my life I was surrounded by success”— including his parents, who owned their own restaurant before they were 30, exposure to the uncompromising demands of Charlie Trotter and mentoring by the inimitable Thomas Keller.

“The whole time I wanted to be as good as all of them,” he writes.

“I knew the only way to come close to that was to do something different; otherwise, I would always be in their shadows.” With an unrelenting work ethic and crackerjack imagination that has yielded gastronomic gems like foie gras lozenges enrobed in bittersweet chocolate or lavender-flavored popsicles, not to mention a revolutionary approach to food preparation and presentation, Achatz has demonstrated success at achieving “different.” But what makes this memoir ring true for those beyond the world of the professional kitchen is the author’s understated rise to the challenge of his life-altering trauma.

Revelatory and inspiring. (8-page black-and-white photo insert)

|

JOAN MITCHELL Lady Painter: A Life

Albers, Patricia Knopf (544 pp.) $40.00 | e-book: $40.00 | May 5, 2011 978-0-375-41437-4 e-book 978-0-307-59598-0 Independent curator Albers (Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti, 2002) presents a sizable biography of Joan Mitchell (1925–1992), a member of the New York School of Abstract Expressionist painters who changed the face of the art world in the 1950s.

Raised in luxury as an heiress to the fortune of famed Chicago engineer Charles Louis Strobel, Mitchell competed for the national figure-skating title as a teen in the early 1940s. She would follow her own path to success, dropping out of Smith College (where, she noted, “I got a B+ in art”) to attend the Art Institute of Chicago. She took up residence in New York’s Greenwich Village in late 1949, becoming part of a vibrant art scene along with soon-to-be famous names like Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning. The book begins a bit slow, but as Mitchell, armed with talent and a stormy personality, begins to establish herself as an important painter, Albers begins to find her footing as a biographer. The author is at her best when writing about the art, managing the difficult trick of bringing visual work alive on the written page. Eventually dividing her time between New York and France, Mitchell inhabited an alcohol-fueled world of artists, poets and musicians, including her longtime companion, French-Canadian artist Jean-Paul Riopelle, poet Frank O’Hara and playwright Samuel Beckett.

Discussion of Mitchell’s turbulent personal relationships, her lifelong pursuit of psychoanalytic treatment and her synesthesia and eidetic memory all inform what the author calls her “glorious, all-consuming involvement with memory, landscape, and paint.” “Lady Painter” is how Mitchell often referred to herself, and though her experience as one of few women in a maledominated milieu is present throughout the narrative, it is not the focus. As Albers writes, Mitchell “refused to differentiate herself from male artists,” and “did not want to be considered among the forgotten or neglected.”

A revealing portrait of a complex personality, this biography provides insight into the work of a master artist, but is perhaps too detailed to appeal to casual readers. (8 pages of color photographs, 62 photographs in text. Agent: Laurie Fox/Linda Chester Literary Agency)

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

459

THIS WON’T HURT A BIT (AND OTHER WHITE LIES) My Education in Medicine and Motherhood

Au, Michelle Grand Central Publishing (336 pp.) $24.99 | May 11, 2011 978-0-446-53824-4

An account of medicine, marriage and motherhood, executed with style and enough humor to offset the not-alwayshappy endings for patients.

Make no mistake: For all you hear about humanizing the process, giving residents more sleep time and so on, medical training has not changed much. Medicine remains a craft built on a strict hierarchy. Med school begins with two years of class work followed by two years of rotations as interns in a hospital’s clinics. Then comes residency for several years to learn a specialty and maybe more time on a fellowship, until you finally graduate and can call the shots. Attending physician of anesthesiology Au, who began writing humor while an undergraduate at Wellesley, plunges in on page one describing her experience as a fledgling intern asked to reach into the rectum of an obese, demented man to get a stool sample for occult blood testing.

After this episode, she backtracks to discuss the whys of choosing medicine and then proceeds chronologically. The daughter of physicians, she was accepted at Columbia’s excellent College of Physicians and Surgeons. At the first student mixer, she met Joe, the man she would marry and by whom she would have her first child—just as she changed her residency training from pediatrics to anesthesiology. So add nursing a babe, finding a nanny, firing said nanny, assuming new and increasing patient responsibilities (with attendant fears and anxieties) and dealing with crisis situations, and still Au and her mate soldiered on.

The books ends with the couple obtaining joint appointments in Atlanta, she with a 9-5 job as an anesthesiologist and Joe on a fellowship in ophthalmology.

An upbeat memoir by a woman still imbued with the idealism to serve, but also to be there for her husband and two sons.

FINAL JEOPARDY Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything

Baker, Stephen Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (240 pp.) $24.00 | February 17, 2011 978-0-547-48316-0 Are you ready for machines to take over the world? How about just a game show to start with?

That’s just the scenario of BusinessWeek senior technology writer Baker’s (The Numerati, 2008) account of the difficult birth of Watson, the IBM computer that just won a championship round on Jeopardy. Cleverly, the 460

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

author’s narrative works regardless of the outcome—for either way, the setup is the same: After the birth of Deep Blue, the supercomputer that beat grandmaster Garry Kasparov in a game of chess in 1997, IBM scientists set about building another machine. This one, like all machines, basically knows nothing— but, intriguingly, can approximate thought all the same. Imagine, as Baker describes it, how we might parse this clue: “This facial ware made Israel’s Moshe Dayan instantly recognizable worldwide.” You’d have to know something about who Dayan was and probably have been around in the day when the monocular Yul Brynner look-alike walked the earth, whereas Watson would merely go through millions of iterations of binary data by way of a process that, as Baker notes, is “scandalously wasteful of computing resources” to arrive at the correct answer: eyepatch.

Scandalously wasteful, perhaps. But imagine a few generations down the line, when Watson will have spawned machines that, to name just one real-world application, can store the texts of every medical-journal article ever written—weighing the newer ones more favorably than those from, say, Victorian England— to aid diagnosticians in their work. But how to get the machine to be able to parse real-world data and skirt the shoals of puns, subtleties, metaphors and all the other tricks human language allows? There’s the rub, and Baker provides a fine, often entertaining account of the false steps that led Watson, ever the literalist, to read Malcolm X as “Malcolm Ten” and to confuse Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist with the Pet Shop Boys.

Like Tracy Kidder’s Soul of a New Machine (1981), Baker’s book finds us at the dawn of a singularity. It’s an excellent case study, and does good double duty as a Philip K. Dick scenario, too. (Author tour to New York, Seattle, San Francisco. Agent: Jim Levine/Levine Greenberg Literary Agency)

THE ANATOMY OF INFLUENCE Literature as a Way of Life

Bloom, Harold Yale Univ. (368 pp.) $32.50 | May 1, 2011 978-0-300-16760-3

The distinguished critic again examines the interactions among writers that have been the main focus of his attention since The Anxiety of Influence (1973).

As in that seminal work, Bloom (Humanities and English/ Yale Univ.; Fallen Angels, 2007, etc.) takes a decidedly Freudian view of literature, depicting each generation of artists struggling with the titans of the past to carve out their own place in the pantheon. Ranking matters to Bloom; it’s not enough to proclaim Beckett, Joyce, Proust and Kafka “the masters of prose fiction in the twentieth century”—they must be judged as “transcending” Thomas Mann, Joseph Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner. His audience is “those dissident readers who…instinctually reach out for quality in literature, disdaining the lemmings who devour J.K. Rowling and Stephen King as they race down the cliffs to intellectual suicide in the gray ocean of the internet.” Looking beyond sentences

kirkusreviews.com

|

“An overdone topic taken from clinical to fabulous.” from the friendship fix

like that, and beyond Bloom’s trademark swipes at feminists and Marxists, readers (dissident or otherwise) will find his usual closely argued exegeses of the writers he loves—and that love goes a long way toward atoning for his aggressive contentiousness. He traces the poetic tradition stretching from Shakespeare through Shelley, Browning and Yeats to Walt Whitman, Bloom’s “American Homer,” whose epic presence shadows Wallace Stevens, Hart Crane and such contemporary poets as James Merrill and John Ashbery. Unsurprisingly, since Bloom prefers poetry “free of all history except literary biography,” he stresses existential themes: the nature of self, the soul’s quest for meaning, the omnipresence of death, our final destination. The octogenarian clearly has his legacy in mind as he strives to reject old charges of misogyny and exclusivity; he makes reference to his many Asian American students, and a few female names (Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop) have slipped into his references, if not his full-scale analyses. But we wouldn’t want Bloom to be anyone but Bloom: an old-fashioned literary critic passionately committed to art for art’s sake.

An autumnal summing-up, winding through “the labyrinth of literary influence” to conclude, “[t]hat labyrinth is life itself.”

THE FRIENDSHIP FIX The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing, and Keeping Up with Your Friends Bonior, Andrea Dunne/St. Martin’s Griffin (272 pp.) $15.99 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-0-312-60731-9

A clinical psychologist cleanly dissects friendships in a surprisingly entertaining manner.

In her debut, Bonior (Psychology/Georgetown Univ.) dispenses smart advice, flush with wit and sarcasm, aimed at women grappling with their relationships. Not only does she embrace and trumpet the importance of friendship, the author also offers relevant ideas and non-silly steps to put yourself out there and start creating new friendships. Bonior covers every type of friendship from childhood to college to adult, and from casual acquaintance to Facebook friend to co-worker. Her book will help readers patiently wade through their BFFs getting married, moving away and/or having children while they’re still sitting home alone eating ice cream out of the carton.

Girlfriends are reminded when to receive, when to give, when to support and when to shut up. Much of the content, to be sure, is what readers will already have been taught or learned and maybe even tried before, but there’s nothing like a gentle dose of common sense from time to time. Bonior also tackles often overlooked and weighty topics, such as how to help friends struggling with depression and mental illness. In one section, the author addresses the murky waters of friendships that evolve into something more when one friend develops feelings for the other.

An overdone topic taken from clinical to fabulous. |

THIS BOY’S FAITH Notes from a Southern Baptist Upbringing

Cain, Hamilton Crown (288 pp.) $25.00 | e-book: $25.00 | April 5, 2011 978-0-307-46394-4 e-book 978-0-307-46396-8 Tales from a one-time Southern Baptist.

Cain’s memoir begins with promise in a gripping prologue. The reader meets the author in the midst of his young son’s desperate hospital experience, as the boy clings to life and the parents cling to sanity. The author hoped to receive some assistance from his parents, aging Tennessee Baptists a world apart from their New York City son, but his request was met only with excuses and an eventual brief and uncomfortable visit. Readers begin to understand that whatever has passed in the intervening years, Cain and his parents are no longer family except in name. Apparently drawn to his memories through the trauma of his son’s illness, the author recounts various episodes from his boyhood and adolescence in Chattanooga. The book proves to be a pageturner, but Cain disappoints in two key ways. First, his vignettes are meant to pique the reader’s interest in Southern Baptist culture, but little of what is shared is particularly unique. Second, where the author does introduce meaty subject matter, he fails to deliver with introspection or analysis. For instance, in one scene Cain recounts being trapped in a car during a race riot, but aside from sharing the memory and the realization that race problems would not go away, he leaves the reader wanting more.

As Cain prepared to enter college, he was obviously happy to be leaving, even fleeing, the culture of his youth. However, his transition from overly pious Evangelical teen to James Joyce– quoting, humanist college freshman is abrupt and unexamined.

Though laced with interesting characters and descriptive writing, Cain’s memoir could have delivered so much more.

Pleasantries and pathos, but not a lot of point. (Author interviews in New York. Agent: Betsy Lerner/Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency)

THE WOMAN WHO COULD NOT FORGET Iris Chang Before and Beyond The Rape of Nanking

Chang, Ying-Ying Pegasus (448 pp.) $29.95 | May 15, 2011 978-1-60598-172-7

A life of the brilliant journalist and historian Iris Chang, who committed suicide in 2004, as told by her admiring mother.

In less than ten years, Iris Chang published three groundbreaking and critically acclaimed histories: Thread of the Silkworm

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

461

(1995), about the creator of China’s Cold War missile program; The Rape of Nanking (1997), which exposed the atrocities committed by Japan against China during World War II; and The Chinese in America (2003), a wide-ranging immigrant cultural history. The intensity of her research and the respect those books earned would have made them the highlights of a long career.

But Chang was only 36 when she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving behind a husband and young son. In assembling this biography, Chang’s mother is more interested in praising her daughter’s accomplishments than contemplating her death, though there’s no question the accomplishments are worthy of a full narrative. Chang’s parents were both academic scientists, but at an early age she was attracted to literature instead; by the time she attended journalism school at the University of Illinois, she’d developed a hard-charging, hardworking persona that quickly opened doors for her. The New York Times used her as a stringer but eventually told her to ease up on submitting articles, for fear it was acquiring too many central-Illinois datelines. The story is brightened by generous excerpts from Chang’s letters to her parents, which reveal what a voracious reader, tireless researcher and attentive daughter she was. But this book is ultimately hagiography. As a grieving mother, she’s forgiven such indulgences, but her instinct to reflexively praise frustrates in the closing chapters, in which she overlooks signs of her daughter’s overwork and flatly blames antidepressants as the cause of Iris’ rapid depression and suicide.

Nobody could expect objectivity from this book, but Chang’s perspective on her daughter seems willfully narrow. (24 pages of black-and-white photographs)

MYSTERIES OF THE JESUS PRAYER Experiencing the Presence of God and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of an Ancient Spirituality Chumley, Norris J. HarperOne (208 pp.) $26.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-06-187417-8

A rare investigation into the spiritual life of Eastern Orthodox Mystics.

Through the repetition of one prayer—“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner”—monks, nuns and hermits have found inner silence and union with God for nearly 2,000 years.

With the intention of bringing this prayer to the masses, Chumley (Columbia University Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life) and his friend Father John secured permission to visit and document the devotional way of life preserved in ancient monasteries. As they toured the Holy places as privileged guests, they crossed the Egyptian desert in an air-conditioned van to the oldest Christian monastery on Earth, viewed Moses’ still flourishing burning bush at St. Catherine’s on Mt. Sinai and experienced the powerful ringing of the world’s largest bell at close range in Kiev. “Without prayer, a monk is just a man in a black 462

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

dress,” says Father Jonas in Kiev. The book includes full-color photographs and wonderful insights into a legendary world that still exists. In particularly evocative prose, Chumley recalls the myrrh-scented remains of saints as he views stacks of bones in the monks’ cells, tells heroic but often gory tales of famous saints’ demise and shares the peaceful wisdom of the monks. Although impressed by the warmth and love exhibited by the Holy people he encountered, Chumley remains an outsider and writes for the intellectual, rather than devotional, reader.

A blend of anthropological study, spiritual quest and travelogue that sheds light on the search for inner peace.

THE END OF ANGER A New Generation’s Take on Race and Rage Cose, Ellis Ecco/HarperCollins (224 pp.) $24.99 | May 3, 2011 978-0-06-199855-3

Two surveys reveal that among highachieving African-Americans, there is a new feeling of hope and optimism about race relations in the United States.

Newsweek columnist and contributing editor Cose (Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge, 2004, etc.) conducted surveys of nearly 200 members of Harvard Business School’s African-American alumni association and more than 300 alumni of A Better Chance, an organization that sends underprivileged but talented teenagers to selected secondary schools to prepare them for college. Questionnaires and interviews with members of these elite groups show that they are upbeat about their potential to compete in a white world.

Their answers are quoted at considerable length, as are those of other prominent blacks whom Cose interviewed about their experiences and their views. The author cites three factors as sources for the optimism he found: generational evolution, a transformation of American values leading to a widely shared ideal of racial equality and the election of Barack Obama. To categorize generational differences, Cose labels the civil-rights generation Gen 1 Fighters (blacks) and Hostiles (whites), and succeeding generations Gen 2 Dreamers (blacks) and Neutrals (whites), Gen 3 Believers (blacks) and Allies (whites) and Gen 4 Reapers (blacks) and Friends (whites). His interviews highlight their different attitudes. Today, he contends that as white racism has become unacceptable, black rage has become inappropriate. However, while the future seems bright to some, the gap between rich and poor is widening, and the number of blacks in the underclass is huge. Furthermore, while anger may be mellowing in black America, a segment of white America is up in arms about political and social changes that it sees as threatening a fondly remembered way of life. As for the spirit of hope and optimism among successful blacks, he writes, “at some point, absent real change, reality is likely to force a reassessment.”

Heavily laced with anecdotes and lengthy quotes from other African-Americans, this report reads more like an accumulation

kirkusreviews.com

|

“A retired Canadian general’s impassioned call for action to eliminate the world’s most ‘cost-effective and renewable weapon system in existence today’: the child soldier” from they fight like soldiers, they die like children

of a journalist’s notes than a careful analysis of race relations in present-day America. (Agent: Will Lippincott)

IF IT MAKES YOU HEALTHY More than 100 Delicious Recipes Inspired by the Seasons

Crow, Sheryl and Chuck White St. Martin’s (272 pp.) $29.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-312-65895-3

The popular singer joins forces with her personal chef to share nutritious, seasonal dishes.

Crow remembers the delicious “Midwestern fare” her mother served when she was growing up, but as a busy, successful artist, her diet consisted of dressing-room junk food and room service. A breast cancer diagnosis in 2006 became the life-altering “game-changer” that spurred her to adopt a diet rich in sustainable, organic foods. Joined by her longtime personal chef Chuck White, the cookbook’s multifaceted recipe sections are grouped by seasons: Items like stuffed avocados, Southern Cobb Salad, Pecan-Crusted Trout and Lemon-Vanilla Panna Cotta are spring and summer tour favorites, while winter months spent in the studio feature Warm Hummus Soup, Barley and Vegetable Risotto, Five-Spiced Pork Tenderloin and her Mom’s Reconstructed Chili. Many of the recipes are supplemented by Crow and White’s smart, appealing cooking and food recommendations (ceviche, country ham, quinoa), along with quick factoids on everything from wasabi to grass-fed beef from Crow’s former dietitian Rachel Beller. Crow doesn’t deny herself the “10 percent cheat zone” and guiltlessly indulges in desserts like Vegan Chocolate-Mint Brownies and Banana Bread Pudding. Each section is clear and well organized, accented by generous photographs of the finished products and of Crow in the kitchen, on the road and alongside her two adopted sons.

Brimming with easy, nourishing recipes, food tips and personal anecdotes, Crow’s recipe book should garner new appreciation from fans, foodies and cancer survivors.

THEY FIGHT LIKE SOLDIERS, THEY DIE LIKE CHILDREN The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers

Dallaire, Roméo with Jessica Dee Humphreys Bloomsbury (320 pp.) $26.00 | May 24, 2011 978-0-8027-7956-4

A retired Canadian general’s impassioned call for action to eliminate the world’s most “cost-effective and renewable weapon system in existence today”: the child soldier.

Dallaire (Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity |

in Rwanda, 2004), founder and head of the Child Soldiers Initiative (CSI), writes that he first encountered child combatants while leading the international peacekeeping mission in Rwanda in 1993. Ever since, he has been haunted by the fact that some 250,000 children—40 percent of them girls—are being robbed of their innocence while serving with government and rebel forces in world conflicts. All under 18, and some as young as eight, child soldiers have fought in more than 30 conflicts in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and other regions.

While human-rights conventions and laws prohibit such use of children, writes the author, little has been done to enforce them.

Dallaire’s troubling book, written out of evident frustration over the world’s failure to act, draws on six years of CSI research.

He writes that children who grow up poor, undernourished and often orphaned in areas of conflict are regularly recruited by ruthless adult military leaders offering money, drugs, uniforms, chants and rallies that give a sense of belonging. The children are readily available in overpopulated countries, and lightweight assault rifles and other easy-to-use weapons can be obtained for them without difficulty. Girls, often overlooked in discussions of this topic, are valued not only as combatants but also as cooks, nurses and sex slaves. After indoctrination and grueling training, the children become vicious frontline killers.

Three chapters are fictional narratives in which Dallaire conjures the horrors of soldiering from a child’s point of view. The author outlines steps to prevent the recruitment of children for warfare and urges readers to help create the political will to act against recruiters and arms dealers.

A blunt, angry cry: “What has humanity created?” (Agent: Bruce Westwood/Westwood Creative Artists)

DIG THIS GIG Find Your Dream Job—Or Invent It

Dodd, Laura Citadel/Kensington (272 pp.) $14.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-0-8065-3245-5

Quirky career counseling directed at the clueless 20-something.

Dodd abandoned her job as a PA on a hit TV show in Los Angeles and headed for the beaches of Sydney, Australia. There, in the dingy, shoebox-sized room she shared with two friends, she contemplated, along with every other young adult she knew, her dream gig and how to achieve it in the recession-era job market. With this book, the author provides a series of “over-a-beer” conversations that profile the actual career misadventures of 20-somethings active in the workforce, set against the backdrop of success stories of industry leaders like Jeffrey Sachs and Dan Rather. Each chapter targets a specific career field, from “Entertainment Gigs” to “Green Gigs.” Some of the accounts are decidedly more successful than others, as explored in “Derailed Gigs.” The author opens each section with a basic overview of the field and ends with a postscript that provides 20/20 hindsight. Among others,

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

463

THE AGE OF DECEPTION Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times

there’s advice from an urban planner, a yacht stewardess and a genetics counselor, who opines, “Nobody understands what a genetics counselor is.”

Perfectly suited for the well-traveled recent graduate of an Ivy League institution with a trust fund to fall back on, but not recommended for average young adults slinging coffee and dreaming of a gig they will dig.

LAST MEN OUT The True Story of America’s Heroic Final Hours in Vietnam Drury, Bob and Tom Clavin Free Press (304 pp.) $26.00 | May 3, 2011 978-1-4391-6101-2

An exciting, focused account of the bitter evacuation by helicopter of the last Marines securing the U.S. embassy compound in Saigon on April 30, 1975.

The Americans washed their bloody hands of the Vietnam War with the Paris Peace Accords of January 1973, which stipulated withdrawal from South Vietnam except for a handful of Marine Security Guards (MSGs) and other personnel posted at the embassy and at a defense outpost (DOA) adjacent to the airport in downtown Saigon. The North Vietnamese Army broke the treaty by late 1974 and invaded its southern neighbor, and the Americans at the provincial Da Nang consulate in central Vietnam had already been forced into a horrifically chaotic evacuation by sea. Encircled by the North Vietnamese Army and the Vietcong by April 29, 1975, Saigon was braced for an invasion, with the North Vietnamese’s Gen. Van Tien Dung calling for evacuation of all Americans. The airport, guarded still by U.S. Marines, had been operating nonstop during the preceding weeks to remove tens of thousands of high-risk South Vietnamese, civilian contractors as well as refugees and war brides, but there were still guards at the DOA and numerous personnel at the embassy. As if to prod the Americans not to try anything sneaky, the North Vietnamese shelled the DOA, then the airport, sending up the VC flag, and the only option for evacuation of the Americans was by helicopter. Drury and Clavin (The Last Stand of Fox Company, 2009, etc.) ably narrate this suspenseful saga, full of conflicting personalities including Sgt. Juan Valdez, who was in charge of the MSGs; and the intractable Ambassador Graham Martin, immovable and holding out for peace talks until ordered by presidential request to get out. The authors also skillfully wade through the staggering details of the 600 chopper runs over an 18-hour period.

A thrilling narrative of bravery, bravado and loss. (8-page insert. Agent: Nat Sobel/Sobel Weber Associates)

464

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

ElBaradei, Mohamed Metropolitan/Henry Holt (256 pp.) $27.00 | April 26, 2011 978-0-8050-9350-6 Drawing upon his unique perspective on the diplomatic firing line, 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner ElBaradei—director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1997 to 2009—shares his unique perspective on how to achieve global security.

As a principal leader in the nuclear dramas of the last two decades (and his emergence as a leader of the movement for democratic reforms in Egypt), the author’s warning that the world is “on the cusp of significant change” has significant weight. In his judgment, what he calls “the Third Nuclear Age”—the postSoviet period when U.S. power was unchallenged—is coming to an end. During his years at the IAEA, ElBaradei had the frustrating job of trying to negotiate peaceful resolutions of the tensions between the U.S., Britain and France on one side, and Iran and North Korea on the other. He describes how negotiations were continually sabotaged because of domestic pressures, and he examines the actions of Iranian leaders, who had oversold their nuclear program to gain internal prestige while deceiving the IAEA for years. ElBaradei is also sharply critical of the major powers, all of which are duplicitous in their own ways. The author charges that the nuclear nonproliferation regime is “a double standard” based on the asymmetry between those who have such weapons, which they continue to modernize, and the “have-nots,” who have no defense against attack—in addition to the economic inequality between the major powers and the developing sector, which spawns extremism, violence and civil wars. ElBaradei recognizes that we must acknowledge “that poverty too, is a weapon of mass destruction,” and both kinds must be addressed.

A powerful presentation of alternative directions that will shape the future of global politics. (8-page black-and-white insert)

MILLARD FILLMORE

Finkelman, Paul Times/Henry Holt (192 pp.) $23.00 | May 10, 2011 978-0-8050-8715-4 A vigorous contextual treatment of a problematic president whose name mostly elicits puzzlement.

In the most recent installment of the publisher’s excellent American Presidents series, Finkelman (Law and Public Policy/Albany Law School) takes on previous biographers of Fillmore and gives a firm, unapologetic verdict based on the evidence. Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) was parochial, bigoted and more of an “accidental” leader than one to stand up for his

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Meh. If you’re not up on the sex life of, say, Millard Fillmore, then you might learn a thing or two here. Otherwise, this book mostly titters and snickers at the back of the class.” from one nation under sex

convictions. Fillmore came of age during the great national debate over Manifest Destiny. Although he hailed from the abolitionist North and was a Whig, his actions bore out sympathy to the Southern cause. Born in Cayuga County, near Syracuse, to a family of farm renters, Fillmore mostly educated himself and decided on the study of law as a profession, eventually settling in Buffalo with his schoolteacher wife, Abigail. Tall, handsome, cautious and circumspect, he gravitated to “oddball political movements, conspiracy theories and ethnic hatred.” He would, over time, embrace such unorthodox groundswells as the AntiMasonic Movement, the anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic North American Party in the 1840s and the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850s. A New York Congressman, he lost the campaign for governor, then failed to gain the Whig vice presidential nomination of 1844—Finkelman is mystified how he thought he could win, being without any national qualifications—though he was finally nominated four years later. With President Zachary Taylor’s sudden death, the completely unprepared Fillmore acted rashly by firing Taylor’s cabinet, then pressed to enact the divisive Fugitive Slave Act, which would “taint everything else he did,” even his important sponsoring of Commodore Matthew Perry’s expedition to Japan in 1852.

Finkelman expertly depicts the shameful legacy of a president deeply out of touch with the beliefs of his country.

ONE NATION UNDER SEX How the Private Lives of Presidents, First Ladies, and Their Lovers Changed the Course of American History

Flynt, Larry & David Eisenbach Palgrave Macmillan (288 pp.) $25.00 | April 26, 2011 978-0-230-10503-4

Of prurient politicians and pulsating presidents.

Having earned renown as a pornographer and as a champion of First Amendment rights, Flynt moves onto slightly more scholarly turf by recruiting professor Eisenbach (American History/Columbia Univ.) to the cause of studying all the naughty stuff about our leaders. The result is something of a set of salacious index cards, not really connecting to anything except passing the test—presumably, that test being the reader’s ability to titillate an audience at the next cocktail party with juicy details about Dolley Madison’s derriere and Eleanor Roosevelt’s fondness for Sapphic threesomes. What’s that, you say? Well, Dolley was known in her time for bestowing kisses and much, much more on the powerful men of her day, calming down just a little after marrying future president and well-known drag James Madison.

But, but, a reader familiar with those fine denizens of Montpelier and the Executive Mansion will object, that’s not true. Right, admit the authors: “Although the tales of Dolley’s rampant promiscuity are not true, the story of how they got started provides insight into how this one woman rocked the political world of the young Republic.” And so most of this book is a collection of saucy |

gossip guaranteed to thrill an impressionable eighth-grader. The authors’ general strategy is to present this gossip as fact—for how could one sell dirty stories about Lincoln, Eleanor, and even J. Edgar otherwise—and only then to backpedal to what everyone knows, which is that Bill Clinton was a horndog, James Buchanan a walker on the wild side, J. Edgar a walker in women’s pumps, etc.

Meh. If you’re not up on the sex life of, say, Millard Fillmore, then you might learn a thing or two here. Otherwise, this book mostly titters and snickers at the back of the class. (8 pages of black-and-white illustrations. First printing of 75,000)

TRUTH, BEAUTY AND GOODNESS REFRAMED Educating for the Virtues in the Twenty-First Century

Gardner, Howard Basic (256 pp.) $25.99 | April 12, 2011 978-0-465-02192-5

Guggenheim Fellow Gardner (Psychology/Harvard Univ.; Five Minds for the Future, 2007, etc.) delivers a treatise on how best to define and develop the concepts of truth, beauty and goodness in a digital world.

Employing a multidisciplinary approach, the author attacks the notion that cultural relativism and the “chaos” of Web 2.0 negate the existence and/or usefulness of this trio of virtue. He treats these concepts in three separate chapters because, as he is quick to point out, they are not interchangeable. For each concept, Gardner supplies a simple, though certainly not dictionaryworthy, core definition, tracks how humanity has previously denoted and related to the concept and then discusses how each must evolve to reflect the changes in the 21st century. He gives special consideration to combating postmodernist defeatism and addressing social media’s growing role. Gardner also elucidates how the young and not-so-young can implement these new definitions, and how different age groups can engage in complementary manners as they strive toward the same goals. The author is a fluent and articulate writer, and his clarity is further enhanced by the helpful summaries that conclude each section or subsection.

Gardner’s philosophy will not satisfy all readers—e.g., his definition of beauty is particularly narrow and subjective—but this work will likely instigate others to participate in the discussion.

A clear and informative view of the changing classical virtues.

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

465

IN DEFENSE OF WOMEN Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate

Gertner, Nancy Beacon (256 pp.) $26.95 | e-book: $23.95 | April 26, 2011 978-0-8070-1143-0 e-book 978-0-8070-9548-5 U.S. District Court Judge (Massachusetts) Gertner spent 25 years as a civil-rights and criminal-defense lawyer before being confirmed in 1994. Her thoroughly engaging, outspoken memoir about those years might be considered a bold move for a seated judge who should maintain an image of neutrality, but not a surprising one if you consider the values that have defined her career.

The author’s story is that of “breaking into and succeeding in the quintessential man’s world…told by one of many women who desperately tried to put her fancy legal skills at the service of society’s most maligned members.” She writes this memoir to preserve her pre-judge identity as an advocate, as well as to remind the next generation of women, particularly those rejecting feminism, of the choices she and her contemporaries fought hard to maintain. Gertner narrates her personal experiences— of a humble upbringing in Queens, attending Barnard and Yale, building a law practice, earning the respect of her opponents and balancing her job with a family (she has three children with husband John Reinstein, ACLU Legal Director)—alongside stories of the landmark cases she worked on. Defending anti–Vietnam War activist Susan Saxe from accusations of robbery and murder catapulted Gertner onto the legal stage at the beginning of her career. Rape, abortion, malpractice, murder, sexual harassment, extortion and academic discrimination trials followed, cementing her formidable reputation as one of Boston’s best lawyers.

While the author can be a little too obvious about the pride she takes in her impressive persona (“I suppose you have to be somewhat driven to characterize teaching at Harvard as time off ”), the narrative is well-paced. Lofty musings on the justice system’s ability to access “the truth” and the role of litigation in shifting social standards will be cited in law-school classes, while amusing anecdotes will resonate with general readers.

Fits Gertner’s description of herself: “funny, irreverent, dramatic, prepared.” (Local author promotion in Boston)

HOW TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY

Gibson, Tyrese Grand Central Publishing (304 pp.) $24.99 | April 7, 2011 978-0-446-57222-4 Hollywood star surmounts a rocky childhood to redirect his own fate.

Gibson was raised in South Central Los Angeles by an alcoholic mother and a

466

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

line of her abusive boyfriends, but he learned early on that if he was going to amount to anything, he needed to be proactive. So he hustled; he begged for money; he looted during the Rodney King riots. As a teenager, his high-school music teacher drove him to a shot-in-the-dark audition that landed Gibson a spot in a 1995 Coca-Cola commercial. Fast forward 15 years, and now the actor, songwriter and Grammy Award–winning singer challenges readers to get off their “pity potty” and rise above their surroundings, too. Using a mix of self evaluation, deep faith in God, focus and determination, Gibson sets forth the path he believes saved his career and his life. While he credits many factors and individuals (including Will Smith) with his transformation, the author was obviously born with wisdom many others aren’t fortunate enough to possess—the knowledge to recognize that he could and wanted to be more, and the inner strength to make it happen. Gibson also offers more than 50 pages of relationship advice (including sex, parenting and infidelity), which he claims may set female readers’ teeth on edge— a likely outcome.

Part memoir, part life manual, an uplifting and inspirational guide to regaining control of your life.

NO SHORTAGE OF GOOD DAYS

Gierach, John Simon & Schuster (224 pp.) $24.00 | May 17, 2011 978-0-7432-9175-0

A prolific fly-fishing expert and nature writer dispenses hard-won field-andstream wisdom.

Few writers, if any, have written about the implications of fly-fishing as eloquently as Ernest Hemingway in The Big Two-Hearted River, but Gierach (Fool’s Paradise, 2008, etc.) brings detailed insight and a sense of humor to the subject. With a title taken from an Annie Dillard quote (“There is no shortage of good days; it’s good lives that are hard to come by”), the book is a collection of fondly remembered fishing trips and random fishing-related topics, along with miscellaneous other narrative odds and ends thrown in the mix: fishing and firewood, fly-fishing versus bait fishing, fly-fishing’s countercultural history, salmon fishing, the experience of fishing with guides and even a random chapter on the perils of combining fishing with the pain-in-the-neck necessity of book tours. The author’s strength is his obvious obsessive drive to find the perfect fishing spot and make the perfect cast; his travels take him from his home state of Colorado to Canada, Wisconsin, Washington State and Mexico. While his fisherman’s jargon can get a bit too specialist-sounding for nonexpert fisherman, Gierach’s good for plenty of man-of-the-soil maxims. On the subject of fishing on film: “Fishing is like sex in that it can be anywhere from deeply meaningful to just plain fun to participate in, but it’s oddly boring to watch in videos.”

Though his thoughts occasionally veer off on unforeseeable tangent, even these detours often have a certain charm: One minute he’s talking about hooking wild trout in public water;

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Beautifully written and thoroughly original—quite unlike any other Civil War book out there.” from 1 8 6 1

the next, he’s on to some old-fashioned transcendentalist contemplation on the frivolity of material wealth.

Gierach’s genial campfire manner and woodsy witticisms should hook more than just the average fishing fanatic. (10-20 blackand-white line drawings. Agent: Pamela Malpas/Harold Ober Associates)

YOU CAN’T FIRE EVERYONE And Other Lessons from an Accidental Manager Gilman, Hank Portfolio (224 pp.) $25.95 | March 17, 2011 978-1-59184-378-8

A breezy, enjoyable debut that recalls the trials, tribulations and successes of a veteran editor, with advice for others seeking the same career.

Lifelong newsman Gilman looks back on his career, much of it spent as an editor at the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Fortune, and shares tips for managing the creative types that fill newsrooms and other lessons learned in the executive suite.

The author is a good storyteller, and his guide to successful management is punctuated with enough personal anecdotes so that the book reads as part memoir, part instruction manual. Readers receive a window into the backrooms of some of the world’s most renowned news organizations. At Newsweek, they used to ask, “How would you feel about it if that appeared on Page Six?” cautioning “Imagine what your decisions would look like to others”—words to live by for anyone in this age of careless e-mails, Facebook entries and Twitter. Gilman breaks his chapters into small, digestible bites that keep the narrative moving and dishes up a smorgasbord of useful advice in a conversational style peppered with self-deprecating humor. Although the author’s experience is in the media field, his tips can be applied to most industries.

Useful tool for managers at all levels, and solid insights for everyone else.

1861 The Civil War Awakening

Goodheart, Adam Knopf (460 pp.) $28.95 | e-book: $28.95 | April 11, 2011 978-1-4000-4015-5 e-book 978-0-307-59666-6

A penetrating look at the crowded moment when the antebellum world began to turn.

The zeitgeist is by definition ephemeral and difficult to recapture—think, for example, of a period as recent as America before 9/11—but that’s the neat trick splendidly accomplished here by journalist and historian Goodheart, now director of |

Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. History, he reminds us, is composed not merely of the momentous judgments of government ministers and generals, but also of the countless decisions of ordinary people. These responses to unexpected challenges are complicated, not always predictable and, taken together, have the power to shift events decisively. Such a time was 1861, when the “Old Gentlemen” (the likes of Buchanan, Tyler and Crittenden) gave way to the self-made men (exemplified by Lincoln, multiplied by a still younger generation of strivers like James Garfield and Elmer Ellsworth); when the Republican marching clubs, the Wide Awakes, and the exotic Zouave drill team became something more than quasi-military; when the transcontinental telegraph replaced the Pony Express; when trolley-car executive William Sherman and shop clerk Ulysses Grant looked on as two unsavory men preserved Missouri for the Union; when fugitive slaves suddenly became “contrabands”; when a general in San Francisco and a major at Fort Sumter, notwithstanding their Southern sympathies, remained faithful to their military oath; when surging patriotism and romantic notions of war turned to hatred and bloodlust; when an unfolding national crisis required people to choose sides, sweep away old assumptions and rattle categories long deemed unshakeable, and bring forth something new. Whether limning the likes of Benjamin “Spoons” Butler, abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster or the young Abner Doubleday, explaining something as seemingly inconsequential as the fashion for men’s beards or unpacking Lincoln’s profound understanding of the nature and unacceptable consequences of the rebellion, Goodheart’s sure grasp never falters.

Beautifully written and thoroughly original—quite unlike any other Civil War book out there. (15 illustrations)

THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SKIRT

Goulian, Jon-Jon Random (336 pp.) $25.00 | e-book: $25.00 CD: $30.00 | May 17, 2011 978-1-4000-6811-1 e-book 978-0-679-60448-8 CD 978-0-307-87674-4

A fretful, cross-dressing underachiever recaps a lifetime of eccentricities.

At age 40, Goulian has had a busy life garnering a law degree and shuffling through a variety of odd jobs, though he admits to having little to show for it other than an uncanny sense of worldliness. His flashy chronicle begins in La Jolla, Calif., where his teen years consisted of a panicked obsession with an inguinal hernia, bowlegs, pristine teeth and, incredibly, a nose job at 15. Belly shirts, makeup and high heels became his typical dress code, a trait that “came naturally” to him but exasperated his parents and especially his grandfather, political philosopher Sidney Hook. But his androgyny became less of a worry for his family when compared with his personal defeatist philosophy (“I own nothing, and save nothing, and accomplish nothing

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

467

k i r ku s q & a w i t h g e n e e n r o t h Geneen Roth’s books and articles explore hunger, deprivation and healing, including her New York Times bestseller, Women Food and God (2010). When Roth and her husband lost their life savings in the Bernie Madoff scandal, the sense of financial freefall prompted her to write the memoir Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food and Money.

better about themselves. But since the “fix” doesn’t match the need, we end up feeling let down, and, sometimes, quite empty. Slowing down, and being curious about why you feel the sudden need to spend this money now allows you to ask yourself questions that you wouldn’t ordinarily ask. And this is a good thing because, in the end, I haven’t met anyone who was happy simply because they had more things.

Q: What sort of realizations helped form this book?

Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food And Money

Geneen Roth Viking $25.95 March 22, 2011 9780670022717

A: In order to keep my sanity during the days after I found out that we had lost our money, I began to focus on what I hadn’t lost—which was my life, my relationships, my ability to see, feel, grieve, and the ongoing capacity to be aware of what I still had. The more I focused on those, the more alive I felt, and the more grateful I was. Then, someone wrote a piece for a magazine called “What Bernie Madoff Stole From Me,” and when I read it, I realized I wanted to write a piece called “What Bernie Madoff Couldn’t Steal from Me,” about my (and our) relationship to money. The response I got from that piece, which was published in Salon, was overwhelming. It resonated with so many people in such profound ways that I realized another book had found me.

Q: You devote an entire chapter to the elusive subject of what is “enough.”

A: “Enough” is a relationship with what you already have. When you’re focused on the jacket that you saw in the window, not the one in your closet, you are, by definition, not focusing on what you already have. And if you refuse to take in what you already have, you will never be able to have enough, because sufficiency is not an amount. After there is enough money for basic necessities—food, shelter, clothing, medical—enough isn’t a quantity. Most of us live in a mindset of scarcity and deprivation, and from that mindset there is no such thing as enough, no matter what you have. People with $10,000 want 20, people with a $100,000 want 500, and people with a million dollars want $3 million.

Q: Did you discover the fascinating parallels between food and money before or after you began this project?

Q: You say you “couldn’t afford not to” look at your beliefs and behaviors regarding money. As a nation, we’re also facing this imperative. Do you see your book as especially timely in light of our current economic situation?

A: I hope it’s timely—absolutely! The relationship with money, like the relationship with food, is an exact reflection of our beliefs about scarcity, abundance, worth, wealth, value, and pleasure. We have to redefine what real wealth is in terms of our relationships, our communities, our work and our happiness. If you make a list of the most contented, loving, satisfied people you know, there’s a good chance that it won’t be filled with the richest people around.

–By Jessie Grearson

Q: How does slowing down and becoming more mindful, an approach you advocate toward eating, translate into spending?

A: When people slow down and ask themselves what buying this particular thing is going to give them, they might become aware that they want something that money can’t buy. People spend money for many different reasons, the way they eat for a thousand reasons beside physical hunger: because they feel like it’s going to make them feel 468

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

P HOTO CO U RT ESY OF S trou d/S che l l i n g P hoto gr a py

A: Definitely not before. I was unconscious about my relationship with money before we lost it. I felt confused and conflicted and compulsive about all aspects of money, and didn’t really want to find out why. Which was how I felt about my relationship with food for many years. Both areas seemed too complicated and anxiety-ridden to understand and feel clear about. But in those days after the loss, I started seeing the parallels. I saw that I’d spent years focused on what I didn’t have instead of what I did have, in the same way as when I used to eat compulsively. I always focused on the next bite instead of the food on my plate and in my mouth. I saw that the tendency to want more, get more, was also relevant with money.

tangible, and have no permanent hold on life whatsoever”). This resistance to constancy triggered a sudden disinterest in everything from soccer to the abandonment of his law career after attending Columbia University. Goulian writes of the comforting routine he discovered in almost a decade spent bodybuilding, but a stint at the New York Review of Books (to help defray the cost of purchasing a stuffed-animal collection) and clerking for a federal judge eventually lost their allure primarily because he “couldn’t wear the clothes” required of a professional job. A curiously insistent heterosexual, the author’s sassy, outspoken narrative gets kudos for its droll frankness, but it kicks and screams too much trying to be controversial. It’s a rambling story fueled by the author’s graphically described, awkward sexual foibles and misunderstood motivations. Flamboyant and creative? Definitely. But in a culture where few things are sacred, will anyone take notice?

The musings of one hot mess. (Pre-pub bookseller events in New York, Portland, San Francisco. Author tour to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego. Agent: Sarah Chalfant/The Wylie Agency)

THE THREAT MATRIX The FBI at War in the Age of Terror Graff, Garrett M. Little, Brown (672 pp.) $27.99 | March 28, 2011 978-0-316-06861-1

Action-filled, richly detailed portrait of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its new guise—charged not just with solving crimes already committed, but now with preventing at least some of them.

When the music piped in to the FBI’s Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., includes cuts by John Lennon, you know that these aren’t your grandpa’s G-men. By Washingtonian editorin-chief Graff ’s (The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House, 2007) account, almost everything we know about the FBI is frozen in time, locked in anachronistic images of J. Edgar Hoover and Eliot Ness. Today, under the direction of Robert Mueller, the FBI enjoys as much influence as it did in the days of Hoover: The president sees an FBI agent and an FBI “threat matrix” report every day, the latter “a printed spreadsheet of all the various terrorist plots and worrisome intelligence the government was currently tracking.”

Hundreds of FBI agents now travel the globe in search of enemies and criminals, stationed in some 60 countries; as Graff notes, the agency once “even worked a computer-hacking case in Antarctica.” The nearly 14,000 agents are a very special kind of law-enforcement officer indeed—nearly half have a graduate degree, many are lawyers or accountants and Mueller himself specialized in litigating complex white-collar crimes before heading the agency. There is good reason for this specialization, for if the FBI has transformed itself into a prosecutorial rather than primarily investigative force, in response to George W. Bush’s demand that “the Bureau adopt a wartime mentality,” |

it is to fight crime at the level of terrorist cell and secret bank accounts. Graff highlights the agency’s work in the post-9/11 world, cogently examining the role of intelligence in international affairs while making a quiet case for us to think a little better of the G-men and women. The CIA is another matter...

There’s solid storytelling at work here—and quite a story to tell, too.

11 POINTS GUIDE TO HOOKING UP Lists and Advice about First Dates, Hotties, Scandals, Pickups, Threesomes, and Booty Calls

Greenspan, Sam Skyhorse Publishing (256 pp.) $16.95 paperback original | April 8, 2011 978-1-61608-212-3 A self-described “former fat guy” pilots Generation Facebook through the rough sea of love and sex.

Blogger Greenspan mines his own dating pratfalls and triumphs to produce an array of lists to help the uninitiated, or the inept, snare that special someone. The guide takes the shape of the author’s popular website 11points.com, covering essential territory such as how to know if he/she is really into you and the best and worst places to meet someone (the Internet is good, jury duty is bad). The author tackles sensitive subject matter with pragmatic indelicacy, providing useful chestnuts on how to keep a booty call from getting “messy,” and reveals secrets for taking “amazing” nude photographs. Hint: Don’t eat on shoot day, and get “very” aggressive on your blemishes, he writes. “The most important reason to fix all this stuff is because you must be confident for the photos. If you’re embarrassed or (overly) self conscious and holding back, it’ll show.” The author’s everyman quality is his best asset, connecting to the reader through a watered-down cocktail of confession, sarcasm and pop-culture references. After all, recognizing the animated series Voltron and Screech from Saved by the Bell is critical to the author’s mission.

Hilarity is missing, but sincerity abounds.

A BITTERSWEET SEASON Caring for Our Aging Parents—and Ourselves

Gross, Jane Knopf (368 pp.) $26.95 | April 26, 2011 978-0-307-27182-2

A New York Times reporter helps readers face a final, difficult journey.

Americans are living longer than ever before, and most senior citizens will eventually become dependent on others for care. Gross offers advice for those already caring for their aging and dying parents

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

469

“Despite a title that seems ripped from a tabloid, this is a serious examination of contemporary marriage and a fruitful source of discussion material for women’s groups.” from marriage confidential

and issues a wake-up call to those who think they are prepared should the time come. Her tone is straightforward, but not cold or clinical, when she shares the heartbreaking story of her aging mother, who died in a nursing home. With well-written and researched prose, Gross debunks misconceptions about assisted-living facilities and offers eye-opening anecdotes about Medicare and Medicaid, including how her own upper-middleclass mother ended up on Medicaid and virtually penniless due to health-care costs. The author also gives gentle guidance for understanding the biology and psychology of aging and ways the adult child can best help the parent. For some readers, the most uncomfortable part of the book will be Gross’ mother’s choice to die by refusing to eat or drink. This may be controversial, but the subject is not treated lightly, and many conversations occurred beforehand. With a poignant, honest voice, the author recalls her mother’s suffering. This book will remind readers that quality-of-life issues are important, and will hopefully prompt those types of discussions. There are no easy answers here, because there are none.

A thought-provoking resource for end-of-life care.

MARRIAGE CONFIDENTIAL The Post-Romantic Age of Workhorse Wives, Royal Children, Undersexed Spouses, and Rebel Couples Haag, Pamela Harper/HarperCollins (352 pp.) $25.99 | May 31, 2011 978-0-06-171928-8

The question that engages historian Haag—what’s happening to the institution of marriage—gets a complicated and sometimes murky answer.

The author, former director of research for the American Association of University Women, interviewed dozens of people, conducted online surveys and perused scholarly literature and contemporary newspapers and magazines to discover what marriage means to people today. As her subtitle indicates, her view is that society has entered the post-romantic marriage era. The romantic paradigm of marriage, in which marriage was entered into for love, is being replaced by a new cultural view, just as traditional marriage, in which marriage was needed for status and procreation, was replaced by the romantic view. In this post-romantic era, she finds that low-conflict, low-stress, semi-happy marriages are common, and she proposes that alternative ways of thinking about marriage are needed. Through the stories of individuals whom she calls marriage pioneers, she illustrates some of the pressures exerted by such factors as work, parenting and sex, and shows how some couples are changing the rules and choosing to look at and handle such matters differently. For example, where monogamy was central to the romantic marriage, in the post-romantic marriage, extramarital affairs are often no longer regarded as deal breakers; where romantic marriage was presumably “til death do us part,” the post-romantic marriage may be term-limited. Post-romantic 470

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

spouses may be more like best friends or congenial companions, and rather than constituting a twosome, may be part of a more open network of colleagues. In other words, in this post-romantic era, marriage may be losing its special place and becoming more like other kinds of relationships in people’s lives. Haag’s use of couple’s stories (including some from her own marriage) to illustrate trends makes the book an easy read with a low jargon quotient, and readers looking for parallels to their own marital situations may well find them here.

Despite a title that seems ripped from a tabloid, this is a serious examination of contemporary marriage and a fruitful source of discussion material for women’s groups. (Author appearances in New York and Washington, D.C.)

VEGAN DINER Classic Comfort Food for the Body & Soul

Hasson, Julie Running Press (192 pp.) $19.95 paperback original April 1, 2011 978-0-7624-3784-9

A former meat-lover puts a vegan twist on the diner experience.

A Portland-based cookbook author and online food-show producer (The Complete Book of Pies, 2008, “Everyday Dish”) recalls her love of the distinctive comfort food she enjoyed as a child “squished into slippery Naugahyde booths” in neighborhood diners. Unwilling to sacrifice those indulgent diner specialties after converting to veganism, Hasson began a series of “recipe veganizations” hoping to recapture their essence without compromising food ethics. The result is 116 recipes featuring vegan substitutions like agave nectar for sugar in Cinnamon Orange Rolls and Rough Rider Barbecue Sauce, and the hearty meat-replacement seitan (processed wheat gluten) swapping out for beef in Philly Sliders and Not Your Mama’s Pot Roast with Roasted Vegetables. Six sections run the gamut from breadheavy breakfast recipes to particularly tempting main courses like nutritious burger and cutlet variations that incorporate quinoa grains, mushrooms, cashews and panko breadcrumbs.

Dessert ideas include flaxseed cookies and soymilk brownie, pudding and pie variations. A minor misstep is a meatless Quick and Hearty Chili concoction that doesn’t quite translate from accompanying photograph to recipe. For home chefs new to the vegan revolution, Hasson offers two explanatory indexes: “Vegan Pantry” takes the guesswork out of many key (and possibly unfamiliar) recipe ingredients, and “Special Equipment,” a less-essential but still beneficial kitchen resource.

Even meat-lovers may find some tempting, healthful substitutions in this worthwhile homage to the diner-dedicated vegan.

kirkusreviews.com

|

“The author is less concerned with his own demise than with the larger unraveling of the world, and these glimmering essays avoid nostalgia or self-pity by focusing on his various entanglements...” from sex and the river styx

SHOESTRING CHIC 101 Ways to Live the Fashionably Luxe Life for Less

Hess, Kerrie Skirt! Books/Globe Pequot (160 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-59921-988-2 Advice for fashionistas who want to save money.

Hess (Girl Secrets, 2010, etc.) asks, “Do you dream about Temperley but live in Target?” For readers on a tight budget, some of the author’s ideas don’t even come close to approaching the bargain bin. Ballerina flats from Sambag may be high quality, but as of this writing, they cost $175.00, plus another $40.00 in shipping costs. Hess does have her moments, though, with suggestions for online destinations for discounts, like price aggregator froogle.google.com. She recommends inexpensive beauty products like Palmer’s chocolate-scented body-care oil, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara and generic lip balm, which work just as well as their pricier counterparts. Some of the author’s other tips may strike the budget-conscious fashionista as common sense, such as thrift or vintage shopping, rummaging through closets to see if old outfits can be resurrected and refraining from shopping altogether. The label-conscious clotheshorse will delight in her advice for finding designer clothing at reduced prices; Hess suggests TheOutnet.com. No aspect of the luxe lifestyle is ignored. If Paris is on the agenda, the author provides recommendations to keep chic travelers in swanky yet reasonably priced accommodations. The author’s sophisticated pen-and-ink drawings add a splash of color to this elegantly slim and tastefully formatted volume. Readers looking for serious savings, however, will be disappointed.

A resourceful guide but not nearly as frugal as the title suggests.

SEX AND THE RIVER STYX

Hoagland, Edward Chelsea Green (288 pp.) $27.50 | $17.95 paperback original April 1, 2011 978-1-60358-336-7 978-1-60358-337-4

From the acclaimed essayist, novelist and travel writer, more deeply profound essays on the conditions of the natural world.

In this outstanding collection, 78-year-old Hoagland (Early in the Season, 2008, etc.) culls 13 years of magazine writing, published in stalwarts like Harper’s and Outside, for a result that, again, will draw comparisons to Thoreau. Another great naturalist, John Muir, once wrote, “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” There might not be a more apropos line to describe this book, which not only finds Hoagland reminiscing |

on his many widespread adventures exploring the globe in years past, but also on the connectedness between the destruction of the planet, his mortality and aging, failed love relationships and his impassioned, sometimes polemical but always articulate, brilliant thoughts on humans’ abdication of responsibility to protect nature. Citing an unwavering allegiance to what’s alive, Hoagland believes that “heaven is here and the only heaven we have.” The author is less concerned with his own demise than with the larger unraveling of the world, and these glimmering essays avoid nostalgia or self-pity by focusing on his various entanglements, with past lovers and wives, Tibetan yak herders, a Ugandan family and the circus aerialists with whom he worked 60 years ago. Hoagland possesses the rare quality of being both thirsty to absorb knowledge and experiences and also, organically, to want to pass along what he’s discovered. It’s a wonder, too, that these writings, never pedagogical, allow for the world he’s witnessed to stand as the star of the show.

Eloquent musings from a master.

FORCE OF NATURE The Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart’s Green Revolution Humes, Edward Harper Business (272 pp.) $27.99 | May 10, 2011 978-0-06-169049-5

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Humes (Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet, 2009, etc.) chronicles how one man’s vision transformed Wal-Mart into an industry leader for sustainability.

While pursuing an advanced degree in international affairs, Jib Ellison also worked as a river guide. In 1978, at the height of the Cold War, he organized a trip in Siberia to bring together Soviet and American college students—the first of a series of international student expeditions. He then parlayed his bridge-building and outdoor skills into a career working with a consultancy that specialized in changing corporate culture.

A few years later, he and three colleagues started a new firm that broadened its mission to helping businesses solve crises.

In 2003, he heard a lecture on how to live a sustainable life, and he had an epiphany. The same principles—eliminating and recycling waste, operating cleanly and efficiently, etc.— could be applied by corporate management to maximize profits while protecting the environment at the same time. Going green made good business sense. When his partners were unwilling to push “green makeovers” in an unfriendly business environment, the author writes, Ellison decided to strike out on his own. He landed a meeting with Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott. If going green would help his bottom line and improve the corporate image, then Scott was willing to give it a try.

Ellison made a number of suggestions that translated into millions of dollars in savings while reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Scott was sold on the idea, and over time he

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

471

embraced a vision of how Wal-Mart could play a significant role in using its economic clout with competitors and suppliers to set industry-wide standards for protecting the environment and improving the quality of the products. Most recently, Wal-Mart is supporting the development of a sustainability index for products for display on the barcodes.

The company’s commitment is yet to be tested in the longterm, but for now, Humes provides a fascinating story of the evolution of corporate responsibility for the environment.

(Author appearances in Los Angeles and San Francisco)

MEDICAL MUSES The Culture of Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris Hustvedt, Asti Norton (336 pp.) $26.95 | May 23, 2011 978-0-393-02560-6

A compelling analysis of hysteria told through the stories of three young women afflicted with the illness.

In the late 1800s, the Salpetriere Hospital in Paris was notorious for its controversial director, neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, and for its large population of women diagnosed as hysterics. The illness was mysterious, as Charcot’s careful clinical methods failed to reveal a biological source of symptoms, and its treatment equally opaque; hypnosis, ether and metallotherapy are a few examples of Charcot’s experimental methods. Three of the hysterics, Blanche, Augustine and Genevieve, all young women when they were admitted, became celebrities under Charcot’s care.

Their dramatic physical transformations when suffering a hysterical attack, and Charcot’s ability to direct their minds and bodies while they were hypnotized, fascinated the public that clamored to see the spectacle for themselves. Hustvedt (A Society without Fathers or Husbands: The Na of China, 2001, etc.) delves into the stories of these three women, exploring how their experiences inform modern psychology and medicine, as well as revealing the true stories behind their treatment and exposure. The author questions whether these women were truly afflicted, or were they playing a role? Was Charcot truly reaching medical breakthroughs with his analysis, or was he manipulating his clients in order to gain prestige? Citing ample historical evidence, Hustvedt contends that the women were legitimately affected by chronic physical symptoms that fell into the grey area between psychosomatic and somatic disorder. In some ways, she suggests, it’s possible that the manner in which women were treated in 19th-century French society may have been manifested through these symptoms. Many of the women at the hospital were unmarried, poor, fatherless or abused, and strange myths about femininity abounded. Charcot was a pioneer for treating hysteria as a legitimate medical affliction, but after his death, his reputation suffered. However, he—and the stories of his three star patients—raise important questions about the mind-body paradigm, especially in 472

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

women, a tension that the author suggests remains misunderstood in modern medicine.

Insightful, provocative medical history. (40 illustrations.

Agents: Sarah Chalfant and Jin Auh/The Wylie Agency)

ALL THAT IS BITTER AND SWEET A Memoir

Judd, Ashley with Maryanne Vollers Ballantine (432 pp.) $26.00 | April 5, 2011 978-0-345-52361-7

With the assistance of co-author Vollers (Lone Wolf: Eric Rudolph: Murder, Myth, and the Pursuit of an American Outlaw, 2006, etc.), actress Judd delivers a keenly felt memoir of a dysfunctional upbringing twined with an adult life of progressive social advocacy.

Some wag once said that the Judd family put the “fun” in dysfunctional, but Ashley remembers the turbulence rather differently, as “a family full of hatred, fighting, accusation, manipulation, abandonment, and emotional and physical abuse,” with everything “from depression, suicide, alcoholism, and compulsive gambling to incest and suspected murder. Judd examines her difficult history, braiding it with her current days as a committed activist for human rights. Though she calls readers’ attention to her movie-star status as she rubs humanitarian-circuit shoulders with Bono, Juanes (“the Colombian rock superstar”) and Bollywood’s Akshay Kumar (“the Indian equivalent of Will Smith or Bruce Willis, but with a fan base of a billion people”), she also comes across as a piercingly effective global ambassador for Population Services International, tackling issues of reproductive health and child survival. At first, she was undone by her visits to third-world brothels, but she eventually realized that her own sexual abuse was causing the over-identification, subverting her agenda. “I understand the urge to rescue everybody,” says her PSI boss, “but that’s not how it works. PSI is not a rescue organization. We are a public health organization.” The author writes with a sure hand of the many difficult themes she addresses: her journey of emotional recovery (a fine chapter on her rehab for codependency and depression), her spiritual quest, finding the humanity in the sexual perpetrators and making tangible her toils for social justice. Judd is also a solid painter of place, from the most squalid sex factory to the rural sweetness of her Tennessee home.

A passionate reminder of the breathtaking misery of so many lives, and one woman’s work in their service.

kirkusreviews.com

|

“A philosophical, well-structured argument for viable progressive education from one of the movement’s most prolific and well-regarded authors.” from feel-bad education

MOON PHASE ASTROLOGY The Lunar Key to Your Destiny Kaldera, Raven Destiny Books (368 pp.) $19.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-59477-401-0

Kaldera (Pagan Astrology, 2009, etc.) gives readers the secrets of the moon.

Nurses often talk about high numbers of babies born during a full moon.

Some people shrug the stories off as coincidence. Does the moon really have such influence on our lives? This book is not intended for skeptics. It is a guide to help the willing understand how the moon affects personalities and guides destinies. For decades as an astrologer, Kaldera focused on outer planets before he began to connect lunar energy with observation. Astrology can be overwhelming for novices, but this guide makes for both easy reading and comprehension. The heart of the book tells the stories of 96 moon phases and moonsign combinations, from the Infant’s Moon to the Prophet’s moon. Each section of the book begins with famous quotes that reflect the character of the moon phase that is described. Much of the language in the book attempts lofty poetics, such as the Cancer Moon who “shudders to see Aries going off armored in search of violence and glory.” But Kaldera’s message doesn’t get bogged down in his watery prose. Beginners will finish with an understanding of how to find their moon sign and phase through an astrological chart, and more advanced readers with a greater interest in using the moon as a life guide will find much useful information here.

Easy-to-understand astrology for beginners and beyond.

MARTIAN SUMMER Robot Arms, Cowboy Spacemen, and My 90 Days with the Phoenix Mars Mission

Kessler, Andrew Pegasus (352 pp.) $27.95 | April 15, 2011 978-1-60598-176-5

An inside look at a Mars mission.

Kessler, who co-produced a Discovery Channel feature on the quest for life on Mars, was chosen to chronicle the 2008 Phoenix lander’s 90 days around the red planet’s north pole, with daily access to the earth-side scientists running the experiments. The mission was to search for evidence of water and organic chemistry, two prerequisites for determining whether life exists (or ever did) on Mars. The author credits the idea to mission leader Peter Smith, who thought a popular account of the discoveries and the scientists behind them would help inspire a new generation to enter space science. The book may instead serve to weed out those with insufficient passion for the enterprise, portraying as it does |

all the bureaucratic tangles, internal squabbles and technical glitches of the mission—not to mention trying to adjust to the Martian clock, with days 40 minutes longer than our own creating something like a perpetual jet lag. Another ongoing problem was the media’s yearning for spectacular breakthroughs, which led to distorted coverage and predisposed many of the scientists to be suspicious of Kessler. Still, the author provides some fascinating glimpses of the real work of a space mission: planning activities for the lander, dealing with peremptory orders from NASA and JPL, interpreting the sometimes ambiguous data and occasionally letting one’s hair down for a party. The mission spent several weeks trying to satisfy NASA’s peremptory call for an ice sample, when both the robot arm and the onboard analytical equipment were acting up. At another point, two researchers feuded violently when one claimed to have detected liquid water on the surface—which, according to theory, should be impossible. (The discovery eventually held up, and was published.)

Unfortunately, Kessler projects a needy, insecure persona, fretting over being excluded from meetings and reacting jealously when another journalist was allowed into the project. This gets old quickly, as does some of the jargon that creeps in.

Fascinating subject, less-than-stellar treatment—though die-hard space fans will find enough to keep the pages turning.

(24 pages of color photographs)

FEEL-BAD EDUCATION And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling

Kohn, Alfie Beacon (216 pp.) $15.00 paperback original | e-book: $13.95 April 5, 2011 978-0-8070-0140-0 e-book 978-0-8070-0141-7 A philosophical, well-structured argument for viable progressive education from one of the movement’s most prolific and well-regarded authors.

In the introduction to his 19 succinct essays, Kohn (The Homework Myth, 2006, etc.) lays out 12 points that he thinks should be “Well Duh” moments for educators: essentially what he considers to be irrefutable tenets that somehow get lost in practical application. The points radiate around the same theme—that students are humans, and humans learn through participation, interest and engagement, rather than memorization of facts and recitation of those facts through standardized testing. The material that follows, which is broken up into five major sections (“Progressivism and Beyond,” “The Nuts and Bolts of Learning,” “Climate & Connections: How Does School Feel to the Students?”

“The Big Picture: Education Policy” and “Beyond the Schools: Psychological Issues & Parenting”) is not a step-by-step plan, but rather a carefully considered interrogation of the way we teach and how we might inject some of the “Well Duh” concepts back into classroom learning. Despite the comprehensive references that end each chapter, Kohn’s arguments are, in keeping with

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

473

his classroom philosophy, hardly recitations of his research, but rather ideas, often with his own experience as a teacher as the backing evidence. He is unapologetic for some of his unconventional philosophy, advocating that teachers give less homework, for example, that they seek out students that challenge them in the classroom, that they think outside the rubric in planning lessons and evaluating students, and that test preparation and quantified reading assignments and report writing are killing student motivation. In the title essay, he tackles the fundamental and so often overlooked concept of happiness in education, asking not only when schools became places so devoid of joy, but why getting it back became such a low priority.

A vital wake-up call to educators. (Tie-in with author’s lecture schedule)

IN THE PLEX How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

Levy, Steven Simon & Schuster (448 pp.) $26.00 | April 12, 2011 978-1-4165-9658-5

Dense, driven examination of the pioneering search engine that changed the face of the Internet.

Thoroughly versed in technology reporting, Wired senior writer Levy (The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness, 2006, etc.) deliberates at great length about online behemoth Google and creatively documents the company’s genesis from a “feisty start-up to a market-dominating giant.” The author capably describes Google’s founders, Stanford grads Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as sharp, user-focused and steadfastly intent on “organizing all the world’s information.” Levy traces how Google’s intricately developed, intrepid beginnings and gradual ascent over a competitive marketplace birthed an advertising-fueled “money machine” (especially following its IPO in 2004), and he follows the expansion and operation of the company’s liberal work campus (“Googleplex”) and its distinctively selective hiring process (Page still signs off on every new hire). The author was afforded an opportunity to observe the company’s operations, development, culture and advertising model from within the infrastructure for two years with full managerial cooperation. From there, he performed hundreds of interviews with past and current employees and discovered the type of “creative disorganization” that can either make or break a business. Though clearly in awe of Google’s crowning significance, Levy evenhandedly notes the company’s more glaring deficiencies, like the 2004 cyber-attack that forced the removal of the search engine from mainland China, a decision vehemently unsupported by co-founder Brin.

Though the author offers plenty of well-known information, it’s his catbird-seat vantage point that really gets to the good stuff.

Outstanding reportage delivered in the upbeat, informative fashion for which Levy is well known. (Agent: Flip Brophy/Sterling Lord Literistic) 474

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

FOR THE LOVE OF PHYSICS From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time—A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics Lewin, Walter and Warren Goldstein Free Press (288 pp.) $26.00 | May 3, 2011 978-1-4391-0827-7

With the assistance of Goldstein (History/Univ. of Hartford), Lewin (Physics/ MIT), best known to a large international audience for his online physics lectures, delivers a readable book about the subject.

A pioneer in the field of X-ray astronomy, the author has been teaching three core physics courses at MIT since 1966, when he first came to the United States from Holland. Lewin writers that physics is “fundamentally an experimental science.”

A skeptic about the claims of string-theory proponents, who, he writes, have “yet to come up with a single experiment, a single prediction,” the author contrasts it to his approach as an experimentalist and as a teacher whose aim is to explain “the remarkable ways in which physics illuminates the workings of the world.” This has led him to a unique style of teaching in which he uses dramatic demonstrations in order to engage students’ interest and awaken their excitement, while de-emphasizing mathematical formulas. He tells how, in a lecture on Newton’s laws, he shows the difference between mass and weight by having a student on a scale stand on tiptoe, causing the scale to register an apparent weight gain. The lecture material covered in the book—from Galileo to rainbows to sound waves to electromagnetism—is accompanied by online links to videos of his classroom lectures. In the last third of the narrative, he gives a fascinating account of his own experimental work.

A delightful scientific memoir combined with a memorable introduction to physics. Agent: Wendy Strothman

PARIS, BABY! A Memoir

Lobe, Kirsten St. Martin’s Griffin (352 pp.) $14.99 paperback original | May 24, 2011 978-0-312-60532-2

The relentlessly egoistical account of an American expat’s attempts at solo childrearing in Paris.

Fashion designer Lobe (Paris Hangover, 2006) was 39 and living footloose in the “staggeringly magical” City of Lights when she suddenly became pregnant by a British divorcé. In pretentious, Frenchlaced prose that irritates more than it charms, the author chronicles the changes she experienced, both inside and out, as she made her way into unexpected single motherhood. Her whirlwind relationship with “Mister Brit-o-Honey” ended after she announced her intent to keep their child. But her joy at finally

kirkusreviews.com

|

being able to end the battle “to keep reed thin under the pressure of the discerning-to-the-point-of-ruthless mass of Parisians” knew no bounds. Yet the city of her dreams proved to be more hostile to her efforts to create a single-parent family than she ever expected. As splendid as Paris was, it also proved a horrifically expensive place to maintain the large, childfriendly home she envisioned for herself and her son. And no matter where she turned, it seemed as though everyone, from her pediatrician to the clerks at the stylish baby boutique she frequented, scornfully looked down upon her for daring to be a mother on her own. Most brutal of all were the judgments that people—including close friends—made regarding her choice to sleep with and breast-feed her infant. Eventually, Lobe decided to return to her hometown in Wisconsin to raise the son that had become the center of an increasingly myopic world. After eight years of living in France, she had become too Europeanized to reintegrate into Midwestern culture and too American to cope with French concepts of family. Most of Lobe’s Parisian adventures end midway in the book. From that point on, the narrative loses cohesion and becomes a never-ending series of lists that cover such topics as “new mom issues” and the pros and cons of staying stateside or going back to France. Relationships with the family she so effusively celebrates in the final pages become obscured into irrelevance.

Self-indulgent and frankly de trop.

CLIMATE CAPITALISM Capitalism in the Age of Climate Change

Lovins, L. Hunter and Boyd Cohen Hill and Wang/Farrar, Straus and Giroux (272 pp.) $26.00 | April 1, 2011 978-0-8090-3473-4

A look at a new kind of capitalism that can save the planet from climate chaos while creating jobs and uplifting economies.

Lovins (co-author: Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution, 1999) and Cohen, both seasoned environmentalists, mince few words in this persuasively argued volume. Climate change is pushing the world to the verge of environmental and economic collapse, whether global warming deniers want to believe it or not. Before things get worse, write the authors, immediate and transformative investment is needed in wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy and energy-saving technologies. This is already underway in places like Germany and, surprisingly, China, as well as in countries, cities and towns around the globe. If governments and entrenched fossilfuel–dominated technologies don’t block the way, the authors argue, this job-creating climate capitalism will rapidly emerge as the obvious and universally recognized best road back from the brink, and at a huge profit to investors. There will be another benefit, as well: saving the earth. The authors’ overriding aim is not so much new wealth for corporations and entrepreneurs, but a massive reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions. |

They write that an 80 percent cut is what it will take, and grimly observe that it’s already time to adapt to climate changes that we’re too late to avoid. Their writing is adequate and sometimes engaging, but the authors’ heavy use of statistics, acronyms and case studies may overwhelm some readers.

Packed with vital, timely information about the future of the earth—deserves our full attention.

WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW A Daughter’s Memoir MacEnulty, Pat Feminist (312 pp.) $16.95 paperback original May 24, 2011 978-1-55861-701-8

Novelist MacEnulty (Picara, 2009, etc.) shares the experience of becoming her 86-year-old mother’s caretaker in 2004—a time she describes as “gut wrenching, sometimes grief-filled” but also unexpectedly “rewarding and soul stretching.”

Her mother, a talented professional musician and composer, had moved to North Carolina where she lived alone. She worked until she was 82, when increasing disability, the result of a failed spinal operation, left her virtually homebound and in constant pain. The author writes that although retrospectively she can date the process of her mother’s aging, at the time it was masked by her upbeat personality and the fact that until 2002, she was living in Florida. When it became obvious that her mother could no longer manage alone, MacEnulty took her into her own family, but this proved to be an untenable situation because of her mother’s increasing disorientation and distraught behavior.

While her two older brothers provided moral support and some financial assistance, the primary burden of her mother’s care fell on the author. She placed her in an assisted-living facility and cared for her there on a daily basis, to the detriment of her own family—a situation that led to the disintegration of her marriage. MacEnulty writes that while she began this book in order to document the financial and emotional burden of providing for the elderly, it soon morphed into a memoir about her relationship to her mother as a younger woman who “possess[ed] a wide-ranging intelligence [and] was kind, generous, fun, and extraordinarily talented.” In 2010, she returned with her mother to Florida for a triumphant visit, to attend the performance of a requiem mass that she had composed.

An inspiring story of love, loss and the ravages of aging.

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

475

Esquire columnist and novelist Marche argues that Shakespeare is the most influential human being—in nearly every arena—who ever lived. from how shakespeare changed everything

HOW SHAKESPEARE CHANGED EVERYTHING

Marche, Stephen Harper/HarperCollins (176 pp.) $21.99 | May 10, 2011 978-0-06-196553-1

Esquire columnist and novelist Marche (Shining at the Bottom of the Sea, 2007, etc.) argues that Shakespeare is the most influential human being—in nearly every arena—who ever lived.

In what often reads like a pep talk delivered by an enthusiastic teacher, the author, who completed a doctorate on Shakespeare at the University of Toronto, focuses on key ways that the Bard has altered our lives and our world. Pegging his observations, for the most part, to specific plays, Marche shows how Paul Robeson’s wildly popular Othello on Broadway in the early 1940s perhaps jump-started the civil-rights movement. He reminds us that Shakespeare contributed countless words to the English language and supplied quotations for people of all political persuasions—none more so, he notes, than Sen. Robert Byrd, who frequently seasoned his otherwise soporific speeches with Shakespearean salt. (The author also notes the popularity of Shakespeare in Nazi Germany and in Stalinist Russia.) Marche explores the gleeful, unashamed sexiness of Shakespeare and the importance of Romeo and Juliet to our modern conception of adolescence. “People just love,” he writes, “to watch a couple of dumb kids make out and die.” The author connects the murder of Caesar—via the Booths—to the assassination of Lincoln, links the current popularity of skull imagery to Hamlet and writes wryly about Tolstoy, the most notable writer to hate Shakespeare.

He also retells the story about a Bardolater bringing the first starlings to Central Park because Shakespeare once mentioned the bird. Marche writes energetically about the various images of the Bard—though, oddly, doesn’t discuss a current favorite, the Cobbe portrait. He also attacks the anti-Stratfordians, whom he labels “crazies.” Only occasionally does the author commit an error—e.g., he quotes lines from Hamlet that he says the Prince addressed to his mother; nope, they were for Ophelia.

Informed, ebullient and profoundly respectful. (Agent: PJ Mark/Janklow & Nesbit)

WILL THE LAST REPORTER PLEASE TURN OUT THE LIGHTS The Collapse of Journalism and What Can Be Done to Fix It Editor: McChesney, Robert W. Editor: Pickard, Victor New Press (400 pp.) $19.95 paperback original | May 1, 2011 978-1-59558-548-6

A well-curated collection of essays on the decline of the newspaper industry and the future of journalism.

476

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

Edited by McChesney (Communications/Univ. of Illinois; co-The Death and Life of American Journalism, 2010, etc.) and Pickard (Media, Culture, and Communication/New York Univ.), the book addresses topics ranging from content mills and the rise of “citizen journalism” to social justice in the media and conservative investigative journalism. Varying in tone from the breezy and snappy (Clay Shirky’s “Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable”) to the heavily footnoted and academic (Pickard’s “Revisiting the Road Not Taken: A Social Democratic Vision of the Press”), these essays give rise to two general conclusions: 1) though the collapse of paper newspapers does not have to mean the destruction of journalism, it is unlikely that it can survive absent a supporting institution; 2) that government financial support of the newspaper industry, which has a historical basis, may be the answer to the crisis in journalism. Most of the essays are informative and concise, but they often appear with little context. Aside from a brief introduction to the book and three very brief introductions to each section, readers must sort through the sometimes contradictory conclusions drawn by the essays. This spare editorial apparatus suggests that this book, though certainly accessible to the average reader, will most likely be purchased by students assigned to read it for a class, where a professor and classmates can provide a certain amount of guidance. In The Death and Life of American Journalism, McChesney addressed similar questions and offered similar answers.

Current and often enlightening—of particular interest to academic libraries—but not essential.

TAKING THE FIELD A Fan’s Quest to Run the Team He Loves Megdal, Howard Bloomsbury (256 pp.) $25.00 | May 10, 2011 978-1-60819-579-4

Baseball writer Megdal (The Baseball Talmud, 2009) recounts his 2010 campaign to be elected general manager of the New York Mets.

The author was fed up—decades of Mets baseball, and only two world championships and a few postseason appearances.

As a lifelong Mets fan, and someone who made his living writing about them, Megdal feared a future of further frustration, especially for his new-born daughter Mirabelle. “No child of the Mets,” he writes, “should grow up wondering what October baseball feels like.” Convinced the Mets were poorly managed, at a press conference in June, Megdal strode to the podium, giant foam hand securely in place, and announced his candidacy for Mets general manager, declaring, “Ich bin ein Mets fan.” He placed his name—the only name—on the ballot on some 20 Mets blogger sites. Though the job was not an elected position, Megdal hoped the Mets’ management might at least listen and learn. Their sins were many, and the author recounts them in detail. Too interested in the quick fix, the Mets traded promising young players for soon-to-be-over-the-hill established

kirkusreviews.com

|

players. They allowed their farm system to become depleted of prospects, or else promoted such prospects to the Majors long before they were ready. They banished marquee name in trades that made no sense. Also lost along the way were fan loyalty and attendance—the fans were already treated as if they were an inconvenience rather than the lifeblood of the organization. The Mets were dysfunctional, and strong fan response gave Megdal a clear victory, but not the job. Though the author includes plenty of baseball minutiae and a few too many statistics, he balances the narrative with wry humor and endearing vignettes of Megdal teaching the game to his young daughter.

Like the game itself—leisurely and enjoyable. (Agent: Sydelle Kramer/Susan Rabiner Literary Agency)

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon

Morgenson, Gretchen and Joshua Rosner Times/Henry Holt (352 pp.) $28.00 | May 24, 2011 978-0-8050-9120-5

New York Times business correspondent Morgenson (The Capitalists’ Bible, 2009, etc.) and investment consultant Rosner combine their expertise in a fresh look at the causes of the 2008 mortgage meltdown.

“Will a debacle like the credit crisis of 2008 ever happen again?” ask the authors, answering, “most certainly.” They put a heavy blame on Congress, which failed to fix the problem when it could and now remains silent on how to resolve the insolvent mortgage agencies. They also set out to identify the “powerful people whose involvement in the debacle has not yet been chronicled” (many of whom are still active), and the “key incidents that have seemed heretofore unrelated.” Morgenson and Rosner focus on the ties between government and private finance through James A. Johnson, chief executive officer of Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998, and from 1999 to the present, a director at Goldman Sachs. Johnson transformed Fannie Mae into a political force and lobbying influencer, a strategy that “would be mimicked years later” by Countrywide Financial, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and others, and by Bill Clinton’s Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Robert Rubin. The authors show how changes in law and regulation unnoticed at the time—Sen. Chris Dodd’s amendment to the 1991 FDICIA Act, Alan Greenspan’s 1992 ending of Federal Reserve oversight of primary dealers, further regulatory changes in 2001—paved the way for the multitrilliondollar disaster. The final chapter retraces the crisis and shows how the New York Fed and Fed Reserve tried to downplay what was becoming evident to some of its own makers.

Extremely timely given growing fears about the possibility of another financial crash. (8-page black-and-white photo insert.

Agents: Lynn Chu and Glen Hartley/Writers Representatives)

|

SAVVY AUNTIE The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids Notkin, Melanie Morrow/HarperCollins (256 pp.) $24.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-06-199997-0

A chic guide for new and experienced aunts that establishes their valuable family role.

Challenging the cultural stigma associated with childless women, Notkin creates a distinctive voice that draws attention to the value of an aunt’s role in families. She addresses “every Savvy Auntie—or really, any grown woman—whose life doesn’t fit the two-kids-one-husband-two-car-garage mold,” and cursorily lists all the different types of aunt in an attempt at inclusion. The author addresses an audience that has ample time and resources, most evident in the sections “Gift-Giving Savvy” and “Money and Legal Savvy.” Generous advice on how to cope with pregnancy envy and suggestions on how to increase fertility speaks to a particular group of women. Notkin does, however, include practical information, such as lists of birthing methods, infant care and safety tips. No matter what kind of aunt readers might be, the author urges them to think outside the box when she suggests that new aunts throw a party, “the DebutAunt Ball,” to celebrate their unique role in the family. Advice and lists are sprinkled with witty puns that encompass the evolving role of the aunt and the changing nature of family in the modern era.

Notkin ends with discussion points that can be used to bring together a supportive community of Savvy Aunties.

Communal childrearing at its finest.

KING’S COUNSEL A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East O’Connell, Jack with Vernon Loeb Norton (288 pp.) $26.95 | May 19, 2011 978-0-393-06334-9

Insights about failed diplomacy in the Middle East by an American agent with a unique perspective.

After earning a law degree and a doctorate, the late O’Connell (1921–2010) joined the CIA and was stationed in Jordan in 1958, where he won the trust of King Hussein, a significant U.S. ally in the volatile Middle East. After leaving the CIA in the early ’70s, the author joined his brother’s law firm and became Hussein’s Washington representative. The two men dealt with each other, in public and private, thousands of times. O’Connell came to see Hussein as the most likely broker of accord between the Jewish state of Israel and its Arab antagonists. But frequently his comrades at the CIA, as well as other

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

477

“Pegg acknowledges his editors for “helping shape my somewhat shapeless train of thought into, of all things, an actual book,” and this proves to be an actual book with a voice that sounds authentically like its author’s.” from nerd do well

U.S. government officials, seemed blinded to Hussein’s potential as a peace broker because of political allegiances to Israel.

Throughout the narrative, the author portrays many prominent American political figures as fools or liars, or both—including Henry Kissinger, Lyndon Johnson, Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush. The memoir is bound to cause controversy within Israel and among Israeli supporters around the globe, given the author’s rage at what he believes is a murderous state whose most influential leaders prefer war to peace. Despite the foibles of the CIA, O’Connell demonstrates little ill will, remaining a loyal alumnus.

A readable, potentially incendiary account that assumes a certain amount of prior knowledge about Middle East diplomacy, yet is coherent enough for novice readers to follow. (16 pages of photographs)

THE HIP GIRL’S GUIDE TO HOMEMAKING Decorating, Dining, and the Gratifying Pleasures of SelfSufficiency—On a Budget!

Payne, Kate Harper Design (288 pp.) $19.99 paperback original | April 19, 2011 978-0-06-201470-2 Simple instructions for how to make the household apron fit the frame of your life.

Proving that you don’t need fancy equipment or a doctorate degree in home economics to be a successful homemaker, Payne gives easy-to-follow advice. This eclectic, if sometimes dry, guide is a starting point for anyone struggling as a homemaker. The author shows how home décor can be both practical and economical when you rediscover the versatility of common household items, such as mason jars and clothespins. Cleaning does not have to be stressful, costly or dangerous when you are armed with confidence, knowledge and basic products like vinegar, baking soda and salt. Dining in is as exciting as going to a fancy restaurant when you are not afraid to undertake new endeavors such as canning, baking and entertaining. Payne discusses how she was able to feed eight guests a three-course meal for $70. She provides essential household survival lists such as a basic tool kit, which she hopes will encourage “creative problem solving, helping you to conjure up your inner Girl or Boy Scout.” The author expands outside of the confines of the house and into the garden with tips that can be useful even if you don’t have the space or patience to cultivate. With a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt— “You must do the thing you think you cannot do”—Payne effectively summarizes her own approach to homemaking.

Useful dos and don’ts for the domestically disabled.

NERD DO WELL A Small Boy’s Journey to Becoming a Big Kid Pegg, Simon Gotham Books (368 pp.) $27.50 | June 9, 2011 978-1-592-40681-4

The book debut by the comedian and actor responsible for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz is likely to please the author’s following but not necessarily expand it.

Too many books from those known for their comedy seem to recycle standup routines and collect miscellany. By comparison, this reads like an actual memoir by an actual writer—albeit one who intersperses more conventional memoir with chapters in which he recasts himself as a futuristic superhero with a mandate to save the world. While the chronological hopscotch through Pegg’s memory provides plenty of insight into and evidence of his comedic sensibility, his focus on his childhood, and the rites of passage that most experience, makes the results somewhat less compelling than a memoir with more of his professional experiences might have been. “I’m just not that interested in dishing the dirt, and besides, I don’t really have that much dirt to dish,” he writes, before concluding that “the truth is, the most interesting stuff to write about, and hopefully to read, took place as a prelude to the whole showbiz malarkey.” Readers needn’t be obsessed with “dirt” to suspect that “the whole showbiz malarkey” might have involved experiences more revelatory than the typical accounts of prepubescent romance and adolescent sexuality, and quite a bit about swimming pools and life guarding. Beyond the chronicling of his decades as a “zombie virgin,” there is plenty of evidence that the filmmaker is also a film geek, from his boyhood crush on Carrie Fisher through his acknowledgment of not only George Romero but Mel Brooks, the Coen brothers and Woody Allen as seminal influences.

Pegg acknowledges his editors for “helping shape my somewhat shapeless train of thought into, of all things, an actual book,” and this proves to be an actual book with a voice that sounds authentically like its author’s. (Two 8-page color photo inserts and one-color endpapers of author’s art. Agent: Dawn Sedgwick/Dawn Sedgwick Management)

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels Penn, Robert Bloomsbury (208 pp.) $23.00 | May 1, 2011 978-1-60819-538-1

An enamored history of the bicycle alongside a lifelong cyclist’s personal story of journeying to workshops throughout Europe and the United States to acquire his custom-built dream bike, part by part.

478

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

NO N F I C T I ON

Bruce Chatwin’s Letters B Y G REG O RY MC NA M EE

Nearly a quarter-century ago, in 1987, a curious book with a curious title appeared. Its author was little known except to fans of British literary fiction.

But that would soon change, for The Songlines quickly climbed high on the bestseller list, leaving Bruce Chatwin to enjoy a brief burst of the fame he had long craved.

Ostensibly a kind of travel book, with quaffs of philosophy, memoir and anthropology, and positioned as nonfiction, The Songlines was eventually revealed to have been a carefully constructed work of fiction—not a hoax, exactly, but not quite as represented. In the aftermath, Chatwin went from being considered an important writer to being considered an overrated one. By that time he was dead—of AIDS, as it turns out, although, characteristically, he and his friends spun tales of bacilli breathed in while exploring Himalayan caves, of an exotic culinary experiment gone terribly wrong.

And now, suggests his biographer Nicholas Shakespeare, it seems that Chatwin “has slipped back into the obscurity in which he labored while he wrote and published his first three books.”

If nothing else, the recently published collection of Chatwin’s letters, Under the Sun (Viking, $35), may help restore some of his reputation as a masterful storyteller, if one who was not shy of dispensing with facts that got in the way of a good yarn. They are also tantalizing glimpses into what might have been, given the slimness of Chatwin’s body of published work—just six books in his lifetime—as against all the projects he planned, all the things he wanted to do.

The perfect was surely the enemy of the good in his case, for Chatwin worked and reworked his manuscripts,

seemingly reluctant to let them go. As his wife, Elizabeth, recounts, Chatwin would begin by hand on a legal pad, writing and rewriting, throwing away sheet after sheet until assembling a draft that he would then type out, correct and retype—and then write again by hand and retype still again, throwing all the discarded pages away as he labored.

He was, in short, an archivist’s nightmare. Indeed, Chatwin happily confesses, in a letter of 1986, that he “turned arsonist and destroyed heaps of old notebooks, card indexes, correspondence.”

“The letters are the only unreworked writing of his,” Elizabeth adds.

And what do they tell of us Chatwin?

For one thing, that he was endlessly busy, always on the go, always productive, even if some of his work involved cajoling friends out of money, house keys, airplane tickets.

For another thing, the letters reveal confounding, contradictory sides of Chatwin. Some of his correspondents, for instance, found him utterly humorless. Salman Rushdie, though, said that Chatwin “was so colossally funny, you’d be on the floor with pain.” Shirley Hazzard and W.G. Sebald thought him a pioneering writer, some of his former colleagues at Sotheby’s a bit of a poseur.

A student of nomadism, Chatwin was a nomad himself. To one of those colleagues, he wrote, “Change is the only thing worth living for. Never sit out your life at a desk. Ulcers and heart condition follow.” The letters pour out from New York, Istanbul, rural Argentina, Paris, St. Maarten, Greece and, yes, the Australian outback, capturing vignettes that sometimes found their way into his notebooks and, from there, his books. In Alice Springs, he is “dumbstruck with horror” over the fetidness of white missionary society. In Italy, he picks up odd wartime jokes about Hitler. In Brazil, he witnesses candomblé dances and despairs of “intellectuals in search of Atlantis.”

Under the Sun makes a fat and endlessly intriguing collection, with letters |

kirkusreviews.com

|

to the likes of Patrick Leigh Fermor, Colin Thubron, Paul Theroux and, often revealingly, to Elizabeth. But it could have been bigger still: Missing, as Shakespeare notes, are letters to Werner Herzog, Redmond O’Hanlon, Gita Mehta and many others. Missing, too, are the replies, so that we hear from only Chatwin directly.

But no matter. Even with the posthumously published collections of photographs and essays, even with Shakespeare’s admirable biography, we still have too little of Chatwin’s work, at least too little to suit his admirers. Under the Sun makes a welcome addition, and it will surely make readers hope that there’s more to come from the vaults. under the sun: The Letters of Bruce Chatwin

Edited by Elizabeth Chatwin and Nicholas Shakespeare Viking | $35.00 February 17, 2011 978-0670022465 nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

479

Debut author Penn finds an almost spiritual solace in cycling, riding for “a broad church of practical, physical and emotional reasons.” The author’s ability to describe the joys of bicycling— the space for thought that the rhythm creates, the freedom of swooping down a hill, the satisfaction of having pedaled to the top—is one of the book’s strengths, along with anecdotes of his experiences cycling around the world years earlier. After biking for decades on dozens of models, Penn decided it was time to choose the one: a bicycle perfectly fitted for him and made to last 30 years. He spared no expense or effort, visiting the shops where the components were handmade by craftsmen who still consider building a bike an art. Each chapter is about a different part of the bike: the frame/wheels/saddle, etc., the philosophies and personalities of their makers and the parts’ roles in the history of the machine. The prototype of a bicycle was surprisingly not invented until 1817 during a horse shortage. Pedals, ball bearings, “high-wheelers” and chains followed, and the world’s first modern bicycle, the Rover Safety, was born in 1885. The working class became mobile, the Tour de France was inaugurated in 1903, the arrival of the automobile almost eclipsed the bike and some California hippies saved the industry with the mountain bike. Penn believes the bicycle is now entering another golden age, when health and environmental concerns increase its relevancy. This chronology often folds over on itself with chapters organized around specific bike parts, but the author manages to avoid the stagnancy of linear history or the more common error of making it all about himself.

If you don’t long for your own bike at the end of this book, you will at least never look at one the same way again. (Blackand-white illustrations throughout. West coast author tour. Agents: Camilla Hornby and Camilla Goslett/Curtis Brown)

SWIMMING IN THE STENO POOL A Retro Guide to Making It in the Office Peril, Lynn Norton (256 pp.) $16.95 paperback original | April 25, 2011 978-0-393-33854-6

A humorous guide to exploring the changing definition of a woman’s role in the workplace.

What label best classifies the post of secretary—“sex bomb” or “office wife?” Peril (College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens and Co-eds, Then and Now, 2006, etc.) delves into the stereotypes that continue to plague secretaries. Running the gamut from vampy vixens to officious career gals, secretaries have always been varied personalities with varying abilities; some were able to use their position as a stepping stone while others hit the glass ceiling. The author’s study is packed with witty anecdotes drawn from multiple eras, and lavish images and illustrations accompany her lively prose. Peril examines the changing perspective of female competence in the workplace, from its start in the battlefield to the offices of the future. The author highlights the challenges women faced at the office, and the 480

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

problems women must still reckon with even in the most forward-thinking companies of this era—including the seemingly insignificant question of whose responsibility it is to put on a pot of coffee. While it’s safe to say that the days in which secretaries were viewed as little more than husband-hunting sex kittens are extinct, Peril argues that today’s professional women are still changing the rules of femininity, adopting traits previously only owned by men.

A great choice for ladies climbing the corporate ladder from the bottom up. (42 illustrations)

IS JOURNALISM WORTH DYING FOR? Final Dispatches

Politkovskaya, Anna Translator: Tait, Arch Melville House (480 pp.) $19.95 paperback original | April 5, 2011 978-1-935554-40-0 “It is generally accepted that we Russians do not like ourselves much.” So wrote the late Politkovskaya (1958–2006) (Putin’s Russia, 2006, etc.), who paid with her life for her daring critiques of post-Soviet society.

This spirited collection, originally published by the journal Novaya Gazeta in 2007, opens with a self-interview taken from the journalist’s laptop after her death. In it, she accuses most of her journalistic colleagues in Russia with being koverny, or clowns, “whose job it is to keep the public entertained and, if they do have to write about anything serious, then merely to tell everyone how wonderful the Pyramid of Power is in all its manifestations.” The big-shoe phenomenon spreads far beyond Russia, of course, and Politkovskaya is not alone when she asks what the fate of those who refuse to play in the Big Top is—“They become pariahs,” she answers, though in her case it was worse still. Much of the collection concerns Russia’s war in Chechnya, which has quieted down since, but, only a few years ago, was raging—no thanks to orchestrated atrocities on the part of the Russian Army that Politkovskaya covered and uncovered. One was the so-called Shatoy Tragedy, in which Russian soldiers under the command of the Central Intelligence Directorate killed six Chechen civilians and burned their bodies. Politkovskaya’s reportage is far from objective, in the vaunted Anglo-American sense. Her ledes build around terms such as “massive violation of human rights” and “the racketeering that pervades the Republic,” recounting the misdeeds of plutocrats and bureaucrats, and otherwise offering news and commentary from what she called “the furthest end of the Old World.” Even the less pointed touches— travel notes from Europe and Australia, a brief memoir of living with an elderly dog—are sharp in their none-too-veiled view of a society that should be better than it is.

An essential book for budding Russia hands, followers of world events and fans of good journalism. (Tour by author’s sister in April)

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Even though readers may not exonerate Butler for swindling so many for so long, Poulsen makes them care enough about him to wonder why he kept doing it.” from kingpin

KINGPIN How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground

Poulsen, Kevin Crown (288 pp.) $25.00 | February 22, 2011 978-0-307-58868-5

Max “Vision” Butler—currently in a federal penitentiary—once sat atop a billiondollar criminal empire trafficking in stolen credit-card numbers. How he got there and how the authorities finally managed to topple him is a harrowing tale shot through with technology and tragedy.

Butler was a just another American outcast working in Boise, Idaho in the late 1980s when the Internet began to take off. An incredibly gifted computer geek, he caught the gathering cyber wave—and could have ridden it all the way to untold riches. All he had to do was play it straight and use his incredible programming prowess for good instead of evil. Alas, that’s something Butler found harder to do than cracking computer codes. He tried for a while, even becoming a “white hat” cyber-security consultant, but something about the black-market world of online thievery always called him back. In this complex story full of multifaceted machinations both mortal and machine, Wired editor Poulsen successfully sifts through Butler’s many sordid capers. While the author avoids alienating readers who don’t know their bits from their bytes, he also provides enough jargon for technophiles. Even though readers may not exonerate Butler for swindling so many for so long, Poulsen makes them care enough about him to wonder why he kept doing it.

A compelling ride.

KIT CARSON The Life of an American Border Man Remley, David Univ. of Oklahoma (320 pp.) $24.95 | May 1, 2011 978-0-8061-4172-5

A fair-minded, sympathetic reappraisal of the Kentucky-born mountain man who was more of a guide and trapper than killer of Indians.

Legends of wild frontiersman Christopher Houston “Kit” Carson (1809–1868) sprang up by the mid-1850s. Remley demonstrates (Bell Ranch: Cattle Ranching in the Southwest, 1824–1947, 1993, etc.) that most of these legends had little grounding in fact.

From the time he ran off from his apprenticeship at a saddle shop in Franklin, Mo., to his death at his last home in Fort Lyon, Colo., Carson was a man of action, making his livelihood as a trapper, guide, government scout and Indian agent. He was also illiterate, and dictated his early exploits in 1856 while living in Taos, N.M., with his third wife and numerous children. Later, |

his tales were imaginatively exploited in dime-store potboilers feeding Eastern readers’ taste for the lurid. Remley attempts to shade in a more complex portrait of this anti-hero, less as a “simpleminded rascal with a rifle” who had helped lead the Navajo removal in Arizona and New Mexico, and more as a conduit between the whites and Indians, a man who learned Indian languages and had Indian wives. The author depicts Carson as very much a product of his Scots-Irish upbringing—from a large family of hardscrabble migrant farmers, clannish, fierce under attack, loyal to strong leaders. Having moved with his family from Kentucky to Missouri, Carson lost his father when the boy was eight, and he grew rebellious and independent.

Traders to the saddle shop at Franklin, located at the end of the Santa Fe Trail, fueled his imagination, and he soon ran away to join a scouting party headed into the Rocky Mountains. Trading beaver skins was more profitable than gold, and his sure-shot survival skills attracted the likes of Lt. John C. Frémont, and later Gen. James H. Carleton, on government expeditions out West. Remley is a skillful narrator of this true-grit life.

With a biographical essay and index, this proves a solid, clear-eyed history lesson in the making of the Wild West. (25 black-and-white illustrations; 2 maps)

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Battle for America

Reynolds, David S. Norton (352 pp.) $27.95 | June 14, 2011 978-0-393-08132-9

A provocative overview of the life and afterlife of one of American literature’s most important texts.

Published in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin has a battered reputation, not least in the way the term “Uncle Tom” has become an epithet for somebody who sells out his own race. But Reynolds (English and American Studies/City Univ. of New York; Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson, 2008, etc.) successfully repositions the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) as a major political work, crucial not just to the abolitionist movement, but as kindling for the Civil War and an important inspiration to cultural discussions of race relations through most of the 20th century. In the early chapters, Reynolds examines aspects of Stowe’s character that inspired the book: a brand of Christianity that made her sympathetic to abolitionism, an intuitive understanding of adventure stories that captured the public imagination and a sentimental style that prompted readers to rethink their prejudices without feeling provoked. That last element earned Stowe a reputation as a soft antislavery agitator, but there’s no question Uncle Tom’s Cabin struck a chord. It sold so well, in fact, that it inspired a whole shelf of anti-Stowe novels; among the most prominent was Thomas Dixon Jr.’s novel The Clansman, which in turn inspired D.W. Griffith’s “adeptly made yet thematically abhorrent film The Birth of a Nation.” But Uncle

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

481

Tom’s Cabin influenced the civil-rights movement as well. In the decades after the Civil War, there were few communities that hadn’t seen a “Tom play,” a stage version of the novel. Reynolds somewhat soft-pedals how these plays perpetuated racist stereotypes, but it’s clear that Uncle Tom himself largely retained his status as a symbol of nonviolent resistance, not self-denying passivity. To that end, Stowe’s vision endured, as seen in the acts of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists for racial equality. In showing how that sentiment played out not just in the novel and plays but in Shirley Temple films, Mickey Mouse cartoons, magazines ads, Roots and more, Reynolds defends Stowe’s influence, even if that influence was frustratingly slow.

A sharp work of cross-disciplinary criticism that gives new power to a diminished novel. (15 illustrations)

BEFORE THE REVOLUTION America’s Ancient Pasts Richter, Daniel Belknap/Harvard Univ. (370 pp.) $35.00 | April 25, 2011 978-0-674-05580-3

Readers will find little ancient history in this deceptively titled work, but rather a lucid, thought-provoking history of North America to the 1760s.

Dreams of the conquistadores’ riches influenced British, French and Dutch explorers after 1492, but Richter (Early American Studies/Univ. of Pennsylvania; Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America, 2001, etc.) emphasizes that imperialism, trade and religious proselytism made an equally powerful contribution. For 150 years after Columbus, European arrivals in North America paid little attention to farming (and often starved as a result) but found trading profitable. The author downplays the traditional picture of early settlers driving hapless Indians off their lands. Exchanging a beaver skin for knives or guns seemed like taking candy from a baby to Native Americans. Obsessed with trading, many migrated toward, not away, from white settlements, fighting to expel tribes in direct contact with traders. Matters changed after 1700 with the Dutch out of the picture and France marginalized; Britain dominated seaborne commerce, commodity prices rose, African slaves poured in and Parliament began an intense, but unsuccessful, effort to convert the fractious colonies into a dependable revenue stream. Once land ownership—a mystery to Native Americans—and agriculture became the dominant source of profit, most Americans wanted Indians out of the way.

Richter emphasizes that Europeans often treated each other as nastily as they treated other cultures.

An astute, thoroughly enjoyable mixture of political, economic and social history that culminates in a turbulent 18th-century North America whose people did not consider themselves on the verge of revolution but knew that things were not right.

(88 halftones; 13 maps)

482

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

LISTED Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act

Roman, Joe Harvard Univ. (326 pp.) $27.95 | May 15, 2011 978-0-674-04751-8

A scientifically savvy narrator untangles the legal, scientific and historical labyrinth surrounding the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Conservation biologist Roman (Ecological Economics/Vermont Univ.; Whale, 2006) traveled the country examining biodiversity protection and its cost to humans, as well as the benefits and value of the Act itself. Here the author provides enticing communiqués with field biologists, choosing his subjects based on “where there appeared to be a clear conflict between conservation and economics.” Roman toggles between historical accounts of conservation attempts and contemporary issues, including climate change and the risk of emerging diseases.

This technique provides a frame of reference in which to place the Act, which, from its inception, has been divisive. The author revisits the work of well-known environmentalists such as Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson and Theodore Roosevelt, while introducing equally important but unfamiliar characters, including William T. Hornaday, an eminent zoologist who in 1912 published “the first systematic attempt to list all species threatened with early extermination”; and John Clark Salyer, who in the 1930s “increased the protected acreage from less than 2 million to almost 30 million acres.” In Maryland, Roman visited with aviculturists dressed in long white shrouds, masking their human forms, who use whooping crane puppets to feed the young birds and prevent their imprinting on humans. “This imaginative leap on the part of the biologists—and perhaps on the part of the crane themselves—led to the establishment of a new migration corridor east of the Mississippi,” he writes.

Despite a few sections overly larded with technical terms, the author provides a memorable dispatch on the fate of endangered species.

TINY TERROR Why Truman Capote (Almost) Wrote Answered Prayers

Schultz, William Todd Oxford Univ. (190 pp.) $17.95 | May 1, 2011 978-0-19-975204-1

Schultz (Psychology/Pacific Univ.; editor: Handbook of Psychobiography, 2005) plumbs the machinations behind Truman Capote’s literary self-sabotage.

In this slim, potent second installment in the publisher’s Inner Lives series, the author eschews the delivery of straightforward biographical facts. Rather, he astutely dissects the

kirkusreviews.com

|

inspirations behind Capote’s last, unfinished roman à clef, Answered Prayers, a scorching, sensationalistic tell-all about his “filthy rich” friends, whom he dubbed “swans.” Schultz considers these scathing chapters (several were published in Esquire magazine in 1975–6) as Capote’s final self-defining moments, in which he deliberately “bit down hard on the smooth, socialite hands that fed him.” Curiously, the author acknowledges that the whereabouts of the complete manuscript has become the stuff of legend, if Capote did indeed finish it at all. But “why tattle on trillionaires?” Schultz ponders, as he mines the conception and execution of the author’s literary accomplishments: the ill-fated Answered Prayers, the “homosexual fantasia” of his debut Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and his controversial blockbuster masterpiece of American crime, In Cold Blood. He questions why such a hardworking, respected writer would denigrate and systematically betray the privileged circles with which he’d become so ingrained. Was it Capote’s “insecurely attached” childhood, the effects of personal deterioration brought on by a dependence on drugs and alcohol, or had these social luminaries truly slighted him? In contemplating Capote’s many behavioral motivations, Schultz’s lucid academic discourse never shames the author for penning such “pseudonym-free, scorching dismissals” that skewered folks like Jackie and Joe Kennedy, Cole Porter and Ann Woodward, but instead paints the author with compassion as a troubled literary burnout bent on vengeance, lashing out at whomever came closest to him.

A fascinating, erudite deliberation. (Agent: Betsy Lerner/ Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency)

TAKE ME HOME FROM THE OSCARS Arthritis, Television, Fashion, and Me

Schwab, Christine Skyhorse Publishing (240 pp.) $24.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-61608-264-2 A behind-the-scenes look at how a Hollywood insider survived in daytime television despite the pain of living with

rheumatoid arthritis.

When TV makeover expert and fashion consultant Schwab (The Grown-Up Girl’s Guide to Style: A Maintenance Bible for Fashion, Beauty, and More..., 2006, etc.) was diagnosed with arthritis at a relatively young age, she learned to hide her debilitating pain to maintain an image of physical and professional perfection. In doing so, Schwab lied to everyone in her life including her supportive husband, experimented with myriad combinations of medications and ducked out of public responsibilities, including a hasty exit from the Academy Awards on swollen feet.

Weaving in unpleasant tales from her childhood, the author works through the issues that led to her compulsion to appear flawless, regardless of the cost. “Being neat and clean with my outfits matching were lessons that served me in my childhood and my career,” she writes. “But when disease struck, arthritis |

marched over everything, not caring what it destroyed.” After seven years of faithfully taking failed pharmaceuticals despite visible, toxic and even life-threatening side effects, her dedication to the process paid off and she found one that worked for her, enabling her to continue her career and lifestyle as before.

While the conclusion may seem superficial with its abrupt happily-ever-after, Schwab’s book unexpectedly serves as an interesting observation of the pharmaceutical industry and the doctor-patient relationship. But the author’s also tuned into the cravings of her audience, and doesn’t skimp when offering the inside scoop on daytime TV: the reckless process of TV makeovers, how to schmooze a producer and the wonders of Oprah.

An inspirational alternative to People at the doctor’s office.

THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor

Seal, Mark Viking (336 pp.) $26.95 | June 7, 2011 978-0-670-02274-8

Vanity Fair contributing editor Seal (Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa, 2009) unravels the complex case of “Clark Rockefeller,” a fiendishly clever con man who, over the course of three decades, insinuated himself into the highest echelons of American society using only his wits and a borrowed name.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a precocious teenager hailing from an obscure Bavarian village, felt he was destined for greatness, and such humble beginnings would not do.

Consequently, he made his way to the United States, where he adopted a series of identities more in line with his selfimage: patrician, wealthy, well-educated and possessed of impeccable social standing. In privileged enclaves nestled in exclusive pockets of California, Connecticut, New York and Boston, Gerhartsreiter spun wild stories of his family’s prominence and wealth (and invented an ever-changing professional resume, at various points claiming to be a Hollywood producer, Defense Department contractor and international financial advisor), charming their blue-blooded denizens with his erudition, sponge-like appropriation of manners and appearance and, most crucially, the magic name Rockefeller.

Seal delineates his endless schemes in an irresistibly lucid and propulsive manner, and his characterizations of his many victims are richly observed. Readers will marvel at Gerhartsreiter’s ability to bamboozle his way into tony social clubs, jobs at eminent financial institutions (he had no qualifications or experience) and, most crucially, into the affections of wife Sandra Boss, a savvy financial wunderkind who nonetheless funded “Rockefeller’s” lavish lifestyle in complete ignorance of his true identity. The narrative occasionally takes some dark turns. Seal makes a strong case naming Gerhartsreiter as the likely murderer of a young couple who fell under his sway early in his career, and the impostor’s kidnapping of his own

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

483

LITTLE BETS

daughter once his façade began to crumble is uncomfortably gripping material.

Impossible to put down—Patricia Highsmith couldn’t have written a more compelling thriller. (Agent: Jan Miller Rich/ Dupree Miller & Associates)

NAPOLEON AND THE REBEL A Story of Brotherhood, Passion, and Power Simonetta, Marcello and Noga Arikha Palgrave Macmillan (304 pp.) $28.00 | June 7, 2011 978-0-230-11156-1

Napoleon’s recalcitrant, republican younger brother has his say in this lively reconstruction of the Bonaparte family’s accession to power.

Simonetta (The Montefeltro Conspiracy: A Renaissance Mystery Decoded, 2008) and Arikha (Passions and Tempers: A History of the Humours, 2007) acquired unpublished correspondence and notebooks belonging to Lucien Bonaparte and his wife, Alexandrine, that were spared the purge by Napoleon III’s revisionists. Much of their work here revisits Lucien’s Memoirs, with expurgated passages restored involving telling scenes between the brothers as well as details about Lucien’s relationship with Alexandrine, his lovely second wife who was vilified by Napoleon mostly because the First Consul wanted his brother to make an astute political match rather than marry for love. The authors “take [Lucien] at his word,” allowing the dialogue he recorded seemingly verbatim to remain intact and jump off the page—namely, when Napoleon informs his brothers Joseph and Lucien while reclining in the bathtub of his precipitous decision to sell the vast Louisiana territories to the Americans, the same territory Lucien had skillfully and very recently negotiated from the Spanish. Napoleon had often been away in military school during Lucien’s youth, and the relationship between them was respectful but never warm. Lucien had studied in seminary before becoming a political activist and speaker; he was deeply imbued with republican ideals and early on expressed his suspicions about his older brother’s despotic ambitions. If Napoleon were king, Lucien wrote to Joseph, “his name would be a terror to posterity and to sensitive patriots.” Nonetheless, Napoleon relied on Lucien’s diplomacy and cool-headedness to help stage his coup amid the Council of the Five Hundred in November 1799, and used him as a diplomatic tool until Lucien’s forced exile over his marriage to Alexandrine.

A fresh piece of turbulent French history. (Agent: Elizabeth Sheinkman/Curtis Brown)

484

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

Sims, Peter Free Press (256 pp.) $26.00 | April 19, 2011 978-1-4391-7042-7 Small, calculated risks lead to gamechanging innovation in this collection of case studies from the co-author of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (2007).

Readers who wonder how Amazon reached its first $10 billion quarter while Borders filed for bankruptcy will want to read this guide to sustainable growth culled from interviews with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and 200 other leaders in innovation. According to Sims, Amazon developed its Associates program, which rewards other websites for sending buyers to Amazon, using the same method of trial and error that comedian Chris Rock uses to hone his stand-up routine.

The key, as the title suggests, is to make a series of little bets that turn small losses into big wins over time. The author draws from a wide range of sources, from micro-lending to military operations, to illustrate the creative process that turned Pixar from a struggling computer-hardware company into a popular animated-film company and inspired architect Frank Gehry to build the spectacular Disney Hall in Los Angeles. Citing the wisdom of Everett Rogers, who coined the term “early adopters,” and contemporary thinkers like Silicon Valley’s Eric Ries, Sims packs a lot of scholarly research into a short number of pages and comes up a little disjointed. But the back stories are impressive. By showing how experimentation has been instrumental not just in Silicon Valley, but all over the world and long before the Internet, Sims’ research could inspire even the stodgiest corporation to take a risk.

Diverse and uplifting—a veritable gumball machine of memorable anecdotes to inspire creativity.

EAT The Effortless Weight Loss Solution Smith, Ian K. St. Martin’s (224 pp.) $24.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-312-54843-8

Rachael Ray Show health expert Smith (Happy, 2010, etc.), offers simple advice for losing weight without feeling hungry.

A healthier eating book is not a new idea, but Smith’s version has a few qualities that elevate it above the rest. The author’s quick, easy-to-follow rules will have adherents making better eating choices that won’t feel like huge sacrifices. Nutrition information can often be overwhelming for the novice, but Smith gives facts without talking down to readers. Along with the standard fat and calorie charts, the author tackles a variety of questions that often plague those

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Quirky, irreverent comic strips loaded with interesting and eclectic observations about the today’s society.” from 5 very good reasons to punch a dolphin in the mouth

who are calorie conscience—e.g. the correct amount of protein that should be consumed. Foods that act as natural appetite suppressants are included as ideas for “strategic eating.” The author encourages readers to enjoy food with common-sense lifestyle changes; snacking is good, and even chocolate is OK, depending on the amount and type. Chapter six, “Spicetopia,” contains brief histories and medicinal benefits for five of the healthiest spices in the world, among them ginger and garlic. Smith guides food shoppers through the difficult task of deciphering labels to determine the sugar, fat and whole-grain content of foods, and offers tips for purchasing organic food. Even people who can’t stay away from McDonald’s will find refuge in the index of fast-food choices for under 500 calories.

Fitness buffs should pass, but those who need to get started shedding pounds will find good, painless advice for healthy weight loss.

5 VERY GOOD REASONS TO PUNCH A DOLPHIN IN THE MOUTH (AND OTHER USEFUL GUIDES)

The Oatmeal Andrews McMeel (160 pp.) $14.99 paperback original | March 1, 2011 978-1-4494-0116-0 Quirky, irreverent comic strips loaded with interesting and eclectic observations about the today’s society.

Web designer turned comic artist Matthew Inman (theoatmeal.com) offers a collection of cartoons that have appeared on his website over the past year, including some new material created especially for his debut release. Inman says his goal “is to entertain, inform, and offend.” He succeeds on all counts.

Part sophisticated observation of modern society and part fratboy humor, the book constantly surprises. His webcomics offer an ironic, hilarious and ultimately honest portrayal of everyday life—see one man’s descent into madness while trying to speak to an actual person in customer service. The unexpected awaits the reader at every turn. Browse through “7 Ways To Keep Your Tyrannosaur Off Crack Cocaine” before learning about Nikola Tesla and the development of AC electricity. A new-age Emily Post with a deep sarcastic undertone, Inman highlights a variety of social etiquette mistakes: “The 9 Types of Crappy Handshakes” is an especially effective greeting guide. The book contains some of the best explanations of how to use a semi-colon and sheds light on other grammarian pet peeves. The pullout poster on the end flap, “Why I Believe Printers Were Sent from Hell to Make Us Miserable,” will strike a responsive chord in anyone who has struggled with the simplest of modern technology.

Delightfully absurd musings on both everyday life and fantasy from an unusually creative mind.

WHITE LAMA The Life of Tantric Yogi Theos Bernard, Tibet’s Lost Emissary to the New World

Veenhof, Douglas Harmony (448 pp.) $27.50 | e-book: $27.50 | May 17, 2011 978-0-385-51432-3 e-book 978-0-307-72082-5 Journalist and former mountain guide Veenhof offers a clearer understanding of the singular man who penetrated the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism and disseminated the practices to the West.

As the author recounts in this dogged, workmanlike biography, Theos Bernard (1908–1947) learned much of his early study of Tantric Yoga from his father and uncle, Glen and Pierre Bernard, respectively, who had in turn apprenticed under their Lincoln, Neb., neighbor, Sylvais Hamati, an East Indian Vedic guru.

While Pierre went on to great fame and riches in the 1920s and ’30s with his Nyack, N.Y., yoga center for the stars—a wild trajectory recently chronicled in Robert Love’s excellent The Great Oom (2010)—Glen traveled to India to study Tantric philosophy, leaving his former wife and son to their own devices in Arizona. A near-death from scarlet fever as an adolescent goaded Theo into mastering yoga practices for health and strength, and after law school he finally met his father and found in him his guru—though Theo never acknowledged him as such. Eventually, Bernard made his way to his uncle’s place Nyack. He began studies in philosophy and anthropology at Columbia University, under Franz Boas, whose “participant observation methodology” Bernard hoped to adapt among the Buddhists in Tibet.

Very few Westerners had penetrated Lhasa and its monasteries, and Veenhof, a Buddhist, dwells at great length on Bernard’s extensive 1937 trip, the marvels of which he later publicized in magazine articles, lectures and books such as Penthouse of the Gods (1939). Two visionary institutions organized by him were just getting off the ground in California when he disappeared on a Himalayan trip in 1947. Veenhof does a yeoman’s job of bringing this exalted life back into focus.

A useful study, especially considering the enormous growth in interest in Tibetan Buddhism. (8-page black-and-white insert.

Agent: Ellen Levine/Trident Media Group)

THE CHICKEN CHRONICLES Sitting with the Angels Who Have Returned with My Memories

Walker, Alice New Press (208 pp.) $21.95 | May 3, 2011 978-1-59558-645-2

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author imparts life lessons and sage wisdom through the care and feeding of a delightful flock of chickens. |

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

485

Walker (Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: New Poems, 2010, etc.) realized that as a serious egg-lover, it would behoove her to “get to know the chickens laying them.” She soon hatched an agreement with a family nearby to raise them together in the rudimentary Northern California wine country neighborhood where she’s lived for 30 years. As offbeat as it may seem, Walker developed a profound attachment and an intrinsic contentment by befriending her nine “undeniably gorgeous” chickens. Often found crouched and crowing in her lap and balanced upon her shoulders, the author named each of them personally (Gertrude Stein, Babe, Rufus, Gladys, Glorious, etc.), contemplated their behaviors and researched their varietal breeds. The memoir is, in part, an assemblage of chronological entries from the author’s blog, and spans from present-day farming time to her youth in rural Georgia, where she acquired an appreciation for animals and music. The second half of the book includes poems and letters she’s written to the chickens while traveling. At their strongest, these short essays are illuminating and wonderfully wacky ruminations from the earth-conscious mind of a “runof-the-mill mostly vegetarian person.” Walker’s sage, compassionate memoir is meant to be savored and contemplated; fans will appreciate the devoted nurturing of her feathered backyard brood as the embodiment of a lifetime spent cultivating peace, harmony and the “wonder and spontaneity of Nature.”

Life-affirmative and eccentrically inspirational.

SEAL TEAM SIX Memoirs of an Elite SEAL Sniper

Wasdin, Howard E. and Stephen Templin St. Martin’s (384 pp.) $26.99 | May 10, 2011 978-0-312-69945-1 Though Templin is a co-author, the bulk of this book belongs to Wasdin, a veteran of the infamous “Black Hawk Down” incident who reflects on his service and life

after the Navy SEALs. While most are aware that the SEALs are America’s military elite, few know that “[w]hen the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six,” a group tasked with counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. Wasdin saw combat with Team Six, following an unusual Navy career and a hardscrabble early life. He stolidly discusses an impoverished Southern childhood of farm work and frequent beatings by his stepfather: “Leon didn’t kill me, but anything that was not done exactly right, I paid for.” The author was drawn to the discipline of JROTC in high school; unable to afford college, he signed up for the Navy’s Search and Rescue program in the early ’80s. After distinguishing himself on risky helicopter-borne operations, he re-enlisted in exchange for a tryout in the notoriously difficult SEALs training program.

Wasdin ably portrays this harrowing experience, particularly Hell Week, which was designed to weed out applicants. As a SEAL, Wasdin picked the grueling specialty of sniper; he saw action in Grenada, and received a Navy Commendation Medal 486

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

in 1991 for covert operations during Desert Storm. The heart of the book is the ill-fated Battle of Mogadishu, where SEAL Team Six first operated a safe house in enemy territory, then became involved in the protracted firefight around two downed helicopters; Wasdin’s grave wounds ended his SEAL career. The author demonstrates an impressive attention to detail, vividly recalling the chronology of several violent missions and comfortably discussing the nitty-gritty of the SEALs’ uncompromising training and cutting-edge equipment and tactics. The writing is plainspoken and not overly reflective—the author doesn’t consider how his difficult upbringing might have contributed to his warrior’s nature. Still, as he describes his exit from military life, Wasdin gives a good sense of how confronting warfare and bloody death has ultimately made him a more contemplative and faithful person.

Realistic overview of an often misunderstood fighting force.

(16-page black-and-white photo insert. Agent: Scott Miller/Trident Media Group)

THE TIMELESS SWING

Watson, Tom with Nick Seitz Atria Books (224 pp.) $29.99 | March 29, 2011 978-1-4391-9483-6

A picture-heavy instruction manual from PGA Hall of Famer Watson that pays particular attention to improving posture and swing.

With assistance from Golf Digest editor Seitz, Watson provides a comprehensive yet simply written guidebook of golf fundamentals, complete with practice drills and tips for improving ball maneuverability. The author’s straightforward prose is geared to golfers of all levels, and at any stage of life, including a chapter focused on adjusting seniors’ swings based on age. Watson answers all the common golf questions, including how far to stand away from the ball and how to improve hooks and slices. Firsthand accounts from specific games during the author’s career, dubbed “Watson Moments,” pop up repeatedly throughout the text, and serve as reminders that even the best golfers need to brush up on their technique sometimes. Concepts are continually reinforced, yet every sentence and illustration is integral to the author’s instruction. Watson poses for a number of instructive photographs that detail the sequence of each swing, with extreme close-ups of grips and stances. Awardwinning sports photographer Dom Furore’s shots are sharp and well-captioned, making the visual component of this book its most effective feature.

An excellent visual reference that can be stored in a golf bag for use on the course.

kirkusreviews.com

|

“California meets Italy in this fresh, accessible take on America’s favorite ethnic cuisines.” from italian, my way

ITALIAN, MY WAY

Waxman, Jonathan Photographer: Hirsheimer, Christopher Simon & Schuster (304 pp.) $32.00 | April 5, 2011 978-1-4165-9431-4 California meets Italy in this fresh, accessible take on America’s favorite ethnic cuisines.

Waxman (A Great American Cook, 2007), chef-owner of the Manhattan restaurant Barbuto, offers recipes that rely not on shortcuts but on maximizing flavor using a limited number of ingredients. There has been no shortage of Italian cookbooks by star chefs, but Waxman focuses on seasonal ingredients and straightforward recipes broken down by course. Traditional offerings like pizza and pasta are here, but the author’s California roots appear in dishes like “Raw Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino and Toasted Walnuts,” a delightful blend of tartness and crunch. Waxman usually avoids hard-to-find ingredients, but he occasionally suggests a pricier alternative to the supermarket brand—no doubt the Brussels sprouts would taste even better with a Napa Valley or Ligurian olive oil, as Waxman recommends.

Fortunately, the author provides an index with a list of relevant websites for rarer ingredients. The index also includes a helpful glossary of terms and a list of equipment that every “simple” kitchen should have, although home cooks may question the necessity of items like a Japanese mandolin or a French fish knife.

Waxman contextualizes each dish by offering background notes that include the recipe’s origins or cooking tips.

Simple yet not simplistic—a welcome introduction for home cooks to the seasonal flavors of Italian cuisine.

A GLORIOUS ARMY Robert E. Lee’s Triumph, 1862-1863

Wert, Jeffry D. Simon & Schuster (416 pp.) $30.00 | April 5, 2011 978-1-4165-9334-8

A Civil War specialist revisits the glory days of one of the most splendid fighting forces ever assembled: the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV).

After the bitter defeat at Gettysburg, the Confederate army, its officer corps severely depleted, never regained the momentum it had achieved since June 1862 when Robert E. Lee assumed command. But what a run they had. At the Seven Days, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and even the bloody stalemate at Antietam, the ANV fashioned a brilliant string of military successes that changed the course of the war in the East. In the process, Lee and his gallant army came to embody the Southern cause, keeping alive the possibility against long odds that the Confederacy might survive.

Assessing the ANV’s legacy, Wert (Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: |

A Biography of J.E.B. Stuart, 2008, etc.) eschews the tick-tock of battle in favor of analysis of the big-picture, how the army was led and how the rank and file responded. Nimbly sifting the oftentimes conflicting judgments of a wide array of historians and making vivid use of primary source documents, the author demonstrates how everything—the good and the bad—began with Lee. He immediately reorganized and disciplined the army, improved communications, delegated broad authority to his senior commanders, particularly the steady, reliable James Longstreet and the eccentric, audacious Stonewall Jackson, and relied on a talented cadre of brigade and regimental officers to implement his relentlessly aggressive battle plans. Convinced the South could never prevail relying on a passive, defensive strategy, Lee constantly took the fight to the enemy, even as the battlefield victories bled his forces. Wert covers it all—the blunders, the exceptional maneuvers, the irreparable losses, all the exquisitely difficult choices facing a general whose bold calculations always prevailed until, finally, they didn’t.

An energetic, evenhanded assessment that gets at the heart of Lee’s genius and the heroic achievements of the army he so ably led. (One 16-page black-and-white illustrations; 8-10 maps.

Agent: Robert Gottlieb/Trident Media Group)

THE CHIMPS OF FAUNA SANCTUARY A True Story of Resilience and Recovery

Westoll, Andrew Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (256 pp.) $25.00 | May 10, 2011 978-0-547-32780-8 The story of primate research in the United States, told through the lens of a retirement home for traumatized chimpanzees.

Primatologist turned writer Westoll (The Riverbones: Stumbling After Eden in the Jungles of Suriname, 2008) spent several weeks as a volunteer at Fauna Sanctuary, in the French Canadian countryside, where since the late 1990s the devoted Gloria Grow has cared for chimps who suffer from psychological disturbances after having spent much of their lives in painful biomedical research. Living in a basement apartment, he helped out by washing dishes, scraping feces and preparing medicine-laced afternoon smoothies. This incisive book describes the daily lives of 13 resident chimps, their resilience after so much suffering and the invasive research practices that “render them as psychologically compromised as human victims of domestic violence or political and war prisoners.” Chimps have been used in invasive research since the end of the 17th century, writes the author. In the United States, the intelligent, human-like creatures have been involved in lab experiments on diseases from polio to AIDS, and served as living crash-test dummies in high-speed and highaltitude travel studies. The U.S. is the only developed nation that continues using primates in such experiments, with about 1,000 chimps now locked up in research facilities. Westoll urges readers to support the Great Ape Protection Act (now in committee in

kirkusreviews.com

|

nonfiction

|

15 march 2011

|

487

TROUBLEMAKER A Memoir from the Front Lines of the Sixties

Congress), which is designed to end the use of chimps in research and has bipartisan support. The author will donate a portion of his royalties to the Fauna Lifetime Care Fund.

An affecting work about our genetic cousin. (8-page blackand-white insert)

REVOLUTIONARY FOUNDERS Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of a Nation

Editor: Young, Alfred F. Editor: Nash, Gary B. Editor: Raphael, Ray Knopf (464 pp.) $30.00 | e-book: $30.00 | April 20, 2011 978-0-307-27110-5 e-book 978-0-307-59683-3 Three distinguished scholars commission 22 essays about historical characters for whom the American Revolution was insufficiently revolutionary.

The Revolution was dangerous, not simply because it pitted the colonies against the world’s foremost military power. It also unleashed thoughts and inflamed passions among ordinary people inspired by notions of democracy, ideas of liberty and equality that often went far beyond what the famous Founders were calling for. Indeed, to maintain control of their movement, the Founders found themselves marginalizing, suppressing or even crushing the likes of Dragging Canoe, the Chickamauga warrior; James Cleveland, the tenant farmer and opponent of Virginia’s regressive poll tax; Mary Perth, the slave preacher and a founder of Sierra Leone; “Swearing John” Waller, the campaigner for religious freedom; and Timothy Bigelow, the Worcester blacksmith whose town championed a break with Britain almost two years before the Declaration of Independence. In this uniformly strong collection, an impressive array of historians—among them, T.H. Breen, Eric Foner, Jill Lepore and Alan Taylor—tells these and many other stories. Only Abigail Adams, slave poet Phillis Wheatley, pamphleteer and rabble rouser Tom Paine and perhaps George Wythe (best remembered as Jefferson’s mentor, treated here as teacher to emancipator Richard Randolph) and Daniel Shays (the eponym for a rural Massachusetts rebellion that, in fact, had many leaders) qualify as characters readily known to the general reader. The remaining protagonists were simply common people—mostly overlooked in the traditional narrative of the nation’s founding—convinced that the Revolution’s ideals applied not only to the rich and powerful, but to them as well. Editors Young (Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier, 2004, etc.), Nash (The Forgotten Fifth: African Americans in the Age of Revolution, 2006, etc.) and Raphael (Founders: The People Who Brought You a Nation, 2009, etc.) have solicited wisely, with each contributor adding an important dimension to the controlling theme: “We cannot have too much liberty.”

Adds immeasurably to our understanding of the Revolution’s full meaning. (25 illustrations, 1 map) 488

|

15 march 2011

|

nonfiction

|

Zimmerman, Bill Doubleday (464 pp.) $26.95 | April 26, 2011 978-0-385-53348-5

A political activist looks back on an eventful life.

Zimmerman (Is Marijuana the Right Medicine for You?, 1999, etc.), a workingclass kid from Chicago who lost relatives in the Holocaust, struggled from an early age with revulsion over the idea that he might become the American equivalent of “the Good German,” a citizen who passively condones the evil actions of his government. His rebellious nature was nurtured in 1960 during a yearlong hiatus from studies at the University of Chicago by the sight of French students skirmishing with police on the streets of Paris in protest against the war in Algeria, something unheard of in Eisenhower America. Back in America, he joined a friend working for the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee in Mississippi one summer, during which he witnessed firsthand the sickening effects of Jim Crow racism. Politically ahead of the curve with his peers, he led student negotiations with the university during an occupation of Chicago’s administration building as a graduate student, then as an assistant professor of psychology at Brooklyn College. Soon, he was making a career fighting to end the Vietnam War, whether it involved confronting police or his fellow scientists and academics, shaming them for sharing research that could be used against civilians in the war. Zimmerman reveals here one extraordinary example of his activism: At a critical moment, he traveled to Europe to give North Vietnamese officials some stolen vials of newly developed penicillin that required no refrigeration, an act which, if he had been caught, might have earned him the charge of espionage or treason. The author’s experiences during the war (e.g., recording on film the damage American bombs did to cities and hospitals in North Vietnam) and after (flying a dangerously damaged cargo plane to drop food and medicine for besieged Indians at Wounded Knee) demonstrate that effective political activism requires no less physical courage than that of soldiers and federal agents. Perhaps overpacked with detail at times, Zimmerman’s memoir is, nevertheless, both a thoughtful eyewitness history of America’s war at home and a thrilling political adventure story.

An engaging exhortation to take risks and live a meaningful life. (Agent: Steve Wasserman/Kneerim & Williams Literary)

kirkusreviews.com

|

children & teens WHEN APPLES GREW NOSES AND WHITE HORSES FLEW Tales of Ti-Jean Reteller: Andrews, Jan Illustrator: Petricic, Dušan Groundwood (72 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-88899-952-8

“Il était une fois…” French Canada’s version of beanstalk-climbing Jack gets a rare outing in three tales refashioned from old sources by a veteran storyteller. Preserving the lightest touch of a French inflection—“Cric, crac, / Parli, parlons, parlo. / If you won’t listen, / Out you go”—Andrews sets her naïve but teachable everylad up against a trio of opponents. There is a grasping princess who tricks him out of a magic belt, moneybag and trumpet; a murderous little man who sets him on numerous impossible tasks after beating him at marbles; and a harsh seigneur who insists on chucking his intellectual daughter’s suitors into the dungeon when they prove to be less clever than she. Thanks to hard work, a little magic and a winning way with the ladies, Ti-Jean ultimately comes out on top in each episode while never allowing lasting harm to come to anyone and is ever magnanimous in victory. Illustrated with frequent scribbly, lighthearted ink-and-wash scenes and vignettes, these stories read with equal ease silently or aloud and offer a winning introduction to a universal folk character. Equally charming is the source note, in which Andrews describes the origins of the tales and how she worked with them. “Sac-à-tabac, / Sac-à-tabi. / The story’s ended, / C’est fini.” (Folktales. 9-11)

THROUGH HER EYES

Archer, Jennifer HarperTeen (384 pp.) $16.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-06-183458-5

This inventive ghost story mixes eerie suspense with time travel. Sixteenyear-old Tansy has adjusted to moving constantly, as her author mother changes locations with every book she writes.

The tiny Texas Panhandle town they land in this time, however, might be Tansy’s last if she can’t escape danger from a devious ghost. A photographer, Tansy begins seeing people and scenes from before World War II through her camera lens. Soon she discovers that she can enter her |

black-and-white photographs to meet Henry, a boy who reportedly committed suicide in the 1940s. In the photographs, she takes on the persona of Isabel, Henry’s girlfriend. Even Tansy realizes the danger when she begins to see the world in color while inhabiting the gray-colored photographs and at the same time the present day begins turning to black and white. As Henry’s world pulls her in, Tansy can’t decide which she prefers.

Present-day Tate, the handsome, poetry-writing local football hero, competes with Henry as a potential boyfriend. The story’s preface, written from Henry’s ghostly point of view, makes it clear that Henry wants to trap Tansy in his past. The preface adds suspense but also removes any doubt about Henry’s existence, which might otherwise have been intriguingly ambiguous to readers. Archer writes distinctive characters and paces the story well, producing a supernatural tale with depth and originality. (Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)

THE UGLY DUCKLING DINOSAUR A Prehistoric Tale

Bardoe, Cheryl Illustrator: Kennedy, Doug Abrams Books for Young Readers (32 pp.) $16.95 | May 1, 2011 978-0-8109-9739-4 Andersen’s classic fairy tale gets a prehistoric setting and cast of characters. When her eighth egg finally hatches, late, mother duck and her seven ducklings are shocked at his rather different appearance—he is a T. Rex, not a Vegavis iaai, as they are. Even a mother’s love is not enough to assuage his awareness of his difference, so he runs away. After countless encounters with other creatures fleeing at the sight of him, he finally meets a kindly mother T. Rex who sets him straight and takes him in.

Backmatter includes detailed scientific drawings of the featured dinosaurs, an artist’s note, bibliography and suggestions for further reading. The author’s note explains how “ducks” and dinosaurs lived in the same time period—recently discovered fossil evidence marks Vegavis iaai as an ancestor to today’s ducks and geese. Kennedy’s cartoonish watercolors nicely balance the ugly “duckling’s” good intentions with his slightly threatening appearance and clumsiness, helping readers empathize with him. Facial characterization excels, from the nasty neighbor who can’t keep her comments to herself to the hope written all over the ugly “duckling’s” face when he tries to befriend a group of Deinonychus. A sure winner for those dino-hungry readers.

(Fractured fairy tale. 4-8)

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

489

“The happily-ever-after ending delivers a satisfying resolution to a story about tolerance that successfully uses humor and engaging artwork to avoid didacticism—a winner.” from hound and hare

CAN I SEE YOUR I.D.?

True Stories of False Identities Barton, Chris Illustrator: Hoppe, Paul Dial (144 pp.) $16.99 | April 14, 2011 978-0-8037-3310-7

In 10 vignettes, Barton profiles successful imposters, both men and women.

Some assumed false identities for criminal purposes, others for self-preservation. Possibly the most famous of the 10 is Frank Abagnale, a master con-artist whose exploits were immortalized in the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me if You Can. Asa Earl Carter, a longtime Ku Klux Klan member, adopted the new first name of Forrest and passed himself off as a Cherokee to publish a fake memoir, The Education of Little Tree, a bestseller that became a favorite of middle- and high-school teachers. On the other side of the spectrum is Solomon Perel, a Polish Jew whose Aryan features enabled him to pass as an ethnic German, enroll in the Hitler Youth and survive the Holocaust. Ellen Craft’s light-skinned features enabled her to pass as white. With her husband, William, posing as her slave, they audaciously boarded a train in Charleston, S.C., and journeyed to freedom in Philadelphia. Barton’s use of the secondperson point of view gives these stories dramatic tension and a sense of immediacy. Hoppe’s graphic panels enhance this effect.

The brevity of these profiles will appeal to reluctant readers and work well for reading aloud, but a little more back story for some characters might have clarified the motives for their masquerades. Teens in the thick of creating identities themselves will find this riveting. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

HOUND AND HARE

Berner, Rotraut Susanne Illustrator: Berner, Rotraut Susanne Translator: Tanaka, Shelley Groundwood (80 pp.) $18.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-88899-987-0 With In the Town All Year Round (2008), German author/illustrator Berner presented a Richard Scarry–like vision of town life, though populated by people rather than animals. In this translated beginning reader, she sets her story in a specific town, Great Bone (a map of which whimsically decorates the endpapers) and eschews a human populace in favor of anthropomorphic pigs, hounds, hares and other creatures. The illustrations are done in colored pencil and ink, each creature and picture frame defined by soft blue lines. Hounds and hares emerge as regular Hatfields and McCoys and overtly harass each other with wickedly humorous, singsong taunts. Although classmates Harley Hare and Hugo Hound share interests, they’ve absorbed their 490

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

families’ prejudices and shun each other. Clever wordplay distinguishes dialogue rife with jabs at the respective detested groups—for example, frustrated because his parents won’t let him participate in the Big Race since they fear the Hounds will attend, Harley Hare thinks, “This place is going to the dogs…

I’m…stuck here like a pooch in a pup tent.” Ultimately, he and Hugo Hound rebel, run the race and save fellow runner Pippa Pig when a storm descends, threatening the village. The happily-ever-after ending delivers a satisfying resolution to a story about tolerance that successfully uses humor and engaging artwork to avoid didacticism—a winner. (Early reader. 6-8)

A TEMPLAR’S GIFTS

Black, Kat Scholastic (272 pp.) $17.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-545-05675-5 Series: The Book of Tormod, Vol. 2 This sequel to A Templar’s Apprentice (2010) takes Tormod in circular journeys around Scotland without particularly advancing the plot. The truth o’ yon Tormod’s powers canno’ be denied—or understood very well, given the brogue-laden prose, which lacks the accuracy for true flavor but is still thick enough to interfere with readability. Tormod is on the run with his new friend, the redheaded and equally magically gifted Aine. They skip from adventure to adventure, uncontrolled psychic abilities troubling them while they seek a Knight Templar with the gift of healing. Tormod’s health suffers as his visions become worse. His travels, from discovering a village whose residents have been massacred by soldiers to a brief interaction with Robert the Bruce, are soon only interruptions; primarily his days are occupied by delirium, visions and out-of-control magical temper tantrums. At least his fever dreams are revealing the King of France’s wicked plot against the Templars, but it won’t do him much good as he wanders through the Highlands. A discombobulated traveling tale, best summed up in Tormod’s own stream of consciousness: “Torquil. The Abbot. The Templar.

Aine. Bertrand. The bairn. Cornelius. Visions. Dreams. Nightmares.” (Fantasy. 9-11)

kirkusreviews.com

FUTURE IMPERFECT

Breese, K. Ryer Dunne/St. Martin’s (320 pp.) $9.99 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-0-312-64151-1 A slick, fast-paced thriller with a comic-book aesthetic. D-student Ade Patience begins to see the future when he gets a head injury. Chasing “the Buzz”— his name for the high the visions give him—Ade insults tough guys, stages car |

accidents and jumps off buildings, leaving his companions (usually female) to clean him up, tend to his wounds and take him safely home. The story opens on a day Ade has foreseen and anticipated: The day She, the future love of his life, appears in the school cafeteria and sings to him. She is Vauxhall: bold, perfect and, as per the visions, destined for Ade. But fast-talking liar Jimi Ministry wants Vauxhall for himself. To his great distress, Ade keeps seeing visions of himself killing Jimi, and his visions always come true. The pace is cinematic, with short chapters, short sentences, snappy banter and Ade’s cool, careening narration. Female characters play a decidedly subordinate role: Ade’s lesbian best friend Paige dutifully tends to him after concussions; his Jesus-freak mother adoringly writes down the details of his visions in her Revelation Book and Vauxhall takes his orders throughout the action leading to Ade and Jimi’s final, climactic meeting. For fans of action movies and anti-hero comics who don’t mind two-dimensional women. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

SUMMER AND THE CITY

Bushnell, Candace Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (416 pp.) $18.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-06-172893-8 Series: Carrie Diaries, Vol. 2 The sequel to The Carrie Diaries (2010) continues the mid-80s adventures of Carrie Bradshaw, before her appearance in Bushnell’s adult novels that led to the Sex and the City TV series and films.

Seventeen-year-old Carrie has moved to New York City in the summer before she’s slated to start at Brown University. She’s signed up to take a writing course. When her rooming-house plans fall through, she instead moves in with the friend of a friend, fashionista Samantha—determinedly on the fast track to fame and fortune—and also meets Miranda, a fiery feminist.

She falls headlong in love (or something that might resemble love) with jaded playwright Bernard, who implausibly convinces himself that Carrie’s a trifle older than her true age. Since he’s apparently not less than 30, even a few characters in this sexually lively bit of fluff find the relationship a little sketchy. In the semi-fantasy world of Bushnell’s New York, alcohol flows freely, no one ever gets carded and everyone is sexually active in short-lived relationships they love to discuss later. Fans of the franchise will want to learn more of Carrie’s coming-ofage experiences and will appreciate the sly wit that sometimes shines through—repartee at parties is occasionally priceless; others might enjoy imagining themselves in Carrie’s freewheeling demi-adult world. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

|

ABANDON

Cabot, Meg Point/Scholastic (320 pp.) $17.99 | April 26, 2011 970-0-545-28410-3 In the current game of one-upsmanship that is the teen paranormal romance market, how does one top vampires, faeries, angels (fallen and otherwise) and the like? Why, make your dark and brooding male lead the Lord of Death, of course.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera and her mother have just moved to Isla Huesos (an alternative Key West) to start over after her near-death experience two years earlier (she drowned in the backyard swimming pool) and her parents’ subsequent breakup. But Isla Huesos just happens to be a portal to the Underworld, making it very easy for tall, dark and handsome John to monitor the girl who ran away from him at 15. She wants to live, darn it, and bad things always happen when he shows up, so why is she so unhappy when he takes back the magical necklace he gave her when she was dead? Cabot’s a pro; Pierce is a perfectly likable if almost preternaturally good protagonist; her relationships with her ex-con uncle, underachieving cousin and new buddy Kayla are genuinely endearing, and her interactions with John have the right mix of humor and sexual chemistry.

A refreshingly offhandedly gay cemetery sexton rather testily helps Pierce along the way. Ultimately, though, the conventions of the form leach real suspense from the plot, making it feel more like a progress to the inevitable sequel (Underworld, coming in the indefinable soon) than any real reboot of the genre.

(Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

STAY

Caletti, Deb Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster (314 pp.) $16.99 | April 19, 2011 978-1-4424-0373-4 A dissection of an unhealthy, obsessive relationship as seen in its aftermath.

Clara catches Christian’s eye from across a crowded gymnasium, and they quickly become an exclusive couple. However, Clara soon realizes that exclusivity can have its downsides, as Christian’s devotion takes a frightening turn and he begins stalking Clara. To protect his daughter and to give her “a place to breathe for a while,” Clara’s father whisks her away to a sleepy coastal town without notifying anyone of their new location. Through chapters that alternate between Clara’s present life at the beach and her rocky relationship with Christian, readers bear witness to Clara’s attempts to confront her fear and grow. Adding layers of depth to this text and its characters are several auxiliary relationships, including a dynamic bond between Clara and her father, that all with time are seamlessly woven together. Quirky footnotes are

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

491

sprinkled throughout attempting to inject humor and tidbits of background to illuminate Clara’s past; however, they are often disruptive and easily skipped. Despite salty language, sex and violence are not graphically depicted, making this a safe read for younger teens. While her story’s not particularly new, Calletti knows her audience and tells it well. (Fiction. 12-15)

ROLY-POLIES

Carretero, Monica Illustrator: Carretero, Monica Translator: Brokenbrow, Jon Cuento de Luz (36 pp.) $14.95 | April 1, 2011 978-84-938240-1-3

bubbly, brainy—in glasses, natch—etc.), and the book concludes with a few fairy activities. Showing a fondness for bright flowers and checkerboard patterns, she illustrates the tour with luminous watercolor scenes featuring gatherings of wide-eyed winged girls (all fairies being “half girl and half insect”) with extra-long pipestem limbs flitting gracefully about a range of urban and rural settings.

Next to Sally Gardner’s more clever and comprehensive Fairy Catalogue (2001) this comes off as sweet fare, but thin—and the singlepage multicultural fairy gallery includes some stereotyping, with a German fairy identified by the sausage at the end of her wand and an omnibus “Oriental” fairy next to others from specific countries.

Like its diminutive subjects, easy to miss. (Picture book. 7-9)

THE END OF THE LINE

A multitalented family of googly-eyed bugs lives underneath the Grand Variety Theatre. They’re called roly-polies; or, more properly, the Poly family. They’re only an inch tall, with big eyes, a snout, feelers and 16 legs. (The two each stands on wear shoes.) Carretero’s breakdown of roly-poly anatomy resembles a lab chart. For ease of movement, they can roll up into a ball. Like their aboveground human counterparts, the roly-polies are savvy performers, each with unique, brightly colored ensembles. They include: Maggie the Mouth, a captivating storyteller; Castor and Eurydice, dramatic superstars of the stage; lounge singer Ramon Bonbon, who sports a Salvador Dalí moustache; dancer Glamorous Gabrielle; magicians Izzy and Whizzy; and many more. One day, a visitor changes their lives forever. A flamboyant flea named Hopping Henrietta arrives on a messenger pigeon all the way from Moscow and exhorts the roly-polies to see the world as travelling performers. Henrietta is an artists’ agent, you see. At last, the Poly family is able to fulfill great-great Grandpa’s dream to have their own troupe! Carretero’s imagination is loopy and delicious; her cheeky, multi-colored illustrations have a dash of Gahan Wilson.

As the bulk of the book is set up and description of the different bugs, it’s awfully light on actual story. An excess of whimsy doesn’t make up for absence of plot.(Picture book. 6-9)

FAIRY HANDBOOK

Carretero, Monica Illustrator: Carretero, Monica Translator: Brokenbrow, Jon Cuento de Luz (32 pp.) $14.95 | April 1, 2011 978-84-937814-9-1

Cerrito, Angela Holiday House (216 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-8234-2287-6

This riveting debut opens with seventh-grader Robbie Thompson locked in solitary confinement at Great Oaks School (or Prison, as Robbie refers to it), where he’s forced to meet required behavioral expectations to gain even basic needs.

Readers soon learn that he’s been placed at the “end of the line” after violent outbursts at four other alternative schools—and that he killed his friend Ryan. Short, quick-paced chapters, some only one page long, alternate between Robbie’s time in school/prison and past events that led up to Ryan’s death. There are no black-andwhite issues here; Ryan is not a likable kid. After Robbie, a respectful and diligent son and student whose favorite pastime is building a model town with his Uncle Grant, stands up to the bullying Ryan receives on his first day in their sixth grade, Ryan ingratiates himself with Robbie’s family. While Robbie’s parents see an impoverished boy who lives with his elderly grandparents, Robbie realizes that Ryan is evasive, manipulative and a liar. Adding to his growing hatred is a (little overblown) tyrant of a teacher who wrongfully casts Robbie as the troublemaker of the class. A demanding Great Oaks leader, group therapy with teens years ahead of him and analogies to Uncle Grant’s difficult choices as a soldier in Iraq help Robbie find responsibility and acceptance. A thought-provoking look at culpability and grief. (Fiction. 12-15)

MISSING

Citra, Becky Orca (180 pp.) $9.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-55469-345-0

“Do fairies exist? The answer is a definite, energetic, resounding and unquestionable Yes.” Suggesting that anyone who has ever felt inexplicably grumpy, happy, scatterbrained, loving or giggly has been influenced by a particular kind of fairy, Carretero proceeds to catalog fairy types, habitats (country fairies have “hot pollen for breakfast” and do “complicated yoga exercises”) and yearly celebrations. An album at the end provides six pages of fairy types (kissy-kissy, 492

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

After several years of rootlessness following her mother’s death, Thea and her Dad start to find a home for themselves when he takes a job renovating an |

“Princess Sophie’s voice is true and clear in her journal, with syntax and tone spot on, as she writes with compassion of the upheaval, changing family dynamics and her own emotional growth.” from the fitzosbornes in exile

old guest ranch in the Canadian Cariboo. Thea likes the ranch owner, who plans to breed Quarter horses, and she makes friends with a boy her age, Van, who lives across the lake. She’s not sure what to do about Renegade, the neglected horse that came with the property—horses belong to the life she had when her mother was alive. When a guest shows up to stay at the ranch, Thea slowly starts to connect her to the mysterious death of a little girl that occurred over 50 years ago. Citra’s writing is solid, and Thea is strong and appealing, but the story feels split. The mystery takes up most of the pages, but the horses seem to take up most of the emotion, and the two sides don’t blend. Parts of the horse story don’t make sense. Why would Renegade still be on property left empty for three years? Why do the adults, all professional horsemen, leave him entirely alone? Thea’s Dad’s character is inconsistently developed and muddled, and it’s not clear why Thea is supposed to be angrier with her mother than with him. Even with all that, it’s not bad overall, but still—better to tell only one story and do it well. (Mystery. 8-12)

DOODLEDAY

Collins, Ross Illustrator: Collins, Ross Whitman (32 pp.) $16.99 | May 1, 2011 978-0-8075-1683-6 Mom departs for the store with emphatic instructions that Harvey mustn’t draw because today is “Doodleday,” but Harvey doesn’t obey this baffling edict. He has no idea what Doodleday is, but surely a sketch of a fly “couldn’t hurt a fly,” right? He frowns in concentration and, using blue pencil on white paper, produces a nice, fat, hairy fly—which immediately appears, alive and exponentially larger, “destroying the kitchen.” Worried, Harvey renders a spider in purple, which also bursts into life—and snares Harvey’s dad in its web. Harvey draws a bird next, then a giant squid, hoping each time that the new creature will devour the next-smallest and stop the chaos. His massive, animated artwork wreaks havoc on the neighborhood until Mom returns and draws the only thing that can contain them: Mom herself. Sketched-Mom forces the creatures back into the pad of paper, and peace is restored. Collins uses fine lines, perspective and plenty of color in portraying Harvey and the backgrounds, but the drawings-come-alive grow only in size, not detail: Each resembles a child’s artwork, with grainy, crayon-textured outlines on white paper that stays flat and non-transparent. The disparate visual styles look fascinating together and distract from the niggling misnomer of a title; Harvey’s work is too deliberate to be called doodling. A nifty heir to Harold and the Purple Crayon. (Picture book. 4-6)

|

THE FITZOSBORNES IN EXILE

Cooper, Michelle Random (464 pp.) $17.99 | PLB: $20.99 e-book: $17.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-375-85865-9 | PLB 978-0-375-95865-6 e-book 978-0-375-89802-0 Series: The Montmaray Journals, Vol. 2 Having narrowly escaped the Nazi bombing of their miniscule island kingdom, the young impoverished royal family of Montmaray is living in exile in England with their very wealthy aunt (A Brief History of Montmaray, 2008). Their lives have changed dramatically, as they are thrown unprepared into the world of upper-class society. But they also become embroiled in all the confusion of the perilous 1930s, speaking out against Fascism and appeasement and aiding children escaping from the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, all the while attempting to get help in wresting their home back from the Germans. Princess Sophie’s voice is true and clear in her journal, with syntax and tone spot on, as she writes with compassion of the upheaval, changing family dynamics and her own emotional growth. The novel is, in Sophie’s words, a combination of the “Awful Bits” and “things that successfully distract one from the Awful Bits” in a world that “has been wound up as far as it could go.” The lively, charming characters meet challenges with pluck and ingenuity as well as a great deal of humor. Will modern readers get all the references to the real events and people? Perhaps not, but it won’t matter, because the information is woven seamlessly into the plot. Multilayered and engrossing, Cooper’s tale alternates between frothy fun and heartbreaking seriousness with utter mastery. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. YA)

YOU DON’T HAVE A CLUE Latino Mystery Stories for Teens

Editor: Cortez, Sarah Piñata Books/Arté Público(320 pp.) $16.95 paperback original | April 30, 2011 978-1-55885-692-9 Cortez complements her adult level Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery (2009) with 18 new tales (from a largely different set of Latino/Latina authors) featuring teen characters and concerns. Readers with a taste for the gruesome will be delighted by Xander’s discovery of a freshly severed human arm in his school locker in R. Narvaez’s hilarious and memorable “Hating Holly Hernandez” or the bloody, eye-gouging battle with alien fugitives in Mario Acevedo’s leadoff “No Soy Loco.” Along with scary tales of murder, attempted murder and kidnapping, less violent crimes solved by young detectives include stolen auto parts, santitos (religious figurines) and costume jewelry—along with an encounter with possible ghosts and a vision of the enraged Aztec goddess

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

493

“The ease with which [Crabtree] weaves Ariel’s clear (and fabulous) recipes and passion for cooking into this story about how even close friends can change unexpectedly is ... impressive.” from the crepe makers’ bond

Coyolxauhqui rising up over Venice Beach in Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s “The Tattoo.” Several authors explore moral or ethical gray areas. Sergio Troncoso contributes an anti-mystery in which a teenager simply shrugs off a near-fatal allergic reaction and moves on, and, in another ingenious twist on conventions, Carlos Hernandez crafts a smooth-talking Bronx teen who cements his reputation as a “cop-whisperer” when a face-blind friend’s girlfriend supposedly disappears after posting a suicide note. Only one—a too-sketchy short-short from Daniel A. Olivas—really misses the mark. Overall, a consistent, well crafted collection. (glossary, author bios) (Short stories. 12-16)

THE CREPE MAKERS’ BOND

Crabtree, Julie Milkweed (248 pp.) $16.95 | paper: $8.00 | April 4, 2011 978-1-57131-693-6 paper 978-1-57131-695-0 Funny, self-aware 14-year-old Ariel “find[s] making fantastic food gives me sanity” in this highly entertaining and multilayered sequel to Discovering Pig Magic (2008). She lives in Alameda, Calif. (a suburb of San Francisco), in a close-knit family whose house is “generally kind of messy, usually loud, and frequently crowded.” Ariel is grateful to face the first day of eighth grade with her two best friends, M and Nicki, and her “Too Cool for School Cucumber Salad,” but nothing can prepare her for how the day unfolds—at the end of it, M calls sobbing with the news that she and her recovering agoraphobic mother may be moving 360 miles north to Crescent City, Calif. The girls come up with a plan that goes dramatically awry. Crabtree is particularly adept at capturing the emotional life of teens. The ease with which she weaves Ariel’s clear (and fabulous) recipes and passion for cooking into this story about how even close friends can change unexpectedly is equally impressive. Though very much a work of fiction, it’s also an inspiring introduction into how a young chef thinks, and it does in fact include interesting and helpful cooking tips. Creative and refreshing like a good soufflé, this perceptive, heartfelt narrative nevertheless has real meat on its bones. (recipe index, glossary, selected sources) (Fiction. 10-14)

WHERE I BELONG

Cross, Gillian Holiday House (256 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-8234-2332-3 A contemporary international thriller is woven together from alternating firstperson perspectives. Freya, daughter of a British fashion designer who wants to create a line based on Somali beauty and 494

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

exotic mystery, Khadija, a recent Somali teenage immigrant to London, and Abdi, of Somali heritage but born in the Netherlands and now living in England, share the story. The action moves from Somalia to the Muslim neighborhoods of London and then from English fashion studios and model agencies back to Somalia for an over-the-top fashion show. There, Khadija finds her younger brother, who is being held for ransom by people who have found out her secret: She just may become the next international supermodel. (Think Iman.) The betrayals that take place here seem to belong in another, more serious book. Here they are passed by too quickly. Although the device of the multiple narrators is largely successful, the third-person pieces about Mahmoud, the kidnapped boy, are printed in bold type in Freya’s chapters and do not make structural sense. The plot is driven by e-mail messages and texts, and most of the characters are made of equally flimsy fabric. There is something appealing about the adolescent characters (most of the adults are creeps), but this mishmash of a plot may have little meaning for most readers, especially if their knowledge of Somalia is limited. (Thriller. 11-14)

THE YEAR WE WERE FAMOUS

Dagg, Carole Estby Clarion (256 pp.) $16.99 | April 4, 2011 978-0-618-99983-5 In danger of losing their farm and inspired by Nellie Bly’s round-the-world feat, 18-year-old Clara Estby and her Norwegian immigrant mother, Helga, decide to walk from Mica Creek, near Spokane, Wash., to New York City, a projected May-to-December journey.

A publisher has promised them $10,000 if they reach their destination on time. With just the clothes on their backs, a pistol and little else, the women must rely on the kindness of strangers and their own tenacity. When not lost in Idaho’s lava fields, showing Indians in Utah how to use a curling iron, meeting just-elected President William McKinley or uncovering family secrets, they are avoiding rattle snakes, mountain blizzards and assailants.

Quiet yet snappy Clara uses the time to decide whether she should marry Erick (who’s already building their marriage bed) or try to make it on her own as a writer. Meanwhile, theatrical Helga uses each stop to promote her suffragist beliefs. Incredibly, the nearly 4,000-mile journey depicted in this debut is based on an actual trek taken by the author’s great-aunt and great-grandmother to save their farm. Clara’s first-person narration starts off strong with lively descriptions (“I was as jumpy as a colt smelling cougar scat”) but rushes toward the end, as if trying to hurry up along with the women. Readers will enjoy the feminist adventures but crave more details. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

kirkusreviews.com

|

TEETH Vampire Tales

Editor: Datlow, Ellen Editor: Windling, Terri Harper/HarperCollins (480 pp.) $17.99 | paper: $9.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-06-193515-2 paper 978-0-06-193514-5 Once again, Datlow and Windling (Troll’s Eye View, 2009, etc.) have pulled together a who’s who of teen-literature and genre luminaries, this time telling tales of vampires.

Despite the sexy cover model, these stories largely cast back to the pre-Twilight tradition and are more likely to elicit chills than swoons. The introduction lays out the history of vampires in literature with great detail and a fair amount of analysis. Standout stories include Genevieve Valentine’s wonderful Chinese-American “Things to Know About Being Dead,” the incredibly creepy “Baby,” by Kathe Koja, and Cassandra Clare and Holly Black’s “The Perfect Dinner Party,” which conveys the horror of being not-even-teenage forever. There are a few disappointments and a few stories that just, well, are, but readers interested in vampires as something more than leading men will find plenty that’s tragic or scary here, often leavened with a bit of (largely snarky) humor, and lots of thought-provoking material about life and death, friendship and loneliness. Great for diving in and out, although a bit overwhelming cover-tocover, this collection might even win boys back to vampire lit. (author bios) (Horror/vampire anthology. YA)

ALMOST TRUE

David, Keren Frances Lincoln (368 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-84780-141-8 In this sequel to When I Was Joe (2010), “Joe” (formerly Tyler, now Jake) continues to make bad decisions based on his very partial understanding of his own past even as he tries hard to escape the present. “Joe” was the new identity given to Tyler as part of the witness-protection program he entered in order to keep his testimony safe from influence after he witnessed a fatal stabbing. Tyler had been an insecure loner, while Joe was popular and made friends, but Jake barely knows who he is, and his new situation is even more confusing than the last.

His fear for everyone’s safety combines with his ignorance and a hair-trigger temper to keep the danger level high. Readers must have read the first book in order to understand this one, but for those in the know, Tyler/Joe/Jake is an enormously sympathetic character in fascinating, extraordinary circumstances. The swift pace will keep those already attached hooked to the end.

The story is set in Great Britain, and a modicum of familiarity with their justice system is helpful, though not totally necessary. |

Framing the typical adolescent search for identity within the travails of a threatened witness—who may well be lying about various parts of his story or who may just be confused—makes for a high-octane survival tale. (Adventure. YA)

SPLISH, SPLAT!

Domney, Alexis Illustrator: Crawford, Alice Second Story Press (32 pp.) $15.95 | April 22, 2011 978-1-897187-88-3 A little boy’s room gets an energetic makeover from two Deaf painters.

Colin’s bedroom is “very nice,” except for one problem. Its “hideous yellow” walls makes him feel like he’s “sleeping in an egg yolk!” His mom uses a message relay for the Deaf to make an appointment with painters Heather and Molly, who cheerily set to repainting the walls navy blue. At the end of the day, all that’s left to do is paint the white trim, which Molly and Heather do, “paint[ing] and chat[ting] and chat[ting] and paint[ing] furiously.” Of course, they are chatting in American Sign Language, so when Colin and his mom inspect the work, the navy-blue walls are speckled all over with white paint droplets. All’s well that ends well: Colin’s thrilled with the look, and his mom pays “Heather and Molly a heap of dollars for the creative job.” This purposive story has much to recommend it. It folds in details of hearingDeaf communication naturally, and Crawford’s multimedia collages burst with energy and color. Heather’s hair is spiky and multicolored; Molly wears groovy purple-laced work shoes; Colin’s mom sports fuzzy moose slippers with antlers. But it’s hard to imagine professional painters forgetting themselves to the point of potentially ruining a job—most of their clients will hardly be so forgiving. It’s surely not intended, but this book ends up painting its Deaf characters as rather incompetent—a shame. (ASL picture glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)

LITTLE CLOUD LAMB

de Eulate, Ana A. Illustrator: Carretero, Monica Translator: Brokenbrow, Jon Cuento de Luz (28 pp.) $14.95 | April 1, 2011 978-84-938240-2-0 A story about death that’s far less likely to soothe young readers than confuse and creep them out.

Lambkin is born covered in puffy cloud instead of fleece, making him an occasional source of summer thundershowers. As the lamb’s differences make him an outsider to the other sheep, he sits alone having silent conversations with nature while “something inside him grew and grew”—which is not a reference to cancer, because whatever it is makes him stronger, and afterward he “played in a different way because he felt it was

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

495

more creative and more artistic.” The other sheep from time to time draw bedtime duty, jumping over fences to lull humans to sleep, and seeing how tired it makes them, he resolves to help people sleep in a different way. Instead of growing up, though, he dies and leaves behind a neatly wrapped skein of yarn; he fulfills his destiny by floating off into the sky to visit wakeful children at night to “rest on their eyes like cotton wool, slowly closing them.” Idyllic watercolor scenes of stylized flowers or wide-eyed sheep wandering over grassy hills and leaping in the dreams of sleepy human figures fail to make this well-intentioned effort any less discomfiting. (Picture book. 6-8)

SOMEBODY’S GIRL

deVries, Maggie Orca (176 pp.) $7.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-55469-383-2 In a companion to Chance and the Butterfly (2011), released simultaneously, ultra-whiny fourth-grader Martha is teamed with foster child Chance to work on an extended school project. Martha has lots of issues: She’s adopted, a fact she was okay with until her adoptive mother got pregnant; her birth mother is trying to establish a better relationship with her, although Martha definitely doesn’t love the woman; she’s alienated all of her friends with her prickly attitude; and her adoptive parents must not love her any more since they keep expecting her to help out a bit. Martha sometimes manages to put a good face on her dejection and anger, so the adults around her seem oblivious to her nearly poisonous attitude, but her peers are quick to discover her angst. With the exception of the occasionally tolerant Chance, a boy with a few adjustment issues of his own, she has become a pariah. While children are rarely angels, making Martha’s baditude believable enough, she is a hard character to spend time with. Many readers relatively new to longer books may be unwilling to plow through 15 chapters focused on a girl they would most likely have little patience with if they knew her and so may miss the hidden message of looking beneath the surface at kids that present friendship challenges. (Fiction. 8-11)

ENTWINED

Dixon, Heather Greenwillow/HarperCollins (480 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-06-200103-0

to her 11 younger sisters since the Queen died giving birth to little Ivy. The grieving king insists on deep mourning for all the court, forbidding the princesses to dance. Since the girls cannot give up dancing—it was their mother’s gift to them—they find a path to an enchanted place under the castle, where the slightly sinister Keeper allows them to dance their slippers into shreds. His initial kindness—“[Y]ou are welcome to dance here, among the magic. Please. Come and mend your broken hearts here,” he invites—changes to cruelty as he becomes ever more controlling. All 11 sisters are very real characters, adding considerable dimension to the story. The unfortunately gauche and clumsy king slowly shows his truly loving heart, especially as he arranges for the older girls to meet appropriate young men as suitors, also well-developed and rewarding characters. The plot zips along, becoming more and more suspenseful as the story progresses until it becomes almost too tense. Dixon balances the suspense with generous helpings of humor and sparkling dialogue. This charming, romantic story, told with a light touch, will appeal to older preteens on up. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

BEAR IN PINK UNDERWEAR

Doodler, Todd H. Illustrator: Doodler, Todd H. Blue Apple (36 pp.) $12.99 | April 1, 2011 978-1-60905-077-1

Unrealistic in several ways but good at least for sniggers, this follow-up to Bear in Underwear (2010) features plenty of views of Bear on the soccer pitch clad in nothing below the waist but undies. The tighty whities of the previous episode give way to dinky pinkies after Bear washes them with his red jersey, but since they’re his lucky underwear he bears the continuing mockery of the opposing squad—“You look like a girl!” “You stink and your shorts are pink!” etc.—to score the winning goal. Not only do the losers change their opinion (“Wow, pink’s alright!”), but Bear’s own team members all don pink BVDs in solidarity: “Pink isn’t yucky! It’s super cool and super lucky!” While there is some charm to the notion of a soccer team that includes a beaver, a hedgehog and Big Foot, it isn’t enough to sustain a whole lot of investment on the part of young readers. Logically minded children will wonder why Bear’s lucky (and still-white—this is before the laundry tragedy) undies are the only things gleaming white as Bear and his teammates stand, “covered in mud, including Bear and his lucky underwear.” A sliding panel on the front cover that drops Bear’s shorts with the pull of a tab is the high (low) point of this dismal one-joker. (Picture book. 4-6)

This retelling of “The 12 Dancing Princesses” includes all the familiar elements of the Grimms’ fairy tale while adding detail and exciting events—with consummate panache. Azalea is the oldest child and has acted as second mother 496

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Molly’s exceptionally authentic and appealing character powers this well-crafted novel.” from in the shadow of the lamp

ATTACK OF THE SHARK-HEADED ZOMBIE

Doyle, Bill Illustrator: Altmann, Scott Random (112 pp.) $4.99 paperback original PLB: $12.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-375-86675-3 PLB 978-0-375-96675-0

Aimed straight at proto-Goosebumps fans, this formulaic series opener pits two 9-year-olds against a great white shark with legs. Having lost his bike in a lake thanks to the latest hare-brained scheme of his impulsive cousin Henry, bookish Keats reluctantly agrees to finance a replacement by earning some money taking on odd jobs at a spooky local mansion. The prosaic task of weeding the garden quickly turns into an extended flight through a series of magical rooms after a shark monster rises out of the ground and gives chase. Dashing from one narrow squeak to the next, the lads encounter a kitchen with an invisible “sink,” a giant vomiting bookworm in the library, a carpet pattern in the hall that (literally) bites and, most usefully, a magic wand that they get to keep (setting up future episodes) after spelling the monster away. Tilted points of view give the occasional illustrations more energy than the labored plot ever musters, and the characters rarely show even two dimensions. Fledgling readers will do better in the hands of Jim Benton’s Franny K. Stein series or Bruce and Katherine Coville’s Moongobble and Me books.(Horror. 8-10)

THE UNDERTAKERS Rise of the Corpses

Drago, Ty Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (480 pp.) $10.99 | April 1, 2011 978-1-4022-4785-9 More zombies doesn’t necessarily equal more action. Will Ritter has just discovered the Corpses, weird alien creatures that possess the bodies of the recently deceased. When he learns that his neighbor, his teacher and his assistant principal are all rotting husks, 12-year-old Will flees with fellow student Helene and heads to the Undertakers—a group of teenagers who can see through the disguises of the Corpses and have dedicated their lives to fighting the invaders. Will must shake up the complacency of the Undertaker leadership and launch a full-force assault against the creatures before they can take over the city of Philadelphia. Stuffed with action, Drago’s novel never achieves the level of excitement it reaches for. Squirt guns filled with salt water don’t pack much punch, and the repetitive Corpse fights begin to feel like a tedious video-game swarm battle. Narrator Will comes across as both very young and curiously removed; he embraces the Undertakers’ dietary laissez-faire of microwaved food and endless candy while |

frequently remarking on the peculiar nature of a guerrilla war waged by teenagers. The elements of a good action novel are here but are assembled into a soulless shell. (Adventure. 10-14)

IN THE SHADOW OF THE LAMP

Dunlap, Susanne Bloomsbury (304 pp.) $16.99 | April 12, 2011 978-1-59990-565-5

Wrongfully dismissed from her job as a parlor maid, 17-year-old Molly Fraser desperately needs work to help support her impoverished family, but though she’s intelligent and hard-working, an illiterate servant girl fired for stealing has little hope of finding respectable employment in 1854 London. Learning that Florence Nightingale is assembling experienced nurses to care for soldiers wounded fighting the Crimean War in Turkey, Molly relies on quick wits, true grit and funds borrowed from her admirer, Will, to join them. There, following Nightingale’s impassioned, prickly but brilliant example, Molly discovers her own passion for nursing and acquires suitors: Will, now in the army, and a dedicated young doctor. Molly’s exceptionally authentic and appealing character powers this well-crafted novel. While her lack of education is never minimized, her gifts—emotional intelligence, sense of justice and empathy— are both entirely plausible and essential to her task. Puzzlingly, several scenes proclaim that Molly also possesses a supernatural gift for healing; these undermine a story that is otherwise as deeply grounded in reality as the new profession it celebrates.

Nightingale’s vision of nursing care didn’t turn on a supernatural knack for “healing” but on her determination to treat patients— the healing and dying alike—as human beings entitled to decent food, shelter and compassionate care on their difficult, frightening journey. Overall, an honorable homage and an absorbing read. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

MITCHELL’S LICENSE

Durand, Hallie Illustrator: Fucile, Tony Candlewick (40 pp.) $15.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-7636-4496-3

Mitchell, a rambunctious 3-year-old, never wants to go to bed—that is, until he gets his driver’s license. His father’s shoulders become the vehicle of choice, and clever conceits are quick to follow: He cleans the windshield (his dad’s glasses), kicks the tires (his slippers) and away they go! With each night, the curly-haired tyke creatively cares for his car, and his driving improves. But when Mitchell insists the tank is empty and cookies are the fuel, the amiable car takes control, ensuring the road to sleep is safe and

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

497

“[I]f your father just happens to be a brilliant illustrator (and if you’re a darned good writer yourself) you might find that sharing a childhood memory is a great way to create an engaging, imaginative and humorous picture book.” from my side of the car

smooth. Durand’s text will appeal to the active and car obsessed, but Fucile’s masterful illustrations, full of expressive characters, great physical comedy and wonderful warmth, will engage readers young and old. His digital artwork has a loving, hand-drawn quality to it, and while he pays homage to artists from the golden age of animation, Tex Avery and Bob Clampett among them, his style defines and refines American cartooning in the best possible sense. However, an opportunity was missed in the title’s overall design, as the typeface and the additional graphics, as well as their placement, are not adequately married to Fucile’s fine artwork. Minimalist environments, a neutral color palette and the home’s décor epitomize the modern ’50s era, while the bond between father and son is timeless. An incredibly entertaining ride, despite the design speed bumps. (Picture book. 3-7)

MY SIDE OF THE CAR

Feiffer, Kate Illustrator: Feiffer, Jules Candlewick (32 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7636-4405-5

boy at school suddenly aren’t the only things Maddie has on her mind. She quickly learns that she not only has to eat brains (of course), but she also has to abide by the laws of The Guide to the Proper Care and Feeding of Zombies, 24th Edition, including passing as a Normal (living human), dating only zombies and killing Zerkers (bad zombies). When two of her classmates turn out to be Zerkers intent on making her their next victim, Maddie and her new zombie pals brace for a Fall Formal that Barracuda Bay High will never forget. Fischer provides readers with some laughout-loud moments and an interesting twist on zombie mythology.

The author cleverly debunks the typical zombie brain-lust mania, offering thinking, feeling zombies intent on saving humanity from zombies gone bad. While some of the secondary characters lack depth and readers may want the unlikable Hazel to die a horrible death, Maddie’s authentically teenlike first-person narration reveals a spirited heroine dealing with the gantlet that is high-school life and adapting to life as a fledgling zombie. Dedicated zombie fans will want to read this book and may clamor for a sequel. (Fiction. 14 & up)

THE LAST MARTIN

An endearing father-daughter episode based on family history. Lots of family stories are of interest only to those who lived them. But if your father just happens to be a brilliant illustrator (and if you’re a darned good writer yourself) you might find that sharing a childhood memory is a great way to create an engaging, imaginative and humorous picture book. Sadie, the narrator, briefly describes her family’s previously fruitless efforts to visit the zoo. There’s the time her mom tripped and broke her foot on the way to the car (they wound up at the hospital) and the time her grandparents visited unexpectedly (they wound up at the museum). Small wonder, then, that she’s not going to let a little bad weather stand in her way. When Sadie’s patient papa points out that it’s started to drizzle, then rain in earnest, Sadie repeatedly insists it’s not raining on her side. The deadpan tone of the text heightens the humor of the father-daughter dialogue, while the elder Feiffer’s antic illustrations play up the ridiculousness of Sadie’s increasingly firm (and utterly unfounded) description of the landscape. Forced at last to admit that it’s pouring buckets, Sadie generously decides that she doesn’t want her dad to get wet and gives in. Luckily things start to look up partway home and the happy ending features the beginning of their zoo adventure. Utterly charming. (Picture book. 5-8)

ZOMBIES DON’T CRY

Fischer, Rusty Medallion Press (304 pp.) $9.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-6054-2382-1

Friesen, Jonathan Zondervan (264 pp.) $14.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-310-72080-5

The revelation that every time a new Martin is born into his family another one kicks the bucket stuns, bums and ultimately lights a rocket under 13-year-old Martin Boyle. Friesen presents his earnest narrator as a lad so under the influence of his fanatically safety-conscious mother that he flies into a panic at any encounter with nature (“They’re only trees. They’re only ugly trees. They’re only ugly, boy-hating trees. They’re only ugly, boy-hating, hungry—”) and wears a portable air bag on the school bus. The discovery of matching birth and death dates for all the Martins in the Boyle family cemetery sends Martin into a tailspin, but with help from a sturdy supporting cast he pulls out and firmly resolves to grab life with both hands while finding a way to break the “curse,” if he can, in the few months remaining to him until his Aunt Jenny’s due date. These helpers notably include Poole, a young vagrant with a relentlessly sunny outlook, and classmate Julia, to whom Martin fears to speak until she takes his developing story about the adventures of a White Knight and his Lady Love and creates gorgeous illustrations. Spiced with plenty of slapstick, the yarn speeds its protagonist through a succession of highs, lows and improbable triumphs on the way to a hilariously melodramatic finish. (Adventure. 11-13)

Madison Emily Swift is a typical highschool junior until a late-night lightning strike turns her into a zombie. Her selfabsorbed best friend Hazel and the new 498

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

GRANDPA’S TRACTOR

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE

Garland, Michael Illustrator: Garland, Michael Boyds Mills (32 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-59078-762-5

A grandfather and his grandson share the sweetness of reminiscence and evoke a bygone era. In his bright yellow car, Grandpa Joe takes Timmy to see the farm where he lived as a boy. Arriving at the dilapidated farmhouse, they see the barn with its caved-in roof, a silo with no top and the rusted hulk of the old red tractor. It is this last, the titular tractor, that launches the true trip back in time to Grandpa Joe’s childhood. As he shares his memories with Timmy, the boy is able to look beyond the rundown reality and see the farm the way it was, the tractor at the heart of all activity. More than just a machine to plow the fields, plant the seed and gather the hay, the tractor brought father and son together. As one, the family got behind the tractor to pick apples in the fall, to sell the vegetables they had planted and to choose a Christmas tree. Garland’s digital illustrations reinforce the sense of nostalgia—Timmy and Grandpa Joe drive past row upon row of houses, identical but for the color except for the old farmhouse. The pages from the past have a brightness to them that is lacking in the pages from the present day. Sure to spark “what was life like…?” questions, this has strong cross-generational appeal. (Picture book. 5-8)

ICE

Geisert, Arthur Illustrator: Geisert, Arthur Enchanted Lion Books (32 pp.) $14.95 | April 20, 2011 978-1-59270-098-1 A heat wave compels an industrious community of island piggies to build a giant ship, complete with masts and rigging, and voyage to retrieve an Arctic iceberg and cool off. Why is this wooden boat airborne, tethered to an enormous balloon?

Welcome to Geisert’s peculiar porcine province! This wordless picture book, full of intricate color etchings, invites readers to loosen up and enjoy a story that makes no sense at all. Some will immediately giggle (clothed pigs frolicking in a pool of iceberg ice-cubes!

Ha!), savor myriad quirky details (check out the pigs’ funky angular houses—with skylights!) and expand upon Geisert’s unfettered imagination (how did they get on that little sandy island? a shipwreck?).

Many young readers might find the whole foray too inexplicable, too weird and offering too little action. Pigs set up a fan in front of the Arctic ice cube to get some AC at the end...great. Others will simply connect happily with the cheerful can-do attitude of the pigs— whether or not it makes any sense, the last image, of a large pig family enjoying ice water as a cool breeze blows in, two little piggies barely visible under the table, charms. Giesert’s meticulous illustrations won’t amuse everyone, but they certainly conjure a fully realized piggy world—an island at home with itself, floating way out there in the ocean. (Picture book. 4-10) |

Gibbs, Edward Illustrator: Gibbs, Edward Templar/Candlewick (32 pp.) $14.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7636-5284-5 Readers play the “I Spy” game with hidden animals, guessing their identities using only peep-hole glimpses of an eye and a patch of color. The animals provide a single clue (“I have a very long trunk”) just before a dramatic page turn that delivers a fullbleed, monochromatic portrait of the mystery creature in its environment. The massive double-spread illustrations, with their commitment to one color and the trick of flipping the hole cut-out so that it meshes with the eye on the previous page to complete the animal, produce solidly satisfying revelatory moments. Lively black line work describes a lion’s unruly mane, an elephant’s wrinkles and a fox’s clever, curled lip. These wonderful, inky loops and tangles add wild-haired authenticity to the watercolor animals, which appear against flat habitat scenes. The spy hole steals the show, however, creating an active reading experience right up until the final page. “What can you spy with your little eye?” Children will surely press the book to their faces, squinting gleefully and listing fixtures in their world: Daddy! bookshelf! pillow! An ingenious use of die-cut technology to complement the fun of such favorites as Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Picture book. 2-6)

EONA

Goodman, Alison Viking (544 pp.) $19.99 | April 19, 2011 978-0-670-06311-6 It’s always nice to see fantasylands outside the usual Western Europe– inspired model, and this dulogy’s fauxChina is no exception (despite the white girl on the U.S. edition’s cover). Eona the Dragoneye must save the world by controlling her spirit dragon, resisting evil impulses and making sure she doesn’t fall for the wrong guy. Eona, now openly living as a girl, has joined the rebellion to put the rightful emperor on the throne. In Eon (2008), ten of the twelve Dragoneyes were killed, leaving only Eon and evil Lord Ido controlling spirit dragons that protect the empire. Now Eona must learn to manage her own dragon, and she can’t do it without help from powermad Ido. Her friends are troubled, from warrior Ryko’s fear that Eona can now control his mind to Lady Dela’s anguish that the needs of the rebellion are forcing her to travel disguised as a man, growing a beard in her hated male body. Eona, meanwhile, is torn between lustful feelings for both the Emperor and Ido, between the desire for power and her loyalty to the empire. Not

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

499

“The simple language is as perfect as the initial square.

Hall’s acrylic monotypes make each iteration slightly different in texture and color, so the whole is a visual feast.” from perfect square

as richly flavored a world as Cindy Pon’s Silver Phoenix (2009), but a steamy page turner nonetheless, tension slowly building from slow start to a climactic battle packed with large-scale combat, mystical battles and sexual tension. One of those rare and welcome fantasies that complicate black-and-white morality. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

PLAGUE

Grant, Michael Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (512 pp.) $17.99 | PLB: $18.89 | April 5, 2011 978-0-06-144912-3 PLB 978-0-06-144913-0 Series: Gone, Vol. 4 Readers who have stuck with the Gone novels up to now will perhaps find enough in this fourth installment to satisfy them on the road to the conclusion that’s likely another 1,000 pages away. Others, not so much.

With very little recap of life in the FAYZ, it’s easy to become mired in the tedious goings-on of the endless cast of nearly indistinguishable, unlikable, power-hungry characters who are beset by dual plagues—flu and an infestation of parasitic insects that become giant, metallic killer bugs on a rampage.

Clunky writing is at times reminiscent of a B movie, at others of a romance novel: “Yes, yes, she wanted him. She wanted to be in his arms. She wanted to kiss him. And maybe more. Maybe a lot more.” The distinction in the FAYZ between Freaks and Normals is not made clear, at least not before this dialogue: “ ‘You and me, we’re normal people. We’re not black or queer or Mexican And we’re the ones digging toilets’...‘Astrid’s a normal white person’... ‘Sam’s a freak, and I think he might even be a Jew.’ ” Pete, an autistic boy at the heart of the battle with the Darkness, is referred to as a “mutant retard,” “freaktard,” or just plain “ ’tard.” Utterly missable. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

PERFECT SQUARE

Hall, Michael Illustrator: Hall, Michael Greenwillow/HarperCollins (40 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-06-191513-0

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

SAVING JUNE

Harrington, Hannah Harlequin Teen 384 $18.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-373-21024-4 It’s clear from the start that highschool senior June, days away from graduation, is past saving, since 16-yearold Harper begins her account on the day of her sister’s funeral. Escaping trite funereal platitudes, Harper takes refuge in the backyard and encounters hunky Jake, an apparent friend of June’s. She quickly figures out that the oldies mix June listened to as she killed herself was Jake’s creation and wonders if he holds the key to her death. Was it because their mother refused to let her attend college in California? Or did their parents’ divorce or her not-sogreat- relationship with Harper push June to the edge? Harper and BFF Laney set off on a rambling road trip from Michigan to California in Jake’s van to drop June’s ashes in the Pacific rather than let her warring parents split them into two urns. Jake and Harper’s relationship heats up, and while her grief infuses the tale, it remains secondary to their growing infatuation. Jake’s connection with June remains a mystery, though his nifty music mixes provide clues to their past. Some sidelong references are oddly dated: which Olsen twin is in detox, for example.

Still, Harper’s voice rings true, and readers looking for a mildly steamy romance (with more than a splash of alcohol, smoking and sex) won’t be disappointed. (Fiction. 13 & up)

DEPARTMENT 19

The volume, like its subject, is a perfect square, welcoming readers into a colorful, geometric romp. Opposite a shiny red page with white type sits “a perfect [red] square. It had four matching corners and four equal sides.” On the next page, the square wears a smile, because it is “perfectly happy.” On Monday, though, the square is no longer square; someone has cut it up and had at it with a hole puncher, so those shapes arrange themselves into a fountain (with red dots as water). On Tuesday, the square is torn into orange shapes and becomes a garden with the addition of a few well-placed lines. Wednesday’s green shreds become a park, 500

Friday’s blue ribbons turn into a river. Each day, the brilliant colors change, and the square is torn, crumpled or cut. The artist adds lines—making fish, clouds, etc.—that enable readers to see the new creation. The simple language is as perfect as the initial square. Hall’s acrylic monotypes make each iteration slightly different in texture and color, so the whole is a visual feast. The entire week comes together in a “This is the house that Jack built” way at the end, when on Sunday the square becomes a window onto all that was made. Young readers will absorb the visual lessons effortlessly and with delight. (Picture book. 4-8)

Hill, Will Razorbill/Penguin (544 pp.) $17.99 | April 1, 2011 978-1-59514-406-5 If the elevator pitch for this book wasn’t “Dracula meets James Bond,” it was pretty close. Shortly after the events of the Gothic classic, the British government formed the supersecret Department 19, its founding members the good guys who staked the Count, plus Van Helsing’s valet. In 2007, that valet’s descendent (all the founders’ descendents are

kirkusreviews.com

|

automatically invited to join Department 19) is brutally gunned down in front of his wife and son. Two years later, 16-year-old Jamie Carpenter is prematurely inducted into Department 19— nicknamed Blacklight—after his mother is kidnapped by a vampire and the Department’s Colonel Frankenstein rescues him (the monster, not the doctor; though his history is the novel’s, he looks like Boris Karloff from the movies). What follows is plenty of high-octane action, groovy specialized vampire-fighting equipment, buckets of gore, intriguing historical side trips and even a little romance between Jamie and a sexy teen vampire. Jamie will do anything to rescue his mother, which leads to constant violations of the chain of command, angry outbursts and unauthorized missions—forget James Bond; Blacklight’s a lot more like the fractious gang of 24. Readers will identify the inevitable double-crosser long before Jamie does, but they probably won’t mind. They’ll be so happy these vampires don’t sparkle they’ll forgive the novel’s excesses and keep flipping the pages to the next splatter-fest—and then they’ll demand the sequel. (Horror. 14 & up)

THE RETURNING

Hinwood, Christine Dial (312 pp.) $17.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-8037-3528-6

A riveting examination of war and its effects set in a nonmagical alternative past. The war is over, but beyond the battlefields its impact is just starting to be felt. Like a stone cast in a pond, a father tells his daughter, “it’s thrown and done, but the ripples do take longer to spread and flatten. That’s what this is, the ripples.” Early chapters of this extraordinary debut (published in Australia as Bloodflower in 2009) are loosely connected vignettes focusing on the ripples farthest from the center: families on the losing side whose sons didn’t return, the one son—Cam—who did, refugees who arrive and move in. Gradually, readers are drawn back to the center, to those who waged and won the war. At the center are Cam and Gyaar, the victor’s son. The fateful choices of each drive the plot, but the details of how war changes everyone are what matters most. The losers’ village and social order are disrupted, but for some, like battered wife Ellaner and misfit Ban, change is oxygen. For the victors, change is more comfortable but equally unforeseen and uncontainable. Grounding the story are the closely observed characters and their world— vivid, flawed and immensely appealing. Like Margo Lanagan, Hinwood doesn’t trade in black-and-white moral absolutes but directs her attention, and ours, to the infinite shades of gray that lie between them. (Alternative historical fiction. 12 & up)

|

MOTHER NUMBER ZERO

Hof, Marjolijn Translator: Prins, Johanna H. Translator: Prins, Johanna W. Groundwood (168 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-55498-078-9

In a simply written tale realistically built on half-formed questions and incomplete answers, a young adoptee suddenly starts thinking about his birth mother. Fejzo—Fay—has always known he was given up for adoption in the Netherlands by a refugee from the war in Bosnia. The probing queries of a nosy new girl he meets in a local park lead him to wonder for the first time about who and where his “mother number zero” (not “number one,” because that would make his current mother “number two,” and that seems wrong to him) might be, and to ask his loving adoptive parents for more information. Rather than lay out this line of enquiry’s potentially devastating effects on Fay’s psyche and family life, Hof lets readers do their own figuring. She provides hints through the way Fay’s questioning upsets his parents, draws him repeatedly into worried “Are you sure you want to know?” exchanges and sends his older sister Ping (also adopted, but as an abandoned baby) into fits of rage and tears. Ultimately Fay does win indirect contact with his biological mother and comes away with a picture and a promise that, maybe, in a few years, there might be more. By the end he’s wise enough to be willing to wait. Readers able to look between the lines will find plenty to ponder here. (Fiction. 10-13)

BORN AT MIDNIGHT

Hunter, C.C. St. Martin’s Griffin (398 pp.) $9.99 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-0-312-62467-5 Series: Shadow Falls, Vol. 1 Kylie, 17, doesn’t want to learn that she’s supernatural when she’s sent to a camp that’s purportedly dedicated to serving troubled teens but is actually a support group for vampires, werewolves, witches, shape-shifters and other magical teenagers. She is, though: Kylie has a problem with a persistent ghost, “Soldier Dude,” who won’t leave her alone. She recently dumped her boyfriend and finds herself attracted to two very different hottie boys at the camp. Derek reminds her of her ex and can read and manipulate others’ emotions, so Kylie isn’t sure she trusts him.

She remembers Lucas, a werewolf, as an old enemy who killed her cat when she was six years old. Yet she finds herself attracted to him too, even as he appears to be pursuing her. Hunter (a pseudonym for romance author Christie Craig) keeps her characters one-dimensional but odd enough to remain interesting. She focuses as much on the romance as on the supernatural aspects

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

501

“Learning firsthand how difficult it is to lead a revolution, Evie wonders if she’s up to the challenge or if she’s just the freak everyone calls her. Readers will never look at high school—or life—the same.” from this girl is different

of the story, as Kylie spends the first 350 pages struggling with her parents’ divorce, her possible love life and her fears of supernaturalism. Suspense and a new plot scenario erupt in the final 50 pages. Readers suddenly learn more about Soldier Dude, and a vaguely defined threat to the camp at last comes to the fore until (surprise!) the plot turns 180 degrees, setting up sequels. Fun for those who like the genre.(Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

INVISIBLE INKLING

Jenkins, Emily Illustrator: Bliss, Harry Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (160 pp.) $14.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-06-180220-1 Nine-year-old Hank Wolowitz fears the prospect of fourth grade at New York’s PS 166 without friends—his best friend Alexander just moved away (against his will). Sasha Chin from downstairs doesn’t really count as a friend, because she has three good girl friends she hangs out with half the time. When Hank reaches for a Lego piece under the sink of his family’s ice-cream shop, Big Round Pumpkin, and feels fur where it shouldn’t be and days later sees a waffle cone disappear bite by bite, he knows something is fishy. After Rootbeer, the neighbor’s dog, goes bananas barking at nothing in the hallway, Hank discovers he has accidentally saved an invisible, furry Bandapat named Inkling. Inkling, who loves squash and can be a stranger to the truth, feels he owes Hank a debt and must stick around until he can save Hank’s life. An opportunity for that just might arise, since bully Bruno Gillicut has decided that Hank annoys him and must pay by forking over his dessert at lunch every day.

Jenkins’ possible series starter (given the hints at the close) is a gently humorous and nicely realistic (with the obvious exception of the invisible Peruvian Bandapat) tale about coping with the loss of a lifelong best friend. (The book will feature Bliss’ signature black-and-white illustrations, but no art was available at the time of review.) Anyone who who has ever had an imaginary friend will appreciate sassy Inkling (who’s invisible—not imaginary). (Fantasy. 7-10)

THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE

Johnson, Maureen HarperTeen (288 pp.) $16.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-06-197679-7

Ginny Blackstone returns for another delightfully madcap adventure in Europe in this follow-up to Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes (2005). Seemingly out of nowhere, Ginny receives an e-mail containing a scanned copy of the never-opened 13th and final letter from her deceased aunt, 502

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

stolen along with her backpack while she hopped from country to country in the first novel. The person in possession of the letter instructs her to respond if she’s interested, leading her back to England, where she gets another chance to see her not-boyfriend Keith, with whom she has a relationship that they’ve agreed is “kind of something.” Inevitably, they embark on another trip encompassing France, Belgium, Holland and, eventually, a messy, drunken New Year’s Eve in Ireland, though this time with the addition of two new, not altogether welcome traveling companions. Ginny’s narrative, told in an intelligent, third-person voice, establishes her firmly as a sympathetic, often hilarious everygirl, whose efforts to understand herself and who she’d like to be are fraught with moments both romantic and heartbreaking. Johnson’s skill in creating secondary characters that are unusual, realistically flawed and utterly believable is again on display here. While there are no big surprises in this oft-told story of a teen’s growth through travel and new relationships, this is an appealingly smart and honest read that fans of the first will find deeply satisfying. (Fiction. 12 & up)

THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT

Johnson, J. J. Peachtree (320 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-56145-578-2

Despite warnings from her hippie mom (who stealthily places peace stickers on toy guns at Wal-Mart), Evie’s eager to give up homeschooling at their sustainable home in upstate New York to spend her senior year at the “Institution of School.” Outspoken Evie, with a voice so endearing and provocative that it will make readers pause often to think, quickly discovers in this witty debut that high school is full of biased rules, abuses of power and a lack of civil liberties. Only her newfound friend, popular, Indian-American cheerleader Jacinda, and her gorgeous cousin, Rajas, make the endeavor tolerable. Normally self-confident and eschewing labels, Evie can’t explain why she wants to define her first love, which can leave her vulnerable and insecure. After the cheerleading coach humiliates a member for her weight, the trio sets up a blog for the People’s Lightning to Undermine True Oppression (PLUTO) with a manifesto for social justice and mounts a lightning bolt to the coach’s door. Their friendship suffers, and the school turns to chaos, however, when Jacinda’s inappropriate relationship with a teacher is outed and students use PLUTO to air personal grievances. Learning firsthand how difficult it is to lead a revolution, Evie wonders if she’s up to the challenge or if she’s just the freak everyone calls her. Readers will never look at high school—or life—the same. (Fiction. YA)

kirkusreviews.com

|

TRUNDLE’S QUEST

Jones, Allen Illustrator: Chalk, Gary Greenwillow/HarperCollins (160 pp.) $15.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-06-200623-3 Series: The Six Crowns, Vol. 1 In a bizarre but good-natured genre mashup, two hedgehogs run around outer space fighting pirates and seeking talismans. Trundle is a lamplighter (and homebody) on a seemingly pre-industrial asteroid known for cabbage farms. Feisty stranger Esmeralda accosts the baffled Trundle and insists they go on a quest. Before he can refuse, pirates attack and the two hedgehogs flee. Running from the pirates, who are grizzled “pigs and rats and weasels and foxes,” Trundle and Esmeralda fall off the planet’s edge onto a windship—interplanetary transportation in this archipelago of asteroids requires wind vessels—and end up on a planet where enslaved animals labor in mines. They get into and out of various scrapes with derring-do and vigor; Trundle finds his enthusiasm along the way. They seek six legendary crowns that belonged to wise badgers in the past. The ramshackle science is vintage steampunk (outer space has air to breathe and breeze to power windships built like watercrafts; planetary gravity comes and goes). Jones has a nice knack for stringing words together at a bustling pace: “A sharp spitting spluttering crackling sound came to his ears.” Facile stereotypes about “Roamany” (Esmeralda’s exotic, wild, not-quite-moral culture) are a shame, but they are also in keeping with the steampunk feel. Readers who revel in collections and patterns will enjoy finding the crystal crown here and will look forward to the next five books that promise the next five crowns. (Fantasy. 7-10)

MEET THE DOGS OF BEDLAM FARM

Katz, Jon Photographer: Katz, Jon Henry Holt (32 pp.) $16.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-8050-9219-6

BRAVE YOUNG KNIGHT

Kingsbury, Kate Illustrator: Grimard, Gabrielle Zonderkidz (40 pp.) $15.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-310-71645-7

Kingsbury, a prolific author of Christian novels for adults, offers a story for younger readers about a courageous knight who competes to become prince of his homeland and heir to the throne. The competition pits four knights from different villages against one another as they face three challenges to test their speed, strength and intelligence. The dark-haired knight from the west village is introduced as a kind, hard-working young man who practices all these skills prior to the competition. His father encourages him along the way with comforting messages about God’s support. During the challenges each of the other knights cheats in some way to gain an unfair advantage, so the king chooses the deserving knight from the west village as the winner of the contest. The story is wildly predictable and not particularly interesting, although the methods of cheating are inventive. The biggest drawback to the text is the lack of individual names for the knights, who are identified only by their village’s direction, which leads to many repetitions of “the knight from the west village.” Grimard’s pleasant illustrations show a medieval world of castles, ornate costumes and flying banners. She depicts the winning knight as a serious young man who smiles only twice in the story, when he is carrying a little disabled boy who can’t walk properly. Earnest, but that’s probably not enough to captivate readers. (Picture book/religion. 5-8)

ROTTERS

Katz has written several well-received books for adults about his working dogs and their life together at Bedlam Farm in upstate New York (Dog Days, 2007, etc.). In his first book for children, he introduces four of his canine companions and describes their personalities, specific jobs and interactions. Rose is a border collie whose job is herding sheep on the farm. Izzy is another border collie, a rescue dog who is now a therapy dog visiting patients in hospitals, and Frieda is a large, mixed-breed dog who guards the farm. Lenore is a black lab who appears throughout the story, along with the repeating refrain, “But what is Lenore’s job?” The concluding pages present Lenore as the guiding spirit of the dog pack, a playful, friendly dog who keeps the whole group happy.

Her job is “loving and accepting and having patience.” The not-sosubtle message is that each individual contributes to a successful |

group in ways that are not always immediately apparent. The simple, informative story is illustrated with high-quality photographs of the dogs in action, using a wide variety of shots and settings that add visual interest. Young dog lovers will enjoy this, particularly those who own border collies or black labs. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kraus, Daniel Delacorte (464 pp.) $16.99 | PLB: $19.99 e-book: $16.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-385-73857-6 PLB: 978-0-385-90737-8 e-book 978-0-375-89558-6 After the tragic death of his mother, Joey is shipped from Chicago to a father in Iowa he’s never met. The town’s majority immediately and vehemently rejects Joey based solely on his bloodlines, and it doesn’t help that his sleuthing reveals that the stench enveloping his father’s shack stems from illegal grave robbing. However, bullied from every side, he decides a bond with his father plucking valuables off corpses is better than not belonging at all. With countless oozing, festering descriptions

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

503

of decay both physical and mental, this is not a story for the weak at stomach. At times, the near tangibility of cracking bones, icky vermin and self-mutilation seems gratuitous, but how else to describe such a gruesome realm of morbid artistry?

A first-person narration from 16-year-old Joey provides a genuine foray into the mind of an intellectual young man who injects himself into a seedy brotherhood with hopes of simultaneously belonging and escaping the demoralizing social mores of smalltown life. A cerebral romp through a fascinating, revolting underworld. (Fiction. 14 & up)

WORLD WITHOUT FISH

Kurlansky, Mark Illustrator: Stockton, Frank Workman (192 pp.) $16.95 | April 18, 2011 978-0-7611-5607-9

The author of Cod (1997) successfully provides readers with a frightening look at the looming destruction of the oceans. Brief sections in graphic-novel format follow a young girl, Ailat, and her father over a couple of decades as the condition of the ocean grows increasingly dire, eventually an orange, slimy mess mostly occupied by jellyfish and leatherback turtles. At the end, Ailat’s young daughter doesn’t even know what the word fish means. This is juxtaposed against nonfiction chapters with topics including types of fishing equipment and the damage each causes, a history of the destruction of the cod and its consequences, the international politics of the fishing industry and the effects of pollution and global warming. The final chapter lists of some actions readers could take to attempt to reverse the damage: not eating certain types of fish, joining environmental groups, writing to government officials, picketing seafood stores that sell endangered fish, etc. Whenever an important point is to be made, font size increases dramatically, sometimes so that a single sentence fills a page—attention-getting but distractingly so. While it abounds with information, sadly, no sources are cited, undermining reliability. Additionally, there are no index and no recommended bibliography for further research, diminishing this effort’s value as a resource. Depressing and scary yet grimly entertaining.

(Nonfiction/graphic-novel hybrid. 10 & up)

THE BETRAYAL OF MAGGIE BLAIR

Laird, Elizabeth Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (432 pp.) $16.99 | April 18, 2011 978-0-547-34126-2

target for the witch-hunting church. Escaping the mob, Maggie journeys to find her only other family. They turn out to be Covenanters, outlawed from practicing their religion, and when her Uncle Blair is jailed in far away Dunnottar Castle, it’s Maggie who makes the dangerous journey to help him, proving both her place in her new family and her independence from them. Laird, a five-time nominee for the Carnegie Medal, bases her novel loosely on her own family’s history, which may explain the occasional lack of focus in her narrative arc. However, she more than makes up for this with her fine and effortless prose, creating instantly gripping characters and setting and communicating the effect of the religious politics on the perspective of a young adult at that time. If Maggie sometimes seems oddly naïve for a person of such an age at that time, her point of view will resonate with teenagers today, as will her death-defying journey, her scrappiness and determination in the face of extreme poverty and little love. (Historical fiction. 11-16)

OIL SPILL! Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Landau, Elaine Millbrook (32 pp.)

PLB: $25.26 | e-book: $18.95 | April 1, 2011 PLB 978-0-7613-7485-5 e-book 978-0-7613-7490-9

The cleanup, finger pointing, litigation and economic recovery are still ongoing, but this overview of the Deepwater Horizon disaster offers a short and coherent account of the spill itself, the well’s eventual capping and, in broad strokes, the immediate environmental impact. Noting that the initial explosion occurred the very night of a ceremony commending the crew’s safety record (but not going into the long tally of construction shortcuts that made that ceremony so disingenuous), Landau provides a linear nonjudgmental account of major events between the April 20 eruption and the announcement of a permanent plug on Sep. 19, 2010. Big color photos add views of the platform burning, ships cleaning up oil slicks, oil-soaked wildlife and damaged coastal areas, along with smaller murky pictures of the failed blowout preventer on the ocean floor and the replacement cap. Additional graphics provide clear views of the technology—the rig itself, a crosssection of the blowout preventer and the relief well in relation to the original well—and a map of the Gulf coastline shows the affected areas. Limited, out of date and entirely based on secondary sources as it is, this still presents younger audiences a slightly more complete picture than Mona Chiang’s Oil Spill Disaster (2000). Includes eco-activities, resource lists and a tally of other major spills. (Nonfiction. 9-11)

Sixteen-year-old Maggie lives a poor life in 17th-century Scotland with her Granny, whose ill temper, foul mouth and skills at healing make her an easy 504

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

“These three researchers track the animals in different ways, use biological techniques to learn more about their lives, work with people of the area toward protection and even, in Brazil, experiment with returning some to the wild from captivity.” from the manatee scientists

HUNTRESS

Lo, Malinda Little, Brown (374 pp.) $17.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-316-04007-5 Set in the same universe as, although many centuries earlier than, Ash (2009), two 17-year-olds at the Academy of Sages find their destiny and each other. Taisin already has visions, which she cannot parse. Kaede is at the school because her powerful father wished her there, but she is not magically gifted.

Their lands suffer under a never-ending winter, and people are starving. When an invitation from the Fairy Queen of the Xi arrives, both Taisin and Kaede travel there with the king’s son.

They hope the Xi know why nature is out of joint. On their journey, the party is attacked, and Taisin’s visions grow fiercer and less clear. But it is Kaede who must cross to a tower of ice and face the evil that threatens Xi and human alike. There is far too much telling rather than showing, far too many feelings described without being displayed and the mythos of its place is not well delineated. The lovely thing about this fantasy, however, is the completely natural sweetness of the attraction between Kaede and Taisin, which is unremarkable in their culture and which finds a bittersweet resolution but not an end.

The promise of sequels seems obvious—Ash’s fans will hope they hew to the tightness of craft of the former, not this companion. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

THE MANATEE SCIENTISTS Saving Vulnerable Species

Lourie, Peter Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (80 pp.) $18.99 | April 11, 2011 978-0-547-15254-7 | Series: Scientists in the Field This latest addition to an always-intriguing series describes the work of Fernando Rosas, John Reynolds and Lucy Keith studying manatees in different parts of the world. Gentle, slowmoving vegetarians, these curious aquatic mammals are distant relatives of elephants and live in the Amazon, in Florida and nearby ocean waters and in West African rivers. The three different but similar species are all listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as extremely vulnerable to extinction. Florida’s protected manatees are a tourist attraction, easy to see in the clear waters of the Crystal River and in discharge zones of power plants, where they congregate for warmth in cold spells. The more mysterious manatees of Brazil and West Africa lurk in murky rivers and are sometimes killed and eaten. These three researchers track the animals in different ways, use biological techniques to learn more about their lives, work with people of the area toward protection and even, in Brazil, experiment with returning some to the wild from |

captivity. Like other books in this series, this is distinguished by clear, realistic explanations of scientific fieldwork and wellreproduced photographs, many taken by the author. The text, on the advanced side for the intended audience, is broken up by captioned photos, some mounted as snapshots. Overall, it lives up to the standards set by others in this stellar series. (maps, resources, glossary, author’s note, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

LITTLE MIST

McAllister, Angela Illustrator: Fox-Davies, Sarah Knopf (32 pp.) $16.99 | PLB: $19.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-375-86788-0 PLB 978-0-375-96788-7 Under his mother’s tutelage, a snow leopard cub’s possibilities expand with wonder as he explores the pristine mountain world he inhabits. After spending his days in the warmth of the cave where he was born, a bewildered Little Mist follows his mother outside where everything’s “bright, singing blue and crisp, sparkling white.” As Little Mist romps in the snow, his mother tells him, “This is your world,” and shows him how incredibly “far and wide” it stretches. When Little Mist gazes at his reflection in the water and realizes how small he is, his mother assures him one day he will be bigger than the panda, stronger than the wolf, faster than the bear, sleeker than the yak, bolder than the deer, more secretive than the sheep and free as the wind. At day’s end, mother and cub return to their den, from which Little Mist surveys his new world with wide-eyed expectation. Gentle, realistic watercolorand-pencil illustrations in whites, browns, greens and blues mirror the palette of the snow-covered mountains, rocky riverbeds and green meadows. Vignettes of mother and cub snuggling, playing and exploring emphasize the close bond between parent and child, while panoramic vistas of mountains, lakes, rivers and waterfalls convey the grandeur of Little Mist’s world. Appealing reading for mothers and their little cubs. (Picture book. 2-6)

THE ANTI-PROM

McDonald, Abby Candlewick (288 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7636-4956-2

Bliss, Jolene and Meg are each, for their own reasons, having an awful time at the prom. When boredom, shame and a thirst for revenge throw them into each other’s paths, they take off together on an all-night odyssey to change their lives. The characters lack chemistry, relying on the tired trope of three mismatched high-school archetypes—the shallow popular girl who lacks compassion, the rebel outcast who needs to relax and trust people and the nerd who needs to loosen up and have

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

505

“The animals, counting theme and catchy tune make this song a perennial favorite with readers and creators alike, but the illustrations are what make any version stand out from the crowd—and this one does.” from over in the meadow

fun—drawn together by circumstance so they can learn valuable lessons from each others’ wisecracking wisdom. Jolene has the most intriguing potential, but the rotating first-person narrative doles out the details slowly and prevents her story from being fully realized. The obstacles they encounter (hostile coeds, suspicious parents, high-tech security systems) are handily overcome, giving the whole affair a superficial sheen. Readers who found Sophomore Switch (2009) both fun and substantive will be disappointed with this effort, the literary equivalent of cotton candy: sweet and easy, but dissolves on contact. (Fiction. 14 & up)

OVER IN THE MEADOW

Adaptor/Illustrator: McDonald, Jill Barefoot (24 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-1-84686-543-5

buffoons/beasts (the Horror! the Nyktomorph!) in order to save themselves and the world. McNish’s latest is chock-full of clunky plotting, cheesy one-liners and hokey supernatural nuances. If teen readers can make it past the first chapter, in which a slobbering, toothy monster—aka The Horror—sneaks into Savannah’s room to spy on her, without laughing out loud, then they might make it far enough to discover the back story behind these foolish monsters. The tale struggles with audience: While the theme and the action sequences seem to suggest that the work is written for teens, the tone, dialogue and descriptive passages lack edge and read as if they were written for middle graders. The supernatural theme could pique the interests of reluctant readers, but they really deserve more than this work could ever offer. (Horror. 12 & up)

OUT OF THE BOX

The animals, counting theme and catchy tune make this song a perennial favorite with readers and creators alike, but the illustrations are what make any version stand out from the crowd—and this one does. By changing a few animals and key words, McDonald encourages readers not just to count her menagerie but to experience their textures, as well, both in the words she uses and in her paper collages. “Over in the meadow in the reeds on the shore, / Lived a spiky mother muskrat / And her little muskrats four.” The mother muskrat is pictured leaping into the water, her individual paper spikes poking out from her body. Similarly treated are her bumpy toad, wooly sheep, smooth robin, fuzzy bee, furry mouse and hairy spider. Using painted papers in digital collage, the illustrator creates a quiltlike textured world for her animals, and many pages come complete with “stitches.”

Unfortunately, however, a few of her textures fail to make the leap from the page—the crow is not really shiny, the lizard’s scales are painted on and “slippery” is a very difficult adjective to portray with paper. Backmatter includes a CD of the song (not heard), the sheet music for one verse, some facts about meadows and a short paragraph about each featured animal. Visually stunning if not always totally successful. (Picture book. 2-6)

SAVANNAH GREY

McNish, Cliff Carolrhoda Lab (272 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7613-7025-3

Mulder, Michelle Orca (160 pp.) $9.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-55469-328-3 While visiting her mother’s older sister, Jeanette, in Victoria, British Columbia, 13-year-old Ellie confronts the uncomfortable truth that her mother is emotionally abusive. Shy and awkward, Ellie is expected to mediate during her parents’ constant fighting. To placate them, Ellie forgoes studying tango music and instead reluctantly learns classical violin. An unexpected reprieve comes when Ellie is allowed to stay in Vancouver for the whole summer with Aunt Jeanette, who is recovering from the death of her partner, Alison. While there, Jeanette gives Ellie some much-needed support to help her stand up to her emotionally dependent mother. An element of mystery is added when, in the process of cleaning out Jeanette’s basement, Ellie finds a bandoneón, an Argentine accordion. Hidden inside the instrument’s case is an envelope containing clues that will lead to uncovering the identity of its original owner. Still, the main focus of the story is Ellie’s troubled relationship with her mother. Never heavyhanded, Ellie’s frank narration explores her feelings of guilt, and her tale will appeal to middle-school readers. The author weaves in facts about the bandoneón, its use in tango music and its connection to the political unrest and attendant atrocities in Argentina between 1976 and 1983. It’s an earnest effort, but the shifting between the two plots is awkward at times. Ultimately, it’s entertaining enough but lacking in tension. (Fiction. 9-12)

Fifteen-year-old Savannah Grey discovers that she can bench press 725 pounds, outrun anyone in her school and has a mysterious growth in her throat that instills a killing power. At first Savannah is confused and frightened by her powers, but then she meets Reece, a boy with a similar condition of the larynx, who tells her who she is and what she’s meant to do. Together the two wage a battle against a cadre of ill-named, Scooby-Doo–esque 506

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

ON THE VOLCANO

Nelson, James Putnam (288 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-399-25282-2

It’s 1871, and 16-year-old Katie’s widowed father, Jack, has raised her all alone on the slopes of a volcano in the Pacific Northwest. When Katie finally convinces Jack to take her into the town of Badwater, he forces her to dress like a boy and act like a mute. However, she is discovered to be a girl and manages to attract the attention of both town bully Jess Starkey and handsome deputy-in-training Adam Summerfield.

When Jess follows the family back up the volcano and attempts to rape Katie, Jack kills him. Jess’ murder sets into motion a manhunt that results in three more dead and concludes with an earthquake, Katie’s marriage to Adam and an unsexy sex scene.

Despite the body count and gritty frontier landscape, this is an oddly passionless tale; it is told in limp dialogue that conveys little sense of time period or setting. The author’s choice to set the story in a location that is recognizable as Mount St. Helens but use fictional place names also lessens the plot’s punch and robs the story of context. Katie’s first-person voice is less innocent than it is obvious, and Nelson’s simplistic prose tells far more than it shows. If you’re looking forTrue Grit, better keep riding. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

LABRACADABRA

Nelson, Jessie and Karen Leigh Hopkins Illustrator: Melmon, Deborah Viking (40 pp.) $14.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-670-01251-0 This early chapter book is a beaut of brevity and pacing. The narrator has been told to stay home and clean his room while his parents leave to bring back a surprise. They leave absolutely, positively NO clues. So what’s the surprise? A pre-named (Larry!), older, rescued dog arrives with an enormous tail and a very questionable pedigree. “I didn’t want to feel sorry for my dog. I wanted a dog I could be proud of. A big dog. A tough dog. A smart dog. Not a used dog.” The narrator desperately wants a dog friend, though, so he pulls himself together—and before long, Larry’s tail demonstrates that it’s not an ordinary appendage. With plenty of illustrations and white space, this five-chapter romp flies along. Situations involve underwear, upchucking, a nerdy cousin, bullying, an angry bee in the car and a mother who raises her left eyebrow when upset (even Larry notices). These misadventures unfold within an idealized setting: a suburban neighborhood, a bedroom with clouds painted on the ceiling and a tree house in the backyard.

Transitioning independent readers will enjoy getting to know |

the unnamed narrator and watching his attitude progress as Larry changes from “a used dog” to “my dog.” And they will definitely find themselves wishing for a Labracadabra of their very own. (Fiction. 6-9)

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Norworth, Jack Illustrator: Hirao, Amiko Imagine Publishing (26 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-936140-26-8 The song may have been written by a man who had never been to a game, and it was first sung on the vaudeville circuit of early-20th-century America, but it has long since taken its place as the venerable and beloved anthem of baseball. Of course, modern fans do not include the original verse when they sing the refrain during the seventh-inning stretch. The fact that the lyrics are about a young woman’s deep love of the game would greatly surprise them. Katie Casey “saw all the games, knew all the players by their first names.” The song has been illustrated often, in myriad styles and techniques. Hirao creates a cast of enthusiastic animals to populate the teams and spectators at Sluggers Stadium. While the fans, including Katie the cat, are of mostly domesticated varieties, the players are alligators, giraffes, elephants, hippos and other wildlife. It’s a visual tour de force, with double-page spreads of large, action-packed, brilliantly colored scenes in startlingly off-center perspective.

A Carly Simon CD accompanies the book, and youngsters will have a wonderful time reading and singing along. In a charming note, Simon provides some surprising information about her connection to both the song and Jackie Robinson. Joyous fun for all. (illustrator’s note) (Picture book. 2 & up)

THE RESISTERS

Nylund, Eric S. Random (224 pp.) $16.99 | PLB: $19.99 e-book: $16.99 | April 26, 2011 978-0-375-86856-6 PLB 978-0-375-96856-3 e-book 978-0-375-89926-3 For Ethan Blackwood, life is perfect. He’s a star athlete and an excellent student; he has lots of friends and a warm and loving family. His future is bright; most immediately, he’s looking forward to the soccer championship. Until he’s kidnapped and finds out that everything he knows is a lie.

The Ch’zar—sinister, unseen aliens—have been in control for decades and are slowly but surely stripping the planet of all viable resources. Humans live in isolated neighborhoods that only simulate normal life, with everything manipulated by alien mind control. But mind control doesn’t work on children, only

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

507

on adults. So it’s up to the few teens who know the truth to fight back and save their friends and siblings, who are growing older by the day. These are The Resisters…and they, too, are growing older every day. The author of many installments in the Halo series, Nylund is also head writer for Microsoft Game Studios.

He sure knows how to set the scene and get the action rolling, placing more-or-less believable characters in an unbelievable landscape, complete with a Ch’zar-altered history. This is clearly the first installment and is engaging enough to leave readers wanting more. (Science fiction. 10 & 14)

AKATA WITCH

Okorafor, Nnedi Viking (352 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-670-01196-4 Who can’t love a story about a Nigerian-American 12-year-old with albinism who discovers latent magical abilities and saves the world? Sunny lives in Nigeria after spending the first nine years of her life in New York. She can’t play soccer with the boys because, as she says, “being albino made the sun my enemy,” and she has only enemies at school. When a boy in her class, Orlu, rescues her from a beating, Sunny is drawn in to a magical world she’s never known existed. Sunny, it seems, is a Leopard person, one of the magical folk who live in a world mostly populated by ignorant Lambs. Now she spends the day in mundane Lamb school and sneaks out at night to learn magic with her cadre of Leopard friends: a handsome American bad boy, an arrogant girl who is Orlu’s childhood friend and Orlu himself. Though Sunny’s initiative is thin—she is pushed into most of her choices by her friends and by Leopard adults—the worldbuilding for Leopard society is stellar, packed with details that will enthrall readers bored with the same old magical worlds.

Meanwhile, those looking for a touch of the familiar will find it in Sunny’s biggest victories, which are entirely non-magical (the detailed dynamism of Sunny’s soccer match is more thrilling than her magical world saving). Ebulliently original. (Fantasy. 11-13)

FAMILY

Ostow, Micol Egmont USA (384 pp.) $17.99 | e-book: $17.99 | April 26, 2011 978-1-60684-155-6 e-book 978-1-60684-197-6 A vivid but ponderous exploration in verse of late-1960s-California cult life.

Mel, broken by her uncaring mother’s sexually abusive boyfriend, “Uncle” Jack, runs away from home with no plans beyond getting to San Francisco. Once there, without food or money, she’s a sitting duck for the charismatic Henry, who 508

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

promises Mel a new life with his family of “love and openness and / everyone caring,” among whom she can be made whole and free again. Mel’s embrace of family life, with its communal meals and shared sexual partners, is enthusiastic but not wholehearted: She easily recognizes the emotional damage in all of the family members and steers clear of the worst of the bunch. Eventually Mel begins to worry that Henry, who has always seemed “infinite” and healing, is just as shattered as his followers. Like Charles Manson, on whom he is clearly based, Henry was traded by his mother for a pitcher of beer and has pretensions to fame as a prophetic folk star. After an apparent snub by a music industry executive, Mel can tell that “Henry cannot restrain His infinite want. / cannot still the undertow within.” Unfortunately, Mel’s journey is a little too clichéd to be believable—of course her emotional damage is due to sexual abuse—and her voice, full of repetitions of ominous phrases, is too mannered to be engaging. (Historical fiction/verse. 14 & up)

THE GREEN MOTHER GOOSE Saving the World One Rhyme at a Time

Peck, Jan and David Davis Illustrator: Berger, Carin Sterling (32 pp.) $14.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-4027-6525-4

For this collection of 30 poems, not only nursery rhymes but also familiar children’s songs (“Yankee Doodle,” “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush,” etc.) have been given new lyrics promoting energy conservation activities and healthy living. The author of Texas Mother Goose (2006) here teams up with the “green-minded” author of The Giant Carrot (1998) to produce a lively combination of parody and sound earth-saving suggestions. “Little Jack Horner / Changed bulbs in the corner” and “Hickety, Pickety, free-range hen” combine with a Mother Hubbard who “went to the market / To buy only local.” Their strong message is leavened by Berger’s whimsical, inventive illustrations, which lighten the tone. On varied backgrounds, including lined paper, surreal bird-people with skinny legs and round heads litter and recycle, plant gardens, tend bees, hang laundry on the line and ride bicycles. Five little pig-people “re-re-recycle!” all the way home. Indeed, recycled materials, found papers and ephemera were used for these collages. Bits of text on the papers bear intriguing messages, use unusual fonts and languages and may be reversed. Some of the materials make connections: Mother Hubbard does, indeed, have a cloth shopping bag, and the gardener in “This is the Seed that Jack Sowed” is wearing denim overalls. These illustrations invite close inspection, while the poems will be welcomed in schools where going green is a value. (Poetry. 5-9)

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Although the teens’ best laid plans go oft awry, they discover that the force of the universe is with them—or at least friendship, family and romance. Pulls the heart in all the right places.” from the pull of gravity

MIRACLEVILLE

Polak, Monique Orca (256 pp.) $12.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-55469-330-6 Sixteen-year-old Ani, devout, straitlaced and anxious, could not be more different from her impious, free-spirited, sexually active 15-year-old sister, Colette.

Ani takes after her mother, who runs Saintly Souvenirs, a tourist shop in the pilgrim town of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec; Colette is more like their nonbelieving dad. When Ani’s mom is paralyzed in an accident, Ani turns to Father Francoeur, an old friend of her mother’s newly returned from abroad. But Father Francoeur and Ani’s mom have a shared past, and Ani’s family is not quite as it seems. It would be a better story without religion.

The basilica setting and the pilgrims coming in hope of a miracle are interesting, and it’s clear they’re intended to mirror Ani’s family, but, as it is portrayed here, faith is more platitudes and glow-in-the-dark Jesus statues than a changing holy force. Take away God, and both story and characters would seem more real and less distracted. When their father demands, “What about the God you love so much?...Where is He now, when you really need Him?” it feels like Catholic paint-by-numbers. This tale falls into an old trap: Good-girl Ani is not well-developed enough to be wholly sympathetic, while Colette, the miscreant, is the star. There are better books about religious identity out there; try The Possibilities of Sainthood, by Donna Freitas (2008), for a start. (Fiction. 14 & up)

THE PULL OF GRAVITY

Polisner, Gae Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux (208 pp.) $16.99 | May 10, 2011 978-0-374-37193-7 Blending Steinbeck and Star Wars, this debut novel with a touch of magical realism leads two teens on a weekend road trip to fulfill a secret mission.

With a workaholic mother, an older brother heading to college and an out-of-work, 395-pound father who spends all his time on the couch, high-school freshman Nick doesn’t get much attention, especially when his father walks (literally) out of their house in Albany and back to his roots in New York City.

To top it off, his fatherless best friend (and Yoda aficionado), Scooter, has Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a rare and incurable disease that speeds up the aging process. Then Jaycee, who’s also lost her dad, convinces Nick to join her in granting Scooter’s dying wish: locate Scooter’s father in Rochester and give him Scooter’s signed first edition of Of Mice and Men. Nick’s first-person narration and authentic teen voice give insight into this typical boy who wonders why, in the middle of |

thinking about his dying best friend, all he really wants to do is kiss Jaycee. Although the teens’ best laid plans go oft awry, they discover that the force of the universe is with them—or at least friendship, family and romance. Pulls the heart in all the right places. (Fiction. 12-16)

FURY OF THE PHOENIX

Pon, Cynthia Greenwillow/HarperCollins (336 pp.) $17.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-06-173025-2 Ai Ling’s second adventure is every bit as sensual as Silver Phoenix (2009) in a tale that moves between two times and two cultures. Chen Yong, Ai Ling’s unattainable love interest from her previous world-saving adventure, is traveling on a quest to find his unknown foreigner father. Ai Ling has premonitions of danger and stows away to join Chen Yong on his journey to the Europe-inspired country of his father’s birth.

Ai Ling’s developing powers will be instrumental in fighting off pirates and sea monsters, but they may also be causing her strange dreams. These dreams, of her old antagonist Zhong Ye, appear as interleaved chapters within Ai Ling’s own adventure. In these historical visions, Zhong Ye is not the archvillain defeated so recently. Instead, he’s an eager young power player in the Empire’s distant past, his search for success touched by love and betrayal. Zhong Ye’s tragic history, like Ai Ling’s own, is grounded in sensuous and carnal detail. The meals alone—from perfectly spiced beef tongue in one country’s past to sugar-encrusted almonds in another land’s present—can be more enthralling than Ai Ling and Zhong Ye’s parallel quests.

The intertwining of the two histories is rushed and chaotic, but lush detail will enthrall, from tantalizingly detailed food to gruesome demonic tortures. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER

Rallison, Janette Walker (320 pp.) $16.99 | April 12, 2011 978-0-8027-2236-2

The sequel to My Fair Godmother (2009) pits the distracted, wayward Chrysanthemum Everstar, moonlighting as a tooth fairy while maneuvering to enter Fairy Godmother University, against a confused 17-year-old girl who acts out angrily in response to the divorce of her parents. Tansy Miller’s idyllic childhood was ruptured when her parents move to separate states; eventually she is sent to live with her librarian father—formerly her beloved reading buddy, now remarried in Rock Canyon, Ariz.—and mistakenly believes that a handsome, motorcycle-riding boyfriend named Bo will offer her

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

509

“Stunning in its execution, the artwork elevates this graceful tale to new heights, delivering an original, thoughtprovoking addition to folktale collections.” from seven fathers

the love she needs. Tansy’s unhappiness attracts the attention of the fairy godmother apparatus: Chrissy tenders the requisite three wishes, which Tansy, in true teenage fashion, duly botches, and a really madcap scenario involving Robin Hood and his mangy Merry Men ensues. Moreover, Tansy’s desire to have “something like the Midas touch, but more controllable,” hurls her back into the Middle Ages to spin gold out of straw before Rumpelstiltskin snatches her firstborn. Rallison’s pullout-all-the-stops latest strains reader credulity (again!), but it’s so determined to be likable and warmhearted and press all the right buttons that readers will surely be rooting for Chrissy and Tansy anyway. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

SEVEN FATHERS

Adaptor: Ramsden, Ashley Illustrator: Young, Ed Neal Porter/Roaring Brook (32 pp.) $16.99 | April 12, 2011 978-1-59643-544-5 Storyteller Ramsden retells a Norwegian folktale in his picture-book debut about a winter traveler seeking refuge. The story gradually reveals deeper meaning about ancestral connections, gratitude and spiritual longing as the traveler struggles on until arriving at “a house blazing with lights.” He asks an old man chopping wood for shelter, only to be sent to “the father of the house.” This happens six times, with each man’s father appearing older and older, until he goes from the sixth, who is “so shrunken he was no bigger than a baby,” to encounter “a little speck of dust.” A voice “as tiny as a titmouse” at last welcomes him, and a great feast follows, with all seven fathers transformed into young, crowned men. As he settles into “a gracious bed, covered in reindeer hide,” he gives thanks, and readers behold a rainbow incorporating the colors of the crowned fathers’ robes. Young’s exquisite collages are rendered on brown-paper backgrounds similar to those in the illustrator’s Hook (2009); they incorporate paper, photographs and paint, all delineated with swift ink strokes. Playful elements add meaning: The final father is found on a horn that is filled in with an aerial photograph of a modern subdivision. Stunning in its execution, the artwork elevates this graceful tale to new heights, delivering an original, thought-provoking addition to folktale collections. (Picture book/folktale. 4-8)

I LIKE CATS

Ravishankar, Anushka Tara Publishing (48 pp.) $30.00 | April 1, 2011 978-93-80340-08-1

directness. The uniformly applied colors also seem to leap out, printed in a silkscreen process that gives them a lambent intensity that is heightened by sinuous, deep black lines defining each creature’s distinctive shape and finely patterned fur. Paper, printing and binding all done by hand, this numbered edition of a 2009 title is a multisensory delight, as pleasing to the hand as it is to the eye. The deep red reflects light, the inky black absorbs it and each line provides a tactile experience, all demonstrating eloquently what is lost in the mass production of an art book. “Thin cats…Fat cats…Saintly cats…Brat cats,” as Ravishankar’s minimalist and sometimes arbitrary captions suggest all cavort across these pages. The slow cats (one red, one green) march in stately fashion; the dazed cats (done in an intricate pattern of tiny lines and spots in red, green, blue and yellow) stare glassily out at readers. A key at the back provides information about the artists and their styles. Packaged with an extra illustration laid in and a die-cut wrapping strip, this lovely artifact will be received eagerly by both cat lovers and connoisseurs of bookmaking. (Picture book. 6-9, adult)

ROSCOE AND THE PELICAN RESCUE

Reed, Lynn Rowe Illustrator: Reed, Lynn Rowe Holiday House (32 pp.) $14.95 | April 18, 2011 978-0-8234-2352-1 It’s time now for picture books to start weighing in on the Deepwater Horizon debacle. Reed’s effort is a tender beginning. A young boy is looking forward to a vacation fishing, swimming and building sand castles with his cousin, who lives on the Louisiana coast. When they arrive at the beach, they are dismayed to find blobs of oil polluting the sand and, worse, fouling three pelicans. Uncle Willie is fuming (“His jaw is clenched and quivering in a way that scares me,” says the boy) as he and Aunt Olivia and the kids get the birds to a wildlife rehab center. There commences the arduous process of strengthening the birds, washing and drying them. The text explains the cleaning process without becoming overly pedagogic, and the birds are returned to clean water. Reed doesn’t belabor the mess that the oil spill has caused, partly because that is not in the nature of her artwork, which is childlike and two-dimensional; the characters all have big potato heads (Uncle Willie does a very good angry potato head). This is not an Armageddon scenario—no birds die, down the road the beach is unpolluted—as the story pulls up short of that. Way too short: This object lesson needs perhaps a little sting, something to ensure remembrance of the dirty deed, whose long-term consequences won’t be known for years. (Picture book. 5-8)

On thick, roughly textured paper, a gallery of highly stylized felines created by over a dozen Indian folk artists in as many primitivist styles pose gracefully or are caught in midleap, staring steadily up at viewers with authentically catlike 510

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

JANE AUSTEN A Life Revealed

golds and blacks are backlit with broad expanses of white space that frame Praskovia. Heavy, glossy paper adds to the book’s opulence. This historical mesh of “Cinderella” and My Fair Lady is a rich nugget of history for sophisticated readers and as beautiful as a Fabergé egg. (brief author’s note) (Picture book. 7-9)

Reef, Catherine Clarion (208 pp.) $18.99 | April 18, 2011 978-0-547-37021-7

It is either daring or foolish—or both— to use the subtitle, “A Life Revealed,” when the biographer states that little is known about the biographee. It is true that much is known about Jane Austen’s novels now, thanks to films, adaptations and television specials, “[b]ut very little is known about the woman herself.” Of the thousands of letters she wrote, only 139 survive, the rest destroyed for reasons unknown. She was a writer but left no diaries. What is a biographer to do to fill in the many, many lacunae? Provide whatever information is available about cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, father, mother, nephews—all of which can become confusing without a Venn diagram. Then...give plot summations of Austen’s novels. Those who have read the books or seen the films— the book’s likely audience—may not need these book reports, which take up a sizable portion of the biography. Reef ’s histories of Austen’s travels and her observations of Georgian society and its movements nicely delineate the settings and people her subject used as material, and Austen’s sometimes acerbic comments about her characters help enliven the explications of the novels. Illustrations are mostly from movies and early-20thcentury editions as well as portraits. Perhaps this work will lead readers to Jane Austen and imaginatively apply the facts of the author’s life to the novels—or vice-versa. (afterword, family trees, notes, selected bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 & up)

THE PEARL

Richardson, Nan Illustrator: Young, Alexandra Umbrage (32 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-884167-24-9 This unusual presentation of a tale of class-crossed lovers recounts a true 18th-century Russian romance. Nicolas Cheremeteff, the richest man in the land, loves music more than gold. He travels the world to hear the finest performers, but it is Praskovia, a peasant girl working on his estate who captures his heart with her singing. He takes her to his palace, where he teaches her to be a lady and nurtures her singing. Crowned “The Pearl” for her luminous talent, she even sings for the Empress, Catherine the Great. Naturally, Nicolas and Praskovia fall in love and live in a simple cottage. Years go by, and Praskovia still sings like a nightingale, but she’s still a serf and unmarried. Nicolas does the unthinkable and marries her, making her a countess. Their happiness is short-lived, as Praskovia dies after giving birth. Tributes to her remain today. The dramatic story is matched with stylized, theatrical artwork. Vibrant reds, |

BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES

Richmond, Marianne Illustrator: Richmond, Marianne Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (32 pp.) $15.99 | April 1, 2011 978-1-4022-5639-4 Richmond offers a bland and confusing a companion to her Beautiful Brown Eyes (2009). The story mostly focuses on how much the narrator, presumably a mother or group of mothers, loves her (or their) blue-eyed children in their many moods. These moods are apparently supposed to be obvious by the children’s expressions, but the faces remain relatively unchanging on many pages, often sporting near-identical smiles. On the page describing a child’s tears, the child looks startled, not sad or in pain from the shot she’s receiving. Buttons and yarn add a collage element to the smudgy full-color images but do nothing to clarify the relationship between text and pictures. The text unfolds in rhyme; an unfortunate choice, as syntax and rhythm are frequently forced: “Pretty, for sure, / those ‘blues’ I know, / and, oh, what they tell me / ‘bout you as you grow.” Overall, the impact is jarring and poorly executed.

Rather than confuse a young audience, explore emotions with My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss and illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (1996), or Flyaway Katie, by Polly Dunbar (2004). For books on parental love, try All the Seasons of the Year, by Deborah Lee Rose and illustrated by Kay Chorao (2010), or Who Loves the Little Lamb?, by Lezlie Evans and illustrated by David McPhail (2010). (Picture book. 3-5)

ANIMALS HOME ALONE

Riphagen, Loes Illustrator: Riphagen, Loes Seven Footer Press (49 pp.) $15.95 | April 18, 2011 978-1-934734-55-1

In this mostly wordless title, a bunch of animals get up to some mild mischief when the humans in the house go out, with all the shifting action taking place in one room—something akin to The Cat in the Hat meets Where’s Waldo? The idea is to register the changes to the setting as the animals conduct their monkey business: the bear coming to life and crawling out of its picture frame, the bird zipping about after the toothy moth, a threesome of devilish cockroaches knocking over a jam jar and splashing toilet water on the cat (a sad folly on their part). Much of the effectiveness of the book comes from the stage that Riphagen has set; it’s a room with blood-red walls,

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

511

k i r ku s q & a w i t h j e n n i f e r r i c h a r d ja c o b s on Small as an Elephant

Jennifer Richard Jacobson Candlewick $15.99 / ages 10-14 March 8, 2011 9780763641559

During what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation weekend, Jack wakes to find himself abandoned by his mentally ill mother, and he gradually begins questioning the reality he had until that moment. Jennifer Richard Jacobson confesses how a writer’s research can lead to wooden lobsters and why we could all use a little grandmotherly wisdom.

Q: What prompted the need to create a story surrounding such delicate issues as parental abandonment and mental illness?

A: Ten years ago, I was at a writer’s conference, and the facilitator suggested, as an exercise, we write an irresistible beginning. It was then that I had a rush of an idea—what if a boy, on a camping trip, crawled out of his pup tent and discovered that his mother, her car and the camping equipment were gone? I shared this beginning and then let it go. Or tried to let it go.

But it wouldn’t let go of me. Who was the boy? Why was he abandoned? What would I do if I were abandoned? With some additional prewriting, I determined that Jack’s mother wasn’t well. I also came to know that he loved her deeply and wished to protect her.

I didn’t set out to write a book about difficult issues, but I didn’t shy away from them either. I work regularly with children who write about very complex relationships, and I want my stories to be equally honest.

Q: In tracking Jack’s journey along the Maine coast as part of your process, what was the most surprising find?

A: That observation can be a powerful writing tool. This sounds so basic, but I truly believed that it was the job of the writer to create full and rich worlds from one’s imagination. I wrote the first draft of Small as an Elephant from an armchair using Google maps to plot Jack’s journey. After the draft was accepted and my editor, Kaylan Adair, had written all over the manuscript—“more setting”— I packed my bag and took Jack’s journey.

I wrote in each and every place that Jack visited and discovered the joy of working with the fun and quirky stuff that exists all around us. I didn’t know there is a wooden lobster whose lap you may sit upon outside of Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium, nor did I realize that there’s a vault in the center of Left Bank Books (formerly a bank) in Searsport—a safe that Jack now becomes trapped inside.

Q: Why not Small as a Jungle Cat, or Rhinoceros…or Hippopotamus?

Q: What is your most memorable encounter with an elephant?

A: I had a beloved grandmother whose inner life seemed incongruent with her day-to-day living.

She would tell me, while busy preparing potatoes or some other task, “You know, I rode an elephant once.” This became a powerful metaphor in my own life.

Nevertheless, my own most memorable encounter happened when reading a book. I scribbled down this note and pinned it to my bulletin board: “Pliny the elder observed that an elephant, punished for her inability to perform a trick, went missing. She was found later that night, practicing.” It pulled at my heart. I suppose I related to the elephant’s need to try until she got things right.

Q: Dumbo or Babar?

A: Oh, I know I should say the literary Babar instead of Disney’s Dumbo. But it’s Dumbo for me. Who wouldn’t want to fly?

– By Gordon West

A: Elephants are extremely maternal. Elephants won’t leave their young behind.

512

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

“Hitting home hard is the project’s simple practicality: no high-tech, no great infusions of capital or energy—in a word, motivating, in the best possible way.” from the mangrove tree

busy but not so much as to overwhelm someone looking for the changes from page to page, and painted in strangely translucent color as vivid as lollipops. The characters are good and quirky, somewhat primitively drawn with an emphasis on their noses, each with eyes like a halibut’s. Riphagen wisely deploys a few red herrings; readers will be waiting for that little toy elephant to come to life or the lobster to launch itself from the wall, but no dice. In the end, the author/illustrator issues a memory quiz aimed at the youngest readers. In all, this should deliver the engagement goods for a number of readings. (Picture book. 4-8)

JOURNEY INTO THE BIBLE

Rock, Lois Illustrator: Roland, Andrew Trafalgar (48 pp.) $14.99 | April 15, 2011 978-0-7459-6088-3

This British import offers an eclectic approach to biblical stories and history with panoramic, detailed illustrations, colorful maps and sidebars with “travel tips” geared to travelers of the time period. The organizational strategy consists of 20 journeys stretching from the time of creation as portrayed in the Bible to the era of the early Christians. Key characters are introduced in terms of their journeys to new lands or their returns to homelands. Each spread includes some text, spot illustrations and a larger illustration filled with people of the era, including details of their work, homes and clothing. Helpful labels and explanatory sentences are worked into the text, giving the reader lots to look at on every spread. The maps are a useful feature, often showing the same area on multiple pages, but with different names as the occupying groups changed. Most of the key characters, main stories and major locations described in the Bible are presented, giving a fairly comprehensive introduction to a complex subject. There are no correlations to relevant Bible verses, and although there is an index, the page references are incorrect throughout. Though the pages seem crowded at first glance, a considerable amount of information is packed into a short volume, and the explanations of complicated history will be useful to adults teaching Bible history and interesting to young readers. (Picture book/religion. 6-10)

INTO THE UNKNOWN How Great Explorers Found Their Way

by Land, Sea, and Air

Ross, Stewart Illustrator: Biesty, Stephen Candlewick (96 pp.) $19.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7636-4948-7

Biesty’s trademark amusing, informatively detailed illustrations are a highlight of this entertaining examination of |

several voyages of exploration. Brief chapters in chronological order are presented on durable, very light cardboard stock with backgrounds appropriate to the era of the voyage: parchment, notebook paper, graph paper, etc. Chapters cover an impressive range of exploration. In addition to the usual suspects, they include a 340 B.C.E. Greek voyage to the Arctic Circle; Chinese Admiral Zheng He to India; David Livingston and Mary Kingsley into the African interior; Umberto Nobile flying over the North Pole, August and Jacques Piccard to the stratosphere and the bottom of the Marianas Trench, respectively; Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the top of Everest; and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the surface of the moon. Each chapter includes a fold-out section of illustrations with a map of the journey and a cross-section of the method of transportation. Other illustrations expand on some of the equipment mentioned in the text. The fold-outs fit nicely into the volume, smaller than the “real” pages so they close up neatly. The chapters provide a level of detail that’s just right for entertainment; intrigued readers may try some of the sources listed in the backmatter. (These are mostly primary source materials, potentially daunting for young readers.) An altogether agreeable package for armchair explorers. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

THE MANGROVE TREE Planting Trees to Feed Families

Roth, Susan L. and Cindy Trumbore Illustrator: Roth, Susan L. Lee & Low (40 pp.) $19.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-60060-459-1 Here is a grand deed, as basic as a science-fair project, that had a profound application bringing health and economic bounty to a small coastal town, Hargigo, in Eritrea. Dr. Gordon Santo had a brainstorm: Why not plant mangrove trees in the waters off Hargigo? The leaves would feed the town’s hungry herds of sheep and goats and provide wood for fuel; the trees’ root system would attract fish (a food and revenue source); and the trees themselves would do what trees are so good at— converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. Roth’s artwork is a treat, cut-paper and fabric collages of intense, shimmering color on a ground of paper that is electric with thick veins of fiber (photos join glossary in backmatter). Roth and Trumbore’s cumulative verse goes about its merry way on the left page—“These are the shepherds / Who watch the goats / and watch the sheep / That eat the leaves”—while a narrative on the right takes readers on Santo’s journey. He has named the project Manzanar, after the internment camp where he was placed during World War II, because he wanted to turn that experience (where he first grew desert plants) into something good. Hitting home hard is the project’s simple practicality: no high-tech, no great infusions of capital or energy—in a word, motivating, in the best possible way. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

513

“It’s painfully honest—but also painful to read, likely guaranteeing avid teen interest.” from we all fall down

DOG NUMBER 1, DOG NUMBER 10

“Samurai face,” and Allie’s “Japan-geek” fascination with Kimiko’s ethnicity is never problematized. Still, readers who can overlook the stereotypes and clunky slang will enthusiastically root for both couples. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Rubinger, Ami Illustrator: Rubinger, Ami Abbeville Press (28 p.) $13.95 | April 26, 2011 978-0-7892-1066-1 With scores of counting books available, a new one must be inventive, appealing and stand out from titles by such standbys as Dr. Seuss and Richard Scarry. Even with an invitation to readers to participate, this rhyming canine counter doesn’t quite measure up. Each of the 10 dogs has a name and a paper number taped to it. The sentence that introduces each one ends with an ellipsis that invites readers to contribute the rhyming response.

“Playing chase is so much fun! / My name’s Rover. I’m dog number...” (one); “I love lying around with nothing to do. / Call me Lucy, I’m dog number...” (two). It takes a few pages to “get” the device because the placement of the dogs varies. Lucy, for instance, lolls on the left-hand side of the spread, while another dog (Rover, in the distance) romps above her name on the right.

(Dogs three through 10 are arranged with greater clarity, but kids will already be disoriented by the time they get to them.)

Children accustomed to other complete-the-phrase books will recognize the ellipsis as a prompt to find the answer on the next page, but that is not the case here. The goofy-looking, Technicolor dogs have broad shapes and ping-pong–ball eyes. Visually, it’s got plenty of pizzazz, but other counting books do the job better; this one just doesn’t wag its tail. (Picture book. 3-5)

BOYFRIENDS WITH GIRLFRIENDS

Sanchez, Alex Simon & Schuster (224 pp.) $16.99 | April 19, 2011 978-1-4169-3773-9 A breezy romantic comedy starring two pairs of LGBTQ teens stays pleasantly upbeat but hits a few false notes.

Lance has a date to meet Sergio. Lance brings his friend Allie. Sergio brings his friend Kimiko, and two sets of crushes ignite. Lance is anxious about Sergio’s being bi. Sergio worries that Lance is too clingy.

Kimiko fears that Allie is out of her league. Allie has a boyfriend but wonders if she might be bi... and falling for Kimiko. The third-person narrator switches perspectives with a dizzying briskness, as the four teens flirt, gossip and brood in occasionally cringeworthy teenspeak (“putting the make,” “You did a hella thing” and an enthusiastic, “Like, yeah!”). Amid the giddy energy a few serious issues arise. Lance comes to understand his own biphobia; two teens struggle with homophobic parents; the boys (but not the girls) work to decide and agree upon how fast to move sexually. The portrayal of Kimiko and her family is marred by the use of Asian stereotypes: She and Sergio call her rigid and intolerant mother a “Dragon Lady” and refer to her 514

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

WE ALL FALL DOWN Living with Addiction

Sheff, Nic Little, Brown (368 pp.) $17.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-316-08082-8

In a raw, honest and expletive-ridden narrative, 23-year-old Sheff effectively chronicles the ups and downs of trying to overcome his methamphetamine addiction and pull his life together. Fortunately, the author is not as whiny or narcissistic in this memoir as he was in his first, Tweak (2008), though he still manages to be quite unlikable and astonishingly unsympathetic. Sheff bounces in and out of two detox centers and impulsively into an ill-considered live-in relationship with a girl in Charleston, S.C. (A disclaimer at the beginning indicates that “[c]ertain names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed.”)

His good intentions are frequently thwarted by bad decisions.

Frustration with a dead-end job in a coffee shop leads him to chronic alcohol consumption and pot smoking, once more testing the patience of loved ones. His frequent bouts of self-pity and rationalization, along with the constant use of “fucking” and “goddamn,” quickly become tiresome. The author is forthright about the hypocrisy he feels when he speaks at schools about the dangers of drug abuse while still smoking pot daily.

When he declares, “I am an asshole,” it’s impossible to disagree.

He manages to end on a somewhat hopeful note: “I’ve got to hold on, is all,” he says. It’s painfully honest—but also painful to read, likely guaranteeing avid teen interest. (Memoir. 15 & up)

I’M ME!

Sheridan, Sara Illustrator: Chamberlain, Margaret Chicken House/Scholastic (32 pp.) $17.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-545-28222-2 When Imogen arrives at her Aunt Sara’s house for the day, she announces that she is ready to “play pretend.” Aunt Sara runs wild with this idea, offering a series of suggestions, from a naughty monkey to a beautiful princess, a witch’s cat to a pirate’s parrot! Aunt Sara’s ideas are depicted in almost psychedelic colors splashed across each page spread. Imogen occupies a narrow column in a contrasting color on the very edge of each right-hand page, from which she summarily rejects each suggestion. Children will no doubt enjoy this back and forth, from the zany suggestions of Aunt Sara to Imogen’s rejection to an even

kirkusreviews.com

|

more outlandish suggestion. The resolution to their dialogue, unfortunately, doesn’t really work. In a confusing turn, Imogen finally announces what she wants to be—herself. She wants to go to the park, eat ice cream and then curl up with her Aunt Sara and enjoy some stories. This is a fine way to spend the day, no doubt, but in a story that seems intended to celebrate the imagination, it provides a most contradictory and unsatisfying conclusion. (Picture book. 3-6)

ZOE AND ROBOT Let’s Pretend!

Sias, Ryan | Illustrator: Sias, Ryan Blue Apple (40 pp.) $10.99 | April 1, 2011 978-1-60905-063-4 Series: Balloon Toons A precocious girl teaches her robot friend the art of imagination. Cheerful Zoe, accessorized with a bubblegum-pink cateared cap, is determined to teach her friend Robot the art of playing pretend. Amassing a “mountain” of pillows, she suggests they “climb” to the top of the peak, though for literal Robot, this causes great difficulties; all he can see is a tottering pile of cushions. Through Zoe’s sheer persistence and ingenuity, she carefully guides the robot into the world of imagination, and the pair spends a satisfying afternoon mountaineering indoors. Bright colors and oversize panels make this early reader graphic tale particularly attractive to younger readers. Fans of the TOON books (Stinky, by Eleanor Davis; Otto’s Orange Day, by Jay Lynch and Frank Cammuso, both 2008, etc.), should find this quirky buddy story equally appealing. Simultaneously releasing is the sweet—though only a shade less charming—Doggie Dreams, by Mike Herrod, which features a young boy and his pup, reminiscent of Sherman and Mister Peabody. Jake, the somnolent title canine, takes readers through his not-so-wild dreams: of eating people food, playing in a rock-and-roll band and being a brave knight and saving a damsel (er...dogsel?) in distress. As the two books share a similar page layout and palette, readers should be able to easily transition from one tale to the next. Darling.

(Graphic early reader. 4-8)

JASPER JONES

Silvey, Craig Knopf (320 pp.) $16.99 | PLB: $19.99 e-book $16.99 | April 12, 2011 978-0-375-86666-1 PLB 978-0-375-96666-8 e-book 978-0-375-89678-1

misdeeds in their small town, knows he’ll be held responsible for Laura’s death. In a “cold moment of dismay . . . disarmed by a shard of knowing,” Charlie helps Jasper hide the body. As Jasper delves to the heart of the mystery, Charlie’s life goes on as usual, despite the brick in his stomach from keeping their dreadful secret. A collector of words, he’s dismayed that he can’t find the right ones for the girl he has a crush on or to stick up for his Vietnamese-Australian friend, Jeffrey, who outplays the local bigots in cricket. Silvey infuses his prose with a musician’s sensibility—Charlie’s pounding heart is echoed in the terse, staccato sentences of the opening scenes, alternating with legato phrases laden with meaning. The author’s keen ear for dialogue is evident in the humorous verbal sparring between Charlie and Jeffrey, typical of smart 13-year-old boys. Their wordplay—“ ‘I bid you a Jew.’ ‘And I owe your revoir’ ”—requires some sophistication of readers, who may also wish they’d brushed up on cricket terms. A richly rewarding exploration of truth and lies by a masterful storyteller. (Fiction. 12 & up)

FAERIE WINTER

Simner, Janni Lee Random (288 pp.) $16.99 | PLB: $19.99 e-book: $16.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-375-86671-5 PLB: 978-0-375-96671-2 e-book 978-0-375-89683-5 In the post-apocalyptic world left after the war between the human realm and Faerie, it’s been winter for very long time. Since 15-year-old Liza called the magical quia tree to life at the end of Bones of Faerie (2010), even the evergreens have dropped their needles in a cold season that seems likely to be unending. Like the rest of the children born in After—since the war—Liza has magical powers. Her visions and abilities to command the living will certainly come in handy when she follows her erstwhile boyfriend (who can shift to wolf form) on a quest to bring a healer to her beleaguered village. It seems unlikely that her powers will be sufficient to protect herself and the Afters accompanying her from the enemy at the gates, however, especially when she sees how powerful that enemy is. The discovery of old secrets helps set up for the next volume in this series. Oddly, Liza’s tale works despite the jumble of crowd-pleasing elements (post-apocalyptic dystopia, multigenerational faerie love stories, werewolf heartthrob). Graphic descriptions of murdered children push the story older than the reading level of its prose, but that just leaves it as an entertaining if quick adventure for those impatiently awaiting the next, heftier entry by Cassandra Clare or Julie Kagawa. (Fantasy. 12-16)

Charlie is catapulted into adulthood when Jasper Jones knocks on his window on a blisteringly hot Australian night and leads him to a hidden glade where a girl is hanging from a tree, bruised and bloody.

Jasper, half-Anglo, half-Aborigine and the scapegoat for all |

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

515

TUCKER Little Dog Lost and Found

buck-toothed stapler, bespectacled scissors and rather emptyheaded eraser. Teachers will certainly find themselves wishing for their own arsenal of supplies to help them with their grading, and students may take a second glance at that innocuouslooking red pen on the teacher’s desk. (Picture book. 5-8)

Sit, Danny Photographer: Sit, Danny Sterling (32 pp.) $9.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-4027-5999-4

A strong narrative voice, charming photographs and an utterly appealing little dog protagonist coalesce to create a winning story about a Jack Russell terrier named Tucker. The first-person story is related in an innocent, amusing tone, as it describes Tucker’s big adventure: setting off from home, getting lost and finding his way back to his owner, Papa. The story focuses completely on the dog and his thoughts and emotions, which closely parallel those of a young child who might be lost.

High-quality photographs (by the dog’s owner) are used to illustrate Tucker as he packs up his coats, jumps on the local train and goes off for a romp on the beach. Becoming lonely, he finds Puddles, a bigger canine friend from his neighborhood, just in time. Puddles’ owner helps facilitate a reunion between Tucker and his owner. Many of the photos are notably endearing: Tucker modeling his coats, peering down at a “lost dog” poster or carrying a stick down the beach with Puddles. Each page contains only a few sentences, making this a good choice for younger preschoolers and a possible selection for newly independent readers as well. Tucker’s charming personality and the quality of the photographic illustrations help this to stand out from the pack. (Picture book. 3-6)

THE LITTLE RED PEN

Stevens, Janet and Susan Steven Crummel Illustrator: Stevens, Janet Harcourt (56 pp.) $16.99 | April 18, 2011 978-0-15-206432-7 Obviously inspired by “The Little Red Hen,” this goes beyond the foundation tale’s basic moral about work ethic to explore problem solving, teamwork and doing one’s best. Nighttime at school brings the Little Red Pen out of the drawer to correct papers, usually aided by other common school supplies. But not this time. Too afraid of being broken, worn out, dull, lost or, worst of all, put in the “Pit of No Return” (aka trash), they hide in the drawer despite the Little Red Pen’s insistence that the world will end if the papers do not get corrected. But even with her drive she cannot do it all herself—her efforts send her to the Pit. It takes the ingenuity and cooperation of every desk supply to accomplish her rescue and to get all the papers graded, thereby saving the world.

The authors work in lots of clever wordplay that will appeal to adult readers, as will the spicy character of Chincheta, the Mexican pushpin. Stevens’ delightfully expressive desk supplies were created with paint, ink and plenty of real school supplies.

Without a doubt, she has captured their true personalities: the 516

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

THE EMERALD ATLAS

Stevens, John Knopf (432 pp.) $17.99 | PLB: $20.99 e-book: $17.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-375-86870-2 PLB 978-0-375-96870-9 e-book 978-0-375-89955-3 Since being inexplicably plucked from their parents’ home, three children—Kate, Michael and Emma, who all ferociously resist the label “orphan”—have trickled through a long line of decent to atrocious orphanages. Their adventures truly begin when they’re shipped to a crumbling mansion in a childless town somewhere near Lake Champlain. A mysterious book hidden in the home’s dilapidated bowels whisks them to the same spot 15 years earlier, where a glamorous witch rules.

The reason for the absence of children gruesomely reveals itself, and the trio determines to help with no initial clue to their own prophetic importance. That they have a larger role to play becomes clearer as they realize they have a special relationship with the magic book, the significance of which is revealed bit by bit. In this mystical world of Children with Destiny, readers might cringe at potential similarity to a certain young wizard, but this is entirely different. Each character has such a likable voice that the elaborate story doesn’t feel overcomplicated, and though the third-person-omniscient narration focuses on Kate’s thoughts, brief forays into the perspectives of her siblings hint that the next two books might focus on them. Supporting characters from a heroic Native American to some very funny dwarves further enliven things. The only gripe readers might initially have is with its length, but by the end, they’ll immediately wish it was longer. (Fantasy. 10-14)

LIFE ON MARS Tales from the New Frontier

Editor: Strahan, Jonathan Viking (352 pp.) $19.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-670-01216-9

This exemplary, almost old-fashioned anthology is a welcome relief in a teen fiction market dominated by dystopias, fantasy and paranormal romance. Twelve top-tier speculative fiction authors tackle the classic theme of colonizing Mars, incorporating cutting-edge science and mostly adolescent protagonists (more than half of

kirkusreviews.com

|

“A hoot from opening salvo

(“JACK CHEN, YOU’RE THE FATHER OF MY BABY!”)

to closing clinch.” from i love him to pieces

them female) in tales of enterprise, accomplishment and sacrifice. Perhaps because they are so realistically grounded, there is a certain sameness to the stories, not just in emphasizing plausible technology and accurate environments, but also in appreciating the hard work and good luck needed to establish residence on another world. Most discount the possibility of alien life, using the futuristic far-off setting to examine contemporary issues: racism, violence, environmental damage, economic disparity and, above all, what it means to be human. The mood ranges from optimistic (seeing a virgin planet as an ideal setting to correct the errors of Terran civilization) to scathing (indicting the folly of applying failed ideologies to a new frontier) to elegiac (almost nostalgic for bygone adventures not even yet begun). While some harsh language and difficult themes might restrict the audience, readers who agree with the saw that “the Golden Age of science fiction is 12” will demand more of every author included. (Science fiction/short stories. 12 & up)

REMAKE IT! Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap

Threadgould, Tiffany Photographer: Schaefer, Kevin Sterling (128 pp.) $12.95 paperback original | April 1, 2011 978-1-4027-7194-1 Re-using and recycling can be productive. This timely howto book offers instructions for 95 projects using old papers, plastic bags and containers, retired clothes and pieces of fabric, bits of metal, jars and jar lids and other finds from the junk pile. From scrap paper picture frames to a purse made from an old hardcover book, the environmentally conscious author provides a wide variety of projects for young crafters. There are bags and boxes and storage bins, planters and lampshades, bracelets and even a T-shirt rug. Organized into chapters by basic material, the projects are labeled easy, medium and hard, and the amount of time they might require is shown with one to three clock faces. Each finished product is clearly pictured.

Instructions are presented like recipes, beginning with the necessary materials and equipment, and going on with stepby-step instructions and clearly drawn diagrams. Procedures range from simple paper folding to complex ones requiring hand sewing (an introduction shows basic stitchery), use of a glue gun, cutting difficult materials and very careful measurements. Occasionally the author suggests adult supervision. Like many “green” suggestions, some projects may use more energy than they save. Hot water and a dryer are used to felt old wool sweaters. A long period of hot ironing fuses plastic bags. Handy preteens and teens looking for new ideas for old stuff may find just what they need, but they’ll have to flip through—there’s no index. (Handicrafts. 10-16)

|

I LOVE HIM TO PIECES

Tsang, Evonne Illustrator: Görrissen, Janina Graphic Universe (128 pp.) $29.27 | paper: $9.95 e-book: $21.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7613-6004-9 paper 978-0-7613-7079-6 e-book 978-0-7613-7185-4 Series: My Boyfriend is a Monster, Vol. 1 Two teenagers fall for each other as a zombifying fungus stalks St. Petersburg, Fla., in this tongue-in-cheek romance.

Paired up in school as an egg’s assigned “parents,” shy übernerd Jack Chen and irrepressible baseball star Dicey Bell feel a mutual draw—which is why they’re together, cutting class one day, when a sudden outbreak of mutant fungus turns nearly everyone into mindless, half-decayed killers. Though Dicey’s skill with a bat comes in handy for cranking up the body count, escape becomes an urgent priority when Jack is bitten. His scientist parents have a possible cure—but can they and the young fugitives hook up in time? Though so slow to get off the mark that the zombie action doesn’t even start until halfway through, the plot accelerates nicely thereafter, culminating in a wild drive in a tinkling icecream truck through crowds of slavering attackers. So vivacious are Jack and Dicey in Görrissen’s black-and-white art that readers will forgive the indistinct depictions of violence and the untidy way dialogue balloons spill over into adjacent panels. Simultaneously published with volume two, a tale with a different cast and setting titled Made for Each Other, written by Paul D. Storrie and illustrated by Eldon Cowgur. A hoot from opening salvo (“JACK CHEN, YOU’RE THE FATHER OF MY BABY!”) to closing clinch. (Graphic novel. 11-13)

THE TIME-TRAVELING FASHIONISTA

Turetsky, Bianca Illustrator: Suy, Sandra Poppy/Little, Brown (262 pp.) $17.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-316-10542-2 Uncomfortable with her body and braces, seventh-grader Louise Lambert spends her time sketching outfits and daydreaming about the day when she’ll be glamorous. In between school and swim practice, she scours vintage shops and secondhand stores and teaches herself about fashion; she looks for both clothes and a connection to the women who wore them. While her classmates want to fit in, Louise wants to stand out, and she might just get her wish. After trying on a dress at a mysterious traveling vintage sale, she finds herself in another girl’s (fashionable) shoes...on the Titanic.

Typical time-traveling conflicts—sexism, clothing, class issues, altering the course of history—ensue. Though the dialogue is occasionally stiff, the relationships possess some depth. Debut

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

517

“In its portrayal of race relations in a wounded country as well as of the ugly power dynamics of a community of adolescent boys, this novel excels, bringing readers up to the grim, uncertain present with mastery.” from out of shadows

author Turetsky portrays Louise as a girl caught between childhood fantasies—Louise’s closet is “the only place left where she still felt the nervous anticipation that extraordinary and magical things could happen”—and the reality of growing up. While it doesn’t cover any new territory, the novel’s message of living life in the moment and accepting oneself provides some counterweight to the detailed fashion montage—presented throughout the book in delicate, color illustrations. Clothes, boys and adventure make for a quick series opener. (Fantasy. 11-15)

RAGGIN’ JAZZIN’ ROCKIN’ A History of American Musical Instrument Makers

VanHecke, Susan Boyds Mills (136 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-59078-574-4

five years he changes from likable milquetoast into a thug’s accessory, understanding and hating but choosing to ignore his moral compromise. Wallace, in his debut, draws on his own childhood in post-revolutionary Zimbabwe to inform this grimly magnetic snapshot of petty evil. In many regards, it’s a classic boardingschool novel, full of A Separate Peace–like inevitability; narrator Robert is liberal with “had I but known” statements foreshadowing some kind of doom. But as Robert’s mentor in brutality becomes ever more unhinged, the tension ratchets up and the book turns into a first-rate, surprisingly believable thriller. In its portrayal of race relations in a wounded country as well as of the ugly power dynamics of a community of adolescent boys, this novel excels, bringing readers up to the grim, uncertain present with mastery. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

F IS FOR FIREFLIES God’s Summertime Alphabet

This absorbing history examines the lives and work of eight innovators in the design and manufacture of musical instruments. From Avedis Zildjian, who brought his family’s centuries-old cymbal-making business from Turkey to Boston, to Robert Moog, whose electronic synthesizer rocked the music world, VanHecke’s portraits celebrate the inquisitive scientific tinkering, dedication to craft and business moxie that rendered Steinway pianos, Hammond organs and Fender guitars both household names and performers’ favorites. The writing’s freshest when VanHecke changes it up with bits of cultural trivia, like Beatles lore. (It’s dullest when awash in the minutiae of cousins, marriages and succession.) Examining the effect of the Great Depression, the World Wars and immigration on these family businesses vibrantly contextualizes those issues for kids.

Numerous well-captioned photos and period illustrations, sidebars and clearly labeled diagrams of the musical instruments expertly extend the text. Students and teachers of music are the natural audience for this unique treatment. (introduction, endnote, quotation sources, bibliographies, websites, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

OUT OF SHADOWS

Wallace, Jason Holiday House (288 pp.) $17.95 | April 15, 2011 978-0-8234-2342-2

Wargin, Kathy-jo Illustrator: Bronson, Linda Zonderkidz (40 pp.) $15.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-310-71663-1

Wargin continues her series of seasonal alphabet books (K Is for Kite: God’s Springtime Alphabet, 2010, etc.) with this exploration of summertime delights interwoven with a religious message. Each page includes the traditional format (“B is for boat”) in large type along with two or four rhyming lines in smaller type and a relevant illustration. God is included in the text in simple, relevant ways (“God calms the seas”), and there is no mention of Jesus, so the book could be used by a wider audience than just Christian readers. The rhyming text reinforces concepts of kind and cooperative behavior as well as presenting God as a powerful and loving force in the natural world. The references to God in the text are not preachy, and not every page mentions God, so the religious content flows naturally within the story. Bronson’s vibrant, jazzy illustrations in ripe-fruit shades are filled with sunny skies, imaginative flowers and flowing lines that suggest the lively nature of happy summer days. The pictorial story follows a family and its spotted dog as they take part in traditional summer activities, but the illustrator makes this ode to summertime soar. Her paintings are filled with motion and bright colors, with children who look like they must be laughing and having a great time enjoying the outdoors. A sunny celebration. (Picture book/religion. 2-5)

A boarding-school story set in the aftermath of the Rhodesian Civil War examines evil from all sides and provides no easy answers. The Haven School for boys is anything but for narrator Robert Jacklin. When the boy arrives from England at 13, the son of a liberal intellectual attached to the British Embassy, he initially makes friends with one of the school’s few black students, but he quickly learns that safety and acceptance are among the school’s white elite. Over the course of the next 518

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

kirkusreviews.com

|

WHAT COMES AFTER

Watkins, Steve Candlewick (352 pp.) $16.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7636-4250-1

Abandoned first by her abusive mother and then by her father when he dies, 16-year-old Iris Wight is no stranger to loss. Family friends initially agree to care for her, but problems soon force Iris to leave her home in Maine to live with relatives in North Carolina. Life with her angry aunt and dangerous cousin quickly proves more than she can handle. Before Iris’ arrival, her aunt’s abusive behavior was focused on the farm animals, but as Iris begins to protest the inhumane treatment of the goats, her aunt’s cruelty shifts toward her. The violence culminates in a horrific beating that lands Iris in the hospital and her aunt and cousin in jail, leaving Iris to navigate yet another change. She must learn to wade through the foster-care system and deal with animosity at school while trying to find a way to care for her beloved goats left back at the farm. While never gratuitous, violence is pervasive; difficult scenes include one that graphically describes a goat being bludgeoned to death, which may prove to be a turn-off for some readers. Watkins displays his expertise as he creates a heroine who is broken and yet refuses to stay down. Secondary characters are equally welldeveloped and engaging. Beautifully written, this story is an unflinching look at the cruelty of life as well as the resilience of the human spirit. (Fiction. 14 & up)

CALLI BE GOLD

Weber Hurwitz, Michele Wendy Lamb/Random (208 pp.) $15.99 | PLB: $18.99 e-book: $15.99 | April 5, 2011 978-0-385-73970-2 PLB 978-0-385-90802-3 e-book 978-0-375-89823-5 Eleven-year-old Calli wishes she could be gold—at anything, because then maybe her helicopter parents might finally be satisfied with her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t stack up well against her older brother, Alex, a high-school basketball star, or her older sister, Becca, a figure skater. Her parents focus solely on accomplishments, with her father scouting opposing basketball teams and endlessly coaching Alex and her mother managing the older teens’ hectic schedules with a calendar (and a steering wheel) liberally pasted with Post-its. But things are more complex than the frustrated girl understands. Becca and Alex are feeling the pressure, too, and Becca, especially, is starting to balk.

Calli’s talents clearly lie outside the athletic realm. She meets a second grader, Noah, with many problems, possibly related to Asperger’s, and takes him under her wing through a new peerhelper program at school. Empathetically guiding him, she helps |

ease his difficult way while at the same time trying to live up to her parents’ unrealistic expectations. Calli’s often-insightful first-person narration provides a thoughtful, child-eyed view look at how adults too often try to find success through their children’s achievements. The sometimes over-the-top depiction of stage parents pokes gentle but oh-so-true fun at them, adding to the appeal of this amusing debut. (Fiction. 8-12)

IF I WERE A MOUSE

Wilson, Karma Illustrator: Hajdinjak-Krec, Marsela Zonderkidz (32 pp.) $15.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-310-71603-7 A little boy narrates this rhyming story as he imagines what it would be like to be different animals. He imagines himself as a mouse, owl, squirrel, bird and cat, with the cat leading the narrative back to the boy in his bedroom, getting ready for bed. The concluding lines, the only religious content in the book, refer to God as “father, creator and friend,” thanking him for making the child who he is.

The verse—just mundane rhymes about the way the animals move or where they live—has an old-fashioned, sing-song quality and isn’t particularly interesting or creative. Soft-focus illustrations show traditional scenes of homes and a farm; there’s some added interest for sharp-eyed young readers with a repeating device of a knitted scarf on each animal and blue-striped shirts on the boy and several animals. (The rusty-red squirrel in a striped shirt with 17 seeds hidden in his cheeks seems ready to run right off the page and find a more exciting story to star in.) The final illustration in the little boy’s room includes toys, a lamp and curtains echoing the other characters and their homes. The religious content in the last spread seems tacked on to fit this story into a particular slot rather than any meaningful effort to connect children with God. (Picture book/religion. 3-6)

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE A Novel in Five Acts

Woelfle, Gretchen Illustrator: Cox, Thomas Holiday House (176 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-0-8234-2281-4

A novel of Elizabethan theater centers around an unsuccessful thief. Kit is caught up in the excitement of a performance by the Lord Chamberlain’s men at the Theatre. Unfortunately, he is a penniless, runaway 12-yearold orphan forced to work as a cutpurse, stealing money from audience members. Distracted by the drama, he fails in his first attempt and agrees to work for the players to avoid prison.

Reluctantly, he is caught up in their hectic world of rehearsal

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

519

and performance. Woelfle opens a revealing window into 1590s London and its dynamic theater scene. There are intriguing snapshots of one William Shakespeare, who finds his inspiration from street songs and conversations he overhears. Men and boys play the roles of women, sew costumes, rehearse speeches and sword fights and build sets. The scene stealer here is the intrigue behind the stealthy deconstruction of the Theatre and its rebuilding as the Globe due to a legal squabble with the landlord. Against this backdrop, Kit grapples with his own career choices, growing into the satisfying realization that carpentry is his calling. Young Molly, who sells apples in the theater, is a welcome friend and foil. Readers of Gary Blackwood’s The Shakespeare Stealer (1998) will find this equally exciting. The conceit of organizing the story through acts and scenes in lieu of chapters sets the stage nicely for a dramatic tale. (author’s note, glossary, bibliography; illustrations not seen) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

A DAISY IS A DAISY (except when it’s a girl’s name)

Wolfsgruber, Linda Illustrator: Wolfsgruber, Linda Groundwood (32 pp.) $16.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-55498-099-4 The opening spread is breathtakingly lovely: “Flora, Florica, Kukka, Lore, Hana and Zvetana mean flower.” Scattered over these two pages are monotype, collage and line-drawing images of flowers, stems and floral parts, as well as little notes: “Hana—Japanese girl’s name”; “Lore— Basque girl’s name.” With the information that Gul is a Turkish girl’s name that means rose is an exquisite line drawing of a rose on its side with the face of a small girl appearing from the petals. She’s asleep. Other versions of the name Rose are noted in other languages, like Rhodanthe in Greek. Girassol means sunflower in Portuguese, and a girl with a sunflower face rides a bicycle. Csilla means bluebell in Hungarian, and the tiny face of a red-haired girl peers from a bluebell blossom against a background of blue stars. Many girls, such as Kamilka (chamomile), wear parts of their flowers as hat, skirt or cloak. Gelsomina in Italian and Yasmina in Arabic both mean jasmine, and she wears fairy wings; Erika (heather in German) sprouts heather blossoms from her hands and hair and pelvis. Precious in the very best sense of the word, these sophisticated, delicate images repay repeated examination, as well as sending the sweet message that girls are thought as beautiful as flowers all over the world. (Picture book. 4-8)

520

|

15 march 2011

|

children

&

teens

|

THE LUCK OF THE BUTTONS

Ylvisaker, Anne Candlewick (240 pp.) $15.99 | April 1, 2011 978-0-7636-5066-7

Set in Iowa in 1929, this offbeat tale features plucky, twelve-year-old Tugs Button, who has a meaningful relationship with pie. The Button clan bakes and serves it up whenever there is trouble in the ranks, from accidents to crop failures to illnesses to spousal friction. Poor Tugs has eaten a lot of pie in her life. It seems the Buttons just don’t have any luck. And judging by her buck teeth and her clumsiness, social and otherwise, Tugs is most definitely a Button. Not surprisingly, everyone— not least of all Tugs herself—is fit to be tied when she wins two blue ribbons and a Brownie camera at the town’s Independence Day celebration. And they are further stunned by the mystery she solves with her camera, some good instincts and a little luck.

A bit slow-going at first, but if readers persevere, they will warm up to Tugs and enjoy getting to know the people in her circle, including her unlikely, primly-dressed friend Aggie Millhouse, her Granddaddy Ike who gambles his false teeth away and back again, and twins Elmira and Eldora, photograph fanatics and owners of Leopold, a cat as big as a raccoon, who frequents the local library. The main message here is uncomplicated, but important—with a little faith in ourselves and a willingness to take some risks, anything is possible, even a lucky Button. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

A PET FOR MISS WRIGHT

Young, Judy Illustrator: Wesson, Andrea Sleeping Bear Press (32 pp.) $15.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-58536-509-8

Miss Wright is a lonely writer, tapping away at her computer in her beachfront cabin. She decides to acquire a pet to keep her company, and one by one she tries a mynah bird, a monkey, a tropical fish and a cat. Each pet creates a problem of some sort that interferes with Miss Wright’s work or increases her loneliness. Finally she tries a dog, a basset hound that lies quietly near her feet as the writer works. In a delightful and unexpected plot twist, the unnamed dog can read, and he becomes Miss Wright’s first reader and, eventually, her editor as well. He even offers a thesaurus and a dictionary as part of his editorial advice. When Miss Wright’s book is accepted for publication, writer and dog celebrate together with appropriate howls of delight. Both the story and the illustrations have a light, charming flavor, with understated humor and a sophisticated air that assumes that intelligent children will enjoy this story.

The watercolor-and-ink illustrations are filled with swirling lines, and delicate, French-inspired patterns decorate borders

kirkusreviews.com

|

Food, family and storytelling set irresistible hooks in this high-spirited double picture-book debut.” from hot, hot roti for dada-ji

and endpapers. The helpful hound is an endearing introduction to the role of an editor, though he really deserves a clever name of his own. (Perhaps in their next adventure…Mr. Basset Buys a Bookshop?) (Picture book. 3-7)

HOT, HOT ROTI FOR DADA-JI

Zia, F. Illustrator: Min, Ken Lee & Low (32 pp.) $17.95 | April 1, 2011 978-1-60060-443-0

Food, family and storytelling set irresistible hooks in this high-spirited double picture-book debut. Grandfather’s rousing tales of a village youth spent tying cobras into knots, shaking mangos for the pickle jar from a giant tree and savoring the “fluffy-puffy roti that bubbled and wobbled in ghee on the hot, hot tavva pan” inspire young Aneel to give his Dada-ji “the power of the tiger” once again with a fresh batch of the unleavened treat.

Since no one else in the extended family seems willing to make it—though they do gather around to watch—into the kitchen goes Aneel to mix the ingredients, knead and roll the dough, then (with help from Dadi-ma, his grandmother) to fry and dish up a “high, high stack” of “[h]ot, hot roti for Dada-ji!” Min echoes the narrative’s exuberance with bright, blocky acrylic scenes of an Indian family in Western surroundings, dressed in a mix of contemporary and traditional styles and headlined by the lad and his elder. After downing the roti with finger-licking enthusiasm, the two proceed outside to shake apples off a tree for Dadi-ma’s pie and tie their legs in knots to sit lotus fashion on a grassy hillside. A natural for reading aloud, laced with great tastes, infectious sound effects and happy feelings. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

k i r k u s r o u n d-u p continuing series FIGHTING BACK: Blade, #3

ALIEN ENVOY: Alien Agent, #6

THE UNICORN’S TALE: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, #4

HORRID HENRY ROCKS

Bowler, Tim Philomel (240 pp.) $16.99 | Apr. 1, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-399-25431-4 (Suspense. 14 & up)

Service, Pamela F. Illus. by Mike Gorman Darby Creek (176 pp.) $16.95 | Apr. 1, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7613-5364-5 (Science fiction. 8-12)

LaFevers, R.L. Illus. by Kelly Murphy Houghton Mifflin (160 pp.) $14.99 | Apr. 4, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-547-48277-4 (Fantasy. 6-9)

Simon, Francesca Illus by Tony Ross Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (112 pp.) $4.99 paperback original Apr. 1, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4022-5674-5 (Fiction. 6-9)

THEODOSIA AND THE LAST PHARAOH: Theodosia, #4

I LOVE VACATIONS: I Love..., #5

LaFevers, R.L. Illus. by Yoko Tanaka Houghton Mifflin (400 pp.) $16.99 | Apr. 4, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-547-39018-5 (Fantasy. 9-12)

Walker, Anna Illus. by the author Simon & Schuster (32 pp.) $9.99 | Apr. 19, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4169-8321-7 (Picture book. 2-6)

BROWNIE & PEARL TAKE A DIP: Brownie & Pearl

Rylant, Cynthia Beach Lane / Simon & Schuster (24 pp.) $13.99 | Apr. 14, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4169-8638-6 (Early reader. 3-5)

This Issue’s Contributors #

9 Erratum: In our 3/1 review of Through No Fault of My Own, by Coco Irvine, we incorrectly identified the Minnesota Historical Society as having commissioned the essays that accompany the diary. The University of Minnesota Press commissioned the essays. |

Kim Becnel • Amy Boaz • Marcie Bovetz • Kimberly Brubaker Bradley • Sophie Brookover • Louise Brueggemann • Timothy Capehart • Louise Capizzo • Julie Cummins • Katie Day • GraceAnne A. DeCandido • Dave DeChristopher • Elise DeGuiseppi • Lisa Dennis • Carol Edwards • Brooke Faulkner • Omar Gallaga • Judith Gire • Ruth I. Gordon • B. Allison Gray • Melinda Greenblatt • Heather L. Hepler • Megan Honig • Jennifer Hubert • Shelley Huntington • Kathleen T. Isaacs • Betsy Judkins • Deborah Kaplan • K. Lesley Knieriem • Robin Fogle Kurz • Megan Lambert • Angela Leeper • Peter Lewis • Nina Lindsay • Jill L. Locke • Ellen Loughran • Lori Low • Lauren Maggio • Joan Malewitz • Hillias J. Martin • R. Moore • John Edward Peters • Susan Pine • Rebecca Rabinowitz • Nancy Thalia Reynolds • Lesli Rodgers • Leslie L. Rounds • Chris Shoemaker • Karyn N. Silverman • Paula Singer • Edward T. Sullivan • Jennifer Sweeney • Jessica Thomas • Gordon West • Monica D. Wyatt

kirkusreviews.com

|

children

&

teens

|

15 march 2011

|

521

kirkus indie Kirkus has been keeping an eye on selfpublishing for years, and we’ve never seen anything like the current boom. With the number of self-published titles now pushing 1 million per year, and independent authors utilizing new technologies to sell tens of thousands of copies of their work, the age of indie has truly arrived. Kirkus Indie brings readers the best works by independent authors, and we bring independent authors the crucial tools to get the word out about their books like no one else. We’ll give your book an unbiased, professional review, and then we’ll push that review into the world via our social-media properties, newsletters, website and expanding content. To learn more about Kirkus Indie and start promoting your title, please visit us online at kirkusreviews.com/indie/about.

522

|

15 march 2011

|

kirkus indie

|

LOVE ON THE DOCKS

Jarrett, Kristall Lulu (162 pp.) $12.50 paperback | August 3, 2010 ISBN: 978-0557538041 Two disparate men vie for the affections of a beautiful, hardworking woman in Jarrett’s debut.

Most of her life, Jesse Tanner has loved Chris Kennedy, but he married someone else. Years later, Jesse takes over a broken-down marina in Montauk, Long Island, working 60-70 hours a week to make it shipshape for the grand reopening. Now divorced, Chris is devastated by the split and determined to never “go that route again.” A captain in the Marine Patrol, he assists the Coast Guard with rescues, and with all that fresh sea air and sun, he’s never looked better. One night, fueled by alcohol, the pair gives in to lust, half-naked among the lobster pots on a deserted dock, and Jesse declares her love. The morning after finds Jesse confessing that she drank too much and isn’t interested in Chris—lies, of course—and then a handsome Wall Street attorney arrives at the marina to reserve a Jet Ski. Polished and moneyed, Jeffrey Wilder has recently bought and renovated the legendary DiPinto place (soon to be profiled in Architectural Digest), and he’s in the market for a local honey. Jeff extravagantly woos Jesse and, on the town, the two often encounter Chris, who wonders if he might be in love with Jesse after all. It’s intelligence, wealth and the Gucci loafers of a Manhattan lawyer versus muscle, guts and the docksiders of a Montauk fisherman. Jesse’s mother, who can’t abide Chris, is rooting for Jeff while urging her daughter, to the point of manipulation, to return to her former swank job on Madison Ave. The book hits the ground running, with Jesse and Chris in the throes of passion, and then ratchets up the sexual tension with both becoming unwilling or unable to voice their feelings, and features about as much exploration of character as might be found in a typical rom-com. One nice touch is Jesse’s longtime English gal-pal, Susannah, who’s bright and funny, with her own set of man troubles—and, best of all, actually sounds like a Brit. The story is well paced, with a little adventure and real-life Montauk history thrown in, and an ending that neither surprises nor disappoints.

A diverting, lightweight romance.

kirkusreviews.com

|

MOTHS TO FLAME

Maffei, Fredric CreateSpace (146 pp.) $10.95 paperback | December 3, 2009 ISBN: 978-1449911775 A young man set to inherit his dead father’s fortune runs into a charismatic drifter on a cross-country trip in this thriller from Maffei (And of the Holy Ghost, 2010, etc.).

Days away from his 25th birthday and the receipt of his delayed but sizable inheritance, Nick Bennett dumps his gold-digger girlfriend and heads west to California. Nick runs over a turtle and winds up in a ditch. A stranger named Henry appears on the scene—he may have caused the accident—and helps Nick get his car back on the road. Henry is charming and capable, a jack-of-all-trades at home on the open road. The two get along like old friends, and, ignoring a series of unsettling episodes, Nick brings Henry to his father’s house. There the two meet Bunny, a black documentary filmmaker who is working on a project about Nick’s writer father.

Nick and Bunny woo each other awkwardly, but Henry turns out to be more devious and dangerous than Nick has allowed himself to understand, and the final pages are a kaleidoscope of violence, betrayal, epiphany and murder. The pages fly once we meet Henry, a thoroughly creepy villain whose intelligence and menace push the story in consistently unpredictable directions.

Henry pontificates, giving out commandments, using his charm and the force of his personality to get what he wants from everyone he meets—everything readers could want in a psychological thriller’s bad guy. But the book does have some issues—Nick’s speech patterns change suddenly and without reason or comment, the female characters are mostly sex objects and when Nick and Henry have their reckoning, Nick’s reliance on and devotion to Henry becomes more complex but also strains believability. And Bunny’s thread contains disturbing racial content that could offend many readers.

A gripping thriller with as many twists and turns as a crosscountry road trip.

WHAT AM I DOING HERE? True Adventures while Surviving 1172 Days in the U.S. Army during WWII

Maleck, LeRoy R. AuthorHouse (292 pp.) $27.99; $18.98 paperback | July 23, 2009 ISBN: 978-1438979076 Paper: 978-1438979069 Maleck presents a lively, chromatic memoir of his days as a medic in the European theater of WWII. In these reminiscences, Maleck tries hard to be a regular Joe, just another guy doing his bit for the war effort. His |

writing can be willfully unvarnished—“I actually ‘conked’ out and fell into one of our chests and fell asleep, and nobody gave a ‘damn’!”—and there are grating stylistic tics (such as using “that” for “who”), but these quirks don’t diminish his thoughtfulness and talent to recall frontline events in all their wicked immediacy. Here is a man who landed in France shortly after D-Day and engaged in the bitterest of combat—think of the freezing, murderous misery of the Battle of the Bulge—as a medic, moving from body to body, trying to keep infantrymen alive after they had been physically and mentally shredded. He was unarmed, as was the case with medics; his armband was supposed to protect him, but often served as a target. That kept him bright and alert, making him especially alive to circumstance—not just the fighting, but the lay of the land, the weather, what the brass hoped to achieve at any given moment, the full picture of what was before him. His memory has kept that keenness and re-creates it here in the close combat (“room to room fighting, pistols, bayonets, fists”), the blazing towns his company passed through in Belgium, the absurdly close calls that, one micrometer this way or that, would have ended his life. And in the best tradition of the survivor, he has a sense of humor, if of the blackest sort—“Though we called them ‘foxholes,’ each time you entered or left it, the similarity of your handiwork and what a gravedigger is hired to do is very noteworthy.” As this book is an ongoing memoir project, Maleck has included a sweet tribute to a family dog, a terrier-whippet mix known as Speed—affectionate watchdog-companion-hunter—which amplifies Maleck’s warmth of humanity and spirit.

A valuable addition to ground-level history, caught with a keen eye even while Maleck was ducking his head.

EVENTS IN THE FUTURE FORGOTTEN TENSE: Selected Poems: 1980 to 2006 Selby, Thome AuthorHouse (168 pp.) $15.99 paperback | April 22, 2008 ISBN: 978-1434364876

High-spirited and wide-ranging free verse steeped heavily in jazz beats and the Beats’ jazz.

Selby clearly grew up grooving to the poetic beats of Ferlinghetti, Corso and Ginsberg; rhythms internalized and reverberated right into the 21st century in this collection. Like his teachers, Selby finds inspiration, structure and theme in jazz, drink, women and the promise, and failure, of democracy. At their most frenetic, his narrators mimic the joyous skips and tumbles of jazz itself: “Bu- Bu - Bam! / Tink! / tink-tink! / A pillow moan / a Schoenberg tone / a split-down-themiddle / hambone.” At other times, particularly when the theme of the sad inevitability of lonely couplings arises, his narrators croon with a Hank Williams twang: “So one wine colored night / we happen to each other — / me sitting beer dazed and garrulous / on a bar stool / she sporting callisthenic garb / a new coiffure and ten extra pounds.” Ultimately, sound is what these poems are

kirkusreviews.com

|

kirkus indie

|

15 march 2011

|

523

k i r ku s q & a w i t h c r a i g mcm a n u s

400 Years of the Ghost of Cape May: Chronicling Four Centuries of Hauntings In America’s Oldest Seaside Resort

Craig McManus ChannelCraig $24.99 June 2009 978-0978544430

K i rk us M e di a L L C # President M A RC W I N K E L M A N SVP, Finance J ames H ull SVP, Marketing M ike H ejny SVP, Online Paul H o f f man #

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kirkus Reviews, PO Box 3601, Northbrook, IL 60065-3601.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, TX 78710 and at additional mailing offices.

524

|

15 march 2011

Q: How did you immerse yourself in Cape May’s tourism industry?

A: I would go down to Cape May, I would knock on doors and nobody would talk to me. It was the ’90s and it was still not really en vogue to talk about ghosts and hauntings in Cape May. At one point, somebody said to me, “Why don’t you stay in some of these [haunted] places?” I thought, well, that’s an idea. They can’t throw me out if I pay to play. I picked the house that interested me most and we went down on a February night when there was nobody else there. The innkeeper said he didn’t believe in this stuff, but then he was on the phone telling his daughter about it. I realized that a lot of people had personal experiences [with spirits], but they sort of fluffed it off. But when they heard I was interested, I got them to open up—and this was after I had spent $250 a night 100 times, going back to the same place.

I always joke that all the money I got from the books in Cape May, I reinvested in Cape May through businesses.

Q: How do your other activities help your book sales?

A: I don’t spend a penny on advertising, except for when I get plugs in the local paper. I try to make my whole business plan in Cape May a welloiled machine—that one gear turns the other. I had been doing lectures with the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, and now we’ve partnered in the ghost trolley tours. Last August, we had 3,000 people take the tours. The trolley tours point people to the books and the books point people to the trolley tours. Everything points to my website and my events. I still write for [Cape May newspaper and publisher of the original McManus columns that became the Ghosts of Cape May series] Exit Zero occasionally, and I write a monthly column on CapeMay.com. That’s a tremendous portal of web visitors to Cape May— especially in-season. So now my banner is there |

kirkus indie

|

kirkusreviews.com

and that links to my website, and that links to the book. I learned a long time ago that one hand has to wash the other.

Q: What are some of the pitfalls of having a niche market?

A: My experience having books in distribution is selling them direct in Cape May. But in distribution nationally, you sell some but you get more back than you sell sometimes. It’s a crapshoot. You can’t make a living that way. If you have a niche and you have a local market where you’re going to have a demand, and you’re willing to be your own distributor, then you can do it. I used to load up my car with cases [of books], drive down to Cape May, go around and do it—now I FedEx everything. But it’s built up a huge following for my books. It’s a lot of work to manage—I’m maintaining a brand. I’m the PR guy, I’m the distributor, I’m the wholesaler, I’m the writer, I’m the designer, I’m everything.

But I like it. It gives me complete creative control. But now I’ve gotten to the point where I need to take one step more. I’m trying to get national exposure with the next book.

Q: What is your next book about?

A: My new book is about growing up with the gift.

Having it, but never realizing exactly what it was or how to use it. You can’t lose it, and if you don’t use it, it starts to use itself. From a young age, I would sense things, I would close my eyes when I was lying in bed and I would see these vivid images. I’d see people, I’d see colors, and sometimes I’d hear people talking and think it was my parents or I’d hear something in the room. When you’re a little kid, it scares the hell out of you. One of the most important reasons for writing the book is that a lot of people have intuitive or psychic ability and people have had experiences similar to mine. It’s part of the human condition. I want to tell my story so that other people who are going through this—who don’t know where to turn or who to ask—can read this.

Q: Why have you decided to pursue a book deal rather than self-publish again?

A: I need to be able to focus on the creativity and the writing and the projects, versus distribution and publicity. I’m told that fewer and fewer publishers are doing publicity on titles—that it’s becoming up to the author and the publicist now.

But I still want my books in Barnes & Noble.

–By Devon Glenn

|

P hoto courtesy of C ra ig Mc Ma n us

Copyright 2011 by Kirkus Media LLC. KIRKUS REVIEWS (ISSN 0042 6598) is published semimonthly by Kirkus Media LLC, 6411 Burleson Road, Austin, TX 78744.

Subscription prices are $169 for professionals ($199 International) and $129 ($169 International) for individual consumers (home address required). Single copy: $25.00. All other rates on request.

Craig McManus is a psychic medium with a knack for talking to spirits and the people who love them. He’s also an independent author with a knack for selling books. By combining his four-volume Ghosts of Cape May series—about the haunting and history of America’s original seaside resort of Cape May, N.J. (founded in the 1700s)—with ghost-themed trolley tours and the group channeling sessions he holds in some of Cape May’s lovely—and spooky— Victorian-era bed-and-breakfasts, McManus has sold more than 30,000 copies of his books and owned the term “hyperlocal.” Here, he talks about the highs and lows of publishing in a niche market.

about. Though he may lapse into occasional pedantic and philosophic reveries, Selby mostly wants to bounce words together and see what tone they strike. This is the joy that encourages him to begin “Nursery Rime” with “Hey diddle diddle / diddleo / the cat strums a fiddle / pizzacatio” and to describe the moon as “a cup / filling up / She’s a bowl / receiving souls,” which is not to suggest mindless wordplay. Selby’s narrators struggle mightily to live in the moment, all the while obsessing about the inability to hold onto that moment once the next arrives. And Selby’s poetry certainly invites deeper analysis. The world evoked is a curiously gynocentric, Freudian treasure house, watched over by simultaneously sexualized and maternalized moons, crisscrossed with tunnels, breasts and wombs and populated by regressive men and a dearth of phallic objects. Any analysis, however, is likely to be met by the objections of Selby’s pastoral peasant poet protagonist, cousin Josh: “Boy, you tryin’ to make sense o’ my poems? / Don’t you know? / Or haven’t you heard? / My verse is faster than the speed of logic!”

The best of Selby’s verses sing, loud and off-key perhaps, but too soulfully not to tap your toes and snap your fingers.

DREAMING OF WOLVES: Adventures in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania Sparks, Alan E. Hancock House (256 pp.) $22.95 paperback | 2010 ISBN: 978-0888396631

An engaging diary of a wolf-finding expedition in Transylvania.

When Sparks, a 45-year-old hightech professional, takes an early retirement package and re-invents his life, he decides to pursue wolf research in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, Romania. Why? “For me,” writes the author, “could anything surpass tracking wolves in the thick forests and deep snow of the northlands, in the wilderness somewhere away from all the high-tech drudgery, the congested traffic and sprawling suburbs, the bustling rush to nowhere? Working to comprehend a different world, a wild world, and maybe helping to protect it as well.” Sparks pursues this adventure after finding a website for the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project, firing off an e-mail and ultimately convincing the project director that he should be allowed to extend his “eco-volunteer” experience well beyond the traditional few weeks. The remainder of the book is essentially comprised of diary entries that provide rare insight into the behavior of wolves, as well as a close-up look at life in the backcountry and small towns of the Carpathian Mountains.

The author’s experiences tracking wolves, combined with the people he meets and his descriptions of the locale, make for a compelling and invigorating story. Sparks writes well, even eloquently at times, generously sharing his observations as he learns of the similarities and differences between wolves and dogs. The reader intimately witnesses the relationships the author builds with some of the wolves he studies. And Sparks’ |

bits of philosophical contemplation brought on by his solitude add depth to the tale. The text is supplemented by excellent color photos that bring all of these elements to life and offer visual validation of the adventure. As wolves have made a resurgence in parts of the United States in recent years, their proximity to humans has lead to some controversy. Sparks’ tale becomes all the more interesting as a documentary of how wolves are viewed in another part of the world.

A thoroughly enjoyable read for animal lovers and explorers alike.

THE WINDOW OF TIME Thau, William A. iUniverse (301 pp.) $28.95 | $18.95 paperback $9.99 e-book | July 14, 2010 ISBN: 978-1450225908 Paper: 978-1450225892

Thau’s debut is a rip-roaring historical thriller set in Theodore Roosevelt’s America.

It’s the first decade of the last century. Theodore Roosevelt has just become president in the wake of William McKinley’s assassination at the hands of a disgruntled Pole, Leon Czolgosz, and Roosevelt has big plans; he wants to build the nation’s Navy, project American power abroad and re-establish the United States as a major player on the world stage. But there are those who plot his demise—anarchists who think the national interests Roosevelt promotes are little more than a pretext for exploiting the working poor. With the future of the country hanging in the balance, an unlikely pair race across the landscape, fleeing for their lives. Matthew Stanton—disguised as a priest—runs from those who would pin the last president’s death on him. And Alyssa Harding, née Coolidge, strives to escape the clutches of her sadistic husband, whom she married, it seems, only to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. As their lives collide on a Chicagobound train, both are thrust into an unlikely struggle against anarchists, police officers, politicians and unhinged Wall Street barons. However, the greatest strength of Thau’s tale is not its fantastical excess, but its absolute plausibility. His historical fiction holds up to scrutiny, and he gives his story the look and feel of turn-of-the-century America. Similarly, his protagonists are eccentric but believable. The gorgeous Alyssa is no mere distressed damsel, and the mysterious Matthew is a clever update on that old stock figure, the man-with-a-past. Both these two, and a supporting cast of dozens, come to life with the help of Thau’s vibrant but thoroughly economical prose. He uses his words more carefully than early 20th-century stock speculators spent their money, and his novel reaps the profits.

A gripping, literate page-turner.

kirkusreviews.com

|

kirkus indie

|

15 march 2011

|

525