Visit Bookviews by Alan Caruba, May 2003

Books for review should be sent to Alan Caruba, Bookviews.Com, 9 Brookside Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Do not send galleys or bound proofs. Bookviews.Com accepts only the finished book. Thank you.

My Picks of the Month

Putting a human face on what it is to serve in the military and be married to a man that does is E-mail to the Front by Alesia Holliday ($14.95, Andrews McMeel), a collection of the emails exchanged by the author, a Navy wife, with her husband. This book will prove especially helpful to those who have a loved one who is among the 250,000 troops deployed around the world. It is filled with good advice to keep connected and to keep sane under extraordinary circumstances. This is a book about the sacrifices people make to serve their nation. In a similar vein, Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Gulf War by John Hartnett ($15.95, iUniverse) will give you a taste of what it was like to battle through the desert while struggling to fulfill duties to his men, his marriage, and himself. Though self-published, this ranks as one of the best books to come out of that earlier conflict with Iraq and as a military memoir that captures modern warfare and the ancient stress it puts on men and their marriages. Hartnett came out of that action as both a decorated Marine and better husband and father. You will read this book and acquire insights that will stay with you a long time.

Rights vs. Public Safety: America in the Age of Terrorism ($19.95, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.) is filled with essays that examine critical Constitutional issues evoked by the Patriot Act that permits a far wider ability to investigate potential terrorists on the part of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. This troubles people concerned about the loss of Constitutional rights regarding issues of privacy and due process. Other issues, too, are examined, such as our current immigration policies that permitted the 9-11 hijackers to enter the US and literally disappear. Among the contributors are John D. Ashcroft, the Attorney General, Sens. John McCain and Patrick Leahy, to name just three. The book is edited by Amitai Etzioni and Jason H. Marsh. All points of view are provided and, if the actions taken by the government to respond to terrorism concern you, then this book should be on your reading list.

I have never been keen on the term "African-American" because the Blacks I have grown up with and known my whole life are just Americans to me. I know it’s a tradition of sorts to hyphenate in this fashion, but America is such a jumble of descendents of Irish, Italian, German, Scandinavian, Asian and all other nationalities, all busy marrying one another, that we have truly created a new kind of national identity. That said, Blacks have had more than their share of troubles, so knowing something of their own history here is very useful. Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of Resistance, Reform, and Renewal is an "African American" anthology, ($26.95, Roman & Littlefield) edited by Manning Marable and Leith Mullings. They have put together an anthology of Black writers that traces the evolution of African-American perspectives throughout US history, from the early years of slavery to the end of the 20^th century. It is an excellent work of scholarship and a reference that belongs in the homes of all Black Americans. Impressive, too, is Salome Thomas-El’s book, I Choose to Stay: A Black Teacher Refuses to Desert the Inner City ($23.00, Defina Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing). The challenges of teaching in an urban school are considerable, but the author tells his story of his decision to work in Philadelphia’s inner city because he was dedicated to changing lives. How he did that and how other schools can benefit from his methods is the essence of this inspiring book. These days he’s the principal of Reynolds Elementary School and those students are fortunate, indeed.

We live in times unlike any previous era. We literally drown in information, in claims of every kind, often reported as legitimate news. Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking by Robert E.Bartholomew and Benjamin Radford ($20, Prometheus Books, softcover) that explores the need for being able to think clearly. It is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. The authors look at the way many people accept some of the most unbelievable claims uncritically, accepting paranormal events and seemingly mysterious behavior without stepping to question them. In a world that has more than enough real hazards, accepting the fictional ones is a very bad idea. For those who trust their own intellect, this book will prove refreshing, interesting reading. I can also recommend Hush Hush: The Dark Secrets of Scientific Research by Michael Jordon ($35.00/$24.95, Firefly Books, Ltd., hard and softcover). The author examines forty notorious incidents, cover-ups, and controversial medical-health issues to reveal how they occurred, how they could have been prevented, who was responsible, what is the current status, and what dangers might emerge in the future. Here are events like the poisoning of thousands in Bhopal, India by a toxic cloud released from a chemical plant, the story behind Agent Orange, the nuclear meltdown in Chernobl, Ukraine, and others about whom the full story has not been told until now.

My friend, Michael Levine, a Hollywood public relations guru, has written A Branded World ($27.95, John Wiley & Sons) which is subtitled, "adventures in public relations and the creation of superbrands." This book is idea for marketers and brand managers for the way it shows them how to tap into the power of PR. The book is filled with fascinating stories, examples of what worked and what flopped, all the time detailing the most vital elements of establishing a brand that is instantly recognizable and builds loyalty. Everything, including personalities, can become a brand and Levine reveals how influential and widespread this phenomenon has become.

Every so often I receive a book that is so unique, so unusual in some respect that it just has to have some notice taken. This is the case of George Allen McCabe’s Thy God Is One ($14.95, Vision Press, PO Box 9, Dix, IL 62830). Let me start by saying that McCabe is a seeker of spiritual truth, self-taught, and serious about it. His book is replete with spelling and grammatical errors that would get him chased out of any classroom in America, but that just doesn’t matter as he takes the reader along on his quest to get at the roots of core beliefs of Judaism and Christianity. McCabe has made a marvelous spiritual journey, questioning everything he was ever taught in any church and, in the process, putting aside some of the most sacred beliefs central of Christianity. Spending time with orthodox Jewish sages, he absorbed their views, moving on to discover the "Noahide" laws that preceded Judaism. He finally arrived at the core of all spiritual thought that has intrigued the greatest theological minds, the awesome "oneness" of God, stripped clean of the layers of theological interpretation that took the paths of Judaism and Christianity. I think anyone who has wondered about the teachings of his or her particular faith would find this book fascinating. I know I did.

Back to Top

Parenting and Useful Advice for Living Happily

I am particularly fond of what I call "useful" books. These are the ones that provide a lot of carefully researched and well-presented information about those aspects of our lives for which we are often not well prepared.

This is why I was impressed with Child Custody Made Simple: Understanding the Laws of Child Custody and Child Support ($21.95, Single Parent Press, PO Box 1298, Claremont, CA 91711). Written by Webster Watnik, this is now a completely revised and updated book of 584 pages, of which 150 are new information. This book has previously won two awards, including the Publisher’s Marketing Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award for Parenting. This book is not due out official until June, but if you are coping with these issues, you will want to put in your order now. You will discover that a lawyer is often not the answer. In fact, the author says stay out of court if at all possible.

Most of us learn parenting by repeating the ways in which we were raised, but parenting is a skill where expert advice can prove to be very helpful. Moreover, the times in which we were raised often change with each new generation. A splendid example of this is My Kid’s an Honor Student, Your Kid’s a Loser by Ralph Shoenstein ($14.95, Perseus Publishing, softcover), very funny book about some very serious issues as the author looks at the way many of today’s parents will go to any length to get a competitive edge for their kids. In the process, they literally deprive their children of the simple joys of childhood. If you are a pushy parent or want to avoid becoming one, this is a very entertaining and informative book on the subject. The Privilege of Parenting: How to Raise Great Kids in the 2lst Century by Dr. James B. Levine, Ph.D. ($15.95, Unwindolgy Publishing, PO Box 6l009, Honolulu, HI 96822) takes a look at parenting, noting that it is more than a series of chores or an entitlement to be taken for granted. The author says it is a precious privilege that requires being in tune with your child’s basic nature. This book is about respecting one’s child, learning to understand their needs and how to fulfill them, how to avoid being too controlling, to insensitive. This book will prove a valuable resource to any parent and the steps it outlines will make for a happier child and parent. In a comparable way, Parenting With Dignity by Mac Bledsoe ($24.95, Alpha Books/Pearson Education) offers advice on raising children that does not work in the crisis management mode. The book has five rules for good parenting, talks of messages of love, teaching values, setting goals, and explores why many forms of punishment don’t work. This is a guide to becoming your child’s hero or heroine. This is the stuff of a happy family, bonded by good rules, good sense, and love.

One aspect of life that we are never really prepared for is the death of a loved one. Those left behind are supposed to grieve, but what if you don’t feel as though you want to? This question is answered in Liberating Losses: When Death Brings Relief by Jennifer Elison and Christ McGonigle ($26.00, Perseus Publishing). What they tell us that such feelings are normal, particularly when the death follows a number of situations such as if the lost one has suffered terribly from a physical or mental illness, or when the relationship has been unhappy or abusive. This is especially true for those who lose a loved one to Alzheimer’s disease that takes the living parent long before death ends their lives. If this reflects your life, this book will prove enormously helpful.

Caroline Knapp died too young of lung cancer in June 2002 after having written two bestsellers, Drinking: A Love Story and Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs. She had a rare talent for exploring relationships and human flaws. Her final book, Appetites: Why Women Want ($24.00, Counterpoint) will save some woman’s life simply because it examines her anorexia in her twenties, putting in the context of how women live in a culture that seeks to shape, define and control women and their desires. She writes about overcoming the demons that harm women. Why would women starve themselves rather than accept the natural desire to eat properly? You will find this answer and others regarding all aspects of women’s lives today. I would heartily recommend this be read by every woman who wants to take control of her life.

I enjoyed Gina Kolata’s new book, Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health ($24.00, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and I think you will too. The New York Times science reporter has taken a hard look at the fads, fictions and innovations that define the world of physical fitness today. In the process, she will help you avoid the phony claims and learn how to apply the facts she provides to your own fitness plans. If you have any, that is. You will be astounded how much misinformation exists, the fact your personal trainer may not have gotten much training, and why, for some people, fitness is just simply defies any effort. As in everything else in life, there’s a right way and a wrong way to achieve fitness. This book will save you a lot of wasted time, money, and energy.

After years of feminism and its influence on the way the sexes relate to one another, there’s finally a book on "the lost art of being a man" and so I salute How to Mow the Lawn by Sam Martin ($16.95, Dutton). Perfect for Father’s Day or as a graduate gift to any young man, this is an indispensable guide for every man and boy on the often-lost skills of manhood. It’s filled with tips on everything that is the province of men, plumbing, carpentry, car repair, barbecuing, and all those other things that were neglected in the training to be "sensitive" to women who are alleged to be equal. Have a man in your life? Get him this book!

Back to Top

Listening to Books

Like a lot of busy people, I enjoy listening to audiobooks if I am in my car or if I want to just stretch out and rest while also enjoying a new novel or useful non-fiction title.

I have the pleasure of telling you about an extraordinary collection of CDs, The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare ($600, The Audio Partners Publishing Corporation, 1133 High Street, Auburn, CA 95603.) It consists of 98 CDs in which all the comedies, tragedies, histories and romances of Shakespeare are performed. I suspect that, in time, one will be able to purchase the plays separately, but for now it is marketed as a complete set. This may be daunting, but the more than one hundred hours of listening will prove worth the price. Certainly, for anyone who loves the works of Shakespeare, it is an unparalleled opportunity to listen, at one’s pleasure, to any of his works. I recently sampled Macbeth, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and can report that they are all too wonderful for words. No pun intended!

From Random House Audio comes three new books that are sure to please. Robert B. Parker’s Back Story is a Spenser novel ($29.95) read by Joe Mantegna, an actor who has played Spenser on some made-for-television movies and who is just perfect in his interpretation. In this story, Spenser tried to solve a 30-year0old murder as a favor to an old friend. As always you’re in for a taut, tense, and expertly crafted detective yarn. Fans of Danielle Steel will welcome Dating Game (31.95), read by Sam Freed. This is her 57^th bestselling novel. It is about the roller-coaster ride of dating the second time around after Paris Armstrong, the mother of two grown children with a lovely home in Connecticut, hears her husband tell her he wants a divorce. Dumped for a younger woman, she has to put her shattered life together. Women, especially, will enjoy this story. Finally, there’s Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost ($29.95) that begins with the deaths of Darth Vader and the Emperor Palpatine. The victory at the Battle of Endor has not, however, spelled the end of the Empire. Read with great verve by Jonathan Davis, the story by Troy Denning, offers over six hours of Star Trek adventure for Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO when they are dispatched to Tatoonine on a special mission.

New Time Warner Audiobooks include The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks in both an abridged and unabridged version ($26.98/$39.98, cassettes or CDs). It is about the search for love and how one man’s jealousy becomes a deadly obsession. Lost Light by Michael Connelly ($#6.98/$49.98) is about a retired LAPD detective who, on his own, is drawn to an old case, an unsolved murder. On the non-fiction side, there’s How to Grow When Markets Don’t for those trying to figure out how to keep a company going in hard times through acquisitions, partnerships, and licensing. Knowing God Intimately by Joyce Meyer ($25.98) discusses how to bring God into one’s life for a personal relationship.

August House publishes a number of audios that are widely used in classrooms. One of their latest, Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories ($16.95 CD, $12.00 cassette) has won the Parent’s Choice 2003 Silver Award for its collection of stories, poetry, and folksongs from The American Songbag. It has 22 literary pieces in spoken word and seven songs. And it is sure to delight anyone, old and young. To entertain any child, August House offers a wide selection that includes the Itsy Bitsy Spider’s Heroic Climb ($12.00 cassette), World Tales of Wisdom and Wonder told by Heather Forest ($16.94 CD), and Johnny Appleseed, Gentle Hero ($12.00, cassette). To learn more about this publisher’s excellent audio productions, visit www.augusthouse.com.

Back to Top

Novels, Novels, Novels

Who are all these people and why are they writing all these novels? There is something in the human psyche that loves to tell stories and, in these times, that means that novels pour off the presses in such numbers it is simply daunting to those of us who try to sort through the books that pile up every month, filled with the stories that reflect our lives or soar off into new, imaginary realms.

One of the best new novels is We Need to Talk About Kevin by (Ms) Lionel Shriver (13.00, Counterpoint). It will take you back to the late 1990s when young men were walking into their schools and killing classmates and teachers. Imagine if you were the parent of such a child? How does one bear up with the sorrow and the horror? Where can blame be assigned? Told from the point of view of the mother of such a boy through letters to an estranged husband, she struggles to understand the "why" of a situation that often defies a straight- forward answer. This novel is going to get people thinking about the issues involved. It should because they remain today. It is worth noting that every one of the real life young killers was on some sort of mind-altering drug, often prescribed on the advice of school authorities. Millions of youngsters are still subject to this national disgrace. To the author, we say Bravo!

Famed novelist Rona Jaffe has penned The Room-Mating Season ($24.95, Dutton) based on article she wrote way back in 1963. Set in that year, she tells the story of four eager, naïve and completely different personalities who converge on New York and become roommates shoehorned into a tiny one-bedroom apartment in a townhouse in Manhattan’s Upper East side. In an entertaining story we watch as their lives spin off in different directions over the years. Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer have made a reputation for themselves as novelists who tell the story of lives in a quaint New England town. In the final installment of a trilogy of novels, They have written A Gathering Place ($22.95, Berkley Books) set in the fictional town of Cape Light. In this novel Mayor Emily Warwick can finally focus on her burgeoning relationship with the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years earlier. Human relationships are the heart of this story.

From Warner Books come two thrillers, Wages of Sin by Penelope Williamson ($19.95) and Land of the Living by Nicci French ($23.95). In the first story, the author picks up where she left off in Mortal Sins, set in the early years of the twentieth century in New Orleans. In her new novel the brutal murder of a beloved priest and series of murders of young girls devoted to a Hollywood star who is being stalked. The star’s fame has become her curse. This is an intense psychological thriller with non-stop action that will keep you riveted. Nicci French follows up her success with Killing Me Softly and Beneath the Skin with a new novel that begins with a kidnapped woman, hooded, bound and gagged in an airless shed. Despite her escape, the nightmare is far from over. If you want a harrowing story of survival against great odds, you will want to read this story. The author is actually two writers married to one another, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French who live in Suffolk, England.

Famed for his many crime novels, Donald E. Westlake is back with Money for Nothing ($24.95, Mysterious Press). He’s just an excellent storyteller and, in his latest, we find Josh Redmont, 27 and unemployed, who receives a check for a thousand dollars from someone he doesn’t know and can’t contact. The checks keep coming and, seven years later he’s a successful advertising man, married, and a father. Then one day he is approached by a man who tells him he has been sending the checks and that he has been "activated" into a world of foreign spies and ruthless people planning an assassination that will claim the lives of many innocent victims. Having accepted the money, he appears to be one of them. Can he extricate himself from this nightmare? You will have to read the book!

I confess I am queasy with novels that deal boldly with taboo sex topics, but Jacqueline Carey is not. In the third of three novels, Kushiel’s Avatar ($27.95, Tor) follows upon Kushiel’s Dart and Kushiel’s Chosen, and the topic is bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. The heroine is openly masochistic and the author explores this dark place in the heart in a fantasy novel filled with strange gods, exotic lands, and religious mysteries. This fat novel will provide plenty of action to satisfy anyone looking for a rich story, but its particular orientation is not for children or the squeamish. Sex is at the heart of Threads of Passion by Holly Hayes ($23.95, Muybridge Press) as the heroine, a young businesswoman in a failed marriage reclaims herself when she vacations alone in Barbados and begins a journey that takes her to exotic locales like Hong Kong, the rugged coast of France, and on to Bali. Along the way, she learns how to balance love, work, money and family. This is a story about taking risks that may appeal to a woman engaged in the same search.

Nik C. Colyer is embarked on a novel as a four-part series called Channeling Biker Bob ($15.00, Henrioulle Publishing Group, 228 Commercial St., #173, Nevada City, CA 95859). It’s about "misplaced manhood, marriage on the rocks, and motorcycles over easy." Part two has just been published. In it, Thomas Goreman, a cop with an attitude, discovers an unconventional mentor when the irreverent spirit, Biker Bob, enters his dreams and introduces him to an unlikely set of guardian angels, a biker gang devoted to the Holy Grail of Harleys. That’s just the beginning of the weird way this story weaves between reality and fantasy seeking the answers to male/female issues, i.e., manhood, what it means, what it is, and such. Truth be told, the author will amuse you greatly once you get into the spirit of this book. I suggest you start with the first in the series and then read this one. To learn more, check out ChannelingBikerBob.com.

Increasingly, self-published novels are gaining the same attention as those from the mainstream publishers. One in particular, All That Is Hidden by Laura Denooyer-Moore ($20.95, 1stBooks Library) has been gaining a growing audience of readers who can't wait to tell their friends about it. Set in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1960s, it is a coming-of-age story of Tina in the great tradition of Southern books, filled with the lives of family and the community. Deftly the author begins each chapter with an oral tale from the region. The author has a particular skill in developing each character as they struggle to understand their times and to survive the changes during a clash of tradition and so-called progress. This is a compelling story about the secrets that people keep and the discoveries they make about themselves. We’re pleased to include this novel among our Featured Books.

A big stack of softcover novels runs the gamut of stories that will prove entertaining. Two from Plume are The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru ($14.00) and The City of your Final Destination by Peter Cameron ($14.00). The former was recommended when it was first published. It’s a trip to 19^th century India and the trials of a half-English offspring of a soldier stationed there. A story about class and race, it will take you to a different age, but one with the same prejudices that must be overcome to survive in an unkind world. By contrast, Cameron’s novel is a light, humorous story of the way love can take anyone on unexpected detours. For a few hours of fun, this is the novel to read. The Virgin’s Knot ($13.00) was reviewed here a year ago when it debuted. Holly Payne has written a story about a famed virgin-weaver in a Turkish mountain village whom the locals believe to have the power to perform miracles beyond the marvelous rugs she weaves. For those who enjoy learning about the cultures of other nations, this novel will prove very interesting.

Plucked from the stack there’s Some Days There’s Pies is a debut by Catherine Landis ($12.95, St. Martin’s Griffin) about 19-year-old Ruth Ritchie who grew up on the wrong side of Summerville, Tennessee. Her main desire is to leave the town where she sells pies at Durwood’s Hardware. Her journey begins with a quick marriage to a stereo salesman, but soon flees to be on her own. This is a gentle story of the South and the vagaries of life. Also from St. Martin’s Griffin comes Richard Dry’s Leaving ($14.95), another excellent debut. In this story, a Black family journeys from South Carolina to Oakland, California during the 1960’s. Set in the era of the Civil Rights struggle, we see the mood of the nation change through the events in the their lives. A Black family’s struggle against adversity is the theme of Never Forget the Bridge that You Crossed Over ($34.00/$4.99, hardcover and softcover, Xlibris). Set in Georgia in the 1960s, it tells the story of the abduction of the Walker sisters and how it shattered the lives of the family. It takes 38 years and their deep faith before they are finally reunited. Adriene Pickett, the author, has written a story of faith, forgiveness, and family bonds that covers three generations from slavery to the Civil Rights movement, to the present day. This is yet another impressive debut.

Another family is the heart of Nector by David C. Fickett, ($23.95, Forge/Tor) set in the unforgiving farmland of rural Maine. It is a story of love and sacrifice, of family tragedies and obligations among three generations of beekeepers and especially Regina, a determined woman who weathers everything life throws at her. The bee motif makes for an interesting story as Regina, the queen bee, manipulates all the men in her life, searching for elusive happiness. This honey is bittersweet. By coincidence, a novel by Richard Wynes, Silver Eyes ($12.95, Llumina Press) is also set in Maine, but there the resemblance ends as he weaves a tale about two girls with a special gift, the ability to know things in visions that no one can explain. Now someone is coming to kill them after they have helped the police seeking to solve a kidnapping. This one will keep you turning the pages to see if their visions can save them from their killer.

Finally, from the world of paperbacks comes an abundance of new novels from Kensington Publishing and its subsidiaries, Pinnacle and Zebra books. There’s Jennifer Apodaca’s Dating Can Be Murder in which the main character discovers her deceased husband was into ever kind of cheating and criminality you can name. While running a dating service, she also discovers she’s running the risk of being murdered. The Fifth Victim by Beverly Barton puts a FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer and you will read as fast as you can to find how and when he does. Overfall by David Dun is first class spy fiction as a man and woman team up to unravel an international conspiracy. For those who prefer romance, Fern Michaels serves up About Face about a physician who finds a woman without a past, her memory stripped by terrifying events a decade earlier. Together they find love and the answers to that past that unlock the future for them.

That’s it for May! Visit our Featured Books section to learn about some very special, very unique books, one of which is bound to be just right for you.

Authors, publishers, publicists take notice! Now your book can be a Featured Book on this site where it will enjoy an entire page of its own and a link to Amazon.Com. This is a great way to let the many visitors to Bookviews.Com learn about your book. It is very affordable. For more information, click here.

Back to Top