Biography

Meriwether Lewis was famous for two things: leading the Corps of Discovery expedition (1804–06) and committing suicide. Danisi and Jackson (The Piikani Blackfeet: A Culture Under Siege) focus on Lewis's life before the expedition and his term as governor of the Louisiana Territory thereafter. By contrast, Stephen E. Ambrose's Undaunted Courage focuses on the expedition and Lewis's suicide. Danisi and Jackson introduce readers to the rough and tumble of Louisiana Territory politics, both internationally (Spanish territory to the southwest, British to the north and on the seas) and locally, including confusing French-Spanish land claims and relations with various Indian tribes. Through exhaustive, well-sourced research, the authors demonstrate Lewis's competent management of the territory until days before his death in October 1809, highlighting the bitter political battles and indifferent Washington bureaucrats and clearly refuting claims of diminished mental capabilities. They further confirm that Lewis suffered from recurring bouts of malaria, reinforcing a sense of his suffering as a motive for suicide. Whatever the cause of Lewis's early death, the nation has struggled to accept that a hero's life was cut short. This excellent biography does much to let the man shine forth. Highly recommended.—Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ, of Evansville Libs., IN

This is an excellent book about the beginning, peak, near death, and resurrection of one of the best-selling brands of premium spirits. The name Smirnov once represented the splendor of tsarist Russia, and Pyotr Smirnov was one of the great men of his time. Himelstein (former Silicon Valley bureau chief, BusinessWeek) documents Smirnov from his beginnings as a serf in mid-19th-century Russia to his rise to the pinnacle of prerevolutionary society. She also looks at the effect vodka had on that society and the effect the revolution had on the Smirnov family (the distillery was confiscated, prompting Smirnov's business to expand beyond Russia). Himelstein continues following the brand and the family up to the present, including the machinations of various branches of the Smirnov family to regain control of the Smirnov name. This is an extremely well researched book, to be expected from a journalist of Himelstein's stature. She succeeds in making the intertwined stories of the Smirnov family and of Russia both academically rigorous and accessible to general readers curious to know more about their favorite vodka's history.—John Sandstrom, El Paso P.L., TX

Bulgaria is an alien land to most of us—we might visit it someday, but we wouldn't want to live there. In the 1970s and 1980s when poet Kassabova was growing up, Bulgaria was grimly Communist. Her delightful and insightful book is an elegiac paean to a country she couldn't wait to leave but now can't get out of her head. The wonder is that individuality survived at all during those stifling years of government-enforced mediocrity, but it did, as is abundantly clear in Kassabova's vivid descriptions of family, friends, and teachers. Years later, she went back for a visit. Much had changed, but more had not. Manufactured goods were still scarce or nonexistent; service was given begrudgingly or not at all. Old towns had been bulldozed to erect shoddy townhouses, and the Bulgarians still hated the Turks. Kassabova's readers will learn much about a country they generally don't even think about, sometimes laughing out loud and sometimes simply stopping to reflect. In fact, it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't benefit from this lovely book.—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Stiles (Jesse James) presents a thoroughly researched, annotated, and illustrated account of the rise of the visionary Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877) from boatman to railroad entrepreneur, revealing his difficult personal and family life, struggle to attain a place in New York society, and role in establishing the arguably individualistic, lightly regulated financial system that America has today. Stiles shows that as America moved from a communal, rural society to a competitive, industrial one, framed by the antebellum conflicts between laissez-faire Jacksonian and controlled-market Whig ideas, Vanderbilt came to exemplify the contradictions of the masters of competition who stifled rivals by later enacting monopolies similar to the kind they had first opposed. Instrumental in providing transportation to the California gold fields, consolidating railroad lines to make them among the first modern corporations, and helping to reconcile the post-Civil War North and South, the gruff Vanderbilt was often misjudged in his own time as well as by history. Stiles meticulously separates myths from facts in a book that compares favorably with David Nasaw's Andrew Carnegie. By unearthing and carefully cross-checking information and dispassionately revising our portrait of Vanderbilt, Stiles has produced a work highly recommended for readers interested in biography, popular business, New York State history, and transportation.—Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Library of Congress

Altucher, founder of the Stockpickr.com social networking web site for investing, shows how to find stocks that should benefit from irresistible multidecade demographic trends. He singles out the Barnes Group, for instance, because its business of producing parts for railroads should be positively impacted by rail growth. Altucher also says individuals should seek out and emulate the investments made by successful professionals and piggyback onto their research. If Warren Buffett has been buying stock in railroads like Burlington Northern, then, says Altucher, so should you. The irreverent Altucher doesn't mind poking holes in cherished beliefs, as when he says he would rather give his children money to start successful businesses than spend it on college, which might not be economically beneficial. He also recounts some of the lessons he learned from his investing and business successes and, most insightfully, his failures. All in all, Altucher makes good investing and life points that would benefit most readers, especially young professionals.—Lawrence Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

Former New York Times columnist Goleman (Emotional Intelligence) contends that to address environmental challenges, we must rethink our industrial legacy, reform manufacturing and commerce, and improve our collective ecological footprint. In essence, he asserts that collective consumerism is central to environmental action. He discusses the process of life-cycle analysis to determine a product's environmental impact but maintains it does not go far enough. He persuasively argues that radical transparency—which includes environmental, social, biological, and worker safety and health impacts—will better enable consumers to make decisions based on what matters most to them. Goleman's discussion of individual shopping habits is particularly interesting, including the need to be aware of superficial service and product claims—"greenwashing." Although individual decisions are important, he asserts that group action and institutions can create market pressure to shift to sustainable practices and that digital tools can play an effective role in shaping collective awareness and creating coordinated action. Recommended for readers interested in business or environmental issues. [For more on business and the environment, see Robert Eagan's collection development article, "The Green Capitalist," LJ 2/1/09, p. 37-39.—Ed.]—Robin K. Dillow, Rotary International, Lincolnwood, IL

Miller, a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher and blogger, has enabled students of many different backgrounds to enjoy reading and to be good at it; her students regularly score high on the Texas standardized tests. Her approach is simple yet provocative: affirm the reader in every student, allow students to choose their own books, carve out extra reading time, model authentic reading behaviors, discard timeworn reading assignments such as book reports and comprehension worksheets, and develop a classroom library filled with high-interest books. Her students regularly read more than 40 books in a school year and leave her classroom with an appreciation and love of books and reading. Miller provides many tips for teachers and parents and includes a useful list of ultimate reading suggestions picked by her students. This outstanding contribution to the literature is highly recommended for teachers, parents, and others serving young students.—Mark Bay, Univ. of the Cumberlands Lib., Williamsburg, KY

Grigoris Balakian (1876–1934), a cultural and religious leader in Istanbul's Armenian community, was arrested in April 1914 with 250 other leaders and began almost four years of deportation, forced march to the Syrian desert, and abusive treatment. Thus was launched the Turkish government's program to rid the country of Armenians. Hundreds of thousands were viciously murdered or died of cold and starvation, but Balakian's fierce will to live and his encounters with a few generous people allowed him to survive and tell the story. This memoir, which Balakian published in Armenian in 1922, vividly portrays Turkish brutality as it provides his and others' stories along with well-informed commentary on Turkey's actions. Peter Balakian (English, Colgate Univ.; The Burning Tigris), the author's grandnephew, has translated this rich historical document and provided scholarly support, making available a readable and moving account that will be welcomed by both the English-speaking Armenian community and a broader audience committed to witnessing and understanding the massive cruelty and suffering that characterized widespread crimes against humanity in the 20th century. Important for readers who want to judge whether or not this was the first genocide in modern times.—Elizabeth R. Hayford, President Emeritus, Associated Coll. of the Midwest, Evanston, IL

Pham Xuan An (d. 2006) was an experienced journalist at Time magazine's Saigon bureau. There, he was a delightful colleague, full of nuanced information about the war and respected for the articles he published in the Western press. But he was also Hanoi's longtime top agent in the enemy capital. While he provided analytical reports and tactical advice to field units, An's greatest success was warning the Communists about the invasions of Cambodia and Laos. He skillfully played a dangerous game of affection and careful deception, and he surely would have been executed had he been caught carrying his microfilm. Educated for two years in the United States and apparently fond of American culture, An (like so many others) just did not want Washington ruling his country. Readers will find not merely an interesting story but lessons about themselves through foreign eyes. Former reporter Bass (English & journalism, SUNY at Albany) interviewed An and others and has perhaps more Vietnamese sources than did Larry Berman for Perfect Spy. Most readers should acquaint themselves with at least one of these two good books. (Index not seen.)—Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL

Although the last remaining active Shaker community, with its four members, is in New Gloucester, ME, the Shakers continue to fascinate modern readers. Author and photographer Bial's latest book offers a wonderful introduction to Shaker belief, history, and lifestyle. Bial focuses on the historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, KY, one of the largest and best-preserved sites. Shakers were known for their simple lifestyle, which for them meant little or no ornamentation or embellishment. This also describes Bial's photographs and thoughtful text, which perfectly mirror the philosophy of the Shakers. The photographs highlight the simplicity of style, innovativeness, and creativity of Shaker architecture, furniture, and crafts and reinforce the lasting legacy of Shaker communities. Though this is an excellent introductory volume for children or young adults, its appeal will not be limited by age. The familiar 18th-century Shaker song "'Tis a Gift To Be Simple" ably describes this delightful book. Highly recommended.—Nancy Richey, Western Kentucky Univ. Bowling Green

The United States National Slavery Museum has not yet been completed in Fredericksburg, VA, but this book is a testament to what it can contribute to our understanding of the history of slavery in North America, the predominant factor in the great African diaspora. The book displays the artifacts, images, and documents that the museum itself will be able to display in the future. Editor Carter (research scholar, Georgetown Univ.: Africana Woman: Her Story Through Time) brings a full historical perspective to the book, with reflections by notable figures, e.g., Nelson Mandela, former governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder, journalist Juan Williams, and Bill Cosby, accompanying the images in a manner much like a documentary film that seeks to keep its viewers engaged by means of spectacle and famous names. But the real stars of this book are the words of enslaved men and women, abolitionists, and newspaper editorialists. Their stories are powerfully presented here in word and image and grab the heart. The serious scholar of African American history will be familiar with most of this material, but this will be popular with students and general readers.—Suzanne Lay, Perry H.S., GA

In this introspective and optimistic essay, Purdy (law, Duke Univ.; Common Things) contends that the driving force in U.S. history has been the relentless expansion of each individual's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Initially, the beneficiaries of these rights were the propertied males of the revolutionary era. Gradually, non-property-owning white men, ex-slaves, women, and other minorities began to demand these rights. Purdy maintains that the struggle to extend these freedoms to all Americans has defined us as a nation. At the same time, the realities of human nature have required that boundaries be placed on the search for personal freedom for the sake of the common interests of the community, and balancing these often conflicting impulses has been a source of tension and ultimately positive growth in American society. Purdy interlaces his exploration of the American experience with observations from a diverse group of Western thinkers ranging from Ben Jonson to Frederick Douglass. He also includes an excellent bibliographic essay. Readers who enjoyed such works as Gary Wills's Inventing America or Eric Foner's The Story of American Freedom will appreciate this insightful treatise.—Jim Doyle, Rome, GA

Rafuse (military history, U.S. Army Command & General Staff Coll.; McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union) provides a detailed guide to the Civil War engagements of September 1862 as they may be understood by visiting the battlefield sites today. For each major battle, he describes the strategic and political situations leading up to the encounters. "Stops" indicate vantage points from which to view a site, while numerous black-and-white maps showing landmarks, roads, rivers, etc., as they are today indicate the locations of particular units in battle there. "What Happened" sections detail the battle while adding further vignettes, orientation, and directions. Each subsection is followed by an analysis, and "Further Reading" sections provide page-specific citations relevant to the site. Finally, appendixes for "Orders of Battle" and "Organization, Weapons, and Tactics," along with sourcing, wrap up the book. Debatably, the reverse chronological order is a flaw, but it may be forgiven considering that Antietam was the most significant battle of the three. Recommended for Civil War aficionados, especially those living near the battlefields.—Matthew J. Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill

One might well ask why the world needs yet another rehash on the leaders of the great crusades of World War II in Europe, but much-published historian Roberts (A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900) has identified a previously untapped source of inside information on how the four controlling personalities of the Anglo-British Alliance managed a vast and disparate campaign: Lawrence Burgis. Burgis was present at War Cabinet meetings in both World Wars and kept voluminous notes and a diary. To do so was strictly illegal, but the results are a mother lode for historians today. Burgis and a couple of other clandestine diarists provide much of the texture in Roberts's narrative of the relationships among the four principals: Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall, and Alanbrooke. Although not a book calculated to change anyone's mind about the course or outcome of the war, this is a well-told story, with fresh insights into the decision-making processes and the influence of personality upon great events. For all readers of military history.—Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KA

In 1940, Thomas Sneum, a 22-year-old pilot in the Danish Air Arm, refused to stand by while the Germans took over his homeland. He gathered data about Nazi radar installations, using a camera and German contacts. Then he and a fellow pilot pieced back together a disassembled Hornet Moth biplane they had found and flew it to England to share their information. The Hornet lacked the range to make it all the way, requiring Sneum to climb out of the plane onto the wing in midair to refuel. Sneum was eventually recruited by the British and provided valuable information during the war despite the many obstacles in his way, including being jailed as a suspected double agent. Using original documents and hundreds of hours of interviews with Sneum (who died in 2007), Ryan's book is the first to chronicle the journey of the audacious Dane whose real-life exploits include all the key elements of any good spy story: sex, danger, and intrigue. In fact, Ken Follet's The Hornet's Sting was based on this World War II episode, but the real account is more exciting than fiction: readers will find the book hard to put down. Highly recommended.—Patti C. McCall, Albany Molecular Research, Inc., NY

In this companion to a BBC documentary about the 2008 presidential campaign, British transplant Schama (University Professor of Art History & History, Columbia Univ.; Rough Crossings)—a foremost revivalist of the grand narrative historiographic tradition—trains his interpretive virtuosity on the United States. Schama, who views Obama's triumphant ascendancy as the realization of the grandest American values, ties campaign themes to the larger historical traditions, tensions, and contests that gave rise to them. He cuts back and forth between vignettes of his visits to Nevada, Texas, and Georgia, among other locales, and startlingly original takes on America's practices of democratic warring, deep but diverse religiosity, ethnic and racial identity, and grabs for land, water, and energy. Some readers will be put off by the author's affectionate but condescending assumption of dialect-inflected depictions of Iowan voters, Mexican American veterans, and Mississippian Civil Rights heroines, but these passages are comparatively brief. In the end, while Schama makes a real contribution to an understanding of how America is special (and imperiled), this work is not based on archival research and does not reveal new stories that illuminate a complex past. Appropriate for all readers but perhaps best for the general public. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/09.]—Scott H. Silverman, Bryn Mawr Coll. Lib., PA

Taylor (research assoc., Fairbank Ctr. for Chinese Studies, Harvard), best known for his biography of President Chiang Kai-shek's son, Ching-kuo, follows up with an equally engaging biography of Chiang Kai-shek himself, founder of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan. Indeed, this book is arguably less a biography than a modern history of China. Drawing heavily on Chiang's personal diaries, the text reveals a soldier who was curiously self-contradictory in both actions and personality. Although an ill-tempered and ruthless politician, Chiang was a courageous intellectual who loved and sacrificed for his country. Taylor reveals the complex relationship among Republican China on Taiwan, Communist China, and the United States and shows that while Chiang was an archrival of Mao, he nonetheless secretly consulted with his mainland counterparts on most policy developments. Although he ran a tightly regulated police state with brutal suppression of dissidents, Chiang's rule ultimately raised personal income, health, and education levels on the island, setting the stage for Taiwan's evolution of a Chinese model of democratic modernization. An excellent addition to the field of modern Chinese history; recommended for academic audiences.—Allan Cho, Univ. of British Columbia Lib., Vancouver

In the period covered by this book—just a little over a century—the world shifted from reliance on human labor to the use of machines as an essential aspect of daily life and work. Weightman's (The Frozen Water Trade: A True Story) well-researched study examines the lives of familiar figures who made such advancement possible and brings to light equally important names now absent from general knowledge. Yet it would be a mistake to regard this simply as a collective biography of inventors and their creations, for an equal amount of attention is given to the movement of technological innovation worldwide. Britain may have begun as the center of modern industry, but it was the spread of its achievements and subsequent refinements by other countries that helped drive industrialization to a rapid pace. While giving proper credit to the minds and efforts of the people involved, Weightman provides a thoughtful exploration of the paths through which their inventions and knowledge were transmitted and how particular circumstances, such as natural resources, socioeconomic needs, and political climates influenced and shaped a county's industrial development. Highly recommended.—Kathleen McCallister, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

George Weller wrote for the Chicago Daily News for 35 years, achieving fame for his widely ranging dispatches from the many fronts of World War II. He was captured by the Gestapo in Greece, escaped from Java on a boat strafed by Japanese fighters, marched with Belgian colonial troops fighting Italian colonial troops in Ethiopia, and slogged through swamps with Americans and Australians locked in grim struggles in New Guinea. Weller's war reporting won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1943. Here, his son assembles many of his dispatches, which add tremendously to our understanding of the war at ground level, the people's war. His aim was to tell the people back home what their heroes were doing. Anthony Weller previously edited First into Nagasaki: The Censored Eyewitness Dispatches on Post-Atomic Japan and Its Prisoners of War, a book of his father's unpublished dispatches from post-surrender Japan. Anyone interested in World War II will want to read both volumes.—Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KA

Noted historian Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization) movingly recounts 11 months spent with Dominique Green, a Texas death row inmate whom he met through retired Chicago judge Sheila Murphy. In descriptive, poetic words, Cahill tells of Green's chaotic and troubled life, which led him to admit participation in an armed robbery that had resulted in murder. Through the lay Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio, Green transformed his life in prison, according to Cahill, and became an earthly saint. Despite the efforts of Judge Murphy, Desmond Tutu and others, Green was executed by the state of Texas in 2004. Cahill includes poems and letters by Green as well as Cahill's specific criticism of Green's sentence. Unlike Helen Prejean's Dead Man Walking, Cahill's book is not an all-out attack on the death penalty so much as a meditation on a life reborn through faith. Recommended for general readers.—Harry Charles, Attorney at Law, St. Louis

Who hasn't heard of Bonnie and Clyde Barrow? The story of their murderous crime spree during the Great Depression has been told numerous times in both print and film. These new books provide lengthy, detailed descriptions of their many crimes, as well as comprehensive reviews of their backgrounds. Schneider (Brutal Journey), in particular, emphasizes the social climate of the era, as encountered especially by Clyde—oddly, the book is composed in the second person, as addressed empathetically to Clyde himself, leading the author into language that is impressionistic and somewhat disconcerting to encounter in sourced nonfiction. Although Schneider does not justify the criminal lives of the Barrows, his aim may be to show that their story is relevant today, when members of modern street gangs sometimes view a life of crime as their best way out of poverty.

Relying on unpublished manuscripts and testimonies and written sources that he deems reliable, Guinn (former book editor, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; The Christmas Chronicles) reminds us that many stories of Bonnie and Clyde were exaggerated in the news, resulting in myths he challenges here. For example, they were very inept crooks. Although he does not provide as comprehensive a review of the era's social climate as Schneider, Guinn explains how celebrities reflect the needs of their particular time. In addition, his coverage of the law enforcement effort to bring down Bonnie and Clyde is more detailed than Schneider's. He accurately points out that the general public idolized Bonnie and Clyde because of their rebel image of sticking it to bankers and the law during a period of economic and social struggles. Ultimately, the public adoration changed when Bonnie and Clyde killed two motorcycle cops. Many readers may feel that they've already had enough of these two, but both books are fine additions to the literature, although Schneider's approach takes some getting used to. Guinn's is more strongly recommended if one must choose.—Tim Delaney, SUNY at Oswego

This book, which has a foreword by Sister Helen Prejean, is a strong and graphic condemnation of capital punishment in America. Sinclair, now an award-winning journalist, spent 40 years in the Louisiana prison system, part of it on death row, for a shooting in a botched robbery. His sentence was commuted in 1972 under Furman v. Georgia, and he was released in 2006 to continue his life as a writer and opponent of the death penalty. The first chapter gives graphic details about methods of execution. It is followed by a chapter, "The Cocktail," which discusses lethal injection. In the next 12 chapters, Sinclair discusses cases of innocence, DNA exoneration, child rape, youth violence, killers of women, and corruption in Louisiana's criminal justice system. His graphic details may be disturbing to some, but this is exactly what Sinclair wants. He brings home in no uncertain terms the horrors as well as the capricious and arbitrary nature of the death penalty. An informative source for anyone interested in criminal justice.—Frances Sandiford, formerly with Green Haven Correctional Facility Lib., Stormville, NY

Sunstein (Harvard Law Sch.; Worst-Case Scenarios), currently information and regulatory affairs administrator in the Obama adminstration, engages us in a conversation about the enduring issues of American constitutional law and how society can create changes in constitutional understanding. He looks at three means of constitutional interpretation—traditionalism, populism, and cosmopolitanism—which, respectively, stress the role of traditions, the significance of public opinion, and the importance of foreign law in creating our present constitutional arguments. As Sunstein explains, each approach overlaps with the other. Sunstein carefully analyzes each approach and shows that all create a central dilemma in constitutional law; for example, the traditionalism approach limits some aspects of due process activities. He also examines the consequences of each approach to determine whether it would make our constitutional order better or worse. He sees the new social and political commitments of citizens and political leaders, as well as the courts, as key elements in redirecting constitutional interpretation. Highly recommended for scholarly audiences and lay readers interested in current constitutional studies.—Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.

Majid, an unorthodox professor of English (Univ. of New England; A Call for Heresy) has now written an alternative history of European xenophobia that will stimulate and provoke readers across the political spectrum. The idea that Jews and Muslims share in the indignity of anti-Semitism has been expounded before—Majid relies on works by Gil Anidjar (e.g., The Jew, The Arab) as well as Allan Harris Cutler and Helen E. Cutler's The Jew as Ally of the Muslim: Medieval Roots of Anti-Semitism, but Majid further broadens the image of the "Moor" to a general metaphor of presumed racial inferiority and troublesome incompatibility. Nimbly stringing together a variety of sources, symbolic associations, and historical parallels, Majid proposes that current American and European anti-immigrant campaigns are culturally descended from medieval Christian crusades against the dark-skinned, non-Christian, culturally perverse "Moor." This work will generate criticism and conversation; it will be taken up by intellectual reading clubs as well as graduate seminars and should be made available to all academic audiences as well as informed lay readers.—Lisa Klopfer, Eastern Michigan Univ., Ypsilanti

Peters, a former AP and ABC News journalist, presents a meticulous firsthand account of her experiences investigating the role of heroin production and distribution in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries and the reluctance of the U.S. government to address the issue. Covering key players, such as Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar, and Benazir Bhutto, Peters highlights this lesser-known Afghani product of war and government instability, one that is hard to track and harder to stop. Hers is a tale of how money from opium brought the Taliban back from the brink of extinction and how their joining with al Qaeda has turned Afghanistan into "the world's first fully fledged narco-terror state." Her detailed notes and bibliography assist in referencing information; however, general readers would have been better served by the inclusion of maps and a glossary of names/places/acronyms. Recommended for informed audiences. (Photographs not seen.)—Jenny Seftas, Southwest Florida Coll., Fort Myers, FL

Kashdan (psychology, George Mason Univ.), who considers curiosity the catalyst to creating emotional well-being, argues that one can find meaning in life by being open to new events and experiences. He writes that as adults, whether we are experiencing a positive or a negative event, we want to attach meaning to it and bring closure. Curiosity, asserts Kashdan, is about being flexible and instead embracing the uncertainty and novelty of a situation rather than trying to control it; through curiosity we can change our mind-sets and prolong positive experiences. If we seek daily for things that meet our needs and values, then interest, exploration, and curiosity will carry us forward to a new emotional level. In addition to an extensive resource list, Kashdan presents his own research as well as several self-help tools. His argument is not entirely convincing—in the end, readers may wonder not just whether but how the answer to a more fulfilling life is really as simple as being curious—but some readers will find this new twist on an old concept helpful.—Phyllis Goodman, West Chester Lib., OH

Studies of black fatherhood have focused largely on the absence of or problems with black fathers, overlooking those fathers who, in fact, take sole care of their children. Ironically, then, absent black fathers are present everywhere, in the literature and popular consciousness, while present black fathers are effectively absent, writes Coles. Coles (social & cultural sciences, Marquette Univ.), an expert on families and race, makes a major contribution to the literature on single black custodial fathers. Her study is exploratory and descriptive, offering an examination of the meaning of fatherhood held by the 20 single black custodial fathers she interviewed. Although her findings cannot be generalized (her study does not claim to be representative), her work offers a rich picture of fatherhood embodied by the fathers she interviewed. She discusses themes such as possible differences between raising daughters and sons, getting parenting advice, and talking about racial discrimination with one's children. An important book that gets this best-kept secret out in the open.—Karen Okamoto, John Jay Coll. Lib., NY

The tenth anniversary of the Columbine tragedy has brought several new books with new information about the school shootings. Cullen, a journalist who was there to cover the story on April 20, 1999, has been researching this event ever since and offers eyewitness testimony, survivor interviews, writings from both Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, and police reports. (He documents his sources at the end of his text.) Any book about this tragedy can be hard to read, and Cullen's detailed account of the gruesome killings and suicides is no exception. Cullen's style can also make the book hard going, as he skips back and forth through time and among different people involved in the event and occasionally repeats himself. In the end, however, Cullen clarifies a lot of misconceptions that evolved soon after the tragedy and provides new insights into why it occurred, which makes the book definitely worth reading despite the disjointed narrative.—Terry Christner, Hutchinson P.L., KS

Many a book has been written about dissatisfaction with everyday life. And many of these have involved escaping to the Italian countryside in search of all things pastoral. In this memoir, Whitbred Award-winning novelist Cusk (Arlington Park) applies her usual philosophical and metaphorical stamp to this recently popular genre. Dissatisfied with life, her family leaves England for three months in Italy, seeking a respite from the daily grind and perhaps alternatives to their current restlessness. While many books in this genre wax poetic about the simple life and food of the authentic Italian experience, Cusk's cultural focus is on art, particularly on the so-called Piero della Francesca trail of Tuscan towns relating to the artist. Though the family makes some attempts at integrating themselves into their community, most of their experience is with other tourists and ex-pats, providing a different view of the Italian escape experience. Much of the work is typical Cusk, lyrical with a touch of sadness in its honesty. A refreshing break from the numerous recent travelers' memoirs.—Sheila Kasperek, Millersville Univ., Millersville, PA

Dutch writer Nooteboom, whose works include highly acclaimed novels (e.g., Lost Paradise), poetry, and plays, surrounds his reader with the sounds, sights, and smells of his wanderings in this lyrical collection written over three decades. From the bone-chilling dampness of winter in the Aran Islands and the insistent bells marking time in the labyrinth of Venice to the endless dry and empty lands of Gambia and Mali, whose people struggle to find their future, Nooteboom weaves a compelling, perceptive, and yet wondering view of the places he visits. He writes with unease about Iran's future near the end of the last shah's reign and with awe at the sight of a fresco by Andrea Mantegna in Mantua. The book includes a small number of handsome black-and-white photographs. Armchair traveling at its best but also of interest to anyone who enjoys outstanding writing.—Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams