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Library Bookwatch

Volume 15, Number 1 January 2020 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Education Shelf Science Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf American History Shelf
World History Shelf Civil War Shelf Library Science Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
General Fiction Shelf Western Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Computer Shelf Sports Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Parenting Shelf Biography Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Military Shelf Economic Studies Shelf
Business Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Art Shelf
Photography Shelf Architecture Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Autism Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice


El Greco: Life and Work - A New History
Fernando Marias
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500093771, $100.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1 October 1541 - 7 April 1614), the man known to history as El Greco, was one of the seminal painters of the Spanish golden age. This magnificent volume features superb new reproductions of his most famous works, some of which have been cleaned and restored, revealing unknown facets of his art.

Born in Crete under Venetian rule, raised in the iconographic traditions of Byzantine art, and acquainted with both Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic practice, El Greco journeyed to Venice and Rome in the late Renaissance, before finding patronage in Spain at the court of Philip II. He was a painter not only of religious subjects but also of idiosyncratic portraits executed in his own dramatic and expressionistic style.

He spent approximately half his life in Toledo, a city with which his name has become indelibly linked, although he was never fully accepted and was known there as a disputatious outsider. All this and more is detailed in this illustrated edition of "El Greco: Life and Work - A New History". Many of El Greco's most famous works are included: View of Toledo, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The Gentleman with His Hand on His Chest, Christ on the Cross Adored by Donors, as well as many others.

Critique: Showcasing 215 beautifully reproduced illustrations, "El Greco: Life and Work - A New History" is an extraordinary combination of biography and art, making this coffee table style volume (11.1 x 1.4 x 12.6 inches) an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Art History collections in general, and El Greco supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

The Joyful Vegan
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
joyfulvegan.com
BenBella Books
benbellabooks.com
9781948836463 $16.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Many people choose veganism as a logical and sensible response to their concerns about animals, the environment, and/or their health. But despite their positive intentions and the personal benefits they experience, they're often met with resistance from friends, family members, and society at large. These external factors can make veganism socially difficult - and emotionally exhausting - to sustain.

This leads to an unfortunate reality: the majority of vegans (and vegetarians) revert back to consuming meat, dairy, or eggs - breaching their own values and sabotaging their own goals in the process.

People stay vegan or not depending on how well they navigate the social, cultural, and emotional aspects of being vegan: constantly being asked to defend your eating choices, living with the awareness of animal suffering, feeling the pressure (often self-inflicted) to be perfect, and experiencing guilt, remorse, and anger.

In these pages, Colleen shares her wisdom for managing these challenges and arms readers - both vegan and plant-based - with solutions and strategies for "coming out vegan" to family, friends, and colleagues; cultivating healthy relationships (with vegans and non-vegans); communicating effectively; sharing enthusiasm without proselytizing; finding like-minded community; and experiencing peace of mind as a vegan in a non-vegan world.

Critique: The Joyful Vegan: How to Stay Vegan in a World That Wants You to Eat Meat, Dairy, and Eggs lives up to its title as a guide for vegans living in a decidedly nonvegan world. Author and vegan Colleen Patrick-Goudreau shares her wisdom in how to share one's love of a vegan lifestyle without coming across as preachy; how to find harmony with non-vegan friends and family members, how to let go of guilt, regret, and remorse; and much more. The Joyful Vegan is a "must-read" for anyone contemplating or pursuing a vegan lifestyle, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Joyful Vegan is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Editor's Note: A recognized expert and thought leader on the culinary, social, ethical, and practical aspects of living vegan, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is an award-winning author of seven books, including the bestselling The Joy of Vegan Baking, The Vegan Table, Color Me Vegan, Vegan's Daily Companion, On Being Vegan, and The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. She is an acclaimed speaker and beloved host of the podcast Food for Thought, which has been voted Favorite Podcast by VegNews magazine readers several years in a row, and Animalogy, which is about the animal-related words and expressions we use every day. She also co-founded the East Bay Animal PAC to work with government officials on animal issues in the San Francisco Bay Area.


The Education Shelf

From Able to Remarkable
Robert Massey
Crown House Publishing
81 Brook Hills Circle, White Plains, NY 10605
www.crownhousepublishing.com
9781785834356, $27.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "From Able to Remarkable: Help your students become expert learners", Robert Massey provides a pathway to help teachers guide their students through the gauntlets of the gifted, the underpasses of underachievement and the roadblocks to remarkable on their learning journeys.

What makes remarkable students remarkable? Attributes such as resilience, curiosity and intelligence may come to mind and we might also add others, such as intuition and tenacity. But what has helped make them what they are? Were they born this way, or did their remarkabilities emerge during their schooling? Such questions may make teachers feel uneasy, prompting them to reflect on the sometimes limiting scope of what is often labeled as gifted and talented provision in their school.

Massey argues, however, that these remarkabilities are there, latent and dormant, in many more students than we might at first acknowledge. In "From Able to Remarkable" he shares a rich variety of practical, cross-curricular strategies designed to help teachers unearth and nurture these capabilities and signpost a route to the top for every learner.

Informed by educational research and evidence from the field of cognitive science, "From Able to Remarkable:" talks teachers through a wide range of effective teaching and learning techniques all of which are appropriate for use with all pupils and not only with top sets or high attainers. "From Able to Remarkable" also shares ideas on how teachers can improve their students abilities to receive, respond to and then deliver feedback on both their own work and that of others. To complement the feedback process, "From Able to Remarkable" presents practical methods to help teachers make questioning, self-review and greater student ownership of their questioning within lessons a staple of day-to-day classroom interaction.

Venturing beyond the classroom, "From Able to Remarkable" also explores approaches to whole-school provision for high-attaining students and offers some robust stretch and challenge to educational leaders in considering what widespread excellence in education might look like.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "From Able to Remarkable: Help your students become expert learners" is especially and unreservedly recommended as a school district in-service training textbook, and will prove to be an enduringly valued and appreciated addition to college and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted that "From Able to Remarkable" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.49).

Editorial Note: With over two decades worth of experience as a history teacher, Robert Massey has for the past six years led the Scholars Programme at Bristol Grammar School. He has a particular interest in supporting his colleagues in the provision of stretch and challenge opportunities for high-attaining students. He tweets @DoctorMassey and regularly speaks at education conferences.

An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Yong Zhao, et al.
Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027
www.tcpress.com
9780807763407, $90.00, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The educators featured in the pages of "An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste: How Radical Changes Can Spark Student Excitement and Success" were motivated by the conviction that even the best status quo education was not serving current student needs. They responded with radical changes that tap into recent ideas about educational transformation: personalization, student-driven curriculum, student agency and co-ownership of learning direction, school-sheltered student entrepreneurship, student-led civic projects, creativity education, and product-oriented learning.

"An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste " features: Real-life stories of students, teachers, school principals, and school networks that have made radical innovations in education; Cutting-edge innovations that took place in a broad range of schools - public and private, elementary to high school; Specific strategies and tactics educators can use to counter preconceived or real concerns that prevent them from taking action to change.

Readers will find carefully researched and detailed stories of on-the-ground models where students learn empathy, cooperation, creativity, and self-management, alongside rigorous academics. Together these stories provide insight into the process of innovation and the elements that can make change successful.

Critique: An impressively organized and seminal work of collective scholarship, "An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste: How Radical Changes Can Spark Student Excitement and Success" is unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Contemporary Educational Issues collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, teachers, school administrators, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" is also available in a paperback edition (9780807763391, $29.95).

Editorial Note: Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professorial fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy at Victoria University in Australia. Trina E. Emler is a doctoral candidate and a multidisciplinary research assistant at the University of Kansas and an international education consultant for YEE Education. Anthony Snethen is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas and a middle school English teacher. Danqing Yin is a doctoral student and a first-year experience instructor at the University of Kansas.

Read, Write, Inquire
Hiller A. Spires, Shea N. Kerkhoff, and Casey Medlock Paul
Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027
www.tcpress.com
9780807763346, $105.00, HC, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Read, Write, Inquire: Disciplinary Literacy in Grades 6-12" is a practical guide in which three literacy experts show classroom teachers how to best use project-based inquiry to build a students' discipline-specific skills and knowledge in grades 6-12.

"Read, Write, Inquire" deftly presents a five-phase framework that incorporates their professional development experience working with over 3,000 teachers. By making the intuitive practices of the disciplines explicit within an inquiry process, students have opportunities to construct new knowledge by employing practices used by literary critics, scientists, historians, and mathematicians. "Read, Write, Inquire" also responds to the current focus on disciplinary literacy across multiple sets of standards, offering a clear blueprint to help teachers meet these standards while also providing students with deep learning across the curriculum.

"Read, Write, Inquire" features: A model that connects project-based inquiry and disciplinary literacy for deeper learning among teachers and students; Classroom vignettes and practical examples are used to illustrate the model; A chapter on connecting digital and global literacies with the inquiry model; Appropriate for multiple sets of standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards, the 3C Framework for Social Studies, and the Common Core State Standards.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Read, Write, Inquire: Disciplinary Literacy in Grades 6-12" is an ideal choice for teacher in-service training programs and is unreservedly recommended for school district, college, and university library Teacher Education instructional reference collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted that "Read, Write, Inquire" is also available in a paperback edition (9780807763339, $34.95).

Editorial Note: Hiller A. Spires is an alumni distinguished graduate professor at the College of Education and senior research fellow at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University. Shea N. Kerkhoff is an assistant professor of secondary education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Casey Medlock Paul is a lecturer at the College of Education, North Carolina State University.

Between the Commas
Martin Brandt
Heinemann
PO Box 6926, Portsmouth, NH 03802-6926
www.heinemann.com
9780325108209, $30.00, PB, 184pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For too long, sentence instruction has been heavy on correctness and terminology (as in "mind your grammar") and light on play and experimentation. Or it has been abandoned altogether. But in "Between the Commas: Sentence Instruction That Builds Confident Writers (and Writing Teachers)", Marty Brandt sets out to change all that.

"Between the Commas" is partly the story of a teacher hitting a plateau in mid-career, deeply frustrated by the flatness of his students' writing, particularly as they struggled with more academic tasks. But it is also the story of important but neglected research in sentence instruction, which Brandt revives, reinventing his instruction by explicitly teaching the possibilities of sentences.

"Between the Commas" three "pillars" of sentence instruction: Sentence Focus: Identifying the true subject of the sentence; Sentence Development: Finding ways to expand and modify, "between the commas"; Sentence Coherence: Connecting sentences to show the flow of thought.

To help his students understand these concepts, Brandt invents his own terms-the Dime- Dropper, Smack-Talker, ingBomb, Sentence Wannabe, and the Not/But-to describe key moves a writer can make, illustrating them with both student and professional examples. "Between the Commas" is also filled with practical exercises in sentence manipulation that can be used directly in your classroom or modified for your students. -- At long last, sentence instruction that can really help young writers and their teachers!

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Between the Commas: Sentence Instruction That Builds Confident Writers (and Writing Teachers)" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections, as well as the personal reading lists of classroom teachers and anyone of any age wanting to hone their skills as a writer.

Editorial Note: Martin Brandt teaches English at San Jose's Independence High School, a large urban school with a diverse student population. He is a teacher consultant with the San Jose Area Writing Project and former winner of the California Teachers of English Award for Classroom Excellence.

Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered
Lisa Murphy, MEd
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
www.redleafpress.org
9781605546155, $24.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered" provides an in-depth exploration of the author's approach to working with children. Lisa Murphy outlines nine characteristics programs need to build an environment that's child-centered, where play, developmentally appropriate practice, and academic standards all come together under one roof.

These nine characteristics of a child-centered environment include: Children are provided long periods of uninterrupted free time to explore their environment; Children are provided lots of time outdoors; Children are able to explore the environment with few restrictions; Adults controlling the environment, not the children; Adults serving as facilitators within the space; Adults articulating the intention behind their words and actions; Adults are familiar with current research and the key contributions of historical child development theorists; Adults are aware of the importance of keeping it real; Children are provided time and opportunity to create, move, sing, discuss, observe, read, and play every day.

Using true-to-life examples, anecdotes, and Lisa Murphy's signature conversational style, "Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered" presents and explores the true identifying characteristics of a hands-on, play-based, child-centered environment.

Critique: Basically a classroom management instructional guide and manual, "Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered" is extraordinary, practical, insightful, and effective. An ideal curriculum text for school district in-service training programs, "Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered" is unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Teacher Education collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of student teachers, practicing classroom instructors, school board members, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Lisa Murphy on Being Child Centered" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Editorial Note: Lisa Murphy, MEd, has been involved with early childhood education for over 30 years, teaching and working with children in various environments including Head Start, kindergarten, private preschools, family child care, parks and recreation centers, group homes, and many child care centers. As the founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc., Lisa's mission is to assist in the transformation of early childhood education by offering the best workshops and trainings, the most up-to-date materials and resources, and insightful conversations and connections through the power of social media.


The Science Shelf

The Biology of Reproduction
Giuseppe Fusco & Alessandro Minelli
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781108499859, $105.00, HC, 490pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Reproduction is a fundamental feature of life, it is the way life persists across the ages. The collaborative effort of Giuseppe Fusco (Associate Professor of Zoology in the Department of Biology at the University of Padova, Italy) and Alessandro Minelli (formerly a Full Professor of Zoology at the University of Padova, Italy), "The Biology of Reproduction" offers new, wider vistas on this fundamental biological phenomenon, exploring how it works through the whole tree of life.

Effectively illustrated throughout, "The Biology of Reproduction" explores facets such as asexual reproduction, parthenogenesis, sex determination and reproductive investment, with a taxonomic coverage extended over all the main groups - animals, plants including 'algae', fungi, protists and bacteria.

"The Biology of Reproduction" collates into one volume perspectives from varied disciplines - including zoology, botany, microbiology, genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, animal and plant physiology, and ethology - integrating information into a common language.

Crucially, "The Biology of Reproduction" successfully identifies the commonalties among reproductive phenomena, while demonstrating the diversity even amongst closely related taxa. Its integrated approach makes "The Biology of Reproduction" a valuable reference book for students and researchers, as well as an effective entry point for deeper study on specific topics.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an Appendix (A Classification of Living Organisms), a twenty-two page listing of References, a twenty-one page Taxonomic Index, and fourteen page Subject Index, "The Biology of Reproduction" is an ideal Biology curriculum textbook and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Biology collections and supplemental studies reading lists. Impressively informative and expertly organized, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "The Biology of Reproduction" is also available in a paperback edition (9781108731713, $44.99) and in a digital book format (eTextbook, $27.49).


The Native American Studies Shelf

Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States
Devon A. Mihesuah & Elizabeth Hoover, editors
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806163215, $29.95, PB, 390pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Centuries of European colonization and other factors have disrupted indigenous communities' ability to control their own food systems. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Devon A. Mihesuah (a member of the Choctaw Nation, and the Cora Lee Beers Price Professor in International Cultural Understanding at the University of Kansas) and Elizabeth Hoover, (the Manning Associate Professor of American Studies at Brown University), "Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health" explores the meaning and importance of food sovereignty for Native peoples in the United States, and asks whether and how it might be achieved and sustained.

Unprecedented in its focus and scope, this collection of fourteen erudite and informative articles addresses nearly every aspect of indigenous food sovereignty, from revitalizing ancestral gardens and traditional ways of hunting, gathering, and seed saving to the difficult realities of racism, treaty abrogation, tribal sociopolitical factionalism, and the entrenched beliefs that processed foods are superior to traditional tribal fare.

The contributors include scholar-activists in the fields of ethnobotany, history, anthropology, nutrition, insect ecology, biology, marine environmentalism, and federal Indian law, as well as indigenous seed savers and keepers, cooks, farmers, spearfishers, and community activists. After identifying the challenges involved in revitalizing and maintaining traditional food systems, these writers offer advice and encouragement to those concerned about tribal health, environmental destruction, loss of species habitat, and governmental food control.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an informative foreword by Winona LaDuke, (who is an Anishinaabe writer and economist from the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, and the Executive Director of Honor the Earth, a national Native advocacy and environmental organization), as well as illustrations, tables, eight pages of Study Questions, an eight page listing of the contributors and their credentials, and a fifteen page Index, "Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States" is a unique volume of seminal and meticulous scholarship. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Native American Studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.95).


The Political Science Shelf

Smarter Government
Martin O'Malley
ESRI Press
380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92378-8100
https://www.esri.com/esripress
https://www.smartergovernment.com
9781589485242, $39.99, PB, 332pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Given how politically deeply divided the American people currently are, the time has come for the rise of the tech savvy executive: an individual who innately understands the need to help the use of technology rise at the same level across the entire organization. In Baltimore and in Maryland, Governor Martin O'Malley has done all of these things and more and in "Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age" he draws upon his years of experience and expertise to show what can and needs to be done if we are to heal the present schisms that so badly afflict nation today.

"Smarter Government: Governing for Results in the Information Age" is about a more effective way to lead that is emerging, enabled by the Information Age. It provides real solutions to real problems using GIS technology and helps develop a management strategy using data that will profoundly change an organization.

Critique: Featuring a two page listing of the contributors and their credentials, "Smarter Government: Governing for Results in the Information Age" is an impressively informative study that is unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, political think tank, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Exceptionally well organized and presented, it should be noted for personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, state and federal politicians, governmental policy makers and implementers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Smarter Government: Governing for Results in the Information Age" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.99).

The U.S. Antifascism Reader
Bill V. Mullen & Christopher Vials, editors
Verso
20 Jay Street, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201-8346
www.versobooks.com
9781788733502, $29.95, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Fascism is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which first came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. The first fascist movements emerged in Italy during World War I, before spreading to other European countries. Opposed to liberalism, Marxism, and anarchism, fascism is placed on the far-right within the traditional left-right political spectrum. (Wikipedia)

Since the birth of fascism in the 1920s, well before the global renaissance of "white nationalism," the United States has been home to its own distinct fascist movements, some of which decisively influenced the course of US history. They were met, time and again, by an equally deep antifascist current. Many on the left are unaware that the United States has a rich antifascist tradition, because it has rarely been discussed as such, nor has it been accessible in one place. This reader reconstructs the history of US antifascism into the twenty-first century, showing how generations of writers, organizers, and fighters spoke to each other over time.

Spanning the 1930s to the present day, "The U.S. Antifascism Reader" is a chronologically arranged, primary source reader is made up of antifascist writings by Americans and by exiles in the US, some instantly recognizable, others long-forgotten. It also includes a sampling of influential writings from the US fascist, white nationalist, and proto-fascist traditions. Its contents, mostly written by people embedded in antifascist movements, include a number of pieces produced abroad that deeply influenced the US left. The collection thus places US antifascism in a global context.

Critique: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Bill V. Mullen) Professor of American Studies at Purdue University and a founding member of the Campus Antifascist Network) and Chris Vials (Associate Professor of English and Director of American Studies at the University of Connecticut-Storrs and co-founder of the Neighbor Fund, a non-profit devoted to legal defense for undocumented immigrants in Connecticut), "The U.S. Antifascism Reader" is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Political Science collections in general, and American Fascism Studies reader lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The U.S. Antifascism Reader" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The American History Shelf

Equality at the Ballot Box
Lori Ann Lahlum & Molly P. Rozum, editors
South Dakota Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813263, $29.95, HC, 410pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On 10 December 1869, the governor of Wyoming Territory signed the first full woman suffrage bill in the history of the United States. Suffragists in the neighboring territories of Montana and Dakota believed their prospects were similarly bright. Over the next twenty years, however, organizers efforts to secure votes for women met only limited success.

While suffragists hoped the territories respective bids for statehood in 1889 and 1890 would change their fortunes, only Wyoming enshrined voting rights for all in its state constitution. The fight for full woman suffrage on the Northern Great Plains would take another three decades.

In "Equality at the Ballot Box: Votes for Women on the Northern Great Plains", the collaborative editorial team of Lori Ann Lahlum (Professor of history, Minnesota State University - Mankatoo) and Molly P. Rozum (Associate professor and Ronald M. Nelson Chair of Great Plains and South Dakota History, University of South Dakota - Vermillion) have compiled a set of original essays that illuminate key aspects of the movement. Here, scholars uncover previously untold stories of the women who traveled immense distances to win over a diverse, often contentious public.

Essential for understanding the larger picture of woman suffrage, including the significance of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, school suffrage, and the anti-suffrage movement, "Equality at the Ballot Box" reveals the impact this isolated, rural region had on women's rights nationwide. The contributors to "Equality at the Ballot Box" build upon classic woman suffrage scholarship and develop new ideas that capture the spirit of suffrage on the Northern Great Plains. For the first time, the region's unique circumstances are considered, including significant populations of European immigrants and American Indians as well as harsh climates and sprawling landscapes. By turning scholarly attention to this understudied area, Professors Lahlum and Rozum start a long-needed conversation and point to rich avenues for further exploration.

Critique: A masterpiece of collective scholarship, "Equality at the Ballot Box: Votes for Women on the Northern Great Plains" is an original, seminal and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library American History, Women's Studies, and Political Science collections, as well as the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of Women's Suffrage.

The Federalist Frontier
Kristopher Maulden
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
https://upress.missouri.edu
9780826221964, $40.00, HC, 278pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Federalist Frontier: Settler Politics in the Old Northwest, 1783-1840" by Kristopher Maulden (who teaches history at Versailles High School, Jefferson City, Missouri) traces the development of Federalist policies and the Federalist Party in the first three states of the Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois) from the nation's first years until the rise of the Second Party System in the 1820s and 1830s.

Relying on government records, private correspondence, and newspapers, Maulden argues that Federalists originated many of the policies and institutions that helped the young United States government take a leading role in the American people's expansion and settlement westward across the Appalachians. It was primarily they who placed the U.S. Army at the fore of the white westward movement, created and executed the institutions to survey and sell public lands, and advocated for transportation projects to aid commerce and further migration into the region.

Ultimately, the relationship between government and settlers evolved as citizens raised their expectations of what the federal government should provide, and the region embraced transportation infrastructure and innovation in public education.

Historians of early American politics will have a chance to read about Federalists in the Northwest, and they will see the early American state in action in fighting Indians, shaping settler understandings of space and social advancement, and influencing political ideals among the citizens. For historians of the early American West, "The Federalist Frontier" documents and demonstrates that the origins of state-led expansion reach much further back in time than generally understood.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion a twenty-two page Bibliography, forty pages of Notes, Illustrations, Tables, and a six page Index, "The Federalist Frontier: Settler Politics in the Old Northwest, 1783-1840" is a seminal work of meticulous scholarship. Exceptionally informative and impressively presented that is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to community and academic library American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Federalist Frontier" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.00).


The World History Shelf

A New World Begins
Jeremy D. Popkin
Basic Books
www.basicbooks.com
c/o Perseus Books Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465096664, $35.00, HC, 640pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The principles of the French Revolution remain the only possible basis for a just society -- even if, after more than two hundred years (including the bloody removal of the formally ruling aristocracy, two world wars, and the slow and violent loss of empire ranging from Morocco to Viet Nam), they are more contested than ever before.

Based on decades of scholarship, "A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution", by Jeremy D. Popkin (who holds the William T. Bryan Chair of History at the University of Kentucky) offers a riveting account of the revolution that puts the reader in the thick of the debates and the violence that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a new society.

We meet Mirabeau, Robespierre, and Danton, in all of their brilliance and vengefulness; we witness the failed escape and execution of Louis XVI; we see women demanding equal rights and black slaves wresting freedom from revolutionaries who hesitated to act on their own principles; and we follow the rise of Napoleon out of the ashes of the Reign of Terror.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of thirty-two pages of Notes and a twenty- eight page Index, "A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution" is an exceptionally well written, deftly organized, accessibly presented, definitive treatment of the French Revolution. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library French History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of the French Revolution that "A New World Begins" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Army of the Roman Emperors
Thomas Fischer
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612008103, $45.00, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Compared to modern standard, the Roman army of the imperial era was surprisingly small. However, when assessed in terms of their various tasks, they by far outstrip modern armies -- acting not only as an armed power of the state in external and internal conflicts, but also carrying out functions which nowadays are performed by police, local government, customs and tax authorities, as well as constructing roads, ships, and buildings.

"Army of the Roman Emperors" is an informed and informative history in which Thomas Fischer presents a comprehensive and unique exploration of the Roman military of the imperial era. Featuring more than 600 illustrations, the costumes, weapons and equipment of the Roman army are explored in detail using archaeological finds dating from the late Republic to Late Antiquity, and from all over the Roman Empire. The buildings and fortifications associated with the Roman army are also discussed. By comparing conflicts, border security, weaponry and artefacts, the development of the army through time is traced.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, while "Army of the Roman Emperors" is intended for academia, it will also have immense appeal for the non-specialist general readers with an interest in Roman history. "Army of the Roman Emperors" is also a informational treasure-trove for re-enactment groups, as it puts many common perceptions of the weaponry, equipment and dress of the Roman army to the test -- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Roman History collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted that "Army of the Roman Emperors" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.49).

Troy: Myth And Reality
The British Museum
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500480557, $60.00, HC, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: From the epic tales of Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid to retellings from Chaucer to Madeline Miller, and stagings from Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida to Brad Pitt's rendering of the hero Achilles, for over 3,000 years the myth of Troy has fascinated artists and audiences alike. But what is it about this tale that makes it so eternally appealing, and what do we actually know about historical Troy? Drawing from the British Museum, "Troy: Myth And Reality" is a richly illustrated coffee table style volume (10.2 x 1.1 x 11.3 inches ) that tells the story of Troy and the great Trojan War through the lens of objects from the Greek Bronze Age to the twenty-first century.

Shedding new light on a legendary story that has resonated for millennia by using the Classical works of art for which the British Museum is internationally known, "Troy: Myth And Reality" considers the ancient myth through the eyes of Greek and Roman artists. Drawing on the latest research, it chronicles the search for Troy that convinced the world of the city's existence, beginning with the nineteenth-century excavations by Heinrich Schliemann. Focusing on the major characters in the story (Helen of Troy, Achilles and Hector, Aeneas and Odysseus) "Troy: Myth And Reality" illustrates how artists from Cranach and Rubens to Romare Bearden and Cy Twombly have been inspired to explore contemporary themes of war and heroism, love and beauty.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Troy: Myth And Reality" is an inherently fascinating, impressively informative, and exceptionally detailed study -- and one that is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Ancient History collections in general, and Troy supplemental studies lists in particular. The collaborative work of Lesley Fitton (who is an Honorary Research Fellow and is based in the Department of Greece and Rome at the British Museum); Andrew Shapland (who is Curator of the Aegean World and Classical Greek collections at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford); Alexandra Villing (who is the Curator of Greek collections, and is based in the Department of Greece and Rome at the British Museum); Victoria Donnellan (who is Project Curator, Troy exhibition, and is based in the Department of Greece and Rome at the British Museum), it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Troy: Myth And Reality" is also available in a paperback edition (9780500480588, $30.55).

From Berber State to Moroccan Empire
Maya Shatzmiller
Markus Wiener Publishers
231 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542
www.markuswiener.com
9781558769519, $26.95, PB, 246pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Medieval Fez was a main center of education, art, and commerce from the 13th to the 16th centuries after the Berber tribe of the Marinids seized power in Morocco and moved the capital from Marrakesh to Fez.

As non-Arabs they gained legitimacy by founding religious universities called medresas. They also supported the arts and commerce, and expanded their state into an empire. It was the Golden Age of Fez.

In "From Berber State to Moroccan Empire: The Glory of Fez Under the Marinids", Professor Maya Shatzmiller (University of Western Ontario) draws a historical panorama of this era, highlighting its movers and shakers in locations from North Africa to the Mediterranean world.

Critique: This newly published second edition of "From Berber State to Moroccan Empire: The Glory of Fez Under the Marinids" continues to be a seminal and comprehensive study of Marinid history that is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of illustrations, two appendices, forty- four pages of notes, a twelve page bibliography, and a three page index. Impressively comprehensive, detailed, documented, informative and exceptionally well organized and presented, "From Berber State to Moroccan Empire: The Glory of Fez Under the Marinids" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, as well as the personal reading list of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Civil War Shelf

Such Anxious Hours
Jo Ann Daly Carr, editor
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299324209, $34.95, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Letters from soldiers to their families often provide prominent narratives of the Civil War. But what about the messages from the women who maintained homes and farmsteads alone, all while providing significant emotional support to their loved ones at the front?

Compiled and edited by Jo Ann Daly Carr (who is a librarian and director emerita of Media, Education Resources, and Information Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education), "Such Anxious Hours: Wisconsin Women's Voices from the Civil War" is comprised of the letters and diary entrees of eight women echo the ever-growing horrors of the conflict and reveal the stories of the Wisconsin home front during the American Civil War.

Twenty-one-year-old Emily Quiner sought a way to join the war effort that would feed her heart and mind. Annie Cox wrote to her pro-slavery fiance to staunchly defend her abolitionist principles. Sisters Susan Brown and Ann Waldo faced the unexpected devastation that each battle brought to families.

In "Such Anxious Hours", Carr places this material in historical context, detailing what was happening simultaneously in the nation, state, and local communities. Civil War history enthusiasts will particularly appreciate these enlightening perspectives that demonstrate the variety of experiences in the Midwest during the bloody conflict.

Critique: An impressively informative and exceptionally well organized and presented compendium of first hand accounts that is further enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an eight page Bibliography, twenty-four pages of Notes, and a fourteen page Index, "Such Anxious Hours: Wisconsin Women's Voices from the Civil War" is an essential and core addition to personal, professional, community and academic library American Civil War History collections in general, and Wisconsin History and 19th Century Women's Studies supplemental reading lists in particular.

The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War
John Horn
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611214369, $39.95, HC, 452pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The 12th Virginia has an amazing history. John Wilkes Booth stood in the ranks of one of its future companies at John Brown's hanging. The regiment refused to have Stonewall Jackson appointed its first colonel. Its men first saw combat in naval battles, including Hampton Roads and First Drewry's Bluff, before embarrassing themselves at Seven Pines (their first land battle) just outside Richmond. Thereafter, the 12th's record is one of hard-fighting from the Seven Days' Battles all the way to Appomattox. Its remarkable story is told here in full for the first time in John Horn's "The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown's Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865".

The Virginians of the 12th found themselves in some of the most pivotal battles of the war under Generals William Mahone and later, David Weisiger. After distinguishing themselves at Second Manassas, they were hit hard at Crampton's Gap in the South Mountain fighting and were only able to field 25 men three days later at Sharpsburg. Good service at Chancellorsville followed. Its Gettysburg performance, however, tied to General Mahone's mysterious behavior there, remains controversial. The Virginians played a key role in Longstreet's flank attack at the Wilderness as well as in his near-fatal wounding, launched a bayonet charge at Spotsylvania, and captured their first enemy flag. The regiment truly came into its own during the nine-month siege of Petersburg, where it fought in a host of bloody battles including the Crater, Jerusalem Plank Road, Globe Tavern, Second Reams Station, Burgess Mill, and Hatcher's Run. Two days before the surrender at Appomattox the regiment fought in the rear guard action at Cumberland Church - General Lee's final victory of the war.

Horn's definitive history is grounded in decades of archival research that uncovered scores of previously unused accounts. The result is a lively, driving, up-tempo regimental history that not only describes the unit's marches and battles, but includes personal glimpses into the lives of the Virginians who made up the 12th regiment. Tables compare the 12th's fighting prowess with friend and foe, and an appendix resolves the lingering controversy over the fate of the regiment's last battle flag.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of thirty-two original maps, numerous photos, diagrams, tables, and appendices, a glossary, and a wealth of explanatory footnotes, "The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War" by civil war historian and author John Horn is an extraordinarily informative, exhaustively researched, exceptionally detailed, impressively informative work of Civil War scholarship. While certain to be a valued addition to community, college, and university library American Civil War history collections in general, and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists, it should be noted for students, academia, Civil War buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).


The Library Science Shelf

Copyright for Archivists and Records Managers
Tim Padfield
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783304493, $149.41, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As an archivist or records manager it is essential to keep up to date with the complexities of copyright legislation, and now in a significantly revised and fully updated sixth edition, "Copyright for Archivists and Records Managers" is justifiably described as a core and ideal resource for just that purpose.

"Copyright for Archivists and Records Managers" deals with such common questions as: What is copyright? Who owns it and for how long? What rights does it confer, and what are the limitations and exceptions?

A truly comprehensive instructional manual that uniquely outlines copyright law in the UK with special reference to the unpublished materials commonly found in archive and records collections such as maps, legal records, records of local authorities and parish registers, "Copyright for Archivists and Records Managers" also provides comprehensive information on authorship and duration of copyright in older as well as modern works and on the wide range of exceptions and limitations to copyright, particularly those relevant to archivists, records managers, librarians and curators.

This new edition also offers advice on rights in the electronic environment, moral rights and rights in databases and contains extensive tables of duration of copyright in other countries.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Copyright for Archivists and Records Managers" is an ideal Library Science curriculum textbook and unreservedly recommended as a community, academic, and governmental library staff in-service training instructional reference collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and practicing librarians that "Copyright for Archivists and Records Managers" is also available in a paperback edition (9781783304486, $78.99).

Copyright
Graham P. Cornish
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781856049702, $59.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in a newly revised and fully updated sixth edition, "Copyright: Interpreting the Law for Libraries, Archives and Information Services" employs a question-and-answer style format to explain the provisions of the United Kingdom Copyright Act and supporting legislation. This new edition covers copyright issues for literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works. Using practical examples it also covers copyright issues for sound recordings, films, video, broadcasts, databases, computer programs and websites.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, this new sixth edition of "Copyright: Interpreting the Law for Libraries, Archives and Information Services" is an ideal Library Science curriculum textbook on the subject of copyright and should be a core part of professional, community, academic, and governmental library reference collections.

Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice
Edward Benoit III & Alexandra Eveleigh, editors
Facet Publishing
9781783303564, $64.95, PB, 263pp, www.facetpublishing.co.uk

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Edward Benoit, III (Assistant Professor at the School of Library & Information Science at Louisiana State University) and Alexandra Eveleigh (Collections Information Manager at Wellcome Collection, London, England) "Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice" is divided into four sections with each one specifically focused upon a particular aspect of participatory archives: social tagging and commenting; transcription; crowdfunding; and outreach & activist communities.

Each section includes chapters summarizing the existing literature, a discussion of theoretical challenges and benefits, and a series of case studies. The case studies are written by a range of international practitioners and provide a wide range of examples in practice, whilst the remaining chapters are supplied by leading scholars from Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice" will be useful for students on archival studies programs, scholarly researchers in archival studies who could use this book to frame their own research projects, as well as practitioners who might be most interested in the case studies to see how participatory archives function in practice. "Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice" will also be of interest to other library and information science students, and similar audiences within the broader cultural heritage institution fields of museums, libraries, and galleries.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a listing of the contributors and their credentials, thirty-eight pages of notes, and a six page index, "Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice" would well serve as a Library Science supplemental studies curriculum textbook. Impressively informative, exceptionally well organized and presented, "Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice" is unreservedly recommended for library staff in-service training programs, as well as the Library Science collections of corporate, governmental, college and university libraries and library systems.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Manga Classics: Hamlet
William Shakespeare
Adapted by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Julien Choy
Udon Entertainment
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808119 $24.99 hc
9781947808126 $17.99 pbk amazon.com

Synopsis: Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1602. Set in Denmark, and originally titled The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the play tells the story of Prince Hamlet who is ordered by the ghost of his own father to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius. In his hunger to seize the throne, Claudius had murdered Hamlet's father (the king of Denmark) and then went on to marry his deceased brother's widow.

Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature. Hamlet was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime, and still ranks among his most performed, adapted and filmed plays of his collection.

Critique: Manga Classics: Hamlet is a black-and-white graphic novel adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy about regicide and revenge. Manga Classics: Hamlet uses the complete, unaltered text of the original play, dynamically brought to life with striking artwork in the style of Japanese anime and manga. Because the illustrations add so much contextual clarity to what the characters do and say, Manga Classics: Hamlet is both a superb tool for teaching great literature, and one of the best ways to experience Shakespeare's longest play (other than seeing it performed in a theater, of course). A brief postscript offers additional insights into how Manga Classics: Hamlet was adapted to graphic novel format. Manga Classics: Hamlet is a "must-have" for school and public library graphic novel collections, highly recommended.


The Audiobook Shelf

Oslo
J. T. Rogers, author
Brian Kite, director
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
www.latw.org
9781682660959, $29.95, CD, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Oslo" by J. T. Rogers is a rollicking take on modern diplomacy and set in 1993. A Norwegian social scientist and his diplomat wife are determined to try a new tactic to break the long-standing deadlock of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A secret back channel in Norway leads to unexpected breakthroughs as negotiators find common ground. When the political becomes personal, relationships are forged that offer a chance to alter the course of history.

This audio book edition of "Oslo" includes a conversation about the Oslo Accords with Steven Spiegel, director of the Center for Middle East Development at UCLA. Recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in April 2019, "Oslo" is directed by Brian Kite, and features a talented cast that includes: Anthony Azizi as Ahmed Qurie (Abu Ala); Josh Bitton as Uri Savir and others; Edita Brychta as Marianne Heiberg, Toril Grandal, Swedish Hostess, German Wife; J. D. Cullum as Terje Rod-Larsen; Matthew Floyd Miller as Johan Jorgen Holst, Joel Singer; Darren Richardson as Jan Egeland, Ron Pundak, Trond Gunderson; Andre Sogliuzzo as Yossi Beilin, Finn Grandal, Thor Bjornevog, American Diplomat, German Husband; Devon Sorvari as Mona Juul; Michel Wakim as Hassan Asfour and others; and Kevin Weisman as Yair Hirschfeld, Shimon Peres

Critique: Oslo is an award-winning political play, about the behind-the-scenes talks in 1992-93 that led to the Oslo Accords between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Oslo Accords enabled limited Palestinian self-governance, but did not create a Palestinian state. Sterling performances create a genuine theatre of the mind experience, making this audio book edition of Oslo certain to be a popular addition to personal, community, and academic library audio book collections. (3 CDs, 2 Hours, 21 Minutes).


The Library CD Shelf

Frozen Moments
Don Latarski
Heart Dance Records
www.heartdancerecords.com
$13.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Frozen Moments is Don Latarski's beautiful, ambient new age album performed on his collection of baritone, classical, and water guitars, enriched with sounds from a water guitar in different streams and rivers of Oregon and California. The relaxing acoustic music flows in a wondrous soundscape that soothes the mind and nourishes the spirit. Highly recommended. The tracks are "The Dawning Moment", "Shadow Crossing", "River Speak pt. 1", "Sarabande Migration", "Bimble", "Mima", "Xienna", "On Winter", and "River Speak pt. 2".


The General Fiction Shelf

Captives
Reiner Prochaska
The Permanent Press
http://thepermanentpress.com
9781579625764, $29.95, HC, 217pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Frederick County, Maryland, September 1944. Florian Schneider, a code breaker for the German Army, is interned at POW Branch Camp 6. Many of his fellow inmates (most of them seasoned Afrika Korps veterans) mistrust the taciturn soldier, whose rank belies his education and his excellent command of the English language.

He is assigned to work on the farm of Vivian Klein, whose daughter, Mary, has moved back home for the remainder of the war while her husband is fighting in the Pacific. An unlikely, complicated romance ensues between Mary and Schneider.

Once Schneider earns the trust of his peers by saving the life of Bernd Wagner, he dares to propose to them the impossible a plan for escape: After a performance of Coriolanus by the German soldiers for their American captors on New Year's Eve, a group of German soldiers will steal a car and head for the New Jersey coast. Schneider knows that two spies enlisted to sabotage the Manhattan Project are scheduled to be delivered via submarine to the coast off Maine around New Years Day 1945. Schneider believes in the slight chance that he and his fellow escapees may be able to radio the sub to pick them up off the East Coast.

On New Years Eve, everything starts out as planned, but shortly after midnight, as the men are stealing a truck on Vivian Klein's Farm, Mary surprises them. Unwilling to harm Mary or jeopardize the escape, Schneider tells the men to leave without him. Without Schneider's language skills, they are captured trying to cross the Susquehanna Bridge, and Wagner is killed. Blaming Schneider for the failed escape, the men convene a Court of Honor to decide his fate.

Critique: An elegant and deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and a style of narrative storytelling that fully engages the reader from cover to cover, "Captives" by Reiner Prochaska is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Captives" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Reiner Prochaska is an actor and a playwright, whose plays have been produced regionally and published internationally. A former longtime member of Maryland Ensemble Theatre, he is the Artistic Director of Frederick Classical Ensemble, a theater company dedicated to classical, Medieval, and Renaissance drama. A graduate of Towson University, Reiner teaches writing at his alma mater and acting at McDaniel College.


The Western Fiction Shelf

Fast Ride to Boot Hill: The Legend of Ben Hawks
Lee Martin
Five Star Publishing
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432860073, $21.95, HC, 205pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tricked into believing his fiancee had died in a stage robbery, Ben Hawks is a vengeful Texas Ranger trails the gang for years as he becomes a legend in song and dime novels before ending up on the side of a former outlaw with a sharpshooting niece -- even as the truth unfolds in a violent climax.

Critique: With more plot twists and turns than a Grand Canyon hiking trail, "Fast Ride to Boot Hill: The Legend of Ben Hawks" is an inherently riveting read from cover to cover -- and showcases author Lee Martin's impressively mastery of the western action/adventure genre. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections, "Fast Ride to Boot Hill: The Legend of Ben Hawks" is an especially recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all dedicated western novel fans.

Way of the Lawless
P. McCormac
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444842746, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 268pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Joe Peters and his partner Butch Shilton have been on the run for a year. On their way to prison for shooting a cheating gambler, a gang of outlaws murdered their escort - a crime for which the pair of them have been blamed. Trouble follows them everywhere, and they end up in the brutal Los Pecos penitentiary. Breaking out, they flee to Mexico, only to fall foul of the notorious bandit Barca. With enemies closing in on all sides, could this be the end of the trail for two men who ride a lawless trail.

Critique: Replete with an amazing number of cliff-hanger twists and turns, "Way of the Lawless" is a unique western action/adventure novel that ultimately concludes with an unforeseeable finish. No personal reading lists or community library Western Fiction collection would be complete without a copy of this large print edition of P. McCormac's riveting "Way of the Lawless".

Devine's Mission
I. J. Parnham
Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444842388, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Lachlan McKinley raids Fairmount Town's bank, the bounty on his head attracts plenty of manhunters -- but everyone who goes after him ends up dead. When bounty hunter Jonathon Lynch, Lachlan's stepbrother, joins the hunt, he soon discovers that all is not as it seems, and Lachlan may in fact be innocent. Worse, a ruthlessly murderous US Marshal Jake Devine is also after Lachlan. Despising bounty hunters with a lethal intent, Devine is more likely to destroy the peace than to keep it, so can Jonathon bring the guilty to justice before Devine does his worst?

Critique: A fully engaging and entertaining western novel by an author with an impressive talent for the genre, "Devine's Mission" is enthusiastically recommended reading for all dedicated western buffs -- and this large print edition will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections.

The Drygulch Trail
Ned Oaks
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444840124, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Will Curtis rides into Junction City on a cold rainy night, all he wants is a shot of whiskey and a place to dry off. Instead, he finds himself dragged into a feud between a land-hungry banker and the tough homesteaders who are desperate to keep their ranches. But when rich bully Clem Dawson brings in hired guns to force the ranchers off their land (and whose hired gunslingers try to murder the children of one small ranch owner), Curtis decides there is only one thing a decent man can do under the circumstances -- and that is to fight.

Critique: Another deftly crafted and riveting western from author Ned Oaks, "The Drygulch Trail" is a compelling page-turner of a read from cover to cover. This large print edition is an especially recommended addition to both community library collections and the personal reading lists of any and all dedicated western novel fans.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt
Burt Solomon
Forge
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
9780765392671, $27.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Theodore Roosevelt had been president for less than a year when on a tour in New England his horse-drawn carriage was broadsided by an electric trolley. TR was thrown clear but his Secret Service bodyguard was killed instantly. The trolley's motorman pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the matter was quietly put to rest. But was it an accident or an assassination attempt -- and would there be another "accident" soon?

"The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt" casts this event in a darker light. John Hay, the Secretary of State, finds himself in pursuit of a would-be assassin, investigating the motives of TR's many enemies, including political rivals and the industrial trusts. He crosses paths with luminaries of the day, such as best-pal Henry Adams, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Mark Hanna, and (as an investigatory sidekick) the infamous Nellie Bly, who will help Hay protect the man who wants to transform a nation.

Critique: An inherently riveting historical mystery by an author who is a master of the genre, "The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt" showcases novelist Burt Solomon's genuine flair for originality and a thoroughly reader engaging narrative storytelling style. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Beating About the Bush
M. C. Beaton
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250157720, $26.99, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When private detective Agatha Raisin comes across a severed leg in a roadside hedge, it looks like she is about to become involved in a particularly gruesome murder. Looks, however, can be deceiving, as Agatha discovers when she is employed to investigate a case of industrial espionage at a factory where nothing is quite what it seems.

The factory mystery soon turns to murder and a bad-tempered donkey turns Agatha into a national celebrity, before bringing her ridicule and shame. To add to her woes, Agatha finds herself grappling with growing feelings for her friend and occasional lover, Sir Charles Fraith. Then, as a possible solution to the factory murder unfolds, her own life is thrown into deadly peril. Will Agatha get her man at last? Or will the killer get her first?

Critique: Another beautifully scripted mystery by a true master of the genre, "Beating About the Bush" by M. C. Beaton is the latest Agatha Raisin novel and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. Unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs, it should be noted that "Beating About the Bush" is also available in a paperback edition (9781250157737, $7.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Accepting the Lance
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781982124212, $25.00, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Exiled from Liad after bombing a city to save it from The Department of the Interior's infernal weapons and plans, Clan Korval has gone to ground on the back water planet Surebleak, whose people are as untamed as its weather.

Far beyond the surface of frigid Surebleak, Korval's far-flung trade network needs a serious reset. From flagship Dutiful Passage to the experimental self-aware Bechimo, the clan's ships are prowling space lanes seeking trade. Meanwhile, old tech from a failed universe and the machinations of the mysterious Uncle are coalescing into dangerous opportunity or nefarious trap.

And the Department of the Interior is not done with Clan Korval yet. They seek a final fully reckoned revenge, with Surebleak and Korval's ships and people everywhere in the crosshairs.

Critique: An inherently riveting saga of a science fiction novel by two authors who share a genuine flair for originality combined with a distinctively entertaining narrative storytelling style, "Accepting The Lance" by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is especially and unreservedly recommended -- especially for community library Science Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated SciFi buffs that "Accepting The Lance" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Computer Shelf

Data Breaches: Crisis and Opportunity
Sherri Davidoff
Addison Wesley
c/o Pearson Education
221 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
http://www.informit.com
9780134506784, $44.99, PB, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Data breaches can be catastrophic, but they remain mysterious because their targeted victims don't want to talk about them. In "Data Breaches: Crisis and Opportunity", cyber security expert Sherri Davidoff shines a light on these events, offering practical guidance for reducing risk and mitigating consequences. Reflecting extensive personal experience and lessons from the world's most damaging breaches, Davidoff identifies proven tactics for reducing damage caused by breaches and avoiding common mistakes that cause them to spiral out of control.

"Data Breaches" shows how to manage data breaches as the true crises they are; minimize reputational damage and legal exposure; address unique challenges associated with health and payment card data; respond to hacktivism, ransomware, and cyber extortion; and prepare for the emerging battlefront of cloud-based breaches.

"Data Breaches" provides what everyone needs to know about data breaches, the dark web, and markets for stolen data; shows how to limit damage by going beyond conventional incident response; covers the navigation of high-risk payment card breaches in the context of PCI DSS; Assesses and mitigates data breach risks associated with vendors and third-party suppliers; Manages compliance requirements associated with healthcare and HIPAA; Quickly respond to ransomware and data exposure cases; Make better decisions about cyber insurance and maximize the value of your policy; Reduce cloud risks and properly prepare for cloud-based data breaches.

Critique: Attacks on corporate, governmental, institutional, and personal computer data files and systems is happening every minute of every day. "Data Breaches" should be considered essential and high priority reading for anyone charged with cyber security, including executives, managers, IT staff, consultants, investigators, students, and governmental policy makers. While unreserved recommended for community, corporate, governmental, and academic library Cyber Security collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted that "Data Breaches" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.79).

Editorial Note: Sherri Davidoff is a cybersecurity expert, author, speaker, and CEO of both LMG Security and BrightWise, Inc. She is a recognized expert in digital forensics and cybersecurity, and is coauthor of Network Forensics: Tracking Hackers Through Cyberspace (Prentice Hall, 2012). Sherri has consulted and/or conducted cybersecurity training for many distinguished organizations, including the Department of Defense, the American Bar Association, FFIEC/FDIC, and many more. She is a faculty member at the Pacific Coast Banking School, and is a frequent contributor of education articles and webinars. She is a GIAC-certified forensic examiner (GCFA) and penetration tester (GPEN), and holds a degree in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT.


The Sports Shelf

The Durable Runner
Alison Heilig
Toplight
www.toplightbooks.com
c/o McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476678337 $19.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Part sport and part exercise, running boosts health, longevity, and mental well-being. However, running is a demanding activity that can potentially tax the runner's body and mind. Therefore, possessing durability for running--a fusion of toughness and flexibility--is desirable to enhance a runner's physical and mental experience.

This book--the first of its kind to combine corrective exercise, self-myofascial release, and yoga--empowers runners with measures to avoid unnecessary pain, injury, and burnout. It is a comprehensive guide to creating a simple and efficient system of personalized supplemental training in which runners learn to identify and address areas of imbalance and overuse. These training methods increase strength, stability, mobility, and resiliency, and require as little as 15 minutes per day to implement. (For each technique, the author has produced a video, and these are included in the enhanced ebook edition.) Runners can decrease the risk of injury, improve running performance, and maintain joint health. The result: a more durable body and mind that will support your running--and your life--for years to come.

Critique: Certified running coach and registered yoga teacher Alison Heilig presents The Durable Runner: A Guide to Injury-Free Running, a guide to using corrective exercise, self-myofascial release (an alternative therapy for treating skeletal muscle immobility and pain), and yoga to help runners prevent problems with physical pain, injury, or burnout. Chapters offer simple training routines that can be performed in fifteen minutes to improve one's running ability as well as promote personal flexibility and resilience. The Durable Runner is a "must-have" for runners of all ages and backgrounds, from prospective racers to everyday joggers. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Durable Runner is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Editor's Note: Author Alison Heilig is a Level 2 RRCA-Certified running coach, a registered yoga teacher (E-RYT 200, YACEP), corrective exercise specialist, and certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Her personal blog The Pursuit of Awesome has been recognized as a top running blog for the past several years. She is a regular contributor to Fit Bottomed Girls and her work and expertise have also been featured on websites such as Women's Running, Competitor, POPSUGAR Fitness, MyFitnessPal, SparkPeople, LiveStrong, and Prevention.

The High School Athlete: Basketball
Mike Volkmar
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268054, $19.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Developed by fitness author and strength and conditioning expert Mike Volkmar, "The High School Athlete: Basketball" provides a comprehensive and essential program for any high school student wanting to train and play basketball in their school.

Offering a unique and 'real world practical' program that features training fundamentals for different levels of player development from pre-freshman all the way to varsity level getting ready to play in college, "The High School Athlete: Basketball" also contains information geared towards a young athlete's goals and includes information on player development, motivation, and nutrition.

Critique: With over 100 workouts as part of a complete and methodical fitness program for development and conditioning, "The High School Athlete: Basketball" is unreservedly recommended as a highschool physical education curriculum textbook. It should be noted for personal reading lists of highschool coaches and teenage athletes that "The High School Athlete: Basketball" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Roaring Back
Curt Sampson
Diversion Books
443 Park Avenue South, Suite #1004, New York, NY 10016
www.diversionbooks.com
9781635766837, $26.00, HC, 264pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods" by sports author and biographer Curt Sampson is the incredible true story of Tiger Woods' dramatic return to glory at the 2019 Masters following his humbling and very public personal, physical, and professional setbacks.

One publicly imploded marriage. Two car accidents. Eight surgeries. And now, a miracle of hard work and storied talent: five Masters wins. Once hailed as "the greatest closer in history" before he fell further than any beloved athlete in America's memory, Tiger swung at the world's wildest expectations and beat the skeptics with his April 2019 championship. "Roaring Back" deftly traces his road to Augusta and the improbable, phenomenal comeback of one of the greatest golfers in history.

"Roaring Back" informatively details the highs and lows of Woods's career in three gripping acts. From his startling loss at the 2009 PGA Championship, detrimental obsession with his swing, and that infamous night involving an ex-wife and a nine-iron... to adoring fans and lucrative sponsors turning their backs, exclusive interviews with past instructors and PGA tour peers, and an arrest complete with a toxicology report... finally to Tiger coming from behind for his fifth green jacket as the crowd rumbled in Georgia, and how his comeback rivals those of the most dramatic in his sport.

"Roaring Back" also places Woods's defeats and triumphs in the context of historic comebacks by other notable golfers like Ben Hogan, Skip Alexander, Aaron Silton, and Charlie Beljan, finding the forty-three-year-old alone on the green for his trajectory of victory against all odds.

Critique: An impressively informative and inherently fascinating read, "Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods" is a 'must' for the legions of Tiger Woods fans and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Roaring Back" is available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.29) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781618034786, $24.99, CD).


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Primer of Ecological Restoration
Karen D. Holl
Island Press
2000 M Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610919722, $35.00, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The pace, intensity, and scale at which humans have altered our planet in recent decades is unprecedented in Earth's geological history. Humans have dramatically transformed landscapes and waterways through agriculture, logging, mining, and fire suppression, with drastic impacts on public health and human well-being. What can we do to counteract and even reverse the worst of these effects?

This "Primer of Ecological Restoration" by Karen D. Holl is a succinct introduction to the theory and practice of ecological restoration as a strategy to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. In twelve brief chapters, the "Primer of Ecological Restoration" introduces readers to the basics of restoration project planning, monitoring, and adaptive management. It explains abiotic factors such as landforms, soil, and hydrology that are the building blocks to successfully recovering microorganism, plant, and animal communities. Additional chapters cover topics such as invasive species and legal and financial considerations. Each chapter concludes with recommended reading and reference lists, and the book can be paired with online resources for teaching.

Perfect for introductory classes in ecological restoration or for practitioners seeking constructive guidance for real-world projects, "Primer of Ecological Restoration" offers accessible, practical information on recent trends in the field.

Critique: Enhanced for academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that the "Primer of Ecological Restoration" features a fourteen page Glossary, twenty pages of References, a two page listing of Case Studies and Other Online Resources, and a seven page Index. Exceptionally informative and deftly organized, the "Primer of Ecological Restoration" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Environmental Sciences collections in general, and ecosystem restoration supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, governmental policy makers, and environmental activists that the "Primer of Ecological Restoration" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.25).

Editorial Note: Karen D. Holl is Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she teaches ecological restoration. She conducts research in the rainforests of Latin America and the chaparral, grassland, and riparian systems in California. She is an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and a
co-winner of the Theodore Sperry Award of the Society for Ecological Restoration.


The Parenting Shelf

The Essential Guidebook for Parents of Gifted Children
Jennifer Ault
Royal Fireworks Press
First Avenue, PO Box 399, Unionville, NY 10988
www.rfwp.com
9780880928410, $22.50, PB, 141pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Gifted children often exhibit characteristics and behaviors that are different from those of other children. Giftedness, after all, is not just about being smart. Being gifted affects everything a person says, does, thinks, and feels. Parents who discover that their child is gifted can be relieved to learn the reason for their child's differences, but they also often feel anxious and apprehensive about the parenting journey that lies ahead for them.

That journey will not look like the ones that other parents travel. When they seek out information to guide them along the way, they find that there is a tremendous amount of it available, and it can be overwhelming to try to weed through it to learn what they need to know to parent a gifted child effectively and compassionately-a child who most likely is not just different from other kids but who is different from other gifted kids as well. Where does one even begin?

"The Essential Guidebook for Parents of Gifted Children" is specifically and effectively designed to introduce parents to the topic of giftedness in a way that is both preliminary and sophisticated. This instructional guide is not just for those new to the subject of giftedness, however; it also breaks new ground in its discussions of gifted children's intensity, sensitivity, and asynchrony, shedding new light on these topics for those who are already familiar with them.

Further more, it examines the concepts of identification, multiple intelligences, twice-exceptionality, underachievement, perfectionism, idealism, and more, including educational practices that both help and harm gifted children, all at a level that is both advanced and yet accessible to everyone. It offers parents the opportunity to learn the fundamental truths about giftedness in the same way that we want to provide information to our gifted children-a way that is intelligent and innovative and never dumbed down. It speaks to parents directly to help them become the best possible stewards of complex, precocious, amazing children.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Essential Guidebook for Parents of Gifted Children" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, and informational content, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Parenting instructional reference collections -- and essential, invaluable reading for anyone parent or guardian of a gifted child of any age or background.


The Biography Shelf

Sophia: Mother of Kings
Catherine Curzon
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526755346, $39.95, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sophia, Electress of Hanover, was born to greatness. Granddaughter of James I and mother to George I, she was perhaps the finest queen that Britain never had.

As daughter of Frederick V of the Palatinate and Elizabeth Stuart, Sophia emerged from an impoverished, exiled childhood as the Winter Princess, a young woman of sparky intelligence, cutting wit and admirable determination. Once courted by Charles II, Sophia eventually gave her heart to Ernest Augustus, at whose side she became the first Electress of Hanover and the mother of the first Georgian king of Great Britain.

In "Sophia: Mother of Kings: The Finest Queen Britain Never Had", biographer and historian Catherine Curzon brings this remarkable woman and her tumultuous era vividly to life. In a world where battles raged across the continent and courtiers fought behind closed doors, Sophia kept the home fires burning. Through personal tragedy and public triumph, Sophia raised a family, survived illness, miscarriage, and accusations of conspiracy, and missed out on the British throne by a matter of weeks.

Sophia of Hanover (14 October 1630 - 8 June 1714) became the mother of one of the most glittering dynasties the world has ever known.

Critique: A singularly informative and impressive work of researched based scholarship, "Sophia: Mother of Kings: The Finest Queen Britain Never Had" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library British History & Royal Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sophia: Mother of Kings" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Catherine Curzon is a royal historian who writes on all matters 18th century at www.madamegilflurt.com. Her work has been featured on HistoryExtra.com, the official website of BBC History Magazine, and in publications such as Explore History, All About History, History of Royals, and Jane Austen's Regency World. She has spoken at venues including Kenwood House, Wellington College, the Royal Pavilion, the Hurlingham Club, the National Maritime Museum and Dr Johnson's House.

Ian McKellen: A Biography
Garry O'Connor
St. Martin's Press
www.stmartins.com
9781250223883 $29.99 hc / $14.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: In 2001, Ian McKellen put on the robe and pointed hat of a wizard named Gandalf and won a place in the hearts of Tolkien fans worldwide. Though his role in the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings introduced him to a new audience, McKellen had a thriving career a lifetime before his visit to Middle Earth. He made his West End acting debut in 1964 in James Saunders's A Scent of Flowers, but it was in 1980 that he took Broadway by storm when he played Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer's Tony-Award-winning play Amadeus.

He has starred in over four hundred plays and films and he is that rare character: a celebrity whose distinguished political and social service has transcended his international fame to reach beyond the stage and screen. The breadth of his career - professional, personal and political - has been truly staggering: Macbeth (opposite Judi Dench), Iago, King Lear, Chekhov's Sorin in The Seagull and Becket's tramp Estragon (opposite Patrick Stewart) in Waiting for Godot. Add to all this his tireless political activism in the cause of gay equality and you have a veritable phenomenon. Garry O'Connor's Ian McKellen: A Biography probes the heart of the actor, recreating his greatest stage roles and exploring his personal life. Ian McKellen will show readers what makes a great actor tick. His life story has been a constantly developing drama and this biography is the next chapter.

Critique: Ian McKellen: A Biography is an in-depth, thoroughly accessible biography of British stage/film actor and activist Ian McKellen (b. 1939). McKellen has been openly gay since 1988, and is well-known worldwide as a champion of LGBT social movements. A handful of inset color photographs and an extensive index round out this in-depth, true-life story that reads like a fascinating novel. Ian McKellen: A Biography is a welcome addition to public library biography collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Ian McKellen: A Biography is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).

Josiah Wedgwood
Anthony Burton
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526755025, $49.95, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 - 3 January 1795) was born in the Staffordshire Potteries and lived in the area all his life. His family were all potters, working in traditional ways, but Josiah was to revolutionise the industry. When he started work, the local ware was either rather rustic, or made to look a little more sophisticated by the addition of heavy glazes. He worked to produce a lighter coloured body and to use designs made to appeal to aristocratic tastes, convinced that where they led the rapidly growing middle class would follow. The result was cream ware which, when a whole service was ordered by the royal family, was soon christened queens ware.

Josiah needed to import new materials (flint from East Anglia, light clays from the West Country), so he became an ardent promoter of the Trent and Mersey Canal, and built a new factory and family home on its banks, naming the area Etruria In the new works, he abandoned the old systems where individual craftsmen produced whole pieces for an early form of mass production. From these works came the ceramics that are still world famous, such as the distinctive jasper ware.

Josiah had many outside interests and was one of the earliest supporters of the ant-slavery movement. He studied science and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society for his work on high temperature thermometers. He was a loving family man and an enthusiastic correspondent, and his many letters reveal a character that was attractive, enthusiastic and always eager to learn.

Critique: A superbly presented, impressively informative, exhaustively researched and meticulously documented study, "Josiah Wedgwood: A New Biography" by Anthony Burton is a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library 18th Century biography collections. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a two page Select Bibliography, eight pages of Notes, and a five page Bibliography, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Josiah Wedgwood: A New Biography" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: Anthony Burton is a freelance author and broadcaster, who has specialized in industrial and transport history. He has been involved in around a hundred TV documentaries on these subjects, appearing on all the major networks. He has written biographies of some of the leading characters of the early industrial age: Thomas Telford, Richard Trevithick, Joseph Locke and Matthew Boulton, the latter with co-author Jennifer Tann.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook
Ali Miller
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612439358, $16.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In these troubled times, stress and anxiety afflict us all. What we eat can either help or hinder our dealing with the anxiety that is an inevitable part of our lives today.

In the pages of "The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook: Stress-Free Recipes to Mellow Your Mood", dietitian and food-as-medicine guru Ali Miller features over 75 tasty recipes that will reduce inflammation, strengthen your gut, and nourish your body, all while helping balance your mood and emotions. The carefully selected and showcased recipes serve up a wide variety of new and delicious meals that follow a ketogenic, low-carb approach to addressing anxiety. With beautiful full-color photographs and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, anyone can be eating their way to calm in no time!

Critique: "The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook: Stress-Free Recipes to Mellow Your Mood", features dishes that range from a Matcha Lime Pudding with Blackberries; Kale Salad with Squash and Pomegranate; Chicken Thighs with Braised Greens; and Macadamia Coconut Crusted Halibut; to Crisphy Fish Tacos in Cabbage Cups; Turkey Apple Kale Patties; Lemon Lavender CBD Balls; and Cacao Walnut Fudge. While especially and unreservedly recommended for family and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted for personal and professional reading lists that The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook: Stress-Free Recipes to Mellow Your Mood" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.18).

Editorial Note: Ali Miller is a registered dietitian (RD), certified diabetes educator (CDE), certified weight management specialist, and therapeutic lifestyle healthcare practitioner. Ali has dedicated her career to revolutionizing food as medicine in treatment and prevention of disease. She has a passion to create public awareness regarding the significant role diet plays in our overall health with her philosophy of food as medicine. She is the author of The Anti-Anxiety Diet, Naturally Nourished: Food-as-Medicine for Optimal Health Cookbook and founder of the Reset, Restore, Renew: Real Food Detox program.


The Military Shelf

My Rich Uncle
A.J. Kehl
Savas Beatie
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611214673 $18.95 pbk / $9.79 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Want to maximize your time in the military? Want to know what it really takes to be successful while serving your country? Ever just want someone to keep it real on the topics that mean the most to you? A.J. Kehl, a Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) in the U.S. Air Force, does just that and more in My Rich Uncle: An Informal Guide to Maximizing Your Enlistment.

Kehl's well-crafted guide is designed with one purpose in mind: To make sure you make the most out of your time in the armed forces. Sgt. Kehl distinguishes his book from any other you will read, pointing out all the important things that rarely, if ever, make it to print. Hot items such as promotion, leadership, networking, and traveling make this a must-read for anyone now on active duty, thinking of joining the military, or who has spent time within this unique lifestyle.

My Rich Uncle includes an invaluable collection of knowledge, wisdom, and insight from numerous military leaders, all of which is geared toward helping fellow military members find success in their careers. It highlights the cultural things we expect men and women to know, or at least figure out, but which are rarely taught. This book will help you successfully navigate a military career by providing insight into the expectations and the steps for YOU to take in order to maximize your service time and set yourself up for success. It also highlights little known programs, like Air Force Lean and Continuous Process Improvement, that empower members to find root cause solutions and reduce time-wasting practices that do not further your career.

Critique: My Rich Uncle: An Informal Guide to Maximizing Your Enlistment lives up to its title as a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is guide to pursuing a successful military career. Chapters discuss how to make the most of military benefits, how to demonstrate leadership in a follower's world, recommended education paths while enlisted, and much more. My Rich Uncle is an absolute must-read for anyone contemplating enlistment, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that My Rich Uncle is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.79).

The USS Swordfish
George J. Billy
McFarland
McFarlandBooks.com
9781476677743 $35.00

Synopsis: Among the more than 260 American submarines that patrolled the Pacific during World War II, the USS Swordfish in 1941 was the first to sink a Japanese armed merchant ship, marking the beginning of the submarine's colorful history.

A series of seven commanders led Swordfish's 13 war patrols. Each skipper had a distinct leadership style. Some were successful in sinking enemy ships; others returned to port empty-handed. Yet all patrols risked dangerously close encounters with the enemy and the unforgiving nature of the open sea.

Drawing on archival sources and interviews with veteran sailors, this first full-length history of the Swordfish provides detailed accounts of each patrol and covers the mysterious disappearance of the legendary submarine on its final mission.

Critique: The USS Swordfish: The World War II Patrols of the First American Submarine to Sink a Japanese Ship is a nautical and military history of the USS Swordfish, the first American submarine to sink a Japanese armed merchant ship during World War II. Vintage black-and- white photographs, appendices, extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this extensively detailed history of the Swordfish's voyages, captains, and crews. Presenting information gleaned from archival sources and interviews with veteran sailors distilled into a concise and accessible work of scholarship, The USS Swordfish is highly recommended for both college and public library collections.

Deep Space Warfare
John C. Wright
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476679266, $45.00, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Since the Cold War, outer space has become of strategic importance for nations looking to seize the ultimate high ground. World powers establishing a presence there must consider, among other things, how they will conduct warfare in orbit. Leaders must dispense with "Buck Rogers" notions about operations in space and realize that policies there will have serious ramifications for geopolitics.

How should nations view space? How should they fight there? What would space warfare look like and how should strategists approach it? Offering critical observations regarding this unique theater of international relations, "Deep Space Warfare: Military Strategy Beyond Orbit" by military professional John C. Wright explores the strategic implications as human affairs move beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Critique: As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Deep Space Warfare: Military Strategy Beyond Orbit" is an extraordinary study that is exceptionally well written, organized and presented -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, college, and university library Contemporary Military Studies collections.

Editorial Note: Major John C. Wright is a US Air Force officer and pilot. He has published multiple articles on Pacific region political-military affairs in a variety of journals and online publications. He specializes in Japanese language, culture, and US-Japan military-diplomatic affairs

Fire Mission! Fire Mission!
Captain Larry Kenneth Hunter
Koehler Books
210 - 60th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
www.koehlerbooks.com
9781633939349, $23.95, HC, 172pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Fire Mission! Fire Mission!: A Forward Observer's Experiences in Vietnam" is the fully documented experience of a green artillery forward observer with the First Cav in Vietnam.
Along with his topographical map, M-16 and backpack, Lt. Larry Hunter carried an Instamatic camera to preserve his comrades and patrols.

Letters from home illuminate his struggle to survive in Vietnam while his wife battles at home to make ends meet financially as a mother. Her faith and prayers to God strengthen and encourage him during days of losing close friends, and again, years later, when his faith is challenged by a new, unseen foe after his exposure to Agent Orange.

From jumping out of his first helicopter ride directly into battle, through at least twenty-five combat assaults, and finally an overwhelming ambush on Company A, First Battalion, Twelfth Cavalry on March 31, 1966, for which he is awarded a Bronze Star for heroism, Lt. Larry Hunter documents and describes this new kind of war with no front lines in the pages of "Fire Mission! Fire Mission!: A Forward Observer's Experiences in Vietnam".

Critique: An inherently riveting read from beginning to end, "Fire Mission! Fire Mission!: A Forward Observer's Experiences in Vietnam" will prove to be a welcome and impressively informative addition to the growing body of Vietnam War literature, histories, and memoirs. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century American Military History collections in general, and Vietnam War supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Fire Mission! Fire Mission!" is also available in a paperback edition (9781633939325, $15.95) and in digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Larry Hunter began his military service as an ROTC cadet in 1961 at Florence State College, now the University of North Alabama. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army, then completed Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. During his assignment at Fort Benning, Georgia, he received orders for First Air Cavalry Division, First Battalion, Twenty-First Artillery as a forward observer. Following a year's service in Vietnam, he was an instructor for two years at the US Army Artillery and Missile School at Fort Sill before returning to civilian life. He is retired after thirty years in management in the manufactured housing industry. Stories of his battles in Vietnam have been presented over the years by request from civic clubs, Veterans Day programs, the American Legion, schools and churches.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Capitalism in Transformation
Roland Atzmuller, et al.
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781788974233, $155.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Presenting a profound and far-reaching analysis of economic, ecological, social, cultural and political developments of contemporary capitalism, "Capitalism in Transformation: Movements and Countermovements in the 21st Century" draws on the work of Karl Polanyi, and re-reads it for our times. "Capitalism in Transformation" offers key insights to current changes in the relations between the economy, politics and society, and their ecological and social effects.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials and a nine page Index, "Capitalism in Transformation: Movements and Countermovements in the 21st Century" is comprised of nineteen erudite and insightfully informative articles deftly presented in three major sections: Historical and Theoretical Reflections: Karl Polanyi, Capitalism and Society; Contemporary Developments of Society and Capitalism in Europe and Beyond; Fictitious Commodities and the Challenges of Our Time. "Capitalism in Transformation" is an outstanding work of collective scholarship and unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Contemporary Economics collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.


The Business Shelf

Competing in the Age of AI
Marco Iansiti & Karim Lakhani
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781633697621, $32.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: AI-centric organizations exhibit a new operating architecture, redefining how they create, capture, share, and deliver value.

Marco Iansiti is the David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, also heads the school's Technology and Operations Management Unit and the Digital Initiative. Iansiti is also an expert on digital innovation, with a special focus on strategy and business and operating model transformation.

Karim R. Lakhani is the Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration and the Dorothy and Michael Hintze Fellow at Harvard Business School. He is the founder and codirector of the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard, the principal investigator of the NASA Tournament Laboratory at the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science, and the faculty cofounder of the Digital Initiative at HBS. He is also Chair of the Harvard Business Analytics Program.

In "Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World", Professors Iansiti and Lakhani show how reinventing the firm around data, analytics, and AI removes traditional constraints on scale, scope, and learning that have restricted business growth for hundreds of years. From Airbnb to Ant Financial, Microsoft to Amazon, research shows how AI-driven processes are vastly more scalable than traditional processes, allow massive scope increase, enabling companies to straddle industry boundaries, and create powerful opportunities for learning -- to drive ever more accurate, complex, and sophisticated predictions.

When traditional operating constraints are removed, strategy becomes a whole new game, one whose rules and likely outcomes "Competing In The Ages Of AI will make clear by: Presenting a framework for rethinking business and operating models; Explaining how "collisions" between AI-driven/digital and traditional/analog firms are reshaping competition, altering the structure of our economy, and forcing traditional companies to rearchitect their operating models; Explaining the opportunities and risks created by digital firms; Describing the new challenges and responsibilities for the leaders of both digital and traditional firms

Critique: Packed from cover to cover with examples (including many from the most powerful and innovative global, AI-driven competitors) and based on research in hundreds of firms across many sectors, "Competing In The Age Of AI" should be considered essential reading for all corporate executives and governmental policy makers. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of twelve pages of Notes and a fourteen page Index, "Competing In The Age Of AI" is unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, corporate executives, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Competing In The Age Of AI" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.49).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training
Jean Cuvelier & Jean-Yves Grall
CompanionHouse Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781621871873, $19.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Whether you've had a puppy before, it's been awhile, or you're totally new to having a furry friend, "The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training: Everything You Need to Know for Your Puppy's First Year" is an ideal go-to instructional guide and reference a deftly organized and thoroughly user friendly compendium of essential information. Providing easy step-by-step instructions on training methods and how to best care for a puppy, "The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training" is an enjoyable read with a wealth of helpful tips and charming drawings and photographs to prepare you and your new puppy for a wonderful first year

Critique: An ideal gift for anyone with a new puppy in the house, "The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training: Everything You Need to Know for Your Puppy's First Year" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with a newly acquired canine companion that "The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Jean Cuvelier is a veterinarian. He writes articles on animals in many magazines and is the author of several books including the Mini Dictionary bilingual French-dog / dog-French and the Mini dictionary bilingual French-cat / cat-French Larousse.

Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals
Franklin D. McMillan, editor
CABI
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781786393401, $125.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Fully revised, expanded, and comprehensively updated with the most current knowledge about the full array of mental health issues seen in animals, this new second edition of "Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals" is comprised of contributions by key opinion leaders, internationally-recognized experts and specialists, and deftly edited by Franklin D. McMillan (who is with Best Friends Animal Society).

Featuring twenty-five articles organized into five major sections, "Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals" collectively covers basic principles regarding the mental wellness, emotional distress, suffering and mental illness of animals, including both measurement and treatment. With even more practical information and clinical pearls, this new edition of "Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals" remains invaluable to veterinary professionals, animal welfare researchers and advocates, and other animal caregivers.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and featuring a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, "Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals" is ideal as a veterinary curriculum textbook and is unreservedly recommended for college and university library Veterinary Medicine collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and practicing veterinarians that "Mental Health and Well-Being in Animals" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $99.99).


The Art Shelf

Hokusai's Landscapes: The Complete Series
Sarah Thompson, author
Katsushika Hokusai, artist
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.mfa-publications.org
9780878468669, $41.00, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The best known of all Japanese artists, Katsushika Hokusai (31 October 1760 - 10 May 1849) was active as a painter, book illustrator and print designer throughout his 90-year lifespan. Yet his most famous works (the color woodblock landscape prints issued in series) were produced within a relatively short time, in an amazing burst of creative energy that lasted from about 1830 to 1836.

Hokusai's landscapes revolutionized Japanese printmaking and became icons of world art within a few decades of the artist's death. Hokusai's Landscapes focuses exclusively on this pivotal body of the artist's work, the first book to do so. Featuring stunning color reproductions of works from the incomparable Japanese art collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (the largest collection of Japanese prints outside Japan), Hokusai's Landscapes examines the magnetic appeal of Hokusai's designs and the circumstances of their creation.

"Hokusai's Landscapes: The Complete Series" includes all published prints of the artist's eight major landscape series: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (1830-32), A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (1833-34), Snow, Moon and Flowers (1833), Eight Views of the Ryukyu Islands (1832-33), One Thousand Pictures of the Ocean (1832-33), Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (1834), A True Mirror of Chinese and Japanese Poetry (1833) and One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (1835).

Working prolifically in the years just before Japan opened to the West in 1853, Katsushika Hokusai was the first Japanese artist to be internationally recognized. His cleverly composed ukiyo-e prints of everyday life and the landscapes of Edo Japan arrived in a 19th-century Europe gripped by Japonisme-mania, where they influenced artists such as Degas, Gauguin, Manet and Van Gogh.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, exceptionally informative, expertly organized and presented study, "Hokusai's Landscapes: The Complete Series" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library Japanese Art History collections in general, and Katsushika Hokusai supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Photography Shelf

Viewpoints
Kristen Gresh & Anne Havinga
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.mfa-publications.org
9780878468676, $65.00, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Over the course of the 20th century, photography evolved as an art form while serving as an eyewitness to social, cultural and political change. "Viewpoints: Photographs from the Howard Greenberg Collection" presents more than 80 significant images (many from unique vintage prints) that came to define their times, and invites us to take a fresh look at celebrated photographs by such masters of the medium as Berenice Abbott, Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Consuelo Kanaga, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks and Edward Steichen.

Drawing on the unparalleled Howard Greenberg Collection (446 photographs recently acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) "Viewpoints" brings to vivid life the transformative power of photography, and invites the reader into a collection assembled with a connoisseur's eye by a former photographer who is also a gallery dealer and a strong advocate for artists.

Critique: A splendid coffee-table style volume (10 x 1.2 x 11.2 inches), "Viewpoints: Photographs from the Howard Greenberg Collection" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library History of Photography collections and supplemental studies lists.


The Architecture Shelf

A Chronology of Architecture
John Zukowsky
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500343562, $29.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius defined architecture's characteristics to include firmitas, utilitas, and venustas -- essentially, structural integrity, usefulness, and beauty. Amazingly, all three Vitruvian characteristics can be found one way or another in most buildings and constructions from antiquity through the present.

"A Chronology of Architecture: A Cultural Timeline from Stone Circles to Skyscrapers" by John Zukowsky (who is an architectural historian and retired museum professional with an MA and PhD in art and architectural history from Binghamton University, and who has taught university level courses in Chicago, New York, and Hamburg) is a groundbreaking survey that examines together both engineering and architectural accomplishments.

Specific sites are deftly arranged within a sociocultural timeline that examines them in terms of historic events and trends, social change, economic developments, and technological innovations -- factors that all helped shape architecture and engineering design solutions over millennia. The profusely illustrated text of "A Chronology of Architecture" is informatively organized into seven chapters that chronicle these achievements -- with each chapter includes snappy "In Focus" sections that target sociocultural observations and technological developments related to particular sites and people.

Critique: An impressively informed and informative study that provides a truly comprehensive overview of the history of architecture, "A Chronology of Architecture: A Cultural Timeline from Stone Circles to Skyscrapers" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended resource for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the art, science, craft and history architecture -- and a core addition to personal, professional, corporate, community, college, and university library Architectural History collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.


The Language Studies Shelf

Learn to Read Hebrew in 6 Weeks!
Miiko Shaffier
Shefer Publishing
www.SheferPublishing.com
9780997867503 $27.99 pbk / $7.70 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: This proven method will have you reading the Hebrew Alphabet in 6 weeks or less. The Hebrew Alphabet can look intimidating, but this book will have you reading it in 6 weeks. Even people who have tried other books without success have learned to read Hebrew using this book. Here's what makes it different:

* Fun memory tricks make it super simple to remember the sounds of the letters

* Pace - The book is divided into 12 simple lessons. Two a week for 6 weeks.

* The cheerful style of the book is great for adults and children alike.

* From week one you are given words you can read from the Hebrew Bible!

* The charming illustrations make learning Hebrew a pleasure.

At the end of six weeks you WILL be able to read from the original Hebrew Bible, Psalms or the Siddur (Jewish prayer book) and you will have taken the first big step towards learning the Hebrew Language!

This method has already been used by thousands of students who have successfully learned to read Hebrew.

Critique: Learn to Read Hebrew in 6 Weeks! is a straightforward, user-friendly, lesson-based guide to quickly learning the Hebrew alphabet and start reading Hebrew. Learn to Read Hebrew in 6 Weeks! is not a consumable workbook; the focus is on learning to read Hebrew letters, not write them. The lessons take advantage of mnemonic devices to simplify and streamline the process of memorizing Hebrew letters, and is an excellent supplementary resource for anyone studying Hebrew for use in Israel (where it is an official language), for the perusal of religious texts, or for any other purpose. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Learn to Read Hebrew in 6 Weeks! is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.70).


The Autism Shelf

The Little Book of Autism FAQs
Davida Hartman, author
Illustrated by Margaret Anne Suggs
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
www.jkp.com
9781785924491 $15.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Empowering and practical, this guide is the perfect companion for parents who are finding it difficult to tell their children about their autism diagnosis. It provides a realistic yet uplifting approach to autism, treating it not as a disability but as a difference.

Not telling children about their autism diagnosis can have a significant negative impact on their mental health; by equipping parents with a language of positivity around autism, the book will make a difference to many children on the spectrum. It advises on how and when to talk to autistic children with both high and low care needs, and provides guidance on supporting children's relationships with peers at school, as well as how to broach the conversation with the child's siblings.

Concise and easy to read, The Little Book of Autism FAQs answers parents' questions with accessible language, preparing them to approach this difficult conversation in a constructive manner.

Critique: Child psychologist Davida Hartman presents The Little Book of Autism FAQs: How to Talk with Your Child about their Diagnosis & Other Conversations, an absolute "must-have" especially for parents of children who have been diagnosed with autism or Asperger syndrome. In plain terms thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, The Little Book of Autism FAQs explains why young children need to be told about their diagnosis, recommends ways to discuss the matter, and much more. "It is very important that to your child you make clear the distinction between wanting to take away any pain from their life, and wanting them to be a completely different person (which is what they hear when they hear you wish they had not been born with autism)." The Little Book of Autism FAQs is highly recommended, especially for public library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Little Book of Autism FAQs is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
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