bookpagedev

Biography

The good doctor

Review by bookpagedev

Compared to Dr. Paul Farmer, Mother Teresa was a slacker. But she had better PR. That may change with the publication of Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder’s engaging biography of the selfless, tireless, good-humored and still relatively young physician. Kidder, who won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Soul of a New Machine (1981), has been following the 44-year-old Farmer’s work on behalf of the poor since 1994.

Born in Massachusetts, Farmer grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where his family lived on an old bus and a salvaged boat. Despite these privations, he graduated at the top of his high school class and won a full scholarship to Duke University. While pursuing his degree there, he became interested in public health policies, particularly as they affected the downtrodden. Farmer began working with the poor in Haiti in 1983, the year before he entered Harvard Medical School. There, he met Ophelia Dahl, the daughter of actress Patricia Neal and writer Roald Dahl, who was working as a volunteer at an eye clinic. She would later bring her considerable administrative skills to the service of Farmer’s far-ranging vision. Farmer’s passion for helping the helpless also caught the attention of Boston philanthropist Tom White, who donated money for a clinic in the central Haitian village of Cange and set up the Partners in Health charity to help Farmer fund his projects. For his part, Farmer contributed both his own income and around-the-clock attention to his patients, whether in Boston or Haiti. On the faculty at Harvard, he soon rose to the post of professor of medicine and medical anthropology. Kidder accompanies Farmer as he trudges across the unforgiving Haitian countryside to care for patients or as he attends public health conferences and strategy sessions in Russia, Cuba, France, Peru, Canada and Mexico. Farmer’s amalgam of commitment, genius and energy constitutes a near irresistible force, and Kidder’s wonderful book is an antidote for cynics.

Compared to Dr. Paul Farmer, Mother Teresa was a slacker. But she had better PR. That may change with the publication of Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder's engaging biography of the selfless, tireless, good-humored and still relatively young physician. Kidder, who won both the Pulitzer…
Arts & CultureArt

Museum-quality reading for art’s sake

Review by bookpagedev

One of the most recognizable paintings on the planet, Grant Wood’s American Gothic has elicited considerable shares of angst, intrigue and amusement over the years. Cultural historian Steven Biel minutely examines Wood’s iconic double portrait in a lively new book, American Gothic: A Life of America’s Most Famous Painting. Biel’s insightful, humorous and well-researched discussion touches on the lives of the artist and his sister, the genesis of Gothic and society’s responses to this enigmatic work of art.

Wood, a self-styled bohemian who lived briefly in Paris before returning to his Iowan roots, painted American Gothic in 1930, creating an indelible image born in controversy. The artist posed his couple, a Cedar Rapids dentist and Wood’s own sister, Nan, separately for the portrait, which he intended would portray a farmer and his wife standing solemnly in front of their rural home.

Biel’s narrative reveals a quixotic portrait of 20th-century America, as reflected in the social and critical interpretations of American Gothic, from iconoclasm and satire in the 1930s, to reverential iconic status in the war-torn 1940s; then, to the slings of the 1950s postmodernists and the camp hilarity of parody in the 1960s. It is remarkable, as Biel’s painting shows, how the truest meaning in a work of art is found, indeed, in the eye of the beholder.

One of the most recognizable paintings on the planet, Grant Wood's American Gothic has elicited considerable shares of angst, intrigue and amusement over the years. Cultural historian Steven Biel minutely examines Wood's iconic double portrait in a lively new book, American Gothic: A Life…

Children's & YA

Review

Review by bookpagedev

creatures, in books both great and small It’s a jungle out there. Sometimes we forget that we are only one of countless species flying, swimming, tunneling and scurrying on the third rock from the sun. We still have no clear notion just how many creatures are endangered by the negligent stewardship of Homo sapiens, the currently dominant species of mammal. While biologists labor to identify the unknown animals and protect the known, authors and illustrators turn this feast of information into a golden age for children’s nonfiction. Never before have young people had available so many beautiful, fact-filled books about our fellow creatures. There are more good new books about animals than we can possibly do justice to here, so we’ll serve up only the cream of the crop.

For Peachtree Publishers, the team of writer Cathryn Sill and illustrator John Sill is producing a beautiful series of picture books about all kinds of animals, with most titles available in hardcover for $14.95 and paperback for $7.95. So far the titles are: About Insects, About Reptiles, About Mammals, About Birds and About Amphibians.

The text expresses important concepts in clear and simple language, and the detailed watercolor illustrations are splendid. Equally beautiful and fact-filled are two new books from Dawn Publications. Salamander Rain, written and illustrated by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini, examines a neighborhood pond by following fictional children’s studies of it, from lyrical portraits of map turtles to the children’s index-card notes. Salmon Stream, written by Carol Reed-Jones and illustrated by Michael S. Maydak, employs a different narrative style, following salmon (rather than a whole ecosystem) through a season. Both are impressive.

On the theme of fine illustrations, there is A Pair of Wings, a beautiful picture book written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Anne Wertheim. It’s a good idea for a book a look at the many ways that different creatures fly. The text is lively and filled with information without being overstuffed. The illustrations portray animals and habitats from all over the world. From pigeons to beetles, from dragonflies to bats, the creatures live their wildly varied lives. Then, in the appendix, their differing methods of flight are contrasted.

Carol Lerner, who has written and illustrated many acclaimed nature books for children, has published On the Wing: American Birds in Migration. Her simplified illustrations draw readers into the fascinating story of the vast distances many birds fly each year to winter away from home. She addresses methods and goals of migration, differences in seasonal foods and the distinctive habits of certain birds.

As these authors realize, you can’t appreciate the different aspects of nature until you can identify them. But not all identification is visual. For this reason, Innovative Kids is publishing a series of Hear and There Books. In Bird Calls and Night Sounds, young children push a button to hear the sound an animal makes, pull a tab to find the creature in its environment and lift another flap to learn more about its life. The sounds are convincing, loud enough to be noticed and will undoubtedly draw young children into the illustrations and text.

Kids will find more stories about sharks in a book from venerable nature publisher Houghton Mifflin. Swimming with Hammerhead Sharks, by Kenneth Mallory, is the latest in the excellent Scientists in the Field series. These books give science a friendly human face by following and photographing particular scientists in their work among animals. They explain the need for specific information in the case of sharks, to combat the cinematic stereotypes and the methods scientists employ to study the animals. The author tells the story in first person and keeps it exciting and full of amazing discoveries. This fine series continues with Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf, by Stephen R. Swinburne. This book tells the story of almost catastrophic depredations against the gray wolf, and how biologists have helped the wolf return to some poor semblance of its former glory. Also noteworthy is Sy Montgomery’s The Snake Scientist, now in paperback. These fascinating creatures are literally followed into their burrows by scientists and schoolchildren.

The Oxford First Book of Animals, by Barbara Taylor, addresses animal themes, but also covers habitats, from deserts to oceans. Sidebars titled Look Closer provide more details, and the book ends with a fun Animal Detective Quiz. Children from preschool through the first few years of school will enjoy both the preceding books.

All of these books at least imply an environmental perspective, of course, and attentive children will not miss the plea for responsible citizenship implicit in any close look at animals. However, many books address ecological issues more directly. DK is publishing a series of handsome books under the series title Protecting Our Planet. Already out are Earth Watch by David Burnie and Ocean Watch by Martyn Bramwell. The latest addition is Animal Watch by Roger Few. DK’s signature all-white background, well-designed montages of photographs, surrounded by equally well-chosen bites of information, encourage happy browsing. Besides being imbued with a sense of the grandeur of biodiversity, young readers will learn about poaching, deforestation and many other crucial issues. They will follow a day in the lives of an animal customs agent and a koala doctor. Readers will also pick up ideas about how to shop wisely and live responsibly. Sidebars provide clever but simple experiments. As this particular book points out, and as all of these other fine books demonstrate, “Our own future lies in the preservation of other creatures.” Michael Sims is currently writing a natural and cultural history of the human body for Viking.

creatures, in books both great and small It's a jungle out there. Sometimes we forget that we are only one of countless species flying, swimming, tunneling and scurrying on the third rock from the sun. We still have no clear notion just how many creatures…
Memoir

Kingston’s triumphant return

Review by bookpagedev

<B>Kingston’s triumphant return</B> Fire is fickle, unpredictable: a simple flame can warm and brighten, while a roaring conflagration can raze and kill. But fire holds the power to transform, and <B>The Fifth Book of Peace</B>, by Maxine Hong Kingston, the National Book Award-winning author of The Woman Warrior, is an eloquent testament to that fact. This work, Kingston’s first in more than a decade, is an unusual weave of memoir and fiction resounding with poignant voices that speak to the search for a new lexicon of peace.

"If a woman is going to write a Book of Peace, it is given her to know devastation," Kingston’s first line announces. While this proclamation may sound overwrought, it aptly frames the author’s heart-pounding firsthand account of the October 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills firestorm. This blaze, which took lives and homes, the author’s house included, also consumed her <I>Fourth Book of Peace</I>, a novel-in-progress. After the fire, Kingston realized that she had to write anew about peace, but from a different perspective. To research the new narrative, as Kingston recounts, she traveled to China in search of three mysterious Books of Peace. But they proved elusive, and while traveling she met a Chinese cultural minister who encouraged her to deepen her quest: "You imagined Books of Peace . . .

You write them yourself." Dismayed, she realizes, "It is my responsibility to pull the Book of Peace out of nothing." Kingston first re-created a smaller fiction from her lost novel, the story of Wittman Ah Sing, a young Chinese-American who takes refuge in Hawaii to avoid the Vietnam draft. She also invited war veterans, protesters and activists to submit writings on war, which she incorporated into the narrative. The result is a hybrid book containing intense prose that leaps like the fire it describes, as well as quieter passages that meander evocatively as the author searches for the lost Books of Peace. Kingston’s latest work is an extraordinary personal primer on making peace. She concludes, "I am coming up with a new rule for living: Only do things that make you happy, and you will create a peaceful world." Kingston, word by word, is doing just that. <I>Alison Hood is a freelance writer based in San Rafael, California.</I>

<B>Kingston's triumphant return</B> Fire is fickle, unpredictable: a simple flame can warm and brighten, while a roaring conflagration can raze and kill. But fire holds the power to transform, and <B>The Fifth Book of Peace</B>, by Maxine Hong Kingston, the National Book Award-winning author of…

Children's & YA

Car-friendly listening for all ages

Review by bookpagedev

It’s summer vacation time again, when both parent and child try to wile away the hours while they’re getting where they’re going. We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: travel in cars, planes and trains can be turned into real fun in the sun if you and your about-to-be-bored offspring listen to any of the wonderfully entertaining tapes that are yours for the picking.

Are we there yet? Fortunately, Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events, now up to Book the Seventh, is beginning to come out in audio versions. These darkly quirky, humorous tales that follow the misfortunes of the three orphaned Baudelaire siblings, who are constantly moving from one disaster to another, are a fine way to take up the slack as we totter between Potters. The disarmingly honest Mr. Snickett warns the listener from the get- go that "the audiobook you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant." But kids (ages 8-12) are not put off by these dire warnings, and neither should their elders be. The curious appeal is infectious and audiences are growing rapidly. The first two in the series The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room are read by Tim Curry. The next two, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill, are read by the inimitable Mr. Snickett (aka Daniel Handler) himself.

The Amber Spyglass, the final book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, will keep you all enthralled for more than 14 hours. Performed by the author and a full cast, the extraordinary adventures of Lyra and Will continue as they travel to a strange, dim world where no living soul has ever gone. The first two parts of this highly acclaimed series, The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, are also available on cassette (ages 11 and up).

For sheer charm, and a little nostalgia for the grown-ups, listen to Ludwig Bemelmans’ timeless tales of the mischievous Madeline in the Madeline Audio Collection, read by the timeless, mischievous Carol Channing. And for the younger crew there’s The Babar Audio Collection, read by the divine Louis Jourdan. You might also want to check out the contemporary, hip Chet Gecko Private Eye (ages 5 and up) as he stars in Bruce Hale’s The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse and The Mystery of Mr. Nice.

For older ears New as an audio presentation, but not as a book, The Monkey’s Raincoat introduces Robert Crais’ smart-mouthed, tai chi-trained, Vietnam-scarred, tough-but-tender Elvis Cole and his consummately cool, armed-to-the-hilt, Rambo-esque partner Joe Pike. Elvis, a private investigator who can quip with the best of them, even when someone is holding a gun to his temple or knife to his neck, keeps the flip talk flowing while he and Joe confront a very nasty, heavily guarded, drug-dealing ex-Matador, who has probably done in the husband and kidnapped the son of a sweet, seemingly inept Encino housewife. Amid much violence and over-the-top dialogue (well delivered here by David Stuart), Elvis and Joe, with a little help from the LAPD, attempt to find Hubbie, free the boy and see that justice is done, one way or another. Fast-paced, fun and convincingly plotted, the Elvis Cole thrillers make great travel listening. The bad, the beautiful, the betrayed Elegant historical whodunits (a growing genre) are a multiple treat you have the fun of figuring out who the culprit is while soaking up the atmosphere and ambiance of another time. Elizabeth Redfern’s debut novel, The Music of the Spheres, read with great style by Tim Curry, takes us to the teeming turmoil of London in 1795. At war with Republican France, England is filled with master spies of every stripe, royalist refugees fleeing the bloody aftermath of the French Revolution and a serial killer with a predilection for young, redheaded women. Jonathan Absey, officially a clerk in Whitehall and unofficially a Home Office agent, is in the thick of it, quietly gathering intelligence on French spies. But his true obsession is finding the man who murdered his own Titian-haired daughter. In the moist, heavy heat of July, his obsession and job meet, as spy mutates to murderer, Royalist to Republican and Jonathan from frustrated functionary to avenging father.

Is she or isn’t she? Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, faultlessly read by Stephen Weber, is a race-paced, pulse-pounder if ever there was one. When Dr. David Beck’s young wife, Elizabeth, was brutally killed eight years ago, something died in him too. Then his world turns upside down and inside out. In three short days, Beck goes from being a dedicated doctor, sleepwalking through his own life, to a man who has seen a ghost, received e-mails from the dead, become a suspect in two murders, assaulted a police officer, is on the run from the law and has enlisted the aid of a known drug dealer. And if that’s not enough, he’s being hounded by a cool FBI agent on one side and a strange Asian-American with cement-hard hands that torture for the fun of it on the other. What’s driving Beck, and all the others, is the shaky possibility that Elizabeth is still alive and if that’s true, what’s false? Summer sizzle Eric Jerome Dickey’s latest, Between Lovers, read by Richard Allen, is hot stuff and X-rated! The mystery here is how three hip, smart 30-somethings will sort out their complicated, interconnected love lives, not to mention their sensibilities and sexuality. There’s a lot of searching, soul and otherwise, as the best-selling Dickey tells a good story and adds his special brand of wisdom. Definitely not for the kids.

Sukey Howard reports on spoken word audio each month.

It's summer vacation time again, when both parent and child try to wile away the hours while they're getting where they're going. We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: travel in cars, planes and trains can be turned into real fun in the…

Children's & YA

Car-friendly listening for all ages

Review by bookpagedev

It’s summer vacation time again, when both parent and child try to wile away the hours while they’re getting where they’re going. We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: travel in cars, planes and trains can be turned into real fun in the sun if you and your about-to-be-bored offspring listen to any of the wonderfully entertaining tapes that are yours for the picking.

Are we there yet?

Fortunately, Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events, now up to Book the Seventh, is beginning to come out in audio versions. These darkly quirky, humorous tales that follow the misfortunes of the three orphaned Baudelaire siblings, who are constantly moving from one disaster to another, are a fine way to take up the slack as we totter between Potters. The disarmingly honest Mr. Snickett warns the listener from the get- go that "the audiobook you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant." But kids (ages 8-12) are not put off by these dire warnings, and neither should their elders be. The curious appeal is infectious and audiences are growing rapidly. The first two in the series The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room are read by Tim Curry. The next two, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill, are read by the inimitable Mr. Snickett (aka Daniel Handler) himself.

The Amber Spyglass, the final book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, will keep you all enthralled for more than 14 hours. Performed by the author and a full cast, the extraordinary adventures of Lyra and Will continue as they travel to a strange, dim world where no living soul has ever gone. The first two parts of this highly acclaimed series, The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, are also available on cassette (ages 11 and up).

For sheer charm, and a little nostalgia for the grown-ups, listen to Ludwig Bemelmans’ timeless tales of the mischievous Madeline in the Madeline Audio Collection, read by the timeless, mischievous Carol Channing. And for the younger crew there’s The Babar Audio Collection, read by the divine Louis Jourdan. You might also want to check out the contemporary, hip Chet Gecko Private Eye (ages 5 and up) as he stars in Bruce Hale’s The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse and The Mystery of Mr. Nice.

For older ears

New as an audio presentation, but not as a book, The Monkey’s Raincoat introduces Robert Crais’ smart-mouthed, tai chi-trained, Vietnam-scarred, tough-but-tender Elvis Cole and his consummately cool, armed-to-the-hilt, Rambo-esque partner Joe Pike. Elvis, a private investigator who can quip with the best of them, even when someone is holding a gun to his temple or knife to his neck, keeps the flip talk flowing while he and Joe confront a very nasty, heavily guarded, drug-dealing ex-Matador, who has probably done in the husband and kidnapped the son of a sweet, seemingly inept Encino housewife. Amid much violence and over-the-top dialogue (well delivered here by David Stuart), Elvis and Joe, with a little help from the LAPD, attempt to find Hubbie, free the boy and see that justice is done, one way or another. Fast-paced, fun and convincingly plotted, the Elvis Cole thrillers make great travel listening. The bad, the beautiful, the betrayed Elegant historical whodunits (a growing genre) are a multiple treat you have the fun of figuring out who the culprit is while soaking up the atmosphere and ambiance of another time. Elizabeth Redfern’s debut novel, The Music of the Spheres, read with great style by Tim Curry, takes us to the teeming turmoil of London in 1795. At war with Republican France, England is filled with master spies of every stripe, royalist refugees fleeing the bloody aftermath of the French Revolution and a serial killer with a predilection for young, redheaded women. Jonathan Absey, officially a clerk in Whitehall and unofficially a Home Office agent, is in the thick of it, quietly gathering intelligence on French spies. But his true obsession is finding the man who murdered his own Titian-haired daughter. In the moist, heavy heat of July, his obsession and job meet, as spy mutates to murderer, Royalist to Republican and Jonathan from frustrated functionary to avenging father.

Is she or isn’t she?

It's summer vacation time again, when both parent and child try to wile away the hours while they're getting where they're going. We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: travel in cars, planes and trains can be turned into real fun in the…

Fiction

Going home to meet mother

Review by bookpagedev

Three generations of mother-daughter entanglements get sharp scrutiny in April Reynolds’ lyrical debut novel, Knee-Deep in Wonder. Even more impressive, though, is the author’s portrayal of Southern black life: Reynolds’ characters are funny, memorable and complex, and she tells their stories with the ease of a trusted friend.

Helene Strickland returns home to Lafayette County, Arkansas, in 1976 for her aunt Annie b.’s funeral. At the same time, she wants to visit her mother, the now reclusive Queen Ester whom she’s never really known. Simply put, Helene seeks “mother love, deep and dark as a carpet”; she also hopes to discover her father’s identity.

The impending reunion is a jumping-off point from which Reynolds begins to peel back the years, exposing chunks of Strickland family history. Her focus, it turns out, is on Queen Ester’s relationship with her mother, Liberty. These two women are locked in an emotionally stunted dependency, due primarily to Liberty’s abandonment by both parents (and a lover). Things change fatefully after a young man, Chess, stumbles into Liberty’s home-based cafŽ.

A surprisingly intriguing figure, Chess is a ladies’ man whose womanizing disguises a sensitive streak his own need for the safety of mother love. When he appears at Liberty’s doorstep, he’s been on the run for 11 years. He’s haunted by a flood, the murder of his father and a “want that tasted like loathing.” The repercussions from a mother love that is skewed or denied altogether are portrayed in expansive and deliberate style. Reynolds, who teaches creative writing and literature at Sarah Lawrence College, sustains a compelling story and imbues her characters’ lives with the richness they deserve. She is a writer to watch. Harold Parker writes from Gallatin, Tennessee.

Three generations of mother-daughter entanglements get sharp scrutiny in April Reynolds' lyrical debut novel, Knee-Deep in Wonder. Even more impressive, though, is the author's portrayal of Southern black life: Reynolds' characters are funny, memorable and complex, and she tells their stories with the ease of…
Children's & YA

Car-friendly listening for all ages

Review by bookpagedev

It’s summer vacation time again, when both parent and child try to wile away the hours while they’re getting where they’re going. We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: travel in cars, planes and trains can be turned into real fun in the sun if you and your about-to-be-bored offspring listen to any of the wonderfully entertaining tapes that are yours for the picking.

Are we there yet? Fortunately, Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events, now up to Book the Seventh, is beginning to come out in audio versions. These darkly quirky, humorous tales that follow the misfortunes of the three orphaned Baudelaire siblings, who are constantly moving from one disaster to another, are a fine way to take up the slack as we totter between Potters. The disarmingly honest Mr. Snickett warns the listener from the get- go that "the audiobook you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant." But kids (ages 8-12) are not put off by these dire warnings, and neither should their elders be. The curious appeal is infectious and audiences are growing rapidly. The first two in the series The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room are read by Tim Curry. The next two, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill, are read by the inimitable Mr. Snickett (aka Daniel Handler) himself.

The Amber Spyglass, the final book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, will keep you all enthralled for more than 14 hours. Performed by the author and a full cast, the extraordinary adventures of Lyra and Will continue as they travel to a strange, dim world where no living soul has ever gone. The first two parts of this highly acclaimed series, The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, are also available on cassette (ages 11 and up).

For sheer charm, and a little nostalgia for the grown-ups, listen to Ludwig Bemelmans’ timeless tales of the mischievous Madeline in the Madeline Audio Collection, read by the timeless, mischievous Carol Channing. And for the younger crew there’s The Babar Audio Collection, read by the divine Louis Jourdan. You might also want to check out the contemporary, hip Chet Gecko Private Eye (ages 5 and up) as he stars in Bruce Hale’s The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse and The Mystery of Mr. Nice.

For older ears New as an audio presentation, but not as a book, The Monkey’s Raincoat introduces Robert Crais’ smart-mouthed, tai chi-trained, Vietnam-scarred, tough-but-tender Elvis Cole and his consummately cool, armed-to-the-hilt, Rambo-esque partner Joe Pike. Elvis, a private investigator who can quip with the best of them, even when someone is holding a gun to his temple or knife to his neck, keeps the flip talk flowing while he and Joe confront a very nasty, heavily guarded, drug-dealing ex-Matador, who has probably done in the husband and kidnapped the son of a sweet, seemingly inept Encino housewife. Amid much violence and over-the-top dialogue (well delivered here by David Stuart), Elvis and Joe, with a little help from the LAPD, attempt to find Hubbie, free the boy and see that justice is done, one way or another. Fast-paced, fun and convincingly plotted, the Elvis Cole thrillers make great travel listening. The bad, the beautiful, the betrayed Elegant historical whodunits (a growing genre) are a multiple treat you have the fun of figuring out who the culprit is while soaking up the atmosphere and ambiance of another time. Elizabeth Redfern’s debut novel, The Music of the Spheres, read with great style by Tim Curry, takes us to the teeming turmoil of London in 1795. At war with Republican France, England is filled with master spies of every stripe, royalist refugees fleeing the bloody aftermath of the French Revolution and a serial killer with a predilection for young, redheaded women. Jonathan Absey, officially a clerk in Whitehall and unofficially a Home Office agent, is in the thick of it, quietly gathering intelligence on French spies. But his true obsession is finding the man who murdered his own Titian-haired daughter. In the moist, heavy heat of July, his obsession and job meet, as spy mutates to murderer, Royalist to Republican and Jonathan from frustrated functionary to avenging father.

Is she or isn’t she? Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, faultlessly read by Stephen Weber, is a race-paced, pulse-pounder if ever there was one. When Dr. David Beck’s young wife, Elizabeth, was brutally killed eight years ago, something died in him too. Then his world turns upside down and inside out. In three short days, Beck goes from being a dedicated doctor, sleepwalking through his own life, to a man who has seen a ghost, received e-mails from the dead, become a suspect in two murders, assaulted a police officer, is on the run from the law and has enlisted the aid of a known drug dealer. And if that’s not enough, he’s being hounded by a cool FBI agent on one side and a strange Asian-American with cement-hard hands that torture for the fun of it on the other. What’s driving Beck, and all the others, is the shaky possibility that Elizabeth is still alive and if that’s true, what’s false? Summer sizzle Eric Jerome Dickey’s latest, Between Lovers, read by Richard Allen, is hot stuff and X-rated! The mystery here is how three hip, smart 30-somethings will sort out their complicated, interconnected love lives, not to mention their sensibilities and sexuality. There’s a lot of searching, soul and otherwise, as the best-selling Dickey tells a good story and adds his special brand of wisdom. Definitely not for the kids.

Sukey Howard reports on spoken word audio each month.

It's summer vacation time again, when both parent and child try to wile away the hours while they're getting where they're going. We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: travel in cars, planes and trains can be turned into real fun in the…

Fiction

Edgerton serves up a savory tale

Review by bookpagedev

“I’ve been to the mountain; I’ve been to the valley,” sings out L. Ray Flowers, the self-appointed preacher in Clyde Edgerton’s latest novel, Lunch at the Piccadilly. “I’ve been to Mary; I’ve been to Sally. I’ve been to Peter; I’ve been to Paul. I’ve seen the river; I’ve seen the mall. Glory hallelujah.” Hearing Flowers’ unconventional sermonizing for the first time, Carl Turnage, the book’s patient, pragmatic protagonist, falls under his charismatic spell. Flowers believes churches and nursing homes should join forces to take care of the elderly, and his energy and enthusiasm for “Nurches of America,” as he calls his “born again” brainchild, helps him win recruits for his vision-turned-quest.

Edgerton is known for delivering quirky, thoroughly realistic characters, undeniably loveable despite their human frailties, and he comes through again in Lunch at the Piccadilly, assembling a memorable cast of residents at Rosehaven, the convalescence center where Carl’s Aunt Lil has been admitted.

Lil, who has fallen twice in the bathtub, still wants to drive her 1998 Oldsmobile, still smokes and still has a few “life issues” to clear up before she meets her maker. Then there are her lady friends at Rosehaven: Mrs. Maudie Lowe (“Companies are going to take over the world, like Hitler. You mark my words”); Mrs. Beatrice Satterwhite (“Who pooted? Whew”); and Clara Cochran, the one with the glass eye (“First smeller is the feller. Whoever smelt it dealt it”). Last but not least is Darla Avery, who has something scandalous to say against their inspired new preacher friend, Flowers.

While there is a certain eccentric zaniness to Flowers and indeed to all the residents of Rosehaven, there is also a serious side. “Listen,” Flowers says fervently. “Old people are still alive. Alive. Their corpuscles breathe and move like little tiny white things in tomato sauce. It’s all any of us are given at the outset: life. It’s all any of us lose: life.” This swing back and forth between the comical and the profound is what keeps the subject matter aging, loss, watching the decline of a last living relative from becoming a morose tale and renders Lunch at the Piccadilly a heartwarming story full of humor and hope.

"I've been to the mountain; I've been to the valley," sings out L. Ray Flowers, the self-appointed preacher in Clyde Edgerton's latest novel, Lunch at the Piccadilly. "I've been to Mary; I've been to Sally. I've been to Peter; I've been to Paul. I've…
Mystery & SuspenseSuspense

Learning through trial and error

Review by bookpagedev

Kermit Roosevelt’s gripping first novel, In the Shadow of the Law, is entertaining and provocative, but caveat emptor it is not so much a conventional legal thriller as it is a passionate examination of the way the law works in America. It is also a compelling portrait of the men and women who practice law. Two cases set the stage for the novel. First, a married couple is found murdered in Virginia. After receiving an anonymous tip, police arrest Wayne Lee Harper, who promptly confesses. At trial, Harper is sentenced to death. With only weeks remaining before his execution, Harper now desperately needs pro bono representation for a final appeal. Second, there is a catastrophic explosion at Hubble Chemical in Texas. Dozens of workers are killed. Now, Hubble needs representation in a class-action lawsuit that threatens to destroy the company.

Several lawyers from the powerful D.C. firm Morgan Siler step up to meet the challenges of the two cases. Mark Clayton is fresh out of law school and questioning his career choice when he is thrust over his head into the Harper case. In the meantime, brilliant associate Walker Eliot keeps busy maintaining the pretense of working on the Harper case while doing as little as possible. In another Morgan Siler office, the incredibly successful litigator Harold Fineman leads the Hubble defense team, although he finds himself dangerously distracted by Katja Phillips, the attractive idealist assigned to assist him. Fineman and Phillips must also contend with Ryan Grady, a confused associate who is more concerned with women than with the law. A law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a former Supreme Court law clerk, Roosevelt is a great-great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt. In the Shadow of the Law is clear and convincing evidence that he is also a powerful storyteller who knows how to craft an intricately plotted page-turner filled with intriguing characters. Tim Davis teaches literature at the University of West Florida in Pensacola.

Kermit Roosevelt's gripping first novel, In the Shadow of the Law, is entertaining and provocative, but caveat emptor it is not so much a conventional legal thriller as it is a passionate examination of the way the law works in America. It is also a…

Creating the innovative bathtub

Review by bookpagedev

Several years ago at a conference on creativity for nonprofit managers, we were asked to design the “perfect” bathtub. Nonprofit managers tend to think creativity is their middle name, so we attacked our task in determined fashion, ready to bring perfect bathing to the world. Sad to say, we came up with few great ideas: “self-cleaning,” “built-in head rest” and “soft-sided” didn’t have anyone rushing to buy bubble bath.

If, as people say, we are all “born creative” then maybe our latent artistic side was resting. But resting for too long as the business world speeds on with new products and new ways to reach customers can spell disaster. A new research report shows that failure to innovate is a common trap that will hamper growth for 70 percent of large firms and even destroy entire companies.

We returned to our bathtub assignment, and this time the underpaid, overworked managers worked with perfect escapism in mind. Ideas like “Built-in television and stereo,” “automatic aromatherapy sensors” and “massage action tub lining” began to emerge. We were on a roll; our creative juices were flowing.

It turns out we were on to something. These days, manufacturers report stereo and aromatherapy tubs are flying out of bath showrooms. Luck? No, it was creativity and innovation. This month, we examine seven books that promise to help business managers crawl out of the resting rut and get inspired.

If your company needs revving, go find Get Weird!: 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work by John Putzier. This is exactly the kind of refreshing challenge any group of managers can sink into after a long day at the office. Heck, buy one for every manager on your floor and get together over lunch to get weird.

With humor and ingenuity, Putzier challenges today’s mega-companies to reassess some of their personnel, education and marketing practices to make every work environment a fun and productive place for employees. Weirdness, his name for constant innovative and creative challenge for employees, can revitalize morale, sales and workplace cohesiveness. He makes a cogent argument that in today’s tight labor market companies must reinvent the way they retain employees and create new products. Admittedly, just reading some of his ideas gave me new vigor. Putzier is right: creativity has a purpose, and that purpose can revitalize every aspect of your workplace.

While Get Weird is a “let’s get the juices flowing” idea book, Whoosh: Business in the Fast Lane by Thomas McGehee Jr. is a primer for the creative innovation company. McGehee compares old-line corporate practices of the past to innovative companies he says have stayed ahead of the economic curve. McGehee deftly convinces corporate executives that innovation is not a “new” practice, but rather the lifeblood of business.

McGehee, the vice president of a major consulting firm with Fortune 500 clients, drew on his military past as the starting point for a belief in employee innovation. “Whenever I told a Marine what to do, he or she did it. Nothing remarkable there. But when I told a Marine what needed to be accomplished, he or she always did more. When people are free to choose how to get things done they almost always do more.” He says current practice tells employees there is only one way to get a job done. That kills innovation in the workplace.

What McGehee calls Whoosh is not about employee perks or warm fuzzies. He says it’s about employee performance. I liked his no-nonsense, straightforward approach to convincing organizations that innovation is the best practice. He says, “no matter how the economy goes, one thing will remain competition. The organizations that are the strongest competitors win. Creation companies are the strongest competitors because they have strength in their people, in their structure and in their ability to use technology to enable both.” If that argument doesn’t convince CEOs to open doors for a Whoosh of fresh air, nothing will.

Breakthrough Teams for Breakneck Times: Unlocking the Genius of Creative Collaboration adds another twist to the innovation and creativity puzzle. Authors Lisa Gundry, Ph.

D., and Laurie LaMantia want everyone to have a good time at work, and this book is dedicated to the principle that enjoyable teamwork can be one of the most innovative and creative processes going. Sometimes one person’s good idea leads to another’s great idea and someone else’s brilliant idea. Once challenged, and once comfortable with being creative in front of each other, a group can feed off each other’s innovations. The duo cites examples from successful businesses and provides a framework for developing team principles to enhance creativity. The concept of “fit,” how well a personality meshes with a corporation’s values, is used to help teams find places for every personality in the creative process. Combining organizational theory and creativity practices, Gundry and LaMantia offer invaluable tools for enhancing business and personal potential, developing creativity and making it all worthwhile. Refreshingly honest, Breakthrough Teams tells managers not to get bogged down on building the team, but to spend time developing creativity. This guide is a great place for managers to start the creative process.

A dreary commute can also be a good time to get your creative juices flowing. One innovative new entry is an audiobook, How To Think Like Einstein by Scott Thorpe and read by Kerin McCue which provides stimulating and thought-provoking listening on one of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century. Thorpe outlines the rule-breaking journey Albert Einstein traveled as he sought to uncover physics’ great mysteries. A master of creative thinking, Einstein wrote in 1949, “It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreck and ruin without fail.” With common sense techniques, Thorpe makes genius sound like a simple process. Rearranging your way of thinking about concepts or problems defines the Einsteinian approach. Break the Rules, Think like a Spider and other exercises get mental juices ready to attack old dilemmas in new ways. Fresh and invigorating, Thorpe’s audio says we can all be Einstein in our own unique ways.

Briefly noted The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life by Robert K. Cooper, Ph.

D., is an exercise in unlocking your innovative potential. Cooper’s message is simple; you have more to offer the world than you know. You’ll be surprised at the extraordinary array of physical exercises (even relaxation techniques) and common sense advice Cooper offers to help you unlock the 90 percent of your brainpower you never knew you had.

Thriving in 24/7: Six Strategies for Taming the New World of Work by Sally Helgesen. A series of interviews led Hegelsen, author of The Female Advantage, to develop six strategies for coping with the ever lengthening, more-demanding-than-ever work world. This book offers a little piece of sanity in a confusing 24/7 world. Hegelsen says learn to love your job, make the work world the best place it can be and turn work relationships into something more than corporate connections.

Sharon Secor is a Minneapolis-based writer now experiencing the joys of corporate relocation.

Several years ago at a conference on creativity for nonprofit managers, we were asked to design the "perfect" bathtub. Nonprofit managers tend to think creativity is their middle name, so we attacked our task in determined fashion, ready to bring perfect bathing to the world.…
Memoir

From the mouths of children

Review by bookpagedev

Benson Deng’s early years were lived in a Dinka village in Sudan as close to tribal tradition as is possible in the contemporary world. His father, a respected cattle owner, had five wives. Little Benson was expected to graze the smaller livestock, and his biggest worry was the occasional lion attack. Raids by the Muslim horsemen from the north were also a tradition. In the 1980s that threat suddenly became more deadly, as the country’s northern government savaged the non-Muslim south. Benson’s mother told him, My son, the world is ending. And so it did. Benson survived, barely, only by joining an epic trek nearly unimaginable to Americans: 20,000 boys, some as young as five, many barefoot, walked 1,000 miles to flee the civil war that destroyed their villages and killed or scattered their families. Benson was seven years old. Those of the Lost Boys who lived about half ultimately ended up in Kenyan refugee camps, their plight receiving international publicity. Now we have a rare first-hand account of their struggles from Benson, his brother Alephonsion Deng and their cousin Benjamin Ajak, with assistance from their American mentor Judy A. Bernstein. The Dengs and Ajak, educated at the Kenyan camp and currently living in the United States, were smart and lucky. Tiny children when they fled, they quickly figured out the value of banding together for mutual protection with relatives from their extended families met along the road. They formed substitute families of little boys who cared for each other finding food, nursing illnesses, dodging dangers. In lucid, sometimes lovely writing, the boys tell of hunger, exhaustion, fear and loss all struggles that no child should have to bear. Benson, the oldest of the three, is particularly eloquent at explaining this horror through the words of his village childhood: Leopards were chasing us into the jaws of the lion. As the news from Darfur demonstrates, Sudan is still in crisis. But these authors made it to the U.S. 14 years after their personal horror began. Their lives are still not easy, but they endure. And, as their friend Bernstein writes, Their stories take my breath away and break my heart. Anne Bartlett is a journalist in Washington, D.C.

Benson Deng's early years were lived in a Dinka village in Sudan as close to tribal tradition as is possible in the contemporary world. His father, a respected cattle owner, had five wives. Little Benson was expected to graze the smaller livestock, and his biggest…

Creating the innovative bathtub

Review by bookpagedev

Several years ago at a conference on creativity for nonprofit managers, we were asked to design the "perfect" bathtub. Nonprofit managers tend to think creativity is their middle name, so we attacked our task in determined fashion, ready to bring perfect bathing to the world. Sad to say, we came up with few great ideas: "self-cleaning," "built-in head rest" and "soft-sided" didn’t have anyone rushing to buy bubble bath.

If, as people say, we are all "born creative" then maybe our latent artistic side was resting. But resting for too long as the business world speeds on with new products and new ways to reach customers can spell disaster. A new research report shows that failure to innovate is a common trap that will hamper growth for 70 percent of large firms and even destroy entire companies.

We returned to our bathtub assignment, and this time the underpaid, overworked managers worked with perfect escapism in mind. Ideas like "Built-in television and stereo," "automatic aromatherapy sensors" and "massage action tub lining" began to emerge. We were on a roll; our creative juices were flowing.

It turns out we were on to something. These days, manufacturers report stereo and aromatherapy tubs are flying out of bath showrooms. Luck? No, it was creativity and innovation. This month, we examine seven books that promise to help business managers crawl out of the resting rut and get inspired.

If your company needs revving, go find Get Weird!: 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work by John Putzier. This is exactly the kind of refreshing challenge any group of managers can sink into after a long day at the office. Heck, buy one for every manager on your floor and get together over lunch to get weird.

With humor and ingenuity, Putzier challenges today’s mega-companies to reassess some of their personnel, education and marketing practices to make every work environment a fun and productive place for employees. Weirdness, his name for constant innovative and creative challenge for employees, can revitalize morale, sales and workplace cohesiveness. He makes a cogent argument that in today’s tight labor market companies must reinvent the way they retain employees and create new products. Admittedly, just reading some of his ideas gave me new vigor. Putzier is right: creativity has a purpose, and that purpose can revitalize every aspect of your workplace.

While Get Weird is a "let’s get the juices flowing" idea book, Whoosh: Business in the Fast Lane by Thomas McGehee Jr. is a primer for the creative innovation company. McGehee compares old-line corporate practices of the past to innovative companies he says have stayed ahead of the economic curve. McGehee deftly convinces corporate executives that innovation is not a "new" practice, but rather the lifeblood of business.

McGehee, the vice president of a major consulting firm with Fortune 500 clients, drew on his military past as the starting point for a belief in employee innovation. "Whenever I told a Marine what to do, he or she did it. Nothing remarkable there. But when I told a Marine what needed to be accomplished, he or she always did more. When people are free to choose how to get things done they almost always do more." He says current practice tells employees there is only one way to get a job done. That kills innovation in the workplace.

What McGehee calls Whoosh is not about employee perks or warm fuzzies. He says it’s about employee performance. I liked his no-nonsense, straightforward approach to convincing organizations that innovation is the best practice. He says, "no matter how the economy goes, one thing will remain competition. The organizations that are the strongest competitors win. Creation companies are the strongest competitors because they have strength in their people, in their structure and in their ability to use technology to enable both." If that argument doesn’t convince CEOs to open doors for a Whoosh of fresh air, nothing will.

Breakthrough Teams for Breakneck Times: Unlocking the Genius of Creative Collaboration adds another twist to the innovation and creativity puzzle. Authors Lisa Gundry, Ph.D., and Laurie LaMantia want everyone to have a good time at work, and this book is dedicated to the principle that enjoyable teamwork can be one of the most innovative and creative processes going. Sometimes one person’s good idea leads to another’s great idea and someone else’s brilliant idea. Once challenged, and once comfortable with being creative in front of each other, a group can feed off each other’s innovations. The duo cites examples from successful businesses and provides a framework for developing team principles to enhance creativity. The concept of "fit," how well a personality meshes with a corporation’s values, is used to help teams find places for every personality in the creative process. Combining organizational theory and creativity practices, Gundry and LaMantia offer invaluable tools for enhancing business and personal potential, developing creativity and making it all worthwhile. Refreshingly honest, Breakthrough Teams tells managers not to get bogged down on building the team, but to spend time developing creativity. This guide is a great place for managers to start the creative process.

A dreary commute can also be a good time to get your creative juices flowing. One innovative new entry is an audiobook, How To Think Like Einstein by Scott Thorpe and read by Kerin McCue which provides stimulating and thought-provoking listening on one of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century. Thorpe outlines the rule-breaking journey Albert Einstein traveled as he sought to uncover physics’ great mysteries. A master of creative thinking, Einstein wrote in 1949, "It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreck and ruin without fail." With common sense techniques, Thorpe makes genius sound like a simple process. Rearranging your way of thinking about concepts or problems defines the Einsteinian approach. Break the Rules, Think like a Spider and other exercises get mental juices ready to attack old dilemmas in new ways. Fresh and invigorating, Thorpe’s audio says we can all be Einstein in our own unique ways.

Briefly noted The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life by Robert K. Cooper, Ph.D., is an exercise in unlocking your innovative potential. Cooper’s message is simple; you have more to offer the world than you know. You’ll be surprised at the extraordinary array of physical exercises (even relaxation techniques) and common sense advice Cooper offers to help you unlock the 90 percent of your brainpower you never knew you had.

Thriving in 24/7: Six Strategies for Taming the New World of Work by Sally Helgesen. A series of interviews led Hegelsen, author of The Female Advantage, to develop six strategies for coping with the ever lengthening, more-demanding-than-ever work world. This book offers a little piece of sanity in a confusing 24/7 world. Hegelsen says learn to love your job, make the work world the best place it can be and turn work relationships into something more than corporate connections.

Sharon Secor is a Minneapolis-based writer now experiencing the joys of corporate relocation.

 

Several years ago at a conference on creativity for nonprofit managers, we were asked to design the "perfect" bathtub. Nonprofit managers tend to think creativity is their middle name, so we attacked our task in determined fashion, ready to bring perfect bathing to the…

Sign Up

Stay on top of new releases: Sign up for our newsletter to receive reading recommendations in your favorite genres.

Sign up now

Trending Features

All Features