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The Work of Art

The Work of Art is a visionary compendium of ephemera that makes visible the bridge between idea and artwork.
The Work of Art is a visionary compendium of ephemera that makes visible the bridge between idea and artwork.
NonfictionBiography

Ingenious

Richard Munson’s splendid biography of Benjamin Franklin provides an insightful view of the statesman’s lesser known accomplishments in science.
Richard Munson’s splendid biography of Benjamin Franklin provides an insightful view of the statesman’s lesser known accomplishments in science.
NonfictionLiteratureBiography

Didion and Babitz

Lili Anolik’s Didion and Babitz is a freewheeling and engaging narrative about two iconic literary rivals and their world in 1970s Los Angeles.
Lili Anolik’s Didion and Babitz is a freewheeling and engaging narrative about two iconic literary rivals and their world in 1970s Los Angeles.
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Nature

Climate-controlled history

Review by bookpagedev

The fact that weather can affect everything from creaky joints to the appearance of celestial bodies is old news. But what about the effect of weather on culture, politics, language? Author Laura Lee explores the connection between Mother Nature and turning points of the human experience in Blame It on the Rain: How the Weather Has Changed History. Lee skips around from the Spanish Armada to the 1948 U.S. presidential race to the building of Noah’s Ark, sharing fascinating tidbits in the humorous style she’s brought to earlier careers as a DJ and comedian, as well as to her 11 previous books.

Lee discusses how high summer temperatures contributed to the 1967 Detroit riots, and how fluctuations during the Little Ice Age (around 1350 to 1850 A.D.) led not only to witch hunts in Europe, but may have also nurtured the singular wood that Stradivarius used in creating his string masterpieces. She revisits the connection between the most popular of Edvard Munch’s Scream paintings and the 1883 eruption on Krakatoa, and reflects on the strategic importance of climate.

Blame It on the Rain is a full of short dare one say breezy chapters in which Lee sets the scene as in a blockbuster summer disaster movie, then condenses long threads of history into little summaries that wrap up as neatly and quirkily as a Fractured Fairy Tale. Lee’s tone can be a bit too smart-alecky at times, but her take on history is always refreshing and thought-provoking.

The fact that weather can affect everything from creaky joints to the appearance of celestial bodies is old news. But what about the effect of weather on culture, politics, language? Author Laura Lee explores the connection between Mother Nature and turning points of the…
LifestylesHealth & Fitness

Pounding the pavement for 26.2 miles

Review by Linda M. Castellitto

Ah, the New York City Marathon – it's the stuff of legend, from the sight of thousands upon thousands of people piling on to the Verrazano – Narrows Bridge to the personal dramas played out on the streets of Manhattan. In A Race Like No Other, Liz Robbins has created an engrossing, edifying and moving chronicle of a day in the life of the marathon and its participants. Mile by mile, runner by runner, she explores what it was like to participate in the 2007 race. Robbins has worked as a sportswriter for 17 years, the last nine at the New York Times, and she is a master of her craft: she deftly combines historical fact with creative interpretation, statistics and time – splits with detailed description.

She discusses the specifics of the race and explains logistics (Where do runners put their extra clothes and gear during the race? And, um, what's the bathroom situation?). Robbins describes the founding, history and changes to the race, and provides plenty of interesting tidbits – the marathon was founded in 1970, and 749,791 people have crossed the finish line since then; the 2007 race had 39,195 competitors, including Lance Armstrong and Katie Holmes.

But the author's focus isn't on celebrities; while she does follow elite runners like Martin Lel, a Kenyan who won the race in 2003 but wasn't able to run in the intervening years due to injury, she also introduces Pam Rickard, a recovering alcoholic who runs to regain her sense of self and forget her time in jail just one year prior, wheelchair athlete Edith Hunkeler and young cancer survivor Harrie Bakst. A Race Like No Other is a satisfying read for many reasons, not least because Robbins' writing is fluid and engaging, and she offers an unprecedented inside look at a storied event. But most of all, it's fascinating to learn what motivates the marathoners to keep running no matter what sort of walls they hit.

Linda M. Castellitto laces up her sneakers in North Carolina.

Ah, the New York City Marathon - it's the stuff of legend, from the sight of thousands upon thousands of people piling on to the Verrazano - Narrows Bridge to the personal dramas played out on the streets of Manhattan. In A Race Like No…

Self-HelpLifestyles

This little light of mine

Review by Linda Stankard

Maya Angelou, the renowned poet, writer, performer, teacher and director, calls on each of us to do nothing short of "something wonderful for humanity" in her new autobiographical book, Letter to My Daughter. In her introduction, Angelou explains that the title refers to her "thousands of daughters" of every color, religion and persuasion – women "fat and thin, pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered. I am talking to you all." (So listen up!) Now in her seventh decade, the famed author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings shares her remarkable life experiences (some downright terrifying) and down – to – earth wisdom ("The epitome of sophistication is utter simplicity") with humility and candor as she calls on women to play a special role in leading the way to a better world. Reminding us of America's noble ideals and lofty promise she asks, "Didn't we dream of a country where freedom was in the national conscience and dignity was the goal?" With faith, kindness and a sprinkling of poetry, Angelou's Letter to My Daughter sheds her gentle, intelligent light down the rocky road ahead.

SEA OF LOVE
Like Angelou, Marian Wright Edelman believes that women, as the bearers of life (and half the voting population), must become a stronger force for justice and decency. Edelman is the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund and author of the bestseller The Measure of Our Success. She's an outspoken advocate for civil and human rights and her latest book, The Sea Is So Wide and My Boat Is So Small: Charting a Course for the Next Generation, urges personal activism, "standing up and reclaiming our children, families, communities, our moral values and our nation." Despite the "unjust odds handed them by the lottery of birth," millions of children, Edelman notes, "are living heroic lives" and deserve to be affirmed, empowered and celebrated. Written as open letters to our past and present leaders, our youth and all of us as citizens, Edelman asks, "What kind of people do we Americans seek to be in the twenty – first century? What kind of people do we want our children to be? What kind of choices and sacrifices are we prepared to make to realize a more just, compassionate and less violent society and world – one safe and fit for every child?" Edelman's book offers advice, anecdotes, statistics, resources and prayers to guide us – like a lighthouse if you will – to more stable waters in these turbulent seas.

YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN
The deeply moving story of Patrick Henry Hughes, born in 1988 with a rare genetic disorder that left him without eyes and with limbs that would never fully develop, is a source of inspiration for anyone battling against the odds. Despite being blind and unable to fully extend his arms, at nine months old the young Hughes displayed an uncanny ability – he could locate and play back the notes his dad struck on the piano. Today, thanks to his love for music and his parents' unwavering faith, Hughes, at 20, is already an award – winning pianist, singer and trumpet player and currently a student at the University of Louisville majoring in Spanish. I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams, by Patrick Henry Hughes, written with his father Patrick John Hughes and Bryant Stamford, tells his amazing story from birth to the present day by alternating between his point – of – view and his dad's. As they chronicle their journey and share their learned "life lessons," I Am Potential emerges as more than an incredible triumph – over – adversity tale or a beautiful father/son relationship saga. It also evolves into the story of how helping one boy fight to achieve his dreams gave so many others the opportunity to expand their own abilities and capacities – to become their best selves.

Maya Angelou, the renowned poet, writer, performer, teacher and director, calls on each of us to do nothing short of "something wonderful for humanity" in her new autobiographical book, Letter to My Daughter. In her introduction, Angelou explains that the title refers to her "thousands…

History

America’s ‘Era of Good Feelings’

Review by Martin Brady

A really good volume of history provides the reader with a keen sense of perspective and a genuine appreciation for the past. This is exactly what David S. Reynolds does in Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson, which authoritatively describes the early to middle part of the American 19th century and makes clear how important this period was to the nation's growth in sociocultural, industrial and political terms. The first third of Reynolds' book is compellingly crafted, offering an incisive examination of the so-called Era of Good Feelings (early 1800s, post-Founding Fathers), leading into the administration of Andrew Jackson (1829 – 1837).

Reynolds delivers a fascinating profile of John Quincy Adams, Jackson's predecessor, who was a genius but didn't play politics very well. Other important statesmen of the time – Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun – get their due, but best of all are the author's insights into Old Hickory, exchanging the stereotyped perception of a rough – hewn rube for an admiring respect. Jackson, his obvious administrative blunders aside, was unafraid to wield power, showed what a president could do with a veto and oversaw the foundational development of a burgeoning empire. Jackson's reign had warts – including his ruthless pragmatism in relocating Native American populations – but his impact on infrastructure (never underestimate the importance of a paved road in a frontier land), westward migration, commerce, banking and the general assertion of the U.S. into the international sphere was huge.

Reynolds grapples with art, literature, religion, philosophy, even the theater of the day in subsequent chapters, which help to characterize the distinctively emerging individualist and outspoken American spirit. Reynolds pushes his narrative forward past the Jackson years in an effort to provide some continuity and context to key national trends and events. His coverage stops short of the Civil War, when the long-overdue and critical encounters with festering sectionalism and the slavery question are finally met head-on. The marvel here is how Reynolds tackles textbook material with a great deal of stylish and involving writing.

Martin Brady is a Nashville-based writer.

A really good volume of history provides the reader with a keen sense of perspective and a genuine appreciation for the past. This is exactly what David S. Reynolds does in Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson, which authoritatively describes the early to…

Nonfiction

Fun, fearless Halloween how-tos

Review by Lacey Galbraith

For parents, the scariest part of Halloween night isn't the roving bands of pint-sized ghouls and goblins canvassing their neighborhood but their little one's earnest question, "Mom, where's my costume?"

Here to the rescue is Homemade Halloween, a simple Halloween how-to for parents who are neither super-crafty nor uber-organized. The book's ideas for creating a "spooktacular" night are easy to create and even easier on the wallet. Colorful illustrations and photographs, historical fun facts and important safety pointers fill each page, and all the basics are covered, from simple and effective costumes and decorations to tasty culinary treats. Examples include carving a jack-o'-lantern with "pumpkin panache," serving "creepy cupcakes" and "sherbet wizards," and creating theatrical costumes in three steps or less with no sewing. Yes, no sewing! (Parents, it's all about the glue gun.)

JACK O'LANTERN
In the eyes of author Tom Nardone—founder of the website ExtremePumpkins.com—pumpkin carving is ripe for irreverence and perfect for mayhem. Last year he gave the world the best-selling Extreme Pumpkins; this year he's returned with a sequel, the equally gory (and perfectly titled) Extreme Pumpkins II: Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors. His suggestions for success include adding jigsaws and routers to a "tools for terror" arsenal and going for the outrageous with designs such as Angry Mob Pumpkin, Alien Invader, and Suburban Nightmare Pumpkin. His Sno -Shooter Pumpkin will give joy to 13-year-old boys everywhere.

Breathing new life into Halloween's traditions, Nardone's "Extreme Pumpkin Design Manifesto" encapsulates his cause best. He writes, "My hope is that Extreme Pumpkins II will give you some extremely gross, tasteless, scary pumpkin-carving ideas, or at least lots of cool things to copy. And if you hate this book, well, maybe that will inspire you too."

For parents, the scariest part of Halloween night isn't the roving bands of pint-sized ghouls and goblins canvassing their neighborhood but their little one's earnest question, "Mom, where's my costume?"

Here to the rescue is Homemade Halloween, a simple Halloween how-to for parents who are…

Biography

The evolution of Charles Darwin

Review by bookpagedev

Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species, published in 1859, is arguably one of the best known and most influential books ever written. How Darwin arrived at his ideas of natural selection accepted, rejected and debated then and even now and what Darwin was really like makes for a fascinating story in David Quammen’s The Reluctant Mr. Darwin. Quammen, author of Song of the Dodo and three-time winner of the National Magazine Award, sheds light on the more private Darwin, and the effects of social, familial, religious and scientific influences on the man and his times. He focuses on Darwin after his years on the HMS Beagle collecting marine specimens as the ship charted the South American coastline.

In fact, after that voyage, Darwin never again left Great Britain. It took him more than 20 years to write his theory about evolution of the species. He had notebooks full of observations, yet there was always more to learn and more to think about. With his retiring personality and his tendency to be ill with anxiety and delicate digestion, Darwin was cautious about publishing a book that was guaranteed to be controversial.

But then there was Alfred Wallace, a field naturalist whose independently developed ideas Darwin found alarmingly similar to his own. Unlike Darwin, Wallace was eager to publish, impelling Darwin to finish his book and be recognized for his many years of work.

Quammen also offers an exploration of Darwin’s personal life, including his marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgwood of Wedgwood china fame. Emma was a devout Christian in contrast to Darwin’s intensifying agnosticism. Despite differing views on creation, life and the afterlife, the two had a very loving and respectful bond.

There is much to know and appreciate about Charles Darwin, and The Reluctant Mr. Darwin is replete with detail and insight. Ellen R. Marsden writes from Mason, Ohio.

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of the Species, published in 1859, is arguably one of the best known and most influential books ever written. How Darwin arrived at his ideas of natural selection accepted, rejected and debated then and even now and what Darwin was…

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