Wild Temptation
Ruth D. Kerce
Novel Books
P.O. Box 661, Douglas, MA 01516
eBook/Multiple Formats: ISBN 1-931696-04-7 eBook 5.50; ISBN 1-931696-95-0 paperback
$17.95
Elaine Hopper, Reviewer
c/o Cindy Penn
www.WordWeaving.com
Crank up your air conditioner or sit in front of your fan before reading the incredibly erotic love
scenes in Ruth D. Kerce's Wild Temptation.
Suspense grips the reader from page one when Skylar Davenport discovers George and Edna
Harper's double murder immediately placing herself in grave danger. When Wade Sinclair
immediately and inexplicably claims her friends' land, owns a Sabino horse and calls her "woman"
just as the murderer did as he prepared to murder her, and refuses to give a straight answer to any
of
her questions, she places him at the top of her suspect list and keeps her rifle handy. Even if he's
not
the murderer, she suspects he's been sent by the Cheyenne Cattle Company to scare she and her
sister off their land.
But sexy, handsome Wade manages to get underfoot and under her skin. Soon she hopes he's not
the murderer and she tries to prove his innocence. But he doesn't make it easy when he still
side-steps her queries. Nor does it help that someone is deliberately causing trouble such as
putting
foxes in her chicken coop.
Tightly and beautifully written, Ms. Kerce leaves your mouth watering for more of her wonderful
stories when the last page is finished. I see two possible sequels to Wild Temptation and hope
she'll
take the hint to write Beth and Cal's story and another for Kid Joe. If you love western historical
romance, you'll love this book.
Southern Fried Sci Fi And Jambalaya Genres
Scott E. Hancock, editor
Sursum Publishing
9531 Hemlock Drive, Huntsville, AL 35803
ISBN 0967501725 $5.00 www.amazon.com
Ellen Zuckerman
Reviewer
Southern Fried Sci Fi And Jambalaya Genres is a lengthy title for a slim volume of 20 previously
unpublished science fiction and fantasy stories and poems.
If you're a sci fi or fantasy reader, or just looking for an unusual read, you'll definitely find what
you're looking for here. Want to explore the idea of life on Earth after a devastating plague?
You'll find
it in "Messenger." Want to explore family magic? Check out "Mother Gone" and "Mother of a
New
Generation." Interested in slightly surreal tales of futuristic life? Read "Talent Scout", "Psy Spy"
and
"Pattern for Change." These are just a few of the memorable stories collected in this volume.
Wild, imaginative tales of alien beings, vampires, devils and spells and life on Mars and the moon
are
all here. Mixed in with this broad spectrum of stories are a few short dark poems, a dream-like
cowboy-world fantasy, and an assortment of large-as-life characters--among them a teenage girl
growing up on planet Mars, scientists and survivalists, an elderly woman coming to terms with the
loss of her husband, and a prim and proper witness to a horrific crime.
Ranging between two and ten pages at most, each story is a little slice of the fantastic world of the
mind. Although, as co-editor Scott Hancock writes in his foreword, "These are not necessarily the
best Nasfcas stories..." each individual story has the power to draw the reader in, to make you
think
about the "what ifs", the possibilities of future life, alternate realities, and supernatural
wonder.
Additional Book Info:
Southern Fried Sci Fi And Jambalaya Genresis the first official story collection published by the
NASFCAS, also known as the North Alabama Science Fiction and Cake Appreciation Society, an
informal writers' group that has been meeting regularly, eating cake and swapping stories, for
years.
The writers come from backgrounds as diverse as engineering, software development, law, music,
film and creative writing.
Russian Experiences: Life in the Former USSR and Post-Soviet Russia
The Raven and Marie Claire
Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc.
PO Box 9949, College Station, TX 77842
ISBN 1589391772 (softcover) $12.95, ISBN 1589391985 (hardcover) $17.95
1-877-376-4955 http://www.virtualbookworm.com
Denise M. Clark, Reviewer
http://www.denisemclark.com
c/o Marie Claire, justmarieclaire@linkeseite.zzn.com
Do you know the difference between Communism and National Socialism? Do you have any idea
what it was like to live in Post World War II Russia? How about the Cold War period? Do you
know what happened during the turbulent period of upheaval during the late 1980's to the early
1990's, a period that witnessed the death throes of the former entity known as the USSR?
Unless one went through it, experienced it, and lived it, one can't ever really know. But a man
known as 'The Raven' lived through it, and with the help of co-writer Marie Claire, he tells us his
story. The Raven was born into a period of poor economy, poor training and few supplies. No
luxuries of supermarkets, shopping malls, and fashion stores and private transportation. Due to
lack
of proper medical care, The Raven suffered a hearing loss accompanied by a speech impediment,
thereby forced from then on to deal with prejudice because of his handicap. The Raven grew up in
Baku City, the capital of Azerbaijan, his life by no means easy. Because of the conflicts between
native Armenians and Azerbaijan natives, he and his brother were not allowed to go to school for
long stretches of time.
Ultimately, The Raven and his family left Baku, where they had lived all their lives, and moved to
a
region around Moscow where The Raven continued his education. Yet even there The Raven had
to
struggle to gain that education, one that finally enabled him to rise above the poverty and
narrow-mindedness of many of Russia's inhabitants.
Russian Experiences is a wonderful book that tells the story of one man's rise above the restrictive
conditions surrounding him. The story is not only well written, but also a very personal saga of
the
history and transition of one of the mightiest nations in the world and the consequences of its
complicated political history. Through the eyes of The Raven and Marie Claire, a reader of this
tale
begins to understand there is much behind the fa‡ade of Russia, one rarely seen or talked about on
such a personal level. This book is a primer for one to gain a better understanding of what Russia
was and is all about, a book told through the eyes of one man who fought against prejudice and
poor
living conditions to gain an identity he could be proud of. Russian Experiences is an excellent
format
for anyone to utilize, from either a social or personal perspective, in order to experience and learn
about Russia's history, culture, and the indomitable spirit of many of its people. This reviewer
gives
it an A in its writing style and in its presentation of both history and humanity.
Death Is A Cabaret
Deborah Morgan
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN 0-425-18202-9, PRICE: $5.99-paperback, URL: www.penguinputnam.com
Meredith Campbell
Reviewer
In the world of antiques anything can happen--even murder. Former FBI agent Jeff Talbot has left
the bureau and become a "picker," someone who scrounges through attics and yard sales looking
for
valuables he can sell to dealers and connoisseurs. On a quest to find the 200 year old expensive
and
exquisite tea set once owned by Napoleon's love, Josephine, an antiques convention and auction
draws Talbot to Mackinac Island, Michigan, leaving behind his Seattle comforts and devoted, yet,
tragic wife. Settled into plush quarters at the historic Grand Hotel, Talbot meets a kaleidoscope of
intriguing characters. From a fourth floor window staring into the darkened pool area, he
witnesses
a murder. Soon afterward, the main auctioneer dies. Is his death murder or suicide? Forget the
idea
that highbrow antique dealing is for the polite gentility. The affair turns out to be cutthroat and
the
attendees not who they pretend to be.
Morgan departs from the modern mystery's in-your-face-murder and mayhem on page one. In this
first of the Jeffery Talbot series, the reader experiences an Agatha Christie, wherein the characters
take on life, ambience melds into place, and the story becomes comfortable--before the body
count
starts. Another departure that serves this kind of mystery well is Morgan's use of detailed
descriptions of d‚cor and dress. This keeps to the tone of near reverence for history and historical
object de arts. Talbot relishes old things because of the human stories represented behind
them.
The friends of slam-bang, boom boom shoot-'um-ups with detectives, who talk out of the side of
their mouths and naked women in every bed, may have difficulty with this book. But, lovers of
antiques and civilized writing will love Death Is A Cabaret. In setting the story inside the milieu of
antiques, Morgan offers a fresh voiceto the mystery genre and readers can look forward to the
second adventure in this series.
Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment Of Animals And The Holocaust
Charles Patterson
Lantern Books
One Union Square West, Suite 201, New York, NY 10003-3303
1930051999, $20.00, $20.00, www.lanternbooks.com www.amazon.com
Richard H. Schwartz
Reviewer
When I first learned that Charles Patterson was going to write a book about "our treatment of
animals and the Holocaust," I had some misgivings. I was aware that some animal rights
advocates
had made superficial, misleading comparisons between the treatment of animals on factory farms
and
the treatment of Jews and others in the Holocaust, and I knew that this had hurt the
vegetarian/animal rights cause by giving people an excuse to avoid considering the many negative
effects of animal-based diets. However, I was an early endorser of Patterson_s project because I
felt
that we needed new, creative ways to alert people to the horrors of modern intensive livestock
agriculture, and my knowledge of his character, sensitivity, and background convinced me that he
would be an ideal person for this project.
My confidence in his ability to sensitively carry out this project was well placed. The book is very
well researched (with almost 700 end notes), and it is written with great sensitivity and
compassion.
Eternal Treblinka does not equate animals and people. Rather, it shows how the frequent
vilification
of people as rats, vermin, pigs, insects, beasts, monkeys, etc., dehumanizes people and makes it
easier to oppress, enslave, and murder them. He documents many examples of this process,
relating
it to the treatment of slaves, native American Indians, Japanese people during World War II,
Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War, and other examples.
The book carefully shows how the enslavement ("domestication") of animals became the model
and
inspiration for all the oppressions that followed. In particular. he documents a trail from
slaughterhouse production lines to Henry Ford_s assembly lines for the mass production of
automobiles to Hitler_s methods in the extermination of Jews during the Holocaust. He also
discusses the myth of Hitler's "vegetarianism"--his diet of little or no meat he often followed to
reduce his chronic health problems.
Throughout the book, Patterson is sensitive to the views of Holocaust survivors. Lucy Kaplan,
the
daughter of Holocaust survivors, has contributed an eloquent Foreword. An entire chapter
profiles
animal advocates who are Holocaust survivors, children or grandchildren of survivors, people
who
lost relatives in the Holocaust, and those who have given thought to the lessons of the Holocaust.
Another chapter, "The Other Side of the Holocaust," discusses German and German-American
animal advocates who began their lives in Nazi Germany.
There is also a chapter on the exploitation and slaughter of animals as a major theme in the
writings
of Yiddish writer and Nobel laureate, Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-91), many of whose characters
were Holocaust survivors. The title of the book comes from a statement by one of Singer_s
characters: "...for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka."
The connections between the mentality and methods behind the oppression of animals and the
oppression of human beings that are documented in this important and timely book have great
potential to stir Jews (and others) to start to apply Jewish teachings about the proper treatment of
animals, and thereby to help shift the world from its present perilous, inhumane path. I hope that
Eternal Treblinka will be widely read, that its message will be extensively applied for the benefit of
both humans and animals, and that it will help lead to that day when, in the words of Isaiah (11:6),
"no one shall hurt nor destroy in all of God_s Holy mountain."
Punctuation: A Thorough Primer For Writers Of Fiction & Essays
Harvey Stanbrough
HarMona Press
PO Box 370, Pittsboro, IN 46167
ISBN 0971308799, E-book and Print: PDF version $5.00 (download); $7.00 (Disk); $10.00
(paper bound 8 1/2 x 11 book), email at hmpeditor@hotmail.com.
S. Joan Popek, Reviewer
http://www.sjoanpopek.com
My first encounter with Harvey Stanbrough was in a college English Literature class during the
early
1990s. The first day of class, I found a seat in the front row (Older, returning students always sit
in
the front row. I'm not sure why we do that. Maybe it's just because we can.) Sitting next to me
was
a semi-attractive man a few years my junior. His chin was decorated with a sparse growth of
beard
in an obvious attempt to make him look distinguished, but it didn't quite succeed. I immediately
categorized him as a "wanna be" writer who probably would never make it through the
semester.
Since then, Harvey Stanbrough has been recognized as a brilliant poet, editor, publisher, essayist
and
fictionist. He is an English Instructor and was nominated for the Pulitzer.
So much for first impressions.
Mr. Stanbrough is now sharing his expertise with his latest book, Punctuation: a Thorough Primer
for Writers of Fiction & Essays which is one of the most intelligent, easy to understand and
comprehensive books on the subject I have ever read.
He manages to take a very dull subject and make it interesting and even humorous. He begins
with,
"Whether you're a beginning writer or an old pro, a full- time or part- time freelancer, an essayist,
a
short story writer, a novelist, or a poet, punctuation is the third most important tool in your
inventory. Its importance ranks only after your ability to form letters from lines, circles, and arcs,
and your ability to arrange those letters into words."
One of the best things I found in this book is that Stanbrough mentions immediately what the
book
will not do and what it will do for you. He says that it will not teach you, " how to react to
punctuation as a reader " and "It will not contain " a bunch of boring, out-of-context rules that
don't make sense "
What this book will do is "teach you how to use punctuation to achieve a particular effect in the
reader " and give you " a concise set of usage guidelines ."
Also included is a brief survey of your existing skills to tell you where to look for improvement. In
this self-evaluation, you answer questions like what is the primary use of parentheses? What is an
"em" or "en" dash, and where do you use them? He discusses colons, semicolons, exclamation
points and much more as well as sentence structure.
I found tremendous help, especially for fiction writers, in the section where Stanbrough discusses
how and when you can successfully break the "rules" of punctuation and get away with it.
I was especially pleased with the very informative Glossary of Definitions at the end of the book. I
intend to keep this handy reference by my side and on my computer at all times. My experience as
an
editor has taught me that no matter how much you write or how experienced you are, you can
still
get stumped when it comes to the labyrinth of English grammar and punctuation usage rules.
For experienced writers, this book is a valuable tool. For new writers, it is a mandatory reference
guide.
This book should be on the shelf of every writer or everyone who wishes to be a writer. I highly
recommend Punctuation: a Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction & Essays for anyone who
writes
anything.
Maggie's Bookshelf
Gould's Book Of Fish: A Novel In 12 Fish
Richard Flanagan
Picador
ISBN 0330363034, 404pp, $59.00
There are times when, as a book reviewer, it is tempting to simply put the adjectives on hold;
when
mere descriptions seem paltry next to the indescribable beauty of the book itself. Richard
Flanagan's
Gould's Book Of Fish is that kind of book.
Reading it open mouthed, gasping at the richness and complexity of the text that clearly defies
categorisation and classification, one feels intimately connected, while in awe of what the author
has
produced. Gould's Book of Fish is a serious read; one of those desert island books you can read
again and again and find still more meaning in its strange depths; both confirmation and
destruction
of those things you believe in (and cannot articulate). The book simultaneously makes a mockery
of
language, history, love, and humanity, while celebrating, and even immortalising them, much as
Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, or Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury did for the last century, although
with a more straightforward storyline. Both Joyce and Faulkner are celebrated in the novel, as are
other great authors from history such as Flaubert, Hugo, Blake, Keats, Cervantes, Sterne,
Wordsworth, Pope, Borges, Voltaire, and Conrad.
The book itself is attractive, with multicoloured text printed in six different inks in shades of red,
blue, black, brown, purple to evoke the Gould's own makeshift inks the sea urchins, fish bodies,
blood, and excrement. The old fashioned Felltype, and rich coloured illustrations are also
evocative,
leaving the reader wondering about the book before beginning to read.
The story follows the history of a "real" recorded convict artist William Buelow Gould, as he
struggles with his internal and external prisons, art, love, and fraud in its many forms. When read
in
a purely linear way, Gould's Book of Fish is originally found by Sid Hammet, a scruffy and
disenchanted fraud merchant, whose rotting furniture is battered and peed on before selling it to
"fat
old Americans" or "voracious question marks" as lost Nantucket Shaker antiques. When he finds
a
dilapidated but alluringly glowing book in an old junk shop, he becomes obsessed with the story
of
convict artist and fish painter Gould, and his record of incarceration on a Sarah Island Penal
Colony.
Ridiculed by historians, and paralleled by another Book of Fish discovered in the Allport library,
the
book displayed elements of the fantastic, expanding itself while reading, and ultimately
disappearing
in a large, brackish puddle. From there, Hammet becomes a seadragon, and then becomes Gould
as
he tries to recreate the story which obsesses him. Or is Gould recreating Hammet's story? Or is it
the
seadragon's story?
Gould's story is also a Mise-en-abyme; the literary device of a story within a story, but the smooth
transition between Hammet, Gould, and the Seadragon, as well as the Dickensian cast of
characters
so humorously painted by Flanagan, forbids us from reading this as a diversion. It could also be
called magic realism, with its melting books, its many metamorphoses, its circular time, and its
schizophrenic characterisation, but again, the historical framework which is, at least in terms of its
setting and detail, fairly accurate, defies that categorisation. The narrative is a compelling and
exciting one in itself, and the reader is driven forward quickly as Gould moves from forgery in
London to a fish and bird painting apprenticeship with Audubon and George Keats, the poet's
brother, to deckhand en route to colonise Van Deiemen's land, barfly artist in Hobarttown, and
convict, on death row, the endurer of a range of tortures, gaoler and gaolee. There is a brief, but
extraordinary love affair between Gould and an Aboriginal woman Twopenny Sal, and a range of
altercations, escapes, recaptures, heroes, villains, relocations, and adventures in the wild west of
early Tasmania. For all of its philosophical and linguistic depths, Gould's Book of Fish is actually
a
very good read.
What really stands out in this book is the gorgeous but unflowery language. The book is thought
provoking and there are moments of beauty, such as Gould's statement: "I am not bound to any
idea
of who I will be. I am not contained between my toes and my turf but am infinite as sand.", or the
ode to authors: ""Perhaps reading and writing books is one of the last defences human dignity has
left, because in the end they remind us of what God once reminded us before He too evaporated
in
this age of relentless humiliations that we re more than ourselves; that we have souls". The
characters are rich, funny, and detailed, with Gould himself the most compelling. In many ways,
Gould encompasses the other characters, including Hammet, Lempriere, Jorgensen, Death,
Pobjoy,
and the Commandant, as confirmed in the sensational but simple epitaph, which brings the entire
narrative into question. Gould speaks to the reader, taunting, and we recognise ourselves as the
"nobby Hobart Town clerks who breakfast on the upper storey of the Colonial Secretary's
office fat arses flapping on padded seats" and in the desperate question marks of the rich
Americans asking "Is it safe?" In the surgeon, Tobias Achilles Lempriere, we find pure Dickens: a
"big bowl-headed steaming pudding of a man, floury & treacly by turns", speaking only in capital
letters, "words existed in his speech as currents in a badly made bread-and-butter pudding-clusters
of
stodgy darkness." Lempriere's worship of Linneaus's Systema Naturae, his obsession with gaining
admittance to the Royal Academy of science, and his ironic ultimate fate as one of the best
scientific
specimen's, "Crania Tasmaniae".
The love affair between Gould and Twopenny Sal is also moving, with Sal's many names and
identities mirroring those of Gould's, as she is revealsed as The Mulatto, Cleopatra, the one with a
secret Aboriginal name, and the sexy Cowfish that Gould the Weedy Seadragon couples with. She
is
an unlikely love interest, smelling of pickled herring, and described as having small breasts & a
large
waist & skinny shanks, an unlanced boil, lice crawling up her arm, and breasts onto which Gould
draws a cowfish. Gould's words of love are also unique, as gross as they are beautiful: "Your feet,
Your bowels, Your mound, Your armpits, Your smell & Your sounds & taste, Your fallen
Beauty, I
was Divine in Your image & I was You & I was no longer long for this grand early & why is it no
words would tell how I was so much hurting aching bidding farewell?" Twopenny Sal's aboriginal
dances are not feminine, but they are powerful, in a way rendering both her and Gould immortal:
"Nothing was reconciled: everything was beautiful".
There are also moments of genius, such as when the book begins to refer to itself, prefiguring the
chapters in a way which is both postmodern and mystical, almost Kabbala like: "Trying
desperately
to avoid the conclusion that if this book of fish was a history of the settlement, it might also just
be
its prophecy, I then realised that the book was not near ended, that it contained several more
chapters, & with mounting terror I read on the succeeding page of how 'I realised that the book
was not near ended, that it contained several more chapters, & with mounting terror I read on the
succeeding page of how ' The ending is foreshadowed twice, and the narrative, although perfectly
readable in a linear way, mocks its own timeline, and even its historical context, as references are
made to the future from the past.
There are also moments of black humour, from the way in which Gould ages the junkie furniture
he
sells to his gullible clientele, to the use of Voltaire's head to give pleasure to the perverted
Gottliebsens. The renaming of Jorgensen as The King, and his revolting but funny metamorphosis
from self-aggrandising lying historian to silent confidante is another moment that will leave
readers
with as black a sense of humour as mine, laughing outloud. Lempriere demise and ultimate
metamorphosis is another very funny moment, mingling excrement, and putrefaction, with
justice.
For all of the shifts in Gould's Book of Fish, with things like time, history, identity, and power all
variable, there are some constants, and this is the basis on which the book is built. Love is one of
those constants. Another is its corollaries, racism, brutality, and hatred - clear and obvious evils.
A
third and more subtle constant is that sense of the mysterious beauty in life, and the world: "The
knowledge of a world so awful, this sense of a life so extraordinary how am I to resolve them?"
Ultimately, as Gould says, this is a book about life, not death, and despite the inherent sadness,
the
brutality, the grossness, and the torture, what remains with the reader is how we ultimately escape
with Gould; how the love, beauty, and even the story, remains, shining and glorious. In its
gorgeous
use of language, its extraordinary structure, its ambitiously realised depths, and above all, the
magic
it works on its reader, Gould's Book of Fish is a masterpiece. Read it for the interesting story, and
find yourself, like Hammett, lost in its labyrinth depths, obsessed, changed forever, and your
unrequited love of literature both challenged, and invigorated.
Maggie Ball
Reviewer
Karla's Bookshelf
Walnut From Waterloo
Sue De Kelver
Marsh River Editions
M233 Marsh Road, Marshfield, WI 54449
ISBN 0971890919, $7.00, 48 pages
Come, wonder in the "wanderland" of Sue De Kelver's poems in her book Walnut from Waterloo.
These poems will fill you with nostalgia, while you commune with spiders hiding in the cool shade
under the porch, while you caress your cheek with lambs ears, and while you dream of almost
hang
gliding over the Poconos. As you become "aware of the zense of it," you will understand the
evocative power of story, of naming the thing that scares you, of finding your redemption in the
garden, or if you're knee deep in winter snows, at least the gardening catalogue.
These are poems redolent with memory of childhood, whether seen through the child eye of the
poet
or the eyes of Claire, the narrator's niece. The details of these poems evoke the texture of a time
long gone but still alive somehow in all your musings. You will discover saddle shoes, (black and
white like mine?) and ponytails (how they swung when we walked). You'll remember when
Popsicles came in pairs, a time before "Fritos had fat" and a time when watching Howdy Doody
and
Mr. Bluster were the only things to do after school. There are imaginary friends aplenty, ironic
jaunts with the Farmer in the Dell, and enough Catholic angst to keep everyone in limbo
forever.
In the poem "Before Spiders Got Scary," you are reminded--through De Kelver's detail--of a time
when life was simple and spiders were the only things of which to be afraid. The narrator tells the
reader that:
This is a day when our only work is to play
when we don't creak if we crawl
and hiding is just for fun.
A long time ago when a 45 means music
and war is a game of cards.
There is story in these poems, the resonance of authentic language, the true voice of the teller, a
tale
in every artifact and act, the recalling of what has passed before. In addition, the poems are rich in
the texture of language: the fuzz of flowers, the creep of monsters, the crack of ice. When you
read
these stories, you will feel heat that first kiss, the first taste of mortal sin; you will feel the cold.
For
example, in "When the Shivering Stops," a girl is found drowned, and the poet serves as witness
to
this horror--"this 12-year-old locked beneath the ice:"
I try not to see her,
face down in the Pike,
bloated and frozen.
I want to picture her
giggling into the phone,
savoring the last days
of Christmas vacation
and witness to the men who must enter the hard water to break her free:
How divers must smash through
the solid blue surface,
struggling within the current,
dragging armfuls of empty ice to shore
and finally witness to the
factual story [that] breaks in his voice
like the stiff, floating fingers
of Jennifer's hair.
There is sadness in these poems and loss. Fathers and grandfathers who die and children hiding
their
fears, daughters who leave home imaginary friends who comfort and protect, like the narrator's
friend Johnsifer who "appeared after my aunt and her two little boys/came to live with us when
my
uncle went crazy and /tried to kill her with a knife."
There is silliness in these poems: "The Bowling Balls of Fremont," are left outside perhaps to
meander someone's front yard, where the poet surmises that this might be "a place of therapy , to
discuss lives/spent knocking others around;/a daily meeting of BB for those/who've spent too
much
time in the gutter;/a retirement home for odd balls". The narrator congratulates a friend for
turning
fifty, reminding him, "There's plenty of time for fulfilling dreams." And the challenge now is to
"Grab
your backpacking guitar./Strum a tune for Tiger Lily and Tweedle Dee."
And there is a renewal in these poems, perhaps the best of them--the poems about gardening, the
reconnection to soil and soul, the tender loam of rediscovery of that which restores you. In the
poem
"In the Meantime," the
poet considers how her salad garden never delivers all the green goods at once, and challenges
herself and anyone else who might complain to enjoy what you have, "Sit down, shut up and eat
what's on your plate." In another poem, De Kelver asks, "What's the point of a flower?" then
reminds you that while they exist to delight, you we all--exist to help them survive. In the poem
"It's
All in Your Timing," the poet bemoans the fact that it's still February when she dreams of a fair
trade-off for the chill of winter:
But in February's dungeon
when heart and hands are blue
when the white shroud
of sameness surrounds me
when ears ache from silence
and root foods stick in my throat
then you could have me
for a ticket to Tahiti
or three, sweet spears
of fresh asparagus.
Finally, in reading these poems, you will find yourself remembering when or pulling a wrap tighter
around you to protect from the ice, the snow, the harsh realities of life. But in the end you must
give
yourself up to the diversity of the salad, enjoy the explosions of wild flowers and marvel at the
meanderings of the Ouija planchette or those happy wandering bowling balls of Fremont.
Karla Huston
Reviewer
Lowe's Bookshelf
Death By The Riverside: The First Mickey Knight Mystery, Rev. Ed.
J.M. Redmann
Bella Books
P.O. Box 201007, Ferndale, MI 48220
ISBN 1931513058, 2001, 309 p. $ 11.95
Reprinted by Bella Books, Death By The Riverside is the first of the Micky Knight mysteries (the
third, Intersection of Law and Desire won a Lambda Literary Award). Here is an opportunity to
meet Micky and her wonderful assortment of friends. The ensemble cast that Redmann creates is
an
amusing crew of friends and family. Each individual is clearly defined, easily recognizable with
detailed backgrounds that evolve over the series.
Written in the first person, the Micky Knight stories are a contemporary lesbian version of the
gritty
gumshoe classic noir mysteries. Set in New Orleans, the action in Riverside (and Micky's
irreverent
humor) begins immediately as she finds herself helping a "tasteful" young blond socialite track
down
the fiance that spurned her. When said socialite turns out to be laying a trap to cut her brother out
of
his share of the family inheritance, Micky decides to even the score. Thus she finds herself
meeting
the socialite's grandfather and the Holloway family patriarch as well as his other granddaughter,
Cordelia. This meeting opens the door to ghosts from Micky's childhood which she tries very hard
to
smother with alcohol and women and foreshadows many storylines.
At the request of a sort of friend and police detective Joanne, Micky soon finds herself drawn into
efforts to break a regional drug ring that is using part of the Holloway plantation as a shipping
location. There's a great deal of page turning action as Micky tries to help the police and keep
herself alive while catching the bad guys.
Meanwhile, the reader learns bits of the past that Micky tries desperately to hide from herself and
others. Redmann's depictions of the scars left by childhood abuse are powerfully accurate in all
four
of the Micky Knight stories. Indeed many of the questions raised or hinted at in Death by the
Riverside are not answered until the fourth novel, Lost Daughters. Redmann's well developed
characterization has the reader wishing she could have a beer, or maybe a po'boy sandwich with
some of these women. Certainly you will find yourself looking for the reissue of the Deaths of
Jocasta to follow their continuing adventures.
Deaths Of Jocasta: The Second Micky Knight Mystery
J.M. Redmann
Bella Books
P.O. Box 201007, Ferndale, MI 48220
ISBN 1931513104, 1992 [2002], 398 p. $ 12.95
Deaths Of Jocasta opens with thirty years old, Barnard educated and underemployed, out lesbian,
private investigator, Micky Knight accepting a job overseeing security for a very exclusive and
festive annual party hosted by Emma Auerbach. Of an old money New Orleans family, Emma has
been a friend and mentor to Mickey for years. Sober and celibate for over six weeks, Micky is
beginning to face the demons from which the liquor and sex allowed her to hide for over a
decade.
Although determined to remain sober, Micky does hope the weekend party brings an end to her
loneliness, especially when the good doctor, Cordelia James arrives. Micky lost her heart to
Cordelia
months ago, during the events of Death by the Riverside. But Emma's annual gay-la ends abruptly
when the body of a young woman is found in the woods on her estate and everyone returns to the
city.
At loose ends back in New Orleans, Micky goes to the library to check out some Dorothy Sayers
books. "Some of her Lord Peter Wimsey books, not so much for detective ideas, but for dating
tips." About which Micky concludes, "via Lord Peter, the method for making a woman fall in love
with an offbeat detective was to save her from the gallows by proving her innocent. Somehow
that
didn't seem to have much bearing on Cordelia and myself." (p55). Of course, Micky is quite
wrong!
More bodies show up near Cordelia's clinic. When they turn out to be young women who were
patients at the clinic, the police see Cordelia as the prime suspect. Cordelia decides to hire Micky
to
investigate. Meanwhile an uncharacteristically restless, NOPD Detective Sgt., Joanne, increasingly
angered by these events, is spending more time with Micky. Joanne senses Micky has similar
ghosts
in her past.
With the same tough, first-person voice of the first Micky Knight novel, Redmann directs the fast
paced action of Jocasta. Micky tracks down leads connecting the pasts of several characters with
the
current events. And the truth turns out to involve a dangerous combination of extremists --who
justify murder in the name of life-- and people who crave old-fashioned, mean revenge.
Redmann handles serious and painful issues without hiding the pain, becoming pedantic, or losing
her sense of humor. Her characters are well rounded, interesting women who deal authentically
with
their problems. One of the most impressive examples of this is Redmann's handling of child sexual
abuse. Accurate and realistic, the depictions of the abuse and its ramifications runs a spectrum of
forms, parental reactions, and consequences from Micky to Joanne to Cordelia. This thread
actually
evolves throughout the Micky Knight novels as Micky has the opportunity to grow and heal.
This re-release of Deaths Of Jocasta by Bella Books is a must for mystery lovers. In this readers
opinion, the covers of Jocasta and Riverside are the best Bella has produced to date. Ten years
have
passed since Jocasta was originally published. It is pinned to the early 1990s by technology -- the
lack of cell phones and email via the world wide web -- and Joanne's early adolescence (and rest
of
the crowds ages in relation to her) is set as prior to the Roe v. Wade decision (1973). However,
the
issues of the novel are very relevant today and Redmann treats the women struggling to survive
them with respect and dignity. Deaths of Jocasta does not answer all the mysteries hovering in
Micky's background. For that, readers should look for The Intersection of Law and Desire and
Lost
Daughters, in that order. Take Micky Knight home with you and laissez les bons temp
rouler!
Substitute For Love
Karin Kallmaker
The Naiad Press
P.O. Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302
ISBN: 1562802658, October 2001, 288 pages, $12.95
What would you be willing to do in order to secure the health of your mother, your child, your
love?
Reyna Putnam has sold her soul to the proverbial devil to guarantee that her terminally ill mother
has
the best care that her father's money can buy. Grip Putnam, the result of generations of political
men,
is determined to be President of the United States. Thus he carefully controls his media image as a
conservative radio pundit as well as the image of his family. His only surviving child, Reyna is part
of that image; a lesbian daughter is not. Reyna walks a careful tight rope, trying to maintain her
sanity, and some self identity while she continues personally abhorrent work that keeps her father
paying those health bills.
At 27, Holly has spent most of the 16 years since her mother's death in an accident, hiding. She
hides
her body in multiple layers of clothing that reflect her need for self-protection from people who
should be her allies in life as well as her self-denial. But Holly has just done something
extraordinary.
She quit her job in protest because a coworker who has been fired for being an out lesbian. Holly
quit her job because it was the right thing to do. This righteous act snowballs as Holly finds
herself
questioning her eight year relationship with Clay, an older, male, college instructor who is
controlling and critical, and her feelings about a host of other issues. In a matter of weeks Holly's
life
will change completely as she discovers several surprises about her mother, her early childhood
and
herself.
Kallmaker's characterization, humor and story telling skills continue to develop with each novel
she
writes. Substitute for Love may be her best book to date. -- Although part of me continues to
prefer
her scifi/fantasy titles written as Laura Adams. But this is like the difference between Cherry
Garcia
and Chunky Monkey. Both are good. It depends on your mood and taste. -- Kallmaker gives us a
glimpse at the mind of a mathematician through Holly's thought process. She points out the
frustrating futility our nations health care system creates for people who are not independently
wealthy. Yet she pokes fun at the liberal Clays touting of a simple life without understanding the
trade off in human labor, supplied by Holly for eight years, required to achieve it.
The Putnam Institute, located in Orange County, California, is symbolic of several extreme
right-wing political groups in the area. Kallmaker uses its work to address a number of methods
similar groups employ in their campaign against homosexuality, i.e., fundraising, ex-gay therapy,
and
the hypocrisy of people who pass as straight. Kallmaker manages to address all these issues
without
interrupting the romance or seeming too busy. She even manages to give readers hope that the
sociopolitical wave the right has been riding may have already crested. Dependable for highly
erotic
scenes that will leave the reader warm and dreamy, Kallmaker's action between Holly and Reyna
is
no exception to this skill. For fans of contemporary lesbian romance, Substitute for Love is a
keeper.
Unexpected Sparks
G.L. Dartt
Justice House Publishing
3902 South 56th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
ISBN 0970887477, 2002, 263 p. $ 17.99
Forty years old and a prominent businesswoman in her town, Kate Shannon is about to change
her
life. The owner and manager of Novel Companions, an independent bookshop in downtown,
Truro,
Nova Scotia, Kate has spent much of the last year becoming friends with a regular customer,
Nikki
Harris.
The 26 years old Nikki is a shy, intelligent, beautiful and openly lesbian woman struggling to
survive
small town life in the economically depressed Canadian Maritimes. A book lover, Nikki enjoys the
cozy atmosphere of Novel Companions, especially since Kate started carrying gay and lesbian
fiction. She also enjoys the detailed discussions with Kate of novel plots, characters, favorite
authors
and related political themes. In fact, Nikki has become painfully aware that she is quite attracted
to
Kate and has recently cut down on her time at the bookstore, in hopes of weaning her affections
away from the charming, presumably straight, shopkeeper. The bleak February is looming long
and
lonely for Nikki.
When the insurance office across the street from the bookshop burns down one night, Nikki
rushes
to the scene to make certain its not Novel Companions. A perplexed Kate had noticed the new
distance from Nikki. Seeing Nikki standing out in the cold, Kate invites the young woman into her
apartment above Novel Companions. The two women watch the fire and begin to speculate about
its
origin.
Nikkis natural curiosity is piqued when the body of Sam Madison, the owner of the insurance
office,
is found in the ashes. She convinces Kate to help her investigate the fire. Kate, willing to go along
with an opportunity to spend more time with Nikki, agrees to help. Unexpected Sparks is a classic
armchair mystery with old fashioned, timeless clues and important character revelations leading
Nikki and Kate to answer the questions of why and how Sam ended up in the burning office.
Via their amateur sleuthing project, Kate and Nikki find themselves drawing closer together. Their
attraction and developing romance is another theme of Unexpected Sparks. Dartt illustrates falling
in
love and coming out in a charming and touching manner. Her characterization is realistic and
perceptive. The elegant and composed Kate is surprised and delighted by the depth and range of
the
emotions she feels for Nikki. She is also startled by the attention, positive and negative, from
customers, friends and neighbors as they begin to hear about her new lavender relationship. Dartts
Truro setting is nicely detailed and provides insight into Canadian small town life, particularly for
lesbians. Unexpected Sparks is Dartts first novel and the first of at least three Kate and Nikki
mysteries. This reader will be happy if her future mysteries are equally entertaining.
M.J. Lowe
Reviewer
Dana's Bookshelf
Shaping The Future: Aspirational Leadership In India And Beyond
Arun Maira
John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd
2 Clementi Loop, #02-01, Singapore 129809
ISBN 0-471-47919-5, $29.95, 6 x 9 octavo, hardbound, 207 pages, http://www.wiley.com
Although this book doesnt breathe a word of it, it is really about why business investment flocks
to
China but is wary of India. What has gone wrongand rightsince India undertook a series of drastic
economic reforms due to a reserves flow crisis in 1991? And if India has changed so positively for
the better, why does investment in China exceed investment in India my many multiples?
Indias numbers can be startling: It numbers a sixth of all humanity. It has the fifth largest economy
in
the world, and a quarter of the earths urbanized populace. A third of the worlds people live under
its
more or less democratic umbrella. It is the second largest among the developing economies after
China. And most important, India is the first massive, complex developing country to successfully
transit from a socialist to a market economy without massive rural or worker unrest.
India is a modern industrial state, yet lives with ancient roots that still encourage a timeless vision
of
life in which values of several thousand years ago shape much of today. As with Chinas, Indias
sense
of collective history is a formidable force. It underpins religions, languages, class, caste, and the
strong remnants of socialist attitudes from Gandhi and Nehru eras. Despite millennia of conquest
and colonization, India has kept its sense of cultural continuity virtually intact. So deep and yet so
resilient are its social and religious ideas that art forms one sees today are almost identical to
carvings and paintings more than 3,000 years old. Indians have a knack for absorbing useful ideas
(like software development) while discarding unwanted ideas (such as accountability in
government)
like so many saris on the rag carts of history. Every attempt, whether generated within or by
transnational entities, to change India into something else has failed. Village life remains very
much
the same as one reads in the great epics of thousands of years ago (and in the superb novels of
today). Even in the fast-paced modern cities like Mumbai and Delhi, beneath the facade of with-it
popstyles are age-old obligations and symbols of loyalty. As Daraius Ardeshir, managing director
of
Nestle India put it while explaining the difficulties marketers face when looking behind the facade
of
Indian modernity, Indians are capable of living in several centuries at once. When I visit my
fathers
house I still kneel and touch my forehead to his feet.
China and India are dissimilar in ways that go much further back into history than their newfound
interest in Western economic success (if not the ideas that have made it). Chinas uniform written
(though not spoken) language, ethnicity, and nonsectarian religious sensibility are polar opposites
of
Indias genetically intermingled and uncountably diverse populace. India counts twenty major
languages, and seven major religions. In China there is apathy if not outright antipathy to
formalized
religiosity. Chinese religion is largely familial rather than institutional, ancestral rather than deistic.
Indias religious devotions demonstrate the endurance of institution-mindedness perpetuated
through
imagery. In China the good life is more important than the good soul; in India the value of religion
can be more important than the value of life.
Hence Indias strengths are Chinas weaknesses, and vice versa. China changes from within faster
than
India but the results are more unstable. China has too little law and bureaucracy; India has too
much
of both. China lacks the structure to manage the entrepreneurialism of its economic energy. India
has
a great deal of structure but is weaker on the entrepreneurialism.
Arun Mairas Shaping the Future is a case study in the surprising fact that business leaders are the
most idealistic and reform-minded people in India; it is the godmen, the politicians, and the
bureaucrats who hold the country back. Yet India lacks not for due diligence: Watch a laborer
digging a ditch with a pick and shovel in the heat of the late afternoon sun and you will never
again
think the Indian worker of being lazy.
Yet China still sucks in the bucks. Why?
For one, India is a minefield of contradictions. It is way ahead of China in self-generated
technological prowessMahatma Gandhi imprinted his message of self-reliance welland about equal
with China in encouraging entrepreneurs (especially women) to discover and exploit business
opportunities. Yet it also groans under horrific and seemingly intractable poverty, a
brobdingnagarian bureaucracy, a fault line between the relatively efficient central government
(The
Centre) and dysfunctional, erratic, wasteful, nepotistic, and in some cases monumentally corrupt
state governments. On pages 8586 Mr. Maira describes the corrosive effect government
interference
with business directorship has not merely on the company but also the economic sector for which
the company produces. On page 87 he hits the nail of Indias core problem square on the
head:
... it suffered from problems typical of government sector companies in India .... Salaries were low
compared to non-government sector companies. The principal reward that people looked forward
to
was the acquisition of new titles and perquisites by promotion into higher grades. The company
had
many levels of managers so that people could be rewarded as they progressed upwards in their
careers. Power to make decisions was related to rank. Decision making was encumbered by the
plethora of levels that information had to flow through. The directors and general managers sat
atop
tall organizational pyramids. ... And thus, level-by-level, the pyramids built up. The pyramids were
organized by functions with a functional director, appointed directly by the government, on top.
People within one pyramid did not work easily with people within others. ... [no] one could
respond
quickly to the changing needs of customers....
That is why China still sucks in the buck.
Into this Mr. Maira jousts. He spends several pages in Chapter 5 describing the recent formation
of a
new state named Jharkhand almost out of despair at the intractability of the problems in the state
of
Bihar, which as he puts it, [Bihar is] regarded as the real-life embodiment of all that can go wrong
with democracy and governance. Yet what rises from the ashes of Indias worst-run state is a
phoenix of idealistic, even romantic, business people whose values are more compassionate than
any
other social class in India. Indias mistrust of globalization is well-founded: its own business
thinkers
are much more humane.
In fact, Chapter 5 is arguably the best in Mr. Mairas book, due in large part to the richly detailed
case examples he draws upon to make his points. In sum, his message is how to plan and use
leadership techniques such as scenario planning to improve organizational leadership. Chapter 5
introduces the complexities of Indian business and society; the rest of the book is devoted Mr.
Mairas solutions. Roughly speaking, and rephrasing as I understand the import of his message, his
analysis is this:
Each of us sees the world through a unique set of lenses ground by our personal experiences,
responsibilities, and interests. None of us, individual or group, sees reality in its entirety. This fact
is
reinforced in business structures which organize employees, tasks, and responsibilities into
pyramid
structures (hierarchies) in which everyone is so preoccupied with their niche arena they tend not
to
see the company as a whole. Only the top leaders pay much attention to whether the companys
products or services are customers really want.
Myopia except at the top leads to a selective rather than collective sense of vision. Hence
marketing
managers are psychologically attuned to increasing market share; they tend to focus their budgets
on
sales and promotion at the cost of developing new products. Accounting managers aim to
maximize
profits by minimizing superfluous expenditure, usually at the expense of product quality and
promotion. Production and design managers want to allocate their budget to product development
and manufacturing processes, ending up with market-forward products and great prices with
insufficient money left to notify the customers. Even communication styles can conflict. On page
75
he describes what might be called expertise stylesthe soft side goes in for images and examples
while
the hard side demands technical charts and statistics. Such blinkered vision is the result parochial,
imbalanced leadership. In poorly led companies it reaches into a companys top management; one
sign of it is management occupying itself more with organizational planning than with success
planning.
Shaping the Future addresses these and other managerial flaws. Particularly in chapters 8 through
10
Mr. Maira describes practical ways in which Indian organizations (and by no means that countrys
alone) can be transformed from 20th-century command-and-control enterprises into 21st-century
context enterprises that merge the enterprises resource base with its knowledge base via a series
of
leadership policies. Mr. Maira suggests that leadership awareness can transform all parts of a
company into management resources. Firms with a company-wide leadership-training approach
along the lines suggested by Mr. Maira would have less need for the micromanagement of
top-down
leadership which is so characteristic of the Chinese organization. Leadership culture becomes its
own distinct facet of the corporate culture. Leadership management in and of itself is as crucial as
product or human resources management. Creating cooperation should be a must for everyone in
the organization no matter what their job description.
Mr. Maira does not stint on examples to support his views. Chapters 3, 5, 7, and 9 are filled with
examples both from the real world and the worlds of metaphor and scenario. Chapter 7 might be
called The Metaphor Chapter because Mr. Maira draws on so many unorthodoxeven
startlingreal-world examples in which to plant his thesis. His drawing business leadership notions
out
of the diverse worlds of music is a classic in transcultural thinking. On pages 8081 he recommends
establishing positive working relationships with NGOs. (Non-Governmental Organizations are
often
charities or faith-based entities working for social change whose foreign, humanitarian, or
religious
overtones make them suspect in the eyes of politicians.) Mr. Maira rightly points out examples of
how NGOs provide global solutions to local problems that governments and businesses could well
learn.
Adept choices of examples keep his writing brisk and entertainingsomething one cannot often say
of
books about leadership management. This said, there are some improvements that might be made
in
his next book. A minor but distracting irritation is a too-copious and superfluous use of
exclamation
marksthey turn a message into a fist-pounder. (In all fairness, though, the renowned physicist
Richard Feynmann did this in his middlebrow popularizations of heavyweight theoretical physics,
and if he can get away with it ....) Chapter 6 is the weakest in the book, not for content but for
style
reasons; it reads as though written for a different setting and injected here. The chapters line of
discussion is platitudinous and the examples lusterless (tuning knobs on radios). Pages 11011
present information is so elemental a form it reads like prattle. Mr. Maira is so good at story-like
case examples his abstract philosophizing comes off as other-worldly. There is too narrow a focus
on the Boston Consulting Groupno other consultancy is mentioned in the Index or text. And the
Indexthis is the worst I have ever seen; you could do better riffling through the pages and hoping
for
the best. It appears to have been generated by the word-processor used to write the text and
leaves
out a sizable number of references that are not directly named in the text. For example, the four
scenario-planning image-models he suggests on pages 17075 are not indexed by either their own
names or as a thematic citation. To read the Index you wouldnt even know they existed, yet they
are
vital to his theme.
And what is that theme? To sum up in my own words what I perceive his message to be:
Most organizations are loathe to restructure completelythe painful errors made during the
Reengineering the Corporation era of the mid-1990s has made everyone twice shy. Yet many
senior
managers still chafe under the fact that their firms management structure fosters progress-stifling
behavior. If there is a solution to this, they want to know what it might be. Mr. Maira proposes
that
leadership training become a core element in the firms culture.
If an organization wishes to adopt a strategic alignment approach to achieve its management
objectives, the prospective leaders themselves must devise the environment within which the
alignments can best function. The emphasis is on the word themselves for true leadership comes
from within.
While hierarchical management retains responsibility for deciding which ventures are to be
undertaken, they must lead by to allocating specific projects to particular teams and defer to these
teams in the matter of how to reach the preset objectives; i.e., keep their spoon out of the
pot.
Leadership by coaching and mentoring rather than pyramid-structure authority leadership should
be
built into the firms organizational structure rather than relying on classroom-type instructional
models.
Last December at the 2001 India Economic Summit, Mr. Maira summarized his broader view of
this
message at the forum Human Capital: The New Competitive Advantage, stating, While India has
been able to produce high capability individual human capital, it has not been able to derive
advantage from this at the group or society level. [At this same conference, a Mr. Jagdeep S.
Chokar, Professor and Dean at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, came up with
the
marvelously Indian idea that Every individual, whether he works or owns an organization, has to
ask
himself whether he is functioning as an investor of human capital or a speculator of human capital.
If
an individual is ready to leave his job for a better offer elsewhere or if he is willing to sell his
company because he is being offered a good price, he is functioning as a speculator and should
not
expect anything different from those working with him or under him. No job-hopper he. Yet
consider the implications of the terms human capital investor and human capital speculator.
For those who may be interested in pursuing the broader perspective of Mr. Mairas ideas can go
to
the website
and download the Minutes Of The First Meeting Of The Council of Indian Industries Colloquy on
Multinational Companies which took place in New Delhi in August 2001. The entire PDF
download
is an informative read for those interested in the zeitgeist of the modern liberal Indian enterprise,
and
Mr. Mairas points, though too many to detail here, are certainly worth the read.
As is this book.
Silent Theft: The Private Plunder Of Our Common Wealth
David Bollier
Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
ISBN 0-415-93264-5, $26.00, 6 x 9 hardbound, 260 pages, 1-800-634-7064
Mr. Bollier's Silent Theft joins a stream of seriously conceived books questioning an economic
idea
first hymned by Ayn Rand, limned by Ronald Reagan, and skimmed by todays soft-money
Congress.
Mr. Bollier analyzes the viscosity of todays market economythe notion that free and open markets
should be the sole determinant of the value of anything, including ideas and finds it dangerously
sludged.
The notion of the free market has taken on airs once associated with religions. There is a founding
savior, Adam Smith, whose actual beliefs have been so selectively snipped by modern acolytesas
were the messages of Jesus and the Buddhathat the message has become a gross distortion. Smith
was highly fearful of free markets, for example. There is a papacy and curia in the form of Milton
Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. There are cloistered sects in the form of think
tanks and consultancies. There is an Inquisition called op-ed pages. There are indulgence sellers
who
peddle holy water and exemptions from purgatorysuch beings are called legislators and they are
no
less cloggish than the corrupt friars who sent Luther to the door with his theses.
And finally, there are those who see through the hocus-pocus to the realities beneath, and point
out
that free market doctrine is a set of blinders called dollar signs. Barbara Eherenreich has given us
Nickeled and Dimed. From William McDonough and Michael Braungart we have Cradle to
Cradle.
Emma Rothschilds Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet, and the Enlightenment throws
up the mirror of what the founders of modern capitalism actually said versus what turns up
shrink-wrapped in magazine articles today.
All these writers have a common quality: case examples are preferred over airy pop-econ rant. His
fundamental thesis is that there is more than one kind of economic wealthand health. Market
economics happens to be the flavor of the day right now. There are mixed socialist/capitalist
economies that build wealth yet remain humane, as in Europe. Communism turned out to be such
a
bad idea it gave us a new bon mot: never trust people who get their learning in a museum
library.
Mr. Bollier describes two other economic theories: the Commons, and the Gift Economy. Both
have
strong roots in the worlds traditions. The commons is land held in common by the community, to
be
shared forever as the private domain of no one. This ideal was slowly replaced by the notion that
nothing has any value unless it can be bought and sold. From such simple philosophy some
egregious aberrations have bloomed. A Minnesota publisher managed to copyright the page
numbers
used in Americas uniform listing of law citations, in effect claiming the sole right to reproduce the
law. Public landmeaning land you and I have entrusted to the government to preserveis leased for
a
song to strip-mining companies and clear-cut loggers. A Texas company applied for a patent on a
variety of rice that has been grown in India for centuries. And California taxpayers will be paying
for
years to come for free market manipulations of Enron.
Mr. Bolliers is no mewling hanky-wringer. He liberally ladles the authority of example. His book
truly shines in the last 35 pages as he sets forth a coherent and consistent philosophy of
community
wealth vis-…-vis the free market system. He names and provides website URLs for numerous
organizations dedicated to fixing this or that leak in the protective dike of community rights.
Most of all, he sends a challenge to the economic attitude inarticulated by Ronald Reagan but all
too
articulated by acolytes thereafter, namely that the rich run things besta notion defined as
kakistocracy, government by the least principled. In lieu of the government-assisted plunder of
publicly funded medical breakthroughs, software innovation, the airwaves, the public domain of
creative works, and even the DNA of plants, animals and humans, Mr. Bollier reintroduces that
sense of purpose, domain, and drive that once defined the economic thinking of the middle class,
but
now defines those who still believe in the System but want to clean it of its sludge. Mr. Bollier
brings to mind the wonderful phrase by Charles Simic, Inside my empty bottle I was constructing
a
lighthouse while all the others were making ships.
Dana De Zoysa
Reviewer
Paul's Bookshelf
Human
Brian F. McNamee
VistaTron Publishing
c/o Vista Research Group LLC
P.O. Box 321, Ashland, OH 44805-0321
ISBN 1881760022, $13.95, 298 pages
For most people, the medical diagnosis of total internal organ failure, one at a time, would be a
death sentence. Not for Dr. Sean Colin, head of Geneserch, a biotech firm based near Cleveland.
While Colin is dying, his employees come up with a way to mix his DNA with that of a
chimpanzee
to create a half-human, half-animal walking organ repository for harvest. It's name is
Mookie.
The people at Geneserch think they are safe from the prying eyes of the public, until, tipped off by
a
disgruntled employee, the authorities put Mookie in protective custody and put Colin on trial for
cruelty to animals and felonious assault. The animal rights people have a field day. The defense
attorney, L.J. McClafferty and the prosecutor, Javer Houston, have met many times before in the
courtroom. Houston's loathing for McClafferty is such that a mere conviction for Colin isn't
enough;
Houston wants to flatten McClafferty like a steamroller.
Much trial time is spent trying to determine What is human? Where is the dividing line between
animal and human? The trial does not go well for Colin; every witness, even the "friendly" ones,
seem to hammer another nail in his coffin. By the time of the verdict, the only question for Colin is
the length of his prison sentence.
This book is just weird enough for X-Files fans. Those who enjoy courtroom novels will
especially
enjoy this one. The author, a doctor and lawyer, has done a fine job throughout. Maybe the story
gets a little too technical at times, but it is still a first-rate piece of writing.
World Hunger: Twelve Myths
Frances Moore Lappe, Joseph Collins, Peter Rosset
Grove Press
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
ISBN 0802135919, $13.00, softcover, 224 pages
Over the years, many myths have emerged about the subject of world hunger. People think that if
this or that should happen, hunger will disappear, and no longer will westerners have to look at
pictures of starving babies in Africa. This book explodes many of those myths.
Some people think that population (or overpopulation) is the problem. Others think that there
simply
isn't enough food available, or that nature, with her floods and droughts, is the culprit. Still others
think that the solution lies with free trade, or letting the market provide, or with the Green
Revolution, with its heavy emphasis on pesticides and other chemicals. Other possibilities are that
the poor are simply too hungry to revolt, or that the US should increase its stingy foreign aid
budget.
The authors place the blame elsewhere. All over the world, there has been a huge concentration of
land in fewer and fewer hands, forcing poor and middle-class peasants off the land (in the US,
witness the decline of the family farmer). Structural adjustment programs from places like the
World
Bank and International Monetary Fund (part of the requirements when asking for a loan) require a
country to reorient its agriculture toward items that are easily exportable rather than items that
can
feed their people. Another requirement is the removal internal tariffs and other barriers to the
import
of grain and other foodstuffs. It results in a flood of cheaper (usually American) agricultural
products reaching the market, driving local farmers out of business. The countries that one thinks
of
when hearing "famine" actually produce enough food to feed their people. The only problem is
that
much of it has to go overseas to help pay the foreign debt.
This book is excellent. It presents a potentially complex subject in a clear, easy to understand
manner. It contains a list of addresses to contact for more information, and is a great activism
reference.
Banshee Rising
Walter Ihlefield
Xlibris Corporation
436 Walnut Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
ISBN 1401021328, 183 pages, $17.84, www.xlibris.com
Mitchell Parks is a police officer in present-day small-town Virginia. He is also a former Navy
SEAL, Codename Banshee. He learned the ways of the warrior from his grandfather, a Lakota
warrior, who raised him. He is also troubled by bad dreams of a SEAL mission in Vietnam that
went
very wrong.
One day, Mitchell finds the ghost of a teenage girl in his attic. Sara McCafferty lived in town
thirty
years ago, until her father, Ian McCafferty, abruptly packed up the family and left town, never to
be
heard from again. Ian was a very jealous sort who seemed to spend much of his time being a mean
drunk. Mitchell resolves to find her killer.
As Mitchell, Dana, his lover and fellow cop, and Owen Taggart, former SEAL dive buddy, begin
to
ask around town about the McCafferty's and start rattling cages, someone or something pushes
back, hard, almost killing Mitch twice. Some in town are not happy about old town happenings
being resurrected. The town is in something of a spiritual time warp, seemingly stuck in the early
1960s; the preferred mode of transportation around town is the Studebaker. The finger of
suspicion
points toward Clyde Meller, the police chief, and a drug deal thirty years ago that went bad.
This one is surprisingly good. The author gives the feeling of (for want of a better term) knowing
his
way around; not just mystery writing, but also familiarity with police procedures, and what it is
like
to be a Navy SEAL. The story is interesting, plausible and well done from start to finish. I hope
this
is not the last of Mitchell Parks.
Change Of Heart
Jack Allen
Burping Frog Publishing
c/o Xlibris Corp
436 Walnut Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
ISBN 0738867306, 318 pages, $16.00 softcover, http://www.burpingfrog.com;
www.xlibris.com
Joshua McGowan works for US Naval Intelligence. He is pulled out of an assignment and sent to
eastern Russia to escort Valeria Konstantinova, a former KGB spy, to America. She is busted out
of
a Russian prison by the CIA; it's part of the price demanded by Colonel Mironov, a former KGB
officer and head of a secret faction of the Communist Party. Mironov is ready to give the location
of
Dr. Otto Jones, an American scientist who defected several years previously with the formula for
an
undetectable plastic explosive. Of course, Mironov has his own plans for Valeria.
Valeria also has her own plans. In northern Japan, she eludes Josh and calls her lover, the brother
of
one of the most powerful Russian mafia families, leaving Josh in the hands of the Japanese
police.
Josh takes a side trip to western Iraq, to help the Mossad destroy a shipment of the plastic
explosives sold to an Iraqi terrorist group. Back in Moscow, Valeria's lover gives the location of
Dr.
Jones. Josh plans on returning the doctor to America for trial, but Valeria kills him to keep him
from
hindering her own plans.
Mironov is ready to force the return of the Communist Party by taking Valeria, who Mironov has
used as a high-class prostitute, to the floor of the Russian Parliament. Showing Russian
democracy
as weak, he will then demand a vote on restoring the Communists to power. Josh is the only one
in
the way.
This is a real gem of a story. It's very well done, it keeps the reader involved from the beginning,
it's
very plausible and the characters are real people. I am looking forward to any sequels that might
come in the future.
Never Fade Away
William Hart
Fithian Press
c/o Daniel and Daniel Publishers Inc
P.O. Box 1525, Santa Barbara, CA 93102
ISBN 1564743861, $12.95, softcover, 202 pages, http://www.danielpublishing.com;
John Goddard is a remedial English teacher in the California State University system, and a
soon-to-be published fiction writer. He is also a Vietnam veteran still troubled by bad dreams of
his
time in the war.
University policy is that two failed remedial English courses equals automatic expulsion from the
university. The system, designed by Mary Hart Parcell, Dean of Arts and Sciences, whom
Goddard
loathes, seems intended for just that purpose. The assignments and exams are totally wrong for
people who are usually immigrants from another country, and whose English may be lacking.
Goddard is that rarity, a teacher who sincerely cares about his students, but without tenure, there
is
only so much that he can accomplish.
Tina Le is a student in Goddard's class. One of the post-war Vietnamese boat people, she is living
with a woman named Rayneece, the sort of person who goes through boyfriends the way most
people go through tissues. Tina writes a short story for an assignment about life back home in
Vietnam. For Goddard, trudging through a sea of pretty bad writing by the rest of the class, Tina's
story is a breath of fresh air. He fudges the grade on her final exam so that she can pass the
course;
the story is just too good to ignore. He gets disciplined by Dean Parcell, and after refusing to
change
Tina's final grade, is told not to come back next semester. He files an ultimately unsuccessful
grievance against the school. Meantime, the relationship between Goddard and Le blooms into
something more than the usual student-teacher relationship.
This is a gem of a first novel. Told in alternating diary excerpts, Hart easily switches back and
forth
from American English to "immigrant English." The author, an ESL (English as a Second
Language)
teacher in real life, has many things to say about the academic world, none of them very
complimentary. This one is well worth reading.
Terrorism and War
Howard Zinn
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
ISBN 1583224939, $9.95, 160 pages, http://www.sevenstories.com
This book, written in interview format, gives Zinn's perspective on the events of September 11
and
its aftermath. Zinn is the author of A People's History of the United States.
When announcing the bombing of Afghanistan, George Bush said that Americans are a peaceful
people. Tell that to the people of Iran, Guatemala, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic,
Nicaragua, Panama and Iraq. If America is serious about shutting down terrorist training camps, it
should start with the School of the Americas in Georgia. Any discussion of US foreign policy, let
alone criticism, is seen by some as supposedly justifying the attacks.
The Defense Department has spent a lot of time saying that they are being as humane as possible
in
their bombing, and that military, not civilian, targets are being bombed. From 30,000 feet, it is
impossible to see just what you are bombing; all that can be seen are flashes on the ground (Zinn
was a bombardier during World War II). During the Gulf War, over 70 percent of US bombs
missed
their targets. A number of reports have come out of Afghanistan of civilian casualties caused by
American bombs.
When interest in the war begins to fade, and Bush's 90 percent approval rating starts to drop,
people
will begin to see the failure of the capitalist system to solve basic problems. Put the extra $48
billion
for the Pentagon together with the $70 billion "economic stimulus package" and the $1.3 trillion
tax
cut in an economy that's struggling, and things like Medicare and aid to the poor will be cut
before,
for instance, corporate subsidies.
This book is excellent. It's short, very easy to read and presents a rarely-heard perspective in
terms
that anyone can understand. Those who are unsatisfied with the "official" view of the war would
do
very well to read this.
Paul Lappen
Reviewer
Harold's Bookshelf
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes On An Imperfect Science
Atul Gawande
Metropolitan Books
c/o Henry Holt and Company
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
ISBN: 0805063196, $24.00, Pages: 269
This book reveals surgeons as human beings who learn and practice surgery, with the emphasis on
the words human beings. Dr. Gawande exposes the myth of doctor perfection and replaces it with
a
compassionate look at the humanity of surgeons. Of course this comes at the price of a loss of
confidence in surgeons or at least a heightened sense of concern when someone you know goes
into
the hospital.
Do surgeons make mistakes? They learn and practice on people and as part of that process they
make mistakes. So should you use only experienced surgeons? What if they are not up to date on
a
newer and safer technique? They still have to learn and practice them. Where will our next
generation of experienced surgeons come from if no one would use the less experienced
ones?
These are tough questions that must be answered. It is easy to say that surgeons need to practice
on
people and should be encouraged to while under the supervision of a more experienced surgeon,
but
what if it is your child being operated on? Gawande even shares his experiences as he had to deal
with this situation.
A thought-provoking and revealing book it will educate and entertain. For people who want to
see
the human side of the surgeon's profession it is a recommended read.
Successful Managers Handbook: Develop Yourself, Coach Others
Susan H. Gebelein, Lisa A. Stevens, Carol J. Skube, David G. Lee, Brian L. Davis, Lowell W.
Hellervik
Personnel Decisions International
2000 Plaza VII Tower, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402
ISBN: 093852920X, $59.95 Pages: 687, Copyright: 2000, Sixth Edition
With a thorough examination of the issues a business faces, this book is as close as it comes to
distilling a complete MBA degree into a single useful book.
The book breaks the critical areas of business into four basic areas: Thought Leadership, Results
Leadership, People Leadership, and Self Leadership. In addition it breaks down those four areas
into
nine core factors that determine business success. These core factors include Strategy, Judgment,
Business Knowledge, Planning and Execution, Motivation and Courage, Leadership,
Interpersonal,
Communication, and Self-Management.
The organization of the information was logical and useful. Some of the subjects covered include
Strategic Advantage, Customer Loyalty, Sound Judgment, Thinking Strategically, Applying
Expertise, Managing Technology, Planning, Managing Change, Influence, Coaching and
Developing
Others, Building Relationships, Managing Conflict and many, many others.
This is by far the most thorough and useful single reference book on managing that I have ever
come
across. For ease of use it can't be beat with each section having it's own introduction and a list of
the
most valuable tips in that section. Then to make it even more useful, at the end of the book is a
listing of resources by chapter. These resources include available books and seminars that relate
directly to the items in that chapter.
If you are involved in business management pick up a copy of this book and keep it close at hand
you will find yourself referring to it often.
Primal Leadership: Realizing The Power Of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
ISBN: 157851486X, $26.95, Pages: 290
Daniel Goleman has written two previous books on Emotional Intelligence and why it is more
important than IQ over a person's lifetime. This book takes those concepts of Emotional
Intelligence
(EI) and applies them to successful leadership roles. In doing so it moves leadership from an art
form to science.
While it is not difficult to follow this book even if you are not familiar with his prior works,
familiarity with the concepts would make the reading flow much smoother. For this text he is
joined
by EI experts and co-authors Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee as they unravel the use of EI in
the workplace.
The bottom line of Primal Leadership is that one of the most important tasks of a leader is to
create
good feelings in the people they lead. They do this by maintaining those same positive feelings in
themselves. In addition they have to create change, sustain change, and build an EI competent
organization.
The book introduces the concept of "resonant leadership". This is the tendency of employees to
perceive the business environment in the same manner that their leaders do. The moods, opinions,
and actions of the leaders resonate to their employees and create the same feelings in them.
The top leaders develop four leadership styles and have the ability to easily change between them
as
needed. The book not only defines primal leadership but details how to develop and use these
leadership qualities to make your business excel when others flounder. A great read with a
thought-provoking analysis, this book is required reading for those seeking to excel as leaders in
their organization.
The Do It Yourself Lobotomy: Opening Your Mind To Greater Creative Thinking
Tom Monahan
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
605 Third Avenue, 4th floor, New York, NY 10158-0012
ISBN: 0471417424, $29.95, Pages: 262, 1-800-225-5945
The author, Tom Monahan, was the cofounder and former creative director of Leonard/Monahan
and is now President and Head Creativity Coach of Before and After, Inc. With a client list that
includes names like AT&T, ABC Sports, The Wall Street Journal, McDonalds, Sears and others
you
know that he has a proven track record.
In this book he takes the reader through a series of techniques to break through the rust of
thinking
the way you always have in the past and open new directions in creative thinking. Whether
looking
for a truly different solution to a problem, a unique way to open a new market, or anything else
that
requires a new approach this book will teach you to break loose from old patterns and embrace
new
ideas that you never knew existed.
A truly enlightening piece of work, you will not be disappointed. Access your creative self and see
how it changes your world or at least your perception of it.
The Phoenix Effect: 9 Revitalizing Strategies No Business Can Do Without
Carter Pate and Harlan Platt
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
ISBN: 0471062626, $27.95, Pages: 237 plus index
Carter Pate, a PricewaterhouseCoopers turnaround expert, and writer Harlan Platt provide clear
and
effective advice to any business needing revitalization or wanting to stay ahead of the competition.
The book describes techniques to guide business owners in completely evaluating their entire
company and then shows the path they need to follow to put their business back on track.
The nine strategies include getting to the point of a problem, examining the scope of your
business,
determining your correct orientation, dealing with scale, handling debt, dealing with working
capital,
handling employees, product marketing, product production and process analysis. Not just
theoretical in nature, the authors detail the process in a very easy to understand and implement
manner. The examples are detailed and to the point allowing anyone to follow the process.
Whether trying to turn around a business in trouble, keep a current one ahead of the competition
or
determine a business strategy for a startup, the book provides top quality guidance.
Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love For Imperfect People
Michael Yaconelli
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
ISBN: 0310235332, $14.99, Pages: 141, www.zondvervan.com
Sometimes it is difficult to write an appropriate review for a book, such is the case here. It would
be
impossible in a brief review to convey the depth of understanding and clear vision of God and
spirituality that this book conveys. If you are a Christian and in your Mary Poppins world think
yourself to be practically perfect in every way, then this is not the book for you. For everyone
else,
including those who need to deal with perfect Christians, this is one of the best books that I have
ever read on the subject of Christianity and spirituality. The focus of the text is to challenge one of
the most insidious practices of the church, the expectation of perfection among its members,
rituals
and procedures. Through personal examples Michael Yaconelli illustrates the true grace of God
and
how it should show through in all the ways we interact with others. If you have been taught to
berate yourself because you are less than a perfect Christian, this book is a breath of fresh air that
truly frees you from those chains of what you "should" be. I have read many books on
Christianity,
theology, Bible Studies, etc. and many of them have been excellent, but if there were one book
that I
would recommend above all others this is the one that should be in every Christian's hands.
Everything You Know About Love And Sex Is Wrong
Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.
G. P. Putnam's Sons
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 0399146555, $23.95, Pages: 277
It seems that from the time we are very young we start to develop ideas of what love, marriage
and
relationships should be like. Generally, it is not that we actually see those relationships but
through
the influence of media, family and friends we are taught that the ideal relationship contains certain
particular traits and anything less is not good enough.
Schwartz looks at twenty-five myths about relationships and how they keep you from achieving a
happy and contented relationship. Some of the myths she challenges are holy grails of what
relationships "should" be. For example, that your lover or mate should also be your best
friend.
I don't agree with everything she says but she has compelling arguments for her positions and
encourages us to challenge our preconceptions to see if they fit for us.
Not a deep book filled with psychological studies and analysis by any means, it is filled with
practical
advice and new ways to look at relationships. A recommended read for anyone with a history of
relationship problems, entering into a new relationship or just questioning the values that they
grew
up with.
Healing Conversations: What To Say When You Don't Know What To Say
Nance Guilmartin
Jossey-Bass
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
ISBN: 0787960195, $18.95, Pages: 313 plus index
A wonderful and healing book in itself, Nance Guilmartin's Healing Conversations gently guides
the
reader to the appropriate and caring thing to say when you don't know what to say. One of the
most
important things that it teaches is knowing when to keep your mouth shut and just listen.
Sometimes
just listening is the most critical part of a healing conversation. Sometimes we struggle so hard to
find the right thing to say that we don't listen to what they are saying. Often if we had just listened
to
what they were saying we would have known the appropriate thing to say.
Excellent advice that anyone can use, it is divided into sections entitled "When you need a friend",
"Health matters", "Healing conversations at work", "Transitions" and "Lost loves". While these
are
fairly broad categories, they are subdivided into detailed sections that cover just about every
situation you might come across. From putting a pet to sleep to helping children understand
illness
to being fired or retiring the book is complete and reveals a dept of understanding and empathy
not
easily found in such books. A highly recommended read.
The Truth About Addiction And Recovery
Stanton Peele, PhD and Archie Brodsky
Fireside Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0671755307, $14.00, Pages: 417 plus index
Flying in the face of conventional thought, "The Truth about Addiction and Recovery"
encourages
the reader to challenge the contention that addiction is a disease. The authors' contention is that
addiction is a coping mechanism that people develop to deal with life's stressful situations. Instead
of
doing the 12-step program the solution is to develop alternative coping skills.
Addiction is a symptom and not the disease.
Peale argues that treatment for addiction should be based on learning skills that allow the addicted
person to cope better, communicate easier and relate to others better.
One of the more interesting points of the book is the analysis of people who try to kick an
addiction
without going through a 12-step type program. Statistically, untreated people have the same or
better success rate as those in treatment. The author make a very strong case and argues it well.
This
should be required reading for anyone dealing with an addiction or who knows someone dealing
with an addiction whether it is drugs, sex, food, shopping or whatever other addictive behavior
they
may have.
Who Owns History? Rethinking The Past In A Changing World
Eric Foner
Hill and Wang
c/o Farrar, Straus and Giroux
19 Union Square West, New York, NY 10003
ISBN: 0809097044, $24.00, Pages: 219 plus index
What constitutes history and how it should be told has become an increasingly significant question
over the years. How events are portrayed in history texts often is more the result of the social
climate at the time or the purpose of the writer than actual fact.
Part of the problem with history is that as new facts are discovered and new perspectives
proposed
history is rewritten. Different groups offer a different perspective to the traditional perspective.
So,
we now have black history, women's history, etc. However, these same historians must deal with
a
fickle public whose primary interest in history has traditionally been that it be told with a
particular
purpose in mind. When the Constitution states that everyone has a right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness we are taught that it means literally everyone. However, history has at times
excluded American Indians, Black Americans and others. Particular areas of the United States
have
excluded the Irish, the Catholic, the Polish, the Japanese or any number of other groups.
This book contains nine essays by Eric Foner, a professor of history at Columbia University, that
were prepared for various conferences and book introductions. In these essays Foner examines
how
the historian interacts with the history and their surroundings and how that interaction determines
their perspective on history. It includes essay on Mr. Foner's personal life as a historian and the
things that influence his perspective. Others include essays on modern Russia and post-apartheid
South Africa and how they are rethinking their past in view of the current changes. Probably the
most interesting essays are in Mr. Foner's area of specialization slavery, the Civil War and
post-Reconstruction America.
An especially interesting read for those who are not familiar with the controversies of traditional
history, it is a good read, logically argued and recommended for early college level students or
higher. For most of the essays the writing is slightly above the level of the average high school
student.
Windows 2000 Network Services
Debra Littlejohn Shinder, Thomas W. Shinder, Tony Hinkle
Syngress Media, Inc.
800 Hingham Street, Rockland, MA 02370
ISBN: 1928994067, $49.95, Pages: 634 plus index, www.amazon.com
While I have read and reviewed many books on Windows 2000, this is the first one that I have
read
from this particular publisher. It is one of the best books and compares to the likes of Mark
Minasi's
works. As the title indicates, this book concentrates strictly on the networking services of
Windows
2000. It covers all the typical items of DHCP, DNS, WINS, etc. in a very organized and detailed
manner allowing you to quickly setup the services and get it right the first time. It does an
excellent
job of explaining how the services work with each other and the problems an administrator might
encounter.
Although not designed as a test preparation book, the book could be used for that purpose. In my
opinion it is much better than a test preparation book that tells you what answers to put where on
an
exam, it is a real-life problem solving book with the answers to the questions that you will have in
reality instead of on an exam.
There is one more thing that is unique about the book and publisher. When you purchase a
Syngress
title you are given a unique warranty against content obsolescence as the result of vendor
upgrades.
If there is a vendor upgrade and you need to get the new information or changes to the
information
then you can download chapter updates directly from the Syngress web site. In addition you can
sign
up for monthly mailings of customer questions and the detailed explanations. Finally, you get a
free
membership to Access.GlobalKnowledge an information source for IT professionals.
What a deal! An excellent book, a warranty against becoming outdated three months after you
read
it and access to an informative and helpful web site. This is a book that should be on every
administrator's bookshelf and the extras just make it an even greater value.
If Men Could Talk: Translating The Secret Language Of Men
Alon Gratch, PhD
Little, Brown & Company
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0316178683, $13.95, Pages: 301
Gratch is a clinical psychologist who has spent many years working predominantly with men. One
of
the most common complaints from women about men is that they don't talk. This book is the
result
of years of getting men to talk and finding out what they would say, if they would talk openly.
Covering several areas from shame to sexual acting out, this is not a book about quick fixes but a
detailed analysis of the psyche of men and what goes on under the surface.
Gratch breaks his analysis down to seven key attributes that you must understand in order to
understand men. First are the defensive attributes of Shame and Emotional Absence. He explains
how these affect a man's thoughts and actions as well as what can be done about it. Then he
discusses the four things that affect a man when he finally does open up. These are Masculine
Insecurity, Self-Involvement, Aggression, and Self-Destructiveness. And finally he discusses the
practice of Sexual Acting-Out.
An interesting and provocative book, some readers (mostly men) will have a problem with the
analysis and some will find it enlightening. Reasonably argued and filled with interesting insights,
it is
a reasonable analysis of how many men really operate deep inside.
Harold McFarland
Reviewer
Roger's Bookshelf
Rewiring Organizations For The Networked Economy
Stan Herman, Editor
Jossey-Bass
350 Sansome Street, 5th floor, San Francisco, CA 94104-1342
ISBN 0-7879-6065-9, $32.00, 200 pages. Trade Paperback, 1-800-225-5945
Rewiring Organizations For The Networked Economy: Organizing, Managing, And Leading In
The
Information Age is written for organizational development professionals. Those not educated and
engaged in the field will find the text slow reading, but loaded with information and insight. OD
types will enjoy this volume, as will thought leaders in the human resource profession. It will also
be
well-received by futurists and strategists interested in gaining knowledge about life in the
Information Age environment. Information Technology professionals will also find the book of
interest . . . and validating.
I have given this book a Five Star rating because, for the intended market, that's certainly the
ranking it deserves. For the general public, including business executives, the book will be slow
reading, but with frequent gems to highlight or write down.
The book is organized into five sections: Setting the Stage, The New Strategic Basics,
Collaborative
Challenges, HR, OD, and Information Technology, and Conclusions and Implications. The first
section is written by the editor, Stan Herman (no relation to the reviewer), who presents
Uncertainty
is Unavoidable, Technology, and Commerce are the Key Drivers of Organizational Change, and
Three Imperatives of Change Derived from Information Technology.
Part Two contains three chapters, each written by a different contributor: Strategic Navigation:
Learning Viability in a World Wired for Speed, Strategic Conversations in the Networked
Economy,
and Inside the AOL Experience. Part Three also includes three chapters each written by a
different
author: Virtual Teamwork, Ready for Virtuality: A Case, and The Whole System Transformation
Conference: Fast Change for the 21st Century.
In Part 4, the first chapter presents Basic Info-Tech for Consultants. The second chapter, HR and
IR: Metamorphosis and Opportunities delves into some practical aspects of dealing with the issues
of telecommuting, e-learning, knowledge management, e-cruiting (internet-based recruiting), and
approaches to HR/IT integration. These topics will be "hot" in the near future as both HR and IT
cope with the problem of how to not just get along, but be happily intertwined. I was glad to see
this
chapter included, lending a bit of a pragmatic strength to the book. While there isn't a lot of
how-to
in this representative chapter that caught my attention, there's enough for HR, IT, and OD
professionals to advance their work. A case study contributes to the "this is real world" aspect,
but
this book is oriented toward raising issues to be explored in organizations, rather than to offer
step-by-step solutions. The chapter includes references to web sites and other resources to help
readers go deeper. Chapter author Jana Markowitz offers insights into emerging roles in
organizations-Chief Learning Officer, Chief Knowledge Officer-as she explores some of the
changes
underway in today's corporations.
Organizational life is moving at a rapid rate. Technology is indeed a powerful driver, so those
leaders concerned with the human side of the enterprise should read this book to gain a deeper
understanding of what's happening . . . and what they might do to help their organizations through
the evolution to a new way of operating. They'll discover some pioneering ideas, some practical
guidance, and a look at some of the theory behind some major shifts in our corporate world.
The New New Economy
Tim McEachern and Chris O'Brien
AMACOM
1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
ISBN 0-8144-7143-9, $17.95, 223 pages, Trade Paperback, 1-800-250-5308
I experienced several surprises while reading this book. The first-a biggie-was that AMACOM, a
revered and respected publisher of business books, would stoop to this level. Publication of this
book may have begun as a joke, then accidentally slipped through the system.
My second surprise was that I read as far into the book as I did. I kept reading, hoping that each
page turn would produce something of lasting value. I was almost consistently disappointed. I
made
it more than halfway through the book, then just gave up.
OK, the book is a satire. A satire of the good business books published by outfits like AMACOM.
Agreed, some of the business books today do make readers shake their heads, wondering where
the
authors had theirs? The book is categorized as "humor/business," an interesting classification that
I
have not seen in bookstores. An oxymoron, to be sure.
The flow of the book is jerky and disconnected, like a bad comedian's attempt at a monologue.
While there are some funny things in the book, I shook my head a lot more than I laughed. If
written
as a satire, this book could have been more effectively done.
The authors do begin with a disclaimer: "This book is satire, pure and simple. It is written in a
superior, all-knowing tone, the persona of which the authors take on to further the satire and poke
gentle fun at ourselves. The authors don't really think they know everything, or even much of
anything, and they are both very nice guys. Everything in this book is a joke and should be taken
as
such."
I accept their disclaimer, but still feel like I endured far too much verbal slapstick. But, this is me.
And you may have time for this kind of a read. I'm surprised I took as much time as I did, but
reviewers should make that investment to be fair. I'm surprised I'm writing such a long review, but
I
feel you should be warned. You may agree that there are better places to spend $17.95. I would
never have expected this attempt at humor from AMACOM. All that said, if you assume that
AMACOM does monitor its quality and reputation, buy the book. But don't say I didn't warn you!
Save this reading for your vacation.
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leapand Others Don't
Jim Collins
HarperBusiness
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
ISBN 0-06-662099-6, $27.50, 300 pages, hardcover, 1-800-242-7737
If you want to lead your company to greatness, read this book. If not, don't bother; you won't
understand or appreciate it. The book is best read slowly, carefully, and analyticallywith
highlighter
or notepad close at hand. You will find each chapter through-provoking, inspirational, and
stimulating. Savvy readers will be motivated to initiate specific actions before even completing the
book.
Good To Great is actually, in the author's mind, a prequel to his best-selling "Built to Last." It's a
research-based report of what it takes to move from being a good company to a great company.
His
focus is on organizations that have sustained great results for at least 15 years. The selection
criteria,
explained in the book, were tough. The book examines companies that moved from mediocrity to
extraordinary performance, exploring how they did it and what common lessons might be
learned.
Is this usable information for your company? Collins asserts "Our five-year quest yielded many
insights, a number of them surprising and quite contrary to conventional wisdom, but one giant
conclusion stands out above the others: We believe that almost any organization can substantially
improve its stature and performance, perhaps even become great, if it conscientiously applies the
framework of ideas we've uncovered."
The chapters are organized according to what Collins and his researchers learned makes
companies
great: Good is the Enemy of Great, Level 5 Leadership, First Who, then What, Confront the
Brutal
Facts, Hedgehog Concept, Culture of Discipline, and Technology Accelerators. The book moves
then to explain the flywheel and doom loop concepts that enable the other factors to either enable
the company build momentum to high achievement or wind down to a whimper and drop off the
radar screen. Closing the book, Collins relates this work to his previous work reported in "Built to
Last." The Frequently Asked Questions epilogue helps tighten the readers' focus, as do the
summaries at the end of each chapter. There are several research appendices for those who wish
to
look behind the curtain.
This is a powerful book with a wealth of messages about how the eleven Great Companies did it.
Example follows example, with painfully simple methodology. Amazingly, most executives and
managers get in their own way, making it impossible for them to make the leap from good to
great.
The companies Collins used to compare against his chosen few suffered from that dilemma, and
Collins names names to tell the story of exactly what happened-or didn't happen. Expect to be a
bit
embarrassed by what you have done or not done, but at the same time educated about what you
need to do now.
You may not agree with everything you read in "Good to Great," but you'll think. And you'll act.
And that makes a book powerful. This is a book you'll recommend to others.
Roger E. Herman, reviewer
http://www.hermangroup.com
Shannon's Bookshelf
Bright Evening Star, Mystery Of The Incarnation
Madeleine L'Engle
Shaw Books/Waterbrook Press
2375 Telstar Drive, Suite 160, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
ISBN: 0877880794, $13.99, 1-800-603-7051, www.waterbrookpress.com
For over 2000 years, theologians and scholars have sought to answer humanities many questions
about God, Christ and, perhaps most importantly, Jesus' rise from death.
In Bright Evening Star, Mystery Of The Incarnation, Madeleine L'Engle chooses not to try to
answer our questions, but pleads with us to enjoy the glory of the holy mysteries. "When we try to
explain it, we lose it," L'Engle offers. "When we try to explain the stories which have grown up
around God's love, we lose the love in the midst of the explanations, because love defies
explanation."
As a loyal fan of Madeleine L'Engle's books for many years, I've grown to love her warm
conversational style, her artful story-telling, but mostly I love the permission she gives us to just
enjoy what God has given us, without demanding explanations and answers.
Instead of presenting us with a scholarly, this-is-how-it-is type of book, Bright Evening Star reads
more like a diary of the author's observations. Sometimes they are profoundly moving, at other
times
warmly comforting, but the essays included are always thoughtful and thought-provoking. Giving
the reader a glimpse into her life and the lessons each day presents to her, we are invited to use
our
own imaginations and to trust our own reflections about God and faith.
L'Engle, in many of her other books, scoffs at being called a "Christian" writer. While definitely a
writer who happens to have a personal relationship with God, her books should not be
compartmentalized into being read only by Christians. Life's mysteries in general are freed from
their
human-made boundaries by L'Engle's frank prose and lyrical poetry. Each of us will recognize
something of ourselves Bright Evening Star.
Making Crime Pay: The Writer's Guide To Criminal Law, Evidence, And Procedure
Andrea Campbell
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
ISBN: 1-58115-216-7, $19.95, April 2002, paperback, 296 pp., 212-777-8395,
www.allworth.com
Criminals and their crimes have long been used in modern fiction to add excitement and realism.
Getting the facts surrounding these crimes, though, can be deadly to a writer. Making Crime Pay,
written by Andrea Campbell, provides writers with a comprehensive, thorough, and quite detailed
reference regarding crimes and their perpetrators.
The book is divided into three parts, after the opening preface, The Drama of Crime. Ms.
Campbell,
a specialist in Forensic Science, member of the International Association of Identification, and
diplomate fellow with the American College of Forensic Examiners, suggests that "The smart
writer
prepares for the journey ahead of time." Although, admittedly, procedures and strategies of the
criminal court system vary from state to state, Making Crime Pay offers the writer enough
information that the writer can "manipulate [the rules] with confidence."
Part I, Criminal Law Explained, is divided into six chapters, including The Evolution of Law,
Crimes
Defined, Crimes Against the Person, and Defenses, Justification, and Excuse. Within this Section
and all others are sidebars entitled FYI, Writer Jump-Start, Writer's Tip. Instead of Making Crime
Pay being a book for lawyers, which writers would then be forced to struggle to interpret, these
sidebars make this book invaluable to writers specifically, with the author's knowledge of what
information within this subject would make a writer's job simpler.
Part II, Criminal Procedure and Evidence, includes four chapters, including Search, Seizure and
Arrest, Rights of the Accused, and Men in Blue. Procedures for arrest and proper procedures,
including such details and photographs of search warrants, lend details to the writer which may
not
be readily available to them elsewhere. Real-life examples of cases, crimes and arrests are given,
as
well as details regarding the actual trying of crimes in a court of law.
Part III, A Walk Through the Criminal Justice System, offers up four chapters, with such titles as
Arrest, Charges and Booking, Juvenile Justice, and Anatomy of a Trial. Topics include pleas, bail,
the history of juvenile justice, and the job of lawyers, both in defense and prosecution of
criminals.
While, of course, one book cannot possibly present every single scenario a writer may wish to use
within their fiction, Ms. Campbell has done an incredible job getting us started. The book's
appendix
includes short sections on what happens after the trial, where writers can obtain further research,
and the rights the prisoners do not have.
Making Crime Pay is not a book to be read once and put away on a shelf. It is a book to be kept
at
hand, to refer to over and over again, as a writer needs information to add authenticity to his or
her
books. Ms. Campbell has, indeed, done a great service to writers everywhere in putting together
this
wide-ranging interpretation of our legal system. I recommend you purchase this book and let your
imagination be tantalized by all the new ideas that will grow from within the pages of Making
Crime
Pay.
Shannon McKelden Cave
Reviewer
Hodgins' Bookshelf
Relentless Pursuit
Alexander Kent (Bolitho-series pen name used by Douglas Reeman)
Bolitho Maritime Productions Ltd./William Heinemann/Random House, London
ISBN 0434008842; price Can.$37.95; 323 pp.
McBooks Press
ISBN 1590130006; price $24.95, 320 pages
Under his own name, a dust-jacket blurb tells us, Douglas Reeman has written "over thirty"
novels
and two nonfiction books. As "Alexander Kent" he also has written 24 naval historical novels in
the
Bolitho series, most of them centring on Richard Bolitho, introduced to readers in 1975 in the
initial
short (under 160 pages) novel, "Richard Bolitho -Midshipman", set in 1772.
Time has flown by, and not only is Reeman/Kent - let us now refer to him only as Kent - now 27
years older, but also his story line has advanced to late 1815 as "Relentless Pursuit" begins, 43 or
44
years after nominal starting date of the series. (In 1815 there were no oceangoing steamships, but
the `Charlotte Dundas' had pioneered commercial canal steamer service in 1802. She'd acted as a
tug, towing two lighters.)
Both time lapses affect the writing of this sort of fiction. For an author to grow 27 years older is
to
exhaust a certain amount of one's life force and many original ideas; I can so attest from personal
experience over, as it happens, precisely the same period. Also to have consumed 44 years of
fictive
calendar time is, in the case of the 1772-1815/6 period, to advance from the era before the
American
and French Revolutions, beyond the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars, and into the long
quasi-peace of the mid-19th century as well as the beginnings of the Age of Steam with all its
eventual implications for sail.
The lapse of 43-44 years was yet more significant for Kent's original protagonist Richard Bolitho,
for he has in the meantime aged and worn out, then died at sea in the course of a previous volume
in
this series. Yet the Bolitho novels are carried on, now in the person of Captain Adam Bolitho who
represents the next generation.
When I last followed them, these books struck me as excessively sombre, even dismal in mood,
and
rather frequently as faulty in sentence structure. Specifically, one often encounters statements
devoid
of verbs or, secondarily, statements starting with non-conjoining conjunctions. For instance, in
telling of a ship that might never move off her stocks owing to an outbreak of peace, Kent writes
in
part on page 7, "The same fine lines, the pride of any craftsman. But abandoned. Unfinished.
Dead."
That makes four non-sentences in a row!
Am I merely quoting an isolated four-statement aberration, though? Well, the preceding
paragraph
had ended, "A thoroughbred. Like the carved inscription beneath her figurehead. `Second to
None'."
Plenty of other examples exist, as well.
More tolerant readers, perhaps not having read as many of Kent's books as I have, may argue that
these are "mere questions of style". The same defence may be used for the version of third-person
point-of-view favoured by Kent - a version in which the focus shifts restlessly from (say) captain
to
lieutenant to admiral to coxswain, etc., every few pages. The defence may also apply to a given
Bolitho book's many allusions in its early pages to events presumably covered in earlier volumes,
allusions which don't actually enlighten us about the background situation.
At least one person, Kent himself, obviously likes his style, and there may be others, too - perhaps
MANY others. Alas, the present reviewer is not among their number.
You retort, "Try writing naval historical novels yourself"? I have in fact done so, but my works
are
beside the point; only a "Kent" work is now under review, and we must focus on it.
That other styles are applicable to such works has however been amply demonstrated by such
other
authors as Captain Frederick Marryat, C. S. Forester, William Golding, Richard Woodman, and,
most eminently of all, Patrick O'Brian. Of this lot only Marryat, whose life bridged the 18th and
19th
centuries - he alone actually "was there" - wrote no serial novels, but I think none of those authors
could have written such frequently opaque introductory chapters as Kent has managed here.
Certainly, Kent is a spinner of strong seagoing yarns. If only one could begin by reading the first
book of the series, and methodically follow through the entire sequence in its proper order, there
would be far less trouble in getting started in each new volume! Without having done that in the
past
decade or so, I am now experiencing an out-of-sequence reading almost as if I were a newcomer
to
the Bolitho series - and I must say, it ain't easy; e.g., on page 47 around the middle of Chapter 3,
I've
run into inexplicable information regarding a lock of some unknown (to me) girl's hair. That
"Huh?"
feeling returns whenever Kent does these things.
It's an interesting problem in nicety of writing, to outline a story's established thread whilst
beginning
a new volume of serial works. Ideally, the author will gracefully "hook" and retain both old and
new
readers, by avoiding boredom of the former group through obvious or flat repetition, and by
giving
the latter group just enough introductory information to avoid their subsequent puzzlement or
"lost"
feelings.
A good example of how this problem may be resolved was written within half a dozen pages by
Patrick O'Brian at the outset of Chapter 1 of his "H.M.S. Surprise". From that instance, some
prime
author guidelines may be suggested: 1) concentrate on information essential to the future story,
abandoning comparatively irrelevant details from the past; 2) get the repetitious summary phase
quickly over with; and 3) disguise its repetitions by having something new and interesting happen
while the past is being summarized. The cited O'Brian example describes an Admiralty meeting at
which participants bicker and show personal foibles, even while the background situation is being
unfolded for those not in the know.
As Kent isn't very forthcoming about his present central personality, Captain Adam Bolitho, here
are
my recollections from readings of bygone years.
Adam was a natural son of the "late" Richard Bolitho's rakish elder brother Hugh, and of Kerenza
Pascoe, a young woman of Penzance, Cornwall; she is mentioned (and perhaps first given a
forename) in the present book's page 21.
Owing to a crushing gambling debt or something of that nature, Hugh had run off to America,
perhaps unaware that he left an unmarried, pregnant woman behind him. Thus little Adam was
born
with his mother's surname of Pascoe.
Then the American colonies revolted and Hugh Bolitho threw in his lot with them, soon finding
himself on the side opposite his brother, Richard. I don't recall the details, but I think the
disgraced
Hugh met a reasonably honourable death in the war.
Kerenza meantime had sickened and was dying when she sent off her little boy, Adam Pascoe,
with
instructions to seek out his uncle Richard Bolitho in Falmouth, Cornwall, which lies perhaps 20
miles east of Penzance as the crow flies.
Richard, a just and kindly soul, adopted the lad and gave him the Bolitho surname, although in
this
book they are known as uncle and nephew, not father and son. (If, by the way, you notice many
names ending in -o or -oe, they may be characteristic of Cornwall, although better known are
Cornish names beginning in Pol- [e.g. Polowin], Pen- [Pendragon, perhaps Pender], and Tre-
[Tregorren, Tregurtha].)
That background, some elements of which are confirmed in Adam's coxswain's ramblings on page
22
of this book, should help explain much of the puzzling angst felt by Captain Adam B. when he is
ordered to sail from Plymouth, Devon, to Penzance, Cornwall, the westernmost port in England,
there to receive final orders and recruit additional hands to make up the ship's complement.
Penzance was, after all, Adam's birthplace and the burial place of his beloved mother.
His ship, the HMS `Unrivalled', was a very modern and powerful frigate for her day, although still
of
wooden construction, rigged with squaresails on all three tall masts, and armed with
muzzle-loading
cannon firing roundshot. Such vessels were designated in part according to the number of
conventional cannon they carried - 46 in this case, with other armaments (such as powerful but
short-range carronades) being additional; whereas, at the beginning of Richard Bolitho's naval
career, a 26-gun frigate would likely have seemed large. In fact an "arms race" was in progress,
even
back then.
Moreover, the "46"'s great guns fired 18-pound shot, as against the earlier "26"'s 12-pounders;
thus
the nominal "weight of metal" that could be fired in one broadside salvo of the more modern
frigate
was 414 pounds against the old frigate's 156, so that the "46" had in effect about 2 2/3 times as
heavy a "punch" as had the "26".
Yet there appears to have been a related error in this book's writing and editing, for near the foot
of
page 48 is the statement, "She [`Unrivalled'] carried a total of thirty eighteen-pounders, her main
armament, divided along either beam." Thirty does NOT equal forty-six, and, 46 being quoted
more
commonly, my guess is that the 30 is erroneous.
There may however have been an error of a different sort, for on page 80 a different frigate is
mentioned: "She was in fact His Britannic Majesty's frigate `Kestrel' of thirty-eight guns ...", and a
page or so later we are further informed, "... `Kestrel' had been prepared for her new role. A third
of
her heavier armament had been removed ..." The problem then is, though, that the remaining 2/3
of
her cannon would then come to a nearest whole number of 25, not 30, so that `Kestrel' offers no
adequate answer to how the 30 originated. Something simply is wacky, then.
The great Napoleonic wars being at last over, there remained policing and peacekeeping duties
not
entirely dissimilar to those that have fallen to United Nations and NATO forces since the Cold
War's
end in our own era. In Chapter 1 of this book, there are unclear references to such an action
recently
fought by Adam's `Unrivalled' against another frigate, the `Triton'. Now Adam's vessel is sent
forth
on a new project of a comparable nature. It emerges that the new assignment is to investigate and
possibly fight slavery, first on the Sierra Leone coast.
This may already be the lengthiest book review I've ever written, given the work's perceived
shortcomings which tend to demand exploration. At this point it is probably better to cry
"Enough!"
and even apologize for my seeming overkill, although more could certainly be written.
Tallying The Tales Of The Old-Timers
Joan Finnigan
General Store Publishing House
1 Main Street Burnstown, ON, Canada K0J 1G0
ISBN 1-896182-95-X; price Can.$29.95; xvi + 270 pp.
Note: of about double "pocket" page-format) incl. 2 maps, scores of often antique photos, several
etchings, etc.
Joan Finnigan, this book's compiler/editor (and occasional author, e.g., of the slightly immodest
Introduction), is an indefatigable specialist in the history, traditions, and lore of the Ottawa River
Valley, essentialluy as defined by its watershed (or drainage) area.
"The Valley" may also be roughly described as a broad political boundary zone divided between
the
Canadian Provinces of Ontario to the south, and of Que'bec* to the north. It is also divided
east-west at the National Capital, Ottawa, between the Upper Ottawa Valley lying upstream and
to
the west, and the Lower Ottawa lying downstream and to the east.
Among the numerous books in Finnigan's series, this one seems based, or specialized, in the
Upper/Ontario quadrant of the total area.
Ottawa is an Ontario city, but it looks directly across the river to a Que'bec counterpart until
recently generally known as Hull, but now renamed "Gatineau". The political situation suggests
that
these two cities may never be officially united, but the joint metropolitan population may
nonetheless
be set, early in the new millennium, at roughly 1 million persons.
The near-twin cities lie at the confluence of the Ottawa with two important tributary rivers, the
Gatineau flowing down from the north on the Que'bec side, and the Rideau flowing up from the
south in Ontario.
To appreciate this book it would help to be at least somewhat locally knowledgeable, as well as a
history and folklore buff. To readers who are none of these things it may come as a surprise that a
part of Central Canada has had the character Finnigan's books portray. The conurbation is rather
different today, though, given its extensive ultramodern high-tech component, its urban multilane
highways, and its other features unknown to Finnigan's old-timers.
It may be because of Canadians' characteristic reticence that you, a reader of this review, may find
this book choice somewhat inappropriate. You may for instance feel "in the dark" while reading
Chapter 5, entitled, "For Some Obscure Reason I Always Wanted to Be a Newspaperman"; it
describes a certain Greg Guthrie's impressions and experiences reporting for "The Ottawa
Journal",
a fine if politically biased (pro-Conservative) newspaper closed down in 1980 as part of a spate of
horsetrading between two major publishing firms whose head offices were located elsewhere. Mr.
Guthrie speaks as an Ottawan to, at most, us other longtime Valley people ... in which case, what
will someone living far from this area make of his remarks? What will you, my reader, make even
of
Guthrie's dropping of John G. Diefenbaker's name, although "Dief the Chief" was formerly our
Prime Minister and, as such, our national Head of Government, approximately as important to us
as,
say, President Eisenhower once was to Americans?
Ms. Finnigan - my distant relative, as it happens - is greatly to be praised for having worked so
long
and diligently as to assemble a series of such books recording her subject matter, much of which
would have been lost without her, when many of the same old-timers would have died
unrecorded.
In theory, anyone "from up th' Valley" with a decent writing ability both could and perhaps even
should have done the job; in practice only Joan does it, certainly with such tireless
dedication.
It therefore seems churlish, even to me, to criticize her work in any respect, but a critic's job is to
criticize where appropriate, especially when a reader may wish to be forewarned about any aspect
that seems less than ideal.
Her father was Frank Finnigan, a renowned National Hockey League figure in the first third or so
of
the 20th century, playing first for the original Ottawa Senators and then the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No one person comprises an entire sports team, though, and in this work, the fairly frequent
mentions of Joan's father's name seem sometimes disproportionate.
Yet we should keep it in mind that this is just one of many books by the same author, mining the
same sorts of material; it thus is quite possible that her coverage, taken all in all, is much better
balanced than this one, sampled oeuvre may suggest.
No single sort of man (and I think just one woman) was interviewed to contribute chapters to this
particular book. There is for example a chapter narrated by a member of the Odawa or Ottawa
"Indian" tribe, one by a logging truck driver who later turned provincial policeman, and another
by a
scion of a wealthy merchant family who lived in the City of Ottawa - which Ms. Finnigan refers to
at
times as "the Hub", whereas the more rural portions of the Valley she likens to "the spokes" of a
huge wheel.
Subject to those caveats, readers interested in "the old days" of (say) horse teams skidding
axe-felled
logs over the winter snows out of the bush, to be stacked on some waterway's ice to await the
spring
breakup when log drivers and raftsmen would direct them downstream to the mills, will find this
book series rewarding to read, perhaps especially when, as in the present work, the tales told are
given in original tellers' exact, sometimes profane words, with every last shred
