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Andrea Kay's Bookshelf
Looks Perfect
Jessica Siskin
https://www.jessicasiskin.com
Little A
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662542459, $28.99, HC, 287pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Looks-Perfect-Novel-Jessica-Siskin/dp/1662542453
Synopsis: In the age of Social Media, one million people follow Stella Lerner's every move. And now the buzzy fashion designer is fulfilling her lifelong dream and taking her indie clothing brand global with the help of the industry's biggest investor. Sounds perfect. Except offline, the optics aren't so great.
Her relationship with her boyfriend, Alex, is crumbling just as the pressure to curate her image online only builds. Feeling trapped between the picture-perfect life she's promised her followers and the messy reality she's facing, Stella anonymously joins a new dating app. Blindr promises deep, private conversations, free from the burden of anyone's expectations, especially her own. That's when Stella connects with a stranger called Pineapple who's intuitive, honest, and empathetic. Stella may be watched by millions, but this man, who's never even laid eyes on her, makes her feel seen.
What starts as a diversion becomes a journey of radical transformation. As Stella's search for authenticity intensifies, every chat with Pineapple takes her further down a path she never could've imagined.
Critique: Original, exceptional, and a fully engaging read from start to finish, "Looks Perfect" by novelist Jessica Siskin will hold a very special appeal for readers with an interest in stories of workplace romance and big city life. With an impressive character and narrative driven storytelling style, Jessica Siskin's "Looks Perfect" is especially and unreservedly recommended as an addition to personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Looks Perfect" from Little A is also readily available in paperback (9781662542435, $16.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Jessica Siskin (https://www.jessicasiskin.com) earned her MFA from the New School. She is a former fashion executive and the founder of Misterkrisp, a popular Instagram-based food art business specializing in custom Rice Krispies Treats and social media content. She is the author of Treat Yourself!, a cookbook featuring her inventive food art and edible creations. Jessica lives in New York City.
Andrea Kay
Reviewer
Andy Jordan's Bookshelf
The Invention of the Dog
Tamsin Pickeral
Thames & Hudson
https://www.thamesandhudson.com
9780500029275, $35.00 hc / $33.25 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Invention-Dog-Breeds-Changed-World/dp/050002927X
Synopsis: A fascinating illustrated history of humanity's favorite dog breeds, uncovering their unique traits, evolution, and origin stories.
Did you know that Dachshunds were once fierce hunters of wild boar? Why the Havanese holds the title of Cuba's national dog? Or why the Papillon is named after the French word for "butterfly?" In The Invention of the Dog, animal specialist and art historian Tamsin Pickeral uncovers these surprising stories and more, exploring how humans have shaped various breeds to hunt, guard, herd, retrieve, and, of course, be loyal companions. With over two hundred breeds recognized by kennel clubs around the world, one question remains: where did they all come from?
In this lavishly illustrated book, Pickeral tells the story of over seventy of the most interesting and important breeds. With warmth and wit, she uncovers their unique personalities, quirks, and histories, from the dainty Pekingese, once carried in the sleeves of Chinese emperors, to the towering Great Dane, a gentle giant among canines. Organized by breed group, such as "toy" and "sporting," Pickeral explores how each breed came to be, blending curious facts with charming anecdotes. Along the way, she reveals how these dogs have captured the hearts of everyday owners, kings, queens, emperors, celebrities, artists, and writers alike. Richly illustrated with artworks, photographs, and historical objects, this book is a joyful celebration of our centuries-old obsession with man's best friend.
Critique: Featuring both black-and-white and color illustrations throughout, The Invention of the Dog: 75 Breeds That Changed the World is an engaging history of 75 of the most impactful dog breeds, describing their original purpose, temperament, quirks, and how selective breeding shaped them into what they are today. The illustrations include not only photographs of popular dog breeds, but also images of fine art throughout history that has depicted them. Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, The Invention of the Dog is a choice pick for dog lovers and highly recommended for public library collections.
Andy Jordan
Reviewer
Ben Rothke's Bookshelf
Siman Labanim
Eliezer Kashtiel
Siman Labanim Publishing
c/o Gefen Publishing House
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789659245383, $32.50 / $49.95, HC, 428pp (2 Volume Set)
Gefen Publishing House
https://www.gefenpublishing.com/products/siman-labanim
Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel is the Rosh Yeshiva of the post-army yeshiva program at Bnei-David in Eli. He's a well-known personality in the Religious Zionist community in Israel, but, like Rav Frank, he is not as well known in the United States.
Siman Labanim (Gefen Publishing House) is a collection of his lectures on the weekly parasha, now available to English readers, offering his distinctive insights.
Like Rav Judah, he emphasizes personal development. His work also focuses on the national identity and importance of Medinat Yisroel and the Jewish people. He also explores the personalities of biblical characters, seeking to understand their motives.
He is strongly influenced by Rav Kook, whom he quotes extensively.
His work here is not merely a collection of parashah insights; it is an attempt to read the Torah's stories as a blueprint for understanding the development of the Jewish nation.
The title comes from the principle stated in Beresheet Rabbah that the forefathers' actions are a sign for their descendants. Through his Torah, he shows how these stories have shaped Jewish identity and spiritual growth for thousands of years.
Editorial Note: Ben Rothke (https://www.rothke.com) is a senior information security and risk management professional who is based in New York City. He speaks at industry conferences, and writes on information security, social media, privacy and technology. His book reviews are on information security, privacy, technology, and risk management. His reviews for the Times of Israel focus on Judaism, Talmud, religion and philosophy.
Ben Rothke, Reviewer
The Times of Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com
Carl Logan's Bookshelf
Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today
Michael Engelhard
https://michaelengelhard.com
Corax Books
9798989920242, $24.95, HC, 254pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Northerners-Alaskans-Yesterday-Michael-Engelhard/dp/B0H5YPP6CC
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/northerners-michael-engelhard/1150319700
Ingram Spark
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=dndyyZFEPgXTP9kY7kowfe5VsqhdPNDUCX3UGkmt1Qm
Synopsis: Alaska's people enchant tourists and armchair travelers alike, as utterly as that state's wildlife and scenery do. Its cultures, subcultures, and individuals have long fascinated Michael Engelhard, a former resident, outdoor educator, and wilderness guide.
With the publication of "Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today", Engelhard's witty, intelligent voice profiles a river ranger, a bear-dog trainer, a pathfinder, a con man, smoke jumpers, Orthodox nuns, and Denali's shuttle-bus drivers, among other characters. Through Engelhard's "Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today" we will meet artists, activists, naturalists, crafters, hobbyists, seasonal workers, and adventurers. Their pursuits bonding all these diverse men and women to the land -- as is true for many Alaskans.
Grounded, trenchant, lustrous with tell-tale details, the 59 chapters of Northerners comprising "Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today" link pre-territorial days to the present. They illustrate Engelhard's belief that the mindset of Alaskans has essentially never changed. The reader will get to know them by their passions and occupations, by the goals, grit, and ease that let them thrive boldly outside of boxes!
Critique: Original, informative, compelling, and a simply fascinating read from cover to cover, "Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today" by Michael Engelhard is an extraordinary introduction to the people and history of Alaska. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today" is a prized and recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Northerners: Alaskans Yesterday and Today" from Corax Books is also readily available in paperback (9798989920259, $18.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Trained as an anthropologist with a degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Michael Engelhard (https://michaelengelhard.com) worked for twenty-five years as a wilderness guide and outdoor instructor in Alaska and on the Colorado Plateau. The editor of four anthologies of outdoor writings and author of Ice Bear, a cultural history of the polar bear, he has won three Alaska Press Club Awards, and a Rasmuson Individual Artist Award. Recent books include the National Outdoor Book Award-winning memoir Arctic Traverse, as well as What the River Knows: Essays from the Heart of Alaska, and the Grand Canyon essay collection No Walk in the Park. His work has also appeared in publications like Outside, Sierra, Backpacker, National Parks, Audubon, Utne Reader, and Times Literary Supplement, with more than 160 articles in Alaska magazine.
Carl Logan
Reviewer
Clint Travis' Bookshelf
Fighting Edge
Margaret Mizushima
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9798892426701, $29.99, HC, 336pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Edge-Timber-Creek-Mystery/dp/B0G5WYZQNZ
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fighting-edge-margaret-mizushima/1149863039
Synopsis: A routine welfare check becomes a nightmare when Deputy Mattie Walker finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler, possibly the only witness to a brutal crime. Before the investigative team can start piecing together what happened, Mattie discovers another criminal act in Timber Creek.
During a traffic stop for speeding, Mattie observes a nervous driver and a teenage passenger frozen with fear. A quick sweep of the car with her K-9 partner, Robo, reveals a dangerous mix of drugs and suspected human trafficking, providing Mattie with grounds to arrest the driver. After she places the teenager in protective custody, the sheriff's department hands the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
As the team gathers evidence and information, Mattie's husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, notices suspicious activity during ambulatory calls at dog kennels, indicating yet a third crime lurking in the shadows. What begins as isolated incidents quickly reveals a chilling truth: Organized crime has infiltrated their rural mountain community.
Every clue leads to more questions, and each answer brings them closer to greater danger. Do Mattie and her law enforcement partners have what it takes to shut down this criminal ring before it claims more victims? And could its next victim be someone Mattie loves?
Critique: The eleventh title in novelist Margaret Mizushima's 'Timber Creek K-9 Mystery' series, "Fighting Edge" will be especially appreciated by readers with an interest in deftly crafted police procedural murder suspense thriller mysteries with women sleuths and K-9 police dogs. A terrific read from cover to cover, "Fighting Edge" will prove to be an immensely and enduringly popular pick for the personal reading lists of the growing legions of Margaret Mizushima fans and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Margaret Mizushima served as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest. There is an online listing of her books at: https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/margaret-mizushima
Huey P. Newton's Family: Roots of a Revolutionary Suicide
Lise Pearlman
www.lisepearlman.com
Regent Press
www.regentpress.net
9781587907104, $44.95, HC, 604pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Huey-P-Newtons-Family-Revolutionary/dp/1587907100
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/huey-p-newtons-family-lise-pearlman/1148030482
Synopsis: Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 - August 22, 1989) was an African American revolutionary and political activist who co-founded the Marxist-Leninist political and militant organization the Black Panther Party (BPP) with fellow activist Bobby Seale in 1966. He ran the party as its main leader and helped craft its ten-point manifesto. Under his leadership, the party organized numerous social programs and community events and advocated for collective defense. (Wikipedia)
"Huey P. Newton's Family: Roots of a Revolutionary Suicide" was undertaken by Lisa Pearlman at the request of Prof. Emeritus Melvin Newton (older brother of Huey Newton), Melvin's daughter Tracy Newton and son David Lautaro Newton.
The project involved extensive family interviews and research to cover the background of Melvin and Huey P. Newton's parents, Walter and Armelia Newton, the tribal nature of family interactions, the lives of their siblings and other close relatives, their seven children and the collective family impact on Walter and Armelia's youngest son, iconic Black militant Huey P. Newton, who co-founded the Black Panther Party.
Newton wrote in his autobiography "Revolutionary Suicide" (and testified to a captivated audience in his 1968 death penalty trial) that an understanding of the treatment of African-Americans since colonial days was necessary to understand who he was and where he came from. That testimony had a profound impact on the jury that had Newton's life in their hands, particularly affecting middle-class Black banker David Harper, who became the jury's revolutionary choice for foreman.
"Huey P. Newton's Family: Roots of a Revolutionary Suicide" puts Huey P. Newton's experiences and those of his family into historical context. It starts with Walter Newton's heritage and his wife Armelia Johnson Newton's family background from their primarily African roots: to their Caucasian ancestors; to the slavery of their African-American ancestors; to their upbringing in the segregated South; their hard-scrabble adult lives in Arkansas and Louisiana in the early 20th century.
It continues with their move West to Oakland as part of the Great Migration; the racism they faced in California; Huey and Melvin Newton's disparate school experiences; Huey's teenage years: his involvement in the Afro-American Association's informal studies of Black authors; Melvin's role in creating a pioneering ethnic studies program at Oakland's Merritt College; the formation of the Black Panther Party; the shootout with two Oakland police officers for which the Panther leader was arrested and that became the focus of international attention to the treatment of Black men by the American justice system.
Also covered is Huey Newton's historic 1968 death penalty trial; his Mafia phase; his subsequent Cuban exile; his frayed and reestablished family relationships: his death; the murder trial of his assailant; and Huey Newton's extraordinary lasting impact.
Critique: Extraordinary, exceptional, documented and detailed, "Huey P. Newton's Family: Roots of a Revolutionary Suicide" by Lise Pearlman is an extraordinary and comprehensive biography that is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a 'Members of the Newton Family Tree', sixty pages of End Notes, a nineteen page listing of Resources, and an eleven page Index. A seminal, exhaustive, and groundbreaking biography, "Huey P. Newton's Family: Roots of a Revolutionary Suicide" is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library African American Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental African-American History curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Huey P. Newton's Family: Roots of a Revolutionary Suicide" from Regent Press is also readily available in paperback (9781587907098, $34.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Retired judge Lise Pearlman (www.lisepearlman.com) is a critically acclaimed author of five American history books, including three prior books covering Huey Newton and the Black Panthers. Over the past 25 years she has given numerous lectures on famous trials of the American 20th century and the impact of the Newton trial on the American jury to a wide variety of groups across the country from educational settings to professional gatherings to service organizations, and at bookstores, museums and libraries. In 1989 she was selected by the California Supreme Court as the first Presiding Judge of the State Bar Court. After retiring from the bench, she served as a mediator and arbitrator, Chair of the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, President of Women Lawyers of Alameda County and on the Board of California Women Lawyers where she first became acquainted with Fay Stender's phenomenal achievements as a lawyer, including as co-counsel for Huey Newton.
Clint Travis
Reviewer
Fred Siegmund's Bookshelf
A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan
Michael Kazin
Knopf
c/o Penguin Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780375411359, $30.00 hc / $10.99 Kindle, 306 pages
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Godly-Hero-William-Jennings-Bryan/dp/0375411356
The life and work of William Jennings Bryan has generated strong opinions over many years. In the Introduction to A Godly Hero author Michael Kazin explains "I wrote this book, in part, to gain a measure of respect for Bryan and his people." He goes on to conclude "Bryan was the first leader of a major party to argue for permanently expanding the power of the federal government to serve the welfare of ordinary Americans from the working class and middle classes." President Franklin Roosevelt worked to expand the power of the federal government to serve the working class, but with a calculated reserve that did not restrain William Jennings Bryan. Bryan charged ahead without reservation or let up as the Kazin narrative most definitely shows.
The book has twelve chapters and a brief epilogue. The chapters segment his life and work through time from his birth in 1860 until his death in 1925. Chapter nine, Bryan's People, pauses to discuss the individuals who supported and helped him and the groups he consistently attracted to vote for him in his three runs for president.
In the 1860-1890 first chapter readers get a brief description of Bryan's family, his birth at Salem, Illinois, his home schooling, early exposure to religion and interest at oratory. At 15 he moved to Jacksonville, Illinois for high school at Whipple Academy and college at Illinois College, graduating in 1881. He entered and completed law school in Chicago in 1883. He married Mary Baird in 1884, three children followed, and he started a successful law practice at Jacksonville before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1887 where he continued to practice law with a former acquaintance from law school.
Practicing law brought him clients and cases opposing concentrated economic and political power. His opposition to "special privilege" provided a natural transition into politics. By 1890 he decided to run for Congress from Nebraska where he served two terms and quickly became famous for his oratory. He did not seek a third term but started to campaign for the 1896 presidential election.
As Kazin begins narrating Bryan's 1896 presidential nomination he writes "For the rest of his life, the image of a man in love with his words but heedless of rigorous argument would dog Bryan's campaigns for president and for a variety of causes, political and religious." While many of his speeches were part of presidential campaigns Kazin reports he made over six thousand speeches during 30 years of public life. Carloads of mail poured in from supporters and he received and accepted a steady flow of invitations to speak that included twenty summers traveling the Chautauqua circuit of tent meetings as well as speaking at civic banquets, church revivals, political forums, college and high school commencements often given on top of wooden boxes or the back of a standing train.
Journalists expressed amazement at his stamina and lack of pretense. Always he wrote his own speeches and spoke for the working class in opposition to privilege, corruption and corporate money. Kazin narrates the events and politics of each of his three election losses, 1896, 1900 and 1908, but election losses did not deter him and he continued speaking and took an active part in Democratic politics in the 1904, 1912, and 1916 elections, which Kazin also narrates.
Bryan made the 1896 presidential election into a fight over the free coinage of silver to ease deflation. The 1896 Democratic convention included the famous line "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." He was nominated on the first ballot for the 1900 election in a contest Bryan defined as "between plutocracy and democracy." After the drubbing of Democrat Alton Parker in the 1904 election loss to Theodore Roosevelt and world travel in 1905, Bryan ran and lost again in the 1908 election, this time to William Howard Taft.
The Kazin narrative consistently shows Bryan opposing corporate wealth on behalf of the working class, each time with a longer and more specific list of proposals that included regulation of banks, stock trading and railroads, antitrust enforcement, lower tariffs, an income tax on the wealthy and corporations, initiative, referendum and recall, and support for labor's right to organize and strike. His votes remained a steady 6.4 to 6.5 million, always in a losing cause.
Kazin describes Bryan's active role in the 1912 presidential election, especially his service nominating Woodrow Wilson before devoting a whole chapter to his time as secretary of state and his relationship with Woodrow Wilson. This chapter includes an account of Bryan wrestling with American entry into WWI, where his rigid moral code compelled him to quit rather than stay and attempt to influence policy. He still remained a loyal democrat while continuing with a full schedule of speaking. By now he was speaking to promote prohibition, women's suffrage and in opposition to teaching evolution in the schools. Narrative here includes an account of the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee.
History has not been kind to W.J. Bryan, but Kazin remained true to his pledge to find a measure of respect for his legacy. Early in the narrative he wrote "Bryan always encourage voters to view his politics as a reflection of his character and his faith." Later he advised Bryan always stuck to a pragmatic view of religion rather than defending the bible as truth. Bryan wanted religion to correct human flaws and social problems as an "applied Christianity." Kazin quotes William Howard Taft describing Bryan as "the least of a liar I know in Public life." While Bryan rarely allowed political pressure to influence his moral code, he needed southern votes to have a chance to win and so ignored the needs of black people. His friendship with southerner Josephus Daniels suggests a rare category of politician as liberal and racist.
In Chapter nine and in the epilogue Kazin describes Bryan's devoted followers as from "the evangelical Protestant bodies that dominated the religious landscape." The evidence from the thousands of letters his followers wrote him suggests dutiful, fair-minded people living a life of faith, hope and charity identified with Bryan as someone like them who would challenge the dominance of big business and restore the values of Christian religion and democracy.
As Kazin makes clear Bryan also needed middle class voters to win, but too many of them identified with the Rockefellers, Morgans and the wealthy instead. It was big business leading the attack characterizing Bryan as a bumpkin, a fool, a yahoo, a sanctimonious fraud, and always with an aggressive contempt. Then as now defeating corporate dominance requires uniting the working class with the status minded middle class. Bryan tried and failed, and then Franklin Roosevelt but WWII and his death brought change to a halt; Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King tried again in the 1960's and both ended up dead. Both Kennedy and King spoke in appeal to the many people with religious convictions, but for the last time.
Kazin wrote during his tenure as a history professor at Georgetown University. His book avoids academize entirely and reads easily for anyone with basic knowledge of American history. It is well documented with 59 pages of footnotes. A Godly Hero makes a good reminder that history repeats over and over.
Fred Siegmund, Reviewer
www.Americanjobmarket.blogspot.com
Jack Mason's Bookshelf
Early Deane: Essays on Irish Literature, Culture and Politics by Seamus Deane
Maurice Fitzpatrick, editor
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781009630979, $33.00, HC, 320pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Early-Deane-Literature-Culture-Politics/dp/1009630970
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/early-deane-maurice-fitzpatrick/1149276067
Synopsis: Seamus Francis Deane (9 February 1940 - 12 May 2021) combined academic rigour with an expressive style that was characterized by both passion and commitment. Without losing any scholarly precision or acuity, he succeeded in engaging broader audiences in some of the key debates of his time.
These included: the role of culture in creating political structures and conflict; the responsibility of artists, particularly writers, to articulate alternatives; and the need to think beyond Northern Ireland's political stalemate and imagine a New Ireland.
Deftly edited by Professor Maurice Fitzpatrick and featuring an informative Foreword by Stephen Rea, "Early Deane: Essays on Irish Literature, Culture and Politics by Seamus Deane" is an essential volume that brings together for the first time Deane's early writings and demonstrates his continuing relevance.
"Early Deane" also shows his mastery of Irish literature and the striking originality of his readings of canonical texts as well as of contemporary writers. "Early Deane" will delight all those already familiar with Deane's unique voice, while also engaging a new generation of readers who will encounter here one of the great literary stylists of the island of Ireland.
Critique: With the late Seamus Deane's writings nicely organized into five major sections (Origins; Intellectuals and Politics; An Irish Imaginary; What is Field Day; and Writing the Nation), this hardcover edition of "Early Deane: Essays on Irish Literature, Culture and Politics by Seamus Deane" from the Cambridge University Press is a highly valued and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and college/university library Irish Literary Studies/Criticism collections and supplemental Irish Essays/Commentaries curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Maurice Fitzpatrick is a Marie Curie Fellow at Sciences Po Paris. He was appointed Visiting Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Tubingen in 2022/23. Previous positions include the Heimbold Chair of Irish Studies at Villanova University and visiting fellowships at University College Galway, Yale University and the University of Notre Dame. His films include The Boys of St. Columb's, Translations Revisited and John Hume in America; and he has written two books based on The Boys of St. Columb's and John Hume in America. Both titles are now in their second editions, re-published by the University of Notre Dame Press in, respectively, 2020 and 2019. John Hume in America was named an Outstanding Academic Title for 2020 by Choice, a division of the Library of America Association.
Jack Mason
Reviewer
John Burroughs' Bookshelf
Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels
John DeFerrari
Georgetown University Press
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781647127305, $34.95, HC, 312pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Palaces-Public-Cultural-History-Washington/dp/1647127300
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/palaces-of-the-public-john-deferrari/1149748027
Synopsis: Any large city's marquee hotels are a great barometer of its social and cultural life. Washington DC, is exceptional in this regard, because visitors (ranging from officials, diplomats, and lobbyists to everyday tourists) are so critical to the city's essential purpose as the nation's capital. The city's hotels have also been residences for locals and have served as important social centers, hosting events ranging from weddings and concerts to inaugural balls and the White House Correspondents Dinner.
"Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels" is a lively, in-depth, highly illustrated, history and architectural tour of the city's hotels, past and present in which John DeFerrari explores the fascinating evolution of hostelries, from the taverns of the eighteenth century, to the boarding houses of the pre-Civil War era, to the creation of the modern hotel.
Special chapters address the history of hotels for women, tourist hotels, and hotels run by and for African Americans in the days of segregation. Later chapters highlight the rise of motels in the mid - twentieth century, boutique hotels in recent years, and the impact of historic preservation on saving old hotel buildings.
Readers interested in Washington's history, architecture, and historic preservation will be drawn to "Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels", with its unique perspective on how the city's culture and society developed over time.
Critique: With the publication of "Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels", John DeFerrari provides unique and in-depth history Washington's landmark hotels and its cultural history. Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an Introduction (The Many Faces of Hospitality in the Nation's Capital), a Conclusion (Hotels of the Nation's Capital in the Twenty-First Century), twenty-six pages of Notes, a six page Selected Bibliography, and a fourteen page Index, "Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels" is a work of history substance that will be of value to readers with an interest in Regional Architecture, Landmarks and Monuments -- as well as the history of Washington DC. Highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Regional History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels" from the Georgetown University Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.20).
Editorial Note: John DeFerrari (https://substack.com/@johndeferrari) is a native Washingtonian with a lifelong passion for local history and historic preservation, which he writes about in his blog, "Streets of Washington." He is the coauthor of Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions and several other books.
John Burroughs
Reviewer
Julie Summers' Bookshelf
Breathing: The Art and Science of Pranayama
Mark Stephens, author
Cyndi Lee, foreword
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
www.innertraditions.com
9798888504390, $24.99, PB, 528pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GH7SZ7H8
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/breathing-mark-stephens/1149222256
Synopsis: Pranayama is the ancient yogic art of conscious breathing, and holds profound potential to transform your physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual awareness. Current research into the respiratory and nervous systems helps illuminate the holistic benefits of this tradition.
With the publication of "Breathing: The Art and Science of Pranayama", Mark Stephens presents an accessible and comprehensive study of pranayama. He details its roots in the pan-Eurasian shamanic tradition, the Vedas, Upanishads, early Buddhism and Jainism, and its fullest development through tantra, hatha yoga, and contemporary breathwork. Stephens offers systematic instruction for foundational practices, such as posture refinement, nasal cleansing, and pelvic floor activation. He also teaches advanced techniques for cultivating presence, interoception, and spiritual insight.
Stephens shows how pranayama can benefit you across your lifespan, and he highlights its applicability to a range of health conditions, including pregnancy, ADHD, PTSD, long COVID, asthma, and other respiratory ailments. He shows how breathwork can deepen meditation, enhance intimacy, and restore our innate breathing rhythms that are often lost due to stress and social conditioning.
Uniting ancient wisdom and contemporary science, "Breathing: The Art and Science of Pranayama" offers an immersive and empowering path to transform your body and consciousness.
Critique: This large format (8 x 1.2 x 10 inches, 1 pound) paperback edition of "Breathing: The Art and Science of Pranayama" by Mark Stephens is a comprehensive and immersive guide to the power of breath. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for the benefit for new students and experience practitioners of yoga, "Breathing" traces the evolution of this ancient Indian tradition from its Shamanic and Vedic roots to the modern yoga practices of today. "Breathing" also deftly integrates classical teachings with modern science, including anatomy and neurology, to explain the holistic benefits of pranayama. As well as offering detailed physical and energetic preparations, including asanas, bandhas, and cleansing methods, plus instruction in over 25 pranayama techniques. "Breathing" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Yoga/Pranayama instructional collections. It should be noted for yoga students and practitioners that this paperback edition of "Breathing" from the Healing Arts Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Mark Stephens (https://www.markstephensyoga.com) is the author of five bestselling yoga books, including Teaching Yoga and Yoga Therapy. Practicing since 1991 and teaching worldwide since 1996, he has studied and practiced in the ashtanga, Iyengar, and tantra traditions and has engaged deeply with yoga histories and philosophies, somatic psychology, and evidence-based sources. He has trained yoga teachers and therapists for three decades and served as the "For Teachers" columnist for Yoga Journal for two years.
Cancer Coloring Book for Women
Amy Rose Herrick
www.amyroseherrick.com
Independently Published
9781960427885, $10.95, PB, 110pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Coloring-Book-Women-Encouragement/dp/1960427881
Synopsis: A cancer diagnosis can change your life in an instant. Suddenly there are appointments, scans, treatments, waiting rooms, lab results, difficult decisions, and emotions that can feel overwhelming. Some days you may feel strong and determined. Other days you may feel tired, frustrated, anxious, or simply ready for a break from thinking about cancer.
"Cancer Coloring Book for Women: Coloring Book for Cancer Thriver with Humor, Encouragement, Self-Care, and Strength Through Treatment and Recovery" by Amy Rose Herrick was created for just those moments.
But "Cancer Coloring Book for Women" is more than just a adult coloring book. It is a creative companion designed to bring encouragement, humor, self-care, and hope to women navigating treatment, recovery, and life beyond diagnosis.
Inside you will find uplifting coloring pages inspired by real experiences many women like you and Amy faced during the cancer journey from scanxiety and treatment days to recovery, resilience, friendship, healing, and new beginnings.
Some pages will make you smile. Others may inspire reflection. All are designed to remind you that you are more than a diagnosis.
The "Cancer Coloring Book for Women" offers:
50 unique coloring pages created for adult colorists
Encouraging messages focused on strength, hope, healing, and resilience
Humor inspired by real cancer experiences
Self-care and reflection themes throughout
Treatment, recovery, survivorship, and life-after-cancer inspiration
Single-sided pages to help reduce bleed-through
A thoughtful gift for women facing cancer, treatment, or recovery
Whether you are newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment, recovering, or learning to embrace a new chapter of life, the "Cancer Coloring Book for Women" also offers an opportunity to pause, breathe, color, and reconnect with your inner strength.
Because healing isn't only about medicine. Sometimes healing is found in creativity, laughter, encouragement, and taking one page at a time.
Critique: Original, unique, exceptional, thoughtful and thought-provoking, this large format (8.5 x 0.25 x 11 inches, 12.2 ounces) paperback edition of "Cancer Coloring Book for Women: Coloring Book for Cancer Thriver with Humor, Encouragement, Self-Care, and Strength Through Treatment and Recovery" by Amy Rose Herricks is an extraordinary, thoughtful, and unreservedly recommended mental health and physical healing gift for women of all ages who are having to deal with a colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or any other form of cancer diagnosis and its impact upon themselves, their families, and their friends.
Editorial Note: Amy Rose Herrick (https://www.amyroseherrick.com) is the creator of the Money With Amy series (13+ titles and growing). Amy also teaches financial literacy workshops. She is also a cancer survivor and speaks/writes from personal experience on the subject with the publication of "Cancer Coloring Book for Women: Coloring Book for Cancer Thriver with Humor, Encouragement, Self-Care, and Strength Through Treatment and Recovery".
Julie Summers
Reviewer
Margaret Lane's Bookshelf
Mateo and the Secrets of the Eternal Word: Book One: Creation Through Babel
Steve R. Hartwig
https://www.steverhartwigauthor.com
Independently Published
9798187454891, $14.99, PB, 194pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Mateo-Secrets-Eternal-Word-Creation/dp/B0H93V1CMM
Synopsis: Some roads lead through mountains. Others lead through history.
When twelve-year-old Mateo discovers an ancient Bible hidden inside an abandoned mountain church, everything changes. Suddenly he is no longer reading the stories of Genesis...
He is living them. He finds himself:
Standing only steps away from Noah's ark.
Watching the Tower of Babel rise.
Witnessing the greatest events of Scripture unfold before his eyes.
But Mateo quickly learns that he is more than a spectator. Each journey challenges his faith, shapes his character, and reveals timeless truths that still matter today.
Critique: Magnificently illustrated with museum quality artwork and launching author Steve R. Hartwig's new Christian adventure series, 'Mateo and the Secrets of the Eternal Word', "Creation Through Babel" is a masterpiece of biblically themed historical fiction with its messages of faith, discovery, and courage for young readers. While this paperback edition of "Creation Through Babel" is unreservedly recommended for family, middle school, highschool, seminary, church and community library Christian Fiction collections for children ages 12-17, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Steve Hartwig (https://www.steverhartwigauthor.com) is an American author who has made Nicaragua his home for more than a decade. His writing combines adventure, authentic cultural settings, and enduring Christian themes to create stories that both entertain and inspire. Whether writing contemporary adventures or stories rooted in biblical history, Steve's books celebrate faith, authentic cultures, and the enduring hope found in God's Word.
Stalkers Anonymous
Dana LeeAnn
Entangled: Amara
c/o Entangled Publishing
9781682817025, $17.99, PB, 400pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Stalkers-Dana-LeeAnn/dp/1682817024
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stalkers-anonymous-dana-leeann/1149298954
Synopsis: Cole Matthews definitely isn't a stalker. Probably.
Sure, he used company resources and crossed some lines to "have a conversation" with his sister's abusive ex. But that was a one-time thing. Now, Cole has to attend a group therapy program with a long, clinical name... but the participants? They call it Stalkers Anonymous.
Hailey Brigham is definitely dating the perfect man. Probably.
She'd love to focus more attention on Cole, the smoking hot, ex-military sweetheart whose idea of a casual second date is tandem skydiving. But a drug-seeking patient at the ER where she's a second-year resident knows too much about Hailey's personal life, and his fixation on her is getting harder to ignore.
When threats against Hailey escalate, Cole's protective instincts go into overdrive. To keep her safe, he would do anything - even if it means becoming the monster he's kept so carefully locked up inside.
Critique: Deftly blending romance and suspense, with a wicked sense of humor, "Stalkers Anonymous" showcases author Dana LeeAnn's extraordinary flair for the kind of character and narrative driven storytelling style makes for a simply riveting read from start to finish. An ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Stalkers Anonymous" from Entangled Amara is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: There is an online listing of books by Dana LeeAnn at FantasticFiction: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/dana-leeann
Margaret Lane
Reviewer
Matthew McCarty's Bookshelf
The Secret War Against Hate
Steven J. Ross
Bloomsbury Press
bloomsbury.com
9781635578003, $32.99 US, $43.99 CAN, $13.99 Kindle, 396 pp
Amzon
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-War-Against-Hate-Antisemitism/dp/1635578000
Hate is a very strong emotion. Hate can drive decision making, it can have an impact on rational thought, and can damage belief systems. In America, hate has taken on many different forms. Professor Steven J. Ross, in his latest book, The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance To Antisemitism and White Supremacy has written an important and detailed history of the hate that has gripped America since the 1930s. Hate, unfortunately, is still alive and well in America and present across a wide spectrum of daily life. Professor Ross chronicles this hate and its impact on the modern age.
Hate comes in many forms. In The Secret War Against Hate, Professor Ross writes about entities such as the American Nazi Party, the National States Rights Party, and the Dixiecrats championed by people like the late Senator Strom Thurmond. This hate is underscored by racism, antisemitism, fear, paranoia, and unproven conspiracy theories. The years after World War II witnessed a great rise in hate and efforts to curb its' influence were hindered by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. The Vietnam Era and the '80s and '90s saw events like the shootings at Ruby Ridge, the Waco fiasco, and the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Efforts by groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, have resulted in hate groups in the twenty-first century being publicly monitored, and even defeated in their efforts to influence the minds of average Americans through incidents such as the rally by right-wing activists in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
The Secret War Against Hate is an amazing book. It is well-researched and reads like a cloak and dagger spy novel. The characters, men like Jesse Stoner and George Lincoln Rockwell, are described honestly and with documented evidence of their efforts to change the course of American History. This medium sized volume is a how-to manual on fighting hate and prejudice in our society. It is an excellent read and should have a place of emphasis on the bookshelf of any reader concerned with the modern American societal and political environment.
Matthew W. McCarty, EdD
Reviewer
Michael Carson's Bookshelf
AML/KYC MADE EASY (US Edition)
Lynette Leslie
KDP Amazon
9798187018390, $16.99, PB, 67pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/AML-KYC-MADE-EASY-fundamentals/dp/B0H95F3GGH
Synopsis: AML/KYC Made Easy (US Edition) by Lynette Leslie is a plain-English guide for aspiring and current AML/KYC analysts, compliance officers, auditors, banking professionals, fintech teams, students and career changers.
With the publication of "AML/KYC Made Easy" Leslie explains how financial institutions identify customers, assess financial-crime risk, monitor transactions and report suspicious activity within the U.S. BSA/AML framework.
"AML/KYC Made Easy" covers:
AML, KYC, CDD and EDD fundamentals
Customer Identification Program and identity-verification principles
Beneficial ownership and legal-entity customer requirements
Risk-based onboarding and customer risk assessment
PEPs, OFAC sanctions screening and adverse-media checks
Transaction monitoring, financial-crime red flags and SAR narratives
Quality-assurance reviews, common mistakes and practical scenarios
Of special note is a dedicated chapter explores how artificial intelligence (AI) may support identity verification, sanctions screening, adverse-media review, transaction monitoring and alert prioritization. It also examines data quality, bias, transparency, privacy, model governance and the importance of human oversight.
Deftly written by financial crime specialist Lynette Leslie, "AML/KYC Made Easy" is a practical handbook that connects regulatory concepts with everyday compliance work without overwhelming legal language or unnecessary jargon.
Whether you are preparing for an AML/KYC interview, beginning a compliance role or strengthening your operational knowledge, this informative and instructive guide will help you apply risk-based principles with greater confidence.
Critique: Original, comprehensive, deftly crafted, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization, presentation and style, "AML/KYC Made Easy" will prove invaluable for readers with an interest in business regulation law, the financial services industry, and financial risk management. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and college/university library Business Finance & Money Management collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "AML/KYC Made Easy" from KDP Amazon is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Lynette Leslie is also the author of "Essential AML/KYC Concepts Every Small Business Owner Should Know" (9798191422206, $24.99 HC; 9798191421476, $18.99 PB; $12.99 Kindle).
Michael J. Carson
Reviewer
Robin Friedman's Bookshelf
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
Walter Isaacson
Simon & Schuster
https://www.simon&schuster.com
9781982181314, $20.00 hc / $8.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Sentence-Ever-Written/dp/1982181311
Thinking About The Declaration of Independence With Walter Isaacson
Many Americans are using our country's 250th anniversary to reflect upon the Declaration of Independence and its meaning. Walter Isaacson's book, "The Greatest Sentence Ever Written" is among several recent works that will help readers understand the Declaration of Independence. At only 67 pages, the book may be read quickly.
Isaacson's focus, the "greatest sentence ever written", is on these famous words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Isaacson discusses each phrase of this sentence, showing how Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and others made various changes to Jefferson's draft. He also discusses social contract theory and the influence of Locke and other sources and the philosophical meaning of "self-evident" in the thought of David Hume. He discusses the phrases "All men" and "created equal" to show how the meanings of these phrases continue to evolve. He discusses the meaning and origin of Jefferson's phrase "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." The discussions of this "Greatest Sentence Ever Written" are short but insightful and will provoke thought. The Appendices to the book offer selections, including the complete text of the Declaration of Independence, that will assist the reader.
The discussion of the text involves only the first 20 or so pages of the book. Isaacson then moves the the sentence's contemporary significance. He argues that two ideas are at the heart of the Declaration's key sentence: common ground and the American dream. He proceeds to develop these ideas briefly in light of the polarization and conflict of the present. By "common ground", Isaacson means ideas and places that are public to be shared by all such as parks, libraries, and the like. He points out that we need to find a balance between things that are common, shared and open to all, and the fruits that result from property and the individual pursuit of happiness. He argues that contemporary Americans should see these things in harmony, as did the Founders, rather than as opposed.
The phrase, "the American dream" originated in 1931 and as Isaacson points out, speaks to America as a land of opportunity where each person may develop his or her talents. Isaacson points out the many considerations in present day America that are hindering the realization of the American dream. His focus is on the neo-liberalism of the past 40 years which has sent jobs and industry overseas and which has created a gulf between highly educated and mostly affluent Americans and those who lack college educations. He concludes that the purpose of an economy is "to create a good society. A good stable society where individuals can be free and flourish and live together in harmony. That requires nurturing the sense that we share common rights, common grounds, common truths, and common aspirations. Democracy depends on this."
This short book will help readers think about the significance of America's 250th anniversary.
Missa Solemnis, opus 123
Ludwig van Beethoven, composer
Otto Klemperer, conductor
New Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, performer
EMI Classics
https://www.wmg.com
B00005AVMH, $28.96,CD
Klemperer's Missa Solemnis
I decided to return to Klemperer's recording of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, opus 123, after listening to an excellent recent recording by Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra on Naxos. I wanted hear a historic recording of Beethoven's masterpiece to complement the performance by Schermerhorn.
This recording by Otto Klemperer (1885-1973)and the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus dates from 1965. The soloists are Elisabeth Soderstrom, soprano, Marga Hoffgen, contralto, Waldmemar Kmentt, tenor, and Martti Talvela, bass. The recording was instantly accepted as a classic, and it remains so today.
Beethoven composed the Missa Solemnis near the end of his life, and the work represents, as many critics have noted, Beethoven's attempt "to come to terms with God". (Lewis Lockwood, "Beethoven: the Music and the Life, p. 405) Although born a Catholic, Beethoven was not a regular churchgoer. As he became older, Beethoven became increasingly preoccupied with spiritual concerns. He was familiar with and drawn to the work of liberal theologians of his day who stressed the personal, inner, and seeking character of religious life over adherence to dogma and ritual. (Lockwood, p. 403)
The highly personal character of Beethoven's religious search, as expressed in his Missa Solemnis, might make the work particularly appealing to listeners today who are skeptical of particular creeds and of organized religious institutions. Otto Klemperer was himself a lifelong seeker in terms of religion. Born a Jew, he converted to Roman Catholicism only to return again to Judaism late in his life. The difficulties of the Missa Solemnis -- in terms of the wide disparity of style and tone among its movements, its use of archaic modalities and musical forms, its contrasts of lyricism and fury, might be explained by remembering the personal character of the work and its place in Beethoven's own religious search.
Klemperer's recording of the Missa Solemnis is epic in character and possessed of a craggy grandeur. He captures the religious, highly idiosyncratic character of Beethoven's score and wields the work into a unity. The chorus and the soloists sing with passionate intensity.
The Missa Solemnis is in five movements. It begins with a solemn orchestral introduction to the opening solem Kyrie. The middle movements, the Gloria and the Credo, feature passionate and fiery opening sections and lengthy fugues for their conclusions. The fourth movement, a Sanctus, has lovely, florid passages for solo violin which accompany in turn the soloists and the chorus. The final movement, Agnus Dei, involves a musical contrast between a march and warlike theme in the orchestra and moments of transcendent peace at the conclusion. Beethoven marked this final movement as a "Prayer for Inner and Outer Peace." (Bitte um innern und aussern Frieden.)
Many listeners and critics have difficulty with the Missa Solemnis. It has been described as "Beethoven's least approachable work." (William Drabkin, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, p. 1) As I noted, the difficulties are largely due to the wide variety of musical styles that Beethoven utilized in this composition and to the difficulty of integrating these difficult, diverse styles into a coherent whole. Klemperer's reading on this disc brings out the character of each movement of this otherworldy music.
In his biography of Beethoven mentioned above, Lewis Lockwood wrote (p.411) that the Missa Solemnis was Beethoven's "largest contribution to the expression of the spiritual, in the various senses of the term, [and] is also a symbolic representation of humanity's search for peace that can only be discovered through religious feeling, collectively and personally." Both Klemperer's classic recording and Schermerhorn's recent recording will help the listener approach this work. The Missa Solemnis is a music for many times and places. Each new version will carry something of Beethoven's message to the receptive listener.
Grover Cleveland (The American Presidents Series)
Henry F. Graff
Times Books
c/o Henry Holt
https://www.henryholt.com
9780805069235, $34.00 hc / $14.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Grover-Cleveland-American-Presidents-Henry/dp/0805069232
Integrity And Stolidity In An American President
This short book is part of "The American Presidents" series edited by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. The series devotes a short volume to the life and accomplishments of each American President. The books in the series can be read quickly, and each gives the reader an overview of the life and accomplishments of an important American figure. It is a worthy goal to encourage people to get a working understanding of our presidents and part of an attempt to reeducate Americans about their country and government. The series, Schlesinger states in his introductory note, will "give readers some understanding of the pitfalls and potentialities of the presidency and also of the responsibilities of citizenship".
Professor Graff's short study of the life of Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) fulfills the aim of the series. The book consists of a brief biography of Cleveland and covers his youth, his public (and some of his private) life before he became president, his two presidencies, and his life in retirement. The accomplishments of each of his two nonconsecutive terms (making Cleveland both the 22nd and the 24th president) are summarized, if briefly.
As do most writers who have studied Cleveland, Professor Graff finds his strength in his integrity and common sense. He was able to persuade his fellow Americans, both before and during his presidency of his honesty. Cleveland was a President without charisma and an uninspiring public speaker. He regretted his entire life his lack of a college education, and his career shows something of a discomfort with new ideas or new approaches. Yet, he was able to turn these traits, together with his own strengths into advantages. He proved a capable and inspiring President.
Professor Graff does not engage in hero-worship. If anything, I thought that he somewhat undervalued Cleveland and his accomplishment. He describes some aspects of Cleveland's presidencies which seem to run counter to the picture of Cleveland as a reformer and as given to complete probity and openness.(For examples, Graff discusses the abrupt dismissals of many Republican civil servants at the outset of his terms and the secret operation on Cleveland's jaw which was held on a ship offshore to conceal it from the public at the beginning of Cleveland's second term.) Yet Graff finds much to admire in Cleveland in his hard work, acknowledgement of his illegitimate child, financial probity, and Civil Service reform. Graff praises Cleveland for his refusal to support the annexation of Hawaii when its queen was overthrown under dubious circumstances. Cleveland restored public faith in government at a time when it was sorely lacking. I think he was the first President who could be described as attempting to govern by principles that he believed were both "conservative" and "compassionate." In this he is an inspiration whose goals, if not all his specific decisions, could be followed and expanded upon.
This book is not a complete study of Grover Cleveland but it succeeds well in giving the reader a sense of his accomplishment. The reader who wants to learn more might read Allan Nevins', "Grover Cleveland, A Study in Courage" (1944) which remains the standard biography of Cleveland.
The Task of Criticism: Essays on Philosophy, History, and Community
John William Miller, author
Vincent Colapeitro, Michael J. McGandy, & Joseph P. Fell, editors
W.W. Norton & Company
https://www.wwnorton.com
9780393327335, $26.99, paperback
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Task-Criticism-Philosophy-History-Community/dp/0393327337
An American Idealist Of The Midworld
American philosophers are sometimes overlooked, especially American idealists who try to learn from Kant, Hegel, or both. Among these philosophers is John William Miller (1895 -- 1978) who taught at Williams College for most of his career. Revered as a teacher by his students, Miller published little during his career. Following his retirement and at the urging of former students, five volumes of Miller's writings were published beginning with the first volume, published months before his death. Because of the nature of this writing, on various topics rather than a systematic book, it is difficult to get a handle on Miller. His writing is sharp and epigrammatic, but also difficult.
This book, "The Task of Criticism: Essays on Philosophy, History, and Community" (2005) is a single-volume selection of Miller's writings for those who are interested and who are approaching his work for the first time. Joseph Fell, Vincent Coapietro, and Michael McGandy are three scholars who are among the earliest to write about Miller and to work to preserve his legacy. They selected to contents of this volume, wrote an opening Introduction to Miller's philosophy, wrote introductions to each of the three parts of the book, and introductions to each of the essays. With its combination of Miller's own writings and knowledgeable scholarly introductions, this book is an excellent introduction to Miller. Interest in Miller and in American idealism has increased in recent years.
The volume includes 29 of Miller's essays divided into three parts moving from more general to more particular aspects of Miller's thought. Part I, "The Conduct of Philosophy: Genealolgy and Criticism" includes ten essays. "Genealogy" and "Criticism" are key terms for Miller as he sees philosophy as a critical enterprise more tha a study with a specific subject matter of its own. An important and accessible essay in this part is titled, "Philosophy is Just Talk".
Part 2 "The Actuality of History" consists of nine essays and shows the critical role historicism and contingency play for Miller. History and actuality become categories unlike the categories of fixity and necessity in other idealistic thinkers. The essays blend Kant's categories with Hegel's history in the "Phenomenology" without an Absolute somehow pulling the strings. Perhaps the single most important essay in this volume is "The Midworld" in suggesting how philosophy comes through in the world of everyday activity with its historical roots.
Part 3 "The Maintenance of Community" includes ten essays on the subject of morals, the relationship between the individual and community, and the importance of language. Some of the essays in this section echo the earlier American idealist Josiah Royce's philosophy of loyalty and also explore these related to those of John Dewey. On my early readings, I enjoyed the essay, "The Scholar as a Man of the World."
I came to this book through an interest in American idealism, a school of thought once given up for dead. I had read books about Miller but this was my first time with his own writings. This is not a book for casual reading. Miller and American idealism deserve to be better known for those with a passion for philosophical thought.
Fateful Shapes of Human Freedom: John William Miller and the Crises of Modernity
Vincent Colapietro, author
Vanderbilt University Press
https://www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com
9780826514097, $99.95 hc
9780826514332, $39.95 pbk
9780826591579, $19.99 PDF
Vanderbilt University Press
https://www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com/9780826514332/fateful-shapes-of-human-freedom
Philosopher Of The Midworld
John William Miller (1895-1978) received his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Harvard where he studied with Josiah Royce, William Ernest Hocking, Ralph Barton Perry, and C.I Lewis among others. He taught philosophy at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts from 1924-1960 with only one interruption for a year at the University of Minnesota. Miller was beloved by his students but unlike many academics, he published little. After he retired, a volume of his essays were published at the urging of a friend. Four more volumes of his writings were published posthumously.
It is difficult to get a grip on Miller, but philosophers have been exploring his writings increasingly in recent years. A relatively early study of Miller is this 2003 book by Vincent Colapietro, Professor emeritus of philosophy at Pennsylvania State University and a former President of the Metaphysical Society of America, "Fateful Shapes of Human Freedom: John William Miler and the Crises of Modernity." Colapietro, who has written extensively about American philosophy offers a detailed, learned overview of Miller in order to show the value of his thought. The book is broad in scope with its five chapters functioning as concentric circles in developing Miller's approach to philosophy. The book discusses Miller and many other thinkers with Colapietro also speaking in his own voice and developing his own position. The writing is difficult and often impassioned. Colapietro compares Miller with many Continental thinkers, including Kant Hegel, Gasset, Heidegger, Sartre, and Foucault. To a somewhat lesser degree, he places Miller in the context of American philosophy with discussions of Emerson, Thoreau, Abraham Lincoln, William James, Royce, and Hocking.
The critical concept of Miller's thought is that of the Midworld, which is the subject of chapter 3of Colapietro's book and discussed throughout. The midworld is the world of the actual, the everyday, where people live their lives. Life and activity in the midworld are the focus of Miller's thought. Understanding life in the midworld becomes the key to exploring the various abstractions and dichotomies in philosophical thinking, such as the dichotomy between appearance and reality. In the midworld one lives and interacts with other people and one's actions and those of the community are part of history. History, in addition to midworld, is critical for Miller.
The midworld and activities and changes in it, have roots in the "Phenomenology" of Hegel and in Miller's account, the midworld is the basis for a "responsible humanism" in dealing with objects rather than with a transcendental God. Functioning in and reflecting on the midworld and on history can properly lead to a sense of piety. Miller writes of the midworld, as quoted in Colapietro (p. 131): "while the actual, the midworld, the functioning object, the utterance, the accidental as constitutional, the world as incomplete, the world as philosophically defined -- while all that may seem very esoteric, it derives from counting my fingers and going to the post office." And again, Miller writes: (p. 131) "I am joining the common man. And if this is a free country, we'd better get ourselves a metaphysic that has respect for the man [and woman] on Elm Street. As it is he is treated with patronage and disdain. Nor does he quite know how to stand in his authority because he is there and therefore projects a world in his doing."
Colapietro tries to show that Miller, with the midworld and with his emphasis on the role of history in human life, offers a way out of the "crises of modernity." The crisis involves the way modern people straddle between dogmatism and authoritarianism, religious or political, and nihilism, rejecting dogmatism and finding no values outside of the self. People live in the community amongst objects (artifacts), they reflect on the past, find what is valuable, respond to what is bad and needs to be changed, and move on. The term "the fateful shapes of human freedom" is used frequently in the study and developed in different ways. Here is one use of the title phrase from Colapeitro (p. 171)
"The history of Western consciousness has been, to a great extent, that of a militant effort either to equate history with sheer contingency or to elevate history to absolute necessity. The fateful alliances of historical actors have consequently been distorted beyond recognition. In particular, they have been either divested of their fateful character (for some there is in history no necessity, only contingency) of invested with a despotic power (for others, in history all power is impersonal and all persons impotent). The actual shape of human freedom, however, points toward a dialectic of fatality and freedom wherein being historically compelled and being personally autonomous but in truth (better, in act) are inseparably linked."
Much of Colapietro's discussion is insightful while some sections are obscure. This is an academic book for readers with a strong philosophical background and interest. Still, Colapietro succeeds in his aim of discussing the thought of John William Miller and showing why it is important. American philosophy has many paths and many creative thinkers who deserve to be better known including John William Miller.
Robin Friedman
Reviewer
Suanne Schafer's Bookshelf
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance: A Novel
Ruth Emmie Lang
St. Martin's Press
https://www.stmartins.com
9781250112057, $11.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Beasts-Extraordinary-Circumstance-Ruth-Emmie-ebook/dp/B06ZXWG2JY
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is not my typical read, but I'm so glad I ventured into it. A Tarzan fan from my grade school days, I confess to a fondness for feral children, and the hero of this book is truly a child of extraordinary circumstance.
Born with extraordinary abilities and orphaned as a youngster, Weylyn Gray lives with a pack of wolves for several years, and his first contact with another human is Mary, a child who delivers meat to him and his wolf family on her bicycle. His interactions with her begin his reintegration into human society - but at a significant cost to him. Weylyn is a guileless creature who is wounded by others, and yet remains kind to animals and humans alike while maintaining an extraordinary bond with nature.
The book is a multiple point-of-view story that reveals the heart of the hero, Weylyn Gray, through the people whose lives intersect his over nearly fifty years. It also combines aspects of coming-of-age fiction, eco fiction, fantasy, magical realism, a slow-burn romance, and the trials of learning to love oneself. This is a touching, compassionate story that will resonate with many readers. I find it as sweet and charming as I find one of my all-time favorite reads (read many times over), The Sword in the Stone (the first in the series of books of T. H. White's The Once and Future King), the book the Disney movie The Sword in the Stone is based on.
The Botticelli Secret
Marina Fiorato
St. Martin's Griffin
https://www.stmartins.com
9781429928809, $14.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Botticelli-Secret-Novel-Renaissance-Reading-ebook/dp/B003DX0I30
The Botticelli Secret is a mix of art history and thriller. Though the plot was highly improbable and at times thin, the book was fun to read. When Luciana, a lovely Florentine prostitute, is chosen as the model for Flora, a goddess in Botticelli's painting "Primavera", she steals a sketch of it as a souvenir. When people start being murdered round her, she escapes Florence in the company of a priest, Brother Guido. Together they travel through multiple Italian cities trying to piece together clues to a political conspiracy that are hidden in the sketch.
The poor teenager Luciana is happy with her life as a prostitute as she enjoys men and sex. She's very open about her sexuality and foul-mouthed to boot. She contrasts nicely with the uptight monk from a wealthy family. The plot has many twists and turns, often inexplicable at times, but the book is a fun romp, pure escapism, set in a world well-described by the author.
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
Olivia Hawker
Lake Union Publishing
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/lake-union-publishing.html
9781542091138, $14.95 paperback
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/One-Blackbird-Crow-Novel-ebook/dp/B07GS96FVN
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-for-the-blackbird-one-for-the-crow-olivia-hawker/1130004353
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow follows the lives of two families, the Webbers (Substance and Nettie Mae) and the Bemises (Ernest and Cora), who live in eastern Wyoming, within walking distance of each other but with no other humans within twenty miles. Mr. Bemis shoots his neighbor when he catches his wife and neighbor in flagrante delicto. The killer is then jailed. This leaves two families without their men with winter approaching all too rapidly.
The surviving wives, understandably, become enemies. But when getting enough firewood and food put by becomes a challenge, eventually they must band together for survival. Nettie Mae has a teenaged son (Clyde) while Cora has a teenaged daughter (Beulah) and two younger children. Beulah is a strange child with a deep connection to animals and the earth itself. The teens soon begin to fall for each other, ugh against the wishes of Nettie Mae.
This is a novel about infidelity and betrayal, lost love, found love, women's strength, survival, the inevitability of death following birth, acceptance, and forgiveness. The story is told from multiple points of view. What I found irritating is that scenes are frequently retold almost verbatim from a different POV, so there's a lot of repetition. That said, at times the prose is poetic and the vivid, but accurate descriptions of life on the American frontier are fascinating.
Thomas the Falconer Mystery series
John Pilkington
Boldwood Books
https://www.boldwoodbooks.com
9781806008858, $3.99-$4.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP5RJZSZ
This review includes the seven in the Thomas the Falconer series including The Ruffler's Child, The Jingler's Luck, A Ruinous Wind, The Ramage Hawk, The Mapmaker's Secret, the Maiden Bell, and The Muscovy Chain. The series is complete, so you don't have to wait for the next one to be published.
If you enjoyed the Brother Cadfael mystery series by Ellis Peters, you may enjoy the Thomas the Falconer series as well. The Brother Cadfaels are set in the 12th century while the Falconer series is set in the 16th century during Queen Elizabeth's reign. These books are short (around 200 pages) and easy reads.
Thomas Finbow is in charge of the falconry of Sir Robert Vicary, but he is more than a mere falconer. Besides being a former soldier and a superb hunter, he has an innate intelligence, a good set of eyes and an abundance of common sense. A widower, he cares for his daughter as well as his hawks. He has the full trust of Sir Robert and often serves as the lord's surrogate in various searches for justice. Thomas is readily able to piece together disparate clues and form conclusions about the mysteries that occur on the Berkshire Downs and other locales.
Pilkington provides an authentic sense of Tudor England and gives clues to the time period that are far more than the "in 1569" sort. Instead, he situates the reader in time with clues like "the year of the Armada" when the Spanish Armada attacked Britain, or Queen Elizabeth being unable to attend a large house party because she has locked herself in her rooms to mourn the death of her favorite, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. The prose is tight but descriptive and the mysteries compelling.
Vacancy
Jann Alexander
https://www.jannalexander.com
Black Rose Writing
https://www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685137984, $6.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Vacancy-Secrets-Second-Chances-Small-Town-ebook/dp/B0H7XL45TB
Vacancy is the second novel in Jann Alexander's Dust series, set in the fictional small town of Hartless in the Texas Panhandle. It is told from multiple points of view: Charlene, a poverty-stricken young mother with a kindergarten daughter and another child on the way, whose been abandoned by her abusive ex; when he bails out, he dumps Mick, his teenaged son, on Charlene though the boy isn't hers; Helen, a middle-aged widow with no children, who still suffering from the loss of her only child; and Jack, a veteran of the Afghanistan war who's returned home with PTSD. All must face the devastating consequences of what may - or may not - have been a brutal accident.
You can almost hear the Texas drawl in the dialogue as Alexander does a great job capturing Texas witticisms. Hartless, like any collection of humans, is full of a wide variety of folks, flawed but relatable, some with great hearts and others whose hearts are twisted by judgement, bias, and downright cruelty, voiced even in the churchyard.
Vacancy is about found families, learning to accept oneself, and to forgive oneself. The various protagonists have good character arcs and resolve their problems with aplomb despite their trials and the outrage of the townspeople.
This book is a tie-in with the first in the series, but I would have liked the connection made earlier and stronger.
Fossil Feud
Maggie North
Dell
c/o Random House
https://randomhousebooks.com
9798217299096, $11.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fossil-Feud-Novel-Maggie-North-ebook/dp/B0FY4TLSPB
Fossil Feud is a cute romance set on a paleontological dig in Montana. Ripley Adams has become a freelance fossil hunter after being driven out of academic research after her boyfriend, Will Stone, betrays her by stealing her research and laying waste to her reputation. Currently she thinks she's found a fossil link connecting dinosaurs with birds and hopes to use it to restore her good name.
Ripley grew up in a trailer house, raised by a single father, abandoned by her movie-star mother. The shambles of her life aren't the only things on the line: the family leasing the land to her for her search is hoping for a share of the proceeds of selling a new specimen of dinosaur, and Ripley hopes to allay some of her own - and her father's fears - about finances as he faces a cancer diagnosis.
When an Oxford professor and trust fund recipient, James Smithson, shows up at her site, he brings news that her ex is presenting a complete skeleton of a purported link between dinosaurs and birds. Only Smithson believes it is a fraud. So the race is on as to who will succeed legitimately.
Having been on fossil-finding digs myself, there's not quite enough detail as to the sheer drudgery of days spent dirty, dusty, hot, and dry be convincing. Despite being a bit lean on actual science, the story is cute, and it's a quick fun read.
A Voice in the Dark
Barbara Nickless
https://barbaranickless.com
Thomas & Mercer
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/thomas-mercer.html
9781662533730, $4.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Benedict-Hoffman-Helen-Belle-ebook/dp/B0FTGGHSWL
I enjoyed Barbara Nickless's prior Sydney Rose Parnell four-book series and the Dr. Evan Wilding three-book series, so I thought I'd like the first of her newest Benedict Hoffman and Helen Belle series, A Voice in the Dark. It has a Criminal Minds feel, and with its focus on artificial intelligence and how it is manipulating youngsters is certainly very en point in today's society. The main characters (FBI agent Belle and academic Hoffman) search for the Midnight Man who seems to be guiding teens to murder their families. This case mirrors one from several years prior, prompting a search for other cases that might add to their field of knowledge.
While fascinating, this is a dark read which I liked this considerably less than the other two series. The characters weren't written in as much depth and had little character arc. It also seems overly long and full of repetitive dialogue as the various components of the FBI catch each other up on various aspects of the case. I don't know anything about the gaming, the dark web, or AI worlds, but what was written seemed accurate enough I could suspend disbelief. I will probably read the next novel in the series.
The Drowning Game
Barbara Nickless
https://barbaranickless.com
Thomas & Mercer
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/thomas-mercer.html
9781662510007, $4.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Drowning-Game-Barbara-Nickless-ebook/dp/B0D183RYWK
In The Drowning Game, Nadia Brenner goes to Singapore and finds that Cass, her sister, has jumped from a fortieth-floor hotel balcony. Devastated, Nadia must arrange for the transportation of her sister's remains back to the Pacific Northwest, regain ground that Cass has lost in the scheduled construction of a wealthy Chinese man's mega-yacht, and try to investigate her sister's death - all while being chased by Chinese thugs and nefarious CIA agents. The Brenner family owns Ocean House, a yacht-building empire whose income is sliding into the red with new competitors that are also stealing Ocean House employees.
I've read most of Barbara Nickless's series and some of her standalone novels, and this was the first book I have been disappointed in. The first half of the book is slow, and I had a hard time getting invested in the lives of the ultra-rich and their mega-yachts. The second half of the book moves much more quickly, but it's all over the place: artificial intelligence, Nazis, Chinese triads and Chinese spies, double and triple agents, and a dark family secret. I lived in Singapore (albeit fifty years ago) and have visited Monaco, and the details seem true to what I remember about those locales.
Suanne Schafer, Reviewer
www.SuanneSchaferAuthor.com
Susan Bethany's Bookshelf
Fighting for Their Lives
Jenn Garofolo
https://www.jenngarofolo.com
Kingbird Press
kingbirdpress.com
9781965629093, $24.99 pbk / $4.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Their-Lives-Mothers-Battle/dp/1965629091
Synopsis: Author Jenn Garofolo, MPH, MBA, has spent more than twenty years leading U.S. commercialization and market access across rare disease, oncology, hematology, and gene therapy at companies including Vertex Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson. Her work has centered on a single question: can patients actually access the innovation we develop? Most recently, she led U.S. market access strategy for the first CRISPR-based gene therapy approved for sickle cell disease, a community long underserved by the systems built to treat it.
She built her career understanding how systems work, how treatments get developed, approved, reimbursed, and delivered. For most of those years, she was also fighting on behalf of her own child.
Fighting for Their Lives is the memoir she wrote from inside that fight. It traces more than a decade of psychiatric institutions, school systems, and insurance denials, of standing with her oldest child as he came out as transgender, and of the particular exhaustion of being the person in the room who understands exactly how broken the process is and still cannot fix it. It is a book about resilience, advocacy, and what parents do when the answer they need does not exist yet.
In Fighting for Their Lives, Jenn Garofolo traces two distinct fights. The first began when her child was 2 years old, a mental health crisis that would stretch across a decade of hospitalizations and treatment placements. The second began when he came out as transgender. They are not the same fight. But one deepened the other. And she finds herself battling the very systems she had spent her career inside. The collision is impossible to ignore.
Fighting for Their Lives is a story about resilience. About identity. About the fierce and imperfect fight to protect the people you love when the systems around you fall short.
Critique: Fighting for Their Lives: One Mother's Battle for Her Child's Mind, Body, and Right to Be Seen is the firsthand testimony of the mother of a transgender child. Even though author Jenn Garofolo dedicated her professional career to connecting patients of rare diseases with innovative treatments (such as CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease), she had to fight an uphill advocacy battle for the sake of her child's mental and physical health. Some of the key truths she learned in her struggle are "Just because they're experts doesn't mean they're right", "Be your child's loudest advocate because the system is broken", "Your child's truth is not up for debate", and "The fight never ends, it just changes". Fighting For Their Lives is a true-life LGBTQIA+ advocacy story, a deeply personal memoir, and a font of inspiration for anyone struggling with the problematic U.S. health care system. Highly recommended.
Jenna Finds A Dog
Terence Rousseau
Little Studio Films
9798993059273, $8.99, PB, 122pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Jenna-Finds-Dog-Terence-Rousseau/dp/B0GW5Q3542
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jenna-finds-a-dog-terence-rousseau/1149899177
Synopsis: Jenna Connor is always in trouble. Adults call her a "problem kid." Jenna just feels like her anger is too big to stop -- like a storm that takes over before she can think. After a fight at school goes too far, she gets expelled and sent to therapy.
Then one day, Jenna finds a skinny, scared Border Collie hiding in the grass. She names him Lucky. Lucky doesn't trust anyone... except Jenna.
For the first time, Jenna feels like she understands someone -- and that someone understands her back. Taking care of Lucky gives her something she's never had before: a purpose.
With the help of her older sister and a few new friends, Jenna starts training Lucky to run agility courses -- jumping, racing, and working as a team. And they're not just good... they're amazing.
But life doesn't suddenly become easy. Jenna still struggles with her temper. A bully won't leave her alone. And one wrong choice could cost her everything -- including Lucky.
Now Jenna has to decide. Will she let her anger control her... or will she fight for the life (and the friendship) she's finally found?
Critique: Original, exceptional, deftly crafted, and a fun read from start to finish, "Jenna Finds A Dog" by author/storyteller Terence Rousseau is an extraordinary story about a young and troubled girl who acquires a pet dog. An entertaining and inspiring story about friendship, second chances, and learning how to believe in yourself, "Jenna Finds A Dog" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal lists, as well as family, elementary school, middle school, and community library animal themed fiction collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Jenna Finds A Dog" from Little Studio Films is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Terence Rousseau is a Family Medicine doctor in rural New Mexico. He has recently turned from writing screenplays to books.
Susan Bethany
Reviewer
Theresa Werba's Bookshelf
The Spring's Autumn: Poems
Adam Sedia
Independently Published
9781484967140, $12.00 paperback, $2.99 Kindle, 64 pages
Elysium: Poems
Adam Sedia
Independently Published
9798316796984, $12.00 paperback, 76 pages
The Opening of the Mouth: Poems
Adam Sedia
Independently Published
9798257065194, $10.00 paperback, 42 pages
Amazon (The Spring's Autumn)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1484967143
Amazon (Elysium)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F3XN42Y3
Amazon (The Opening of the Mouth)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXY122N
The Zingers of Adam Sedia and the Voice of Ancient Egypt
I have had the pleasure of reading the poetry of Adam Sedia for many years, and additionally had the pleasure of a face-to-face meeting at the SCP Symposium in New York in 2019. I have always been impressed with him as an uncommonly good poet and I am delighted to finally be able to share my thoughts and impressions of his work.
Sedia was the 2019 First Place winner of the Society of Classical Poets annual competition, having placed 2nd in 2018. He has been long recognized and appreciated within the formal poetry community, and deserves to be more widely known. I do enjoy bringing attention to poets who might be more modest than their talent demands, and Adam Sedia is a poet I have been wanting to review for some time.
Sedia has the unique gift of employing what I call "Zingers" - a combination or interplay or juxtaposition of words which are so unique and unusual (and unusually good) that they just pop out at you. Not only is Sedia a careful, measured poet with extremely fine and precise diction, but he manages to combine commonly-used words in uncommon ways in addition to the "Zingers", which elevate his writing to a whole new level. Although his Zingers are appreciated more powerfully and potently in their poetic context, you can take them out and enjoy them as a microcosm of great creativity and innovation on their own merit.
In his first publication, the 2013 The Spring's Autum, Sedia begins with "Convocation", a prayer for poetic inspiration:
"Let me bring order from chaos;
Let me shine light through the haze;
Let me build towering castles
To capture the wandering gaze.
Just as the smith hammers metal,
Just as the sculptor hews stone,
Just as the carpenter dresses,
I fashion a form of my own.
Give me my tools, my material:
Sound upon trembling lips,
Phantoms that dart though the mind-paths,
And serpentine contours of script.
Give them to me! I shall mold them
Not into mad disarray,
But into a dulcet gold clarion
That beautifies what I must say.
Thou, who first fashioned the cosmos
From the primeval abyss,
Gave it both order and meaning,
May I do likewise with this!"
This poem certainly would resonate with anyone writing formal poetry, for Sedia gives homage to "order and meaning" while eschewing "mad disarray", an indictment of much of the vomitus and detritus that passes for contemporary "free verse" poetry today (I say this as a poet who write both formal poetry and free verse). The Zingers in this poem that resonate with me are: "Phantoms that dart though the mind-paths;" "serpentine contours of script", and my musical favorite,"a dulcet gold clarion."
In "Death of Leviathan" we have the Zinger: "As its effusions ooze and churn", while in "Two Volcanos" we have "a raging pyroclastic hell;" in "Nameless Fossil" we have "Paleozoic sludge" and in "February Snowfall" we have "opalescent fog". Other Zingers I found noteworthy include "roseate orbs" in "Peonies;" "the years of torrid, fecund apogee" in "To September," and "Stars now dot the blue Of the crepuscule" (which means the time between the beginning of the setting sun until sunset) in "Vespers; in "Two Cleansings" we have the highly memorable "So, too, the infant skin grew maculate."
In "To the Stars" Sedia speaks to the stars like a kind of prayer, using the Zinger "Faint, feeble scintillations" which is starlight within an equally luminous poem:
"Night's mantle drapes its sable folds, dyed deep
With trillion-mile-wide emptiness, bleak cloak
Encompassing all ages' endless sweep.
You, myriads, hurl blinding, flame-born rays-
Faint, feeble scintillations once they poke
Through voids to meet a yearning, upward gaze.
Those crystal eyes stare out, indifferent
To this far-distant speck, just one perhaps
Of many whirring through the firmament.
You wind precession's stately minuet
Of eons; your nocturnal circling wraps
Around the pole-star, confidently set.
But we spin giddily; you stand unswayed
By turbulent, primeval wind and flame
Of chaos where no end may be surveyed.
What comfort can you give? I long to view
Divine perfection far from earthly shame
And death, as bygone ages saw in you.
Immutable, irrefutable laws
That govern how your every atom moves,
Perhaps, were not decreed without a cause.
Your chaos yet is ordered: let that be
The only evidence I need that proves
My longing more than dreamy fantasy."
Although I find Sedia's poetry outstanding across the board, when he shares more of his personal, internal feelings, it is rendered very powerful by its restraint. No sloppy mush or saccharine, trite or maudlin sentimentality here! In the villanelle "Remembrance" we have a fine Zinger in "screaming gales of passion":
"Remembrance haunts, persisting like a ghost;
It drains the soul and gnaws upon the heart,
For always we destroy what we love most.
We countenance too late, too late we boast
The lover in whose love we wished no part-
Remembrance haunts, persisting like a ghost.
The idol we adored, abject, engrossed,
Our screaming gales of passion tore apart,
For always we destroy what we love most.
The land we fled for a less hostile coast,
We pine for now, long since we dared depart-
Remembrance haunts, persisting like a ghost.
The gentle lamb we slaughter, carve and roast
Was yesterday our dearest counterpart,
For always we destroy what we love most.
And never can we resurrect the host
Of victims in our trail, despite our art;
Remembrance haunts, persisting like a ghost;
For always we destroy what we love most."
Sedia's 2025 Elysium is a collection of nature-oriented observations of sunsets, herons, sunrise, trees, plants, and even mushrooms. It is a careful observation of nature and a work which verily loves and honors it. It is especially rich in Zingers: "soft denouement of day" in the opening "Elysium;" "Shroud of all the simulacra/Masking the world to come" in "Incense;" "thorn-trees crisscrossed shadows" as well as "Clash of cloying sights and sounds" in "In Urbe Hortus;" "curved sextuple petals" in "The gift of Lillies;" "Smashed, stinking remnants" along with "Consumed consuming unto pang-wracked death" in "Mushrooms;" "demons from the cloaca of hell;" "curvaceous ochre gyre" in "To a Conch Shell'" and probably my favorite, "Botryoidal puffs shining white" in "Love and Vipers."
My favorite poem in the collection is "The Poet's Spirit", a sonnet in memory to a distant ancestral relative, the Italian poet Alceste De Lollis:
"Across two centuries' and an ocean's span,
You born to Dante's, I to Shakespeare's tongue,
Our blood unites us, scions of one clan,
Whose forebears Horace entertained in song.
But more than blood spans distance, tongue, and time:
The flame, the spirit that all poets share-
The ear attuned to music, rhythm, and rhyme;
The eye aware of beauty everywhere.
And in it Truth, eternal, changeless, clear;
The mind that can extract the hidden good.
These unseen bonds of spirit draw us near-
More than mere blood and surname ever could.
Through blood will perish, spirit never dies,
And thus is where our truest kinship lies."
If I myself were related to any great poet of the past, I could not imagine having captured my reverence, sentiment, and sense of connection to a poet across history and time better than this sonnet of Adam Sedia.
It was a very interesting and refreshing experience to read Adam Sedia's latest collection The Opening of the Mouth. Long admiring his talents, this book surprises me and delights me in still being Adam Sedia but his presenting himself through an innovative approach through a novel idiom. In this collection of love poems and hymns, he has reached back to Ancient Egypt for inspiration.
"It started as an experiment," Sedia explains, "to see how well a contemporary American mind could express itself in a voice so far removed its experience." That we still write sonnets from Italy, villanelles from France, pantoums from Malaysia and haikus from Japan is testament to the versatility and resilience of poetic forms engendered in other countries and cultures. It was so satisfying to see what Sedia can do with such a challenge before him - he has come through with flying colors. He captures what he calls the "strange beauty" of the idiom, particularly in how "simple" and yet how "powerful" it is.
In referencing the 1920s work Ancient Egyptian Poetry and Prose by Adolf Erman, Sedia explains that Egyptian poetry makes particular used of "parallelism of its members." This involves stating an idea and then restating it a different way in the following line. This technique has "parallels" in ancient Babylonian and even Hebrew poetry - the psalms are replete with parallelisms.
The poetry is structured by 2-4 short lines of unrhymed verse in a stanza, with 2-4 accented syllables per line. Stanzas may repeated lines from previous stanzas. The lines will have the characteristic parallelisms, along with the use of alliteration. Sedia also made the choice to employ English archaisms such as "thy", "thee", and "thine"; he states that this "conveyed a wonderfully otherworldly sense of the antiquity of the style and the elevated language used for poetry in the ancient world."
Though Ancient Egyptian poetry employs the use of "paronomasia", the use of puns on the names of objects, Sedia did not choose to use paronomasia in this collection, citing translation difficulties. He did find English well-suited to the alliterative nature of Egyptian poetry, noting that this has been a feature of English poetry since the dawn of our language. He also establishes at the outset that although he is Catholic, he seeks to write in a "thoroughly pagan voice" while avoiding "sacrificing either personal devotion or sincerity."
What he claims to sacrifice, however, is "some faithfulness" to the original style. His goal is to "seek a common humanity" in his use of this idiom, feeling that "the poems lose nothing" by his choice to omit overt references to pagan gods. In its stead, he does reference Duat (the Egyptian netherworld) and the gods, but does not offer praise to them, noting that many Egyptian texts are not "overtly religious" to begin with.
He then provides us with a collection love poems, along with a shorter collection of "hymns" which "mourn for the dead in a borrowed voice from that long-vanished world." I have a lot of respect for any writer or poet who nonetheless is open to expression and revelation in forms or styles outside his or her tradition or comfort zone.
I found Sedia's love poems in this collection to be among the most exquisite I have ever read. There is definitely an echo of the past which permeates the reading experience - I felt like I had a window into a world very different from my own, and yet being surprised at how similar the emotions and observations expressed were to my own today. I truly felt transported to sand and sun, the Nile and the Sphinx and the pyramids, while at the same time feeling a surprising resonance of truth within the memories of my own experiences.
Take, for example, love poem "II":
"Thy flesh is of glimmering gold,
Gleaming like the morning sun.
And thy hair is of lapis lazuli,
Lustrous, of heavenly hue.
Thy lips are of polished carnelian;
They are red like hills of jasper.
Thy teeth are of whitest ivory,
Of silver glowing like the moon.
How precious thou art, O exalted one!
How precious, delight of mine eye!
Established forever among the holy ones,
Enduring like the gods of Duat."
We immediately see the alliterations in "glimmering gold,/Gleaming", "lapis lazuli,/Lustrous," "heavenly hue", along with the parallelisms of "glimmering/gleaming" (words doing double duty!), "whitest ivory"/"silver glowing like the moon", "Established/Enduring." While not "Zingers" in the sense which he employs them in his more traditional poetry, he nevertheless provokes us withimagery - the use of earthly elements - gold, lapis lazuli, carnelian, ivory, silver, to give us an unusual mental image of his colorfully rendered "exalted one". I also find the reference to Durat to provide that echo from the past which for me, brings ancient Egypt right to the forefront of my mind.
I also found love song "IV" to be subtly erotic and very beautiful:
"Thy breath is like the lotus,
Like the lotus, sweet of scent,
Perfuming the twilight air.
Wafting its fragrance towards the stars.
When I smell my evening lotus,
When I inhale her sumptuous breath,
I reel, drunk with wine,
I stagger like a raving madman.
And how I long for more!
How I am rapt with that scent,
With the fragrances that rises through evening,
The sweetness that softens the dusk."
The repetition of "like the lotus" is both alliterative and creates the parallelism of the first two lines. Other parallelisms of "perfuming/wafting", "smell/inhale," "reel/stagger", "long for/rapt", "fragrances/sweetness" combine with imagery of his love as a lotus, in an erotic, subtle tenderness.
What also strikes me as particularly arresting in this form is the lack of rhyme. We expect this absence from free verse, or blank verse - but here is unrhymed poetry, in a very ancient style, held together through other structural elements. For me, it gives the poems an eerie quality, a sense of something old and far away, like the sound in the echo of a memory. Somehow the absence of rhyme only causes the ear to draw even more fully to the alliteration and parallelisms inherent in this form.
Moreover, what we are given in these poems in the Ancient Egyptian style are not the "Zingers" of Sedia's traditional poetry, but something like the difference between an oil painting and a watercolor: the oils are "Zingers"; the Egyptian love poems are rendered in a quieter, almost softer register, much as watercolors are subtle, reflective, and often very tenderly rendered.
I found that it is best to savor each of Adam's poems in "The Opening of the Mouth" as one would a dessert of rich fudge or mousse, paired with a fine espresso, best enjoyed slowly, and mindfully, letting the unfolding of the reading experience also be an end unto itself. It is in the measured and almost otherworldly approach to this collection that one begins to see in the mind's eye the Nile, Sphynx, and pyramids, and the universality of human experience across the aeons.
I have given the reader a glimpse of the treasures in the poetry of Adam Sedia, from his first collection to his latest collection. In between, there is Heights and Depths (2024), Visions Beyond (2018) and Inquietude (2016). Many volumes to choose from, and I encourage any lover of excellent poetry to download or get a hard copy of at least one of his works.
I have endeavored to give an overview of Sedia's range and capabilities. He brings novel innovation combined with careful diction and a measured form of passion that it is truly the mark of a virtuoso poet. Sedia deserves to be more widely known and fully appreciated for the truly great American poet that he is. I hope you will join me and others who have been treated to his Zingers, and his mysteries inspired by the ancient Land of the Nile!!!
Adam Sedia is the author of six books of poetry: The Spring's Autumn (2013), Inquietude (2016), Visions Beyond (2108), Heights and Depths (2024), Elysium (2025) and his newly-released collection The Opening of the Mouth (2026). His poems, essays, and fiction have appeared in various literary journals, including the SCP Journal. He was the First Place Winner of the 2019 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition. He is also a composer, and his musical works may be heard on his YouTube channel. He lives in his native Northwest Indiana and practices law as a civil and appellate litigator.
Theresa Werba, Reviewer
www.theresawerba.com
Willis Buhle's Bookshelf
Entebbe: Diary of a Hostage
Yehuda Gottlieb, author
Ester Gottlieb Smith, translator
Gefen Publishing House
c/o Storch
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789657864333, $18.00, HC, 78pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Entebbe-Diary-Hostage-Yehuda-Gottlieb/dp/965786433X
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/entebbe-yehuda-gottlieb/1150280322
Synopsis: On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139 was hijacked by terrorists and diverted to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. For eight terrifying days, more than one hundred hostages were held captive under armed guard while the world watched and negotiations unfolded. Among them was Yehuda Gottlieb, who secretly documented his experience in a diary as the events were happening.
Unlike memoirs written years later, this extraordinary account captures the uncertainty, fear, and resilience of captivity in real time. Gottlieb records the overcrowded conditions, the emotional toll of waiting, the role of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and the remarkable ways in which ordinary people supported one another while facing the possibility of death.
Nearly fifty years later, his daughter, Ester Smith, translated and prepared this unique historical document for publication, preserving one of the few firsthand diaries written by a hostage during the Entebbe crisis.
More than the story of a legendary rescue mission, "Entebbe: Diary of a Hostage" is the deeply human story of the people who waited for it. Through Yehuda Gottlieb's words, readers experience the courage, uncertainty, and hope that defined one of the most extraordinary hostage rescues in modern history.
A powerful contribution to the history of Operation Entebbe, this remarkable diary offers an intimate perspective on survival, faith, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Critique: Unique, exceptional, authentic, emotionally compelling, "Entebbe: Diary of a Hostage" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library Biography/Memoir collections. Providing a rare 'you are there' resonance for the reader, "Entebbe: Diary of a Hostage" by Yehuda Gottlieb is a simply riveting read from cover to cover and will prove of particular value to readers with an interest in 20th Century Israeli and Middle Eastern History.
Editorial Note: The publishing mission of the Gefen Publishing House started with a question one family asked itself more than forty years ago: How do you make sure the stories of the Jewish people and the State of Israel are never lost? Gefen Publishing House has now spent four decades answering that question, one carefully made book at a time. Today they are Jerusalem's leading English-language publisher of books about Israel, Judaism, and Jewish history and culture, read by people around the world.
Willis M. Buhle
Reviewer
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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