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Reviewer's Choice
Sedition Rising
Tom Wilmas
Robert D. Reed Publishers
https://rdrpublishers.com
9708325431753, $17.95, PB, 313pp
https://www.amazon.com/SEDITION-RISING-Supremacist-Covenant-Politics/dp/B0D3YCCJVC
Synopsis: "Sedition Rising: Lessons Learned from a Former White Supremacist CSA Member (Covenant, the Sword, and
the Arm of the Lord) about Faith, Racism, and Politics" is a work of nonfiction based on author Tom Wilmas' personal
experience, dozens of news articles, court testimonies; declassified FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms records; and
files regarding CSA (The Covenant, Sword, and Arm of the Lord -- a White Supremacist paramilitary organization) that he
belonged to. Later Tom became an informant to the FBI regarding CSA.
Much of the narrative comprising "Sedition Rising" is based on Christian Nationalism, religious fanaticism, the White
Patriotic Movement perspective, coding, and ideological rhetoric. With a photographic memory, he openly shares about his
abusive childhood, his misguided behaviors as a young man, and his involvement with CSA.
Critique: "SEDITION RISING: Lessons Learned from a Former White Supremacist CSA Member (Covenant, the Sword,
and the Arm of the Lord) about Faith, Racism, and Politics" by Tom Wilmas is a timely and critically import contribution
to our national on-going political process where at least 30% of the American public is in full and unquestioning support of
a convicted felon and insurrectionist leader, Donald J. Trump, who is once again seeking to gain the Presidency of the
United States of America with the declared intention of disregarding the American Constitution, pardon convected
insurrectionists, and continue to shatter conventional political norms and institutions (including the American Supreme
Court) that have supported and maintained an American democracy from its founding down to the present day.
"Sedition Rising" provides invaluable insights into why there is a MAGA devotion to what has been arguably identified as
the Cult of Trump. Unreservedly and urgently recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university
library Political Science and Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted that "Sedition
Rising" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.00).
Editorial Note: Tom Wilmas, a prisoner in Missouri serving a life sentence but who hopefully will be released this year,
has used his time in prison to transform his consciousness, heal, and inspire others. Serving as a mentor and rehabilitation
program facilitator, he has received numerous commendations from Missouri lawmakers and correctional managers.
In 2022, he was the first inmate in the U.S. to found a scholarship program called The Amethyst Scholarship Fund that
raises tuition for orphans whose parents were killed by violent crime:
Go to their website at: stlgives.org/community-impact/scholarships
The AI Studies Shelf
Responsible AI
Olivia Gambelin
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398616035, $134.00, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Responsible-AI-Implement-Approach-Organization/dp/1398616036
Synopsis: "Responsible AI: Implement an Ethical Approach in your Organization" by AI ethicist Olivia Gambelin has
rapidly transitioned to a strategic priority for leaders and organizations worldwide. "Responsible AI" guides its readers
step-by-step through the process of establishing robust yet manageable ethical AI initiatives for any size organization,
outlining the three core pillars of building a responsible AI strategy: people, process and technology. It also provides the
insight and guidance needed to help leaders fully understand the technical and commercial potential of ethics in AI while
also covering the operations and strategy needed to support implementation.
"Responsible AI" breaks down what it means to use ethics and values as a modern-day decision-making tool in the design
and development of AI. It conceptually covers both how ethics can be used to identify risks and establish safeguards in the
development of AI and how to use ethics-by-design methods to stimulate AI innovation. It also covers the different
considerations for large enterprises and SMEs and discusses the role of the AI ethicist. It is supported by practical case
studies from organizations such as IKEA, Nvidia, Rolls-Royce and NatWest Group.
Critique: Accessibly informative for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, and essential reading
for anyone charged with the ethical and effective use of AI in organizational change, as well as business decision making
and problem solving, Olivia Gambelin's "Responsible AI: Implement an Ethical Approach in your Organization" from
Kogan Page is an ideal and effective introduction organized into fourteen succinct and 'reader friendly' chapters presented
in three major sections. Simply stated, "Responsible AI" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, corporate, and college/university library AI Ethics and Business Management collections and
supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Responsible AI" is also readily available in a
paperback edition (9781398615700, $37.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $36.09).
Editorial Note: Olivia Gambelin (www.oliviagambelin.com) is an AI ethicist who specializes in the practical application of
ethics to technological and artificial intelligence innovation. She is the founder of Ethical Intelligence, an AI ethics
advisory firm providing Ethics-as-a-Service through the world's largest network of Responsible AI practitioners. In
addition to her work as an ethicist, she is on the Founding Editorial Board for Springer Nature's AI and Ethics Journal,
Co-Chair of IEEE's AI Expert Network Criteria Committee, and is on the Advisory Board of the Ethical AI Governance
Group (EAIGG). Gambelin splits her year between San Francisco, USA where she is an active member of Silicon Valley's
ecosystem of startups and investors, and Brussels, Belgium where she advises on AI policy and regulation.
AI for Good
Juan M. Lavista & William B. Weeks
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394235872, $28.00, HC, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/AI-Good-Applications-Sustainability-Humanitarian/dp/1394235879
Synopsis: With the publication of "AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health",
co-authors Juan M. Lavista and William B. Weeks (a team of veteran Microsoft AI researchers) delivers an insightful and
fascinating discussion of how one of the world's most recognizable software companies is tackling intractable social
problems with the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
"AI for Good" offers in-the-field examples of researchers using AI with replicable methods and reusable AI code to inspire
your own uses.
It also provides:
Easy-to-follow, non-technical explanations of what AI is and how it works; Examples of the use of AI for scientists
working on mitigating climate change, showing how AI can better analyze data without human bias, remedy pattern
recognition deficits, and make use of satellite and other data on a scale never seen before so policy makers can make
informed decisions.
Real applications of AI in humanitarian action, whether in speeding disaster relief with more accurate data for first
responders or in helping address populations that have experienced adversity with examples of how analytics is being used
to promote inclusivity.
A deep focus on AI in healthcare where it is improving provider productivity and patient experience, reducing per-capita
healthcare costs, and increasing care access, equity, and outcomes.
Discussions of the future of AI in the realm of social benefit organizations and efforts.
Beyond the work of the authors, contributors, and researchers highlighted in "AI For Good", it begins with a foreword
from Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith. There, Smith details the Microsoft rationale behind the creation of
and continued investment in the AI for Good Lab. The vision is one of hope with AI saving lives in disasters, improving
health care globally, and Microsoft's mission to make sure AI's benefits are available to all.
Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "AI for Good: Applications in Sustainability,
Humanitarian Action, and Health" is an essential and prized guide to impactful social change with artificial intelligence,
making it an especially recommended resource for technical and non-technical professionals alike who have an interest in
AI's social potential, as well as policymakers, regulators, NGO professionals, and non-profit volunteers. While a necessary,
critically important, and arguably indispensable addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, and
college/university library AI collections and supplemental AI curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "AI for Good:
Applications in Sustainability, Humanitarian Action, and Health" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$17.00).
Editorial Note #1: Juan M. Lavista Ferres PHD, MS, is the Microsoft Chief Data Scientist and the Director of the AI for
Good Lab at Microsoft.
Editorial Note #2: William B. Weeks MD, PHD, MBA, is the Director of AI for Health at Microsoft.
Editorial Note #3: Brad Smith is Vice Chair and President of Microsoft.
Mastering AI
Jeremy Kahn
Simon and Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781668053324, $29.99, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-AI-Survival-Superpowered-Future/dp/1668053322
Synopsis: With the publication of "Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future", Jeremy Kahn predicts
that within the next five years, AI (artificial intelligence) will disrupt almost every industry and enterprise, with vastly
increased efficiency and productivity. It will restructure the workforce, making AI copilots a must for every knowledge
worker. It will revamp education, meaning children around the world can have personal, portable tutors. It will
revolutionize health care, making individualized, targeted pharmaceuticals more affordable. It will compel us to reimagine
how we make art, compose music, and write and publish books. The potential of generative AI to extend our skills, talents,
and creativity as humans is undeniably exciting and promising.
But while this new technology has a bright future, it also casts a dark and fearful shadow. AI will provoke pervasive,
disruptive, potentially devastating knock-on effects.
Leveraging his unrivaled access to the leaders, scientists, futurists, and others who are making AI a reality, Kahn argues
that if not carefully designed and vigilantly regulated AI will deepen income inequality, depressing wages while imposing
winner-take-all markets across much of the economy. AI risks undermining democracy, as truth is overtaken by
misinformation, racial bias, and harmful stereotypes. Continuing a process begun by the internet, AI will rewire our brains,
likely inhibiting our ability to think critically, to remember, and even to get along with one another -- unless we all take
decisive action to prevent this from happening.
"Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future" offers a prescient, insightful, and eminently readable
account of life inside the dot-com bubble. "Mastering AI" also delivers much-needed guidance for anyone eager to
understand the AI boom -- and what comes next.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an Introduction (AI's Light Bulb Moment), a
Conclusion (Toward Our Superpowered Future), sixty pages of Notes, and a thirteen page Index, "Mastering AI: A
Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented introduction to
understanding and dealing with this new technology and its many and varied impacts on human society in general and our
personal lives in particular. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community,
corporate, governmental, and college/university library AI collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should
be noted for students, academia, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Mastering AI" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797181158, $39.15, CD).
Editorial Note: Jeremy Kahn (http://jeremy-kahn.com) is an award-winning senior writer for Fortune magazine, where he
covers artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. In addition to cover stories and features, he writes Fortune's
weekly Eye on AI newsletter and co-chairs its Brainstorm AI technology conferences. Previously, he wrote about
technology, including AI, for Bloomberg. His writing on a range of subjects has also appeared in The New York Times,
Newsweek, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, The Boston Globe, The New Republic, and Slate. He has reported from India and
much of South Asia, the Ivory Coast, Iraq, Venezuela, and most countries in Western Europe. He is a former managing
editor of The New Republic. He lives with his family in England.
Machine Learning Q and AI
Sebastian Raschka
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781718503762, $49.99, PB, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Learning-AI-Essential-Questions/dp/1718503768
Synopsis: For anyone who is ready to venture beyond introductory concepts and dig deeper into machine learning, deep
learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), the question-and-answer format of Sebastian Raschka's "Machine Learning Q and
AI: 30 Essential Questions and Answers on Machine" from No Starch Press will make things fast, easy, and direct.
Born out of questions often fielded by Professor Raschka, the direct, no-nonsense approach of "Machine Learning Q and
AI" makes advanced topics more accessible and genuinely engaging. Each brief, self-contained chapter journeys through a
fundamental question in AI, unraveling it with clear explanations, diagrams, and hands-on exercises.
"Machine Learning Q and AI" addresses: AI questions answered concisely, and complex ideas are broken down into easily
digestible parts; Topics ranging from neural network architectures and model evaluation to computer vision and natural
language processing; Techniques for enhancing model performance, fine-tuning large models, and more.
Also covered is: Managing the various sources of randomness in neural network training; Differentiating between encoder
and decoder architectures in large language models; Reducing overfitting through data and model modifications;
Constructing confidence intervals for classifiers and optimize models with limited labeled data; Choosing between
different multi-GPU training paradigms and different types of generative AI models; Understanding performance metrics
for natural language processing; Making sense of the inductive biases in vision transformers
Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Machine Learning Q and AI: 30 Essential Questions
and Answers on Machine Learning and AI " is the ideal resource to elevate your understanding of machine learning,
making it easier to painlessly advance understanding of machine learning AI beyond just the basics in the form of 30
specific and cutting edge Q&A questions. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle,
$29.99), "Machine Learning Q and AI: 30 Essential Questions and Answers on Machine Learning and AI" is unreservedly
recommended for professional, community, college and university library AI/Machine Learning collections and
supplemental AI Studies curriculums.
Editorial Note: Sebastian Raschka (https://sebastianraschka.com) is a machine learning and AI researcher with a passion
for education. As Lead AI Educator at Lightning AI, he is excited about making AI and deep learning more accessible.
Raschka previously was Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he specialized in
researching deep learning and machine learning, and is the author of Python Machine Learning and Machine Learning with
PyTorch and Scikit-Learn.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
The Body Alone
Nina Lohman
University of Iowa Press
www.uiowapress.org
9781609389499, $24.00, PB, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Body-Alone-Lyrical-Articulation-Chronic/dp/1609389492
Synopsis: "The Body Alone: A Lyrical Articulation of Chronic Pain" by Nina Lohman is an inquiry into the experience,
meaning, and articulation of pain. It is a personal hybrid account incorporating research, scholarship, and memoir to
examine chronic pain through the multi-lens of medicine, theology, and philosophy.
Broken bodies tell broken stories. Nina Lohman's pain experience is portrayed through a cyclical narrative of primers,
vocabulary lessons, prescription records, and hypothesized internal monologues -- fractured not for the sake of
experimentation but because the story itself demands it.
In both form and content, "The Body Alone" represents boundary-pressing work that subverts the traditional narrative by
putting pressure on the medical, cultural, and political systems that impact women's access to fair and equal healthcare.
This is more than an illness narrative, it is a battle cry demanding change.
Critique: Eloquent, compelling, memorable, candid, insightful, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Body
Alone: A Lyrical Articulation of Chronic Pain" from the University of Iowa Press is an extraordinary and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Pain Management collections
and supplemental Chronic Pain curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Nina Lohman (www.ninalohman.com) is founder and publisher of Brink, a literary journal that champions
hybrid and cross-genre works. She is Literary Programming Director for the Mission Creek Festival. A 2023 Iowa Artist
Fellow, her writing has been supported by the Vermont Studio Center, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Iowa Arts
Council.
The Science Shelf
Dr Rip's Essential Beach Book
Rob Brander
Columbia University Press
https://cup.columbia.edu
9781742238074, $24.99, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Rips-Essential-Beach-Book-Everything/dp/1742238076
Synopsis: How do waves break and what makes good surfing conditions? Why do beaches have different coloured sand?
What are dangerous rip currents and how do you spot one -- and what would you do if you got caught in one?
With the publication of "Dr Rip's Essential Beach Book: Everything you need to know about surf, sand and rips",
Australia's best known surf 'Dr Rip' Brander answers all of these questions and more as we discover how beaches form, the
science of waves and currents, how sand dunes work and the myth of collapsing sand bars, and the human impacts on our
beaches and how they will respond to storms and climate change.
"Dr Rip's Essential Beach Book" is also packed with practical information on how to use the beach, from keeping your
family safe in the surf to what to do in the (unlikely) event you find yourself swimming with a shark.
Whether you' re a surfer looking for the perfect wave or someone just enjoying a stroll along the sandy shoreline, this guide
to the beach is a must-read for all ocean lovers.
Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style, organization and presentation, "Dr Rip's Essential Beach Book: Everything
you need to know about surf, sand and rips" must be considered essential reading for everyone with an interest in the use
and preservation of beaches, and the impact of wave mechanics. Impressively informed and informative, "Dr Rip's
Essential Beach Book: Everything you need to know about surf, sand and rips" is also available in a hardcover edition
(9780231217392, $105.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.70) -- making it a unique and unreservedly
recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental
Oceanography curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Rob Brander (www.scienceofthesurf.com) is a beach safety researcher who combines elements of coastal
geomorphology and hazards with an understanding of social and demographic aspects of beachgoers. The overall goal of
his research is to understand the physical-social interaction of beach hazards in order to reduce the incidence of drowning
and injury on beaches and other coastal environments. He works at UNSW.
The Cookbook Shelf
Taste of Home Pizza, Pasta, and More
Taste of Home, editor
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9708889770275, $22.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Pizza-Pasta-More/dp/B0CM27P68Z
Synopsis: Whether you need an ultra-fast weeknight entree or a complete from-scratch menu, with respect to pizza and
pasta, the possibilities are endless. With Taste of Home's all-new cookbook, "Taste of Home Pizza, Pasta, and More: 200+
Recipes Deliver the Comfort, Versatility and Rich Flavors of Italian-Style Delights", you will have everything you need to
serve up a mouth-watering variety of DIY recipes.
You will even learn how to make your own sauces and pizza dough so you can create your own specialties. Best of all, this
simply outstanding and profusely illustrated cookbook offers Italian appetizers, salads, soups, breads and tempting
desserts, including popular antipasti and decadent tiramisu.
Specifically, "Taste of Home Pizza, Pasta, and More" features: 200+ recipes including an incredible variety of pizzas and
pasta dishes, plus recipes to complete the meal (appetizers and salads, soups, breads and Italian-style desserts); Handy
Fast-Fix Icon helps you find dishes that are ready in under 30 minutes... perfect for those nights when time is at a premium.
Color photos with every recipe, including step-by-step photos to guide you through the process of making pasta dough,
different homemade pizza crusts (including gluten-free!) and more.
Additionally there are: Bonus added extras help you pair sauces with pastas, determine serving sizes, plan a perfect pizza
party and more; Reader reviews and tips from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen staff; Nutrition facts with every recipe and
diabetic exchanges where applicable.
Critique: The ultimate DIY guide, "Taste of Home Pizza, Pasta, and More: 200+ Recipes Deliver the Comfort, Versatility
and Rich Flavors of Italian-Style Delights" is the key to how family homemakers can create amazing, fun, and delicious
dining any and all formal and informal dining occasions. An elegant and inspiring culinary compendium, "Taste of Home
Pizza, Pasta, and More" will prove to be an immediately popular and enduringly appreciated pick for personal, family,
professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that this edition of Taste of Home Pizza,
Pasta, and More" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com) is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food,
cooking and entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made
with love. Taste of Home magazine has a circulation of 2.5 million and publishes top-selling bookazines; newsstand
specials; and popular cookbooks.
Taste of Home Meal Planning
Taste of Home, editor
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9781617659300, $24.99, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Meal-Planning-through/dp/1617659304
Synopsis: The family cooks of today know that a bit of planning goes a long way when it comes to serving up the
homemade favorites folks crave. That's why they will be attracted to "Taste of Home Meal Planning", an ultimate resource
for make-ahead convenience family dining menus.
Subtitled '500+ Recipes, Secrets & Tips that Busy Meal Planners Rely on Most', this beautifully illustrated compendium of
sensible, speedy and sensational recipes is must-have cookbook that also offers a monthly meal plan, the secrets to cooking
once and eating all week, Test Kitchen approved frozen meals that reheat in a jiffy, on-the-go breakfast ideas and
more!
Whether you are a meal-planning pro or a family homemaker simply looking to beat the kitchen clock on busy nights, you
will make the most of your time (and your grocery bill!) with the incredible recipes, meal plans, kitchen hacks and
timesaving ideas found in Taste of Home Meal Planning.
Critique: A delight to browse through, inspiring to plan menus with, and to create palate pleasing, appetite satisfying,
professional quality and memorab4e dishes with, "Taste of Home Meal Planning: The 500+ Recipes, Secrets & Tips that
Busy Meal Planners Rely on Most" will prove a prized and enduringly appreciated acquisition for personal, professional,
and community library budget & quick/easy cookbook collections. It should be noted that this edition of "Taste of Home
Meal Planning" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9708889770329, $16.99) and in a digital book format
(Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com) is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food,
cooking and entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made
with love. Taste of Home magazine has a circulation of 2.5 million and publishes top-selling bookazines; newsstand
specials; and popular cookbooks.
Kitchen Sanctuary Quick & Easy
Nicky Corbishley
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781804191002, $26.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Sanctuary-Quick-Easy-Delicious/dp/1804191000
Synopsis: With the publication of "Kitchen Sanctuary Quick & Easy" Nicky Corbishley showcases 100 quick and easy,
home-cooked family recipes, each of which would be ready for the dinner table in 30 minutes or less. Each of these recipes
are beautifully illustrated with color photos and are drawn from Nicky's hugely popular blog and YouTube channel Kitchen
Sanctuary.
Making dinner from scratch can feel like a chore -- often half the battle is trying to find something that's, quick, healthy
and, most importantly, delicious. But delicious doesn't have to mean demanding. After their debut book, Sunday Times
bestseller "It's All About Dinner", Nicky Corbishley and Kitchen Sanctuary are back with "Kitchen Sanctuary Quick &
Easy -- this time focusing on quick and easy meals that are also budget friendly.
"Kitchen Sanctuary Quick & Easy" is deftly organized by chapters that include: Champion Chicken (chicken is so versatile
and so quick to cook, it merits a chapter of its own); Moreish Meat (covering pork, lamb and beef); Fantastic Fish (a quick
and often healthy option, good for pescatarians); Vitally Veggie (dedicated to veggie dinners, both for ease of use and to
appeal to broad family tastes); Perfect Pasta (super quick and easy); Rice, Noodles, Grains and Bread (just what it says!);
Snack Suppers: (for those occasions when you want something good to eat but not a full dinner - eg Chicken Quesadillas,
Crispy Lamb Salad, Spicy Turkey Rice Wraps); Super Sauces (game-changers that can be made ahead and frozen, and can
be turned into a meal with the addition of some meat/pasta/veg).
Of special note is the inclusion of Smart Shortcuts -- hints and tips for speeding up dinner, covering both ingredients and
practical advice. Around 80% of the recipes are new and haven't previously appeared on the brand's website or YouTube
channel and as well as offering quick and easy dinner solutions, the book is budget-friendly, with most recipes low or
medium cost, and around a quarter being fully vegetarian. The book includes QR codes linked to video content.
Critique: Living up to its promise of Quick & Easy, this culinary compendium is a must for the growing legions of Nicky
Corbishley fans. While "Kitchen Sanctuary Quick & Easy: Delicious 30-minute Dinners" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99) this hard cover edition from Kyle Books is unreservedly recommended for personal, family,
professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Food blogger Nicky Corbishley has written and/or created content for many brands, websites and
magazines, including Neff (she won a Neff Cookaholic competition), Brit + Co, the Telegraph, Superfood Magazine, the
Vegetarian Society, Beautiful Home and Life Magazine. She started Kitchen Sanctuary as a way to keep a diary of her
favorite recipes, and it quickly grew in popularity, with readers loving the straightforward, easy-to-follow recipes,
eye-catching photography and professional recipe videos. Instagram: @kitchensanctuary
The Wild & Healthy Cookbook
Michelle Faust Lang Berthels, author
Kim Gardner, translator
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510778801, $29.99, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Healthy-Cookbook-Nourishing-Inspired/dp/1510778802
Synopsis: Herbal expert Michelle Faust Lang Berthels believes there is always time to explore nature's treasure trove. With
the publication of "The Wild & Healthy Cookbook: Nourishing Meals Inspired by Nature's Bounty" she pays tribute to
magical, exciting, and edible plants and invites you to experience what a sprinkling of herbs can do for a dish and, not
least, your well-being.
More than eighty herbaceous recipes comprise "The Wild & Healthy Cookbook including such as: Superfood muffins;
Shortbread with nettle and onions; Refreshing summer gazpacho; Almond cookies with cashew-rose cream; Matcha
raw-cake bites -- and so much more!
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with full color photos of finished dishes, the emphasis on this unique culinary
compendium is that you can fuel your body and nourish your soul with wild plants, herbs, and spices found in nature like
our pre-agriculture plant gathering ancestors. Ably translated into English by Kim Gardener and also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $19.99), this hard cover edition of "The Wild & Healthy Cookbook: Nourishing Meals
Inspired by Nature's Bounty" from Skyhorse Publishing a pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with.
Making it an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library cookbook
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Michelle Faust Lang Berthels is a recipe developer, holistic health mentor, lifestyle coach, herbal expert,
and yoga teacher. She inspires us to eat more of all the wild things right outside our door.
The Pets Shelf
Tender Paws
Wendy Lyons Sunshine
Health Communications, Inc.
https://hcibooks.com
9780757324956, $16.95, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tender-Paws-Science-Based-Parenting-Relationship/dp/0757324959
Synopsis: When Wendy Lyons Sunshine got her first puppy (found abandoned behind a gas station, struggling with worms
and anemia) she was in over her head. As puppy training guides failed to help her with the out-of-control, traumatized
bundle of teeth and claws rescue pup, she turned to her work helping world-class child development experts. Could
strategies for raising happy, well-adjusted kids be transferred to raising a puppy?
As it turns out, yes, they can! From the first try, parenting wisdom transformed Sunshine's relationship with her
challenging little one. Soon enough, Sunshine's view of her puppy shifted from one of adversity to one of compassion and
understanding, and she was able to bring patience and therapeutic concepts to meet her dog's needs. When Sunshine
reached out to experts, they affirmed that science-based principles used with at-risk children align well with best practices
of holistic, positive, and progressive dog handling. Exploring parallels between human and canine research, attachment
styles, history of trauma, parenting styles, and her own "inner child" proved a mindful path for pet parenting.
Far from a standard dog training manual, "Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship
with Dogs" explicitly applies parenting wisdom and best practices used with special needs kids to a cross-section of
scenarios, from recognizing developmental trauma and unmet core needs, to making decisions about appropriate
equipment, to responding to difficult behavior, to understanding the parenting style from which we approach our
dogs.
Sunshine empowers you and your dog by offering: A synthesis of the fields of child development, attachment, trauma,
sensory integration, neurobiology, learning, animal behavior, and ethology; A problem-solving framework that makes dog
training decisions clearer and behavior frustrations easier to resolve; Parenting wisdom to help your dog move beyond
trauma and into wellness.
Borrowing the principles of parenting for dogs feels obvious to some people: instinctive and ordinary and inevitable. But
that's not true for everyone, especially those of us who had a less than ideal childhood and bear the scars of early harm,
loss, trauma, or deprivation. Tender Paws provides an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, evidence-based guide for readers
who want to honor the needs of (and improve outcomes for) puppies and dogs they care about.
Critique: An invaluable and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference and 'how to' guide for anyone who has (or
would like to have) a canine companion. Exceptionally well organized and presented, informed and informative, and ideal
for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can
Transform Our Relationship with Dogs" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library Dog Training & Animal/Pet Care collections. It should be noted that "Tender
Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs" is also readily available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Wendy Lyons Sunshine (https://www.wendylsunshine.com) is a journalist who writes about the
human-animal connection for PsychologyToday.com and is content coordinator at Positively.com. She co-authored Raising
the Challenging Child and The Connected Child, a bestseller recommended by child welfare organizations and adoption
agencies. Wendy is FDM(R) certified in L.E.G.S.(R) Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation(R) and volunteers at her
local animal shelter.
The Wildlife Shelf
Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners
Thomas D. Seeley
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780691237695, $29.95, HC, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Piping-Hot-Bees-Boisterous-Buzz-Runners/dp/0691237697
Synopsis: With the publication of "Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners: 20 Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior
Solved", Professor Thomas D. Seeley takes the reader inside a world seldom seen even by beekeepers, shedding light on
twenty of the most compelling mysteries of honey bee behavior.
Professor Seeley has devoted a lifetime to the study of honey bees and their colonies, unraveling the secrets of these
wondrous insects in a career spanning six decades. In "Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners" from Princeton
University Press, he deftly weaves illuminating personal stories with the latest science, explaining such mysteries as how
worker bees function as scouts to choose a home site for their colony, furnish their home with beeswax combs, and stock it
with brood and food while keeping tens of thousands of colony inhabitants warm and defended from intruders. Along the
way, he shares the experiences that drew him to these studies, the small observations that led to big breakthroughs, and the
sense of excitement that came with probing each mystery.
Richly illustrated, "Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners" provides a rare look at how a singularly passionate
scientist and his colleagues deciphered the pipings, shakings, and puzzling tremble dances of honey bees, and how this
journey of scientific discovery continues to shape our understanding of these remarkably intelligent and vitally important
insects.
Critique: An absolute 'must read' pick for anyone with an interest or curiosity about the honey bee, "Piping Hot Bees and
Boisterous Buzz-Runners: 20 Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior Solved" is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the
inclusion of a ten page Appendix (List of Signals), ten pages of Notes, a four page listing of References, and a four page
Index. Unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Honey Bee
collections and supplemental Entomology curriculums studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, bee-keepers,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners: 20
Mysteries of Honey Bee Behavior Solved" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.69) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9708874778729, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Thomas D. Seeley (https://nbb.cornell.edu/thomas-seeley) is the Horace White Professor of Biology
Emeritus at Cornell University. His books include The Lives of Bees, Following the Wild Bees, and Honeybee Democracy
(all from Princeton University Press). He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The International Studies Shelf
Pakistan and American Diplomacy
Theodore Craig
Potomac Books, Inc.
c/o University of Nebraska Press
www.potomacbooksinc.com
9781640126008, $34.95, HC, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pakistan-American-Diplomacy-Insights-Afghanistan/dp/1640126007
Synopsis: With the publication of "Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from 9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame",
Theodore 'Ted' Craig offers an insightful, fast-moving tour through Pakistan-U.S. relations, from 9/11 to the U.S.
withdrawal from Afghanistan, as told from his personal perspective of a former U.S. diplomat who served twice in
Pakistan.
Craig frames his narrative around the 2019 Cricket World Cup, a contest that saw Pakistan square off against key
neighbors and cricketing powers Afghanistan, India, and Bangladesh, and its former colonial ruler, Britain.
Craig provides perceptive analysis of Pakistan's diplomacy since its independence in 1947, shedding light on the country's
contemporary relations with the United States, China, India, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. With insights from the field and
from Washington, Craig reflects on the chain of policy decisions that led to the fall of the Kabul government in 2021 and
offers a sober and balanced view of the consequences of that policy failure.
Drawing on his post - Cold War diplomatic career, Craig presents U.S.-Pakistan policy in the context of an American
experiment in promoting democracy while combating terrorism.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a number of Maps, a Prologue (Resetting the
Relationship), twenty-two pages of Notes, and a fifteen page Index, "Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from
9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame" is an extraordinary history and analysis of Pakistan/American relations. An erudite and
thought-provoking study that is richly enhanced from a true 'insider' perspective, "Pakistan and American Diplomacy" is
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library International American
Diplomacy Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia,
governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Pakistan and American
Diplomacy" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.08).
Editorial Note: Currently serving again in South Asia as a counterterrorism program advisor, Ted Craig retired from the
U.S. Foreign Service after twenty-nine years and two tours in Islamabad, Pakistan, the second as political counselor. He
also served three tours in Latin America and held policy jobs related to peace and security, environmental diplomacy, and
human rights.
The American History Shelf
No Ordinary Journey
Mary Barmeyer O'Brien
Farcountry Press
www.farcountrypress.com
9781560378389, $18.95, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/No-Ordinary-Journey-Stories-Overland/dp/1560378387
Synopsis: Pioneer men traveling the overland trails during the mid-nineteenth century found the adventure of their lives --
and the most grueling, dangerous endeavor they had ever undertaken. Most of them were young and looking for a new life.
Many were Midwestern farmers who were tired of the never-ending cycle of monotonous chores that left little time for
leisure. Others had been persecuted, enslaved, or were living in poverty. When they heard stories from the West about rich,
free land or California gold nuggets waiting to be claimed, they were eager to go.
Often lacking the know-how needed to complete an overland journey, men set out anyway, planning to learn as they went.
Those who brought along their sometimes reluctant wives and children found out the hard way that traversing the primitive
trails with a family was not a simple venture. The trip was so challenging that no part could be considered ordinary as they
pushed toward the West, which glowed in their minds like the rising sun.
Critique: A brilliantly presented slice of American frontier and western expansion history, "No Ordinary Journey: Stories
of Men on the Overland Trails" by author and history buff Mary Barmeyer O'Brien is an inherently fascinating read from
start to finish. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "No Ordinary
Journey" is an extraordinary and recommended pick for community and college/university library American 19th Century
History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Mary Barmeyer O'Brien is She is the author of several books, both fiction and nonfiction, about women's
history and pioneers on the overland trails, including Heart of the Trail: Stories of Covered Wagon Women and The
Promise of the West: Young Pioneers on the Overland Trails.
The World History Shelf
Women's Lives in the Tudor Era
Amy McElroy
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399042000, $34.95, HC, 200pp
https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Lives-Tudor-Era-McElroy/dp/1399042009
Synopsis: Women in the Tudor age are often overshadowed by their male counterparts. Even those of royalty were deemed
inferior to males. while women may have been classed as the inferior gender, they nevertheless played a vital role in Tudor
society.
As daughters, mothers and wives they were expected to be obedient to the man of the household, but how effective would
those households be without the influence of women?
Many opportunities including much formal education and most professions were closed to women, their early years spent
imitating their mothers before learning to run a household in preparation for marriage. Once married their responsibilities
would vary greatly according to their social status and rank. Widowhood left some in a vulnerable condition while for
others it enabled them to make a life for themselves and become independent in a largely patriarchal society.
With the publication of "Women's Lives in the Tudor Era", Amy McElroy examines the roles of women across all
backgrounds and how expectations of them differed during the various stages of life.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit, "Women's Lives in the Tudor Era" is enhanced with the inclusion
of illustrations, a four page Bibliography, seven pages of Notes, and a four page Index. A seminal and unreservedly
recommended contribution to personal, community, and college/university library Tudor History/Biography collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "Women's Lives in the Tudor Era" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$16.99).
Editorial Note: Amy McElroy was born and bred in Liverpool before moving to the Midlands to study Criminal Justice
eventually becoming a civil servant. She has long been interested in history, reading as much and as often as she could. Her
writing journey began with her blog, sharing thoughts on books she had read, before developing to writing reviews for
"Aspects of History" magazine and culminating in her own book.
The Military History Shelf
The Typhoon Truce, 1970
Robert F. Curtis
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636244648, $24.95, PB, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Typhoon-Truce-1970-Vietnam-Intervened/dp/1636244645
Synopsis: It wasn't rockets or artillery that came through the skies one week during the Vietnam war. It was the horrific
force of nature that suddenly put both sides in awe. As an unofficial truce began, questions and emotions battled inside
every air crewman's mind as they faced masses of Vietnamese civilians outside their protective base perimeters for the first
time. Could we trust them not to shoot? Could they trust us not to drop them off in a detention camp? Truces never last,
but life changes a bit for all the people involved while they are happening.
Sometimes wars are suspended and fighting stops for a while. A holiday that both sides recognize might do it, as happened
in the Christmas truce during World War I. Weather might do it, too, as it did in Vietnam in October 1970. The "typhoon
truce" was just as real, and the war stopped for three days in northern I Corps--that area bordering the demilitarized zone
separating South Vietnam from the North. The unofficial "typhoon truce" came because first, Super Typhoon Joan arrived,
devastating all the coastal lowlands in I Corps and further up into North Vietnam. Then, less than a week later came Super
Typhoon Kate. Kate hit the same area with renewed fury, leaving the entire countryside under water and the people there
faced with both war and natural disaster at the same time.
No one but the Americans, the foreign warriors fighting throughout the country, had the resources to help the people who
lived in the lowlands, and so they did. For the men who took their helicopters out into the unending rain it really made
little difference. Perhaps no one would shoot at them for a while, but the everyday dangers they faced remained, magnified
by the low clouds and poor visibility. The crews got just as tired, maybe more so, than on normal missions. None of that
really mattered. The aircrews of the 101st Airborne went out to help anyway, because rescuing people was now their
mission. In this book we see how for a brief period during an otherwise vicious war, saving life took precedence over
bloody conflict.
Critique: Originally published in a hardcover edition by Casemate Publishers in 2015, "The Typhoon Truce, 1970: Three
Days in Vietnam when Nature Intervened in the War" by Robert F. Curtis is now available in a paperback edition and in a
digital book format ($11.99). A seminal study detailing a unique event that took place during the Vietnam war, "The
Typhoon Truce, 1970" will prove to be a welcome addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and
college/university library Vietnam War collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.
Editorial Note: Robert Francis Curtis was born in Middletown, Ohio, in 1949, making him exactly the right age to be
drafted for the Vietnam War. After dropping out of high school twice, he passed the general educational development
exam, giving him enough educational qualifications to gain entry into the Army's Warrant Officer Candidate program.
There he learned to fly, starting him on the path to a military career as an aviator in the Army, National Guard, Marine
Corps, and as an exchange officer with the British Royal Navy. His military awards include the Distinguished Flying
Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and 23 Air Medals. He has previously published articles in professional journals
including the Marine Corps Gazette, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Navy Fleet Air
Arm Aircrewman's Journal TACAN.
Japan Runs Wild, 1942-1943
Peter Harmsen
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636244310, $24.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Japan-Runs-Wild-1942-1943-East/dp/1636244319
Synopsis: In early 1942, the Japanese Army and Navy were advancing on all fronts, humiliating their US, British and
Dutch foes throughout the Asia Pacific. In a matter of just months, the soldiers and sailors of the Rising Sun conquered an
area even bigger than Hitler's empire at its largest extent. They seemed invincible. Hawaiians and Australians were fearing
a future under Hirohito. For half of mankind, fate was hanging in the balance.
Fast forward to the end of 1943, and the tables had been turned entirely. A reinvigorated American-led military machine
had kicked into gear, and the Japanese were fighting a defensive battle along a frontline that crossed thousands of miles of
land and ocean." Japan Runs Wild, 1942-1943" by Peter Harmsen details the astonishing transformation that took place in
that period, setting the Allies on a path to final victory against Japan.
The middle installment in the trilogy, "Japan Runs Wild, 1942-1943" picks up the story where its predecessor volume
"Storm Clouds over the Pacific, 1931-1941" (Casemate) left off. The common theme of the series is a comprehensive view
of World War Two in the Asia Pacific, giving due emphasis to the central Japanese-American struggle, but also
encompassing the other nations that were engulfed in the vast showdown: British, Australians, Soviets, Filipinos, Indians
and Koreans. Above all, the central importance of China is highlighted in a way that no previous general history of the war
against Japan has achieved.
Critique: Now newly available in a paperback edition and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Japan Runs Wild,
1942-1943" by Peter Harmsen was originally published in hardcover by Casemate Publishers in 2020 and is a seminal
study that is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library World War II history
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Peter Harmsen (www.chinaww2.com) was a foreign correspondent in East Asia for two decades, has
worked for Bloomberg, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and the Financial Times. A fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese,
Harmsen is also the former bureau chief in Taiwan for French news agency AFP. His book Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on
the Yangtze inspired a US Public Television documentary by three-time Emmy Award winner Bill Einreinhofer, which
started airing in the fall of 2018, reaching 80 percent of the American television audience. Harmsen's work has been
translated into Chinese, Danish, and Romanian.
Project Eagle
John S. Micgiel
Stackpole Books
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811775410, $32.95, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Project-Eagle-Top-Secret-Operation-Polish/dp/0811775410
Synopsis: After the Battle of the Bulge (which had begun with a German attack that American intelligence failed to
anticipate) the Office of Strategic Service (OSS), forerunner of the CIA, revamped its intelligence operations in Europe.
Confronted with staff shortages and needing native language speakers, the OSS decided to enlist the cooperation of
volunteers from occupied countries for intelligence-gathering operations. As part of Project Eagle, Polish soldiers were
recruited and trained to go behind the lines of the Third Reich.
With the publication of "Project Eagle: The Top-Secret OSS Operation That Sent Polish Spies behind Enemy Lines in
World War II", author John S. Micgiel tells this fascinating World War II story of intelligence and espionage that until now
has been hidden away in the archives of the OSS.
The OSS had worked with Polish exiles throughout the war, but Project Eagle would mark a new and dramatic chapter in
their cooperation. In early 1945, American intelligence recruited thirty-two Poles -- a unique group of men who had been
forcibly conscripted into the German Wehrmacht, were captured in France and Italy, and were pulled from Allied prisoner
of war camps. They were then trained in intelligence gathering as well as espionage to assist the Allies in their invasion of
Germany. Not long after (in March 1945) they parachuted behind enemy lines, equipped only with falsified documents and
radios.
For six weeks, up until Germany's surrender, the Polish spy teams roved Germany, assisting ground commanders and
providing counterintelligence assistance.
Critique: Laudably lifted from obscurity, "Project Eagle: The Top-Secret OSS Operation That Sent Polish Spies behind
Enemy Lines in World War II" is detailed history of a behind-the-lines intelligence operation that made significant
contributions to the eventual Allied victory in the European Theatre of World War II. Enhanced for the benefit of the
reader with the inclusion of four Appendices, twenty-six pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a six page Index,
this edition of "Project Eagle" from Stackpole Books is a superbly crafted and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal, community, and college/university library World War II history collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and military history buffs that "Project Eagle" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $31.00).
Editorial Note: John S. Micgiel has served as director of the Institute on East Central Europe, associate director of the
Harriman Institute, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Europe, and adjunct professor of international and
public affairs - all at Columbia University. He is past president of the Kosciuszko Foundation, which promotes cultural
exchange between the United States and Poland. In 2011 he received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the
Republic of Poland, an award honoring service to the Polish-American community. Now retired from Columbia, Micgiel
teaches at the University of Warsaw.
Expectation of Valor
Colonel Kevin C. M. Benson (Ret.)
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636244266, $34.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Expectation-Valor-Planning-Iraq-War/dp/1636244262
Synopsis: Given the length of time the United States spent in Iraq, there is a perception that there was no consideration
before the war of what should be done after coalition forces arrived in Baghdad and removed Saddam Hussein. However
as this unofficial history reveals, there was a great deal of planning to address how to achieve the policy objectives for Iraq
set by the Bush administration.
With the publication of "Expectation of Valor: Planning for the Iraq War" from Casemate Publishers, Kevin Benson
(director of plans for the United States Third Army, the ground forces command headquarters for GEN Franks' Central
Command, at the start of the war) details the development of the invasion plan and its subsequent execution from D-Day in
March 2003 until the change of command of operations in Iraq and the departure of Third Army in June 2003.
Benson addresses the persistent trope that "the Army did no planning" for "Phase IV," revealing that extensive plans were
proposed, and were met with very little interest in Washington. "Expectation of Valor" covers the difficulties encountered
in dealing with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, from getting his approval on the number of forces requested to
conducting the campaign to find the "smoking gun" of WMD; the instructions given to Army, Marine and coalition forces;
and the daily secure video teleconferences with Central Command and the Pentagon, and the rather remarkable
conversations and guidance that came from these meetings.
Critique: Informed and informative, written by a true insider to the events chronicled, "Expectation of Valor: Planning for
the Iraq War" offers a wealth of background details to the American invasion of Iraq and its aftermath following the death
of Sadam Hussein. Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a Glossary, a listing of U.S.
Military Ranks, an Introduction (Cold War, Hot Wars, Peace Dividend, Wars on the Periphery", a Bibliography, and an
Index, "Expectation of Valor" is an impressive and recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and
college/university library American Military History collections and supplemental Iraq War curriculum studies lists. It
should be noted for students, academia, and military history buffs that "Expectation of Valor" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $20.95).
Editorial Note: Kevin Benson served in the US Army as a commander and general staff officer for 30 years. He was the
Director of Plans for Third U.S. Army and the Combined Forces Land Component Command at the beginning of
Operation Iraqi Freedom, from July 2002 to July 2003. His final assignment in the US Army was Director, School of
Advanced Military Studies, at Fort Leavenworth, KS. He writes for professional journals and web sites ranging from
Parameters, Military Review, and ARMY magazine to Strategy Bridge and the Modern War Institute. He also reviews
books for ARMY magazine.
D-Day: The Invasion That Saved Civilization
Flint Whitlock
Cable Publishing
https://cablepublishing.com
9781934980811, $14.95, PB, 302pp
https://www.amazon.com/D-Day-Invasion-that-saved-Civilization/dp/1934980811
Synopsis: With the publication of "D-Day: The Invasion That Saved Civilization", author Flint Whitlock presents
unforgettable, heart-pounding stories of the World War II D-Day invasion that began the push-back of Hitler's seemingly
unstoppable war machine and eventually led to the Allied victory and Germany's defeat.
It's the gripping story of the Allies smashing through Hitler's Atlantic Wall with the sky troopers and soldiers who
overcame their fear of death to liberate a continent on the battle-torn beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, a day forever
known and celebrated as D-Day.
Critique: Nicely illustrated with occasional B/W historical photography and featuring a twelve page Index, Flin Whitlock's
"D-Day: The Invasion That Saved Civilization" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented military history
that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, highschool, and college/university library
World War II history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this edition of "D-Day: The Invasion That Saved
Civilization" from Cable Publishing is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Flint Whitlock (www.flintwhitlock.com) graduated from the University of Illinois in 1964 with a degree in
Advertising Design, but has always been as much a writer as an artist. His love for military history began at an early age -
fueled by his father, James, who served with the famed 10th Mountain Division in World War II. Flint also had an uncle
who was a military policeman with the 1st Infantry Division and another uncle who served with the Navy in the
Pacific.
World War II and Nevada
Charles Weller
University of Nevada Press
www.unpress.nevada.edu
9781647791469, $55.00, PB, 438pp
https://www.amazon.com/World-War-Nevada-Contribution-Shepperson/dp/1647791464
Synopsis: With the publication of "World War II and Nevada: The Silver State's Contribution to Victory" (a part of the
University of Nevada Press 'Shepperson Series in Nevada History'), author and historian Charles Weller provides an
in-depth examination of the state's role in the war.
Nevada's geographic location, land, sky, mineral resources, and the sacrifices of its people were crucial to victory -- and
were to transform the state. The war brought the first significant development of the gaming industry; the introduction of a
huge, permanent military presence; the diversification of its population; and a shift in political and economic power within
the region.
Nevada's previously unexamined role in the internment of Japanese Americans is explored, and so too is the role of women
and minority groups in support of the war. "World War II and Nevada" concludes with a comprehensive list of those killed,
wounded, or made prisoners of war during the conflict.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with illustrations, maps, chapter notes, a bibliography and an
index, "World War II and Nevada: The Silver State's Contribution to Victory will prove a singular and welcome addition
to personal, professional, community, and college/university World War II history collections in general, and wartime
Nevada history in particular. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "World War II and Nevada" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $52.25).
Editorial Note: Charles Weller, JD, PhD, practiced law and served three elected terms as a district court judge in Reno. He
writes and speaks on issues of law and Nevada's wartime history. He is the historian for the Reno Chapter of the Navy
League of the United States.
The Civil War Shelf
'Tis Not Our War: Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North
Paul Taylor
Stackpole Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield
rowman.com
9780811775380, $34.95 hc / $24.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Tis-Not-Our-War-Avoiding/dp/0811775380
Synopsis: James McPherson's classic book For Cause & Comrades explained "why men fought in the Civil War"- and
spurred countless other historians to ask and attempt to answer the same question. But few have explored why men did not
fight. That's the question Paul Taylor answers in this groundbreaking Civil War history that examines the reasons why at
least 60 percent of service-eligible men in the North chose not to serve and why, to some extent, their communities
allowed them to do so. Did these other men not feel the same patriotic impulses as their fellow citizens who rushed to the
enlistment office? Did they not believe in the sanctity of the Union? Was freeing men held in chains under chattel slavery
not a righteous moral crusade? And why did some soldiers come to regret their enlistment and try to leave the
military?
'Tis Not Our War answers these questions by focusing on the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of average civilians and
soldiers. Taylor digs deep into primary sources - newspapers, diaries, letters, archival manuscripts, military reports, and
published memoirs - to paint a vivid and richly complex portrait of men who questioned military service in the Civil War
and to show that the North was never as unified in support of the war as portrayed in much of America's collective
memory. This book adds to our understanding of the Civil War and the men who fought - and did not fight - in it.
Critique: 'Tis Not Our War: Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North is a scholarly examination of why and how
some men eligible for military service in the North did not enlist during the American Civil War. The ideals of patriotism
or saving the Union did not appeal to all men in the North. Some had financial or family incentives to stay out of the
fighting; some resisted or evaded the draft; and some simply feared an early death, especially as news of the war's
casualties spread. Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this thoughtful, heavily researched, and expertly
presented study accessible to historians and lay readers alike. 'Tis Not Our War is a welcome and highly recommended
addition to both personal and public library Civil War collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that 'Tis Not
Our War is also available in a Kindle edition ($24.99).
Garden of Ruins
J. Matthew Ward
Louisiana State University Press
https://lsupress.org
9780807181393, $50.00, HC, 322pp
https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Ruins-Louisiana-Conflicting-Dimensions/dp/0807181390
Synopsis: "Garden of Ruins: Occupied Louisiana in the Civil War" by J. Matthew Ward (Assistant Professor of History at
Quincy University) serves as an insightful social and military history of Civil War - era Louisiana.
Partially occupied by Union forces starting in the spring of 1862, the Confederate state experienced the initial attempts of
the U.S. Army to create a comprehensive occupation structure through military actions, social regulations, the
destabilization of slavery, and the formation of a complex bureaucracy.
Skirmishes between Union soldiers and white civilians supportive of the Confederate cause multiplied throughout this
period, eventually turning occupation into a war on local households and culture. In unoccupied regions of the state,
Confederate forces and their noncombatant allies likewise sought to patrol allegiance, leading to widespread conflict with
those they deemed disloyal.
Professor Ward suggests that social stability during wartime, and ultimately victory itself, emerged from the capacity of
military officials to secure their territory, governing powers, and nonmilitary populations. "Garden of Ruins" reveals the
Civil War, state-building efforts, and democracy itself as contingent processes through which Louisianans shaped the
world around them. It also illustrates how military forces and civilians discovered unique ways to wield and hold power
during and immediately after the conflict.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the nclusion of an Introduction (Ground between the
Millstones), thirty-six pages of Notes, a twenty-six page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "Garden of Ruins: Occupied
Louisiana in the Civil War" is a seminal contribution to the growing library of American Civil War histories. While also
available for personal reading lists for academia and Civil War history buffs in a digital book format, this edition of
"Garden of Runs" from the Louisiana State University Press is especially and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, and college/university American Civil War History collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Southern Cross
Amanda Low Warren
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476693828, $39.95, PB, 242pp
https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Cross-Leonidas-Clashes-Braxton/dp/147669382X
Synopsis: Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk was a distinguished West Point graduate, the first Episcopal Bishop of
Louisiana, a university founder, and a Confederate commander beloved by his troops, esteemed by the public, and killed
on the field of battle.
In spite of his many accomplishments, historians invariably disparage Polk's generalship and even his personal character --
but is their treatment fair or accurate?
With the publication of "Southern Cross: A New View of Leonidas Polk and His Clashes with Braxton Bragg", Amanda
Low Warren provides a balanced perspective to shed new light on Polk's military Civil War leadership and reveal
unexpected truths that explain his conflict with General Braxton Bragg.
Critique: Of special note is a seemingly obscure piece of correspondence that, along with an exploration of both men's
writings, coalesce into an understanding of the root cause of the command dysfunction and chronic failures of the Army of
Tennessee, making this large format (7 x 0.49 x 10 inches, 1 pound) paperback edition of "Southern Cross" from
McFarland & Company a seminal and unreservedly recommended contribution to the every expanding library of Civil War
histories and biographies. It should be noted for personal, community, and college/university library American Civil War
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists that Amand Low Warren's "Southern Cross" is also readily available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.00) for students, academia, and Civil War buffs.
Editorial Note: As the daughter of an army officer, Amanda Low Warren was immersed from an early age in military
history. She grew up on army posts including Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where she rode horses from the stable which
sheltered the mounts of J.E.B. Stuart and other legends of the antebellum U.S. Army. Her reviews of Civil War books
appear on numerous forums. Also a musician, Warren performs Civil War period music at historic sites, including the
home of her ancestor who hosted General Sherman during his 1864 "visit" to Savannah, Georgia.
Voices from Gettysburg
Allen C. Guelzo
Citadel Press
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9780806543383, $29.00, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Gettysburg-Letters-Memoirs-Greatest/dp/0806543388
Synopsis: Three pivotal days in 1863 (July 1st through July 3rd) marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War. While
the audible voices of those who experienced it first-hand in that crossroads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania have been
lost to history, their words live on in "Voices from Gettysburg: Letters, Papers, and Memoirs from the Greatest Battle of
the Civil War".
Gathering a treasure trove of powerful, rare, and haunting original documents, author and historian Allen C. Guelzo
presents a uniquely readable and intimate oral history of the Civil War's turning point. We hear from a Union staff officer,
a Confederate amputee, artilleryman, a sympathetic Northern woman, a Union prisoner-of-war, Union colonels and
Confederate generals, a drummer boy, a fearful college student, those who orchestrated the Battle of Gettysburg, those who
survived it, and those who would perish.
With introductions from Guelzo, a detailed order of battle, and comprehensive list of every unit that fought, each of these
original maps, personal letters, excerpts from forgotten memoirs, and more never-before-published documents offers an
unprecedented narrative of the Great Rebellion and the impetus for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - in the authentic words
of fire, blood, and smoke by those who saw the battle, heard its din, trembled in its crash, and struggled with its
aftermath
Critique: A most remarkable, informative, original, and prized contribution to the every growing American Civil War
library, Allen Guelzo's "Voices from Gettysburg: Letters, Papers, and Memoirs from the Greatest Battle of the Civil War"
from Citadel Press is exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. While also available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, 14.54), "Voices from Gettysburg is a singular and unreservedly
recommended pick for community and college/university library American Civil War collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Allen C. Guelzo (www.AllenGuelzo.com) is a senior research scholar in the Council of the Humanities at
Princeton University, and the director of the Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship for Princeton's James Madison
Program in American Ideals and Institutions. His books about the Civil War and early nineteenth-century American history
include Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Knopf), Robert E. Lee: A Life (Knopf), Reconstruction: A Concise History
(Oxford University Press), and Redeeming the Great Emancipator (Harvard University Press). He is a three-time recipient
of the Lincoln Prize and many other honors, including the Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize for Military History and Wall
Street Journal Best Books of the Year.
The Biography Shelf
It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom
Christopher P. Lehman
Minnesota Historical Society Press
www.mnhs.org/mhspress
9781681342825, $22.95, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Took-Courage-Eliza-Winstons-Freedom/dp/1681342820
Synopsis: On August 22, 1860, an enslaved woman from Mississippi named Eliza Winston petitioned for her freedom
before a judge in Minnesota -- and she won. After she left the state for Canada, the abolitionists who had helped her told
and retold the story, emphasizing their own actions; their detractors claimed they had used Winston as a pawn. For more
than 150 years, historians' accounts have emphasized the mobs who battled in the streets after the ruling, focusing on the
implications of the events for Minnesota politics rather than Winston's own story.
With the publication of "It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom", historian and academician Christopher P.
Lehman helps set the record straight.
Professor Lehman uncovers the story of Winston's first forty-two years and her long struggle to obtain her freedom. She
was sold away from her birth family; her husband, a free man, died before he could purchase her freedom. She labored in
Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Minnesota. For thirty-one years she was enslaved by the family of
President Andrew Jackson, who bought her for his great-niece and paid a cousin of James K. Polk to hold her in trust.
Winston's victory produced a compelling irony: a woman Jackson himself had enslaved defeated a part of his legacy in
Minnesota.
The survival of the remarkable story of Eliza Winston's battle for individual freedom is an important contribution to the
larger understanding of what slavery meant on this continent and how it affected individual lives -- in both North and
South. Winston's experience demonstrates the lengths to which a person would go to escape slavery, attempting to work
both outside and inside the flawed and inequitable laws of the time, until finally receiving justice.
If the traditional accounts relied on stereotypical depictions of Winston as "simple-minded," in Professor Lehman's skillful
description, Winston appears as a capable, mature woman who understood her life and her values. Eliza Winston herself
made the bold decision to leave behind everything she had known for an uncertain but free future.
Critique: Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity the remarkable story of emancipation of a female runaway slave thanks
to a judicial ruling in the Minnesota of 1860, "It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom" is a fascinating read
from start to finish. This edition from the Minnesota Historical Society Press of "It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest
for Freedom" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library
American Biography and Abolition History collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Christopher P. Lehman is a professor of ethnic studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. He
researches, writes, and teaches about the struggle for African American equality, using the tools of genealogy to trace the
lives of people who have left very few traces. He has written six other books, including Slavery's Reach: Southern
Slaveholders in the North Star State, which won the Minnesota Book Award for Minnesota Nonfiction in 2020.
(https://mnwritersdirectory.org/lehman-christopher)
The General Fiction Shelf
Dear Dotty
Jaclyn Westlake
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063340718, $18.99, PB, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Dotty-Novel-Jaclyn-Westlake/dp/0063340712
Synopsis: What's a twenty-something gal to do when her parents announce a divorce after thirty years of marriage, when
she finds out her best friend has cozied up to her archnemesis, and when she accidentally sleeps with the Wrong Guy? --
Turn to her great-aunt for advice, of course.
Rosie Benson has always struggled to fit in with her over-accomplished family, type-A roommate/best friend, and
workaholic boss. But she's nearly losing herself as she strives to become everyone else's idea of perfect. When Rosie is
abruptly fired from her job at a tech start-up where her boss was way too enthusiastic about synergy and company swag,
the illusion that she has life figured out is shattered.
Knowing she needs a push, her great-aunt Dotty (a globe-trotting, martini-swilling occasional nudist, and the only person
Rosie has ever truly felt herself around) challenges her to pursue a long-buried dream, others' expectations be damned.
But then Dotty dies. -- And Rosie spirals.
As new details of Dotty's past emerge through revelatory emails from her many friends, Rosie realizes that maybe her
aunt's life wasn't as charmed as she thought. With her career, friendships, and family unraveling, Rosie must drown out the
noise of the world telling her what she should pursue (boyfriend, babies, boss-babe role at a corporate job) and finally
focus on what she actually wants.
Critique: Of immense appeal to readers with an interest in deftly crafted novels about women's friendships and the
complications of family life, "Dear Dotty" (the debut novel by author Jaclyn Westlake) is a simply fascinating and fun read
from start to finish. While also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Blackston Audio, 9708874625924, $45.95, CD), "Dear Dotty" is highly recommended for
personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Jaclyn Westlake (www.jaclynwestlake.com) is an alumna of the Stanford Continuing Studies Novel
Writing Program. A former recruiter turned career advice columnist, her work has appeared in Forbes, Business Insider,
and Inc.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Life After Kafka
Magdalena Platzova, author
Alex Zucker, translator
Bellevue Literary Press
https://blpress.org
9781954276291, $17.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Kafka-Magdal%C3%A9na-Platzov%C3%A1/dp/195427629X
Synopsis: Franz Kafka scholars know Felice Bauer, his onetime fiancee, through his Letters to Felice, as little more than a
woman with a raucous laugh and a taste for bourgeois comforts. "Life After Kafka" by author Magdalena Platzova is her
story.
The novel begins in 1935 as Felice flees with her children from Hitler's Berlin, following her family and members of
Kafka's entourage (including Grete Bloch, Max Brod, and Salman Schocken) as they try to escape the horrors of the
Holocaust.
Years later, a man claiming to be Kafka's son approaches Felice's son in Manhattan and the drama surrounding Kafka's
letters to Felice begins.
While taking the measure of literary fame's long shadow, "Life After Kafka" depicts the magic and poison of memories,
and what we cling to when all else is lost. Most of all, it illuminates the bravery required to move forward through the
shattered remains of one world to rebuild life in a new one.
Critique: Elegantly translated into English for an American readership by Alex Zucker, this edition of Magdalena Platzova's
"Life After Kafka" from the Bellevue Literary Press is an extraordinary read from start to finish -- and one that is especially
and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Literary
Fiction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Life After Kafka" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book narrated by Christa Lewis
(HighBridge Audio, 9708874829896, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note #1: Magdalena Platzova is the author of several books, including three novels published in English: Aaron's
Leap, a Lidove Noviny Book of the Year Award finalist, The Attempt, longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and a
Czech Book Award finalist, and Life After Kafka, a Magnesia Litera award finalist. Her fiction has also appeared in A
Public Space and Words Without Borders. Platzova grew up in the Czech Republic; studied in Washington, DC, and
England; received her MA in Philosophy at Charles University in Prague; and has taught at New York University's Gallatin
School. She is now based in France.
Editorial Note #2: Alex Zucker's (www.alexjzucker.com) literary translations from Czech into English include novels by
Magdalena Platzova, Jachym Topol, Bianca Bellova, Petra H lova, J. R. Pick, Tomas Zmeskal, Josef Jedlicka, Heda
Margolius Kovaly, Patrik Ouredn¡k, and Miloslava Holubova.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Under Your Spell
Laura Wood
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781668051900, $18.99, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Under-Your-Spell-Laura-Wood/dp/1668051907
Synopsis: Dumped by her cheating ex, fired from her dream job, and about to lose her flat: Clementine Monroe is not
having a good day. So when her sisters get her drunk and suggest reviving a childhood ritual called the Breakup Spell, she
doesn't see the harm in it.
But now Clemmie has accidentally ruined a funeral, had her first one-night stand, and she's stuck with a new job she
definitely doesn't want -- spending six weeks alone with the gorgeous and very-off-limits rock star, Theo Eliott.
He's the most famous man on the planet. Her life's a disaster. As their summer together turns into its own kind of magic, is
Clemmie cursed to repeat the mistakes of her past -- or will her future see all her wishes come true?
Critique: A fun read from start to finish, "Under Your Spell" by author Laura Wood showcases her narrative driven,
imaginative, and distinctive storytelling skills as a novelist. Original, laced through and through with wry humor, "Under
Your Spell" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance collections. It
should be noted for the personal reading lists of readers with an interest in romantic comedy that "Under Your Spell" is
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9781797177533, $44.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Laura Wood (www.LauraClareWood.com) is an author of children's and young adult novels. "Under Your
Spell" is her first adult novel. With a PhD in 19th-century literature, Laura lives with her husband and their dog, Bea.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Code of the Hills
Chris Offutt
Grove Books
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161918, $27.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Hills-Mick-Hardin-Novels/dp/080216191X
Synopsis: Mick Hardin is supposed to be retired, transitioning to civilian life. Back in the hills of Kentucky after a
two-year absence, he'd planned to touch down briefly before heading to France, marking the end of his twenty-year Army
career.
But in Rocksalt, trouble is brewing. Mick's sister Linda (recently reelected as sheriff), and her deputy Johnny Boy Tolliver
are investigating the murder of Pete Lowe, a sought-after mechanic at the local racetrack.
Mick doesn't want to get involved -- he just wants to say his goodbyes and get out of Dodge. But when he reluctantly
agrees to intervene in a family dispute requiring a light touch, he uncovers evidence of an illegal cockfighting ring and
another body, somehow linked to the first. And then, Linda steps into harm's way, leaving Mick to solve the crimes
himself.
Critique: "Code of the Hills" by author Chris Offutt is a harrowing novel of what we're willing to do to protect and avenge
the ones we love. With his distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style, Chris Offutt has once again penned an
original story that will have immense interest to fans of crime fiction, and southern noir stories of familial allegiances and
revenge -- the feudal code of the hills. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and
community library collections, it should be noted that "Code of the Hills" from Grove Press is also available in a paperback
edition (9780802163363, $17.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Chris Offutt (http://books.chrisoffutt.com) is the author of the novels Shifty's Boys, The Killing Hills,
Country Dark, and The Good Brother; the short-story collections Kentucky Straight and Out of the Woods, and three
memoirs: The Same River Twice, No Heroes, and My Father, the Pornographer. He has written screenplays for Weeds,
True Blood, and Treme, and has received fellowships from the Lannan and Guggenheim foundations.
The Greene Murder Case
S. S. Van Dine
American Mystery Classics
c/o Penzler Publishers
https://penzlerpublishers.com
9781613165683, $25.95, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Greene-Murder-American-Mystery-Classic/dp/1613165684
Synopsis: A dark cloud has descended upon the elegant mansion of Jazz Age New York's illustrious Greene family as, one
by one, the heirs to the fortune die off under mysterious circumstances. It begins when an intruder shoots two daughters,
leaving one dead. Soon after, another heir is shot dead in similar circumstances. Do the footprints in the snow belong to the
killer, or were they left as a red herring? And will the authorities on the case find the answer before more family members
die off?
Philo Vance, monocled New York bon vivant and part-time supersleuth, is on the case, but it will take all of his deductive
powers and cultural knowledge to reveal the culprit. Along the way, he (and the reader) will consult detailed floor plans,
fairly-clued testimonies, and the obscure yet illuminating texts discovered in the Greene home's secret criminology library.
All of the evidence in the case is present in the text, but only the most astute armchair sleuths will be able to solve the
crime before Vance delivers his brilliant solution.
Critique: S. S. Van Dine's Philo Vance private investigator novels were a crime fiction sensation in their day. The mystery
novels featuring Vance went on to shape generations of mystery writers working in their shadow. "The Greene Murder
Case" is the third chronicle in the saga of the iconic detective and remains to this day one of the most celebrated entries in
the series. Especially and unreservedly recommended to a new generation of readers by American Mystery Classics, this
time-lost tale is once again available to personal, community, and college/university library Mystery/Suspense
collections.
Editorial Note: S. S. Van Dine is the pseudonym used by American art critic Willard Huntington Wright (October 15, 1888
- April 11, 1939) when he wrote detective novels. Wright was an important figure in avant-garde cultural circles in
pre-World War I New York, and under the pseudonym (which he originally used to conceal his identity) he created the
immensely popular Philo Vance character, one of the most influential detectives in American mystery fiction and, in turn,
in film and radio as well. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._S._Van_Dine)
Three Aces
Richard Krauss, Introduction
Stark House Press
www.starkhousepress.com
9708886010275, $19.95, PB, 310pp
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Aces-Gilded-Hideaway-Lightning/dp/B0BWWZGJF9
Synopsis: "The Gilded Hideway"
Robert West wants a change in his life. And he's willing to stake it all for a chance to make that change. He steals a
hundred thousand in cash from his uncle's business, leaves his wife and friends behind, and heads for Mexico. He knows
about a lawyer down there, Santos, who can guarantee him safety. All he has to do is pay Santos enough, and West is free
to live the good life. That's when he meets Mercedes. She is everything he wants in a woman - innocently captivating,
willing to share her life with him. But in a land where anything can be bought for money, does Mercedes have her price as
well? And once West meets that price, will he be able to live with himself in his new-found paradise?
"In at the Kill"
When auctioneer Jonathan Knox finds out that a construction company has ripped up the pavement in front of city hall,
then fixed the hole expecting the city to pay for it, he sees a golden opportunity. He knows that bails of paper were buried
when the original sidewalk was laid back in 1906. And that within that paper might lurk some very rare stamps. So he buys
the bundles, sight unseen, from the construction company. The only problem is, the bundles are missing. And when Knox
starts searching for them, he uncovers a much larger plot, this one involving some old photos and a deadly game of
blackmail.
"Heat Lightning"
Holly Reed has been raised rough in the Kentucky hills and knows a lot more about men than her young years would
indicate. She certainly knows that Brandy Elliot, the local bootlegger, is interested in her. He makes that plain enough. But
she doesn't know love. Until the stranger comes to town, looking for a cabin. There's something about him that attracts
Holly. She gladly agrees to help clean for him just to be near him. But the city-bred Larry Carter is not all he seems. There
is someone else in town that shares a past with him. And soon Brandy gets an eyeful when he keeps watch on Larry's
cabin. The hills already know lust, but before long, they will know violence as well.
Critique: Stark House Crime Classics is a publisher who specializes in bringing back into print for the benefit of
contemporary mystery fans time lost tales of mystery and suspense that deserved to be added to personal reading lists and
community library Mystery/Suspense collections. "Three Aces" (featuring an informative Introduction by Richard Krauss)
is comprises of three true classics by three yesteryear writers who were masters of their craft -- "The Gilded Ages" by Peter
Twist; "In at the Kill" by Emmett McDowell; "Heat Lightning" by Wilene Shaw. Each is a true gem of the genre and a
fascinating read from start to finish. It should be noted that this edition of "Three Aces" from Stark House Press is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note #1: Peter Twist was born Chester Peter Hewitt on November 7, 1922, in New York City. After a single year
of college he enlisted in the U.S. Air Corps in 1943. After WWII, he became a civil engineer and worked in construction.
After he retired, Hewitt and his wife moved to Mexico City, where he became involved in humanitarian efforts to bring aid
to American and Canadian prisoners locked up in Mexican jails. The Gilded Getaway is his only novel, utilizing a
pseudonym that combined Hewitt's middle name with his wife's maiden name. Hewitt died in the U.S. Virgin Islands on
December 15, 1980.
Editorial Note #2: Robert Emmett McDowell was born April 5, 1914, in Sentinel, Oklahoma. The family soon moved to
Louisville, Kentucky, where he remained for the rest of his life. McDowell served in the Merchant Marines during WWII
where he began his writing career in the pulp magazines as Emmett McDowell. He wrote stories for Amazing Stories,
Astounding Science Fiction, Planet Stories, Jungle Stories and other genre magazines. In 1949 he began to shift over to
detective magazines, switching to novels for Ace Books in the 1950s. In the 1950s McDowell became increasing interested
in Kentucky history, and turned to writing historical fiction. He wrote one more mystery in 1965, The Hound's Tooth, as
Robert McDowell. He died in Louisville on March 29, 1975.
Editorial Note #3: Wilene Shaw was born Virginia M. Harrison in Kentucky before moving to Southern California to
become a writer. She wrote seven crime novels for Ace Books in the 1950s and early 60s as Shaw, including The Fear and
the Guilt, an early lesbian novel.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Good: From the Amazon Jungle to Suburbia and Back
David Good, author
FLuX, author/illustrator
NBM Publishing
https://nbmpub.com
9781681123301, $24.99, HC, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Amazon-Jungle-Suburbia-Back/dp/1681123304
Synopsis: Presented in a graphic novel format, "Good: From the Amazon Jungle to Suburbia and Back" is the story of the
incredible journey of David Good, the son of an American anthropologist father, and indigenous Yanomami mother who
calls the Amazon rainforest her home.
Overlapping the story of what David's mother's early years were like being raised in the rainforest, "Good: From the
Amazon Jungle to Suburbia and Back" follows David from childhood to adulthood as he searches for identity, love,
acceptance, and the one thing truly missing from his life, his mother.
Growing up in a predominantly white population of the US without a mother or a deeper connection to his South American
roots, David struggles with issues of identity and relationships.
His and his mother's stories intertwine in a heartbreakingly beautiful climax when they are reunited in the jungle.
Beautifully illustrated in both B/W and Color, and co-authored by award winning artist and storyteller, FLuX, David
Good's "Good: From the Amazon Jungle to Suburbia and Back" is a vivid and breathtaking visualization of a highly
unusual life's journey.
Critique: This large format (6.5 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches, 1.25 pounds) graphic novel style hardcover edition of "Good: From the
Amazon Jungle to Suburbia and Back" from NBM Publishing is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for
personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note #1: Contemporary artist FLuX is a practitioner of contemporary classical realism and illustration. FLuX's
work has been exhibited globally and is included in collections with notable artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons.
Editorial Note #2: David Good is a member of the Yanomami tribe, author, explorer, filmmaker, and founder of the
Yanomami Foundation. A member of the Explorer's Club, he coordinates expeditions to Yanomami territory to support
programs in health, biocultural research, education, and cultural preservation. His unique ancestry and scientific training
provide a rare opportunity to build global awareness on the importance of protecting these few remaining isolated
indigenous societies.
The Library CD Shelf
This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters
Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra
mikeholober.com
Privately Published
$19.98 CD / $18.98 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/This-Rock-Were-Imaginary-Letters/dp/B0CZF56XL6
This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters is a grand double album fusing elements of jazz and classical music into a
multi-movement suite celebrating the natural world, artists, and activists. Created by Mike Holober and performed by the
Grammy-nominated Gotham Jazz Orchestra, This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters is an extraordinary, sweeping tour de
force and a choice pick for both personal and public library music collections. Highly recommended! The disc 1 tracks are
Lay of the Land, On This Rock, Dirt Lover's Almanac, Another Summer, Tides, Another Summer Epilogue, To Virginia,
Dear Virginia, and Domes; and the disc 2 tracks are Refuge, Tower Pulse, Erosion, Three Words for Snow, Boundary
Waters, Noetry, Skywoman Falling, and This Rock We're On.
It's Time
Paul Tobey
https://www.paultobey.com
Privately Published
jazzmentl.com
$19.99 CD
https://www.paultobey.com/product/its-time-by-paul-tobey-cd
It's Time is a new solo piano jazz album by award-winning performer Paul Tobey, marking his comeback after a 20-year
hiatus from his music career due to severe tendonitis. The songs, composed by a variety of music artists including one by
Tobey himself, are sublime and a testimony to perseverance and the long road to recovery. It's Time is a choice pick for
personal and public library jazz piano collections, highly recommended. The tracks are Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen),
Caminar (The Walking Song) (Paul Tobey), Take Five (Paul Desmond), A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (M.
David/A. Hoffman/J. Livingston), My Foolish Heart (Victor Young), Nancy With the Laughing Face (Jimmy Van
Heusen), You Don't Know What Love Is (Gene de Paul), and You Don't Know What Love Is - Radio Take (Gene de
Paul).
A Sense of Distance
Holland Phillips
https://www.musicbyholland.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $8.00 digital
https://hollandphillips.bandcamp.com/album/a-sense-of-distance
Holland Phillips showcases his mastery of the keyboard in A Sense of Distance, an original, New Age album incorporating
elements of pop, neo-classical, and ambient musical traditions. An immersive, free-flowing listening experience, A Sense
of Distance is a rapturous soundscape ideal for meditation and inspiration, highly recommended for both connoisseurs and
public library collections. The tracks are Perseus Rising, Through the Rabbit Hole, Bittersweet, Behind the Veil,
Enchantments, A Sense of Disaster, Flying Solo, Hope Remains, On Whistler's Bridge, and For The Love of It.
The Complete American Recordings
Phil Haynes' 4 Horns & What?
philhaynes.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $15.00 digital
https://philhaynesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/4-horns-what-the-complete-american-recordings
The extraordinary quintet 4 Horns & What? present The Complete American Recordings, a compilation of the band's two
studio albums plus a previously unheard 1995 live recording from the Brooklyn Academy of Music. 4 Horns & What?
consists of Paul Smoker on trumpet, Clarence "Herb" Robertson on multi-brass, John Tchicai on tenor sax, Andy Laster on
multi-reeds & flute, and Phil Haynes on drum set; Phil Haynes composes all of the quintet's original songs. The Complete
American Recordings is a treasury of lively jazz music, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs and public library
collections. The album-length collections preserved and showcased for a new generation are 4 Horns & What? (1989), 4
Horn Lore (1991), and Live at B.A.M. (1995).
Silver Bullet Bluegrass
All songs written by Bob Seger
Produced by Randall Deaton
Lonesome Day Records
www.lonesomeday.com
$15.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 / $19.99 vinyl
https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Bullet-Bluegrass-Various-Artists/dp/B0D29L1H1B
Featuring a standout selection of songs written by the legendary Bob Seger, Silver Bullet Bluegrass is a celebration of
Seger's beloved bluegrass works, performed by a wide variety of talented music artists. An absolute "must-have" for
bluegrass connoisseurs, Silver Bullet Bluegrass is also a choice pick for public library collections and makes an excellent
gift! Highly recommended. The tracks are Long Twin Silver Line, Turn the Page, Hollywood Nights, Against the Wind,
You'll Accompany Me, We've Got Tonight, Rambin' Gamblin' Man, Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight, Main Street, Even
Now, Feel Like a Number, Roll Me Away, and Night Moves.
The Sports Shelf
The Fenway Effect
David Krell
University of Nebraska Press
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
9781496232335, $34.95, HC, 280pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fenway-Effect-Cultural-History-Boston/dp/149623233X
Synopsis: To be a part of Red Sox Nation is to be a hopeful romantic who neither betrays loyalty nor surrenders hope even
in the direst of circumstances. From Bangor to Back Bay, New Englanders endure in baseball matters. And life. The team's
history has intersected with the history of Boston and well beyond it, through the Curse of the Bambino, the military
service of Ted Williams during World War II, and the Boston Marathon bombing.
With the publication of "The Fenway Effect: A Cultural History of the Boston Red Sox", David Krell chronicles these
stories and others that have built the incredible saga of the Boston Red Sox.
How did Cheers depict the passion of Boston's sports fans? Why is Narragansett beer so important to New England?
What's the architectural impact of The Teammates (the statue of Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams, and Dom
DiMaggio) outside Fenway Park? What did the Boston press really think about Red Sox owner Harry Frazee selling Babe
Ruth to the Yankees? What was the origin of Fenway Park's predecessor -- Huntington Avenue Grounds?
Even Yankees fans will tip their caps to the rich impact of the Red Sox on music, movies, branding, broadcasting, and
more. Plus, there's a chapter focusing on the oral history of Red Sox fans, some of whom share here anecdotes that are
funny, insightful, and heartwarming.
Critique: An absolute 'must' for all dedicated Red Sox fans, "The Fenway Effect: A Cultural History of the Boston Red
Sox" is a fascinating and fun read from start to finish. Enhanced for the reader's benefit with a section of B/W historical
photographs, exceptionally well organized and presented, a veritable compendium of historical anecdotes and insights,
"The Fenway Effect" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university
Sports History collections. It should be noted that this edition of "The Fenway Effect" from the University of Nebraska
Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.79).
Editorial Note: David Krell (https://davidkrell.com) is an author, speaker, and former producer at MSNBC. He is the
author of "1962: Baseball" and "America in the Time of JFK" (University of Nebraska Press 2021) and "Our Bums": The
Brooklyn Dodgers in History, Memory, and Popular Culture.
The LGBTQ Studies Shelf
Queer Art
Gemma Rolls-Bentley
Frances Lincoln
Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780711282674, $35.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Art-Canvas-Spaces-Between/dp/0711282676
Synopsis: The twentieth century saw key shifts for the LGBTQI+ community across the western world ranging from the
Stonewall uprising, to the first pride parades, and homosexuality law reforms -- including the right to same gender
marriage. The years following these milestone moments have seen queer life face new challenges, celebrations, injustices
and liberations.
As ever, this journey has been closely mapped by art and culture. Artists working across all mediums (from painting,
performance, digital and beyond) have captured key moments, from the HIV/AIDS crisis and the rise of drag, to marriage
equality and the fight for trans liberation.
The artists featured in "Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between" by Gemma Rolls-Bentley includes:
Andrew Logan (sculptor and founder of the Alternative Miss World party); Leading artists David Hockney, Nicole
Eisenmann and Zanele Muholi; Late Greats Greer Lankton, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon and Tom of Finland; Pioneers of
Queer Cinema Derek Jarman and Sir Isaac Julien; Ground-Breaking Photographers Nan Goldin, Ajamu X, Wolfgang
Tilmans and Catherine Opie; and Contemporary Art Stars Sin Wai Kin, Zackary Drucker and Clifford Prince King.
With nearly 200 artworks selected by leading LGBTQI+ curator Gemma Rolls-Bentley, "Queer Art" mixes the high-brow
with the low, gallery stalwarts with Instagram stars, and the racy with the fabulous. This is a unique celebration of queer
life and an important contribution for the LGBTQI+ community, art lovers, and anyone interested in the culture
surrounding queer identity.
Critique: Unique, profusely illustrated, impressively informative, this large format (8 x 1 x 9.5 inches, 1.65 pounds)
hardcover edition of Gemma Rolls-Bentley's "Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between" from Frances
Lincoln is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Art History
and LGBTQ+ History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Queer Art" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Gemma Rolls-Bentley (www.gemmarollsbentley.com) has been at the forefront of contemporary art for
almost two decades, working passionately to amplify the work of queer artists and provide a platform for art that explores
LGBTQIA+ identity. She curates exhibitions, builds art collections and leads projects internationally. Most recently she
curated the group 'Dreaming of Home' at Leslie Lohman Museum of Art in NYC and the Tom of Finland Art & Culture
Festival in London. She curated 'Brighton Beacon Collection', the largest permanent display of queer art in the UK.
Gemma is a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and she has sat on the boards of numerous organisations and
charities that support diversity in the arts.
The Music Shelf
Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History
Kristina R. Gaddy
W. W. Norton & Company
www.wwnorton.com
9780393866803, $30.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Well-Souls-Uncovering-Banjos-History/dp/0393866807
Synopsis: In an extraordinary story unfolding across two hundred years, with the publication of "Well of Souls:
Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History" author Kristina Gaddy uncovers the banjo's key role in Black spirituality, ritual,
and rebellion.
Through meticulous research in diaries, letters, archives, and art, she traces the banjo's beginnings from the seventeenth
century, when enslaved people of African descent created it from gourds or calabashes and wood. Gaddy shows how the
enslaved carried this unique instrument as they were transported and sold by slaveowners throughout the Americas, to
Suriname, the Caribbean, and the colonies that became U.S. states, including Louisiana, South Carolina, Maryland, and
New York.
African Americans came together at rituals where the banjo played an essential part. White governments, rightfully afraid
that the gatherings could instigate revolt, outlawed them without success. In the mid-nineteenth century, Blackface
minstrels appropriated the instrument for their bands, spawning a craze.
Eventually the banjo became part of jazz, bluegrass, and country, with its deepest history forgotten.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History" by Kristina
Gaddy is impressively detailed, organized and presented. An informative and fascinating read from start to finish, "Well of
Souls" will have a very special appeal for readers with an interest in the history of the American banjo, folk and traditional
music, as well as African American 19th & 20th Century music history. While a clear and recommended choice for
community and college/university library American Music History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it
should be noted for students, academia, banjo music enthusiasts, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Well of Souls" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781324074489, $18.99) and in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Kristina R. Gaddy (www.kristinagaddy.com) is also the author of "Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of
the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis". She has received the Parsons Fund Award, a Logan Nonfiction
Program fellowship, and a Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Rubys Artist Grant. Her writing has appeared in the Washington
Post, Baltimore Sun, and Atlas Obscura, among other publications.
The Library Science Shelf
Winning Grants, 3rd Edition
Stephanie K. Gerding
ALA Editions
www.alastore.ala.org
9708892555678, $59.99, PB, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Grants-Third-Stephanie-Gerding/dp/B0CTX3K3B4
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated, expanded, and comprehensive third edition, "Winning Grants" by Stephanie K.
Gerding (MLIS) continues to be an invaluable manual that is an essential resource for library directors, grant writers, board
members, consultants, and anyone navigating the intricacies of library grant funding.
Whether you are starting from scratch and don't know where to begin, or you are an experienced grant writer looking to tap
into new funding sources, you'll find this new third edition of "Winning Grants" to be an invaluable resource for library
grants by a seasons expert with a keen knowledge of the current state of libraries' needs and funder priorities
This new third edition of "Winning Grants": Explains the grant process cycle and outlines a clear path to success; Shares
inspiring grant success stories in action from diverse libraries; Presents a Grant Proposal Deconstruction template, new to
this edition, that distills the often-complex grant proposal guidelines into a succinct outline that will help you ensure
eligibility, track important details, and measure compliance.
It also: Offers guidance on gathering knowledge and conducting research, with updated resource lists and a comprehensive
list of the various types of library funders; Covers every stage of planning, including how to cultivate community
involvement, methods for needs assessment, advice on organizing the grant team, and exercises to help you write realistic
goals and objectives; Provides insightful tips for proposal writing, such as where to find the best statistics and census data
to support your statement of needs.
Additionally it: Features ready-to-use tools such as grant project and needs statement worksheets, budget templates, a
decision matrix, and grant partnership documents; Advises how to announce a successful grant to the community, and
other first steps of implementation, including the basic principles of project management; Provides guidance on what to do
when you're turned down and how to conduct an effective evaluation that keeps the process moving forward.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, Stephanie K. Gerding's "Winning
Grants: 3rd Edition" from ALA Editions is an invaluable 'how to' manual for librarians with respect to augmenting a
libraries financial resources for essential projects. Simply stated, "Winning Grants: 3rd Edition" is an essential, and
unreservedly recommended acquisition for personal, professional, community, college, and university library General
Library Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Stephanie K. Gerding, (www.stephaniegerding.com), is a frequently sought-out library grant expert with
success as a grant writer, reviewer, funder, evaluation and needs assessment methodologist, and project manager. Her
career includes grant roles with State Libraries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, library schools, university,
corporate, and public libraries, and consulting with organizations including ALA, COSLA, PLA, ARSL, TechSoup, and
CALL Academy. She has been awarded national grants and has been a program coordinator and evaluator for many
grant-funded projects. Her books include Winning Grants and The Accidental Technology Trainer. She manages the
Library Grants Blog and has authored over 40 articles on library grants and fundraising. Stephanie finds grant work
exciting and challenging and loves helping others learn to succeed.
The Business Shelf
Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture: A Casebook
Paul A. Gompers
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839991486, $120.00, HC, 862pp
https://www.amazon.com/Financing-Entrepreneurial-Venture-Paul-Gompers/dp/1839991488
Synopsis: With the publication of "Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture: A Casebook" from Anthem Press, Professor
Paul A. Gompers focuses on financial management within entrepreneurial firms.
Most of these are young firms, although some are more established. "Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture: A Casebook"
examines these firms at all phases of their life cycle, from the initial idea generation to the ultimate harvesting of the
venture. Professor Gompers covers firms in a diverse set of industries including high technology, low technology and
services.
A significant fraction of the cases focus on non-U.S. ventures. Additionally, the issues of gender and diversity are
addressed in a number of settings.
Critique: Notably comprehensive, impressively detailed, extraordinarily 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation,
"Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture: A Casebook" will have a particular and enduring relevance for readers with an
interest in Business Entrepreneurship, Venture Capitalism, and Corporate Valuation. While also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $79.16), "Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture: A Casebook" is unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, corporate, and college/university library Entrepreneurship & Capitalism collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Paul Gompers is the Eugen Holman Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School.
He specializes in research on financial issues related to start-up, high growth and newly public companies. Professor
Gompers has an appointment in both the Finance and Entrepreneurial Management areas.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Gompers)
The Martial Arts Shelf
Judo Unleashed!
Neil Ohlenkamp
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805317464, $19.99, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Judo-Unleashed-Ultimate-Training-Expanded/dp/4805317469
Synopsis: With the publication of "Judo Unleashed!: The Ultimate Training Bible for Judoka at Every Level" master
instructor Neil Ohlenkamp has updated and expanded his best-selling Judo training manual for students at every level --
from novice to advanced.
Presenting all the information needed by Judo trainees in a single comprehensive handbook, "Judo Unleashed!" is an
authoritative guide that covers all the techniques of Judo officially recognized by the Kodokan Judo Institute, the
birthplace and international headquarters of Judo, as well as other information needed to improve and expand your
knowledge of this exciting sport.
"Judo Unleashed!" covers: The history of Judo and how it aims to promote character development; What you need to know
about your Sensei (instructor) and Dojo (training school); How to prepare for your first class, equipment to buy and dojo
training etiquette; Basic terminology and the importance of understanding Judo's underlying philosophy; Principles of
throwing (nage waza), grappling (katame waza) and striking (atemi waza); The most important tournament rules, including
scoring and penalties in competition -- and so much more!
From philosophical basics to advanced competitive techniques, "Judo Unleashed!" is the true bible of the sport and the
only manual you'll need as you advance through every level of your Judo training!
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with color photography, Neil Ohlenskamp's "Judo Unleashed!: The Ultimate
Training Bible for Judoka at Every Level" is impressively comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and
presentation -- making it ideal for both DIY personal instruction/practice, as well as a martial arts class textbook. While
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "Judo Unleashed!" from Tuttle Publishing is especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, dojo, community, and college/university library Martial Arts
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Neil Ohlenkamp (https://judoinfo.com/neiljudo) has been a Judo instructor for over 50 years. He holds a
7th degree black belt and has earned the highest level of coach certification. He is the former head instructor at the Encino
Judo Club in California and was head coach of the U.S. National Judo squad at the 1988 Paralympic Games and the 1989
World Championships for the Disabled. He holds black belt rank certificates from the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo,
the United States Judo Association, the United States Judo Federation, and the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation.
The Travel Shelf
Writer's Postcards
Dipika Mukherjee
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9789815058772, $15.99, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Postcards-Dipika-Mukherjee/dp/9815058770
Synopsis: With the publication of "Writer's Postcards", traveler and person of the world Dipika Mukherjee takes her
readers through various encounters from her highly mobile life as she provides commentary on: the lugubrious literature of
Brazil; the linguistic diversity in China and Tibet; and meeting the Dalai Lama while traveling as a lone woman through
New Delhi.
She also examines the political unrest in Myanmar after the brief international reach of Burmese books; weighs in on
Chicago's literary landmarks and famous writers; reminisces on the languid feasting of Diwali celebrations at Port Dickson
by the Malaysian Bengali community; and finds new notions of home, identity, and belonging in the Netherlands -- among
many others.
Critique: Inherently fascinating, thoughtfully insightful, deftly crafted, thoughtful and thought-provoking presented with a
distinctive and poetic elegance, "Writer's Postcards" from Penguin Books is a unique collection of informative essays that
goes well beyond the merely personal and communal to an extraordinary examination issues that are of personal and
international concern. Part travelogue, part memoir, and part commentary, "Writer's Postcards" is a compendium
of intellectually elegant essays examining imagination, culture, and literature through the lens of geography and personal
experience. Eloquent, articulate, perceptive, informative, and memorable, Dipika Mukherjee's "Writer's Postcards" from
Penguin Books is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library
Travel/Travelogue collections and reading lists.
Editorial Note: Dipika Mukherjee (https://dipikamukherjee.com) is an award-winning author of fiction and poetry and an
instructor in the Writer's Studio of the University of Chicago's Graham School. Her book Shambala Junction won the UK
Virginia Prize for Fiction and her book Ode to Broken Things was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize. Her
creative work is included in The Best Small Fictions 2019 and appears in World Literature Today, Asia Literary Review,
Del Sol Review, and Chicago Quarterly Review, and her essays appear in Newsweek, Los Angeles Review of Books,
Hemispheres, Orion, Scroll, The Edge and more.
The Holocaust Studies Shelf
The Lonka Project; The Power of Life
Jim Hollander & Rina Castelnuovo Hollander, editors
https://www.thelonkaproject.com
Gefen Publishing House
c/o Storch
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789657801529, $65.00, HC, 504pp
https://www.amazon.com/Project-Photographic-Tribute-Holocaust-Survivors/dp/9657801524
Synopsis: The Lonka Project is a photographic tribute to the last Holocaust survivors around the world.
Since 2019, three hundred and eleven professional photographers (many of whom are world leaders in their respective
fields), volunteered their talent not only to capture the human subject artistically, but also to draw lessons and serve as
memory keepers for tomorrow's generations who will never know a Holocaust survivor.
For the participating survivors who generously opened their homes and hearts to the photographers in 33 countries, The
Lonka Project carries their global message for tolerance, humanity and compassion in a world not rid of antisemitism and
ethnic hatred. The rhythms of life do not mitigate the horrors of the past, yet the survivors continue to stand as a symbol of
optimism.
The commentaries and photographs comprising "The Lonka Project; The Power of Life. A Photographic Tribute to the
Last Holocaust Survivors Around the World " celebrate the survivors' resilience and their power to live in a context that
makes a unique and memorable statement about their lives. While the participating photographers believe it is their duty to
shine a spotlight on the last living witnesses of the Holocaust because truth cannot be defeated.
Critique: "The Lonka Project; The Power of Life. A Photographic Tribute to the Last Holocaust Survivors Around the
World" also supports the message and declaration of 'Never Again' in a world still frequented by genocides and ethnic
based persecutions. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Jim Hollander and Rina Castelnuovo Hollander, this large
format (11.75 x 9.25 x 1.57 inches, 5.6 pounds) hardcover edition of "The Lonka Project; The Power of Life. A
Photographic Tribute to the Last Holocaust Survivors Around the World" from the Gefen Publishing House is a unique
and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Holocaust
History collections and supplemental Holocaust curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: The Lonka Project is online at https://www.thelonkaproject.com
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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