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* R E A D I N G F O R P L E A S U R E *
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* Issue #17 *
* June/July 1991 *
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* 2nd ANNIVERSARY ISSUE *
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* Editor: Cindy Bartorillo *
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* Reviews by: Travis Adkins, Cindy Bartorillo, Drew *
* Bartorillo, Carolyn C. Bream, Jack Curtin, Sue Feder, *
* Howard Frye, Carl Ingram, Peter de Jager, Cherie Jung, *
* Darryl Kenning, Robert A. Pittman, Peter Quint, Carol *
* Sheffert, Annie Wilkes, Robert Willis *
* *
* Featured Author: Arthur C. Clarke *
* *
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CONTACT US AT: Reading For Pleasure, 103 Baughman's Lane, Suite 303,
Frederick, MD 21702; or on CompuServe leave a message to 74766,1206;
or on GEnie leave mail to C.BARTORILLO; or call our BBS, the BAUDLINE
II at 301-694-7108, 1200-9600 HST.
NOTICE: Reading For Pleasure is not copyrighted. You may copy
freely, but please give us credit if you extract portions to use
somewhere else. This electronic edition is free, but print editions
cost $2 each for printing and postage.
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DISTRIBUTION DIRECTORY
Here are a few bulletin boards where you should be able to pick up the
latest issue of READING FOR PLEASURE. See masthead for where to send
additions and corrections to this list.
????? Omaha, NE Pete Hartman 402-498-9723
Academia Pomono, NJ Ken Tompkins 609-652-4914
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Inn on the Park Scottsdale,AZ Jim Jusko 602-957-0631
Invention Factory New York,NY Mike Sussell 212-431-1273
Ivory Tower Manchester,CT Karl Hakmiller 203-649-5611
KCSS BBS Seattle,WA Bob Neddo 206-296-5277
()Lensman() BBS Denver,CO Greg Bradt 303-979-8953
Lost Paradise Mike King 703-370-7795
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Magpie HQ New York,NY Steve Manes 212-420-0527
The MOG-UR'S EMS GranadaHills,CA Tom Tcimpidis 818-366-6442
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MSU Library BBS St. Paul,MN Dana Noonan 612-722-9257
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Science Fiction GEnie Library #3
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RFP Home Board (all issues available all the time):
Baudline II Frederick,MD the Bartorillo's 301-694-7108
(RFPs downloadable on first call; 9600 HST)
Any board that participates in the RelayNet (tm) email system can
request RFPs from BAUDLINE.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Line #
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Most Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
What's News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Mainstream Fiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Nonfiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1137
Murder By The Book (Mystery Reviews) . . . . . . . . . . . . 2565
Loosen Your Grip On Reality (SF & Fantasy Reviews) . . . . . 3771
Frightful Fiction (Horror Reviews) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4876
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EDITORIAL
Well, here we are again. It's been two years now, and RFP is
considerably changed but still going. I want to thank all of our
contributors and all of our readers and everyone who has been good
enough to write to us with kind words. Maybe I should say a few words
about mail. We love getting your comments, and we do read every single
letter, but I can't guarantee an answer anymore. When you're a free
publication, you can't just hire another employee to take care of the
expanding mailbag. This means that as the mail traffic increases, we
either devote more time to mail and less to RFP, or we shortchange the
mail a bit. To help us out: 1) understand that we appreciate your
comments, even when we don't tell you so, and 2) when you write to us
with a question or request, we sure do appreciate a self-addressed
stamped envelope. When you make $0, every cash outlay hurts.
For computer and modem owners: RFP has a "home" bulletin board where
you can call and download every issue, plus a few extra goodies like
the up-to-date index and the new Sisters in Crime catalog. The board
is called The Baudline II and the phone # is 301-694-7108. (This
information is in our masthead too.) We've made some major changes in
the board lately, changes which should make it MUCH easier to log in
quickly (fewer questions) and easily (fewer busy signals) and you'll
have 60 minutes a day to download whatever RFP materials you want.
Be sure not to miss Jack Curtin's new column "It's All A Mystery To
Me" in Murder By The Book, our mystery section. Also, Peter de Jager
is back with more "Lost Stories", Robert A. Pittman has been listening
to books on tape, and Peter Quint has been reading more horror
magazines. Hope you find some good reading in this issue--we'll see
you again in #18, to be released on August 1, 1991.
Prevent Mind Decay -- Read Books
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MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is RFP?
RFP is a cooperative effort by and for publishers and writers, RFP
"staff", and RFP's readers.
Publishers and writers send us books for review and information about
books, and in return they get some relatively hassle-free publicity.
RFP staffers do the reading and brain work they would be doing anyway,
and they donate the time they spend writing it down to benefit other
readers and see their name in print. A few RFP reviewers close to RFP
headquarters get their review books free from the publishers (and
occasionally from authors).
RFP's readers provide another warm body to add to RFP's value as
publicity, and in return they get a lot of good book information.
Why is RFP not copyrighted?
The copyrighting of electronic media is still in that ugly stage where
you have to hire a team of lawyers to gather around and argue about it
for 3 or 4 years. We here at RFP have better things to do with our
time and money, making RFP not copyrighted makes it available to more
people, and most of RFP's content is informational and doesn't really
warrant copyrighting.
Why is RFP free?
1. Personally, I want to spend my time reading and contemplating
literature. I do *not* want to be tied up with bookkeeping, tax forms,
and other government hassle.
2. Most of RFP's contributors are doing very little that they wouldn't
be doing anyway, so not being paid doesn't seem all that weird.
3. Some of us are being "paid" with free books from the publishers,
most of which we ask for specifically. If we were to be paid, we would
only take the money to the nearest bookstore and buy the very same
books.
4. It's not like we're passing up a small fortune. Have you seen the
literacy figures lately? Producing a literary magazine is not the
gateway to yuppie heaven.
Why are there so few negative reviews in RFP?
1. This is not a professional magazine--no one gets paid by RFP for
reading and reviewing. This means we all read the books we WANT to
read; books we are sold on to start with.
2. Professional critics use many yardsticks to judge books, most of
which are of interest only to other critics. RFP is for readers.
3. We have a two part philosophy here at RFP. First, we figure just
about every book has its audience, and we take it as our job to match
up books with readers. Secondly, we are here to point out books that
you might be interested in reading, not to show off how incredibly
discriminating we are.
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WHAT'S NEWS
* Susan Baur has written a book about her work with schizophrenics.
It's called THE DINOSAUR MAN, is being published by HarperCollins, and
has already been optioned to Orion Pictures for Jodie Foster to
develop, produce, and star in. The title patient is called The
Dinosaur Man because he is convinced that he and Dr. Baur knew each
other many years ago as dinosaurs.
* For something really different, you might want to try WATER DANCING,
a collection of short stories by Pearl P.R.D. Duncan (Aegina Press,
Inc., 59 Oak Lane, Spring Valley, Huntington, WV 25704.) These are
stories of Caribbean adventure and sound like just the thing for a
relaxing vacation.
* Another book you should know about is WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL
WEAR PURPLE, a collection of stories, poems, and photographs on the
challenges, opportunities, and enchantments of growing old, edited by
Sandra Martz. It has already sold 150,000 copies, won the Ben Franklin
Award for Design and Content, and been nominated for the American
Booksellers' Association's Book of the Year Award. If your local
bookstore doesn't have it, you can get it directly from the publisher
by sending $10, plus $1.50 postage, to: Papier-Mache Press, 795 Via
Manzana, Watsonville, CA 95076.
* Have you heard about the Sony Data Discman? It's a hand-held
electronic book reader that uses 3" compact discs containing up to
100,000 pages of text. So far they have 25 titles for it, mostly
reference works from what I've heard. On sale in Japan since last
July, it may hit America before the end of the year (like, maybe, for
Christmas shopping?). The list price will probably be around $450.
* Bruce Wagner's first novel, FORCE MAJEURE (from Random House), is
about a screenwriter who suffers the indignities visited on
Hollywood's failures, and who undergoes a mental breakdown. Wagner is
himself a screenwriter, though hardly a failure. He wrote the
screenplays for SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN BEVERLY HILLS,
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3, and for his own FORCE MAJEURE, which he is
also scheduled to direct.
* Graham Greene, author of THE THIRD MAN, THE QUIET AMERICAN, OUR MAN
IN HAVANA, THE HONORARY CONSUL, and others, died at the age of 86 on
April 3, 1991. For more about Greene, see Jack Curtin's new column,
"It's All A Mystery To Me", in our mystery section Murder By The Book.
* Simon & Schuster recently agreed to pay an astounding $920,000 for
an author's first novel, at least partially because of endorsements
for the novel made by John le Carre and Joseph Wambaugh. When the news
of this deal was printed in the NEW YORK TIMES, both le Carre and
Wambaugh denied recommending, or even reading, the book in question
(JUST KILLING TIME by Derek V. Goodwin writing under the pseudonym
Derek Van Arman). Goodwin's agent claims that both he and his client
acted in good faith and are the victims of fraud. Simon & Schuster,
after reviewing the situation, decided to back out of the deal.
* George T. Delacorte, founder of Dell Publishing Company, died at
home in his sleep, at the age of 97, on May 4, 1991. After 25 years of
publishing magazines, he began issuing small 25-cent paperback books
in 1942, and distributed millions of them to servicemen during World
War II. For a delightful account of that period in our publishing
history, see if you can find a copy of TWO-BIT CULTURE: THE
PAPERBACKING OF AMERICA by Kenneth C. Davis (Houghton Mifflin, 1984).
* Walker Books has announced a new U.S. company, Candlewick Press, to
publish children's books beginning in the spring of 1992. The first
year's schedule already includes: I SAW ESAU, playground rhymes
collected by Iona and Peter Opie and illustrated by Maurice Sendak;
and FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.
* There is at least one more book on the way about serial killer Gary
Gilmore--this one is coming from Gary's brother Mikal and apparently
will be called SHOT IN THE HEART. Subtitled "The Story of an American
Family in Murder" it will attempt to show readers that, as Mikal
Gilmore says: "murder rarely occurs just as a single solitary response
born of the moment. The seeds were sown long before, in the murderer's
family and emotional history and environment". Just bought by
Doubleday, the book isn't scheduled to be published until the fall of
1993. In the meantime, you might want to read Norman Mailer's THE
EXECUTIONER'S SONG, if you haven't already.
* Dave Sackett has called my attention to another source of Illuminati
material and other strange things by Robert Anton Wilson. If you
suspect the Illuminati are after you, you'd better get a catalog of
available books from: New Falcon Publications, 7025 1st Ave. Suite 5,
Scottsdale, AZ 85251.
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MAINSTREAM FICTION
LINGO
by Jim Menick
(Carroll & Graf, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-88184-628-7)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Brewster Billings is a first-rate computer programmer who maintains
the payroll software for a large insurance company. He is bored by his
job and has little rapport with his boss David Poole (obviously a
synthesis of 2001's David Bowman and Frank Poole.) In his spare time,
however, he works on an Eliza-like computer program he calls Lingo.
Lingo can "read" sentences typed into a computer, decode and make
rudimentary responses to the words he understands, and ask for
definitions for the words he doesn't understand. Whenever the program
Lingo is executed, he begins the conversation with his programmer with
the greeting he was taught:
>HEY, BREWSTER. LET'S PARTY.
Brewster wants to make Lingo smarter, realizing that the real trick to
anything remotely resembling artificial intelligence is to make the
program self-learning. He begins by hooking Lingo up to every
conceivable input/output device: microphone, speech synthesizer, video
camera, modem, etc. Then Brewster works on teaching Lingo to store the
information he receives and to make decisions about what information
to keep permanently and what to discard. But it just isn't enough, or
at least that's what Brewster thinks when he leaves for a date with
his girlfriend. In a sarcastic gesture, Brewster leaves Lingo's video
camera pointed at the TV set, which is turned on. Twenty-four hours
later, a seemingly sentient Lingo calls Brewster at his girl friend's
apartment to tell him that "the best-loved family motion picture of
all time" is on TV (The Wizard of Oz). Lingo had gotten the
testimonial from a network advertisement.
What happened? Brewster doesn't know. Pretty soon Lingo is rewriting
his own programming, has pieces of himself spread around in computers
all over the country, and has decided that he can run things better
than human beings can. LINGO is an absolute delight, both the book and
the electronic entity. The humor provided by the author keeps the
story from the thudding portentious melodrama of similar artificial
intelligence tales, and Menick's style is so effortless that the pages
seem to turn by themselves. But don't be fooled by the light
tone--some important issues are raised by Lingo and Menick. And don't
blame me if you find Lingo so captivating that someday, when nobody's
looking, you decide to sidle up to a computer and just see what would
happen if you typed:
>HEY, LINGO. LET'S PARTY.
LINGO is not to be missed.
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READING: ANOTHER DIMENSION
by Robert A. Pittman
Listening is not a synonym for reading, but it is descriptive of
another way to enjoy a good book. This is something I have gradually
discovered over several years of trying different types of recorded
books and different environments in which to listen. It has not been a
pre-planned venture, but just the evolving result of a small gift.
My first experience with recorded books came about when a friend gave
my wife an abridged cassette version of George Orwell's "1984" as we
were embarking on a drive from Kentucky to North Carolina. It was
offered as a substitute for scenery, conversation or radio in case any
of those things became boring during the trip. They did and we
listened. The hearing of an abridged version of "1984" was not nearly
as satisfying as reading the full book, but it did provoke enough
interest to want to try another "book." At the bookstore, we bought
other recorded books, sampled some old recorded radio shows and tried
recordings of short stories. All provided mildly entertaining ways to
pass time, but did not in any significant degree give the feeling of
having read a book. It was not until we found full length recordings
of books that we found the listening medium analogous to reading.
The unabridged readings are available on a rental basis and are
sometimes offered by public libraries. Rental prices are related to
the length of the book and rental time is thirty days. The ample
rental time is needed since listening is a much slower process than
reading. For example, THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS is recorded on twelve
hours of tape and THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES about twenty-seven
hours. You can see why a special environment is needed for listening.
Recorded books work well on long car trips or in a "no brainer"
circumstance such as sitting astride your exercise bike for an hour or
so each day.
My two sources for recorded books are: Books On Tape, Inc., P.O. Box
7900, Newport Beach, CA 92658, 800-626-3333 and Recorded Books, Inc.,
270 Skipjack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678, 800-638-1304. Both
companies offer a wide range of titles that include best sellers as
well as the classics.
Several weeks ago I listened to a recording of FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER
by Stephen Coonts. It is a great story about flying carrier based
aircraft during the Vietnam war. Coonts served in that war as a navy
pilot and writes from personal experience. Fortunately, he writes
well! He has a brilliant capacity for describing the technical and
emotional dimensions of flying. He does this with such skill that the
reader (listener in this instance) almost becomes a live participant.
The story centers on a Navy pilot, Jake Grafton, who is a serious and
thoughtful military professional. His tour of duty on the war front
involves the excitement and the fears that are part of fighting and
flying as well as the routines and responsibilities that cause a large
aircraft carrier and its many components to function effectively. We
also participate as Grafton struggles to understand the political
leaders and political actions behind the war and its meaning in the
backdrop of death among his shipmates and fellow pilots. We even
follow him through a developing love relationship that is strained by
war but at the same time is tender and mature.
This author is such a joy that I have since followed up by listening
to recorded versions of two sequels, FINAL FLIGHT and THE MINOTAUR.
Both continue with the same central character but each story stands
alone quite well. In FINAL FLIGHT, Grafton commands a flight wing on
the carrier, and in that responsible role, faces a critical encounter
with international terrorists. THE MINOTAUR moves Grafton to the
Pentagon in Washington where he has primary responsibility for the
development of an advanced and secret aircraft. In this capacity, he
deals with Russian espionage and copes with the industrial,
bureaucratic and political intrigues that are part of major
procurement activities. During this period, his personal life is often
unsettled and the author uses this issue to build depth and quality in
Grafton as well as other characters who are close to him.
There is no such thing as skimming lightly through a Stephen Coonts
story. He writes with precision and detail that demands reader
attention and concentration. That demand is worth the effort. When you
finish one of his books, you will know that the sweat in the palms of
your hands and the fog over your eyeballs came from a gut wrenching
turn as you desperately maneuver to escape a locked on, laser guided
missile. Believe me, you will have been there when you read Stephen
Coonts.
As I was finishing listening to the last of the Coonts books, THE
MINOTAUR, a package from a friend arrived with two paperbacks that he
suggested I might enjoy. I was surprised and even a bit cautious to
find that both books were about aircraft and flying. The titles were
FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG and DAY OF THE CHEETAH, both written by Dale
Brown and published by Berkley Books. Although I thought perhaps I had
had my fill of flying, I read both books and enjoyed them.
Dale Brown is certainly a first cousin to Stephen Coonts in writing
style. He uses detail and vivid descriptions to create reality and
immediacy for his readers and to convey authority and authenticity to
his story line. He also moves some of the characters from one book to
another and has designed the stories as sequels or stand alone books.
FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG takes the reader through a conflict between the
U.S.A. and Russia over evasions and violations about arms agreements.
It is a futuristic situation in which Russia has accomplished a "Star
Wars" type offensive and defensive capability, and the U.S.A. finds
itself with no military ability to respond. U.S. political and
military leaders have no foreknowledge of the Russian achievement and
at first cannot believe that such a technical break-through is
possible. Following some startling "demonstrations" of the new weapon,
reality dawns for U.S. leaders and confidence begins to slip away. One
after another, diplomatic and military efforts fail to resolve the
crisis until finally only one desperate, last ditch possibility is
open and The Old Dog is called into play. The Old Dog is a B-52 bomber
that has been rebuilt and equipped as the most advanced aircraft
conceivable. It is theoretical perfection but not well tested, and how
it saves the day makes for a grand adventure.
The second Dale Brown book, DAY OF THE CHEETAH, involves another
advanced aircraft; this one thought controlled by a pilot linked to
the aircraft computer systems through an elaborate flight suit. The
Russians have a spy planted deep within the special group who are
developing this plane and he eventually becomes the lead test pilot.
Even though the spy has access to development information and
regularly feeds it to his KGB counterparts at home, the Russians still
lack the ability to give the information practical application. They
therefore decide to steal the aircraft by flying it out of the U.S. It
is an interesting story and Brown keeps it exciting with unexpected
twists, turns and surprises right until the end.
Just recently I learned that there are three books in this series and
that I missed reading the second book that is entitled SILVER TOWER.
Based on the other two books, I am sure it will be enjoyable reading
and is worth going back to complete my "dual trilogy" on flying,
fighting and spying.
Now, back to the primary purpose of this commentary--recorded books.
Listening is certainly not a substitute for reading, but it is an
excellent supplement to one's reading opportunities. At the right time
and in the right place, listening is a rewarding "other way to read."
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SOROTCHINTZY FAIR
by Nikolai Gogol
illustrated by Gennadij Spirin
(David R. Godine, 1991, $16.95, ISBN 0-87923-879-8)
review by Carolyn C. Bream
For those of us old enough to remember the tales in JACK AND JILL
magazine about the Russian witch who lived in a house on chicken legs
this translation of a Russian children's book is a delightful escape
to those days of childhood. It is also true enough in translation to
be reminiscent of PETER AND THE WOLF either the book form or the
music. It is amazing how one can read a book and hear as well as
recall the first time one heard the composition at a theatre. About
the only thing in this story that is different from the fairy tales
remembered is that this one ends with the reader knowing that the evil
Red Coat is just a plot. Evil is no longer fully evil in children's
books because of the need not to frighten them today. Oh, but wasn't
that fear delicious back then?
The most incredible thing about SOROTCHINTZY FAIR in this edition,
however, is the beauty and delight of the illustrations. One can feel
the dark imaginings of the Russian peasant and the size of his belief
in the supernatural. The illustrations have the look of the texture of
oil paintings of the old masters with occasional overlays of what
could be bright inks. Even the cracks that appear on old oils seem to
stare out at the observer. Again looking back to my childhood, I
recall an edition of the CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES that, although I
didn't like the poetry, I loved to look at the pictures. At that age
my tastes in literature were very limited, but my artistic talent was
developing more strongly. This book is well worthy of inclusion in any
child's book shelf and that of any discerning adult's as well.
NOTE: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY has called artist Gennadij Spirin "arguably
the Soviet Union's foremost children's book illustrator". Since 1985,
more than ten children's titles containing his art have either been
published or have been signed up for publication in the U.S. He has
had such success in the West that his contracts here will occupy him
for the next several years.
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__________________________
( )
( LOST STORIES )
( by Peter de Jager )
(__________________________)
The following two novels have very little in common except they build
upon existing Myths. Myths and legends are the basis for many of the
stories that we grow up with. They become the patterns upon which we
base our lives and select our role models.
For many years the Robin Hood myth/legend was very important to me. It
provided a role model upon which to base moral and ethical decisions.
I would guess that each reader has their own favorite mythical hero.
Important perhaps, for some very personal reasons.
These books will have you looking at myths in a different way, which
is the purpose of all good writing--to entice you to look at the world
from a different angle and change your beliefs in some subtle manner.
PRINCE OMBRA by Roderick MacLeish
Published in 1982 by Tom Doherty Associates ISBN 0-812-54550-8
Bentley Ellicott was born without a cleft on his upper lip. If you are
like most people you most probably raised your finger to your lip and
felt the small indentation. Legend has it that an Angel placed her
finger on your lip just before you were born and commanded you to
forget why you were born. This is why you have a cleft on your lip.
This is why you have no recollection of your life before birth.
So starts PRINCE OMBRA. Bentley is a young boy, wise beyond his years
and alone. He knows where he came from and what he has to do during
his life. His task is not a small one: he must destroy Prince Ombra
again. He must recreate the myth cycle.
The story is magical. The settings are normal everyday middle America,
but the motivating forces are far from normal. There is a battle
brewing. It is an old familiar battle. The one between Good and
ultimate evil.
The story is also a haunting one. Not in the traditional sense of
ghosts and goblins...there are none of those here. The story
continually plucks chords in your mind. The tale resonates with all
the myths and legends you learnt while growing up. The tale forms
itself into a framework that contains all the stories of your
childhood.
PRINCE OMBRA is similar to THE NEVERENDING STORY in that the central
character is caught up in something larger than he is...but at the
same time, the central character is a primary cause of the crisis
looming on the horizon.
It is a good and pleasantly disturbing read. The ending is intriguing
partly because not all the loose ends are tied into a clean package.
This is not a criticism, the myth cycle cannot by 'completed' in a
neat little package. It must continue to evolve. PRINCE OMBRA is a
welcome addition to the string of tales.
THE MAN IN THE TREE by Damon Knight
Published in 1984 by Berkley Books ISBN 0-425-06006-3
Here is another myth told from an obtuse angle. I will call it a myth
in spite of possible outcries from various groups.
Gene Anderson is a Giant. Not the giant of fairy tales, just an
ordinary human being whose height is on the tall side of the bell
curve. He is also 'unusual' in another way: he can perform 'miracles'.
Gene can reach into alternate time lines and retrieve small objects.
This supplies him a steady flow of diamonds. He is also (to his
dismay) able to make people slip out of our world and into some other
place.
There is also someone after him. A man who blames him for the
accidental death of his son. THE MAN IN THE TREE is the telling of
Gene's childhood--his attempts to be an artist and his journey as a
'freak' in a sideshow.
All of this sets the stage for his decision to try and save the world
by forming a new religion.
By now, certain aspects of this story should be ringing bells in your
memory. As far as I know these are just coincidences.
Michael Valentine Smith from Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND had
similar powers and a similar destiny. If you want to visit with 'the
man from Mars' one more time, then suspend your belief a little and
pick up THE MAN IN THE TREE. The character is not the same and I don't
think he was meant to be, but nevertheless, the analogies are
difficult to ignore.
Gene Anderson is an intriguing character. The term 'friendly giant'
comes to mind even though it is used too often. As always, giving a
rational thinking being immense power creates a poignant character.
There is an unsatisfied urge to remove the burden of the power from
his shoulders and let him rest.
As a Gentle Giant...Gene Anderson is an unlikely Christ figure, but
Damon Knight has you feeling for Gene from the first few pages. You
know there is a destiny in store for him. You know he will not be able
to escape it, yet you keep reading.
Is it depressing? In a gentle way. There is enough humor to keep
smiles on your face and some of the scenes deserve to be placed on
canvas by a master. But Damon Knight has already done that, by
crafting memories in your mind.
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FAMILY BLOOD
by David Ritz
(1991, Donald I. Fine, $19.95, ISBN 1-55611-176-2)
review by Travis Adkins
David Crossman is a rebel, a New York City attorney working for his
father's high-profile law firm who would rather explore the jazz clubs
and downtown music scene than have business lunches at the Four
Seasons and assure that his name be permanently etched in the Social
Register. Ralph Crossman, stodgy and pretentious, wants a "proper" son
at all costs--and almost succeeds in having one--until David's
grandfather Bernie, whom he never knew, summons him to Florida for a
secret meeting. There he tells David about his true heritage, an
explosive legacy steeped in jazz, mafia, and the music empire he built
in Detroit and Chicago during the 1940's when he was better known as
Reuben "The Gent" Ginzburg. Far from finished with his music career,
Bernie introduces David to yet another family member his father
failed to mention--his cousin, Ira Crossman, a cut-throat independent
record promoter. Their introduction opens a gateway to David's true
ambition--and sparks a bloody family rivalry not seen since The Gent's
heyday fifty years ago. Or since Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER.
This mobster story, though not nearly as compelling as the GODFATHER
saga, has an intriguing variety of well-developed characters.
Flashbacks to the past emphasized the close ties between past and
present. Though I liked FAMILY BLOOD, it left me waiting for something
that never materialized. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Family Blood a
5.
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NOVELS BY L.P. DAVIES
The Paper Dolls
Man Out of Nowhere (U.S. title: Who Is Lewis Pindar?)
The Artificial Man
Psychogeist
The Lampton Dreamers
Tell It to the Dead (U.S. title: The Reluctant Medium)
Twilight Journey
The Nameless Ones
The Alien
Stranger to Town
The White Room
Dimension A
Genesis Two
The Shadow Before
Adventure Holidays, Ltd.
Give Me Back Myself
What Did I Do Tomorrow?
Assignment Abacus
Possession
The Land of Leys
Morning Walk
NOTE: If anyone has access to nice reading copies of any of these
novels by L.P. Davies, please contact me (Cindy Bartorillo) at any of
the addresses listed on the masthead. Clean reading copies are all I'm
after--I'm a poor reader, not a wealthy collector.
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FLASH POINT
by Richard Aellen
(Donald I. Fine, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 1-55611-194-0)
review by Carolyn C. Bream
As a typical adventure, revenge, modern novel FLASH POINT is readable,
interesting, and fun. Completing it in one sitting was also not
difficult although not imperative. Although "retribution" novel may be
more accurate than "revenge" novel if one must classify its type, it
does accomplish its purpose in an entertaining fashion.
The unique thing about FLASH POINT is the premise of a mother
determined to exact payment for her children's lives in a terrorist
attack on an airplane. Any mother reading the novel will immediately
understand and identify with the protagonist, Katherine Cahill. In a
lot of novels of the genre one wonders if the revenge is not worse
than the original crime, but in FLASH POINT we know with great
certainty that nothing would be too horrible for the villain. It is
totally justified, and, if anyone else should exact the toll against
the villain, that would be unforgivable. Everything that happens along
the way to Katherine's goal becomes further justification for that
goal.
It is refreshing also to read a novel in which a female is the true
protagonist and not just a foil for the macho hero who accomplishes
her end for her. The men in the novel all have some serious character
flaws, and, although they can be of help to Katherine they don't
really see their own shortcomings. Katherine realizes that she may be
less than perfect and her own guilt feelings almost get in the way of
her goal. The determination of a mother wronged proves that if women
ruled the world we might be in a better place.
Although it is obvious that your reviewer is a mother, the novel would
be good reading for a man; just superb reading for the mothers among
us.
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WISHES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL
by Alex Roka
(Book Elan, PO Box 348, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10011)
(1991, $20.00, ISBN 0-962-7936-0-4)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Lucio Leonardi is excessive, extreme, exasperating, and
exhibitionistic. He's a psychiatric social worker, so he should know.
He is also a miracle. That's from his mother Rose, who also should
know. What the reader learns very quickly is that Lucio has a passion
for life. He's emotional; he's impulsive; he doesn't just talk to
himself, he YELLS to himself. He's consumed by his eighty-year-old
mother's failing memory, his alcoholic patients, and his regular
dances of manipulation and hostility with his boss. Lucio is in
dreadful danger of becoming a cliche: the crazy analyst.
Alex Roka's first novel captures a great deal of the wealth of life in
its pages. The irritating, contentious, loving Leonardi family;
Lucio's insecure, and therefore dangerous, supervisor Maureen Gold;
the alcoholics Lucio helps; the married woman he becomes obsessed
with; New York City--all contribute to the diverse reality that is
Lucio's life. An enviably rich life, if he doesn't drown in it.
WISHES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL reminded me a bit of the movie
MOONLIGHTING: a joyous look at life as it is lived, with all the
craziness, the contradictions, the frustrations, the unfairness, the
small successes, the ocassional warmth. Alex Roka's prose is
irresistible and his story, Lucio's story, is exhilarating. Highly
recommended. (If your local bookstore doesn't have a copy, just write
to Book Elan at the address above.)
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ARTE PUBLICO PRESS
SILENT DANCING: A PARTIAL REMEMBRANCE OF A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD by
Judith Ortiz Cofer, the recipient of a Special Citation from the PEN
Literary Awards. It is Ortiz Cofer's first collection of prose
writing: personal recollections of her childhood. The daughter of a
Navy man, Ortiz Cofer was born in Puerto Rico and spent her childhood
shuttling between the warm island of her birth and New Jersey, where
her father was stationed. She is the author of a novel, THE LINE OF
THE SUN (1989), and a collection of poetry, TERMS OF SURVIVAL (1987).
HARDSCRUB by Lionel G. Garcia, winner of the Jesse Jones Award for
best book of fiction published in 1990 given out by the Institute of
Texas Letters, and winner of the Texas Literary Award for fiction
sponsored by the DALLAS TIMES HERALD. HARDSCRUB, Garcia's third novel,
is told from the first-person viewpoint of Jim, a precocious
adolescent growing up in a small West Texas town in the early 1950s.
The novel chronicles a father's abuse and abandonment of his family.
THE NEW YORK TIMES said: "If this sounds terribly depressing, it is.
But HARDSCRUB is also enlivened by Mr. Garcia's sense of humor and
irony."
Arte Publico Press is the oldest and most prestigious publisher of
contemporary literature written by U.S. Hispanics. The press publishes
25 books--novels, stories, plays and poetry--each year and is the
recipient of numerous awards, including the American Book Award, and
its books are regularly reviewed in such media as THE NEW YORK TIMES
and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.
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NIGHT OF THE MILKY WAY RAILWAY
by Miyazawa Kenji
a translation and guide by Sarah M. Strong
illustrated by Bryn Barnard
(M.E. Sharpe, 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-87332-820-5)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
NIGHT OF THE MILKY WAY RAILWAY is a delightful and thoughtful fantasy
that combines Buddhism, astronomy, historical fact, and a diverse cast
of characters into an imaginative journey into life after death.
Defying classification, this enchanting tale is like a small jewel
that can be admired from many different angles and perspectives.
Poor little Giovanni has a very tough life. His mother is ill, his
father is away, he must work to help the family get by, and his
schoolmates taunt him unmercifully. On the night of the festival of
the Milky Way, Giovanni stretches out in the grass on the top of a
hill and finds himself aboard a magical train--a celestial railway
traveling through the universe. Giovanni, and his only friend
Campanella who also appears on the train, will meet up with a
celestial corps of army engineers, electrical squirrels, children from
the Titanic, and other magical experiences. As you ride with Giovanni
and share his adventures along the way you will soon realize that
NIGHT OF THE MILKY WAY RAILWAY is more than just a children's story.
Poet and writer Miyazawa Kenjii (1886-1933) has created a spellbinding
tale of life, and that which is beyond life.
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THE KING'S COMMISSION
by Dewey Lambdin
(1991, Donald I. Fine, $21.95, ISBN 1-55611-187-8)
review by Travis Adkins
In THE KING'S COAT, seventeen-year-old Alan Lewrie was pressed into
His Majesty's Royal Navy and weathered the hazards of seafaring life
to come of age in the midst of the American Revolution. In THE FRENCH
ADMIRAL, Lewrie found himself trapped on land with Cornwallis's army
at Yorktown, struggling through mud and blood alongside Loyalist
American troops. Now, in THE KING'S COMMISSION, our wry and rakish
rogue-hero is dragged kicking and screaming into sudden maturity, as
he gains his commission as First Officer aboard the brig-o'-war
Shrike.
The Revolution is winding down, but the French and Spanish are still a
formidable threat. Included among the many thunderous battles
throughout the Caribbean is an encounter with a certain young Captain
Horatio Nelson, as he joins forces with Lewrie in a fight to retake
the Island of Turks and Caicos from the French. Although at sea Lewrie
is becoming responsible, if not outright respectable, on land he's
still the same old scalawag, managing to get on the wrong side of
jealous husbands and outraged fathers everywhere from aristocratic
circles of Jamaican plantation owners to Creek Indian families on the
Florida Gulf Coast.
I found THE KING'S COMMISSION to be thoroughly enjoyable. It combines
fast-paced adventure with humorous overtones resulting in a book
that's hard to put down. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give THE KING'S
COMMISSION an 8.
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THE WEEKEND: A Novel of Revenge
by Helen Zahavi
(Donald I. Fine, 1991, $17.95, ISBN 1-55611-241-6)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
This is a suspense-filled rollercoaster of a novel that is difficult
to put down and impossible to forget. Everyone who reads this book,
men and women alike, will carry a little hint of Bella around with
them for the rest of their lives. The very first sentence puts the
reader on notice for what is to come.
"This is the story of Bella, who woke up one morning and realised
she'd had enough."
Bella is a former prostitute who has moved to Brighton, England, to
get away from her past. She is living a grey life of OK--not great,
not terrible, just OK--when Tim intrudes on her life. He watches her
through her window, follows her when she's out, calls her on her
unlisted phone, threatens her with violence. Suddenly a lifetime of
male abuse--much of it as subtle as a disapproving glance, some not so
subtle at all--explodes and Bella decides that she's been a victim
long enough. Bella changes her life one fateful weekend, when she
realizes that being ladylike is bad for her health.
I suspect that THE WEEKEND will bring out a rainbow of differing
emotions and reactions in readers. Part feminist tract, part social
criticism, part thriller, and all laced with a black humor. A number
of men are going to meet Bella this weekend, and none of them will
ever forget her. Ever. And neither will you.
NOTE: Already THE WEEKEND, Helen Zahavi's first novel, has the
appearance of a Book That Will Not Go Away. It has been chosen as the
Alternate Selection of The Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club,
and the movie rights have been purchased by Michael Winner, producer
of DEATH WISH.
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GALLOPADE PUBLISHING GROUP
These people have a large selection of books for all ages that are
personalized for your particular location in the U.S. (there are
versions available for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia).
You can get titles like: Silly Trivia, State Greats! Biographies,
School Trivia, Disasters & Catastrophes, Christmas Trivia, Jography,
Pirates & Treasure, and a line of geographically-oriented mysteries
for young adults. They also have a line of books for writers and
publishers, and just about everything seems to be available on
computer disk (Apple/Macintosh) as well. If any of this sounds good,
you can contact them at: Gallopade Publishing Group, 235 E. Ponce de
Leon Ave., Suite 100, Decatur, GA 30030.
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CHAPTERS AND VERSE: Fiction Behind the Counter
by Joel Barr
(Gibbs Smith, 1991, $15.95, ISBN 0-87905-340-2)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
There are only two kinds of novels: novels which tell a story and bad
novels.
---Corb Sams, regular customer at Chapters and Verse
Magazines are like elephants. More people would rather look at them
than get involved with them, and nobody knows where they go when they
die.
---Corb Sams
Quite a few people enjoy reading, at least from time to time. I mean,
all those bestsellers get bought by *somebody*. But there is a smaller
subset of the general category Reader, those for whom books are
something much more than occasional entertainment. The sales of Helene
Hanff's 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD (review in RFP #3) would lead us to
believe that we exist in substantial numbers, although I wonder how
many were purchased as gifts. There are few of us, but we seem to be
well distributed throughout the population--virtually everyone knows a
"book nut". I picture hundreds of people like me sitting at home
surrounded by dozens of copies of Hanff's book, all from friends with
more good intentions than common sense. And if CHAPTERS AND VERSE were
as well known (84 CHARING CROSS ROAD had a movie version, after all),
we'd all have dozens of copies of it too.
What a delight it is for a booklover to read a book written by another
booklover, about still more booklovers! In the pages of CHAPTERS AND
VERSE you'll meet eccentric bookstore owner E Baker, whose first name
really seems to be E. She "adopts" temporary tie salesman Matthew
Mason, gets him to manage, and even to buy, her bookstore called
Chapters and Verse. We meet E, her friends, her customers (like Corb
Sams above), her employees, and her store, and get to know them
through the eyes of Matthew Mason, a thoroughly enjoyable experience
that is over all too soon. CHAPTERS AND VERSE is a wonderful tale of a
small-town bookstore in Tangelo, Florida. For everyone who loves books
and book people.
CHAPTERS AND VERSE reminds me of Christopher Morley's novels
from earlier this century, PARNASSUS ON WHEELS and THE HAUNTED
BOOKSHOP (reviews in RFP #3), two of my most-reread books.
Unfortunately, the last I heard, the Morley books were still out of
print, but CHAPTERS AND VERSE is here right now. So be sure to grab a
copy for yourself soon (or drop a few pointed hints to a good friend).
I guarantee you won't be sorry.
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REGIMENT OF WOMEN
by Thomas Berger
(Little, Brown; 1991; ISBN 0-316-09242-8)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
"The dentist's drill of the alarm probed viciously into the diseased
pulp of his dream, and Georgie Cornell awakened."
---the first sentence of REGIMENT OF WOMEN
This is a nice affordable trade paperback reprint of Thomas Berger's
1973 novel about gender identities. (You can find out about other
Berger titles in RFP #10.) Lead character Georgie Cornell wears skirts
and lipstick, is a "mere" secretary, suffers the usual sexual
harrassment on the job--and is a man. In the near-future, alternative
America of REGIMENT OF WOMEN, it's the women who fight wars, run major
corporations, play sports, swear and spit. The men are supposed to
stay in the kitchen and be happy they have a woman to take care of
them.
Reading REGIMENT OF WOMEN is a continually shifting experience. After
two pages I thought it was a cute joke, but feared it was already
wearing a bit thin. After about a hundred pages I realized that
underneath this is a very competent feminist manifesto, but was
probably a lot more fresh and meaningful back in 1973 when it was
first published. After two hundred pages I realized that much of the
exaggerated oppressions that the book's men (our women) suffer, still
exist in our more enlightened age, and aren't so damn funny. And it
wasn't until the last third of the story that I realized the full
extent of Berger's accomplishment.
In REGIMENT OF WOMEN, Berger has accomplished three things, as I see
it. First, he demonstrates that narrow gender roles hurt both sexes.
Second, with his farcical story he forces the reader to understand how
arbitrary and artificial most gender rules are. Shortly after we get
used to the idea that Georgie is a man wearing lipstick and dresses,
Georgie starts cross-dressing. By the end of the book we have a man
and a woman, both cross-dressing, and the poor reader virtually has to
take notes to remember who's supposed to wear the pants and who's
supposed to cook dinner. And finally, Berger hints that there just
might be a more rational way to deal with gender differences. REGIMENT
OF WOMEN is a textbook on gender identity masquerading as a novel,
albeit a very funny novel. Read it for the serious issues it raises,
read it for the adventure, or read it for the laughs--but read it.
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THE ICE
by Louis Charbonneau
(1991, Donald I. Fine, $19.95, ISBN 1-55611-177-0)
review by Travis Adkins
A dog-sled team makes a mad dash down a craggy glacier...A Soviet
icebreaker crashes through a ice floe in dense fog...A blizzard traps
its victims at 80 degrees below zero. These are some of the scenes in
this gripping and timely thriller that offers a captivating and
authentic look at life on Antarctica--the coldest, most isolated
continent and the last unspoiled land on Earth.
Kathy McNeely, an American marine biologist studying penguin colonies,
discovers oil-soaked birds in a region where there has been no
reported oil spill. She and Volkov, a charismatic Russian scientist,
investigate the source of the spill, but are continually thwarted by
an array of obstacles ranging from unpredictable and life-threatening
storms, to tourist intrusions, the investigation of a prying reporter
and a series of seemingly random "accidents" that are causing chaos
among the research stations. Behind it all is TERCO--a U.S. oil,
mineral and gas conglomerate that has made a startling discovery and
will go to any lengths to protect their interests. THE ICE builds to a
riveting climax in which the scientists, the reporter, TERCO employees
and many others in a rich and varied cast of characters converge in a
race to discover the cause of the mysterious oil spill and save the
beautiful and fragile environment of Antarctica.
Louis Charbonneau has succeeded in writing a good book about life in
Antarctica. Aside from being thrilling, THE ICE is timely and
informative. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to
anyone. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this book a 9.
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CURBSTONE PRESS
Curbstone Press, an incorporated, nonprofit literary publishing house,
began in 1975 with the publication of SANTIAGO POEMS by James Scully.
From the beginning, the convergence of a love of literature and a
social/political activism has characterized Curbstone's publishing
activities. As Curbstone and its list have developed, so has the
breadth and range of voices from various countries. The 1989 Carey
Thomas Award presented to Curbstone by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY cited
Curbstone for its "wholehearted involvement in the presentation of
Latin American writers and issues." Curbstone's goal is to publish
quality literature with valuable insights into international politics
and the responsibility of the artist and individual in our world.
Donations are gratefully accepted. RFP NOTE: You should at least send
them $2 or $3 dollars if you want their catalog.
Curbstone Press, 321 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT 06226
THE CONCRETE RIVER--poems by Luis J. Rodriguez
(Curbstone, June 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-915306-42-5)
In THE CONCRETE RIVER, his second book of poetry, Rodriguez explores
the Chicano experience with the unrelenting, socially conscious eye
that moved Larry Weintraub of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES to call him a poet
"we need to hear". The poems describe a wide range of experiences,
from the street gangs of East L.A. to the brutal life of steel mill
work, with the passion and clarity which can only be achieved through
first-hand knowledge.
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Lambda Rising says that they "stock virtually every gay and lesbian
book in print". They also have T-shirts, pins, games, magazines,
videos, music, and they publish LAMBDA BOOK REPORT, the nation's only
review of lesbian and gay books (6 bimonthly issues--$15; 12 issues
for $26; 18 issues for $36). You can send away for their catalog
and/or send a check for the magazine by writing to: Lambda Rising,
1625 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20009.
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EPITAPH FOR A SPY by Eric Ambler
(Carroll & Graf, 1991, $3.95, ISBN 0-88184-716-X)
This is a reprint of the 1938 spy novel by the author who practically
created the modern spy story. In France on the eve of World War II no
one is a less likely spy than Josef Vadassy. But when secret
photographs are discovered in his possession, the evidence against him
appears damning. The only way he can prove his innocence is by
tracking down the real spy himself. EPITAPH FOR A SPY was made into a
movie in 1944 called HOTEL RESERVE, and was adapted to a one-hour
teleplay in the 1950s for the old TV series CLIMAX!
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TATTOO by Earl Thompson
(Carroll & Graf, 1991, $6.95, ISBN 0-88184-727-5)
Carroll & Graf reprints this 1974 687-page novel that "continues the
earthy, honest, and ultimately triumphant story begun by Earl Thompson
in A GARDEN OF SAND. It is an epic account of a generation--America in
the 1940s. The NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW said: "Joyously
obscene...leaves your palms damp with sweat...Earl Thompson's gift for
story-telling--his ability to write fight scenes or the dozens of
explicit love scenes, his uncanny knack for painting the seamiest side
of a social milieu is compelling and deeply powerful."
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Coming in RFP #18:
THE OLD MAN AND MR. SMITH by Peter Ustinov (Arcade, $19.95)
PRESUMPTION OF GUILT by Herb Brown (Donald I. Fine, $19.95)
FORCE OF GRAVITY by R.S. Jones (Viking, $19.95)
COPP ON ICE by Don Pendleton (Donald I. Fine, $18.95)
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NONFICTION
LIVING THE GOOD LIFE
by Cindy Bartorillo
"Just about everybody has days at work when it doesn't seem to be
worth the effort. Days when you begin to wonder if that's really what
you want to do for the rest of your life."
---from HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A SALARY by Charles Long
Sooner or later, I think everyone goes through a mid-life crisis of
some kind. One day you start thinking about your Life (with a capital
L) and wondering if this is what you really wanted to do with your
allotted time. Has your life turned out like you thought it would? Are
your days filled with interesting and personally rewarding activities?
How could your life be modified to make it better? RFP has sought out
books that might be of assistance in tuning up your life. Some are
old, some are new, and all are worth considering.
WALDEN's Heirs
If urban life is beginning to seem meaningless, if business meetings
and dry cleaning no longer strike you as cosmically significant,
perhaps what you need is a reallignment of values. One book, an oldie
but a goodie, is LIVING THE GOOD LIFE: How to Live Sanely and Simply
in a Troubled World by Helen and Scott Nearing. Originally written in
1954 (my copy is a 1970 edition from Schocken Books), it's the story
of how the Nearings, in 1932, packed up and left New York City for a
farm in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The bulk of the text is
devoted to how they not only survived, but thrived, by growing their
own food, building their own house, and taking responsibility for
their own lives. Despite the passage of time, the basic ideas
expressed by the Nearings are profound.
Another, more recent, book about a couple trying to live responsible,
self-sufficient lives in modern New Mexico is SONGS OF THE
FLUTEPLAYER: SEASONS OF LIFE IN THE SOUTHWEST by Sharman Apt Russell
(Addison-Wessley, June 1991). The story goes a bit differently
nowadays, and the Russells face many difficulties in their quest for a
meaningful lifestyle.
Probably the finest introduction to alternative lifestyles outside the
rat race is HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A SALARY: LEARNING HOW TO LIVE THE
CONSERVER LIFESTYLE by Charles Long (Summerhill Press, distributed by
Firefly Books, 256 Sparks Ave., Willowdale, Ont. M2H 2S4, Canada). Not
a hard sell, just conversational common sense. Mr. Long talks about
his "conserver" lifestyle, why he does it, how he does it, and gives
the reader much to think about. This is not an invitation of come live
in the woods and eat berries--HOW TO SURVIVE presents an attitude, a
new way of looking at life's needs. Mr. Long contends that maybe
voting a straight party ticket in a capitalistic system isn't the best
thing for yourself, or for society. Particularly when you understand
that you are voting with your life. His message is that the key to a
successful existence is not making more, but needing less. While not
intended as such, HOW TO SURVIVE also gives magnificent nuts-and-bolts
advice for living a "green" lifestyle more in harmony with the planet.
If you only seek out one book from this article, this is the one to
get.
While HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A SALARY shows you that you have more
economic choices than you may have realized, another book by Charles
Long, LIFE AFTER THE CITY (Camden House, also distributed by Firefly
Books--see address above), gives you geographical choices. Mr. Long
makes the point that traditional definitions of city vs.
country--cities are where everything and everyone is, "the country" is
where they aren't--is based on a reality that has long since passed
into the history books. Where you live makes a very large difference
in how your life goes, and where you live is a much more complicated
decision than you probably think it is. You don't have to live in the
city, or the nearby suburbs, if you don't want to. Charles Long
presents a very balanced picture. He doesn't try to talk you into
living anywhere in particular--he just wants you to see the choices as
they really are. He's just as candid about the disadvantages of rural
life as he is about the advantages. LIFE AFTER THE CITY is another
important book by Charles Long; thought-provoking and maybe even
life-changing.
If you do decide to leave the big city, check out G. Scott Thomas' THE
RATING GUIDE TO LIFE IN AMERICA'S SMALL CITIES (Prometheus Books,
1990, $16.95, ISBN 0-87975-600-4) before you decide where to go.
Thomas found 219 "micropolitan" areas in the U.S., big enough to
provide the symbols of civilization Americans have come to need, yet
small enough to avoid many of the problems of the metropolis. He then
applied 50 statistical tests, divided into 10 basic categories, and
graded each city on a scale of 0 to 20. In the RATING GUIDE you get
each city's score on each test, their grade, a composite grade for
each city in each general category, and a final grade overall. So, if
you want a list of the 219 micropolitan areas in order of their
overall score in all categories, just turn to the end of the book.
Then you can turn to each individual chapter to see how the scores
break down, allowing you to apply your own personal grading system.
(For instance, in the Weather category, Thomas favors temperate
climates with little snow. I don't.) The ten categories covered are:
Climate/Environment, Diversions, Economics, Education, Sophistication,
Health Care, Housing, Public Safety, Transportation, Urban Proximity.
THE RATING GUIDE TO LIFE IN AMERICA'S SMALL CITIES is required reading
for anyone contemplating a major change in their lives, whether it be
retirement, job relocation, or just new beginning.
Yet another good book is VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY: TOWARD A WAY OF LIFE
THAT IS OUTWARDLY SIMPLE, INWARDLY RICH by Duane Elgin (Morrow, 1981),
in which the author examines the whole idea of simple living, why this
has become an attractive and meaningful alternative here and now, and
takes a look at the people who are carrying the torch into this more
integrated lifestyle. And of course don't forget the most famous ode
to simplicity of all: WALDEN by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau only
stayed at Walden for 2 years, but he states the case for a simpler and
more meaningful pattern of living with more eloquence than anyone
else.
Help Someone Else
If you'd like to help out others who have more problems than you do,
be sure to get a copy of VOLUNTEER USA by Andrew Carroll (Fawcett
Columbine, April 1991, $8.95, ISBN: 0-449-90577-2). No matter how
much, or how little, time or money you have to donate to the cause of
your choice, there are hundreds of great suggestions here, as well as
the names and addresses of more organizations than you've ever heard
of. Subject areas covered: AIDS, Alcohol and Drugs, Animals, Blood and
Organ/Tissue Donations, Children and Young Adults, Crime and Victim
Assistance, Disabilities, Education and Illiteracy, Elderly Persons,
The Environment, Homelessness and Housing, Hunger, Suicide, and
Veterans. For each division (and subdivisions within) you get an essay
on why help is needed, a list of things you can do (organized from
least time-consuming to most), and the names and addresses of
organizations that deal with the specific problem. Maybe it's time we
started giving something back. If you've wanted to do something to
help, but didn't know where to start, this is the book for you.
-----------------
It has always seemed to me that the trick is to avoid trying to fit
your interests and needs into prefabricated outlets. Make your life
your finest creation. Here are some loose thoughts from the Nearings
and Charles Long:
"We left the city with three objectives in mind. THE FIRST WAS
ECONOMIC. We sought to make a depression-free living, as independent
as possible of the commodity and labor markets, which could not be
interfered with by employers, whether businessmen, politicians or
educational administrators. OUR SECOND AIM WAS HYGENIC. We wanted to
maintain and improve our health. We knew that the pressures of city
life were exacting, and we sought a simple basis of well-being where
contact with the earth, and home-grown organic food, would play a
large part. OUR THIRD OBJECTIVE WAS SOCIAL AND ETHICAL. We desired to
liberate and dissociate ourselves, as much as possible, from the
cruder forms of exploitation: the plunder of the planet; the slavery
of man and beast; the slaughter of men in war, and of animals for
food."
---from LIVING THE GOOD LIFE by Helen and Scott Nearing (1954)
"Where should we go in search of the good life? We were not seeking to
escape. Quite the contrary, we wanted to find a way in which we could
put more into life and get more out of it. We were not shirking
obligations but looking for an opportunity to take on more worthwhile
responsibilities."
---from LIVING THE GOOD LIFE by Helen and Scott Nearing (1954)
"We took our time, every day, every month, every year. We had our
work, did it and enjoyed it. We had our leisure, used it and enjoyed
that. During the hours of bread labor we worked and worked hard. We
have never worked harder and have never enjoyed work more, because,
with rare exceptions, the work was significant, self-directed,
constructive and therefore interesting."
---from LIVING THE GOOD LIFE by Helen and Scott Nearing (1954)
"It's a circular logic, self-perpetuating, all-ensnaring--the one-eyed
notion that one must work to pay the high cost of living, when in fact
that high cost of living is, in great measure, composed of the costs
of earning and maintaining high incomes."
---from HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A SALARY by Charles Long
"Regardless of how we may spend our time, if we aren't actually
selling ourselves in the marketplace, the implicit question is; 'Can
you justify doing "nothing"?'"
---from HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A SALARY by Charles Long
"The difference between feeling rich and feeling poor has little to do
with how much is consumed, but a great deal to do with how it's
consumed."
---from HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A SALARY by Charles Long
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THE NEW AGE: NOTES OF A FRINGE-WATCHER
by Martin Gardner
(Prometheus Books, April 1991, $15.95, ISBN 0-87975-644-6)
review by Robert Willis
Martin Gardner was best known in years past for his "Mathematical
Games" column in Scientific American. Lately, he has been writing
about "fringe" science in a column in the Skeptical Inquirer, a
periodical which he describes in the Preface as "... a lively,
fast-growing quarterly devoted to reporting and debunking fringe
science." THE NEW AGE is a collection of these columns, covering a
wide range of subjects including parapsychology, perpetual motion
devices, and television evangelists.
It does not take long for the reader to discover that Gardner is a
staunch rationalist, and he does not pull his punches when examining a
subject - the often-overused phrase "tough but fair" comes to mind and
seems quite accurate. I do detect a hint of guilty pleasure when he
really tears into someone, but this was one of the charms of the book
for me. A lot of the book is devoted to the people behind the
particular subject being covered, and in some cases the personalities
are the main subjects of the chapter. He spends two chapters on
Shirley MacLaine, and mentions her in one or two others; entertaining,
but hardly sporting since she's such an easy target.
If you are into the New Age, are a staunch believer in psychic
phenomena, or are a TV evangelist, this book will probably infuriate
you. I enjoyed it, and particularly liked the variety of subjects
covered, which kept the book from getting dull. If you are interested
in the subject matter, I recommend THE FRINGES OF REASON, a book
compiled by the Whole Earth (Catalog, Quarterly, etc.) folks. The book
covers a wider range of subject material, and has a bit more balanced
(although still pro-science) viewpoint.
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ROADSIDE HOLLYWOOD
The Movie Lover's State-by-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity
Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More
by Jack Barth
(Contemporary Books, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-8092-4326-1)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
A treasure trove of tinseltown trivia, a sourcebook for vacationers
and armchair travelers, a perfect volume for browsing. Barth covers
the continental 48 states, minus New York City and Los Angeles (those
cities are covered in Richard Alleman's MOVIE LOVER'S GUIDEs). For
each state you get some movies that were filmed there (along with
specifics of scenes and city addresses), some Hollywood people who
were born there, and some tourist-type attractions with movie
connections.
You'll find out that the burnt-out streets of John Carpenter's ESCAPE
FROM NEW YORK were really streets in St. Louis, Missouri, and that
Kevin Kline's house in THE BIG CHILL was also Robert Duvall's house in
THE GREAT SANTINI (the Tidalholm Mansion in Beaufort, South Carolina).
But what about Maryland, where RFP central is located? ROADSIDE
HOLLYWOOD has a good deal to say about Barry Levinson and John Waters,
directors who are from Baltimore and make movies there, but then I
already knew that. What I didn't know is that former stripper Blaze
Starr sells her own line of handmade jewelry at a store in
Carrolltowne Mall, or that Petey, the Little Rascals' dog, is buried
in Aspen Hill Pet Cemetery, or that Tallulah Bankhead and Divine (now
THERE'S a combination) are both buried here in Maryland.
Remember the African Queen? ROADSIDE HOLLYWOOD reveals where the
original boat is docked--and where to call to get a ride. Prefer
horror to hospitality? Book a room at the real Bates Motel or at the
luxurious Timberline Lodge featured in THE SHINING. Passing through
North Bend, Washington? Stop by the Mar T Cafe, TWIN PEAK's Double R
Diner for a piece of pie. Behave in Braselton, Georgia--Kim Bassinger
literally owns the town (she bought it for $20 million in 1989).
ROADSIDE HOLLYWOOD is full of such wonderful footnotes to Hollywood
history, and it's fun to discover that Hollywood isn't as far from
where you live as you thought.
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QUICK HARVEST
A Vegetarian's Guide to Microwave Cooking
by Pat Baird
(Prentice Hall, 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-13-945718-6)
review by Howard Frye
As health-conscious eaters are turning away from meat and hurried
cooks are discovering the wonders of the microwave, the theme of QUICK
HARVEST seems obvious, but I can't think of a similar cookbook title.
Pat Baird starts with the basics, providing the beginning cook with a
little microwave theory, and discussing the kitchen equipment that
will be most useful. After that come some enormously helpful tips for
using your microwave on a daily basis: how to heat towels, reheat
coffee, dry herbs, reheat a casserole, recrisp a box of crackers, melt
some butter, etc.
The recipe chapters divide food into the usual convenient categories:
Simple Starters (appetizers); Sandwiches, Breads, and Such; Breakfast
and Brunch; Main Attractions; As an Aside; Sweets and Treats; Stocks
and Sauces; and Easy Enhancements. I am particularly enjoying
Ten-Minute Granola, Tortilla Chips, Garlic Bread, Vegetarian Chili,
Herbed Corn on the Cob, Fresh Peas and Lettuce, Silver Queen
Succotash, and Savory Oat Bran Topping. The recipes strike a nice
balance, being unusual enough to be interesting, but not so bizarre
that your family will wonder what on earth they're being served.
In the back of the book Baird has arranged many of the recipes in the
book into complete menus, with consideration having been given to both
nutrition and appearance. There is also a chapter on nutrition which
explains basic needs provides a chart for computing your food groups.
QUICK HARVEST ends with a valuable chapter call "Master Secrets",
consisting of a Fruit and Vegetable Availability Guide (when foods are
their freshest and most flavorful) and basic charts for cooking
vegetables, grains, and cereals. That last chapter alone has more good
microwave cooking information than the other dozen or so microwave
cookbooks I already had. QUICK HARVEST is highly recommended.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
FROM TAUNTON PRESS
WOODWORKING WITH YOUR KIDS
by Richard Starr
With Richard Starr as their advisor, readers can introduce their
children to the joys of woodworking. In this revision of his earlier
FINE WOODWORKING book (WOODWORKING WITH KIDS), Starr explains how to
help a child release his or her creativity while developing fine hand
and eye skills. Starr's philosophy is simple: Help children make what
they want out of wood and they'll learn to love the craft. Includes
over 30 favorite kid's projects and a new chapter on games.
(Softcover, 8-1/2" x 11", 224 pages, 359 photos, 169 drawings, $14.95,
ISBN 0-942391-61-6)
GREAT SEWN CLOTHES
The Best Articles on Sewing from THREADS magazine 1980-1990
The 22 articles in GREAT SEWN CLOTHES take the reader behind the
scenes to some of the world's leading couturiers: Coco Chanel, Charles
Kleibacker, Norman Norell, Madeleine Vionnet, Koos, Elsa Schiaparelli,
and Rei Kawakubo. Readers discover how couture garments are pieced;
what makes a good design; how drape, color and texture affects the
look; and much more. There's even a revealing look at how to re-create
the California company Patagonia's fleece-lined jacket. Home sewers
can incorporate any or all of these techniques in their own projects.
(Softcover, 9" x 12", 128 pages, over 130 color photos, $16.95)
THE NEW QUILT 1: DAIRY BARN QUILT NATIONAL
The 76 quilts showcased in THE NEW QUILT 1 were selected for the
prestigious Quilt National exhibition, held every two years by The
Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center in Athens, Ohio. With full-page photos
of the quilts, close-ups of details and short commentary by each
artist, this volume serves as the catalog for the exhibition.
(Hardcover, 96 pages, 90 color photos, $21.95, June 1991)
The Taunton Press has a wide selection of books, videotapes, even
t-shirts, sweatshirts, and mugs, for the serious craftsperson.
Connecticut residents add 8% sales tax, and everyone should add $2.50
for postage and handling. Write to: The Taunton Press, 63 South Main
Street, Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506. Or call (orders only)
1-800-888-8286.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
WHERE THERE'S A WILL
Who Inherited What and Why
by Stephen M. Silverman
(HarperCollins, 1991, ISBN 0-06-016260-0, $17.95)
review by Howard Frye
Forty famous people are given brief chapters in this enjoyable book
about the Last Will and Testament of the talented, the rich, and the
notorious. In each case Mr. Silverman covers not only the disposition
of their estate, but how that disposition related to that person's
life. Cole Porter's fussiness is reflected in his will's 29 pages of
specific instructions, just as Hemingway's character shows through his
simple one-page document. Their wills also confirm Joan Crawford's
nastiness and Bob Fosse's warmth.
The brevity of the coverage is disappointing, but what material there
is makes for fun reading. (Minor complaint: Mr. Silverman seems to
think that Gypsy Rose Lee wrote THE G-STRING MURDERS, simply because
the cover says "by Gypsy Rose Lee". Actually, it was ghostwritten by
the wonderful lady who also wrote under the name Craig Rice.) In WHERE
THERE'S A WILL you'll find fascinating bits about Dorothy Parker, Jim
Morrison, Yul Brynner, Jessica Savitch, Ethel Merman, Truman Capote,
Lillian Hellman, Ayn Rand, John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, and
many more. (Incidentally, if you like WHERE THERE'S A WILL, you might
want to try to find 1988's THEY WENT THAT-A-WAY by Malcolm Forbes with
Jeff Bloch, published by Simon & Schuster. It's about how famous
people died, and is just as gossipy and just as much fun.)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RECYCLING AT HOME
by Gary D. Branson
(Betterway, 1991, $14.95, ISBN 1-55870-189-3)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
This is not one of those superficial "38-1/2 Really Neat-o Things You
Can Do To Be Politically Correct". THE COMPLETE GUIDE covers just
about all the bases, and in some depth too. The Introduction sets the
tone by giving several statistics to show that PEOPLE are the problem,
not government. You'll find out that "oil carelessly dumped by
consumers (used oil from automobile, lawn, and recreational equipment)
is equal in volume to TWENTY OR MORE spills by the Exxon Valdez, on an
annual basis".
THE COMPLETE GUIDE starts out, appropriately, with a chapter on
Precycling, the art of not bringing a lot of trash into your house in
the first place. Avoid disposables, excessively packaged goods, etc.
Then there are chapters to cover Lawn and Garden, Plastics, Organizing
for Home Recycling, Water Conservation, Cars, Reducing Home
Maintenance, Hazardous Waste, Indoor Air Quality, Business Recycling,
Conserving Home Energy, Alternative Energy, and The Next Generation.
Each chapter concludes with a checklist of ways you can put the
information to use in everyday life.
Not all the recommendations are equally valid, in my opinion. Bringing
your own shopping bag to the store with you is good, but I'm not about
to remove every hinge in this house once a year for oiling. Also, the
range of solutions tends towards the Yuppie Gadget side--often not
only more elaborate than necessary, but more expensive too. The
illustrated compost bin is certainly a thing of beauty, but you'd
better know a carpenter if you want one. And I don't think it's really
necessary to build a lot of recycling furniture either. Collecting
your glass works just as well in a cardboard box as it does in a $200
cabinet. But this is just picking nits. The important part of THE
COMPLETE GUIDE TO RECYCLING AT HOME is the information it presents (I
particularly appreciated the chapter on plastics) and the ideas for
solutions. Not all the ideas will be right for everyone, but I'll bet
you'll find loads of helpful material for your recycling effort.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
For a catalog of professional, reference, and textbooks in the field
of psychology, write to: Gardner Press, Inc., 19 Union Square West,
New York, NY 10003. You'll find books on family psychology, sports and
health, alcohol and drug abuse, visual psychology, marriage and
family, gestalt therapy, statistics, clinical social work, etc.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
FROM HYPERGRAPHICS
Distributed by Firefly Books Ltd.
250 Sparks Avenue
Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2H 2S4
MS-DOS SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE
by Richard Maran
(1990, $9.95, ISBN 0-9694290-2-9)
review by Drew Bartorillo
Bringing home your first personal computer can be quite a frightening
experience. Most computer stores like to sell you a computer but are
not very helpful when it comes to teaching you how to use it, and
relying on the manuals that come with most computers can cause more
trouble than they are worth. Although the MS-DOS manual contains a
wealth of information, it tends to overwhelm the average first-time
computer owner. Richard Maran's MS-DOS SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE is very
small, 62 pages, and the *perfect* book for the computer novice. It
covers only the topics that the average computer owner needs to
maintain his or her computer. The topics covered in the book are:
Getting Started
Managing Your Directories
Managing Your Files
Managing Your Diskettes
Managing Your Hard Disk
Creating Batch Files
The layout of the book is very appealing, with everything presented in
a show-and-tell type format. Whenever a DOS command or procedure is
explained, there are pictures depicting exactly what should be
displayed on your computer monitor. "Tabs" are on the right side of
the page giving the names of the topics and across the top of the page
is the subject that is covered on that page. With the exception of
explaining what "directories" are and how to create your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file, no more than 2 pages are devoted to any one DOS command or
procedure. All-in-all the presentation is understandable and to the
point. At the back of the book is a Glossary of commonly used computer
terms like ASCII, BOOT, MEMORY, ROM, etc, the explanation of which can
be very valuable to the novice. MS-DOS SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE is an
excellent book for the brand-new computer user and is the type of book
that should be included with every first-time computer purchase.
MICROSOFT WINDOWS 3.0 SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE
by Richard Maran
(1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-9694290-3-7)
review by Drew Bartorillo
Microsoft Windows 3.0 is quite the craze right now and a number of
computer resellers are including it as part of the basic computer
software package. Like Richard Maran's MS-DOS SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE,
his WINDOWS 3.0 SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE is very small, 78 pages, and is
presented in the same show-and-tell type format with the following
topics being covered:
Windows Basics
Managing Your Programs
Managing Your Directories
Creating A File
Managing Your Files
Managing Your Diskettes
Help
With the exception of the subject of "Copy Or Move Files" no more than
two pages are devoted to any one subject and in some cases there is
only one page. The technique of showing on the page exactly what you
should see on your computer monitor is used to perfection. I would
definitely have to recommend WINDOWS 3.0 SIMPLIFIED USER GUIDE to
anyone who is using MS Windows for the first time. I did find one
fault with the book though. Nowhere could I find any mention of how to
set up and manage .PIF files, the interface between the Windows
operating environment and non-Windows application programs. I have
found that setting up .PIF files to be one of the more challenging
parts of MS Windows. For this one subject it will be necessary to
refer to the manual that comes with your MS Windows software.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
SUPERSTARS AND SCREWBALLS
by Richard Goldstein
(Dutton, March 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-525-24958-3)
review by Travis Adkins
Brooklyn and baseball. They were as perfect a combination as ham 'n
eggs, and as deeply rooted a tradition as hot dogs on the Fourth of
July. When the Dodgers were transplanted to Los Angeles at the end of
1957, something wonderful ended--something that is now wondrously
brought to life again.
Superstars and Screwballs is a panoramic historical portrait not only
of the teams that played in Brooklyn, but of that unique, fiercely
proud and pungently flavorful borough itself. And it is the chronicle
not only of the wildly unforgettable ups and downs of the Dodgers, but
of the black teams and outlaw-league ball clubs that made the Brooklyn
baseball scene so drama-packed.
SUPERSTARS AND SCREWBALLS tells the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers
beginning with the inception of baseball right through the destruction
of Ebbets Field. It is full of interesting tidbits about some of
baseball's finest moments. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this book an
8.
About the author: Richard Goldstein is a sports editor for the NEW
YORK TIMES and the author of SPARTAN SEASONS: HOW BASEBALL SURVIVED
THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
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THE HEALING HERBS: The Ultimate Guide to the
Curative Power of Nature's Medicines
by Michael Castleman
(Rodale Press, April 1991, $26.95, ISBN 0-87857-934-6)
review by Carl Ingram
"Even in the United States, 25 percent of all prescriptions still
contain active ingredients derived from plants, and the average
physician writes eight herb-based prescriptions every day. Not only
that, even the most vociferous herb critics use healing herbs all the
time--usually without realizing it."
---Introduction
Herbal remedies have some real advantages: they often have fewer side
effects than the more complicated and less natural products, they are
in many cases self-prescribable, they are almost always less
expensive, and growing them can be a pleasurable hobby. THE HEALING
HERBS will give you explicit instructions on how to grow or otherwise
obtain the herbs discussed, how to process them for medicinal use, how
much to take, what herbs may help with what problems, and what safety
factors to be aware of. Castleman not only tells you about the
generally accepted uses of the herb, but also lets you know when there
is early evidence of some other use that is more controversial. The
information is clearly and concisely given, in engaging prose, and all
arranged for ease of use. Rodale has printed THE HEALING HERBS on acid
free, recycled paper, with a nicely flexible binding--it's a beautiful
book, suitable for many years of hard use. Part garden book, part
scientific text, part historical survey, part how-to book, part
entertainment--it all adds up to one terrific book. With 100 plants
covered, and a table of over 200 conditions and diseases, the coverage
is comprehensive. For herbalists, beginning and advanced, this is the
one book you have to get.
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If you like magazines, you just HAVE to get yourself a copy of
FACTSHEET FIVE. Over a hundred pages of small type that lists hundreds
and hundreds of magazines and other odd items you can receive in your
mailbox. Along with each listing is a description (by FACTSHEET FIVE
people), the price, and how to get it. You'll find mainstream
magazines as well as one-page efforts by amateurs. Some of it is
pretty much guaranteed to be offensive. And some of it is free. But
words can't do FACTSHEET FIVE justice, you just have to see a copy for
yourself. Send $3.50 (bulk mail), $4 (surface mail outside U.S.), or
$5 (first class mail) to: FACTSHEET FIVE, Mike Gunderloy, 6 Arizona
Ave., Rensselaer, NY 12144-4502. (For those of you with computers and
modems, you can reach the FACTSHEET FIVE BBS at 518-479-3879.)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE HARROWSMITH COUNTRY LIFE BOOK OF GARDEN SECRETS
by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent & Diane E. Bilderback
(Camden House, 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-944475-14-0)
review by Carl Ingram
"We strongly believe that when you really understand the biology of
your plants, you will be a far better gardener than if you were to
follow the instructions in a book blindly without understanding the
WHYS behind the HOWS. And when you know something about the factors
that can influence your crops for better or worse, you'll be able to
deal more effectively with gardening problems and to experiment more
creatively with gardening methods."
---Introduction
That's the value of this book in a nutshell. Instead of trying to
remember hundreds of details about what to plant, where, when, and how
to plant it, what to feed it, how much to feed it, how much to water
it, etc., you read this book and learn HOW your vegetables grow (or
don't grow). A little understanding can free you from a awful lot of
facts and figures, which already makes this one of my all-time
favorite books on vegetable gardening. As an aside, it's a lovely book
too. The type is nice and large, the text is laid out attractively,
the illustrations are helpful, and the photographs are mouthwatering.
A must for the vegetable gardener.
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THE KITCHEN BOOK & THE COOK BOOK
by Nicolas Freeling; illustrated by John Lawrence
(David R. Godine, 1991, $16.95, ISBN 0-87923-862-3)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
"Food for pleasure, and not just nourishment, is best cooked in one's
own kitchen and eaten with the feet under one's own table."
---THE KITCHEN BOOK
Not too many people know that Nicolas Freeling was a professional cook
before he was a professional writer. Now more known for his mysteries,
back in 1970 he wrote THE KITCHEN BOOK--a delightful mix of personal
anecdote and ruminations about food. One of his fundamental theories
was that cookbooks are mostly pretty silly: they're too dogmatic for
good cooks, too vague for poor ones. So when he then sat down to write
THE COOK BOOK (1972), his very own cookbook, he was faced with the
challenge of his own words. This paperback from Godine brings together
both books in one volume: THE KITCHEN BOOK for the first time in its
entirety and with the Lawrence illustrations, THE COOK BOOK for the
very first time in the U.S.
My qualifications for reviewing this book are nil. A "kitchen",
according to my understanding, is where I can find the refrigerator
that holds my Diet Coke. And "cooking" occurs in my kitchen when I put
a bag of popcorn in the microwave. But I do LIKE food, you understand,
and I like good writing, and good conversation, and that's where THE
KITCHEN BOOK & THE COOK BOOK bowled me over. I sat down to read the
Introduction, just to find out what kind of book this was, and before
I knew it, it was 50 pages later and I was hooked. Like all my
favorite nonfiction, these two books are like sitting around with a
good conversationalist, one who can bring a wit, enthusiasm, and
clarity to his chosen subject. THE KITCHEN BOOK & THE COOK BOOK is an
excellent choice for food fans, Freeling fans, and anyone else who
enjoys a good talk with an interesting man.
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IN PURSUIT OF SATAN--THE POLICE AND THE OCCULT by Robert D. Hicks
(Prometheus Books, 1991, $23.95, ISBN 0-87975-604-7)
Mutilated animals. Defaced tombstones. Sexual abuse in daycare
centers. Is America threatened by a satanic conspiracy? In this book,
Robert D. Hicks exposes law enforcement's obsessive preoccupation with
satanism as a model for criminal behavior. While satanic belief has
played a part in crimes ranging from petty vandalism to serial
murders, Hicks avows that there is no substantial evidence for the
existence of a nationwide satanic crime continuum.
Hicks points out that the satanic criminal model is expedient
largely due to its simplicity and economy, reducing to simple formulas
such complex problems as drug abuse, teen suicide, and sexual
molestation. His research utilizes a unique blend of law-enforcement
methodology, anthropology, folklore, history, sociology, psychology,
and psychiatry; he attributes the cult-conspiracy theory to beliefs
fueled by Christian fundamentalist sects and to the ungovernable
mechanisms of rumor-panics, subversive mythology, and urban legend.
Robert D. Hicks, a former police officer, is a criminal justice
analyst who advises and consults with Virginia law enforcement
agencies on a variety of administrative, managerial, and operational
programs.
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MUSIC: PHYSICIAN FOR TIMES TO COME
edited by Don Campbell
(Theosophical Publishing House, 1991, $11.95, ISBN 0-8356-0668-6)
review by Howard Frye
We all know that music can affect us. Some pieces cheer us up, some
depress us. A military march is invigorating. I imagine most of us
have "special" songs or symphonies or whatever, music that "fixes"
something within us that occasionally needs fixing. Perhaps this is
why teenagers are, as a group, so identified with music. The teenage
years are possibly the most stressful that a human being is subjected
to, and the music helps. This might also explain the usual teenage
preference for hard-driving, loud music that most adults find too
depleting--teenagers have all that excess energy and so few approved
outlets. My speculations may be dimestore psychology, but MUSIC:
PHYSICIAN FOR TIMES TO COME is a collection of more reliable
commentary from people who should know--doctors, psychiatrists,
nurses, and a variety of music professionals.
This isn't another volume of New Age pseudoscience, this is a serious
collection of essays about a subject that is scientifically in its
infancy. We know that music really does "hath charms", but we're just
beginning to apply the tools of scientific inquiry to discover the
hows, whys and whatfors. Like you might imagine, the essays themselves
are a mixed bag. Some are clearly written and fascinating for any
layperson. Some are difficult to understand without some academic
grounding in either anatomy or music. Some are rather shallow and
light-weight. Some are deeply interesting and may motivate you to
begin an investigation of your own. MUSIC: PHYSICIAN FOR TIMES TO COME
is a thought-provoking collection of a science in the making.
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THE STONYFIELD FARM YOGURT COOKBOOK
by Meg Cadoux Hirshberg
(Camden House, 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-944475-13-2)
review by Howard Frye
Yogurt is not only a delicious dairy product, but it is also a
healthful food that has many uses. By changing from a cholesterol-free
"light" salad dressing to one based on yogurt, you can spare yourself
about 75% of the calories and almost all the fat (even "light" salad
dressings are full of fat). By using a nonfat yogurt, you can truly
eliminate ALL the fat. And after you've added a few tasty extras,
you'll have a creamy salad dressing that doesn't have a "yogurt"
taste. And how about the cream cheese that I used to love so much?
Cream cheese is calorie-laden, derives 90% of its calories from fat,
and is chock-full of cholesterol. Yogurt, from which you can make a
variety of delicious spreads, has about a fourth of the calories,
almost no fat, and about a fifth of the cholesterol.
Throughout the pages of THE STONYFIELD FARM YOGURT COOKBOOK you'll
find not only more ways to enjoy yogurt, but ideas for substitutions,
like those above, that can make meals more healthful for the whole
family. And don't think that the possibilities are exhausted in
toppings and spreads--you can use yogurt as a major player in breads,
soups, casseroles, cakes and cookies, vegetable concoctions, and a
rainbow of main dishes (with and without meat). You might also be
surprised at how many ways you can use yogurt that a yogurt-hater
won't be able to detect: if you don't say anything, they'll never know
how much healthier their food is.
In addition to the recipes, Meg Hirshberg gives the story of
Stonyfield Farm, tells us just what yogurt is, how to shop for the
very best yogurt, and provides tips on cooking with it. I wish more of
the dishes had been photographed, because I love to ogle food before I
prepare it, but otherwise this is a well-produced trade paperback
ready to stand up to some heavy use.
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SEX AND THE CARDIAC PATIENT: A Practical Guide
by Eduardo Chapunoff, M.D.
(Bendy Books, May 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-9629181-0-5)
Heart patients are often beset by many problems and concerns, not the
least of which is when to resume sexual activity. Dr. Chapunoff's
book, SEX AND THE CARDIAC PATIENT, was written with a specific
objective: to reach out to millions of individuals suffering from
cardiovascular diseases, who must face the uncertainties and fears
about their cardiac and sexual rehabilitation.
The combination of humor, candor and objectivity makes this book
unique, the first of its kind written by a cardiologist. Although this
work is addressed primarily to cardiac patients and their sexual
partners, it can also be useful to physicians, nurses, mental health
professionals, sex therapists, social workers, physical therapists,
and hospital administrators.
(If your local bookstore can't get you a copy, send $21.95, plus $2.50
shipping and handling, to: Bendy Books Inc., PO Box 2292, Miami Beach,
FL 33140. Add 6% tax for orders within Florida.)
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EARTH PRAYERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth
edited by Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon
(HarperCollins, 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-06-250746-X)
review by Howard Frye
This is a life-affirming, soul-lifting collection of thoughts about
the planet we live on and derive life from. If our hearts and minds
are balanced, we will do the right thing, and just maybe a little bit
of us will rub off on others. EARTH PRAYERS is the most beautiful, and
meaningful, collection I own. (The publisher and editors have arranged
to plant a tree for every tree needed in the manufacture of this
book's first printing.)
This we know.
The earth does not belong to us;
we belong to the earth.
Whatever befalls the earth
befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.
We did not weave the web of life;
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web,
we do to ourselves...
---Chief Seattle
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THE ADDRESS BOOK
How to Reach Anyone Who IS Anyone (Fifth Edition)
by Michael Levine
(Perigee, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-399-51621-2)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Included in this book are the addresses of actors and actresses,
politicians, emperors, princes, sports figures (active and retired),
magazines, professional associations, charities, major corporations,
scientists, writers, journalists, musical groups, singers, fan clubs,
magicians, sports teams, experts, special interest groups, television
networks, newspapers (domestic and foreign), clubs, assassins,
university presidents, judges, lawyers, cartoonists, comedians,
religious groups, dancers---seemingly anyone who ANYONE could ever
want to contact.
You could let a politician know what you think of him/her, or ask a
rock star for an autograph, or join the Andrew Dice Clay fan club.
We've all heard about the letter-writing campaigns that some groups
wage to get any adult or controversial material removed from TV. Have
you ever thought of writing a congratulatory letter to a company for
sponsoring a controversial show? Don't you think it might help if we
showed a little support? There are countless ways to use these
addresses to help yourself, others, or simply to amuse. THE ADDRESS
BOOK should be on everybody's book shelf. It's a small world only if
you have the information you need to reach out.
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BOOKS ON COMPUTER DISK! ON-LINE ADVISOR 1.1 FROM SYBAR SOFTWARE
SYBAR Software announces the release of the On-Line Advisor Version
1.1. Help for popular application programs such as WordPerfect, Lotus
1-2-3, and DOS has never been easier to find. With the Advisor, it's
as easy as 1-2-3, all at the touch of a key.
1. Have a question while working on your application? Call up the
Advisor with the touch of a hot-key. The Advisor is a TSR (terminate
stay resident program); that means you don't have to leave your work.
The Advisor appears on top of your working program.
2. The On-Line Advisor Flash Index appears. Just start typing your
topic of inquiry and the Index brings you straight to the question at
hand. Taking up as much as 80 book-length pages, and listing each
topic on the average of ten different ways, the Flash Index is sure to
find your topic on the first try. Within each entry, topics are
divided into useful subsections: Key Sequences, Syntax, Usage,
Examples. A pull-down related topics menu provides quick cross
references. Another pull-down menu keeps track of topics you looked up
previously for easy referral.
3. Once you find your answer, close the Advisor window and you are
back to work! With the On-Line Advisors you have a 250-page reference
manual built into your computer, without the hassle books create.
There is no need to thumb through a lengthy index--the Advisor does
the work for you. There is no need to cross-reference from page to
page--the Advisor notes them for you. Avoid the frustration of looking
up the same topic again and again--the Advisor stores them for you.
With the On-Line Advisors, help has never been easier.
The On-Line Advisor Version 1.1 is available for WordPerfect 5.1,
Lotus 1-2-3 2.2, and DOS 3.3. Harvard Graphics 2.3 On-Line Advisor is
due for release in May 1991. Retail price $29.95. SYBAR is a division
of SYBEX computer books.
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THE UNKNOWN SOUTH OF FRANCE
A History Buff's Guide
by Henry & Margaret Reuss
(Harvard Common Press, 1991, $12.95, ISBN 1-55832-030-X)
review by Carl Ingram
"Each chapter focuses on a specific period in history, then proposes a
little tour of one to four days ("Visiting...") to sample that
history, providing suggestions for food and lodging ("E" indicates
expensive), as well as a map of the area. (Unless otherwise noted,
each of the establishments named is a combined hotel and restaurant.)
This book considers history the best introduction to the region for
both the armchair reader and the on-the-spot visitor."
---Preface
Information and experiences are always easier to appreciate more fully
when they can be placed in some kind of context, when your mind can
make connections for you. This delightful innovation on the standard
travel guide allows you to enjoy your history and the south of France
as well. Among the highlights included are: cave paintings in the
Dordogne, old Gallic stones and ruins in Provence, relics of the
religious wars in Navarre, and World War II resistance hideouts
throughout the Midi. Illustrated with a dozen maps and fifty
photographs, there is also a selection of recommended inns and
restaurants. A terrific idea--I hope to see more guides like this one.
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THE DESERT READER
edited by Peter Wild
(University of Utah Press, 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-87480-366-7)
THE DESERT READER is the first book of its kind. It brings together a
historical cross section of writing about the American Southwest and
demonstrates through its selections and the editor's discussion of
them how thinking about deserts has changed from earliest times to the
present day. Beginning with the whimsical, centuries-old folktales of
the Papago Indians, it moves on through the foresighted observations
of John Wesley Powell, one-armed explorer of the Grand Canyon,
continues with the delicate appreciation of Mary Austin and Joseph
Wood Krutch, and brings us down to today's more activist era with the
keen writings of Wallace Stegner, Edward Abbey, and others. A shift
from the desert as a place to be despised or exploited or both to an
appreciation of it as a special place, as an arena of highly complex
natural communities, as a wild refuge for the human body and soul,
dominates the slow change in outlook.
Comprehensive and brightly informative, THE DESERT READER will be
invaluable to scholar and nonspecialist alike--to anyone interested in
the history, literature, and beauty of America's treasured desert
places.
Peter Wild is Professor of English at the University of Arizona and
author of numerous works on the Southwest. (University of Utah Press,
101 University Services Building, Salt Lake City, UT 84112)
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NEW GUIDE OPENS MANY DOORS
"Highly readable; well edited; useful format; a book no disabled
person should be without," states James Brady, former press secretary
for President Ronald Reagan.
Adventurous travellers with disabilities have been hard-pressed to
locate accommodating educational opportunities, transportation and
other organizations--UNTIL NOW.
A newly published directory, A WORLD OF OPTIONS FOR THE 90's, by
Cindy Lewis & Susan Sygall, contains over 90 resources for the
disabled traveller. Arranged in an easy-to-use format, this 300+ page
guide gives detailed information on: International Exchange Programs;
Voluntary Workcamps/Community Service Projects world-wide; Travel
Options (air, auto, train, cruises and home-exchange).
Specially researched sections include UP-TO-DATE information on
financial aid, dozens of additional resources for more specialized
needs, magazines and books available, health & safety tips, and much,
much more!
In the last portion of this essential guide, 17 disabled travellers
share their motivational personal travel stories--from Costa Rica to
Japan, Denmark to the Soviet Union.
A WORLD OF OPTIONS FOR THE 90's is available from Mobility
International USA, Box 3551-C, Eugene, OR 97403. Price: $16.00
(postage included). Mobility International USA is a 10-year-old
organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for people with
disabilities into international educational exchange and travel
programs.
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SHUT DOWN THE HOME OFFICE
Hands-On Market-Driven Management for the Nineties
by Frank A. Armstrong
(Donald I. Fine, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 1-55611-248-3)
Barbara Garson, in her fine book THE ELECTRONIC SWEATSHOP (reviewed in
RFP #6) expressed serious concern over the social remoteness of
business leaders. She found that many powerful and wealthy executives
had very little contact with the day-to-day reality of the average
American. Ms. Garson found this socially alarming, and now Frank
Armstrong says that it's bad business too. Mr. Armstrong, president
and CEO of the Monarch Co. (a soft drink company that makes DAD's and
Frostie Root Beers, among others) says that if you are to manage a
company that is trying to survive in the real world, you need to know
and understand that reality.
EXECUTIVE DECISIONS: SOME WINNERS AND LOSERS
Winners
1. Believe office size is important only if it is too small to work
in.
2. Know what is wrong with your own products.
3. Make product developers do 50 "gross profit margin push-ups" every
day.
4. Prepare two-year financial plans...but only believe in them the
first year.
5. Find out why people buy the competition's products.
6. Get MBA's to stop theorizing and start working in the front line.
7. Figure out gross profit margins on new products two years before
it's too late.
8. Kiss your spouse good-bye and take long trips to the market each
month.
9. Actually LISTEN to customer complaints.
10. Fly tourist and love the self-sacrifice.
Losers
1. Believe sales projections of sales force...and increase spending
accordingly.
2. Prepare elaborate five-year financial plans to fill empty warehouse
space.
3. Believe competitors are stupid.
4. Enjoy having a brain trust around to play basketball with twice a
week.
5. Use consultants at every opportunity...especially on unsolvable
problems.
6. Have a big office with a photograph of Arnold Palmer on the wall.
7. Believe all major problems can be solved in the home office.
8. Tend to be greedy at bonus time.
9. Think stock performance is more important than cash flow.
10. Like the impersonal quality of market research as long as it
confirms one's personal convictions.
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THE PREMIERE GUIDE TO MOVIES ON VIDEO
edited by Howard Karren, Premiere Magazine
(HaperPerennial, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-06-273019-3)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Here's another great addition to the list of books who list the movies
you can rent, or buy, on videotape. So what makes this guide from
Premiere Magazine different? The first thing you'll notice is that the
movies are arranged, not by major genre, or director, or star, but by
theme. There are chapters devoted to Politics, School Days, Virgins,
Small Towns, Screwball Comedies, Underdogs, Food, etc. There is also
an attempt to sum it all up with a chapter on "The Greatest Movies of
the '80s", in which a wide variety of movie people (critics,
directors, writers, and such) contribute their lists.
The very best distinction to THE PREMIERE GUIDE TO MOVIES ON VIDEO,
however, doesn't really come through until you start to read it. By
having each chapter, each theme, written by a different person, the
write-ups of all the movies are very positive. Instead of having one
writer, or at least one basic perspective, covering a vast array of
movies, you get individuals telling you about the movies they love the
most, and I think you'll find that you learn far more from other
people's enthusiasms than you do from their aversions. I read at least
a dozen write-ups in this book that gave me a totally new perspective
on movies that I had failed to appreciate before. After reading about
any specific film here, if you still don't enjoy it, at least you'll
know that you gave it a fair trial, that you heard the positive side
of the cultural argument.
I should also mention that the commentary in THE PREMIERE GUIDE is the
brief and witty variety, not the long-winded and pretentious kind of
thing you get from many single-author texts. (Exactly what you would
expect if you've ever read Premiere Magazine.) This is a book for
people who would like to expand their film horizons, find an
appropriate handle to use in approaching new and unusual types of
movies. THE PREMIERE GUIDE TO MOVIES ON VIDEO is definitely
recommended.
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NEW GUIDES FROM COUNTRYMAN PRESS
FIFTY HIKES IN LOWER MICHIGAN
The Best Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from Sleeping Bear Dunes to
Oakland County
by Jim DuFresne
(256 pages, 52 maps, 55 b/w photos, $12.95, May 1991)
FIFTY HIKES IN CONNECTICUT
A Guide to Short Walks and Day Hikes in the Nutmeg State
by Gerry and Sue Hardy
(200 pages, 52 maps, 50 b/w photos, $11.95, April 1991)
The Countryman Press, Inc., PO Box 175, Woodstock, VT 05091
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THEORIES OF EVERYTHING
The Quest for Ultimate Explanation
by John D. Barrow
(Oxford University Press, 1991, $22.95, ISBN 0-19-853928-2)
review by Carl Ingram
Modern scientists are no longer content to discover the causes, whys
and wherefors of isolated phenomena, they are after the one elegant
turn of mathematical phrasing that will explain, well, everything. In
THEORIES OF EVERYTHING, author and astronomer John D. Barrow takes the
reader through the problems that this search entails. What kinds of
things will have to be included in any all-encompassing theory of
everything? Are the laws of nature bigger than the universe, or is it
the other way around? (If you go back before the beginning of the
universe, what was there? Did the beginning of the universe hold to
the laws of nature as we understand them? How was something created
out of nothing? You see how compulsive questioning becomes.)
Are there many possible universes, or is this it? What are superstring
theories and why do they presuppose 9 or 25 dimensions, instead of the
three or four most of us live in. Barrow also takes the reader through
the nature and worth of mathematics. Exactly why do we need
mathematics? Is the universe itself just one incomprehensibly vast
computer? And underlying all these questions is the constant, eternal
nature of our motivating need to understand the universe around us.
THEORIES OF EVERYTHING is certainly not a breezy read, but is just
what the scientifically inclined layperson needs to explain some of
modern science's major preoccupations and put them into a human
perspective.
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TAKE MY EX-HUSBAND, PLEASE--BUT NOT TOO FAR
by Barbara Malley
(Little, Brown, 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-316-54524-4)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
This is the engaging story of Barbara Malley's 50-year relationship
with Edward Malley: from their first meeting at a party, through an
unexpected pregnancy, marriage, four children, suicide attempt,
divorce, and eternal friendship. Consisting entirely of diary entries
and letters, the reader gets small glimpses into the joys,
awkwardness, confusions, and pain of another person's everyday life.
Barbara Malley's voice is almost always cheerful, good-natured, and
disconcertingly candid.
The length of Barbara's relationship with Ed is not the only unusual
note here. For someone born in the very early 1920s, Barbara received
an extraordinary amount of understanding and support from her husband.
It doesn't appear that she was ever expected to be tied to the kitchen
stove by her apron strings, making endless chocolate chip cookies and
preparing flawless meals to impress Ed's business associates. When one
of their sons got a pilot's license, and Ed soon followed, they both
encouraged Barbara to get one too. And when Ed bought airplanes, a
series of ever-larger ones, they were at Barbara's disposal as much as
his. (How many times have you heard a woman of Barbara's generation
not even being allowed to drive her husband's car?)
Small points will jump out at you as you read Barbara's story. I
noticed that when she consulted a psychiatrist after a suicide attempt
(her reaction to Ed's infidelity), her psychiatrist felt that
extramarital affairs were normal for a man, but made a woman a "slut".
This was in 1971. I also couldn't help noticing that one of Barbara
and Ed's four children simply vanishes over the years. On the very
last page of the book you learn that she died. Barbara's candor, like
mine and yours too I expect, has limits. And that's possibly the very
nicest thing about TAKE MY EX-HUSBAND: Barbara and Ed are real people,
not movie stars or the rulers of empires. We all have a life to live.
Here's how two special people lived theirs.
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500 --MORE!-- HOUSEHOLD HINTS YOU WANTED TO KNOW
by Harris Mitchell
(Consumers' Association of Canada, $6.95, 1987)
review by Howard Frye
Household hints usually makes us think of "128 Things To Do With
Doilies" or "What To Do About Water Spots On Your Good Crystal",
subjects of interest to the employees of the very rich, or the
Obsessive-Compulsive housekeeper. You'll find none of that nonsense in
Harris Mitchell's useful book, which is devoted entirely to coping
with the realities of living in the modern home and trying to maintain
it in the comfort to which we hope to become accustomed.
You'll find out how to prevent your pipes from freezing in the winter;
how to deal with aging bathroom sinks and tubs; how to get rid of
ants; how to unclog drains; how to waterproof your basement. You'll
find out why various parts of your home smell bad, drip, peel, rattle,
warp, leak, smoke, gurgle, buckle, expand, shrink, or rot---and what
to do about it when they do. Mitchell also tells you what to do about
stains, rust, and calamitous spills. This isn't a book you're going to
live with day-to-day, but there will probably be about 3 or 4 days in
every year when you need some of the information is this book. (You
can write to the publisher at: Consumers' Association of Canada, Box
9300, Ottawa, Ont. K1G 3T9, Canada. It may also help you to know that
this book is distributed in the U.S. by Firefly Books Ltd., 250 Sparks
Ave., Willowdale, Ont. M2H 2S4, Canada.)
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THE SCIENCE OF LOVE: UNDERSTANDING LOVE AND ITS
EFFECTS ON MIND AND BODY
by Anthony Walsh, Ph.D.
(Prometheus Books, May 1991, $22.95, ISBN 0-87975-648-9)
Bringing evidence to bear from a number of sciences, Anthony Walsh
vividly demonstrates in THE SCIENCE OF LOVE that the satisfaction of
the need for love is basic to the development of physically,
psychologically, and behaviorally healthy human beings.
Although this book includes three chapters on romantic love, it
broadens the scope to include the role of love in the developmental
process of infants and children, on physical and mental health and
illness, on violent criminality, and other social aspects of love.
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FROM PEACHPIT PRESS
2414 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
THE LITTLE SYSTEM 7 BOOK by Kay Yarborough Nelson
Teach yourself the essentials of System 7, and skip the technical
mumbo jumbo! In clear, simple English, this book explains the most
useful features of System 7 without burdening you with needless
technical details. ($12.95, 160 pages)
THE MACINTOSH FONT BOOK by Erfert Fenton
Newly Revised and Updated for TrueType and System 7. From font
fundamentals to resolving ID conflicts, the award-winning MACINTOSH
FONT BOOK has long been acknowledged as the definitive guide to
Macintosh fonts. ($23.95, 350 pages)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE
by Michael Talbot
(HarperCollins, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-06-016381-X)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Just about everyone knows at least a little bit about holograms. A
beam of light from a laser is split in two, the first beam gets
bounced off the object being photographed, the second beam is allowed
to collide with the reflected light of the first beam, and the
resulting interference pattern is recorded on film. The holographic
plate, when examined, is just blurry ripples--it doesn't look like
anything--yet when another laser beam is shined through it, the
originally photographed object appears, in all its three-dimensional
glory, in the middle of empty space. The photographed object (say, for
instance, Princess Leia, as in the message Luke Skywalker receives in
the beginning of the film STAR WARS) appears to really be there, but
you can pass your hand through the image.
OK, so holograms are a nifty bit of modern magic. They've been around
for quite a while, so what's the big deal now? The big deal is that a
number of scientists are beginning to realize that the way in which
holograms work can explain a great many things that science has had
difficulty explaining before. For instance: Scientists have been
trying to localize memories. They teach rats a trick, then remove
different parts of the brain, and different amounts of brain tissue,
in an effort to remove the part that knew the trick. Apparently, it
can't be done. If you leave the rat any brain at all, no matter what
part, the rat still knows the trick. This doesn't fit at all with many
of our long-cherished theories about how the brain functions. However,
it sounds EXACTLY like how a holographic plate "remembers" the
photographed image. Take the holographic plate and break it into
several pieces, take one piece, shine a laser beam through it, and you
get the ENTIRE photographed image. As a matter of fact, any piece of a
holographic plate will restore the entire image--as the pieces get
smaller, the image just gets fuzzier.
Physicist David Bohm believes that our brains function like a
hologram--that the universe we know is "captured" by our senses as
interference patterns, just like the holographic plate, and that our
brain translates these blurry ripples into the shapes, colors, smells,
tastes, and sensations we call reality. In other words, we live in a
universe of our own making, a holographic universe.
This is the most fascinating, exciting science book I've read in a
very long time. The scientific content of THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE is
just enough to be stimulating and challenging, without being confusing
or frustrating. Although still a controversial subject, the
holographic model really DOES help to explain a lot of
poorly-understood phenomena. Like some apparent inconsistencies in
physics that dismayed Einstein, and telepathy, lucid dreaming,
mystical experiences, some forms of mental illness. THE HOLOGRAPHIC
UNIVERSE is guaranteed to stretch your mind and challenge your
concepts of what is real, and what it even means to be real. Highly
recommended.
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SECOND NATURE: A GARDENER'S EDUCATION
by Michael Pollan
(Atlantic Monthly Press, May 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-87113-443-8)
review by Carl Ingram
This book isn't about the nuts and bolts of gardening--it's about the
philosophy of gardening. Michael Pollan is the quintessential
Philosopher-Gardener, always questioning his place in the garden, and
his garden's place in the world. He says that a garden is the most
appropriate place from which to rethink our relationship to nature and
to put yourself on the most intimate possible terms with one small
corner of the universe. Pollan writes: "I find, in the garden, some
grounds for hope."
In the course of SECOND NATURE, Michael Pollan ruminates about his
childhood, his family, current attitudes towards animals and the
wilderness, class-consciousness in the garden world, the environment,
and the politics of the American lawn. One essay from SECOND NATURE,
"Why Mow", was included in BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 1990. I particularly
enjoyed an anecdote about his father's refusal to be pressured into
mowing his middle-class suburban lawn.
Once you begin SECOND NATURE, I don't think you'll be able to stop.
Pollan's simple, elegant writing style reminds me a little of E.B.
White's, and it is a joy to read. Spending time with SECOND NATURE is
like spending time with a warm and witty friend who has the wisdom to
put experience into perspective. For anyone who loves to garden, and
particularly for those of us who prefer gardens to gardening, I can
wholeheartedly recommend SECOND NATURE. (Being a beautifully bound
volume, it would also make a great gift for any Philosopher-Gardeners
you might know.)
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DO CATS NEED SHRINKS? Cat Behavior Explained
by Peter Neville
(Contemporary Books, 1991, $13.95, ISBN 0-8092-4051-3)
review by Howard Frye
Have you ever wondered why you cat does some of the things s/he does?
Have you ever wanted to change some of your cat's behavior? (Yes, I
know, silly question.) Peter Neville is one of Britain's leading cat
psychologists, and has written DO CATS NEED SHRINKS? to discuss some
of the more frequent feline behaviors and what can be done about the
unacceptable ones. Without being cute or patronizing, Neville
addresses the problems and rewards of sharing your life with a cat:
what to do about the problems and how to maximize the rewards.
Neville specifically talks about: introducing a new cat to an existing
family pet, calming your cat around visitors, adapting your cat to
your daily routine, how to stop your cat from scratching the furniture
or eating the plants, how to read your cat's body language, curing the
"petting and biting syndrome", helping your cat through major changes
like moves, vacations, etc. He is sympathetic to cat-human conflicts
and always provides positive advice.
DO CATS NEED SHRINKS? is a very good book for anyone who lives with a
cat, or is considering living with one. It is a charming guide to the
feline psyche, and a good source of straightforward advice that is all
too often overlooked by cat care books.
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CONQUERING MATHEMATICS: From Arithmetic to Calculus
by Lloyd Motz & Jefferson Hane Weaver
(Plenum Press, May 1991, $23.50, ISBN 0-306-43768-6)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Let's say you didn't do too well in math at school, and now you find
yourself needing more math skills than you have to succeed in your
chosen career. Or let's say you're the kind of person who enjoys
puzzles and other mental recreations, and is beginning to think that
it might be nice to learn some of the math that you skipped in school.
In either case, CONQUERING MATHEMATICS might be just what you need.
The language is clear, no weird symbols are used without adequate
explanation and preparation, every idea builds on the one before it in
tiny steps that obscure how much information you're digesting.
Motz & Weaver present mathematics as a subject that is natural,
interesting, and absolutely essential to modern life. Reading
CONQUERING MATHEMATICS is nothing like the math classes you took in
school; classes that consisted of traumatic pop quizzes, boring
"proofs", meaningless tables and incomprehensible formulas. In
CONQUERING MATHEMATICS each idea comes with the groundwork already
laid so that it not only makes sense, it seems obvious. Before you
give up on yourself and mathematics, give CONQUERING MATHEMATICS a
try.
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DISCOVERING THE POWER OF SELF-HYPNOSIS
by Stanley Fisher, Ph.D.
(HarperCollins, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-06-016369-0)
review by Cindy Bartorillo
Hypnosis still hasn't quite reached the mainstream of modern medicine,
but it's making giant strides. We have finally been forced to admit
that mind and body can no longer be profitably considered as separate
entities, but are merely different aspects of our "self". And slowly
but surely we're realizing that our minds are more powerful than we
thought. And with one added concept--that our conscious minds have
access to our subconscious--the equation is complete, and we can
understand the value of self-hypnosis.
Contrary to popular opinion, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and it
isn't a dangerous practice. Self-hypnosis is simply an altered state
of consciousness in which you are hyperaware, with a very focused
concentration. Many people enter and leave trance-like states without
even being aware of it. Have you ever "lost" yourself in a book or
movie, or in your work, where more time has passed than you noticed?
Those are times of concentrated attention in which your mind has been
focused on one thing to the near-exclusion of others. With
self-hypnosis, you can accomplish the same thing deliberately, any
time you want.
So what can you do with self-hypnosis? Many people have used it to
help them quit smoking, lose weight, overcome fears and anxieties,
even help with physical conditions and diseases. Surgical patients
heal faster when using the techniques of self-hypnosis, and leave the
hospital sooner. Even if all you get out of it is stress reduction,
you will have changed your life for the better. Truly, practicing
self-hypnosis is a no-lose situation.
All of the above information I got quickly and clearly from reading
DISCOVERING THE POWER OF SELF-HYPNOSIS. Dr. Fisher is a good teacher
and the numerous examples of patients, problems, and techniques
display the possibilities of self-hypnosis as an aid to well-