To highlight the wide range of publications reviewed in Choice, each month Choice editors feature some noteworthy reviews from the current issue. 

Apple, Rima D. Perfect motherhood: science and childrearing in America. Rutgers, 2006. 209p index afp Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-4156       HQ759       2005-24943CIP
Apple (women's studies, Univ. of Wisconsin) has produced a marvelous book about the reception of scientific advice by US mothers in the late 19th through 20th centuries. She paints a picture of women as neither passive victims of male medical power nor autonomous agents rationally engaging objective practices. Perhaps Apple could have gone further in problematizing scientific expertise as reflecting dominant cultural modes and as part of class reproduction. However, the contextualization of women's needs for advice as social networks changed through migration, employment, and smaller family size (e.g., fewer women had younger cousins and siblings, thus less opportunity to become familiar with babies) is most convincing. Changing ideas about how women should interact with physicians (from obeisance to collaboration) are interesting, but could have been tied more rigorously to scholarship on women and the medical profession. The description of women's sense making as they modified scientific advice (feeding schedules, potty-training regimes) to fit their lives is vivid, based on journals and correspondence with "baby bureaus" and women's magazines. A must read for scholars in women's studies, American studies, and, quite possibly, new mothers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --- J. L. Croissant, University of Arizona

Between the lines: a history of Poetry in letters, comp. and ed. by Joseph Parisi and Stephen Young. I.R. Dee, 2006. 426p index afp ISBN 1566636566, $35.00. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3739       PS301       2005-37532CIP
This extraordinary volume comprises some 500 previously unpublished letters between the editors of Poetry and just about every notable poet of the last 40 years. The letters are enormously interesting because they include everything from appraisals of individual poems and poets to compliments and complaints about editorial decisions and direction to discussions of general literary and cultural plights. The letters alone make the volume invaluable, but Parisi and Young (both former editors of Poetry) contextualize them with really fine extended accounts of the journal's development and operations, especially its variable financial circumstances, and of the literary and cultural circumstances of each major period throughout the 40 years--a period that culminated in Ruth Lilly's permanently stabilizing 2002 endowment of one hundred million dollars and the controversy it provoked over the relative worthiness of poetry (in comparison with social ills). The editors also provide an account of the journal's development over its first 50 years (1912-62), a period covered in greater detail and with letters in Dear Editor (2002), also edited by Parisi and Young, the companion volume to this work. Together these volumes present the formation of an enormously important strain of literary judgment in 20th-century American poetry. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers; all levels. --- R. J. Cirasa, Kean University

Cook, Eleanor. Enigmas and riddles in literature. Cambridge, 2006. 291p bibl index ISBN 0521855101, $80.00. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3723       PN56       2005-01692MARC
On the surface, riddles are pretty simple. When is a door not a door? When it is ajar. Tee hee. But not all riddles work the same. In fact, some of them are downright enigmatic. To be sure, plenty of folklorists and anthropologists have already examined riddles in relation to their social context, but only a handful of writers have looked at them in terms of their imaginative context and then in only a limited way. Enter Eleanor Cook (Univ. of Toronto) with a brand new approach to a very old genre. In this beautifully organized and detailed analysis, she demonstrates how riddles work in literature. From the rhetorical history of enigma as a figure of speech to its classification as master plot together with informative case studies on Dante, Lewis Carroll, and Wallace Stevens, this is most definitely literary criticism. Because of this, the reader should, of course, be prepared for a certain amount of jargon and a few obscure allusions, but Cook plays fair: she defines terms and provides a wonderfully wide range of examples from Aristotle to Josephine Tey. Thus, both the topic and the treatment should have wide appeal. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --- D. C. Greenwood, Albright College

Fast food/slow food: the cultural economy of the global food system, ed. by Richard Wilk. AltaMira, 2006. 268p index afp ISBN 0759109141, $72.00; ISBN 0759109141 pbk, $29.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3963       HD9000       2006-10813CIP
Fast Food/Slow Food examines changing food systems around the world, informed by the field experiences of contributors. The book's three sections adeptly present major aspects of the slow food/fast food dichotomy: the place of slow food/fast food issues in different societies; concerns arising from industrial food development; and the compromises and adjustments made in the face of changing food economies. The ethnographic data provide indispensable research tools for specialists in agricultural economic development and offer useful insights into the role food plays in societal and cultural identity. In addition, contributors discuss consumer dynamics and cultural implications on a valuable, highly academic level. The biggest strength of this work is the cohesion created by the contributors' inter-references and understanding of the other essays in the book, helping make even the most detailed studies more understandable through connections outlined throughout the text. Although the cultural and economic details are sometimes very specific and seem most appropriate for readers with subject expertise, the book will inform anyone interested in slow food/fast food issues and debates. An important contribution to the literature on this topic. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and professionals. --- S. Kowtko, Spokane Community College

Garland, Robert. Celebrity in antiquity: from media tarts to tabloid queens. Duckworth, 2006. 177p bibl index ISBN 0715634488 pbk, $23.50. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-4006       DE7       MARC
This is a surprisingly good book. One might suspect the usefulness of treating the obvious--that in any age and place, there have been something like "celebrities." Indeed, Garland (Colgate Univ.) begins by carefully defining the term and noting that there is no exact equivalent in Greek or Latin. That out of the way, he then begins to talk about celebrities in the classical world, including the obvious (Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra) and the less obvious, whose fame has not outlived them. Throughout, the chapter titles and section headings read like tabloid headlines, and are just as misleading. This is a readable essay, commentary, and analysis, well documented with footnotes and bibliography. Scholars may indeed find it useful for some of the less well-known information, but the book will be an easy read for the general public as well. Scholars may also wonder why Garland did not include so-and-so, but this is just a little book, not a multivolume, exhaustive treatment of a subject that probably does not deserve more. An enjoyable read. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. --- J. J. Gabbert, emerita, Wright State University

Hall, Horace R. Mentoring young men of color: meeting the needs of African American and Latino students. Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. 127p afp ISBN 1578864291, $40.00; ISBN 1578864291 pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3979       LC2731       2006-651CIP
Hall (DePaul School of Education) takes an in-depth look at the role of school-based mentoring in changing the academic and social fates of minority male youth. The author uses this compact volume particularly to remind America that there is a cultural practice that can sustain minority males' value in society: mentoring. He also indicates that educators, parents, and community leaders can play a definitive role in helping these young men to become valuable members of their respective communities. In order for mentoring to work, educators must be committed to activities such as allowing minority males to express themselves with freedom, and to viewing minority males through their "Learners Everyday Negotiation Strategy." Moreover, they must develop mentoring experiences that help both teachers and students see that they can be both effective learners and leaders. Hall concludes that these relationships provide minority males with the academic and social support needed to realize their potential and dreams. Now it is up to educators and communities to commit further resources to mentoring minority youth. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower-division undergraduates through practitioners. --- M. T. Hines III, Sam Houston State University

Horne, Jed. Breach of faith: Hurricane Katrina and the near death of a great American city. Random House, 2006. 412p index afp ISBN 1400065526, $25.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3882       HV636       2006-46468CIP
Horne takes readers on a harrowing journey through the unfolding disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. As editor of the New Orleans newspaper Times-Picayune, Horne covered the storm as it bore down on the city, and he presents the drama that ensued both before and after the levee breach. What makes Breach of Faith unique is that it takes readers into the personal stories of ordinary citizens as well as those of politicians and journalists who were in New Orleans during the storm. Through their eyes, Horne lets the reader see the impact of this disaster in an intimate, compelling way. Along with these graphic depictions is commentary from Horne, who details the politics behind the storm and the series of errors and misjudgments that contributed to the severity of the disaster. The reader hears the stories of nurses attempting to care for patients in hospitals without electrical power, people who had to hack their way onto their own rooftops to be saved from drowning, and ordinary citizens made extraordinary by the circumstances they faced. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. --- E. A. Roberts, Pennsylvania State University

Jonaitis, Aldona. Art of the Northwest coast. Washington/Douglas & Mcintyre, 2006. 322p index ISBN 0295986360 pbk, $26.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3692       E78       2006-13866CIP
Jonaitis (director, Univ. of Alaska Museum of the North; anthropology, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks) poses this question as the thesis of her latest work about the Pacific Northwest: How did it happen that so much art, so finely made, developed here in this strip of land from Puget Sound to Yakuat in Alaska? Art of the Northwest Coast provides a comprehensive survey of all of the Native arts from the region, dating from prehistoric times to the present. Jonaitis incorporates social histories with observations of anthropologists, art historians, and Native peoples in a web of complex factors that represent varied responses to change over time, providing answers to her query. Even during the bleakest periods of decline among Native peoples, artworks expressed strong surviving culture. Mercifully, since the revivals of the 1960s, these works are treated as fine art rather than as anthropological artifacts. These pieces are as distinctive as they are haunting. Few would ever be mistaken for originating in any other part of the world. In light of this fact alone, this thoroughly researched anthology is a welcome addition to this field. A masterfully written, superbly illustrated, welcome addition to any collection. Must reading for anyone interested in the arts of Native cultures. Summing Up: Essential. All levels. --- A. Wirkkala, New Hampshire Technical Institute

Levy, Steven. The perfect thing: how the iPod shuffles commerce, culture, and coolness. Simon & Schuster, 2006. 284p index ISBN 0743285220, $25.00. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3948       ML74       2006-50270MARC
In this engagingly written account of a recent must-have technology, the iPod, Levy (chief technology correspondent, Newsweek) describes the design of one of most successful personal electronic products on the market and its wide-ranging impact on the music industry and culture. His intimate familiarity with the technology, as well as the people shaping it, enables him to provide an interesting, detailed account. The product's appeal crosses ages, cultures, and interests, but binds the users together in separate but shared experiences. For students of the social change agent phenomena and consumer appeal, the author's discussion of the historical aspects of the product design and discarded features is edifying. For anyone interested in designing technology that is easily accessible and appealing to the user, or in the creation of a universally identifiable iconic visual appearance, understanding the development of the iPod product (and subsequent versions) is critical. Levy uses an iPod device of "shuffling" with this book: it was produced in four different versions with chapters appearing in a different order in each. This works because each chapter is an encapsulated story (with some repetition across the chapters). Anyone interested in the iPod, technology, product design, or marketing should read this book. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries supporting business and technology collections. --- N. J. Johnson, Metropolitan State University

Lindner, Evelin. Making enemies: humiliation and international conflict. Praeger Security International, 2006. 224p bibl index afp ISBN 0275991091, $49.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-4114       BF575       2006-15399CIP
This volume is a path-breaking work that skillfully explores the deeper intricacies between war and peacemaking from a social psychological lens. Lindner (Columbia Univ.) cogently argues that there is a strong relationship between humiliation and international conflict. She defines humiliation as "enforced lowering of a person or group, a process of subjugation that damages or strips away pride, honor or dignity." The analysis focuses on the humiliating effects of words and actions, and those related to incidents of violent conflicts. Specific incidents of humiliation discussed include the humiliation of the Hutu by a dominant Tutsi minority, which resulted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide; Germany's humiliating defeat in WW I made worse by the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles; and the placing of an American flag on a statue of Saddam Hussein after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. In particular, the author concludes her very original work by arguing that in order to avoid the destructive effects of humiliation, it would be necessary to "marry globalization with egalization--equal dignity." The implication is that globalization, in its current form, is humiliating to many in the world. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --- E. Conteh-Morgan, University of South Florida

Payan, Tony. The three U.S.-Mexico border wars: drugs, immigration, and Homeland Security. Praeger Security International, 2006. 164p bibl index afp ISBN 027598818X, $44.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-4135       HV5831       2006-9796CIP
Payan (Univ. of Texas, El Paso) focuses on US-Mexico border policy since 9/11. Before 9/11, the US and Mexico had presidents who knew each other and who had worked together when Bush was governor of Texas. Both Vicente Fox and George W. Bush knew the economic and human costs of delays at the border. They toyed with the idea of an "open border," something along the lines of what the European community established when they integrated their economies. But after 9/11, open borders fell by the wayside. The US decided that national security demanded more control of the border to stop would-be terrorists, illegal drugs, and immigrants. Payan methodically picks apart this policy and points out the folly and wasted resources of such efforts. He concludes that US policies are creating hostility with its neighbor and hurting the economies of both countries. Perhaps most importantly, the efforts are futile. The US has not, and will not, stop the flow of drugs by making war on drugs. The author concludes that the war on drugs only aggravates the situation. This is an excellent analysis. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduates through practitioners. --- J. S. Robey, University of Texas at Brownsville

Pornography: film and culture, ed. by Peter Lehman. Rutgers, 2006. 272p bibl index afp Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3782       PN1995       2005-35513CIP
Lehman (Arizona State Univ., Tempe) has put together one of the first intelligent and adult critical anthologies on the subject of pornography--a book that is neither sensationalistic nor overly abstract. He has done quite a bit of work in this area and assembles here a stellar collection of essays from some of the key figures in film studies: in the "historical context" section (which reprints classic essays), John Ellis, Paul Willemen, Linda Williams, Constance Penley, and Laura Kipnis; in the "current directions" section (original essays), Henry Jenkins, Chuck Kleinhans, and Daniel Bernardi.  Having the fine essays that compose the first section together in one solid grouping is extremely useful; the newer essays pick up many of the questions surrounding the production and reception of pornography in contemporary society in a new and provocative manner, offering refreshing insights. An excellent resource for both film studies and cultural studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --- W. W. Dixon, University of Nebraska--Lincoln

Rolling thunder in a gentle land: the Vietnam War revisited, ed. by Andrew Wiest. Osprey, 2006. 336p bibl index ISBN 184603020X, $32.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-4016       DS557       MARC
Collections of essays are notoriously difficult to summarize and evaluate effectively, and that seems doubly true for this work, which bends and blurs many traditional genre lines. The authors are a diverse group of historians, journalists, and veterans. An emphasis on the global contexts of the war augments recent historiographical trends, with chapters covering the French war, Cambodia and Laos, Australia and New Zealand's roles in the conflict, and perspectives from North and South Vietnamese combatants and civilians. The chapters dealing with the US experience focus heavily on military matters and largely avoid the acrimonious and often unproductive ideological controversies that still dominate much of US writing about the war. Editor Wiest (Univ. of Southern Mississippi) has assembled an eclectic blend of solid academic articles and personal reflections packaged in a large-format, coffee-table-style work with nearly 200 superb photographs, maps, charts, and tables. The end result is unconventional but fortuitously so, mixing traditional with new, unfamiliar perspectives and issues with enough breadth, depth, and novelty to satisfy a broad audience from astute general readers to the most accomplished Vietnam War students and scholars. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --- K. Blaser, Wayne State College

Smith, Andrew F. The turkey: an American story. Illinois, 2006. 224p bibl index afp ISBN 0252031636, $29.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3843       SF507       2006-22790CIP
The Turkey is an interesting, amusing history of a popular food, so popular that Thanksgiving Day (US) is sometimes referred to as "Turkey Day." Smith gives some background of the native American bird and its domestication, travel to Europe, and return to America as a farm animal. How it became "turkey" is discussed, including various theories that Smith explains as unrealistic. The domestic birds' history varies from being basically left to run free, like cattle and hogs, to being used to destroy tobacco hornworms and being raised in close confinement. Smith discusses the fate of the wild turkey as well, which has thrived but has not again become so big it could not fly, as was noted by some early European Americans. Of course, he also mentions the social side of "turkey": the turkey trot, the Broadway turkey, and other uses of the word. Part 2 is a selection of recipes from cookbooks of the 17th to the early 20th century. Written for a popular audience, there are citations to Smith's sources for those who want to read more. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. --- N. Duran, Texas A&M University

Sullivan, James. Jeans: a cultural history of an American icon. Gotham Books, 2006. 303p bibl index ISBN 1592402143, $26.00. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3937       GT2085       2005-35698CIP
Jeans are ubiquitous in modern US life, but this reviewer, for one, never thought much about how they got that way. Journalist Sullivan, however, has, and the resulting history makes for a fascinating read. He begins with the hazy origins of the blue denim cloth from which jeans are traditionally constructed, including an exploration of the weaving and dyeing process. He looks at the start of indigenous US jeans manufacturing with the advent of the Gold Rush, the rise of US companies and the increasing popularity of jeans for daily wear, and their evolution into a high-end designer staple. Along the way, the author touches on issues of class and gender, corporate accountability, advertising, and environmental responsibility, convincingly arguing that jeans are a lens through which readers can understand US culture. In Sullivan's final analysis, jeans represent all of the contradictions that define the US--the desire for rebellion and conformity, for authenticity and status, for androgyny and overt sexuality, for youth and wisdom. They are a working-class garment that can cost as much as seven or eight hundred dollars. Jeans, Sullivan says, are us. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and undergraduate collections. --- R. A. Standish, University of Maryland University College

Taylor, Gabriele. Deadly vices. Oxford, 2006. 163p bibl index afp ISBN 0198235801, $45.00. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3809       BJ1534       2006-7426CIP
Christian theology in the medieval West labeled seven sins as "deadly": envy, covetousness, gluttony, sloth, lust, anger, and pride. Taylor (St. Anne's College, Oxford) attempts to show that even outside the theological context, these vices are still worthy of being singled out as particularly debilitating--not because they lead the soul to eternal damnation, but because they render unattainable ordinary human flourishing. Taylor analyzes the nature of each vice (drawing upon the work of philosophers from Aristotle to Roger Scruton), shows how it sabotages the search for happiness, and provides apropos illustrations from the classics of literature (e.g., Iago as a case study in covetousness). What the deadly vices have in common, Taylor concludes, is that they serve as an ultimately futile escape from the problem of acquiring a valued self; hence in the final chapter she recommends self-esteem as the chief "countervailing virtue" for the healing of the soul. Deadly Vices combines historical breadth, logical rigor, and a psychological acuity of merciless clinicality--all in a mere 150 elegantly written pages. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-/upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. --- C. S. Seymour, Wayland Baptist University

Thompson, Christopher S. The Tour de France: a cultural history. California, 2006. 385p bibl index afp ISBN 0520247604, $29.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3930       GV1049       2005-23760CIP
Based on newspaper accounts, interviews, and journal articles, this book is now the most up-to-date academic treatment of the Tour de France. Using sociocultural analysis to connect the race to French political history (mainly focusing on the early tours, 1903-39, the focus of his dissertion), Thompson employs complex French phrases and cultural studies jargon in his effort "to impose historical master narratives" on the race. He includes a strong chapter on doping, an analysis of gender roles, and a discussion of employer-employee relations (racers as artisans or blue-collar workers, the peloton as assembly-line workers/slaves). The focus on the tension between tradition and French nationalism on one side and technological innovation and globalization on the other make this an important addition to the literature on sport. Given the book's thorough documentation and footnotes, this reviewer was puzzled that Thompson does not reference The Tour de France, 1903-2003: A Century of Sporting Structures, Meanings, and Values, ed. by Hugh Dauncey and Geoff Hare (CH, Mar'04, 41-4111), particularly since he was among the contributors. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --- D. M. Furst, San Jose  State University

Troy, Gil. Hillary Rodham Clinton: polarizing first lady. University Press of Kansas, 2006. 263p bibl index afp ISBN 0700614885, $24.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-4139       E887       2006-13559CIP
The life and work of Hillary Rodham Clinton has rarely received balanced scholarly treatment. Troy (history, McGill Univ.) accomplishes this, as he explains the complex public and private behavior of Clinton's years as first lady through the scrutiny of varied sources. This book aims to measure the "historical footprint" of this controversial and beleaguered figure. It deftly achieves equanimity; Troy is balanced in his assessment of Clinton's personal foibles and professional miscalculations, just as he takes care to appreciate her contributions. Through a nuanced look at Clinton's equal footing in Progressive political philosophy and Methodist theology, the reader appreciates that Hillary Rodham Clinton is a complicated individual. The complex individual shines through Troy's eloquent rendering. Clinton appears conflicted about her role, caught in the crosshairs of a historical shift toward equitable roles, both public and private. Still, the book misses an opportunity in the final chapter: by only hinting at the successes of Senator Clinton, the reader is left with more tribulation than triumph. Ironically, by weighting Clinton's private challenges more heavily than her more recent political successes, the book inadvertently affirms the old standard that a woman's historical footprint is more personal than political. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, lower- and upper-division undergraduates. --- M. Rose, Portland State University

Williams, Robert G. The money changers: a guided tour through global currency markets. Zed Books/Fernwood Publishing, 2006. 286p bibl index ISBN 1842776940, $80.00; ISBN 1842776940 pbk, $27.50. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3974       HG3851  
This is a nontechnical exploration into the mechanics of the foreign exchange market, which Williams (Guilford College) nicely motivates by starting with an ordinary retail transaction--an ATM withdrawal of local currency in a foreign country--and tracing it through the wholesale foreign exchange markets to show what actually happens. In doing so, the author provides an intuitive way to explore the most important and arguably the most efficient market in the world, which makes international trade, investment, and financial transfers possible. Individual chapters deal with the nature of spot and forward foreign exchange transactions; how deals get arranged, consummated, and settled; who the major players are; the nature of trading strategies; the sources of exchange rate volatility; the sources of market shocks; and the comparative roles of the euro and the dollar. The discussion is up-to-date, and the use of dialogue makes the book very accessible to the intelligent but uninformed reader. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduates. --- I. Walter, New York University

Wilson, Edward O. The creation: an appeal to save life on earth. W.W. Norton, 2006. 175p bibl ISBN 0393062171, $21.95. Reviewed in 2007mar CHOICE.
44-3858       QH303       2006-15573MARC
Master biologist-writer Wilson (Harvard) offers a remarkably moving book on the impending peril for humankind posed by threats to the natural world. It takes the form of a letter to a pastor of the denomination from which, touched by scientific worldviews, he had moved away. Having seen many battles between science and religion, Wilson calls for cooperation between scientists and persons of faith to fight the threat of total annihilation of terrestrial life. He gives a bird's eye view of biology and natural history with a lucidity that should make pastors and educated readers appreciate the richness of life and the dangers posed to it by human excesses. Wilson appeals to all, whether scientists or Baptists, atheists or believers, to work together for the good of life. He expounds the basic laws of biology while respecting religious sentiments. Most of all, he assures humanity that it is not yet too late, and that ecology is compatible with economy. This book should be compulsory reading for high school seniors and college students, for the general public, for religiously inclined people, and for decision makers. Only a person with Wilson's depth of knowledge and concern for the biosphere could have written a work of this quality and immediacy. Summing Up: Essential. All levels. --- V. V. Raman, emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology

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