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

Boddy, Kasia.  Boxing: a cultural history.  Reaktion Books Ltd, 2008.  478p bibl filmography index; ISBN 9781861893697, $35.00.
46-0960 GV1136 MARC

Despite repeated calls for its abolition, “the fight” remains a favorite of artists and the public. In this ambitious book, Boddy provides a fascinating account of the ways in which boxing has been represented in literature and the visual arts from ancient Greece to the present. As the author points out, modern boxing emerged in England, but by the early 20th century the US had become the center of international boxing. Boddy looks at how boxing has been featured widely in the works of artists on both sides of the Atlantic, and at how debates and anxieties about race, nationality, and sex have fueled discussions of the history of boxing. Although fascination for boxing and its appearance in the works of particular artists is well known, this book includes a number of surprises: for example, Jean Cocteau managed American boxer Al Brown, Colette filed fight reports for a French newspaper. No other work attempts such an exhaustive investigation of boxing’s cultural history in the Western world, so this engagingly written, well-illustrated book will be welcomed by those interested in cultural history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers, all levels. — A. Ejikeme, Trinity University

Burgess, Susan.  The Founding Fathers, pop culture, and constitutional law: who’s your daddy?.  Ashgate, 2008.  141p bibl index; ISBN 9780754672456, $99.95.
46-1157 KF4575 2007-34434 CIP

Burgess (Ohio Univ.) argues that conventional arguments over how to interpret the US Constitution involve a compulsive rehashing of paternal origins. Indeed, advocates of approaches such as original understanding and the “living” Constitution typically legitimize the use of judicial power by showing how their preferred method of constitutional interpretation is consistent with what the Founding Fathers would have wanted. Burgess argues that such debates have become rote and stale, and that the analytical tools of cultural studies are appropriate for enlivening and enriching these debates. She employs popular culture narratives–including those associated with romance novels, soap operas, science fiction, and reality television–to illuminate the basic structure of conventional debates over constitutional interpretation, as well as to suggest new and exciting avenues out of the impasses that those conventional debates create. Engaging, witty, provocative, and, strongly persuasive, Burgess’s argument marks out new territory for scholars of constitutional interpretation. Insisting that scholars interrogate the popular culture foundations of the common knowledge of the Constitution, Burgess’s book is required reading for all who study, celebrate, or critique the elemental sway that the Constitution and its authors exert over the American imagination. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and up. — J. R. Dudas, University of Connecticut

California video: artists and histories, ed. by Glenn Phillips.  Getty Research Instutite/J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008.  312p index; ISBN 9780892369225, $39.95.
46-0680 N6512  2007-42102 CIP

This gorgeous, sumptuous, indispensable book is a guide to the work of California video artists such as Skip Arnold, Chris Burden, the Kipper Kids, Paul McCarthy, Bruce Nauman, and many, many others–all conveniently listed in alphabetical order, with a stunning array of stills, interviews, and biographical information for each artist listed. Women are represented here in abundance; Lynn Marie Kirby, Hilja Keading, Nancy Buchanan, Nina Sobell, and many more receive equal weight in this comprehensive, egalitarian text, which will become the last word on the subject for many years to come. This is a crucial purchase for library collections in particular, and for those institutions with large video collections; surely, this volume must be a part of any gallery library or video collection as a reference guide for information, visuals, and citations for further reading. Lively, accessible, and stunningly designed, this is a work to return to again and again for fresh and unexpected insights into the burgeoning work of video art. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. — W. W. Dixon, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Cohen, Jeffrey E.  The presidency in the era of 24-hour news. Princeton, 2008.  256p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691137179 pbk, $24.95.
46-1018 HD7288 2007-30238 CIP

Cohen (Fordham Univ.) begins this study with the observation that the news media “are no longer as consequential in helping frame public opinion toward the president as they were a generation ago.” This study is all about how that came to be, what this growing disconnect means for public opinion and presidential responsiveness, and what changed to bring the US to the point to where the tone of presidential news no longer seems to have much of an effect on public evaluations of a president. Cohen has constructed a revised and refined version of the “presidential news system” (the president, the news media, and the mass public) paradigm. He argues that as the “golden age of television” evolved into the age of the new media in the late l970s and early 1980s, a growing disconnect between the news and presidential support (approval) became apparent. Thoroughly grounded in political communication theory, this book is an excellent read on changes in presidential governance. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. — W. K. Hall, Bradley University

Davies, Owen.  The haunted: a social history of ghosts.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.  299p index ISBN 1-4039-3924-1, $33.95.
46-1106 BF1472 2007-25497 CIP

Why has England, from medieval times to the modern era, been so ghost-ridden, especially in comparison with other societies? Davies (Univ. of Hertfordshire) addresses this puzzling question in an engaging work that integrates religious, cultural, and social explanations, elevating his subject from the realm of the trivial without losing its inherent entertainment value. The first section focuses on the geography and the experience of ghostly visitation, drawing connections and distinctions with historically specific phenomena such as the witch craze. The second section shows how belief in ghosts was connected with religious debates concerning the human soul, and demonstrates the tenacity of such belief in the face of Protestant attacks on superstition and the skepticism of modern science. The third section examines theatrical representations of ghosts and “hoaxes” both celebrated and obscure. Such simulations, Davies argues, speak more to a continuing fascination with ghosts rather than to an erosion of belief in them. In conclusion, Davies predicts that the belief in ghosts in England will endure precisely because there are no religiously authorized outlets for belief in representatives of the dead comparable to the saint worship of Catholic societies. Endnotes; no bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — J. Sainsbury, Brock University

Food-borne viruses: progress and challenges, ed. by Marion P.G. Koopmans, Dean O. Cliver, and Albert Bosch.  American Society for Microbiology, 2008. 245p bibl index afp ISBN 1-55581-464-6, $99.95; ISBN 9781555814649, $99.95.
46-0860 QR201  2007-49165 CIP

The increasing incidence of food-borne viral illnesses, such as mad cow disease and avian flu, has raised a significant concern for public health. The problem has become particularly acute for a couple reasons. First, the global export of food has tripled over the last two decades. Second, regulations for monitoring viral outbreaks are based on regulations for bacterial outbreaks. However, bacteria behave differently and are easier to detect than viruses. Consequently, editor Koopmans (National Institute of Public Health and the Environment) and colleagues attempt to summarize current knowledge on the subject. The introductory chapter provides an overview of the history of food virology from the first detected outbreak of poliomyelitis in milk in 1914. It differentiates between bacteria and viruses, describes various physiological characteristics of viruses, and reviews methods for detection, propagation, inactivation, and prevention. Subsequent chapters expand upon these topics. The book also includes an informative chapter discussing obstacles to estimating disease burden within populations, such as lack of patient cooperation, ineffective laboratory protocols, and poor coordination of data by public health agencies. The final two chapters concentrate on risk analysis. Though the reader would profit from some background in virology, these readings are surprisingly accessible to the layperson. Summing Up: Recommended. Informed general readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals. — D. M. Gilbert, Maine Maritime Academy

Kellerman, Barbara.  Followership: how followers are creating change and changing leaders.  Harvard Business, 2008.  305p index afp; ISBN 9781422103685, $29.95.
46-0996 HD57  2007-31572 CIP

In Bad Leadership (CH, Apr’05, 42-474) Kellerman examined the adverse impact of bad leadership and opined that bad leadership is possible due to the complicity of followers. In Followership, she provides a comprehensive examination of subordinates, those “who either have less power, authority, and influence than their superiors … or those that go along with what someone else wants and intends.” In part 1 Kellerman delineates the significant research on this topic, pointing out the lack of attention paid to the issue of followership. Her research is compelling, with citations drawn from history, political science, management, and social psychology. Kellerman characterizes five types of followers based on their level of engagement: Isolate, Bystander, Participant, Activist, and Diehard. In part 2 she defines and characterizes all but the first type using vivid examples and concludes with her professional perspective on each followership type. In part 3, “Future Followers,” Kellerman examines the characteristics of good and bad followers and posits that leadership and followership must be regarded as interdependent. She maintains that “follower-follower relationships are more important that we generally assume,” and that “leaders are often quite incidental to the action.” Indispensible for leadership, organizational theory/behavior, and social psychology collections. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. — M. J. Safferstone, University of Mary Washington

Kwon, Heonik.  Ghosts of war in Vietnam.  Cambridge, 2008.  222p bibl index; ISBN 9780521880619, $30.00.
46-1055 DS557  MARC

Remembering the Vietnam War remains difficult for Americans and still haunts the national psyche. Yet few ever contemplate the horrors experienced by the Vietnamese during the lengthy struggle for national unification. Bao Ninh’s classic novel The Sorrow of War (CH, Jul’95, 32-6125) remains one of the rare exceptions, giving readers a glimpse into the pain and suffering of the Vietnamese who fought and died in the jungles of South Vietnam. Now Kwon, an anthropologist at the University of Edinburgh and author of After the Massacre (2006), has focused his attention on Vietnamese remembrance of the American War in his book. By focusing on Vietnam’s postwar historical memory, the author demonstrates the power of recollection in developing a public consciousness. He ties those threads together by linking them collectively to fantasy and folk tales that justify the cost of the conflict in shaping the Vietnamese national identity. This is a rare study that will open new avenues of inquiry in Vietnamese studies. Even more important, Kwon’s methodology is groundbreaking in understanding not only the Vietnam War, but also war and society in the larger world community. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — C. C. Lovett, Emporia State University

Maraniss, David.  Rome 1960: the Olympics that changed the world.  Simon & Schuster, 2008.  478p bibl index ISBN 1-4165-3407-5, $26.95; ISBN 9781416534075, $26.95.
46-0965 GV722  2008-13013 CIP

In this well-written, well-researched book (with a lot of new information gleaned from interviews), Maraniss–associate editor of The Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize winner, and biographer of Bill Clinton (First in His Class, 1995), Vince Lombardi (When Pride Still Mattered, 1999), and Roberto Clemente (Clemente, CH, Nov’06, 44-1588)–thoroughly examines all aspects of the 1960 Summer Olympics. The author gives particular attention to the most prominent athletes, including decathlete Rafter Johnson, sprinter Wilma Rudolph, marathoner Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia, and boxer Cassius Clay. He does a wonderful job putting the reader into the minds of the athletes and journalists, and of government agents looking for possible defectors. Maraniss goes to great lengths to argue that the 1960 Olympics changed the world. These games saw the first doping scandal, were the first commercially televised Summer Games, featured the first athlete paid to wear running shoes, and were marked by the presence of many new African nations. Among the games’ political issues: the inclusion of two Chinas, a unified team for Germany, and efforts to boycott South African countries. Although few historians will be convinced that the 1960 games were as important as the 1936, 1969, or 1972 games, this is still an excellent read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers, all levels. — S. A. Riess, Northeastern Illinois University

Minow, Newton N.  Inside the presidential debates: their improbable past and promising future, by Newton N. Minow and Craig L. LaMay.  Chicago, 2008. 219p index afp ISBN 0-226-53041-8, $22.50; ISBN 9780226530413, $22.50.
46-1167 JK524  2007-26792 CIP

Minow and LaMay (both, Northwestern Univ.) have provided an insightful look at America’s televised presidential debates. The authors present the story in a book destined to become a classic. The modern presidential debates began with the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates, and Minow was there at the creation. National debates did not resume until 1976–earlier candidates opposed a face-to-face confrontation for one reason or another. The debates have continued ever since, however, and are an integral ingredient of every presidential election. Indeed, the “debates” (granted, not really debates) now include primary campaigns and glut the airways. The authors relate the story of the televised national debates with anecdotal and institutional information in a book that is a delight to read; rarely does one encounter scholarly exploration expressed in prose lucid, enlightened, and laced with wit. Aspects–good and ill–of the debates are reviewed, and the authors present a useful formula for improving future debates. The public expects them, and candidates can no longer ignore them. This book is for all thoughtful readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. 
— S. L. Harrison, University of Miami

Newlin, Keith.  Hamlin Garland: a life.  Nebraska, 2008.  490p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780803233478, $40.00.
46-0756 PS1733 2007-47681 CIP

Despite being one of the most prominent and critically respected authors of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, Garland (1860-1940) has received little attention from biographers. Until now scholars have had to rely on biographies published decades ago: Jean Holloway’s Hamlin Garland (1960) and Joseph McCullough’s Hamlin Garland (1978). The present thoroughly researched volume offers a great deal of new information and substantially adds to understanding of Garland. In highly readable, refreshingly clear prose, Newlin (Univ. of North Carolina, Wilmington) takes the reader through each phase of Garland’s life and career: his early life on the “Middle Border” of Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Dakota; his apprenticeship years in Boston; his work as a political and literary activist; his Klondike adventures; his fascination with Native Americans and the West; and his final, retrospective period, during which he produced many popular memoirs. Along the way, Newlin writes, Garland went from being a writer intensely committed to social activism and veritism to one who cranked out Western novels chiefly to make money, and eventually to a man increasingly out of step with modern American literature and society. This biography of Garland will undoubtedly stand as the most definitive one for years to come. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers, all levels. — C. Johanningsmeier, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Ozersky, Josh.  The hamburger.  Yale, 2008.  147p index; ISBN 9780300117585, $22.00.
46-0862 TX749  2007-43587 CIP

This meaty account of the cultural, social, and economic history of the hamburger serves its food facts with all the condiments. Ozersky, a cultural historian, food authority, and writer, assembles material from many sources, pats it neatly into a single serving, and grills to perfection. Insights into art and architecture, economics, and sociology are ground together in this well-done essay on a uniquely American food phenomenon. The hamburger epitomizes American invention, industry, and marketing. Ozersky’s prose is lean. He writes that the hamburger is larger than gastronomy: it is politics. His juicy essay recounts the personalities and passions that brought the hamburger into being, and he bites into some of the biological realities of the hamburger as well. Burgers are big, but they have a whopper of an effect on the environment. This reviewer’s beef with burgers is their contribution to rain forest destruction, their outrageous water consumption, and the belching clouds of greenhouse gases that they indirectly produce. These fries aside, this book is a satisfying mouthful. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers/libraries. — S. Hammer, Boston University

Safire, William.  Safire’s political dictionary.  Oxford, 2008.  862p index afp; ISBN 9780195343342, $99.00.
46-0670 JK9  2007-33114 CIP

Safire, political pundit and renowned columnist of “On Language” in The New York Times, offers a revision of his dictionary, with additions made through the 2008 primary season. This handbook will well serve a new generation of scholars, political junkies, and linguists. As with previous versions, Safire presents an A-Z listing, with frequent cross-references, of phrases and neologisms associated with politics (emphasizing, but not restricted to, the US). He supplements his book with an index arranged by last names of people with whom particular political jargon is affiliated. As Safire himself asserts, his tome does not define governmental terms such as amendment and vice president that are easily found in other sources. He instead contextually explains political slang and metaphors, tracing their appearances in various print, and increasingly nonprint, sources. Anyone who needs help defining terms such as the third rail of American politics, jawboning, potus/flotus, triangulation, netroots, or prebuttal will find them all and more in this eminently readable, often jocular presentation. With an expansion to almost 1,800 terms appearing in approximately 1,400 entries, whose meanings and origins the author assiduously teased out from political participants, writers, search engines, and corresponding readers of his column from all points of view (whom he calls the “Gotcha! Gang”), Safire’s unrivaled dictionary continues to be a lexicographer’s and an etymologist’s delight. It is an easily accessible introduction to political culture over more than two centuries. This version revises the 1993 Safire’s New Political Dictionary, which in turn was a revised and enlarged edition of Safire’s Political Dictionary, 3rd ed., 1978. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. — F.J. Augustyn Jr., Library of Congress

Segregation: the rising costs for America, ed. by James H. Carr and Nandinee K. Kutty.  Routledge, 2008.  352p bibl index; ISBN 9780415965347, $105.00.
46-1018 HD7288 2007-30238 CIP

In this collection, 15 specialists, a mix of academics and practitioners, examine housing discrimination in the US and how it contributes to the poverty of minorities. Early chapters provide an overview of current housing segregation and trace its history back to the early 20th century. Careful evaluation confirms unequal access to housing and a spotty record of urban renewal/public housing. The chapter on minority homeownership and predatory lending is current, showing how subprime lending looked like a breakthrough for owner-occupied housing but was becoming a disaster. Poverty is recognized as relative and attributed to housing, but costs of home ownership are not considered in this work. Chapters address the links between housing and education, employment, health care, and other social resources. Contributors provide broad coverage of the many issues related to housing (from the US prison population and the trade balance to CEO pay), so clearly policies to address residential segregation will have to be multifaceted. Good review of literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through research collections. — E. C. Erickson, California State University, Stanislaus

Speth, James Gustave.  The bridge at the edge of the world: capitalism, the environment, and crossing from crisis to sustainability.  Yale, 2008.  205p index afp; ISBN 9780300136111, $28.00.
46-1022 HC79  2007-43584 CIP

This volume should be read by anyone concerned about the future of humankind on the planet. Speth (dean, School of Environmental Studies, Yale) has written a well-thought-out indictment of modern capitalism, primarily with respect to its effect on the environment through an emphasis on exponential growth. He examines the question of whether and how capitalism can be transformed to maintain its positive attributes while removing its tendency toward environmental abuse–to turn it instead into a benign and restorative influence on the environment. In part 1, Speth lays out evidence of capitalism’s failures. In part 2, he examines basic features of modern capitalism–the market, growth, consumption, the corporation–and their contributions to environmental problems, identifying changes that would help move the economy to a more sustainable path. Speth here also investigates the possibility of whether there might be a workable nonsocialist alternative to capitalism. The concluding part considers the potential for a new consciousness and a new politics to bring on the transformative changes necessary to secure a future for our civilization. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections and readership levels. — M. Morgan-Davie, Utica College

Travis-Henikoff, Carole A.  Dinner with a cannibal: the complete history of mankind’s oldest taboo.  Santa Monica Press, 2008.  333p bibl index; ISBN 9781595800305, $24.95.
46-0988 GN409  2007-41548 CIP

Cannibalism is the “ingestion of others of one’s own species and is practiced throughout the animal kingdom, from one-celled organisms to humans.” By the time readers have finished digesting this history of cannibalism, they may not approve of the practice, but they will understand its various causes, such as starvation, medicinal purposes, and cultural/religious belief systems. Travis-Henikoff, an independent scholar who specializes in paleoanthropology, spent seven years researching and writing this fascinating book about the history of cannibalistic practices. Her writing engages readers to the point that one does not want to put the book down. If the reader has a background in anthropology, this book will be more valuable, but an educated layperson will find it very enlightening too. The book is short and concise enough to fulfill research requirements for undergraduates, but it also provides enough information to entice scholars to research further. It ends with good chapter notes, a lengthy bibliography, and a precise index. It will become a classic in its field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Should be purchased by all academic libraries and most public libraries. — E. M. Burns, Ohio State University

Van Zante, Gary A.  New Orleans, 1867: photographs by Theodore Lilienthal. Merrell, 2008.  304p bibl index ISBN 1-85894-210-1, $75.00; ISBN 9781858942100, $75.00.
46-0708 F379  MARC

Lost and largely forgotten for 125 years, a wonderful collection of photographs of New Orleans taken in 1867, exhibited at that year’s Paris Exposition, and presented to Napoleon III, is now available in this extremely impressive volume, accompanied by detailed comments, perceptive interpretation, and thorough documentation. Especially commissioned for the exhibition, primarily as a marketing tool, and executed by one of New Orleans’ leading photographers, the images present an unparalleled view of the Crescent City shortly after the Civil War. And they have been set in context, both of the times and of the photographer’s career; explicated; and supplemented by additional photographs, including stereoscopic views. Van Zante (formerly Tulane, now MIT) has done an incredible job of research, writing, and editing, offering not only a visual image of New Orleans in 1867 but an understanding of its architecture, commerce, and history, including reflections on the effects of Hurricane Katrina. This book will appeal not only to students of the city and its buildings, but also to those interested in American history and the history of photography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. — D. Stillman, emeritus, University of Delaware

Williams, F. Mary.  Becoming leaders: a practical handbook for women in engineering, science, and technology, by F. Mary Williams and Carolyn J. Emerson.  American Society of Civil Engineers/Society of Women Engineers, 2008.  199p bibl index ISBN 078440920x, bound pbk, $28.00; ISBN 9780784409206, bound pbk, $28.00.
46-0849 T36  2008-6300 CIP

Writing a handbook to serve a woman from her college education, to a career in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), through late-career positions such as manager or academic dean would be a daunting task. Williams (Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland; director general, National Research Council of Canada, Institute for Ocean Technology) and Emerson (Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland; president, Carolyn J. Emerson Consulting) rise to this challenge. This one small volume discusses issues a woman might face throughout her STEM career, including succeeding in college, deciding whether to pursue graduate school, job hunting, dealing with the media, finding or being a mentor, and addressing work-life balance, sexual harassment, and diversity issues. A “Road Map” offers suggestions about which chapters will be most valuable to women at particular career stages. Although the authors state that they are not presenting research, they do provide references for those who wish more detail. Concise and targeted, the work provides information specific to STEM and refers the reader to other sources for general information. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals. — B. K. McConnell, California State University, Fullerton

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