To highlight the wide range of publications reviewed in Choice, each month Choice editors feature some noteworthy reviews from the current issue.
  
Bornstein, David.  Social entrepreneurship: what everyone needs to know, by David Bornstein and Susan Davis.  Oxford, 2010.  147p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780195396348, $74.00; ISBN 9780195396331 pbk, $16.95.
48-0968  HD60  2009-44194 CIP
 
Bornstein (How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, 2004) and Davis (social entrepreneur) provide an excellent introduction to social entrepreneurship, which has grown into a global movement addressing many of the world’s most dogged problems and is changing how people think of social transformation. Part 1, “Defining Social Entrepreneurship,” clarifies what social entrepreneurship is, what social entrepreneurs are like, and what they do. The authors explain how it differs from what government, business, and activists do, and they elucidate the relationship between social entrepreneurship and democracy. The second part of the book, “Challenges of Causing Change,” discusses financial constraints, attracting and cultivating talent, evaluating impact, and other factors that can derail social change. The book concludes with a focus on envisioning an innovative society. It discusses how social entrepreneurship is changing minds; how schools might nurture social innovators; what governments can do to engage more successfully with social entrepreneurs; how social entrepreneurship influences business; how philanthropy can be more effective; how social entrepreneurship will influence journalism; and how individuals can prepare themselves to participate in social entrepreneurship. Although their coverage is somewhat eclectic, the authors have created a sine qua non for the field. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduate through professional collections. — C. Wankel, St. John’s University, New York 
 
Burns, James MacGregor.  Packing the court: the rise of judicial power and the coming crisis of the Supreme Court.  Penguin, 2009.  326p index afp; ISBN 9781594202193, $67.50.
48-1054  KF8742  2009-3987 CIP
 
In his 200-year history of the US Supreme Court, political scientist Burns (emer., Williams College) accuses the court of overstepping its role as referee in constitutional disputes and illegitimately making laws to benefit the wealthy and powerful. Profiles of presidents and Supreme Court justices chart opposing political philosophies and arguments at the center of legal debates. Burns vents his ire against justices who espoused economic conservatism (especially the many former railroad attorneys appointed to the Supreme Court in the late 1800s) and champions those like Earl Warren, who ruled against racially discriminatory laws. The author highlights Supreme Court decisions in the 1870s that narrowed African Americans’ civil rights, those in the 1880s and 1890s that favored private property and large corporations, the heated conflicts in the 1930s between the president and court over federal laws to regulate business and protect labor rights, and civil rights decisions in the 1950s and 1960s. Though legal scholars may take exception to Burns’s political categorization of individual justices, this book persuasively demonstrates how politically motivated and enduring court decisions have been. For that reason alone, the book deserves a wide general readership. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. — M. Greenwald, University of Pittsburgh  

Cramsie, Patrick.  The story of graphic design: from the invention of writing to the birth of digital design.  Abrams, 2010.  351p bibl index; ISBN 9780810972926, $40.00.
48-0660  NC998   MARC
 
This book is an important addition to the increasingly diverse literature on the historical practice of graphic design. It is one of the few design histories to deliver a serious survey of the entire history of visual mass communication. Beginning with the development of writing systems, it goes into increasing detail as the account moves toward the 20th century. The last half of the book appropriately concentrates on the past 100 years, when design became defined as an independent discipline. The illustrations are extremely well chosen, the text eminently readable, and the insights plentiful. Graphic designer Cramsie does a superb job of walking the tightrope between condensation and comprehensiveness. This reviewer would readily recommend this book as a text in undergraduate graphic design history courses, even over the standard for such courses, Meggs’ History of Graphic Design (4th ed., 2006), by P. B. Meggs and A. W. Purvis. For a compelling and truly comprehensive story of graphic design, this is the book against which others will be measured. Summing Up: Essential. All levels. — S. Skaggs, University of Louisville  
 
Davies, Paul.  The eerie silence: renewing our search for alien intelligence.  1st U.S. ed.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.  241p index; ISBN 9780547133249, $27.00.
48-0847  QB54   MARC
 
Davies (Arizona State Univ.) is a noted astrobiologist, physicist, and cosmologist and a prolific writer (e.g., Cosmic Jackpot, CH, Nov’07, 45-1439; The Fifth Miracle, CH, Sep’99, 37-0296; Are We Alone? CH, Feb’96, 33-3285). He chairs a task group studying issues that would arise if humans detected intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and so has an unusual perspective on this subject. Some of this book’s intriguing ideas include a discussion of the possibility of undetected “shadow life” existing alongside known life forms on Earth; messages from advanced extraterrestrials contained within nanotechnology probes; postbiological extraterrestrial intelligence; and the impact of the discovery of extraterrestrial life on fields such as science, philosophy, politics, and religion. The work explores the subject of extraterrestrial life more thoughtfully and creatively than most and, in doing so, gives the reader fresh insight into what being human means. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — T. Barker, Wheaton College (MA) 
 
Dodson, Lisa.  The moral underground: how ordinary Americans subvert an unfair economy.  New Press, 2009.  227p afp; ISBN 9781595584724, $24.95.
48-0937  HC110  2009-22520 CIP
 
This largely ethnographic account of people in the low-wage job market poignantly and intelligently conveys the human consequences of increasing inequality in the US. Like Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickled and Dimed (2001) and Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein’s Making Ends Meet (CH, Oct’97, 35-1224), this book brings to life the almost impossible task of living with dignity–to say nothing of raising a family–for an increasingly large portion of the US workforce living on the “economic fault line.” The book’s most interesting portions recount, often in the subjects’ own words, the strategies of resistance that people (including better-paid supervisors who initiate or become complicit) use to eke out a slightly better wage or working condition. Hence the “moral” in the title: when an economy that is either amoral or immoral is subverted, it is a moral act. Basing her work largely on interviews from five studies the author led and participated in between 2000 and 2007, sociologist Dodson (Boston College) explores three “intersections where middle- and low-income people meet every day”: work settings, the everyday life of children, and the health care system. An addendum describes the studies and her use of participatory research methods. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — G. M. Massey, emeritus, University of Wyoming  
 
Dow, Unity.  Saturday is for funerals, by Unity Dow and Max Essex.  Harvard, 2010.  218p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674050778, $19.95.
48-0899  RA643  2009-52264 CIP
 
In 2000, the WHO estimated that 85 percent of Botswana’s teens would die of AIDS and that life expectancy would fall to just 29 years. Today, Botswana is Africa’s pride for having thwarted this disaster. AIDS activist Dow, Botswana’s first female high-court judge, and Harvard researcher Essex (co-editor, AIDS in Africa, CH, Mar’03,
40-4045), who identified the virus protein used worldwide for HIV detection, describe Botswana’s remarkable journey. Through personal anecdotes and medical history, they reveal how government leadership and intervention, education, research, and judicious use of foreign aid prevented an AIDS holocaust. As the book’s title suggests, until just five years ago, nearly every Saturday was spent burying loved ones. Tragic and heart-wrenching stories of victims, coupled with scientific explanations, are effectively woven into chapters on mother-to-child transmission, fear of diagnosis, AIDS in children, highly active antiretroviral therapy, drug resistance and toxicities, stigma, and orphans. The book comes at a critical time as news of HIV/AIDS “donor fatigue” makes headlines, and funding to battle AIDS in Africa is shrinking. This is very important reading for politicians, educators, students, and those seeking an education on humankind’s greatest plague. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. — P. Wermager, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Filling the hole in the nuclear future: art and popular culture respond to the bomb, ed. by Robert Jacobs.  Lexington Books, 2010.  276p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780739135563, $80.00; ISBN 9780739135570 pbk, $32.95.
48-0651  NX180  2009-50432 CIP
 
The Hiroshima Peace Institute funded this collection, which comprises an introduction by Jacobs (American cultural and social history, Hiroshima City Univ., Japan), a foreword by Tom Engelhardt (author of Unforgettable Fire: Pictures Drawn by Atomic Bomb Survivors, 1979), and 11 chapters that include analytic essays, poetry, photographs, and manga. The contributors are US and Japanese citizens, and the book’s unifying themes are, first, attempts by artists and scholars to understand the meaning of the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and, second, their efforts to assess the implications of nuclear weapons for the future of humanity. Memorable contributions include John Canady’s rendering of the musings of nuclear physicists, like Albert Einstein, through poetry; Minoru Maeda’s manga, a touching re-creation of the youth his father lost in Hiroshima in August 1945; and Carole Gallagher’s discussion of the hostility she encountered in Utah, during the seven years she photographed downwind victims of 1950s nuclear testing in the Nevada desert (photographs published as American Ground Zero, 1993). Also noteworthy are Judy Hiramoto’s photographs of mixed-media presentations, including “Oppenheimer’s Sink” (Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project, once confessed that physicists had “blood on their hands”). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — S. G. Rabe, University of Texas at Dallas   
 
Gordon, Joy.  Invisible war: the United States and the Iraq sanctions.  Harvard, 2010.  359p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674035713, $39.95.
48-1125  HF1586  2009-50639 CIP 

In this remarkable, well-researched study, Gordon (philosophy, Fairfield Univ.) explains how the US was able to establish, shape, and enforce 13 years of harsh and extreme sanctions on Iraq. In the absence of rival powers, the US projected absolute influence on and nearly complete control of international governance. Gordon persuasively and accurately raises moral and legal questions about US policy that resulted in the complete destruction of the Iraqi economy and infrastructure and the loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. The US lobbied aggressively to unilaterally block Iraq from importing humanitarian goods, discredited reports on the humanitarian situation, excluded external legal opinions, and delayed urgent goods to elevate the suffering of the Iraqi people. US practices were inhumane and unilateral, violated international law, and went well beyond the mandate of Security Council resolutions. In the decade that followed the sanctions, the international community, including most of America’s allies, became more reluctant to comply with US desires and yield to its pressure. The US found itself in an intractable situation from which it had no viable exit strategy except through a long and disastrous war. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, and above. — K. M. Zaarour, Shaw University  
 
Gray, Peter B.  Fatherhood: evolution and human paternal behavior, by Peter B. Gray and Kermyt G. Anderson.  Harvard, 2010.  304p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674048690, $29.95.
48-0938  GN281  2009-44271 CIP
 
This book should be required reading for all fathers and potential fathers. Whether a man is contemplating starting a family down the road as a biological father or buying one ready-made off the shelf as a stepfather, this is the indispensable guidebook for trying to be good at fatherhood. Similarly, for social and behavioral scientists interested in families and parenting from a cross-cultural perspective, this will become the standard reference for years to come. No matter what perspective one brings to the table–this reviewer’s happens to be evolutionary–there is plenty here to make one think. It is almost scary how much information Gray (Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Anderson (Univ. of Oklahoma) pack in this book, let alone how easy it is to read. The book is extremely well indexed and referenced, but the references are interwoven with the text in a reader-friendly manner, as opposed to simply being stuck in to make a point. This is, in summary, one of those rare books that one looks at and says, “Gee; I wish I had written that.” It will appeal to all levels of readers–laypersons, undergraduate students, and graduate students and professionals in anthropology, sociology, psychology, and biology. Summing Up: Essential. All public and academic libraries. — M. J. O’Brien, University of Missouri—Columbia  
  
Jepson, Paul.  Conservation: a beginner’s guide, by Paul Jepson and Richard Ladle.  Oneworld, 2010.  193p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781851687145 pbk, $14.95.
48-0857  QH75   MARC
 
Conservation, ranging from local to international levels, is a complex, deep, and multifaceted topic that contains many relationships both inside and outside the natural world. Jepson (Univ. of Oxford, UK) and Ladle (conservation consultant and science writer; formerly, Univ. of Oxford, UK) are to be commended for their ability to take this complicated subject matter and parse it down to concise, manageable segments. Historical and political aspects, intricate associations, social and cultural influences, development of science-based studies, financial requirements, issues related to creating partnerships, and future areas of concern are just a sampling of the many topics covered. Though it would be easy for the authors to fall into tangential discussions in each of the chapters, they provide a succinct overview of the issues at hand. Readers receive a solid base of knowledge about conservation that they can use to further explore specific areas in greater depth. The book concludes with a “Further Readings” section for each chapter and a fairly thorough index to locate topics of interest. An excellent resource for both new and experienced researchers in the field of conservation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of readership. — K. K. Goldbeck, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Journal TOCs, from the Institute for Computer Based Learning, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland.  Internet Resource.
48-0597

http://www.journaltocs.hw.ac.uk/index.php 
[Visited Jul’10] Journal TOCs makes viewing tables of contents from scholarly journals easy. One of many projects from Heriot-Watt’s Institute for Computer Based Learning, this resource features the table of contents (TOCs) for over 14,000 journals from more than 500 publishers, with more being added continuously. JournalTOCs features TOCs from publishers such as Elsevier, SAGE, Oxford University Press, Wiley, Springer-Verlag, and the American Psychological Association. Users may search by journal title/ISSN, or look for articles via keywords. Alternatively, browsing by Publishers or by Subjects is available. Subjects range from Ceramics, Glass and Pottery to Library and Information Sciences. Not all scholarly titles in a particular field are included. Some 70 titles are listed in the library category, e.g., Library Hi Tech News, D-Lib Magazine, Community and Junior College Libraries, and Journal of Religious & Theological Information. Others, such as Journal of Academic Librarianship, College & Research Libraries, and Portal, are not included.

In a quick comparison of results from a literature review using ABI/INFORM (CH, Sep’06, 44-0039), this reviewer found less than one-fourth of the ABI/INFORM journal titles listed in JournalTOCs. Granted, ABI/INFORM has many non-scholarly titles, but missing were refereed titles, as identified by Ulrich’s (CH, Feb’03, 40-3121) such as The Journal of Information Systems Education and EDUCAUSE Review. Additional publishers are being included in JournalTOCs at a surprisingly fast rate, which will make this resource very valuable indeed. The developers have added many handy features including an application programming interface (API) to allow users to embed journal TOC functionality within a Web page. Additionally, MyTOCs, an RSS feed, and RefWorks software features are available, along with a project blog, at http://www.journaltocs.hw.ac.uk/API/blog/. This practical, significant Web site will soon be an indispensable tool for students, faculty, and researchers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general audience. — K. Condic, Oakland University  
 
LaCroix, Alison L.  The ideological origins of American federalism.  Harvard, 2010.  312p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780674048867, $35.00.
48-1136  JK311  2009-35216 CIP
 
LaCroix (Univ. of Chicago Law School) has written a delightful book on the ideological origins of American federalism. Rather than rely on the often-examined influence of the self-interest of the American founders, LaCroix transcends that confined scholarship. The founders were not bound by such straits. In the process, the author brings “ideology back into the discussion.” As LaCroix asserts, ideas “played a crucial role in defining the contours first of the colonial and then of early national government.” The development of federalism was thus an ideological development, and it represented a change from, rather than continuity with, British thought. The path Americans took to rethinking government arrangements occurred because of a long process of grappling with conflicts between the king and Parliament. Many American founders hit the books, reading Hugo Grotius, Samuel von Pufendorf, John Locke, Lord Kames, and Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui to craft an argument modifying the relationship between the mother country and the colonies. The founders ended up assenting to an old English, but rejected, tradition of imperium in imperio. This empire within an empire is, through much thought and practical example, what came to be known as American federalism. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and above. — E. S. Root, West Liberty State College 
 
Lipschutz, Ronnie D.  Political economy, capitalism, and popular culture.  Rowman & Littlefield, 2010.  219p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780742556508, $74.00; ISBN 9780742556515 pbk, $26.95.
48-1137  HM548  2009-29801 CIP
 
This title utilizes the medium of popular culture (primarily films, but also novels and television shows) to critically elucidate key themes and controversies related to contemporary capitalism, neoclassical economics, and political economy. As Lipschutz (Univ. of California, Sana Cruz) states early in this work, this frame for analyzing contemporary politics was adopted in his earlier book Cold War Fantasies (CH, Apr’02, 39-4813). Here, as in this previous work, the caliber of thought-provoking analysis is outstanding and has as much, if not significantly more, to offer students of political economy than more “orthodox” offerings. This work overflows with insights that resonate with the reader: an examination of public choice economics through the choices faced by Neo in The Matrix, explorations of determinations of value via engagement with “the Dude’s” urine-soiled rug in The Big Lebowski, an unpacking of contemporary capitalist alienation through re-readings of Phillip K. Dick and Blade Runner. Yet none of this is meant to convey that the work here is “irreverent” or “playful”–a “fun little read.” This would minimize the power and clarity that Lipschutz brings to bear on these important political and economic issues. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. — R. W. Glover, University of Connecticut, Storrs 
 
Moffett, Mark W.  Adventures among ants: a global safari with a cast of trillions.  California, 2010.  280p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780520261990, $29.95.
48-0867  QL568  2009-40610 CIP
 
Rarely does a book like this come along. Moffett (Smithsonian; The High Frontier, 1993) is a fearless explorer and one of the great photographers of the day. This reviewer was aware of the author’s excellent writing from his articles in National Geographic but was unaware of his fascination with ants. In the introduction, Moffett relates his early experiences with entomology and with E. O. Wilson, the definitive “ant man” and director of Moffett’s graduate work. What follows is an intimate account of an exceptionally inquisitive naturalist and his experiences with the miniature world of the most abundant animal on Earth–the ant. There is no plot. In successive chapters, Moffett entertains with amazing tales of marauder ants, army ants, weaver ants, Amazon ants, leaf-cutter ants and, finally, Argentine ants (what a serious nuisance they will become!). As interesting as the text is, written from the generalist’s standpoint, the photographs are breathtaking and alone are well worth the price of the book. Any library with entomological holdings will own this book; all other libraries should. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of readership. — P. K. Lago, University of Mississippi  
 
Nolan, Tom.  Three chords for beauty’s sake: the life of Artie Shaw.  W.W. Norton, 2010.  430p bibl index; ISBN 9780393062014, $29.95.
48-0867  QL568  2009-40610 CIP
 
Nolan (journalist; author of Ross Macdonald: A Biography, CH, Sep’99, 37-0168) presents an intimate biography of Shaw (1910-2004), one of the most controversial US music entrepreneurs of all time. Offering a chronological treatment that begins with Shaw’s childhood, the author captures the trials and triumphs of his subject’s career and personal life. The book is rich with quotes from industry legends (in music, film, and publishing) and from Shaw himself. Although these quotes are sometimes digressive, they add considerable depth to the biography and provide context for understanding the sometimes-abrasive artist. Nolan mentions other swing bandleaders, military musicians, and bebop artists, but only in connection to Shaw. In sum, this a pure biography: it provides an elaborate description of one person’s lifelong challenges in the volatile entertainment business but does not build a foundational knowledge of swing, bebop, or other music. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, general readers. — C. Wadsworth Walker, Kansas City Kansas Community College  
 
Paik, Peter Y.  From utopia to apocalypse: science fiction and the politics of catastrophe.  Minnesota, 2010.  207p index afp; ISBN 9780816650781, $60.00; ISBN 9780816650798 pbk, $20.00.
48-0702  PN3433  2009-16789 CIP
 
What Paik (Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) offers readers is a compelling invitation to visit narratives not typically encountered on classroom reading lists. He provides a fascinating look at the plots, characters, and themes of films and graphic novels produced by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Jang Joon-Hwan, and Hayao Miyazaki. Superheroes, one discovers, can surpass their traditional functions, especially when they are placed in a realistic world governed by real power struggles. As a work of literary criticism, this book goes well beyond comparing key players and identifying motifs in the narratives; it offers a coherent, accessible argument illustrating how these revolutionary works demolish codes and create new visions. One sees how and why these authors shake the foundations of classical beliefs regarding the nature of authority and social order and cannot help but wonder at the dedication to totalitarian tactics so prevalent in even modern utopias. Each chapter offers a provocative look at an intriguing fiction; the whole book offers an innovative approach to the genre. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. — D. C. Greenwood, Albright College  
 
Rajan, Raghuram G.  Fault lines: how hidden fractures still threaten the world economy.  Princeton, 2010.  260p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780691146836, $26.95.
48-0998  HC110  2010-6031 CIP
 
Rajan (Univ. of Chicago; former IMF chief economist) explains the financial market panic of 2008 and argues that the weaknesses or fault lines in the world economy that led to financial collapse and recession persist. Like other commentators on the crash, he emphasizes that expectations of government bailout, what some call privatizing gains and socializing losses, encouraged financial institutions and others in the private sector to take greater and more dangerous risks than they should have. Other themes are not so conventional, but overall, Rajan stresses incentives: stagnant income growth at the bottom half of the income distribution encourages politicians to redistribute through cheap credit, countries that pursue development through export strategies create international instability, and an inadequate US social safety net allows the rest of the world to depend on the Federal Reserve as a stimulator of last resort. Economists who can challenge their peers while remaining accessible to the general reader are rare, but Rajan belongs to this elite group. No short summary can do justice to this well-written, insightful, and nuanced study. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All audiences.
— R. E. Schenk, emeritus, Saint Joseph’s College (IN)  
 
Taylor, Alex, III.  Sixty to zero: an inside look at the collapse of General Motors–and the Detroit auto industry.  Yale, 2010.  254p index afp; ISBN 9780300158687, $26.00.
48-0979  HD9710  2009-52163 CIP
 
General Motors’ sad, complicated story has been a rich source for books on the topic (e.g., William Holstein’s Why GM Matters, CH, Nov’09, 47-1519). Readers want to know what precipitated the fall, who is responsible, and where one can place the blame. Taylor (senior editor, Fortune) has been writing about the automotive industry for more than 30 years, and he has interviewed and spent time with many of the GM players. He focuses on the executives in charge, their management styles, and their accomplishments and failures, writing with clarity and ease in a style that makes reading this brief volume effortless. Chapters include “GM at the Peak,” “Cracks in GM’s Edifice,” “Insecure Colossus: The Roger Smith Era,” and “Bob Stemple and the Crisis of ’92.” It is all here–bad design, too many cars, too high labor and health care costs, and some illuminating illustrations. For example, losses approached $8,000 per unit on the Cadillac Allanté and $17,000 per car on the Buick Reatta (which some have nicknamed the Buick “Regretta”). Sixty to Zero documents the fall with an even journalistic keel and avoids cynicism and blame; it is certainly a welcome addition to this sad piece of automotive history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.
— C. J. Myers, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia 
    
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