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

Aldrich, Robert.  Gay lives.  Thames & Hudson, 2012.  304p bibl index; ISBN 9780500251904, $29.95.
49-5413    Orig
 
Aldrich (European history, Univ. of Sydney, Australia) has written a wonderful book. From the outside, it looks like a series of brief biographies of gay men and women from throughout history and across the planet. It features entries on the famous, e.g., Michelangelo and Harvey Milk, and on those less well known. The entries are much more than brief biographies. While outlining the actual lives of those concerned, the articles seem to capture the essence of a person and the era, culture, or society that person embodies. Rather than being read straight through, this book is meant to be dipped into–by reading first one vignette and then another. Many of the people portrayed lived at times when concepts such as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered had not been formed. Yet somehow, their stories all reflect an attitude, a spirit. Though sex, sexuality, and sexual orientation were not the main basis for their lives, these factors shaped other aspects of their stories, including those periods spent in intrigues. This lavishly illustrated, praiseworthy book deserves to be widely read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. — S. J. Stillwell Jr., University of Arizona  
 
Avramenko, Richard.  Courage: the politics of life and limb.  Notre Dame, 2011.  361p bibl index afp ISBN 0268020396 pbk, $40.00; ISBN 9780268020392 pbk, $40.00.
49-5939  JA79   2011-25672 CIP
 
Political scientists spend little time thinking about courage. Liberalism contains scarce space for a characteristic that seems closely linked with violence as well as a more unified sense of the good, and the quality seems too tricky to fit into the thin confines of rational choice models. But Avramenko (Univ. of Wisconsin) claims that understanding courage–in both its classical and modern incarnations–can tell readers much about themselves. Courage, properly understood, requires deep commitment or “care” on the part of the individual to a communally defined value. Avramenko traces these commitments in five chapters on Herodotus, Plato, Rousseau, and Tocqueville. While the root of courage clearly lies in the martial virtues of the ancient Spartans, contemporary courage–in the US at least–manifests itself in the marketplace instead of on the battlefield. And while his work is not fully theorized, Avramenko clearly seems nostalgic for an older sense of courage–one retaining some links with honor and martial prowess. In addition, Avramenko sees the lens of courage as a means of understanding traditions profoundly different from liberalism, some of which have been closely engaged in recent history. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. — J. L. Miller, SUNY College at New Paltz

BBC – Languages.  Internet Resource.
49-5493
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/ 

[Visited Mar’12] This website is a production of the venerable British Broadcasting Corporation, and the content, layout, and navigability are quite good. The aim of the website is to introduce users to a variety of foreign languages through short lessons–mostly conversational–but the site also offers linguistic tidbits, cultural notes, teacher tips, language bloopers, and useful phrases for travelers. The site currently offers in-depth (12-week) online programs of study in Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Greek and sampler lessons in more than 40 other languages, for example, Japanese, Maltese, Arabic, Gaelic, and Estonian. A review of several language lessons offered reveals pedagogical emphasis on presentation, practice, and reinforcement. High-quality video and audio clips are used extensively, and users can have words and phrases repeated phonetically in English and in the target language. MP3 and PDF files can be downloaded for personal use. A monthly newsletter (available by subscription at no cost) highlights features of the website. Updated links go to the website of the BBC World Service, BBC News: Country Profiles (CH, Oct’05, 43-0669), and National Geographic language hotspots (Disappearing Languages http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices/). Intended for both the casual and more serious language learner, this site will be an added resource for those already enrolled in a traditional land-based course and looking for more practice. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general audiences. — C. Machado, Norwalk Community College 
 
Beasley, Maya A.  Opting out: losing the potential of America’s young black elite.  Chicago, 2011.  225p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780226040134, $70.00; ISBN 9780226040141 ISBN 9780226040134 pbk, $25.00.
49-5975  HD8081  2011-16216 CIP
 
By directing the reader’s gaze toward mobility challenges confronting African American youth with access to the higher end of the socioeconomic ladder, Beasley (Univ. of Connecticut) offers exceptional insights regarding the persistence of racial disparities. Pressures, loyalties, and limitations largely unknown to their white peers shape black students’ career aspirations, and combine to steer them toward racialized instead of diversified employment. Because the campuses of Stanford and Berkeley foster African American communities so differently, they provide a persuasive landscape for this comparative research. Beasley clarifies the risks and rewards associated with the isolation enabled at Stanford or the integration more evident at Berkeley. Student voices from both institutions enrich the narrative and establish how “opting out” of futures that promise greater personal gains, as with corporate or scientific careers, is encouraged by push factors to avoid hostile environments and by pull factors to make socially responsible career contributions. The results are choices that are self-limiting and contrary to black occupational achievements. Proactive steps by universities will face more of an uphill battle where isolation rather than integration of student networks has been sustained, but Beasley offers guidance useful to all campuses. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. — R. Zingraff, James Madison University 
 
Beech, Martin.  The physics of invisibility: a story of light and deception.  Springer, 2012.  206p index afp; ISBN 9781461406150 pbk, $29.95.
49-5729  QC397   MARC
 
There is indeed a physics of invisibility–it is not just science fiction. Beech (astronomy, Univ. of Regina, Canada; The Large Hadron Collider, CH, Jan’11, 48-2740) eases readers into the topic after explaining the well-known behavior of light and giving examples of tricks of optics from magic, art, and nature. Invisibility has been used as a story device from mythic times up to Harry Potter books and movies. The heart of this book lies in the discussion of metamaterials, artificially made materials that promise that cloak of invisibility so long dreamt of. Metamaterials generally have a negative index of refraction and the ability to control light so that certain objects are simply not seen. Thus it would be possible to cloak an airplane from radar detection. The theoretical work of John Pendry (Imperial College, London, UK) initiated the current surge in research into metamaterials. Metamaterials have been made in the laboratory to cloak small objects from microwave radiations. Today scientists all over the world are working to make metamaterials that can cloak at visible as well as microwave wavelengths. This book is packed with fascinating examples of current work and possibilities for the future. Drawings and photographs help illustrate the physics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. M. Dickinson, formerly, Maine Maritime Academy

Citavi 3.  Swiss Academic Software GmbH. Purchase price for Citavi 3 Team-Academic: $248.75 (1-3 users) to $93.78 (100+ users). Site licenses/other options.  Internet Resource.
49-5388
http://www.citavi.com/ 

[Visited Mar’12] Citavi 3 is the newest version of an exciting reference management tool that is certain to gain a lot of attention with the introduction of an English-language interface. While certain standard features are expected in resources of this type, the interface for Citavi makes mastery of these features more intuitive.  Citavi Team, reviewed here, allows the option of working solo or as part of a team; other licensing options include Free, Pro (a reasonably priced “home” version geared to individuals), and Reader.  Citavi‘s layout is innovative and user-friendly. Users beginning a new project will find a navigation column on the left, editing in the middle, and a preview column on the right. Automatic, manual, and import options are available for adding references.

Projects are divided into three horizontally arranged categories: References, Knowledge, and Tasks. The References view introduces a hierarchical layout in columns beginning with categories, then a column for sources, and finally a detailed view of the specific source selected. The categories column can be changed to a keyword view; both options allow users to see the number of sources associated with a specific word or category and to search for a keyword. This is an appealing layout because it allows researchers to see an entire project at a glance and quickly access the desired content. The Knowledge view also provides a series of columns. Researchers can store quotations, summaries, documents, and other items that will be integrated into the final project. The last tab monitors specific Tasks, such as reading, writing, borrowed materials, and other critical tasks associated with the project.

One of the more interesting tools is Citavi Picker, which can be integrated into a browser to allow users to capture quotations, keywords, and other data directly from websites and a library’s subscription databases. Captured material is converted into new References and Knowledge items. Citavi provides considerable citation and formatting assistance for students who are writing papers via various word processors. The publisher notes that an Add-In for Microsoft Word is forthcoming; it is intended to make the product more intuitive. With abundant support options, including context-sensitive help and a free trial option, Citavi likely will be rapidly accepted by researchers at all levels. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. — C. D. Vidas, University of South Carolina Upstate

Cotton, Simon.  Every molecule tells a story.  CRC Press, 2012.  266p bibl index; ISBN 9781439807736, $59.95.
49-5678  QD461  2011-22328 CIP
 
This compact work lays out the origins, uses, and other relevant properties of several hundred biologically, societally, and otherwise important molecules. Its 14 chapters cover topics as varied as medicine, explosives, and sex. Cotton (Univ. of Birmingham, UK) has a substantial history in bringing chemistry to the general public (e.g., contributor, The Molecule of the Month http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/motm.htm, CH, Sep’07, 45-0287). He does so here with a thoughtful selection of subjects and their cogent treatment. In addition to extensive topical references, Cotton provides a general bibliography of works on interesting molecules. These are outstanding books, including Peter Atkins’s Atkins’ Molecules (2nd ed., CH, May’04, 41-5300) and Richard Myers’s The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds (CH, Mar’08, 45-3798), but none of them approach the breadth of this one. In fact, the book’s wide scope is both its strength and its weakness. The sheer number of compounds discussed results in writing that is spare (but engaging) and sometimes lacking in lay fundamentals–assuming an understanding of chemical principles and notation, for example. Not as formal as a textbook, comprehensive as a reference, or accessible as a popular science book, this work serves nevertheless as worthwhile enrichment for chemistry students and a challenging advanced introduction for general readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.  E. J. Chang, York College

The Encyclopedia of war, ed. by Gordon Martel.  Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.  5v bibl index afp ISBN 1-4051-9037-X, $795.00; ISBN 9781405190374, $795.00.
49-5423  U27   2011-22907 CIP
 
This print version (online via Wiley Online Library, CH, Jan’11, 48-2411) of the most recent and comprehensive published source on all topics related to armed conflict displays a worldwide scope from ancient times to the onset of the 21st century. It comprises both regular entries approximately one to six thousand words in length and longer essays. The beginning of volume 1 lists wars and battles; features black-and-white illustrations and charts (34 general maps appear at the beginning of this volume, and the remainder of the total of 97 surface throughout all five); and provides brief backgrounds on the 46 editors. Also included are sketches on the international host of 268 (primarily academic) contributing authors, some of whom have served in the military. The index at the end of volume 5 guides readers by page number to entries and essays highlighted in boldface type (with allusions in lighter type) on historians, tacticians, persons directly or tangentially connected to warfare, concepts, countries, and events.

Among noteworthy studies are those linking armed conflict with other subjects, e.g., war and cinema, war and medicine, war and music, war and technology, and women and war. Citations, suggestions for further reading in books and articles, and see also references follow entries and longer written pieces. In a work of this length with such a diversity of contributors, writing styles may vary but authoritativeness does not, assured as it is by the large group of editorial specialists serving as peer reviewers. Even technical entries are clearly composed, making them accessible to researchers at various levels. Younger users will learn from this source the value and pleasure imparted by a traditional format, but libraries must decide whether to provide access to both the print and online versions. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers.  F. J. Augustyn Jr., Library of Congress

Goldstein, Joshua S.  Winning the war on war: the decline of armed conflict worldwide.  Dutton, 2011.  385p bibl index; ISBN 9780525952534, $26.95.
49-5927  D862   2011-32790 MARC
 
Goldstein (American Univ.) addresses a mistaken belief that the number of wars have increased and become more brutal in the post-Cold War era. He argues that this belief is the result of increased, and at times sensational, media coverage. A number of different eras of wars are examined and provide convincing evidence that wars have decreased and become less brutal in the post-Cold War era. The evidence begs the question, what has changed? Goldstein argues that peacekeeping efforts by the UN, as well as regional organizations, are largely responsible for the change. A detailed history along with a number of case studies of UN peacekeeping supports this argument. Although the examination of UN peacekeeping provides strong evidence, other factors that may have led to a decrease in war are not seriously considered. The book also contains chapters that outline the history of peace movements and the causes of war. Overall, the book is highly readable and informative. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. — J. R. Clardie, Cameron University 
 
Goldstein, Phyllis.  A convenient hatred: the history of anti-Semitism.  Facing History and Ourselves, 2012.  405p bibl index afp ISBN 0981954383 pbk, $17.95; ISBN 9780981954387 ISBN 0981954383 pbk, $17.95.
49-5828  DS145  2011-935882 MARC
 
Certainly not intended as the last word on the subject, this book is an excellent place to begin the study of the history of anti-Jewish attitudes and the actions they have produced through the ages. Goldstein aims to reach the broadest possible audience, refusing to get embroiled in the many thorny issues of interpretation that characterize the writing of this history and preoccupy its specialists. Pitched toward those who want a comprehensive introduction to a daunting subject, the book fills a need and does so admirably. Typically, the author tells a story having to do with the persecution of Jews, accompanies it with illustrative documents of the era being discussed, asks the pertinent questions about the events, and then provides a number of possible answers. It is a mark of the book’s integrity that many tough problems are left without definitive answers. Coverage begins in the sixth century BCE, but nearly a quarter of the book deals with the last 200 years. Although there is no doubt about where Goldstein stands in regard to the hatred and persecution she attempts to explain, the tone of the narrative and analysis remains balanced, neither confrontational nor moralizing. A worthy achievement. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General, public, and undergraduate libraries. — R. S. Levy, University of Illinois at Chicago

Holyoke, Thomas T.  Competitive interests: competition and compromise in American interest group politics.  Georgetown University, 2011.  195p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781589017795 pbk, $32.95.
49-5955  JK1118  2011-4082 CIP
 
Holyoke (California State Univ., Fresno) sets out to develop a richer, more accurate portrait of how organized interests work to get what they want in Washington, DC. He argues that interest group theory over the past 40 years has deemphasized the role of competition so much that it no longer reflects the complex relations among interest groups in contemporary politics. Drawing from interviews with dozens of lobbyists, he succeeds in developing a robust theory of group behavior at the national level. Holyoke provides an important contribution to scholarship of group politics by bringing together literatures addressing collective action and legislative lobbying. Doing so yields important insights regarding the potentially competing incentives lobbyists may face. Foremost among those insights is his argument that the complex demands made by lobbyists make them not only important brokers of representation, but also work to produce more sanguine policy outcomes than critics of group behavior charge. Holyoke extends previous work and builds new lines of thought that future scholars will certainly explore. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections and above. — R. M. Alexander, Ohio Northern University

Integrated but unequal: black faculty in predominately white space, ed. by Mark Christian.  Africa World, 2012.  250p bibl index; ISBN 9781592218684 pbk, $29.95.
49-5746  LC2781  2011-34726 CIP
 
Editor Christian (African and African American studies, Lehman College, CUNY) opens this must read for all in higher education with no apologies. Modern racism and whiteness persist in higher education. The contributors should be applauded for discussing this reality. The volume is organized into three sections: black female perspectives, black male perspectives, and UK perspectives. The pages are filled with the themes of microagression, mobbing, isolation, and racial battle fatigue, suggesting that struggle continues to exist in academia. A major strength is the methodology employed. Autoethnography and quantitative evidence are used by 12 writers–8 African American and 4 black British scholars–who write “with honesty, courage, and a commitment to social justice via personal narratives of life in academia.” These members of a rare and endangered species in mainstream higher education speak of the reality of unfair hiring, promotion and tenure, and professional development. This book should be a required resource. All faculty and administration–new/seasoned and white/nonwhite–need to read and discuss this work. Perhaps then, predominately white space can be integrated and equal for all. Summing Up: Essential. All academic libraries. — A. A. Hodge, Buffalo State College

The Kitchen as laboratory: reflections on the science of food and cooking, ed. by César Vega, Job Ubbink, and Erik van der Linden.  Columbia, 2012.  312p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231153447, $29.95; ISBN 9780231526920 e-book, contact publisher for price.
49-5636  TX541  2011-29237 CIP
 
This excellent “fusion” of science and food and cooking is an anthology of 33 essays, written by 53 individuals. The editors are food scientists, and the other contributors are scientists, chefs, or both. Science has increasingly influenced cooking from nouvelle cuisine through molecular gastronomy to “new gastronomy.” Notable chapters include the first, on grilled cheese sandwiches, focusing on the melting properties of cheeses with implications for fondue. The second chapter examines the gastronomic effects of sound via the crispness of french fries, potato chips, and fowl. Other chapters discuss moussaka, chocolate chip cookies, meringues, egg yolks, ice creams and sorbets, soups and sauces, ketchup, and coffee flavor. The legendary Hervé This (Building a Meal, CH, Sep’09, 47-0234) recaps molecular gastronomy. Contributors also discuss how to speed up the Maillard (browning) reaction with baking soda and how to improve classic pizza crusts. The book addresses the pleasure of eating in general and the controversies surrounding food science, processed foods, and “nutritionism” along with predictions of trends in cooking and food science. Details on chemistry, physics, and other aspects of food science pervade the book. A valuable resource for courses in food science and popular versions of chemistry and physics courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — R. E. Buntrock, formerly, University of Maine

O’Shea, James.  The deal from hell: how moguls and Wall Street plundered great American newspapers.  PublicAffairs, 2011.  395p index; ISBN 9781586487911, $28.99; ISBN 9781586488659 e-book, contact publisher for price.
49-5490  PN4874  2011-9204 CIP
 
O’Shea details the development, events, and aftermath of the Tribune Company’s 2007 purchase by investor Sam Zell. O’Shea was an insider eyewitness to the Tribune Company’s expansion and sale: as editor of The Los Angeles Times at the time of the deal and the former managing editor of The Chicago Tribune, O’Shea led the newsrooms of the newspapers adversely impacted by the Tribune Company’s sale. O’Shea suggests the “deal from hell” resulted from executive malpractice that unnecessarily jeopardized the financial and journalistic status quo of a declining–but profitable–mass-media conglomerate. The well-written narrative weaves a tale of executive and corporate greed, misjudgment, negligence, and employee and civic disregard. The book is an excellent companion to more academic analyses of recent corporate upheavals in news media: for example, Philip Meyer’s The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age (CH, May’05, 42-5072; 2nd ed., 2009) and The Changing Business of Journalism and Its Implications for Democracy, ed. by David A. L. Levy and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (2010). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. — R. A. Logan, emeritus, University of Missouri—Columbia

Roberts, James A.  Shiny objects: why we spend money we don’t have in search of happiness we can’t buy.  HarperOne, 2011.  353p index; ISBN 9780062093608, $25.99.
49-5798  HC110  2010-5086 CIP
 
Shiny Objects is timely, recognizing the many factors that have contributed to the current economic crisis and directing much of the blame toward the marketers who entice consumers to spend more than they should on things they do not need. The key concept running throughout the book is summarized in the subtitle and richly supported throughout. The author sheds light on the nature of consumer culture and explains why happiness levels do not positively correlate with higher levels of consumption. Roberts deftly maneuvers between perspectives as a scholar in the field of consumer behavior (he is a professor of marketing, Baylor Univ., with roughly 75 published academic articles) and as an advocate for the well-being of the consumer. In this sense, Roberts seeks to serve a higher purpose, even as he includes a “prosperity gospel” among the shiny objects that lure consumer dollars. His style is to expose misdirected consumer spending objectively and with gentle humor, while steadily adding support to his thesis. Roberts’s academic background is apparent, with extensive citations throughout his work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. — D. Aron, Dominican University

Smith, Thomas G.  Showdown: JFK and the integration of the Washington Redskins.  Beacon Press, 2011.  277p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780807000748, $26.95.
49-5736  GV953  2011-12345 CIP
 
The heavy in this history-as-morality-play: flamboyant National Football League (NFL) owner George Preston Marshall. His nemesis: Stewart L. Udall, John F. Kennedy’s secretary of the interior. Since the mid-1950s, Marshall’s Washington Redskins had been the only all-white NFL team (Udall dubbed them the “Paleskins”). Even though they were perennial cellar dwellers, Marshall boasted, “We’ll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites.” Despite prodding from sportswriters, notably Maury Povich of The Washington Post, recently appointed Commissioner Pete Rozelle refused to take on the autocratic, bigoted Marshall. What gave the idealistic Udall leverage to do so, with Kennedy’s approval, was a 30-year lease the Redskins had signed to use DC (later Robert F. Kennedy) Stadium, located on Interior Department property. After the 1962 draft, in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, Washington acquired African American Bobby Mitchell, who went on to have a stellar career. Six years after suffering a debilitating stroke, Marshall died in August 1969. That fall under Coach Vince Lombardi, the Redskins enjoyed their first winning season since 1955. Despite a prosaic style, this well-researched monograph sheds light on a relatively unknown episode that illustrates, in microcosm, the piecemeal progress during the 1960s in the fight for racial justice in the US. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. — J. B. Lane, formerly, Indiana University Northwest

Tabb, William K.  The restructuring of capitalism in our time.  Columbia, 2012.  341p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780231158428, $35.00;
e-book ISBN 9780231528030 e-book, $27.99.
49-5802  HB501  2011-8941 CIP
 
Tabb (emer., Queens College and City College of New York) makes a valuable contribution to the proliferating literature on the ongoing financial crisis with this well-written, carefully researched account of the great recession. He begins by defining financialization, a process in which finance, a servant of capitalism and a link between savers and investors, has come to dominate its master. The great recession, Tabb maintains, is a product of fundamental changes in the social structure that distort capital formation by placing a premium on speculation and by encouraging development of new financial instruments in a deregulated environment. His well-documented account illuminates the effect of corrupt practices and collusion in the financial community that contributed to the collapse. Further, it shows that the persistent premise that markets efficiently allocate resources hinders implementing an alternative regulatory structure for financial reform. Concluding chapters consider the threat to stability of imbalances in the global economy and the difficulties of mobilizing government initiatives necessary to avoid future repetitions of such breakdowns. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through professionals as well as general readers.
— E. L. Whalen, formerly, Clarke College 
 
Whither opportunity?: rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances, ed. by Greg J. Duncan and Richard J. Murnane.  Russell Sage Foundation/Spencer Foundation, 2011.  551p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780871543721 pbk, $49.95.
49-5804  LC4091  2011-16969 CIP
 
Inequality is newsworthy. CEO salaries relative to those of lowest-paid workers, the percent of income paid in taxes by the top earners, differential rates of income growth, top versus bottom–these issues permeate public discourse. And whatever one thinks of the current state of economic inequality, no reputable analyst wishes to freeze current circumstances over succeeding generations. Enter editors Duncan (Univ. of California, Irvine) and Murnane (Harvard), who skillfully assembled the findings of 49 academic and foundation researchers in this thorough volume. Their target: children. Their questions: how are children’s education and economic future impacted by current inequality, and what does this portend for future societal inequality? The answers are not pretty. Focusing on child development, family circumstances, neighborhoods, schools, and labor markets, this volume explicates the adverse outcomes economic inequality imposes on children through these environmental influences, and worse, how this short-circuits the historical impact of educational achievement on reducing inequality. But this work is no jeremiad. Solutions abound, by dispelling shibboleths and enacting new policies and shifts in emphasis. Happily, greater economic equality for children is possible, doable, and necessary. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate students through professionals. — D. J. Conger, Ithaca College 
 
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