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

After the spring: economic transitions in the Arab world, by Magdi Amin et al.  Oxford, 2012.  179p index afp; ISBN 9780199924929, $35.00.
50-1571  HC498   2011-45961 CIP

The Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program convened 15 scholars and former officials to produce this report under the leadership of former UN Development Programme head and World Bank vice-president Kemal Dervi?. The authors ascribe the political upheavals in the Arab world in 2011-12 to the breakdown of the classic authoritarian bargain in which citizens accept political exclusion in return for state provision of economic benefits. They recommend four economic transitions for all Arab countries, whether or not they experienced recent government change. First is more opportunities for the young: employment creation and a fair share of national resources now often channeled to elites. Second is modernization of the public sector to be more effective, more accountable, and less corrupt. Third is orienting the private sector toward production and innovation rather than rent seeking. Fourth is finding ways for more constructive economic engagement with the rest of the world in the face of increasing economic nationalism in Arab countries. The focus is on practical and immediate policy advice for Arab governments. The authors stress the commonality of the problems facing Arab countries, with side comments on specific country situations. An accessible, timely volume. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of students; general readers; researchers; professionals. — P. Clawson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Arthur, Charles.  Digital wars: Apple, Google, Microsoft and the battle for the Internet.  Kogan Page, 2012.  264p bibl index; ISBN 9780749464134 pbk, $19.95;
e-book ISBN 9780749464141 e-book, $12.39.
50-1555  HD9696  2011-44595 CIP

Science and technology journalist Arthur (Guardian, UK) provides a summary of the big three Internet-era companies, focusing on search platforms, digital music, smartphones, and tablets. Arthur compares and contrasts the corporate approach of Microsoft, Google, and Apple, respectively. He notes that Microsoft’s division-based and hierarchical approach, which was very successful in the PC age, eventually led to self-defeating strategies, e.g., divisional territories and isolation, in the mobile age. He also discusses the company’s practice of striving for product perfection after product release as seen in the Zune music player, Tablet PC, etc. Conversely, Apple was not afraid to kill dying products such as the Cube or iPod mini, and shunned refurbishment of current products; instead Apple designed them to last until the arrival of new must-buy products. Google winds up somewhere in between, but has largely outperformed Microsoft in searching and advertising ventures. Where many similar works such as John Battelle’s The Search (CH, Mar’06, 43-4123) and Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs (CH, Apr’12, 49-4500) focus primarily on personalities and management approaches, this work focuses more on various aspects of market economics and strategies, as well as competitive patent practices. Valuable for all readers, and a suitable addition for history of technology and business collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — K. D. Winward, Central College

Béland, Daniel.  The politics of policy change: welfare, medicare, and social security reform in the United States, by Daniel Béland and Alex Waddan.  Georgetown University, 2012.  223p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781589018846 pbk, $29.95.
50-1739  HN65   2011-35688 CIP

Despite lingering public perceptions about government gridlock, public policies change. And in fact, sometimes they change a great deal. This book examines changes to US social welfare policies. Specifically, it examines the cases of welfare reform in 1996 and Medicare reform in 2003, and asks what happened. To help answer this question, Béland (Univ. of Saskatchewan, Canada) and Waddan (Univ. of Leicester, UK) also consider a case in which policy did not change–President Bush’s failed 2005 attempt to partially privatize Social Security. The authors present a comprehensive framework designed to explain policy change (and stasis). The framework emphasizes the role of institutions (the unique American governmental arrangements that constrain political actors), ideas (how political actors define problems and identify solutions), and “issue ownership” (how citizens view politicians and their attempts at change through the mirror of the two major parties’ perceived track records regarding the issue under consideration). Ultimately, the authors succeed in explaining why things turned out the way they did in the cases they examine. This theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich book is an important contribution to the policymaking literature, and will help readers understand why things change and why they stay the same. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. — A. J. Nownes, University of Tennessee

Bobrow-Strain, Aaron.  White bread: a social history of the store-bought loaf.  Beacon Press, 2012.  257p index afp; ISBN 9780807044674, $27.95.
50-1649  GT2868  2011-32529 CIP

In the past 200 years, mass-produced white bread has gone from a “modern marvel to low-class item.” Bobrow-Strain (politics, Whitman College) focuses on the economics, politics, and policies of industrial bread in the US through an impressive study of cookbooks, health guides, industry records, government documents, newspapers, and popular magazines. Weaving current concerns such as white versus whole wheat and industrialized versus local food, the author reveals the fissures and continuities in the ever-contested realm of US food production and consumption. Why was white bread once the domain of US elites? Is bread making an art or a science? The author answers these questions and many more as he maps the contours of the US search in white bread for personal and social purification, authentic food, scientific progress and control, health and hygiene, and national security. He renders complex arguments in clear, accessible prose. Bobrow-Strain does for white bread and US modernization what Sidney Mintz’s Sweetness and Power (CH, Oct’85) did for sugar and colonization. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General and undergraduate collections and up. — S. Gac, Trinity College

Chancy, Myriam J. A.  From sugar to revolution: women’s visions of Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.  Wilfrid Laurier, 2012.  358p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781554584284, $85.00.
50-1351  PN849   Can. CIP

Chancy’s multifaceted study examines contemporary Cuban, Haitian, and Dominican women’s use of literary and performance arts to resurrect marginalized and silenced subjects’ memories. Her paradigm for constructing cohesive Caribbean relations is the Haitian Revolution’s broad rejection of the French occupation, Haiti’s reclamation of national sovereignty, freedom from the imposition of Enlightenment logic, and reassertion of collective national memory. Troubling for Chancy’s transformative vision is neighboring nations’ acceptance of imposed rather than original, indigenous cultures, thereby rejecting association with Haiti’s black majority population, by example Dominicans’ blanqueamiento (skin whitening) and Cuba’s erasure of race as a category of discussion. Selected for their feminist commitments and innovative approaches to capturing lost histories are works by Dominicans Julia Alvarez (In the Time of the Butterflies), Angie Cruz (Let It Rain Coffee), and Loida Maritza Pérez (Geographies of Home); Haitian Edwidge Danticat (The Farming of Bones); Cubans Zoé Valdés (Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada), Nancy Morejón (her revolutionary and womanist poetry), Marilyn Bobes (“Somebody Has to Cry”), and Achy Obejas (We Came All the Way from Cuba so You Could Dress Like This?). Chancy also examines the work of performance artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons (“Middle Passage” installations). This book is an incredible read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — J. C. Richards, Park University

Encyclopaedia Iranica, from Columbia University’s Center for Iranian Studies.  Internet Resource.
50-1196

http://www.iranicaonline.org/
[Visited Aug’12] Columbia University, as usual, does it right. This unique, scholarly, free resource aims to treat all aspects of Iranian history and culture. Readers will find thousands of entries, which are solicited via invitation only and peer reviewed by a very impressive editorial board–38 scholars from major international academic institutions where various areas of Iranian studies are taught. Examples of coverage include 199 hits under the topic Arts and Crafts; 58 under Folklore; 303 under Religion, Islam; 130 under Ethnic Groups; and 126 under Literature, Modern. Each article is quite detailed, and most provide a bibliography for further reading. The work is not complete; new articles are added as they are written. A printed version is available for purchase, and a Persian translation of the finished work is planned. Advanced search features include keywords, title, author, topic (pull-down menu), and tags. Tags are not present for many articles but can be added by users; they are approved by the site administrator and then incorporated into the entries’ metadata. Images and tables can be enlarged and viewed independently of the text. Under Resources, links to related sites include Islamic Manuscripts at Michigan, OCIMCO (Oxford & Cambridge Islamic Manuscripts Catalogue Online), and Bibliographia Iranica. Also included is information on citing material and a featured articles section. Encyclopaedia Iranica will benefit all who are interested in Persian life and culture, including students, specialists, and interested general readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. — L. K. Miller, Western Kentucky University

Jack, Belinda.  The woman reader.  Yale, 2012.  329p index; ISBN 9780300120455, $30.00.
50-1240  Z1039   2012-2608 CIP

This survey of women’s reading by Jack (Christ Church, Univ. of Oxford) connects the dots in the hazy history of female access to literacy and reading materials. The text names specific people, including Dhuoda, Hrotsvit, Radegund, Anne Askew, Aphra Behn, Fatima al-Fihri, Aisha, and their attainments, including medieval models of reading aloud and autodidacticism in scriptural languages. Jack accounts for the flight of young girls to convents to read freely from their libraries and contribute to religious debate. Key to the gap in learning, women’s disempowerment accounted for centuries of illiteracy, especially in the underclass and among slaves. This was followed by the Renaissance starburst of demand for readable, enjoyable literature. The text enlarges on issues of sexuality and romance and on the broad tastes of modern female readers. The author details the role of specific works in public controversy–the Bible, Pamela, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the Lady’s Companion magazine, Mrs. Miniver, Reading Lolita in Tehran, The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Exaltation of Inanna, and birthing manuals. Insights into the androcentric control of Muslim women echo medieval concerns that females who read are more likely to question authority and make enlightened choices about their lives and families. Glimpses of female bibliophiles in art corroborate Jack’s themes. Concise footnotes and a meticulous index enable readers to pinpoint focal issues, including bluestockings, diarists, Catholicism, eroticism, Feminists against Censorship, and censorship in China and Iran. This will be an excellent addition to public, high-school, and college libraries and to the professional shelves of departments of education and women’s history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. — M. E. Snodgrass, Lenoir-Rhyne University

Johnson, Laurie M.  Locke and Rousseau: two Enlightenment responses to honor.  Lexington Books, 2012.  203p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780739147870, $60.00; e-book ISBN 9780739147894 e-book, $59.99.
50-1730  BJ1533  2012-8360 CIP

In this clear, accessible book, Johnson (Kansas State Univ.) explores the decline of honor in early modern political thought. Expanding the argument of her previous work, Thomas Hobbes: Turning Point for Honor (CH, Nov’09, 47-1683), Johnson shows how Locke and Rousseau extend Hobbes’s assault on aristocratic notions of honor while attempting to develop a new type of honor for individuals committed to equality. According to Johnson, Locke follows Hobbes in rejecting honor by questioning the naturalness of social position, weakening religious conviction, and replacing duty with privatized self-interest. Rousseau joins Locke in challenging the “pride and destructive vanity” of aristocratic honor, yet seeks to recover the heroic sense of self-sacrifice that is deflated by Lockean liberalism. Yet Rousseau relies on medieval notions of chivalry that are at odds with modern commitments to gender equality. The central question of Johnson’s study is this: “Can liberalism be made compatible with any type of honor code?” Although she hints at some possible answers, she does not solve this riddle here. Instead she carefully traces the decline of aristocratic honor and the difficulty of finding a replacement in the modern world. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. — D. Casson, St. Olaf College

Kowalski, Robin M.  Cyberbullying: bullying in the digital age, by Robin M. Kowalski, Susan P. Limber, and Patricia W. Agatston.  2nd ed.  Wiley, 2012.  282p bibl indexes; ISBN 9781444334807, $79.95; ISBN 9781444334814 pbk, $24.95.
50-1536  HV6773  2011-46026 CIP

The rapid growth of the Web has produced an epidemic of cyberbullying among youth in the US. Widespread Internet harassment is forcing teachers, psychologists, school administrators, and parents, as well as the victims themselves, to deal with a complex set of practical dilemmas. The authors (Kowalski and Limber, psychology, Clemson; Agatston, a school prevention specialist) provide a clear, concise, comprehensive overview of the academic research on cyberbullying, along with considerable real-world guidance on the development and implementation of school-wide anti-bullying policies. The authors stress the importance of parental communication and oversight, combined with pro-active educational strategies. This book’s extensive review of current academic research on the social dynamics underlying cyberbullying is particularly beneficial in revealing such complexities as the gender and ethnic patterns of online bullying, the types of students most likely to be involved in this activity, and the ways that fellow students can discourage, or encourage, bullying. The chapters entitled “What Parents Can Do” and “What Educators Can Do” will be useful for readers who are confronted with this misbehavior, as will the book’s up-to-date outline of the US’s evolving legal landscape. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. — T. H. Koenig, Northeastern University

Lepore, Jill.  The mansion of happiness: a history of life and death.  Knopf, 2012.  282p index; ISBN 9780307592996, $27.95.
50-1537  E169   2011-50566 CIP

Lepore (history and literature, Harvard; New Yorker staff writer) has written extensively for both academic and broader audiences. The Mansion of Happiness is written for both. It is an insightful, playful, funny, wrenching, and pointed selection of ten essays on the history of ideas of life from conception to the afterlife. Using the game of Life, Lepore adeptly weaves together the essays, which began as New Yorker articles, and the lives and works of writers, editors, scientists, and entrepreneurs as threads. Though broadly Western in scope, the essays’ primary focus is the modern US. The author engagingly connects current controversies regarding sex, conception, contraception, childhood, adolescence, marriage, parenting, end-of-life care, and death to their historical roots in the Enlightenment, Progressive Era, and the 1960s and 1970s. Together, the essays reveal the transformative influence of modern biology, medical science, industrialization, urbanization, and the increasing integration of US society on perceptions of living and dying. Well researched, well written, informative, provocative, and entertaining. Especially useful for collections on the history of ideas, science, medicine, culture, and gender. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. — C. R. Versen, Bridgewater College

Levenstein, Harvey.  Fear of food: a history of why we worry about what we eat.  Chicago, 2012.  218p index afp; ISBN 9780226473741, $25.00; ISBN 9780226473734 e-book e-book, $18.00.
50-1434  TX360   2011-35700 CIP

According to noted food historian Levenstein (emer., McMaster Univ., Canada), the foundation of people’s fear of food stems from a concept known as the “omnivore’s dilemma.” Essentially, unlike some animals that continually exist on the same type of food, humans eat a large variety of foods–some healthy and some not. People’s doubts about the healthiness of their choices fuel the anxiety, which has increased markedly since most people have left the farm and consequently relinquished control of food to industrialized food manufacturers. Levenstein deftly narrates the story of various phobias humans have developed following the mass production of food. These include fear of germs, fat, sugar, and cholesterol, along with adulteration through chemical additives and lack of vitamins due to overprocessing. The author maintains that food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, aided and abetted by famous nutritionists and government agencies, have capitalized on these fears, primarily for commercial interests. In the end, after many decades of advances in nutritional science, it is difficult not to conclude after reading this history that snake oil salesmen still control people’s image of food. Readers interested in the fear of food adulteration would benefit from Bee Wilson’s Swindled (CH, Apr’09, 46-4407). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. — D. M. Gilbert, Maine Maritime Academy

Lewis, Lionel S.  Con game: Bernard Madoff and his victims.  Transaction, 2012.  270p index; ISBN 9781412846097, $34.95.
50-1576  HV6692  2011-34951 CIP

Madoff’s infamous crime is generally called a “Ponzi” scheme, but Lewis (emer., SUNY Buffalo) takes the perspective that Madoff perpetuated a confidence game because the marks (“victims”) had faith in and trusted him or the financial advisors (“shills”) who invested on their behalf. Unlike other writers who focus on Madoff, Lewis considers victims’ reactions to their sudden diminished financial security. His sources include court transcripts, interviews, and questionnaires from Madoff’s investors. In many cases, the victims extended over generations within families. Even though these individuals had resources to invest, many portrayed themselves as “frugal” and “hardworking” with modest means. The victims obviously blamed Madoff, but almost all placed equal blame on the federal government for letting the scheme happen. The operation passed SEC examinations, and Madoff used that to establish credibility. Venom is also directed at the court-appointed trustee for legal interpretations and compensation. Although Madoff’s con was a financial fraud, Lewis’s account is more concerned with behavioral finance and the psychological and sociological aspects of the crime and its effects on the victims. The validity of this work is enhanced by extensive notes, excerpts from transcripts and questionnaires, and a fascinating illustration of a monthly statement received by an investor. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. — H. Mayo, The College of New Jersey

Nelson, Victoria.  Gothicka: vampire heroes, human gods, and the new supernatural.  Harvard, 2012.  333p index afp; ISBN 9780674050143, $27.95.
50-1259  PN3435  2011-41651 CIP

With this brilliant encyclopedic study of gothic literature, film, and culture, Nelson (creative writing, Goddard College) continues the exploration of the gothic she began in The Secret Life of Puppets (CH, Sep’02, 40-0066). Although (as she states) she does not try to survey, or position herself within, the area of gothic scholarship, her scholarship is solid, referencing major scholars such as Fred Botting (Gothic, CH, Mar’97, 34-3719, and other works on the subject). This is not dry, difficult reading; the book can be enjoyed by anyone interested in the gothic, including aspects of it that have not been extensively explored. Nelson focuses mainly on 21st-century examples, while providing an excellent background of earlier works and connecting them to contemporary works in unusual ways. In addition to cultural crazes such as Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series and Dan Brown’s novels, she includes chapters on gothic performance art such as the Christian “Hell House,” which she connects to the medieval European mystery plays. Including extended discussions of Guillermo del Torro’s films, William Young’s unusual Christian novel The Shack, and new interpretations of Lovecraft and his influence, the book provides a refreshing exploration of a subject that has in recent years tended to be overdone. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. — L. J. Larson, Our Lady of the Lake University

Picturing atrocity: photography in crisis, ed. by Geoffrey Batchen et al.  Reaktion Books, 2012.  319p bibl; ISBN 186189872x  pbk, $30.00.
50-1293  TR820   MARC

This collection of essays features thought-provoking, insightful analyses of photographs of atrocities dating from 1890 (Wounded Knee) to the present unrest in the Middle East, with most of the major global tragedies in between. In some, the contributors (many of today’s leading critics, artists, and historians of photography) unpack the meaning in photographs of atrocity. In others, they unveil how picturing atrocity may be read as participating in and perpetuating it. By closely reading both iconic images and banal photographs of crises within their context, the various contributors show readers how to be critical of what is seen and unseen. The notion of crisis may also be understood as a change in photography as questions of image ownership arise, as embedded and citizen journalists produce photographs of crises, and as new venues for circulation emerge. These practices, as some assert, have begun to disrupt traditional power structures, create space for new voices, and allow a better understanding of past and present atrocities. These vivid, lucid essays make an invaluable contribution to the history of photography and provide a model for active looking and critical engagement. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. 
— J. H. Noonan, Caldwell College

Piety, Tamara R.  Brandishing the First Amendment: commercial expression in America.  Michigan, 2012.  328p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780472117925, $70.00; ISBN 9780472027729 e-book e-book, contact publisher for price.
50-1756  KF4772  2011-43629 CIP

This book by law professor Piety (Univ. of Tulsa College of Law) is about limits on the regulation of commercial and corporate speech. Drawing on First Amendment doctrine, Piety views speech in the marketplace and speech by corporations as different from speech by individuals. She provides a historically grounded discussion of traditional restrictions on commercial speech from advertising to the defense of corporate behavior. While most of the book was written before 2010, the author incorporates the Supreme Court’s ruling from that year in Citizens United v. FEC. She traces the emergence of commercial speech doctrine and examines the arguments for rights to expression of the corporation as well as the consumer. Her overall concern is the expansion of protections for speech and expression by corporations. She believes that the regulation of commercial speech is essential to the regulation of commerce. Ultimately, Piety sees consumer protection and industrial regulation threatened by the expansion of constitutional protection for free speech in the commercial realm. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections and above. — J. Brigham, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Rand, Erica.  Red nails, black skates: gender, cash, and pleasure on and off the ice.  Duke, 2012.  309p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780822351979, $84.95; ISBN 9780822352082 pbk, $23.95.
50-1524  GV852   2011-38522 CIP

At the outset, this reviewer assumed this book would interest primarily those who are or had been figure skaters. Readers immersed in the figure-skating world will definitely feel a connection with this book, but those who are not will also be able to appreciate the interesting paths Rand (art and visual culture and gender and women’s studies, Bates College) takes. In delving into the amazing world of the adult figure skater, she adopts a participant/observer approach. She started skating at the age of 40 and went on to compete in the Gay Games and the US Adult National Figure Skating Championship. She put her heart into her experiences and into the writing of this book. But Rand goes well beyond the figure-skating vernacular. Writing as a “queer femme,” she takes readers into the gendered communities, intimate nature, and political world of skating–describing family, friendships, equipment, pleasures, and fears. The writing style and subheadings capture readers’ attention, the book is well written, and the author integrates theoretical frameworks into the story. This fine treatment of gender and sport will serve a broad audience and a variety of disciplines. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty, professionals, general readers. 
— K. H. Weiller, University of North Texas

Roberts, Callum.  The ocean of life: the fate of man and the sea.  Viking, 2012.  405p index; ISBN 9780670023547, $30.00.
50-1455  CB465   2012-252 CIP

The ocean has long been viewed as a vast, endless resource–one that could never be exhausted or affected by human activities. Because of these attitudes, it has been used as a dumping ground while being indiscriminately overharvested. Thanks to the efforts of many different environmental groups, the public has become increasingly aware of these problems, but other serious issues have received little notice. This book addresses these concerns, including noise pollution, invasive species, plastic pollution, and the effects of climate change on reefs and sea levels as well as ocean acidification. The latter is potentially the worst of all and one of the furthest from public consciousness. Roberts (Univ. of York, UK; The Unnatural History of the Sea, CH, May’08, 45-4944) skillfully presents all these topics and more and provides very cogent arguments against some of the technological “fixes” some scientists have proposed. Although the last quarter of the book concentrates on positive, realistic steps to slow or reverse these trends, the overwhelmingly gloomy tone of earlier chapters may cause some readers to give up before they reach that point. That would be a shame; this book should be required reading for everyone. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. — G. C. Jensen, University of Washington

Rosenhouse, Jason.  Among the creationists: dispatches from the anti-evolutionist front line.  Oxford, 2012.  257p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199744633, $29.95.
50-1429  BS651   2011-26995 CIP

This is a well-written, enlightening take on a topic that has generated many books on both sides of a well-heated controversy. Rosenhouse (James Madison Univ.) is a mathematician, not a biologist, and so has a somewhat different perspective on the disagreements between scientists and creationists. The book’s title reflects the contents; this is essentially a memoir reflecting on the author’s interactions with creationists, both at conferences and in more private settings. The value of this approach is that it allows readers, scientists and nonscientists alike, to understand the genesis (pun intended) of the deep divide between a scientific approach and a religious, faith-based system. Rosenhouse writes: “Evolution challenges the claims of the Bible, refutes Paley’s version of the design argument, exacerbates the problem of evil, and seems to diminish human significance.” These are serious issues in the minds of many religious folks, and ignoring them in order to discuss scientific evidence is simply not going to lead to understanding or consensus. The author’s sympathetic treatment of this deep divide is valuable. It will help both evidence-based and faith-based individuals move closer to an appreciation of the issues on the other side of this dispute. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. — D. A. Rintoul, Kansas State University

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