Arts and Humanities Reviews, September 1, 2011
Sep 1, 2011ARTS
Albers, Patricia. Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter. Knopf. 2011. c.544p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780375414374. $40. FINE ARTS
With this generously illustrated work (eight pages of full-color photographs; 62 in-text reproductions), art historian, author, and curator Albers (Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti) presents the first full-scale biography of Joan Mitchell (1925–92), a major 20th-century American artist. Often described as a second-generation abstract expressionist painter, Mitchell, who came from a wealthy Chicago family and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at Columbia University, moved to New York during the late 1940s, where she attracted the attention of critics, collectors, curators, and gallery owners. In 1955, she moved to France, where she practiced a painting style described as abstract impressionism. This significant biography covers all aspects of Mitchell’s life, including her synesthesia, eidetic memory, alcoholism, troubled relationships, and art. Filled with intimate details of her complex personality and unconventional lifestyle, this is a conscientiously objective yet sympathetic portrait of the “lady painter” and the social and cultural contexts in which she became a successful artist in the male-dominated Parisian and New York art worlds. VERDICT Reasonably well documented, this scholarly yet compelling book will interest general readers as well as students, scholars, and museum professionals. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 11/1/10.]—Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Cruise, Colin. Pre-Raphaelite Drawing. Thames & Hudson, dist. by Norton. 2011. 248p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780500238813. $50. FINE ARTS
Cruise’s (art, Aberystwyth Univ., Wales; Love Revealed: Simeon Solomon and the Pre-Raphaelites) book accompanies an exhibition at the Birmingham Art Museum in England, the most comprehensive survey to date of Pre-Raphaelite works on paper. The exhibition stemmed from the museum’s large collection of Pre-Raphaelite drawings donated in 1906 by the artist Charles Fairfax Murray. The book successfully demonstrates that the art of drawing was of central importance to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and its associates. Without a doubt, the four artists emphasized in these pages—William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne-Jones—were gifted draftsmen. Other Pre-Raphaelite artists are examined as well, however, as is the diverse subject matter they depicted. Chapters are devoted to academic drawings, particularly of nudes; the exploration of nature in drawings, as influenced by the ideas of John Ruskin; portraits and caricatures; the influence of subjects taken from modern life as well as from biblical and medieval sources; Pre-Raphaelite book illustration; and how drawings were used in the design of stained glass, tiles, furniture, textiles, and other decorative arts. VERDICT This beautifully illustrated book is recommended for readers interested in 19th-century English art and design.—Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Univ. Lib., MA
Hoffman, Katherine. Alfred Stieglitz: A Legacy of Light. Yale Univ. 2011. 400p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300134452. $45. PHOTOG
Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) spent most of his career pushing for the recognition of photography as a fine art. Hoffman (fine arts, St. Anselm Coll.; Stieglitz: A Beginning Light) records the story of his life, emphasizing his influence on the history of photography. She does a remarkable job of discussing his contemporaries in art and literature and explaining how historic events, artists, galleries, museums, and photographic organizations influenced his life and career. This volume includes 200 black-and-white images (primarily by Stieglitz) and 80 color images (primarily paintings relevant to him). The majority of the book is text, including documented biographical information about Stieglitz and critical discussions of his images and techniques. Hoffman quotes frequently from his correspondence, providing a nice balance between her voice and the artist’s. VERDICT This is required reading for serious scholars of photography and Stieglitz, but the language is not overly academic, so the casual reader can easily become engrossed. The artist’s relationship with wife Georgia O’Keeffe is well documented in this volume via text and images.—Valerie Nye, Santa Fe Univ. of Art and Design, NM
Hyland, Angus & Steven Bateman. Symbol. Laurence King, dist. by Chronicle. 2011. c.336p. illus. index. ISBN 9781856697279. pap. $40. GRAPHIC ARTS
This work by Hyland, a partner at international design firm Pentagram, and Bateman, a freelance writer who contributes to design magazines, is a distinctive arrangement of symbols used by companies around the world, focusing purely on visual design. As Hyland writes in the preface, “The idea behind this book is to explore the visual language of symbols according to its most basic element: form…divested of all the agendas, [and] meanings.” To achieve this classification by form, the book is arranged according to two major groups: abstract shapes (e.g., circles, squares) and representational forms (e.g., flowers, animals). About 1300 small, black-and-white symbols are included, each accompanied by captions indicating the name of the client, the designer of the symbol, the relevant business sector (e.g., finance, transport), the year of the design, and a brief description. These different points are all indexed. VERDICT This compilation is successful as a catalog of symbol forms and is thus a good reference tool for logo designers. For graphic designers and design students, this is a must-have.—Eric Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH
Poulin, Richard. The Language of Graphic Design: An Illustrated Handbook for Understanding Fundamental Design Principles. Rockport: Quayside. 2011. 288p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781592536764. $45. GRAPHIC ARTS
Poulin, head of his own design consulting firm, is also an experienced teacher of graphic design at a number of institutions. This volume, written for students and practitioners, contains examples of work from both groups and is intended as a succinct reference elucidating common concepts used in design work. Twenty-six chapters cover such concepts as “point,” “symmetry,” and “proportion” and are illustrated with representative examples. Each chapter also contains a brief entry on a key figure—for example, Max Bill or Jan Tschichold—and that person’s contribution to the development of graphic design. VERDICT The examples are well chosen and the art nicely reproduced in this moderately priced book, but its usefulness as a standard reference, as the introduction suggests it might become, seems questionable. The explanations of some simple terms are overworked, and the layout, while pleasing and illustrative of design principles, doesn’t lend itself to easy referral. This is a worthwhile though not essential addition for practitioners in the field.—Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY
Szyk, Arthur. The Szyk Haggadah. Abrams. 2011. 128p. tr. from Hebrew with commentary by Byron L. Sherwin with Irvin Ungar. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9780810997530. pap. $16.95. FINE ARTS
This edition of Szyk’s Haggadah has been preceded by two others—the original 1940 edition and the Historican luxury limited edition of 300 issued in 2008, in which digital technology restored Szyk’s stunningly beautiful illustrations to their original brilliance. Szyk was a renowned Polish Jewish artist who created his Haggadah in the 1930s during the rise of Nazi Germany. His visual commentary on the ancient telling of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt uses elaborate illustrations and Hebrew calligraphy to tell the Passover story. He drew parallels between the Nazis’ genocidal tactics and the diabolical plans of the pharaoh in the biblical book of Exodus. When the Haggadah was originally published, the Times of London reviewer declared it “worthy to be placed among the most beautiful books the hands of man has produced.” VERDICT Not only is this volume a beautiful addition to any Passover seder, but the very informative and accessible introductory commentary sections by Rabbi Ungar and translator Sherwin make it a useful addition to general public libraries, art libraries, and the collections of students of Jewish religion, culture, and art. Highly recommended.—Herbert E. Shapiro, formerly with Empire State Coll., SUNY, Rochester
Thomas, Greg M. Impressionist Children: Childhood, Family, and Modern Identity in French Art. Yale Univ. 2011. c.240p. illus. index. ISBN 9780300112856. $65. FINE ARTS
Thomas (fine arts, Univ. of Hong Kong; Art and Ecology in 19th-Century France: The Landscapes of Théodore Rousseau) looks at childhood identity and the family as portrayed in 19th-century impressionist painting in France. He examines these paintings within the framework of cultural documents and social and visual references of the time, including children’s books, toys, fashion, photography, and tourist guidebooks. He concludes that these paintings explore the view of children in white, bourgeois society as autonomous individuals shaped by acculturation into the larger capitalist society of commodification. For example, Renoir’s portrayals of children mirror visual models of girlhood, such as dolls. Images of girls by Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot reflect the experiences of women in the home. These artists, in fact, projected a sort of idealism onto their portrayals of childhood. This was a radical departure from past treatments of children in paintings, where they were depicted as either miniature versions of adults or allegorical figures such as of Piety or Obedience. VERDICT A beautifully illustrated book recommended for readers interested in the social aspects of French impressionism.—Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Univ. Lib., MA
21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series. Lark: Sterling. 2011. c.420p. ed. by Marthe Le Van. illus. index. ISBN 9781600595219. $30. DEC ARTS
Eclectic, amazing, and truly bizarre pieces have been hallmarks of the jewelry in Lark’s “500” series titles published over the past ten years and edited by Le Van (e.g., 500 Silver Jewelry Designs). This volume showcases favorite pieces of the 80 jurors of the series, notable jewelers, collectors, teachers, and curators. The brief introduction covers new developments in jewelry design. The following section, “The Jewelry,” dazzles with magnificent works created by an array of international artisans utilizing traditional precious metals and gems as well as such nontraditional materials as fabric, feathers, wire, paper, plastic, rubber, wood, leather, and even vegetables. Each beautifully photographed item includes the artist’s name, the date created, dimensions, and materials. The accompanying minimal text is taken from jurors’ quotes. The overall layout is clean and crisp, with the jewelry as the focus. The book concludes with brief biographical information on each of the jurors and an index of the artists, organized by name. VERDICT This breathtaking compilation of outstanding and one-of-a-kind jewelry is recommended for individuals interested in creative art design and jewelry.—Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN
Wiles, Sara. Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation. Univ. of Oklahoma. 2011. 256p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780806141589. $34.95. PHOTOG
For countless centuries along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, the Arapaho thrived in a vast territory unmolested by the invasions that were to come over the last 150 years. Photographer and anthropologist Wiles devoted several decades to documenting the descendants of these indigenous people, whose homeland has for many generations been confined to Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation. During this time, Wiles lived “on the Rez” among the northern Arapaho, creating in her pictures and writings a compelling cross between photojournalism and autobiography. The result is a curious, irresistible mix of travelog and “mosaic ethnography,” as she puts it, with chapters devoted to a variety of persons and families known to the author. These portraits reveal the often sad, proud admixture of this ancient culture within its contemporary American context. VERDICT An attractively produced, affectionate pictorial, this title will be of interest to students of the American West and its peoples.—Douglas F. Smith, Berkeley P.L., CA
LITERATURE
Austen, Jane. Persuasion: An Annotated Edition. Belknap: Harvard Univ. Nov. 2011. c.360p. ed. by Robert Morrison. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9780674049741. $35. LIT
Jane Austen’s final novel continues to fascinate readers. This love story contains Austen’s most pointed social commentary, recognizing the rising status of the professional class and respecting the aristocrats with their inherited lands and titles. Morrison (Queen’s National Scholar, Queen’s Univ., Ontario) provides annotations alongside the novel’s text. He enables readers to understand the impact of these social changes on family interactions and obligations, especially marriage. The annotations and extensive color illustrations provide literary, geographic, and historical context, the latter especially in relation to naval life. Morrison argues that Anne Elliot, Austen’s oldest heroine, at 27, is also her most complex and compelling.VERDICT This is a handsome large-format volume, like the previous entry in the series, Patricia Meyer Spacks’s annotated Pride and Prejudice. While David Shapard has edited an annotated edition of Persuasion, it is a paperback original, lacking the handsome format and scores of color illustrations here, and Shapard’s background is in history, rather than literature. Highly recommended to first-time Austen readers and to fans seeking further insight into Austen’s life and literary sources, as well as British life in her time.—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY, Geneseo
Carretta, Vincent. Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage. Univ. of Georgia. Nov. 2011. c.304p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780820333380. $29.95. LIT
West African–born Phillis Wheatley (1753?–84) was sold into slavery and became the property of a wealthy Boston family at the age of eight. In 1773, she published Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, becoming the first person of African heritage and only the second woman to publish a book in America. Although she is the subject of several studies, e.g., Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s The Trials of Phillis Wheatley, this is surprisingly the first full biography of her. Carretta (English, Univ. of Maryland; Equiano, the African) presents his significant research in this comprehensive study of Wheatley. He uncovered her previously unknown earliest writings in the personal papers of a contemporary. Using court documents about her husband, John Peters, Carretta found new information about Wheatley’s postemancipation life in Boston and London, years about which scholars still know very little. He also provides fresh analysis of Wheatley’s poetry and gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of both free and enslaved blacks in Colonial New England. VERDICT Recommended for both scholars and lay readers interested in African American history, the early history of the United States, and Wheatley’s place in American literature.—Jason Martin, Univ. of Central Florida Lib., Orlando
Gray, Spalding. The Journals of Spalding Gray. Knopf. Oct. 2011. c.336p. ed. by Nell Casey. photogs. index. ISBN 9780307273451. $28.95. LIT
Casey (editor, Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression) has created a fascinating look at Gray (1941–2004), the actor, writer, and pioneer of the autobiographical monolog (e.g., Swimming to Cambodia), through the lens of his own journals. Her goal was to reveal more about an intriguing figure who had already seemingly revealed so much about himself through his monologs. Kathleen Russo, Gray’s widow, granted Casey access to Gray’s journals, sketches, photographs, and audiotapes, now housed at the University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center. Casey selected from more than 5000 pages of Gray’s journal entries from 1966 to 2004, including reminiscences from childhood to just before his death. She combined those chronologically with her notes and interviews with Gray’s familiars, to place the journal in context. Like Frances McCullough’s edition of The Journals of Sylvia Plath, which documents Plath’s struggles with depression, this book provides the reader with an intimate look at Gray’s life: his fight for success, complicated relationships, bouts of depression, and eventual suicide. VERDICT Biography fanatics, thespians, film buffs, and Gray fans will find this authoritative yet readable biographical work engrossing and moving. [See Prepub Alert, 4/4/11.]—Mark Manivong, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Sherborne, Michael. H.G. Wells: Another Kind of Life. Peter Owen, dist. by Trafalgar Square. 2011. c.408p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780720613513. $47.95. LIT
H.G. Wells (1866–1946) now may be most famous as one of the acknowledged fathers of modern science fiction/fantasy, with such works as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds, all written in the 1890s, later made into movies, and still eagerly read today. He was one of the most prolific writers of his era in many genres, active in progressive politics, and deeply engaged with the leading literary, scientific, and political figures of his time. Thus, in this first full-length biography of Wells in over 15 years, his life makes for fascinating reading, in many ways like a work of fiction, with his multiple wives, mistresses, and children born in and out of wedlock and his rags-to-riches story. Sherborne (English & humanities, Luton Sixth Form Coll., UK) gives readers a detailed account of Wells’s unusual life, offering new information and sourcing about one of Wells’s many mistresses, Amber Reeves, and their daughter and tackling Wells’s tremendous output of writing, including his Experiment in Autobiography. VERDICT Accessible to readers interested either in the roots of science fiction/fantasy or in literary biography, but scholarly enough for literature students as well.—Alison M. Lewis, formerly with Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Shields, Charles J. And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut; A Life. Holt. Nov. 2011. c.528p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780805086935. $30. LIT
Shields (Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee) presents a semiauthorized biography: Vonnegut agreed to cooperate but then died within a year, four years before this publication. However, the book demonstrates thorough research, based on interviews, letters, emails, and critical evaluations of Vonnegut’s writings, all cited extensively. While many are familiar with some of Vonnegut’s novels, fewer know his personal history. Shields takes us from cradle to grave, an interesting journey to say the least, stressing that his role is to look for patterns of behavior. One pattern he frequently notes is the difference between Vonnegut’s authorial voice and ideas and the person himself. While Shields is clearly a fan, he does not shy away from discussing the more difficult aspects of Vonnegut’s personality or from criticizing the novels. His device of starting the biography right in the midst of things, only to return to the early years, seems a bit forced, but, that aside, he keeps readers engrossed in the unfolding. VERDICT An excellent choice particularly for those who have read Vonnegut and will now understand the sources of the ideas he espouses in his novels and be able to contrast them with the actual person. [See Prepub Alert, 5/9/11.]—Gina Kaiser, Univ. of the Sciences, Philadelphia
PERFORMING ARTS
Curtis, James. Spencer Tracy: A Life. Knopf. Oct. 2011. c.1056p. photogs. filmog. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780307262899. $39.95. FILM
Among his peers, Spencer Tracy (1900–67) was hailed as an actor’s actor. Though he usually projected an outward air of confidence, he was plagued by periods of self-doubt, shyness, and insecurity; Catholic guilt; and drinking binges that affected his health and personal relationships. This exhaustive biography covers the full range of Tracy’s life and career, from his Broadway triumph in the prison drama The Last Mile to his moving performance opposite his longtime love Katharine Hepburn in the 1967 drama Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (he died two weeks after completing it). Curtis (W.C. Fields) also covers Tracy’s difficult, often long-distance marriage to Louise Treadwell; his role in parenting his deaf son, John; flings with Loretta Young and Gene Tierney; and, of course, his sometimes difficult but fruitful personal and professional relationship with Hepburn. VERDICT Written with the cooperation of Tracy’s daughter and Katharine Hepburn’s niece, this massive book is likely to be the definitive portrait of a deeply flawed person but a consummate actor whose ability to master multiple film genres made him one of the most popular stars of his time. Recommended for all film historians. [Three-city tour; see Prepub Alert, 4/4/11.]—Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA
Jones, Papa Jo as told to Albert Murray. Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones. Univ. of Minnesota. Oct. 2011. c.200p. ed. by Paul Devlin. illus. index. ISBN 9780816673018. pap. $18.95. MUSIC
By doctoral student Devlin’s own admission, this book is the Finnegans Wake of jazz memoirs; attempting to read it without constantly referring to the editor’s notes is futile. Jones, Count Basie’s mercurial and prolific drummer, sat down with jazz historian/novelist Murray (Stomping the Blues) to provide background for Count Basie’s autobiography, Good Morning Blues. The resulting 14 hours of tape, while short on objective history, reveal a storyteller equal to Zora Neale Hurston. Devlin does an admirable job of organizing and annotating the material so that it gives one the impression of hearing Jones spin his tales in his own percussive and discursive style. Non sequiturs vastly outnumber relevant remarks, and Jones paints himself as the hero of a show business saga wherein he invents modern jazz drumming, makes every major artistic and financial decision for the Basie organization, and knocks out a Philadelphia policeman with one punch. VERDICT There are a lot of books that document this period with an admirable degree of accuracy, e.g., Good Morning Blues. Devlin does the rare work of presenting the intersection of musicianship and folklore in a volume that belongs in any serious jazz or African American culture collection.—John Frank, Los Angeles P.L.
Knope, Leslie. Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America. Hyperion. Oct. 2011. c.256p. illus. ISBN 9781401310646. pap. $19.99. TV
The mockumentary genre used so effectively in, e.g., Spinal Tap and The Office is showcased in this full-blown over-the-top guide to fictional Pawnee, IN, the setting of NBC’s Parks and Recreation. It is written by deputy director of Pawnee’s parks and recreation department Knope, the character played by esteemed Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler. With a Hoosier-sized cornucopia of photos, illustrations, sidebars, statistics, and footnotes (almost 200...yikes!), Knope leaves no Pawnee ear of corn unshucked in her detailed Parks and Recreation backstories. You might be especially interested in Knope’s take on the Pawnee Public Library: “The main reading room is awash in sickening, blindingly light, and features a bunch of terrible human beings staring at you like you’re a shoplifter while you try to peruse a book in their putrid repository. Suffer snotty looks and condescending gestures from idiotic women who really and truly believe they are smarter and better than you are but in reality have rat-level IQs. Just stay away. It’s the worst place in the world.” Ah, we love you, Amy Poehler! VERDICT It’s Amy Poehler, and, like the show, it’s freakin’ hilarious. What more do you want?—Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
Leider, Emily W. Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood. Univ. of California. Oct. 2011. c.384p. photogs. filmog. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780520253209. $34.95. FILM
Leider, author of the excellent biographies Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino and Becoming Mae West, has turned her insightful gaze on Myrna Loy (1905–93). Loy, who is best remembered as the “Perfect Wife” Nora Charles in The Thin Man and its sequels, had a career that spanned almost 60 years—yet this is the first biography of her to be published. Leider’s meticulous research reveals the shy, warm, and modest figure behind the image of the cool, chic urbanite. Sprinkled throughout the text like small, glittering gems are glimpses of Loy’s friendships with famed celebrities such as Joan Crawford, Cary Grant, Rudolph Valentino, Clark Gable, and John Barrymore. VERDICT Leider’s books are smart and witty trips through the lives of her subjects, and this work is no exception. It will appeal to cinema buffs, social historians of early to mid-20th-century America, and those just looking for a good read.—Teri Shiel, Westfield State Univ. Lib., MA
Malone, Bill C. Music from the True Vine: Mike Seeger’s Life & Musical Journey. Univ. of North Carolina. Oct. 2011. c.240p. photogs. bibliog. index. discog. ISBN 9780807835104. $30. MUSIC
This is a brief but illuminating biography of the member of the Seeger family still known primarily as one of the founders of the New Lost City Ramblers. Malone (Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’: Country Music and the Southern Working Class), who was personally acquainted with Mike Seeger (1933–2009), draws on interviews and other primary sources. The chapter on the Ramblers is the core of the book, and this biography is a good counterpart to Ray Allen’s recent Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers and the Folk Music Revival. Still, Malone is careful to explore Seeger’s other roles as both a musician and a folk music collector. Malone paints Seeger’s contribution to the folk music revival as one of genuine respect for and commemoration of the music he was preserving and lets the importance of Seeger’s work speak for itself. VERDICT For music historians, ethnomusicologists, and American folk music fans.—Genevieve Williams, Pacific Lutheran Univ. Lib., Tacoma, WA
Ro, Ronin. Prince: Inside the Music and the Masks. St. Martin’s. Nov. 2011. c.384p. index. ISBN 9780312383008. $26.99. MUSIC
Prince Rogers Nelson’s three decades in the music business make for an original tale in this era of corporate, American Idol–style pop stars. His rise and fall and rise is that of an artist who has followed his own path, sometimes infuriatingly so. Between the phenomenal success of 1984’s Purple Rain and 2010’s Dreamer, Prince has earned 33 Grammy nominations. Listed in Time magazine’s 2010 annual ranking of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Prince remains as controversial as he is iconic. Ro (Dr. Dre: The Biography) here relies heavily on previously published material, especially Per Nilsen’s Dancemusicsexromance: Prince—The First Decade and Alex Hahn’s excellent Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince. VERDICT Ro has the advantage over Nilsen and Hahn in that he covers Prince’s most recent successes. This book will also be competing with Jason Draper’s equally fine Prince: Chaos, Disorder, and Revolution, but Ro’s approach and information is different enough to warrant a purchase.—Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR
Rogak, Lisa. And Nothing but the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert. Thomas Dunne: St. Martin’s. Oct. 2011. c.304p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780312616106. $25.99. TV
Rogak (Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King) separates Stephen Colbert, the writer, actor, and family man from the right-wing pundit he portrays on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report. Through extensive research, she assembles a chronological account of Colbert’s life and career through mid-2010. While some of it reads like filler (Stephen, youngest of 11, isn’t born until page 27), the result is a conversational, multiperspective account of his life. Special attention is paid to landmarks like the tragic plane crash that claimed the life of his father and two brothers, his success at Second City, and his ongoing Comedy Central reign—as well as his brief presidential bid, being named assistant sports psychologist for the 2010 U.S. Olympic speed skating team, and having a $5 million treadmill on the International Space Station named for him. VERDICT Though chiefly assembled from previously published interviews, this is the first major biography of Colbert and one fans will appreciate. With the 2012 election ramping up, there will be interest in this complete and compelling look at the wildly popular anti–news commentator. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/11.]—Terry Bosky, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., West Palm Beach, FL
PHILOSOPHY
Westacott, Emrys. The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits. Princeton Univ. Nov. 2011. c.304p. index. ISBN 9780691141992. $26.95. PHIL
Westacott (philosophy, Alfred Univ.; coauthor, Thinking Through Philosophy: An Introduction) analyzes four practices usually taken to be bad: rudeness, gossip, snobbery, and telling sick jokes. In addition to these, he discusses one practice usually regarded as good: respecting the opinions of others. For each of his practices, Westacott claims that we are too apt to invoke fixed rules that either forbid outright the practices we take to be bad or require the behavior we deem good. Writing from a broadly utilitarian standpoint rather than for specialists, Westacott thinks that consideration of particular examples will result in a more nuanced approach. Sometimes, e.g., rudeness is morally acceptable, as when it is an appropriate way to make a moral statement about a deplored convention. Gossip may often serve useful functions such as satisfying curiosity and counteracting secrecy. Respect is not always required, either: some opinions deserve our contempt. Westacott by no means wishes to claim that there are no good reasons for the standard verdicts on the practices he considers. Rather, he aims to show that particular situations often resist fixed rules. VERDICT General readers interested in how philosophy can be applied to daily life will gain much from this well-written book.—David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OH
RELIGION
Harvey, Paul. Through the Storm, Through the Night: A History of African American Christianity. Rowman & Littlefield. Sept. 2011. c.224p. illus. maps. index. ISBN 9780742564732. $35. REL
Harvey (history, Univ. of Colorado, Colorado Springs) traces the development of African American Christianity from the transatlantic slave trade to the 21st-century megachurch, underscoring how the church served as a crucial institution and forum for African Americans in the United States as the country denied them a voice and equality. Not only did the church help African Americans endure and survive during slavery, but it functioned as a catalyst of the Civil Rights Movement. Harvey highlights important byproducts of the African American religious experience as well, e.g., music such as spirituals, gospel, blues, and even rap. He does not shy away from the criticism that African American Christianity has faced, e.g., for its exuberant style and preachers who have been accused of fraudulence. He covers today’s religious pluralism, in addition to the rise of black megachurches and the “prosperity gospel.” VERDICT Harvey’s book is a concise and scholarly yet entirely accessible work, appropriate both for interested general readers and students. With charts, a helpful glossary, “bibliographic essays” on primary and secondary sources, and a time line from 1491 (when the Kingdom of Kongo converted to Christianity) to Barack Obama’s 2008 election).—Brian Smith McCallum, Arlington Heights Memorial Lib., IL
SPORTS & RECREATION
Kuper, Simon. Soccer Men: Profiles of the Rogues, Geniuses, and Neurotics Who Dominate the World’s Most Popular Sport. Nation: Perseus. Oct. 2011. c.336p. index. ISBN 9781568586878. pap. $16.99. SPORTS
Hot on the excitement over the 2011 women’s World Cup comes Kuper’s latest soccer gem (published in the UK as Football Men), this one featuring insights into the game’s prominent men—players, managers, and a handful of others. Well qualified, Kuper (Financial Times; coauthor, Soccernomics) delivers profiles, many previously published in the Financial Times and other newspapers, of some 70 men of soccer. The players reflect on their lives away from the pitch and reveal the human side of the sport’s most recognizable names—David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer, Eric Cantona, and Zinedine Zidane. Soccer remains the central theme, but Kuper’s easy interview style hides few flaws and creates some memorable moments such as those with Nicolas Anelka and Freddy Adu. An afternoon with English manager Glenn Hoddle produced a remarkable interview. Where appropriate, Kuper adds a brief postscript for an update. VERDICT Kuper is one of the world’s leading soccer authors, which reinforces the highly recommended verdict here. With appeal beyond soccer fans.—Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., AL
Marichal, Juan with Lew Freedman. Juan Marichal: My Journey from the Dominican Republic to Cooperstown. MVP: Quayside. Oct. 2011. c.288p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780760340592. $25. SPORTS
To look at the MLB career (1960–75) of Hall of Fame pitcher Marichal is to look at another era. Over the last decade, the most games a major league pitcher has completed in a season has been nine; Marichal had five seasons in which he completed over 20 games, peaking at 30 complete games in 1968. From 1990 to 2010, the most shutouts hurled in a season by a major league pitcher was five; Marichal had years with eight and ten shutouts. Playing before free agency, he spent 14 of his 16 big league seasons with the San Francisco Giants, and here he stays loyal to them. VERDICT If Marichal can be seen as a throwback, so can his autobiography, written with sportswriter Freedman (Going Yard: The Everything Home Run Book). After a short preface to each chapter by Freedman, we have Marichal in his own words—conversational, staying clear of the current focus on sex, drugs, and dishing on teammates and opposing players; his perspective is refreshing, but because of it and the simplicity of the narrative, this book may be most appropriate for a young adult audience. Not a home run, but a solid hit.—Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL
