Book Reveiws - 12/10/04

Knocking on heaven's door: American religion in the age of counterculture / by Mark Oppenheimer.
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003.
Main BL2525.O66 2003
In an age characterized by so-called cultural wars where conventional wisdom is that a great divide based on moral issues separates "red America" from "blue America," this book about organized religion suggests that the schism is not as wide as all that. Oppenheimer, a journalist who has been affiliated with both Stanford and Wesleyan universities, examines the profound impact of the 60's counterculture movement on the current state of American religion. Consulting a variety of archival material from various mainstream religions, scholarly studies and items of popular culture, he takes an historical approach to this examination of a significant evolution among mainstream religious groups. He shows how the profound social changes in this country that began nearly fifty years ago have impacted the church with women clergy, acceptance of alternative lifestyles (or at least open dialogues about them) and systemic changes to even such tradition-bound faiths as Catholicism. In his introduction, he argues that the counterculture movement, lasting from the mid 1950's through the mid 1970's, while exerting profound change on society from its various dimensions, was hardly a coherent movement. While it was one of the most successful counterculture movements in history in terms of the changes it fostered in society, it had many faces and many adherents who were at times at cross purposes with one another. The religious movements of the 1960's, some based on mystical Eastern religions, others on fringe sects and cults, were transient but their effects on mainstream religions have been significant. What they did (along with other aspects to the counterculture movement such as war protests, sexual freedom, civil rights for all etc.), he says, was to help make society looser--making it ok to be tolerant of those out of the mainstream. These traditional "liberal values" transformed society in general, including organized religions, even while, in the most recent few decades, conservative values such as distrust of big government, unilateralism in foreign affairs and lower taxes have also strengthened in this country. Following this introduction in which he provides a detailed, multi-dimensional and comprehensive look at the counterculture movement (which he argues was more an aesthetic movement than a political one), Oppenheimer arranges the remainder of the book into five chapters in which he examines the changes experienced by five primary religious groups--each in reference to a specific issue arising from the era: Unitarians and gay rights; Catholicism and the folk mass; Judaism and communal worship; Episcopalians and feminism; and Southern Baptists and Vietnam war protests. The book is illustrated with several black and white photographs. It ends with endnotes that contain the author's sources and a general index.

Inside Hitler's bunker: the last days of the Third Reich / by Joachim Fest. Translated from the German by Margot Bettauer Dembo.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004.
Main DD247.H5U4813 2004
Fest, a journalist, preeminent historian on the Third Reich, and previous biographer of Hitler and author of several books on Nazi Germany, here tells the story of the German leader's last fourteen days. The author focuses on what transpired inside Hitler's Berlin bunker, his final hiding place from the encroaching Allied forces, and also on the ground war raging outside in the ruined city where the decimated German army was desperately trying to stave off a certain defeat. Fest vividly portrays the German leader's growing mental instability leading to a series of irrational decisions as well as his callous disregard for the fates of the Berlin civilian population and for his armed forces, which by that time consisted mostly of the very young or the very old. The author suggests that Hitler's driving motivation during the last few weeks was to make true his promise from earlier in the war that if his regime were to fall he was going to take the whole world with it. Hitler knew, Fest says, for a long time prior to 1945, that the war was probably going to be lost and yet he never lost a tremendous will to destroy. Consequently he had made meticulous plans for the end which included, by 1945, a systematic destruction of Germany's infrastructure--industrial plants, water and sewage systems, roads and bridges. He wanted to leave nothing but a wasteland for the conquering armies to occupy. Fest, citing statements from those who knew Hitler best, states that the megalomania and paranoia that he showed during his last weeks in the bunker some 30 feet underground, offered a picture of his true nature and, according to the author, what motivated him his whole life. Fest points to an overwhelming misanthropy, rigidity of thinking and delusions of grandeur as the signal characteristics of the leader's personality and leadership style. Fest uses this as his focal point in trying to answer several hitherto unanswered questions--from how did Hitler actually take his own life and what are the specific events that took place in the final hours to the more philosophical and much larger issue of the inevitablility of Germany's fate and the part Hitler played in bringing it to reality. In the author's words, the book is essentially about "a nation in extremis . . . as well as the circumstances that led to its plight." (p. xiii) Dozens of black and white photographs illustrate the text. The book ends with a bibliographic essay, a list of further reading and a general index.

Hurricane Camille: monster storm of the Gulf Coast / by Philip D. Hearn.
Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
Main F347.G9H43 2004
Longtime Mississippi journalist Hearn tells the story of Hurricane Camille through the memories of those who survived the devastating Category 5 storm, one of only three to ever hit the United States mainland. With property damage of nearly $2 billion ($11 billion in today's dollars) and over 170 people dead or missing in Mississippi alone, this is a story that still resonates with residents of the state's Gulf Coast a full 35 years after the storm's August 1969 landfall. The author suggests that with winds in excess of 200 mph, a barometric pressure of 26.85 (among the lowest ever recorded in the U.S.) and a storm surge of 35 feet, this storm was arguably the most severe ever. Before it was done, traveling north through Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, the death toll had more than doubled. Hearn vividly relates the event leading up to, during and after the storm by mining the memories of the survivors--what they were doing, thinking and feeling. His goal, he says, is to make palpable the sheer terror engendered by such a monster storm and also to depict the human dimensions to its cost. Most of the interviewees tell harrowing tales of watching loved ones washed away by the huge storm surge or hit by flying debris and also of the challenges presented by basic survival in the devastated three county area in the storm's aftermath. In addition to his account of the storm, the author provides chapters on the natural history of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and on the efforts made at several levels of government in the 30+ years since the storm to lessen the effects of any future catastrophe. A center section of black and white photographs show many scenes from this event including weather maps and several "before and after" pictures. Besides the fifteen interviews, most of which came from the Mississippi Oral History Program located in the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hearn also relies on a wealth of articles and books about the storm and about hurricanes in general. All are included in a lengthy bibliography, which, along with a general index, ends the book.

Putting emotional intelligence to work: successful leadership is more than IQ / by David Ryback.
Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998.
Main HD38.2.R93 1998
Ryback, a PhD management consultant and instructor in the business school at Atlanta's Emory University, describes a growing trend in corporate America--an effort to help employees, particularly managers, identify their unique psychological talents and abilities, as well as recognize their weaknesses, and then to utilization of same in order to promote efficiency and a competitive edge. This book makes a case for why corporations should seek out and utilize this knowledge about their leaders and is a practical guide for doing so. It promotes what the author calls a "self-managed team approach" as the path to increased productivity. Ryback suggests that in the highly competitive global economy, employing emotional intelligence in the workplace is not only important but essential. He contrasts the survival of the fittest mentality of many workplaces, where dominance through intimidation and other anti-social means is commonplace, with ones that strives to promote "emotional authenticity" on the part of management. He sees these two paradigms as representing a struggle between an old value system and a new one and, he says, a successful, productive and enjoyable work environment is better achieved with the latter. In his introductory chapter, the author presents a thesis of the book--that corporate leadership is undergoing a crisis of sorts. He suggests the culture of productivity and achievement, which has infused business since the Industrial Revolution began, ignores the human element and is counter-productive. The crisis has been exacerbated in recent years by the technological revolution with its computerization of basic processes, including the proliferation of electronic communication. In a world where market boundaries are blurred, where competition is intense because it involves the entire world and where shortened product life cycles have created a greater need for excellent customer service, the human element has become all important. Following this introduction where he outlines the problem, Ryback presents his solution in five parts. In part I he describes emotional intelligence and makes his case for why allowing feelings in the new, information-driven workplace is essential. In part II he takes a step back and surveys the history of this concept in business (tracing it back as far as the 1930's with the work of psychologist E.L. Thorndike, although the phrase "emotional intelligence" was actually coined in the 1990's when several workplace psychologists began promoting it and research started showing its efficacy). Part III provides details of what emotionally intelligent leadership might look like by describing ten of its attributes. In this section, the author also describes how an organization might teach its employees to use it. Part IV focuses on the individual--how one might better understand one's own emotional intelligence and also how to broaden personality traits so as to become more flexible and efficient in the workplace. The last section also focuses on the individual but out of the workplace setting. It offers some practical skills for learning to cope with the current climate of dramatic change such as downsizing and outsourcing. An appendix offers a survey that the reader can take to test his or her own emotional intelligence. The book ends with a bibliography on the subject.

Why the electoral college is bad for America / by George C. Edwards III.
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004.
Main JK529.E38 2004
This timely book, written in the year of a presidential election, is an argument against the electoral college system that America has used to elect its president from the beginning. Edwards, a Texas A & M political science professor and author of several books on presidential politics, provides both an explanation of how the electoral college works and an analysis of how it has failed the American public. In his opening chapter, the author discusses the mechanics of the system such as who the electors are, how and when they are chosen, how each state's electoral vote is determined, when electors cast their ballots and the rules that bind them when they do so, and what provisions are made to deal with disputes on the vote or when an elector violates the rules. In the ensuing six chapters, he presents a logical and reasoned argument, based on the electoral history of this country in light of the newest research on the topic, for why the electoral college system should be scrapped. Edwards takes direct aim at several conventional defenses of this institution, for example the one that suggests it protects the interests of the states with the smallest populations or that it protects against voter fraud, and debunks them step by step. The author's thesis is that the electoral college, in its attempt to balance voting power between various constituencies throughout the United States, serves only to disenfranchise blocs of voters, for instance conservatives living in blue states or liberals in red. The ideal system, he suggests, is one in which every vote counts like it does in every election in this country other than the presidential election. Citing numerous polls and surveys conducted over the years, Edwards suggests that a large majority of the American public would like to abolish the electoral college but such is prevented by the special interests groups who have the power to effect the change. This book is his call for the powers that be to do what's right for the country. Following the concluding chapter is an appendix that contains the sections of the United States Constitution relating to presidential elections and another that is a table of the fifty states plus the District of Columbia that compares the percentage of the national population of each to its percentage of electoral college votes. The book ends with a notes section that contains the author's sources and a general index.

Math and the Mona Lisa: the art and science of Leonardo da Vinci / by Bülent Atalay.
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2004.
Main N6923.L33A4 2004
This is an analysis of the life and works of one of history's certifiable geniuses, a man who epitomizes the rubric of "Renaissance man." Atalay, a professor of physics at Mary Washington College in Virginia and an accomplished artist whose lithographs have appeared in several periodicals and have been on display in various exhibitions including one at Buckingham Palace, provides insightful analyses of the contributions of Leonardo to both the artistic and scientific worlds. He examines what he calls the science behind Leonardo's art and the art underlying his science. He begins by citing noted 20th century British scientist and author, C.P. Snow. During a lecture in the 1950's Snow had posited an essential dichotomy between the intellectual cultures of the humanists (including writers and artists) and that of the scientists (natural scientists as well as mathematicians) which placed each at odds with the other. Atalay takes issue with this construct. He suggests that an essential unity exists between art and science in terms of structure, methods, modes of analyses and in other ways. The book presents Leonardo as one of the two pre-eminent artists of his day (along with Michelangelo) and as the "first modern scientist" because of his use of the methodology of empirical science (even though others such as Galileo and Newton may have left more profound scientific legacies) many years before the great empiricists came into vogue. Atalay notes the "cross-fertilization" of art and science and the "seamless integration" of each into the other in Leonardo's works, informing virtually everything he attempted and making him, therefore, the embodiment of this unity. Indeed, the author suggests that Leonardo's life's work was devoted to establishing the connections and the symmetries between everything he attempted, which incorporated an enormous breadth of interest in the scientific, artistic and engineering fields. He calls this the "Leonardo model"--the "cross-semination" and "transcendent unity" of science and art. Atalay organizes the book to follow a basically chronological scheme. The first eight chapters follow the development of the fundamental sciences that Leonardo was interested in and also examine the nature of artistic expression. In these chapters, the author covers the achievements of many other individuals but always relates their work back to Leonardo's "model." The purpose of these chapters is to explore the differing approaches scientists and artists have taken throughout history to explain and describe nature. Next are three chapters that focus exclusively on Leonardo and his specific achievements and legacy. A final chapter gathers all together as a conclusion to the author's thesis of a synthesis between the artistic and scientific cultures. Throughout the book are numerous charts, graphs, formulae and Leonardo's black and white drawings. There is a center section of color plates. The book ends with a notes section incorporating the author's sources and a general index.

Dr. Seuss: American icon / by Philip Nel.
New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc., 2004.
Main PS3513.E2Z787
This is a critical analysis of the works and legacy of Theodor Seuss Geisel, known to generations of children as poet and artist Dr. Seuss. Nel, on the English faculty at Kansas State University and published author of books and articles on 20th century literature, argues that for all of the seeming nonsense in Geisel's work, he has a rightful place as one of the most influential poets of 20th century America. In addition to providing critical perspective on the content and style of the works, both often described as nonsensical or surreal or as mere fluff, Nel also focuses on the artist himself. He provides insights into Geisel's politics, his activism on behalf of children and the environment as well as other aspects of his life that made him such a towering figure in the popular culture of the last half of the 20th century. Nel suggests that Geisel is an American icon and the pre-eminent representative of children's literature in this country--for the power of his artistic vision and his contributions towards the process of learning to read. The author notes that sixteen of the top one hundred children's books of all times (based on sales figures supplied by the U.S. publishing industry) belong to Dr. Seuss with the two nearest competitors holding only five spots each. To answer critics that suggest Geisel's use of slang and other non-standard forms of English promotes a "vulgar" style, Nel opines that it actually creates a "distinctively American voice" and is what gives his language the "verve and energy" for which he is best known. It is also a prominent reason why his books are so fun to read. Following an introduction in which he provides a brief biography of Geisel's life, begins making a case for why he merits the study of serious scholars and surveys current scholarship (nearly all of it occurring since the late 1980's), Nel, in six chapters, tackles his task of analyzing the artistic genius of the man. Each of the chapters focuses on a specific aspect of Geisel's life and art: poetics (an analysis of the poetry that represents a unique poetic vision), politics (primarily his anti-Fascist writings), art (what influenced the unique artistic style in the drawings that illustrate his poetry), biography (the experiences and sensibilities of the man that informed his artistic vision), marketing (examines the effect of commerce since Geisel's death on his artistic legacy) and influence (Geisel's role in expressing some of America's defining myths). The book has dozens of photographs and reproductions of Geisel drawings and an extensive annotated bibliography of Geisel's writings and art (purporting to be complete) as well as many secondary sources including websites. The book ends with a general index.

The universal computer: the road from Leibniz to Turing / by Martin Davis.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000.
Main QA76.17.D38 2000
Written in a style accessible to the informed layperson, this book is the story of how and why computers originated and how they came to represent such a powerful force in our lives today. Davis, a professor emeritus of mathematics at New York University and a noted logician, begins with the proposition that computer technology is essentially based on logic, i.e. mathematics, rather than engineering. Computers of all descriptions, sizes and purposes are simply engines that execute tasks relating to the logical constructs of human beings. The job of the engineers, he suggests, is to build the machines that realize the vision of the logicians. In the book, Davis chronicles how a few visionaries developed concepts, and ultimately machines, that mimic how we reason and infer. He focuses on seven individuals, (Leibniz, Boole, Frege, Cantor, Hilbert, Gödel, and Turing), whose lives spanned three centuries. For each, he relates biographical information and also explains and analyzes the logical concepts underlying computer technology that they developed. Taking a chronological approach, the author begins with Leibniz (b. 1646) and his attempts to find an "alphabet of human thought," in other words a system of symbols (for example, algebraic notation) and the calculational tools for manipulating the symbols. The next chapter involves 19th century English mathematician, George Boole, whose explorations into applying mathematical principles to logical statements such as syllogisms (the algebra of logic) ultimately resulted in the system of operators still used to this day to query computerized databases. He ends his profiles in chapter seven with Alan Turing whose mathematical studies, in the first half of the 20th century, led to the development of the first workable general purpose computer (1945) using vacuum tube electronics as the physical basis for the machine. The last two chapters in the book bring the story to the turn of the 21st century and the advances that have resulted in computers ever more closely imitating the human brain. Throughout the book are numerous illustrations, including formulas and pictures of the mathematicians. The book ends with a list of references and a general index.

The earth moved: on the remarkable achievements of earthworms / by Amy Stewart.
Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2004.
Main QL391.A6S733 2004
This is a book, written in a conversational and humorous style, about earthworms. Stewart, a freelance author and master gardener, describes the lives and habitats of earthworms and makes a case for their essential role in Earth's ecosystems. The book is restricted to the taxonomic class Oligochaeta, which is to say terrestrial annelids that burrow into and, by dint of their activities, enrich soil. It excludes, therefore, creatures such as cutworms that are called worms but are actually butterfly or moth larvae and also worms like tapeworms, roundworms and other nematodes that are essentially parasitic. Stewart calls the earthworm "nature's ploughman," a creature that plows and, thereby, aerates the soil, and helps the process of decomposition of organic matter, which enhances the fertility of the earth to the benefit of all living beings, including man. She begins the book with a chapter describing Charles Darwin's interest in earthworms, which, in the later decades of the 19th century, ran counter to the attitude held by most people, including scientists, that they weren't worthy of notice, much less study. Darwin turned his attention to worms late in life, indeed his book on the subject was the last one he published. Darwin posited--consistent with his theory of evolution, that small changes over time resulted in enormous outcomes when considered by the eon--that earthworms were responsible for geologic changes, literally moving the earth, among other effects of their activities. He was also the first to suggest--an idea now widely accepted--that the vast majority of the world's decaying vegetable matter passes through the intestinal canals of earthworms, greatly enhancing its use as fertilizer. As the author points out, anyone who has ever maintained a compost pile for gardening purposes can attest to the great scientist's premise, although the idea was widely denounced in his day within the scientific community. Stewart suggests that Darwin, for his seminal work on the subject, is widely regarded as a muse in the growing field of earthworm science (oligochaetology). In this first chapter she describes, in very accessible language, how Darwin studied the earthworm, the various experiments he performed and what he learned about the habits and beneficial effects of this creature. Throughout the remainder of the book, in a rather discursive style but often referring back to Darwin's work, she describes earthworms in terms of the various species (such as the giant ten foot long Australian earthworm), their physiologies, their behaviors, and goes into detail as to the beneficial effects they have on Earth's ecosystems. She also has information on worm composting--how to do it and the benefits of it. At the end of the book is a selected bibliography of both scholarly and popular sources about earthworms. Stewart also supplies an appendix that lists "worm resources" including magazines and newsletters, websites, and advice on acquiring the proper worm bin for composting purposes. The book ends with a general index.

Pathological gambling: a clinical guide to treatment / edited by Jon E. Grant and Marc N. Potenza.
Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2004.
Main RC569.5.G35P375 2004
This book is designed as a textbook aimed at clinicians and other medical professionals charged with treating gambling addiction. It consists of fourteen essays by experts in the field, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists and medical doctors in a variety of specialties, arranged into four areas: public health, clinical characteristics and descriptions of problem gamblers, causes, and prevention/treatment. What emerges is a comprehensive look at a significant problem and guidelines for the health professional to use when treating a patient that exhibits symptoms of the syndrome. In an introductory section the editors make a case for the prevalence of pathological gambling (they contend it surpasses both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in terms of number of individuals afflicted) and for the profound affects on self-esteem, family, financial well-being and legal status of those so afflicted. Part 1 contains two essays that make the case for the public health aspect of gambling (including crime and other risky behaviors such as drug use) as well as for how wide spread the problem is based on several scientific studies. Part II contains five essays that describe--based on numerous case studies as well as clinical research data--the various incarnations of the problem gambler. Individual essays in this section explore gambling among adolescents, older people, and gender differences. Each strives to list salient characteristics of persons exhibiting the symptoms. Part III contains two essays, one on behavioral causes of problem gambling and the other on biological causes. Part IV contains five essays ranging from the role of the clinician in treatment, cognitive and behavioral treatments, pharmacological treatments, and one on screening and assessment instruments. Each of the fourteen essays is organized in a similar fashion with a brief introductory section, a summary, and a bibliography (usually quite extensive). Many of the essays make use of a variety of charts, tables and graphs to illustrate points. Appendices contain five instruments that clinicians can use for assessing pathological gambling behavior. The book ends with a general index.