Arts & Humanities Reviews, November 1, 2011
Nov 1, 2011Bonyhady, Tim. Good Living Street: Portrait of a Patron Family, Vienna 1900. Pantheon. Nov. 2011. c.400p. illus. index. ISBN 9780307378804. $35. FINE ARTS
Art historian and environmental lawyer Bonyhady traces his Jewish family history through the lens of its Vienna address on Wohllebengasse (Good Living Street) and reconstructs his mother’s Austrian childhood and escape from the Nazi-controlled country to Sydney, Australia. The Gallia family, prominent patrons of the arts, lived in the era of Klimt, Mahler, Hoffmann, and Schiele, whose art dominates the book’s beginning but recedes as the family become refugees. Klimt’s portrait of Bonyhady’s great-grandmother, Hermine Gallia, and an incredible collection of Wiener Werkstätte left Vienna with the family and came to Australia. Official documents sometimes contradict his mother’s memories, and she discarded diaries and correspondence, obscuring her true identity, to distance herself from a difficult past. Bonyhady questions her motivations along with his family’s past materialism and their obliviousness to Nazi danger. This compelling, well-researched narrative delves into the problematic nature of personal history and things left behind: records destroyed, collections dispersed, identities hidden. VERDICT As much about identity, memory, and World War II as about art collecting, this will appeal to period historians as well as genealogists tracing their own histories.—Lindsay M. King, Yale Univ. Lib., New Haven, CT
Coke, David & Alan Borg. Vauxhall Gardens: A History. Yale Univ. (Studies in British Art). 2011. 400p. illus. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300173826. $95. FINE ARTS
The story of Vauxhall Gardens is as much a tale of London as it is about the pleasure garden itself. The concept of an enclosed, outdoor space was not new, but the development of this space in the 17th century from a tawdry location for activities out of the public eye to a gathering place for all the residents of the city for entertainment and social and commercial purposes made it an essential part of London life for generations. Earlier histories (this is the first in 50 years) relied mainly on secondary sources, but Coke (former curator, Gainsborough’s House Trust, Sudbury, Suffolk) and Borg (former director, Victoria & Albert Museum, London) have researched contemporary ephemera to aid in their elegant reconstruction of this crossroads of high and low culture. The reader can find Pepys and Handel, Hogarth and Roubilliac all at work and play in the gardens, which were known for their innovative architecture, sculpture, art, music, and literary events. VERDICT The development and enormous success of the Vauxhall Gardens result in a fascinating story. Simply a beautiful book, well written and stylishly produced, this is a grand contribution to the social and cultural history of London, offering that rare combination of scholarly and captivating prose.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
David, Joshua & Robert Hammond. High Line: The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky. Farrar. 2011. c.256p. illus. index. ISBN 9780374532994. $27. ARCHITECTURE
A behind-the-scenes look at the movement to save the elevated rail structure on New York City’s West Side and its conversion into the popular park, this book alternates between text by David and Hammond (cofounders, Friends of the High Line) and photographs illustrating the park’s past and present. The authors met at a 1999 community board meeting; they had little experience with community organization, development, or design but a large passion for the onetime busy freight transit system dating to the 1930s. Their story of the next decade’s ups and downs will appeal to those in historic preservation, landscape architecture, and development, but it will also find a wider audience among the park’s many fans. Readers looking for more on the design and plantings will also want to check out Designing the High Line, edited by the Friends of the High Line. VERDICT A well-deserved celebration of the successful efforts to create the park and a surprisingly good read. Armchair visits are easily achieved courtesy of the wealth of images, e.g., Joel Sternfeld’s photographs and Friends of the High Line mailings, which have played important parts in the ongoing saga of the High Line.—Amy Trendler, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, IN
Kemp, Martin. Christ to Coke: How Image Becomes Icon. Oxford Univ. Nov. 2011. c.352p. illus. index. ISBN 9780199581115. $34.95. FINE ARTS
Having published widely on Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance art, and the connections between art and science, Kemp (art history, emeritus, Trinity Coll., Oxford) now broadly explores the concept of visual iconography. He investigates 11 icons, ranging from Christ to the Coca-Cola bottle, Che Guevara, and E=mc², including the cross, the heart, the lion, the Mona Lisa, the American flag, a photo of a Vietnamese napalm victim, and the double helix. Kemp argues that while an image may begin on a purely functional level, it may in some instances be transformed and raised to the level of the iconic. The author organizes his theory on iconography in terms of “types,” such as abstract graphics, animals, science, photographs, etc. In a chapter on each image, he traces the start of each icon from its origin as a functional image, follows its remarkable rise in status, and assesses its unique validity as an icon. In the final chapter, he discusses the similarities between all icons but admits that there is no clear-cut relationship. VERDICT Recommended for all those interested in iconography, art history, advertising, and branding.—Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA
King, Ross. Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven. Douglas & McIntyre, dist. by PGW. 2011. 528p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781553658825. pap. $24.95. FINE ARTS
King’s (Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling) writing is characterized by clarity, compassion, and humanist intelligence. He brings all these to his comprehensive portrait of the Group of Seven, a collective of modernist painters working in early 20th-century Canada. The artists who made up the group (membership varied over the years) strove for a uniquely Canadian art, rooted in their nation’s geography yet with an expressive approach to landscape. Artistically audacious and inspired by the work of avant-garde innovators such as Cézanne, Gauguin, and Picasso, the group had high aspirations, which set them on a collision course with tradition-bound collectors, critics, and most of the public. The personal, political, and aesthetic obstacles they encountered are described here with sympathy, so that we feel we’ve actually met these individuals—the goal of any good biography. Included are color and black-and-white plates as well as notes. VERDICT While it may lack a detailed scrutiny of working methods or an overarching theory that an art scholar would seek, this book will be of interest to general readers invested in the visual arts of Canada and, more broadly, early 20th-century painting.—Michael Dashkin, Forest Hills, NY
Kinkel, Marianne. Races of Mankind: The Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman. Univ. of Illinois. 2011. c.280p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780252036248. $40. FINE ARTS
While hers is not a household name, Malvina Hoffman’s sculpture is familiar to many students of world cultures, particularly those of a certain age. In the 1930s, the Chicago artist was commissioned to create a set of racial portraits for the Field Museum of Natural History’s Hall of the Races of Mankind. Their purpose was to illustrate artfully yet scientifically the diversity of humankind’s physiological characteristics. The sculptures were prominently, then controversially, displayed until 1969. They were widely disseminated through traveling exhibits and photographic reproductions for educational materials, such as Hammond maps. Kinkel (art history, Washington State Univ.) traces how the figures conceived as fine art portraits went on to both influence and reflect ideas of “normative representations of race.” She describes a trajectory of use for the sculptures from an exhibit on anthropology to a display recognizing Malcolm X and the black power movement. Kinkel’s original research brings to light much archival material, and the amply footnoted text is generously illustrated. VERDICT Although the book is written for an academic audience, Hoffman touches on broad themes of racial politics in America, particularly as manifested in Chicago and its museum exhibitions.—Nancy B. Turner, Syracuse Univ. Lib., NY
The Life and Art of Alfred Hutty: Woodstock to Charleston. Univ. of South Carolina. Dec. 2011. c.224p. ed. by Sara C. Arnold & Stephen G. Hoffius. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9781611170412. $49.95; pap. ISBN 9781611170429. $24.95. FINE ARTS
Alfred Hutty was a painter and printmaker whose realistic and evocative portrayals of life in Charleston, SC, and environs helped define the art movement known as the Charleston Renaissance (1920–45). Between 1920 and his death in 1954, Hutty divided his time seasonally between Woodstock, NY, and Charleston. He taught art at the Gibbes Art Gallery, now known as the Gibbes Museum of Art and currently the largest known repository of his work. His images of Charleston’s architecture, surrounding landscape, and black citizens propelled Hutty to national acclaim. Three essays, written by renowned experts in the field, describe Hutty’s life, work, and influence on the art world. Edited by Arnold (curator of collections, Gibbes Museum) and Charleston-based writer and editor Hoffius, the volume contains 96 color and 231 black-and-white illustrations that clearly show Hutty’s style and skill in watercolor, oil, dry point, and printmaking. VERDICT This will likely appeal to anyone interested in Southern art.—Sandy Knowles, Norfolk P.L., VA
Mormando, Franco. Bernini: His Life and His Rome. Univ. of Chicago. Nov. 2011. c.416p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780226538525. $35. FINE ARTS
Mormando (Italian, Boston Coll.) provides enough salacious details of the scandal-ridden life of baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini to keep readers turning pages in this engaging, well-researched biography. He worked for a parade of popes in Rome and received commissions from Rome’s leading families: the Barbarini, Pamphilj, Chigi, and Borghese. His outsized ego, which prompted his mother to write a letter to the pope pleading for the pontiff to reign her son in, plagued him throughout his life: not only maiming a mistress who had been unfaithful to him, but also making impolitic remarks about Louis XIV and Paris while living as the king’s guest in France. Still, Bernini managed to create some of the world’s most enduring artworks, including his statues St. Theresa in Ecstasy, David, Apollo and Daphne, and the Piazza Navona’s Fountain of the Four Rivers, as well as the baldacchino and interior design of St. Peter’s and the colonnade of its majestic piazza, among his many monumental achievements. VERDICT Mormando’s extensive research and documentation not only will satisfy scholars and students of art history, especially baroque aficionados, but this biography will also appeal to general readers.—Ellen Bates, New York
Naef, Weston & Christine Hult-Lewis. Carleton Watkins: The Complete Mammoth Photographs. Getty Museum. Nov. 2011. 608p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781606060056. $195. PHOTOG
This massive catalogue raisonné presents with meticulous scholarship nearly 1300 of Carleton Watkins’s “mammoth” plate photographs, so called because they were produced with startlingly large-format (18" x 22") glass negatives. Of these, fewer than 300 have ever been reproduced before now. Perhaps best known for his depictions of Yosemite National Park, later mimicked by Ansel Adams, Watkins also documented mining and railroading throughout the West, California’s Franciscan missions, Arizona and Utah territories, Yellowstone National Park, and fascinating multipart panoramas of pre–1906 earthquake San Francisco. The result of an extraordinary amount of research by several scholars—all of the original negatives, sadly along with Watkins mental health, were lost in the 1906 earthquake and fire—the assembled contents reveal the vast scope and artistry of Watkins’s work to an extent never before seen and rarely matched in recent publishing history. Each topical section is supported by introductory essays that cumulatively serve as an excellent biography of this enigmatic photographer. Naef is curator emeritus, department of photographs, J. Paul Getty Museum; Hult-Lewis is an independent scholar. VERDICT A monumental achievement in the pictorial historiography of 19th-century America, loaded with new images and data, this will be an indispensable resource for students of photography and U.S. history.—Douglas F. Smith, Berkeley P.L., CA
Literature
Barrie, J.M. The Annotated Peter Pan: The Centennial Edition. Norton. 2011. c.504p. ed. by Maria Tatar. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9780393066005. $39.95. LIT
Tatar (folklore & mythology, Harvard Univ.; The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen) delivers a beautiful package of introductory and explanatory material along with a newly annotated text of what J.M. Barrie originally published 100 years ago as the novel Peter and Wendy (later made into the play Peter Pan). She provides a grand introduction to the man who created the character of Peter Pan and offers a wealth of insight into the origins of Barrie’s invention. With its startling reversals of childhood and adulthood, its exploration of innocence and heartlessness, and its underlying sadness, the story of Peter Pan benefits greatly from Tatar’s extensive contextualizing as well as the supplemental material she includes. Of this, much is rare, and it is a treat. In addition to containing the original Peter and Wendy, this handsome oversized volume reproduces the contents of the sole surviving copy of The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island (the genesis of the Peter Pan idea) and includes Arthur Rackham’s illustrations for Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Barrie’s own extensive film treatment for his story, along with an essay on the cinematic appearances of Peter Pan, round out the book. VERDICT Bibliophiles and casual readers alike, and of course all who love Peter Pan or are fascinated by his creator, will want this gem. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 4/15/11.]—Audrey Snowden, Orrington P.L., ME
Writers of the Black Chicago Renaissance. Univ. of Illinois. Nov. 2011. c.560p. ed. by Steven C. Tracy. index. ISBN 9780252036392. $50. LIT
While most have heard about the Harlem Renaissance, the same cannot be said of the Black Chicago Renaissance of the late 1930s to the 1950s. Some of the movement’s writers, such as Richard Wright and Lorraine Hansberry, became well established and respected, while others included in this volume never became as well known. If Tracy’s (Afro-American studies, Univ. of Massachusetts; Langston Hughes and the Blues) intention in pulling together the contributions to this thorough book is to enlighten readers about this outstanding group of artists and this period in our country’s cultural history, he has succeeded remarkably. The volume, while not comprehensive, consists of an informative introduction; 25 chapters written by experts on individual writers, poets, and photographers; and four articles on such topics as “African American Music in Chicago.” The work concludes with a five-page bibliography of further readings, which supplements the end-of-chapter bibliographies, and brief contributor biographies. VERDICT A superb introduction to the Black Chicago Renaissance, about which all too little has been written. Students of African American culture, American studies, and local cultural histories will find this work invaluable.—Sharon Britton, Bowling Green State Univ., Firelands, Huron, OH
Performing Arts
Eddy, Chuck. Rock and Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism. Duke Univ. 2011. 352p. illus. index. ISBN 9780822349969. $89.95; pap. ISBN 9780822350101. $24.95. MUSIC
Eddy has a written voice as distinctive as the music he critiques. He wears his affection as well as his distaste on his sleeve, and this collection of his work from the 1980s until 2010 (first published in the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Spin, and elsewhere) is a perfect capsule of his eternal enthusiasm. What makes this collection especially entertaining is Eddy’s coverage of the entire pop-culture landscape, from Bad Religion and Coolio to Toby Keith and Eminem; while he has always had a serious interest in supporting emerging acts, he treats indie originals or steadfast veterans with equal amounts of praise or befuddlement. Also apparent is Eddy’s seemingly rare ability among critics to change his opinion about a band or a style—and to do so publicly. But the overwhelming victory of these pieces is that he makes you want to listen to both music he loves and music he hates. VERDICT A rollicking ride through 25 years of music.—Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA
Giglio, Keith. Writing the Comedy Blockbuster: The Inappropriate Goal. Michael Wiese. Feb. 2012. c.215p. filmog. ISBN 9781615930852. pap. $22.95. FILM
Giglio (screenwriting, S.I. Newhouse Sch. of Public Communications, Syracuse Univ.) presents an informative book on how to write comedy screenplays. He discusses the importance of being inappropriate, how to figure out what kind of comedy makes you laugh, how to create and write comedic characters, finding the turning point of the scene, and how to get your protagonists to achieve their goals. The author illustrates each section with specific examples from comedies such as The Hangover, This Is Spinal Tap, There’s Something About Mary, and When Harry Met Sally. There are a lot of exercises in the book to help readers improve their writing and get their comedy screenplay flowing as it should. VERDICT Giglio’s tone is light in this funny, easy read. Highly recommended for screenwriters interested in writing comedies. [Consider also Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon’s recent Writing Movies for Fun and Profit, a broader survey that may have wider appeal.—Ed.]—Sally Bryant, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA
Phillips, Gene D. Out of the Shadows: Expanding the Canon of Classic Film Noir. Scarecrow. Jan. 2012. c.294p. photogs. filmog. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780810881891. $34.95. FILM
World War II and the increased public acceptance of psychiatry in the 1940s led to the rise of a new film genre, film noir. Noir was marked by convoluted story lines; seamy settings; hard-boiled, morally compromised antiheroes; and scheming, manipulative femmes fatales. Phillips (Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder) writes that key noir films have been neglected or overlooked, notably Otto Preminger’s courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder and Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound. He examines elements that define a noir film and the role of expatriate directors like Fritz Lang and Billy Wilder, who fled Hitler’s Europe but brought their dark visions with them. Essays cover major themes, give little-known facts about the making of the films, and offer critical insights. Although film noir mostly petered out in the 1950s, Phillips also describes more recent neonoir classics, including Body Heat, L.A. Confidential, and Chinatown. VERDICT In spite of solid research and extensive cast and director interviews, this book breaks little new ground. Consistently readable and engaging, it will still have strong appeal for film noir fans.—Stephen Rees, formerly with Levittown Lib., PA
Zuiker, Anthony E. with Todd Gold. Mr. CSI: How a Vegas Dreamer Made a Killing in Hollywood, One Body at a Time. Harper: HarperCollins. Dec. 2011. c.304p. photogs. ISBN 9780061725494. $26.99. TV
Is it possible for a ridiculously successful 43-year-old television writer and producer—Zuiker created the three-headed CSI TV juggernaut, which over the past years has been recognized as the most popular dramatic series in the world—to be a nice guy who comes across as an average type A Joe with whom you’d love to have a Shiner and shoot the breeze? Yep. Juxtaposed with Zuiker’s story of how a Las Vegas kid went from a tram operator and bellhop at the Mirage to a television impresario is a compelling tale of his difficult relationship with his father. In true CSI modus operandi, Zuiker pieces together his father’s past in an attempt to explain and reconcile his suicide in 2005. In doing so, Zuiker uncovers insight into his own creative and success-driven compulsions. VERDICT So, as Zuiker is often asked at bars and film school Q&As, how did he make his mondo score? He provides some good answers that both Hollywood wannabes and bliss seekers in need of inspiration could take to heart. A really good story from a cool Hollywood dude who has made it, but not lost it. [See Prepub Alert, 6/13/11.]—Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
Philosophy
Lemert, Charles. Why Niebuhr Matters. Yale Univ. (Why X Matters). Nov. 2011. c.272p. index. ISBN 9780300175424. $26. PHIL
As part of this Yale University Press series, well-known social theorist Lemert (social theory, emeritus, Wesleyan Univ.; Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life) examines the relevance of one of America’s most famous theologians. According to Lemert, Niebuhr’s (1892–1971) liberal and social theological theories are needed in modern-day America not only to counter conservative religious thought influencing today’s politics and to help us deal with our declining global dominance, but also to assist us in not overlooking the rights of the individual in the name of progress and political necessity. The chapters follow Niebuhr’s growth as a minister and theologian, and examine how his writings dealt with the social and political problems that he saw arising out of the struggle between individual rights and the unethical decisions of governments and industries. VERDICT While Niebuhr diagnosed these problems during the early and mid-20th century, his relevance to current issues in America are easy to follow from Lemert’s clear presentation. Any reader with an interest in social theory or Niebuhr himself will find this a rewarding read.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI
Poetry
Hand, Monica A. Me and Nina. Alice James. Jan. 2012. c.80p. ISBN 9781882295906. pap. $15.95. POETRY
This first poetry collection by Hand, a Cave Canem Fellow and 2010 winner of the publisher’s Kenereth Gensler Award, gives readers poems in concert and communion with soul great Nina Simone—like “two souls in a duet.” While Simone’s songs are a fusion of gospel, pop, and classical music, Hand’s poems are a fusion of free verse, blues, torch songs, and songs of the tortured, many with formal elements and many cases using her own original forms: “Traveling through us she found rage/ inside our breath, a seaquake.” Both musician and poet are caught in a tangle of being talented and black in an America where Simone is “too dark and too blue” for classical music training and where, for Hand’s narrator, even a black president doesn’t help much. These poems deal with hard times, poverty, violence, the abuse of power, and abused dreams. Yet like a blues song—“Some truths some lies I’m telling you/ Some truths some lies I’m telling you”—there is some hope that something could change. VERDICT Highly recommended for all readers of contemporary poetry.—Karla Huston, Wisconsin Acad. of Sciences, Arts, & Letters, Madison
Šalamun, Tomaž. The Blue Tower. Houghton Harcourt. 2011. c.96p. tr. from by Slovenian by Michael Biggins. ISBN 9780547364766. $22. POETRY
Widely anthologized and translated into more than 20 languages, acclaimed and prolific Slovenian poet Šalamun (There’s the Hand and There’s the Arid Chair) is one of European literature’s leading voices, recalling John Ashbery in his surrealistic style, unconnected images, and the comical scenes. As this fine translation reveals, Šalamun’s poems liberate the hidden spark in everyday objects by displacing their inherent meaning and reinventing their freshness. Poetry here shatters our normal perceptions to create a vast and diversified sense of reality: “Have you ever rooted an island out of the sea? Actually/ Heard the noise made by the water as it flies into the void?/ Have you ever protected the mist with your own hand?” Writing about strayed memories and people, places, and familiar objects that are absent or only fleeting presences, the poet demonstrates elegantly that poetry processes life in shreds rather than as a unified whole. Hence the cleverly displayed semantic disarray and the elusiveness of meaning in most of the poems. VERDICT A tribute to the power of imagination to give meaning and coherence to what seems as fragmented and disconnected in life; for all readers.—Sadiq Alkoriji, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL
Wetherington, Laura. A Map Predetermined and Chance. Fence. (National Poetry Series). 2011. c.64p. ISBN 9781934200490. pap. $15.95. POETRY
One of five winners of the 2010 National Poetry Series Open Competition, this debut collection is a hodgepodge in terms of subject: there are poems about love, sex, and the battle of Normandy interwoven with a teacher’s personal biography. The text is often clichéd and uninteresting, as in these lines from “Visiting Normandy”: “So I run outside and yell Hello!/ and wave my arm like my life/ depends on it.” There’s a random feel to much of the language: “Pig Wish for Lowe High School/ rail rail rail rail/ Ah Dwntn/ No.” In “Dancing the Be-Hop,” the sections seem to be arranged arbitrarily. It begins with section LXXV, then proceeds to XIX, III, and XI, with none listed as excerpts. The strongest section is the second part, in which the writing becomes more musical and evocative. In “I’m Right about Time,” Wetherington writes, “Children fly out of the mouths of children/ Young girls grow bark which we have to peel away.” Otherwise, too many of these poems are proselike, and few sing. VERDICT The freshest element of this book is its snazzy design, which includes a colorful, inviting cover. Many poems are arranged in graphic boxes, a long one has a horizontal layout, and one is even printed with musical notes. But unfortunately many of the poems have less life on the page.—Doris Lynch, Monroe Cty. P.L., Bloomington, IN
Religion
Allen, John L., Jr. A People of Hope: Archbishop Timothy Dolan in Conversation with John L. Allen Jr. Image: Crown. Nov. 2011. c.240p. ISBN 9780307718495. $25. REL
In 2009, church historian and archbishop of Milwaukee Timothy Dolan found himself in one of America’s most watched pulpits when he was named to succeed Cardinal Edward Egan as archbishop of New York. The next year, Dolan was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops over the sitting vice president, who would traditionally have been elected. Veteran Vatican reporter Allen (Vatican correspondent, National Catholic Reporter; The Future Church) sat down with Dolan for a series of interviews covering topics such as the sex abuse crisis, women in the church, authority and dissent, and faith and politics. Each chapter is prefaced by a summary by Allen, situating the topic in the wider context of the American church. Dolan’s candid answers are to an extent what one would expect, upholding traditional Catholic teaching, but they are nuanced and show a definite pastoral concern. VERDICT Allen’s work offers an up-close and personal portrait of an important church figure; it will appeal to anyone who has an interest in the Catholic Church in the United States today.—Augustine J. Curley, O.S.B., Newark Abbey, NJ
Knight, Douglas A. & Amy-Jill Levine. The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. HarperOne: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. c.512p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780061121753. $29.99. REL
Knight (Jewish studies, Vanderbilt Divinity; Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel) and Levine (New Testament & Jewish studies, Vanderbilt Divinity; The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus) here present a topical survey of the Old Testament. In fact, one of the approximately 90 topics the authors cover concerns just what to call this collection of scripture. Other topics include the Exodus, the topography of Southwest Asia (the authors’ preferred term for the Middle East), the names of God, the Creation story, and the Diaspora. VERDICT Although often engaging, this relatively short book may have difficulty finding an audience, given its breadth. It spends too little time on any one topic for it to work in an undergraduate introductory course or to appeal to interested lay readers. It provides a taste of various forms of biblical criticism and related disciplines without giving the reader a chance to evaluate these tools. But it presents an entrée into approaching the Old Testament from a critical point of view without necessarily diminishing its text. A highly accessible if overly ambitious survey that is in tune with current scholarship.—James M. Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Lib., NC
Mansfield, Stephen. Where Has Oprah Taken Us?: The Religious Influence of the World’s Most Famous Woman. Thomas Nelson. 2011. c.272p. ISBN 9781595553089. $22.99. REL
In this work, Mansfield (The Faith of George W. Bush) takes exception to the cafeteria-style personal religion that he ascribes to Oprah Winfrey. Though he begins by proposing to concentrate on the ideas behind Winfrey’s spirituality, he doesn’t hesitate to characterize Oprah or her spiritual teachers as ambitious, self-absorbed, or silly. Mansfield believes that history gives credence to Christianity but seems less willing to extend this credence to Eastern religions, on which much of Oprah’s spirituality is based. He features worrisome quotes from some of her “gurus” such as Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra; however, he reuses the same examples over and over. Mansfield does make strong arguments that Winfrey’s miscellaneous spiritual practices do little to explain evil or place an individual’s focus on something other than himself or herself. He finds most troubling this implied replacement of a separate God with the self. VERDICT Although not for Oprahphiles, this flawed work will still be of interest to readers concerned with the direction of spiritual and religious life today.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids
Spong, John Shelby. Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World. HarperOne: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. c.432p. bibliog. ISBN 9780062011282. $28.99. REL
This book by best-selling author and former Episcopal Bishop of Newark Spong (Jesus for the Non-Religious) began as a series of articles examining the history, literary origins, and meaning of the Bible from an academic point of view. Among the many topics Spong touches on are the presence of ancient political propaganda in the Bible, the liturgical background of the book of Mark, the incorporation of Jewish heroes’ stories into descriptions of the events of Jesus’s life, and the possibility that certain characters in scripture, such as Lazarus, Judas Iscariot, and Nicodemus, are literary creations. Targeted toward “inquisitive and educated laypeople” rather than Christian scholars, this volume is meant to introduce ways of engaging with the Bible that are different from the literal interpretation many people are taught in Sunday school. Spong aims to bring biblical scholarship to those who sit in church pews, but without getting bogged down in debates about biblical minutiae—although the text still manages to convey an enormous amount of research. VERDICT This book is well paced, the arguments are easy to follow, and Spong accomplishes exactly what he set out to do. A compelling and thought-provoking read, especially for fans of Spong’s work.—Crystal Goldman, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA
Cawthra, Benjamin. Blue Notes in Black and White: Photography and Jazz. Univ. of Chicago. Nov. 2011. c.392p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780226098753. $45. MUSIC
Cawthra (history, California State Univ.) has assembled a brilliant study of the complex relationships among jazz, photography, racial identity, racial politics, and definitions of black masculinity. The title’s double meaning is evidenced by Cawthra’s emphasis on black-and-white photographs and his deconstruction of the racial dynamics of the work of jazz photographers from the swing era through the postbop and cool jazz eras. The book includes 65 half-tone photographs; however, Cawthra dissects the work of Gjon Mili, William Gottlieb, Herman Leonard, William Claxton, Francis Wolff, Roy DeCarava, and other photographers beyond those whose work is reproduced here. The research is top-notch, and the explanations are clear and in-depth. VERDICT This title will appeal to jazz and photography fans as well as students of American studies, jazz studies, and photography. It is a must-have for anyone seriously interested in the politics and sociology of jazz and how it was perceived from the 1930s through the 1960s. —James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH
Sloane, Kathy. Keystone Korner: Portrait of a Jazz Club. Indiana Univ. Nov. 2011. c.264p. ed. by Sascha Feinstein & Kathy Sloane. photogs. discog. ISBN 9780253356918. pap. $40 with CD. MUSIC
Having since documented events and had her work displayed in museums and galleries around the world, photographer Sloane began her career at San Francisco’s iconic Keystone Korner jazz club, which persisted through the 1970s as jazz venues around the United States were shuttering. The intersection of Sloane’s presence and the Keystone’s reputation as a venue for both premier and up-and-coming musicians resulted in an extraordinary photographic record of many of jazz’s leading lights in action. In this first collection of her work, Sloane, aided by Feinstein (editor, Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz & Literature), includes interviews with employees, performers, managers, and hangers-on to supplement the images and create a composite of Keystone Korner that captures the club in an extended moment of outstanding performances (some of which became live albums). VERDICT This book is no mere time capsule; since many of the interviews took place more recently, they have more of a reflective quality, contextualizing the importance of the Keystone as a landmark of jazz history. For jazz fans, historians, and performers.—Genevieve Williams, Pacific Lutheran Univ. Lib., Tacoma, WA
