Greenwood Press

GI ingenuity; improvisation, technology, and winning World War II.

Military historian Carafano (international studies, The Heritage Foundation) describes how the US Army (his old outfit) transmuted from an industrial-age to a postmodern military on the battlefields of Normandy in the summer of 1944. The soldiers drew on the inspiration of their fathers' way of war, he explains, added the ingenuity of the The Greatest Generation, and presaged the military of the 21st century. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Greek and Roman folklore; a handbook.

After summarizing some definitions of folklore and some limitations of approaches to it, Anderson (classics, U. of Kent) explores some sources of folklore in antiquity, its transmission, various genres, and figures and themes. Throughout he investigates ancient attitudes to folklore material, how conflicting methodologies hinder modern understanding, and what common features link popular material of the present and the past. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The history of Sri Lanka.

Peebles (history, U. of Missouri, Kansas City) presents the history of Sri Lanka in this volume that is part of a series aimed at students and general readers. Along the way, he integrates geography, economics, culture, colonialism, and Sinhalese and Tamil nationalism into the discussion, and describes the country's independence from Britain, ethnic conflicts, quality of life, the recent civil war and quest for peace, and the 2004 tsunami. Brief biographies of key figures are appended. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Homeland security; protecting America's targets; 3v.

This three-volume set, edited by Forest (terrorism studies, United States Military Academy), reviews progress in protecting the US from terrorist attacks and identifies persisting vulnerabilities. The first volume focuses on the borders and other points of entry. It includes chapters on migration coordination in North America, trade and food security, human trafficking and homeland security, visa security, maritime port security, and the unique homeland security challenges posed by Alaska. The second volume looks at protection of public spaces and social institutions and includes chapters on high school and college security issues, protection of national monuments and icons, terrorist threats to sporting events, the role of technology in public spaces, bioterrorism and biodefense in public spaces and cities, agricultural bioterrorism, and public perceptions of terrorism and security. The final volume moves to examination of the protection of critical infrastructure, looking at such topics as British experiences, agriculture and food defense, oil supply protection, nuclear power plant protection, water integrity, transportation systems, financial services, cybersecurity, and satellite systems. Each volume includes a number of appendices containing pertinent documents, including government strategy and policy statements. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

I know what I know; the music of Charles Mingus.

Jazz journalist Jenkins (Down Beat magazine and others) adds his voice to the existing volumes on famously hot-tempered late bassist/composer Charles Mingus in this chronologically arranged musical biography. Jenkins' analysis of Mingus' complete recordings is appropriate for a general audience and is framed by the major events in Mingus' career, including: his childhood fixation with Duke Ellington, early work with the bebop masters, the recording of his influential Ah Um, and the Columbia Records censorship of his lyrics attacking segregationist Arkansas governor Orville Faubus. The book includes a foreword by pianist Sy Johnson and a note from widow Sue Mingus lambasting the sale of pirated Mingus material. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Inside the minds of serial killers; why they kill.

Noting that generalizations often fail and debunking the idea that serial killers have a distinct profile, Ramsland (forensic psychology, DeSales U.) details the wide variety of motives behind serial murder. She notes that the study's purpose is not to categorize them, but explore their motives, such as lust, omnipotence, glory, delusions, rage, profit, or no purpose at all. She also provides a history of the topic in the first chapter. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Journalism at the end of the American century, 1965-present.

McPherson (communication studies, Whitworth College) analyzes the nature and history of American journalism from 1965 to the present day. Each of nine chapters covers a general theme that became prominent during the period discussed. These include (for example) social upheavals, new kinds of news media, an increasing emphasis on entertainment, and propaganda and censorship in the coverage of the Gulf War. A bibliographic essay identifies some of the most pertinent research sources and secondary literature. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

June Jordan; her life and letters.

She died far too soon, in her mid-sixties, but her career spanned one of the most significant eras in African American literature. Kinloch (English education, Columbia U.) examines how Jordan's writing worked as enlightenment, education, reaction, activism, therapy and warning, and relates the very real pain that is writing to the very real pain that is living within the lines of racial discrimination. Kinloch examines the lesser-known works as well as those recognized as major contributions to studies of violence, homosexuality, race, and black feminism. Jordan's over two dozen books and reams of poetry are interspersed by her experiences as an activist, and Kinlock finds this complex soul was also a powerful wielder of language. Jordan caused a revolution amongst writers who have been traditionally underrepresented; this is the beginning of what will be significant scholarship on her influence. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Losing hearts and minds?; public diplomacy and strategic influence in the age of terror.

The public diplomacy of the United States, argues Lord (military and naval strategy, Naval War College), has always been a "bureaucratic backwater and a cultural tar baby," lacking a core institutional base, an established infrastructure of education and training, a stable cadre of personnel, an operational doctrine, and roles and missions understood by national security professionals and political elites. Further, it operates in a cultural milieu of congressional and public hostility to government management of information. Seeing this situation as a major impediment to the successful prosecution of the "war on terror," he analyzes the reasons these limitations, including the problematic relationship between public diplomacy and commercial journalism and the "political correctness" of contemporary American liberalism. He then argues for bureaucratic and organizational reforms that can strengthen public diplomacy, including the resurrection of the US Information Agency, the placement of oversight responsibilities for US international broadcasters under the reconstituted USIA, greater focus on public diplomacy within the Department of Defense, and a recognition of the crucial role of the president's speeches and actions in the wider sphere of public diplomacy. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Lucille Clifton; her life and letters.

A major figure in contemporary American poetry, Lucille Clifton is the author of 11 books of poetry, one prose memoir, and 19 children's books. This biography covers both the personal and professional life of this renowned African American writer and educator. An extensive bibliography directs readers to reviews, interviews, and other sources of information about Clifton. Lupton is Professor Emeritus at Morgan State U. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Making enemies; humiliation and international conflict.

This is a social psychological investigation of the role of humiliation in human conflict. Lindner (Columbia U. Conflict Resolution Network) first lays out a theory of the mental and social dynamics humiliation and proposes the need for "egalization" (the undoing of humiliation) for a healthy global society. She then presents chapters on the role of misunderstandings in fostering feelings of humiliation; the role of humiliation in international conflict; and the relationship of humiliation to terrorism and torture. She concludes with a discussion of how to defuse feelings of humiliation. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The manager as facilitator.

Consultant Whichard and Kees (counseling and career development, Colorado State U.) describe those instances in which managers are called upon to lead groups in brainstorming sessions, training and meetings as opportunities to define goals and tasks, create a climate of mutual support, and bridge differences among members of the organization to collaborate and innovate. They give practical tips on facilitating work groups whether in inspirational environments, in collaborative decision making or conflict resolution, and also describe how to facilitate in diversity and within work sessions. They provide a list of resources. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The manager as leader.

Consultants Simerson and Venn examine how an organization can elicit leadership from everyone involved, how those who lead can influence others to perform more effectively and efficiently, and how leaders can continue to be successful when their environment is constantly changing. Focusing on the practical, they place leading in context of the leader being a light that is shared, refocuses on the important, redirects as appropriate, maintains significant elements, and grows as it shines on others. They include a wide range of assessment tools of skill sand competencies, diagnosis of leadership styles and abilities, development plans, action plans, and resources. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Martin Luther King, Jr.; a biography.

He was admitted to Morehouse College at 15, and was ordained and graduated college at 19. He earned a doctorate in systematic theology at 26 from Boston University and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference fewer than two years later. By the time he was 34 he would be addressing 200,000 at the Lincoln Memorial. By 35 he would receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In the next four years of his life he would lead marches for voting rights, sponsor the Poor People's Campaign, and realize in a split second he would not see 40. Written for general readers at the high school level, this text gives basic information about the life and work of Dr. King, his activism and rise to the leadership of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and the continuing aftereffects of his work in nonviolence and justice. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Masterpieces of American romantic literature.

Pennell (English literature, U. of Massachusetts, Lowell) provides critical introductions to works identified as masterpieces in the tradition of American Romanticism. Coverage includes (for example) the novels Moby-Dick (Melville) and Uncle Tom's Cabin (Stowe) as well as Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" and essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each of ten chapters features an overview of the author's life and career, along with a discussion of responses by contemporary and present-day critics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Masterpieces of British modernism.

Miller (English, U. of Massachusetts) introduces students and general readers to seven classic texts by six key authors of the Modernist period in British literature. Each profile includes a summary; an analysis of important characters, themes, and symbols; a discussion of style; and an overview of the historical context. Biographical information on each author is also provided. Works examined include Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, and Eliot's The Waste Land. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The myth of evil; demonizing the enemy.

Cole (applied philosophy, Middlesex U.) takes the position that evil itself may in fact not exist, and works from the concept of the "idea of evil," which most definitely does exist. He closely examines traditional explanation of evil as a force which creates monsters in human shape as well as the notion that evil is the result of the actions of misguided or deranged agents and finds fault in both; evil is a myth, he writes, that we have created about ourselves. In the process he faces such evidence of evil as crime, war, genocide and violent perversion, leading to an evaluation of the evil currently assigned to terrorism. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Nature and the environment in pre-Columbian American life.

Kowtko (history, Spokane Community College) describes North America before Columbus' expedition in terms of natural history and environs, using select tribes to illustrate the people from a societal and environmental perspective that links the land and the people together. She discusses which tribes were in North America, interactions with the land, agriculture and habitation, hunting and gathering methods, spirituality, migration, leisure, and gender roles. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Panzers in winter; Hitler's army and the Battle of the Bulge.

A former Army helicopter pilot and company commander, Mitcham is the author of 20 books on military topics. Drawing on multiple unpublished sources, he describes the Battle of the Bulge and of the Ardennes Offensive from the German perspective. Introductory chapters setting the stage, describing the planning and preparations for the offensive, and the first day of the offensive are followed by chapters covering the battle by sector, the clearing of the bulge, and the subsequent lives and careers of the major participants. Illustrated with b&w photographs and maps. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The pleasure of poetry; reading and enjoying English poetry from Donne to Burns.

To introduce readers to the major works and figures of 17th- and 18th-century British poetry, Nelson (English, Indiana U., emeritus) uses representative works from poets such as Donne, Jonson, Pope, Swift and Burns to explain their themes, devices, styles, language, rhythm, sound, tone, imagery, form and meaning. He begins each chapter with a sketch of the poet's life and career. The text is written for the general reader. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)