ABC-CLIO

Public administration ethics for the 21st century.

For academics and public administration practitioners, Martinez, a corporate attorney who teaches political science at Kennesaw State U., outlines a theory of ethics that does not choose one specific approach to problems but rather focuses on the process of decision making. He describes the history and development of administrative ethics, the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to administrative ethics, modern ethical theory, including descriptive and normative ethics, the role of the administrator and issues of individual vs. organizational values, and a model of ethics for public administrators that emphasizes a process approach, in which individuals decide on the appropriate content of ethical standards. This final chapter outlines the stages of the process leading to an ethical decision. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Reading Joan Didion.

Houston and Lombardi (both American literature, California State U., Chico) offer a reader's guide to the work of California novelist, essayist, and journalist Joan Didion. Introductory chapters summarize the author's career and discuss the relationship of her writing to 20th century genres, including New Journalism and feminist writing. The chapters that follow explore craft and themes in six of Didion's works: Run River, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Play It As It Lays, The White Album, Where I Was From (a 2003 memoir), and 2006's The Year of Magical Thinking. Remaining chapters discuss Didion's work as it treats modern issues and pop culture, her presence in the media, and insights from the internet on her career. A suggested reading list concludes the text. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Reading Toni Morrison.

Lister (American fiction, Durham U., UK) provides a guide to Toni Morrison's novels, from The Bluest Eye (1970) to Love (2003), with analysis of her formal and narrative techniques and engagement with contemporary issues and popular culture. She aims to introduce Morrison's work and explore specific issues for new and familiar readers. She begins with an outline of Morrison's life and career, writing methods, and thoughts on the role of the writer, and continues with chapters on her novels in context, and their themes, language, imagery, and characterization. Other chapters address race, class, and gender in her fiction; her representation of pop culture, as well as the film adaptation of Beloved; her relationship with the media; and online resources. In the chapter on what to read next, Lister discusses connections to other works and influential writers. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Reconsidering sex crimes and offenders; prosecution or persecution?.

Two contributors, one a professor of criminology and the other a sexologist, challenge readers' assumptions about sex offenders in this examination of US law on sex crimes and the social attitudes behind them. They argue that many citizens are being pursued as sex offenders for nonviolent and even consensual sexual behaviors, such as homosexuality, polygamy, and prostitution. The first chapter looks at how religion, medicine, and social science have contributed to the definition of sexual offending. Sexual offenses and offenders of different categories are then described. The rest of the book analyzes real-life case studies, and considers the role of sensationalistic media coverage in creating public support for controversial laws. A bibliography offers sources for further reading on all aspects of sexual behavior, and on the legal and social response to sex offenders. Laura J. Zilney, a private practice sexologist in Canada, received her doctorate from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco. Lisa Anne Zilney is associate professor in the Department of Justice Studies at Montclair State University. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Religion and the state; an international analysis of roles and relationships.

The relationships between church and state are vastly different throughout the world, from theoretically separate as in the United States to virtually indistinguishable as in Iran. Merriman (history, U. of Kentucky) makes that abundantly clear in his international analysis of roles and relationships between government and religion. The book's 200 entries are a combination of issue-based essays and country-by-country explorations of those relationships. A helpful chronology helps frame the book's examination of the interactions of church and state both historically and as they exist today. It also contains a glossary, a comprehensive index, and a bibliography of print and online resources for further reading. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Religious scandals.

This book reviews and describes various public scandals involving religion in US history, with most of those discussed having taken place in recent decades, although some scandals from much earlier are examined as well. The author organizes the volume in two sections. The first deals with "conventional scandals" or violations of sacred and secular custom and law, a category within which she includes adultery, pedophilia, and homosexuality; money, marketing, and management scandals; hoaxes and humbug; and murder and mayhem. The second explores "scandals of conscience" or challenges to secular custom and law and includes chapters on blasphemy and its progeny, religio-political heresy, rituals that rankle, and problematic practices. Also included is a timeline. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Restoring the balance; war powers in an age of terror.

The history of the 20th century indicates that the US is moving toward a system of war powers in which the president does whatever he (so far) wants, and neither the legislative nor the judicial branch can do diddly squat about it. Weinberger (politics and government, U. of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington) finds a few problems with that system, which he rehearses people who do not. His main concern however is with mechanisms and criteria for establishing a theory and a functioning system to rebalance war powers among the branches of government. He examines the meaning of the declare war clause, the deployment of the armed forces and initiation of hostilities, domestic warrantless surveillance by the National Security Agency, and the detention and trials of suspected terrorists. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Rivalry in Eurasia; Russia, the United States, and the war on terror.

Goldman (political science, Northeastern U.) treats the U.S.-post- Soviet Russia relationship in the context of the Russian Federation's former central Asia republics. His timely analysis explains how the 9/11 attacks heightened the tensions between the countries as Russia sought to maintain its sphere of influence in this region while cooperating in the mutual war on Islamist terrorism, and how China and Iran factor into the complex equation. Maps situate the countries discussed: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Takikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Russia, the asymmetric threat to the United States; a potent mixture of energy and missiles.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia has used its energy bonanza as political leverage over Europe and other areas of the world and to fill state coffers. With the newfound riches, argues Wood (American Center for Democracy), the Russian military has been developing missile technology designed to counter American capabilities and without intelligent response by American policy makers, he warns, Russia stands poised to use its energy riches and missile capabilities to emerge as the world's superpower by 2015. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Serving America's veterans; a reference handbook.

Korb et al. (defense information and national security, Center for American Progress) examine veterans' affairs in the US, and the related infrastructural conditions, administrative and health care service challenges, and policy and political issues. They consider the history of veterans affairs; veteran demographics and their impact on the American political system; issues such as administrative barriers to accessing health care and benefits; and mental health problems, all of which have been affected by changes to personnel policies, unprecedented levels of National Guard and Reserve mobilization, changes to the length and number of tours, and the length of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other factors. The final chapter considers the challenges faced by General Eric Shinseki, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sowing the seeds of character; the moral education of adolescents in public and private schools.

Rabbi and educator Levingston (Jewish studies, Barrack Hebrew Academy, and Temple U., Philadelphia) has taught and served as an administrator in a variety of middle and high schools, and holds a doctorate in moral education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York. He argues that moral education is not a luxury but rather a self-conscious and deliberate effort to teach young people about integrity, respect, care for oneself, care for the world, and principles of justice and freedom. Drawing on his own professional and personal experiences and from research in Muslim, Jewish, Roman Catholic, public, Quaker, and Chinese schools, he offers suggestions on how educators can incorporate moral education into the existing curriculum through their own examples, through critical thinking and role-playing exercises, and t hrough real-world applications to peer interactions outside the classroom. For educators, policymakers, and parents. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Special collections 2.0; new technologies for rare books, manuscripts, and archival collections.

Whittaker (special collections, The Ohio State U. Libraries, Columbus) and Thomas (rare books and special collections, Northern Illinois U., DeKalb) present collection and archives professionals with an examination of the use of Web 2.0 applications and related technologies in the creation, promotion, and management of special collections resources, particularly as a strategy for reaching new audiences. The text incorporates findings from 300-plus responses to a survey gauging the knowledge of and interest in Web 2.0 applications among cultural heritage professionals. The authors discuss the use of specific applications — wikis, blogs, social networking, photo-sharing sites — as a gateway to special collections material, and examine how these technologies may affect digitization projects, preservation of born-digital materials, and funding agency response. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Strange cases; a selective guide to speculative mystery fiction.

Although authors have been mixing speculative fiction and mystery for decades, the sometimes rigid categories in libraries and bookstores can make it hard for readers to find books that combine the two genres. To the rescue comes this fat volume that includes information for about 700 books (most published since the mid-1990s) that combine speculative (and supernatural) fiction with mysteries. Each listing identifies the book (or series) premise, names the detective and gives the scene of the crime, comments on the quality of the writing, and summarizes critical reaction. The authors provide indexes that will help readers locate authors, series and title names, major characters, genres and themes, mystery and speculative fiction elements, and locations and time periods. This is an essential reference for libraries and for fans of this type of crossover fiction. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sustenance and hope for caregivers of elderly parents; the bread of angels.

For individuals caring for an elderly parent, this guide addresses essential issues in caregiving based on the author's and other professionals' experience and research. Barsamian discusses the caregiving relationship and how it is evolving, the impact on families, the effects of attachment, mother-daughter relationships, spirituality, dealing with anxiety and stress, and the impact of caregiving on the dying process, along with a diary of one women's experiences. Barsamian, a retired social worker and medical health specialist, has focused on illness, medical ethics, and adult children of elderly parents in her research. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Term paper resource guide to nineteenth-century world history.

Walker (history, Chestnut Hill College) provides a guide for students to writing term papers related to nineteenth-century world history. He lists chronologically 100 historically significant events that could be used as topics for papers, with an overview of the event, term paper suggestions, alternate formats like podcasts, journal entries, and news articles, and annotated lists of primary and secondary sources, websites, and multimedia sources. Events were chosen based on their historical significance, availability of source materials, and interest to students. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Thought manipulation; the use and abuse of psychological trickery.

Where are the boundaries between manipulation, weakness, and free choice? Handelman, a fellow in peace and conflict resolution research at the University of Missouri, proposes that the phenomenon of manipulation can be used as a constructive tool, and outlines manipulative strategies used in politics, leadership, advertising, psychotherapy, and intimate relationships. To begin, the concept of manipulation is explained, and the challenges it presents to the open society are explored, with discussion of the characteristics and ethics of manipulation. Specific types of manipulation are then described, focusing on those that are designed to limit freedom of choice, in chapters on manipulation in advertising, politics, and leadership. The third part of the book looks at manipulations that are geared toward helping us discover new options and horizons, such as the manipulation found in therapy. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Toxic wealth; how the culture of affluence can harm us and our children.

Cashman, a family therapist, teams with psychotherapist and statistician Taite to explore the "culture of affluence" in America and note the unique problems that often accompany wealthy lifestyles. Written for general readers who qualify as wealthy, this guide examines the stress, negative stereotypes and lack of empathy these individuals and families often experience. The authors use real-world examples from their own experiences to provide practical advice for problems that are often dismissed as inconsequential by other mental health care professionals. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Why Europe fears its neighbors.

Tassinari, a foreign policy analyst, addresses the political, societal, and economic predicament in Europe's backyard — the Balkans, Turkey, the westernmost former Soviet republics, Russia, and the Mediterranean area — to examine how security concerns define Europe's policies and its identity. Arguing against conventional wisdom, he contends that gradual integration with its many neighbors is Europe's best alternative to fragmentation. His thesis is supported with primary sources and examples of the prevailing European discourse on each of the neighboring countries and regions. The book is aimed at academics and general readers. Tassinari holds research positions at the Danish Institute for International Studies, the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, and the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The winners! handbook; a closer look at Judy Freeman's 100+ top-rated children's books of 2008, grades K-6.

Freeman, a librarian and children's literature consultant, presents the latest handbook in her annual series which selects 100 exceptional titles for grades K-6. Entries are organized by genre — easy fiction and picture books, fiction, nonfiction and biography, and poetry. Each entry includes a brief annotation, ideas for teaching and supplementing the text in a variety of disciplines, related titles, and a list of subjects. Two additional non-annotated lists are included — one ranking young adult titles. The bulk of the text is devoted to activities created around books in the list, including worksheets and a number of drama exercises. The final section contains reviews of relevant websites. Both an author and title index and a subject index are provided. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Women's fiction authors; a research guide.

In this research guide for students, librarians, and women's fiction enthusiasts, Vnuk, a reader's advisory and adult services librarian, provides a guide for those who already know about an author and want to learn more or find similar authors. She presents entries on 70 popular women's fiction and chick lit authors (mostly contemporary) who are not included in classic reference works. Entries, which are in alphabetical order by author last name, emphasize online resources and include a short biography, a list of novels, and sources for biographical and critical information. Suggestions of similar books are given. Early authors like Jane Austen are not listed; Vnuk focuses on those for which it is hard to find information, such as Alice Hoffman, Meg Cabot, Helen Fielding, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Julia Alvarez, Sue Miller, Nora Roberts, Amy Tan, and Danielle Steel. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)