(source: Library Journal, 01/06/2009)
Economics
Bradford, Stacey L. The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents. Three Rivers: Crown. Jun. 2009. c.208p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-307-40707-8. pap. $14.95. BUS
Bradford, an associate editor at SmartMoney.com, presents a relevant and witty overview of the awesome task facing new parents—affording their kids. She covers all the major issues, including child tax credits, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, flexible spending accounts, and 529 plans; even wills, trusts, and disability insurance are considered. Bradford writes from a female perspective, and humor abounds: “Along with hemorrhoids and hormonal mood swings, meager maternity benefits are just one more harsh reality that no one warns pregnant women about.” Considering the enormous and long-term expense of a new bundle of joy, her money-saving tips are sure to be popular. Bradford clearly grasps the mindset of new parents and keeps information complete but concise; the chapters on health care and college savings plans are so succinct that it would be nearly impossible not to understand them. Only the chapter “Where Should You Nest?” disappoints, as it is not broad enough to serve most readers. VERDICT Bradford’s book offers a more comprehensive framework than Steve and Annette Economides’s America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money. Here’s one work that all new and prospective parents worried about finances should consider.—Tracy Mohaidheen, M.L.I.S., West Bloomfield, MI
Political Science
Caldwell, Christopher. Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West. Doubleday. Jul. 2009. c.416p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-385-51826-0. $30. INT AFFAIRS
Respected conservative journalist Caldwell (senior editor, Weekly Standard) writes with deep skepticism about Europe’s future relations with the Islamic world. He most clearly expresses his attitude when arguing that immigration has had unintended consequences, “importing not just factors of production but factors of social change.” More specifically, Caldwell is concerned about what he sees as Islam’s tendency to “trump” other social identities and ultimately form a single identity contrary to the values of democratic rule; at its peril, Europe neglects religion as the “anchor” of this identity. The values and culture of secular Europe are dependent on “ethical survivals of Christianity,” says Caldwell, but the same is not true of Islam, despite the number of European converts. Caldwell also rejects American-style assimilation as a model for European immigrant “integration.” VERDICT Regardless of one’s attitude toward immigration, Caldwell interprets an important European policy debate and illuminates why anti-immigrant sentiment cannot be dismissed as simple bigotry. Recommended for informed readers.—Zachary T. Irwin, School of Humanities & Social Science, Penn State, Erie, Behrend Coll.
Griffin, David Ray. Osama Bin Laden: Dead or Alive? Olive Branch: Interlink. Aug. 2009. c.276p. index. ISBN 978-1-56656-783-1. pap. $15. INT AFFAIRS
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one of the reasons for George W. Bush’s invasion of Afghanistan was to uproot al Qaeda and “get” its leader, Osama bin Laden, “dead or alive.” President Bush was widely criticized by his opponents, including presidential candidate Obama, for failing to achieve this objective. Why has the United States, with its massive intelligence apparatus and military might, not been able to apprehend bin Laden? In this provocative book, Griffin (codirector, Ctr. for Process Studies, Claremont Sch. of Theology: The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions), a leading conspiracy theorist on the subject of 9/11, seeks to solve this puzzle by asking, What if Osama bin Laden is no longer alive? He points out that the last time a message to or from bin Laden was intercepted was December 2001. Using a vast array of public statements and writings by public figures, military analysts, and former CIA officials and relying on publicly available data, Griffin deconstructs the report of the 9/11 Commission and highlights its omissions. He also examines purported messages from bin Laden since 2001 and finds little evidence that these in fact have come from bin Laden himself. VERDICT After presenting evidence worth pondering about bin Laden’s possible demise, Griffin concludes more broadly by evaluating the policy implications of pursuing a debilitating war in Afghanistan. His highly recommended work is worth consideration by both general readers and students of 21st-century international affairs.—Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile
Social Sciences
Cohen, Arianne. The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life from on High. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Jun. 2009. c.256p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59691-308-0. $20. SOC SCI
Inspired by her own height and a serious lack of popular material on tallness, 6′3″ journalist Cohen (coeditor, Confessions of a High School Word Nerd) takes great pride in announcing that tall people have higher IQs, earn more money, and live longer than average-height folks. Cohen discusses the economic, physical, and psychological benefits and disadvantages of being a tall person in a personal and humorous tone. She arranges her book into a series of thematic essays that address the biological causes of tallness, its economic, sociological, and medical aspects, and the consequences of living daily life in an infrastructure created for shorter people. Readers come away understanding how one’s height can affect everything from one’s relationships, personal and professional, to national economies. VERDICT With more material available on the causes and ramifications of short stature, Cohen’s book fills a gap in the popular literature, complementing Susan Cohen and Christine Cosgrove’s more academic Normal at Any Cost: Tall Girls, Short Boys, and the Medical Industry’s Quest To Manipulate Height. Her work includes references, graphs, and illustrations but is defined by its humor and the filter of personal experience. Recommended for good leisure reading.—Kate Farley, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah, GA
Pierce, Charles P. Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free. Doubleday. Jun. 2009. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-7679-2614-0. $24.95. SOC SCI
Pierce (writer-at-large, Esquire) begins by relating his visit to the Creation Museum in Kentucky, during which he sees on display a dinosaur wearing a saddle. That outlandish sight leads him to consider other examples of irrationality taking the place of reason in America, as he examines talk radio, denials of global warming and evolution, the war in Iraq, Sarah Palin, the case of Terry Schiavo, etc. With droll prose and an appreciation for irony, Pierce skewers what he sees as America’s lamentable embrace of idiocy, and he illustrates how it has thrown us perilously off balance. He contrasts the ubiquitous ignorance and gullibility of today’s body politic with the thoughts of James Madison, who heralded common sense, knowledge, and experience as virtues. VERDICT Pierce contends that the founding fathers (men of the Enlightenment) properly guaranteed a place in society for cranks to be able to champion eccentric ideas, but now any crank who can draw attention to himself using mass media is viewed as an expert while genuine authorities are not trusted. Intelligence is discounted and gut reactions hold sway, or, as Pierce maintains: “Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is measured by how fervently they believe it.” Recommended.—Donna L. Davey, NYU Lib.
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