From: Rollins@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu
Subject: The Chorba Report: NY TIMES books on popular culture
Again, here is the latest from the NYT BOOK REVIEW. This list is from
the May 14th issue. Hope you will find something interesting.
Alfred A. Knopf:
WALT WHITMAN'S AMERICA: A CULTURAL BIOGRAPHY by David S. Reynolds
(A very informative biography of Walt Whitman. It was especially
fascinating to learn from this book that Lincoln admired the
acting of John Wilkes Booth so much that he invited him to the White
House. Also, Whitman's close friend Pete Doyle was in the
audience the night Lincoln was killed.)
GOD: A BIOGRAPHY by Jack Miles
(Miles treats the Bible as a literary work to produce a
biography of God as a literary character. God is revealed as
a real person, much the way a theatergoer thinks of Hamlet
or Don Quixote.)
MRS. JORDAN'S PROFESSION: THE ACTRESS AND THE PRINCE
by Claire Tomalin
(The story of an 18th-century English actress who was also the
mistress of a future King, William IV.
Random House:
THE HAUNTED LAND: FACING EUROPE'S GHOST AFTER COMMUNISM
by Tina Rosenberg
(A look at life in East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland after
communism.)
A Lisa Drew Book/Scribner:
POPE JOHN PAUL II: THE BIOGRAPHY by Tad Szulc
(A life of the Pope, who embodies the alliance of religion and
culture that kept Poland alive over centuries of domination by
Austria, Russia, and Germany.)
John Wiley & Sons:
REINVENTING DARWIN: THE GREAT DEBATE AT THE HIGH TABLE OF
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY by Niles Eldredge
(The author brings the reader up to date with the ensuing debate
between those he calls the "ultra-Darwinians," such as British
biologist Richard Dawkins, and the "naturalists," including Stephen
Jay Gould and himself.)
Basic Books:
RIVER OUT OF EDEN: A DARWINIAN VIEW OF LIFE by Richard Dawkins
(The "river" of the title is the river of DNA that flows from early
life forms to their present-day descendants. This is a powerful
metaphor that Dawkins puts to good use. In particular, anybody who
is confused over the recent "African Eve" controversy about the
origins of madern humans will find the issues laid out clearly here.)
Simon & Schuster:
DARWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA: EVOLUTION AND THE MEANING OF LIFE
by Daniel C. Dennett
(A 586 page volume is designed to close down all opposition to
Darwinism. Dennett likens Darwin's theory to a "universal acid"
that eats through our most cherished assumptions about mind and
meaning, and our place in the universe. The first step in
replacing wishful thinking is to accept the truth about our
origins.)
Crown:
BODYTALK: THE MEANING OF HUMAN GESTURES by Desmond Morris
(The book is an illustrated dictionary of more than 600 common
gestures. It is full of fascinating tidbits from around the world.
For example, thumping a bent elbow on the dinner table in Uruguay
signals "miser." However, tap your elbow with your palm in
Germany and you're calling someone an idiot.)
Phaidon Press/Chronicle Books:
THE DEVONSHIRE COLLECTION OF ITALIAN DRAWINGS by Michael Joffe
(The 4 volumes contain about 1,000 works, roughly half the total of
those that can be traced to the Devonshire collection from its
beginning.)
W.W. Norton & Company:
INTIMATE TERRORISM: THE DETERIORATION OF EROTIC LIFE
by Michael Vincent Miller
(A clinical psychologist examines how the liberation of women has
changed our vision of romantic love and our understanding of
family dynamics.)
Little, Brown & Company:
THE TOTAL PACKAGE: THE EVOLUTION AND SECRET MEANINGS OF BOXES,
BOTTLES, CANS, AND TUBES by Thomas Hine
(This book is a must for those interested in the study of popular
culture. Writen by the author of POPULUXE, the book examines the
cultural ramifications of packaging.)
St. Martin's Press:
HOW TO ARGUE AND WIN EVERY TIME by Gerry Spence
(A lawyer describes ways to win arguments at home and at work.)
Delta:
MOTHERLESS DAUGHTERS: THE LEGACY OF LOSS by Hope Edelman
(The experiences of women after the deaths of their mothers.)
Penguin:
THE MYTHS OF MOTHERHOOD: HOW CULTURE REINVENTS THE GOOD MOTHER
by Shari L. Thurer
(Ranging from the stone age to today, this history reveals how
society, not biology, has defined women's task as parents.)
That is all for this week. Hope you found the list interesting. Tune in
again, Fran Chorba, Washburn University and Editor of the JOURNAL OF
RADIO STUDIES.