Editors’ Picks for August 2023

10 reviews handpicked from the latest issue of Choice.

Posted on August 10, 2023 in Editors' Picks

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Weaving together stories of tragedy, loss, and devastation, climate and energy journalist Bittle offers a desperate plea for reducing carbon emissions, creating reform policies, investing in post-disaster aid, and, above all, for everyone to take responsibility for climate change.

—P. Gamsby, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Bittle, Jake. The great displacement: climate change and the next American migration. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 345p index ISBN 9781982178253, $28.99; ISBN 9781982178277 ebook, contact publisher for price.

This is a cautionary tale of epic proportions. As the subtitle makes clear, the text is about climate change and its potential to cause mass migration in the US. Although it is a disaster book, it is also a book of hope. Weaving together stories of tragedy, loss, and devastation, climate and energy journalist Bittle offers a desperate plea for reducing carbon emissions, creating reform policies, investing in post-disaster aid, and, above all, for everyone to take responsibility for climate change. While climate change is a global problem, Bittle focuses his text on a selection of people and places located in the US, specifically in the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Thus, the book is an illustration of how to think globally and act locally, an imperative that ought to be picked up throughout the globe, and not just in book form. By highlighting the impact on specific people and places, Bittle makes the abstract aspect of climate change more concrete and accessible. This is no easy task, and Bittle should be commended for treating such an important and pressing issue in a digestible way. The book is very well researched and also very well written. As such, it deserves a wide audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —P. Gamsby, Memorial University of Newfoundland

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International architects and designers of the 20th century are identified and highlighted for their creative designs using fresh materials and new ways of crafting furniture marked by experimentation, innovation, and a growing interest in abstract and gestural forms.

—S. D. Scott-Fundling, Savannah College of Art and Design

Bradbury, Dominic. Mid-century modern furniture. Thames & Hudson, 2022. 448p bibl index ISBN 9780500022221, $69.75.

Featuring beautiful high-quality photographs, this comprehensive picture book includes more than 450 color images of iconic furniture designs produced in a dynamic era of the 20th century. The volume is divided into nine sections, each focusing on a furniture type, and it ends with a detailed exploration of materials, methods of production, and ways of making. Each of the book’s sections provides a brief overview of the impact of new industrial techniques that influenced the mass production of new furniture for modern living. The demand for modern furniture evolved from the consumer boom following WW II. New 20th-century industrial materials played an important role in the creation of mid-century furniture. Postwar industrial methods using factory production enabled creative designs to flourish, and the result was furniture that was cheaper to produce, lighter, adaptable, and flexible for the modern lifestyle. Architects explored sculptural and expressive designs with unique shapes, silhouettes, and new forms extruded from plastics, shaped by tubular steel, welded steel, plywood, and fiberglass. International architects and designers of the 20th century are identified and highlighted for their creative designs using fresh materials and new ways of crafting furniture marked by experimentation, innovation, and a growing interest in abstract and gestural forms. The volume includes a directory of designers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —S. D. Scott-Fundling, Savannah College of Art and Design

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These cases highlight the urgent need for reforms within the criminal justice and correctional systems.

—C. W. Filippelli, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith

Brooks, Justin. You might to go prison, even though you’re innocent. California, 2023. 222p index ISBN 9780520386839, $29.95; ISBN 9780520386846 ebook, $29.95.

Brooks (law, California Western School of Law), a founder of the California Innocence Project, presents a compelling look at the problem of wrongful convictions through the stories of persons exonerated through his organization. These cases highlight the urgent need for reforms within the criminal justice and correctional systems. Wrongful convictions often result from unreliable eyewitness testimony, evidence mishandling, faulty crime lab reports, improper lineup and photo identification procedures, juries’ overreliance on expert witness testimony, and poor quality “scientific evidence” from bite marks and arson. In addition to problems with the collection and presentation of evidence are improper interrogation techniques, use of prison snitches, inadequate training for public defenders, and prosecuting attorneys who operate outside of guidelines. Related to the problems of the criminal justice system are those of correctional facilities. Persons of color and those of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to be imprisoned than members of other groups. These systems require resources for rehabilitation and improvements to prison administration. This important book spotlights the work of various Innocence Projects to seek justice for those wrongly convicted and highlights urgently needed reforms. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. —C. W. Filippelli, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith

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The entries include the familiar—the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey and King’s College Chapel in Cambridge—and the unexpected—a set of tapestries depicting the life of Saint Paul and a crimson chasuble embroidered with gilded silver thread.

—D. R. Bisson, Belmont University

Cleland, Elizabeth A. H. The Tudors: art and majesty in Renaissance England, by Elizabeth Cleland and Adam Eaker with Marjorie E. Wieseman and Sarah Bochicchio. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022. (Dist. by Yale University Press.) 352p bibl index ISBN 9781588396921, $65.00.

This book is the catalogue of the first exhibition of Tudor art to appear in the US, which opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 2022. Chapters focus on how art was deployed by a usurping dynasty; the ways courtiers used portraits, objects, and clothing to fashion their identities; and the 17th-century “Tudor afterlife” (p. 301). All the Tudors, especially Elizabeth, carefully monitored how they were represented on coins, seals, medals, paintings, and engravings, but the book does not focus on iconography. Instead, the text considers how the five Tudor monarchs deliberately used art to legitimize their rule. The entries include the familiar—the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey and King’s College Chapel in Cambridge—and the unexpected—a set of tapestries depicting the life of Saint Paul and a crimson chasuble embroidered with gilded silver thread. The historical narrative is serviceable, albeit with the occasional infelicitous locution—e.g., the “‘Habsburgization of England'” (p. 25). Brief, illuminating essays by Adam Eaker consider gift-giving and the influence of Hans Holbein. Tudor enthusiasts will revel in the book’s sumptuous illustrations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty. —D. R. Bisson, Belmont University

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This reviewer will add the book to his water resources course, and diverse audiences from general readers to university students will find plenty to enjoy here.

—Z. Albertson, Western Washington University

Crifasi, Robert. R. Western water A-to-Z: the history, nature, and culture of a vanishing resource. University Press of Colorado, 2023. 375p bibl index ISBN 9781646423279 pbk, $34.95; ISBN 9781646423286 ebook, $27.95.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, one can judge this book by its cover. The title and cover images capture the book’s essence, taking inspiration from the field guide genre to explore a series of terms about water in the American West. Environmental planner Crifasi adopts a conversational style as he explains physical, cultural, and political relationships embedded in each term and what it denotes as used today. Part 1 of the book provides a delightfully readable, current introduction to the environmental history and institutions connected with Western water. The bulk of the volume comes in part 2, comprising some 200 alphabetized entries, including titles as diverse as “Acequia,” “Chinatown,” “Hybrid Freshwater Ecosystems,” “Indigenous Water Rights,” “Lahontan Cutthroat Trout,” and “Windmill.” Each entry is approximately one page in length, and photographs and illustrations frequently punctuate the text, in full color where appropriate. Crifasi’s style facilitates conceptual connections across entries: readers may find themselves eagerly moving from topic to topic. A concluding essay (part 3) encourages readers to use the past to understand and effectively grapple with future water challenges. This reviewer will add the book to his water resources course, and diverse audiences from general readers to university students will find plenty to enjoy here. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —Z. Albertson, Western Washington University

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Throughout the book, readers are introduced to pertinent concepts that are clearly explained with examples aptly provided.

—A. Megwalu, San Jose State University

Dalelio, Corinne M. Interactive media and society. Lexington Books, 2022. 312p bibl index ISBN 9781793633002, $120.00; ISBN 9781793633019 ebook, $45.00.

In this book, Dalelio explains the phenomenon of interactive media and its pervasiveness in people’s lives. The author argues that all of today’s interactive media are digital, networked, and databased, making them potentially powerful whether for advancing democracy, collaboration, activism, marketing, or community building. At the same time, this media environment gives rise to new gatekeepers of information and emerging concerns about privacy and surveillance. The author poses thought-provoking questions but does not provide definitive answers. If this book is adopted as a textbook for an undergraduate class, it can certainly prompt rich discussions and debates. Each chapter is compelling enough to cause readers to do further research on the topic at hand. Throughout the book, readers are introduced to pertinent concepts that are clearly explained with examples aptly provided. Examples are drawn from popular culture and are relatable, making the text attractive and interesting for the target audience. Chapters do not have to be read in sequence. However, if they are read sequentially, readers might indeed come to realize the magnitude and complexity of intertwined relationships among consumers, corporations, and government, all driven by the interactive media discussed. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students and faculty. General readers. —A. Megwalu, San Jose State University

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This is a must-read text for anyone who deeply cares about this country and its public school system, particularly educators, scholars, practitioners, community members, and policymakers.

—N. A. Powers, Northeastern Illinois University

Fenwick, Leslie T. Jim Crow’s pink slip: the untold story of black principal and teacher leadership. Harvard Education Press, 2022. 216p bibl index ISBN 9781682537190, $34.00; ISBN 9781682537206 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Following Brown v. Board of Education (1954), countless Black teachers and principals were systematically dismissed from their positions at public schools across the South as a reaction to the Supreme Court decision. Those dismissals had long-lasting impacts on the overall state of public education in the US, and this book effectively examines those decades-long consequences. Fenwick (dean emer. and professor of education policy, Howard Univ. School of Education) suggests that American education would be much different today if those African American teachers and principals had not been removed from their positions. She dismisses the myth that Black educators were not adequately educated to teach and lead, detailing instead how “Black educators had developed knowledge, skills, and capacities … that often far exceeded those of their white counterparts.” She informs readers about the many layers of racial injustice permeating the American educational system and society. Fenwick offers policy prescriptions intended to correct the path of US education, support educators, and improve quality and diversity in schools and classrooms. This is a must-read text for anyone who deeply cares about this country and its public school system, particularly educators, scholars, practitioners, community members, and policymakers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. —N. A. Powers, Northeastern Illinois University

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This volume is a necessary addition for collections supporting either women’s studies or global studies classes and programs.

—A. Tureen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Routledge global history of feminism, ed. by Bonnie G. Smith and Nova Robinson. Routledge, 2022. 600p bibl index ISBN 9781138999114, $175.00; ISBN 9781003050049 ebook, contact publisher for price.

This collection from editorsSmith (emer. Rutgers Univ.) and Robinson (Seattle Univ.) is an excellent introduction to both historical and contemporary global feminism. The chapters are short and function as summaries of the topics covered, although they would also work well as excellent jumping-off points for readers who are not familiar with these topics. Chapters are divided into five sections that cover introductory material, historical perspectives, regional differences, and thematic subjects, and there is a good blend of location-specific material and broad regional or global trends. The text covers a broad variety of topics so that any reader will find at least some new content. Examples of chapter topics include the foundations of feminism, feminism in the pre-modern world, feminism in East Asia, intersectional struggles, and race and ethnicity. This volume is a necessary addition for collections supporting either women’s studies or global studies classes and programs. It will also be highly useful for libraries that support a more general readership. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. —A. Tureen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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Shermer outlines how society could and should rebuild trust in truth, an especially important topic for the presently troubled times.

—R. Fritze, emeritus, Athens State University

Shermer, Michael. Conspiracy: why smart people believe wrong things for rational reasons. Johns Hopkins, 2025. 355p bibl index ISBN 9781421444451, $29.95; ISBN 9781421444468 ebook, $29.95.

Many books about conspiracies and conspiracy theories exist, but this one stands out as an authoritative, very readable overview of the subject. Shermer (Chapman Univ.) clearly and objectively defines the concepts of conspiracy and conspiracy theory and provides a sensible, nuanced typology of the various versions of conspiracies and conspiracy theories. There follows a dispassionate and lucid analysis of the thinking habits, such as motivated reasoning and cognitive dissonance, associated with conspiracies and belief in conspiracy theories. These concepts help explain how the irrational has its own version of the rational. Shermer includes excellent descriptions of the 9/11 Truther conspiracy theory, the Obama Birther conspiracy theory, and the JFK assassination conspiracy theory. Another chapter describes the real conspiracy that resulted in the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and triggered WW I with its monumental consequences. The author also provides useful techniques for analyzing and determining the truth or falsity of a conspiracy theory alongside guidance about how to talk with adherents of dubious conspiracy theories such as QAnon. Shermer outlines how society could and should rebuild trust in truth, an especially important topic for the presently troubled times. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —R. Fritze, emeritus, Athens State University

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The book also highlights the many new developments in civil wars since the last edition, justifying a reassessment of the field. This is an excellent resource for scholars and ideal for undergraduates to use in the classroom.

—A. G. Reiter, Mount Holyoke College

What do we know about civil wars?, ed. by T. David Mason and Sara McLaughlin Mitchell. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2023. 422p bibl index ISBN 9781538169155, $120.00; ISBN 9781538169162 pbk, $48.00; ISBN 9781538169179 ebook, $45.50.

Scholars and students have widely used What Do We Know about Civil Wars? since its first edition in 2016. The book provides a thorough review of the scholarship on why civil wars start, how they are fought and end, and the effectiveness of various postwar peace-building strategies. In addition, several chapters are thematic, investigating the relationship between civil war and important dimensions such as gender and the environment. Though this new edition has only one new chapter, the editors ensured that the authors thoroughly updated their respective chapters. Each effectively integrates scholarship published since 2016, often showing how understandings of these issues changed in important ways. The book also highlights the many new developments in civil wars since the last edition, justifying a reassessment of the field. This is an excellent resource for scholars and ideal for undergraduates to use in the classroom. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty and professionals. —A. G. Reiter, Mount Holyoke College

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