Editors’ Picks for October 2022

10 reviews handpicked from the latest issue of Choice.

Posted on October 20, 2022 in Editors' Picks

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It is refreshing to read comprehensive accounts of major events that present both sides fairly and honestly, leading to an account of why a given battle ensued and its outcome.

—A. Wirkkala, New England College

American Indian wars: the essential reference guide, ed. by Justin D. Murphy. ABC-CLIO, 2022. 326p bibl index ISBN 9781440875090, $97.00; ISBN 9781440875106 ebook, contact publisher for price.

All too often it seems that Native American history texts center on the many wars and confrontations with colonists or other non-Native groups rather than any number of positive elements of a community history that spans millennia. Here is yet another account of a clash over land dominance. How do the contributing writers reconcile the dominant history with more current interpretations of the periods in question? Moreover, how did they find primary documents that give voice to all perspectives from a time when written materials were attributed only to the winners? An exceedingly difficult task indeed. Yet this reference guide from Murphy (Oakland City Univ.) makes a valiant attempt at an impartial accounting, giving space to both losers and victors. It is refreshing to read comprehensive accounts of major events that present both sides fairly and honestly, leading to an account of why a given battle ensued and its outcome. Some of the lesser-known war strategies from either side are not mentioned. This reviewer is a little concerned that the translations of Native American quotes are drawn from earlier mainstream historians. Nevertheless, this volume is an important start to addressing the gaps and omissions in the historical record. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduates, and two-year program students. —A. Wirkkala, New England College

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This would be excellent for a senior seminar or even graduate courses.

—H. Aquino, Albright College

Alexander-Floyd, Nikol G. Re-imagining Black women: a critique of post-feminist and post-racial melodrama in culture and politics. New York University, 2021. 304p bibl index ISBN 9781479855858, $89.00; ISBN 9781479850891 pbk, $30.00; ISBN 9781479820139 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Fascinating and provocative, this volume by Alexander-Floyd (political science, Rutgers Univ.) analyzes figures in politics and popular culture, asking whether their stories serve the interests of Black women. Illustrating how popular culture is political, as it both creates and reflects systems of inequality, she details ways Black women have been held responsible for many problems in communities, beginning with the Moynihan Report (1965). This insistence on Black women’s culpability has been upheld by numerous attempts to address socioeconomic problems through the paradigm of individual choice, grounded in a middle-class, patriarchal family structure—a racial uplift model. Alexander-Floyd chooses the narrative structure of the melodrama—because it functions on a binary system, one is either part of the underclass or the middle class—to critique this template. This model reduces Black people to liminal subjects and places the onus on individuals to solve deeply rooted historical problems, obscuring the need for state intervention and institutional reform. Drawing on political science, women and gender studies, media studies, and psychoanalysis, the author critiques an array of subjects, from Condoleezza Rice to Barack Obama, the fictional Madea, and #MeToo. This would be excellent for a senior seminar or even graduate courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —H. Aquino, Albright College

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The volume adds to recent debates in media and communication studies while providing useful empirical data on the complex political and media environments of the Arab world.

—J. Alkorani, Radboud University

Arab media systems, ed. by Carola Richter and Claudia Kozman. Open Book Publishers, 2021. 416p bibl index ISBN 9781800640603, $55.47; ISBN 9781800640597 pbk, $38.17; ISBN 9781800640627 ebook, $9.16.

This edited volume broadly examines contemporary media practices and institutions governing the Arab world. The editors offer a thorough introduction examining recent media developments alongside the historical, political, and economic transformations that have shaped the region. Underscoring the significance of Arab media systems globally, the introduction develops an analytical framework that enables productive comparisons of diverse contexts within the Arab world and beyond. This framework is used across the volume’s 18 chapters, each dedicated to a single country. Contributors explore various themes: the democratic possibilities and authoritarianism inherent in these media systems and the commercial interests and clientelism that drive them. Contributors situate their findings within the wider social and political trajectories these nations have forged, giving readers a deeper perspective into the Arab world and the role of media in its development. The volume adds to recent debates in media and communication studies while providing useful empirical data on the complex political and media environments of the Arab world. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty, practitioners, and general readers. —J. Alkorani, Radboud University

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Despite the book’s attention to explaining the basic concepts and mathematical notation, its formalism could prove incomprehensible for readers without prior acquaintance.

—L. B. McHenry, emeritus, California State University–Northridge

Belnap, Nuel. Branching space-times: theory and applications, by Nuel Belnap, Thomas Müller, and Tomasz Placek. Oxford, 2021. 456p bibl index ISBN 9780190884314, $99.00; ISBN 9780190884338 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Belnap (Univ. of Pittsburgh), Müller (Univ. of Konstanz), and Placek (Jagiellonian Univ.) defend a novel theory of branching space-times in this mathematically rigorous, engaging monograph at the intersection of metaphysics, philosophy of time, and modern physics. The concept originates with Belnap and has been in development for 25 years. The basic argument of this book on branching space-times, not to be confused with modal metaphysics (i.e., possible worlds theory), is that the actual world is populated with events with alternative possible outcomes not yet actualized. This thesis attempts a synthesis of relativity theory and indeterminism argued via the mathematical notation of set theory—a very difficult task given the failure of modern physics to find a unification. The book has two parts: the basic exposition of the core theory, including its formalization (part 1), and three applications of the theory, respectively, in metaphysics, physics, and philosophy of time (part 2). Aside from its ten chapters, the book includes two appendixes: “Selected Proofs and Additional Material” and “Answers to Selected Exercises.” The index includes names and subjects. Despite the book’s attention to explaining the basic concepts and mathematical notation, its formalism could prove incomprehensible for readers without prior acquaintance. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Faculty and professionals. —L. B. McHenry, emeritus, California State University–Northridge

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Dawkins convincingly argues that housing is a right. He takes the necessary extra step of not simply diagnosing the problem but also offering practical policy solutions.

—P. Gamsby, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Dawkins, Casey J. Just housing: the moral foundations of American housing policy. MIT, 2021. 336p bibl index ISBN 9780262543071, $40.00; ISBN 9780262367110 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Dawkins (urban studies, Univ. of Maryland) has written a thorough, engaging treatise on housing justice. This book focuses on the American housing crisis as ultimately the product of institutional failures. Weaving together philosophical, geographical, social, and political literature, Dawkins makes a clear case for the urgent need to reform American housing and have morality at the forefront of the process. Dawkins convincingly argues that housing is a right. He takes the necessary extra step of not simply diagnosing the problem but also offering practical policy solutions. This book should have broad appeal to a variety of disciplines and interdisciplinary areas concerned with contemporary spatial issues. Anyone focused on social justice issues generally will have a great deal of interest in Dawkins’s book. As with some other recent texts published by the MIT Press, Just Housing very helpfully has an Open Access version available on the publisher’s website with a Creative Commons License. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. —P. Gamsby, Memorial University of Newfoundland

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Students in particular will find the work useful as Fasting and Sørensen cover a broad range of topics and historical developments in a clear, understandable manner.

—M. E. Ailes, University of Nebraska at Kearney

Fasting, Mathilde C. The Norwegian exception?: Norway’s liberal democracy since 1814, by Mathilde Fasting and Øystein Sørensen. Hurst & Company, 2021. 280p bibl index ISBN 9781787385603, $29.95; ISBN 9781787387454 ebook, contact publisher for price.

In The Norwegian Exception?, Fasting, of the liberal think tank Civita, and Sørensen (Univ. of Oslo, Norway) provide a detailed discussion of how Norway developed over the last 200 years from a province in a composite kingdom to a wealthy independent state with a strong liberal democracy. In analyzing Norway’s path to independence and modernization, the authors pose the question of whether the kingdom’s successes are exceptional compared to other small European countries. To answer this question, they supply a sweeping history of political, societal, and economic developments in Norway throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The authors conclude that Norway’s successful modernization process can be attributed to a variety of factors, including a political culture based on compromise, the people’s trust in the state, and luck. The book offers a good introduction to modern Norwegian political history and to how Norwegian developments relate to larger, Europe-wide events and trends. Students in particular will find the work useful as Fasting and Sørensen cover a broad range of topics and historical developments in a clear, understandable manner. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduates. —M. E. Ailes, University of Nebraska at Kearney

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This timely volume is a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary field of education and provides an insightful resource for educators, families, and communities.

—M. Wong-Lo, Biola University

Hargreaves, Andy. Well-being in schools: three forces that will uplift your students in a volatile world, by Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2021 (c2022). 188p bibl index ISBN 9781416630722 pbk, $32.95; ISBN 9781416630739 ebook, contact publisher for price.

In Well-Being in Schools, authors Hargreaves (Univ. of Ottawa, Canada) and Shirley (Boston College) remind readers of the significance of students’ well-being and how factors such as mental health, social media, and global crises can have rippling effects on children’s well-being in schools around the globe. The authors spotlight the evolving findings on the fluctuation of academic performance consequent to the unpredictability of an ever-changing society, especially given the stresses of such recent traumas as the COVID-19 pandemic and school shootings. They further challenge readers’ perceptions and assumptions about the fundamentals of students’ academic achievement and well-being through each carefully curated chapter. In particular, they argue against prioritizing achievement over well-being in education policy. This timely volume is a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary field of education and provides an insightful resource for educators, families, and communities. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. —M. Wong-Lo, Biola University

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Chapter discussion questions and a final chapter that looks across the stories for common themes make this book a valuable resource, particularly in teacher preparation programs.

—T. B. H. Brown, Marywood University

Nutta, Joyce W. English learners at home and at school: stories and strategies. Harvard Education Press, 2021. 192p bibl index ISBN 9781682536902 pbk, $33.00.

Through a collection of stories of English Language Learners (ELLs), readers gain a sense of the complexities that non-native English speakers face in classroom settings. Readers are introduced to six ELLs, ages 4 to 19, from a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Throughout the narrative, Nutta (Univ. of Central Florida) takes teachers, pre-service teachers, and other school personnel beyond facts, methodologies, and theories to reveal the hopes, dreams, and challenges ELLs and their families face. Each story includes information about the ELL’s background, personality, family, school experience, and community followed by an epilogue. Chapter discussion questions and a final chapter that looks across the stories for common themes make this book a valuable resource, particularly in teacher preparation programs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —T. B. H. Brown, Marywood University

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A fascinating look at how protests not aligned with either the far right or the far left can and will disrupt ‘the landscape of politics in the core of the world-system’ (p. 132).

—J. M. Morris, Mount St. Joseph University

Wilkin, Peter. Fear of a yellow vest planet: the gilets jaunes and the battle for the future of France. Lexington Books, 2021. 172p bibl index ISBN 9781793610256, $95.00; ISBN 9781793610263 ebook, $45.00.

Wilkin (Brunel Univ., UK) postulates that because of neoliberalism’s failures to deliver a world in which most enjoy “generalized individual freedom and prosperity” (p. 4), groups such as the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) have formed as a real call for change. These yellow-vested protestors—whom Wilkin describes as “progressive populists” (p. 8)—emerged in France to protest not only worsening conditions for the middle and working classes but also a series of crises that have resulted from the state of the global market and promoted growing inequality since the 1980s. Preceded by movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy, the gilets jaunes focus their protests on disrupting the political system in France and creating a more sustainable, equitable nation for all inhabitants. By situating this protest within the global capitalist system and relying on critical realism, Wilkin is able to offer insights into the current state of global affairs that should be required reading for anyone concerned about the future. A fascinating look at how protests not aligned with either the far right or the far left can and will disrupt “the landscape of politics in the core of the world-system” (p. 132). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty and general readers. —J. M. Morris, Mount St. Joseph University

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Getting access to the exploiters as well as those exploited—and their ghost stories—is a tribute to the author’s daring strategies of research.

—C. M. Henry, emeritus, University of Texas at Austin

Wright, Andrea. Between dreams and ghosts: Indian migration and Middle Eastern oil. Stanford, 2021. 288p bibl index ISBN 9781503629516, $90.00; ISBN 9781503630109 pbk, $28.00; ISBN 9781503630116 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Wright (College of William & Mary) presents a fascinating, creatively researched study of Indian migrant workers in the oil industry of the Gulf states, principally the United Arab Emirates. She conducted field work in Mumbai and other towns and villages from which the workers originated and visited the Emirates where they worked, particularly on a semi-submerged oil rig they referred to as their “temple.” Wright ascribes their treatment as commodities, or “self-disciplining moveable part[s],” to the racist colonial legacies of oil corporations, still largely run by Western expatriates, rather than to Indigenous practices of the oil rentier states. She carefully analyzes the links between corporate demand processes and the intricate networks of supply in India. Having followed an employment bureau to the subagents who were paid up to $2,000 by aspiring migrant workers, some of whom subsequently became subagents after returning home, Wright charts a story of exploitation at both ends of the migratory arc, centered in Mumbai. Getting access to the exploiters as well as those exploited—and their ghost stories—is a tribute to the author’s daring strategies of research. She writes well, free of discursive anthropological jargon. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. —C. M. Henry, emeritus, University of Texas at Austin

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