AltWeeklies Wire
'Our Noise' Tells the Story of Merge Records, and Tells it Wellnew
The book is remarkably candid; it thoroughly examines interpersonal and financial problems, not just triumphs. Because of the candor, we believe the portrayal of Merge as a genuinely noble label, with an uncommon blend of ethics, frugality and business savvy.
INDY Week |
Brian Howe |
09-18-2009 |
Nonfiction
Fall Nonfiction: Tomes From The 'Fact' Departmentnew
It's the economy, stupid. Or maybe politics or literature. Fall nonfiction goes wide and deep, so plan for some marathon reading.
Boston Phoenix |
Barbara Hoffert |
09-17-2009 |
Books
'Poorly Made' Looks at China's Export Manufacturing Industrynew
Hired as a middleman for Western importers and Chinese manufacturers, Paul Midler unveils the schemes concocted by China's factory owners to make a profit from inferior goods in this investigative travelogue.
NOW Magazine |
David Silverberg |
09-14-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Ad Nauseam' Questions Happy Consumerismnew
For anyone who's read much about consumerism, there's not a lot of new ground covered here -- unsurprising, perhaps, since many of the book's articles date back to the mid '90s. The theme throughout is this: what makes advertising so powerful is its slippery method of using suggestive imagery instead of intellectual argument to associate products with positive emotions.
The Georgia Straight |
Jennifer Croll |
09-11-2009 |
Nonfiction
So-Called Manifesto for Sustainable Cities is a Far Cry from Global Vision it Claims to Espousenew
A new book called Albert Speer & Partner: A Manifesto for Sustainable Cities aims to address the urban-planning end of the spectrum and clarify best practices in the field. Unfortunately, despite its grandiose title (a manifesto!), the book is a simple monograph on the work of one architecture and planning firm, and a platform only for its views.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Zane Fischer |
09-10-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Localist Movements in a Global Economy' Explores Localism's Meaning, Potential and Challengesnew
David Hess has marshaled the intellectual arguments for localism using history, present success stories, and economic arguments. It is precisely in answering questions from friends and enemies that Hess' book is important.
East Bay Express |
Jay Youngdahl |
09-09-2009 |
Nonfiction
Book Excerpt: 'Shake the Devil Off'new
In this exclusive excerpt from his new book Shake the Devil Off, Brown examines the last hours of the life of Zackery Bowen, who killed and dismembered his girlfriend, bartender Addie Hall, before leaping to his death from the top of a French Quarter hotel in October 2006.
The Stories in 'Woman From Shanghai' Survey Mao's Prison Systemnew
Woman From Shanghai: Tales of Survival from a Chinese Labor Camp is Xianhui Yang's first book translated into English and a record of the extremities endured by Mao Zedong's prisoners at Jiabiangou.
The Georgia Straight |
David Chau |
08-31-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Deeply Rooted' Profiles Farmers Who Refuse to Fit the Agribusiness Moldnew
Even though Lisa Hamilton narrows her focus to the extent that Deeply Rooted doesn't capture the breadth that it might have otherwise, she still conveys the raw truth that a positive food future lies in the hands of irascible individuals rather than corporations and captains of industry.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Zane Fischer |
08-27-2009 |
Nonfiction
The Unexpected Angles and Concluding Twists in 'Mirrors' Keep Readers Hookednew
Galeano regales us with tales from our shared history in an inclusive manner, from cultural creation myths to major historical figures and inventions to significant current events. It is a truism that history is written by the victors; what if, Galeano seems to ask, history were told instead by the vanquished, the oppressed and the downtrodden of all cultures and times?
The Texas Observer |
Liliana Valenzuela |
08-26-2009 |
Nonfiction
'All My Bones Shake' Explains Robert Jensen's Personal, Alternative Theologynew
Jensen would redefine Christian religion to help himself lead a good life as a socially and politically aware human who believes and practices Jensenist Christianity. But it is difficult to call what he is doing "religion."
The Texas Observer |
Tom Palaima |
08-26-2009 |
Nonfiction
With 'The Waxman Report' Henry Waxman Shows 'How Congress Really Works'new
Assisted by Joshua Green, a senior editor at the Atlantic, Waxman has written an informative, fast-moving manifesto against the gut-the-government politics that have been in vogue since the Reagan administration.
Chicago Reader |
Mick Dumke |
08-24-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Flotsametrics and the Floating World' Looks at Junk and Shipping Trunksnew
Flotsametrics, written by oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer with help from journalist Eric Scigliano, is the biography of a new offshoot of science; "flotsametrics" means, essentially, the application of quantitative measurement to floating trash.
Willamette Week |
Matthew Korfhage |
08-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Methland' Tracks a Drug Through America's Cracks and Faultlinesnew
Meth is a drug with no celebrities, and Nick Reding treats his subjects with respect, despite close calls with former addicts who play disc golf with him one minute and threaten his life the next. But Methland's attempt to combine personal reflections on identity and place with an examination of the drug's role in a small town's economic struggles seems formally stale.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Brandon Bussolini |
08-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
In 'Hound Dog,' Songwriting Duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Remember Redefining Postwar Pop Musicnew
Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography is a delightful read. Both men are terrific storytellers, witty and succinct, with a sharp eye for the telling detail.
Baltimore City Paper |
Geoffrey Himes |
08-18-2009 |
Nonfiction
