October 2005    

David Hackett Souter: Traditional Republican on the Rehnquist Court Author: Tinsley E. Yarbrough Publisher: Oxford University Press $29.95 Cloth (331 p.) ISBN: 0195159330 B&T         YBP Biographers of Supreme Court justices engage in a risk-filled bit of writing. They can choose the path of pulp and simply link biography with political rant. Likewise, if they aim towards the esoteric, they can end up with a book that languishes on the library shelf and is otherwise avoided by those interested in the Court. Such books need a dust cover and often soar alone in the rarefied stratosphere of "substantive due process" or hundreds of other doctrines gleaned from the Constitution. Tinsley E. Yarbrough's new biography of the enigmatic Justice from New Hampshire steers towards the broad middle and offers court watchers or political scientists a grand view of the life and work of Associate Justice David Hackett Souter. This book can be accessed by a broad spectrum of readers and should be sought out. It offers crisp detail of Justice Souter's thinking, but does not lampoon him or the court. It describes the growth of the Justice from his days in high school through his confirmation as a Justice on the nation's highest court. The pages are rich with a concept that seems difficult for modern biographers to reckon with-the concept that the subjects are human. Yarbrough's book, fastened with numerous interviews and comments from the Justice's contemporaries, leads us to understand the relevance of the Supreme Court to American life, but also tellingly reminds us that decisions from the celebrated nine Justices are made by men and women who grew through their lives at home, at school and as professionals. They did not spring, fully grown, from the head of a mystic god devoted to the elusive concept of justice, but came to their high office amidst their own lives. Yarbrough, now a North Carolinian, does a remarkable job of linking the judicial philosophy of Justice Souter with his New England roots. New England as a region is not a convenience for cartographers, but it is a six-state section of the nation with a long history of concepts and beliefs. Notions of individual liberty and fundamental fairness are as common as the rich chowders served in local taverns. Towns are the center point of New England life. Government is run by the people at town meetings and the epicenter of many a New England village is the town green where town hall stands on an opposite end of the green from an imposing white church steeple-icons to the separation of church and state. Souter is from a small town in New Hampshire, a New England state where General John Stark's command to "Live Free or Die" is emblazoned on every license plate. David Hackett Souter's journey to the Supreme Court is a New England journey and it is aptly chronicled by Professor Yarbrough. Finally, as the nation again renews interest in the Supreme Court and Washington prepares for the blood sport of confirmation hearings, it is a credit to Yarbrough that he has produced a sturdy story of a member of the Supreme Court and rendered him as he found him--human. -- Jim Ryan Queen Emma and the Vikings Author: Harriet O'Brien Publisher: Bloomsbury $24.95 Cloth (264 p.) ISBN: 1582345961 B&T         YBP In this medieval history by Harriet O'Brien, we encounter a nearly unknown woman who had connections to William the Conqueror, Lady Godiva, and the head of St. Valentine. Queen Emma and the Vikings focuses on an 11th century woman named Emma who was shuttled about between England and the European continent as her fortunes changed with each death of her close family members. Rather than retreating to the solitude and predictability of a convent, she rallied each time and claimed a slice of power and property for herself. Emma was a third generation Scandinavian living in Normandy, France. She was married to King Aethelred the Unraed (meaning "poorly advised" but later interpreted as "unready") of England in an effort to smooth relations between the Normans and the Viking-plagued Anglo-Saxons of England. Her presence did nothing to slow the attacks by the Danish raiders, and some even accused her of being sympathetic to their cause. Additionally, she was forced to change her name to the more Anglo-Saxon but annoyingly ubiquitous Aelfgifu. After one extensive invasion by the Dane Swein Forkbeard, Aethelred, Emma and their children fled to Normandy and sought refuge with Emma's family. Aethelred and Emma were permitted to return to England when Swein died, but it would be many years before their sons ever set foot on English soil again. Their daughter never returned from France. Following Aethelred's death, Emma found herself taken in marriage by his Viking opponent, King Cnut (or Canute) of England and Denmark. She bore him two children, though her three older children remained in exile. Eventually, two of her sons, Harthacnut (by Cnut) and Edward (by Aethelred) ruled England and her great nephew, William of Normandy (known as "the Conqueror") invaded and claimed the English throne for himself in 1066. Queen Emma and the Vikings is a very readable history of 11th century Anglo-Saxon England. Full of rebellious sons, power-hungry advisors, influential bishops, turncoat military supporters and a thriving market for the desiccated body parts of saints, it truly is a medieval soap opera. Given the dearth of reputable material that has survived from the time, O'Brien has done an admirable job of narrating the historical facts, discussing legends that arose from misinterpreted events and airing biased accounts written decades after the events they describe. It looks like a mini-series just waiting to be made. -- Colleen Duggan Self-Help Books: Why Americans Keep Reading Them Author: Sandra Dolby Publisher: University of Illinois $35.00 Cloth (192 p.) ISBN: 0252029747 B&T         YBP Why is there an ever-growing self-help section at the bookstore? What could possibly be so fascinating about this genre that people continue to read these titles and, more importantly, who would possibly want to write one? Is there something fundamentally wrong with the American psyche which requires affirmation from another source? Are we all too dumb to notice when we're being talked down to? Do we really think all women are from Venus and all men from Mars? What is it with society these days? Sandra Dolby bravely takes on the task of defending the self-help book by placing it into the realm of American folklore. Her first act is to relate a popular and endlessly emailed urban legend ("The Man in The Backseat" http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/backseat.asp) to illustrate the popularity of stories to cement our perceptions of reality and impart morals to society. With a folklorist's attention to detail, she then proceeds to examine more than 300 self-help titles in an effort to categorize the genre. Except for the unifying feature of authors attaching any scholarly or otherwise authoritative title to their names on the title page, the types of people who end up writing these tomes are surprisingly disparate. Equally disparate is the intended audience, since the self-help book runs the gamut from the well known genres of relationships, dieting, and psychological well-being, to how to succeed in business and management and beyond. Dolby doesn't end up answering her own question: why do we continue to read these things? And she doesn't always make her point. She even admits to being irritated by the sense that the author of one self-help book seems to enjoy talking down to his audience (her). These aren't necessarily failures, but rather the necessary caution a good folklorist takes when exploring a potential area of study. A good mix of scholarly material and narrative to appeal to both the general educated public and researchers, this title would do well in any collection on American popular culture as well as American folklore. Hopefully it is the beginning of an intriguing area of study on the American psyche, our self-education mantra and our perceptions of reality as outlined in the self-help genre. -- Aileen G.R. Chute The Trouble With Music Author: Mat Callahan Publisher: AK Press $18.95 Paper (245 p.) ISBN: 1904859143 B&T         YBP This was a tough book to read. For such a slim volume, on a topic I already knew I was going to be in agreement with, it took me places that were unexpected. It wore me out and made me think. Mat Callahan is a producer and a musician. His approach however is something you might expect in a lecture hall. Callahan's tone is certainly academic. The book speaks as much about the injustices done to common people throughout history as it does music itself. It is about art, and philosophy, and politics. Since he calls out critics for their lack of actual objective criticism over the last 20 years, I will do my part to say that the book was rather easy to put down. I took my time in finishing it. It was not necessarily enjoyable. There were times early on in the text when I felt he was constantly repeating himself while I was waiting for some threads to piece together his arguments. Then the history lesson came. In great detail he explains how art has always been enslaved, and how power has always felt the need to control art. Art brings people together and gives them a voice. People with a voice cannot be controlled. Art became a commodity because the bourgeoisie demanded it and found ways to control it, from court jesters to concert halls. Beyond all of the history and philosophy lessons contained in the book, Callahan's primary thesis is the existence of what he calls "Anti-Music" -- music that is manufactured and passed-off as genuine art. Marketed and driven into our skulls over and over again, the process is repeated infinitely. The purpose is not to entertain you, but to make money for the corporations that created it in the first place. These corporations are corrupt entities that spend more money on glossy advertising and media blitzes than they do in the actual production of the recorded music; the cult of celebrity over talent -- a mere product. He asks that consumers attempt to distinguish celebrity from quality. Callahan claims, "It can be assumed that the big names are mediocre or downright awful. 'The best' is irrelevant in the quantity/quality equivalence. There is only one standard now: who sold the most units." Similar arguments could be made for other intangible art forms or ideas that can be controlled and sold. The problem with the music industry and its effect on music itself is not new. Callahan does touch on the issue of free downloading of music from the internet. Despite industry claims that downloading music for free hurts the artists, he claims the opposite is actually true. What the music industry wants is continued control of music as a product and control over the internet, all in the name of "saving music." Record labels today are not merely record labels, but subsidiaries of gigantic media conglomerates. He quotes a spokesman from AT&T: "We didn't spend 56 billion on a cable system to have the blood sucked from our veins." They want their cut. Callahan points out, however, that while CD sales are down, the sale of musical instruments of all kinds are up. While music as music is in no danger, music as a corporately controlled product could be. The internet has exposed the inequities in the distribution of music as it has always been since recorded music became a commodity. It gives exposure to many artists who would just like to be heard. Aside from Callahan's substantial rants, he does a good job explaining what role music plays in peoples' lives, touching on topics such as work songs, carnival, and the liberating potential of music. Other topics covered include the crisis of radio ownership and governance, and copyright and ownership of music. A lot of research and thought went into this little book. -- Jonathan Colcord Trafalgar Companion: A Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson Author: Mark Adkin Publisher: Aurum Press $75.00 Cloth (560 p.) ISBN: 1845130189 B&T         YBP 21 October, 2005 is the bicentennial of Trafalgar, the last sea battle fought completely under sail, and Mark Adkin's new book is a timely and excellent account of that battle and the life of its hero, Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Starting with the story of Nelson's death during the battle, the book then goes back to recount Nelson's life and the military career that led to the decisive victory which gave Great Britain and her navy control of the seas for more than a hundred years. Alongside the biography, Mr. Adkin also tells of navy life, ship design and construction, seamanship, uniforms, weaponry, terminology, and other information that in less-able hands could have been mind-numbing in its complexity and detail. Thankfully, though the book is large and chockfull of historical detail, it is nevertheless accessible and entertaining as it tells you most everything you'd need to know to understand the battle, its importance in naval history, and why Nelson is still revered to this day. In addition to the superb writing, The Trafalgar Companion is wonderfully illustrated with paintings, diagrams, maps, and drawings that complement the text. Most notable are the several cutaway illustrations of Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, and examples of the uniforms of all ranks of sailors and marines, including those of the French and Spanish. This book is similar is scope and thoroughness to Mr. Adkin's The Waterloo Companion reviewed here earlier. The only things lacking in this book which are present in the Waterloo title are the photographs of the battlefield today, which, while humorous to imagine, could provide little valuable information about a sea battle. The book does not neglect Nelson's private life nor does it idolize the hero in the honest recounting of Nelson's great affair with Emma Hamilton, his neglect of his wife, his self-centered personality, and his occasional reluctance to obey his superior officers. Rounding out the book is the story of the arrival of Nelson's body in England, the funeral procession on the Thames, the burial service in St. Paul's Cathedral, and the subsequent memorials to the man who is arguably Britain's greatest hero, second only, perhaps, to Churchill. If you think you know everything about Trafalgar, you'll find something new in The Trafalgar Companion. If you've always wondered what all the fuss is about when it comes to Nelson and this battle, this book is also for you. It can be enjoyably read from end to end or dipped into here and there if the 590 pages seem daunting at first. My guess is that even if you start with just a toe you will soon immerse yourself in this book which is the next best thing to, as well as immeasurably safer than, being there. -- Rob Norton Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.