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The Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Four Battlegrounds
Paul Scharre
W.W. Norton
500 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393866865, $32.50
https://www.amazon.com/Four-Battlegrounds-Power-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/0393866866
Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence goes beyond the usual
consideration of AI potentials and threats to consider the underlying battle to control it which has
already pitted nations against one another. It comes from a defense expert whose position lends
to an in-depth coverage of the political maneuverings and possibilities of those who would
harness AI for their own purposes, providing a framework for understanding both these rivalries
and their impact on political structures, from democratic processes to totalitarian regimes. AI is
already shifting power dynamics at all levels of society; often quite unconsciously to ordinary
consumers and citizens. This is why a thorough grounding in Four Battlegrounds is so necessary
in order for everyone to understand the lines being drawn, the stakes in winning this battle, and
the intersection of AI and technology with human interests.
The Social Issues Shelf
Courts of Law Not Courts of Justice: Why Justice is Hard to Find in America
Eric D. Oberer
https://ericoberer.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639887620, $28.99 Hardcover/$18.99 Paper
https://www.amazon.com/Courts-Law-Not-Justice-America/dp/1639887628
Unlike most critiques of America's judicial system, Courts of Law Not Courts of Justice: Why
Justice is Hard to Find in America does not assume a one-sided approach, but considers the
problem of justice from a variety of viewpoints. It provides a huge service to law readers in
exposing an array of opinions, precedents, and analyses from both sides of the legal bench,
serving as a starting point of information for broader discussions about equity in judicial
proceedings.
Eric D. Oberer comes not just from the usual worlds of academia or law, but spent much of his
childhood in high-crime White and African-American neighborhoods. This lent his pursuit of
legal work (as a "guns, drugs, and violent crimes" prosecutor in Baltimore) a special connection
to street crime scenarios that allowed him to apply ideals of fundamental civil rights to scenarios
of crime, punishment, redemption, and innocence. The history of America's legal system and the
evolution of the modern urban criminal justice system's processes and patterns are nicely
covered.
The survey probes definitions of evidence, reviews criminal investigations proceedings both
within the court system and before and after its processes, and analyzes how miscarriages of
justice are perceived and committed. Especially thought-provoking are connections between
policing and racial perception which give rise to bigger pictures of social issues embedded in and
reflected by criminal justice system operations. Footnoted references from the legal world
accompany examples of court decisions, methods for generating arrests, and the limiting choices
faced by the justice system in general and Baltimore City in particular: "Baltimore City could
arguably move many more cases through the system if it hired more judges and court employees
and built a new courthouse. But can you really bring thousands of citizens in each day for jury
duty?"
That Courts of Law Not Courts of Justice proves as accessible to non-legal readers of social
issues as it will to those studying criminal law and justice translates to a primer that should be in
all kinds of collections, from law libraries and college student holdings to general-interest public
libraries seeing patron interest in social and racial issues. Oberer's history, filled with case
histories, commentary, and connections between past and present American judicial evolutionary
processes, is a powerful consideration of what the definition of how the ideal of "Equal Justice
Under Law" actually translates in modern American society. It's highly recommended reading for
anyone either entering the justice system professionally or looking at its results from the
outside.
The Cookbook Shelf
Knead Peace: Recipes from the World's Best Bakers in Support of Ukraine
Andrew Green, editor
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781804191118, $29.99 hc / $14.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Knead-Peace-Ukraine-Recipes-support/dp/1804191116
Knead Peace: Recipes from the World's Best Bakers in Support of Ukraine is edited by Andrew
Green. It gathers baked goods inspired by Anna Makievska and The Bakehouse in Kyiv, which
continues to bake throughout the war. "We, the bakers, create. And this is the opposite of what
fascist aggressors do every day. We need peace, so let's knead it." This quote from Makievska
inspires this cookbook, representing a gathering of bakers who donated recipes and time to raise
money from this cookbook's sales. Besides supporting Ukraine, the recipes themselves will
appeal with their variety, from savory bakes to original sweets such as Helen Goh's Blood
Orange, Filo and Custard Cake. Knead Peace is a group effort that should be celebrated and in
the collections of any culinary library and those interested in showing support for Ukraine.
70s House
Estelle Bilson
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781914239694, $22.99 hc / $10.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/70s-House-homage-daring-decade/dp/1914239695
70s House: A Bold Homage to the Most Daring Decade in Design by Estelle Bilson tells readers
how to take 70s-style design and incorporate it into a modern home, offering the author's expert
tips and her experiences changing her three-bedroom home into a 1970s showcase. How she
created each room lies at the heart of a colorful exploration that juxtaposes the basics of 70s and
modern design concepts, creating a colorful interplay between the written advice and color
photos packed throughout. The result is a winning display that captures both the eye and the
imagination.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
The Devil's Element
Dan Egan
W.W. Norton
500 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9781324002666, $30.00
https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Element-Phosphorus-World-Balance/dp/1324002662
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance is an unusual science and social
history of phosphorous, one of the planet's most important and dangerous natural resources. It
was first refined from human urine in a 18th-century lab, and The Devil's Element follows its
development and importance to human life. Today phosphorous is at the center of a threat to
environmental freshwater sources, but this is a story too often understated in popular news,
which doesn't reach the non-science reader's attention. That's why the history and science in The
Devil's Element is so important to include not just in libraries devoted to books about ecology,
environment, or science; but in those reaching general-interest audiences. Its colorful argument
about the impact of human phosphorous use and its damage simply should not be missed.
The Science Shelf
Quantum in Pictures
Bob Coecke and Stefano Gogioso
Cambridge Quantinuum
www.quantinuum.com
9781739214715, $19.99 PB, $4.99 Kindle, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Pictures-New-Understand-World/dp/1739214714
While the line drawings throughout Quantum in Pictures and its simple language might indicate
to some that this book might be appropriate for a library's children's section, in fact, it's a primer
that can be used by anyone interested in quantum mechanics or physics, young or old. It's best
audience will be those able to absorb the mathematical concepts that are intrinsic to
understanding the quantum world.
The book employs pictures alone (diagrams in black and white and color) to illustrate these basic
principles, educating readers about quantum concepts in an accessible manner that includes a
solid amount of mathematical detail and references. Amateurs and specialists alike will benefit
from the authors' attention to making a complex subject surprisingly user-friendly ("...we came
up with simple, friendly names for many of the concepts involved.").
A companion to the prior Picturing Quantum Processes, this introduction creates a foundation of
knowledge that can easily serve as a stepping stone for readers who wish to take the plunge into
the quantum world, whether they hold physics or computer backgrounds, or are lay readers.
Added value is created via an online connection, as all the chapters of Quantum In Pictures are
also available as videos on Quantinuum's YouTube channel, which adds some special guests.
Using pictures to talk about complex quantum subjects enables its grasp by a far wider audience
than the usual student of science. The wide range of subjects, from teleportation to spider bites
and how math formulas may be translated to and transmitted pictorially makes for an
unexpectedly lively format that is thought-provoking and attractive.
From spider and cap tests to understanding errors in visual terms, it soon becomes evident that
Quantum in Pictures is anything but a children's picture book. Its serious lesson in accessibility
and visualization deserves a place in any science library collection where quantum discussions
are of interest, creating a pathway for understanding that pairs visual math with solutions to
complex problems.
The Education Shelf
Dyslexia Advocate!, second edition
Kelli Sandman-Hurley
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
www.jkp.com
9781839971709, $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/Dyslexia-Advocate-Within-Public-Education/dp/1839971703
The second edition of Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the
Public Education System offers an updated toolbox of lessons about education advocacy
processes. This makes it a key recommendation for libraries strong in education, health, and
social issues subjects.
Kelli Sandman-Hurley focuses on how parents and advocates can understand and apply US laws
to obtain the right educational opportunities for a dyslexic child. Case studies and examples
cement lessons on techniques that work, helping those unfamiliar with advocacy processes to
absorb the strategies, language, and approaches to gaining services and support from the
educational system and the legal structures governing it.
Libraries should consider Dyslexia Advocate! a key acquisition for any collection strong in
education rights issues, dyslexia, or child education advocacy.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Hopeland
Ian McDonald
TOR Books
www.tor-forge.com
9780765375551, $30.99
https://www.amazon.com/Hopeland-Ian-McDonald/dp/0765375559
Hopeland is a highly recommended pick for sci-fi readers interested in stories of time travel and
futuristic struggle. It presents the attempts of Raisa Hopeland to become the next electromancer
of London, and the controversy her effort introduces as climate change and political interests vie
for control. From journeys to hidden places to dialogues between those that move through time
and special intentions to change the world and its possible futures, Ian McDonald builds a
powerful saga that is hard to predict or put down. McDonald has long been influencing the sci-fi
world, and his latest new effort doesn't disappoint. It's a thought-provoking journey that will
linger in the reader's mind long after Hopeland's final struggle takes place.
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
First, Eat Your Frog: And Other Pearls for Professional Working Mothers
Elizabeth Kagan Arleo, MD
Armin Lear Press Inc
9781956450583, $18.95
https://www.amazon.com/First-Eat-Your-Frog-Professional/dp/1956450580
First, Eat Your Frog: And Other Pearls for Professional Working Mothers centers on work/life
integration processes in a more thought-provoking, studious manner than the usual discussions of
work and parenting, and will appeal to mothers who are not just going to work, but cultivating a
professional career and approach to work and life. These insights are presented in the form of
eight selected pearls of wisdom that advocate developing a growth-oriented mindset, then
adopting routines that support that process.
Working mothers well know the overwhelming feeling that is involved in giving fair time to
what is, in effect, two important jobs. First, Eat Your Frog provides the tools that can adjust and
improve mindset towards better functioning in both environments, and points out that it is
possible to maintain two efforts that often seem to lead in opposite directions. Ambitious,
career-oriented women will find the nuggets of "how" embedded into a book that reviews the
basic principles that lend to better organization, time management, and prioritizing
strategies.
Dr. Elizabeth Kagan Arleo doesn't claim that her book is "one size fits all." It adds to literature
on the subject by synthesizing and presenting many real-life-tested approaches to achieving
balance and sanity, gathering Arleo's own experiences and those of others to use as examples of
common pitfalls and how they can be addressed. The strategies are accompanied by a powerful
note; a "...reminder to myself and others to be kind and gentle to and with yourself in terms of
planning and getting things done. We only have one life to live so we need to enjoy the process,
the getting there, not just the end result."
Illustrated examples of organization, from computerized "to do" lists to paper monthly planners,
impart the basics; but the meat of First, Eat Your Frog lies in chapters that not only provide
real-world illustrations, but review the pearls of wisdom for their underlying messages. The
clarity of this process leaves no room for confusion and plenty of encouragement for discussion
not just in book clubs, but in professional and parent groups where work/life balance is a topic of
concern.
Libraries and readers who choose First, Eat Your Frog will find its drive towards enlightenment
and pattern adjustment makes for a series of concrete reflections not just on the balancing act, but
the process of creating more satisfying, fulfilling dual careers in motherhood and business
achievement.
The Autism Shelf
I Will Die on This Hill
Meghan Ashburn and Jules Edwards
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
www.jkp.com
9781839971686, $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/Will-Die-This-Hill-Autistic/dp/1839971681
I Will Die on This Hill: Autistic Adults, Autism Parents, and the Children Who Deserve a Better
World is a powerful examination of the divide between autistic advocates and parents of autistic
kids. From crossroads after diagnosis and life-changing realizations to parenting issues that
intersect with disability justice efforts, this book's ability to explore both sides of the
communities activating for and supporting autistic children and their families makes for a
powerful unification effort that should be in any library interested in advocating for the good of a
wide, diverse community.
The Fashion Shelf
Get Changed
Kat Farmer
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784727789, $24.99
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Changed-Finding-through-fashion/dp/1784727784
Get Changed: Finding the New You Through Fashion comes from a digital style guru and
fashion expert who covers the basics of finding and adopting a personal style that supports a new
sense of identity. Humor blends with a professional stylist's insights throughout a coverage that
blends Kat Farmer's experiences with candid discussions on how and why fashion choices work -
or don't: "People don't necessarily agree on this BUT I've always found it a great tip for the
apple-shaped and those with a tummy: jumpers and sweatshirts that have a waistband." Farmer's
candid approach to typical fashion snafus and challenges makes for a lively read that will attract
even those not normally immersed in the world of style, making Get Changed a top pick for
general-interest as well as arts libraries.
The Mythology Shelf
Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend
Dan Jones
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781804190463, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Heroes-Myth-Legend-celebration/dp/1804190462
Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend: A Celebration of Gay Gods, Sapphic Saints, & Queerness
Through the Ages will prove of special interest to libraries interested in lively discussions of
queer heroes throughout time. This is achieved through fifty profiles accompanied by black and
white illustrations that bring to the forefront thousands of years of myths, legends, and figures
that come from historic and cultural icons. All this is presented in a lively, accessible format that
lends to leisure reading and browsing as much as pursuit by those interested in historical facts.
The result is a romp through history that returns the importance, impact, and presence of queer
heroes to modern times.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
www.midwestbookreview.com
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