Pg. 99: Thomas Medvetz's "Think Tanks in America"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Think Tanks in America by Thomas Medvetz.

About the book, from the publisher:

Over the past half-century, think tanks have become fixtures of American politics, supplying advice to presidents and policymakers, expert testimony on Capitol Hill, and convenient facts and figures to journalists and media specialists. But what are think tanks? Who funds them? And just how influential have they become?

In Think Tanks in America, Thomas Medvetz argues that the unsettling ambiguity of the think tank is less an accidental feature of its existence than the very key to its impact. By combining elements of more established sources of public knowledge—universities, government agencies, businesses, and the media—think tanks exert a tremendous amount of influence on the way citizens and lawmakers perceive the world, unbound by the more clearly defined roles of those other institutions. In the process, they transform the government of this country, the press, and the political role of intellectuals. Timely, succinct, and instructive, this provocative book will force us to rethink our understanding of the drivers of political debate in the United States.

Learn more about the book and author at Tom Medvetz's website.

The Page 99 Test: Think Tanks in America.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Niall Leonard reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Niall Leonard, author of Crusher.

His entry begins:

I have been reading an eclectic range of books recently, which is unusual for me as I normally prefer fiction. However last August I found Little America: The War Inside The War For Afghanistan by Rajiv Chandrasekaran to be stranger, funnier and more tragic than any work of fiction I have read for a long time. Its tale of how bureaucracy, government infighting and terrifying myopia of the agencies meant to be addressing the fundamental problems of Afghanistan have squandered talent, goodwill, billions of dollars and countless lives, both American and Afghani. It's as bleak and as black as Heller's Catch 22 except there is not a word of exaggeration or satire in it - it's almost too horrifyingly true to contemplate.

From there I moved onto...[read on]

About Crusher, from the publisher:

The day Finn Maguire discovers his dad bludgeoned to death in a pool of blood, his dreary life is turned upside down. Prime suspect in his father’s murder, Finn must race against time to clear his name and find out who hated his dad enough to kill him.

Scouring the sordid, brutal London underworld for answers, exposing dark family secrets, and facing danger at every turn, Finn is about to learn that it’s the people you trust who can hit you the hardest...

Learn more about the book and author at Niall Leonard's website.

Writers Read: Niall Leonard.

--Marshal Zeringue

Six notable books about dark journeys

Iain Sinclair is the author of many books, including Downriver, Lights Out for the Territory, London Orbital, Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire, and Ghost Milk: Recent Adventures Among the Future Ruins of London on the Eve of the Olympics.

For The Week magazine, he named his six favorite books about dark journeys, including:

Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac

A lyrical sweep down the Pacific Rim, from the elective solitude of a summer on a Cascades peak to partying in San Francisco. With a restless Kerouac lurch, the story moves to isolation again — a roof in Mexico City, where the writer recomposes memory as a dream of fiction.

Read about another book on the list.

Also see Iain Sinclair's list of five novels that capture the spirit and rich history of London.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ellen Booraem's "Small Persons with Wings," the movie

Now showing at My Book, The Movie: Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booraem.

The entry begins:

My second middle-grade fantasy, Small Persons with Wings, features a snarky, smart, and weighty girl named Mellie, who discovers that her family has a thousand-year-old relationship with the equally snarky Small Persons with Wings (who hate being called “fairies”). The perfect Mellie would be Ariel Winter, who plays the younger sister in Modern Family—she’s nailed the snark factor, although she’d have to put on a few pounds. Her partner in crime, the scrawny and freckled Timmo, could be Dawson...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at at Ellen Booraem's website and blog.

My Book, The Movie: Small Persons with Wings.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Michael Kardos's "The Three Day Affair"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: The Three Day Affair by Michael Kardos.

About the book, from the publisher:

The first debut novel from the newly relaunched Mysterious Press intro­duces a phenomenal new voice in the realm of crime fiction. Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan have been friends since college. Each has gone their own way while forging new lives. Will is a part-time drummer who spends his time in recording studios, Nolan is happily unmarried, while Jeffrey is wealthy and has a baby on the way. They have no reason to believe anything extraordinary will befall them. Until one shocking moment changes everything.

One night on a drive they stop at a convenience store for Jeffrey to pick up cigarettes. Within moments, Jeffrey comes out of the store dragging a young woman with him. He shoves her into Will’s car and shouts a single word: “Drive!” Shaken and confused, Will obeys.

Suddenly three ordinary men find themselves completely out of their ele­ment, holding a young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They are already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it is only a matter of time before they find out what else they’re capable of. For these four people, three days will decide their fate—between freedom and prison, innocence and guilt ... and life and death. The Three-Day Affair marks the emergence of a truly talented new crime writer.

Learn more about the book and author at Michael Kardos's website.

Writers Read: Michael Kardos.

The Page 69 Test: The Three Day Affair.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five notable books on wine

One title on the Barnes & Noble Review's list of five top books on wine:

Judgment of Paris
by George M. Taber

For most of the history of winemaking in America, California wines were considered mere bumptious colonial cousins of their sophisticated European counterparts. But in 1976, when several Californian wines shockingly triumphed over the finest French vintages in a blind tasting, a new era in viticulture was born. George M. Taber, the only journalist present at the momentous event, turns the story of the upset, and its consequences, into a tale to be savored.

Read about another book on the list.

Also see Jamie Ivey's top 10 books about wine and John Mullan's list of ten of the best wines in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Hanna Pylväinen reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Hanna Pylväinen, author of We Sinners.

Her entry begins:

I’m reading novels written in omniscience –– Jim Crace’s Quarantine, José Saramago’s The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, Halldór Laxness’s Independent People...right now I’m curious about why omniscience is less usable or relevant to the contemporary and the secular, and I’m interested in figuring out how omniscience can shift emphasis to narrative and plot and story, which I think have given way somewhat to the contemporary closeness of third person or, of course, the interiority of first person. Along these lines, I’m rereading...[read on]

About We Sinners, from the publisher:

This stunning debut novel—drawn from the author's own life experience—tells the moving story of a family of eleven in the American Midwest, bound together and torn apart by their faith

The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, and forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other? Each chapter is told from the distinctive point of view of a different Rovaniemi, drawing a nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of this unconventional family. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at the almost unbearable price of their close family ties, and those who stay struggle daily with the challenges of resisting the temptations of modern culture. With precision and potent detail, We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.

Learn more about the book and author at Hanna Pylväinen's website and Facebook page.

Writers Read: Hanna Pylväinen.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Faisal Devji's "The Impossible Indian"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence by Faisal Devji.

About the book, from the publisher:

The Impossible Indian offers a rare, fresh view of Gandhi as a hard-hitting political thinker willing to countenance the greatest violence in pursuit of a global vision that went far beyond a nationalist agenda. Revising the conventional view of the Mahatma as an isolated Indian moralist detached from the mainstream of twentieth-century politics, Faisal Devji offers a provocative new genealogy of Gandhian thought, one that is not rooted in a clichéd alternative history of spiritual India but arises from a tradition of conquest and violence in the battlefields of 1857.

Focusing on his unsentimental engagement with the hard facts of imperial domination, Fascism, and civil war, Devji recasts Gandhi as a man at the center of modern history. Rejecting Western notions of the rights of man, rights which can only be bestowed by a state, Gandhi turned instead to the idea of dharma, or ethical duty, as the true source of the self’s sovereignty, independent of the state. Devji demonstrates that Gandhi’s dealings with violence, guided by his idea of ethical duty, were more radical than those of contemporary revolutionists.

To make sense of this seemingly incongruous relationship with violence, Devji returns to Gandhi’s writings and explores his engagement with issues beyond India’s struggle for home rule. Devji reintroduces Gandhi to a global audience in search of leadership at a time of extraordinary strife as a thinker who understood how life’s quotidian reality could be revolutionized to extraordinary effect.

Read more about The Impossible Indian at the Harvard University Press website.

The Page 99 Test: The Impossible Indian.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five notable books about life in the theatre

Simon Callow is an actor, director, and writer. He has appeared in many films, including the hugely popular Four Weddings and a Funeral (he played Gareth). His books include Being an Actor, Shooting the Actor, a highly acclaimed biography of Charles Laughton, a biographical trilogy on Orson Welles (of which the first two parts have now been published), and Love Is Where It Falls, an account of his friendship with the great play agent Peggy Ramsay. His recent books include My Life in Pieces, which won the Sheridan Morley Prize in 2011, and Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World.

One of his five best books about life in the theatre, as told to the Wall Street Journal:

Next Season
by Michael Blakemore (1968)

Blakemore is a highly distinguished director, both in the West End and on Broadway, but unlike many directors of the present age he started as an actor. He has written a dazzling memoir of his early days in the theater, 2004's "Arguments With England" (he is Australian by origin), but his only novel, set in what is recognizably the Stratford-upon-Avon of the late 1950s—when great theatrical beasts like Olivier and Laughton still walked the land—is an incomparable account of life inside a great company viewed from the other ranks. The stars are precisely and illuminatingly etched, and the frustrating experience of an ambitious but disappointed young actor is painfully conveyed. The novel depicts a turning point in the British theater, just before the foundation of the Royal Shakespeare Co. and the National Theatre, the point at which directors finally wrested control from actors. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the book is its depiction of the awakening sensibility of a director of genius, Blakemore himself.

Read about another book on Callow's list.

See--Simon Callow's six best books.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Sean Chercover's "The Trinity Game"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover.

About the book, from the publisher:

Daniel Byrne is an investigator for the Vatican’s secretive Office of the Devil’s Advocate—the department that scrutinizes miracle claims. Over ten years and 721 cases, not one miracle he tested has proved true. But case #722 is different; Daniel’s estranged uncle, a crooked TV evangelist, has started speaking in tongues—and accurately predicting the future. Daniel knows Reverend Tim Trinity is a con man. Could Trinity also be something more?

The evangelist himself is baffled by his newfound power—and the violent reaction it provokes. After years of scams, he suddenly has the ability to predict everything from natural disasters to sports scores. Now the mob wants him dead for ruining their gambling business, and the Vatican wants him debunked as a false messiah. On the run from assassins, Trinity flees with Daniel’s help through the back roads of the Bible Belt to New Orleans, where Trinity plans to deliver a final prophecy so shattering his enemies will do anything to keep him silent.

Learn more about the book and author at Sean Chercover's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: The Trinity Game.

--Marshal Zeringue

Flynn Meaney's "The Boy Recession," the movie

Now showing at My Book, The Movie: The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney.

The entry begins:

My second YA novel, The Boy Recession, is narrated by two different characters. Hunter is a laid-back slacker who’s smart and musically talented, but lazy. When writing Hunter, I pictured him with long, shaggy blonde hair and a low-key vibe. I saw a few episodes of the American version of Skins, and Stanley, played by Daniel Flaherty, reminded me of Hunter. But I didn’t realize just how perfect Daniel would be for the role of Hunter until I did some online research…his MTV biography says Daniel “spends his free time skateboarding, playing guitar and singing in his band,” which is exactly like Hunter! Apparently Daniel even sang on an episode of Skins, so he could definitely play Hunter in a Boy Recession movie—no skateboarding stunt doubles or lip-synching needed!

The female narrator, Kelly, is down-to-earth, sarcastic, and the voice of reason for her crazy friends. Someone like...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Flynn Meaney's website.

Flynn Meaney is an alumna of the University of Notre Dame; she also earned a M.F.A. in the Creative Writing program at Hunter College.

My Book, The Movie: The Boy Recession.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Janine Barchas's "Matters of Fact in Jane Austen"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Matters of Fact in Jane Austen: History, Location, and Celebrity by Janine Barchas.

About the book, from the publisher:

In Matters of Fact in Jane Austen: History, Location, and Celebrity, Janine Barchas makes the bold assertion that Jane Austen's novels allude to actual high-profile politicians and contemporary celebrities as well as to famous historical figures and landed estates. Barchas is the first scholar to conduct extensive research into the names and locations in Austen's fiction by taking full advantage of the explosion of archival materials now available online.

According to Barchas, Austen plays confidently with the tension between truth and invention that characterizes the realist novel. Of course, the argument that Austen deployed famous names presupposes an active celebrity culture during the Regency, a phenomenon recently accepted by scholars. The names Austen plucks from history for her protagonists (Dashwood, Wentworth, Woodhouse, Tilney, Fitzwilliam, and many more) were immensely famous in her day. She seems to bank upon this familiarity for interpretive effect, often upending associations with comic intent.

Barchas re-situates Austen's work closer to the historical novels of her contemporary Sir Walter Scott and away from the domestic and biographical perspectives that until recently have dominated Austen studies. This forward-thinking and revealing investigation offers scholars and ardent fans of Jane Austen a wealth of historical facts, while shedding an interpretive light on a new aspect of the beloved writer's work.

Learn more about Matters of Fact in Jane Austen at the Johns Hopkins University Press website.

The Page 99 Test: Matters of Fact in Jane Austen.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five books that influenced Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer

Stephen Breyer is a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

With Eve Gerber at The Browser, Breyer discussed five books that have influenced his thinking, and explained why reading widely, including literature, is essential for judges and lawyers. One book he tagged:

How to Do Things with Words
by JL Austin

[P]lease tell us about JL Austin and How to Do Things with Words.

JL Austin was an ordinary language philosopher. When I studied in Oxford, I went to one of his classes and I read his books. How to Do Things with Words teaches us a lot about how ordinary language works. It is useful to me as a judge, because it helps me avoid the traps that linguistic imprecision can set. If I had to pick a single thing that I draw from Austin’s work it would be that context matters. It enables us to understand, when someone makes a statement, what that statement refers to and what that person meant. Austin set a famous exam question: you bet that all swans are white or black, but does this refer to possible swans on Mars? Not clear. The question is: what's the context? What's the scope of that bet?

When I see the word "any" in a statute, I immediately know it's unlikely to mean “anything” in the universe. “Any" will have a limitation on it, depending on the context. When my wife says, “there isn't any butter,” I understand that she's talking about what is in our refrigerator, not worldwide. We look at context over and over, in life and in law.

What do you think Austin teaches about strict constructionism and its variations?

Austin suggests that there is good reason to look beyond text to context. Context is very important when you examine a statement or law. A statement made by Congress, under certain formal conditions, becomes a law. Context helps us interpret language, including the language of a statute. Purpose is often an important part of context. So Austin probably encourages me to put more weight on purpose.

Read about another book on Breyer's list at The Browser.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Emily Colin's "The Memory Thief"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: The Memory Thief by Emily Colin.

About the book, from the publisher:

In Emily Colin’s exquisite debut novel, perfect for the fans of Kristin Hannah, one man’s vow to his wife sparks a remarkable journey that tests the pull of memory and reaffirms the bonds of love.

Before Madeleine Kimble’s mountaineer husband, Aidan, climbs Mount McKinley’s south face, he makes her a solemn vow: I will come back to you. But late one night, Maddie gets the devastating news that Aidan has died in an avalanche, leaving her to care for their son—a small boy with a very big secret. The call comes from J.C., Aidan’s best friend and fellow climber, whose grief is seasoned with survivor’s guilt . . . and something more. J.C. has loved Maddie for years, but he never wanted his chance with her to come at so terrible a cost.

Across the country, Nicholas Sullivan wakes from a motorcycle crash with his memory wiped clean. Yet his dreams are haunted by visions of a mysterious woman and a young boy, neither of whom he has ever met. Convinced that these strangers hold the answers he seeks, Nicholas leaves everything behind to find them. What he discovers will require a leap of faith that will change all of their lives forever.

Learn more about the book and author at Emily Colin's website.

Writers Read: Emily Colin.

The Page 69 Test: The Memory Thief.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Michael Kardos reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Michael Kardos, author of The Three Day Affair.

His entry begins:

I recently read two novels set in freezing cold Communist Russia. The first, Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44, was recommended to me by my editor, Otto Penzler. Child 44 is a multi-layered, sprawling (yet tightly plotted), engrossing thriller featuring thousand-mile manhunts, paranoid government officials, and lots and lots of snow.

The other novel, David...[read on]

About The Three-Day Affair, from the publisher:

The first debut novel from the newly relaunched Mysterious Press intro­duces a phenomenal new voice in the realm of crime fiction. Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan have been friends since college. Each has gone their own way while forging new lives. Will is a part-time drummer who spends his time in recording studios, Nolan is happily unmarried, while Jeffrey is wealthy and has a baby on the way. They have no reason to believe anything extraordinary will befall them. Until one shocking moment changes everything.

One night on a drive they stop at a convenience store for Jeffrey to pick up cigarettes. Within moments, Jeffrey comes out of the store dragging a young woman with him. He shoves her into Will’s car and shouts a single word: “Drive!” Shaken and confused, Will obeys.

Suddenly three ordinary men find themselves completely out of their ele­ment, holding a young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They are already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it is only a matter of time before they find out what else they’re capable of. For these four people, three days will decide their fate—between freedom and prison, innocence and guilt ... and life and death. The Three-Day Affair marks the emergence of a truly talented new crime writer.

Learn more about the book and author at Michael Kardos's website.

Writers Read: Michael Kardos.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Robert A. Williams, Jr.'s "Savage Anxieties"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Savage Anxieties: The Invention of Western Civilization by Robert A. Williams, Jr.

About the book, from the publisher:

From one of the world's leading experts on Native American law and indigenous peoples' human rights comes an original and striking intellectual history of the tribe and Western civilization that sheds new light on how we understand ourselves and our contemporary society. Throughout the centuries, conquest, war, and unspeakable acts of violence and dispossession have all been justified by citing civilization's opposition to these differences represented by the tribe. Robert Williams, award winning author, legal scholar, and member of the Lumbee Indian Tribe, proposes a wide-ranging reexamination of the history of the Western world, told from the perspective of civilization's war on tribalism as a way of life. Williams shows us how what we thought we knew about the rise of Western civilization over the tribe is in dire need of reappraisal.

Learn more about the book and author at Robert A. Williams, Jr.'s website.

The Page 99 Test: Savage Anxieties.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten of science fiction’s most depressing futuristic retirement scenarios

At io9 Lauren Davis named ten of science fiction’s most depressing futuristic retirement scenarios, including:

Being murdered by your government: This is a pretty common scifi scenario for the elderly, especially the elderly who live in fascist societies (often disguised as false utopias). Sometimes, the dying part is a bittersweet occasion; in Ally Condie's Matched, your death day is a party attended by your family and you die with the taste of cake on your lips. Other times, you're mislead about what's going to happen; in Lois Lowry's The Giver, you think you're headed off into the wilderness (which, granted, has a bit of a "being sent off on an iceberg" feel to begin with), only to die on the end of a needle. Often, it's a question of economics — the society decides that the elderly are of no use, so why not make more resources for other people? (In V for Vendetta, thugs murder nursing home residents simply to open up more beds.) Soylent Green goes one step further, convincing the elderly to seek euthenasia so that the government can process their bodies into food for the populace.

Read about another entry on the list.

V for Vendetta is one of Malorie Blackman's top 10 graphic novels for teenagers.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: D.E. Johnson's "Detroit Breakdown"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Detroit Breakdown by D.E. Johnson.

About Detroit Breakdown, from the publisher:

Will Anderson and Elizabeth Hume are called to the vast Eloise Insane Asylum outside of Detroit, where Elizabeth’s cousin Robbie is a patient and now a murder suspect. The victim, like three others before him at the asylum in recent months, was killed with the infamous “Punjab lasso,” the murder weapon of the Phantom of the Opera.

Certain of Robbie’s innocence, they begin an investigation with the help of Detective Riordan. Will has himself committed to the asylum to investigate from the inside, and Elizabeth volunteers at Eloise and questions people outside the asylum. While Will endures horrific conditions in his search for the killer, Elizabeth and Riordan follow the trail of a murder suspect all the way to Kalamazoo, where they realize the killer might still be at Eloise, putting Will in extreme danger. They race back to Detroit, but will they arrive in time to save Will and bring the killer to justice?

Filled with Johnson’s trademark roller-coaster plot, nuanced characters, and brilliant historical research, Detroit Breakdown is a compelling, dark mystery set in the once- flourishing Paris of the West.

Learn more about the book and author at D.E. Johnson's website and blog.

Read D.E. “Dan” Johnson's interview with J. Kingston Pierce at The Rap Sheet.

The Page 69 Test: Motor City Shakedown.

Writers Read: D.E. Johnson.

The Page 69 Test: Detroit Breakdown.

--Marshal Zeringue

Enid Shomer's "The Twelve Rooms of the Nile," the movie

Now showing at My Book, The Movie: The Twelve Rooms of the Nile by Enid Shomer.

The entry begins:

Since the protagonists of The Twelve Rooms of the Nile —Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert—are well-known historical figures, I’m sure every reader will have his or her own idea about which actors could ideally tackle these roles. But in my mind, Emily Blunt would make a perfect Nightingale. She has the right kind of face and coloring and, more importantly, a great gift for intensity as well as comedy. Nightingale had a killer wit, a mischievous streak that surfaced regularly as part of her rebelliousness. She was also incredibly passionate and probably the best-educated Englishwoman of her day. Blunt has the glamour and the grit for this role.

It is more difficult to imagine who might portray Gustave Flaubert. My current fantasy is that the role should go to a sexy unknown with a great deal of animal magnetism. Since there are only two...[read on]

Learn more about the book and author at Enid Shomer's website and Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: The Twelve Rooms of the Nile.

Writers Read: Enid Shomer.

My Book, The Movie: The Twelve Rooms of the Nile.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Jason Brownlee's "Democracy Prevention"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Democracy Prevention: The Politics of the U.S.-Egyptian Alliance by Jason Brownlee.

About the book, from the publisher:

When a popular revolt forced long-ruling Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign on February 11, 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama hailed the victory of peaceful demonstrators in the heart of the Arab World. But Washington was late to endorse democracy – for decades the United States favored Egypt's rulers over its people. Since 1979, the United States had provided the Egyptian regime more than $60 billion in aid and immeasurable political support to secure its main interests in the region: Israeli security and strong relations with Persian Gulf oil producers. During the Egyptian uprising, the White House did not promote popular sovereignty but instead backed an "orderly transition" to one of Mubarak's cronies. Even after protesters derailed that plan, the anti-democratic U.S.-Egyptian alliance continued. Using untapped primary materials, this book helps explain why authoritarianism has persisted in Egypt with American support, even as policy makers claim to encourage democratic change.

Learn more about Democracy Prevention at the Cambridge University Press website.

Jason Brownlee is Associate Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Page 99 Test: Democracy Prevention.

--Marshal Zeringue