Pg. 69: "A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Eduardo A. Velásquez's A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse: Why There is No Cultural War in America and Why We Will Perish Nonetheless.

About the book, from the official website:

What accounts for the apocalyptic angst that is now so clearly present among Americans who do not subscribe to any religious orthodoxy? Why do so many popular television shows, films, and music nourish themselves on this very angst? And why do so many artists — from Coldplay to Tori Amos to Tom Wolfe — feel compelled to give it expression?

It is tempting to say that America’s fears and anxieties are understandable in the light of 9/11, the ongoing War on Terror, nuclear proliferation, and the seemingly limitless capacity of science to continually challenge our conceptions of the universe and ourselves. Perhaps, too, American culture remains so permeated by Protestant Christianity that even avowed skeptics cannot pry themselves from its grip.

In A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse, Eduardo Velásquez argues that these answers are too pat. Velásquez’s astonishing thesis is that when we peer into contemporary artists’ creative depiction of our sensibilities we discover that the antagonisms that fuel the current cultural wars stem from the same source. Enthusiastic religions and dogmatic science, the flourishing of scientific reason and the fascination with mystical darkness, cultural triumphalists and multicultural ideologues are all sustained by the same thing: a willful commitment to the basic tenets of the Enlightenment.

Velásquez makes his point with insightful readings of the music of Coldplay, Tori Amos, and Dave Matthews and the fiction of Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen, Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, and Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons. Written with grace and humor, and directed toward the lay reader, A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse is a tour de force of cultural analysis.

Among the advance praise for the book:

"Eduardo Velásquez has written an unusual and stimulating book in the philosophy of culture. His range of topics is broad; his insights about particular cultural products as well as about what he takes to be the pervasive theme of “the apocalypse” are intriguing; and his conclusions about what American cultural and “popular” artistic productions say about who we are will surprise and provoke many readers. This controversial book is well worth reading."
—Charles Griswold, Professor of Philosophy, Boston University

Read an excerpt from A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse and learn more about the book at the official website.

Check out -- and perhaps contribute to -- the on-going discussion at the book's blog. The latest entry: "Richard Dawkins on Christopher Hitchens (w/ a note from Tocqueville)."

Eduardo Velásquez teaches political philosophy, science and the arts, literature, and popular culture at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. He has taught or held residence at Lake Forest College, the University of Chicago, Haverford College, the University of Edinburgh, University College, Oxford, and at Denmark’s International Study Program, affiliated with The University of Copenhagen. He received his BA from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his MA and PhD from the University of Chicago, all in political science. He is the editor of Love and Friendship: Rethinking Politics and Affection in Modern Time and Nature, Woman, and the Art of Politics.

The Page 69 Test: A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse.

--Marshal Zeringue

Interview: Anne-Marie Slaughter

Anne-Marie Slaughter is Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Her most recent book is The Idea That Is America: Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous World.

She answered some questions about the new book that were put to her by the political scientist Andrew Grant-Thomas. See their exchange at Author Interviews.

Slaughter also responded to a question of my own:

What's a question that you haven't been asked about the book that you wish someone would ask? And what's the answer?

The question I would like to be asked is "what should readers do who agree with the message of this book and want to act on it." And the answer is, "spread the message." Suggest the book to your book club, or to your email list, or your church group, or, if you are a member of the military, to groups on the base, or your family members, or to high school teachers you know. Join a movement for civic literacy, to teach our fellow citizens and above all our kids about our values as a nation -- not in terms of "these are the great characteristics of our nation and aren't we wonderful" but in terms of "these are our aspirations as a nation, the aspirations of our founders and of great Americans through our history, the aspirations we must try to live up to." And if you have friends abroad, tell them as well -- to give many people in other countries, who love what we are supposed to stand for but are deeply disappointed in us, a different idea of America than what they have seen over the past decade. Above all, in this election season, ask our candidates -- for Congress, for the presidency, for state legislatures and governors -- how they plan to live up to the values they preach in their speeches. Remember, we are all values voters, and it is our task to think through what we value and to choose leaders who will give us a government that makes and implements policies that actually reflect what we value. You may disagree with the values I have listed, and how I have defined them, but then join a great national conversation.

Check out the complete interview.

Read an excerpt and learn more about The Idea That Is America at the publisher's website.

Watch Anne-Marie Slaughter on the Colbert Report.

Author Interviews: Anne-Marie Slaughter.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: "Silence of the Songbirds"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Bridget J. M. Stutchbury's Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them.

About the book, from the official website:

Wood Thrush, Kentucky Warbler, Eastern Kingbird — migratory songbirds are disappearing at a frightening rate. By some estimates, we may already have lost almost half the songbirds that filled the skies only 40 years ago. Bridget Stutchbury, in a narrative as colourful as the creatures she studies, demonstrates why this decline should concern us all. The expert ornithologist and naturalist convincingly argues that songbirds truly are the canaries in the coal mine — except the coal mine looks a lot like Earth and we are the hapless excavators.

Following the birds on their 10,000-kilometre migratory journey, Stutchbury looks at the most threatening factors: pesticides, still a major concern decades after Rachel Carson first raised the alarm; the destruction of vital habitat, from the boreal forests of Canada to the tropical jungles of Brazil to the vast grasslands of Argentina; coffee plantations, which push birds out of their forest refuges so we can have our morning fix; the bright lights and structures in our cities, which prove a minefield for migrating birds; the notorious cowbirds that force songbirds to act as surrogate mothers to their own voracious young; and global warming. We may well wake up in the near future and hear no songbirds singing. We won’t only be missing their cheery calls, we’ll be missing a vital part of our ecosystem. Without songbirds, our forests face insect infestations, and our trees, flowers and gardens lose a crucial element in their reproductive cycle. What does this very real threat mean for our ecosystem, and ultimately, us?

Among the praise for Silence of the Songbirds:

"Silence of the Songbirds is wonderfully informative of beautiful little things. This book is a must-read for anyone whose heart has thrilled to the song of a bird."
--Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers and We Are the Weather Makers

"In Silence of the Songbirds, Dr. Bridget Stutchbury argues that when birds begin disappearing, we may be next. This is an important book both for its exploration of a very troubling reality as well as for the solutions that it offers to counteract the current state of affairs. It is also beautifully written. Dr. Stutchbury's obvious brilliance as a scientist is matched by her poet's heart."
--Béa Gonzalez, author of The Mapmaker’s Opera and The Bitter Taste of Time

"Few scientists know migratory birds as intimately as Bridget Stutchbury, who has followed them with wonder and passion from the jungles of Costa Rica and Belize to the hardwood forests of North America. In Silence of the Songbirds she lays out how these miraculous creatures live, why they are disappearing, and how each of us — by making choices as simple as what coffee we drink, what toilet paper we buy, or when we turn off the lights in our offices — can make the world safer for the birds that add such life and vitality to it."
--Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds and Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent’s Natural Soul

"Bridget Stutchbury is a leading authority on the science of migratory songbirds, but she understands the magic, too, and knows how to express it in clear, rich prose. Silence of the Songbirds has heart as well as brains, telling us not only what we risk losing but also why we should care."
--Kenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America

"Nearly half a century ago, Rachel Carson warned us of the grim plight of songbirds, sparking an uproar that led ultimately to the banning of DDT. In Silence of the Songbirds, Bridget Stutchbury makes clear that the dangers migratory songbirds face are greater than ever. Her book is an eloquent plea on behalf of songbirds, and also gives practical suggestions on things we can all do to help — for the good of the birds as well as the human race."
--Tim Gallagher, author of The Grail Bird

"Bridget Stutchbury takes us from the tropical forests of Panama to her farm in Pennsylvania, sharing her personal stories about birds as well as the latest scientific information explaining the disappearance of songbirds. The solutions would be a win-win-win for birds, people, and the environment. If you care about birds, you owe it to yourself — and to the birds — to read this eye-opening book."
--Miyoko Chu, author of Songbird Journeys

"An alarming, first-hand journey through the world of disappearing songbirds by a premier scientist. A must-read for anyone who cares about our planet and our place in it."
--Donald Kroodsma, author of The Singing Life of Birds

"Bridget Stutchbury's writing draws us deeply into the personal lives of the birds, where little-known calls are pregnant with meaning. How joyful it is to learn such intimate and steamy details about the secret language of the birds."
--Lang Elliott, author of The Songs of Wild Birds

"A gripping revelation—both of the deeply fascinating biology of songbirds and the daunting challenges they face in a human-dominated world. Bridget Stutchbury makes it impossible to look at a songbird the same old way ever again. A joy for bird-watchers and non bird-watchers alike."
--Thomas E. Lovejoy, president of the J. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment

"Highly accessible and engaging, Silence of the Songbirds provides a unique glimpse into the biology and natural history of songbirds. Bridget Stutchbury argues forcefully for the beauty of these birds, the important ecosystem services these species provide, and the everyday things that citizens can do to help conserve them."
--Steven R. Beissinger, Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of California, Berkeley

Read an excerpt from Silence of the Songbirds and learn more about the book and its author -- and listen to bird songs -- at the official website.

Bridget J. M. Stutchbury is professor of biology at York University.

The Page 69 Test: Silence of the Songbirds.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Jonah Keri reading?

The latest contributor to Writers Read: Jonah Keri, a regular contributor to ESPN.com's "Page 2" and the editor and co-author of Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know about the Game Is Wrong.

About Baseball Between the Numbers, from the publisher:

In the numbers-obsessed sport of baseball, statistics don't merely record what players, managers, and owners have done. Properly understood, they can tell us how the teams we root for could employ better strategies, put more effective players on the field, and win more games. The revolution in baseball statistics that began in the 1970s is a controversial subject that professionals and fans alike argue over without end. Despite this fundamental change in the way we watch and understand the sport, no one has written the book that reveals, across every area of strategy and management, how the best practitioners of statistical analysis in baseball-people like Bill James, Billy Beane, and Theo Epstein-think about numbers and the game. Baseball Between the Numbers is that book. In separate chapters covering every aspect of the game, from hitting, pitching, and fielding to roster construction and the scouting and drafting of players, the experts at Baseball Prospectus examine the subtle, hidden aspects of the game, bring them out into the open, and show us how our favorite teams could win more games. This is a book that every fan, every follower of sports radio, every fantasy player, every coach, and every player, at every level, can learn from and enjoy.

See what Keri has been reading.

Visit Jonah Keri's website for links to his work at ESPN.com, Salon.com, and other publications.

Writers Read: Jonah Keri.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Renee Rosen's "Every Crooked Pot"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Renee Rosen's Every Crooked Pot.

About the book, from the author's website:

Nina Goldman is the youngest of three growing up in Akron, Ohio in the 70s. She and her siblings must cope with their larger-than-life father, Artie, a colorblind carpet salesman and frustrated musician. Forever the dreamer and schemer, Artie engages in outrageous antics that both mesmerize and mortify his family.

Growing up as Artie's daughter would be difficult enough, but Nina has another issue to face. Born with a strawberry birthmark (known as a hemangioma) over her eye, Nina strives to look normal, and fit in with the others, showing us just how far one girl will go to be loved.

Among the praise for Every Crooked Pot:

"In a debut novel that could easily have been published as an adult memoir, Rosen looks back at the life of Nina Goldman, whose growing up is tied to two pillars: a port-wine stain around her eye and her inimitable father, Artie. The birthmark, she hates; her father, she loves. Both shape her in ways that merit Rosen’s minute investigation, which begins with an incident both funny and shocking. Stopped for speeding, her father tells the officer he is rushing young Nina to the hospital and shows him her eye, which looks as though it’s hemorrhaging. When the cop leaves, father and daughter take off for the beach. The story highlights how Nina’s eye is both liability and excuse, and it reveals the high-wire act that is her father—an emotional man who shapes reality and the people around him. As Nina grows older, readers feel the pain she endures by being physically marked (boys bark at “the dog”). Difficult in different ways is having a father whose love feels like sunshine; withheld, all is dark. There’s real power in the writing as well as a subtle message when a grown Nina finds a cache of notes, showing how she clung to her disability, even after treatment. Rosen writes honestly about sex, and there are some raw words, but this story offers hope for teenagers who, as ever, are trying to separate from their perceived flaws, and from their parents."
--Ilene Cooper, Booklist (starred review)

"Every Crooked Pot is a beautifully nuanced tale about an extraordinary family and even more extraordinary young woman. Not since Myla Goldberg's Bee Season has a first novel so deftly captured the complexities, joys, and frustrations of daughters and their families. It's hard to believe this is a debut -- Rosen's voice is already as good as it gets. Keep an eye out for this rising star."
--Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants

"Every Crooked Pot is a work of courage, with a dose of sassy audacity thrown in for good measure. Humiliation, sorrow, tears, humor and candor, this is a novel so full of heart and emotion, it’s impossible to detach yourself from it. Renee Rosen is a rare find in today’s jungle of women’s fiction!"
--Carrie Kabak, author of Cover the Butter

"It's so tempting to compare Renee Rosen's debut to similar auspicious literary starts - Anna Quindlen's Object Lessons comes to mind - but that would be doing the book a disservice since Every Crooked Pot stands in a class by itself. Populated with vivid characters, at the center of which is resilient heroine Nina Goldman, this bittersweet novel will lift hearts while at the same time making readers wonder, Where has Renee Rosen been hiding all these years?"
--Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Vertigo

"Realistic, sharp and funny, Renee Rosen perfectly captures what it's like to be stuck on the outside longing to get in. A beautiful, poignant, and impressive debut -- I didn't want it to end.
--Alyson Noel, author of Laguna Cove

"Told with wit, wisdom, and characters so realistically drawn that they breathe, this poignant story of angst and redemption will touch the heart of anyone who ever longed to be 'normal' enough to be loved.
--Sandra Kring, author of Carry Me Home and The Book of Bright Ideas

"Every Crooked Pot is a funny, heartfelt and beautifully perceptive novel. In her insightful character study, Renee Rosen takes the reader deep inside the heart and mind of a delightfully real young protagonist. In her spirited portrayal of an ordinary -- yet improbable -- American family, Rosen illuminates great unspoken truths about young women, about daughters, and about all families.
--Adrienne Miller, former literary editor of Esquire & author of The Coast of Akron

Read an excerpt from Every Crooked Pot and learn more about the novel at Rosen's website and her blog.

The Page 99 Test: Every Crooked Pot.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Charles Griswold's "Forgiveness"

Today's feature at the Page 69 Test: Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration by Charles Griswold.

About the book, from the publisher:

Nearly everyone has wronged another. Who among us has not longed to be forgiven? Nearly everyone has suffered the bitter injustice of wrongdoing. Who has not struggled to forgive? Charles Griswold has written the first comprehensive philosophical book on forgiveness in both its interpersonal and political contexts, as well as its relation to reconciliation. Having examined the place of forgiveness in ancient philosophy and in modern thought, he discusses what forgiveness is, what conditions the parties to it must meet, its relation to revenge and hatred, when it is permissible and whether it is obligatory, and why it is a virtue.

Among the early praise for the book:

"Rarely has a philosopher offered his fervent students and readers such depth, knowledge and sensitivity as Charles Griswold has done in this volume that deals with one of the most urgent topics facing humankind today."
--Elie Wiesel

"Charles Griswold’s Forgiveness is a truly wonderful book, which not only wisely and eloquently treats a significant feature of the moral life and moral psychology, but also sheds unexpected light on moral theory and the history of ethics. The book also includes a fascinating discussion of the role of apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation in political life during the last fifty years."
--Stephen Darwall, University of Michigan

"One of the lessons of modernity is that there is no consolation in the human condition, unless perhaps it consists in somehow reconciling ourselves to evils so sublimely absurd that at each new moment they test our capacities for acceptance. In such a world, an understanding of forgiveness – the concept of it, the varieties, its human sources and limits – is more central to life than ever before. Charles Griswold’s clearheaded and perceptive new book explores forgiveness both analytically and realistically, helping us toward all these forms of understanding."
--Allen Wood, Stanford University

"Forgiveness by Charles Griswold is a philosopher’s attempt to hone the complexity of interpersonal and political forgiveness to make them accessible. The book honors sources both historical and current, and while it is not primarily religious nor psychological it includes both as it integrates an enormous range of material with deep intelligence and insight. The book is well referenced, quite readable and taught me things about forgiveness I did not know."
--Frederic Luskin, Director Stanford Forgiveness Projects, author of Forgive for Good

Read an excerpt from Forgiveness and learn more about the book at the Cambridge University Press website.

Charles Griswold is Professor of Philosophy at Boston University.

The Page 69 Test: Forgiveness.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five best books with political trials

Bruce Watson, author of the recently published Sacco and Vanzetti: The Men, the Murders, and the Judgment of Mankind, selected a five best list of books with "riveting" political trials for Opinion Journal.

One title on the list:

Entertaining Satan by John Demos (Oxford, 1982)

Dozens of books have been written about the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, but in "Entertaining Satan" historian John Demos turned his lifelong fascination into the definitive study. As much psychology as history, Demos's book puts Puritans on the couch, analyzing the attitudes of accusers and victims and the collective conscious of Salem and other New England villages where witches were tried. The accused witches of Salem, he finds, were social misfits--maverick midwives, brazen women, men who dared to sue their neighbors. At a time when settlers lived on the murky border of an uncertain wilderness, the trials drew a bright line between black and white. Meticulously documented yet highly readable, "Entertaining Satan" brings alive the mother of all "witch hunts."

Read more about Watson's list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ann Packer's list

Ann Packer is the award-winning author of the 2002 best-seller The Dive From Clausen’s Pier. Her new novel, Songs Without Words, has just been published by Knopf.

She contributed "The List" to The Week magazine this week.

One title on Packer's list:

Genealogy by Maud Casey

A radiant novel about a teenage girl’s mental illness and the way it drives her family apart and then forces them back together. Each character is meticulously imagined, each of the relationships is sharply drawn, and by the end you are struck by Casey’s generosity and compassion.

Read more about Packer's list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Karna Small Bodman's "Checkmate"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Karna Small Bodman's Checkmate and Gambit.

About Checkmate, from the publisher:

Dr. Cameron Talbot has invented a breakthrough technology to defend against cruise missiles. But she needs support from skeptical company officers, funding from a reluctant Congress, and help from the White House to develop her life-saving project. Lt. Col. Hunt Daniels, detailed from the Pentagon to the White House National Security Council to investigate Dr. Talbot’s work, sees the potential of the invention. The fact that he’s attracted to the brilliant scientist adds one more dimension to his interest in her work.

But disaster is brewing overseas as militants in the disputed Kashmir region of India steal a series of missiles from sympathizers in the Pakistani military and launch one against India. At the same time, they send one of their agents to Washington, D.C., to steal Dr. Talbot’s technology so they can protect themselves when their enemies retaliate.

The scientist and the NSC staffer find themselves enmeshed in terrorist plots and political wrangling at the highest levels. With scenes in the Oval Office, the Situation Room, Capitol Hill, Georgetown restaurants, and Washington dinner parties, as well as action in Kashmir, New Delhi, and at the Taj Mahal, the tension and intrigue escalate until two nuclear-armed countries stand at the brink of war.

Among the praise for the novel:

“Checkmate is a fantastic first novel by a woman who knows the intricacies of Washington. Well worth the read ... it will get your heart pumping.”
—Vince Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Consent to Kill

“Gripping and authentic.”
—Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of One Shot

“Karna Small Bodman’s Checkmate hits all the notes. Her years of firsthand White House experience shine through on every page of this fine debut international thriller — authentic, up-to-the-minute, and gripping.”
—John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Hunt Club

“A fantastic story of how close our world is to the brink of ruin and how one courageous and determined woman fights to save us all. Karna Small Bodman writes with the eye of an insider, revealing all the secrets we wish we knew in a brilliant, heart-stopping tale.”
—Tim Green, New York Times bestselling author of Exact Revenge

“Bodman takes on Washington like only a true insider can, weaving a frightening tale that feels both unerringly authentic and frighteningly real.”
—Kyle Mills, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Horseman

“Karna Small Bodman draws on her unique background as a White House insider to inject high tension and authenticity into this high-stakes thriller. She writes with the smooth confidence of someone who truly knows the political landscape — and isn’t afraid to reveal all.”
—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Vanish

“Checkmate is a chilling and penetrating insider’s look at our national missile defenses, with an astonishing countdown that seems to be happening at this very moment.”
—Katherine Neville, New York Times bestselling author of The Eight

“An inside story from an insider. A ripping tale of intrigue about an explosive region, but really about power and Washington. Bodman knows her stuff and lets us see and think about what really happens when the pressure is on and flawed people make decisions that affect us all.”
—James W. Huston, New York Times bestselling author of Secret Justice

“Bodman brings us behind the scenes of military meetings, boardrooms, and parlors of the Washington power elite as her heroes race against time and terrorists in her thrilling debut novel, Checkmate. Suspense, romance, life and death scenarios ... Checkmate has it all.”
—Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetgrass

Read an excerpt from Checkmate and learn more about both books at the publisher's website and at the author's official site.

Gambit is scheduled for publication in early 2008.

Karna Small Bodman served in the White House for six years, first as deputy press secretary and later as senior director of the National Security Council. At the time of her departure, she was the highest-ranking woman on the White House staff. She was also on the air for fifteen years as a reporter, television news anchor, and political commentator in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

In August 2007 Bodman contributed to an entry at The Rap Sheet about her background and her novels.

The Page 99 Test: Checkmate and Gambit.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Emily Bazelon reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Emily Bazelon, a Slate senior editor.

The report on her recent reading opens:

I just finished Warm Springs, by Susan Richards Shreve. It’s a memoir about the two years she spent at a recuperation facility for children with polio established in Georgia by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1920s. The waters at this Georgia spot were supposed to have healing qualities, and Shreve (a Washington, DC, writer whom I know) uses the history of FDR’s haven, as she calls it, to vividly evoke the days of polio fear and the president’s relationship to his illness and paralysis. [read on]

In addition to her work in Slate, Emily Bazelon's writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, The New Republic, Legal Affairs, and other publications. She has worked as a freelance journalist in Israel and as a reporter in California's Bay Area. She graduated from Yale Law School and worked as a law clerk for Judge Kermit Lipez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Writers Read: Emily Bazelon.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Michelle Gagnon's "The Tunnels"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Michelle Gagnon's The Tunnels.

About the book, from the author's website:

An old, abandoned tunnel system beneath a prestigious New England college becomes the gruesome stalking ground of a serial killer…. The crime scenes are grim and otherworldly. The bodies of two female students are found mutilated and oddly positioned in the dark labyrinth beneath the school-haunting symbols painted on the walls above them. In her decade tracking serial killers, FBI special agent Kelly Jones has seen some of the worst humanity can inflict. Yet the tragedy unfolding at her alma mater chills her to the bone. Evidence suggests there is a connection between the victims-daughters of powerful men. And elements of the killings point to a dark, ancient ritual. As the body count rises, so do the stakes. The killer is taunting Kelly, daring her to follow him down a dangerous path from which only one can emerge.

Among the praise for the novel:

“From its harrowing prologue to its haunting last paragraph, Michelle Gagnon masterfully crafts a stellar work of mounting suspense and terror. Ritual murder, ancient magic, and buried secrets … all blend seamlessly in this debut mystery by a major new talent. Not to be missed!”
--James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Black Order

“Michelle Gagnon’s stellar debut is an edge-of-your seat story of suspense and intrigue. FBI agent Kelly Jones is in a race against time to stop a series of gruesome murders on a pristine eastern college campus. With a deftly-crafted plot and a winning protagonist, Gagnon spins a fast-moving yarn that is certain to keep you up late. We will hear more from this talented newcomer. Highly recommended.”
--Sheldon Siegel, New York Times bestselling author of The Confession

“The Tunnels starts out scary and only gets worse — or, if you like frightening thrillers — better. Michelle Gagnon is a fresh and confident new voice in crime fiction, and The Tunnels marks an auspicious debut.”
--John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Suspect and The Hunt Club

“A tantalizing premise, brilliantly executed, The Tunnels is a powerful Gothic-tinged thriller that hits the ground running and doesn’t let up until the final page. A riveting blend of Norse mythology, ritualized Ivy League murders, a sympathetic female FBI profiler and a ticking clock. So slick and polished it’s hard to believe this is Michelle Gagnon’s first book.”
--Denise Hamilton, Edgar, Anthony, Macavity and Creasey Dagger finalist and author of Prisoner of Memory

“A great read. Scarily good. The Tunnels takes you into some very dark places, as a bright new talent takes on old-world horrors and scares the living daylights out of you. It’s The Wicker Man meets Silence of the Lambs.”
--Tony Broadbent, author of The Smoke and Spectres in the Smoke, named by Booklist as one of the “Best Spy Novels of 2006″

“Michelle Gagnon has written a tremendously fine debut novel that’s as dark, twisty, and thrilling as the tunnels she so hauntingly describes therein. Expect to sleep with the lights on for at least a week after you’ve relished the final page.”
--Cornelia Read, Edgar award nominee for best debut novel A Field of Darkness

Read an excerpt from The Tunnels, and learn more about the book and author at Michelle Gagnon's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Tunnels.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Nicholas Griffin's "Dizzy City"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Nicholas Griffin's Dizzy City.

About the book, from the author's website:

The year is 1916, Europe is at war and American industrialists are getting rich. Englishman Ben Cramb deserts the trenches of northern France and stows away on an outbound transatlantic ship. When the vessel docks in New York City, a place untouched and largely unaware of the horrors of war, he realizes this is the place to reinvent himself. In the process, he soon falls under the sway of the urbane and mysterious Julius McAteer, who sees in Ben his chance to finely hone the tools of someone who can master the art of the con. They concoct a ruse, pick their mark – a blustering Midwestern cattleman named Henry Jergens – and the game is afoot. But the further Ben follows the money in New York, the closer he moves back to the war in Europe and his shattering experiences there. This page-turner is rich in historical detail and filled with romance and adventure. It’s a fascinating journey inside the art of the con, and a moving novel about what happens when we try to find happiness at others’ expense.

Among the early praise for the novel:

"Nicholas Griffin has made historical fiction his literary playground ... [and] 1916 Manhattan proves especially fertile ground.... Griffin writes with authority on his chosen subjects, and even though he employs enough point-of-view shifts to give an unintended meaning to his book’s title, the effect works, raising the question: Who is conning, and who is being conned?"
—Sarah Weinman, Time Out New York

"The intricate crime drama plays out like a blindfolded chess match; Ben's postwar paranoia and a romance with a secretive actress only add to the delicious confusion. Griffin deftly shifts among three different narrators, parceling out unexpected revelations with the confident wink of an experienced hustler."
—Entertainment Weekly

"Griffin demonstrates a flare for the historical novel. This clever, agile novel is thoroughly enjoyable."
—Library Journal

"Ben Cramb, the strange and fascinating leading character in Nicholas Griffin's new novel Dizzy City, is a severely wounded World War I soldier who deserts the British army rather than return to the trenches of France, becomes a stowaway on a wartime ship bound for the United States, which has not yet entered the war. In New York, he becomes a con man of major proportions, all the while haunted by the war he has run from. Griffin's story is wonderfully written with masterful style. I was riveted by Ben Cramb."
—Dominick Dunne

"A great read... richly researched, complex and utterly compelling."
—Mark Mills, author of The Savage Garden

"Griffin hits his stride in his fourth novel, a stylish and ambitious story of cons conning cons.... [He's] in fine form, and the novel's historical detail and multifaceted plot should keep readers riveted."
—Publishers Weekly

Ben Cramb, "a petty criminal, flees the carnage of teh Great War and lands among con men in the Big Apple, where war of a different sort is being waged. . . . When various stings come to a climax, they involve the war Ben thought he had escaped. Smart entertainment."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Dizzy City is ingenious, a caper inside a historical novel full of unexpected twists and turns. Delightful!"
—Kevin Baker

"Ranging from the trenches of the Great War to Tin Pan Alley and the Great White Way, Dizzy City is rich and absorbing. Nicholas Griffin is a surehanded talespinner, his prose vivid yet never showy. This is the best sort of historical drama, lovingly detailed yet concerned more, ultimately, with the tricky, conflicted hearts of its actors."
—Stewart O'Nan

"Pat Barker meets Raymond Chandler. Dizzy City is a rich, tactile twister of a book."
—Peter Behrens

Read an excerpt from Dizzy City and learn more about the book and author at Nicholas Griffin's website.

The Page 99 Test: Dizzy City.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Bryant Simon reading?

The current featured contributor to Writers Read: Bryant Simon, a history professor and the director of American Studies at Temple University.

About Simon's scholarship:

Bryant Simon is professor of history and director of the American Studies program at Temple University in Philadelphia. Over the last year and half, he has visited over 300 Starbucks in eight countries and is currently working on a book to be published by Bloomsbury. This is not, however, just a study of Starbucks, but an exploration of American life both in the states and abroad in the 21st Century. His research explores the very desires of daily life as they are revealed on the comfy coaches and in the drive-thru of Starbucks. As he looks at what it means to consume Starbucks, he also investigates what Starbucks consumes of us - our labor, our landscapes, and our politics.

He is the author of A Fabric of Defeat: The Politics of South Carolina Textile Workers, 1910-1948 (1998) and Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America (2004) as well as the Jumpin' Jim Crow': Southern Politics from Civil War to Civil Rights (2000). His research on Atlantic City has earned awards from the Organization of American Historians, Urban History Association, and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

Last year Ben McGrath reported in the The New Yorker on the Starbucks research project, about which one can learn more in this video.

Writers Read: Bryant Simon.

--Marshal Zeringue

Rick Mofina's "A Perfect Grave," the movie

Rick Mofina is the author of Every Fear, The Dying Hour, Be Mine, If Angels Fall, Cold Fear, No Way Back, and Blood of Others, which won an Ellis award for Best Novel. He won a second Ellis award for his short story “Lightning Rider” in the anthology Murder in Vegas, and The Dying Hour was a finalist for ITW’s inaugural International Thriller Award.

Mofina's new novel A Perfect Grave, the third book in the acclaimed Jason Wade series, releases today.

Visit My Book, The Movie: A Perfect Grave, and see who the author imagines in the lead roles in a film adaptation of the novel.

About the book, from the publisher:

The Sins Of The Past

The face in the mirror belongs to a man Sister Anne McGrath knew years ago. The cold blade against her throat guarantees his bone-chilling threat: “Scream and you’ll die. You know why I’m here.” Silence is the only answer to her prayers.

Shall Not Be Forgiven

The shocking murder of a much-loved community saint draws the attention of Seattle Mirror reporter Jason Wade. But it’s his father’s demons that tell Jason more than the police investigation — even if Detective Grace Garner wants to reveal everything…

Only Buried

Meanwhile a child is kidnapped by a vengeful killer bent on recovering what he feels is rightfully his. But he may have murdered the one person who knew where the stolen money had been hidden. Question is: Was she a saint or a sinner?

Visit Rick Mofina's website.

My Book, The Movie: A Perfect Grave.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Dave White's "When One Man Dies"

The latest feature at the Page 69 Test: Dave White's When One Man Dies.

About the novel, from the author's website:

When one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but is translated into a better language.--John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions.

When Gerry Figuroa is killed in a hit and run, his pal, Jersey P.I. Jackson Donne, is hired to investigate. Donne soon discovers that Figuroa may not have been quite the innocent he seemed. A second case leads Donne to a dead body on the steps of Drew University.

Again, appearances are deceptive. As he digs deeper, Donne uncovers a drugs connection, and it quickly becomes clear that certain people would rather he dropped his investigation. Events take on a further twist when Donne's ex-cop partner shows up bent on shattering everything Donne holds dear. Donne’s past has been on hold, but now it’s hurtling towards him with a vengeance.

Among the early praise for the novel:

"When I read my first Dave White story, I knew that he was going to be huge someday-like, Robert Parker huge. When One Man Dies is the first bold step in fulfilling that promise. It's the great American private eye novel reborn for the 21st century, with a fast-moving, spare style that punches you in the gut at the same time it squeezes your heart."
--Duane Swierczynski, author of The Blonde

"Everybody wins when a classic form, such as the private-eye novel, meets up with a class act, such as Dave White. In his remarkable debut novel, When One Man Dies, White manages the neat trick of respecting the genre's traditions while daring to nudge it toward something new and unexpected. And Jackson Donne is a wonderful character, someone with whom readers will happily share many beers in the Olde Towne Tavern for years to come. Lots of promise here -- in Donne and White. I'm rooting for both of them."
--Laura Lippman, author of To The Power of Three

"Every new crew of crime writers has one standout. The class of 07's youngest member is Dave White. He made his bones in published short story form before most writers ever find their legs. When One Man Dies steps him up as a made man in the genre ... an awesome debut ... forgetaboutit."
--Charlie Stella, author of Shakedown: A Novel of Crime

"When One Man Dies heralds the introduction of two astonishing new figures in the crime fiction world: New Jersey PI Jackson Donne, whose emotional journey will break your heart, and author Dave White, whose voice has the confidence and assurance many more established writers would kill for."
--Sarah Weinman, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

"Every now and then you find a debut novel that carries the clear promise of big things to come. When One Man Dies is one of those. Fast and funny, with plenty of classic action but a setting and character that are entirely new, Dave White is creating a winner with Jackson Donne. Always good to get in on the ground floor."
--Michael Koryta, Edgar-nominated author of A Welcome Grave

"Jackson Donne takes his place alongside the grim and battered P.I.s of yore — your Archers, your Spades — uncovering painful truths and doling out what passes in this tarnished world for justice. Bracing stuff."
--Charles Ardai, founder of Hard Case Crime

"A terrific novel, a unique and artful blend of the PI and the Police Procedural in a plot as nicely tangled and sexually violent as a cat fight, a story as deceptively simple as your first love and as fatal as your last car wreck. It's a great read."
--James Crumley

Visit Dave White's website and his blog.

The Page 69 Test: When One Man Dies.

--Marshal Zeringue

Claire Messud's five most important books

Claire Messud, author of The Emperor's Children and other books, recently told Newsweek about her five most important books.

She also addressed two other book-related issues:

An important book that you haven't read:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.

It's slightly bizarre to make references without knowing what you're talking about. "Tilting at windmills"?

A classic that, upon rereading, disappointed:

Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles.

It breaks my heart. I wrote my college thesis on this book. I went back to re-read it, and it no longer spoke of hidden depth. It was mannered, and I couldn't find the significance anymore.

Read about Messud's most important books.

--Marshal Zeringue

Fall crime books

From the authoritative The Rap Sheet comes editor J. Kingston Pierce's list of the ten books he's most looking forward to reading this fall.

All ten will go on my To Read list, with this one at the top:

Blonde Faith, by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown USA). Boosted to widespread renown in the 1990s as one of President Bill Clinton’s favorite authors, Mosley has claimed a fecund fictional territory in post-World War II Los Angeles, where his reluctant sleuth, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, struggles with racial animosities and endeavors to keep those he loves free from harm. That latter task presents the most difficult challenges in this 10th installment of the Rawlins series. Not only is Easy losing the love of his life, Bonnie Shay, to another man, but his most casually homicidal crony, Raymond “Mouse” Alexander, is missing and wanted for killing the father of 12. Meanwhile, an ex-marine compadre has dumped his daughter on Easy’s doorstep -- a sure sign that her father is already dead, or soon will be. Raymond Chandler created the bones of L.A. detective fiction; Mosley gives it flesh and blood, and surprising hope. An October release.

Read Pierce's post.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: "Providence and the Invention of the United States"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Nicholas Guyatt's Providence and the Invention of the United States, 1607-1865.

About the book, from the publisher:

Nicholas Guyatt offers a completely new understanding of a central question in American history: how did Americans come to think that God favored the United States above other nations? Making sense of previously diffuse debates on manifest destiny, millenarianism, and American mission, Providence and the Invention of the United States explains the origins and development of the idea that God has a special plan for America. The benefits and costs of this idea deserve careful consideration.

Among the early praise for Providence and the Invention of the United States:

"In a work of admirable scope and learning, Nicolas Guyatt explores the transatlantic roots and multiple expressions of Americans’ understanding of God’s role in national life. He convincingly shows that providential ideas not only validated political goals but helped shape them, closing off some paths of development just as they opened others. Providence and the Invention of the United States is a superb contribution to our understanding of how American contested their national destiny from before the Revolution to the era of the Civil War."
--Richard Carwardine, St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford

"Historians have long noticed that providential thinking played an important role in forging an American identity. Nicholas Guyatt does not dispute this notion but he complicates it. He shows that the idea of national providence, rooted in England but appropriated by American colonials after passage of the Stamp Act, became both a national consensus and a metaphor that served different political and sectional interests. Guyatt’s book is intellectual history at its best."
--R. Laurence Moore, Cornell University

"Nicholas Guyatt's study of providential reasoning is both well researched and capably argued. It goes much further than other scholars, including myself, have done to show how important the idea of providence was for almost everyone in the English-speaking world during the early modern period. But it also demonstrates convincingly that providence meant different things to different people at different times. This is a very good book."
--Mark Noll, University of Notre Dame

"With learning and concision, Nicholas Guyatt has elegantly historicized the amorphous traditions of American providentialism, that regrettably powerful habit of cultural hyperbole, by which Americans have located themselves in God's order. He is especially cogent in showing with what passionate disagreement Americans have imagined that order, which turns out to have been rather disorderly."
--Michael O'Brien, University of Cambridge

Read an excerpt from Providence and the Invention of the United States and learn more about the book at the Cambridge University Press website.

Nicholas Guyatt is an Assistant Professor of History at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. He has another new book coming out soon: Have a Nice Doomsday: Apocalyptic Christianity and American Politics.

The Page 99 Test: Providence and the Invention of the United States, 1607-1865.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five best: literary depictions of religion and politics

Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon selected a five best "literary works [which] excel in their depiction of religion and politics" list for Opinion Journal.

One title on her list:

Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz

Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) draws one so deeply into the sights, sounds, smells and turmoil of a city in the throes of modernization that one is almost disoriented on emerging from its pages. "Sugar Street" is the last and most political novel in the 1988 Nobel Prize winner's "Cairo Trilogy," a saga that follows the members of a large Muslim family from the Egyptian struggle against British occupation to the political upheavals that led to the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952. Each of the patriarch's five children reacts differently to the crumbling of traditional society: One brother plunges more deeply into Islam, another withdraws into secular philosophy, while another embraces militant Marxism. The two daughters cannot imagine living the cloistered existence that their mother endured, but in the late 1940s they find no clear alternatives. In this portrayal of a postcolonial society where traditional religion is deteriorating and nationalism is on the rise, one glimpses the tangled roots of tragedies that were to come.

Read more about Glendon's list.

--Marshal Zeringue

What is Jordan Ellenberg reading?

The current featured contributor to Writers Read: Jordan Ellenberg, math professor and novelist.

Among the books he mentions:

• One Jump Ahead, by Jonathan Schaeffer, a sort of biography of Schaeffer's computer program Chinook, the checkers champion of the world. A great read if you've ever tried to write a complicated computer program (but maybe not so much, if you haven't.)
• Murmur, a short book about R.E.M.'s first album, by J. Niimi.
• Big Trouble, by J. Anthony Lukas, a giant book which starts out with an ex-governor of Idaho being blown to pieces by a bomb at his own front door, and which spirals out into a history of the vicious battles between labor and capital at the turn of the 20th century, and maybe more -- I don't know, not having finished it.

There is much more of interest at Ellenberg's entry, so please read on.

Jordan Ellenberg is a math professor at the University of Wisconsin and the author of The Grasshopper King, a novel.

He also writes an occasional column called "Do the Math" for the on-line magazine Slate, and has written for The Believer, the Washington Post, and SEED.

His recent columns in Slate explained how "The New York Times slip[ped] up on sexual math" and why "Roger Clemens might be worth every penny" the Yankees are paying him.

Writers Read: Jordan Ellenberg.

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 69: Stephen Mihm's "A Nation of Counterfeiters"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Stephen Mihm's A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States.

About the book, from the publisher:

Few of us question the slips of green paper that come and go in our purses, pockets, and wallets. Yet confidence in the money supply is a recent phenomenon: prior to the Civil War, the United States did not have a single, national currency. Instead, countless banks issued paper money in a bewildering variety of denominations and designs -- more than ten thousand different kinds by 1860. Counterfeiters flourished amid this anarchy, putting vast quantities of bogus bills into circulation.

Their success, Stephen Mihm reveals, is more than an entertaining tale of criminal enterprise: it is the story of the rise of a country defined by a freewheeling brand of capitalism over which the federal government exercised little control. It was an era when responsibility for the country's currency remained in the hands of capitalists for whom "making money" was as much a literal as a figurative undertaking.

Mihm's witty tale brims with colorful characters: shady bankers, corrupt cops, charismatic criminals, and brilliant engravers. Based on prodigious research, it ranges far and wide, from New York City's criminal underworld to the gold fields of California and the battlefields of the Civil War. We learn how the federal government issued greenbacks for the first time and began dismantling the older monetary system and the counterfeit economy it sustained.

A Nation of Counterfeiters is a trailblazing work of history, one that casts the country's capitalist roots in a startling new light. Readers will recognize the same get-rich-quick spirit that lives on in the speculative bubbles and confidence games of the twenty-first century.

Among the early praise for A Nation of Counterfeiters:

"Mihm vividly and entertainingly describes the muddled and often fraudulent economy of pre-greenback America: those freewheeling, pre–Civil War days when the federal government not only did not print paper money but likewise did not bother to regulate those regional banks that did."
--Publishers Weekly

"Mihm brings to teeming life a world most Americans never knew existed, a world in which every single purchase was inflected with an additional layer of anxiety about the very currency in which the purchase was to be transacted. Written with exceptional intelligence and bracing wit, A Nation of Counterfeiters is fresh, fascinating and altogether original."
--Michael Zuckerman, University of Pennsylvania

"A meticulous and imaginative reconstruction of an entire counterfeit economy that intersected and overlapped with the 'legitimate' economy. A Nation of Counterfeiters is marvelous and unusual history. There really is nothing like it in the literature."
--Bruce H. Mann, Harvard Law School

"Stephen Mihm's elegant study demonstrates that 'making money' once had a more literal meaning, when thousands of banks printed their own currency notes and numerous counterfeiters profitably imitated them. Mihm offers an absorbing and enlightening history of the complex relations between money, national stability, and the forging of American character."
--Richard Sylla, New York University

"With imaginative research and crystalline prose, Stephen Mihm casts unprecedented light on the confidence games at the heart of early American capitalism. He also introduces us to an irresistible cast of characters, whose brazen exploits provide a new frame for understanding nineteenth century economic debate. A Nation of Counterfeiters is a brilliant synthesis of business and cultural history. This is a book to take seriously."
--Jackson Lears, author of Something for Nothing: Luck in America

Read an excerpt from A Nation of Counterfeiters and learn more about the book at the Harvard University Press website.

Stephen Mihm is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Georgia. He is also the co-editor of Artificial Parts, Practical Lives: Modern Histories of Prosthetics (2002).

Listen to a recent interview with Mihm on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

The Page 69 Test: A Nation of Counterfeiters.

--Marshal Zeringue

Interview: Sanford Levinson

New at Author Interviews: Sanford Levinson, editor of Torture: A Collection and author of many books and articles, generously responded to a few of questions about his subject and his book.

Cary Federman, author of The Body and the State: Habeas Corpus and American Jurisprudence and a professor in the Department of Justice Studies at Montclair State University, researched and developed the questions.

One exchange from the interview:

Federman: The philosopher Michael Walzer says that government officials always operate with dirty hands. What is your position on rendition, that is, the policy of sending suspected terrorists to countries that will use torture, so that the United States keeps its hands clean?

Levinson: I think that rendition is a fundamentally dishonest and corrupting policy precisely inasmuch as it allows US officials to lie to the public and pretend that we're really not implicated in the reality of torture. And, of course, there is little doubt that the US has violated both national and international law in its use of "renditions," which has contributed to the contempt directed at the US around the world. [read on]

Read more about Torture: A Collection at the Oxford University Press website.

Sanford Levinson holds the W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law at the University of Texas Law School.

Earlier this year he applied the "Page 69 Test" to his most recent book, Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (and How We the People Can Correct It).

Author Interviews: Sanford Levinson

--Marshal Zeringue

Pg. 99: Philip J. Cook's "Paying the Tab"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Philip J. Cook's Paying the Tab: The Costs and Benefits of Alcohol Control.

About the book, from the publisher:

What drug provides Americans with the greatest pleasure and the greatest pain? The answer, hands down, is alcohol. The pain comes not only from drunk driving and lost lives but also addiction, family strife, crime, violence, poor health, and squandered human potential. Young and old, drinkers and abstainers alike, all are affected. Every American is paying for alcohol abuse.

Paying the Tab, the first comprehensive analysis of this complex policy issue, calls for broadening our approach to curbing destructive drinking. Over the last few decades, efforts to reduce the societal costs -- curbing youth drinking and cracking down on drunk driving -- have been somewhat effective, but woefully incomplete. In fact, American policymakers have ignored the influence of the supply side of the equation. Beer and liquor are far cheaper and more readily available today than in the 1950s and 1960s.

Philip Cook's well-researched and engaging account chronicles the history of our attempts to "legislate morality," the overlooked lessons from Prohibition, and the rise of Alcoholics Anonymous. He provides a thorough account of the scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last twenty-five years of economic and public-health research, which demonstrates that higher alcohol excise taxes and other supply restrictions are effective and underutilized policy tools that can cut abuse while preserving the pleasures of moderate consumption. Paying the Tab makes a powerful case for a policy course correction. Alcohol is too cheap, and it's costing all of us.

Among the praise for Paying the Tab:

"There is a vast literature on the illicit drugs, a large literature on nicotine, and nothing up-to-date and authoritative on the second most deadly, and arguably the most damaging, alcohol. Phil Cook, with a modesty and understatement that inspire trust, explores the options for reducing the harms, allowing the benefits, and respecting personal liberty. This is a masterly combination of analysis and evidence. It is also beautifully written."
--Thomas C. Schelling, Nobel Prize-winning economist

"The war on tobacco was won: the harms were recognized and measures taken to reduce them. In this compelling book, Philip Cook shows that the war on alcohol, too, can be won if policymakers act on the overwhelming and converging evidence that simple measures can reduce the short-term and long-term harms caused by drinking. He brings order to a highly complicated set of causal issues by telling us what may be true, what is probably true, and what is indisputably true; and he shows how large gains can be made simply by taking account of the last set of facts."
--Jon Elster, Columbia University

"This book contains the most thorough and penetrating analysis of alcohol-control policy to date. It is certain to become a landmark in the fields of health, economic, and public policy. It is a tour de force of virtually every aspect required to formulate sound policy in this crucial area. Bravo!"
--Michael Grossman, City University of New York Graduate Center

Read Chapter One from Paying the Tab and learn more about the book at the Princeton University Press website.

Philip J. Cook is professor of public policy and economics at Duke University and former director of the university's Sanford Institute of Public Policy. His books include Gun Violence, The Winner-Take-All Society, and Selling Hope.

The Page 99 Test: Paying the Tab.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The 100 Greatest Adventure Books"

January Magazine editor Linda L. Richards has posted an entry about National Geographic's 2001 list of “The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time.”

The list is worth perusing if travel writing (or lists) is your thing, but I think I would begin my actual reading list with Richards' selection of worthy books that didn't make National Geographic's top 100:

While the list makes fascinating reading, and while it's difficult to disagree with many of these choices, there are a few notable absences. I was surprised, for instance, that something by Paul Theroux didn’t make the cut, especially his very important The Great Railway Bazaar from 1975. Another few surprising no shows: Colin Thurbron’s Behind the Wall from 1987, Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island (1995) and, even though it’s very, very recent and, arguably, more about food than travel (though when is food not an important part of that thought?) Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour from 2001. [read on]

--Marshal Zeringue