January 2017, Issue #213

In the nineteen years that Technical Theater for Nontechnical People has been around, nothing has gotten less complicated. Machines have not gotten simpler. Options have not decreased. The influx of digital gear has not reduced the workload, eliminated jobs, or simplified lives. Rather, the massive increase in technology has done the same thing for the theater that it did for the film industry, the corporate office, the Mexican vacation, and the dinner date. It has allowed people to do more in the same amount of time.

And yet, the important things haven't changed. There are still people who want to be technicians and people who don't. There are still people who want to see a show and be entertained. And theater people, technical and otherwise, still show up at the stage door for the same reason they always did – to tell that audience a story.

If, however, readers want to act, dance, sing, direct, produce, manage, preach, model, compete, run a meeting, give an award, sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ make a dove disappear, or stand on any stage, anywhere, for any reason at all, then Technical Theater for Nontechnical People is for them.

Technical Theater for Nontechnical People helps actors, directors, stage managers, producers, and event planners understand every aspect of technical theater – from scenery, lighting, and sound to props, costumes, and stage management. In this thoroughly revised edition, the popular guide embraces the digital age with new content about digital audio, intelligent lighting, LED lighting, video projection, and show control systems, explained in the same approachable style that has kept this book in the pockets of industry professionals for many years. A new chapter on sound design has also been added, and every chapter has been updated with more information about the basics of theater technology, including draperies, lighting instruments, microphones, and costume sketches.

Technical Theater for Nontechnical People explains:

Who’s who on a theatrical production team.
What is needed to know about technical theater and why.
What to look for when choosing a space for a show.
How to communicate with lighting, scenery, audio, and costume designers.
How to stage manage an effective show or presentation.

Author Drew Campbell has been in the technical side of the entertainment business for more than twenty years, as a stage technician, designer, film lighting technician, videographer, editor, director, and teacher. Campbell says he wrote the original version of Technical Theater for Nontechnical People for people who want to know how things worked backstage without getting into the gritty details, the ones who want to use computers, not program them. These people don't really want to hang lights or build platforms. They just want to talk to lighting designers and survive tech rehearsal. The original title of the book, in fact, was Backstage Survival.

With hundreds of production/design/technical credits behind him, Campbell has written what will certainly become a standard introductory text on technical theater. Everyone involved with theater should have access to this most welcome text. – Library Journal

An excellent handbook for the beginner and occasional technician, or indeed for the professional regularly working with the less experienced. – Stagetechbooks.com

Covering both traditional and digitally supported backstage environments, Technical Theater for Nontechnical People is an essential guide for working with every technical aspect of theater.
Audio / Literature & Fiction / Science Fiction & Fantasy

The Kolchak Collection comprises novels by three different authors: Jeff Rice, Joe Gentile, & C. J. Henderson.

1. The Kolchak Papers: The Original Novels by Jeff Rice – The 1972 Jeff Rice's novel The Night Stalker introduced Carl Kolchak to the world. This spine-tingling novel of supernatural terror became an instant bestseller and served as the basis for the film of the same name. After The Night Stalker became one of the highest rated television movies of all time, a sequel, The Night Strangler, was released the following year to great acclaim. After more than three decades out of print, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler are together in one volume.
Rice is best known as the author of The Kolchak Papers, which was still unpublished when it was optioned for television and adapted for a TV audience as The Night Stalker. It subsequently had a brief print run when the Kolchak: The Night Stalker TV series grew in popularity.
2. Cry of Thunder: Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker by Joe Gentile – Two of the most unique investigators of all time try to untangle the same mystery one hundred years apart from each other. Set in the lawless Wild West, the hidden world of Victorian London, and the present-day hell of Hollywood, Cry of Thunder: Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker follows Holmes' trail of a man who was wrongfully – and willingly – imprisoned; a shocking New World Order anarchy; a beautiful woman who needs Kolchak to delve into the surreal past; and the shunned man who holds the key.
Gentile is an American author, editor, and founder of Moonstone Books, a publishing house in Chicago. He is also a comic book writer and author.
3. Kolchak and the Lost World by C. J. Henderson – After convincing a serial killer to confess, newspaper reporter Kolchak is offered an international assignment with massive coverage around the world. With fame and fortune finally within reach, he's ready to cover the story – until he's confronted by a mysterious monk who warns him that ''the seventy-two must always be.'' What this means is not explained. But before he knows it, Kolchak's dreams are invaded by inexplicable images warning him that every step he takes toward the big story is bringing him closer to death.

Henderson is an award-winning writer of crime fiction and comic books. His best-known works are the Jack Hagee detective series and the supernatural Teddy London series. Business & Economics / Management & Leadership

Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, & Annie McKee (Harvard Business Review Press)

Primal Leadership is a New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Globe and Mail, Boston Globe, and Booklist bestseller. It is the book that established ‘emotional intelligence’ in the business lexicon – and made it a necessary skill for leaders.
Managers and professionals across the globe have embraced Primal Leadership, affirming the importance of emotionally intelligent leadership. Its influence has also reached well beyond the business world: the book and its ideas are used routinely in universities, business and medical schools, and professional training programs, and by a legion of professional coaches.
This refreshed edition of Primal Leadership, with a new preface by the authors, illustrates the power – and the necessity – of leadership that is self-aware, empathic, motivating, and collaborative in a world that is ever more economically volatile and technologically complex.
Authors are Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee. Goleman is an internationally known psychologist and author of the bestselling Emotional Intelligence. Boyatzis is Distinguished University Professor at Case Western Reserve University, and an expert in the field of emotional intelligence. McKee is a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and adviser to leaders around the globe.

The fundamental task of leaders, the authors argue in Primal Leadership, is to prime good feeling in those they lead. That occurs when a leader creates resonance – a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people. At its root, then, the primal job of leadership is emotional.

This primal dimension of leadership, though often invisible or ignored entirely, determines whether everything else a leader does will work as well as it could. And this is why emotional intelligence – being intelligent about emotions – matters so much for leadership success: Primal leadership demands we bring emotional intelligence to bear. Primal Leadership shows readers not just why emotionally intelligent leadership drives resonance, and thus performance, but also how to realize its power – for the individual leader, in teams, and throughout entire organizations.

What would our lives look like if the organizations where we spent our working days were naturally places of resonance, with leaders who inspired us? In most parts of the developing world best practices for business have not yet formed. Imagine what an organization would be like if these concepts of resonant leadership were founding principles rather than – as is usually the case in highly developed settings – a corrective. Then from the start hiring would focus on recruiting those with the EI skills for leadership, as would promotions and development. Ongoing learning for these leadership skills would be part of everyday operations, and the entire organization would be a place where people flourished by working together.

And according to Primal Leadership, that also applies to marriages, families, children, schools and communities.

The fundamental task of leaders ... is to prime good feeling in those they lead. That occurs when a leader creates resonance a reservoir of positivity that unleashes the best in people. At its root, then, the primal job of leadership is emotional. So argue Goleman (Emotional Intelligence) and EI (emotional intelligence) experts Boyatzis and McKee…. Forecast: Goleman already has a legion of fans from his early books on EI. His publisher is banking on his fame; the house has planned a $250,000 campaign and a 100,000 first printing. – Publishers Weekly

The book is arranged in three sections, with the first section describing the characteristics of resonant and dissonant leadership as well as the four dimensions of EI, which are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. This section also describes the different types of leadership styles, such as visionary, coaching, and commanding. The second section outlines the steps one needs to take to become a more positive leader, and the third section discusses how to use these newfound skills to build a better organization. Real-life leadership stories are provided throughout. Recommended for public, corporate, and academic libraries. – Stacey Marien, American University, Washington, DC

Great leaders move us, ... ignite passion, and inspire the best in us – so the authors offer as the premise of this provocative book…. Drawing on their own field observations as well as research into brain functioning and chemistry, the authors demonstrate the connection between emotional intelligence and leadership. Leaders, in their estimation, can and must drive their organizations by using positive emotions.… Well-written, intelligent, approachable, and stimulating business books have a way of sneaking onto best-seller lists. This one just might do exactly that. – Brad Hooper, Booklist
Primal Leadership reassesses what makes a great leader. – TIME Invigorating. – USA Today
Thoroughly action-oriented, it breaks down the qualities making up ‘primal’ – or resonant – leadership, discussing how to develop each one, with specific examples from various organizations. – T+D magazine (American Society for Training & Development)
[A] fascinating account of how emotions are at the heart of effective leadership. Filled with practical advice backed up by research, this book is a gem – smart reading for students and leaders alike. – David Gergen, Professor of Public Service and Director, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University
Sound and practical advice on leading effectively, based on science and business experience, from the leader in the field of emotional intelligence. – Martin Seligman, Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania

Even timelier now than when it was originally published, Primal Leadership is a groundbreaking book, which remains a must-read for anyone who leads or aspires to lead. The ideas and examples in the book create a resonance in many readers. Then they can lead others in discovering how people can use their collective talent to build effective and meaningful teams, organizations, and families.

Crafts & Hobbies / Woodworking

Joinery by the editors of Fine Woodworking (The Taunton Press)

All woodworkers worth their sawdust know that joinery – good, bad, or indifferent – tells the unvarnished truth – how well a piece is made and how skilled the maker is. As a result, joinery is always a hot, and sometimes controversial, topic because even the masters will agree that there is no one right way to do it.

Over the decades, no one has proven better at teaching readers how to make beautiful, enduring joinery than Fine Woodworking. Joinery is a comprehensive and practical book demystifying the all-important subject of choosing, designing, and cutting woodworking joints. It is packed with information and tricks of the trade that will advance the work of novices and seasoned craftsmen alike, because whatever readers’ skill levels, there is always room for improvement when it comes to joinery.

Every article is an in-depth look at how to execute any joint readers can imagine, from basic pocket holes to complicated mitered dovetails.

With Joinery readers learn to:

Lay out and cut accurate dovetails.
Fix common joinery mistakes.
Cut a mortise in minutes.
Create a versatile jig for miters.
Join curved parts with ease.
Build strong pocket-hole joints.

Learning all one needs to know about joinery, where and when each type is appropriate and how to cut it cleanly (by machine or hand), requires lots of training and practice. Readers would have to take a number of classes and read lots of articles and books to master each one. Joinery is the book to have if they want to learn to cut basic joinery or want to up their game with more advanced techniques. It is a collection of the best joinery articles Fine Woodworking magazine has published in recent years, all written by expert woodworkers, each of whom has years of experience in the shop.

Readers get tips on how to prevent glue squeeze-out, how to make joinery stronger, and how to fix common mistakes. They learn solid techniques for both hand- and machine-cut joints. All instructions come with step-by-step photos to ensure success.

Joinery is an invaluable addition to any woodworker's bookshelf. Readers learn everything they need to know about choosing, designing, and cutting woodworking joints so that they match the craftsmanship put into all other details of their projects – soon they will be building furniture like pros, and building it to last.

Children’s Books / Ages 9-12 / Grades 4 & up / Science / Biographies & Memoirs

Marie Curie for Kids: Her Life and Scientific Discoveries, with 21 Activities and Experiments (For Kids series) by Amy M. O'Quinn (Chicago Review Press)

Marie Curie was ahead of her time both scientifically and socially. Marie Curie for Kids offers an in-depth look at the life and accomplishments of this scientist who improved our understanding of radiation, aimed at kids nine and older.

The book was written by Amy M. O’Quinn, a former teacher and a freelance writer who has contributed to many educational publications. Citing myriad primary source materials, including Curie's letters and published works, O'Quinn presents the scientist's ideas in ways that kids will easily be able to understand.

Marie Curie, nicknamed ‘Manya’ by her family, reveled in reading, learning, and exploring nature as a girl growing up in her native Poland. Demonstrating an uncanny ability to concentrate and persevere, Manya overcame the premature deaths of her mother and sister and the limitations and humiliations of living under a repressive Russian regime to excel in school and discover her passion for scientific research. She went on to become one of the world’s most famous scientists. Curie’s revolutionary discoveries over several decades created the field of atomic physics, and Curie herself coined the word radioactivity. Thanks to her pioneering work studying radioactivity, she became the first woman to hold a full chair position at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person ever to win in two different fields – chemistry and physics.
Marie Curie for Kids introduces this legendary figure in all her complexity. Kids learn how Curie worked alongside her husband and scientific partner, Pierre, while also teaching and raising two daughters; how this intense scientist sometimes became so involved with her research that she forgot to eat or sleep, and how she struggled with health issues, refused to patent her discoveries (which would have made her very wealthy), and made valuable contributions during World War I.

The book's 21 hands-on activities and experiments will entertain kids while teaching them basic STEM concepts. The book is packed with historic photos, informative sidebars, a resource section, all of which illuminate Curie’s life and work. Kids can examine real World War I X-rays; make a model of the element carbon; and make traditional Polish pierogies. The book demonstrates how to build an atomic model, how to make a compass with magnets, and how to create soap clouds to understand Charles's Law.

And she carefully unpacks Curie's struggles as well, including her lifelong battle with depression, her many obstacles to success in academia at the turn of the 20th century as a woman from Poland, the sudden death of her husband at the age of 46, and her time spent teaching and raising her two children while carrying out her research.

An indispensable resource for budding scientific explorers, Marie Curie for Kids will help young readers understand just how impressive Curie’s work ethic was and how her scientific contributions have since touched fields as varied as oncology, carbon dating, and nuclear power. An engaging, informative read, Marie Curie for Kids will inspire its readers to explore the sciences on their own and educate them about the importance of equality and self-discipline.

Cooking, Food & Wine

It's All in the Timing: Plan, Cook, and Serve Great Meals with Confidence by Gail Monaghan (Surry Books, Agate)

People want to make healthy, satisfying food at home but are unable to fit yet another activity into already jam-packed schedules. Thus, keeping the goal of smooth, stress-free meal preparation front and center just as I do each time I teach a class, I've written It's All in the Timing to share the culinary credos and tips I've discovered over the years, along with my very best recipes. This is the book I wish I'd had way back when. It provides answers to my students' and my Wall Street Journal readers' most common questions and conveys information they complain they can't find anywhere else. – from the book

At the outset of her career, acclaimed food writer and cooking instructor Gail Monaghan says she graduated from culinary school knowing a multitude of professional techniques and boasting a vast repertoire of delicious recipes. But alone in her own kitchen, she realized that orchestrating ‘dinner for company’ wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Even for the most experienced home cooks, seamless meal preparation can be a chronological puzzle. The more elaborate the meal, the more difficult it is to serve each dish on time – and at the right temperature. Monaghan has spent years mastering the fine art of culinary timing, which she now shares with her cooking students.

Monaghan is a food writer, editor, and cooking teacher who lives and works in New York City. It's All in the Timing, Monaghan's guide to smooth, stress-free home entertaining, enables readers to learn her secrets of prep and process and use them in their own kitchens.
Like all classic cookbooks, It's All in the Timing teaches readers the how-tos of its recipes. Uniquely, it also shares the when-tos by organizing the recipes into more than 20 well-crafted menus. Culled from Monaghan's more than 30 years of home entertaining and culinary instruction, this book demystifies the preparation of each menu, treating the entire meal as an extended recipe.

It's All in the Timing runs the gamut from basic eating to elaborate entertaining. Within these pages, readers find menus for short-order meals; her cooking students' all-time favorites; brunches, lunches, and picnics; serious dinner parties; and holiday feasts. Each menu is composed of user-friendly, well-crafted recipes, including the most popular dishes from her classes and Wall Street Journal articles. All pack in maximum flavor and pizzazz with minimal effort. This is not restaurant cooking but rather tasty, stylish food that anyone can easily prepare at home.

Chapter 6, the Assets chapter, contains many of these life-saving must-have and useful-to-have recipes. In addition there are instructions for complete dishes that can be made weeks or months in advance and kept frozen. Stocking the pantry, fridge, and freezer with basics provides yet another level of control and confidence in the kitchen.

In addition to the recipes, each menu includes an Order of Preparation chart that provides a timeline for the entire meal. All of the meal's steps are listed in the chart, with icons indicating how far in advance of the start of the meal to complete them. To help readers stay on track, these same icons are also included in the full recipes. Other tips, tricks, and ideas are highlighted throughout It's All in the Timing, and readers can take advantage of all of them with the goal of making their hours in the kitchen as relaxing as possible.

This book teaches you self-assurance and the importance of navigating your way through recipes with a relaxed approach. The recipes are true joy: simple, fun, and delicious! – Mario Batali, award-winning chef and author of Mario Batali – Big American Cookbook
Creating a menu so that each dish follows in an orderly manner is one of the trickiest and most crucial parts of hosting a successful dinner party. Gail Monaghan’s It's All in the Timing tells you her secrets to achieving such a goal. Useful, pragmatic, varied, and well organized, it will boost your confidence and secure your success in the kitchen. – Jacques Pépin, renowned chef, cookbook author, and PBS cooking show host
Gail conjures the elegance and ease of the greatest hostesses, but her true talent lies in teaching all of us how to capture a bit of her culinary magic. – Daphne Oz, New York Times bestselling author and co-host of ABC's The Chew
Turn yourself into a brilliant at-the-last-minute cook with one wonderful meal after another. – Jeremiah Tower, James Beard Award–winning chef and cookbook author
It's All in the Timing is like having Gail herself whispering over your shoulder: 'Don’t panic!' It's a must have in any kitchen. – Peter Elliot, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg Reserve / DINE
Finally, a cookbook that strikes the right balance of good taste and practicality. Gail Monaghan pours her heart and talent into this collection of recipes for everyday and special occasions, organizing your time for you. It's one of those tomes that make you a better, more confident cook. – Andrew Friedman, bestselling cookbook author and food writer

This step-by-step guide to serving flawless, flavorful meals at home provides readers with the invaluable insights and hard-earned wisdom Monaghan has offered her culinary students for more than 15 years. With more than 130 recipes, 21 well-crafted menus, and countless tips from Monaghan's deep knowledge bank, It's All in the Timing is required reading for ambitious home cooks everywhere. By demystifying meal-making, the book dispels the overwhelming intimidation so often felt when entering the kitchen.

Fashion & Design / Business & Economics / Biographies & Memoirs

American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business by Tommy Hilfiger, with Peter Knobler (Ballantine Books)

American Dreamer is a tale of grit and glamour, setbacks and comebacks in which business and pop culture icon Tommy Hilfiger shares his extraordinary life story.
Few designers have stayed on top of changing trends the way Hilfiger has, and few have left such an indelible mark on global culture. Since designing his first collection of ‘classics with a twist’ three decades ago, Hilfiger has been synonymous with all-American style – but his destiny wasn’t always so clear. Growing up the second of nine children in a working-class family in Elmira, New York, Tommy suffered from dyslexia, flunked sophomore year of high school, and found himself constantly at odds with his father. Nevertheless, this self-described dreamer had a vision and the relentless will to make it a reality. At eighteen he opened his own clothing store, parlaying his uncanny instinct for style into a budding career as a fashion designer. Through decades of triumph and turmoil, Hilfiger in American Dreamer says he remained doggedly optimistic.
Hilfiger is known for classic style that melds pop culture and the preppy East Coast lifestyle. Hilfiger launched his namesake fashion label in 1985, and the brand quickly expanded to include womenswear, Hilfiger Denim, kidswear, accessories, fragrance, and homeware. In the 1990s, he was one of the first designers to blend fashion and celebrity, sponsoring tours for rock legends such as the Rolling Stones and featuring musicians such as Lenny Kravitz and Beyoncé in his iconic advertising campaigns. In 2012, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored him with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

American Dreamer brims with anecdotes that cover Tommy’s years as a club kid and scrappy entrepreneur in 1970s New York as well as unique insights into the exclusive A-list personalities with whom he’s collaborated and interacted, from Mick Jagger and David Bowie to Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. But the book is more than a fashion icon’s memoir – it is a road map for building a brand, both professionally and personally. Hilfiger takes readers behind the scenes of every decision – and every mistake – he has ever made, offering advice on leadership, business, team-building, and creativity.

A unique look into the fashion world ... an honest, straightforward, mostly entertaining autobiography of the man who created a classic yet hip line of clothing. – Kirkus Reviews
Fashionistas and business gurus alike will glean important lessons from Hilfiger’s rags-to-riches rag-trade story. – Booklist

Tommy burst onto the fashion scene at the height of hip-hop and was instantly taken up by rappers and rockers alike. Since then, year after year he has been ahead of the curve with his elegant and stylish looks. His creative energy has always been an inspiration to me. He’s really himself in American Dreamer. – Mick Jagger
In American Dreamer Tommy shows how he has taken the (rock) stars and the (preppy) stripes and come up with a look – and a label – that are recognized globally as being quintessentially American, as well as a brand that constantly keeps time with pop music. – Anna Wintour
Tommy is an inspiration to many people. American Dreamer shows how he has managed to be successful in business and done so with integrity. – David Beckham
Tommy is one of the most genuine people I know! In American Dreamer you can feel his passion pour through everything he does: fashion, fatherhood, family, and friendship! – Alicia Keys
Tommy Hilfiger is an American icon who was able to transcend fashion and blend it with pop culture and take it to a worldwide audience. American Dreamer documents how, unlike any other designer, Tommy was able to tap into music, its subculture, and its influence on society. – Tommy Mottola

American Dreamer is the story of a true American original, told for the first time in his own words, with honesty, humor, and the insatiable appetite for life and style.

History / Military

Seven Days of Infamy: Pearl Harbor Across the World by Nicholas Best (Thomas Dunne Books)

December 7, 1941.

From Ronald Reagan in Hollywood to Mahatma Gandhi in India, people all over the world remembered exactly where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt when they heard the news of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, and James Cagney were in Hollywood. Kurt Vonnegut was in the bath, and Dwight D. Eisenhower was napping. Kirk Douglas was a waiter in New York, getting nowhere with Lauren Bacall. Ed Murrow was preparing for a round of golf in Washington. In Seven Days of Infamy, historian Nicholas Best uses individual perspectives to relate the story of Japan’s momentous attack on Pearl Harbor and its global repercussions in tense, dramatic style.

Best grew up in Kenya, served in the Grenadier Guards, and worked as a journalist before becoming a full-time author.

Publishing just in time for the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Seven Days of Infamy provides unique insight into the attack itself as well as people's reactions in the days that followed. As American television's first breaking news story, Pearl Harbor marked the first occasion Americans and the rest of the world were able to learn of such a development in nearly real-time, as the United States was dragged into World War II.

Best asks: Another book about Pearl Harbor? Why?

Several reasons, chief of which is that only a bit of it is about Japan's attack on Hawaii. Best says the real aim in Seven Days of Infamy is to examine the three days leading up to the attack and then look at the extraordinary aftermath – the impact it had not only on the United States but also on a variety of widely different countries across the globe.

In Europe, Churchill and Hitler were both delighted when they were told about Pearl Harbor late in the evening. Anthony Eden was on his way to Russia, and Eamon de Valera was preparing for bed. Thousands of Jews were being herded to their deaths in Latvia and Poland. Menachem Begin was wandering through Soviet Central Asia, seeking an escape route to Palestine.

In the Far East, Lady Diana Cooper was fast asleep in Singapore. Jawaharlal Nehru had just been released from prison in India. Ho Chi Minh was in the jungle, and Mao Tse-tung was in his three-room cave at Communist Party headquarters in China.

Wherever they were in the world, millions of people stopped what they were doing to absorb the news and ponder the implications of Japan's sudden assault on the industrial might of the United States. For better or worse, the event had consequences for a vast swath of people. Best in Seven Days of Infamy gathers some of the more interesting stories to give an account of Pearl Harbor as seen through the eyes of mostly famous characters not usually associated with the attack. As for the attack itself, he interviews some survivors and comes up with several eyewitness accounts – three of them British – not hitherto seen in print.

A brisk, suspenseful World War II narrative from a proven storyteller. – Kirkus Reviews

Offering a fascinating human look at an event that would forever alter the global landscape, Seven Days of Infamy chronicles one of the most extraordinary weeks in world history. Not just for military history buffs, the book offers dramatic and personal perspectives on Pearl Harbor, with stories from international icons, celebrities, and leaders whose presence endures to this day.

Law / Policy / Current Events / International

The Drone Memos: Targeted Killing, Secrecy, and the Law edited and introduced by Jameel Jaffer (The New Press)

Over just a short period in early 2016, the United States deployed remotely piloted aircraft to carry out deadly attacks in six countries across Central and South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it announced that it had expanded its capacity to carry out attacks in a seventh. And yet with the possible exception of the strike in Somalia, which garnered news coverage because of the extraordinary death toll, the drone attacks did not seem to spark controversy or reflection. As the 2016 presidential primaries were getting under way, sporadic and sketchy reports of strikes in remote regions of the world provided a kind of background noise – a drone in a different sense of the word – to which Americans had become inured. Questions about the morality, wisdom, and lawfulness of the drone program had receded, though they had not been answered.

In The Drone Memos Jameel Jaffer collects for the first time the legal and policy documents underlying the U.S. government’s deeply controversial practice of ‘targeted killing’ – the extrajudicial killing of suspected terrorists and militants, typically using remotely piloted aircraft or ‘drones.’

The documents – including the Presidential Policy Guidance that provides the framework for drone strikes today, Justice Department white papers addressing the assassination of an American citizen, and a highly classified legal memo that was published only after a landmark legal battle involving the ACLU, the New York Times, and the CIA – together constitute a remarkable effort to legitimize a practice that most human rights experts consider to be unlawful and that the United States has historically condemned.
In the introduction to The Drone Memos, Jaffer, who led the ACLU legal team that secured the release of many of the documents, evaluates the ‘drone memos’ in light of domestic and international law. Jaffer, a deputy legal director of the ACLU, connects the documents’ legal abstractions to the real-world violence they allow, and makes the case that we are trading core principles of democracy and human rights for the illusion of security.

The Drone Memos is an effort to bring crucial questions about the morality, wisdom and lawfulness of the drone program to the fore once again. The documents collected in the volume supply much of what is known about the legal and policy framework for the U.S. government's practice of ‘targeted killing’ – the killing of suspected terrorists and militants, typically using armed drones, often away from conventional battlefields – and collectively they set out the rules that govern drone strikes carried out by the United States today. The legal memos, white papers, and speeches presented in The Drone Memos are also a record of official decisions that remain deeply unsettling to many people around the world, including to many Americans. A reflection of a deep transformation in American attitudes, the documents are a measure of the extent to which the perceived demands of counterterrorism are erasing rule-of-law strictures that were taken for granted only a generation ago.

A careful study of a secretive counterterrorism infrastructure capable of sustaining endless, orderless war, this book is profoundly necessary. – Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher, The Nation

The collection should interest those concerned with the conduct of modern warfare, fought in the courtroom as well as on the battlefield. – Kirkus Reviews
Democracies may be more fragile than we care to admit, existing perhaps one election from tyranny. At a time in history when those words blink red in the mind, this investigation shows the dangers of investing government with the power to kill suspected enemies in secret. Jaffer and his team perform a lasting public service by exposing the ‘targeted killing’ policies, and Jaffer’s introductory essay is a much-needed corrective to the linguistic manipulation and official obfuscation that have made these policies possible. – Edward J. Snowden
Few programs are more controversial than America’s use of killer drones. Whether for or against drones, every citizen should read the previously secret documents contained in this book, and thank the public-spirited lawyers who made them public. – Jane Mayer
An invaluable contribution to the literature on drone strikes. The documents, and Jaffer’s contextualization of them, provide a crucial glimpse into one of the United States government’s most shadowy, problematic and controversial programs. – Farea al-Muslimi, chairman, Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies
This important book shows how the Obama administration embraced the legal underpinnings of the ‘global war on terror’ – as well as its secrecy, lethality, and lack of meaningful constraint. Jaffer’s astute commentary critiques U.S. drone policy as unlawful and potentially counterproductive. With a new administration soon to take office, the questions he raises are increasingly urgent. – Joanne Mariner, senior crisis response adviser, Amnesty International
This is a compelling expose of the sophisticated and concerted efforts by Obama Administration officials to thoroughly subvert the international rule of law in the pursuit of minor short-term military gains and at the expense of American credibility. – Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, 2004–2010
Armed drones have given the United States the power to kill individuals anywhere, even far from conventional battlefields, but the United States has failed to articulate clear limits on their use – let alone subscribe to the limits imposed by international law. As Jaffer’s book makes clear, that failure has grave implications as the technology of killer drones inevitably spreads to other countries. – Ken Roth, executive director, Human Rights Watch

The Drone Memos is a lucid and provocative account exposing these secret and extrajudicial killings and asking the crucial questions once again, an invaluable contribution.

Literature & Fiction / Russian / Poetry / Novels / Anthologies / Translations

Novels, Tales, Journeys: The Complete Prose of Alexander Pushkin – Deckle Edge by Alexander Pushkin, translated from the Russian by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky (Alfred A. Knopf)

Knopf is publishing Novels, Tales, Journeys: The Complete Prose of Alexander Pushkin – the most acclaimed Russian writer of the Romantic era and one of the world's great storytellers – in a new translation by the legendary and award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Novels, Tales, Journeys is the complete prose narratives of the most acclaimed Russian writer of the Romantic era and one of the world's greatest storytellers.
Pushkin (1799-1837) was a poet, playwright, and novelist who achieved literary prominence before he was twenty. His radical politics led to government censorship and periods of banishment from the capital, but he eventually married a popular society beauty and became a regular part of court life. The Father of Russian literature, Pushkin is beloved not only for his poetry but also for his brilliant stories. These range from dramatic tales of love, obsession, and betrayal to dark fables and sparkling comic masterpieces, from satirical epistolary tales and romantic adventures in the manner of Sir Walter Scott to imaginative historical fiction and the haunting dream world of "The Queen of Spades." The five short stories of The Late Tales of Van Petrovich Belkin are lightly humorous and yet reveal astonishing human depths, and his short novel, The Captain's Daughter, has been called the most perfect book in Russian literature.

Regarding Novels, Tales, Journeys:

There is no other Pushkin collection as complete as this, in a modem translation.
Pevear and Volokhonsky are in a class of their own: winners of the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize; anointed by Oprah, who made their Anna Karenina a million‑copy seller; clear victors among the competing War and Peace translators. Their Vintage translations exceed 1.3 million copies in print.
Because Pushkin's verse novel Eugene Onegin famously defies translation, the best way for a non-Russian speaker to appreciate his greatness is through his prose fiction, collected in full in Novels, Tales, Journeys.
It includes more of his inventive and colorful short sketches than other collections, along with a dazzling nonfiction account of his wartime visit to the front in the Russo-Turkish war, Journey to Arzrum, written during his period of exile.

Universally acknowledged as Russia's greatest poet, Pushkin was remarkably versatile in his talents, with the rich and prolific creative powers of a Mozart or a Shakespeare. He led an adventurous life: born into a noble family, a great-grandson of an African page who served at the court of Peter the Great, he was exiled from court more than once and fought in dozens of duels; in the last – against an alleged lover of his famously beautiful wife – he was killed at the age of thirty-seven.

The premier Russian-to-English translators of the era. – David Remnick, The New Yorker

The reinventors of the classic Russian novel for our times. – PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize citation

Pushkin (1799-1837), arguably Russia's greatest poet, finds worthy translators in Pevear and Volokhonsky, who have compiled an indispensable edition of the master's complete prose. Pushkin's great ambition, keen curiosity, and comprehensive range are all in evidence here… Pushkin the storyteller is witty and compassionate, panoramic and precise. Although he's best known in the States for poetry, in this thoughtfully annotated, syntactically loyal edition, readers will discover another facet of a prodigious talent. – Publishers Weekly

Superb gathering of writings by the short-lived author Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), best known as a poet – but, argues translator Pevear, also ‘the true originator of Russian prose.’… [A]ll the universal emotions and realities are in play, from jealousy to greed and overweening ambition, and Pevear and his longtime partner Volokhonsky render Pushkin's words in an easy, conversational tone that is very far from the fustiness of the Constance Garnett renderings of old. The completed pieces are masterful, but the fragments are tantalizing; one wonders what Pushkin would have done had he lived to complete the piece that begins, "My fate is decided. I am getting married...." A long overdue collection that speaks truly and well to Pushkin's brilliance as a prose stylist as well as observer of the world. – Kirkus Reviews

By turns daringly dramatic and sparklingly comic, written in the exquisite cadences of a master, Novels, Tales, Journeys captures the essence of nineteenth-century Russia – and gives readers, in one comprehensive volume, the work with which Pushkin laid the foundations of his country's great prose tradition. With its informative introduction and useful notes, Novels, Tales, Journeys will become the standard edition.

Literature & Fiction / Science Fiction & Fantasy

Illicit: A Novel of the Sazi – Paperback – by Cathy Clamp (Luna Lake Series: Tor Books)

Illicit: A Novel of the Sazi – Hardcover – by Cathy Clamp (Luna Lake Series: Tor Books)

Cathy Clamp is the USA Today bestselling author of Forbidden, the first book in the Luna Lake series, and Illicit is her 2^nd novel in the series, She is co-author of Hunter's Moon, the USA Today bestseller that begins the Sazi series. Clamp is also co-author of the first six Blood Singer novels, published under the name ‘Cat Adams.’

In Clamp's Illicit, when a border dispute between two bear clans destabilizes shapeshifter relations throughout Europe and threatens to reveal their existence to humans, the Sazi High Council orders both sides to the negotiation table. The peace talks take place in Luna Lake, the American community created so that all shifter species – wolf, cat, bird, bear, and more – could live in harmony.

Founded a decade ago, Luna Lake is only beginning to achieve that goal – and that depends on to whom one talks. Rachel Washington, who was kidnapped off the streets of Detroit and forcibly turned into an owl shifter, feels that unity is a long way off. She is more than ready to shake the town's dust off her wings and make her way in the wider world.

The arrival of the bear clans and the negotiation team puts her plans on hold, potentially permanently. She is stunned to recognize one of the Wolven agents protecting the peace talks as an old childhood friend, Dalvin.

In Illicit Dalvin is also startled to find Rachel in Luna Lake. The last time he saw her, they were children in Detroit. Then she was kidnapped and, he thought, murdered. But Rachel became an owl-shifter as a result of the attack and has avoided family and old friends ever since, knowing they would not understand her. She's stunned to find out that Dalvin too, is an owl-shifter.

Their wary friendship is on the brink of becoming something more when conspiracy and betrayal cause the peace talks to break down. The fight between the bear clans will be settled through a form of traditional challenge – a risky tactic that might lead to full-blown war. Rachel is determined to prevent that, even if it means taking up the challenge herself!

For years Rachel has been the lowest-ranking member of the community, tasked with unending, demeaning labor and both physically and emotionally abused. Now in Illicit she might be the key to creating lasting peace between feuding Sazi clans ... and to uncovering an ongoing evil the Council thought long dead and buried.

Assuming she can learn to fly.

Outdoors & Nature / Environment

Protecting the Planet: Environmental Champions from Conservation to Climate Change by Budd Titlow & Mariah Tinger (Prometheus Books)

Climate change is often associated with predictions of dire calamities. But in the past, heroic individuals have stepped forward to meet even the most ominous ecological challenges. Protecting the Planet tells an inspirational story – a story both of pioneering environmentalists who raised our collective consciousness regarding nature's value and heroes of today who are working to secure a sustainable future.
The authors are Budd Titlow and Mariah Tinger. Titlow is a professional wetland scientist and wildlife biologist, as well as an international and national award-winning nature photographer and widely published writer. He is currently teaching ecology, environmental science, birding, and photography courses at Florida State University and the Tallahassee Senior Center and is president-elect of the Apalachee Audubon Society. Tinger has more than twelve years of experience leading individuals and teams in environmental stewardship and education. She has worked in both corporate and nonprofit settings, including several years in Yosemite National Park, then as a senior environmental program coordinator for Genzyme Corporation and is currently a teaching fellow for sustainability and environmental management courses at Harvard University.

Titlow and Tinger begin Protecting the Planet with the mounting evidence for climate change as seen in rising carbon dioxide levels, higher global temperatures, melting ice sheets, and sea level rise. They then review the history of the US environmental movement, focusing on the key people who changed our understanding of the human impact on our natural surroundings. These include John James Audubon, Henry David Thoreau, John Burroughs, Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Bob Marshall, Roger Tory Peterson, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, David Brower, Barry Commoner, and Donella Meadows.
Turning to the present, the authors recount the activities of people currently pursuing remedies for climate change – scientists, researchers, activists, artists, and celebrities. Much of this information is based on recent personal interviews. Titlow and Tinger conclude Protecting the Planet with a set of actionable strategies, demonstrating that there are good reasons to hope that we can achieve a sustainable lifestyle, protect our planet as our home, and ensure the future for our children.

Protecting the Planet is THE book to read to understand every aspect of climate change, from the politics to the science to the movement. – Thom Hartmann, author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight
Protecting the Planet is not only an explanation of climate change, its beginning, and its impact, but gives readers a thorough understanding of the history of environmental stewardship. The people who have played important environmental roles at crucial times in history are discussed, along with their contributions to solving this most important moral issue of our time. It is important to know where we have been before we know where we are going. Titlow and Tinger have set the stage for the past and the future in this masterpiece. – The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, president of The Regeneration Project, Interfaith Power & Light
Protecting the Planet takes the momentum of past efforts to care for nature and her people and channels it like a high-speed train toward a healthier and safer future. It explains global climate change in language as clear and compelling as the light of day and provides a bracing inventory of environmental challenges, together with the heroic actions of people who’ve confronted them head-on and fearlessly. This book is an invaluable primer, guidebook, and reference that is sure to inspire many to follow in the footsteps of the eco-giants of yesterday and today to create a shining, beautiful planet for tomorrow. – Kenneth Worthy, PhD, author of Invisible Nature: Healing the Destructive Divide between People and the Environment and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley
A comprehensive historical examination of and unabashed reflection on human-caused climate change and the resulting US environmental movement, Protecting the Planet goes beyond laying blame and pointing fingers to celebrate the heroic individuals who, over the span of decades, have used their many talents to work toward real solutions in the Anthropocene. – James Balog, founder and director of Earth Vision Institute and Extreme Ice Survey
The grand sweep of environmental history built from the stories of the actual players: a fascinating chronicle that brings this history vividly to life. Required reading for anyone who cares about the future, and an appealing tutorial for those open to greater engagement. – Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University and Science Envoy for the US Department of State

Both fascinating and comprehensive, Protecting the Planet is an invaluable primer, giving readers a thorough understanding of the history of pioneering environmentalists who have worked and are currently working to ensure our future.

Professional & Technical / Biomedical Science / Toxicology

Food Toxicology edited by Debasis Bagchi & Anand Swaroop, with a foreword by Sidney J. Stohs (CRC Press)

Food toxicology studies how natural or synthetic poisons and toxicants in diverse food products cause harmful, detrimental, or adverse side effects in living organisms. Food toxicology is an important consideration as the food supply chain is becoming more multinational in origin, and any contamination or toxic manifestation may cause serious, widespread adverse health effects. Food Toxicology, edited by Debasis Bagchi and Anand Swaroop, covers various aspects of food safety and toxicology, including the study of the nature, properties, effects, and detection of toxic substances in food and their disease manifestations in humans. It also includes other aspects of consumer product safety.

Bagchi is an adjunct professor in the Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and the chief scientific officer of Cepham Research Center, Piscataway, NJ. Swaroop has worked in various multinational pharmaceutical companies and is currently founding president of a group of companies in Piscataway, NJ. The book has 72 contributors.

Food Toxicology:

Covers the salient features associated with various aspects of food safety and toxicology.
Includes the most recent research on the study of the nature, properties, effects, and detection of toxic substances in food and their disease manifestations in humans.
Discusses food allergy, food intolerance and metabolic disorders, food irradiation, and food borne infections.
Presents concepts of toxicology, target organ toxicity, and measurement of toxicants and toxicity.
Is written by leading researchers in the area of food toxicology.

The first two chapters of Food Toxicology discuss the measurement of toxicants and toxicity and the importance of dose-response in food toxicology. Additional chapters discuss the aspects of food-associated and food-derived chemical carcinogenesis, food allergy, pathogens associated with fruits and vegetables, and the detrimental effects of radionuclide exposure. The chapters also cover the most important heavy metal contaminants, namely, mercury, lead, and vanadium, and fluoride toxicity, which is extensively discussed in its own chapter.

The book points out that numerous steps may be involved in getting food from the farm or fishery to the dinner table, and as a consequence, contamination can occur at multiple sites along the food production chain. The industrialization and globalization of food production have introduced many additional opportunities for food to become contaminated with bacteria, viruses, molds, biological toxins, industrial toxins and wastes, pesticides, heavy metals, parasites, and plant and marine toxins.

Food Toxicology demonstrates how natural or synthetic poisons/toxicants in diverse food products cause harmful, detrimental, or adverse side effects in living organisms. The term ‘toxicity’ highlights the degree to which a compound can cause toxic manifestation (poisonous effects) and bodily injury. The book covers a diverse area of food items including the processing, preservation of health-promoting constituents in the food and their vital integrity, storage stability, warehouse storing, refrigeration, supply and transportation, distribution, and catering. This includes raw foods and their proper preservation, and unprocessed and processed foods and their proper packaging, in conjunction with a number of parameters including storage temperature, preservatives, humidity, and shelf-life.

Food Toxicology covers all possible intricate areas of food toxicology. The first chapter discusses the importance of dose-response in food toxicology, while Chapter 2 highlights the aspects on the measurement of toxicants and toxicity. The third and fourth chapters discussed the aspects of food-associated carcinogenesis and food-derived chemical carcinogenesis. Ramesh demonstrates how lipids potentiate toxicant absorption in the fifth chapter. The sixth chapter discusses the intricate aspects of food allergy. Chapter 7 highlights the diverse pathogens associated with fruits and vegetables and discusses how the incidences of pathogen contamination can be prevented. Chapter 8 exemplifies the safety issues of food ingredients from plant cell, tissues, and organ culture's. Stoev summarizes food security and food borne mycotoxicoses, risk assessment, prevention measures, and hazards in Chapter 9. Gerada discusses the detrimental effects of radionuclide exposure in foods in Chapter 10. Neal-Kleuver and her team have designed a chapter on food-related toxicities in infants in Chapter 11. Chapter 12 considers naturally occurring toxicants as etiologic agents in food borne diseases. Chapter 13 is dedicated to naturally occurring toxicants and antinutrients in plants and fungi. Hossain and Park provide a review of mushroom toxins in Chapter 14. Chapter 15 on dioxin exposure via the food chain is addressed by Stohs, an eminently dedicated professor of toxicology. Chapters 16 through 18 extensively discussed the three most important heavy metal contaminants, namely, mercury, lead, and vanadium. Fluoride toxicity is extensively discussed in Chapter 19. The role of antioxidant additives in food preservation is considered in Chapter 20. Chapter 21 provides an overview of industrial food processing contaminants. Chapter 22 highlights how functional foods can target cancer stem cells and promote human health. Food packaging is a critical aspect on food safety, and Chapter 23 is dedicated to this topic. Chapter 24 discusses the role of gut microbiome in human health and its modulation by environmental toxicants and therapeutic agents. The final chapter of Food Toxicology, Chapter 25, discusses various features including the pros and cons of genetically modified foods and how they will participate in the biotech revolution and human health in the future.

This book, Food Toxicology, edited by Dr. Debasis Bagchi and Dr. Anand Swaroop, provides current information on many aspects of food-related poisoning. It addresses several controversial topics and provides current information regarding food-related toxicity topics that have been problematic for years. – Sidney J. Stohs, PhD, FACN, CNS, ATS, FAPhA, FASAHP

Toxicologists, scientists, researchers in food toxicology, nutritionists, and public health care professionals will find valuable information in Food Toxicology on all possible areas of food toxicology.

Professional & Technical / Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals / Computers & Internet / Medical Devices / Quality Assurance

Data Integrity in Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Regulation Operations: Best Practices Guide to Electronic Records Compliance by Orlando Lopez (Productivity Press, CRC Press)

Data integrity is fundamental in a pharmaceutical and medical devices quality system. To all involved in the design, implementation, operation, or maintenance of computerized systems that collect, process, or archive GMP data, clear guidance on the regulatory requirements is invaluable.

Data Integrity in Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Regulation Operations provides practical information to enable compliance with data integrity, while integrating worldwide regulation into the subject. The ideas presented in this book are based on many years’ experience in regulated industries in various computer systems development, maintenance, and quality functions. In addition to case studies, a practical approach is presented to increase efficiency and to ensure that the design and testing of the data integrity controls are correctly achieved.

Author Orlando Lopez has worked in the areas of worldwide pharmaceutical validation, Part 11 remediation, and EMA Annex 11 in the production and quality control systems relevant to the manufacture of medicinal products for the past twenty five years. He is a SME on electronic records integrity and worldwide regulations applicable to computer compliance. The book has two other contributors: R.D. McDowall, an analytical chemist and Markus Roemer, managing director at Comes Compliance Services, Ravensburg, Germany.

Data Integrity in Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Regulation Operations covers the Good E-records Integrity Practices (GEIP) relevant to the Worldwide Health Agency GMP. It provides practical information to enable compliance with e-records integrity, while highlighting and efficiently integrating worldwide regulation into the subject. It fulfills the requirements on data integrity of the practitioners under any health agent, and it examines the controls of computer systems in the good manufacturing practices environment.

Data integrity is one of the most pressing current concerns for GMP-regulated companies worldwide. Regulators and health agencies have increasingly stressed the importance of the topic in guidance, citations, and public comments.

Good documentation, recordkeeping, and data integrity are an essential part of the pharmaceutical quality assurance system and vital to operating in compliance with GMP requirements and even more importantly, in protecting the quality of the product and the safety of the patient and the public.

Regulated companies must maintain and ensure the accuracy and consistency of data and records over their entire life cycle. A lack of acceptable data integrity practices has led to serious regulatory and financial consequences for many companies.

One of the expectations applicable to computer systems performing production-related regulated functions is that the integrity in their electronic records (e-records) takes the highest priority in any Worldwide Health Agency good manufacturing practices (GMPs). E-records integrity is the foundation of GMPs. Properly recorded electronic information is the basis for manufacturers to ensure product identity, strength, purity, and safety. E-records also demonstrate that the manufacturer's process adheres to the GMPs, including instructions. As a state or condition, e-records integrity is a measure of the validity and fidelity of a data object. E-records integrity is a requirement that information and programs are changed only in a specified and authorized manner. It is necessary that e-records be protected against alteration without appropriate permission.

As regulatory agencies and competent authorities tighten up their inspection requirements, it is important that managers, supervisors, and users in regulated entities understand the issues around e-records integrity. Improved governance programs must be implemented to ensure that computer systems performing GMP-regulated functions correctly process e-records.

Chapter 2 of Data Integrity in Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Regulation Operations summarizes examples of e-records integrity issues as documented by US FDA, Europa, Health Canada, and World Health Organization (WHO). Chapter 3 discusses the e-records life cycle. This life cycle needs to be understood to effectively manage e-records and to ensure their integrity.

Chapter 4 reviews terms introduced by the GMP Data Integrity Definitions and Guidance for Industry, published by MHRA in 2015, in the context of a typical manufacturing environment. While GMPs vary globally, the e-records management requirements identified are broadly similar. Chapters 5 through 7 discuss e-records controls in US FDA 21 CFR Part 211, EMA Annex 11, and other GMP-related regulations and guidelines.

Chapter 8 discusses the controls associated with trustworthy computer systems. To ensure the integrity of e-records, it is essential that the systems managing these e-records must also be trustworthy. Chapter 9 analyzes MHRA Data Integrity Definitions and Guidance, the first guideline published by a regulatory agency. Chapter 10 examines e-records integrity governance. Chapters 11 through 15 cover good data integrity practices (GDIP) to ensure e-records integrity (content, structure, and context).

Chapters 16 and 17 address e-records in contract manufacturing and cloud service environments. Chapter 18 addresses how internal audits can uncover e-records integrity issues. Chapter 19 briefly discusses data integrity remediation activities. Finally, Chapter 20 provides a summary of critical e-records integrity issues.

Orlando Lopez has over 25 years of experience working with GMP-regulated systems, and has gathered great experience and knowledge during this time. He has published many books, articles, and papers, and has worked with many companies to achieve compliance and solve problems in a practical way.… In this book he shares his valuable experience and knowledge with the industry as it struggles with this most important topic. – Sion Wyn, Conformity Limited, United Kingdom

Rather than developing an industry standard, Data Integrity in Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Regulation Operations provides guidance on how the industry can effectively manage e-records and improve basic compliance. The book highlights and integrates worldwide regulation while it thoroughly examines the controls of computer systems into the manufacturing practices environment. It provides practical information to enable e-records integrity regulatory requirements compliance, while highlighting best practice for e-records maintenance, associated risk-assessed controls, and e-records management.

Psychology / Politics / World

Was Communism Doomed?: Human Nature, Psychology and the Communist Economy, 1^st edition by Simon Kemp (Palgrave Macmillan, Springer Nature)

Was Communism Doomed? explores whether the ideology of communism was doomed to failure due to psychological rather than structural flaws.

Does communism fail because there is not enough individual incentive and does it discourage psychological ownership? If so, does it produce learned helplessness and therefore empower evil? This book considers such questions, both with respect to how communism actually functioned and how it could have functioned using examples from Eastern Europe and the USSR itself during the 20th century. It reviews both the ideology of communism and its history, as well as the basic but difficult question of how one might decide whether an economic system can be defined as successful or not.

Author Simon Kemp is Professor of Psychology at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, with longstanding interests in economic psychology and the history of psychology.

Was Communism Doomed? is not primarily concerned with the end of most of the world's communist governments in 1989-1991. There are already a number of excellent political and historical analyses of these events, and some of them are reviewed in Chapter 4. The book is partly concerned with ways in which communist governments, both deliberately and unintentionally, failed to encourage human development in the twentieth century. These failures are reviewed, and they are enlightening. However, the book's main purpose is to search for necessary failures, failures that came about in the past and would come about in the future because of the nature of communism, rather than failures that came about because the past communist (like other!) governments simply got it wrong for other reasons.

The rest of Was Communism Doomed? falls into three unequal parts. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 cover preliminary issues to investigating possible psychological flaws in communism. Chapter 2 is concerned with what communism was supposed to be like, what problems it was supposed to solve, and how it was supposed to enable people to develop. This chapter focuses on communist ideology, but definitions of communism are considered, and a definition that is used in the rest of the book is put forward. The chapter also briefly considers Marxist and Soviet psychology. One important emphasis of Marxist and Soviet psychology was a belief that human nature was heavily dependent on the environment, particularly the social environment, and was at least to some extent changeable. This issue is introduced in Chapter 2 and developed in Chapter 3.

Chapter 3 asks what initially might appear to be a very simple question: How would we know if a communist government or state was successful? It turns out that there are a number of ways to answer this question and that none of them, for rather different reasons, are completely satisfactory. This chapter also considers a psychological issue: Can human nature be changed?

A brief history of communism in the twentieth century is outlined in Chapter 4. This chapter makes use of work by historians, political scientists, and economists that gives us a picture of how communism worked in practice, particularly in the economic sphere, and why it later fell apart in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The primary focus is on the Soviet Union. This is because that was the first state to attempt to build a communist command economy and the one that persisted longest with it.

Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, which make up the bulk of Was Communism Doomed?, deal with possible psychological flaws in communism. Chapter 5 outlines some general considerations in choosing and examining the possible flaws, and then five different specific possibilities are examined in Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. In each of these chapters two questions are asked: Firstly, to what extent did this flaw – if it was one – affect communism in practice? Secondly, to what extent is the flaw inevitable in a communist state?

Finally, conclusions are reached in Chap. 11.

Was Communism Doomed? is a fascinating, in-depth study with a uniquely psychological focus.

Psychology & Counseling / Religion & Spirituality

Humor Us: An Appeal for the Gospel of Relaxation by Donald Capps (Cascade Books)

Stress: mental or emotional tension or strain characterized by feelings of anxiety, fear, threat, tension, pressure, etc.

Anxiety: a state of being uneasy, apprehensive, or worried about what may happen.

Humor: the quality that makes something seem funny, amusing or ludicrous. – from the book

Humor Us addresses the fact that Americans tend to live under a considerable amount of stress, tension, and anxiety, and suggests that humor can be helpful in alleviating their distress. It posits that humor is a useful placebo in this regard; cites studies that show that humor moderates life stress; considers the relationship of religion and humor, especially as means to alleviate anxiety; proposes that Jesus had a sense of humor; suggests that his parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard has humorous implications for the relief of occupational stress; explores the relationship of gossip and humor; and suggests that Jesus and his disciples were a joking community. It concludes that Jesus viewed the kingdom of God as a worry-free existence.

The author, Donald Capps (1939-2015), was William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology (Emeritus) at Princeton Theological Seminary. Humor Us is his last book, published posthumously. Capps takes as his starting point William James's "The Gospel of Relaxation". He believes, as did James, that Americans are living like an army with all its reserves in action, and if this means that they are at war, they are warring against themselves. They are stressed out, anxious, tense, and unnerved. On the other hand, it can also inspire them to do something about it and, as James warns, the very ways they do this may simply cause them to become more stressed out, anxious, tense, and unnerved.

Humor Us suggests that this is where humor comes in. Capps make a case for the role that humor may play in moderating stress and alleviating anxiety. Chapter 1 rejects the idea that laughter is the best medicine, but it argues that humor can be an effective placebo as far as moderating stress and alleviating anxiety are concerned. Chapter 2 discusses research studies on the psychological effects of humor, especially studies that show that humor moderates life stress and that it also alleviates anxieties. The chapter also considers a study that shows that humor increases hope.

The fact that humor has these effects invites readers to consider the relationship between humor and religion. Since people often turn to religion – in whatever form it is most meaningful to them – for help in alleviating anxiety and stress, they might think that religion and humor would be allies in this regard: However, chapter 3 discusses the fact that the relationship between religion and humor has been a rather problematic one. The chapter concludes with the proposal that there are grounds for viewing humor and religion as allies.

Chapter 4 focuses on the question whether or not Jesus was a humorous person. Chapter 5 focuses on his parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, a parable that centers on anxiety in the workplace. Capps suggests that the parable supports the view that Jesus was a humorous person who saw humor in the everyday experiences of life, and he also suggests that there is often more humor in his stories, whether overt or potential, than they tend to think there is.

Chapter 6 continues the emphasis in chapters 4 and 5 on humor in the life of Jesus by observing that gossip was the means by which word of his teachings and healings spread throughout the region, and that when gossip is infused with the spirit of humor it is much less likely to be small-minded and malicious and much more likely to be playful and gentle. Chapters 4-6, by focusing on the person and ministry of Jesus, show that religion and humor are, in fact, allies and, moreover, that Jesus himself personifies their fundamental compatibility.

Chapter 7 considers Jesus’ reflections on worry (Matt 7:25-34) and suggests that they are fundamentally an expression of the gospel of relaxation. Humor Us concludes with comments on preachers' inappropriate use of humor in their sermons and the countervailing view that humor, when appropriately introduced, may be ‘the bloom of the highest life’ to which one's auditors aspire.

In a world of serious problems and stressed-out people, psychology of religion scholar Donald Capps explores the idea and use of humor and William James' notion of the Gospel of Relaxation in light of scripture and the ministry of Jesus. We are wonderfully introduced to Jesus and his disciples as a joking community. Humor Us is a fitting coda to Don Capps' prolific life. He offers us not only last laughs, but the gift and grace of humor. – Ryan LaMothe, Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology

This is Donald Capps' last book, and it is among his best. His third monograph on humor, Humor Us, engages empirical, theoretical, medical, historical, biblical, and theological writings on humor, offering a compelling vision for moderating stress and alleviating anxiety by means of what William James called `The Gospel of Relaxation.' We all would do well to cling to Capps' wisdom. – Nathan Carlin, McGovern Medical School, Houston

In a playful manner that combines serious scholarship about the healing power of humor and imagination with a sense of hopefulness, Capps argues persuasively that a reluctant partnership exists between religion and humor. – Carol L. Schnabl Schweitzer, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia

While religion and humor have seldom made for comfortable bedfellows, Humor Us provides compelling biblical support for ushering humor into the holy of holies.… This book is a subtle but devastating indictment of humorless academic theology, while simultaneously offering pastoral comfort for anxious souls who labor and are heavy laden. – Robert C. Dykstra, Charlotte W. Newcombe Professor of Pastoral Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

Humor Us is a book about humor and, more specifically, our need to be humored. Some readers may view this book on humor as counterevidence of Capps’ argument in the preceding book, as being, instead, a sign that older adulthood is a period of regression and declining cognitive capacities. We’re glad Capps, in later life, “found himself no longer a stranger to relaxation.”

Psychology & Counseling / Religion & Spirituality

Trauma represents a spiritual or religious violation for many people. Survivors attempt to make sense out of painful events, incorporating that meaning into their current worldview in either a harmful or a more helpful way. Trauma, Meaning, and Spirituality helps mental health practitioners – many of whom are less religious than their clients – understand the important relationship between trauma and spirituality, and how to best help survivors create meaning out of their experiences.

Drawing on relevant theories and research, the authors in Trauma, Meaning, and Spirituality present a new conceptual framework, the Reciprocal Meaning-Making Model, demonstrating how it can guide both assessment and treatment. Through the use of case material, the authors examine a range of spiritual views, traumas, and posttraumatic reactions that are reflective of the population as a whole rather than targeting only specific religions or cultural perspectives.

Authors are Crystal L. Park, PhD, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut; Joseph M. Currier, PhD, assistant professor and director of clinical training in the combined Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at the University of South Alabama; J. Irene Harris, PhD, LP, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Departments of Psychiatry and Counseling Psychology and a clinician investigator at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System; and Jeanne M. Slattery, PhD, professor of psychology at Clarion University with a small private practice.

Chapters in Trauma, Meaning, and Spirituality include:

The Intersection of Religion/Spirituality and Trauma
The Centrality of Meaning in Human Lives
Reciprocal Relationships between Spirituality and Trauma
Current Treatment Approaches to Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The Reciprocal Meaning-Making Model: Clinical Implications
Assessment From the Reciprocal Meaning-Making Perspective
Overview of Treatment Issues from the Reciprocal Meaning-Making Model
The Therapist's Place in the Reciprocal Meaning-Making Model
Working with Beliefs, Goals, and Values
Interventions for Helping Clients Resolve Spiritual Struggle and Increase Spiritual Well-Being
Developing Resilience
Ethical Considerations for Addressing Spirituality with Trauma Survivors from a Reciprocal Perspective
Applications and Future Development of the Reciprocal Meaning-Making Model

Essential reading for anyone who works with people touched by trauma. Grounded in advances in theory, research, and practice, this important contribution adds much needed meaning, spirit, and depth to our clinical understanding and treatment of those facing the most shattering of life's experiences. – Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH; author of Spiritually Integrated Therapy: Understanding and Addressing the Sacred

The authors beautifully articulate the many and complex ways that trauma, spirituality, and meaning-making intersect, as impediments and as resources to those who have been traumatized. They provide compelling case studies that attend to diversity of religious and cultural practices and beliefs as they describe a model for the therapy of affected individuals and their loved ones. I am happy to endorse this book – it will be of enormous help to clinicians and their clients. – Christine A. Courtois, PhD, ABPP, Licensed-Psychologist, independent practice, Washington, DC (retired); coeditor of Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy for Trauma, author of It's Not You, It's What Happened to You; and coauthor of Treating Complex Trauma

Given the lack of scientific literature on the topic, Trauma, Meaning, and Spirituality fills an important gap, and will appeal to clinicians and researchers alike.

Religion & Spirituality / Christianity

Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk? by E. Randolph Richards & Brandon J. O'Brien (IVP Books)

The apostle Paul was kind of a jerk. He was arrogant and stubborn. He called his opponents derogatory, racist names. He legitimized slavery and silenced women. He was a moralistic, homophobic killjoy who imposed his narrow religious views on others. Or was he?

E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien in Paul Behaving Badly explore the complicated persona and teachings of the apostle Paul. Unpacking his personal history and cultural context, they show how Paul both offended Roman perspectives and scandalized Jewish sensibilities. His vision of Christian faith was deeply disturbing to those in his day and remains so in ours. Paul behaved badly, but not just in the ways we might think. Readers take another look at Paul and see why this ‘worst of sinners’ dares to say, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."

Richards and O’Brien in Paul Behaving Badly show that Paul's teaching surpassed the quality of his peers, even if he didn't go all the way toward certain positions readers might wish he held.

Richards is dean and professor of biblical studies in the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has served as interim pastor of numerous churches and is currently a teaching pastor. O'Brien is assistant professor of Christian theology at Ouachita Baptist University and director of OBU at New Life Church in Conway, Arkansas.

Responding to examinations of the apostle Paul that paint him as racist and sexist, Richards and O'Brien (Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes) admit Paul's writings can be hard to take, especially those letters ordering slaves to obey masters and women to remain silent. But the authors maintain that Paul's actions must be understood through the prism of his intended audience: the letters were addressed to certain groups of people on singular, particular occasions.... Lay readers taking a closer look at Paul will find this book illuminating and learn a lot about a man who played an integral role in shaping Christianity. – Publishers Weekly
Paul Behaving Badly is a defense of the apostle that strikes just the right tone. Richards and O'Brien account for the understandable objections people have to Paul's writings while gently correcting misunderstandings. This learned and readable work will resonate with fans and foes of the embattled apostle and illuminate Paul's passion for the gospel and the Christ it proclaims. I can't imagine a more needed book on a more important topic. – Drew Dyck, senior editor, CTpastors.com, author of Yawning at Tigers
Richards and O'Brien offer the latest installment in IVP's Behaving Badly books…. This is an easy-to-read, judicious guide to responding to Paul's apparent misogyny, homophobia, Scripture-twisting, hypocrisy, and more. In some instances there are other credible options as well, but Richards and O'Brien always give us defensible options. Highly recommended for all who are troubled about these issues or who want to help those who are troubled about them. – Craig L. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary
The authors do not fully exonerate Paul (he too was finite and sinful), nor do they engage in chronological snobbery, as many of Paul's critics are wont to do ('It's a good thing we moderns know better than Paul'). Paul Behaving Badly gives a fresh glimpse into the life and thought of the controversial apostle – one that is both fair minded and charitable, at once challenging to staid assumptions while faithful to Christian orthodoxy. – Paul Copan, professor and Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida
With humility, candor, and not a little wit, these authors present well-reasoned judgments about the apostle's character, ministry, and teachings. As trustworthy guides, Richards and O'Brien show how Paul challenges the cultural and theological issues of his day – and our own. Readers beware: you will be uncomfortable at times, even offended, for Paul's gospel message challenges us all to reexamine our priorities and actions. A must-read for those who teach and preach on Paul, and for all who have questions about the complex apostle. – Lynn H. Cohick, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

For readers who have been daunted, angered, confused, or shocked by the apostle Paul, Paul Behaving Badly helps them understand Paul in his own first-century setting. In easy-to-understand and engaging language, it explores how Paul related to the setting in which he lived and wrote. Richards and O’Brien dig deep into the first-century world to understand Paul and the result is a deeper understanding of the radical impact of the gospel that Paul preached.

Travel / History / Biography

Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas F. Madden (Viking)

Istanbul is the first single-volume history of Istanbul in decades: a biography of the city at the center of civilizations past and present.
For more than two millennia Istanbul has stood at the crossroads of the world, perched at the very tip of Europe, gazing across the shores of Asia. The history of this city – known as Byzantium, then Constantinople, now Istanbul – is at once glorious, outsized, and astounding. Founded by the Greeks, its location blessed it as a center for trade but also made it a target of every empire in history, from Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Empire to the Romans and later the Ottomans. At its most spectacular Emperor Constantine I re-founded the city as New Rome, the capital of the eastern Roman empire, and dramatically expanded the city, filling it with artistic treasures, and adorning the streets with opulent palaces. Around it all Constantine built new walls, truly impregnable, that preserved power, wealth, and withstood any aggressor – walls that still stand for tourists to visit.
From its ancient past to the present, in Istanbul readers meet the city through its ordinary citizens – the Jews, Muslims, Italians, Greeks, and Russians who used the famous baths and walked the bazaars – and the rulers who built it up and then destroyed it, including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the man who christened the city ‘Istanbul’ in 1930. Thomas F. Madden's narrative brings to life the city one sees today, including the rich splendor of the churches and monasteries that spread throughout the city.
Madden is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. He is a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Medieval Academy of America.

From Justinian to Erdogan, from the Nika Riots to the Gezi Park Protests, Istanbul has for millennia been the stage on which East and West have met, clashed, cooperated. A city straddling two continents, Istanbul's history is a fascinating tapestry of diverse cultures and peoples set at the center of their changing worlds. With nearly 15 million inhabitants, Istanbul is today Europe's largest city, and the fifth largest in the world.

Other accounts touch on the importance of this majestic city, but Madden in Istanbul is the first to reveal Istanbul's commanding role in the development of our own world. He writes: "All the currents of Mediterranean commerce, thought, religion, and power, ran through Istanbul's roads, wharfs, forums, and palaces. It is impossible to study antiquity, the Middle Ages, Christianity, or Islam without sailing past Istanbul's shores, visiting its academies, poking one's head into its churches and mosques."

Istanbul propels readers on a journey of Mediterranean commerce, thought, religion, and power, running through ancient roads, wharfs, forums, and palaces. Excavating centuries of firsthand accounts, Madden sets this history against the background of men and women who forever changed their worlds, including Alexander the Great, Constantine, Empress Theodora, Mehmed the Conqueror, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Readers witness the construction of the massive Theodosian Walls, the embellishment of rich Hagia Sophia, and the transformation and revitalization of the Golden Horn district. From 667 BC to President Erdogan's tumultuous twenty-first-century presidency, Madden's account not only questions how we think of Istanbul's past, but also examines what we can learn from a people who have withstood invasion and threat from outside and from within time and time again.

Vivid... Madden’s insights into Istanbul’s religious and political history reminds us that world politics is rife with complex questions: Who came first? Who built enduring cities? Who survived? Who vanished? And where do we go from here? – Booklist

Astonishing.... An illuminating journey through the history and culture of the metropolis that still towers over all other cities in Europe and the Middle East. – Kirkus Reviews
No place has had a better claim than Istanbul to being the historical center of our planet – capital to multiple empires, a focal point of Christianity and Islam, and now a global transport and commercial hub. Writing with verve and sympathy, Thomas F. Madden weaves scholarship, travel, and literature into a compelling narrative of crushing loss and unexpected renewal. – Charles King, author of Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul
There may be other cities as majestic and rich in history as Istanbul, but few have been blessed with such a chronicler. Istanbul takes us on a wild ride through a landscape populated by explorers, lascivious empresses, popes, crusaders, conquerors, and sultans. It's almost as much fun as actually visiting. – Stephen Kinzer, author of Crescent and Star: Turkey between Two Worlds

Istanbul draws on a lifetime of study and the latest scholarship, transporting readers to a city of unparalleled importance and majesty that holds the key to understanding modern civilization. Prizewinning historian Madden's entertaining narrative brings to life the city of today, including the rich splendor of the churches and monasteries that spread throughout the city. Madden captures centuries of triumph and defeat, riches and poverty, seen through the lives of those who inhabited it: the emperors and empresses, craftsmen and architects, sailors and fishermen, street vendors and harem concubines. Readers experience the strength of a people who endure at the intersection of faith, geography, and ideology.