nonfiction

iodiesel, nuclear plants or “clean” coal will solve these global
problems. The underlying issue is not the lack of energy or a new
way to generate it but overconsumption of available energy and
resources. Zehner proves that many of today’s “green” solutions
would be prohibitively expensive on a grand scale and/or cause
more environmental damage than good. The author examines
“some ideas that, hopefully [will] spur some thought into how
we might practically move from material and energy consumption
to more durable and meaningful forms of social growth and
well-being.” These ideas include the creation of more “walking
communities,” cities in which the basic needs of citizens can be
reached on foot or by bicycle. He also advocates “advancing the
rights of women and girls,” since contraceptive education is just
one part of the puzzle of population explosion, and he suggests
the creation of a “Department of Efficiency,” which would be
responsible for reducing the rampant waste of energy. “America
has plenty of energy—more than twice as much as it needs,” he
writes. “We just waste most of it.” By offering readers numerous
steps toward reaching attainable goals, Zehner hopes environmentalists
will initiate a shift of focus to “women’s rights,
consumer culture, walkable neighborhoods, military spending,
zoning, health care, wealth disparities, citizen governance, economic
reform, and democratic institutions.”
A bold look at the downside of green technologies and a
host of refreshingly simple substitute solutions. (12 illustrations;
17 charts; 1 table)
THE INDISPENSABLE ZINN
The Essential Writings
of the “People’s Historian”
Zinn, Howard
McCarthy, Timothy Patrick--Ed.
New Press (496 pp.)
$19.95 paperback | May 1, 2012
978-1-59558-622-3
978-1-59558-693-3 e-book
Well-chosen anthology of the radical
historian’s prodigious output.
If you know anything about Dunmore’s War or the Ludlow
Massacre and are not a professional historian, the chances are
good that you read about it in the pages of Zinn’s A People’s History
of the United States. If you know anything about Zinn himself,
it is largely because he was a relentlessly dedicated activist,
somewhat less public than the likeminded Noam Chomsky
but in no way as cloistered as the average academician. He was
never shy about a good scrap. Indeed, writes volume editor
McCarthy (History and Literature/Harvard Univ.; co-editor:
Protest Nation: Words That Inspired A Century of American Radicalism,
2010, etc.), “Howard’s troublemaking—pedagogically,
intellectually, politically—is now the stuff of legend, in large
part because he was so consistently willing to speak truth to
power throughout his life, no matter the stakes.” True enough:
He was fired from one appointment, unheard of for academics
outside of cases of fraud or moral turpitude, though he went
on to enjoy a quarter-century of tenure at Boston University.
McCarthy gathers material not just from the well-known
People’s History, but also from less easily available publications
from the civil rights and antiwar eras. In one, Zinn addresses
the question “what is radical history” The answer is invigorating,
speaking to a kind of public history that allows us to
“intensify, expand, sharpen our perception of how bad things
are, for the victims of the world.” That anticipates some of
the “Occupy History” concerns of recent months by several
decades, but it is also distinctly collegial; Zinn even gives a tip
of the hat to Henry Kissinger, declaring, “Kissinger has always
been one of my favorites.”
“We need to expand the prevailing definition of patriotism
beyond that narrow nationalism that has caused so much
death and suffering,” writes Zinn. For sympathetic readers,
this makes an ideal primer for that cause.
children’s
& teens
These titles earned the Kirkus Star:
OH NO! NOT AGAIN! by Mac Barnett;
illus. by Dan Santat .......................................................................p. 843
DEVINE INTERVENTION by Martha Brockenbrough .................p. 845
STRONGER by Michael Carroll.....................................................p. 847
CHEESIE MACK IS COOL IN A DUEL by Steve Cotler;
illus. by Adam McCauley.............................................................. p. 849
LIA’S GUIDE TO WINNING THE LOTTERY
by Keren David .............................................................................. p. 850
NOW by Morris Gleitzman ...........................................................p. 854
ONE FOR THE MURPHYS by Lynda Mullaly Hunt ....................p. 859
DON’T SQUISH THE SASQUATCH! by Kent Redeker;
illus. by Bob Staake ........................................................................p. 869
BIRTHDAY SUIT by Olive Senior;
illus. by Eugenie Fernandes ............................................................ p. 873
THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage .....................................p. 876
I SAW A PEACOCK WITH A FIERY TAIL
illus. by Ramsingh Urveti, Jonathan Yamakami .........................p. 876
THREE TIMES LUCKY
Turnage, Sheila
Dial (320 pp.)
$16.99
May 10, 2012
978-0-8037-3670-2
LUCY IN THE SKY
Anonymous
Simon Pulse/Simon &
Schuster (288 pp.)
$17.99 | paper $9.99 | May 12, 2012
978-1-4424-5187-2
978-1-4424-5185-8 paperback
An unapologetic contemporary imitation
of anonymous faux-diary Go Ask Alice.
The book begins on the unnamed
teen diarist’s 16th birthday. Her writing is sometimes stream-ofconsciousness,
though it sometimes recounts events. It is never
more eloquent than when she describes the experience of being
high on the various drugs she tries. Readers wondering about
the immediate effects of alcohol, marijuana, pills, cocaine and
more will find their curiosity piqued. Descriptions like “It’s
like someone has shuffled all the cards in your head... you feel
AMAZING and you’re seeing these INCREDIBLE THINGS”
evoke pleasure and a sense of discovery. Negative experiences
like a DUI, broken promises to quit and watching a friend grow
increasingly gaunt and non-functional serve as warnings. There
is character development here: Readers see the diarist transform
from a shy, insecure girl with few friends into part of an
intimate social group. The relationship between the diarist and
her older brother Cam is one of the most compelling, and readers
see him struggling to balance his loyalty to his sister against
his concern for her safety. The book’s cautionary ending feels
abrupt and ineffective, perhaps because scaring readers straight
was never really the point.
Both engrossing and titillating; readers curious about
drugs and readers who wouldn’t dream of touching them
will find satisfaction here. (Fiction. 14 & up)
SURYIA SWIMS!
Antle, Bhagavan “Doc” & Feldman, Thea
Photos by Bland, Barry
Henry Holt (32 pp.)
$16.99 | May 8, 2012
978-0-8050-9317-9
Suryia the orangutan learns to swim
in this fascinating story that features appealing photographs
of the amazing ape swimming with his trainer and an array of
other animals that live in the same nature preserve.
The authors and photographer first introduced the captivating
orangutan with their story of his friendship with a
huge hound dog, Suryia and Roscoe (2011). The same format is
840 | 15 april 2012 | nonfiction | kirkusreviews.com |
| kirkusreviews.com | children’s & teen | 15 april 2012 | 841