Book reviews and more!

Posts tagged with ‘Social and Cultural Commentary’

BAD PHARMA, by Ben Goldacre

May 8, 2013

“MEDICINE IS BROKEN” argues Dr. Ben Goldacre in an expose of drug testing and marketing as parts of the issue.

Grade: B PLUS

BAD PHARMA: HOW DRUG COMPANIES MISLEAD DOCTORS AND HARM PATIENTS
Faber & Faber
2013

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FAREWELL, FRED VOODOO, by Amy Wilentz

May 5, 2013

IMAGES OF HAITI after the 2010 earthquake, from a US journalist trying to see past her outsider’s perspective.

Grade: B PLUS

FAREWELL, FRED VOODOO: A LETTER FROM HAITI
Simon & Schuster
2013

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THE MYTHS OF HAPPINESS, by Sonja Lyubomirsky

April 24, 2013

UPDATES FROM THE HAPPINESS psychology front, with a fresh take on conventional wisdom about joy, satisfaction.

Grade: B PLUS

THE MYTHS OF HAPPINESS: WHAT SHOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY, BUT DOESN'T; WHAT SHOULDN'T MAKE YOU HAPPY, BUT DOES
Penguin
2013

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ESLANDA, by Barbara Ransby

April 23, 2013

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE of Eslanda Robeson, influential writer, civil rights activist, and wife of Paul Robeson.

Grade: B PLUS

ESLANDA: THE LARGE AND UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE OF MRS. PAUL ROBESON
Yale University Press
2013

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TASTE, MEMORY, by David Buchanan

April 20, 2013

A SPECIALTY FARMER’S IMPASSIONED argument for the preservation of heirloom fruits and vegetables. Convincing!

Grade: SOLID B

TASTE, MEMORY: FORGOTTEN FOODS, LOST FLAVORS, AND WHY THEY MATTER
Chelsea Green
2012

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BIRD OF PARADISE, by Raquel Cepeda

April 12, 2013

DOMINICAN-AMERICAN FILMMAKER Raquel Cepeda explores her family history, her Latina identity in charming memoir.

Grade: B PLUS

BIRD OF PARADISE: HOW I BECAME LATINA
Simon and Schuster/Atria
2013

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ACCESS ALL AREAS, by Sara Wheeler

April 10, 2013

ELOQUENT, SLY, INSIGHTFUL travel writing from England’s great Sara Wheeler in a decades-spanning collection.

Grade: B PLUS

ACCESS ALL AREAS: SELECTED WRITINGS, 1990-2011
Farrar, Straus and Giroux/North Point Press
2013

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UNCLE SWAMI, by Vijay Prashad

April 1, 2013

INCISIVE, IRREVERENT EXPLORATION of the challenges South Asian Americans have faced since the 9/11 attacks.

Grade: B PLUS

UNCLE SWAMI: SOUTH ASIANS IN AMERICA TODAY
New Press
2012

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CONSIDER THE FORK, by Bee Wilson

March 25, 2013

WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING HISTORY, anthropology, and sociology of tools for cooking and eating. Smart fun!

Grade: A MINUS

CONSIDER THE FORK: A HISTORY OF HOW WE COOK AND EAT
Basic Books
2012

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MATH ON TRIAL, by Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez

March 19, 2013

ENTERTAINING AND ENLIGHTENING look at how mathematics and statistics are used (and misused) in the courtroom.

Grade: B PLUS

MATH ON TRIAL: HOW NUMBERS GET USED AND ABUSED IN THE COURTROOM
Basic Books
2013

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