Reviewer's Choice

Women's Entrepreneurship Policy: A Global Perspective
Colette Henry, et al.
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781800374645, $145.00 HC / $40.00 ebook, 266pp

https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/women-s-entrepreneurship-policy-9781800374= 645.html

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Colette Hen=
ry (Adjunct Professor, Griffith University, Australia), Susan Coleman (Prof= essor Emerita, University of Hartford, US), and Kate V. Lewis (Reader, Newc= astle University, UK), "Women's Entrepreneurship Policy: A Global Perspecti= ve" is comprised of contributions from members of the Global Women's Entrep= reneurship Policy Research Network that explores and critiques contemporary=
policy instruments while also pointing toward potential policy solutions.

Individual chapters aim to deepen understanding of women's entrepreneurship=
policy and raise awareness among policy makers, programme managers and aca= demics of the dangers associated with gender-blind entrepreneurship policie=
s. "Women's Entrepreneurship Policy: A Global Perspective" then concludes t= hat 'one size fits all' policies that ignore the gender dimension do not su= pport women entrepreneurs effectively.

Research-based and international in approach, "Women's Entrepreneurship Pol= icy: A Global Perspective" will be a useful guide for academics and advance=
d students in the areas of entrepreneurship, gender and management, diversi=
ty and management, and international business. It will also be beneficial f=
or policy makers and those involved in designing and delivering women's ent= repreneurship programs.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the readers with the inclusion of illu= strations, tables, a listing of the contributors and their credentials, and=
a sixty-nine page index, "Women's Entrepreneurship Policy: A Global Perspe= ctive" is an impressively seminal work that is a particularly and unreserve= dly recommended addition to personal, professional, corporate, and academic=
library Contemporary Women's Business & Entrepreneurship collections and s= upplemental MBS curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Women's = Entrepreneurship Policy: A Global Perspective" is also available from Edwar=
d Elgar Publishing in a digital book format ($40.00).

100 Things to Do in Wisconsin Before You Die
Dannelle Gay
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681064192, $22.50, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/100-Things-Wisconsin-Before-You/dp/1681064197

Synopsis: Known as the Dairy State, Wisconsin is world famous for its chees=
e, beer, brats, and so much more. With the publication of "100 Things to Do=
in Wisconsin Before You Die", Wisconsin author Dannelle Gay has produced a=
comprehensive guide to all the must-see, must-taste, and must-do activitie=
s with suggestions and ideas for the whole family.

Readers are encouraged to don their foam cheese hat and feel the thrill of =
a whole state full of die-hard sports fans and Go Packers! Experience breat= htaking nature along miles of sandy beaches and take in the fresh air while=
hiking or biking through one of Wisconsin's 66 state parks. Enjoy a leisur= ely dinner at a supper club -- a true and distinctive Wisconsin experience.

Moreover, they can eat farm to fork in a state that boasts an amazing and d= iverse agricultural history that covers everything from cranberries to goat=
s. Sleep on a submarine or ride the only Zephyr shovel nose steamer train a= vailable in the world. Learn about experimental aircraft in OshKosh or chec=
k out one of the dozens of living history museums like Old World Wisconsin =
or Heritage Hill in Green Bay.

From outdoor activities to family fun, there's something for everyone in Wi= sconsin in a DIY guidebook filled with insider's tips and itineraries for e= very season.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "100 Things to Do in = Wisconsin Before You Die" is an excellent and recommended resource for plan= ning day trips, weekend adventures, and holiday itineraries for both the na= tive born and the tourist visitor alike! Enhanced for the reader with the i= nclusion of a section of full color photography, "100 Things to Do in Wisco= nsin Before You Die" is an ideal and essential addition to personal, profes= sional, community, and academic library Wisconsin Travel Guide collections.

Editorial Note: Dannelle Gay (https://www.facebook.com/dannelle.gay) is a W= isconsin native who has been writing about travel for over a decade under t=
he moniker The Traveling Cheesehead. As a professional chef who had her own=
restaurant, she loves discovering different locations through their unique=
food. She helps others live a champagne life on a beer budget and thinks t= ravel should be a huge part of that. She hopes that "100 Things to Do in Wi= sconsin Before You Die" for Wisconsin residents and visitors is a useful gu= ide that helps them do just that.

Four Battlegrounds
Paul Scharre
W.W. Norton
500 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393866865, $32.50

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Battlegrounds-Power-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/= 0393866866

Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence goes beyond=
the usual consideration of AI potentials and threats to consider the under= lying battle to control it which has already pitted nations against one ano= ther. It comes from a defense expert whose position lends to an in-depth co= verage of the political maneuverings and possibilities of those who would h= arness AI for their own purposes, providing a framework for understanding b= oth these rivalries and their impact on political structures, from democrat=
ic processes to totalitarian regimes. AI is already shifting power dynamics=
at all levels of society; often quite unconsciously to ordinary consumers = and citizens. This is why a thorough grounding in Four Battlegrounds is so = necessary in order for everyone to understand the lines being drawn, the st= akes in winning this battle, and the intersection of AI and technology with=
human interests.

Twist: An American Girl
Adele Bertei
ZE Books
https://www.zebooks.com
9781736309339, $28.00, HC, 250pp

https://www.amazon.com/Twist-American-Girl-Adele-Bertei/dp/1736309331

Synopsis: With the publication of "Twist: An American Girl", iconoclastic w= riter and musician Adele Bertei reveals a wholly original hero's journey th=
at wages war on the cliche of the "misery memoir."

Set in a 1960s and '70s American neighborhood rife with poverty and violenc=
e, fatherless Irish mothers and Italian mobsters, and women crucified into = madness by misogyny, Bertei speaks through her electrically alive avatar Ma= ddie Twist to flip the victim script. Through her unshakable belief in imag= ination, poetry, music, and community, she transforms trauma into survival.=
The immediacy of Maddie's voice is a revelation, providing insight into lo= ng-enduring systemic problems without the scrim of adult analysis. In an ag=
e of lies and obfuscation,

As a deeply personal and candid memoir, "Twist: An American Girl" is a shar=
p yet tender arrow to the heart of naked truth as Bertei reveals what it's = like to be a queer teen at a time when discovery could be fatal.

Maddie peers deeply into the American psyche, refusing to consent to the sy= stems of harm. Along the way we encounter an unforgettable schizophrenic mo= ther, Catholic saints, West Side Story and Oliver!, poet killers, the abyss=
of rape, girl-gangsters and faux-pimps, teenage lesbian sex, racial tensio=
ns and misconceived divides, a drag family known as the Holy Maudlins, Viet= nam vets in dark and light, cabaret, true family, rock and roll. And the ul= timate saving grace: love.

A compelling personal history of queer culture from a working-class view an=
d a glimpse into worlds yet unseen, "Twist: An American Girl" is good medic= ine: for readers who've experienced similar traumas, for teens caught in th=
e foster care system, for the formerly incarcerated looking for hope, for w= riters grappling with how to tell their own stories. Most of all, it's for = everyone seeking transportive experiences in art and on the page.

Critique: Fascinating, candid, informative, intimate, insightful, emotional=
, deftly crafted, intensely personal, "Twist: An American Girl" is one of t= hose life stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after the bo=
ok has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Of special relevance to r= eaders with an interest in LGBTQ biographies and memoirs, "Twist: An Americ=
an Girl" is very strongly recommended for community and academic library Am= erican Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal readin=
g lists that "Twist: An American Girl" is also available in a digital book = format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Adele Bertei (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele_Bertei)is=
an American singer, songwriter, writer and director whose music career beg=
an in Cleveland with Peter Laughner of Pere Ubu. She entered New York's dow= ntown scene of the late 1970s as an organist for the Contortions and went o=
n to form the Bloods, the first out, queer, all women-rock band. Bertei has=
appeared in several indie films, most notably Lizzie Borden's Born in Flam=
es and The Offenders. As a singer/songwriter, she has toured with, written = songs for, and recorded as a backup vocalist for a diverse group of artists=
including Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, Sandra Bernhard, Culture Club, Sc= ritti Politti, Whitney Houston, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Sheena Easton, Oleta Ad= ams, Lydia Lunch, the Pointer Sisters, Matthew Sweet, and Sophie B. Hawkins=
.. Bertei charted top twenty internationally with featured leads on Thomas D= olby's "Hyperactive!" and Jellybean's "Just a Mirage." Bertei is also the a= uthor of Peter and the Wolves, a short memoir of her rock and roll educatio=
n.

Handwritten Notes
Carrie Pierce
Hiccup Press
9798987090305, $11.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Handwritten-Notes-Learn-Powerful-Enrich/dp/B0BJN7H7V=
V

Handwritten Notes: Learn How a Small, Powerful Act Can Enrich Your Life cov= ers not just how to write notes, but how to communicate more effectively an=
d personally via a rapidly-diminishing art form: the handwritten (not typed=
!) note.

Readers expecting a primer on how to write actually receive much more than = another creative writing lesson. Carrie Pierce addresses the wider-ranging = impact of the handwritten note, discussing the broader force of personal in= teraction rituals that have been largely replaced by technological distance=
and a from-the-hip shooting style of impulsive responding. Handwritten not=
es require more thought, purpose, and thinking about others. They inject a = form of personal psychological inspection as communiques are put onto paper=
, taking the modern propensity for succinct interactions and expanding it i= nto a deeper effort that promises greater rewards via improved life connect= ions.

The promise of personal enrichment is presented from the start: "If you rea=
d the book closely enough you might convince yourself that this practice of=
writing notes by hand and sending them out into the world can do more than=
simply express thoughts, it can actually fill your life with greater joy a=
nd abundance." While this sounds lofty (and might, indeed, feel impossible)=
to generations raised in the age of technology, Pierce explores how heartf= elt communications can change relationships and lives.

Both a lost art and a form of magic, the effort of putting a thought to pap=
er via pen fulfills the promise of a type of closeness that has largely bee=
n dissolved by the distance created by typewriter, computers, and voice com= mands. From the neuroscience behind note-writing efforts to famous notes of=
others and the psychology that drives them to succeed where other avenues =
of communication fail, Pierce makes a thought-provoking argument for the po= wer of the pen and the influence of written words that take time to be prod= uced.

Handwritten Notes teaches by example, including reflections on Carnegie and=
others whose approaches fulfilled the goal of creating and fostering authe= ntic connection. It also considers the long-term effects of isolation creat=
ed by reliance on devices and technology over personal interactions, includ= ing case histories of disparate individuals. These include the author's own=
father, whose health and psyche was heavily impacted by the distance creat=
ed by COVID isolation.

The book is far more than another 'how to write' guide, but a social survey=
of the handwritten note's impact, potential, and inspirational results. Ha= ndwritten Notes represents a promise, an opportunity, and a return to basic=
s. Libraries and readers that pursue its wisdom will find its promise of ab= undance to be inspirational reading, promoting a form of connection that ca=
n reap surprising rewards via deeper authentic relationships.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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