Reviewer's Choice

The Hidden History of American Democracy
Thom Hartmann
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
1333 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland CA, 94612
www.bkconnection.com
9781523004386, $19.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-American-Democracy-Rediscovering/dp/1= 52300438X

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Hidden History of American Democracy=
: Rediscovering Humanity's Ancient Way of Living", Thom Hartmann provides h=
is readers with a succinct, powerful, sweeping history and analysis of Amer= ican democracy, and shows how democracy is the one form of governance most = likely to produce peace and happiness among people.

With the violent exception of the Civil War, American democracy resisted th=
e pressure to disintegrate into factionalism for nearly two centuries, and = now, with the currently deepening and increasingly hostile polarization of = the American people our very system of democratic elections is at stake.

So how do we save our democracy?

"The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity's Ancient=
Way of Living" offers a clear call to action and a set of solutions with r= oad maps for both individuals and communities to follow in order to create =
a safer, more just society, more equitable, more civil, and more prosperous=
economy.

Critique: Given the current threat to American Democracy from domestic fasc= ists and their present control of roughly 1/3 of the general American publi=
c through deliberate and consistent campaigns of misinformation, disinforma= tion, propaganda, and lies, as well as a recently failed campaign to overth= row a freely and fairly elected presidential election, "The Hidden History =
of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity's Ancient Way of Living" by T= hom Hartmann should be a core addition to highschool, community, college, a=
nd university library 21st Century American Political Science collections a=
nd supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the person=
al reading lists of Political Science students, academia, political activis= ts, and non-specialist general readers alarmed by what is currently happeni=
ng in our country that "The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscove= ring Humanity's Ancient Way of Living" is also available in a digital book = format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Thom Hartmann (https://www.thomhartmann.com) is a four time=
winner of the Project Censored Award, a New York Times bestselling author =
of over thirty books, and America's #1 progressive talk radio show host for=
more than a decade. His show is carried on SiriusXM and radio stations nat= ionwide and simulcast on Free Speech TV.

When the Subject Is Rape: A Guide for Male Partners, Friends & Family Membe=
rs
Alan W. McEvoy, PhD
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
9780757005220, $17.95, PB, 168pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-subject-is-rape-alan-w-mcevoy-phd= /1143047970

Synopsis: Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or = other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without thei=
r consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of=
authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, s= uch as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disabilit=
y, or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used in= terchangeably with the term sexual assault. (Wikipedia)

Rape is, unfortunately, an all-too-common violent crime usually perpetrated=
against women. For victims, the process of sharing information about an as= sault with loves ones or reporting the crime to the police can be harrowing=
, embarrassing, and painful. The responses of others can greatly affect the=
way a rape survivor copes. Often the men who are closest to rape survivors=
(intimate partners, friends, and family members) are simply unprepared to = offer the right assistance. The wrong word or action may trigger an unexpec= ted reaction.

Expertly written by Alan W. McEvoy, "When the Subject Is Rape: A Guide for = Male Partners, Friends & Family Members" is designed specifically to illust= rate the role men can play as allies in a woman's recovery from rape.

"When the Subject Is Rape" carefully examines the many aspects of rape. It = looks at both the short- and long-term emotional and psychological impacts = rape can have on a woman, what she can expect during the prosecution of her=
rapist, and strategies that can help her to recover from the assault. It a= lso discusses how the men in her life should communicate with her and addre=
ss her needs throughout her recovery, and describes how they should conduct=
themselves to avoid unintentionally causing her more pain. Furthermore, it=
explains how to identify changes in behavior that may signal an undisclose=
d rape.

Even if a rape goes unreported, both the emotional consequences and the nee=
d for support throughout the recovery process will still be present.

Rape is not an easy subject to discuss. Sexual violence can radically alter=
the course of a woman's life. By understanding the trauma associated with = rape and other forms of sexual assault, men can play an important part in a=
woman's healing process. "When the Subject Is Rape" provides information t= hat can help men to create a climate of support for the empowerment of wome=
n who are on the path to recovery.

Critique: Most rapes and sexual assaults against women go unreported, or ar=
e reported years after the event (such as was the case with respect to men = like Bill Cosby). But whether reported or unreported, women need the emotio= nal support of their family members and friends -- including the men in the=
ir lives be they husbands, boyfriends, brothers, fathers, or uncles. Rape a=
nd sexual assault is to be found in every community, and on every campus, s=
o every community library, every college/university library, and every coun= seling center needs to have a copy of "When the Subject Is Rape: A Guide fo=
r Male Partners, Friends & Family Members" in their collection for the bene= fit of their patrons and students. It should be noted for personal reading = lists that "When the Subject Is Rape: A Guide for Male Partners, Friends & = Family Members" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49)=
..

Editorial Note: Alan W. McEvoy earned his doctorate in sociology from Weste=
rn Michigan University. He is an emeritus professor at Northern Michigan Un= iversity, where he served as head of the Department of Sociology and Anthro= pology. He is the author or co-author of numerous works on rape, child abus=
e, intimate partner violence, toxic romantic relationships, youth suicide, = and bullying. He has served as an expert witness in litigation involving vi= olence in schools. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/alan-w-= mcevoy-phd)

Nature at Your Door
Sara A. Gagne
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811772266, $29.95, PB, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Your-Door-Connecting-Landscape/dp/0811772268

Synopsis: As humans, we are an integral part of the ecosystem where we live=
.. With the publication of "Nature at Your Door: Connecting with the Wild an=
d Green in the Urban and Suburban Landscape" by Sara A. Gagne we learn that=
what we do in our yards matters just as much as the way our local parks an=
d nature preserves are managed.

An author and professor of landscape ecology, Sara focuses on the ecologica=
l importance of our day-to-day activities and spaces we are most familiar w= ith and can most influence. With cutting-edge science, anecdotal experience=
s, and practical recommendations, Sara brings the message of how people and=
nature are vitally connected in the urban and suburban landscape.

Each chapter is dedicated to a particular space -- beginning with the yard,=
moving onto the street, the park, the greenway, the neighborhood, and the = town/city. Sara tells stories of the latest ecological research, interwoven=
with her own experiences studying animals, to show readers how they affect=
nature and how nature in wilder, greener spaces affect us in both positive=
and negative ways. Sidebars feature practical steps readers can take to de= epen their connections with nature.

Based on Sara's fifteen years of research and teaching in urban ecology, th=
e wide variety of places and topics covered in "Nature at Your Door: Connec= ting with the Wild and Green in the Urban and Suburban Landscape" adds a fr= esh perspective to urban nature writing and appeals to those who want to ta=
ke action to make the places they live greener, healthier, and more biodive= rse for themselves, the wildlife, and the earth.

Critique: Illustrated throughout with full color photography, and informati= vely enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of Sidebars, twenty pages o=
f Notes, and a seventeen page Index, "Nature at Your Door: Connecting with = the Wild and Green in the Urban and Suburban Landscape" is an informed and = informative as it it is useful and inspiring. Holding a special relevance f=
or readers with an interest in wildlife ecology, plant biology, and human g= eography, "Nature at Your Door: Connecting with the Wild and Green in the U= rban and Suburban Landscape" is unique and highly recommended for personal,=
professional, community, and academic library Nature/Ecology collections a=
nd supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, = academia, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with =
an interest in the subject that "Nature at Your Door: Connecting with the W= ild and Green in the Urban and Suburban Landscape" is also available in a d= igital book format (Kindle, $28.45).

Editorial Note: Dr. Sara Gagne (https://geoearth.charlotte.edu/people/sara-= gagne) is an Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology in the Department of = Geography and Earth Sciences at University of North Carolina Charlotte. She=
has trained with the best ecologists in the world and published scientific=
articles in high-impact journals such as Ambio and Bio Science. She's done=
research on coyotes and carabid beetles and is a member of an interdiscipl= inary department of physical and social scientists.

Who Will Accompany You?
Meg Stafford
River Grove Books
c/o Greenleaf Book Group Press
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781632994905, $15.95, PB, 220pp

https://www.amazon.com/Who-Will-Accompany-You-Stafford/dp/1632994909

Synopsis: Award-winning memoirist Meg Stafford has an adventurous spirit, a=
nd with the publication of "Who Will Accompany You?: My Mother-Daughter Jou= rneys Far from Home and Close to the Heart" she takes us all along for the = ride.

When her daughters venture into terra incognita (one of them meditating in = the Himalayas and the other negotiating with the Colombian military) Meg St= afford decides to go too. In the process, she reflects on her own lifetime =
of wanderlust and what it means for a parent to love and to let go. Generou=
s, insightful, and deeply funny, Meg Stafford is the ideal tour guide for '=
a journey as big as the world and as intimate as the human heart'.

Critique: Showcasing her impressive storytelling skills that fully engage a=
nd entertain her readers, "Who Will Accompany You?" will have a very specia=
l appeal and value for readers with an interest in parenting girls -- and t= eenage/young adult girls at that! Blending elements of the memoir, with a t= ravelogue, and illustrative parenting anecdotes, "Who Will Accompany You?" =
is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lis=
ts and community library collections. It should be noted that "Who Will Acc= ompany You?" is also available from River Grove Books in a digital book for= mat (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Meg Stafford is a writer who loves exploration of all kinds=
.. Her 2011 memoir, Topic of Cancer, won six literary awards (including bein=
g named "Best First Book" by the IBPA's Benjamin Franklin Awards) for its e= ngrossing and hilarious portrayal of surviving and thriving after a life-al= tering diagnosis of breast cancer. For 25 years she has been observing how = small, remarkable moments enrich our lives in her monthly newspaper column,=
"A Moment's Notice." As a social worker in private practice, she's been he= lping others negotiate the terrain of relationships and connections for ove=
r 35 years.

Broken
Fred M. Kray
https://fredmkray.com
Live Oak Press
9798987213810, $26.95 Hardcover/$17.95 Paper/$7.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Suspicious-Alydar-Racings-Golden/dp/B0C2SBZ6Y=
Q

Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden=
Age should be in any library strong in horse racing stories and history.

It's the true story of champion stallion Alydar's mysterious injury and dem= ise, assuming the tone and trappings of a crime investigation while delving=
deeper into the horse racing world and history of the 1990s. Perhaps the m= ost intriguing part of this survey is that its author is an animal law atto= rney who approaches the subject not from the usual standpoint of participan=
ts in the horse racing community, but as a lawyer who weaves together court=
proceedings, evidence, and interviews with over twenty eyewitnesses. This = testimony and these insights piece together the truth of an event which tai= nted the horse racing world forever.

The true crime story reads with the passion and immediacy of a dramatic nov= el, featuring the ability to draw readers from outside the true crime genre=
: "A cool Lexington night. Calumet's stallion barn. The night watchman in c= harge of protecting almost $50 million worth of Calumet's horses is gone, l=
et go six months earlier. Now one man, Cowboy Kipp, is responsible for maki=
ng the rounds of the entire 762-acre farm, leaving five of Calumet Farm's m= ost valuable horses (Alydar, Affirmed, Secreto, Mogambo, and Capote) alone = for up to an hour each night."

Fred M. Kray's approach lends captivating tension to the facts that evolve =
as the mystery unfolds. This should even attract mystery genre readers with=
a sense of exploration and discovery that is compelling. Personalities, bo=
th equine and human, are also profiled in the course of an investigation wh= ich remains vivid throughout.

The fact-focused nature of this event, Kray's emphasis on the legal proceed= ings and investigative probe into the horse racing world, and the progressi=
ve discoveries that emerge all make Broken a top recommendation not just fo=
r true crime collections or libraries looking for exposes about the horse r= acing world, but for mystery readers and legal thriller audiences looking f=
or a rollicking good read that puts Dick Francis to shame.

Atrocity Fabrication and Its Consequences
A. B. Abrams
Clarity Press
https://www.claritypress.com
9781949762709, $31.95, PB, 424pp

https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Fabrication-Its-Consequences-Shapes/dp/1949= 76270X

Synopsis: Atrocity Fabrication is the invention and reporting of atrocities=
committed by an adversary without knowledge that they ever occurred.

This form of misinformation and disinformation has a centuries-long history=
at the heart of propaganda and power politics as an effective means of mov= ing public and international opinion.

Its use can provide pretext for a range of hostile measures against its tar= gets, transforming in the public eye wars of unprovoked aggression into war=
s of liberation of the oppressed, or turning blockades to starve enemy civi= lians into humane efforts to pressure abusive governments under the moralis= tic label of sanctions.

As it plays a large and growing role in global conflict in the 21st century=
understanding atrocity fabrication and the consistent means by and ends to=
which it has been used has become crucial to comprehending geopolitical ev= ents in the present day.

With the publication of "Atrocity Fabrication and Its Consequences: How Fak=
e News Shapes World Order", A. B. Abrams clearly elucidates the seldom expl= ored but central role played by atrocity fabrication in eleven major confli= cts from the 1950s to the present day: from Korea, Vietnam and Cuba during = the Cold War to Iraq, Libya and the emerging Sino-U.S. cold war more recent= ly.

"Atrocity Fabrication and Its Consequences: How Fake News Shapes World Orde=
r" also highlights the many variations of atrocity fabrication, the strong = consistencies in how atrocity fabrication is used, and the consequences it = has for the populations of the targeted countries, This study also demonstr= ates the roles played by media and both government and non-governmental org= anizations in misleading the public as to the actuality of these highly pub= licized events.

The emerging and growing trend towards Atrocity Fabrication, and the deep i= mplications this has for democracy and world order make an understanding of=
its history particularly critical.

Critique: An impressively timely study given the contemporary assaults on A= merican Democracy by authoritarian elements of local, state, and federal of= fice holders whose boldest attempt was the effort to overthrow a freely and=
fairly elected Presidential election, and foreign national efforts to misl= ead and adversely affect the American citizenry, and the struggles between = the democracies of the world against the authoritarian nations seeking domi= nation over them in a cyber war based conflict, "Atrocity Fabrication and I=
ts Consequences: How Fake News Shapes World Order" is an exceptionally well=
written study that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,=
community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science = collections. Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.49), "Atr= ocity Fabrication and Its Consequences: How Fake News Shapes World Order" w= ill have a very special relevance and value to students, academia, politica=
l activists, state and federal government officials, as well as non-special= ist general readers with an interest in the subject of 'Fake News" with res= pect ot Human Rights, Journalism, Democracy and Social Media Communications=
..

Editorial Note: A. B. Abrams (https://www.claritypress.com/book-author/a-b-= abrams) is based out of London and is the author of Power and Primacy: A Hi= story of Western Intervention in the Asia-Pacific, Immovable Object: North = Korea's 70 Years at War with American Power and World War in Syria. He has = published widely on defense and international politics, and holds Masters d= egrees in related subjects from the University of London. Abrams is profici= ent in several Asian languages including Korean and Arabic, and has closely=
studied the conduct of war for close to a decade.

The Blossoming of Women
Karen Roberts with Dana Jaffe
Gaia & Friends Inc.
www.theblossomingofwomen.com
9780974644905, $25.00 print/$9.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Blossoming-Women-Workbook-Growing-Older/dp/097464490=
0

The Blossoming of Women: A Workbook on Growing from Older to Elder is a col= lection of practices for transformation that considers the practices and co= ntributions of women Karen Roberts considers "elder" (those in their sixtie=
s, seventies, and eighties).

It invites women to consider the differences in perception, experience, and=
opportunity that lies between "old" and "elder," and it provides a hallmar=
k of time and possibility that suggests paths away from the grief and depre= ssion that aging can bring. This is achieved via tips, reviews of common tr= aps, and road maps of choices made by other women who have eschewed the Nar= cissistic views of aging and entered into more giving, world-embracing pers= pectives.

Roberts's vividly thought-provoking insights will lend especially well to w= omen's book reading groups (and any woman's group, in general). Filled with=
life-supporting insights about these pathways, what they look like, and ho=
w they are achieved, The Blossoming of Women surveys a new age's ripe poten= tials, cementing them with biographical sketches of women who serve as exam= ples of the fruits of this process.

It concludes each feature with questions women can use for self-inspection,=
reflection, and discussion, such as: "What aspects of her crisis, the deat=
h of so many close to her in a short period, seem similar to your dark plac= e?"

Beautiful nature images throughout support the gentle feel and uplifting sp= irit of these stories. If only one book on women's aging were to be selecte=
d for a library collection, it should be The Blossoming of Women: A Workboo=
k on Growing from Older to Elder. Filled with inspirational and educational=
opportunities, it promotes a different vision of elder years and retiremen=
t that translates not to retiring from life, but entering into another phas=
e of efficiency and meaningful thoughts, actions, and choices.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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

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