June 2023 MBR Reviewer's Choice

Reviewer's Choice

Small Firms and U.S. Technology Policy
Albert N. Link, author
Martijn van Hasselt, author
Edward Elgar Publishing
www.e-elgar.com
9781802205589, $105.00, HC, 156pp

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Firms-U-S-Technology-Policy/dp/1802205586

Synopsis: While much has been written about the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program from both an institutional and a policy perspective, there remains a conspicuous void of general information about firms and research projects that are funded through the program. Providing a multi-dimensional picture of such firms and their projects, this incisive book is designed to help the reader understand in more depth the social benefits associated with the SBIR program.

With the publication of "Small Firms and U.S. Technology Policy: Social Benefits of the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research Program", academics and co-authors Albert N. Link and Martijn van Hasselt discuss the U.S. SBIR program from an institutional, empirical, and policy perspective, examining the policy transfer of the program to other countries, the transfer of technical knowledge through patents and scientific publications, and the technology transfer of commercialised research outputs. Exploring new program and project relationships, "Small Firms and U.S. Technology Policy" could well serve as a springboard for future in-depth analyses about the SBIR program and its impact on economic and social matters.

Forward-thinking in approach, "Small Firms and U.S. Technology Policy" provides a useful roadmap for future academic and policy research into the SBIR program, making it a valuable read for scholars and students of business and management studies. U.S. and international policymakers and business owners will also benefit from its discerning look into the SBIR program.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of numerous figures, tables, a listing of abbreviations, a six page bibliography of References, and a five page Index, "Small Firms and U.S. Technology Policy" is a seminal work of meticulously researched study and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, corporate, governmental, and academic library Contemporary Economics and Private/Public Business Research collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Albert N. Link is the Virginia Batte Phillips Distinguished Professor, Department of Economics.

Editorial Note #2: Martijn van Hasselt is an Associate Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, US.

Jean-Luc Godard: The Permanent Revolutionary
Bert Rebhandl, author
Edward Maltby, translator
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299341800, $29.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Luc-Godard-Permanent-Revolutionary-Wisconsin/dp/0299341801

Synopsis: "Jean-Luc Godard: The Permanent Revolutionary" biographer Bert Rebhandl (and now translated into English for an American readership by Edward Maltby) provides a balanced evaluation of the work of one of the most original and influential film directors of all time: Jean-Luc Godard (3 December 1930 - 13 September 2022). In this sympathetic yet critical overview, Rebhandle persuasively argues that Godard's work captured the revolutionary spirit of Paris in the late 1960s as no other filmmaker has dared, and in fact reinvented the medium.

Rebhandl skillfully weaves together biographical details; information about the cultural, intellectual, and cinematic milieu over the decades; and descriptions of Godard's most significant films to support his assertion that the director was a permanent revolutionary -- always seeking new ways to create, understand, and comment on film within a larger context. Godard is presented as an artist consistently true to himself while never ceasing to change and evolve, often in unexpected, radical, and controversial ways.

Critique: As a journalist and biographer, with the publication of "Jean-Luc Godard: The Permanent Revolutionary" Bert Rebhandl is able to draw upon a wealth of material to descriptively analyze and provide comment upon such sensitive topics as the long-standing charges of antisemitism against Godard and his oeuvre. This comprehensive and seminal biography is an especially recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Cinematic History/Biography collections.

Editorial Note #1: Bert Rebhandl (https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/6058.htm) is a freelance journalist whose writings have appeared in such venues as Frankfurter Allgemeine and tipBerlin. He is the author of several previous books written in German.

Editorial Note #2: Edward Maltby (https://www.maltbytranslation.com) is a UK-based translator. He holds a degree in modern and medieval languages from Cambridge University.

The Bookseller at the End of the World
Ruth Shaw
A&U New Zealand
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en.html
9781988547756, $18.99, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bookseller-at-End-World/dp/198854775X

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Bookseller at the End of the World", Ruth Shaw (who runs two wee bookshops in remote Manapouri in the far south of New Zealand) weaves together stories of the characters who visit her bookshops, musings about favorite books, and bittersweet stories from her full and varied life.

Ruth has sailed through the Pacific for years, been held up by pirates, worked at Sydney's Kings Cross with drug addicts and prostitutes, campaigned on numerous environmental issues, and worked the yacht Breaksea Girl with her husband, Lance.

Underlining all her wanderings and adventures are some very deep losses and long-held pain. Balancing that out is her beautiful love story with Lance, and her delightful sense of humor.

"The Bookseller at the End of the World" will provoke the reader to sorrow and laughter -- and motivated to want to read more books.

And there is a standing invitation for visitors to New Zealand to visit Ruth and her three wee bookshops!

Critique: A deftly presented and informative memoir certain to delight the hard core bibliophile and of compelling interest to anyone who has ever contemplated operating a bookstore of their own, "The Bookseller at the End of the World" is a an inherently fascinating read and a truly exceptional and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Bookseller Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that "The Bookseller at the End of the World" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Twice arrested and married four times, now at age 75, Ruth Shaw has led a colorful life crammed with incredible adventure, and at times damned by terrible tragedy. There have been pirates and prostitutes, protests, and pig farming; gold mining, gambling, and grief. (https://www.nzedge.com/news/fiordland-bookseller-ruth-shaws-extraordinary-life)

Avocado Anxiety
Louise Gray
Bloomsbury
www.bloomsbury.com
9781472969637, $24.00

https://www.amazon.com/Avocado-Anxiety-Other-Stories-About/dp/1472969634

Avocado Anxiety and Other Stories About Where Your Food Comes From comes from the author of the best-selling The Ethical Carnivore, and continues the dialogue surrounding food choices and making mindful decisions about eating. This survey presents stories of how fruits and vegetables are grown, marketed, and how they affect both humans and the land, considering wide-ranging questions from how food is foraged and whether it's more nutritious than farmed food to whether plant protein is as good as meat. Expanding many of the concepts presented in The Ethical Carnivore, Avocado Anxiety imbibes its approach and subjects with dialogues supported by facts, encouraging readers to both learn more about food options and consider their planetary impact in making these choices.

My Two Centuries In Africa
Carl William Henn
CWH Publishing
9781088123805, $24.99, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Two-Centuries-Africa-Book-One/dp/1088123805

Synopsis: "My Two Centuries in Africa (Book One): Epic fights. Long flights. Mosquito Bites" by Carl William Henn is a humorous, affectionate, intimate book about Africa. It's a personal memoir about how a guy from Indiana accidentally spent almost 40 years working in (or on) public health in Africa and lived to tell about it.

In "My Two Centuries in Africa", Henn covers the 20th Century from 1980 to 2000. The countries where he worked and visited are primarily in North Africa (Morocco) and in West Africa (Burkina Faso, as well as Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, and Togo)

On a deeper level, "My Two Centuries in Africa" is a call to action urging Americans and other Westerners to recognize and reject outdated, negative stereotypes often seen in the media and in Hollywood movies about Africa and African people.

Is Africa really all poverty, war, disease, and corruption, as Western news media tends to portray it? No. Or is it just a big wildlife safari as the travel industry would have you believe? No. It is a lot more!

"My Two Centuries in Africa" is a combination travel book and a memoir that offers insights into the daily lives, struggles, and successes of over a billion African people living on the second-largest continent.

It also reveals the emotional roller-coaster life of one lost and lonely man who found love, experienced loss, overcame adversity, and gained a measure of wisdom in the process.

Critique: "My Two Centuries in Africa (Book One): Epic fights. Long flights. Mosquito Bites" is a large-format book (8" X 10" or 20 x 25 cm.) that is enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of more than 100 color pictures of 27 African countries in which Carl William Henn has lived and worked. As a bonus, he has also included five extensive Spotify playlists of music from different regions of Africa. As fascinating as it is informative, "My Two Centuries in Africa" will hold a special value for readers with an interest in the history, culture, and music of contemporary African nations (especially Zimbabwe) and is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental curriculum African Studies lists.

Editorial Note: Carol William Henn (https://www.carlhenn.org) began his African sojourn as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, and later worked in West, Southern, and East Africa as a staffer for NGOs and USAID, fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic, malaria, and Ebola, and on famine and drought relief as well as children's education and agricultural productivity. In my spare time. He also: Kissed a man with a knife in Morocco to protect two defenseless women; Learned how to grill sheep's heads on the Muslim holiday; Witnessed many chickens falling from the sky in Burkino Faso; Found a lizard in my underwear (hiding in them, not wearing them), and so much more!

The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art
Mallory M. O'Connor and John A. O'Connor
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639887965, $56.95 Hardcover/$45.95 paper

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Studio-Memoir-Food-Art/dp/1639887768

The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art is a rare combination of art book, memoir, and culinary exploration highly recommended for readers interested in successful intersections of the arts.

Co-authors Mallory M. O'Connor and John A. O'Connor chronicle their lives together, their community involvements, and their shared passion for art and food in a love story about many subjects. Their effort is illustrated with John's original paintings that accompany photographs of celebrations. The celebration of love, food, and nature assumes an uplifting tone from the start, rich in the color images that liberally accent the authors' memories, insights, and even historical reflections on the history of classic culinary dishes such as Beef Wellington.

It's rare to see all these elements under one cover, but the O'Connors achieve this special blend through shared memories, reflections, and artistic eyes. These are transmitted to readers via visual and written vehicles that supersede the linear approaches of most recipe books, memoirs, or culinary histories.

The food illustrations often include a touch of whimsy, as in the pastel for 'Country-Style Green Beans' which features an uncommon observer in the background of the dish. Think of the richness of James Beard's classic Delights and Prejudices, which surveys food and life from more than a singular vision, for a sense of the multifaceted attraction that is The Kitchen and the Studio.

Libraries, cooks, and readers who love uplifting blends of life experience will find the art and culinary insights equally powerful and attractive here, and well worthy of repeat reading.

Execution Island
Janice Boekhoff
Lost Canyon Press LLC
9781948003117, $16.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Execution-Island-Janice-Boekhoff/dp/1948003112

Fans of Jurassic Park and Janice Boekhoff's 'Jurassic Judgment' series receive a dinosaur/genetic engineering adventure firmly ensconced in the trappings of surprise and thriller tension. Although Execution Island is the third book in the series, it stands nicely alone for newcomers, including a basic introduction that sets the premise of a futuristic justice system involving an island of dinosaurs where "...death row inmates are given a choice: immediate execution or exile to Extinction Island." When reptile expert Oakley Laveau is wrongly convicted of a murder and sent to said island, her story appears to be at an end. In fact, it's only beginning as she discovers the truth about her own genetic manipulation and situations which evolve new mysteries in Execution Island. Oakley may be trapped on the island, but the truth isn't about to set her free anytime soon.

Acknowledging what she is and what she was created for is just part of the challenge of employing her enhanced genetics in a venture that goes above and beyond her assassin skills. As she faces an adversary accomplished in 'undetectable murder' and realizes that there are no good choices in her quest, Oakley discovers that her fight to live free is only one motivation for solving the mysteries of her life purpose and origins. Fated to team up with her sibling (who is also genetically enhanced and has been her adversary) Oakley discovers that her quest for the truth and her pursuit of who she really is powers an underlying horror that will not only change her life and cement its likely demise, but will alter the game plans of those connected to her. Janice Boekhoff's satisfyingly complex cat-and-mouse game features major players who must delve into their own psyches and origins in order to emerge victorious on a playing field controlled by forces they are ill equipped to handle.

The characters of Oakley, Lumas, Auburn, and others come to life, swirling and dancing around each other as unexpected events keep outcomes mercurial and characters guessing about their next moves. This salsa creates a thriller that is heavy in surprises (including a glimpse of faith), thought-provoking in its considerations of power plays and their abuses, and thoroughly involving. Thriller libraries and readers will find Execution Island rich in action-packed confrontations designed to keep them guessing to the end.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "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 Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

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