Transaction Publishers

Abortion, execution, and the consequences of taking life, rev. ed.

From a theocentric phenomenological perspective, Slack (chaplain, Birmingham, AL; retired professor) argues that "Murder, execution, abortion = the same thing." He draws on America's theocratic moral principles as he believes the Founders viewed them, Scripture, interviews on the complex, harsh realities of prison and abortion, and the political thought of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is the paperback edition of the 2009 book. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Addiction treatment; comparing religion and science in application.

Hood (criminal justice, State U. of New York) presents this comparative study of religious and science based live-in addiction treatment programs. Hood's research suggests that the two differing ideological program styles have more in common than not. The broad range of policies and approaches to addiction treatment are present in both secular and religious programs. Both have the potential of effectiveness while also, at times, working to demean addicts in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at changing socially unacceptable behavior. The author maintains that addiction is a term without a general definition and, thus, treatment approaches and success rates are widely varied. This book appeals to those studying criminology and addiction. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Africare; Black American philanthropy in Africa.

Campbell (history, Agnes Scott College) traces the history, goals, and activities of Africare, a US-based nonprofit organization that specializes in development aid for Africa. She describes its efforts in health care; agriculture; food security, including monetization; encouraging democracy and good governance; refugee assistance and emergency relief; and twenty-first century challenges. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Beast or angel?; choosing to be human. (reprint, 1974)

In this reprint from 1974, Dubos, author of So Human an Animal and The Torch of Life, discusses the essence of humankind and how it has remained basically unchanged since the Stone Age. According to the author, basic human attitudes, activities, needs, and yearnings have remained in spite of the vast changes in the world and human lifestyles. The book investigates these basic human needs and desires, comparing them in past, present, and future contexts, in order to provide understanding of their origins. This material appeals to those with an interest in anthropology, psychology, and biology. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The competition of ideas; the world of the Washington think tanks. (reprint, 2009)

Weidenbaum (economics, Washington U.) examines the role of think tanks in the Washington policy process and assesses their effectiveness in enacting their agendas. He offers a comparative overview of "the DC- 5" — the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, the Cato Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Heritage Foundation — and discusses how they and other organizations operate and their relationships with business and government. He also makes the case that they compete with each other far more than most realize and that this competition helps them maintain their independence. This is the paperback edition of a book published in hardback in 2009. It contains a new introduction. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Deviance and liberty; social problems and public policy. (reprint, 1974)

First published in 1974, this collection of articles and a few government reports from the 1960s and 1970s offers an introduction to social science perspectives on a range of issues in American society, and will be of interest to practicing sociologists and students. In an introduction, editor Rainwater (emeritus, sociology, Harvard U.) reviews five sociological perspectives on social problems: social pathology, social disorganization, value conflict, deviant behavior, and labeling. Some article topics include stigma and social identity, legalization of gambling in New York City, patterns and meanings of drug use among hippies, homosexual exchanges in public places, peacekeeping on Skid Row, violence and disruption on the US campus, and prison violence. Each article is preceded by a summary and comments from the editor. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Diplomacy and global governance; the diplomatic service in an age of worldwide interdependence.

Building on his own experiences in the Austrian diplomatic corps, but also incorporating academic theory, Nowotny (political science, U. of Vienna, Austria) reflects on how the complexity and interdependence of the globalized world has changed the context and requirements for the practice of international diplomacy. In doing so, he places the role of diplomacy in the context of other key institutions of global governance. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The dynamics of modern society. (reprint 1966)

Sociologists from the US and Europe contribute to a textbook for students who have completed a first course setting out the principles and history of the discipline. They cover the dynamics of interpersonal relations; structural patterns within society; social processes; values, ideologies, and symbol systems; social institutions; interaction among sub-systems of society; and social change and revolution. The 1966 cloth-bound edition was published by Atherton Press. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The elections in Israel 2009.

Israel's 2009 elections were complex and turbulent, as illustrated by the resignation of Ehud Olmert over corruption and government integrity issues at the beginning of the campaign — as well as a military action and the world financial crisis. The authors here examine the elections from a variety of perspectives, including voters, political parties, social groups, political communications, public policy, and the country's political culture. The book will be attractive to readers interested in comparative politics and elections. Editors (Arian (deceased, political science, City U. of New York), Shamir (author and political science, Tel Aviv U.), and 20 others contributed to the book. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Encounters with civilizations; from Alexander the Great to Mother Teresa. (reprint, 2009)

Alpion (sociology, U. of Birmingham) assembles 15 previously published essays exploring how people can encounter other cultures without trying to impose their own onto them. Taking examples from his native Albania, Egypt, Britain, and India, he offers such insights as Kosova as a corner of Europe still waiting for peace, Egyptian coffee shops, images of Albania in the British press, media and celebrity culture around Mother Teresa, and social closure in Western academia. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The Frankfurt school; the critical theories of Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno. (reprint, 1977)

This book offers a study of the Frankfurt School of philosophy and sociology at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, as developed first by Max Horkheimer in the 1930s and modified in collaboration with Theodore Adorno since 1940. The study aims to go beyond previous studies by covering the Frankfurt School's entire history and comparing it to both Marxism and scientific sociology. The book is organized chronologically, beginning with the early years, 1923-1931, before Horkheimer's takeover, then assessing Horkheimer's contribution as an alleged Marxist during the 1930s. The next chapter deals with Horkheimer's and Adorno's theoretical explanations and social philosophical reflections on fascism, and examines Horkheimer's critique of science. Chapter 3 discusses the 1950s through 1974, which saw the Frankfurt School's integration into West German academic life and the reconstruction of critical theory under a new label, theory of society. It also describes the final phase in the elevation of Horkheimer to a quasi-religious position and of Adorno to nihilism. The book was originally published in 1977 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Tarr has taught sociology and history at several universities, including Rutgers University. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The green movement in Iran.

Iran's continuous political battle for independence and democracy over the past two centuries made considerable headway after the tumultuous June 2009 elections and emergence of the Green Movement. The power struggle between the monarchs and governments, coupled with interference from other super-powers, namely Britain and Russia, had a divisive and negative effect on Iran's political success. Dabashi (Iranian studies and comparative literture, Columbia U.) presents a collection of writings about the events of the election, the Green Movement's characteristics, and Iran's future political consequences. The book is edited by Navid Nikzadfar (Iranian social scientist) who provides background and historical information relating to Iran's previous civil rights movements. American culture, policy, and economical sanctions are also discussed. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

A history of Islamic law. (reprint, 1964)

Long chair of oriental laws at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, Coulson (1228-1986) traces the development of Shari'a law. Because Islam holds that the law was ordained by God and so cannot change, he says, the basis of his history is the difference between the ideal doctrine espoused by scholars and the actual practice in the courts. Progressing from the genesis through medieval Islam to modern times, he examines such matters as legal practice in the first century of Islam, unity and diversity in Shari'a law, and the influence of European laws. This is a facsimile of the 1964 edition published by Edinburgh University Press. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Human behavior in the social environment; a social systems approach, 6th ed.

Systems theory and social systems were little recognized in the social sciences when the first edition appeared in 1974. In this extensively revised update of the 1999 edition, Carter (emeritus, social work, U. of Minnesota) adds a chapter on the application of systems thinking to professional practice with an emphasis on empathy as its foundation. This survey provides theoretical "maps" of human behavior at the cultural, community, organizational, group, family, and individual levels. The text includes examples of current social issues, a glossary, information on Paolo Friere and Edith Stein pertinent to new material on phenomenology, and suggested readings, literary and visual media sources. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Human birth; an evolutionary perspective. (reprint, 1987)

A reprint from 1987, this volume looks at human birth from an evolutionary perspective. Trevathan (anthropology, New Mexico State U.) first discusses the compromises that have been made in evolution: sexual reproduction, viviparity, a hemochorial placenta, a long gestation period, and a reproductive strategy that includes high parental investment in very few offspring, as well as the factors of morphological adaptation for habitual bipedalism, increased brain size and elaboration, and secondary altriciality of the newborn. She then considers the process of labor and delivery in human and other mammals, the state of the newborn infant, behavioral interactions during the immediate postpartum period, and mother-infant bonding, drawing on her own research, including a study of 110 women who delivered with midwives, and that from other fields. She ends by proposing scenarios that describe birth-related behavior and mother-infant interaction at five stages of human evolution. This paperback edition adds a new introduction addressing recent research. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

An idea and its servants; UNESCO from within. (reprint, 1978)

This reprint of a 1978 exposé on the bureaucratic machinations of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) provides an insider's look at the influence of politics on organizations designed to function in a non-partisan global environment. The main text is clearly outdated, dealing with infrastructural challenges from more than thirty years ago, and deliberately anti-United Nations. The primary contemporary relevance of this volume is the inclusion of a new foreword by Bush administration ambassador and UN critic John R. Bolton. The material would be of interest to institutional scholars studying late twentieth century or Cold War bureaucratic organizations. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Jewish power in America; myth and reality. (reprint, 2008)

In his new introduction to the paperback edition of the 2008 book, Feingold (emeritus, history, City U. of New York) treats the issue of Jewish political clout in the US in the contexts of America as a world power and the schism between leftist and neoconservative Jews. Rather than respond to charges of Jews' alleged inordinate power, seven essays examine how that power has been wielded in recent American history, e.g., its failure to save European Jews, and its role in freeing Soviet Jewry. He identifies shared aspirations and insecurities as the source of Jewish-American strength. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Music and solidarity; questions of university, consciousness, and connection.

Songs and lyrics are detected, inspected, and injected with commentary and analyses of how music is powerfully used to praise, protest and ponder political projects and propaganda. The premise that "music is inseparable from the social act" is elaborated upon with examples across cultures and throughout history. Music portrayed in civil rights, rituals, mysticism, dialogue and cultural identity is investigated. With a host of contributors from various musical backgrounds, the editors have arranged the chapters in an order that helps the reader make connections from multiple perspectives. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Musical cognition; a science of listening. (reprint, 2009)

This survey on music's effect on the human psyche is about what happens inside a person's head and the role music plays in cognitive-emotional development. Honing (Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, U. of Amsterdam) compares language and music by converting phrases into musical notation to show how even people who believe they are not musically inclined are more musical than they think. From baby babbling to rhythm charts, this in-depth scholarly study, which was originally published in Amsterdam, enlightens with evidence that music is an integral part of being human, both biologically and socially. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Poor and homeless in the Sunshine State; down and out in theme park nation.

This collection of essays on homelessness and poverty in central Florida examines the juxtaposition of idealized development, a region built around children's theme parks, and the grinding poverty of marginalized individuals and families. The volume examines the community's interaction in a longitudinal study, investigating changes in policy and strategies for helping the homeless and the relative successes of programs and plans. Wright and Donley are professors of sociology at the University of Central Florida. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)