Review compilation for Library Journal.

1. Scribble, Scribble, Scribble
No matter how the mode.of writing
evolves, from pen to keyboard, no mat-
ter the changing tastes of publishers and
readers, aspiring and practicing writers
across all genres are likely to seek guid-
ance. And as with so much in this age
of specialization, writing guides are now
being written for nearly every niche. Take
a look at these new offerings, and you're
likely to find candidates to strengthen the
wordsmithing part of your collection.
Bogen, Nancy. Be a Poet! Twickenham Pr.
Oct. 2007. c.421p. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-
0-936726-07-6. pap. $34.95.
This is a foundational guide by retired
English professor Bogen (How To Write
Poetry). Though she concentrates on aca-
demic topics (e.g., poetic forms, rhyme
types, meter, etc.), her approach is infor-
and talents. His approach will answer
such questions as "how do you get your
ideas?" and "how long do you write each
day?" An eloquent and honest record of
his day's work. The finished story, "The
Governor's Ball,'' is included. Highly rec-
ommended for all libraries.
Herring, Laraine. Writing Begins with the
Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice.
Shambhala. Sept. 2007. c.224p. bibliog.
ISBN 978-1-59030-473-0. pap. $12.95.
Herring is a short story writer who also
has a degree in psychology. She draws
the principles of yoga into the service of
authentic composition, or what she calls
"deep writing." The result is a worthwhile
and motivating read for all writers, whether
or not they are familiar with yoga. Chapters
with headings like "Curiosity," "Empathy,"
Ron
Carlson
Writes
a Story
and "Acceptance" also
function well as short
meditations on life. Those
who enjoy Julia Cameron's
(The Artist's Way, etc.)
holistic approach should
similarly like Herring's
work. Recommended.
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Jacobs, Charles. The Writer
Within You: AStep-by-
Step Guide to Writing
Ron Carlson
and Publishing in Your
Retirement Years. Caros
Bks. Oct. 2007. c.321p.
bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-
9793636-0-3. pap. $19.95.
mal. The text and the many accompanying ·
exercises grow to feel like a one-sided,
sometimes repetitive, conversation, but
the book has value as a compact manual
of the poet's tools. Recommended for
large collections.
* carlson, Ron. Ron Carlson-Writes a
Story. Graywolf Pr. Sept. 2007. c.120p.
ISBN 978-1-55597-477-0. pap. $12.
With this diminutive account of a short
story's one•day progress from conception
to completed first draft, fiction writer
Carlson (A Kind of Flying: Selected Sto-
ries) presents a gift to writers of all stages
70 I LIBRARY JOURNAL I SEPTEMBER 15, 2007
Jacobs (former editor
in chief, Travel World International) has
created an attractive and thorough guide
aimed at the retired among us but useful
for others as well. He begins by briefly
discussing writers' doubts and the quest
for ideas, then moves directly into "Writing
Your Book." He concentrates mostly on
novel writing but also refers to memoirs
and other nonfiction. In the third and
fourth sections, on publishing and market-
ing a book and placing magazine articles,
respectively, his own experience serves
readers well. There is a valuable appendix
of reputable resources for writers. Recom-
mended for all public libraries.
* The New Writer's Handbook 2007.
Scarletta Pr. 2007. c.288p. ed. by Philip
Martin. ISBN 978-0-9765201-6-0. pap.
$16.95.
Editor Martin begins a new annual
anthology and from the preface by Erica
Jong to the closing piece by Mary Pipher,
it surprises and satisfies. The selections
from recent books, periodicals, and online
sources range from the practical to the
lyrical, covering those subjects often ex-
pounded upon-the source of ideas, suc-
cessful beginnings, showing vs. telling-
while concentrating on such less-explored
topics as sloppy workspaces, writing sex
scenes, interviewing, bad reviews, and
more. Librarian Marylaine Block's essay,
"My First Rule of Information," is just one
of the many jewels in the collection. If
you purchase only one book from this list,
make it this one.
Smith, Alexander Gordon. Inspired
Creative Writing: Pokes and Prods
for Scribblers of All Stripes. Perigee:
Berkley. (52 Brilliant Ideas). 2007. c.237p.
index. ISBN 978-0-399-53347-1. pap.
$15.95.
Novelist Smith offers fiction writers,
poets, and screenwriters prompts for
each week of the year. His tone is con-
versational, and the text is sprinkled with
black-and-white photographs, quotations,
and sidebars. The result is a light treat-
ment of some of the most common
writing topics and dilemmas. The sidebar-
writing exercises are the strongest fea-
ture. Much of the rest has mixed meta-
phors and cliches; better coverage can
be found elsewhere. Optional for school
libraries and teen collections.
Tiberghien, Susan M. One Year to a Writing
Life: Twelve Lessons To Deepen Every
Writer's Art and Craft. Marlowe & Co.
2007. c.288p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-60094-
058-3. pap. $15.99.
As the title states, this guide is orga-
nized into separate workshops applicable
to many kinds of writing. Each lesson
contains five-to 15-minute exercises and
closes with suggestions for undertaking
the exercises over a month-long period.
Chapters are nicely balanced between
practical and mystical guidance, with
excerpts from notable writings as ex-
amples. The "inspirational" elements,
such as Tiberghien's fascination with
the Hindu/Buddhist concept of the
mandala, may not resonate for some
readers. For comprehensive writing
collections.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Leonard, Elmore. Elmore Leonard's 10
Rules of Writing. Morrow. Nov. 2007.
.c.90p. illus. ISBN 978-0-06-145146-1.
$14.95.
Concise. Ten rules. Each shorter
than this summary. Originally appeared
in the New York Times in 2001. Slim,
but for writers not into reading, it may
be the perfect pick. The illustrations
(almost caricatures) by Joe Ciardiello
add pages but little else.
Shapiro, Susan. Only as Good as Your
Word: Writing Lessons from My
Favorite Literary Gurus. Seal: Avalon.
Oct. 2007. c.405p.ISBN 978-1-58005-
220-7. pap. $15.95.
Shapiro (Secrets of a Fix-up Fa-
natic: How To Meet & Marry Your
Match) has had success blending
memoir with how-to. Her latest breezy
narrative conveys rather than spells
out the lessons she learned from vari-
ous writing mentors. Her adventures
may give aspiring professional writers
the hints they need for success-or
at least remind them by example that
the memoir genre is an elastic one.
Ziegler, Alan. The Writing Workshop
Note Book: Notes on Creating and
Workshopping. Soft Skull Pr. Jan.
2008. c.192p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-
93336-870-2. pap. $14.95.
Insights, advice, and allusions for
writing workshop participants, both
teachers and students. The subtitle's
verbing of a noun and the barrage of
quotes from the canon's mainstays
on almost every page may not inspire
all, but poet and story writer Ziegler
(chair, Sch. of the Arts Writing Divi-
sion, Columbia Univ.; So Much To
Do) has a devoted follpwing and is
much admired.-Margaret Heilbrun
Stacey Rae Brownlie, business refer-
ence librarian, Duke Street Business
Center, Lancaster, PA, reviews books
on the craft of writing for LJ. She will
receive her MLS degree in December
of the courageous struggle against corrup-
tion in high places never unravels. A fine
book to have alongside Daniel Wilkinson's
broader Silence on the Mountain: Stories cfTer-
ror, Betrayal, & Forgetting in Guatemala; highly
recommended for modern history collec-
tions. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/07.)-
Eiizabeth Morris, Barrington Area Lib., IL
Koenig, David. Realityland: True-Life
Adventures at Walt Disney World.
Bonaventure Pr. Oct. 2007. 334p. photogs.
index. ISBN 978-0-964060-52-4. $27.95. HIST
Koenig, the author oftwo highly respected,
behind-the-scenes books on Disneyland
(Mouse Tales; More Mouse Tales), now sheds
light on the beginnings of Walt Disney
World. Walt Disney was upset with how
the area around Disneyland gave rise to
cheap motels and trinket shops, so he· de-
cided to build another park in Florida and
purchased enough land to control every as- ·
pect ofthe environs. Koenig's description of
the backdoor deals, phony companies, and
lengths the Disney Company went to se-
cure the thousands ofacres needed to build
the new park is fascinating. Disney's dream
of EPCOT-the Experimental Prototype
Community of Tomorrow, a multilevel,
climate-controlled model city with a net-
work of people movers-was never fully
realized, but a park with that name opened
in 1982. While the Mouse Tales books em-
phasized cast member stories at Disneyland,
here Koenig takes time to immerse readers
fully in the history of what is now the top
tourist destination in the world. Interview-
ing almost 100 people and incorporating
almost a decade of research, Koenig has
written his best book to date. Perfect for
Disney fans and history buffs; for all library
collections.-Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.l.
* Meredith, Martin. Diamonds, Gold, and
War: The British, the Boers, and the Making
of South Africa. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Sept.
2007. c.512p. index. ISBN 978-1-58648-
473-6. $30. HIST
Meredith (The Fate cfAfrica) continues his
superb accounts of Africa, here centering
on the period from the discovery ofthe first
diamond field in 1870 to the formation of
the modern state in 1910. South Africa in
the early 1800s was a hodgepodge ofBritish
colonies, Boer republics, and African chief-
doms until the discovery of rich diamond
and gold deposits. Raw power, corruption,
racism, and the debacle of the Anglo-Boer
War (1899-1902) are well covered in this
distinguished account. Throughout, Mer-
edith intertwines and exposes the roles
of diamond titan Cecil Rhodes and Boer
leader Paul Kruger, who defied the British
for nearly a quarter of a century. Underly-
ing this story is the horrible cost to Africa's
native peoples and the rise of the virulent
Afrikaner nationalism that lasted nearly a
century. Meredith thoroughly involves us.in
this gripping history. Highly recommended
for alllibraries.'-Mary C. Allen, Everett P.L., WA
* Nichols, David A. AMatter of Justice:
Eisenhower and.the Beginning of the Civil
Rights Revolution. S. & S. Sept. 2007.
c.368p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-1-4165-
4150-9. $27. HIST
Historians have given Dwight Eisenhower
low marks for his civil rights record mostly
because he did not use the presidential
"bully pulpit" to educate the public about
segregation's evils. Nichols (Lincoln and the
Indians: Civil War Policy and Politics) offers a
convincing differing view, which concludes
that Eisenhower made unprecedented and
enduring contributions to the civil rights
cause that laid the groundwork for the
1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting
Rights Act. These include completing the
integration of the armed forces; desegregat-
ing Washington, DC; and, most important,
appointing Earl Warren as chiefjustice of
the Supreme Court and four other pro-civil
rights associatejustices. None ofthese events
was accidental, according to Nichols, be-
cause Eisenhower believep in economic and
social justice for African Americans. How-
ever, the author rightly admonishes Eisen-
hower for his reluctance to speak out against
the South's failure to obey the laws of the
land and for not recognizing the moral sup-
port such speeches could have given African
Americans. This impressive revisionist ac-
count is strongly recommended for larger
public and all academic collections. [See
Prepub Alert, L] 5/15/07; see the Q&A
with Nichols, p. 72.-Ed.)-Karl Helicher,
Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Rasenberger, Jim. America, 1908: The Dawn
of Flight, the Race to the Pole, the Invention
of the Model T, and the Making of a Modern
Nation. Scribner. Nov. 2007. c.320p.
photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-7432-
8077-8. $27. HIST
Rasenberger (High Steel: The Daring Men
Who Built the World's Greatest Skyline) ad-
dresses American technological achieve-
ments and their impact on the national mood
a century ago. Although episodic and largely
centered on the East Coast, the result is an
engaging work ofpopular history. Without
neglecting the formidable challenges ofcon-
tinuing racism and the need for workplace
reforms, Rasenberger makes the case for a
buoyant nation as confident-and contra-
dictory-as its president i12 1908, Theodore
Roosevelt. Beginning with the first New
Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square and
mwww.LIBRARYJOURNAL.COM REVIEWs. NEws. AND MORE 1 SEPTEMBER 15,2007 I LIBRARY JOURNAL I 71