Barash, Susan Shapiro. Toxic Friends: the Antidote for Women Stuck in Complicated Friendships.

St. Martin’s Press. 2009. c.288p. photogs. bibliog.. ISBN 978-0-312-38639-9. $24.99.

In this noteworthy study drawing upon popular culture and extensive personal interviews with 200 women of various backgrounds and ages as well as with experts in the fields of psychology and counseling, Barash (Professor, Critical Thinking/Gender Studies, Marymount Manhattan College, 1992- ; M.A., Writing, New York University; B.A., Writing, Sarah Lawrence College; bestselling author of Tripping the Prom Queen; author of eleven books including this one; www.susanshapirobarash.com), a nationally-recognized gender expert, explores the ten types of female friends—the Leader, the Doormat, the Sacrificer, the Misery Lover, the User, the Frenemy, the Trophy Friend, the Mirroring Friend, the Sharer, and the Authentic Friend. She helps women recognize and understand them as well as develop means for assessing them and moving forward with problematic female relationships. Barash accomplishes the aforementioned tasks, by dividing her book into three parts based upon a continuum of types of female friends: female friends that are tolerable, intolerable, and worth keeping. According to the author, most women may be able to tolerate Leaders, Doormats, Sacrificers, and Misery Lovers, while they may decide to ditch Users, Frenemies, and Trophy Friends. Women may keep Mirroring Friends, Sharers, and Authentic Friends. Covering each type of woman friend in a separate chapter, while noting how the types may overlap, Barash sets forth the characteristics of each, first hand accounts of the natures of the type of friend, examples drawn from newspapers, books, and movies, current research, the pros and cons of staying in the type of friendship, and more. Including the questionnaire she administered to her interviewees as well as its percentage results by answer, Barash further references her work with a bibliography. Nicely- presented and sufficiently- well documented, even though it lacks footnotes, an index, and some “characters” are composites, this in-depth exploration of female friendships and useful, self-help guide will interest women readers, students, scholars, and others. Accessible, easy- to- read, with a reader’s guide at the end of the book, and scholarly, it belongs in large, public and undergraduate, academic library book collections. Highly recommended. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Harrison, Matt. The American Evolution: How America Can Adapt to the Political, Economic, and Social Challenges of the 21st Century.

Prometheus Institute Press. 2009. c.244p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-615-28204-6. $14.00.

In uncertain times, America faces many, difficult, new challenges. Here Harrison (B.A., Business Administration in Political Science, University of Miami; candidate, J.D./Master of Public Policy, University of Southern California; author of over 200 articles, publications, and other features), founder and Executive Director of The Prometheus Institute (www.theprometheusinstitute.org), a nonprofit public policy institute dedicated to discovering independent policy solutions to pressing national issues and creatively marketing these ideas to Americans, asks whether the United States can adapt to economic, demographic, technological, and security challenges in the twenty-first century. What specific policies will facilitate the national evolution? Synthesizing evolutionary science, quantum mechanics, systems theory, complexity economics, and other emerging sciences of progressive change, the author attempts to provide fresh insights on issues, not limited to the global financial crisis, the war on terror, immigration, trade, education, technology, social policy, job creation, constitutional law, elections, and more. For Harrison, many of the United States’ most challenging problems can be solved by the American people and the process of maximizing individual choices. Basing his ideas upon the evolutionary process of differentiation, selection, and amplification, the author shows how evolutionary choice theory can be used to determine solutions. Nicely organized and well documented, with a table of contents, nine chapters, footnotes, and two appendices, this insightful publication, which is not comprehensive or definitive, lacks a selected bibliography that would have been useful to readers. Its sometimes humorous diagrams and illustrations by Michael Kelliher (www.emKel.com) supplement and complement the text by making it more understandable and accessible. Intended mostly for general readers, but also appropriate for some college students, it is recommended for some public and undergraduate, academic, library book collections as an additional resource. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Van Allen, Susan. 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go.

Travelers’ Tales Guides. Travelers’ Tales. Oct. 2009. c.448p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1932361650 (Trade Paper). $18.95.

In this trim- sized (5.5 X 7.5 in.), relatively compact, uniquely- anecdotal, informative guide book intended for women, but also appropriate for men, who are traveling to Italy for the first or twenty-first time, Van Allen (author writing about Italian travel for over twenty-five media outlets including National Public Radio, Town & Country, Student Traveler, the Chicago Daily Herald, and CNN.com; author of monthly Letters from Italy column on the Divine Caroline website; former staffer for the Emmy winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond; based in Los Angeles; www.susanvanallen.com), an Italian-American who has been journeying to Italy since 1976 to visit relatives and explore the country, writes about her personal experiences as well as those of her friends. With passion and humor that clearly evidence her love for Italy, its cultures, and peoples, the author culls the overwhelming amount of information on Italian travel into a reasonably- sized publication consisting of thirteen sections, one hundred chapters, and at least two appendices, covering all types of Italian adventures and experiences. With women predominately in mind, Van Allen describes and recommends museums, palaces, gardens, beaches, beauty treatments, spas, caffés, restaurants, winebars, shopping, biking, hiking, skiing, boating, yoga, cooking classes, Italian crafts, fine arts, language courses, entertainment, and more. She also provides many practical details and helpful tips in relatively short, concise chapters, each of which is supplemented by “golden days” or daily itineraries, lists of websites, and recommended readings. While this publication is not available as an ebook and lacks reference maps, photographs, an Italian-English glossary, and tear-out pages, all of which would have been helpful, value-added features, it does contain much useful, insightful, nuts-and-bolts information for women travelers and others visiting Italy. Sufficiently- documented, nicely-presented, and well- organized, this delightful, easy-to-read book is highly recommended for chick-lit readers as well as general audiences. It belongs in many public library collections as an additional travel resource. Review copy (Uncorrected galley). Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Annino, Patricia M. Cracking the $$ Code: What Successful Men Know and You Don’t (Yet).

BookSurge Publishing. 2009. 81p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-4392-4742-6. $15.95.

In this publication, Annino (B.A., Smith College, 1978; J.D., Suffolk University, 1981; LL.M , Taxation, Boston University, 1982; partner, Boston law firm of Prince Lobel Glovsky & Tye, L.L.P.; author of many articles and publications, not limited to Women & Money, A Practical Guide to Estate Planning and Women in Family Business. What Keeps You Up at Night?), a nationally recognized authority on estate planning with more than 20 years experience serving the estate planning needs of families, individuals, and owners of closely held businesses, sets forth a to-the-point, easy-to-read guide for women professionals, business owners, executives, and others hoping to jumpstart or get-ahead with their careers and earn more money. The author sets forth important “code cracking” lessons, strategies, and tips that successful men know, but women have to learn. In seven chapters, each of which is ended by a list of strategies covered within the chapter, Annino discusses knowing your worth, setting goals, getting and negotiating a contract, partnering, creating a professional image, taking risks, persisting, and many subtopics, not limited to delegating, marketing yourself, branding yourself, playing outside the box, finding mentors, building business, becoming web savvy, improving your time management skills, being creative, and more. She fills each chapter with many valuable insights gained from years of practicing law. While numerous other books have been written for women on the topics of moving forward and getting ahead professionally, this book distinguishes itself in terms of its no-nonsense, concise, personal approach to the subject by a woman who has ascended from the lower ranks of a business organization by means of experience. Lacking an index but including a table of contents and list of selected, recommended resources, this nicely-organized, well-written, and sufficiently well-documented, publication will interest mostly general readers and some women in business hoping to find a clear, quick, and sound introduction filled with useful advice. Not comprehensive or definitive, it belongs in many large public library collections as a supplementary resource. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com.

Arnold, Henry O. and Pearson, Ben. Kabul 24: the Story of a Taliban Kidnapping and Unwavering Faith in the Face of Terror.

Thomas Nelson. 2009. 282p. photogs. ISBN 978-1-5955-5022-4. $14.99.

Here Arnold (co-writer and producer of the film The Second Chance; screenplay writer, God’s Ambassador; author of Hometown Favorite), co-writer and co-producer of Kabul24 (Kabul24Movie.com), the documentary film upon which this book is based, and Pearson (photographer; filmmaker; co-writer and director of the cinematography for The Second Chance), director of Kabul24, retell the riveting, harrowing story of the capture and imprisonment of eight Western Christian aid workers and their sixteen, Muslim, Afghan coworkers—all of whom were employees of the international, humanitarian organization Shelter Now International (www.shelter-now.org)-- by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Beginning in August 2001, imprisoned for 3 months during one of the most volatile political windows in recent history, just before and after the 11th September 2001, the SNI eight— Peter Bunch, Dayna Curry, Katrin Jelinek, Heather Mercer, Margrit Stebner, Georg Taubmann, and Diana Thomas—teachers, engineers, nurses, students, and artists who were from countries of Western origin including Australia, Germany, and the United States, suffered interrogations, trials, the bombing of Kabul by Allied forces, and more during 105 days in captivity behind enemy lines. They had answered God’s call to help Afghan refugees rebuild their lives following decades of war, but became pawns used by extremists during the religious and political upheavals in Afghanistan just prior to and following 9/11, when they were declared a threat to Islam and the influence of the Taliban regime. Based upon primary source material drawn from raw film footage taken during the summer of 2003 and Eberhard Muehlan’s Escape from Kabul (Sydney: Strand Publishing, 2003), a collection of interviews with the former hostages conducted in 2002, letters, and court documents, this recollection primarily is an account of faith during extreme adversity when the aid workers sensed that they had been abandoned by the world. Intended to be inspirational rather than authoritative or scholarly, this easy-to-read, fast- paced, interesting, and poignant, publication, reads like a well-written novel, evoking many, perhaps mixed, emotions on behalf of readers. Retold from a seemingly objective, evangelical, Christian perspective, it develops to different extents the participants’ personalities and the events surrounding their imprisonment. The amazing and dramatic rescue of the eight SNI employees by American Special Forces, retold in the last chapter of the book, entitled “Life or Death,” proves to be particularly engaging and thought-provoking. Lacking documentary features such as footnotes, a selected bibliography, and an index, this book, which does include more than twenty, captioned, black-and-white photographs, is recommended for general audiences and public library collections. Availability: Barnes & Noble.com, Amazon.com

Sansevieri, Penny C.. Red Hot Internet Publicity: an Insider’s Guide to Promoting Your Book on the Internet.

Newly Revised Edition. Cosimo. 2009. c279p. illus. ISBN 978-1-60520-724-7. $18.95.

As early as 2006, book publicists and marketing experts noted that traditional types of book publicity and marketing were defunct, having been replaced by various forms of communication on the Internet. Here Sansevieri (M.B.A., Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven, Belgium; CEO and founder, Author Marketing Experts, Inc.; best-selling author of five books; internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert; inventor, Virtual Author Tour), a top hands-on visionary, industry leader, and Internet publicist previously hired by four of the largest New York book publishers to mentor their staffs and leading authors, provides an easy-to-read, understandable, updated guide to Internet publicity and marketing for book authors and other interested professionals. Arranged into chapters covering all forms of social media, it addresses publicity and marketing issues as they relate to online book tours, author websites, linking and affiliate programs, search engine optimization, keywords, author blogs and blogging, tagging, podcasting, social networking, microblogging, virtual book events, virtual networking, online syndication, automating your marketing, email newsletters, e-books, press releases, and more. While not presented as a hands-on, how-to-manual, with step-by-step, nuts-and-bolts screenshots, this insightful, helpful and noteworthy overview by an expert on promoting your book (and yourself) online is packed with information, advice, and many useful value-added features, not limited to article contributions by insiders, sidebars, bonus chapters, a selected bibliography of print and online resources, and worksheets. Worthwhile, well- presented, and nicely- organized, it will be of significance, interest, and usefulness to book authors and other professionals who desire to self-promote and market on the Internet. Highly recommended for specialized and general readers, this reference publication belongs in many public library collections. Uncorrected proof. Availability: Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com

Foreman, George with Abraham, Ken. Knockout Entrepreneur.

Thomas Nelson Publishers. Sept. 2009. c227p. photogs. ISBN 978-0-7852-2208-8. $22.99.

Here former Olympic gold medalist in boxing (1968) and two-time, World Heavyweight Champion (1973, 1994), Foreman (also a best-selling author of ten books; founder, George Foreman Youth and Community Development Center, Houston, TX; ordained minister; philanthropist; father of ten children), a successful entrepreneur whose portfolio includes the infamous George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine, George Foreman Knockout Cleaner, a clothing line with Casual Male, and more, shares his personal secrets, principles, and strategies for business success. Defining the successful, “knockout” entrepreneur as a visionary and risk-taking, doer, who wants to succeed, is willing to do the hard work, and seizes the opportunity to grow and prosper, the author sets forth his way of doing business, which serves as the model for the “knockout” entrepreneur. In fourteen chapters that are filled with recollections of his lifetime experiences as a boxer and businessman, Foreman sketches a plan for achieving success that is based upon a plethora of real-world experiences, sound advice, good judgments, and faith in oneself and God. While the first several chapters provide the foundations for becoming successful, the remaining sections encompass ways to overcome obstacles and continue to achieve. The author covers topics not limited to recognizing and seizing opportunities, building a “corner” team, persevering, pursuing the counterintuitive, facing deal breakers, public relating, knowing your foes, overcoming obstacles, making the most of what you have, continuing to the play the game, celebrating success, and more. He ends each chapter with a list of knockout ideas in the format of questions to further stimulate readers. Nicely- presented, well- organized, and insightfully- written, this inspirational and sometimes humorous publication by one of the world’s most beloved athletes and personalities actively will engage general readers and business audiences. Unfortunately, given Foreman’s emphasis on the importance of reading for success (pp. 180-4), it lacks a selected bibliography and back-of-the book index but does include endnotes. After being purchased in print, this Nelsonfree book is available as a free, downloadable audiobook and ebook from the publisher’s website. Recommended for public library collections. Availability:Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com