Indiana Books

*Basic Philosophical Writings* is the first Levinas essay anthology since *Collected Philosophical Papers." Drs. Pepperzak, Crichtly and Bernasconi write wonderful introductions and great notes (even those that Levinas never wrote). An excellent anthology and very textbook-oriented. A must-buy for Levinas scholars!

The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (2nd Edition) is my favorite Cleveland book. I am an avid Cleveland lover and have approximately 100 books on the topic of Cleveland and it's rich history. Of all those books, this is the one that I respect most. You can find out almost anything about Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, Cuyahoga County, and all of the suburbs of Cleveland, including those outside of the county. The book is written like an encyclopedia with entries for different topics/subjects/people/events/cities/streets/stories/etc. There are many pictures throughout (in black and white only) and there is information on just about every single possible thing a Clevelander could want to know. If you aren't able to afford this book, there is an online version available thru either Case Western or the Western Reserve Historical Society's website. This a very well-written book by some of Cleveland's best scholar's, of past and present.

In Environmental Inequalities, Andrew Hurley traces the dynamics of environmental degradation as experienced by three distinct sectors of society in Gary, Indiana, from 1945 to 1980. Hurley devotes a chapter to each of the particular demographics of three social classes affected by industrial pollution and expansion: white, middle class suburban families, working class whites, largely comprised of ethnic minorities including Serbians, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Croatians and Poles among others, and finally a large African-American population (over 35,000 African-American between 1920 and 1950) that migrated from the south in search of employment and improved prospects. Each group was affected by industrial waste in a different, though related, way and each took a unique approach to ameliorating problems specific to its particular group.
White middle class activism was largely led by well-educated stay-at-home moms whose primarily concern was preserving their quality of life. Their primary target was containing the spread of industry to their east side neighborhood (Miller) and preventing the spoilage of surrounding natural areas. They focused on extensive research, political lobbying and events (such as picnics) and personal contacts to meet their goals.
White working class families tended to stay close to ethnic neighborhoods and churches which meant that they continued to live in areas heavily affected by air and water pollution. Although the union (specifically the U.S. Steelworkers union) was an important protector of their wages, benefits and job safety and security, the union was not as interested in protecting their environmental conditions, particularly when that protection involved a perceived threat to the industry. Eventually church and worker leadership separate from the union ("labor movement radicals") organized around "ethnic power" in reaction to the civil rights movement to address issues "of immediate concern, ranging from garbage collection to taxes" (p. 105). Unlike, the white middle class population, workers' efforts were tempered by the concern over keeping their jobs.
African-Americans, after decades of employment in the most dangerous and low-paying sectors of U.S. Steel's factory, finally were able to rally around an African-American candidate for mayor, Richard Hatcher, who was able to make some gains notably in the area of housing by securing a $13 million federal grant. Though pollution was not at the top of Hatcher's priorities, over his 20 year tenure as mayor, he eventually became an important component of the coalition that addressed the appalling conditions, both for workers and residents, around the coke plant.
A particularly remarkable effort documented by Hurley, is the concerted effort involving all three of the demographic groups discussed in his book. In 1970, these groups were able to find a common ground of concern and combine their efforts to force U.S. Steel to rebuild coke oven doors and to decrease emissions through improved maintenance and by observing longer coking periods. This was significant not only because the groups worked together but also because for probably the first time, citizens did not defer to what U.S. Steel told them was technically feasible but demanded improvements based on their own research. The unique circumstances that led to this victory included the strength and visibility of the national environmental movement led by Ralph Nadar, a healthy economy (and job stability for working class whites and blacks), and greater interest at the national level as evidenced by increased funding for federal water and air pollution control agencies.
A well-written analysis and important slice of environmental history in the U.S. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the effects of pollution as experienced by different groups of people.

This year, I came across Naxos recordings of the work of Erno Dohnanyi, sometimes known as Ernst von Dohnanyi. Dohnanyi was one of the foremost musicians of his age. He was a great musician. He was a great pianist, a marvelous composer, and a wonderful teacher. Bartok was a friend and student of his, eventhough their attitudes towards music differed greatly. He influenced a whole generation of Hungarian musicians through his work as director of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

This book is a touching tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. Before World War II, he was hailed as a great musician. He enjoyed great celebrity and toured the world as a concert pianist. He was the central figure in Hungary's musical life before World War II. During, and at the end of World War II, he and his third wife (the author of this work) became refugees in Austria. Two of his sons died in concentration camps in Hungary and in Germnay. He was falsely accused of being a war criminal, an accusation which haunted him his whole life. Finally settling in the US, he regained something of his former reputation.

To all those interested in musicians an earlier age, I recommend it highly. Some musical background will be helpful, but really it is a book for everyone. Having lost some of his family members and permanently exiled from his beloved homeland, he still retained his optimism, even after having undergone terrible persecutions and privations. His story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

A year after its release, The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema is as useful and as readable as ever. Linda Ruth Williams's wide-ranging genre study may strike first-time readers--especially those interested in the overlapping fields of Hollywood cinema, cult cinema, and pornographic cinema--as an unprecedented resource. Combining textual and contextual analysis, The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema covers the erotic thriller's most important moments, styles, and subgenres, integrating the whole with original industrial research that includes eight filmmaker interviews and a rich array of insider anecdotes. Though her history of the genre is rooted in Hollywood noir and neo-noir, Williams offers a precise account of how this genre has moved from peek-a-boo stylization to full-blown pornography and from high-concept excess to direct-to-video thrift. Williams also offers an account of how the erotic thriller has moved across national borders. As a result, The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema is not only a valuable look at Hollywood cinema but one of the best studies of international porn available. Indeed, Williams's book is adept at illustrating how in the erotic thriller the "problem" of pornography intertwines with issues of gender, reception, technology, financing, and cultural status. I was most taken by the details Williams supplied regarding genre-branded celebrities like Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, and Joe Eszterhas--and was impressed that she paid equal attention to cult icons like Gregory Dark and Katt Shea. I should also note the grace, clarity, and humor Williams's prose. Williams has written a book that scholars in film studies, sex-and-gender studies, and cultural studies will find indispensable--as well as one that readers with a more leisurely interest in film will find entertaining and accessible.

     Members of the online community have many fine books available to them to help sell their products and services online. Many of these books, however, are either too technical or packed with an incredible amount of material too much for the average person to take in. Herschell Gordon Lewis and Robert Lewis have teamed up to write Selling on the Net to offer a reader-friendly guide on selling online that doesn't require a college degree to understand!

     The book covers a wide range issues that online business people must take seriously if they want to successfully market what they have to offer. Factors to consider include establishing an effective online presence, understanding and putting to use effective Website design principles, effectively promoting yourself online, grabbing and keeping attention, tailoring your presentation for the online community, and knowing how to conduct online business.

     The team of Lewis and Lewis provide readers with plenty of instructions for getting the ball rolling, including helpful information about the Internet and goal-setting to achieve favorable results. Chapters on Website design, tailoring content for online use, and promotion stand out from the rest. Effective transmission and reception of a good sales pitch are definitely necessary to succeed online. Plenty of examples, both good and bad, are provided to aid readers to determine what options and techniques are best for them.

     The authors contribute much in the way of setting up shop online for the average reader. They encourage innovation rather than clinging to a rigid set of rules, growth rather than remaining content. The easy-to-read flowing style, the frequent injection of humor, and a deep sense of personal involvement in the lives of others makes this a good resource to consider. Supplement it with several good HTML and creative Website design books and you'll soon be ready to become an online global business participant!

I believe that John Dewey was one of the most important philosophers in history, bar none. But he is not easy to read, in part because of the subtlety of his thinking, in part because of his prose style, which can be ponderous and convoluted. My first encounter with him was in "Pragmatism: A Reader" by Louis Menard (Pragmatism: A Reader), and I was not thrilled. For some reason, I decided to try Vol. 1 of this anthology, and my opinion was totally turned around. This book is an excellent introduction to Dewey's thinking. The articles are well-selected, presenting a lot of breadth, and substantial depth in such a way that you are led somewhat gently into difficult subject matter, and not bowled over by unfamiliar concepts. Of course, like most anthologies, at some point it leaves you wanting to go deeper. I bought both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, but someplace early in Vol. 2 decided to switch to "Experience and Nature" (Experience and Nature), and am glad I did. I will probably go back to Vol. 2, though. The BREADTH of Dewey's thought was also phenomenal, and only a good anthology (or a lifetime of study) can give one a feel for that.

Estonian Animation: Between Genius & Utter Illiteracy is a one-of-a-kind, extensively researched examination of Estonia's acclaimed animation scene from the first 1930's experiments to the creation of puppet and cel animation studios during the Soviet era to Estonian animation's amazing international success during the post-Soviet era. Estonian Animation is especially noteworthy for its inclusion of the recent discovery of films by four 1960's animation pioneers previously unknown to both Estonian and international animation historians. Black-and-white as well as full color photographs and screenshots illustrate this conversational, smoothly narrated history, accessible to animation fans of all backgrounds. Enthusiastically recommended for international animation cinema buffs.

In his book entitled Ethics for Fundraisers, Albert Anderson sets out to provide an ethical decision-making framework for practitioners involved in philanthropy: nonprofit staff and volunteers, professionals, and grantmakers. In essence, he hopes "to enhance the level of ethical fundraising throughout the nonprofit sector equipping development professionals and volunteers with the frameworks for understanding and taking principled action for preventing unethical behavior, and thus for building bridges of trust in the charitable community."

Throughout the book, Anderson activates a methodical approach to guiding practitioners in ethical decision-making by fashioning what it means to think and act in an ethically responsible manner. He expands on ethical insights provided by classical and contemporary theorists, such as Aristotle, John Stuart Mill, and Immanuel Kant through several theoretical cases depicting issues likely to be encountered in the world of philanthropy. In overview, Anderson emphasizes the importance of developing and employing ethical frameworks which guide a set of primary ethical principles (i.e., trust, respect, beneficence) used in making and justifying sound ethical judgments when engaged in ethical decision-making. He concludes by presenting the need for philanthropic organizations to create and implement a code of ethics.

In summary, Anderson makes a strong case for doing the right thing by presenting this book not as some typical self-improvement tool but rather as a scholarly book that emphasizes how to be ethically responsible in the profession of philanthropy. There appears to be a simplistic model to help guide one to think and act in an ethically responsible manner. This model involves the following steps: identify the ethical issue at hand and engage in a decision-making process to resolve the ethical tension. When engaged in ethical decision-making, according to Anderson, one must work from a developed ethical framework, such as utilitarianism or formalism, which guides a set of primary principles used for doing the right thing given the circumstances in a situation. Moreover, there lies great truth, in my opinion, in the information that Anderson presents throughout the book. For example, in order for a code of ethics to work, it must not be "printed and distributed merely to elicit good will" but rather be "woven strategically into the fabric of day-to-day experience" in the organization.In short, one cannot simply pay lip-service or simply verbalize that they make ethical decisions.

I found this book to be particularly interesting, even fascinating in many ways. I highly recommend this literature for leisurely reading if one is interested in how to better serve philanthropic organizations and their recipients. Furthermore, one will find Ethics for Fundraisers easy to read and the information presented as useful and meaningful. Everything you need to know about making ethical decisions is right there in the book: the author has left no stone/rock unturned. Two thumbs up for Anderson. He has made a wonderful contribution to society as a whole and, specifically, to the philanthropic world.

This is an excellent source of information in preparing for masters or doctoral oral exams in organ. Peter Williams discusses the nationalistic differences in organ design and construction as the pipe organ came to be what it is today. Many examples of stop lists, features, and specific builders are discussed. This book needs to be in print again! It is absolutely necessary.