Michigan Books

When Courts And Congress Collide: The Struggle For Control Of America's Judicial System by Charles Gardner Geyh (Professor of Law and Charles L. Whistler Faculty Fellow at Indiana University at Bloomington) is an in-depth, comprehensive, and scholarly study of the history of various checks and balances involved in the procedures of the American court system. Analyzing the influence of the judicial decision-making and control through congressionally appointed judges, When Courts And Congress Collide produces a definitive study of the intricate political power struggle arising from the ideological processes of judicial powers and competing influences throughout the entirety of America political, cultural, and economic life. When Courts And Congress Collide is very strongly recommended to students of American history and political science, as well of the study of the American judicial system in history, in the present, and the foreseeable future.

Given all the recent conservative uproar about Terry Schiavo, and the resulting DeLay/Frist threats to "discipline" the federal courts, not to mention the continuing fallout over Bush v. Gore, this book could not have come along a more opportune time. And a fine book it is irrespective of the timing. The author, currrently a law professor but formerly a judicial clerk, litigator, Judiciary Committee staffer, and judicial branch "lobbyist," is admirably equipped to address this important topic. This is simply the best book on this topic I have seen and an invaluable reference source on this topic.

Basically, the author contends that the various methods we usually associate with legislative control of the judiciary--including impeachment, control of jurisdiction, budget, etc. -- have, with one exception, not proven effective. That one exception is, as recent Supreme Court and Circuit Court nominee hi-jinx illustrate, the power of the Senate to confirm judicial nominees. The central reason for this sitution, the author demonstrates, is a long-run recognition by Congress of the importance of judicial independence resulting in a marked reluctance to interfere with sitting judges and their decisions.

In order to explore this relationship, the book first looks at the origin of judicial independence before and at the constitutional convention, the Judicary Acts of 1789 and 1801, five key periods of stress between the courts and the presidency and congress, and the development of a self-regulating and discipling judiciary (e.g., the Judicial Conference, the Rules Enabling Act, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts). Separate chapters address impeachment (perhaps a bit too much in detail) and appointments, appointment being the sole way to exercise control unrestricted by concerns for judicial independence. A very strong chapter discusses the ways in which courts can avoid or mitigate conflict, including the Aswander rules and Bickel's "passive virtues" among other topics.

The author suggests this "dynamic equilibrium" may be shifting due to congressional interference through such devices as sentencing guidelines. For its part, the Rehnquist Court cut back the margins on long established congressional power in several areas. Moreover, the judiciary has developed an interesting technique of lobbying congress for or against changes, and striking down as unconstitutional those legislative changes with which it disagrees. Hopefully, the author is overly pessimistic--it would be a shame to have radicals of whatever persuasion controlling the federal courts to suit their own agendas. An outstanding discussion, superbly researched, and skillfully written (though a bit overly detailed in sections).

I am attending a course for Residents in Health Policy constructed by Fitz. He is a true altruist and personifies what it means to be a doctor. He has opened my eyes to health policy in America and the difficulties that politics creates for universal health. I highly recommend all his writings.

In 1967 I married my knight on a white horse, a medical student. We had not seen each other much over the previous 2 years so I did not fully understand what he had become involved in. It scared me, this new life of his, so much, that a year later I packed up our new daughter and moved back home. I was so bewildered about the changes in our lives and just did not understand until I read this book. FitzHugh was a fellow intern with my former husband, at a South Bronx, NY hospital, and he was able to give me the understanding I needed to come to terms with the end of a dream. It was a valiant cause, and I wish I had known and understood more about it ahead of time. I may not have left. FitzHugh was the only one who gave up the main cause to devote his life to his wife and child and I applaud him to this day for that choice, but also for opening my eyes as to the reasons behind the decisions that my "white knight" made and lived by. Thanks, FitzHugh. I have never forgotten you, or this book. I do need to buy it again as I loaned it so many times, it has never come back. Nancy in Maine (formerly of Milwaukee)

Yip Harburg, the prodigiously talented lyricist best known for "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" and "Over the Rainbow", is the subject of this splendid biography. Harburg's gifts were uniquely his, but this book shows us how his (financially, but not spiritually) impoverished father cultivated Harburg's talents by taking him regularly to the Yiddish theater on the Lower East Side and reading funny stories to him in the evening. Harburg's insights into the elements of creative writing-- a sense of passion, an eye for paradox, an intelligent plan, e.t.c.-- are recounted in loving detail. Whether you read this book for insight into this wonderful man's heart, or his craft, you will be richly rewarded.

Yip Harburg, the prodigiously talented lyricist best known for "Brother Can You Spare a Dime," and "Over the Rainbow", is the subject of this splendid biography. Harburg's gifts were uniquely his, but this book shows us how his (financially but not spiritually) impoverished father cultivate Harburg's talents by taking him regularly to the Yiddish theater on the Lower East Side and reading funny stories to him in the evening. Harburg's insights into the elements of creative writing -- a sense of passion, an eye for paradox, an intelligent plan, etc-- are recounted in loving detail. Whether you read this book for insight into this wonderful man's heart, or his craft, you will be richly rewarded.

This was a wonderful little book and like many other Japanese novels such as Junichiro Tanizaki's The Makioka Sisters very litle seems to actually happen. The thing it alot does happen One just has to search for the happenings in the elegent words of Mori Ogai. At first it seems that the main character of the book is the Narrator's best friend Okada who is a wel liked medical student. we soon learn that Okada has been noticed by and is noticing a beautiful woman named Otama who is in fact a mistress of Suezo a money lender. The main character, however, seems to be Otama. We see her gpoo through evert day trying to figure out how to talk the man she loves. It is pretty much that simple, but the reader is deeply affected by this book. I know I was, and i'll never eat makerel boiled in miso

One small incident CAN be made into an entire novel, as Ogai Mori shows us here. The actual action in The Wild Goose is quite small, even insignificant. But the way Ogai informs us of every thought of every character more than makes up for it. What I found to be truly compelling was the point of view -- the narrator is the best friend of Okada, one of the main characters. Just when it appears that the narrator knows way too much about what Otama (the girl) was thinking, he goes and leaves us with a mystery at the end that brings about what I thought was excellent closure. I would say that the main theme of this novel is "zero reciprocity" -- those of the characters who are in love are never truly loved back, like Otama, who silently longs for Okada, or even Suezo, the man who has taken Otama for his mistress. In this novel, people lie, people cheat, people hide the truth. And people never say what they truly feel. Just like real life. An excellent story.

In Women, Revolution, And The Novels Of The 1790s, Linda Lang-Peralta draws upon the scholarly contributions of Barbara M. Benedict, Katherine Binhammer, Catherine H. Decker, Carl Fisher, Shawn Lisa Maurer, Clara D. McLean, Glynis Ridley, and Eleanor Ty in a collection of essays focusing on sub-genres of the novel form that evolved during the end of the 18th century. These were novels (frequently written by women) that reflected the intersections between literature and popular culture. Using representative readings of theses works and current academic thinking on gender and class, the contributors offer a new and challenging perspective on the novels of the 1790s. Women, Revolution, And The Novels Of The 1790s is highly recommended reading for students of women's literature, women's studies, and the influence of literature upon popular culture.

Lang-Peralta points out that novels of the 1790s have extravagant and marvelous shapes. Many of these novels are only now being treated to scholarly editions (and expanded readership). The contributors to this collection support the broad goal of understanding the political and polemical dimensions of the novels of the period by reading them as cultural documents and approaching them armed with the theories of Bakhtin, Althasser, Foucalt, Bourdieu, et al. Especially strong are Catherine Decker's treatment of women and public space--which decodes seven ideological positions to realign understanding of the legal, moral, and social contexts of women in fiction--and Barbara Benedict's "Radcliffe, Godwin, and Self-Possession in the 1790's"--a fascinating analysis of curiosity and identity in The Mysteries of Udolpho and Caleb Williams. Carl Fisher and Glynis Ridley also analyze Caleb Williams, focusing on power relations in the novel's justice/injustice drama. Katherine Binhammer shows how Charlotte Smith underscored the public and private divide of sexuality and politics in Desmond. Clara McLean provides an ingenious analysis of the act of reading as emblematic of the unknown. And Eleanor Ty (author of Unsex'd Revolutionaries, CH. Mar '94) provides a moving reading of Mary May's The Victim of Prejudice. A substantive, innovative collection for upper-division undergraduates and above. -- Virginia Commonwealth University

William Stafford has a way of writing that makes you feel like a welcome guest in his house. Here he talks in prosaic passages about what is important in writing, how to inspire your own writing, together with examples of his own work.

Reading this book is much like reading Stafford's poetry. The tone is relaxed but captivating, and he makes the task of writing well seem effortless. This book, together with "You Must Revise Your Life," is a fantastic read for writers of any level or ability.

This book of Stafford's essays ranks next to those books -like "The Rescued Year," "Someday, Maybe" or "Oregon Message"- containing his best poems. Here, Stafford muses in his quiet tone and with unassuming wisdom about the essence of writing and teaching poetry.

As he says, "A writer is not so much someone who has something to say as he is someone who has found a process that will bring about new things he would not have thought of if he had not started to say them."

This declaration alone, at a time where postmodern self-congratulation is so often confused for deep thinking, has nurtured my writing and reading of poetry more than any of the many books I read about the poetic craft.

This book is more than a collection by a poet speaking of what he's dedicated his life to, it is a treatise on how to live one's life. This is not something I'd say about many works, yet here is stunnigly clear.

Replace the word "writing" for "life," and you decide ...

"When I write, I like to have an interval before me when I am not likely to be interrupted. For me, this means usually the early morning, before others awake. I get a pen and paper, take a glance out of the window (often it is dark out there), and wait. It is like fishing. But I do not wait very long, for there is always a nibble--and this is where receptivity comes in. To get started I will accept anything that occurs to me. Something always occurs, of course, to any of us. We can't keep from thinking. Maybe I have to settle for an immediate impression: it's cold, or hot, or dark, or bright, or in between! Or--well, the possibilities are endless. If I put down something, that thing will help the next thing come, and I'm off. If I let the process go on, things will occur to me that were not at all in mind when I started. These things, odd or trivial as they may be, are somehow connected. And if I let them string out, surprising things will happen."

I recommend it to budding poets, those whose writing is growing tired, or anyone trying to make sense of being in this world. People like me perhaps, hoping for some guidance who -as Nietzsche wrote- earnestly endeavour to "becoming who you already are."

This book was so inspiring to me when I read it. It gave me the hope that doctors like Dr. Chang are out there. He's the best ever. Susan is also cool. If I have any problems, I'll think of Susan and Dr. Chang and how inspiring they are to me.

Susan's book is a testiment to the incredible transformation that can occur when we blend medical practice with our own bodies' wisdom. Watching as the strengthening in spirit and body unfolded, Susan's year of miracles was amazing. Reading this I felt I shared with Susan in the indecisions and the faith that was continually being tested during her year of miracles. Such a powerful read. . . . this is a must for anyone who has doubts about how our spirit is such an integral part of our human experience. I am so honored to have come across this story. Thank you for sharing it us.

Next, speaking of books, is a few words about "Yrs. Ever Affly", the correspondence of Edith Wharton and Louis Bromfield, edited by Daniel Bratton. Shirl had told me that Danny was in the process of publishing this book, so when it came out I sent for a copy, and it has become a prized possession. Wharton has longtime been a favorite of mine, and I have read and liked some Bromfield, but his later novels leave something to be desired!

But the two, Wharton and Bromfield, shared a friendship when they lived in Europe, and much of their interests were about their wonderful gardens. Their letters touch on their writings and the fame they have achieved, (she asks for advice and he gives it) but you need to love gardening to really appreciate the book. The format is such a pleasure. The paper, the type and the many illustrations and drawings are joy. A special treat for me, was the reprint of the tribute to Wharton, written by Bromfield. The writing is superb, and I forgave him (Bromfield) all the stuff he later wrote to try to keep Malabar solvent.

Best of all is that this fine book was edited (from much research) by Shirl and Dave's boy. I feel like a proud great aunt to someone I've never seen.

Toward the end of her life, Edith Wharton, author of Ethan Frome, The Age of Innocence, The Buccaneers, held a close and personal friendship with author Louis Bromfield, author of Early Autumn, The Farm, and The Rains Came, while at the peak of his literary career. Despite the disparity of age and background (Bromfield was 34 years Wharton's junior), they became "pen pals" and intellectual intimates. Yrs., Ever Affly is a collection of their correspondence between 1931 and 1937, the year of Wharton's death. We read of Wharton and Bromfield's mutual devotion to horticultural pursuits, their observations of the social/political milieu of American and France during the 1930s, literary gossip of their day, the publishing climate of the Depression era, and a shared love of travel and literature. These 32 letters, one postcard, and a note from Wharton's secretary to Bromfield's wife, provide an intimate insight into the private worlds of two distinguished writers. Yrs., Ever Affly is "must" reading for students of the writings of Edith Wharton, Louis Bromfield, and the literary, intellectual, and publishing climate of the 1930s.

101 Clear Grammar Tests is an awsome book full of excellent (and varied) grammar excercises for students of all levels. It keeps students on their toes with the different types of exercises.

The results of treatment of cardiac arrest by professionals (para medics and physicians) is dismal. Less than 5% survive. The solution is bystander resuscitation, and the use of the automatic external defibrillator, both of which are very will described in this pocket sized manuel.

This book provides a concise review of the subject, which is universally applicable, not just to professionals, but to those with little or no medical training. It is profusely illustrated, with easy to understand instructions of the Heimlich manuver, chest compressions, etc.

It covers the entire spectrum from basic life support to advanced cardiovascular support, by physicians.

Best of all, the price ...

Buy it! You can save someone's life someday.