Reviewer's Choice

Religicide: Confronting the Roots of Anti-Religious Violence
Jerry White, author
Georgette F. Bennett, author
Post Hill Press
www.posthillpress.com
9781637581018, $28.00, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Religicide-Confronting-Roots-Anti-Religious-Violence= /dp/1637581017

Synopsis: Religion related violence is the fastest spreading type of violen=
ce worldwide. Attacks on religious minorities follow a clear pattern and ar=
e preceded with early warning signs. Until now, such violence had no name, = let alone a set of policies designed to identify and prevent it. A unique a= ttempt to create a new moral and legal category alongside other forms of pe= rsecution and mass murder, with the publication of "Religicide: Confronting=
the Roots of Anti-Religious Violence ", co-authors Jerry White and Georget=
te F. Bennett deftly explore the roots of atrocities such as the Armenian G= enocide, the Holocaust, the Bosnian war, and other human rights catastrophe=
s.

The two authors tap into their decades of activism, interreligious engageme= nt, and people-to-people diplomacy to delve into a gripping examination of = contemporary religicides: the Yazidis in Iraq, the Rohingya in Myanmar, Uyg= hur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists in China, and the centuries-long efforts =
to wipe out Indigenous Americans. Yet, even in the face of these horrific a= trocities, the authors resist despair. They amplify the voices of survivors=
and offer a blueprint for action, calling on government, business, civil s= ociety, and religious leaders to join in a global campaign to protect relig= ious minorities.

Critique: Timely and relevant given the rise in America of White Supremacis=
t and Militant National Christian attempts to seize political power by inti= midation, persecution of religious minorities (particularly Jews & Muslims)=
, and increasingly (and now almost daily) frequent mass racial and religiou=
s mass shootings around the country, "Religicide: Confronting the Roots of = Anti-Religious Violence" will have a special value for readers with an inte= rest in identifying and combating religious intolerance, persecution, and r= eligion based political corruption. While unreservedly recommended for pers= onal, professional, community, and academic library Religion & Politics col= lections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for = student, academia, clergy, political activists, and non-specialist general = readers that "Religicide: Confronting the Roots of Anti-Religious Violence =
" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note #1: Dr. Georgette Bennett (https://bennettny.com) is a socio= logist, widely published author, popular lecturer, and former broadcast jou= rnalist for NBC News. In 1992, she founded the Tanenbaum Center for Interre= ligious Understanding, the go-to organization for combating religious preju= dice. In 2013, Bennett founded the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees,=
which has worked to raise awareness and mobilize more than $175 million of=
humanitarian aid, benefitting more than 2.2 million Syrian war victims. Sh=
e is also a co-founder of Global Covenant Partners and served on the U.S. S= tate Department's Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group tasked with dev= eloping recommendations to engage religious actors in conflict mitigation. = Having published four books and more than eighty articles, Bennett was awar= ded a 2019 AARP Purpose Prize, and in 2021 was selected as one of Forbes' 5=
0 over 50 Women of Impact.

Editorial Note #2: Jerry White (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_White_(= activist)) is an activist entrepreneur known for leading high-impact campai= gns, three of which led to international treaties: the Mine Ban Treaty; the=
U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and the Cluste=
r Munitions Ban. White shares in the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the = International Campaign to Ban Landmines. As co-founder of Landmine Survivor=
s Network, he worked with Diana, Princess of Wales, to help thousands of wa=
r victims find peer support and job training. White served as U.S. Deputy A= ssistant Secretary of State to launch the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilizat= ion Operations, introducing advanced decision analytics to predict the outc= omes of complex negotiations. White is also a Professor of Practice at the = University of Virginia.

Frozen By Fire
Donald Kentop
Black Heron Press
www.blackheronpress.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group (distribution)
https://www.ipgbook.com
9781936364398, $18.00

https://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Fire-Donald-Kentop-MA/dp/1936364395

Frozen By Fire covers over a century of American history, following the Tri= angle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 and its aftermath. In verse. This approach se=
ts the story apart from any other feature of the events that surrounded one=
of America's greatest tragedies, painting poetic portraits that run from a=
prologue of events to the fire itself, and its lasting impact.

An introduction sets the stage by recounting, in prose, the roots of this p= oetic discourse. It all began when author Donald Kentop, a New York Univers= ity student attending classes in the Brown Building, came to realize that t=
he structure actually was once known as the Asch Building, and was the site=
of a tragic fire.

Decades after learning this history, Kentop wrote his first poem, then disc= overed accounts by survivors of this ordeal. More than a hundred years afte=
r the fire, this collection brings history to life in a shocking account of=
working conditions and experiences that is tempered by a dual attention to=
preserving the meter and foundations of poetic structure. Why reproduce th=
is story in verse, then? Because, in so doing, Frozen By Fire poses a more = personal and vivid impact than the usual account backed by facts, figures, = and accompanying dryness.

Kentop's effort personalizes and produces a history that can reach easily i= nto a much wider audience than the usual staid nonfiction review. The autho=
r says it best, himself, in his introduction: "...the restrictions of verse=
, paradoxically, liberate characters and events from the prosaics of report= age and open a way of learning through the heart." What is best recalled lo= ng-term is that this heart-centered method of learning in Frozen By Fire of= fers a rare opportunity for immersion, adding another notable difference to=
the effort -- quotes from source material, outlines of characters involved=
in the tragedy at all levels (from owners to survivors and responders), an=
d details that personalize the motivations and actions of all involved.

History is thus presented in a truly unique fashion that does justice to bo=
th historical research and facts and to the literary poetic structure that = synthesizes and represents them. The result is highly recommended for two t= ypes of readers and library collections: those interested in making history=
more accessible to lay audiences and who harbor a special interest in work= ing conditions and experiences of the past; and those interested in profili=
ng unusual poetic devices that intersect the seemingly-disparate worlds of = history and literature.

Hotel Splendide
Ludwig Bemelmans
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781782277910, $15.95, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Splendide-Ludwig-Bemelmans/dp/1782277919

Synopsis: "Hotel Splendide" is a charming and uproariously funny hotel memo=
ir in which Ludwig Bemelmans uncovers the fabulous world of the Hotel Splen= dide (the thinly disguised stand-in for the Ritz) a luxury New York hotel w= here he worked as a waiter in the 1920s. With equal parts affection and bar= bed wit, he uncovers the everyday chaos that reigns behind the smooth facad=
es of the gilded dining room and banquet halls.

In hilarious detail, Bemelmans sketches the hierarchy of hotel life and its=
strange and fascinating inhabitants: from the ruthlessly authoritarian mai= tre d'hotel Monsieur Victor to the kindly waiter Mespoulets to Frizl the ho= mesick busboy. Illustrated with his own charming line drawings, Bemelmans' = tales of a bygone era of extravagance are as charming as they are riotously=
entertaining.

Critique: Originally published in 1941 and now brought back into print by P= uskin Press for a new general of appreciative readers, "Hotel Splendide" by=
the late Ludwig Bemelmans is a fun read from first page to last. While hig= hly recommended, especially for both community and academic library collect= ions, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Hotel Splendide" =
is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.57).

Editorial Note: Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) was an Austrian-born American = writer and illustrator of books for children and adults. He travelled to Am= erican in 1914, at the age of sixteen, and worked for three years in the di= ning halls of what he called, in his autobiographical works, the Hotel Sple= ndide. In 1926, he quit working in hotels to become a full-time cartoonist = and made frequent contributions to the New Yorker, Vogue and Town and Count= ry. He is also the author of the beloved Madeline books. (https://en.wikipe= dia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Bemelmans)

#ambulancetumblrguy
Nedwin J.K.
Author Solutions Inc.
9781669809708, $29.99 Hardcover/$19.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Ambulancetumblrguy-Nedwin-J-K-ebook/dp/B09TNT2PQM

#ambulancetumblrguy is a study of the human condition, which is examined wi=
th short staccato phrases and inspections that represent the most said in t=
he least amount of words. Its special brand of social, political, and psych= ological examination embeds philosophical reflection with in-the-moment ima= ges of the human-centric condition, capturing these minute points in time w= ith a Proust-like tendency to over-examine, yet revel in the moment.

These inspections open powerfully from the start, in chapters which include=
such insights as: "The camera never lingers long apart from people because=
little that happens is independent of our influence or far from our gaze."=
The gaze of this life consideration comprises a novel that flits between s= ubjects as diverse as values, teaching, the complicated life and relationsh=
ip of Hannah and John, the life of Mark (who is "only inspired by strangers=
.. The better he knew somebody, the more plain and simple they became"), and=
friendships between characters whose lives come and go like ghosts through= out the story.

Readers looking for linear reading, staid plots and predictable outcomes, a=
nd the kinds of relationships that tend to be banal will find none of these=
elements in this free-flowing discourse. There are over a hundred chapters=
, but each assume a brevity of subject and impression that belays the initi=
al notion that this exploration will be unduly lengthy or challenging.

#ambulancetumblrguy's study in processes and living life moves between firs=
t- and third-person expression, and between characters whose outcomes and l= ives move on both conventional and unconventional paths. Many of these brie=
f inspections are only a few paragraphs long, but incorporate much food for=
thought that requires slow digesting rather than the usual fast pace of th=
e typical novel: "When the author reads through the final proof, he feels h= orror from the deeply troubling and inescapable sentiment that all of his w= ork was a waste. He disagrees with everything he wrote. Mark feels the same=
about his life."

While #ambulancetumblrguy could have been featured in the 'Literature' cate= gory, it would be a shame to limit its audience to college students alone. = Ideally, this story will reach a broad spectrum of readers interested in di= fferent lives, cultures, and ideas which intersect, break apart, and come t= ogether in new ways. Impossible to easily define or categorically pinpoint,=
#ambulancetumblrguy's elusive countenance makes it a thought-provoking, in= triguing, candid examination of life, death, and disappearances alike, couc= hed in a literary overlay of form that will appeal to English majors and ge= neral-interest readers alike.

The Business of Giving
Denver Frederick
Signature Philanthropy
9798987133620, $22.99, HC, 354pp

https://www.amazon.com/Business-Giving-Practices-Nonprofit-Philanthropic/dp= /B0BNK8K3Y2

Synopsis: As a nonprofit leader, you're committed to doing the most good. Y= our organization is poised to make real change-yet your mission can be dera= iled by the unprecedented challenges that have arisen over the past several=
years. But with no playbook to go by, how can you ensure that you're makin=
g the right calls for the organization and the people you serve?

Denver Frederick is a trusted advisor to nonprofit CEOs. He has spent count= less hours curating a guide to becoming an exceptional nonprofit leader. It=
is a resource filled with wisdom from subject experts and the most influen= tial people in philanthropy. Culled from his longtime radio show and popula=
r podcast of the same name, with the publication of "The Business of Giving=
: New Best Practices for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Leaders in an Uncertai=
n World" he provides thoughtful strategies and novel approaches you need to=
step up and become the "sense maker" for your organization.

"The Business of Giving" covers: What your counterparts are doing to addres=
s the same challenges you face; How to significantly improve your organizat= ion's problem-solving capacity; Keys to scaling for maximum impact; Obstacl=
es that derail your decision-making process and how to get back on track; 7=
distinguishing features that make tech-centered nonprofits stand out; and = 150 tips from exceptional leaders that you can start using tomorrow.

"The Business of Giving" is every nonprofit leader's master class for succe= ssfully navigating turbulent social and economic times. In addition to prov= iding fresh, actionable ideas, it will validate much of what you and your t= eam are already doing.

Critique: Offering a complete course on the benefits of non-profit and phil= anthropic organizations and how best to operate and management them for max= imum benefit and success in their particular missions, "The Business of Giv= ing: New Best Practices for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Leaders in an Uncer= tain World" is an ideal DIY textbook for anyone charged with the responsibi= lity of leading and/or advising them. Impressively well written, organized,=
and presented, "The Business of Giving" is unreservedly recommended for pe= rsonal, professional, community, organizational, and academic library Non-P= rofit/Business Ethics, Processes, and Organizational infrastructure collect= ions and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Th=
e Business of Giving" is also available in a paperback edition (97989871336= 06, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Denver Frederick (https://denver-frederick.com) is a truste=
d advisor and executive coach to nonprofit CEOs, acting as a comprehensive = resource, confidante, and consultant. In his 40+ years in the sector, he ha=
s served as a CEO, led the fundraising campaign to restore the Statue of Li= berty and Ellis Island and partnered with Michael J. Fox in launching his P= arkinson's Foundation. He pioneered two seminal contributions to the field:=
corporate sponsorship and peer-to-peer fundraising. For the past 10 years,=
Denver has hosted The Business of Giving, a nationally syndicated radio sh=
ow turned podcast.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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