Reviewer's Choice

OCME: Life in America's Top Forensic Medical Center
Brude Goldfarb
https://brucegoldfarb.com
Steerforth Press
https://bookshop.org/shop/Steerforth
9781586423582, $19.00, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/OCME-Americas-Forensic-Medical-Center/dp/1586423584

Synopsis: Real life is different from what gets depicted on television or m= ovie procedural crime dramas. Equipped with a journalist's eye, a paramedic=
's experience and a sardonic wit, Bruce Goldfarb spent ten years with Maryl= and's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where every sudden or unattende=
d death in the state is scrutinized.

Touching on numerous scandals, including Derek Chauvin's trial for the murd=
er of George Floyd and the tragic killing in police custody of Freddie Gray=
, with the publication of "OCME: Life in America's Top Forensic Medical Cen= ter", Goldfarb pulls back the curtain on a pioneer institution in crisis.

Medical examiners and the investigators and technicians who support them pl=
ay vital roles in the justice and public health systems of every American c= ommunity. During Goldfarb's time with the Maryland OCME, opioid-related dea= ths contributed to a significant increase in their workload. Faced with a c= hronic shortage of qualified experts and inadequate funding, their importan=
t and fascinating work has become more challenging than most people could e= ver imagine.

The public gets a skewed view of the relationship between police and medica=
l examiners from procedural crime dramas, Bruce Goldfarb writes of his work=
inside one of America's most storied forensic centers. In his words -- We = aren't on the same team . . . We aren't on any team. The medical examiner's=
sole duty is to the deceased person. We speak for the dead.

Critique: Exceptionally well written and especially recommended reading for=
anyone with an interest in criminology, the sociological study of modern m= edicine, and medical professional biographies/memoirs, "OCME: Life in Ameri= ca's Top Forensic Medical Center" is especially and unreservedly recommende=
d for personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary = Medicine and American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that=
"OCME: Life in America's Top Forensic Medical Center" is also readily avai= lable in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Bruce Goldfarb (https://brucegoldfarb.com/about-2) is a for= mer EMT/paramedic and a nursing school dropout who has written for national=
and local newspapers, magazines, and web publications. He also wrote and e= dited several medical texts and reference books. He is the author of 18 Tin=
y Deaths: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Invented Modern Forensics and s= erved from 2012 to 2022 as the executive assistant to the chief of OCME Mar= yland.

Disability Pride
Ben Mattlin
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth St, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807036457, $26.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Audio CD/$13.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Pride-Dispatches-Post-ADA-World/dp/080703= 6455

The Americans With Disabilities Act reshaped the face of access in America;=
but until now, its impact on generations pre- and post-ADA has received re= latively little close inspection. This is why Disability Pride is such a no= table landmark examination, and why any library strong in disability issues=
needs to include it in their collection.

Ben Mattlin, himself disabled, notes the social, economic, and political in= fluences that define "success" as well as "disability" and "achievement." H=
is exact attention to not just historical developments and social change, b=
ut the platitudes and cliches surrounding the perception of disability prov= ides quick (and sometimes brutal) condemnation of the facets of society tha=
t would either condemn or overly praise the disabled community for attempti=
ng to live life at its fullest. He also considers the hard questions of pri= vilege and the influence of gender, sex, and economic status in the disabil= ity mix.

His definition of 'disability pride' of necessity involves the kind of blun=
t inspection that will likely make readers uncomfortable as they examine th= eir own perceptions of ability, disability, and what constitutes pride: "I = inadvertently picked up on a kind of disability code that was common then: = minimize the impact, hide it, sweep it aside as a mere personal detail - an=
d get on with your life. This, I see now, was the opposite of disability pr= ide."

Perhaps nowhere else does the impact of the ADA to cut across gender and cl= ass status to enable the community to not just enter mainstream America, bu=
t take fuller advantage of its possibilities, receive such attention as in = Disability Pride. With its history, social inspection, contrast of experien= ces of different generations of disabled individuals, and the ADA's role in=
changing the hearts and minds of an entire nation,

Disability Pride provokes the kinds of discussions and insights that should=
appeal widely to reading groups and those debating generational difference=
s in disability experiences. As Mattlin reviews profiles of a wide-ranging = series of individuals, it becomes evident that there is no homogeneity amon=
g disabled people. The group's very diversity indicates that its needs, exp= eriences, and perceptions differ widely. All this stirs into the melting po=
t of the disabled and abled community alike, with the ADA at the heart of n=
ew promise and potential for future generations.

Indeed, it's a beginning. Disability Pride should take center place in any = discussion of past, present, and future inclusive actions and perceptions o=
f the disabled community as a whole.

Plants in the Civil War: A Botanical History
Judith Sumner
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476691312, $39.95, PB, 201pp

https://www.amazon.com/Plants-Civil-War-Botanical-History/dp/1476691312

Synopsis: Slavery was at the heart of the South's agrarian economy before a=
nd during the Civil War. Antebellum agriculture (both North and South) prov= ided products essential to the war effort ranging from dietary rations, to = antimalarial drugs, to raw materials for military uniforms, and engineering=
..

With the publication of "Plants in the Civil War: A Botanical History" by b= otanist Judith Summers draws on a range of primary sources. This unique Civ=
il War history examines the botany and ethnobotany of America's defining co= nflict. "Plants in the Civil War" also describes the diverse roles of cash = crops, herbal medicine, subsistence agriculture and the diet and cookery of=
enslaved people.

Critique: Occasionally illustrated with black/white images, "Plants in the = Civil War: A Botanical History" is a unique and seminal contribution to the=
growing library of Civil War History & Literature. An inherently fascinati=
ng and impressively informative read, "Plants in the Civil War: A Botanical=
History" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to pers= onal, professional, community, and academic library American Civil War coll= ections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for s= tudents, academia, historians, Civil War buffs, botanists, and non-speciali=
st general readers with an interest in the subject that "Plants in the Civi=
l War: A Botanical History" is also available in a digital book format (Kin= dle, $23.99).

Editorial Note: Judith Sumner (https://www.judithsumner.com) is a botanist = and an author with particular interest in the historical uses of plants. Sh=
e is a frequent lecturer for audiences of all kinds and has taught for many=
years at colleges and botanical gardens.

The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder
John Baxter, et al.
Disney Editions
c/o Disney Book Group
https://books.disney.com
9781368061940, $60.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Story-Disney-100-Years-Wonder/dp/136806194X

Synopsis: On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded what=
would become The Walt Disney Company. Walt's passion and vision continues =
to inspire creative development across the company. As a result, Disney cha= racters (and their stories) have touched the lives of generations of fans. = They encourage a belief that dreams really can come true.

Critique: The Walt Disney Company honors its 100th anniversary in 2023. As = part of the festivities, "The Story of Disney: 100 Years of Wonder" by the = team of co-authors John Baxter and Bruce Steele, and the staff of the Walt = Disney Archives beautifully and informatively showcases the company's histo=
ry and rich legacy (past, present, and future) through vibrant voices and r= are Disney concept art and photographs. As the official companion to the to= uring exhibition by Walt Disney Archives and SC Exhibitions, "The Story of = Disney: 100 Years of Wonder" is a simply gorgeous coffee table style (9.5 x=
1.55 x 11.3 inches, 1 pound) volume that admirably serves as a treasure tr= ove for pop culture enthusiasts, artists, art collectors, and Disney fans -=
- and is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic lib= rary Disney Theme Park and Travel Guide collections.

Editorial Note #1: John Baxter has written both fiction and nonfiction for =
a number of publishers, including HarperCollins, Berkley, and Hearst. He ha=
s been a featured comedy blogger for the Huffington Post, and is the author=
of four books for Disney Publishing Worldwide on a number of subjects. The=
first, Disney During World War II: How the Walt Disney Studio Contributed =
to Victory During the War (2014), came about as a result of the author's li= felong fascination with the studio. In addition to co-authoring the present=
volume, Baxter also authored The Disney Conservation Fund: Carrying Forwar=
d a Conservation Legacy (2016), ABC News: 75 Years in The Making, and has w= orked on the Disney Institute's forthcoming new edition of Be Our Guest: Th=
e Art of the Customer Experience.

Editorial Note #2: Bruce C. Steele is the editor in chief of Disney's magaz= ine and supervisor of the digital Disney Newsreel and D23.com. He is also a=
journalist and Disney fan with a long career of profiling the famous and t=
he unheralded, from the pastry chefs at the Biltmore Estate to the stars of=
Disney's Mary Poppins Returns.

Editorial Note #3: The Walt Disney Archives was established by Roy O. Disne=
y, Walt Disney's brother and Chairman of Board, who determined that signifi= cant assets and documents relating to the history of The Walt Disney Compan=
y should be gathered and preserved, and that the recollections of key emplo= yees should be documented. Chief Archivist Emeritus Dave Smith was official=
ly hired for this purpose on June 22, 1970, and since then, the Walt Disney=
Archives has curated millions of historic items, including books, art, awa= rds, photographs, merchandise, props, costumes, and much more. The Archives=
team has assisted in research and review of hundreds of scholarly and docu= mentary works in varied media and produced numerous exhibits for the presen= tation of The Walt Disney Company's respected and beloved history to the pu= blic.

My Days with Emma
Paul Dunion, EdD
https://pauldunion.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639885718, $17.99

https://www.amazon.com/My-Days-Emma-Soulful-Elderhood/dp/1639885714

My Days with Emma: A Soulful Path to Elderhood holds the trappings of a mem= oir combined with the spiritual reflection of an inquiring mind, and is a m= oving account of a mentor relationship between a senior wise woman and a yo= unger man contemplating aging and life.

The entry into golden years ideally involves a form of inquiry that re-asse= sses remaining life and choices made past, present, and future. My Days wit=
h Emma solidifies and highlights this inquiry process by following the auth= or's journey into being an elder; reviewing the ambiguities of aging, chang= ing relationships between men and women; and considering the promises and p= urposes of maturity and growth during later years.

Many books have surveyed the spiritual progression of such an effort; but, = more so than most, My Days with Emma represents a unique journey not becaus=
e of its subject, but because of its presentation. Paul Dunion offers a raw=
inspection of the process of developing compassion, gratitude, and a reali= zation of the special opportunities of this time of life.

Another fine example of the difference between his efforts and other memoir=
s is the acknowledgement of not just the process, but the difficult challen=
ge of achieving wisdom and clarity: "...gratitude for a single breath was n=
ot something I could easily access. It made sense to me and, at the same ti= me, felt extremely foreign." The differences between this concept of 'soulf=
ul eldering' and books on aging which talk about how to inject power and pr= owess into one's revelations for future generations lies clearly on the sid=
e of a more spiritual attitude towards not just aging, but one's changing r= elevance to the world: "Soulful eldering is not interested in arriving but = rather in being devoted to serving something larger than oneself."

By entering a potentially foreign place, tackling its possibilities and cha= llenges head-on and with a spiritual flavor to psychological growth, and su= rveying how a "mature spirituality" unfolds and flowers, Paul Dunion has do=
ne the hard work of outlining paths of new positivity, growth, and possibil= ities.

Spiritual and philosophical-minded readers interested in a different view o=
n aging, meaningful relationships between all ages, and elders who embark o=
n a "soulful path" to discovery will find the encouragement, ideas, and ins= ights in My Days with Emma offer a focus on opportunities which don't exist=
in most similar-sounding books on either aging or spiritual enlightenment.

Libraries looking for memoirs that hold the potential to reach widely outsi=
de the genre of either memoir or spiritual reflection will welcome the oppo= rtunity My Days with Emma brings to the discussion table, and can easily re= commend it to book clubs looking for vivid reflections that encourage soulf=
ul self-inspection.

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

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)