The Political Science Shelf

Handbook on Democracy and Security
Nicholas A. Seltzer, editor
Steven Lloyd Wilson, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781839100192, $270.00 HC / $65.00 ebook, 388pp

https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/handbook-on-democracy-and-security-9781839= 100192.html

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of N icholas A=
.. Seltzer (Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Reno) and Steven Lloy=
d Wilson (Assistant Professor, Brandeis University, Massachusetts), "The Ha= ndbook on Democracy and Security" offers an insightful new interpretation o=
f the topic that reframes the contemporary challenge of democracy away from=
competing ideologies or external existential threats, and centers on the s= ecurity of democracy in the minds and lived experience of its citizens.

With a global focus, the contributors to "The Handbook on Democracy and Sec= urity" collectively provide a cutting edge understanding of contemporary de= velopments in democratic breakdown, investigating the role of new media, so= cial media and the Internet. Furthermore, the expert contributors explore h=
ow democracy is affected by the resurgence of populism, terrorism and migra= tion alongside the decline of independent mass media and associated conspir= acy theories.

"The Handbook on Democracy and Security" contributors further argues that t=
he security of government by the people is best understood through the secu= rity of people and examines the analysis of democratic security.

Providing a diverse range of perspectives on how democratic breakdown occur=
s, "The Handbook on Democracy and Security" is an excellent read for politi= cal scientists interested in human security and the effect of social media =
on democracy. Policymakers interested in policy prescriptions and stabilizi=
ng democratic backsliding will also find this an illuminating and informati=
ve resource.

Critique: A seminal and impressively work of meticulous scholarship that is=
exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Handbook on Democracy and=
Security" is comprised of 19 informative and thought-provoking articles, m= aking it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional=
, community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science=
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted = that "The Handbook on Democracy and Security" is also available from Edward=
Elgar Publishing in a digital book format ($65.00).

A Mysterious Country
Norman Mailer, author
J. Michael Lennon, editor
John Buffalo Mailer, editor
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781956763379, $28.99, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Country-Fragility-American-Democracy/dp/1= 956763376

Synopsis: Published on the centenary of Norman Mailer's birth, and co-edite=
d by his son, John Buffalo Mailer and Professor J. Michael Lennon, "A Myste= rious Country: The Grace and Fragility of American Democracy" a timely and = urgent call to preserve our democracy.

From his bestselling first novel, The Naked and the Dead, to his last work,=
the study of American democracy was a lifelong project for Norman Mailer. =
It was his grand theme. Nearly all of his books touched on the pros and con=
s, the strengths and weaknesses, the grace (to use his word) and fragility =
of the American experiment as well as the threats to it that ranged from au= tocratic leaders and a complacent citizenry, to violent protest and radical=
conservative assaults on it, to "soft fascism" and the ills of racism and = poverty.

In the sharp and impassioned language of a political Cassandra and with the=
eye of a novelist and journalist, Norman Mailer explored the underlying ps= ychological, social, and economic causes of the country's fragile polity an=
d offered urgent prescriptions for its reinvigoration.

"A Mysterious Country" is a carefully selected collection of Mailer's most = incisive (and sometimes remarkably prophetic) commentary on American democr= acy and what must be done to safeguard it. This anthology of his writings d= raws upon both published and unpublished sources, from Mailer's great works=
of narrative nonfiction and novels as well as essays, interviews, letters,=
speeches, and talk show appearances. It includes pungent remarks on every = president from FDR through George W. Bush, as well as correspondence with s= everal. Throughout, what shines through is Mailer's passion for our democra= tic project (as well as the freedom that comes with it) along with a keen a= wareness of its potential for failure, its virtues, and what is required of=
us to keep it intact.

Critique: An absolute 'must read' selection for the legions of Norman Maile=
r fans, "A Mysterious Country: The Grace and Fragility of American Democrac=
y" is impressively timely and remarkably pertinent in view of our country's=
current (and hostile) political polarization that threatens to bring down = and end the American experiment with democracy. While an exceptional and un= reserved recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library = Political Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it=
should be noted for students, academia, political activists, governmental = policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the s= ubject that "A Mysterious Country: The Grace and Fragility of American Demo= cracy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note #1: Norman Mailer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Mail= er) was a giant of American letters and one of our most consequential publi=
c intellectuals of the postwar period. A two-time winner of the Pulitzer Pr= ize and winner of the National Book Award, he was an originator of new jour= nalism and cofounder of the Village Voice. He was the author of twelve nove= ls, among them The Naked and the Dead and Harlot's Ghost, and numerous work=
s of nonfiction, many probing American politics and society, including The = Armies of the Night, Miami and the Siege of Chicago, and TheExecutioner's S= ong, as well as several plays and screenplays. He was also a lifelong activ= ist who ran for mayor of New York City in 1969. He died in 2007.

Editorial Note #2: J. Michael Lennon (https://jmichaellennon.com), Emeritus=
Professor of English at Wilkes University and chair of the editorial board=
of the Mailer Review, is the author or editor of several books about Norma=
n Mailer, including his monumental authorized biography, Norman Mailer: A D= ouble Life; Selected Letters of Norman Mailer; and On God: An Uncommon Conv= ersation, coauthored with Mailer. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, = the Paris Review, New York Review of Books, New York, Washington Post, Chic= ago Tribune, Times Literary Supplement, Provincetown Arts, Hippocampus, and=
Mailer Review. He teaches in the Maslow Family Graduate Creative Writing P= rogram at Wilkes University, which he co-founded in 2005.

Editorial Note #3: John Buffalo Mailer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_= Buffalo_Mailer) is the son of Norman Mailer and also a screenwriter, journa= list, playwright, actor, and producer. He is currently creative director fo=
r the development and production company Mailer Tuchman Media and is execut= ive-producing a feature Showtime documentary about the life of his father. =
As a journalist, he has freelanced for Playboy, New York Magazine, ESPN Boo= ks, The Norman Mailer Review, The American Conservative, Vector, and Inked = Magazine, among others.

The Low Point of Labor Resistance is Behind Us
Jack Barnes, author
Steve Clark, author
Mary-Alice Waters, author/editor
Pathfinder Press
www.pathfinderpress.com
9781604881455, $10.00, PB, 148pp

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Point-Labor-Resistance-Behind/dp/1604881453

Synopsis: A decades-long retreat by the working class and unions has come t=
o an end, as owners of capital and their parties shift the burden of their = crisis onto working people's backs. More and more workers (of all ages, ski=
n colors, and both sexes) are saying, "Enough is enough!" They have begun t=
o wield the collective power of the exploited producers in response.

With the publication of "The Low Point of Labor Resistance is Behind Us: Th=
e Socialist Workers Party Looks Forward", the team of Jack Barnes, Steve Cl= ark, and Mary-Alice Waters draw from the trade union and broad political wo=
rk of members and followers of the Socialist Workers Party to highlight the=
opportunities ahead for class-conscious workers.

"The Low Point of Labor Resistance is Behind Us" sets the course of action = needed to forge a labor party built on unions that can and will fight for t= heir members. And a mass proletarian vanguard able to lead the struggle to = end capitalist rule, opening a future for humanity. The global order impose=
d by victors of the inter-imperialist slaughter of World War II is shatteri= ng, with explosive ramifications for workers and farmers worldwide.

Critique: Informatively analytical, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and poli= tically inspiring, "The Low Point of Labor Resistance is Behind Us: The Soc= ialist Workers Party Looks Forward" is especially and unreservedly recommen= ded for community and academic library Political Science collections and fo=
r the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in communism, socia= lism, class sociology, and the evolution of political parties.

Editorial Note #1: Jack Barnes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Barnes) =
is the national secretary of the Socialist Workers Party. He joined the SWP=
in May 1961 and has been a member of the party's National Committee since = 1963 and a national officer since 1968.

Editorial Note #2: Mary-Alice Waters is a member of the Socialist Workers P= arty National Committee since 1967, is president of Pathfinder Press and ed= itor of New International magazine. (https://www.pathfinderpress.com/collec= tions/mary-alice-waters)

Editorial Note #3: Steve Clark (https://www.pathfinderpress.com/collections= /steve-clark) is a member of the Socialist Workers Party National Committee=
since 1977, and editorial director of Pathfinder Press, as well as the man= aging editor of New International magazine.

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Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

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

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