Review copy provided by publisher

Review by Ida Vega-Landow

This is your standard coffee table book; that is, an oversized volume full of colorful pictures meant to amuse guests while they wait for you to make coffee or finish getting dressed. But if your guests are real horror fans or just totally into Hammer films, you may end up spending the night at home going through the pages of this humongous book, admiring all the brightly colored old movie posters and going, “Oh, I remember that one! Scared the hell out of me when I was a kid!” or “Yeah, what a stinker that one was. The poster sure had me fooled.”

With a brief introduction by the author in teeny-weeny print, the majority of the book’s pages are lovingly devoted to faithful reproductions of Hammer Film’s vintage movie posters, the same ones you remember seeing in the lobby of your local movie theater while you were growing up. Some of these posters are so old, they had to be copied from someone’s private collection. Sadly, the posters are usually the first thing to go when a feature changes. Smart theater employees usually save at least one copy for themselves, or to sell or pass on to someone else who loved the movie.

The poster designs vary depending upon which country the film was released in (the movies were released in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain, as well as in their native England). The titles weren’t always translated word for word either; I got a chuckle out of seeing how some of my childhood horror favorites were translated into Spanish and Italian. I still remember enough of my high school French to marvel at the transliteration of “The Mummy”, released in 1959, to “La Malediction Des Pharaons.” The Italians got even sillier when they translated “Quatermas 2″ aka “Enemy from Space” (U.S. title, 1957) into “Vampiri dello Spazio.” At least the French came close when they retitled “Curse of The Werewolf” (1961); it became “La Nuit Du Loup-Garou” (The Night of The Werewolf).

The popular British movie studio was renowned for its horror films back in the day; what day depends upon which era you grew up in. The table of contents lists every era from the 50’s to the 80’s, so no matter what era you grew up in, you’re sure to find a few of your old favorite movies listed in this book. I was surprised to see that Hammer Studios made comedies as well, though I don’t remember seeing any of them in the United States. I guess they just weren’t as popular here as the horror movies. But who could forget the cinematic classics that made Christopher Lee famous as Dracula, and Peter Cushing as his nemesis Van Helsing. Not to mention the sensuous and sexy Ingrid Pitt, recently deceased, whose role as Carmilla/Mircalla in “The Vampire Lovers” (1970) was an inspiration to lovers of vampires everywhere, especially lovers of girl-on-girl action.

Of course no good horror movie can be released without some controversy, otherwise known as free publicity. Both official and self-appointed censors and protectors of public morals in all the aforementioned countries were quick to denounce Hammer Films for “their vulgarity and corrupting influence.” They also denounced the posters for their lurid content, especially the Women In Peril themed ones showing beautiful girls (often anonymous models with only the vaguest resemblance to the heroine, or anyone else in the movie) shrinking away from the monster, when they weren’t unconscious and being carried away in its arms or paws. The most controversial poster was the one for “The Camp on Blood Island” (1958), which was about the brutal mistreatment of allied prisoners in a Japanese POW camp during World War II; the film was severely criticized for its racist depiction of the Japanese. The original poster, showing a menacing Japanese soldier waving a samurai sword, was even banned in London and replaced with a new one commissioned by the studio, showing only the bottom half of the soldier with his hands clutching a sword.

All in all, “The Art of Hammer” is a refreshing piece of nostalgia for all lovers of classic horror films released by the venerable Hammer Studios. Collectors of classic films and their related memorabilia should find this an invaluable guide to the authenticity of any posters they dig up at a horror con or an antique shop. The only thing that would have made the book better, in my opinion, would have been a brief description of what each movie was about beneath each poster. It would have to be in the same teeny-weeny type as the introduction, but hey, we’re talking about posterity here! The present generation may not be as familiar with these beloved monsters as we are, and it would help to be able to tell Junior and Sis exactly what that lady in the picture is screaming about and why that man looks like a vampire, or werewolf, or zombie, etc. Or just give the kids the book and let them go through it on their own while you’re channel-surfing for something good to watch on some dark and dreary night. The kids might even end up urging you to rent or buy the movie in question so they can see it for themselves. And who could possibly object to exposing kids to popular culture, except the same official and self-appointed guardians of public morals who dissed these films when they were new?

Review by Lynn Loper

I remember reading a ‘making of the film story about Raging Bull years ago. Martin Scorsese said he put the comedian scene in first, because everybody knew that De Niro had put on a lot of weight for that part of the movie, and he wanted them to get the fat man out of their minds and watch the movie.

The prologue of “You Never Give Me Your Money” lays out the book for you. Time, death, lost hope, tangled relationships, pain. For some reason, it took me three days to get through it. Am I still that much of a Beatlemaniac? Probably. I still can’t sit still watching “A Hard Day’s Night.” I want to scream.

After that, it’s a well-written, densely researched, humane and absorbing book about the Beatles as a business entity, how their personal relationships became inexorably linked with the business, how they changed and warped and aged. About the women in the picture, and the managers, and the hangers-on and producers. The author has used his own interviews as well as he wealth of other Beatles material available, and although nobody ever got any of the four people most involved to sit down and say “Here is how it all happened”, you don’t feel any gaps in the story. You want to find out what’s going to happen next, even if we all know.

About those things we all know: watch out for page 270. Explicit anatomical details of John’s death. I could have lived without that. But it’s my only objection to the book, which fills in the details of the Beatles aside from their girls and songs and fights. Necessary, if sometimes painful, details. Life is full of those, and so is this book.

Free From Addiction: Facing yourself and Embracing Recovery

Review by Linda Yau

Addictions are something that inflicts one in five Americans, and this can lead to family heartbreaks and tragedies. In the context of Free From Addiction, addiction is a negative aspect that must be cured of. Addictions are usually caused by an emotional trauma, that an individual would try to escape from, either with the use of alcohol or drugs (either legal or illegal). I had a hard time reading through this book, it was an definitely a self-help book for those who can use this book, and are use to reading these type of books. The author of this book is a medical doctor that founded a clinic on the Western Coast to treat those that had addictions. He gathers enough facts and case studies of patients that was treated at the clinic to write this book.

Parts of the book cover defining what addictions is, what misconceptions there are, what are signs of addictions. Then there is a section considering how the brain is changed as the body gets use to the addiction side effects. That is why there is a mandatory detox period. Recovering from addictions is difficult, as there are easily relapse periods. But what can influence the individual is the environment they are in, and the attitudes of their families.

There are also chapters within the book that mention how soon is it or what risks are there to intervening on the treatment of the individual. As with the courses of action to try and treat addiction. Should the individual choose either therapy or medication? What risks are there for medication, and what medicine treatments are offered?

Now that I sufficiently explained the contents of this self-help book, what criticism can I say about this book? There weren’t any more recommended reading, so the basics of this book, was on the clinic and the doctor’s personal experience. Should this book be considered as an empirical and vanity free book then? The judgment should be what you think then? If you have any addictions, that is considered bad for your health, is this the self-help book for you or what?

Work’s a Bitch and then You Make It Work: 6 Steps to Go From Pissed Off to Powerful

Review by Linda Yau

What a mouthful of a title, readers of this review, and this is a self-help book. So do take a look at this book if this book can answer your current situation. The stimulus package promises plenty of jobs, so do not lose hope if this book is currently not for you at the moment.

Andrea Kay promises in the beginning that this is a book that would help you accept, and perhaps change, minor aspects of your job. Work’s a Bitch is also a workbook, so purchasers of this book can mark it up as they go through it. Within six steps, if you read and take heart of the facts that Kay writes of, you are on your way to taking some control of your work life.

To sum up these steps, and probably whet your appetite for more of this book:

Step 1: Take Your Pick: Disillusionment or Naked Truth
Step 2: Enough Already: Lay Down Your Cell Phones and Blackberries
Step 3: Have a Brush with Greatness (Even if No One Notices)
Step 4: Prepare for Hurricanes, Sinkholes, and Manana
Step 5: Develop a Sixth Sense
Step 6: Go Twist and Shout and Shake Things Up

There anecdotes are in the beginning of every chapter, with statistics, quotes, and writing exercises to round out the rest of the chapter. At the end of the book, there is a list of resources where readers can refer to for more information about topics discussed in the book.

This is definitely a feel good reminder book for those who are currently in an office setting. So don’t despair if you don’t have that job, but if you do then can you survive in an environment to test out theories of this book? Also if you want to read more on the author’s other career publications, check out her web page here.

Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City

Review by Linda Yau

With the New York Comic Con approaching in several more weeks, I figure it would be a good time to review this book. Batman Unauthorized is a series of eighteen essays that explores various aspects of the franchise of Batman. Topics cover from the sidekicks, to location, to possibilities, to villians, and even the identity/health of Batman; hardly anything is left unturned in this book. I bet the various writers in this book had fun researching for this book.

This is a book that is an example of an industry trying to be taken more seriously, and the content of this book is by some aspects worth more than the original pulp paper the comic was printed on. There is criticism and annotations that is similar to the Shakespearean criticisms out there. As a librarian, I can note of these chapters being actual researched content, that are with quotes, and references. What this book lacks though are images, that can be referred to.

The franchise of Batman has been long lasting, whereas many other superheros slowly lost their popularity. There is a popularity of Batman, where the man is reinvented or reinterpreted time and time again. Is he a campy Super hero that was depicted by Adam West, or is he the tormented soul that is represented in the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comic series? That would be the fan’s preference though, this book tries to bring an unbiased approach to the Caped hero.

My opinion is this a book to be read if you are already a fan of the series from the comic books or the movie, or wish to learn more about different aspects of the series. One last criticism I have though is the lack of mention for the Bruce Timm’s animated versions of Batman, which I feel is also an interpretation of the Batman franchise.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Review by Kathryn L. Ramage

As a Master of Library Science and cat lover, I’m astonished that I never heard the story of Dewey before. The cat who lived at the public library in Spencer Iowa for eighteen years and acted as the library’s mascot, official greeter, and spokes-kitty seems to have well-known worldwide in his day; he was featured in a number of magazine articles, and even in two documentaries. (Also, the author turns out to have taken her degree from my own library-school alma mater, Emporia State University, just a few years before I was there.)

Dewey was abandoned as a tiny kitten, dropped into the Spencer library’s book return box on a freezing winter night. He was rescued by the library staff the next morning and adopted by them, especially by the library’s director, Vicki Myron. Vicki’s telling of his story here contains the sort of stories cat-lovers adore hearing: about Dewey’s relentless addiction to rubber bands, his fondness for climbing up the shelves (and even up into the ceiling light fixtures), his finickiness over food, and his manner of sleeping sprawled in the middle of the public reading rooms. There’s a worrying story near the middle of the book in which Dewey gets out of the library and is missing for several days. And the ending made me cry.

But there’s more, too. This isn’t only Dewey’s story, but Vicki’s, and the story of the library itself. As library director, Ms. Myron used the best Emporia-taught ideals of making a library more than a warehouse for books, but a part of the community and a source of information for the community’s needs. The library had a role in seeing Spencer through its financial hardships during the 1980s when all small rural towns and farms were suffering, and Dewey played his part in this by providing publicity for the library and bringing people to it.

The Ultimate Guide to Well Being

Review by Linda Yau

On the cover of this book, there is a figure quoted the Wolrd Health Organization of about one million people committing suicide on an annual basis, and then there is this expression of “If people change their perception we can make it zero.”

The Ultimate Guide to Well Being is a self help book for people who think about committing the act of suicide, and this is a book that would advise on not doing that. There are ten chapters in this guide, and each chapter has examples, and testimonies that can inspire the reader. Each chapter also ends with questions for the reader to fill out. These are self-thought questions, and reinforcement for the readers to thinking about what they have in life to make it worth living.

Chipunkapublishing is a publishing company that is based in the United Kingdom, and their motto is to be an authoritative resource or voice of people with mental illness. The authors that the publishing company publish are people with mental illness, and it is commendable that this publishing house exists for a population that is tormented by a silent illness.

As a publishing medium, self-help books are print materials that strive to provide some preventative means, and if any one would read books such as this, then possibly one’s live can be changed.

Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masulinity

Review by Chad Denton

It is difficult being a person with strong political and social convictions and reviewing a book like this, which an impassioned treatise that isn’t so much directed toward one topic but exists as an open letter pleading every case they ever cared about. Either you agree and your critique is blinded by the joy of finding a fellow traveler, or you disagree and the author slowly turns into the Worst Most Ignorant Person Ever. Of course, even when you firmly disagree, the least one can do is appreciate the passion the activist author has stirred into the prose. And Robert Jensen has indeed spent a great deal of time thinking and arguing about pornography and its possible connections to the mistreatment of women in modern society, which I must respect. In fact, Jensen and I probably, if someone reduced our positions to pie charts, agree more than we disagree, especially when it comes to traditional gender roles (who needs ‘em?) and misogyny (it’s very bad).

Unfortunately, when it comes to pornography, Jensen, who admits that much of his interpretation of feminist thought springs from his association with renowned anti-pornography crusader Andrea Dworkin, and I are very much at odds. For Jensen pornography represents the worst excesses of a modern, patriarchal, capitalist society, fostering misogyny and female sexual passivity among its viewers. It may even encourage violence against women in everyday life (Jensen is coy about flat-out making this particular claim, although given how he constructs his argument around this point it is difficult to see how he cannot believe that hardcore pornography is at least a major factor). Jensen never defines pornography in a way that distinguishes it from or connects it to explicit erotica, “freelance” enactment of sex acts by individuals on the Internet, and so on, but it does become clear through the book that the “pornography” Jensen discusses is mass-marketed, visual, and hardcore pornography. When Jensen does claim to offer a definition for the sake of discussion, it is ideologically charged – “a specific kind of sexual material that helps maintain the sexual subordination of women” (53)—rather than neutral and academic.

Indeed, “ideologically charged” would serve as the shortest and still the most accurate critique of the entire book. It shouldn’t be criticized because Robert Jensen is an ideologue—obviously just about anyone inspired enough to write a 184-page book on any socio-cultural issues can rightfully have that label slapped on them—but because he goes to such short lengths to hide his ideology. Prophesying my own interest in any definition or definitions he provides on pornography, Jensen blasts anyone who has the audacity to insist on such a little thing as really deploying a “definitional dodge” (51), surely an excuse for intellectual laziness plenty of post-doctoral students would love to copy for their term papers, or using a “strategy to bury the feminist anti-pornography critique” (82). “Pro-pornography” arguments only arouse the wagging of Jensen’s finger and his accusations that the people on the other side of the porn aisle are using tactics to avoid “anti-pornography” points or close off discussion. In other words, Jensen wants to leave the reader with the impression that he and his allies are so obviously right that those who disagree can only run off and claim a victory like a bunch of Falstaffs. Unfortunately, he only really succeeds in drawing attention to his own skittish and unflattering refusal to tackle any objections to his assertions in a substantive or convincing way.

More effective, and far closer to the sort of careful study one would hope for in a book like this, are the chapters when Jensen is able to discuss his first-hand research of the porn-industry. Jensen’s quotations of interviews and directors’ commentaries and descriptions of sex scenes do indeed convey the sense of an entire industry where the woman becomes an object programmed only for the most primal male gratification, a disturbing thread in the book that reaches its crescendo in its portrayal of “Ariana Jollee”, a porn actress who had sex with sixty-five men in succession for the camera. Admittedly it is difficult for even Jensen’s most determined critic not to flinch at similar details. If nothing else Jensen does manage to illustrate the very, very serious flaws inside the mainstream pornography industry (although at one point he comes very close to undermining his own argument by pointing out that there are films graphic and misogynistic enough that pornography producers and directors distance themselves from them (72) ).

Still, Jensen’s overall perspective is rather limited. It is never clear whether or not Jensen views mainstream pornography as inherently misogynistic or if the problems lie within the industry’s hierarchy; when Jensen does discuss modern mainstream pornography in the context of the history of erotic images in the West, it is annoyingly brief and only brought up at all to casually dismiss a supposedly common “pro-pornography” comment on the universality of pornography. Also Jensen does not consider in any depth bondage, gay, or any type of “specialized” pornography, which may be understandable given his thesis and focus on the significance of masculinity for heterosexuals, but it still feels like an oversight, especially once Jensen’s observations on objectification and power inside pornography come to the fore.

To put it bluntly, Jensen also at times comes across as a bit of a Martian, perplexed by the sex customs of the human race. He criticizes pornography for having women that want sex from all times from men (“It’s almost as if the whole point of pornography is to portray sex acts!” (not an actual quote) ), without considering that the same could be said of the principals in gay pornography or, really, the men in heterosexual pornography. Throughout his analysis of pornography, Jensen finds it very significant that the actresses sometimes display expressions of pain, something I found unconvincing as a gay man who tends to prefer the passive role. Speaking of which, I don’t believe Jensen intended for me to find the following worth laughing aloud over: “Anal sex can be pleasurable for the person being penetrated. Certainly the frequency of the practice among gay men suggests that is the case…” (58) I don’t wish to accuse Jensen of being a prude—certainly that’s an overused allegation used against feminists who object to pornography and prostitution—but it is hard not to wonder if his views are formed by a fundamental hostility to sex when, for instance, he simply finds the presence of dildos and sex toys at a porn industry expo shocking.

Unsurprisingly Jensen is at his most convincing when he allows his research to speak for itself and much less so when he gives vent to his ideology. There are points where he raises interesting philosophical and social questions, such as: “In intimate moments with a partner during sex, are we engaged in a way that treats our partner like a human being, someone with hopes and dreams and desires of her own? Or are we engaged in a way that treats her like an object…?” (109-110) However, this too is undercut by his tendency to idealize female sexuality as something free of the horrors of objectification or, ironically given the gist of his objections to the treatment of porn actresses, portray women as perpetual victims of society’s sexual norms. How are we to explain heterosexual women who loudly and proudly boil the Christian Bales and Brad Pitts of the world down to their component parts, their abs and their arms and their cocks? Or homosexual women who, like heterosexual men, develop fetishistic affinities for breasts or legs? And how do we explain such lyrics sung by female singers as can be found in Luscious Jackson’s “Sexy Hypnotist” (”Cause abs and buns are so much fun”) or the Lords of Acid’s “Young Boys” (“Yummy and innocent / I’m gonna have some fun!”)?

Of course, it may be unfair of me to expect Jensen to make a total defense of his corner of the feminist movement, although such a book as this provokes such questions. Unfortunately, Jensen is merely preaching to the choir and does not even want to disguise the fact. That, not our foundational difference in opinion, is what made this book a dreary if occasionally interesting exercise in ideological indulgence.

Review by Linda Yau

The numbers sound kinda scary, but as the introduction states, 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. With the current economy, this is a book to read if there is concern for the necessity to save.

Michael Davidson is a successful business executive who questions about his financial choices, so with the assistance of his seventy year old Aunt Katherine, he and his wife will go on a journey to develop a sound mind and attitude for learning financial security. Sounds corny right? This is the purpose of The Elephant in the Room, a self-help financial book under the guise of a fiction novel.

There are nine chapters in this book. At the conclusion of each chapter, there is a small recap for the financial/life advice that is learned by the protagonist. This is a book to read if you take it with a grain of salt. There are sound tips to be reminded of, learn or remember. Such as having the right attitude, having stated goals, and an emphasis on values with discipline.

I was highly amused by the title, because it serves as a mental reminder – similar to feeling as if there was a bull in the china shop. The reminder is this: with worry and concern for paying bills, an elephant might be a consistent reminder. But as the problem may ease, upon taking the advice of this book, then the elephant may grow smaller, until it disappears.

As I mentioned earlier, this book should be taken with a grain of salt. My worries are became pronounced when I learned that the author is actually a composite of financial advisers, and also when I saw the publisher’s website. Technically this is an organization publishing this book, so there is a push for consulting and hiring financial advisers.