Reviews

I'm getting very agitated as I read book reviews in Choice, a jounal of book reviews for academic libraries.

The first one that got me started was a for "Highly Recommended" book called "Command of office: how war, secrecy, and deception transformed the presidency from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush". The title annoyed me because there seems to be a lot of books with Bush and deception in the title. However, as it is "highly recommended", I continued on with the review. The reviewer notes several chapter titles: the "Savior" for FDR--I certainly don't think of Franklin Roosevelt as "savior" in any context. All of his government "busywork"...the "Creator" for Truman...what did he create??? I don't know all that much about Truman, but he was a democrat. Finally, the "Actor" for Reagan. Yes, Reagan was actually an actor. But he was not acting...he was truly a great American and history has proven that to be true. The reviewer say the author is opinionated...oh really?...and yet the reviewer "highly recommends" this book. I don't know about you, but if a he were doing the same for a pro-conservative book, I would question the validity of the review and book as well!!!

The next review, for Zinn's "Voices of a people's history of the United States", got me typing. It begins with the words "At a time of right-wing ascendancy in the US, this documentary collection of progressive political viewpoints is a reminder that resistance to the established power of privelege has never died." and concludes with "Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. Right-wing ascendancy can only happen if the "people" vote for it!!!

Well, professionally I try to be "fair and balanced", but it is so hard...