non-fiction

Review: Grave Matters by Mark Harris

October 15, 2007 admin 1

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Caroline Cummins reviews Grave Matters by Mark Harris. Says Cummins: Don’t dig the conventional funeral industry? As Mark Harris describes in his new book, Grave Matters, you don’t have to wind up six feet under. Harris, an environmental reporter, has assembled a collection of short profiles documenting the experiences of families who have chosen different paths to the grave. Like Carlson’s book, Grave Matters is a handbook […]

Review: Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time by Lynne Eldridge and David Borgeson

September 27, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Mary Ward Menke reviews Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time by Lynne Eldridge and David Borgeson. Says Menke: If Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time simply repeated facts based on research, readers would be overwhelmed and quickly lose interest. Fortunately, that’s not the case; the book includes charts, graphs, recipes (most of them sound surprisingly tasty) and “practical points” (suggestions) to enhance learning and show […]

Review: Loyal Comrades, Ruthless Killers by Slava Katamidze

September 17, 2007 admin 0

Contributing editor Pedro Blas Gonzales reviews the non-fiction work Loyal Comrades, Ruthless Killers by Slava Katamidze. Says Gonzales: Gathering and utilizing the intelligence delivered to the west by the many Soviet defectors through the years, the author is able to paint a picture that few myopic or disingenuous intellectuals can continue to evade or “deconstruct.” Simply stated, the Soviet Union’s mechanism of state terror was the premier manifestation of state-organized murder and terror of the […]

Review: Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar

August 10, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar. Says Thiessen: Tal Ben-Shahar is one of the most popular teachers at Harvard. He also teaches the most popular course there. It must make him feel, well — happy. “Grounded in the revolutionary ‘positive psychology’ movement,” boasts the promo on the attractively simple book cover, “Ben-Shahar ingeniously combines scientific studies, scholarly research, self-help […]

Review: The Pentagon: A History by Steve Vogel

July 31, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor David Abrams reviews The Pentagon: A History by Steve Vogel. Abrams’ review incorporates a surprisingly personal point of view: At this point, I should confess full disclosure: for the past four months, I have been one of the approximately 25,000 workers who report to the Pentagon every morning, shuffling through the brightly-polished corridors like automatons. I have a desk in an E-Ring office — in fact, the […]

Review: Above the Falls by John Harris

July 19, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, Cherie Thiessen reviews Above the Falls by John Harris. Contributing editor Thiessen advises us to read the book for: … historical perspective. What the back cover does accurately tell us about the book is that it paints a vivid picture of a now-vanished lifestyle. It portrays trappers living off the land, shooting and drying their meat when they need a fresh supply, catching their fish, sleeping rough, living in […]

Review: The Strange Case of Hellish Nell by Nina Shandler

June 8, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen looks at The Strange Case of Hellish Nell by Nina Shandler. Says Thiessen: The last person in Britain to be tried as a witch was a Scottish medium. The year, surprisingly, was 1944. Nell ran afoul of authorities when she started to channel spirits who knew way too much about Britain’s military secrets during World War II. When Nina Shandler heard this story on the […]

Review: Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson

May 31, 2007 admin 1

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Stephen Miller looks at Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson. Miller says: Abraham Lincoln has been dead and buried for over 140 years, but that hasn’t stopped a lot of folks from thinking about him — a lot. That’s the central theme of Andrew Ferguson’s Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe’s America, an exploration of Lincoln’s presence in modern American culture. It’s a marvelous addition to anyone’s […]

Review: The Mandala of Being by Richard Moss

April 18, 2007 admin 0

Today, in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Mary Ward Menke is swept away by The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness by Richard Moss. I have to admit that’s what I was thinking when I started reading Richard Moss’ The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness. Pardon my facetious cynicism; in truth, I’m fascinated by books about spirituality and self-empowerment. This book was not a disappointment. The full review is […]

Review: Paradise Regained

January 8, 2007 admin 1

Today on January Magazine, contributing editor Pedro Blas Gonzalez takes a close look at Jeffrey Burton Russell’s latest book, Paradise Mislaid: How We Lost Heaven and How We Can Regain It. The book is an “examination of the history of transcendence that most cultures have identified as heaven,” writes Gonzalez. “Professor Russell’s insightful series on the history of the devil is, in the estimation of this writer, the single most in-depth and penetrating study of […]