Veterans Day

Try these reviews to remember those who served ...

• Bill Mauldin By Todd DePastino, reviewed by Carter Jefferson
• Co-Ed Combat by Kingsley Browne, reviewed by Diane Diekman
• Drillmaster of Valley Forge, The by Paul Lockhart, reviewed by Roger Poppen
• Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton, reviewed by Carter Jefferson
• In a Time of War by Bill Murphy, reviewed by Jack Shakely
• Something about a Soldier by Charles Willeford, reviewed by Carter Jefferson
• The Ascent of George Washington by John Ferling, reviewed by Matt McGuire

Find more in the Archives of The Internet Review of Books.

What's on Tap for November?

A little bemusement, perhaps. Or in the words of long-time reviewer Jack Shakely, "There is probably a rule against saying this so early in a review, but Dracula Is Dead is the damnedest book of its kind I have ever read."

Watch for the review of ...

Dracula Is Dead
By Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe

What Book Would Make a Perfect Gift?

Illustration courtesy of Sue Ellis, a contributing IRB reviewer.

It's never to soon to plan for the holidays!

The IRB is preparing a second annual gift issue and invite you to be part of it. We’ll be collecting your recommendations of books you’d love to give or receive and why from now until mid-November.


See last year’s issue for an idea of what we're planning.

You don't have to be a reviewer to send an idea.

Send your gift book recommendations to Ruth Douillette, associate editor.

A Brief Review by Julie McGuire

BREAKING THE BANK
By Yona Zeldis McDonough
368 pp. Downtown Press $15

Mia Saul has been dumped by her husband, and left to deal with her daughter, Eden, who isn’t exactly coping with the divorce. On the outs with her brother, at odds with her newly remarried mother, and walking a financial tightrope as a freelance children’s book editor, Mia is barely holding on to her sanity.


When the ATM that she frequents starts spitting out thousands of dollars, she thinks she’s finally lost it. Along with the money, the ATM is sending her messages instructing her to “use it well.” And that phrase, “use it well” seems to be appearing in the strangest places—the inscription in the locket she purchases at an antique store, for one.


There are many wonderful things about this book. It is a highly intelligent and engaging dark comedy. The characters are interesting—Fred the bartender who is in love with Mia, Manny the drug addict who lives in Mia’s apartment building, Patrick the irresistible Irish boy she meets in jail (this is definitely not your typical chick lit)-all come to life on the page. And waiting to find out just how Mia uses the cash as she begins to realize what money can and can’t buy may be one of the book’s greatest pleasures.


McDonough has been added to my list of “must-read” authors.

Read all October's Briefs here.

A Brief Review by Ruth Douillette

MR. JEFFERSON AND THE GIANT MOOSE:
Natural History in Early America
By Lee Alan Dugatkin
184 pp. University of Chicago Press $26.00

Size matters. That’s why Thomas Jefferson sent a moose to French naturalist Count Buffon. Skinned, ready to be stuffed and mounted, the specimen was shipped to Paris—sans antlers, because of a snafu. Antlers followed, although not the antlers originally attached to the head of said dead moose.


It was hoped that the gigantic animal would convince Buffon and other European naturalists to recant their belief in the “degeneracy theory” and admit that America was capable of producing large, healthy specimens—including humans. Buffon died before the moose arrived, still promulgating decidedly bad science, an affront to Americans.


European naturalists in the 1700s thought the cause of America’s “degeneracy” was that the New World emerged later than the superior Eastern continents, and its swampy, miasma-like environment “had not had the time to heat up or dry out.” This caused stunted, weak flora and fauna. That there wasn’t a lion or tiger to be found on the entire continent was offered as proof.


American species were smaller, feebler, more meager, and less juicy—in a word: degenerate. What survived best were reptiles and insects. Humans didn’t escape Buffon’s scrutiny; men had milk in their breasts, countrywomen were almost all ugly. Depravity—lack of intelligence, kindness, and love abounded.


Dugatin explains the background and the backlash, as Americans, from poets to politicians, attempt to disprove the degeneracy theory. It’s interesting to note that climate’s effects on the environment loomed as large then as today, although for different reasons. It’s a short, entertaining read.

Read all of the IRB's Brief Reviews for October here.

A Lasting Impression

Whisper to the Black Candle
By Jaclyn Weldon White
Reviewed by Ann Hite

My weakness has always been a good thriller—you know, the kind that keeps you awake after you turn out the lights—and for me, a well-told true crime story will send chills up my neck for years.

• Read Ann Hite's thoughts here.

Two Weeks and Counting!

Be ready to read! The November Issue of The Internet Review of Books will cover, among other tomes, reviews of ...

Just Food
By James E. McWilliams


Provenance
By Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo


That Bird Has My Wings
By Jarvis Jay Masters


Dreaming of Baghdad
By Haifa Zangana

America’s Prophet
By Bruce Feiler


Dracula Is Dead
By Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe