Book tells of gang-related homicides in U.S. ghettos

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America By Jill Leovy (Spiegel &Grau)The killings of unarmed black men by police in Missouri and New York have dominated recent headlines, but the slayings of black males by other blacks in the nation’s most violent ghettos still get barely a footnote.Americans have long been complacent about these anonymous murders, many of them gang-related, most of which go unsolved. The notion that such killings are not newsworthy is reflected in the label that used to b

Jan. 29, 2015

Zillow execs follow housing data to surprising conclusions

In less than a decade, Seattle-based Zillow has become the nation’s leading brand for homebuyer real-estate information. It’s become synonymous with looking up your home’s value ― or someone else’s.In a forthcoming book, “Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate,” Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and chief economist Stan Humphries offer some surprising answers ― backed by data ― to a range of housing questions. Among them:- Should Congress eliminate the current mortgage-interest tax deduction? (Yes)-

Jan. 29, 2015

Magical journey of ‘Etta and Otto’

When a Silver Alert is issued for a missing senior citizen, highway signs flash details about what I think of as the getaway car. I enjoy imagining an elderly gent or lady switching off Fox News, rising from the reclining chair, and making it clear that no one’s ready to go gently into that good night just yet.In real life, of course, such alerts help desperate families find missing seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other age-related challenges. But the world of “Etta and Otto and R

Jan. 29, 2015

Reilly writes action-packed ‘Great Zoo of China’

The Great Zoo of ChinaBy Matthew Reilly (Gallery)Matthew Reilly takes elements from Michael Crichton’s classic “Jurassic Park” and gives them a high fantasy spin in his latest action masterpiece, “The Great Zoo of China.”Reptile expert Dr. Cassandra Jane “CJ” Cameron is asked to visit a zoo that is soon to open in the middle of China. Staff members at the site are extremely secretive and provide few answers to her questions until Cameron and the others witness what animals are being kept inside

Jan. 29, 2015

Sports guy Greenberg hits home run with latest novel

My Father’s WivesBy Mike Greenberg (William Morrow)Mike Greenberg knows sports. And talking about them. One-half of the long-running and ever-popular “Mike & Mike” national sports radio show, Greenberg (alongside co-host and former NFL player Mike Golic) spends the morning drive-time period touching on all the prevailing topics of the day in the world of sports. It’s not all that surprising that Greenberg has parlayed his on-air success into a thriving writing career.What is surprising, however,

Jan. 29, 2015

Choi reveals her 10 life principles in new book

 People often ask me how to be successful, says Choi Jung-wha, the president of Corea Image Communication Institute. But she admits that she doesn’t really like the term “success.”“Success is a result, not the end-goal itself,” says Choi in her new book “The Ten Habits of Designing My Life, 10C.” She believes that many so-called successful people live by principles and habits in their lives.  Choi Jung-wha(HUINE)As the title suggests, the book is Choi’s dose of wisdom, spanning over three decade

Jan. 29, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘It was destiny’

When novelist Jeon Kyung-ae watched the first 10 minutes of the recent box-office hit “Ode to My Father,” she was surprised and deeply touched to see the U.S. merchant ship SS Meredith Victory in the flick. The ship, designed to carry only 60 people, evacuated 14,000 civilian refugees fleeing from communist troops, sailing from Heungnam Port in present day North Korea to Geojedo Island, in South Gyeongsang Province, during the Korean War in the rescue effort known as the “Heungnam evacuation” in

Jan. 25, 2015

Children’s ‘comfort women’ book translated to English

A children’s book that delves into the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery was published in English, the publisher said last week. “Touch-Me-Nots” was published on Jan. 9 by the House of Sharing, a shelter in Gyeonggi Province for the few surviving victims, who are euphemistically called comfort women, and its adjacent museum, the Museum of Sexual Slavery by the Japanese Military.The book is an English translation of a Korean-language book written in 2008 by Yoon Jung-mo, the author of many

Jan. 25, 2015

‘Russian Tattoo’ is worthwhile read

Russian TattooBy Elena Gorokhova (Simon & Schuster)In 2011, memoirist Elena Gorokhova described her coming-of-age in St. Petersburg, then known as Leningrad, and her decision to marry an American to emigrate to the U.S.In her second book, “Russian Tattoo,” she picks up where that story left off and provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into what it meant to fit into American society after growing up behind the Iron Curtain. She’s disoriented, confused and utterly overwhelmed by seemingly o

Jan. 22, 2015

Self-help guru Tony Robbins wants to make you rich

Money: Master the GameBy Tony Robbins (Simon & Schuster)As one of the world’s most celebrated life coaches, Tony Robbins is best known for helping millions of people improve the quality of their lives in many personal and meaningful ways from losing weight and improving their relationships to overcoming some life-changing tragedy.But in his first major book in nearly 20 years, Robbins goes a step beyond the emotional aspect of self-help and asks his audience to begin taking control of their live

Jan. 22, 2015

Fact imitates fiction in saga of ‘Yankee Comandante’

The Yankee ComandanteBy Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss (Lyons)The saga of William Morgan, the Yankee comandante of the Cuban Revolution, is a case of fact imitating fiction.An Eagle Scout, an ex-con, a fire-eater and a minor Mafioso, Morgan followed the scent of romance through two marriages and a childbearing affair in Japan before tossing aside these encumbrances to sneak into the ranks of the Cuban rebels.Here his life acquired a certain nobility through bravery, a belief in freedom and “stan

Jan. 22, 2015

Patton Oswalt has a thing for the movies

“I started comedy when the boom was ending, in ’88; I started writing books when print began to die,” says actor, comedian and author Patton Oswalt. “I’m drawn to dying realms, man.”Oswalt is sitting in a Mid-City restaurant talking about why he’s written a second book, “Silver Screen Fiend: Learning about Life from an Addiction to Film,” when he’s got so much else on his plate.He’s about to take off on a nationwide stand-up tour, featuring his first date at Carnegie Hall. He’s so busy acting ―

Jan. 22, 2015

Okey Ndibe’s ‘Arrows of Rain’ splits its powerful message

It’s been quite a journey for Okey Ndibe’s first novel, “Arrows of Rain.” Originally published in England in 2000, the book is finally coming out here in the wake of last year’s “Foreign Gods, Inc.,” which essentially introduced the author to an American readership.And yet Ndibe ― who came to the United States from his native Nigeria in 1988 at the urging of Chinua Achebe ― is also a founder of the journal African Commentary; he was a Fulbright scholar and now teaches at Brown. So why did his de

Jan. 22, 2015

‘Fear the Darkness’ is solid story

Fear the DarknessBy Becky Masterman (Minotaur)Relationships require a certain amount of vulnerability ― the willingness to expose yourself emotionally, hoping that happiness is the ultimate goal, but realizing that being hurt comes with it, too.Becky Masterman’s superior series explores how former FBI agent Brigid Quinn, who spent her life chasing criminals and avoiding emotional entanglements, is dealing with a “normal” life since her retirement. In her second novel, “Fear the Darkness,” Master

Jan. 22, 2015

Asian sacred texts, German classics form new collection

“Olje Classics,” a book series offering Asian and Western classics at an affordable price, recently printed its 13th installment. Published by local nonprofit organization Olje Foundation, the four-volume series includes two sacred texts of Taoism, “The Zhuangzi” and “The Liezi” ― which are titled after Chinese philosophers ― the Hindu scripture “The Bhagavad Gita” and the German classic novel “The Sorrow of Young Werther” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. “The Zhuangzi,” which dates back to the la

Jan. 15, 2015

‘First Bad Man’ tells of surreal self absorption

The First Bad Man By Miranda July (Scribner)The first sentence of Miranda July’s debut novel, “The First Bad Man,” suggests the almost surreal self-absorption of its problematic narrator: “I drove to the doctor’s office as if I was starring in a movie Phillip was watching.” Cheryl ― 43, single and childless ― has a crush on Phillip, a rich, aging hippie who sits on the board of the Los Angeles nonprofit where she works and lusts after a 16-year-old girl. She’s on her way to the doctor ― actually

Jan. 15, 2015

‘Unquiet Dead’ is outstanding debut

The Unquiet Dead By Ausma Zehanat Khan (Minotaur Books) War atrocities reverberate for generations, affecting those who fought on the battlefield and the civilian victims who were collateral damage. Ausma Zehanat Khan’s gripping first novel tackles questions of identity, culture, revenge and war horrors in a strong police procedural. Using the massacre of Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995 during the Bosnian war as a backstory, Khan is careful not to overwhelm “The Unquiet Dead” with issues or politi

Jan. 15, 2015

‘The Girl on the Train’ has realistic plot

The Girl on the TrainBy Paula Hawkins(Riverhead Books)How many times have you been on a train and wondered about the people who live near the tracks and leave their curtains open so that passersby can watch them?That voyeuristic view of lives as seen from a distance echoes the themes of obsession, isolation and loneliness explored in “The Girl on the Train.” British journalist Paula Hawkins deftly imbues her debut psychological thriller with inventive twists and a shocking denouement.Rachel Wats

Jan. 15, 2015

Edith Pearlman has a fine eye for the intimate in ‘Honeydew’

“Honeydew”By Edith Pearlman (Little, Brown and Co.)Edith Pearlman’s fiction is all about the ways we touch each other ― albeit not in the manner we expect. Sure, there are lovers in her stories: husbands and wives, young women and their feckless boyfriends, girls experiencing the first taste of something we might recognize as desire. The connection to which I’m referring, though, is different, involving a kind of witness, a space in which a secret is exposed.“The dialogue began in a confidential

Jan. 15, 2015

Handmade St. John’s Bible unique opportunity, challenge

In our image-bombarded world, one-of-a-kind creations are hard to find. Paintings and sculptures, maybe. But digital media ― smartphones, e-readers, tablets ― have made the world of words an infinitely expanding universe.Vashon Island bookmaker, artist and calligrapher Suzanne Moore has been swimming against this tide for most of her career. She makes manuscripts, lettering them by hand, illustrating them and then turning them over to her husband and an assistant to bind. Collectors buy them. So

Jan. 15, 2015