Choice reviews - October 2012

The following books were reviewed in the October issue of Choice (requires subscription):

The Badia of Florence

"This meticulously researched, well-documented book is thoughtfully conceived and extremely well illustrated, and it contains an ample scholarly apparatus. It immediately becomes a standard source for the monastery's rich history. ... Highly recommended."

Beethoven in America

"The value of this thought-provoking book lies not in insightful interpretations into Beethoven and his music but in its look at US cultural history through the wide Beethovenian lens. ... Recommended."

Decorum of the Minuet, Delirium of the Waltz

"The author looks at minuet phrasing in the baroque as sentence form and use of hypermeter ... Recommended."

A Guide to Caves and Karst of Indiana

"This new guide to Indiana caves and karst is a useful addition to this study. It contains a wealth of introductory material on many of the better-known cave and karst subtopics ... [T]the text is quite lucid and well written. ... Recommended."

Migrants and Strangers in an African City

"Strong ethnographic evidence and case studies bolster the author's presentation, which is solidly grounded historically and anthropologically in current and earlier literature. An excellent example of multisited research projects in an age of globalization. ... Highly recommended."

Pink and Blue

"Paoletti's overview reveals that in a democratic, capitalistic society where people make personal choices, attitudes change from one generation to the next, and children's clothing styles and colors bought by parents and grandparents are not necessarily the same. By the late 1980s, the unisex era waned, ushering in a third wave of pink-wearing 'feminine feminists.' Paoletti provides many possible explanations for this shifting pendulum ... May stimulate further areas of research. ... Recommended."