A frustrated business owner offers his analysis of the problems facing the United States economy and a range of possible solutions.
In this overview of the American political economy, Boudreau’s debut work targets the trade deficit as one of the primary drivers of recent economic downturns, though government inefficiency, unreasonable consumer expectations and other factors share the blame. After leading the reader through his analysis, backed by data gathered from several government agencies, Boudreau offers his prescriptions for future growth, which include further developing solar power, renewing American commitment to buying American-made products, overhauling the political system and creating sustainable jobs that will allow the middle class to thrive. While the author often notes in textual asides that he wants to avoid political discussions in his book, libertarians will appreciate many of his recommendations. Boudreau introduces interesting concepts and ideas, like refocusing on local manufacturing, but readers may have trouble following the arguments through their unpolished presentation. Abundant quotation marks, repeated punctuation and ellipses distract (“I am not ‘talking out of both sides of my mouth’ by here pointing the finger at a ‘nebulous entity’ ”; “What about all those people that aren’t working, that cannot qualify for unemployment??? What about those people that have exhausted their benefits???”), and many authorial comments seem more suited to a rough draft than a finished book (“blah, blah, blah...I have an MBA and can do the same math”; “OK, the sarcasm may be a bit ‘over the top,’ but having experienced first-hand the ineffectiveness, ineptness and total waste of space of these departments, I chose to exercise my 1st Amendment rights...”). The author is clearly passionate about his subject, but his enthusiasm often inhibits the creation of a logical and well-written argument. An unpolished economic prescription for the United States based on data, speculation and anecdotes.
Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2013
ISBN: 978-0989897303
Page Count: 102
Publisher: NanoShoppes.com
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An exhaustive and exhausting marriage of Austen's Pride and a modern reader’s analysis of it.
A mammoth edition, including the novel, illustrations, maps, a chronology, and bibliography, but mostly thousands of annotations that run the gamut from revealing to ridiculous.
New editions of revered works usually exist either to dumb down or to illuminate the original. Since its appearance in 1813, Austen's most famous work has spawned numerous illustrated and abridged versions geared toward younger readers, as well as critical editions for the scholarly crowd. One would think that this three-pounder would fall squarely in the latter camp based on heft alone. But for various other reasons, Shapard's edition is not so easily boxed. Where Austen's work aimed at a wide spectrum of the 19th-century reading audience, Shapard's seems geared solely toward young lit students. No doubt conceived with the notion of highlighting Austen's brilliance, the 2,000-odd annotations–printed throughout on pages facing the novel's text–often end up dwarfing it. This sort of arrangement, which would work extremely well as hypertext, is disconcerting on the printed page. The notes range from helpful glosses of obscure terms to sprawling expositions on the perils awaiting the character at hand. At times, his comments are so frequent and encyclopedic that one might be tempted to dispense with Austen altogether; in fact, the author's prefatory note under "plot disclosures" kindly suggests that first-time readers might "prefer to read the text of the novel first, and then to read the annotations and introduction." Those with a term paper due in the morning might skip ahead to the eight-page chronology–not of Austen's life, but of the novel's plot–at the back. In the end, Shapard's herculean labor of love comes off as more scholastic than scholarly.
An exhaustive and exhausting marriage of Austen's Pride and a modern reader’s analysis of it.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-9745053-0-7
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Smart but meandering, inconsequential entertainment.
A frank battle cry from a 20-something woman in the modern-dating trenches of New York City.
Roberson, a freelance humorist and researcher at the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, wields generous self-criticism to chronicle the current state of affairs among heteronormative singles on the hunt for love and/or just enough interaction with the opposite sex to keep the conversation about male idiocy going. Despite the catchy title, this book is neither a polemic against men nor a navigational how-to tome filled with advice. There is no narrative arc (chapters include, among others, “Crushes,” “Flirting,” and “Breaking Up”), catalyst for personal or romantic evolution, or tests of any real consequence for the author. Readers in search of deeply personal revelations should look elsewhere, but those seeking relatable accounts of just how unromantic the pursuits of romance actually are will be richly rewarded. Roberson’s great strengths are her blistering comedic sense and her cringeworthy, unexaggerated insights into her dealings with men. By “men,” clarifies the author, “I am talking in most cases about straight, cis, able-bodied white men…who have all the privilege in the world”—traits Roberson admits could be used to describe her. The author is as forthright about her sexual desires and lack of understanding of “ANY text ANY man” sends her as she is about her lack of experience with intimacy. Throughout the book, Roberson provides plenty of reasons for readers to laugh out loud. In a list of ways to kill time while waiting to answer a text, for example, she includes “Be in Peru and Have No Wi-Fi” and “Think About a Riddle.” She also satirizes The Rules, the notorious bestseller with archaic advice about how to catch a husband, and seamlessly weaves in pop-cultural references to countless sources. The so-called conclusion is a misstep; this book isn’t a story so it doesn’t have a beginning or end. Roberson doesn’t have a vendetta against men, only an understandable wish that they would be clear about their intentions and then take action.
Smart but meandering, inconsequential entertainment.Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-19342-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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