Earl's Books and Such

In A Mickey Mouse Reader Garry Apgar brings together a wealth of primary sources from Mickey's birth through to contemporary times. For the fan of Mickey Mouse and/or Disney in general, this is a wonderful addition to your library even though, as some have pointed out, many early entries seem repetitive. Perhaps the biggest strength of this collection is for the writer, whether popular or academic. In this single volume one can find primary sources from which additional research can stem or, in the case of a popular writer, accurate representations of Mickey in the popular culture can be formed.

As popular culture has become an important lens through which to view history works such as this provide a relatively comprehensive introduction to a cultural icon's (mostly) ups and downs through the various historical periods. That said, the vast majority of the writings were for popular publications of each period so the book, while valuable in academic circles, is immediately accessible to anyone with an interest.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Jose Alaniz has written an extremely ambitious work in Death, Disability, and the Superhero. The first part of the book focuses primarily on disability and the superhero while, from chapter seven on death and the superhero takes center stage. As with any work that encompasses such a broad range of thought, there is a need for some basic assumptions to be made explicit from the beginning so that readers will understand how the writer will use and interpret some concepts. Unfortunately it is precisely in this introductory area where it seemed the scope of the study prevented Alaniz from clearly linking his premises and thus set up the rest of the book. This is unfortunate because the following chapters are very well researched and presented.

While I was initially more interested in the disability studies sections rather than those addressing death and mortality, I felt the latter chapters were better organized and presented. Often in the early chapters there were analyses which were quite effective as far as they went but tended to overlook intersections where additional factors also come into play. For instance the contrast between disabled and super-abled bodies could benefit from also addressing racial and gender issues. Let me say, however, that I don't consider this a particularly significant negative since the book touches on so many aspects of death and disability studies. One of the most valuable aspects of this work will be the future scholarship it will help to launch, furthering analyses begun here as well as filling gaps between what is and is not addressed here.

I anticipate revisiting most if not all of this book again in the future and expect to find it referenced widely in future research. This may not appeal to every casual comic fan, which is understandable, but I think many will also find new avenues into their favorite comics through the act of wrestling with some of this material. Scholars in the death and disability fields as well as popular culture and comics/graphic novels studies will find many useful points to ponder and address in future work.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Insanity By Increments is a collection of stories by Alaric Cabiling that is dark yet also thought-provoking. From what seems like nothing more than a summer visit with relatives to a story of a macabre photographer (or perhaps his employer is the macabre one? Or the wife?).

What is particularly effective is the way that the darkness (and there are definitely different shades of darkness here) can inhabit both obvious places, say a room with a few corpses in it, as well as the common places of everyday life such as a family home. Perhaps what Cabiling really shows us is that the darkness resides within us, all of us to some extent. It is when that darkness tries to enter the material world that things can go from strange to downright horrific.

Highly recommended for those interested in the short story form as well as character driven stories. Perhaps one line from "Frailty" sums it up for me when reading Cabiling's words: whatever was not being said...couldn't be pretty.

In this biography of Max Planck, Brandon Brown weaves a spellbinding tale of both genius and naivete. Each chapter starts during the war, World War Two, then flashes back to an earlier period as a way of juxtaposing both Planck's drive (from his youth and middle age) and the process of being broken during the war. While this style may initially seem strange it is very effective and after a few chapters it creates a flow of its own. The discussions of science and math are kept at a sufficient level to understand why some of the ideas were considered bizarre if not outright insane but the discussions don't get bogged down in the science or math to the point that the book becomes about Planck's science rather than his life. Those elements, his science and his life, are both highlighted and brought together to create the sum which is Planck's legacy.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in the human side of scientific discovery as well as those interested in World War Two. The writing is strong and keeps the reader interested, so I also believe this would be enjoyable for someone who simply likes reading a good biography.

Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley.