Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2019 - Humanities — Art & Architecture — Photography

Every once in a while a book emerges that has the potential to shake things up. Singer's Breaking the Frames could do just that for comics scholarship. Scrupulously analyzing revered titles, delving into and severely critiquing the thinking and actions of vaulted creators, and meticulously shredding the notions and hunches disguised as theories of a few comics "gurus," Singer (English, Howard Univ.) charts research minefields to sidestep dangers and map out a clearer field for comics scholarship. He decries the abandonment of high standards of scholarship; the heavy reliance on the theory of a few scholars; the endless futile attempts to rename comics; the avoidance of studies about comics ownership, production, creative labor, and genres other than superhero (romance, humor, children's); and the plethora of ill-conceived "comics and ... " books. He seeks a scholarship that is multi- and interdisciplinary--that welcomes any rigorously executed methodology and theoretical design; recovers history as both method and practice; challenges contradictions, historical fabrications, imitation verging on plagiarism, and myths presented as facts; accepts empirical and historical fact as "not alien to the humanities"; and is more diverse in all respects. A well-researched, no-holds-barred, groundbreaking critique of the trends and problems of comics scholarship, Breaking the Frames, if taken seriously, will elevate study of the field to a higher perch.Summing Up: Essential. All readers.

Stokke (Uppsala Univ., Sweden) offers a monumental contribution to the niche area of lying in the field of communication ethics. He comprehensively defines and classifies lying and deceit, including insincere language. He reveals a new theory that explores the relationship between lying and accompanying attitudes. In two parts--"Language" and "Attitudes"--chapters cover topics ranging from definitions and applications, including the categorization of lying via Gricean qualities; explore how belief and understanding affect deceit; deeply contextualize the consideration of intent; and fully flesh out attitudes associated with insincerity. The scale of this inquiry is staggering. Stokke produces results with complexity and finesse that seem to represent a lifetime's worth of investigation. One other book comes to mind that has attempted to cover this topic in such depth: Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life, by Sissela Bok (Vintage Books, 1999). Bok's tome focuses on the conditions needed for justified lying, whereas Stokke's efforts represent a more contemporaneous study that posits new theory. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the field of lying, deceit, and insincerity.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.