Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2022 -

In this highly accessible and thought-provoking book, Cohn (Texas A&M Univ.) addresses the factors that contribute to societal collapse with the aim of identifying what needs to be collectively addressed to avoid the collapse of today's global society. The first section is devoted to historical case studies, including the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the rise of violence in the Middle East, the French Revolution, and the breakdown of Somalia. For Cohn, these examples share common themes and inform his well-organized, systematic treatment of the process of social decline. Dismissing arguments that rely purely on ecological catastrophes or moral crises, Cohn offers a multicausal analysis to show how 12 key interconnected factors, encompassing economics, politics, crime and corruption, ethnic conflict, and science and technology, have the potential to contribute to the cataclysmic collapse of civilization unless they are meaningfully addressed. Cohn argues that this "Twelve-Step Circle of Societal Death" may be initiated by four possible triggers, which he claims are presently occurring: major economic recessions, increased landlessness, ecological collapse, and a decrease in female status. Informed by historical and contemporary sources, this is an important contribution to historical and political sociology collections.Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.

This is an outstanding overview of the role of forensic scientists or criminalists, aptly detailing how their goals in the courtroom differ from that of advocates and attorneys. The overwhelming majority (95 percent) of all defendants plead guilty in court cases, and in the remaining 5 percent of cases, a heavy burden of proof (beyond a reasonable doubt) is required to convict anyone of committing a crime. In almost every trial, experts such as chemists, medical doctors, DNA specialists, document examiners, firearm and tool mark examiners, and fingerprint examiners will testify and be cross-examined about the scientific evidence. Unlike the super scientists on television shows like CSI and Bones, these experts will have real qualifications, not enough time or resources, and probably less than optimum equipment. Bechky (New York Univ.) rightly emphasizes the importance of objective scientific integrity (the ability to not be influenced by the outcome the attorneys want) rather than the techniques and procedures of the scientific inquiry. Her book lends credence to these scientists becoming the voice for the evidence in court, so as to minimize conflicts between legal and science requirements.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels.

To research this book, Pascale (American Univ.) traveled the US, visiting economically distressed counties in Appalachia; the Standing Rock and Wind River Reservations in the Midwest; and poor neighborhoods in Oakland, CA, to find people "living on the edge." She struck up conversations with random individuals until she found folks willing to sit with her for in-depth interviews, allowing her to learn firsthand about the many burdens of the "struggling class." She then studied the background and history of these burdens to show that they are caused not by individual failing but by the system of corporate and government collusion propping up the billionaire class. She calls her methodology institutional ethnography. Pascale delves deeply into the problems the struggling class faces, which are sometimes given short shrift in more conventional analyses of inequality. There is discussion of payday loans, high-interest consumer and medical loans, exposure to environmental hazards, high-crime neighborhoods, and domestic abuse and sex trafficking, among many other struggles. This book is not a work of dispassionate social analysis. Rather, Pascale wears her sympathies for the poor and antipathy toward the rich on her sleeve.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels.

This collection from Fasenfest (Wayne State Univ.) will be a great read for many whether they are only a little familiar or very familiar with Karl Marx because the book takes an excellent approach to explaining and applying Marx's concepts. A variety of scholars from around the world and from different social science disciplines contribute to this volume. Fasenfest lays out why Marx should and could matter in addressing contemporary political, social, and economic issues and supplies a great description of how Marx's theory influenced current debates on political economy. Several essays explain the central concepts in Marx's writings; another set of essays then applies these concepts to contemporary issues ranging from Latin American emancipation theory, racism, and intersectionality to the cultural turn and social movements. The chapters are all deeply academic and complex yet very readable. The book is a great source for students looking to deepen their understanding of and appreciate the timeless relevance of a classical social theorist such as Marx. For students, scholars, and lay readers, this book excellently demonstrates how to evaluate and use theoretical concepts.Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and advanced undergraduates through faculty.