PSU Magazine Spring 2001

T H E The Politics of Force: Media and the Construction of Police Brutality by Regina Lawrence (political science fac– ulty) , University of California Press, 2000. With the videotaped beating of Rod– ney King a not-so-distant memory and cities nationwide grappling with ques– tions of citizen oversight and alleged police impropriety, The Politics of Force couldn't be more timely. Regina Lawrence conducted an extensive analysis of more than 500 instances of police use of force as reported in The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times from 1981 through 1991. She found that many incidents did not receive much coverage, even when a death was involved. Her work analyzes the complex interaction among the citizenry, police, and the press and demonstrates how police reporting provides the raw materials for under– standing the underlying problems of American society. Hans Bellmer: The Anatomy of Anxiety by Sue Taylor (art history faculty), The MIT Press , 2001 . Hans Bellmer (1902-1975) was a con– troversial surrealist artist known for creating sexualized images of the female body from often disturbing combinations of doll parts. Sue Taylor, while not defending Bellmer's choice of imagery, draws on psychoanalytic theory to try to understand why he was so driven to create his sexually charged work. In fact, after painful study of hundreds of Bellmer's images, she came to describe his work not as erotic, as some critics have, but as pornographic, linked to deep-seated fears and repressed family problems. "I've learned not to take offense at Bellmer's images of women because they're not about women: they're about him, his vicious, vengefu l wishes, but also his suffering and gui lt." S H E L F Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan's Soul by Chrissy (Wappler) Donnelly '89 and Mark Donnelly, Health Communications Books, 2001 . Chrissy and husband Mark Donnelly, authors of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul and the fol– low-up Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul are back with still another he lp– ing of the ubiquitous soup. This time the coup le offers up ports a a class– room for some of the most important lessons in life. The book h ighlights positive and transformative stories, such as basketball coach Pat Riley's story about his fear of failure, Monica Seles account of recovering from an attack by a crazed fan, and broadcaster Dick Vitale's story about his late friend, coach Jim Valvano. A Brief History of Ankara by Toni M. Cross and Gary Leiser '69, Indian Ford Press , 2000 . This readable and short (156 pages) volume traces the h istory of one of the oldest cities in the world, Ankara. At times it stood at the very center of civ– ilization, at other times on the periph– ery of a series of civilizations including Hittite, Phrygian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman Turkish. The authors (see more about Gary Leiser on pages 12-15) outline the city's past in chronological order, starting with what is known of its origins in the Stone Age, to the coming of the Turks and the Ottoman Empire, and con– cluding with two chapters on modem Ankara as Turkey's capital. Reviews are of faculty and alumni books, recordings, and Web publica– tions. To have a work considered for this page, please submit pertinent information to Mary Ellen Kenreich, PSU Library faculty, via e-mail to kenreichm@pdx.edu , or fax to 503- 725-5799, or mail to Portland State University, PO Box 1151, Portland, OR 97207-0751. Being a Pediatrician: The Struggles and Rewards of Caring for Children by Travis Cavens '58, Lake Publishing, 2000. Pediatrician Trav is Cavens draws from his practice of many years to present a coffee table/wa iting room book with a unique inside look at the profession. Through text and 65 full-co lor pho– tographs taken by the author in the course of his work, Cavens presents the intensity of the hospital and reconstructs a day in the life of a ped i– atrician. Readers will also get a glimpse of the business side of private practice, from marketing and clinic expansion issues to meetings with powerful HMOs. In short, Being a Pedi– atrician is a first-hand look at what it's really like to look out for the health– care needs of children. Other books & recordings Stop Managing Costs: Designing Health– care Organizations Around Core Busi– ness Systems, by James Mozena, '71, MST '72 and others, ASQ Quality Press, 1999. Making Choices: Social Problem-Solving Skills for Children, by James Nash (social work facu lty) and others, NASW Press, 2000. Miscue Analysis Made Easy: Building on Student Strengths, by Sandra Wilde (education faculty), Heinemann, 2000. D SPRING 2001 PSU MAGAZINE 5