In The Six-Point Inspection, Zócalo takes a quick look at new books that are changing the way we see our world.
The Real State of America Atlas: Mapping the Myths and Truths of the United States by Cynthia Enloe and Joni Seager
The nutshell: Clark University political scientist Enloe and Bentley University geographer Seager have attempted to repurpose the old atlas into something more useful in the age of GPS: a reference that combines colorful maps, graphs, and short essays to show how where you live in America determines who you are, what you do, and so much more.
Literary lovechild of: Jon Stewart’s America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction and Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.
You’ll find it on your bookshelf if: You’re a fan of Rachel Maddow and know how to properly fold a map.
Cocktail party fodder: According to Enloe and Seager, census statistics dictate that the “typical American” (their words) is a 30-something white woman of German ancestry.
For optimal benefit: Bring this book to a dinner party; its factoids will amuse through the cocktail hour and partially into the second course.
Snap judgment: Eye-catching, easy-to-read, and full of fun facts, this makes a great gift book (even if the stats are occasionally obvious).
World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement by Robert P. Crease
The nutshell: In a lively account that encompasses globalization, culture clashes, scientific arrogance, and flashes of genius, Stony Brook University philosopher Crease trots around the globe, from China and Western Africa to France and the U.S., surveying the historical quest for a standard system of measurement.
Literary lovechild of: Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History and Nicholas Carr’s The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google
You’ll find it on your bookshelf if: You regularly hate on the U.S. for miles and feet, yards and inches.
Cocktail party fodder: Lingerie companies use the size 34C breasts of a 70-something woman named Rita Mazzella to construct new brassiere lines (scaling down to A and B, then up to D).
For optimal benefit: Hide your watch and forget measuring time—you’ll be that absorbed.
Snap judgment: Wonderfully engaging and smart, this feels like what the glut of narrative histories published every year aspire to be.
Mexico, Nation in Transit: Contemporary Representations of Mexican Migration to the United States by Christina L. Sisk
The nutshell: University of Houston social scientist Sisk analyzes film, literature, and music to illustrate the complexities of the U.S.-Mexico border and the slippery nature of national identity.
Literary lovechild of: Ruben Martinez’s Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail and Edward Said’s Orientalism.
You’ll find it on your bookshelf if: You own the collected works of Sandra Cisneros, all the films of Alejandro González Iñárritu, and sing along to the music of Maná.
Cocktail party fodder: Only 22 percent of noncitizen U.S. immigrants describe themselves as American—but 52 percent of naturalized immigrants do so.
For optimal benefit: Read the books she analyzes, watch the films she describes—and listen to some banda music.
Snap judgment: A thoughtful if jargon-laden study that uses art to both illuminate and transcend the politics and policy of a fraught border.
