Read, Listen, Watch

Staff Picks and Suggestions

A Good Beginner’s Resource for Evidence-Based Practice

I just finished reading an article on evidence based practice by audiologist Robyn M. Cox*, which cited an excellent book How to Read a Paper: the basics of evidence based medicine by Trisha Greenlaugh, in the Snell Library R118.6 .G74 1997. Greenlaugh’s book is an excellent resource for any student seeking to work in medical or therapeutic settings. The term Evidence-Based Practice has become quite popular in the past two decades for a variety of disciplines such as psychology, occupational therapy, medicine, etc. It is an approach to practice that requires the practitioner to read and critically analyze the latest research papers, expert opinions and clinical studies. Informed by new knowledge,the practioner assesses how their current standards of care may be altered to fit a particular patient’s needs. In other words, there are four courses of action: see the patient, do the reading, analyze the new information, incorporate what is useful into practice. Seem like a lot? Well Greenlaugh breaks it down in simple steps. Her book employs suggestions on streamlined, strategized search efforts, as well as successful implementation of new information into practice. Greenlaugh also gives an easy-to-follow crash course on basic statistics analysis, how to evaluate drug trials and reviews and checklists to streamline a clinician’s quest for useful information. So its not as daunting a process as you might think. Check out Greenlaugh’s book if you are interested in learning more about how to implement evidence-based practice in your future disciplines. * Cox, Robyn M., Waiting for Evidence-Based Practice for your Hearing Aid Fittings? It’s Here! The Hearing Journal. Aug 2004. vol 57. n8. 10-17.

Vacation Reading: Firewall

Firewall by Henning Mankell

By Damon Griffin

A good mystery book can be hard to find. There are so many of them, lining the shelves of bookstores in their colorful, trashy paperback designs, it can seem impossible to figure out which ones are worth your time and which are simply trashy paperbacks. The Swedish writer Henning Mankell is, in a way, no exception: his books are also sleekly color-coded, sometimes taking up most of a shelf in the Mystery section, with names such as The Fifth Woman, One Step Behind and Faceless Killers.

But his book Firewall, at least, certainly is a page-turner. Firewall begins with a man leaving his apartment to use an ATM down the street when he suddenly falls over and dies. The following chapters then follow Kurt Wallander, the recurring protagonist of Mankell’s novels, who is a police investigator in Malmo, Sweden. He is nearing fifty and is one of the top officers in the police department; he is also divorced, curmudgeonly and alone. When a taxi driver is murdered by two teenage girls, he is assigned to lead an investigation into the murder. At least one startling development happens every chapter; first, Wallander gets word of the man from Chapter One, who apparently died of a heart attack; then he begins to realize that he could not have died ‘naturally’ and that his death is intrinsically related to the Taxi drivers’ murder. Then, half of the Swedish county of Scania is caught in an electrical blackout. Then, one of the girls who murdered the Taxi driver is found dead, in a most gruesome way that happened to cause the blackout. Then, there is an attempt on Wallander’s life.

It is not unusual for a mystery novel to juxtapose the twists and turns of the mystery itself with the personal life of the detective or police officer at the center of the story. In between bouts of police procedural in Firewall, we follow Wallander as he places a singles ad in the classified section of a newspaper, speaks with his working, twenty-something daughter on the phone, meets up with an old friend who is about to move away and copes with a scandal that involves a photograph of him slapping one of the girls who committed the taxi driver murder. But the book employs a similar technique of shifting to various viewpoints as the story progresses; this is done infrequently and that is precisely why the technique is so startling and interesting. Mostly, we follow Wallander and hear his thoughts, but a chapter might end homing in on a character who is a complete stranger, allowing us to realize that they are one of the criminals Wallander is trying to catch. A chapter might also start in another country entirely; focusing on another character who we come to understand is the ultimate puppet master in the whole mystery, and spending an entire chapter on him. Mankell only makes the criminals seem ominous, elusive and cold when we are following the police force in its’ investigation, but when the focus occasionally shifts to the bad guys perspective, they are always portrayed as just as human as Kurt Wallander, and perhaps possessed by a similar mental thought process when working, even if they know considerably more than he does.

Firewall is a frequently silly book as well. There are logical inconsistencies, implausibilities and some dialogue that is so functional to the plot that it sounds awkward in a realistic sense. I suspect that this is not simply a translation problem. But Firewall is still one of the more fast-paced and delightful mysteries that I’ve come across recently and Mankell truly has the form nailed down.

A List for Americans: Some Recent, Some Classics About the Middle East and Afghanistan

I’m an American citizen and thus far, my travels, sadly, have been limited to Western countries and cultures. Before 9/11, I’d had an inkling that trouble was stirring in the East. It wasn’t entirely surprising to me when the towers came down, but it was a painful moment of history to witness. So I stepped up the pace on my reading, since physical travel to some of these troubled regions of the East is not feasible. As I went about reading up on the areas I had heard about in the news, I found some pretty surprising subtleties that a 2-minute sound bite on CNN just can’t convey. A lot of these resources are available in Snell Library. Next time you have some time between classes, check one of the following out. Please add to this list in your comments, I look forward to discovering new sources of debate and knowledge. The Prince of the Marshes: and other occupational hazards of a year in Iraq DS70.65 .S74 2006 The Places in Between DS352 .S74 2006 by: Rory Stewart A British diplomat of Scottish descent and a former fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Stewart wrote engaging accounts of his work in Iraq and travels through Afghanistan. The Prince of the Marshes documents the challenges of his year as a deputy governor of the Iraqi province of Maysan and Senior Advisor in the province of Dhi Qar following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by coalition forces, as a new democracy struggles to gain hold in the war-torn nation. The Places in Between is a travelogue that takes place after the fall of the Taliban regime, Stewart writes of an incredible journey by foot through some of Afghanistan’s most isolated regions. The great war for civilization : the conquest of the Middle East DS62.8 .F53 2005 Pity the Nation: the abduction of Lebanon DS87 .F55 1990 by Robert Fisk A decorated journalist for the British newspaper The Independent, Fisk weaves detailed and insightful story lines in The Great War to produce a rich account of Western involvement in Middle East affairs through the decades. Pity the Nation remains one of the most cited and respected works documenting the tragedy of Lebanon’s descent into civil war. The Satanic Verses PR9499.3.R8 S28 1989 Haroun and the Sea of Stories PR9499.3.R8 H37 1990 Shalimar the Clown: a novel PR6068.U757 S47 2005 by: Salman Rushdie Rushdie, a British writer born in Mumbai, India, spent nearly a decade in hiding for his work The Satanic Verses, a satirical work perceived to be an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad, for which the Ayatollah Ruhollah Komeini of Iran issued an edict of fatwa. Despite protests and controversy, Rushdie is recognized as an author who excels in the portrayal of connection, disruption and migration between the East and West. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a charming fable of a young boy’s experiences in the battle between a democratic society and one ruled by a demagogue. Shalimar the Clown is a stunning and emotional account of the title character and his descent into madness and revenge in the war torn region of India, Kashmir. A Mighty Heart: the brave life and death of my husband, Danny Pearl  PN4874.P37 P43 2003 by: Mariane Pearl Mariane Pearl, a French freelance journalist, writes her account of the events during her husband’s kidnapping and murder in Pakistan. A touching tribute to Daniel Pearl, former writer for The Wall Street Journal, A Mighty Heart also details the challenges facing government and law enforcement officials in Pakistan, as well as the complex relationships entrenched in the political and religious movements of the country. Infidel  DJ292.H57 A3 2007 by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali In her account spanning several cultures and countries of Africa and the Middle East, Hirsi Ali writes about her experiences as a Muslim woman, her flight from an unwanted and arranged marriage and her entry into politics in the Netherlands. A remarkable journey through countries and minds, Infidel is a controversial and thought-provoking work, worthy of consideration in the ongoing discussion of how to integrate Muslim and non-Muslim cultures. The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street,  DJ292.H57 A3 2007   by: Naguib Mafouhz Winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature, Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz weaved an intricate story of a family living in 1920s Egypt. The smallest detail brings to life the internal conflicts of family men quoting the Qur’an by day, indulging in the wordly pleasures of a city by night, and the women surrounding them. With subtlety, the reader is taken through Egypt’s political transitions from 1917 colonial rule to nationalism and Nasser in the 1950s. Shoot an Iraqi: art, life and resistance under the gun  N7269.B55 A2 2008 by: Wafaa Bilal A diary of an unusual art project in Chicago, in which Iraqi-born artist Wafaa Bilal lives in a gallery for 31 days. During this time online users could watch his every movement, chat or take shots at the artist via a remote-controlled paint gun. 60,000 shots are fired in the course of the work and an account of Bilal’s experiences in Iraq, refugee camps and his emigration to America, leaves the reader questioning the line between art and life. Palestine: peace not apartheid   DS119.7 .C3583 2006 by: Jimmy Carter An engineer of the 1978 Camp David Accords and 2002 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Jimmy Carter has written a controversial and thought-provoking argument on what he considers to be the main obstacles to the establishment of a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Countless will question his interpretations of history, nevertheless his writing is a valuable addition to the current debate. Night  D810.J4 W65 2006 by: Elie Wiesel An unforgetable, slim volume of Wiesel’s experiences in concentration camps during World War II. Hard won lessons and meditation on the nature of man under duress and essential reading for those considering the debate of the Palestinian/Israeli conflct.

Good Movies, Even Some Great Ones

Snell Library has an impressive selection of DVD’s, and the DVD section is undeniably something that has improved over the past two years. I mean this in an entirely physical sense: the DVD’s, VHS’s and the books on movies have wisely been integrated together, in to a well-organized cinema-in-general section, which spans most of the PN call numbers on the third floor shelves.

Since there are not many good video stores in Boston, and not many cheap or nearby Movie Theaters, Snell Library is the best place here to rent a DVD. Since you can stop at the Library to rent a DVD, it is also advisable that you rent something that is not the standard fare you will be finding at the LOEWS by Boston Common, or in a Blockbuster; I am aware that I am speaking largely to Cinema Studies Majors and Minors with this suggestion, but so be it. I would recommend a good Japanese film such as Ugetsu (1953). Ugetsu is for anybody who is interested in Film History, Japanese History, or just Beauty. It was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, a nowadays seldom- mentioned Japanese filmmaker who turned out a prolific amount of work that was once regarded as some of the best stuff Cinema had to offer. Ugetsu has some of the most graceful, eye-pleasing Black-and-White imagery that can be found in Japanese Cinema, and is one of the few films to my mind that succeeds as a strange blending of several different genres; it is an Adventure story, a Ghost story, a Tragic Love story, a Period/Costume piece, and occasionally a dark comedy.

Don’t be afraid by the age of the film: it has been restored to a crisp image by the Criterion Collection, and is very well subtitled. See it while you can.

King of the Delta Blues

Robert Johnson………..the Complete Recordings

If you want a free lesson in blues and soul music, get this NOW.  You don’t even have to buy it; it’s available on the second floor at the SNELL Library.  Robert Johnson is the king of the delta blues.  The man single-handedly started Rock N Roll with these songs, and has inspired some of your favorite bands, bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Eric Clapton, Cream, and the list goes on and on.

I forget where I first heard Robert Johnson, but I remember when I bought the complete recordings, mainly because I was never the same.  I mean, THIS IS IT!  This is what music is all about, a man pouring his soul out just in his words and his guitar.  While each song sounds eerily similar to the last, there is a nice variation in the lyrical content, and the moods of the albums are just………….almost creepy.  There’s an amazing vibe that is captured on these recordings and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a must listen for any music fan.