Elevate Difference

Reviews of University of Georgia Press

Black on Earth: African American Ecoliterary Traditions

African American literary contribution to the national conception of nature, in all of its symbolic ambiguity and historical twists and turns, is a subject that has been little studied. In fact, African American writers have contributed profoundly to our popular understanding of nature and to our ecological concern.

Bloomberg’s New York: Class and Governance in the Luxury City

Julian Brash’s Bloomberg’s New York is an anthropological study of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his administration’s implementation of a particular type of neoliberal urban governance (the “Bloomberg Way”) since taking office in 2002, “branding and marketing the city as a luxury good,” an agenda aimed not only at “advancing the economic elite’s class interests” but in shaping the culture and geography of the city of New York by prioritizing this

Marion Manley: Miami's First Woman Architect

Marion Manley was not merely Miami’s first female architect, she also played a crucial role in the area’s planning. Responsible for much of the design of the University of Miami—dubbed “the first modern university”—Manley was also a pioneer in what we now call “green building” and ecological preservation.

Ultra-Talk: Johnny Cash, The Mafia, Shakespeare, Drum Music, St. Teresa of Avila, and 17 Other Colossal Topics of Conversation

In the introduction to Ultra-Talk, David Kirby writes, “What I offer in these pages is a way to read, see, and savor, a post-theoretical world view that everybody can share.” That is a strong assertion, and though this collection of essays covers diverse and interesting ground, Kirby doesn’t quite live up to his goal. Elsewhere in the introduction, the author defines a set of criteria for what is “good”: that which “must not only appeal to both the elite an

New Cultural Studies: Adventures in Theory

New Cultural Studies is an exciting call to action from writers concerned about the future of the field of cultural studies. Since cultural studies is ever living and should be evolving along with other subjects, we must never stop developing new theories and using cultural studies as a framework about contemporary issues in politics, economics, the media, etc. This text looks beyond the distinguished Birmingham School’s theoretical work toward today’s greatest minds, such as Alain Badiou, Giorgio Agamben and Gilles Deleuze.

Georgia's Frontier Women : Female Fortunes in a Southern Colony

I found this book difficult to read. I am not used to the academic tone Marsh uses. His sentences seemed to go on for several lines, and I had trouble following the thread of his ideas. However, this book is worth reading for anyone interested in Georgia history. The information presented is important. The book shows women's economic contributions and status, and how the things early settlers did have affected the state up until the present day. Georgia was founded in 1732 by a charter of King George II. He appointed a group of trustees to supervise its settlement.

The Hanging of Angelique

The history of Canadian black slavery is a story quite often untold. The Hanging of Angelique opens the doors to the unknown. After fifteen years of research, Afua Cooper brings to light the “untold story of Canadian slavery and the burning of Old Montreal”. Cooper weaves together crucial historical facts that are often unspoken, and similar to the many stories that Americans have heard over time.

Romancing the Vote: Feminist Activism in American Fiction, 1870-1920

Leslie Petty has written a scholarly text that examines a particular set of novels from the late 19th through early 20th century that depict politically active women and intended for those involved in the women’s movement. She argues that through these types of novels, the texts themselves helped to create and sustain these movements. Petty has done a exceptional job of shedding light on this heretofore “submerged” tradition.

Journey Toward Justice: Juliette Hampton Morgan and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

For those of us who remember the Civil Rights struggle of the '60s and '70s, this book is a valuable reminder of just where life stood back then, how far we’ve come and how much further we still have to go.

Real Punks Don’t Wear Black

In Real Punks Don’t Wear Black, Frank Kogan, noted rock critic and publisher of popular fanzine Why Music Sucks, dishes up heaping platefuls of malcontent, angst, sniping critical analysis, and anti-intellectual rants in a dizzying mishmash of essays, lists, reviews, and salvos focusing on an eclectic menu of singers and bands. Kogan loves to ask "Why?" while pondering the intricate mysteries of the music universe: "Why is music what it is?