guidebook

Poetry for Beginners

admin — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

“I, too, dislike it,” begins chapter one.

I remember sitting in class, words like “iambic pentameter” and “consonance” swirling about the room like an intolerable fly drunk on the stuffy classroom air. These words were important, we were told. To understand poetry, we needed to know the rules. And say we did learn the rules, well, we were sixteen-year-old kids and certainly not capable of unraveling the true meaning of a poem. Teacher’s pet and I didn’t even try to feign interest.

Ten years later, I’ve decided to give it another go. Fortunately for me and anyone else who picks up this book, Poetry for Beginners offers readers a fresh and forward guide to understanding and creating poetry. The book effectively contradicts most everything I was taught about the subject in high school—and that’s good news. Poetry is for everyone. Poetry is everywhere. It is more than words and rules. It transcends language and convention, and is a means through which we can better experience and comprehend the human condition. We don’t need to be a scholar to gain something valuable.

At first glance, this guide is tailored to a younger audience. The language is clear-cut, the chapters easy to get through, and the ink illustrations abundant. But in fact, Poetry for Beginners holds the potential to spark anyone’s curiosity for the written word and encourages us to create our own poetry. Not only is the guide accessible, it is comprehensive and inclusive. The book highlights a diverse selection of poets and minority movements, yet also includes a general foundation of must-read authors and their work.

The poems of Homer, Shakespeare, and Dickinson are set alongside those of Dr. Seuss, Public Enemy, and Leonard Cohen. Authors Margaret Chapman and Kathleen Welton explain what poetry is and who it is for. They do away with the top-down method of teaching and dismantle condescending assumptions about who can read and write poetry. This engaging guide fluently decodes poetic form and structure without inundating readers with unnecessary details. The informal voice and numerous poems allow readers to interact with the texts in new and inventive ways. The book concisely navigates through the history of poetry from ancient Greece to present as it simultaneously contextualizes poetry and reveals its timelessness.

Poetry for Beginners illuminates how one of the oldest forms of writing continues to be significant today. Rich and resourceful, this guide puts poetry within easy reach of anyone looking to learn more. Now, if only we could offer it in high schools.

Written by: Sofia Marin, April 17th 2010

CosmoGIRL 250 Things You Can Do to Green the World

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:59:00 +0000

By Lauren A. Greene

Hearst Books

I never really considered myself a “green” person until I went to the Power Shift conference in Washington, DC last year. Things I or my family had done for years—recycling, composting, using reusable bags and cutlery—were second nature to me, and it did not quite click with me that we had been going green for years. After going to Power Shift, I made a decision to do more to help the environment, so when I saw CosmoGirl! had come out with a book with 250 ways to go green, I was intrigued.

The audience for CosmoGIRL 250 Things You Can Do to Green the World is the same audience as the magazine: high school girls. Many of the suggestions are targeted to that age group, such as ways to go green for the prom. Some of the tips extend to college students, such as dump and runs (a great idea, and a good way to pass on things you do not need anymore). However, many of the green ideas can apply to any age group. The pocket-size book is broken up into nine sections: fashion, home, food, beauty and fitness, travel, school, holiday, pets, and activism. I appreciated in their pet section that they recommend adopting pets from an animal shelter, a cause very close to my heart.

What makes this book very accessible is that many of the green ideas are easy to do. For example, tip #115 recommends keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge, then pouring into a travel mug or reusable bottle (bye bye plastic bottles!). Since the target audience is high school girls, many of the ideas take into account a limited budget. Many of the tips also suggests different eco-friendly organizations and charities that readers can get involved in. In addition, the book also gives a shout out to green groups run by women.

Each page contains one tip (except the ten eco-tips that are longer) and are easy to read—they resemble the blurbs of information found through a CosmoGirl! or Cosmopolitan magazine. However, I did find one small problem. In tip #176, the authors recommend buying a book printed on recycled paper; I could not find anywhere in the book stating that my review copy was printed on recycled paper. Besides that glitch, CosmoGIRL 250 Things You Can Do to Green the World is a good “going green” reference, especially for teenagers.

Written by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch, February 11th 2010

Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:18:00 +0000

By Jamie Jensen

Avalon Travel

The fifth edition of Road Trip USA comes at an opportune time. Gas per gallon is down more than a dollar from last year, and in looking at a line graph projecting the U.S. unemployment rate, if it doesn’t trigger a desire to go on an uphill hike in the Colorado mountains, it exposes that there are plenty of people out there with newly found time on their hands. Time, I say, for a road trip.

What Jamie Jensen does with his colored photographs and charming details is provoke us to stop considering transit as a means to an end. What a concept! Go to an airport and try telling that to someone who is delayed, paying $13 for a tuna sandwich, or trying to sleep curled up in a chair. Leisure travel, as Jack Kerouac knew it, has long been replaced with super-fast and super-boring travel. But as Jensen’s book illustrates, a paper trail remains, and that trail is the two-lane blacktop, the highway, the old way.

If you are contemplating this book it’s likely you are also contemplating a trip of some kind. Unfortunately, time and budget tend to be inversely related (as the aforementioned unemployed can attest). But whatever your distance, Road Trip USA is a helpful tool for every adventurer. The book features eleven routes traversing North-South or East-West, with cross-references, 125 maps, a helpful index, essential tips for food and lodging, and entertaining write-ups on local gossip, lore, and legend. It’s perfect if you are traveling from your armchair too; just consider it a quirky history book.

I tested the book by reading about areas I’ve lived in or traveled through frequently. To my surprise, Jensen highlighted many of the local favorites in addition to must-see novelty. In fact ,I learned about places I had never heard of before. This proved to me that this guy is not only a good writer, but a good talker too. How else would he know about Chope’s in La Mesa, New Mexico?

Road Trip USA hunts down unobtrusive treasures from the past that are often overshadowed by what is bright, clean, and predictable. After reading this book you will never eat fast food again without wondering what you might be missing just down the street. Jensen shows that with a little creativity and an open mind, monotonous transport can easily become a memorable journey.

Written by: Katy Pine, September 18th 2009

Roaming Kyrgyzstan: Beyond the Tourist Track

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:54:00 +0000

By Jessica Jacobson

iUniverse

As American foreign travel is concerned, we are more likely to head to Cancun for spring break, or across the border in Canada for some duty-free shopping—not to Kyrgyzstan. The 2008 guidebook Roaming Kyrgyzstan: Beyond the Tourist Track by Jessica Jacobson (an American scholar who lived, worked, and traveled in Kyrgyzstan for two and a half years) sheds light on a place that many would consider far beyond the beaten path. The guidebook contains all of the information you would expect from a guidebook: where to eat, what to eat, where to sleep, prices, where to get a cab ride, and how much it should cost. Expect some anecdotes about Kyrgyz culture, but don’t consider it a substitute for an official history.

In my opinion, the key to a good guidebook is good organization, and this book could use more organizational clarity. The Table of Contents is broken down into into regions and “areas,” but I could not determine the difference between a region and an area, if regions were parts of areas (there are only two areas compared to nine regions), and what this distinction means for travelers. After the contents, introduction, map, and a brief history, the book opens with “Travel Essentials,” or everything you need to know about visas, air travel, train travel, what to bring, communications, publications, and more.

“Words You May Hear” (under “Travel Essentials”) seems useful at first, but actually contains only three words. A glossary of terms would be a welcome addition. Details about the cities and towns highlighted under the regions seem especially useful; they are broken down into dining and lodging options (ranging from upscale to should probably avoid), phone numbers, people to talk to, attractions, and websites where available.

Some of the entries, such as local restaurants, are “starred” with two asterisks, meaning they are especially recommended by the author. But if you don’t catch that brief note in the introduction, you’ll be scratching your head the entire book as I was about what those asterisks are supposed to indicate. There aren’t many photos in the book, and where there are images it would have been nice if they had captions. With so much information spanning geographic areas in a single page spread, it isn’t clear which image corresponds to what place. Should the book be reprinted, I would also suggest including a key and an image list.

Based on this book and Jacobson’s travels—do I want to visit Kyrgystan? Absolutely. The strongest impression I received is that Kyrgyzstan is “a nature-lover’s dream,” to quote Jacobson. Although the tourism industry is still in the process of being developed (with positive results), the country can be described as being well-suited and hospitable to backpacking, hiking, skiing (on virtually deserted slopes!), nature photography, horseback riding, camping, visiting or living in yurts, and numerous mineral and hot springs/spas and sanatoriums. Everywhere there seems to be a guest house (or yurt) with someone willing to show a foreigner around, and Jacobson never mentions encountering problems being an American woman on her own in Kyrgyzstan. The activities Jacobson participates in aren’t the typical tourist activities; they include long (and difficult) hikes and local festivals. Yet for those who want a shopping mall, she tells you where to find one. Roaming Kyrgyzstan is well-suited to assist the adventurous DIY traveler. Jacobson promises that if you don’t mind going over some bumpy roads in a noisy dust-filled car, the dynamic vistas of Kyrgyzstan will be breathtaking and like none other on the planet.

Written by: Lillian B., May 5th 2009

American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Preserving Your Assets

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:58:00 +0000

By Jill Conner Browne

Simon & Schuster

I admit that the title of this book had me at hello. I was almost certain that this would be a tongue-in-cheek look at the perils of aging gracefully and include sanguine wisdom about how to preserve your assets and your dignity (if at all possible) when making the journey from—as Browne puts it “cute girl to ma’m.”

Jill Connor Browne, New York Times best selling author of a whole series of Sweet Potato Queen books, writes with humor and aplomb about the small vanities that we humanoids tend to cling to as we pass from nubile youth, or “larva”—as Browne calls anyone under forty—to geezerdom, another word that Browne favors. And men are not immune to this very human condition.

A small disclaimer: I’m not one who typically gravitates to books that fall in the humor category. I always assume they won’t be that funny, but this book had me chortling, snorting and guffawing halfway through the first chapter. The following “Asset Preserving Tip” that she features at the end of each chapter might explain why:

Everybody’s always pretending to be something they’re not. When you’re thirteen, you’re always trying to make people think you’re eighteen. (Note: Girls can occasionally get away with this—so if you’re a guy—beware—be very aware—because you can end up in prison being called “Darlene.”) When you’re eighteen you want people to believe you are twenty-one. Then, when you close in on thirty, you start lying in the direction. So much simpler to just be what we happen to be, in my opinion. Lying, about anything, is just too tedious to fool with…"

Another small disclaimer: the larvae amongst you may not find this book as funny as I did, but any book that makes me laugh is one that I’ll give a thumbs up to.

Written by: Gita Tewari, March 19th 2009

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia: On A Shoestring

admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:42:00 +0000

By Lonely Planet

Published just two months before the cyclone disaster in Myanmar (Burma), questions of safety regarding whether or not to go to the politically and ethically wrought country are best answered on the Lonely Planet website. Along with Myanmar, this impressive 14th Edition of the Southeast Asia on a Shoestring travel guide addresses the Southeastern kingdoms of Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. If you are off on a backpacking trip, and are strapped for cash, this small, but heavy gem of a book is what you are looking for.

Southeast Asia on a Shoestring is written by a group of experienced traveller-adventurers and covers a range of ‘need to know’ material on each country. These include what to see, quick facts, and recent events, which is followed by historical and cultural information, religion, arts, environment, and transport. The rundown of each kingdom’s historical background is outstanding; the authors have done a great job in compressing thorough accounts of the past and present in such limited space.

Splayed across double pages at the beginning of this paperback is a coloured map of the continent with helpful descriptions of top sights to visit or activities to do at particular destinations. Local maps mainly of central cities too are provided—good eyesight however is recommended as street names are printed in what seems like microscopic fonts. Scams to avoid are also highlighted and there is a section for women and gay travellers with useful notes on dangers to watch out for.

The guide’s humorous approach throughout makes it an amusing and light-hearted read. Some pages though may invoke a slight annoyance owing to a repetitive moral tone in such sections as "Responsible Travel" and "Do’s and Don’ts" and other 'should or should not' language that suffuse the writing, most of which is common sense practice—like telling western women not to bathe topless in Islamic-run areas.

The Southeast Asia directory wonderfully summarises toward the end of the book what you should expect from your stay abroad, with information offered on climate, accommodation, toilets, electricity, activities, courses, and volunteering – all of which are given greater attention in earlier chapters.

Southeast Asia on a Shoestring is a valuable guidebook that, additionally, lists important everyday phrases in the nine main languages spoken in the region. Still, best not to rely too much on every fact that is presented, as some details are likely to be outdated from the time of writing. But all in all, this is a well-structured and condensed manual with easy to follow and convenient information. This storehouse of a book is surely for keeps.

Written by: Payal Patel, June 17th 2008

Tibet Travel Guide (7th Edition)

admin — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:55:00 +0000

By Bradley Mayhew, Robert Kelly, John Vincent Bellezza, Tstering Shakya

Lonely Planet

The torch-lighting ceremony in Paris, disrupted by protests highlight the still-contentious controversy of Tibet’s relationship with China. A cause of activists for years, pro-Tibetan demonstrators argue that the Chinese government’s heavy-handed policies and treatment of Tibet result in gross human rights violations, including unfair imprisonment, torture and death. Such troubling events could make Tibet a questionable destination for your next trip. After all, many businesses in Tibet are Chinese-owned and operated, so the perceived “modernization” of Tibet can be arguably benefiting China at Tibet’s expense.

The Lonely Planet’s Tibet entry is a great guide that will ease a lot of the discomfort potential travelers may have when considering Tibet for their vacation. Besides a letter in the preface by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the authors – Bradley Mayhew, Robert Kelly and John Vincent Bellezza (there is also a contributing author credited, Tsering Shakya) – take great pains to highlight Tibetan businesses and they make a point of encourage readers to patronize local Tibetan vendors, merchants and businesses. As expected, there are important phrases translated – mainly greetings and what would be useful to say when ordering food. The phrases are in Mandarin and Tibetan, including tips on pronounciation.

Lonely Planet follows the series’ format, which gives readers an easy-to-read how-to of visiting Tibet. A debit of the format is the paucity of photographs – there are thirteen pages of color photos – one page dedicated to the authors, and though the men are pleasantly handsome, more pictures of temples, cities, or monasteries would be preferable. In lieu of photographs, we get excellent descriptions of the various sites suggested. The prose is clean, simple and at times, humorous (they warn readers that the abundance of monasteries can cause “Buddha-burnout”). The descriptions are useful because they will let the reader know if a site is particularly difficult to reach (or in a lot of cases, climb). The names of points are in bold print, so you can spot quickly what you’re reading about and it also makes it easier to quickly spot a certain landmark on a page.

Along with the usual “where to go” tips, the book also devotes sections to culture and history. These parts of the book are especially important because they not only clue the readers in on the behaviors and customs of the locals, but also give context to the political struggles facing Tibetan people today. While surprisingly comprehensive in its dealing with the history of the conflict between China and Tibet, it would be a mistake to make this book the sole source for those interested – instead, the guide should act as a supplement to books, articles and other new sources on the subject.

One thing becomes very clear when reading this guide: Tibet is definitely a “roughing it” vacation destination. The storied Mount Everest as well as the less-celebrated Mount Kailash and Mount Meru all earn cautionary descriptions that include suggestions of various modes of transport (much of it arduous, difficult and character-building). Tibetan cuisine is also prefaced with a concession that gourmets and foodies won’t list the country among the gastronomic capitals of the world (yak-butter tea, a particularly distressing mixture of yak butter, salt, milk, soda, tea, and water gets its own section – as well as a warning label).

Tips on what and how to pack are included as well. A challenging trip to an exotic locale like Tibet requires special care dedicated to packing – the climate, terrain and environment require appropriate clothing, luggage and various equipment (including water-purifiers to prevent dreaded diarrhea. These tips are great, especially for adventure-neophytes who have no idea what they’re getting themselves in to (for example, did you know that in flight to Lhasa, a can of instant coffee and explode due to pressure changes?).

For most, Tibet means the Dalai Lama, yaks, monks, and Mount Everest. For the more politically sophisticated, Tibet is a topic of hot debate. However, there is so much more for a prospective traveler to see. An important note the authors, and the Dalai Lama, make is that traveling to Tibet is an excellent way to cross and break cultural borders and prejudices. In light of the problems facing the Tibetan population and its valiant effort to preserve its culture, a deeper understanding of the country is sorely needed.

Written by: Peter Piatkowski, May 17th 2008

Lonely Planet: Los Angeles & Southern California (2nd Edition)

admin — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:54:00 +0000

By Andrea Schulte-Peevers, Amy C. Balfour, Andrew Bender

Lonely Planet

Writing guide books for cities as widely visited as Los Angeles can be challenging. One is faced with the question: what’s left to write about? All the usual suspects make an appearance in the _Los Angeles & Southern California _entry of Lonely Planet’s guide series: Universal Studios, Disneyland, Rodeo Drive, the Ivy. For readers – most notably L.A. and SoCal first-timers - the descriptions of these California icons are servicable, though they don’t offer anything new.

As is expected with a guidebook outfit as thorough as Lonely Planet, there are loads of unexpected sites and entries, as well: the Museum of Tolerance, a must-see and much-needed antidote of reality for the artifice that can be pervasive in Los Angeles; a fun stop for history buffs, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library is also highlighted – which promises a revamped Watergate exhibit; for the science buff as well as the architectual fetishist, the Salk Institute, housed in a classic Louis Kahn building, is a popular stop; and entertainment junkies who tire of the film and television-oriented Los Angeles can travel to San Diego, which is home to the Old Globe Theaters that host the summer Shakespeare festivals (though fans of the Bard are cautioned that other works are also performed).

Like other Lonely Planet guides, this entry could’ve had more photographs; though there is a copious amount of maps, highlighting sites, restaurants, and hotels. There are four pages of features sites, all in attractive color pics. Another section, dubbed “SoCal Speaks” gives various locals (including Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa) a chance to trumpet their favorite part of Los Angeles. It’s an interesting and harmless section, though more pictures of the city and the surrounding areas would be more helpful.

Another issue with the guide, though this could be attributed to the city it’s reviewing, is how celebrity-mad the authors seem to be. Los Angeles is more than just superstar-country and the authors’ constant name-dropping (even going as far as using the tabloid-friendly “first-name only” style – i.e. “Britney, Leo”) only add to the cliché. That said, the book has a lot going for it, as long as readers get into the spirit of the kind of vacation a trip to Los Angeles is. It’s not a cultural eye-opener that a jaunt to Sri Lanka or Kenya would be. And while it’s easy to deride California as the cultural wasteland of the United States, a look through this book would set any narrow-minded prejudice straight.

The authors take a strong and critical look at Los Angeles in the opening sections of the book, giving readers socio and economic background information – an important point the book makes is that the richest and the poorest in the country live in Los Angeles. Rougher areas - like Compton and South Central - get mentions, though understandably, they’re not as highly recommended as Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. It’s commendable of the authors to mention these underserved areas; there is a great mention of the Watts Towers, and the authors make a point of not glossing over the Watts race riots.

Another difficulty the authors tackle with aplomb is the sheer volume of information available. There’s a lot to see in Los Angeles and Southern California, and there are a lot of places to eat at and stay. The suggestions are helpful – they are broken down by area and price-range (though, potential visitors are warned in the opening section that Los Angeles is a prime destination for budget-travelers). The descriptions of the restaurants and hotels are personable and often include shout-outs to the owners, if they made impressions on the authors. There are also suggestions for shopping, and the authors make sure that out-of-the-way and unique shops get mentions as well (you can dress up like a storm trooper or a Klingon after a spree at It’s a Wrap – a shop that sells wardrobe castoffs from TV and movie studios).

Gay and lesbian travelers can also use this book as a resource – though the information is pretty limited and there are loads of books that cater specifically to LGBT travelers. Still, there is a good amount of information about gay-friendly areas and businesses. As expected with the limited amount of space devoted to the subject, most of the information is not really all that new (West Hollywood is gay? You’re kidding).

Traveling to California, of course, includes trips to the beach – the authors realize that the water would be a major spot for vacationers and do an excellent job in this respect. Beaches are well described, and activities (such as surfing and fishing) are highlighted in specific beaches that are best suited. Also, for surfing virgins, various surfing-lessons are listed, with prices.

A trip to California can be daunting to plan when faced with all that there is to do. Lonely Planet has mapped out all there is to do in Los Angeles and surrounding Southern California in an easy-to-read guidebook, which lets readers plan out their own itineraries. The sights are carefully separated according to location – so that when planning a trip, it’s easy to check-off what you’re going to visit. Major sights, such as Disneyland, get an exhaustive description and helpful tips (pricing, lodging, and eating). For more adventurous travelers, there are great points to visit as well. That this guidebook is very versatile isn’t a surprise when looking at other excellent entries in the Lonely Planet’s library.

Written by: Peter Piatkowski, May 13th 2008

Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin

admin — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 15:31:00 +0000

By First Books

Ah, how luck changes. I once lived with my favorite person in my favorite neighborhood in my favorite city in the world: Austin, Texas. It was just the two of us. Quiet, peaceful and weird.

I also lived in what used to be my favorite apartment; it was perfect, until I unknowingly took in a flock of hungry, loved-starved fleas. Since that happened I have been fighting a constant war against these parasitic vermin. And it’s not just me. Every neighbor I know has the same problem—and many do not even own a pet, which leaves us all, for better or worse, scratching our heads and everywhere else for a solution.

And this is why I’m on a quest for a new home in a new neighborhood - one free of fleas - a space with no more inhabitants than my husband and me, with a wish that I can, once again, wear short shorts without being embarrassed by the bite marks on my legs. So, let me be the first to say that studying the Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston, and Austin Neighborhood Guide was paramount to me. As the marketers write in the cover, these guides are “designed to help you find the community that is right for you.”

It’s the first book in the series, and it’s chock full of valuable information about community publications, police departments, post offices, hospitals, libraries, schools, parks, websites and public transportation. It coverage includes the ins and outs of neighborhoods near and far, and it even speaks to the scintillating suburban areas of Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston, and Austin; fair suburbs, I raise my strip-mall purchased glass to thee! The book also chronicles the history of each different area, albeit from the perspective of a white, middle-class, male-leaning perspective.

The authors undoubtedly favor families, too, and though I have yet to help overpopulate the planet myself, I really have found its scrupulous details helpful in my new home search. The deft research deserves applause, but the book might be more enjoyable if it offered information about the shops, restaurants, and cultural aspects—you know, the things that make a neighborhood, well, a neighborhood.

While it’s not an even mildly entertaining read, the book might prove useful. So, if you’re living in or planning a move to Dallas, Houston, or Austin, it will give you an idea of your new surroundings. But you might, by serendipity, find a pub in one of the neighborhoods described and enjoy a nice beer in place of the cost of the book.

Written by: Laura Koffler, September 1st 2007

Guide to Brooklyn: 2007

admin — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:44:00 +0000

Not for Tourists

Has the ganglial network that is today's Internet annulled the need for books, especially guidebooks? Printed matter tickles my aesthetic funny bone when it contains unique, antiquey fonts or luscious photographs, but when was the last time an urbanite rifled through the Yellow Pages to choose the perfect dark hideaway to romance her lover in, the price-is-right shop for a colorful spring dress or the school to send her children to?

The Not For Tourists (NFT) Guide to Brooklyn is an expanded Yellow Pages geared toward the hip, youngish city dweller. Attractions are grouped by neighborhood, with accompanying maps. My main complaint with the book is that the reader has to flip to the back of the book for descriptions of businesses, as if referencing footnotes. Although I’m sure the editors thought this would ensure the brevity of the neighborhood sections, it’s a pesky task to have to look to the back of the book for the category of Park Slope, then the subcategory Shopping, just to find a one-liner on a store I was looking for - Bird.

The one-liners zing and miss in equal doses. This may be because NFT employs a dozen or so writers to scope out and review these spots, so the feel is a bit inconsistent. The Williamsburg bar Larry Lawrence is merely described as "Smokers." What kind of smokers? What kind of décor? Most importantly, what kind of drinks and atmosphere? Also, the word "hip" (which begs the pertinent question: hip in what way? Is it gutter punk divey, mod fashionista or stylish Williamsburg momma with papoose sling sort of hip?) is used to describe many businesses, including Supreme Trading, a bar that as of recently, especially on weekends, is more filled with Bridge and Tunnelers from other boroughs than local "hipsters" of any kind.

My second complaint about the organization of the book (this is starting to sound like a list of union grievances) is that after flipping back and finally finding the Park Slope/Prospect Heights section again, I couldn’t determine the cross streets of the soul food restaurant I was looking for on the map because the various businesses were not numbered! They were just denoted as stores, restaurants or bars. This was more than I could handle from a supposed resident guidebook. My friend and I ended up taking a recommendation from the bartender instead.

One caveat: Brooklyn is, and always has been, its own ethnic, mini-United States (more so than uber-gentrified Manhattan), and it isn’t as encapsulated as Manhattan, so it’s not as easy to describe. Some parts of Brooklyn are so far removed from Manhattan that they’re hardly recognizable as being part of New York City. Other parts, like Williamsburg or Park Slope, resemble the Lower East Side or West Village. In either case, it’s a much larger area dominated by small businesses and dozens of different immigrant communities with events and services that can be quite private or off the radar, so it may be more impenetrable.

This book would be so much more exciting if there were lengthier descriptions of neighborhood histories, what kind of signs identify a Turkish bath, how and where to bargain, contact info for active community groups, or what kind of Chinese vegetables to look for in Sunset Park, rather than just listings of businesses that may soon close (NFT itself puts a disclaimer in the front of the book, saying that it can’t guarantee that these businesses will still be open and takes no responsibility if they aren’t). The guide also covered only the Western and Southern Brooklyn neighborhoods, which was a disappointment. These are mostly the neighborhoods that residents already know. I was looking for some new information.

I think this is a better choice for someone who has just arrived in Brooklyn, or someone who doesn't have access to the Internet (the whole guide is, after all, published in PDF on their website), but at $9.95, it won't eat holes into your credit card, and even if you don't consult it frequently, you might learn a thing or two. Editor Rob Tallia has the fervent love that a New Yorker needs to survive here for decades (see his article “City Life” on the NFT website), and through his good intentions, I’m sure that future versions will improve (last year’s Brooklyn book was even skimpier), though never with the speed of Citysearch via a Sidekick, nor with the relevancy that a good local bartender could provide.

Written by: Onya Lamoureux, May 17th 2007