THEE , CWednesday, May 22, 1996 - The Michigan Daily - 11 THE JQCUS Ho0tSu By Greg Parker Daily Arts Editor Trying to sum up the world of nonfiction literature is like trying to summarize the history of the world in one para- graph. Where do you start, what do you include, and why? We can start with slightly subversive topics. Lucky for us, the Red Scare is over, and you can read all the subversive books that your heart desires. A good start is "The Encyclopedia of the American Left" (University of Illinois Press), providing essen- tial information on any left or radical group you can think of. try David Halberstam's "The Fifties" (Random House), w ich presents a critical look at the era of McCarthy, Ike and the Cold War. What's good is that even if you read these selec- tions, you won't have to testify in front of the House Un- American Activities Committee anytime soon. Ofthe more recent releases pertaining to American history, notable is Nelson Lichtenstein's "The Most Dangerous Man in Detroit " (BasicBooks), perhaps the most complete biogra- phy of former UAW president Walter Reuther avail- able. Another highlight is "The Murrow Boys," by unley Cloud and Lynne Olson (Houghton fflin), which documents Edward Murrow's revo- lutionary team of broadcast correspondents cover- ing World War It. If neither of these sound interest- ing, check out the displays of featured nonfiction books at Shaman Drum or Borders - often the most obscure and odd selections make the most interesting reading experiences. If world history is more your style, travel back to the Middle Ages with "The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: The Middle Ages, 748-1487," by Nicholas Hooper and Matthew Bennet (Cambridge iversity Press). An interesting companion to this 00k would be any history of medicine, where one could learn about all the great, effective Middle Ages medical techniques - like bloodletting - that were given to Middle Ages battlefield casualties. Borders is celebrating Asian Heritage Month, fea- turing titles like "The Silver Drum: A Japanese Imperial Memoir" by Princess Chichibu (Talman Publishing), a recounting of life in the Japanese Imperial Family. The book is the first memoir of its 4 e written in, rather than translated into, English. other featured title is "A Phoenix Rising: Impressions of Vietnam," by Zoe Schramm-Evans (Pandora Books), a pertinent look at Vietnam, a coun- Rogier D try breaking into the global economy as we speak. here from Chances are, if you have the extra time to read, you have the extra time to actually cook. So while you pick up your next French history tome, why not pick up a cook- book and frying pan as well? Indulge your taste buds with a crepe or two, and take a literary and culinary trip to glorious France. Of the new cookbooks available, Julee Rosso's "Fresh Start" (Crown Trade Paperbacks) offers low-fat cook- ing at its finest, while her bestselling "The New Basics *okbook" (Workman Publishing) would be a sufficient cor- nerstone for any amateur gourmet's library. Baseball fans take note: The tenth edition of "The Baseball Encyclopedia" (Macmillan USA) is on bookshelves, chock- full of enough information on ERA, RBI, base on balls and other numbers to drive any statistics freak into ecstasy. Whatever you choose to read, remember that we live in a book lover's utopia. Take advantage of this fact. While Ann Arbor has its fair share of new book stores, don't forget about the city's wonderful used-book stores with bargains abound. ,ad if you don't want to pay for books at all, borrow them Tom the University libraries or the Ann Arbor Public Library. In any event, you're bound to find what you're looking for. So on the next beautiful day, grab your book, head to the Law Quad, curl up on your favorite blanket, and soak up the sun as.you flip the pages. %~cjis oa '~24'r~'ft !'s 4AzP P Tom Robbins' "Skinny Legs and Al" is a madhouse of rei- gious predicament and artistic struggle, giving the impres- sion that you're reading the most profound comedy sketch in existence. It's also the only novel Ive read with a cast of inanimate objects. Wacky and good. I -------------- Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" takes a hard look at adult relationships, using the charac- ters as examples for illustrating the author's well-founded ideas. The various stories contained in the novel serve as a backdrop for Kundera's interesting take on love, commit- ment, art and what it means to be Czech. 45gvBi\ When it comes to summer, most college-age people think of getting out of school and leaping into a sustained period of late nights spent drunk and sometimes waking up in a bed other than their own. To such persons I say, with all the fury of a Baptist preach- er, "why not read a good book?" And I do not necessarily mean "Jane Eyre" here. There is a vaultful of literature that speaks to and reflects upon the lifestyle overloaded with drink, drugs and sex, and much of it is, to say the least, worth reading. The best place to begin is with the work of Henry Miller. His first published novel, "Tropic of Cancer" (Grove Wiedenfeld), was banned from publication for nearly thirty years because of its candor, and it is considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Miller was never a big drinker, but he fornicated with the best of them and wrote about it with a lyric sense that is unsurpassed. What makes "Cancer," along with all his other work, so fantastic is that while he engages in unpredented hedonism, he expounds upon every facet of human existence and thought in a simulataneously nihlistic and optimistic way. He both denies any meaning in life beyond the sensual and turns such emptiness into a thing of great joy and beauty. Such nihlistic revelry can also be found in the works of Charles Bukowski. While Bukowski wrote over 40 volumes in his lifetime and most of them say the same thing over and over, reading at least one of his books is a very good idea. His collection of short stories, "Tales of Ordinary Madness" (City Lights Books), is probably a good place to start. Anais Nin also wrote about the "joys of sex" but ." from a much more feminine perspective. Her works vary in style and taste, from the pure erotica of "Delta of Venus" (Sparrow) to the ethereal and, at times, monotonous psychology of "Cities of the Interior" (Sparrow). Of course, some people may be predisposed to works of a less optimistic sort - literature that speaks to the adverse consequences of liquor, drugs and sex. The staple novel in this genre would have to be con C William S. Burroughs' "Naked Lunch" (Grove y drove Weidenfeld). While "Naked Lunch" has a greater reputation than it deserves, it is a fantastic foray into the drug-induced hell of the author that will both shock and impress the reader. The best and perhaps least recognized writer of this genre is Raymond Carver. Carver's stories are lonely testaments to the lives of those who started with next to nothing and lost even that, due to problems with alcohol and adultery. "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" (Vintage), is his most candid collection, seconded only by "Cathedral" (Vintage). Every one of Carver's stories delivers a sense of hopelessness and isolation readers may not empathize with, but will certainly appreciate for its artistic perfection. Of course, these are just a few books from a vast genre. At some point or another, just about every great writer pens a tale or two about alcoholism or sex and many seem to gravi- tate toward the subject a little too much - just ask Jack Kerouac's liver. "The Focus" is a new feature in The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly. Similar to "The Friday Focus," featured during the Daily's regular terms, the Focus will appear each week, produced by either the Daily News, Sports or Arts section. The Focus is designed to give readers an in-depth look at issues students are discussing from the coffee shops to the Diag this summer. oekes and Yi-Ming Chiu spend a weekend afternoon in the Diag enjoying their novels. T Toledo to enjoy the Ann Arbor atmosphere. Do you like trivia? Pick up the good old standby, "The Guinness Book of World Records." Packed with the fattest, cheapest, smallest and talest, this never fails to impress ore amuse. Updated every year, the newest volume promises I the latest in record-breaking activity. Andre Dubus' "Selected Stories" is an extensive sample of c S Q S the long career of one of Americas foremost storytelers. Every one of Dubus' stories reflects upon faith and love - how they are lost and how they are regained. Jesse Ackles, for the aly, contributed to se