books – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars & Anyone Else Serious About Serious Books

By Scott J. Pearson | August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

In the social sciences and the humanities, publishing scholarly books is the name of the game for career advancement. Yes, teaching within an academic setting is crucial, but traction for tenure in these fields mainly comes through the pen. Most academics master how to please their advisors, peers, and mentors; few take the step of mastering the industry of publishing. William Germano’s book, laudably in its third edition from the University of Chicago Press, fills…

What Editors Do: The Art, Craft & Business of Book Editing

By Scott J. Pearson | July 21, 2023August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Since the advent of Amazon and self-publishing via the Kindle, the business of writing has become much more complex. Many can put their own book out to the public directly through self-publishing, but professional editors can still prove their worth through focused skills. Though not wonder-workers, editors can bring a text from good to very good or from very good to great. Peter Ginna’s anthology highlights precisely these skillsets through dozens of guest writers who…

Books Writing-Communication

A Word on Words: The Best of John Seigenthaler’s Interviews

By Scott J. Pearson | March 15, 2023March 12, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

This book is hard to categorize or to compare to other books. It is comprised of interviews with authors spanning several distinct subjects: the civil rights movement, literature, music, sports, and presidential histories. Because the interviewer John Seigenthaler read these books in detail, he asks smart questions and drew out deep answers. And because the interviewees wrote the books, you have expressive, informative answers. When added is the fact that these are the best of…

Society Writing-Communication

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

By Scott J. Pearson | December 4, 2022December 4, 2022 by Scott J. Pearson

This book, originally published in 1985, warns against the proliferation of television media replacing printed texts. Much of Postman’s case comes across as a tome against television and cites renowned authors like Aldous Huxley and Marshall McLuhan in support of his thesis. However, 35-40 years after its original publishing, it’s easy to see how digital media (i.e., the computer and the Internet) have continued to revolutionize America’s information intake. Our goal now is simply to…

Books

What I’m Reading in July 2020

By Scott J. Pearson | July 3, 2020July 3, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This month, I’m going to highlight a few of the books that I’ve been specifically asked to review. I get these books ahead of release or with a request to promote. So I download them, read them, and review them. This process is a lot easier now that we have the Internet. One does not have to physically mail a book in order to send it to a reviewer. Thus, procuring a book review is…

Books

Five Books I’m Reading in June, 2020

By Scott J. Pearson | June 7, 2020June 7, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich Often, I read National Book Award winners from yesteryear, but I don’t follow great writers who are currently alive. I decided that I wanted to buck that trend by reading this work. It tells about an everyman’s search for social justice amongst Native Americans. The story spans the distance from North Dakota to Washington, D.C. Personal Memoirs by Ulysses S. Grant While reading a previous biography on Grant, I…

Books

Three Books about Public Health Measures

By Scott J. Pearson | March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The Great Influenza by John BerryBest account of the Spanish Flu of 1918 – the last major pandemic. A History of Public Health by George RosenPublic Health measures over time. The classic history of Public Health. A History of Global Health by Randall PackardDoes for the field of Global Health what Rosen did for Public Health.

Books Personal Essays

Why Read? An Essay

By Scott J. Pearson | February 17, 2020February 16, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Twenty years ago, I thought that the Internet would dramatically change – even enhance – the way we humans communicate. After all, this is how Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized civilizations in the sixteenth century. Ten years ago, when Kindles, tablets, and smart phones hit the market, I thought digitized word would replace the written word. These early predictions have proved true in one sense but untrue in another. They have indeed changed the way humans…