by Danyel Smith
Eva Glenn, a.k.a. "Miss Queen of Doin' Thangs," is an ambitious late-'90s hip-hop record executive who discovers she's pregnant while in the Bahamas to showcase a new record from her multiplatinum act Sunny Addison. Unwilling to sacrifice her hard-won, diamond-encrusted career and not knowing which of her two hunky lovers—Ron, an arrogant, rival white record exec, or Dart, Sunny's troubled brother—might be responsible, Eva takes a week's vacation on nearby Cat Island, where a flirtation with local island mysticism helps her decide whether to continue the pregnancy.
As it happens, this drama plays back-up to the story of Eva's loss of innocence in the music business and to spot-on portraits of the producers, promoters and performers mangling one another to reach the top. Smith, the former editor-in-chief of Vibe and a former editor at large at Time Inc., knows the scene and captures the authentic sights and sounds—chronicling Eva's life from her early years as a wannabe college music promoter in California (where she recognized Sunny's talent) to queen of a New York City corner office fighting to keep her top act. Smith doesn't pander to readers unfamiliar with hip-hop from the '80s and '90s. Those who steeped themselves in the music will get her drift; others will find parts of Bliss like a foreign language. A typical riff? "Right then she hated the way he sounded saying chill. Chuck Chill-Out, went Eva's brain...Groove B-Chill from House Party. Chill Will of the Get Fresh Crew." In the end, this insider's look at the hard decisions a woman must face to get respect in the music business is compelling, even if hard-edged Eva and her cynicism never quite win you over.
MEMIOR
by Ralph Helfer
Animal trainer Ralph Helfer follows his successful Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived with a tale of his 18 years with Zamba, the orphaned African cub he adopted in the mid-1950s and who became part of his family. Using Zamba as a model, Helfer set out to demonstrate that affection training—rewarding animals with love rather than controlling them with fear—would allow him to safely work with even the most dangerous creatures. Some peers thought he was nuts.
Readers will get a wonderful, detailed and—in all likelihood—unique account of what it's like to share life, home and bed with a more than 500-lb. lion. Toilet training? No problem, actually. Cruising around Hollywood in a station wagon with Zamba's magnificent head thrust out a window? Amusing. And there's always the question: Will Zamba eat the nice postman? Helfer's prose can be treacly, but Zamba is a charming read—a love story between a quiet boy from Chicago's South Side and a mellow cat who came to call Hollywood home.
NOVEL
by Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy's latest is a western that's equal parts road-novel and sanguine thriller. While hunting near the Rio Grande, Llewelyn Moss, a Vietnam vet, discovers the aftermath of a drug deal gone awry: pounds of heroin, $2.4 million and enough bodies to staff the Texas Rangers. He steals the cash and flees, trailed by interested parties including cartel thugs and a lawman with a crushing secret. Moss's flight pumps adrenaline into the story, and the bone-dry prose is bracing. Action fans will enjoy McCarthy's hard-bitten narrative, and readers who prefer the flinty philosophy of gunslingers will be equally fulfilled.
Audio Books
HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynne Robinson This is the first audio version of Pulitzer winner Robinson's acclaimed 1981 novel. Narrator Becket Royce smoothly and subtly captures the magic of her story of two sisters whose lives are defined by impermanence.
MAD GIRLS IN LOVE by Michael Lee West The author narrates this life-affirming novel about the enduring bond between three generations of southern belles; her warm Tennessee drawl brings the setting to life.
ELEVEN ON TOP by Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum, Evanovich's ditzy but delightful bounty-hunter heroine, returns—this time to solve her own career crisis. Actress Lorelei King gives each character a distinct—and hilarious—voice.
DUBLINERS by James Joyce More than 90 years after Joyce's groundbreaking work was published, other notable talents from Ireland-including writer Frank McCourt and actor Stephen Rea—narrate stories including "The Dead."
Juicing the Game
Can the new ban on steroids help baseball shake the "juicing" scandal? Howard Bryant's new book—subtitled Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball—assesses the damage.
WHY DID THE PROBLEM GO ON FOR SO LONG??
For years, leaders ran from the whole steroid issue; nobody seemed to care about protecting their own integrity. Not the players, not the owners. I also think a lot of reporters looked the other way. If you really went after this story, you'd be writing about a sport without heroes.
HOW MANY PLAYERS WERE JUICED?
During the 1994-2004 heyday, I would guess that between 25 and 40 percent of players had experimented at some point.
HOW HAVE STERIODS TAINTED THE GAME?
Uncertainty. When you look at the home run numbers slugger Sammy Sosa has produced—he's currently sixth among all-time leaders with 584—his place in history should be clear. But because of the uncertainty about this decade, people will always ask questions.
WHAT'S MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DOING RIGHT?
After years of denial, baseball is taking baby steps with PSAs telling kids not to take drugs. And they've instituted deterrents: The new policy allows random testing and sanctions, including suspension.
WHY SHOULD FANS CARE IF PLAYERS ARE JUICED?
To quote Jim Bouton, baseball is the last unscripted entertainment in America. If it doesn't matter if the contest is on the level, then it loses all of its vitality.
- Contributors:
- ED Nawotka,
- Lisa Kay Greissinger,
- Jonathan Durbin.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
