Publishers Weekly – July 29, 2019

REVIEWS ®

BOOKLIFE.COM 54f

tors, activists, nonprofit executives, doc-
tors, researchers, spiritual leaders, artists,
mothers, caregivers, and “fag hags”
(“denoting a straight woman who associates
with gay men”). In telling her own story
(she writes of being antagonized and
resented by gay colleagues), Noe takes a
somewhat resentful tone, but in general,
this lucid and detailed account provides a
valuable timeline for those interested in and
impacted by the AIDS crisis.

Hardened to Hickory: The Missing
Chapter in Andrew Jackson’s Life
Tony L. Turnbow. Tony L. Turnbow, $27.99
(602p) ISBN 978-0-692-08752-7
In this fresh take on a familiar figure,
Tennessee historian Turnbow recounts the
Natchez Expedition during the War of
1812, in which Andrew Jackson’s troops
marched from Natchez to Nashville, and
the militia general’s fierce, long-standing
rivalry with an army brigadier general that
earned the profoundly stubborn soldier the
moniker “Old Hickory.” The middle-aged,
militarily inexperienced Jackson promised
the farmers and other Tennessee volunteers
he recruited that he would protect them in
the midst of complex relationships with
various Native American nations on a
freezing winter trek to engage the British.
Turnbow uses newly uncovered documents
to show that Jackson’s intense competition
with Brig. Gen. James Wilkinson for con-
trol of the soldiers and of necessary supplies
plagued Jackson more than the British
troops he intended to drive out of the South.
Wilkinson, who envied Jackson’s rapport
with his fighters, sought to transfer them
to his own command, including by with-
holding needed ammunition, medicine and
food; Jackson’s men died while the army
failed to intervene, causing the “hardening”
of the title, a transformation into an aggres-
sively self-reliant and antibureaucratic
leader. This thorough, focused account is
perfect for early American history enthusi-
asts looking for a new twist on the era.

Is God in That Bottle Cap?
A Search for Truth
John D. Sambalino. Vanishing Circle Press,
$16.95 trade paper (284p) ISBN 978-1-
7326578-0-9
Sambalino, a lawyer and venture capi-

talist, recounts his spiritual life and travels

in his enjoyable, chatty debut. Convinced

that reality is not as it appears and that there

must be a hidden truth, Sambalino began

at an early age looking for guidance in reli-

gious traditions. Unfulfilled by the

Catholicism of his childhood, he turned to

tai chi while attending the University of

Florida in the early 1970s. He then began

transcendental meditation and took a

siddhi (supernormal abilities) course, after

which he felt himself gaining inner aware-

ness: “I was always high, naturally high

from meditating.” During a deep medita-

tion, he felt enveloped by a ball of energy

and realized he had tapped into the “ulti-

mate reality,” which is changeless and

boundless. Readers will lose themselves in

Sambalino’s adventures through India, the

Himalayas, Nepal, and Egypt as he contem-

plates the nature of awareness, wisdom, and

understanding. With a focus on attention

to one’s surroundings, Sambalino’s meticu-

lous investigation of his spiritual thinking

will appeal to readers interested in transcen-

dental meditation.

The Light of the Self:

A Memoir of Spiritual Awakening

Kenneth Rose. Anahatarose, $9.95 trade

paper (236p) ISBN 978-1-79454-104-7

Rose, a Senior Research Fellow at The

Graduate Theological Union, recounts his

metaphysical and spiritual journey in his

sensuous if pedestrian debut. Raised

Catholic in Brooklyn, Rose’s mystical

thinking begins with an otherworldly com-

mand to “look to God” at the age of 19.

Several spiritual epiphanies followed after

this calling (“[religion] is a contingent, his-

torical phenomenon, and whatever it is that

we in English label God is not in itself

bound by religion’s often oppressive social

and intellectual forms”) and led him to

engage with the Hare Krishna movement,

evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism. He

eventually found a spiritual home in the

writings of Thomas Merton, Saint

Augustine, and Alan Watts, and practices

of meditation. While devoted to a Christian

God for most of life, throughout the book

he remains unconvinced about the true

nature of the spiritual power he feels. While

his story will resonate with readers who are

interested in and struggle with the search

for divinity, Rose’s strict inward focus and

flat narrative will turn off many readers.

However, fans of Thomas Merton and Alan

Watts might enjoy Rose’s tussle with mul-

tiple religious traditions and intense spiri-

tual episodes.

Reflections on the Vietnam War:

A Fifty-Year Journey

Warren E. Hunt. Warren E. Hunt, $12.95 trade

paper (142p) ISBN 978-1-9743-9780-8

Hunt, a retired high school teacher who

was drafted and served a tour in Vietnam,

offers a concise and simply written but

engaging Vietnam War memoir in the form

of extended, chapter-long answers to inter-

view questions he submitted to a high

school history class. He melds his experi-

ences with his views of the war and an

abbreviated history of the conflict for an

audience of young adults and those with

little knowledge of the Vietnam War. Hunt

evocatively recounts growing up, getting

drafted, his 1968–1969 Vietnam War ser-

vice as a radio teletype operator with the 1st

Infantry Division (including being sub-

jected to rocket and mortar attacks and

other war-zone dangers), and what it was

like coming home. A particularly vivid sec-

tion describes his flight home to Toledo,

during which “a gentleman in a business

suit” bought him a drink, and the flight

attendants and other crew members wel-

comed him home. He also gives a revealing

account of how he pushed for the landmark

Agent Orange class action lawsuit in 1986,

and of going to Washington in 1982 for the

dedication of the Vietnam Veterans

Memorial; he writes movingly of what it

was like to march with his Vietnam War

“brothers” in the Welcome Home parade.

This above-average memoir does a nice job

of introducing the Vietnam War experience

to readers unfamiliar with it.

Scary Business: Investing the

Sudden Large Lump Sum

William S. Young. Mystery Caper, $29 (138p)

ISBN 978-1-79692-098-7

Young, a certified financial planner,

delivers a valuable educational tool for

readers who have received, most likely via

real estate or inheritance, a “sudden large

lump sum.” While receiving a large amount

of money is generally a happy event and a