WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 79Review_NONFICTION
tives (the show America’s Most Wanted,
which ran from 1988 to 2012, resulted
in the capture of 1,149 fugitives), and
today, it’s the internet where the wanted
are commonly hunted. Indeed, “head for
the border” no longer guarantees
freedom, as Eduardo Rodriguez learned
when the LAPD used Facebook posts to
track him down and capture him in
Mexico. This is a must-read for anyone
interested in the history of criminal justice.
(Sept.)
Running Your Small Business
Like A Pro: The More You Know,
the Faster You Grow
Andrew Frazier. Small Business Like a Pro,
$25 (188p) ISBN 978-0-578-20839-8
Management consultant Frazier, using
insights from “over 250 small business
owners” whom he has advised, walks
readers through new ways of assessing
their businesses and moving toward suc-
cess in this breezy, straightforward guide.
Starting a new venture is not for the meek;
Frazier points out that only two-thirds of
new businesses will survive their first two
years, and less than one-third their first
decade. With that motivating informa-
tion out of the way, Frazier introduces
readers to the useful concept of both
“working in” and “on your business.”
Frazier’s advice, however, is often short
on the logistics; discussing logo develop-
ment, for example, he suggests that
readers “keep it simple, keep it versatile...
[and] make it memorable” (easier said
than done). Nonetheless, he covers a lot
of territory, such as income and cash flow
statements, business models, and break-
even projections. He also offers unusual
advice, such as to “market your business
like a drug dealer,” or for married business
owners, to recognize the importance of
“staying married” (since divorce can eat
up both time and resources). Readers
should find this a useful resource, though
not their last stop. (BookLife)
Religion/Spirituality
Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The
Gospel According to Johnny Cash
Richard Beck. Fortress, $18.95 trade paper
(150p) ISBN 978-1-5064-3376-9
Mixing biography, theology, social
justice, and
music history,
prison chaplain
Beck (Stranger
God) unpacks
the meaning
behind the
music and
lyrics of singer-
songwriter
Johnny Cash
(1932–2003)
in this wonderful work. Organizing the
biographical material thematically, Beck
ties events in Cash’s life to 15 of his songs,
each one a separate chapter. In gritty
prose, Beck paints a picture of a man who
was committed to God, pacifism, patrio-
tism, racial equality, and solidarity with
the poor and oppressed. Beck explains the
ways Cash felt as broken as those he
longed to help and depicts his personal
battles with addiction, depression, and
infidelity. Over his long career, Cash
became his own “target audience” for his
message of faith and forgiveness, Beck
writes. Beck also uses Cash’s persona as
both outlaw and saint to weave in theo-
logical discussions, including a critique
of Israel’s inability to “walk the line”
with God and the validity of liberation
theology, which holds that God preferen-
tially takes the side of the poor and
oppressed over the exalted and powerful.
For instance, in the chapter “San Quentin,”
Beck uses his own work in prisons to talk
about Cash’s famous prison concert
(which almost started a riot). Fans of the
Man in Black who are interested in how
his faith informed his career will love this.
(Nov.)★ A Theory of Everything
(That Matters): A Brief Guide
to Einstein, Relativity, and His
Surprising Thoughts on God
Alister McGrath. Tyndale Momentum, $22.99
(224p) ISBN 978-1-4964-3807-2
McGrath (Theology), professor of science
and religion at Oxford University, provides
an excellent study of Einstein’s theories in
relation to his beliefs about God. McGrath
explains the scientific achievements of
Isaac Newton that dominated the world
of physics while Einstein was working as
an assistant in a Swiss patent shop in 1905.
That year, Einstein published an articlethat would “overthrow” Newtonian
ideas, in which he proposed that light
was composed of particles and that each
particle’s energy could be measured by
the frequency of its electromagnetic
radiation. McGrath then lays out Einstein’s
subsequent work, article-by-article,
establishing his theory of special relativity.
Though Einstein revolutionized physics,
he failed in his quest to discover a “grand
theory of everything,” a problem he
wrestled with until his death. While
Einstein did not believe in a personal God,
McGrath writes, he was driven by a “cosmic
religious feeling” that became his “strongest
and noblest motive for scientific research.”
McGrath, a Christian, encourages other
Christians to consider Einstein’s teachings
as a mechanism for thinking about their
own ideas regarding the relationship
between science, religion, and the
“meaning of everything.” This analysis of
Einstein’s ideas will appeal to any Christian
reader looking to contemplate connections
between God and the unresolved mysteries
of scientific discovery. (Oct.)Things No One Else Can Teach Us
Humble the Poet. HarperOne, $21.99 (256p)
ISBN 978-0-06-290518-5
Humble the Poet (Unlearn), a Canadian
rapper and spoken word artist, blends
memoir with standard self-help advice in
this uneven work. Having previously
worked as an elementary school teacher,
the author taps the informal vibe of a cool
authority figure as he casually reveals his
hardships, low points, and unflattering
thoughts to demonstrate how “you can’t
be yourself if you don’t know who you are.”
Each chapter opens with an anecdote,
including accounts of difficulties producing
music videos and stories of working with
Pharrell Williams, that segues into general
insights meant to guide readers away from
negative thinking: “Purpose is not one-
size-fits-all... the more deeply we dive
inward, the more clarity we’ll have about
what tickles our fancy.” The author asks
readers to admit when they are being
greedy and selfish, and provides poetry
and pull quotes to punctuate his lessons.
Conversations with colleagues and friends
(including a particularly affecting dis-
cussion with a friend fighting cancer), as
well as with his famous acquaintances,
are often the vehicle by which wisdom is