This is perfect, just perfect, for that person in your life who’s read Oliver Sacks or for that someone who loves the Annals in Science articles in the New Yorker—and is especially attracted to those articles on neurology. This is for the amateur anatomist who went to Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds when it was in town and strolled through the exhibit in quiet reverence.

When it comes right down to it, what we are, and who we are, can be distilled down to that very delicate, highly complex, amazing mass of gray matter, which weighs in at an average of three and one-fourth pounds. The brain’s anatomy, its physical and perceptual growth, what happens to it as it learns, when it suffers illness or injury, what constitutes personality, how we perceive the world—all is presented within historical timelines (e.g., brain surgeries, past and present; brain development, from fetus to senior citizen). Our sense of self, our sense of others, our sense of things outside of ourselves and others, our comprehension of objects and ideas, our ability to be athletes and artists are all rendered in a digestible yet brain-engaging format for the perpetually curious layperson with an interest in anatomy, psychology, and identity.

In addition to the gorgeous graphics in these comprehensive 256 pages, (and occasional pop culture examples, not without humor), the book comes with a DVD-ROM with some cool graphics and summarizing features to complement the text. That might appeal to those who haven’t yet made it to a Body Worlds exhibit. The rest of us will be completely absorbed between the pages of this book. Don’t interrupt the reader—for all its problem solving and fantasy-generating might, the brain can’t process two similar tasks (e.g., processing speech and processing text) at the same time.

AMAZON

Often discussion about the Clinton administration focus on his balancing of the budget and the economic boom of the 1990s, or on the Lewinsky scandal and impeachment proceedings. It kinda depends which side of the aisle you sit on. However, the work of Richard Sale in this book takes a different look at the foreign policy of Clinton’s eight years in office; an almost non-partisan look. Through covert-ops, diplomacy, (and some might say) sneakiness, the young President placed America in the changing world of foreign affairs. Any history buff, Clinton fan, or know-it-all will enjoy receiving this book. Full of interviews from CIA agents, Joint Chiefs, Special Forces, the NSA and administration insiders, Clinton’s Secret Wars manages to be insightful, educational and riveting all at the same time.

AMAZON

A few years back I happily received The Complete New Yorker CD-Rom set for Christmas. Your pop culture critic/rock & pop music fan/novice historian/teacher/writer/avid magazine reader probably has it, too, and will be salivating for the Rolling Stone: Cover to Cover CD-Rom gift set for similar reasons. More than “just” a music magazine (Rolling Stone‘s investigative reporting alone is reason enough to subscribe), this high-quality slice of expressions in pop culture and essays on cultural and electoral politics, all set to the soundtrack of the fads and fears of America over the past 40 decades, is a treasure that will be coveted by the lucky recipient. You already know that. Praises sung to Rolling Stone can be sung by heart. But ‘til now you haven’t heard this sweet little note: although the easy-to-use multiple browsing options, the ability to magnify, bookmark and other functions of the CD-Rom reading process are very much like those in the aforementioned The Complete New Yorker, thus far – and I’m still looking, although I keep getting drawn into the articles, so it’s taking a while – I’ve yet to come across a folded-over, crookedly photocopied, too faint to read, partially cut-off page in Rolling Stone: Cover to Cover. I cannot say the same (ahem) for The Complete New Yorker. Plus, Rolling Stone: Cover to Cover includes a substantial, full-color book highlighting cultural touchstones in the history of America and the magazine during this time span. Give this, and you will be loved. You’ll also be ignored for hours on end, but be assured, you will be loved.

Imagine, Mark Twain on masturbation (although he doesn’t call it that), a 1592 valentine to a dildo (and yes, even then, it’s called, that), a three-part section on other words used for, er, “those parts”.  Imagine, imparted wisdom on “sexual relativity” by Albert Einstein, alongside excerpts from the Kama Sutra and other “authorities” on the subject (not least D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller). And speaking of The Subject, this little book, loaded with historical images (ads, cartoons, photos), goes all about it, all around it, and covers it pretty thoroughly, with delightful inclusiveness; much like one goes over every inch of one’s person of fascination. It’s a little bit naughty and terribly funny, much like the Real Thing. Consider it a pop-y, anthropological study of the libido with, of course, a fair amount of history and “geography” thrown in. Perfect for the sexy, cerebral, imaginative person in your life.

The ideologies may change, but the implements of the shock (“elimination of the public sphere, total liberation for corporations, and skeletal social spending”) don’t ever seem to change, nor does the ever-yawning gulf between the wealthy few and the poor and powerless many.  Klein convincingly argues in this crushingly pessimistic but magisterial work that the future could well be a “cruel and ruthlessly divided” place where “money and race buy survival”.