This thread is for nonfiction reviews.

Thanks for the Memories: Love, Sex. and World War II
By Jane Mersky Leder
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams for Front Street Reviews

The premise of Jane Mersky Leder's Thanks for the Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II is to illustrate a shift in the way World War II society viewed sexuality. The views that emerged at this time have continued to shape us to this day. Leder brings forth some information that challenges the romanticized ideal that male soldiers stoicly served their country while wives and girlfriends waited patiently at home for their loves to return. The parents of the "baby boomer" generation were hardly the reserved innocents most of us believe them to be.

Soldiers and young adults from World War II relate anecdotes of turmoil and confusion, sparsely dotted with the stereotypical love affairs found so commonly in World War II stories. From sexual harrassment, sexual and racial discrimination, high percentages of enlisted homosexuals, legal prostitution, veneral diseases, and promiscuous "khaki whackies" intent on serving the country in their own ways, readers begin to see the war years as a time of self-discovery and a challenge to the conservative morals so readily adopted by previous generations. In actuality, World War II was the beginning of a sexual revolution that is typically believed to have begun in the Vietnam War Era.

Leder does an excellent job of presenting a liberal shift in sexuality that most of us assumed occurred much later in the twentieth century. Those expecting a torrid novel of sexual deviants should look elsewhere--this book is strictly academic nonfiction. However, Leder offers a refreshing viewpoint of a sentimental era that humanizes a generation once thought of as chaste and conservative.

Thanks breeni :kiss:
Hope to see more reviews here in the future :)

Well, I have lots more, but I didn't want to take over the forum! Someone else needs to post some! :P

I'm working on my "review" for The Strangler by William Landay. It will go in the Thriller section though. ;)

Reviewed by Sabrina Williams for Harper Collins First Look

Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons challenge the marketing industry to shed outdated strategies and take advantage of today's perpetually connected society in Punk Marketing: Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revolution. Laermer and Simmons argue that because of today's technology, consumers are more in control than ever and have a tremendous amount of buying power. They plead with industry to embrace the marketing tools available through today's high-tech gadgets rather than continuing to follow outdated tactics.

The authors provide tips for taking advantage of advertising opportunities in video games, creating television ads that entertain the consumer and don't assume the viewer is a mindless drone, and making one product stand out among an ocean of similar wares. While the book seems to be geared toward actual PR reps, companies can use the information to decide if a particular marketing organization is worth their fees.

While Laermer and Simmons are absolutely correct that evolving technology demands a new approach to advertising, this book is very generalized in its advice, so don't expect to come away with any specific instructions. However, as the authors suggest, creativity is a key instrument in revolutionizing the marketing industry. Punk Marketing will inspire the reader to view the customer from a new vantage point and create a blueprint for advertising that takes full advantage of what technology has to offer.