As I enter my last year as book review editor for the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA) I reflect back on the successes and failures of my time in the position. Among the greatest personal successes has been working with and getting to know a slate of wonderful reviewers. These reviewers, all unpaid, give of their time and expertise with the only rewards being a free book (in most cases) and seeing their review online or in print. Drawn from practice and academia, these reviewers have taken to their task with aplomb and a critical eye. I have been impressed by the desire of these individuals to write reviews that inform JAPA’s readership and offer up an honest assessment of the work being reviewed.
When asked whether it was all right to pen a negative review, my answer was always that the job of the reviewer is to render an honest review and critique of the work. My observation, reinforced by my years as a professor and consultant, is that planners are genuinely nice people and often have trouble rendering critical, negative feedback. In my role as review editor I have tried to support and nurture more critical reviews when they are warranted and have even penned a few less than glowing reviews myself. JAPA should be a place where reviews are not simply rote overviews of a book’s contents but honest assessments of the quality and impact of the work.
Although there is much to celebrate, I look back with some small disappointments from my term. I had grand visions of expanding our reviews to other types of media, including films, reports, and even apps for our mobile phones. This happened in fits and starts, but I did not do as good a job pursuing these nontraditional publications as I had originally hoped. I also struggled with managing the flow of books that arrived at my door, about 25% of which were requested and 75% of which arrived unannounced and often unwanted. JAPA is a planning journal, and despite the multidisciplinary nature of the field, I had to decline to review hundreds of niche books on architectural trends, engineering methods, European microlending policy, and very specific projects with little generalizability.
Looking forward, in the coming months APA will be undertaking a search for a new review editor. Hopefully the details of this search process will be established by the time this note goes to press, but know that APA and I are committed to finding the right person to take the review section forward while also building on the tradition of quality, insightful, and critical reviews.
Up first is a review by Cornell University Professor Emeritus William W. Goldsmith of Richard V. Reeves’s Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It. This review is a breath of fresh air for two reasons. First, it came as a surprise, offered up out of the blue one day; I have always welcomed an unsolicited review! Second, Goldsmith models the language of the book he reviews, speaking truth to power to the JAPA readership in highlighting that the top 20%, not just the 1%, receive benefits that reinforce their positions in society. The book, and the review, are eye opening and critical and have me set to buy the book.
The next review is by my friend and early career mentor Marie Howland, professor emerita at the University of Maryland, who tackles Royce Hanson’s Suburb: Planning Politics and the Public Interest. In his book Hanson details the experiences of Montgomery County (MD), which is widely known in growth management circles as a progressive local government in the areas of limiting sprawl, land preservation, and the redevelopment of suburban areas. As a scholar-practitioner with a long history in this area, Howland is the perfect person to review the book, finding much to like here. Planners on the front lines can find inspiration as well as solace that even progressive places struggle with policy development and implementation.
This issue’s next review is a something of a throwback, literally. Several years ago Wayne State University’s Kameshwari Pothukuchi wrote a review of Alison Hope Alkon and Julian Agyeman’s edited volume Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability. However, this review was lost in the digital ether when the duties of the review editor transferred from now JAPA Editor Sandi Rosenbloom to me. Only recently was the error realized, and we agreed that the review needed to be published despite its age. Pothukuchi, one of the nation’s foremost experts on food systems planning, offers an insightful review of this important book. Like any good reviewer she highlights the strengths, which are many, but points the way for future scholarship and practice on this important topic.
The section closes with my own review of Robert C. Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack’s The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston’s Iconic Astrodome. The Astrodome was truly one of the most spectacular and important sports facilities and events centers in the nation’s history, forever changing the way people consume sport and spectacle. This book delves, in great detail, into the politics behind, construction of, and unique uses of this facility. Although the book is not always an easy read, the authors have documented the life of the Astrodome in such a way that even long-time Houston (TX) residents will learn much.
As always, I welcome suggestions for books, e-books, and apps to be reviewed; offers to complete reviews; and other feedback on the section ([email protected]).