Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Braille and Talking Books Division
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WELCOME TO BOOK TALK

This location presents Arizona Braille and Talking Book Readers
with book summaries and reviews suggested by our readers, staff, and volunteers.
Also provided will be recent library news.

(With the success of George W. Bush’s second term bid for the White House and recent breaking news, all eyes turned toward the person the President calls “Boy Genius”, his campaign advisor and political consultant, Karl Rove. As the President noted in his victory speech Karl was “The Architect” who engineered a winning campaign. Whether you think Karl Rove is a hero or a villain, one simply cannot deny that he is a major element in the resurgence of the Republican Party and is largely responsible for the political success of George W. Bush.)

Book Review:

Boy Genius: Karl Rove, the brains behind the remarkable political triumph of George W. Bush
RC 55868
By Lou Dubose, Jan Reid, and Carl M. Cannon.
173 pages on two cassettes
Narrated by Bill Wallace

From The National Library Service Annotation

“Biography of George W. Bush’s campaign advisor, Karl Rove, who guided Bush first into the governorship of Texas and later into the presidency. Traces Rove’s career as a political consultant, his transformation of Texas into a Republican stronghold, and his success in the 2002 midterm elections. Bestseller 2003”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lou Dubose has been a journalist in Texas for some twenty years. He has served as editor of The Texas Observer and politics editor of The Austin Chronicle. Jan Reid writes for the Texas Monthly and has also written for GQ, Esquire, Men’s Journal, and The New York Times. Carl M. Cannon currently is a White House correspondent for National Journal, Washington’s highly respected, non-partisan weekly journal on politics and government. Cannon has worked for six different newspapers, and as a writer for the San Jose Mercury News won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

ABOUT THE NARRATOR

The excellent narrative skills of Bill Wallace and a sketch of his past achievements were covered in the book review Murder In The Name Of God by Michael Karpin and Ina Friedman.* As previously noted, besides being the recipient of numerous narrative awards Bill Wallace is considered to be one of the best voices in the field of non-fiction.

In the narration of Boy Genius Wallace once again lives up to his illustrious reputation. His presentation is definitive. By this I mean that each word is clearly pronounced (never slurred), his audio level promotes important points, and he is a master at keeping the listener’s attention active with varied voice pitches and narrative speed. No wonder he is considered by many to be the best of the best!!

*(Murder In The Name of God by Michael Karpin and Ina Friedman – http://www.lib.az.us/braille/booktalk/booktalk5-04.cfm)

READER CRITIQUE

Determined to discover a book about Karl Rove that was informative and non- biased, I found and selected “Boy Genius.” This book attempts to show how Rove is perhaps the best political operative that has ever lived and backs it up with supporting facts. While it reads like an adventure novel, Boy Genius is non-fictional investigative reporting at its best. The author tries to leave moral analysis up to the reader and is quick to note that political operatives – whether elephants or donkeys – live on the edge of the legal system and do not have the luxury of ethical standards. In short, Karl and others like him have but two priorities – getting their candidate elected and helping them survive politically once in office.

“Boy Genius” is much more than a biography. It is also a fascinating behind the scenes look at our current political system. If you have any interest in government - no matter what your political persuasions may be – this is your book!!!

Library News

If behind the scenes reporting piques your interest, you are really going to like this!! From our own investigative reporter, Deputy Director Sandra Everett, a look at the new format and player for Digital Talking Books as taken from Talking Book News (June 2005, Volume 35, No.2):

New Players, New Format to Debut in 2008

As you may have heard, the National Library Service will introduce new playback equipment and a new format for talking books in 2008 that will result in better sound quality, no more side selector switch changes, and a lighter, more portable player. NLS has selected Battelle, a company that is a leader in creating new technologies, to develop the new books and machines. Battelle will be joined in the development process by HumanWare (formerly Visuaide), The National Federation of the Blind, and Trace Research and Development College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The books will be digitally recorded and delivered via a flash memory cartridge, and although at this time we’re not sure exactly what they will look like, they will probably resemble the cartridges now used in digital cameras. NLS expects to offer two versions of the playback machine, one that is simple and straight-forward and another that is more complex, offering advance features.

NLS plans to have 60,000 playback units and 20,000 digital talking book titles ready for use in 2008. They will continue to produce books on cassette until a complete transition to only digital equipment can be made some time in the future.

In the meantime, all NLS books are being recorded digitally so they can be easily transferred to the new media, and we here in Arizona are also making the transition to digital recording with the help of our Friends group who have been busy raising money for the new equipment. Thanks to their efforts, our first digital recording booth will be installed this year in our studio here at the Library.

(Comments and questions regarding “BookTalk” should be
directed to Reader Advisement Librarian Henry Hayden at hhayden@lib.az.us)

 

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Updated:  10/6/2006

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