ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100098
SECTION: BOOK PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
SOURCE: RANES CHAKRAVORTY
MEGATRENDS ASIA: Eight Asian Megatrends That Are Reshaping Our World. By John Naisbitt. Simon & Schuster. $24.
A recent news item stated that now the tallest building in the world is in Malaysia, not in the United States. This is no isolated phenomenon. In this book, John Naisbitt examines and reports on the effervescent economies of Asia and their effect on our own.
The United States already exports far more to Asia than to Europe, and Europe ships only half to the United States of what it sends to Asia. Naisbitt believes that the West now needs the East more than the reverse.
The new great economic power, according to Naisbitt, belongs to the overseas Chinese who are not only in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong but also control large sectors of manufacturing and industry in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. After the United States and Japan, these borderless Chinese control the largest sector of the global economy.
A common phenomenon in modern Asia is the rapid increase in the middle class and, therefore, in the number of consumers. The purchasing power of this growing class of consumers is immense. Per capita increase, as measured in western currency, is not an efficient index of purchasing power. The International Monetary Fund suggests the use of a better comparator, the Purchasing Power Parity. Using this latter, more appropriate criterion, Asian economies can be seen to be driven as much by local consumers as by their export markets.
With this move toward a market economy, politics becomes dramatically less important. Asian ideologies are therefore being displaced by economic and political reality. While Western multinationals are trying hard to establish footholds in this vast market of consumers, giant multinational Asian groups are also emerging in the Asian nations themselves.
Asian women are playing an increasingly important role in the work force, contrary to popular belief in the West. Women form almost a quarter of the work force in India and almost a half in Vietnam. Women are quickly assuming leadership roles in industry, education and government.
Many Asiatic intellectuals come to the West for higher education. A current trend is for these highly trained Asians to return to their homes. The industries in the East are gradually changing from labor-intensive to high technology - led by local entrepreneurs trained in the West
Thanks to incentives from the various national governments, many high-tech western groups are establishing research and development centers in Asian nations. Here they get superior talent at much less cost than in the West and a generally better attitude and work ethic. The West has to be seriously concerned about maintaining a leadership in technology development.
We are currently witnessing a rise in political exhortations to isolationism. In the last years of this departing century such attitudes are not only foolish, they can hasten the economic decline of the U.S. Naisbitt's book is a well-documented and important reminder of the essential need for a global - rather than a parochial - outlook in the years to come.
The book is carefully researched and well-documented. The author's sources are listed in 18 pages of notes and his acknowledgment to the long list of contributors shows the depth of his research. The front and back end-pages carry maps of the Asian nations. In view of our general ignorance of world geography, these maps are useful in recognizing the nations that Naisbitt discusses.
Ranes Chakravorty, a surgeon at the Veterans Administration
Medical Center in Salem and a member of the Surgical Faculty
at the University of Virginia, is a frequent visitor to Asian nations.
Suspense in novel should make a blockbuster movie Reviewed by ROBERT ALOTTA
DAYS OF DRUMS. By Philip Shelby. Simon & Schuster. $23.
Philip Shelby brings us to Washington, D.C., and the whole mysterious world of the Secret Service. In "Days of Drums," he pens the realistic character of Holland Tylo. Tylo is a rookie agent on her first major assignment: protecting one of America's most distinguished senators.
Before the first day of her assignment is over, Tylo's charge has been brutally murdered, along with his young mistress. The savage attacks take place minutes after Tylo lets Sen. Charles Westbourne in the door of his love nest. As one can imagine, Tylo's superiors take a dim view of her security prowess and put her on leave. But she won't go.
When she attends the memorial service, she reaches in her pocketbook to get a piece of paper and cuts her finger on an envelope. Only then does she remember that Westbourne gave her a computer disk to take to his office. Looking it over in the privacy of her apartment, she learns that the senator possessed information that could torpedo the careers of a group of influential senators, nicknamed "the Cardinals."
Who can Tylo trust? She contacts her boyfriend, another Secret Service agent, and he is killed trying to get to her. She tries her contacts within the Service and learns that she really can't trust anyone. Who's behind the whole mess? How's this thing going to end? You have to read the chilling conclusion yourself to get the full impact of Shelby's writing skill.
"Days of Drums" has been purchased by Tri-Star and will soon be a major motion picture. If the big screen can capture even one-tenth of the tension and mystery of the book, it will be a blockbuster.
Robert Alotta is an author-historian who lives in Harrisonburg.
Lawyer faces two choices Reviewed by MARY BURNETT HATCH
THE JANUS URGE. By George Goldsborough. Noble House. $25.95.
Here's a book difficult to put down. It is enjoyable not only for its intriguing plot, fast-moving dialogue and detailed portrayal of courtroom procedure in a murder trial, but because the provocative nature of the main character's dilemma can be shared by many in today's uncertain business world.
The book draws its title from Janus, the mythical Roman god reputed to be one of Apollo's sons, who possessed two heads. As Janus stood in the present, one of his heads looked to the past while the other head looked to the future.
So, too, stands the eminent and wealthy New York trial attorney, F. Bennett Ashcroft, who views his past prestigious life with twinges of doubt while his alter self, Key West charter boat captain, Ben Ashley, yearns for the placid life of a deep-sea fisherman.
Just when it appears the sea is calling Ashcroft louder than the courtroom, fate, in its inimical fashion, intervenes; Ben's Key West friend, Dr. Rice Lee, is charged with murder. Ultimately, the reader is treated to, not one but two, expertly prepared and tried murder trials.
George Goldsborough hails from Maryland's Eastern Shore. He, himself, was a charter-boat captain at age 17 and later became a prominent trial attorney.
If one appreciates highly charged courtroom drama, deep-sea fishing, sunken treasure, cribbage and gourmet dining (all of Goldsborough's characters, good guys and bad, eat and drink at the best restaurants in New York, New Orleans and Key West, if not preparing their catch straight from the ocean depths), "The Janus Urge" will prove a delightfully entertaining reading experience.
Mary Burnett Hatch, a Roanoke attorney, occupied the same suite of law offices as George Goldsborough when both practiced law in Washington, D.C. BOOKMARKS KEVIN ADAMS Starry campion is easily distinguished by its fringed petals. Reviewed by NELSON HARRIS
WILDFLOWERS OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS: How to Photograph and Identify Them. By Kevin Adams and Marty Casstevens. John F. Blair. $26.95.
Professional photographers Kevin Adams and Marty Casstevens have put together a collection of photographs that capture 180 species of Appalachian wildflowers. The wildflowers chosen are herbaceous, meaning they have no wooden stems and die back to the root annually.
Accompanying each photograph is a brief description of the flower, its habitat and unique bloom features. There are also helpful hints on how best to photograph the flower and tips that address seasonal and growing concerns as well as camera and lens usage. All photos are in color and present a vibrant visual display.
To those not familiar with photographic or horticultural terms, the authors provide a brief glossary of terms used within their text. Furthermore, they include an appendix that lists many wildflower organizations, events and exhibits within the Southern Appalachian region.
Nelson Harris is minister of Ridgewood Baptist Church.
Marty Casstevens, naturalist, nature photographer and co-author of this book, will sign books at Ram's Head Book Shop on Friday from 4-6 p.m.
BRIEFS
STEP-BY-STEP GARDENING TECHNIQUES ILLUSTRATED.
By Elayne Sears. Garden Way Publishing. $22.95.
"Step-by-Step Gardening Techniques" has brought together a cadre of gardening experts to address a number of problems that confront the home gardener. Everything from dividing daylilies to storing tropical water lilies to growing rhubarb is included in this volume. A total of 86 questions are addressed with illustrations accompanying the answers.
The book also contains a USDA Hardiness Zone Map, a brief guide to pruning shrubs and fruit trees and information on pests and diseases that affect indoor plants. Those writers selected by Horticulture magazine to provide this information are prominent in their various fields and have significant gardening and literary credentials.
In short, "Step-by-Step Gardening Techniques" would make a nice addition to any gardener's library, particularly for those who need simple, brief solutions to common gardening dilemmas. - NELSON HARRIS
THE HERB GARDENER: A Guide for All Seasons.
By Susan McClure. Garden Way Publishing. $29.95.
This season-by-season guide to herbs will be a welcome addition to gardening libraries everywhere. McClure, a trained botanist and author of "The Harvest Gardener," has written a book that deserves a space on both expert and novice gardeners' bookshelves. She includes a comprehensive grower's guide to the care of over 75 different herb varieties.
In the section entitled "Seasons of the Herb Garden," McClure offers a thorough explanation of the activities required at each time of the year. She clarifies subjects such as watering, mulching, weeding and harvesting. Through simple explanations, she succeeds in addressing the concerns of "serious" herb gardeners and of those who want just a few plants.
More than just a gardening book, this attractive volume also includes delicious-sounding recipes using herbs, instructions for various herbal crafts and methods for drying and freezing herbs. With its four-season coverage, "The Herb Gardener" is a book you will turn to throughout the year. - WENDY CLARK
Nelson Harris is minister of Ridgewood Baptist Church.
Wendy Clark is a Roanoke-area librarian.
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