THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411150548
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
ALONGSHORE
JOHN R. STILGOE
Yale University Press.
Readers missing summer beach fun should find perfect Alongshore by John R. Stilgoe, a Harvard professor in the history of landscape.
Alongshore is a detailed account of the coastal zone. The book includes provocative material on such diverse topics as hazards, treasures and bikinis and more than readers will want on arcane matters such as wharves. It is replete with illustrations, ranging from cartographers' representations of the New World's coast to picture postcards spanning the 20th century.
Stilgoe provides striking insights about the coastal area and its inhabitants - animal, vegetable and mineral. (For example, he amply documents the dangers that await people who fail to respect seacoast perils.) Relying on historical materials, literary information, scientific data, artifacts of popular culture and sociological work, Stilgoe weaves together interdisciplinary ideas and multiple media such as paintings, posters and magazine advertisements. In short, Alongshore provides an intelligent reader's guide to the coast.
But several caveats are warranted. Individuals unfamiliar with the coastal realm may find the book too disconnected or obscure. Stilgoe insufficiently treats the importance of this area's delicate, critical habitat for many creatures and the ongoing battles over its future. Readers might also find that Stilgoe is self-indulgent or a bit too pedantic. But those seeking autumnal reminders of the coast will find Alongshore absorbing.
- CARL TOBIAS
STALKED
A True Story
LA VONNE SKALIAS WITH BARBARA DAVIS
The Summit Group. 265 pp. $19.95.
The book jacket reads like pulp fiction, but the story inside is true and heroic. Stalked: A True Story, written by La Vonne Skalias and Barbara Davis, details Skalias' 12 years of torment by Lanny Bevers, her rapist and stalker. Almost as frightening as her ordeal is the criminal justice system's deplorable response to Skalias' pleas for protection.
In 1977 Skalias was raped by Bevers in her own home. Seven years later he returned to avenge his imprisonment. Despite requesting prior notification, Skalias was not warned of Bevers' early release on parole - the first of many times the system fails her.
In a gruesome and relentless attack, Bevers rapes and mutilates Skalias. She provides the police with Bevers' name, but the investigation is botched and he is not charged with the crime. Five years later Bevers is brought to trial and sentenced to life in prison.
In the interim, Skalias' life has been destroyed. Her personal relationships, job and peace of mind have disintegrated. But with the help of support groups, including the Victim Assistance Office (where she meets Davis), she learns how to use the system, protect her rights and gain control.
Behind the graphic details and explicit language of Stalked is an inspirational story of an extraordinary woman who refused to be victimized. Skalias was instrumental in passing Texas' Anti-Stalking Bill. She has won her long, uphill battle - for now. In 2005, Bevers will again be eligible for release from prison.
- BRITT RENO by CNB