Collaborate or Perish!, by William Bratton and Zachary Tumin (Crown Business), demonstrates how even in today's cutthroat political economy, the calling for businesses, government, and engaged citizens to work together has never been more urgent. The authors illustrate how collaboration trumps ruthless competi- tion in case study after case study. As the twin towers collapsed on 9/11, metal I-beams knifed through the NYSE's subterranean telecom infrastructure. Rather than allow the global econ- omy to fall to its knees, competing Wall Street firms joined forces to invest in one of the most secure fiber- optic networks in existence. In a revealing moment, Bratton, who was the police commissioner from 1994-1996, describes how diverse groups came together to fight crime in NYC. Much to then Mayor Giuliani's chagrin, the press touted Bratton as the man behind the plan. Caught in the political crossfire, Bratton found himself ousted by city hall. Bratton and Tumi's main point here is simple: In conquering the most pressing challenges, it doesn?t matter who gets the credit. At the end of the day, major solutions require everyone to pitch in.
The Coral Sea
by Patti Smith (W.W. Norton), is more a lyrical montage than prose. This reissue offers a new introduction and poems to further color Smith?s homage to the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. While the introduction and new work
brim with sadness at the still-tender wound of her companion's passing, they fuse seamlessly with the portrait of Mapplethorpe to follow. Smith's lyrical imagery is as visual as the accompanying photographs, and the dreamlike vision of Mapplethorpe that emerges is equally vivid. He comes off as whimsical and defiant, full of life, but quickly expires from a raging fever while on a quest to see the Southern Cross. Smith paints this mythical voyage in words that are both fierce and musical, a deeply poetic dirge stripping Mapplethorpe of his public face, showing him as a flawed mortal. The book moves swiftly along as Mapplethorpe journeys forth, taking along the reader, who can easily devour the work in one sitting.
Concierge Confidential by Michael Fazio with Michael Malice (St. Martin's Griffin), takes you up to the velvet rope and beyond. Welcome to the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour. Fazio reveals all the inner mechanisms involved in getting the rich and famous the extravagant items and bizarre accommodations they demand. Whether it is chartering a private helicopter ride to Atlantic City for an Eastern European man with a briefcase full of cash, soliciting an off-the-books doctor's visit for a debutante with an embarrassing VD, or simply snagging the private cell number of the maître d? at Trough, Fazio relates all the tricks of the trade with hilarious anecdotes. The book brims with tips for scoring that exclusive ticket to a Broadway show, along with sordid celebrity stories that will make you feel like a Manhattan insider.
The Darlings , by Cristina Alger (Pamela Dorman Books/ Viking), is a financial thriller set in palatial East Hampton estates and the headquarters of the flushest hedge funds that is right on the money. Alger has plumbed one of the most pressing events of a generation-the 2008 financial collapse-and has tapped into a host of psyches: a workaholic CEO, a privileged daughter loathe to lift a finger, a corrupt SEC official, an ambitious Princeton grad toiling away as a low-level assistant. Each character's thread is gently tugged upon until they slowly become entangled in a Ponzi scheme of Madoff proportions. Perhaps even more satisfying than the suspense Alger builds over the course of the novel is the deft little twist she serves up in the epilogue.
