unsure of himselfas a writer,and tornbetween a nation and a people . The firstchapterexamines the year 1939and Camus's tripto Kabylia , Algeria. Chapter 2 takes us to 1945 when Robert Brasillach's collaborationist activities landed him a death sentence and Camus signed a petitionto commute that sentence.Perhaps thechaptermost prone to gossip is chapter3, where Zaretskydescribes the events that led to theinfamousfalloutbetween Camus and Jean-Paul Sartrein 1952. Zaretsky'scriticaleye never allows the gossipy nature of that fallout to overtakethe importantfactthat the eventsof 1952 foreverchanged Camus and Sartre.Chapter4 is perhaps themostpersonalinregardsto Camus's life.This chapterlooks at theself-imposed silentstandCamus adopted in 1956 over the war in Algeria; a stand that a lot of critics and scholars today still fail to understand. Althougha shortreviewcannot really do justice to this wonderful book,itisworthnotingthatZaretsky handles the problematicfigureof Camus (both public and private) with grace and a willingness to understandthe motivationsbehind four key momentsin his life and the subsequent fallout fromthose moments.Zaretskyalso remindsus why Camus is morerelevanttoday thanever.Forthosebeginningtheir criticalinquiryinto Camus, this is a perfect place to start.For thoseof us who are alreadyfamiliar withhis work and the body of scholarship surroundingit, this is a welcome addition. Andrew Martino Southern NewHampshire University Miscellaneous Bill Barich. Long Way Home: On the Trail of Steinbeck's America. New York. Walker & Company. 2010. 240 pages. $26. isbn 978-0-8027-1754-2 After a decadeoflivingin Dublin, wherehe produced,amongother things, twospirited booksaboutIrelandthatexplorehorseracingand pubs,subjects deartotheIrish heart, BillBarich decided toreturn hometo California. A chance encounter with a copyofJohn Steinbeck's 1962Travels withCharley: In SearchofAmerica (1962), which hereaddecadesearlier as a teenager, inspired thecontext ofhishomeward journey, a meandering cross-country roadtripfrom NewYork City toSanFrancisco, and thesubject ofhislatest book. It must have been tempting to simplyfollowthetrailofSteinbeck 'stravelogue, butit'sclearfrom the outsetthatBarich'sobjective is aboutmorethanthat, and goes beyondhomageto Steinbeck - it's alsohomage towanderlust, transformation , mortality, andnative curiosity .He's notinterested in retracing Steinbeck's journey, butis everon thealertforSteinbeck's America (a country he loved,lamented, cooed over,and darkly criticized), weavingSteinbeck 's writing andthoughts intothenarrative with passagesthat givethework genuine heft. Differencesand similarities between bothjourneys setthetone. Steinbeck's was a circuitous round trip(eastcoastto westand back), lastingroughlytwiceas long as Barich's one-way east-to-west journey .Steinbeck traveled duringthe last phase of the Kennedy-Nixon presidential election,the country poised foran overhaul,and Barich duringthefinalweeksof the ì^bHHmbHHHBB Obama-McCainelection,another momentof potentialrenovation. Mindful of tensions afoot, driving through theheart ofthecountry, he getsa crashcoursein Balkanized American politicsand an irritated publicinflamed bytalkradio. Steinbeck hadhisfamous Rocinante - a custom-made Wolverine campershellfixedto thebed ofa three-quarter-ton pickup - butBarichmadehistrip ina humble Ford Focusrental. Steinbeck had French poodle Charleyas a companion; Barichtraveledalone. His tripis less relaxedthanSteinbeck's, and he packshistimewithencounters andsidetrips, constantly taking the pulseofa country heclearly loves, easilyengagingwithpeople from all backgrounds (a hallmark ofhis workingeneral), sensing thatperhaps something fundamental has changedduringhis absence,but hesitating to criticize too harshly before getting thewholestory. In theend,Barichseemsbetterequipped forculturalshocks and changesthanSteinbeck - perhaps his adaptability is whatdistinguishes theirgenerational differences . He reaches San Francisco, heart ofhisCalifornia roots (hefirst arrived thereduringtheeast-west hippiemigration ofthe1960s), just intimetowitness BarackObama's electionvictory. He's rejuvenated bythetrip (Steinbeck seemedworn downbyhis),gladtobe back,and readyforthenextphase. Casting a savvyeye on reality, he tethers hisexpectations towhathe knows abouthumanfailings and limitationsrather thanidealism(remaining hopeful and open-minded nonetheless). LongWayHomewill no doubtfulfill theexpectations of Barich'smanyfansand admirers, dedicated tohislucidprose, eyefor detail, andunerring curiosity. George Evans San Francisco NylaAHKhan. Islam,Women, and Violence in Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan. New York.Palgrave Macmillan . 2010. 234 pages, ill.$85. isbn9780 -230-10764-9 Kashmir manifests many ofthegeopoliticaltensionsin SouthAsia betweenPakistan and India,Islam andHinduism, nuclear waranddisarmament , British colonialism and postcolonialism, women'sempowermentand women's repression, incorporation and independence. Nyla Ali Khan,deftly combining ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and literary analyses,dramatizes these geopolitical tensions in theeveryday lives of the people of Kashmir (or the former princely state ofJammu and Kashmir ["J& K]"). Early inthebook,shediscusses Lalla -Ded's fourteenth-century poetic representations of the beautiful Himalayan valleyswhereKashmiri people dwell. AlthoughKashmir has a Muslimmajority, itspopulationincludessubstantial numbers of Buddhists and Hindus.In state formation, theJammu andKashmir NationalCongress adopteda more secular nationalistapproach that was laterchallenged by theforces of "religiousfundamentalism and exclusionary nationalism." Various transfers ofpower, mostly undemocratic , haveoccurred inthecolonial and postcolonialperiods,resultingin Kashmir beinga setting for political factionalism...