Books published by publisher Edwin Mellen Pr

With Gikuyu and English texts presented on facing pages, this volume explores the practice and cultural meaning of male and female ritual circumcision as revealed in an ancient circumcision song of the Gikuyu people of Kenya. Independent researcher Osotsi also seeks to explore the way the song is used as a manner of education through ritual. The bulk of the text is taken up by the bi-lingual presentation of 489 stanzas of the Muumburo na Irua . Before the presentation of the stanzas she explains the context of the ritual and argues that it plays a vital part in the transition to adulthood among those who have retained traditional cultural values. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A collection of 11 essays on Steinbeck's novel, The Winter of Our Discontent , offering views that weigh its merits on theoretical grounds and elucidating its wide appeal for audiences both in this country and abroad. All essays but one are published here for the first time. This volume takes up the tradition of Steinbeck scholarship begun by the Steinbeck Quarterly ; the next yearbook will focus on Steinbeck and the Arthurian tradition. The editor is affiliated with Taylor University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This is the first empirical study to examine the complicated relationship between voice and masculinity for young male singers.It has long been known that singing is perceived as an 'uncool' activity by many boys, a source of angst for those concerned with development of music and the equal participation of the two genders. Boys' attitudes toward singing disadvantage them significantly. The 'uncool' image relates to the frequent confusion of the unchanged, high voice of young males with that of the female high voice and it is commonly imagined that boys' antipathy is towards 'sounding like a girl.'The study has looked simultaneously at the core fields of masculinity and singing and concludes that this is an over-simplification. It is also necessary to take into account differences between the boy child and the older boy who begins to undergo voice change from about the age of ten. Whilst drawing on the literature of both disciplines, it is primarily an empirical study that has obtained the views of young performers about their audiences, and the views of young audiences about the performers. These confirm the imperative of creating singing opportunities for the 10-14 age group that permit an authentic construction of boyhood that is distinct from children's singing.