Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy, by Noam Chomsky, Metropolitan Books, 2006, $24.00, 311 pp. Has America failed as a democracy? Have America's foreign and environmental policies failed the world? Every progressive's favorite naysayer Noam Chomsky makes compelling arguments that we have.

Falling Up, by Shel Silverstein, HarperCollins, 1996, 171 pp. Silverstein is not your typical children's writer. He makes leaps and bounds most adults wouldn't dare, and his young audience keeps right up with him. A talented illustrator, his images are the best thing in this book; next to his poems, that is.

Fame, by Andy Warhol, Random House, 2018, $1.50, 56 pp. In 1975 The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $15.99) was published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Part biography, part tabloid interview, the Manhattan-based artist shares his thoughts on love, fame, jewelry and Mussolini Stadium, among other topics. A non-conformist, Warhol lived his life as he pleased, shocking the conventional while drawing out the less conformed to society's norms. He was, in the sense of Oscar Wilde's definition of the term, wicked: "Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others." In 2018, Penguin Modern (an impression of Random House) published Fame, a compilation of choice excerpts from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. It is number 47 in the series.

Fanatics & Fools: The Game Plan for Winning Back America, by Arianna Huffington, Miramax Books, 2004, $23.95, 370 pp. In this, Huffington offers a 10-point game plan to fix the system that suffers fanatics (right-wing conservatives) and fools (apathetic liberals).
The Fantastic Four in the House of Horrors, #2019, by William Johnston, Whitman Publishing Co., 1968, .39, 249 pp. The Fantastic Four are good at working together. When faced with insurmountable odds they put their heads together and come up with a battle plan to win the day. One win might require the specific toolset Reed brings to the table; another might rely on Ben's. A third requires Sue to carry the day, while a fourth is suited for Johnny's talents. By working together - and being as flexible mentally as Mr. Fantastic is physically - they're able to mitigate threats, and together, secure the win. Hooray! A BIG LITTLE BOOK.

Faulkner: Novels, 1926-1929, Soldiers' Pay, Mosquitoes, Flags in the Dust, and The Sound and the Fury, edited by Noel Polk and Joseph Blotner, Random House, 2006, $40.00, 1180 pp. Faulkner: Novels 1926-1929 contains the American literary master's early works, including Mosquitoes, a revealing study of classism in 1920s New Orleans, and The Sound and the Fury which rates #6 on Modern Library's list of 100 best English-language novels of the 20th-century.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson, Warner Books, 1982, $3.95, 208 pp. From the opening line to the closing paragraph, this book chronicles how many elicit drugs a man can get away with pumping into his system. Far from the mindless ramblings one might expect from such an account, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is highly entertaining, wildly psychedelic and a damn good piece of work. It's the Grateful Dead on a gambling junket. Groovily illustrated by Ralph Steadman.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories, by Hunter S. Thompson, Random House, 1996, $24.00, 283 pp. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is highly entertaining and wildly psychedelic. Strange Rumblings in Aztlan borders on the paranormal, and The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved makes its point. These stories are classic Thompson.

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, Ballantine Books, 1984, $2.95, 527 pp. Part One of The Lord of the Rings, this story follows Frodo Baggins and his companions on an adventure as big as Middle Earth - that's the land this fantasy takes place in - itself. Frodo is in possession of a ring that in the wrong hands would enable an evil ruler to destroy Good. Ultimately, this tale boils down to individual liberty versus big bad organized (crime, business, government) Evil.

The Feminine Face of Buddhism, by Gill Farrer-Halls, Quest Books, 2002, $19.95, 144 pp. In a shout-out to female Buddhists everywhere, The Feminine Face chronicles the contributions of women to the Buddhist faith. From contemporary achievers to historical figures to mythological deities, Farrer-Halls leaves no stone female unturned.

The Fencepost Chronicles, by W.P. Kinsella, HarperPerennial, 1995, $14.00, 225 pp. From the author of The Dixon Cornbelt League comes this delightful collection of stories from the hinterlands of Alberta, Canada. Kinsella has a knack for capturing the essence of the Native Americans he writes about and delivering it to us with exuberance, wit and a generosity seldom encountered in writers today.
A Field Companion For Wandering: A Book For Being Lost on Real and Imagined Borders, by Conner Bouchard-Roberts, Winter texts, 2022, $19.95, 170 pp. This, the third iteration of Wandering, gives the sense the author's finally gotten it right. It's filled with essays and musings that read like poetry masquerading as prose; prose disguised as poems. The result is an ethereal journey on the subject of travel with ample food for thought.

Financial Control For the Small Business, by Michael M. Coltman, Self-Counsel Press, 1982, $5.50, 119 pp. Self-Counsel Press brings the consumer everything from business solutions to domestic self-divorce kits. In this book, Coltman - he holds an MBA and is head of Hospitality and Tourism at BCIT - delivers the nuts, bolts and screws of controlling your own business. Written in plain English, you'll wonder why topics like depreciation and semi-fixed costs ever made your head spin.

The First Book of Swords, by Fred Saberhagen, TOR, 1983, $2.95, 309 pp. Saberhagen has forged foretelling into an art. In The First Book of Swords, he craftily sets the stage of events to come through a dream. The dreamer's name is Mala, and it is revealed to her that her son has been chosen by the gods to take up a sword placed in her husband's care by a god named Vulcan, to lead Mala's people. Humans are low men on the totem pole in this society of gods and giants, and nobody - even the gods themselves - are fully aware of the implications of a man ruler.

Fish & Seafood Cooking, edited by Jane Solmson, Bari Books, 1983, 64 pp. Part of the Kim's Culinary series of cookbooks, Fish & Seafood offers a wide variety of methods for preparing fish. Includes handy conversion tables for the metrically inclined.

The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq, by Christopher and Robert Scheer, and Lakshmi Chaudhry, Seven Stories Press, 2003, $9.95, 176 pp. As the occupation of Iraq unravels, so do many of the statements made by the White House against the former regime. A case of bad intelligence or deliberate manipulation of American emotions? The authors state their case for the latter in The Five Biggest Lies.

Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids and Life in a Half-Changed World, by Peggy Orenstein, Anchor Books, 2003, $14.00, 338 pp. Although the women's movement has gained ground in the last century, for many a level playing field remains elusive. With hundreds of interviews of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, Flux examines how modern females navigate obstacles in their personal and professional lives.

The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and the World, by John Robbins, Conari Press, 2001, $18.00, 447 pp. This is a handy guide to modern food choices. It covers popular diets, genetically modified Frankenstein produce, mad cow disease and other health effects of the foods we eat. Both the dangers and benefits of our grocery choices are discussed.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf, by Ntozake Shange, Scribner, 1997, $12.00, 80 pp. Setting poetry to dance, Shange introduced an entirely fresh genre to the stage with Colored Girls. First produced in 1976, the "choreopoem" (a term coined by her) focuses on the challenges faced by women of color. Totally original.

Forbidden Truth: The US-Taliban Secret Oil Diplomacy and the Failed Hunt for Bin Laden, by J.C. Brisard and G. Dasquie, Avalon Publishing Group, 2002, $12.95, 208 pp. Conspiracy theorists will love this tale of Kingdoms, broken nations and terrorists. It reveals risky business relationships between subsequent US administrations and the Saudi government, Islamic charities and Osama bin Laden. It's told with expertise only Brisard could provide; he wrote the first intelligence report on Al Qaeda's charity-funded financial network.

Forgotten Factors, by Roy Hession, Christian Literature Crusade, 1985, 109 pp. Marketed as an aid to deeper repentance of sexual misbehavior, the forgotten factors of this book involve self-loathing and a good deal of guilt in order to appreciate. According to its author (who uses the Bible as his authority) you must feel like shit before fully participating in God's grace. This book is for circles in which sex is still a dirty little secret.

Four More Wars!, by Mike Luckovich, ECW Press, 2006, $16.95, 248 pp. Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Luckovich offers a collection of six years' worth of political digs in Four More Wars! He also includes insightful anecdotes on Washington politics.
Four Plays By Eugene Ionesco, translated by Donald M. Allen, Grove Press, 1958, $1.95, 160 pp. When it comes to shining a mirror on the banality of human communication, no one does it better than Ionesco. Here he uses carnival mirrors. Includes: The Bald Soprano; The Lesson; Jack, or the Submission; and The Chairs.

Four Short Plays, by Mark Medoff, Dramatists Play Service, 1974, 90 pp. In this volume, Medoff offers up four for the theatre. He is an actors writer; at once lyrical, silly and poignant. Included here are The Froegle Dictum (a suicidal romp), Doing a Good One For the Red Man (a charitable farce), The Ultimate Grammar of Life (a satire on racial stereotyping) and The War on Tatem (a surreal exorcism). All are one act in length.

The Fran Lebowitz Reader, by Fran Lebowitz, Vintage Books, 1994, $16.95, 333 pp. The Fran Lebowitz Reader contains two of the satirists most popular works: Metropolitan Life and Social Studies. While Metropolitan marked her debut, Social Studies cemented her reputation as the ultimate wry New Yorker. No one and no subject is off limits, and if you're a fan of quirky wit fermented in the burroughs of New York City, The Reader is a must have.

Free For All: Defending Liberty in America Today, by Wendy Kaminer, Beacon Press, 2002, $16.00, 208 pp. A contrarian's contrarian, Kaminer examines what freedom means in a post-911 America. Uncovering factors actively eroding our civil liberties, the author can't stress enough the importance of not taking freedom for granted.

Fresh Choices: More Than 100 Easy Recipes for Pure Food When You Can't Buy 100% Organic, by D. Joachim and R. Davis, Rodale, 2004, $18.95, 305 pp. Eating healthy is about making good decisions, and Fresh Choices makes those decisions just a little bit easier by listing the pesticide levels of conventionally grown produce. Over 100 recipes.

The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century, edited by Robert McChesney, Russel Newman and Ben Scott, Seven Stories Press, 2005, $19.95, 376 pp. Without an informed public, democracy wilts. This is the concern behind The Future of Media, not a gloomy forecast in these pseudo-democratic times, but an encouraging battle plan by scholars and journalists to return the media to its original function: informing the public.

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