From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-These overviews of topics currently in the news are easy to read and understand. Issues are covered without bias, and solutions or measures to alleviate the problems are reviewed. However, Police Brutality has several typos and does not flow smoothly. It is up-to-date, covering the Rodney King case and its aftermath, and includes a history of law enforcement and its problems in the United States. It is similar to Paul Almonte's Police, People and Power (Crestwood, 1992), but much less complete than William Dudley's Police Brutality (Greenhaven, 1991). Cheney offers a sobering look at the battles young adults face once they get involved with drugs. It is striking, and will attract teen attention because of the inclusion of personal accounts. There is a short list of signs of addiction and where to get help. One chapter entitled "Lauren" is a shortened account of the saga of Chris Campbell, which is fully recounted in her book, No Guarantees (New Discovery, 1993), bu no citation to that book is given. This is similar to Gilda Berger's "Straight Talk about Drugs" series (Millbrook), but with simplified similar stories all in one volume. Euthanasia is well written, and would be excellent for someone with no background in the subject. The history of the controversy is included, and the events that shaped the debate (Quinlan and Cruzan) are discussed. Organizations to contact are included, but there is no list for further reading. Two boxed segments succinctly explain persistent vegetative state and Alzheimer's disease. The legal and moral problems involved in both active and passive euthanasia and Dr. Kevorkian are covered. Kathleen Gay's The Right to Die (Millbrook, 1993) is similar, but Jussim's book is easier to read. Photographs in all three books are merely decorative, breaking up the texts without adding substance to them.
Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Seven pseudonymous first-person accounts from young adults of varied backgrounds (impersonated by models in the b&w photos), each followed by questions and answers pertaining to the drug discussed. Many of the stories rehearse basic knowledge, but some go a bit deeper, e.g., by pointing out the added dangers of drugs during pregnancy. Most of the youngsters are in shaky recovery. Common patterns are striking: lying; parents in denial and/or turmoil; out-of-control behavior as a side effect--e.g., rape or trashing buildings. The simultaneous appeal and impotence of rehabilitation are also stressed--it takes just a single AA meeting to make one boy yearn passionately to get clean, yet he realizes that despair is still a drink away. Curiously, one of the vignettes is the same story Chris Campbell tells under her own name in No Guarantees (p. 657). Are there confessional YA groupies, like talk-show guests who skim from show to show? Resources; bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
