Alcohol

School Library Journal

ea. vol: 62p. diags. photogs. glossary. index. (Triumph: Understanding Drugs Series). Watts. 1987. PLB $11.90. Gr 4 Up The use and abuse of Alco hol with its resulting physical and mental health detriments are portrayed with vivid photography and graphics to illustrate the text. Stepney provides a description of the production of alco hol, the effects on the user, a summary fact file, and a drug profile, followed by a listing of sources for help. The writing style is conversational and rather choppy. Easier to read and more pictorially interesting than Lau rel Graeber's Are You Dying for a Drink? (Messner, 1985), Jane Clay pool's Alcohol and You (Watts, 1981; o.p.), or AlcoholProof of What? (Messner, 1976; o.p.) by Essie Lee, Alcohol is more comparable to Jane C. Miner's Alcohol and Teens (Messner, 1984). Tobacco replicates the same format and style. The information is hard-hitting, declaring tobacco to be by far the most damaging of drugs. Graphic depictions are given of the diseases resulting from tobacco use along with the hazards of second-hand smoking. Intended for the younger reader than Gilda Berger's Smoking Not Allowed: the Debate (Watts, 1987) and more current than Madison's Smoking and You (Messner, 1975; o.p.), Stepney's book has a broader focus than Casewit's Stop Smoking Book for Teens (Messner, 1980; o.p.). Sue Diehl, Robertsville Junior High School, Oak Ridge, Tenn.