Eating Disorders: Library Edition (Overview series)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-An exceptionally balanced and well-written look at the varying facets and concerns surrounding this emotional and controversial issue. Bloyd distinguishes between passive, active, and physician-assisted suicide and discusses related topics for each. Chapters focus on the individual's right to die and on highly publicized court cases, as well as on living wills and durable powers of attorney. Also included are considerations and procedures to be followed when making a life choice for others and an extended focus on substituted judgment, tube feeding, handicapped infants, and the ethical considerations involved. The author also looks at the physician's role and recent research and writings of medical ethicists, and discusses Kevorkian's philosophy. Overviews are presented for support groups such as the Hemlock Society and Compassion in Dying. The concluding chapter ties everything together and makes brief mention of alternatives to euthanasia such as hospice care. The text is supported with black-and-white photographs and political cartoons that extend and elucidate the subject at hand. Appendixes include a brief discussion of ``Euthanasia around the World'' and a sample living will. Bloyd's title is more inclusive than Elaine Landau's The Right to Die (Watts, 1993) and comparable to Kathlyn Gay's The Right to Die (Millbrook, 1993); it serves as a stepping stone to the more complex Euthanasia (Greenhaven, 1995).-Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland

Mary Harris Veeder

Readers may have only a fuzzy idea of what euthanasia is; Bloyd's book brings the concept into focus--in actual lives. The number of cases discussed, the photographs, the editorial cartoons, and the spectrum of views presented all make clear why euthanasia is "troubling." Teens preparing for debates or reacting to the needs of their own family members will find much information as well as get a sense of the people involved. Appendixes provide book and journal references, and Bloyd includes a glossary and a list of organizations representing different points of view. A substantial look at a complex subject.