Narcotics: Dangerous Painkillers

Children's Literature - Joyce Rice

Narcotics are drugs that are given by doctors to their patients when the patient is in a great deal of pain. Drugs can be of great use when they are taken according to the doctor's directions. Drugs can also cause great damage when they are taken without a doctor's advice or supervision. Narcotics come from a variety of sources. Some come from plants like poppies. Others are synthetic, and are made in a laboratory. As part of the "Drug Abuse Prevention Library" series, this text presents facts about drugs and includes a glossary, an index, reading recommendations, and telephone numbers and addresses for agencies that deal with drug abuse.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Two more series entries-one useful, the other not. Narcotics hints that it will discuss the medical uses for narcotics but ends up duplicating many other titles, giving a history of illegal drugs, warnings on abuse and addiction, and advice on how to get help. Prozac is more successful, exploring the drug's role in treating depression and encouraging psychiatric supervision of its use. The author also addresses overprescription and adverse reactions. Both titles include short case histories; dark black-and-white photographs; and a list of appropriate associations with phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Web sites.-Martha Gordon, formerly at South Salem Library, NY