Drinking

From School Library Journal Grade 5-10?Seasoned social-issues writer Pringle writes again about risky business. Like his Smoking (Morrow, 1996), this book opens with a history of the issue. It identifies alcohol's earliest known use and traces its development and continued used to present day. A discussion follows on alcohol's harmful physical, mental, and emotional effects, including the devastating toll of alcoholism on individuals, families, and society. To this point, the volume is not much different from other titles on the subject, such as Judy Monroe's Alcohol (Enslow, 1994); however, Pringle's chapters on the history of the U.S. temperance movement and the economic side of the alcohol industry set his book apart. He stresses that, in addition to being risky business, alcohol is also "big business" in terms of taxation, legislation, employment, and advertising. The book concludes with a discussion of the risks of alcohol use for young people and offers practical advice on getting help with drinking problems. A variety of back-and-white photos, charts, drawings, and reproductions support the text, although some are repetitive of those found in other titles on this subject. Readable and well organized, Drinking should be useful to those seeking personal information as well as those writing reports.?Sheila G. Shellabarger, Fordham Health Sciences Library, Wright State University, Dayton, OHCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Laurence Pringle, whom the