The New A to Z of Women's Health

The latest edition of The Encyclopedia of Women's Health will not disappoint librarians seeking a current, compact, readily understandable resource for people interested in women's health issues. It continues its tradition as a trustworthy guide through a complex, often overwhelming sea of gender-relative information. The volume provides more than 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries. Their length ranges from a line or two to multiple pages. The encyclopedia not only clarifies but it also empowers by offering women effective, no-nonsense tools. Within the Breast cancer entry, for example, is a table that asks, "If You Have Breast Cancer, Does Your Physician/Surgeon:"; completing that phrase is a checklist of 16 questions for patients to ask their health-care providers, such as "Use local anesthesia for a biopsy if a woman requests it?" and "Encourage patients to get a second opinion about alternative procedures?"Several detailed black-and-white drawings clearly enhance the efficacy of accompanying text.