Teens & Tobacco: A Fatal Attraction

Grade 9 Up?If a well-presented argument can prevent anyone from smoking, this book is a good one to use as it's better than most. Lang and Marks address the issues of how and why young people start smoking, tobacco advertising directed at them, health and financial costs associated with tobacco, as well as changing societal attitudes toward its use. Following each chapter is a first-person narrative by a teen who has succumbed to the habit. Quoting frequently from the 1994 Surgeon General's report on tobacco use among young people, the authors present passionate and reasoned information, but the personal stories seem to contradict the unspoken purpose of the book?that information and education will prevent people from smoking. Most teens quoted indicate a knowledge of its dangers, but choose to do it anyway. The authors acknowledge that lack of information is not the problem, but how to get teens to commit themselves to a healthy lifestyle remains unresolved. With its up-to-date statistics, this title is an excellent resource for reports. It has a higher reading level and more facts and figures than Rob Stepney's Tobacco (Watts, 1987; o.p.).?Lois McCulley, Wichita Falls High School, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 7^-12. Packed with statistics and heavily footnoted yet written in a conversational tone, this book is ideal for reports. After some historical perspective on smoking, the authors examine such topics as the attraction of tobacco, particularly for teens; advertising tactics; health-related costs; and current challenges to the tobacco industry. The chapters are separated by brief profiles of teen smokers, who talk about how they smoke and what they would say to teens contemplating that first cigarette. Drawing on a variety of current documents, books, and articles, the authors emphatically make their point regarding the medical risks associated with smoking. Unfortunately, the curious, modernistic dust jacket (a crayon illustration of a drugged-looking teen smoking a cigarette, set against a stark black background) conjures scenes of satanic rituals and may even seem oddly humorous to some teens. Debbie Carton