A BREATH OF AIR AND A BREATH OF SMOKE

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 1971

Not until the second half of the book does Dr. Marr get around to detailing the dangers of smoking. The groundwork is laid through an introduction to the functioning of the Respiratory System by way of silhouetted insides reminiscent of a Bufferin commercial. This method, making the reader aware of the bronchioles and alveoli which are the nuts and bolts of respiration, may be an effective way to stress the unpleasantness of the habit, but the schematic drawings -- showing, for example, a pair of bright blue hands to demonstrate the effects of poor circulation -- add little to its success. Though mentioning the fact that nicotine can be addictive, like a ""bad drug,"" (see The Good Drug and the Bad Drug [1970]) Marr does not venture into the psychological or social aspects of smoking, and the references to air pollution (which he ostensibly includes in the category of smoke) seem to be afterthoughts. Thoroughly unattractive in appearance and with none of the specifics of Terry and Horn's To Smoke or Not to Smoke (1969).

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Evans

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION