by Ian Dowbiggin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2003
Well-researched and evenhanded: a valuable contribution to the literature.
A history of the euthanasia movement in the US from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, tracing the tangle of philosophical, cultural, social, religious, and political forces that have shaped it.
Dowbiggin (History/Univ. of Prince Edward Island) finds the impetus for America’s euthanasia movement in Social Darwinism and the Progressive movement, which helped to undermine traditional religious beliefs. Although a Chicago surgeon’s refusal to operate on a badly deformed baby brought national press coverage to the subject of euthanasia in 1915, it was not until 1938 that the Euthanasia Society of America (ESA) was founded and began its campaign to legalize mercy killing. Dowbiggin, who had access to the ESA’s archives, documents the long years of cultural war between the ESA, imbued with Unitarianism and Humanism, and the Roman Catholic church. Along the way, he explores the links between euthanasia and other social causes, such as birth control and abortion rights. From interviews with many of the movement’s leaders, Dowbiggin illuminates the tensions within the ESA as interest shifted from the legalization of mercy killing to the right to refuse unwanted medical treatment and as a West Coast grassroots activism challenged the leadership of a New York social-reformist elite. He shows how the euthanasia movement was affected by the rise of the women’s movement, by the dramatic increase in AIDS deaths, by media coverage of the troubling Karen Ann Quinlan and Nancy Cruzan cases, and by the problematic public actions of Dr. Kevorkian. He follows the adoption of living will laws across the nation and the contentious fight over legalization of assisted suicide as it unfolded in Oregon, Michigan, and Maine. It’s clear from his account that public debate over the right to die is likely to continue for years to come, and the outcome is by no means certain.
Well-researched and evenhanded: a valuable contribution to the literature.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-19-515443-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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