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THE BETRAYAL OF HEALTH

Name: THE BETRAYAL OF HEALTH
Author: Joseph D. Beasley
ISBN: 0-8129-1897-5

THE IMPACT OF NUTRITION, ENVIRONMENT, AND LIFESTYLE ON ILLNESS IN AMERICA

by Joseph D. Beasley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1991

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An argument for a systems-approach to health that looks at ``the full spectrum of ills that are afflicting our planet, from the destruction of the seas and rain forests to the compromising of the human immune system.'' Beasley is director of Bard College Center's Institute of Health Policy and Practice. A distillation of a hefty 300,000-word Kellogg Foundation report (1989) on some ten years of Beasley's research, the result is a readable text that nevertheless still often overwhelms with disturbing data on the state of our planet and our species. Beasley examines the factors whose interaction largely determines our health: genetics, environment, nutrition—and lifestyle, which includes level of stress, physical activity, psychological attitudes, chemical dependencies, sexual behavior, exposure to violence, and patterns of sleeping, eating, and working. He then takes a critical look at the limitations of modern medicine's symptom/disease-oriented approach to illness, recommending instead a return to a more broad-based ``naturalistic'' approach to health, in which medical schools would provide sophisticated training in nutrition, environmental impacts, toxicology, addictions, and counseling of patients in order to prevent disease, not simply to diagnose and treat it. Beasley concludes with recommendations that individuals take certain steps to ensure good health—eliminating or reducing harmful habits, becoming knowledgeable about self-care, avoiding toxic substances in the environment, and improving nutrition. A disheartening look at the hazards to health we all face, and an urgent appeal to the medical community—and to the individual—to take action to deal with this sea of troubles.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1991

ISBN: 0-8129-1897-5

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Times/Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.