Full Text Review(s)
[Abortion; Patients’ Rights] -"Abortion features chapters on the history of the debate, the politics surrounding the subject, rape and incest, and medical issues. Similar in scope to Kathlyn Gay’s Abortion: Understanding the Debate (Enslow, 2004), this book offers more detail about such subjects as how various religions view abortion and how race also affects abortion rates and attitudes. Patients’ Rights covers topics like stem-cell research, managed care, and physician-assisted suicide. Both books strive for a balanced tone while providing an abundance of examples and factual information. Many captioned color photos enhance the texts. Clearly written, these titles will satisfy general readers as well as students doing research. "

[Marriage] -"Streissguth discusses media bias throughout American history, from the first newspaper in 1690 to use of the Internet and other new forums, pointing out how they shape public opinion of political issues, and vice versa. He shows how political affiliations of the news providers mold what we hear and read. The information will be useful to those who are beginning to pay attention to politics and popular opinions in television news, radio broadcasting, print, and blogs. Each section contains definitions of commonly used terms in politically driven news stories, such as "right" and "left," and single-page boxes focusing on various individuals and news items, such as Edward R. Murrow’s broadcasts that helped to end Senator McCarthy’s Communist hunt. The book describes efforts of major newspapers and networks to move toward presenting investigation-based news rather than propagation of biases, and warns readers to consult various sources in order to best discern the truth. Media coverage of war and political scandals, and the future of media bias, are also discussed. This is an appropriate support for classroom debates. –Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH"

[Animal Testing] -"Judson discusses the history, science, and ethical ramifications of animal testing and explains the new laws related to it. She covers the organizations against it and their methods of protest, and alternatives to testing. Throughout the book, bulleted information offers explanations and clarification. Side boxes, quotes, full-color photographs, and black-and-white reproductions appear throughout. A useful addition for research.-Gail E. Wellman, East Middle School, Binghamton, NY"

[Censorship, Civil Liberties] -"These titles use case studies to explain current and often-volatile issues. Censorship discusses restricting the Internet, book censorship, hate speech, and motion-picture ratings. A center section called "You Be the Judge" asks students to debate specific real-life scenarios. Civil Liberties looks at privacy, the Patriot Act, and flag burning. The content is outlined in a logical manner, beginning with a broad definition of the terms, followed by discussions of more specific topics. The writing is clear and factual and presents both sides of the arguments. Each chapter raises pertinent and difficult questions for readers to consider as they form their own opinions. Historical references in the texts make connections between past events and current issues. Both books are valuable for classroom and individual use. Though similar to the "Opposing Viewpoints" series (Gale), they take the debate a step further by offering the facts and asking readers to form their personal views."

[Capital Punishment, Gun Control] -"These series entries use an organized and accessible approach to examine controversial and current social issues. In Capital Punishment, the author discusses how to make the death-penalty system more just and humane and then moves on to present the history of the debate and the viewpoints of those who support and oppose the practice. Full-color photographs, graphs and sidebars illustrate the facts and concepts presented. For example, the copy of Timothy McVeigh’s final defiant hand-written statement and the graph showing the trend of executions in the U.S from 1953-2000 are strong visual statements. The factor of race in death-penalty cases and executions is also discussed. Gun Control presents a balanced overview of the topic by discussing the Second Amendment, history of legislation, and various concerns such as school shootings and gun makers and dealers. References are made to the DC sniper attaches and Michael Moore’s film Bowling for Columbine."