Full Text Review(s)
[Group 4]
"The Drugs series consists of four well-organized, attractively illustrated, current, and highly informative books: The A-Z of Drugs, Drugs and Society, Drugs and the Body, and Drug Dependence to Treatment . In all of the books, the authors introduce and define terms, explain basic anatomy, physiology, cell biology, and biochemistry as needed, make helpful practical comparisons, give examples, and review research and statistics, laws, and recent trends. Each volume typically has tables, charts, time lines, color photographs and images, a glossary, notes, a section with further information, a bibliography that includes the addresses of Web sites, a detailed index, and a brief blurb about the author. The A-Z of Drugs , by Corinne Naden, discusses classifications, scientific and street names, how the drugs are obtained, medical and illicit uses, the potential for dependency, social and legal dangers, and withdrawal symptoms for anabolic steroids, codeine, ecstasy, hamma-hydroxy-butric acid (GHB), ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana, nicotine, opiates, phenocyclohexylpiperidine (PCP), Ritalin, Rohypnol, and more. Drugs and Society , by Joan Axelrod-Contrada, includes historical background on tobacco, opium in China, alcohol, morphine and cocaine, aspirin and heroin, international treaties, prohibition, crime, legalization, pop culture, risk factors, gender, brain function, home drug testing, treatment, and prevention. In Drugs and the Body , Lorrie Klosterman uses technical vocabulary to describe the specific actions of depressants, antidepressants, opiates, steroids, and stimulants on the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. Drug Dependence to Treatment , also by Klosterman, clarifies substance use, abuse, and dependence; personal and economic costs; intervention; rehabilitation programs; and recovery. She includes many "In Their Own Words" testimonials about being dependent, quitting, getting treatment, relapsing, and staying clean, as well as kids’ advice to parents. There is some necessary repetition within and among the volumes, but this allows each book to be used effectively as a stand-alone volume. I recommend the entire series highly for students from junior high through high school."

[The Facts about Amphetamines]
"These useful volumes are attractively packaged and will be of interest to report writers and general readers. Texts and photos do an excellent job of showing how each group of drugs affects the body. All three volumes include charts, diagrams, shaded boxes, and photographs to aid in understanding. Some of the sidebars are personal stories, which are interesting but not documented so they may be fictionalized. Depressants includes general information and history, and concentrates on the variety of drugs on the market and addresses their medicinal uses and abuse. LSD and Amphetamines cover the history of the drugs, how they affect the body, legal issues, abuse, withdrawal, and treatment. Amphetamines has the most information on how to get help for addiction."

*"This set has a book dedicated to each of five subjects: alcohol, steroids, ecstasy, marijuana, and inhalants. Divisional organization varies from book to book but includes symptoms of use, a history of the abuse, the scope of the abuse, damage to the body, actual cases that resulted in death, help for the abusers, legal ramifications, and pros and cons about possible beneficial effects of use. For example, Marijuana discusses medical uses of the plant and notes that in 1762, hemp production was so necessary to the American economy that the Virginia legislature imposed penalties on farms that did not raise it. The books take a balanced approach and are not preachy. Alcohol , for example, gives the beneficial, as well as the harmful, aspects of drinking and makes a point of differentiating between young users and adults. Inhalants points out how ancient the abuse has been, noting that some Delphian oracles died from it and the painter Dante Gabriel Rosetti was addicted to ether and died prematurely as a result. All of these topics are of interest to teen readers and researchers. All of the books would be used often in the high school library media center and would be a valuable addiction to any collection. Glossary. Bibliography, Index. Highly Recommended. " STARRED REVIEW

[The Facts about Alcohol, The Facts about Steroids, The Facts about Inhalants]
"Gottfried includes historical aspects of alcohol and society, including humans’ first experimentations with fermentation, Prohibition, and the temperance movement; related laws and legislation; and definition, causes, treatment, and effects. Levert discusses the effets of steroids on the body, health risks, the law, prevention, and treatment. The medicinal use of steroids is very briefly mentioned. Menhard addresses the types of inhalants, the history, dangers, effects, available help for abuse of these drugs, and the laws regulating them. All three titles have readable, well-organized texts, and good use of color, graphics, photographs, tables, diagrams, and labels helps to spark readers’ interest. Many of the sidebars are stories of people affected by these drugs. Addresses for organizations that can help are appended. Balanced, quality discussions attractively packaged."