This Drinking Nation

Harris, Jonathan

ISBN 10: 0027427447 ISBN 13: 9780027427448

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1994

Provides a thought-provoking look at the problem of alcohol and problem drinking in America, discussing current public perceptions of alcohol, its impact on young people's lives, and the history of drinking in the United States.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 6 Up-Well researched and well documented, This Drinking Nation will spark both discussion and aid research as it presents the role of alcohol throughout American history. From colonial times to the present, alcohol has caused dilemmas for the American public in terms of economy, morals, and legalities. In a lively style, Harris discloses and develops facts fully and with careful neutrality and leaves readers with fascinating considerations. Of particular interest are the implications of the codes of advertising and the continual violations of those very codes by an industry driven, like any other, by economic considerations. This book is thought-provoking, and readers will be struck by our country's continual cycle of indulgence and abstinence and by the constant historical misrepresentation of research on alcohol use and abuse by both "wets" and "drys." Purchase at least one copy for collections serving high school students and staff; it provides both questions and answers and will stimulate research and critical thinking.
Doris A. Fong, Benson Polytechnic High School, Portland, OR
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

In textbook-like fashion, Harris ( Drugged America ) here provides perhaps more than young readers want to know about alcohol. The information splits roughly into halves: the first operates from a stated intention to reveal "insights into a nation's social history . . . by tracing its drinking patterns"; and the second focuses on drinking and the treatment of alcoholism today. An opening chapter "sketches" personalities in the ongoing saga of sobriety, but lacks narrative cohesion, instead establishing a superficial, sound-bite tone that remains throughout. Orphan facts abound; indicated sources are often dated. Some party-up myths persist in a manner insidious for the book's intended readership: wine and beer are declared "less potent" than spirits (there's no mention that the usual serving sizes of wine, beer and spirits contain the same amount of alcohol). Black-and-white historical photos and drawings head up each chapter; a balanced list of books for further reading concludes the volume. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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