(4) YA Lucent Overview series. Exploring the social, psychological, and biological causes of obesity in detail, Akers discusses the factors that contribute to becoming obese, the health risks involved, and what people can do to prevent the condition. Each chapter is illustrated with comic-strip art and dull black-and-white photos, some of which look staged. A useful list of relevant organizations is included at the end of the book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) YA Lucent Overview series. Each volume addresses a social problem that affects the lives of teenagers, presenting teens' first-hand experiences, pertinent statistics, and solid information on avoiding or confronting these problems. Including charts, editorial cartoons, and poorly reproduced black-and-white photos (some repeated in more than one volume), the formats are bland and uninteresting, but the topics may draw readers. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Lucent Overview series. A readable text, accompanied by relevant editorial cartoons and occasionally irrelevant black-and-white photos, presents a broad summary of cloning issues. The scientific aspects are somewhat glossed over, but the book does a good job of explaining how cloning has already affected agriculture and how it will someday affect human society, addressing its probable benefits and likely controversies. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Overview series. These well-researched volumes, illustrated with small black-and-white photos, offer in-depth discussions. Spills examines both the highly publicized and little-seen ways oil enters the environment, its effects, and clean-up practices and preventive measures. Wilderness explores the environmental movement, the national park system, struggles between commercial and conservation groups, and the future of wilderness management. Spills contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) YA Lucent Overview series. These volumes provide thorough looks at three hot topics. The authors recognize the gray area surrounding each issue (e.g., they consider the frequently trying socioeconomic circumstances of many gang members) and look to history for insights. Black-and-white photos and editorial cartoons reinforce the authors' points. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Overview series. These well-researched volumes, illustrated with small black-and-white photos, offer in-depth discussions. Spills examines both the highly publicized and little-seen ways oil enters the environment, its effects, and clean-up practices and preventive measures. Wilderness explores the environmental movement, the national park system, struggles between commercial and conservation groups, and the future of wilderness management. Spills contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) YA Lucent Overview series. Each volume addresses a social problem that affects the lives of teenagers, presenting teens' first-hand experiences, pertinent statistics, and solid information on avoiding or confronting these problems. Including charts, editorial cartoons, and poorly reproduced black-and-white photos (some repeated in more than one volume), the formats are bland and uninteresting, but the topics may draw readers. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Lucent Overview series. This broad, well-balanced survey touches on ESP, precognition, ghosts, extraterrestrials, and even religious visions and miracles. Illustrated with reproductions, editorial cartoons, and black-and-white photos, the concise text describes each type of phenomenon, provides anecdotal support, and shows how it has been interpreted by both believers and sceptics. Includes a list of paranormal research organizations. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Lucent Overview series. These volumes provide thorough looks at three hot topics. The authors recognize the gray area surrounding each issue (e.g., they consider the frequently trying socioeconomic circumstances of many gang members) and look to history for insights. Black-and-white photos and editorial cartoons reinforce the authors' points. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA Lucent Overview series. Each volume addresses a social problem that affects the lives of teenagers, presenting teens' first-hand experiences, pertinent statistics, and solid information on avoiding or confronting these problems. Including charts, editorial cartoons, and poorly reproduced black-and-white photos (some repeated in more than one volume), the formats are bland and uninteresting, but the topics may draw readers. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Lucent Overview series. Each volume addresses a social problem that affects the lives of teenagers, presenting teens' first-hand experiences, pertinent statistics, and solid information on avoiding or confronting these problems. Including charts, editorial cartoons, and poorly reproduced black-and-white photos (some repeated in more than one volume), the formats are bland and uninteresting, but the topics may draw readers. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Lucent Overview series. These volumes provide thorough looks at three hot topics. The authors recognize the gray area surrounding each issue (e.g., they consider the frequently trying socioeconomic circumstances of many gang members) and look to history for insights. Black-and-white photos and editorial cartoons reinforce the authors' points. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Lucent Overview series. While Yount includes accounts of famous past epidemics and the history of epidemiology's development as a science, her emphasis is on the very real danger of present-day epidemics. Citing varied examples of plagues from every continent, this book explains the work of the CDC, WHO, and other agencies fighting serious infectious disease worldwide. The text is illustrated with black-and-white photos. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) YA Overview series. Medical definitions of cancer in its many forms are followed by information on prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and occasional editorial cartoons, the text discusses the issue seriously yet provides some hopeful reports of recent breakthroughs. The focus of the volume is broad, making this a solid overall introduction to the topic. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Overview series. Unremarkable texts introduce five contemporary social concerns, reviewing their history, providing wide-ranging contemporary perspectives, and discussing what government and community action is being taken to confront the issues. Graphs, poorly reproduced black-and-white photographs, and pointed editorial cartoons provide diversion and insight along the way. All the volumes include "organizations to contact"; 'Cults' contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) YA Overview series. Unremarkable texts introduce five contemporary social concerns, reviewing their history, providing wide-ranging contemporary perspectives, and discussing what government and community action is being taken to confront the issues. Graphs, poorly reproduced black-and-white photographs, and pointed editorial cartoons provide diversion and insight along the way. All the volumes include "organizations to contact"; 'Cults' contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) YA Overview series. Unremarkable texts introduce five contemporary social concerns, reviewing their history, providing wide-ranging contemporary perspectives, and discussing what government and community action is being taken to confront the issues. Graphs, poorly reproduced black-and-white photographs, and pointed editorial cartoons provide diversion and insight along the way. All the volumes include "organizations to contact"; 'Cults' contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) YA Overview series. Solid surveys of teen prostitution and teen violence in the United States examine the scope of the problems, many of the causes, and various programs to help troubled teens. Cartoons, sociological studies, statistics, and occasionally the words of teens themselves, help address the issues surrounding these destructive behaviors. Both volumes include black-and-white photos and charts, but are unappealing in design. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) YA Overview series. Solid surveys of teen prostitution and teen violence in the United States examine the scope of the problems, many of the causes, and various programs to help troubled teens. Cartoons, sociological studies, statistics, and occasionally the words of teens themselves, help address the issues surrounding these destructive behaviors. Both volumes include black-and-white photos and charts, but are unappealing in design. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) YA Overview series. An informative survey explores children's rights in a variety of issues, such as mainstreaming and tuition vouchers at school, child abuse in the home, and the legal rights of juveniles in the legal system. The balanced text is strengthened by appropriate citations of court decisions. Editorial cartoons and black-and-white photographs illustrate the volume. A list of organizations to contact is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.