Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2023 -

The recent COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an emerging emphasis on understanding the pathways of infection. Smallman-Raynor (Univ. of Nottingham), Cliff (Univ. of Cambridge), Ord (Georgetown Univ.), and Haggett (Univ. of Bristol) jointly authored this updated view with clear focus on the geographic structure of infection and epidemics, particularly the spatial processes and patterns that characterize disease distribution. In six chapters, the authors present, respectively, epidemics as waves of diffusion, illustrated in both time and space through various models and data displays (chapter 1); historical case studies from epidemics in small communities (chapter 2); global origins and dispersal of causative agents (chapter 3); the notorious pandemics of world history (chapter 4); an in-depth look at the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and US (chapter 5); and strategies for controlling communicable diseases, including spatial blocking, vaccines and vaccination, and surveillance. The text, although fairly technical, is supported throughout with color graphs, tables, and charts that will help readers follow and understand the material. This book is an excellent source of information not only for students and researchers of epidemiology focusing on disease and disease transmission but also for more casual readers interested in infection, disease spread, and disease control.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

This volume edited by Pentaris (Univ. of Greenwich, London) offers encyclopedic coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, probing its multifaceted impacts including death rates and diverse outcomes for different racial/ethnic and demographic groups, examining how grief and loss have been experienced, and a wide variety of related subjects. As an anthology of 16 chapters written by a diverse group of 32 international social science specialists, it includes work by some of the world's most respected thanatologists. Contributors explore, for example, how the COVID-19 pandemic isolated mourners, challenging many to become technologically competent so as to communicate remotely, while others investigate how COVID-19 may have impacted rates of substance misuse, mental health problems, and suicide. Each chapter is introduced by a short summary of contents. Some chapters examine challenges and controversies faced by different health care systems, including issues presented by end-of-life decision-making and requests for assisted suicide. The book focuses somewhat more heavily on the COVID-19 impacts in the UK, although its overall scope is international: one chapter is devoted to India. Anyone interested in the myriad specific impacts of the pandemic will find intellectual satisfaction in this richly informative volume.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

In Diary, Hershberger journals his care for his wife, Dee. Charting her physical, emotional, and mental Alzheimer's journey, he reflects on Dee's experiences, considering them as her husband, life partner, and caregiver. Chronicling Dee's responses to the changes she experiences, he parallels this with his expectations of treatment and the long road from concern to diagnosis. At the end of those years, he offers thoughtful advice that will support both patient and caregiver. Years one and two are characterized by mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Early on, only the author notices Dee's lapses. At one point, she becomes frustrated with communication; a physician visit confirms her communication ability but identifies MCI. From this visit, the author and his wife become aware of their focus on retirement and recognize they have neither considered their mortality nor made plans. Year three is characterized by medication management, avoidance of urinary events, and the challenges of hygiene and dressing. Dee's decline accelerates in year four and is marked by mood changes and violent outbursts. In year five, Hershberger reflects on their separate futures. This diary is an exceptional read, remarkable for its humanity and compassion. An array of useful recommendations spans the five-year journey this couple makes together.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Throughout the course of human history, people have been subject to the repeated onslaughts of microbial pathogens. The severity of illness associated with infectious-disease agents varies from mild to life-threatening. In the decades following WW II, however, there was widespread belief that the impact of infectious diseases had passed. In fact, nothing could have been further from the truth. In this appropriately titled text--mankind's war with microbes is a never-ending battle--Froland (emer., Univ. of Oslo) presents a broad overview of the natural history of infectious diseases. Notable epidemic and pandemic diseases are examined in the context of the disease triangle--host, pathogen, environment--the trinity that defines the fundamental aspects of infectious-disease epidemiology. Froland's discussion focuses on distinct milestones in human cultural development that have facilitated the spread of infectious diseases, e.g., increased crowding, closer interactions with animals, and globalization, emphasizing their respective medical, political, economic, and social impacts. Among other topics, he considers the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; threats of biowarfare/terrorism; development of vaccines and antibiotics; and future challenges (including epidemic preparedness) from a global and historical perspective. This highly readable and informative account will be of interest to both general readers and specialists fascinated by infectious diseases or the history of medicine.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Combining science and his medical background with his own youthful experiences with cannabis, psychiatrist Cermak, recent author of From Bud to Brain (CH, Feb'21, 58-1640), here examines the impact of cannabis on the brain and the mind. Following an introductory chapter, Cermak examines the cannabis plant and its mind-altering compounds, describing the basic architecture and function of brain cells and how THC alters communication between the cells, creating the experience of being high. Next, Cermak explores the social context of cannabis use, comparing it with alcohol, and thoughtfully considers the use of cannabis in pursuit of mystical experience and the related "cannabis culture." Medical benefits of cannabis with a focus on CBD are skillfully explained, counterbalanced by a summary of the negative effects of chronic and prolonged cannabis use and an overview of the nature of cannabis addiction, especially among adolescents, and the difficulties users encounter when trying to quit. Concluding chapters consider the impact of public policy and future developments for cannabis. Well written and argued, this text provides a convincing, entertaining guide to understanding cannabis, considering both its use and misuse. Lightly referenced and illustrated with numerous historical, clinical, and personal anecdotes, this is an important, accessible contribution to the study of cannabis.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Journalist Macy, bestselling author of Dopesick (CH, Mar'19, 56-2816), chronicles in painstaking detail the tangled elements that contribute to the opioid epidemic, along with the diverse approaches taken in attempts to find a solution. The legal trials involving Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family point out the role that profiteering greed has played in triggering the addiction predicament and the political favors that delay remediation within a system that continues to deny responsibility. Interviews with some of the addicted casualties and many health care workers illustrate diverse attempts to assist drug dependent populations. Macy emphasizes that substance abuse should not be regarded as a criminal offense, but rather as a medical problem. The current routine of drug user incarceration only exacerbates the situation and punishes poor and jobless victims, especially those with more highly pigmented skin color. The case studies Macy reports highlight the lack of financial support to supply the basic needs of those afflicted (including needles), develop alternative remedies, and provide counseling, and illustrate the critical need for basic courtesy. The addict must be reconceptualized from criminal to medically needy patient. Macy presents an arresting portrayal of the obstacles preventing solutions to this drug crisis and stresses the need to raise these victims from their degrading dependency.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

This book presents an eclectic mix of research and includes chapters on both the science and the social science of the knee. These include explorations of basic anatomy, the female knee in particular; the treatment of common knee problems; women's knees in fashion; social aspects of kneeling; the knee in martial arts and policing; social disparities in accessing medical (especially surgical) treatment; and even the economics of ripped jeans. Yu's experience as a science and technical communications professor shows in this accessible book. Despite the author's casual tone, the book includes many references to academic publications; the references and bibliography together comprise more than a third of the book. Helpfully, the bibliography lists all the references from the notes, and the text is indexed. The author also offers personal experience of treating personal knee injuries and how researching this book changed such treatments. Though not a complete anatomical discussion of the knee, the book's multifaceted presentation is an entertaining read. The author states that the book's purpose is not to educate but to surprise and intrigue and to weave historical and cultural context together with insights from medicine and science. Yu has done all this very thoughtfully.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

"What was your 2020 supposed to be like and what did it end up being like through to the present?" Armed with this simple question and an iPhone to record responses, Fishburne, a "full-time digital nomad," as described by the publisher, traversed the US in a motor home, logging 12,000 miles and interviewing approximately 300 people from September 2020 to September of the following year to document how individual Americans' lives had been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The author contextualizes her journey and methodology in an introductory essay, invoking John Steinbeck's 1960 cross-country trek with Charley, his dog. She then unravels 100 representative vignettes of people identified only by first names, the states in which they live, and a brief descriptor characterizing their job or status during the pandemic. Ranging from 25 to 45 minutes in length, the author's interviews revealed a vast "mosaic" of pandemic experiences. Widely varied, these reported experiences are made coherent by the emerging themes of what interviewees believed mattered most to them during this period, most notably family, career, friends, and community. Though some accounts are more compelling, poignant, or introspective than others, the result is a compact, accessible oral history documenting what Americans "lost and found" during the pandemic.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.