A publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries
A division of the American Library Association
Editorial Offices: 575 Main Street, Suite 300, Middletown, CT 06457-3445
Phone: (860) 347-6933
Fax: (860) 704-0465

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

Please do not link to this page.

November 2015 Vol. 53 No. 3

This is a unique, aptly titled book.  Opening with the observation that "communication and markets are global and regulation and norms are not," Wipfli (associate director, Univ. of Southern California Institute for Global Health) contextualizes tobacco by acknowledging its magnitude in global economics, admitting a lack of standard international regulations and norms concerning tobacco, and affirming its destructive impact on world health.  She asserts that the "cigarette century" was set in motion by scientific advances, big business, and marketing to women.  In part 1, "The Global Tale," Wipfli describes the inception of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), in which the World Health Organization promulgated protocols for illicit trade in tobacco products. She also looks at the rise of health consciousness vis-à-vis tobacco use and the implementation of health warnings on cigarette packages by the 1964 US surgeon general; discusses the economic domination by transitional companies; and provides a step-by-step examination of the process of negotiating the world’s first public health treaty.  Part 2 focuses on the national experiences of Thailand, Uruguay, Germany, and China.  The appendix provides an overview of the sheer immensity of the task and lists the FCTC participant countries and dates of formal acceptance.

--L. R. Barley, York College, CUNY

Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.