Disconnect by Devra Davis

Reviewed by Fran Maclure

“There is a disconnect between the way that cell phones tie us all together and what these revolutionary tools can do to our bodies as they press up against our ears every day”. Thus starts Devra Davis’ first explanation of what kinds of disconnects exist and the hidden dangers of frequent and long-term cell phone use. In this intriguing and compelling read, she uncovers the secret history of buried past studies on the dangers of cell phone radiation and compares them with the benign reputation these ‘slick’ gadgets have today.

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The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women's Health by Sat Dharam Kaur, N.D.

Reviewed by Lindsay Gladkowski

This helpful book functions as a mindful guide to nurturing our minds and bodies to the cyclical nature of our health and all of its natural turns and twists. It is constantly flying off my bookshelf to share insight with friends and family who are motivated to learn more about their own health. It is perfect for individuals at each and every life stage as it is a reminder to take every life stage in stride and to see our health in continuous cycles.

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Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment, by Sandra Steingraber

Reviewed by Marie Lorenzo

I loved reading this book. I have to admit a penchant, as I am a popular science writing junkie and would ask for the latest Stephen J. Gould for birthdays. And as is often said about her, this woman can write science really well. Of course, she is, after all, also a poet. Nonetheless, impressively, Steingraber seems to know exactly the right moment to pause the science to inject the passion, and the personal.

Because after all, as she strains to remind us, what statistics never reveal is that the experience of cancer, and all disease, is at bottom inescapably personal. To this end, she puts forward her own story, a very young victim of bladder cancer, now under control, but never quite behind her. But Steingraber doesn't stop there; she goes beyond the intimately personal to the personal experience of everyone who has faced cancer, and others who fear they may. She sets out to chronicle the data, focusing on several key chemicals likely to be carcinogens or associated with carcinogens, such as PCBs, atrazine and chlorine. She organizes the story along huge life lines, such as water, earth, fire, time, space, but also, war, animals, silence – always interjecting the personal stories along the way.

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The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho

Reviewed by Manisha Pahwa

Widely translated and read worldwide, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist tells a powerful story about a young Spanish shepherd named Santiago who embarks upon a journey to realize his dream of finding treasure at the pyramids in Egypt. Beginning on the cold ground at a ruined church in Spain with his flock of sixty sheep, Santiago starts his quest upon meeting a gypsy fortune teller and a mysterious and wise king. Their strong belief in him provides Santiago with the support and conviction he needs to reach Africa, where, under the heat of the desert, he inches closer towards achieving his dream. Santiago’s path is laden with both obstacles and omens – the often subtle signs that indicate which direction to follow. Although this story is about the journey and not the destination, the book’s brief ending provides readers with a moment of levity as Coelho reveals that there is much joy and humor when we discover our treasure.

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Organic Housekeeping, by Ellen Sandbeck

Reviewed by Marcia Wallace

This is the book that got me to throw out all the household toxins in my home. For years I was getting increasingly concerned about the environmental causes of health problems, but felt paralyzed to act. I decided to do something within my own home - surely I could make a few modest changes that would make a difference? And it started by changing the definition of clean I had grown up with. As Ellen writes: “There is no such thing as cleaner than clean. A clean surface is just the surface, with nothing else on it; a lingering fragrance, no matter how sweet and pleasant, signals that a chemical has been left behind.”

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Slow Death by Rubber Duck, by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie

Reviewed by Naomi Higenbottam

Do you ever wonder how the toxic chemicals found in products we use in our daily lives affect our health? In this eye opening book, authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie spend 4 days ingesting and inhaling countless chemicals to help answer that question.

Slow Death by Rubber Duck takes a look at the toxic chemicals that we allow into our environment and how they are polluting people from all walks of life. Many people think of pollution as car exhaust or factory smoke but this book demonstrates that a whole world of toxic chemicals are hiding out in seemingly harmless places. Baby bottles. Furniture. Deodorants. Children’s clothing. Cooking pots. T.V.s. It’s a never ending and scary list. These toxins make their way into our bodies through our food, air and water.

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Not Just a Pretty Face – The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, by Stacy Malkan

Reviewed By Fran Maclure

The Compact for Safe Cosmetics has been around for a few years now, writes author Stacy Malkan. This voluntary Compact simply asks cosmetic and personal care product companies to sign a pledge to replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives within a span of three years. Yet unknown to many consumers, the multinationals L’Oreal, Revlon, Estee Lauder and Avon whose products contain carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, endocrine disruptors, plasticizers, degreasers and surfactants refuse to do the right thing and sign the Compact.

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