This is the 'bible' for symptoms of both good and bad health. I read this while working part-time in high school at a health food store, back when patrons were referred to as 'health-nuts'! I am longer in life now are returning to 'Oriental' medicine. This book will change your awareness of your health, if not your life.

The long, fascinating introduction to this Macrobiotic classic was written by the translator, from French: William Dufty, in 1965. The book was originally published under George Ohsawa's Japanese name, by University Press, and has been reprinted by two publishers. It is by far the most readable introduction to Macrobiotics, and is far more accessible than Ohsawa's ZEN MACROBIOTICS, which appeared in its standard revised edition the same year. Dedicated and addressed to 35 named international celebrities, only a very few of whom are still alive in 1999, this was a prophetic book that remains more vital than ever, as the biological degeneration of humanity has accelerated in the last three and a half decades!

In SUGAR BLUES, William Dufty doesn't just lift the historical mask on sugar, he pulverizes it. I have read other books detailing the biological havoc that refined sugar wreaks on the body, but this is the first book I've seen that places sugar in a historical framework and charts its path of destruction over thousands of years, through the rise and fall of civilizations right up to present-day corporate and government duplicity. The results are truly eye-opening, if not shocking. If you thought sugar was just one of life's sweet little nuisances, think again. It has been one of the major levers for the enslavement and control of human beings for millenia.

The portrait of the historical drama of sugar is this book's strength. SUGAR BLUES does have minor weaknesses, however. It's lacking in science, which these days is important to have when challenging the status quo. It also lacks a systematic argument, the chapters often meandering from subject to subject (the chapter on sugar in cigarettes, for instance, ends with a discussion of sugar's role in auto accidents). Finally, the book sputters to its conclusion as Dufty provides a final chapter on recipes that frankly put me to sleep. He should have stuck to his original purpose here and delivered a final, clinching argument. With a new edition, all of these minor wrinkles could be addressed.

That said, this book's value is nonetheless extraordinary. Sugar is so entrenched in most people's lifestyles that it is practically invisible, taken for granted. But if it has caused half the damage Dufty claims it has, then everyone should do themselves a favor and read his book. It doesn't end there; I know from personal struggle that sugar is incredibly hard to kick. But the first step in any change is knowing you have to make it.

This is an important book on a vital subject. Very worth reading, as long as you remember not to believe every word. Parts of it seem to be well researched, but the untrue parts make it hard to know how to view the rest. The author speculates at length on the medical discovery of diabetes, implying it was unknown before refined sugar entered the diet in the last millenium, but in fact diabetes was described more than 2000 years ago. It would be nice if there were a revised edition or another book on the subject that was more based in fact. But after reading this it's hard to say exactly what differentiates sugar from opium or cocaine: they all have clear physiological effects, all are found naturally in plants, and all can create a dependency. Of course sugar is a lot cheaper and government sanctioned, and those who really can't tolerate it (diabetics) get insurance-covered treatment.

Every author I have read who writes about sugar comes across to me as a little paranoid, but after reading their books they have every reason to be. White sugar is probably much more nefarious then most of us imagine. Whatever it is, I am certainly treading on a different ground when I shop\hunt for food.

Some good things about Sugar Blues is there is some quick really simple recipes. There also is a section on how government and industry always seem to work together for their OWN interest and not yours. Caveat emptor.... always! Never forget that and use your common sense.

He also warns that doctors are not your friends. I believe that to be quite true. They are on another paradigm and pity the fool that neglects his health by his bad eating habits and ends up in their care. Read this book and you could avoid being another "white stuff" casualty. I mean doctors do wear white coats don't they?

In other areas the author pushed it a little too hard in my opinion when he said a lot of "unexplainable [car] accidents" in which "millions of American drivers" may be driving under the influence or effect of sugar drowsiness (i.e. hypoglycemia due to hyperinsulin) when driving after a meal, especially after eating restaurant meals which is loaded with sugar. But who knows, it could be true and never has been investigated. Refined sugar is in nearly everything we eat nowadays.

His decrying of sugar is similiar to Nancy Appleton's book, but I wouldn't take both of what they say lightly. The bottom line to me is another "white" food to avoid. That is; white sugar; white flour; white rice; white salt; and white milk (non-raw). All of these foods face extreme processing to lengthen their shelf life, but may end up shorting yours.

Billie Holliday is probably the most gifted and tragic heroine of her time. She overcame poverty racism and endless failed relationships to become one of the greatest jazz singers of the 20th century. She also paid the ultimate price as few singers before or after Lady Day, suffered her art the way she did.
While critics may doubt the reliability of her memoirs ( some say she never even read the book, let alone had a hand in writing it).
Her life is fully probed and documented and who really knows more about Billie than Billie ( although some parts are confused and contradictory. But this was very near the end of her life and is understandable).
The book comes more highly recommended than the movie (It's all about Miss Ross).
But if you really want to learn about Billie's real personal thoughts and feelings, just crank up your CD player and listen to that voice.
It speaks volumes and from her heart. That tells you more than any written document ever will.

"Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married. He was eighteen, she was sixteen, and I was three."
These are the first lines on the first page. It has also been researched, and explained in every other documented biography of Billie Holiday that this is in fact not true. at all. I agree that this is a good book... it is interesting to read, but you must be aware that nearly all you are reading is either complete fiction or gross exaggeration. If you want to read a good story, read this. if you want to learn what Billie Holiday's life was about, read any other biography of her... because these were written to set the record straight.

if you must insist that these are Billie's words, then you are arguing that Billie is a liar. why she would go to lengths to do this is absurd, which leaves but William F. Dufty... a guy who was paid by a publisher to write something people would buy.

I felt compelled to write this review because I thought it was important to respond to so many of the comments that criticize this book for its fictionality. While it is certainly true that this book is far from "historically accurate," whatever that may mean, that in no way diminishes this book either as an important work or as a testimonial of Billie Holiday's life. The artistic liberties that William Dufty takes help to place this work within a longer tradition of African American women's writing that stems in large part from nineteenth century slave narratives, and, as a result, this book is fascinating in its awareness of and interactions with these traditions. It also remains devoted to a portraytal of Miss Holiday that exchanges accuracy for the sake not just of readability and commercial viability, but also for the sake of placing her story into and in opposition to a racist, sexist climate that ultimately destroyed one of the most important artists in American history. A factual, chronological account of Miss Holiday's life would have crushed the importance of her story in ways that Dufty attempts to resist (with varying success) throughout this vitally important work of writing.