Who would have thought there was so much to say about the modern
love affair between America and bananas? I should have known it,
though, for at Mathcamp the staff had entire wars based on bananas and
the pilfering thereof. We snuck extras out of the cafeteria, hid them
in refrigerators, even wrote our names on the peels in a feeble
attempt to secure a personal, steady supply. Alas, it was not to
be. How did this miracle fruit go from being an exotic food iteam for
the rich to the universal snack? Jenkins tells us how, in this very
thoroughly researched book. Pretty much anything you want to know
about bananas in the 20th century is here: medical attitudes, recipes,
social status, trade wars, banana jokes ("I'm sorry, I can't hear
you -- I've got a banana in my ear.") - you name it, it's in
here, which is surprising for such a relatively trim book. She's got a
slew of references in the back, should you ever wish to check her
sources; for the less academic of us, there's also an extensive list
of banana songs.

Bananas are such a workaday fruit, we
forget how important they have been in reflecting society. With each
new medical fad, bananas reinvent themselves as a perfect food; during
the period where dirty fruit was a concern, the thick peel of the
banana was a boon; when vitamins, minerals, and proteins were seen as
important, bananas were found to have such things in abundance; when
high-calories and high-fat were a concern, bananas were found to be an
energy-full, low-fat snack. Even stranger, at one point in history,
bananas were considered a treatment for celiac disease (an extreme
form of gluten-intolerance - so basically all breads and grains are
inedible to such children, and many died due to malnutrition); during
World War II, during which much of the banana supply was cut off,
there were stories of frantic parents mobilizing entire towns to round
up banana supplies for their sick children, sure that their children
would die without bananas. And yet, in just a generation previous,
parents had been warned against giving =any= raw fruits or vegetables
to children under the age of 7. The chapter in which this fascinating
material resides is called "Peril and Panacea", which
provides a prismatic view of the changing medical atmosphere in
America in the 20th century. A few other details which I found
interesting: there were banana cookbooks, one of the recipes being for
"Bananas and Bacon" - I kid you not. There's even a picture
of it in the book. As well, much of the editorial cartoons and jokes
involving banana peels reflected anti-immigrant sentiment, once
bananas had become so cheap even the newly arrived poor could afford
to eat them. Of course, there are a couple of obligatory "banana
as phallus" remarks (explaining why proper young women were to
use a knife and fork to eat the offending fruit), but they do not
overwhelm. Sometimes a banana is just a banana.

The only
other fruit that could possibly have had as much impact on the
American psyche is the apple (well, maybe the orange). Though this is
a history book, it is far from dry, and Jenkins lets off a couple
zingers of her own. If you've ever eaten a banana or know someone who
has, this book is for you; so I guess that means about everyone. I
have no idea, then, why this isn't at the top of the bestseller
list.

Virginia Bell, MSW, is currently Program Consultant with the Lexington/Bluegrass Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She is a graduate of Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky, and has lectured widely at national and international conference. Her co-author, David Troxel, works with the Santa Barbara chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

'"The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care" reflects a growing optimism in the field of Alzheimer's care that much can be done to improve the lives of people with the disease and to transform caregiving from a terrible burden to care that is manageable. This book represents the development of the first comprehensive model of care, which is easy to understand and learn.'

At the start of the book, Bell and Troxel describe the various experiences of those with Alzheimer's. By looking at the depression, confusion, and detachment that those with Alzheimer's experience, the caregiver gains a greater understanding and compassion for those suffering. Perhaps the most important key insight comes from a nurse and teacher, Rebecca, who began to experience symptoms of Alzheimer's at age 59.

'I dislike social workers, nurses and friends who do not treat me as a real person.'

Despite her slowly declining cognitive abilities, she is still able to sense that people are regarding her differently, as a patient, as an object, as a 'third person' rather than a real person.

Persons with Alzheimer's experience loss, sadness, confusion, isolation and loneliness, fear, frustration, anxiety, paranoia, anger, and embarrassment. The Best Friends model takes all of these into account as a normal part of everyone's life.

The second chapter gives a basic overview of Alzheimer's, giving symptoms, diagnosis, services, caregiving issues, and research news. The Best Friends model requires no specialised medical or scientific knowledge -- an appendix is included in the book for those who wish to pursue those topics in more detail.

The following chapters develop the aspects of care along the Best Friends model. This requires first assessing the strengths and abilities of the person receiving care (and this may require a daily update). An understanding of what persons with Alzheimer's may require is included as an 'Alzheimer's Disease Bill of Rights'. These are important, and often overlooked, so I shall reprint them here:

Every person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder deserves the following rights:

- To be informed of one's diagnosis
- To have appropriate, ongoing medical care
- To be productive in work and play for as long as possible
- To be treated like an adult, not like a child
- To have expressed feelings taken seriously
- To be free from psychotropic medications, if possible
- To live in a safe, structured, and predictable environment
- To enjoy meaningful activities that fill each day
- To be outdoors on a regular basis
- To have physical contact, including hugging, caressing, and hand-holding
- To be with individuals who know one's life story, including cultural and religious traditions
- To be cared for by individuals who are well trained in dementia care

A key point to being a Best Friend is that the caregiver becomes a memory aid to the person -- friends know each others' histories. Being reminded of past accomplishments, family connections, personal beliefs and traditions helps tremendously. It gets them involved in their own lives again.

Friends do many things: they share history, they do things together, they communicate, they build self-esteem, they laugh often, they work at the relationship, and they are equals. These carry over as key concepts in the Best Friends model. Bell and Troxel go into some detail about how to handle situations for the full-time caregiver, the volunteer, and for those who visit persons with Alzheimer's in care. Specific situations and general principles are presented in a clear, intelligible manner with great application potential.

An important part of the process of understanding and dealing with those with Alzheimer's is to understand oneself. Thus, there is a section on Being One's Own Best Friend. How do we react and respond? Do we give ourselves enough care? How can we care for others if we do not care for ourselves? How do we respect the needs and desires of those we care for while recognising and respecting our own needs? These are important questions, and Bell and Troxel address it by illustrating the relationship between Rebecca and Jo, her Best Friend.

'Because any of us can be touched by Alzheimer's disease, can have bad things happen to us, our friends, or our families, the ultimate message the authors wish to convey is this: We should treat everyone important to us as we would our own Best Friend.'

The book's text is highly readable and explains in an unpatronizing manner many of the tools and concepts used in solving this great scientific puzzle. Also, the book's author doesn't allow himself to be bogged down in minutiae, an all-to-easy peril in a work of this nature.

The book is recommended to any teen or adult with a limited background in science, and to any and all persons with an interest in earth science or the scientific method in action. I liked it very much. Enjoy.

Poag tells of a fifty-year geological research project on the East Coast of North America. He tells us how the findings of several natural sciences have combined to demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that a large meteor impacted Earth at Chesapeake Bay, some 35 million years ago. In doing so, Poag teaches the reader about undersea sonic surveying, about core drilling to determine the structures surrounding impact craters of various types, about fossils found in seabed (and former seabed) rocks, and about how those fossils permit approximate dating of sedimentary deposits back to life's origin on earth, some 4 billion years ago.

We now know that large meteor impacts have played a major role in the Earth's evolution. Striking only 35 million years back, Poag's "Chesapeake Invader" was a relatively recent such event. In its closing chapter, his book addresses the present NASA search for the NEXT one.

In an early part of the book, the authors delve into the collage process and give the reader eight projects (of varying difficulty)to try on their own. The directions and illustrations are VERY complete.

The next section deals with collage design, both planning and creating, along with nine projects that are, once again, carefully explained.

The section on mixed-media collage was very good but more for a person who has both artistic AND design ability. NOT ME!!!

Even though many of these projects were beyond my limited capability, I still enjoyed reading about them and looking at the beautiful illustrations. I got lots of ideas from this lovely book.