Gr 8 Up‘This series entry benefits from the consistent format of prior titles. The major sections deal with individual rights in regard to suicide, including the influence that Christianity has had on such thinking and actions, the causes of teen suicide, the issue of assisted suicide, and the means by which such drastic action can be averted. The book concludes with an interesting section that examines whether suicide prevention is, in fact, always appropriate. The value of this format lies in its ability to allow readers to pick and choose among current material in their research investigation. The juxtaposition of popular and unpopular opinions is particularly helpful for students preparing to debate. A strength of the series is that it allows YAs to develop a more global perspective on critical social issues. The book is completed by a section that poses questions for further discussion and organizations to contact.‘Sylvia V. Meisner, Allen Middle School, Greensboro, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr. 8^-12. This new edition of an earlier Opposing Viewpoints series title (1992) replaces all essays, for a total of 24 (4 more than the previous edition). The framework remains the same, with commentaries about suicide as an individual right, the causes of teen suicide, assisted suicide, and suicide prevention. Given the news coverage of assisted suicide, it's not surprising that the topic is featured in 8 essays. And while this past summer's Supreme Court opinions are not included, one of the essay authors is Dr. Thomas Quill, a physician defending assisted suicide and a party to the high court case Quill v. Vacco. Quill and several others, including Pope John Paul II, debate such points as the difference between removing life support from the terminally ill, which is legal, and offering requested assistance with life's end. Other commentators grapple with escalating rates of teen suicide, disputed figures about gay teen suicide, pain management, the role of schools in suicide prevention, and many other related subjects. Add this title to the collection, and don't weed the earlier edition, which includes an article by Jack Kevorkian. A list of organizations and several bibliographies supplement the text. --Anne O'Malley