Freedom from want : the human right to adequate food /

While concerned about freedom from want, this book is also an overview of international human rights. Kent (Univ. of Hawaii) engages in a discussion concerning the distinctions between civil and political rights, and economic, social, and cultural rights. Whereas civil and political rights have been the focus of human rights advocates since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, economic, social, and cultural rights (such as freedom from want) are now gaining increasing attention. The author describes this evolution and makes an argument for the equal importance of each set of rights. Chapter 5 offers an informative analysis of the distinction between "soft" and "hard" rights. Kent makes the case for thinking about human rights in terms of the goals they imply. The last chapter makes the argument for thinking about human rights not so much in a national context as in terms of global rights and global obligations. A well-written book and one that could be used in classes about human rights. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers and academic audiences, lower-division undergraduate through faculty. E. W. Webking emeritus, University of Lethbridge