The American experience with alcohol : contrasting cultural perspectives /

Each of the 29 original papers in this volume describes meanings, values, norms, and behaviors that are associated with alcohol use among different populations, some of which have been heretofore relatively neglected in terms of both ethnography and alcohol studies. Among those groups analyzed are Navajo Indians, urban blacks, rural Appalachians, Jews, Hmong, and ``hyphenated'' Americans (e.g., Italian, Polish, Irish, Chinese, Japanese). An unusual paper by M. Rodin links physiological, psychological, and cultural perspectives to explain how and why members of Alcoholics Anonymous revise their life stories in patterned ways. Each chapter includes new data on other aspects of alcohol use in sociocultural perspective. Most authors take special pains to mention ways in which such understanding can be helpful in preventing or treating alcohol-related problems. This well-rounded and well-written collection of essays shows how a single substance (ethanol) is given many meanings within a single nation, and how those meanings often result in very different short-term and long-term effects of the substance on people. At a time when so much public attention is focused on alcohol, it is refreshing to have some new information that underscores the importance of social and cultural factors. This is also an interesting window on some realities of ethnic pluralism that have not long been recognized, and on the practical necessity of attending to cultural differences in the interest of public policies. Public and academic libraries, community college level and up.-D.B. Heath, Brown University