Nobodys Business

Brill studies why individuals take public action to defend their privacy, faults Reagan-era trends that curtail civil liberties and argues that positions on controversial matters should not be the criteria for electing and appointing public officials and justices. The most bitterly contested issues, says Brill, are women's rights to abortion, gay lifestyles and the elderly's option to terminate their lives. PW called Brill's treatment ``skillful . '' (Oct.)