Milk: The Fight for Purity

The award-winning author of Chimney Sweeps, The Truth About Santa Claus, etc. tackles a dry subject and makes it accessible to young readers. In both broad and specific terms, Giblin discusses the history of milk as a central source of nutrition, from ancient tmes to the present, and as a carrier of disease due to ignorance and careless handling. Given high profile here are the people responsible for creating standardsfrom Louis Pasteur to Nathan Straus, a man who understood the importance of pure milk early on and provided it to poor families and orphans. Also covered are more recent problems that have plagued the industry, from radiation poisoning two decades ago to salmonella poisoning last year. The author's research is thorough, backed up with photographs, bibliography and index, with an easy presentation that will prove indispensable for use in reports. (8-12)