Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol
Veteran journalist Johnston combines her powerful personal story with strong reporting to show that alcohol harms women even more than men. She grew up with a mother who was an alcoholic and a father who became one in retirement, and she wound up in rehab herself. Johnston includes many examples of alcohol wreaking havoc on women’s lives, including a mom driving drunk who crashes and kills her child passengers, and a high-school class president and prom queen who died of alcohol poisoning. Women are more likely than men to binge drink, which increases their risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and sexually transmitted diseases. Johnston convincingly argues that alcohol is the new tobacco,  and, as such, needs a similar public-health response. Just as Virginia Slims boosted cigarettes’ appeal to women, products such as Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl Cocktails and Fergie’s low-calorie, fruit-flavored vodka—Voli—make booze seem alluring. Also cause for concern: drunkorexia (also known as drinking without dining) and fetal alcohol syndrome (the leading developmental disorder in the world). A powerful case for drinking water, not wine. --Karen Springen