★ 09/16/2019
A provocative chapter title “Embalmed Bees and Other Delicacies” opens this riveting chronicle from Jarrow (Spooked!) of the life of Harvey Wiley, the “Father of the Pure Food Law,” and the often gruesome events leading to the creation of America’s Food and Drug Administration. In gripping, relatable language, Jarrow follows Wiley’s rise from Indiana farm boy to head of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Chemistry and, finally, director of Good Housekeeping magazine’s Bureau of Food, Sanitation, and Health. Sample advertisements, archival photographs, and political cartoons enhance the text, and a timeline, glossary, and sidebars—such as “How a Bill Becomes Law: The Basics”—further equip readers to navigate the science and politics involved in Wiley’s lifelong fight to protect the public from adulterated food, quack medicines, and fraudulent claims. Historical headlines, such as “Human Test-Tubes. Wiley, Government Chemist, Continues His Work,” bring to life the enormity of Wiley’s controversial methods in the eyes of the public. The “More to Explore” section makes this easy-to-read work a fine classroom resource and an excellent addition to any collection. Ages 10–17. (Oct.)
Six starred reviews—★Booklist ★BCCB ★Kirkus Reviews ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection ★Shelf Awareness
ALSC Notable Children's Book
Washington Post Best Children's Book
NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
BCCB Blue Ribbon
Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12
Chicago Public Library Best Children's Book
"Not just for... middle-graders... (a) lively... thoroughly researched book." —The Washington Post
★”Startling, informative and fascinating.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review
★ "(A) fascinating, stomach-churning account of Harvey Washington Wiley’s crusade for food safety standards and regulation in the U.S. Vintage ads, product labels, newspaper headlines, cartoons, and photographs offer a visual feast for readers, who will be so engrossed in the stories of unconscionable products and unwitting victims that they won’t realize they’re imbibing a powerful lesson in food safety and the evolution of today’s FDA. Extensive source notes and resources are icing on the cake." —Booklist, starred review
★ "Jarrow is brutally honest in her descriptions of the ill effects of certain toxins, and the included cheerful ads promoting poisonous products make for a particularly chilling juxtaposition. The no-nonsense tone mixes with wealth of riveting anecdotes to create a surprisingly heady brew of consumer history." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
★ "Jarrow vivaciously draws readers into a world of horrors hiding in plain taste. Maintaining a matter-of-fact, conversational tone throughout, she presents a tantalizing flood of anecdotes and facts, text peppered with old magazine adverts, photographs, and gory details aplenty; extensive backmatter encourages further research into a subject more than fascinating enough to warrant it. Revolting and riveting in turns, Jarrow's masterfully crafted narrative will fundamentally alter how readers view their food. Though laced with toxins, this is anything but toxic." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "A provocative... riveting chronicle... (i)n gripping, relatable language... this easy-to-read work (is) a fine classroom resource and an excellent addition to any collection. " —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "In this microhistory about the pure food movement, Gail Jarrow has created an excellent reference book about a little-regarded topic that will be useful to classes learning about science, American history, and government. The pictures include a variety of primary sources, including photographs, advertisements, political cartoons, and letters, all of which support further research." —School Library Connection, starred review
"With detailed descriptions of revolting food-production standards and dangerously uncontrolled medications, Jarrow captivates readers with a history of food and drug regulation. Recommended for nonfiction readers and anyone interested in what they are eating." —School Library Journal
"Jarrow... traces the story of Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, now known as the “Father of the FDA,” who devoted his life to getting the federal government to take responsibility for protecting consumers from poisonous foods. It’s a fascinating horror story and an important study of real-life heroes who stood up and fought for government intervention on behalf of the American people.The book’s open layout and plentiful archival photographs, advertisements, and other visuals enhance accessibility and interest." —The Horn Book Review
11/01/2019
Gr 5 Up—Candy made with arsenic, babies soothed by morphine, and milk preserved with formaldehyde. After hooking readers with these gut-wrenching accounts, Jarrow focuses on Harvey Wiley, whose tireless efforts during the early 20th century heavily contributed to the first food and drug regulations in the United States. His food additive experiments on 12 men nicknamed the Poison Squad rose to national attention. While people were learning of the dangers they were ingesting, the government resisted regulations that would hurt its relationship with big business. But after Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle was published, the government was swayed and the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 was born. The book recounts Wiley's attempts to effect change through his government work and as a writer for Good Housekeeping, up until the end of his life. Jarrow then briefly discusses current food regulation. Examples of contaminated foods and toxic medications will awe readers, and photos and graphics depict the horrors. VERDICT With detailed descriptions of revolting food-production standards and dangerously uncontrolled medications, Jarrow captivates readers with a history of food and drug regulation. Recommended for nonfiction readers and anyone interested in what they are eating.—Katherine Rao, Palos Verdes Library District, CA
★ 2019-07-14
If every dish on your table was poisoned, would you be so quick to jump at the call to dinner?
In posing this question via an extended opening scene, Jarrow vivaciously draws readers into a world of horrors hiding in plain taste. The first half of the book plunges into the story of U.S. Department of Agriculture chemist Harvey Wiley, who devoted the majority of his working life to combating food adulteration. After he conducted a series of studies designed to illustrate the "highly poisonous and injurious" nature of preservatives, his subjects, dubbed the "Poison Squad," gained national fame. A nearly Dickensian display of Congressional stalling was subverted when renowned magazines corroborated Wiley's findings, and the publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle finally pushed into effect the ineffectual but seminal Food and Drugs Act of 1906, which marked the first tangible progress toward improved food safety. The book's second half traces a thorny path to the workings of the modern FDA, and Jarrow doesn't hesitate to point out ongoing limitations alongside advances. Maintaining a matter-of-fact, conversational tone throughout, she presents a tantalizing flood of anecdotes and facts, text peppered with old magazine adverts, photographs, and gory details aplenty; extensive backmatter encourages further research into a subject more than fascinating enough to warrant it. Revolting and riveting in turns, Jarrow's masterfully crafted narrative will fundamentally alter how readers view their food.
Though laced with toxins, this is anything but toxic. (Chemical descriptions, glossary, timeline, info links, author's note, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-17)
