some of the concepts into perspective and are also a call to action for interven- tion type of studies.

This is a difficult and sometimes exas- perating book, but it has a wealth of in- formation on low birth weight and pre- maturity. The book is interesting for any- one willing to take the time to read it. I would recommend this publication to anyone who delivers antepartum care.

High-Risk Parenting: Nursing Assess- ment and Strategies for the Family at Risk. By Suzanne Hall Johnson. New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1979. 424 pages. $14.75

Reviewed by: Eulee Mead-Bennett, R.N., M.Ed.

It is unlikely that a nurse, regardless of her area of specialization, will deny the con- cept of the family as an open system. This concept, however, is less frequently translated into practice by nurses when an individual family member presents him/herself for care. When a family exists, a family-centered focus is a neces- sity, especially in high-risk situations, since factors affecting one member place all others at risk. The text High-Risk Par- enting addresses this holistic approach to family health.

Ms. Johnson’s goals, to identify family difficulties which result from situations placing a family member at risk and to suggest strategies aimed at preventing and alleviating them, are extremely well met. These goals are facilitated by contri- butions of authors, mainly nurses, with a variety of expertise thereby further en- suring that the book be useful to nurses in many specialities.

The text is superbly organized and easy to follow. Each of its twenty-five chapters has an introduction and ends with a summary of the salient points. Within the body of each chapter are prominent sub- headings which make for easy location of information, and towards the end are ref- erences and suggestions for additional reading. Also included is a list of pertinent organizations at the national and/or local levels. Throughout the book are tables, figures, and other tools of evaluation. These, in addition to the references and suggested readings, make up a substan- tial portion of the text. This is especially true for the chapters assessing parents’

and children’s behaviors. Practitioners engaged in pediatric nursing will find many of these chapters useful. The book is further organized into four sections, ending with a conclusion, an appendix, and index.

Part I assesses families at risk, focusing on mothering and fathering and the be- haviors of children. Parent-child bonding is reviewed and there are a variety of tools with instructions for use in assessing child development and parental be- haviors. Since the fathering and mother- ing behaviors as presented are more sim- ilar than different, a single, rather than individual chapters, might have sufficed.

Part II considers the family at risk due to a high-risk child who may be prema- ture, mentally or physically disabled, hyperactive or terminally ill. Great em- phasis is placed on identifying the devel- opmental needs of such a child and in suggesting ways in which family members and health workers can meet these needs. High-risk pregnancy is explored in this section. A more logical place for this chapter would be the beginning of Sec- tion 1.

Section III assesses the difficulties which arise when a family member is a high-risk parent. Adolescent, abusive, emotionally disturbed, terminally ill, drug abusive and single parents are the focus. The authors give incidences and legal definitions when appropriate and explore the implications of the specific situation for the client, the family, the community, and the health workers. Role, crisis, and grief theories are reviewed and the dynamics of sociocultural, psycho-social, and economic factors are highlighted. The value of this section would be heightened by including a discussion of hospice in the chapter on “The Termi- nally Ill Parent.” The author of this chapter could also have addressed the issue of the right to die in dignity..

Section IV of the book presents strategies for aiding the high-risk family. Some of the strategies, such as counsel- ing, primary nursing, teaching, financial arrangements, and crisis intervention, are all discussed in other sections. Others, such as transactional analysis and be- havior modification do not seem as gen- erally applicable. All the strategies are de- veloped in great detail. A theoretical base is usually given, followed by suggestions for intervention. Role, crisis, and teach- ing/learning theories are among those

Journal of Nurse-Midwifery ?? Vol. 25. No. 2, March/April 1980

translated into practical intervention. The chapter on cultural strategy is particularly important, but could have been ex- panded as there is a great need for this type of information in nursing.

The appendix of the book has a study course for nurses who wish to get A.N.A. Continuing Education credit for contact hours. The accompanying teachers man- ual is a guide suggesting the use of the text.

In summary, this is an easily readable and well-organized book. Its strong em- phasis on the family-centered approach to nursing, and the inclusion of a number of assessment guides makes it particularly valuable to junior and senior bac- calaureate nursing students; also to young graduates involved in parent-child nursing.

Ourselves and Our Children. By Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. New York: Random House, 1978. 288 pages. $6.95 soft cover

Reviewed by: Katherine Rose, R.N., M.S.N., Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois.

Ourselves and Our Children is an exten- sive book on parenting. This is not a “how to” manual but a book that discus- ses parenting and its effect on the indi- vidual. It is a reflection of current theories on parental role development.

The book focuses on parents helping their children to become independent. This theme has its beginnings as couples discuss prospective parenthood. It is clearly exemplified in the sections on childhood and adolescence, and is con- cluded in the chapter on parenting grown-ups.

The early chapters of the book focus on the parenting of children/adults. The final chapters discuss the impact of larger systems (community, employers, health care) on one’s ability to -parent.

One of the most informative and de- tailed chapters of the book is “Helping Ourselves and Finding Help.” The dis- cussion includes identification of both formal and informal resources. Child care comprises the majority of this section. In- cluded is a detailed description of how to interview and select caretakers from an in-home sitter to a commercial agency.

41