I Shall Not Hate

I enjoyed I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity by Izzeldin Abuelaish. I learned much about Palestinian/Israeli relations and also was inspired by Izzeldin's consistent, unfaltering kindness and hope-- even after three of his daughters are killed by Israeli fire.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua was a definite thumbs up. I live in a community with a large Asian population, but am a "western parent" according to Chua's description. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the reasons behind the way "Chinese parents" raise their children and the way a "Chinese parent" views "western parents". Chua's writing is crisp and to-the-point. The end of the book was a little anti-climactic-- I expected a judgement on which style of parenting was better-- but I appreciate how Chua didn't try to make conclusions about something she doesn't know the answer to (she pushed her children academically and musically, but then let up some when her 13 year-old rebelled).

The Vaccine Book

Curious about the phenomenon of delaying or withholding childhood vaccines, I checked out a copy of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child by Robert W. Sears, M.D., F.A.A.P. The book goes through each vaccine in a separate chapter clearly explaining the disease(s) the vaccine prevents, the ingredients in the vaccine, and side effects. It then goes on to to answer the question "Should You Give Your Baby X vaccine?" These sections make me nervous. Sears has slyly titled one subsection under this heading as "reasons some people choose not to get this vaccine". With this title he makes it so that he is not giving misinformation; he is just reiterating what parents have told him. But the reasons, coming from an authoritative doctor, can be easily interpreted as scientifically and medically valid. These sections are also riddled with a flippant disregard for the principle of herd immunity. In talking about parents' concerns about the MMR vaccine, Dr. Sears says, "I also warn them not to share their fears with their neighbors, because if too many people avoid the MMR, we'll likely see the diseases increase significantly" (p. 97). Who is Dr. Sears writing this book for? Are only a certain group of people to be the privileged ones to skip vaccines while others take risks to give them protection?

After reviewing each vaccine, Dr. Sears reviews the safety research, side effects, vaccine ingredients and their safety. A lot of the information he gives is reasonably straightforward. He gives the statistical risk of vaccine side effects as well as risks of the disease (though these numbers sometimes involve a lot of extrapolation, which I don't think everyone would do the same way) and discusses what these side effects are. He also devotes quite a bit of space to discussing the safety of vaccine ingredients, especially aluminum. The final sections discuss "Myths and Questions" about vaccines-- efficacy, how to relieve the pain of injection, etc. and a page-and-a-half on whether one has a "social responsibility" to vaccinate his/her kids (he concludes that parents have the right to decide what is best for their kids). The last sections of the book put forth an "alternative" vaccination schedule. And... at the very end of the book are the "resources", where, after writing a book that makes vaccines seem super-dangerous, Dr. Sears explains that the "vast majority" of articles in medical journals show that vaccines are "safe and effective".

All in all, I was disappointed with this book. I was looking forward to hearing good arguments about why I should delay or withhold vaccinating my children. I didn't find them. I'll continue to vaccinate according to the CDC schedule.