Tobacco Books

Atticus Kodiak is a character you love but want to smack a couple of times as well. I love the whole series though I do have my favorite in Shooting. What really has me coming back again and again are the characters and their relationships. It's that real for me. Can't complain about anything that Greg Rucka writes really because he's just a thriller genius. However I found myself getting really grumpy with Atticus sometimes because Bridgette is my favorite and everytime he slept with Natalie I was that much more annoyed with him.

The thrills in Smoker were great with Drama added into the mix. This is the start to taking Atticus to another level in the future book Critical Space.

I have now read 4 of the Atticus Kodiak stories and ready for Critcal Space. I have been hooked. I have just one question though. I don't know anything about depostions, but why couldn't the ones involved be brought to the secure compound Pugh was being guarded at, instead of dragging him out under expected risks to everyone concerned. Was it done this way just to make a good story or is that the way it had to be done. It seems to me if everyone could go to some hotel suite they could go to the safe house.

Atticus just keeps bouncing back.

Bodyguard Atticus Kodiak job is to protect his principle. Assassin John Doe mission is to eliminate his target. A duel ensues when they engage in a battle with conflicting ends. They each play to win. The question is who will be victorious.

Clever plotting and taut pacing kept me souring through the pages. If you're looking for a rapid-fire thrill ride, this is where you get on. Smoker is in a class all by itself. Atticus Kodiak is compassionate, humble, and damn good at what he does. Definitely someone you want covering your back. Highly recommended.

Greg Rucka's primary strengths are his characterization and pacing and in SMOKER it all falls perfectly into place. His protagonist Atticus Kodiak returns, still aggravatingly introspective but immensely compelling, as does Rucka's social commentary and intricate plotting. With a tobacco industry whistleblower as the principal, Rucka gets a little heavy-handed at times with soapbox monologues but because his characters are so well-defined and the plot makes sense - something that hobbled FINDER at times - it works without feeling forced.

Kodiak's supporting cast is particularly strong this time around, with "John Doe" and Jeremiah Pugh stealing the show whenever they're on stage. If Rucka ever scores a movie deal, this is the book I want to see on screen.

KEEPER was a strong debut. FINDER was a solid, if over-the-top follow-up. SMOKER is the complete package.

I've read Rucka's first three novels (Keeper, Finder, Smoker)after reading some of his comic book work. What astounds me about the Atticus Kodiak novels (so far) is there consistency. Atticus is a living breathing person, made more so by his imperfections. I agree with an earlier reviewer that I was screaming "Idiot" as much as I was cheering him on. In this way Rucka's books are like Owen Parry's Abel Jones series, as both featuring people who are as close to reality a fictional character can get. You have your disagreements with them, and yet you know at the end of the day you like and respect them, and would be proud to call them friend.

Returning to "Smoker", I don't think this is my favorite of the series, but it is still an excellent book. Atticus Kodiak finds himself guarding a key witness against the tobacco industry. While Rucka does make his view of this debate known, it isn't the primary focus of the novel. Wisely, Rucka focuses on Kodiak's battle with a master assassin, who hangs over the proceedings like a grim fog; Kodiak knows the assassin is there, but doesn't know what that person has in store.

While the ending is a little weak, the overall novel is a definite success of tension, suspense, and human conflict, from the battle between killer and protector, on to the mundane interactions of people in their daily lives. Rucka gets it right in ways that certain people in the genre have not.

The strongest part of the book follows the business side of tobacco. The author is especially adept (as you would expect from a novelist) at sketching out the players in the history of tobacco. He is also very good on the history of various cigarette brands, their composition, advertising, their ups and downs, sales strategies. This is the best part of the book. A number of wonderfully told stories and incidents pepper the book. The author weaves this information into a steadily growing body of evidence that smoking is harmful, and then pits the industry figures against scientists, and tosses in politicians and anti-smoking groups as the battles go on.

The book has one glaring weaknesses, obvious to anyone. The author badly needed an editor to exercise control over his tendency to go off course and to go overboard and tell everything he knows about something. For example, the business diversification of Philip Morris is really tangential to the story, and should have been cut. The author's style is encyclopedic, which is not a problem at first, but it wears the reader down by the halfway point.

The author seems very weak in essential areas of chemistry and biology. At one point he even refers to cellulose as "protein-like". He struggles badly with the effect of air and flue drying on the chemistry of tobacco, particularly nicotine. He seems to miss the boat on ammonia technology and the rise of Marlboros. But maybe that information came out too late for him to include it.

Well deserving of the Pulitzer Prize that it won, this book
tells the story of the growth of the industry - and the political
controversies about it - largely through the eyes of the main Tobacco Industry executives and lawyers. Beautifully written and
wittily objective, this is the best single place to start to understand this complex 20th century American phenomeon.

Just about every great society has one crop whose presence is intertwined throughout its history, effecting the history, culture, and economics of the nation. For China it would be rice, potatoes for Ireland, coca for Columbia, and most likely tobacco for America. This Pulitzer-Prize winning book shows how and why tobacco is so important to America's history. Specifically, the book traces and examines the economic role of tobacco and the economic policies of the tobacco companies (growers, traders, sellers, etc...) from the 1800s on through the 1990s.

Subjects that are covered in this tome include tobacco farming, the making of cigarettes, advertising in papers, radio, TV and billboards, lobbying of govt officials to reduce regulation, PR wars with health advocates, promotion of overseas sales, and of course, the court cases fought between Big Tobacco (RJR,Philip Morris, Brown & Williamson, etc...) and various consumers, consumer groups, government agencies, and governments. The book puts all of this together in a chronological history of tobacco with an emphasis on the role of big corporations like Philip Morris. The author has put this book together using a wide variety of sources both primary and secondary, including a lot of interviews with former and current employees at tobacco companies.

By reading this book, one learns a lot about various aspects of American law, culture, economics, and history. These include consumer relations, agro-business, medical research, lobbying, and advertising. OVerall, this is a great book, and I highly recommend it for anyone to read.

I highly recommend Ashes to Ashes, by Richard Kluger, to anyone who wants to know more about the tobacco industry. Kluger provides a comprehensive history, beginning with the temperance of the tobacco leaf and the physical labor involved in producing marketable tobacco, and ending with the struggles the tobacco industry now faces with public health groups and government regulations. Kluger's narrative style makes this thick, fact packed book easy to read. Rich in history, critical, and thought provoking, Ashes to Ashes is a worthwhile read.

I'm not a smoker (fortunately my parents totally discouraged me from it, and I had enough smarts to avoid it anyway) but I found this history of the cigarette industry to be quite interesting--especially the facts about the early years.

It got a little dry towards the end, and the whole indictment of the industry has gotten a bit repetitious; I suspect at the time the book was published the message was new, but the message has gotten old fast. (Yes, it's clear that they knew about the health issues, and yes, they did very little about it.)

Overall it's a good read, especially the first half. If you're at all curious about how the cigarette industry came to be, the book does a great job of describing the companies and personalities involved.

I'd recommend this book to smokers like me out there. You'd learn that we (smokers) are the only ones getting pissed on in the end - cigarette companies continue to make money, everyone else gets road fixed, schools financed, etc. with the hiked cigarette tax that the smokers pay. Yes, suckers. And I'm not even bringing in lung cancer (we die off quicker so probably lower the medical care cost burden on the whole).

It also provides insight into the development of the US ad/marketing industry and our legal system. It's a tome, though, good also as a door stop.

Fantastic job of tracing the roots of the cigarette industry to its "high water" mark in the 1950s, and then a thorough explanation of how it managed to survive and even thrive in some respects in the past fifty years. You can guess the author's opinion, but it is an opinion he came to after a complete survey of the evidence, which is as human beings what we should aspire to, eh? Appropriate use of numbers/statistics - does not get bogged down by overloading the book with charts and causal equations. Good final chapter on the intersection of American capitalism, globalization, public health and the cigarette industry. Recommended for both medical/public health officials and the general public.

Given the size of the book, I was sure I was going to be perusing it only. However, the similarity to what I have seen with the wireless industry made me go back and read it in detail...disturbingly familiar detail. Read this to get a preview of its inevitable sequel...The Cell Phone Century.

This is the story of how smoking, once a socially acceptable, pleasurable behavior, became a disgusting habit for the smoker, a danger to non-smokers, a crime for cigarette makers and a financial windfall for some smokers, lawyers, and state governments. The book is well written, well documented and very readable but we know where the author stands. He tells us that 400,000 or 500,000 people are "killed" every year from smoking. Death by gunshot is instant and violent. This happens to about 30,000 people a year and no manufacturer is criminally responsible. Death by smoking can occur 20 to 45 years after smoking begins during which time the smoker could have abused his body in other ways but if not, aging and genetics contribute to death. Even though smokers choose cigarettes for pleasure with full knowledge of long term health consequences, the author concludes that abusive smoking that leads to disease is the criminal responsibility of tobacco companies.
A consequence of education, litigation, and the high cost of cigarettes is that fewer people smoke today. However, there has been a surge in obesity and obesity related health costs and shortened life spans. Mr. Brandt, if people are addicted to fatty foods and feed fatty foods to their children should Krispe Kreme and McDonalds be held criminally responsible as more and more people are diagnosed with diabetes and other diseases related to abusive eating? I wonder how many people are "killed" every year from abusive eating?

This book provided a completely unbiased look at this demon weed that has been plaguing this evil nation from its advent! Tobacco! This may seem strange to hear a liberal bashing a narcotic and crying for it to be made illegal, especially since they are so desperately pushing for legalization of marijuana, the products evil twin, but trust me it all makes sense when Mr. Brandt breaks it down for us.

Brandt begins with the first use of tobacco by our pilgrim ancestors. Brandt informs us that they got the Indians hooked on tobacco as kind of a way to enslave them and get land from them. They got them addicted so they would have to keep buying it.

How did America get those huge land grabs, like the Louisiana purchase, at such little money? They offered this deadly hallucinogenic tobacco weed to them and had them sign the papers under the influence!

They tried to get the hippies to smoke it, but the hippies had the very pure and healthy marijuana weed which made them smarter so they knew not to smoke it.

In short, I now realize that we have to, I mean it is imperative, that we get tobacco illegal and marijuana legal.

I love this book very much. A lot of goog content about cigar was presented but in plain text and black/white picture.

It can be number one cigar book only if it improves the package such as more color picture, connoiseur's corner.

God like!

Best book all around, lot's of information, piles and mountain of it, no pro or against cigar propaganda, a work of art, and a must read for all cigar fans.

This work has been highly overrated, since it is far from being the "ultimate" cigar book.
Firstly, it is no book for an experienced cigar smoker: it covers all of the basics soley for the novice, and only for the American novice, at that ("...our own Connecticut leaf..."). Admittedly, Mr. Hacker does this quite competently, although he either is unaware of myriads of cigar lovers outside the U.S., or has chosen to ignore them.
Secondly, this book would be more aptly entitled "The Ultimate Ego Trip," for the text is riddled with rather annoying examples of the author's unabashed conceit regarding his supposed expertise and his influence on - get this - the Cugan cigar industry!
Worst of all, however, is Mr. Hacker's claim - and in this he aligns himself with his American cigar commentator collegues - that non-Cuban smokes have now equaled, or even surpassed, the quality of Habanos. This absurd pretense - which is unknown amongst any of the scores of non-American cigar veterans I am familiar with - has its roots in the insidious Cuba-bashing campaign initiated by "Cigar Aficionado" magazine, which sought to promote sales of non-Cuban cigars by grossly exaggerating their positive attributes while debasing the quality of Habanos. It is most unfortunate that novice (American) smokers are liable to be influenced by this illusion in their quest for a premium cigar.
My advice, then, is that if you feel compelled to purchase this book, do attempt to separate fact from (Mr. Hacker's) fiction.

The first half of the book is a really well-written beginners introduction into the world of cigars, their history, making, smoking, storing and other vital knowledge.
The author's an expert, and he' renowned, no doubt about it. That said, I'd appreciated that much more if he would have missed just a single opportunity to ply the reader with that fact.
The second half of the book therefore is rather a description of the self-absorbed world of Richard Carleton Hacker - who I had never heard of before, but now I know he shared a cigar with Arnold Schwarzenegger - and he couldn't help including a photo of that.
That aside: A truly enjoyable read for everybody who is into cigars.

The title speaks for itself, it is indeed the ultimate cigar
book. Written for the newcomer as well as the long time cigar
aficionado. Perhaps Mr. Carleton Hacker will bless us with
an exclusive book on Cubanos and elaborate on their rich history,
current markets, counterfiting, proper storage and enjoyment.
Go ahead and buy this one first, you won't regret it!!

In Search of Pipe Dreams Great Book! Very interesting reading-all I ever wanted to know about pipes-"How To's & Why.

I'm sure I'm in the majority; those of us who enjoy smoking a pipe, but could never imagine spending $1000 on one (or more than a few hundred for me). This book mainly discusses those extremely expensive pieces, but in the authors defense, he claims to smoke them, so whatever floats his boat. There is also really good political commentary, discussion on pipe mechanics, and the book is nicely written and easy to read. If you want something nice to read about how the rich people enjoy their pipe tobacco, this is your book. If you resent the uber wealthy contingent of pipe smokers, this book might cause fits of rage for you. I'm a tolerant guy, I enjoyed it.

This is for me definitely one of the best books on pipes ever written. Very informative, yet written in an easy and catching style that really keeps you reading and reading and reading... without stopping. Lots of useful and very interesting information. If only Mr.Newcombe would write a sequel... Highly recomended for all pipe and tobacco lovers and other interested audience... One of my definite favourites among pipe books!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Not only does it have a lot of good information about pipes and pipe carvers, it also deals with the companies that prodce pipes. The author also tells about his travels all over the world in the pursuit of his greatest passion..pipe smoking.

Great reading. A pipe adventure book where the author details his expeditions throughout Europe with the pipemakers themselves. A little too much emphasis on how the author's pipe must be modified to enjoy, but we each must enjoy our pipes however we feel. Too bad the pictures aren't in color to see the detail of these high end pipes.

This was in absolutely perfect condition, and just what I wanted. I recommend the seller as being a completely reliable source.

My husband loves cigars and this book has taught him so many things. Like how to smoke and really enjoy a great cigar.

An excellent guide to choosing fine cigars. I would advise anyone interested in choosing the best cigars to buy this book.

This book is packed full of useful information.

Written in an easy-to-read formatt, Jane Resnick creates a lively atmosphere that honors the role of cigars throughout the world.

Buy "The International Connoisseur's Guide to Cigars" and enjoy the smeet smell of information.

A detailed and richly illustrated tome discussing the finer points of cigar selection and enjoyment. As the title suggests, this is a guide for the connoisseur, not the novice. The perfect gift for anyone urbane enough to let a trash fire burn three inches from the tip of his nose.

If you enjoy the pointed sarcasim of Kurt Vonnegut and the the futuristic thinking that made George Orwell's pig-farm a bastion of individual thought and liberty, then you'll want to read this book. You'll find yourself checking the book's cover and asking, "...when did he write this...?" A great job, easily readable in one sitting, but you'll want to take a little longer, just to savor the characters, witt and scarcasm.

This book was great. I read it in less than 24 hours. I gotta say it's what would happen if we kept taking our rights for granted. It really makes me appreciate how smoking is tied to our other right as well. There is a hint of privacy invasion (aka 1984 by ORwell) but not quite to the extreme. I'd highly recommend reading this book.

I ended up with this book because I saw Mr. Freeman at a book signing with no one buying his book. I felt bad for him and the book looked interesting so I bought a signed copy. Boy, am I glad I did! I loved the book! It is a very thought-provoking tale of the loss of freedom and twisted priorities as a result. I feel very fortunate to have a signed copy! I recommend this book every chance I get, especially in light of the current political winds!

I read this book when it originally came out. Now, with a few of my friends trying to come off the smoking wagon, I am sending copies of this for them to read in hilarity, and to kill time when they would otherwise be puffing. I truly enjoy Paul's books, and anxiously await "Kill Spike".

Smoke Jumpers should be REQUIRED reading. It is an educational insight of just what the people of the United States are doing to themselves. Mr. Freeman's knowledge, intertwined with common sense, and insight has in a sense become the New Nostradamus. The Catch-22 is THIS Nostradamus will be proven correct if we keep on the track we are now riding.

Smoke Jumpers is NOT Politically Correct (thank god), but it IS the truth. Elected officials and corporate heads should read it, they might learn something. Smoke Jumpers should be read by everyone who has ever had a question, in other words, all of us. We may learn something also. There is nothing between the lines, it is right there in front of you.

Reality! What a concept.

My compliments to Mr. Freeman on an excellent work of fiction, that may soon pass to Non-fiction.

Giving up smoking was a long, long process for me. A good friend gave me a copy of the book. It was just the right size and came at just the right time. I could tuck it into my attache case and read it on demand. I found "Give it up.." thoughtful and heartfelt and what I needed to stop smoking at last. A wonderful "friend" book. Thank you.
Jane

When Anne spoke about my higher power wanting me to be a nonsmoker, that is what got to me the most. I know this intuitively and it resonated within me to hear it verbalized in such a way.

Jennifer

This book is a candid exploration into an ex-smoker's personal battle with quitting smoking. Anyone who has ever struggled with the enormity of quitting will most certainly relate to this author's perspective. I read the book several times in order to come to grips with my own addiction to cigarretes. It worked! I have been nicotine free for over a year. As an educator, I also feel this can be a valuable assett to any school district's health education curriculum. As a parent, I plan to use this book to further educate my own children on the dangers of smoking.

This is a book with a unique spiritual perspective on quitting smoking. The empowering lessons throughout not only strengthens the inner will to quit, it strengthened my entire inner self. There's a lot here for people who need some help tapping into their discipline - indeed in even recognizing what that discipline is and where to find it in themselves. The CD was especially helpful. I have played it for my teenage daughter and it had a powerful impact on her. She is not smoking and doesn't plan to. Information from real people (other than her mom) really help reinforce what I'm trying to get across to her about this dangerous addiction.

What is better than reading and listening to people just like you who share their smoking experiences?! This book may be part of a quitting plan or it may be all it takes, the most important thing is to read it and get started. The book is an easy read and the audio cd is great to listen to as you fall asleep, dreaming of your soon-to-be healthy lifestyle. I can highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Morton Mintz from Chevy Chase, MD United States. This is a riveting insider's account of an awesome snatching of defeat from the jaws of victory. The anti-tobacco movement had for decades soight legislation that would prevent the premature deaths of millions of Americans. On the brink of success--the McCain bill--the movement blew it. Michael Pertschuk's book--thoroughly researched, eloquently written, and scrupuously fair--tells how and why. It powerfully warns all humanitarian causes seeking legislation in a corrupted Washington: You can't get it all. Understand that the perfect is the enemy of the good. Embrace an imperfect compromise that takes giant strides in the right direction. And beware egomaniacal leaders: they can become best friends of your enemies.

"Lessons in Movement Leadership from the Tobacco Wars," is the telling subtitle to this deeply-searching book that examines the history of the 1997-1998 round-robin negotiations between the US tobacco companies, litigation lawyers, anti-tobacco advocates, the Clinton administration, and Congress. The matter finally came down to two votes against passage of Senator McCain's comprehensive tobacco control bill, which would have provided the greatest concessions to public health ever imagined, or indeed now imaginable. These included federally mandated regulation of tobacco by the Food and Drug Administration, a stiff increase in the price of cigarettes (the most potent measure to reduce the prevalence of smoking), severe strictures on advertising, penalties against the industry if teen-age smoking rates didn't fall, a national program for smokers who want to quit, among other provisions. The eventual settlement between the US Attorneys-General and the industry is a pale reflection of what could have been.

All advocacy and citizen movements have their "radical" and "moderate" wings. The rejectionists of the anti-tobacco movement refused to support the McCain bill in the end because
it provided the tobacco industry with a (large) annual cap on how much they would have to pay out in law suits each year, assuming they lost such suits. There were those movement leaders
who refused any concession that smelled at all of immunity for an industry whose products kill over 400,000 Americans each year, and castigated the moderates for even sitting down with the
industry to discuss a settlement. The failure of the McCain bill was also a set back to the nascent tobacco control movements in other countries, "because we are not able to stop tobacco aggression without success in the United States," as one Polish activist observed.

The author, former head of the Federal Trade Commission, founder of the Advocacy Institute, and long-time anti-tobacco activist, richly analyzes what went wrong with a primer on "Thirteen
Ways to Lead a Movement Backward," whose obvious inverse is how to lead a movement to victory. A successful movement strategically and knowingly blends vision and pragmatism,
engages in a "good cop-bad cop" approach to negotiations. The failed movement breaks out into factional war. The anti-tobacco movement yet to recover.

The other key lesson, is that all the principals but the rejectionists were willing to reconsider their roles in the debacle, to search deeply into their actions and motives, and to examine how they might have behaved differently. Pertschuk gives his own mea culpa. Even Ralph Nader learned something new. When the next opportunity comes, as it surely will, I would want these reflective persons to be out in front again.

Michael Pertschuk's book is a must-read for anyone who is working to accomplish significant social change in America, particularly on issues where there is a powerful, monied opposition. He gives us critical insights into how a progressive movement can hurt itself by unneccessary personal attacks and ideological rigidity. He also teaches us how a progressive movement can overcome these obstacles and become a powerful unified force for good in our society. Over the years, I have seen the kind of internicine warfare so artfully described by Mr. Pertschuk undermine efforts to reduce gun violence and health care expansion. I hope that his book will help all of learn how to work together to achieve our common goals.

In this book, Pertschuk attempts to rewrite history with
himself as a hero. He also demonstrates how little he
has learned from that history. The two may be related.

Fortunately, the history is well documented; we are
not dependent on unreliable accounts of it. The key
fact is: the tobacco industry killed the McCain bill
as soon as it started to get tough on tobacco and
good for the public. 3 out of 4 members of the Congress that
killed the bill, had taken money from the tobacco industry.
So it wasn't too hard for the industry to kill a bill it
didn't like.

Pertschuk's rewrite would have us believe that victory
for public health was almost within our grasp. The
key fact is, the industry had a veto at all times,
which it didn't hesitate to use. In this battle
there was no danger at any time of public health
prevailing over industry profits. No historic
opportunity was missed; the opportunity never existed.
Not with this Congress.

On the contrary: if anything was narrowly missed,
it was a federal bailout of Big Tobacco. This
same Congress that killed a bill that was getting
too good for the public, also had the power to give
the tobacco industry a get-out-of-jail-free card:
legal immunity, special rights in court. That
was what the industry wanted, because it would
keep it safe and profitable.

This was no hypothetical danger: various forms of
immunity appeared in the McCain bill at different times.
Indeed it was without immunity in the bill that
the industry turned against the bill and killed it.
So what was missed, if anything, was a legal device
to keep Big Tobacco profitable and powerful into
the next century.

This history forms a pattern: the tobacco industry
has many times, in many states and localities, tried
to enter into closed-door, private negotiations.
The history of such closed-door deals also forms a
pattern: they turn out to protect industry profits
and do little to protect public health. Secret
negotiations with tobacco industry lawyers have
a long, sad, history: they don't tend to produce
results notably in the public interest.

It is sad that Pertschuk has not learned from
this history. It is even sadder that he attempts
to rewrite a recent instance of it. But perhaps
this is not a coincidence. Perhaps it would indeed
be difficult to write "I later realized that
I was mistaken in my approach, and that the
predictions that I differed with at the time,
were proven correct by the plain facts of history."

And perhaps we could apply Santayana here:
those who rewrite the past, surely will not learn
from it, and are then condemned to repeat it.
That would be saddest of all, because the tobacco
industry is still fighting hard to get
special rights in court. And is still a master
of closed-door negotiations. All it needs is
a couple of public health figures to endorse them.

Mike Pertschuk's new book provides tremendously important lessons to all of us working on social justice issues. His story makes you wonder what could have been possible in the tobacco wars if people on the side of the angels worked together, strategized together, honestly communicated with one another, and avoided personal attacks.

As one who actively fought with many tobacco prevention activists to kill the settlement and "improve" the McCain bill, even I found value in reading the tale from the perspective of Matt Myers.

Mike's book in no way changed my mind about the final outcome (i.e,, I think the settlement deal flopping was a good thing for the movement. And while I feel bad that the McCain bill died, I remain skeptical that the industry would have allowed it to pass even with some liability relief). That said, there are lessons to be learned.

Smoke in Their Eyes did make me wonder about what could have been possible had movement leaders developed strong, trusting relationships with each other, and if they communicated actively, openly, and honestly. The lack of communication between both leadership camps was most telling, in my opinion.

Besides its critical lessons, SMOKE IN THEIR EYES is a wonderful, gripping, story that makes you feel like you are right in the middle of the biggest national anti-tobacco battle in US history.

Its a very funny book.Great pictures.
I bought this book for a friend who had recently quit the bad habit.It is a great gift for a smoker to encourage them to quit.

Another very personal look into the world of Emily Flake, who reminds us just how dogged our human frailities can be! ...Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves is that little piece of hand mirror you can find down there in the bottom of your purse -- you know, under the pack of cigs. A coffee- table book if ever I saw one....

I'm a fan of Emily Flake's Lulu Eightball series, which is syndicated in many independent papers around the globe. This book has the same style as that strip, but deeply explores one theme from it - smoking. If you're a smoker, an ex-smoker, or know someone who is/was, consider getting this for them. The overt text is clearly about cigs, but the real theme is a person's inner struggle. Regardless of your cancer-stick-ingesting status, Emily's drawing style, savvy and wit make this little book an entertaining read. Well worth the price.

They're out there. Literally. The smokers, that is. In cold and wet and hot and horrible, you see them, huddled under canopies. Are they yearning to be free? Or do they love their addiction?

Forgive them. Cigarettes seem to be as addictive as heroin --- but they're still legal. And will be, as long as Big Tobacco can pay for lobbyists. The addicted smoker? She's come a long way, baby, but she's not going much further.

Even if cigarettes were illegal, Emily Flake wouldn't care. She's hard-core. She didn't start out that way, of course, but once you're hooked, you're hooked. And, of course, she wants to stop. And can't. So she goes through all the mental gymnastics that people go through when they are smarter than a chimp and yet toke deeply on cigarettes.

Why waste a rationalization? It can be a book. Not a big one --- at 6.1 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches, "These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves" is just slightly larger than a king-sized pack of ultra-thins. And it's not all words. It's richly spiced with comic imagery and dialogue bubbles, for Ms Flake is not just a smoker, she's the sardonic cartoonist whose "Lulu Eightball" appears in a bunch of alternative newspapers.

Ms. Flake is an ideal guide for this tortured journey. She came to the smoking party late --- she was a nerd, in no danger of hanging with the cool kids. But "one day out of pure boredom, I finally gave it a shot." And the waters parted and the promised land beckoned. I mean, it was all good.

In the back of her mind, she thought she'd quit at 29. The age was arbitrary. Once, as she was buying cigs, a lady said to her, "Quit when you're 29," and she said, "Yes, ma'am," and that was it. She was then 21; eight years was "oceans of time." But the days flew by like pages of a calendar in a 1930s movie, and, suddenly, there she was. 29. And wondering if that woman at the checkout counter was a gypsy, and if there was a curse involved somewhere.

Does this sound familiar? Not you, of course. But you surely have "a friend" who is trying to quit, wants to quit, talks about quitting, is not likely to quit any time soon.

Let me not misrepresent these 112 pages --- they're not just about Emily Flake's battle to kick the habit. Nope, her interest here is panoramic. She starts with a brisk summary of the problem ("Maybe you smoke"), serves up an eight-page history of smoking in 20th century America (what, you wanted to read more about corporate pushers and ad industry enablers?) and only then flashes back to her story ("29 is not 20, when you feel indestructible, the notion of things like an unpleasant death far from your mind").

The bulk of the book --- if a book that weighs less than a hummingbird can be said to have volume --- is about the mind game smokers play and the strategies they devise to quit. The reasoning, if we can give rationalization an upgrade and call it actual thought, is pretty tortured. For instance: "As I understand it, it also gives you cancer."

Give Emily Flake credit for fairness. There is a case to be made for cigarettes, and we all know it: Cigarettes don't kill people, people kill themselves. Well, she doesn't take that easy route. She reaches for the intellectual rationale: "Smoking gives you a minute to step back and think about your work, to breathe (ironically) deeper than you do normally, it gives you a focal point. Having to choose between productivity and health is a problem, man, I tell you."

On the evidence here, Emily Flake is Ms. Productivity.

You want to know: Yes, but at the end, does she kick? No spoilers here. But if you happen to see Ms. Flake outside an office building in the rain, I fear she may have something in her hand. As she's said: "You can't just go out there and breathe for 10 minutes. If you're not smoking, it's called `loitering.'"

Ms. Flake is exceptionally smart and sane. And so funny that smokers could almost forgive her for writing and illustrating this little book. Who will benefit from it? A friend who likes to laugh --- and just happens to smoke and want to stop. Or a friend who smokes and wants to stop and you're so sick of hearing about it that you pray for the friendship to end. Or just "a friend."

I haven't smoked a cigarette in over fifteen years, and never had the intense pull toward them that Emily Flake did, but I still loved her charming little book about the highs and lows of lighting up. Anyone who's struggled with any addiction or vice will appreciate her expertly drawn images of things like a "crispy ol' lung" and sense of twisted humor (when she tells her smoker readers they'll relate to the book and that it can help them, she pairs it with an image of a super-patched person with a pencil in their mouth quipping, "So, what, I can smoke the book? Is that what you're saying?").

She describes the trifecta of bourbon, prosciutto, and a cigarette as being "like angels are throwing a party in your mouth." Her artwork is especially wonderful when she details the horrors of smoking, the distorted mouth with "itty bitty lines that lipstick gets sucked up into." The sad images of women with no teeth and bloodshot eyes are tragically beautiful. Flake doesn't sugarcoat her own fears or the reality that smoking causes cancer; this is to her credit, since this truly is a love/hate/love letter. Flake's balancing act between her efforts to quit, and belief that smoking is essential to productivity and being herself is rendered wonderfully, along with a mini history of smoking "back in the day," when doctors endorsed smoking and ads read "Camels agree with your throat." Flake sums up the modern smoker by stating, "Today, we all know better. And we go ahead and do it anyway." If you're a non-smoker, like me, you'll be glad that you don't after getting through with this, and if you are, you'll appreciate all the more Flake's honesty, sometimes bloody drawings, and wit. And you just may feel a little bit guilty for hoping Flake continues smoking if it yields more work like this.