The truth about tobacco?

This week sees the launch of another book about smoking. (I know, I know, you wait years for one and then three or four come along at once.)

Smoke Screens: The Truth About Tobacco is the work of Rich White, a graduate of Canterbury Christ Church University. According to the blurb:

"The book explores all aspects of tobacco smoking including smoking trends among social classes and detection bias and its impact on diagnosis.

"It examines in depth the evidence linking smoking to specific diseases, how attitudes towards smoking have changed over time, and how and why tobacco smoking has the negative status it does today."

Actually, that makes it sound a bit dull. Truth is, this book has the word "contentious" written all over it and it is certain to generate strong opinions.

Smoke Screens will appeal to those who are dubious about the alleged risks of smoking and believe - rightly or wrongly - that the benefits outweigh those risks. Whether it will convert anyone who takes a rather different view of tobacco remains to be seen.

Some of the chapters are available online HERE and you can purchase the complete book HERE.