Taking Charge by Taking Care: A Canadian Woman's Health Guide

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This broadly based guide to better health touches all the bases from
breast cancer to having babies. Well-organized and well-written, Taking
Charge by Taking Care is a book about health—how to get it and how to
keep it.

Marilyn Linton writes the Toronto Sun’s “HerHealth” page. Her
goal here is to marry two perspectives: those of physicians and those of
the women who are “consumers” of health care in Canada. With
current, detailed information on such problems as arthritis,
osteoporosis, headaches, menopause, eating disorders, genetics, skin
problems, and mental wellness, Linton aims to empower women to take
charge by taking care.

She identifies the 15 most important health issues facing women today,
and covers prevention, risk factors, medical treatment, and resources.
Her detailed resource list includes recommended books, videotapes,
audiotapes, support groups, foundations, women’s health centres, and
survivors’ organizations across the country.

The book’s medical information or hard data is enlivened by
“profiles” of individual women, set off on pages with a grey
background. These personal stories, “straight from the hearts of
survivors,” encourage and embolden readers. A woman thinking of
quitting smoking, for example, could try two profiles of women, one who
succeeded in stopping and one who is still trying.

Linton’s conclusion emphasizes that knowledge is power and urges
readers to share health information with others and to form support
groups. Taking Charge by Taking Care is an excellent resource book that
can help women achieve a healthier lifestyle, more energy, and wiser
priorities.