<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Jax Peters Lowell has written, =Against the Grain= subtitled "the slightly eccentric guide to living without gluten or wheat" a book that I would call a survival guide. While it contains a few recipes -- one chapter includes recipes from 12 renowned chefs, another has kid-pleasers -- this is not so much a cookbook as a book-length pep talk and quick reference full of resources like mail order firms, support groups, and including two translation cards (for the wheat-free and the gluten-free consumer) in 14 languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portugese, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Hebrew, Russian, Greek, Japanese and Chinese). These can be used not only for travel in foreign lands, but for excursions to ethnic restaurants. Written with a light touch and a sense of humor, Jax's book will help newcomers to The Diet put things in perspective, and it offers strategies you can use in your own kitchen, while dining out, at work, with friends, and during travel. I highly recommend the book with only a few small reservations: (1) Sometimes her comments about restricted foods get muddy, so the uneducated might come away confused about, for example, whether buckwheat is on the taboo or safe lists (well, it's a difficult topic). (2) I felt a little upset with Jax's chapter "Your Cheating Heart..." which starts out: "You will want to cheat. And you will." In an earlier chapter she briefly mentioned using affirmations and so it surprises me that she'd apply their opposite in her book by planting such a negative suggestion which could worm its way into my as-yet-unbreached defenses. However, how can I quibble when she could write such a clear, delicate and insightful Preface, including this: "How could I explain when friends were battling serious things such as breast cancer and brain injury and hearts that ticked like time bombs, while I had gotten off with a mere dietary restriction? I secretly grieved for all the foods I could never taste again . . ." Her chapter on surviving in the world of business had me laughing out loud. How refreshing to hear someone with more than a decade of practice coping with our particular affliction, share her experiences and insights and warm humor at length with us all. =Against The Grain= (published by Henry Holt in the U.S.; Fitzhenry & Whiteside in Canada) is a wonderful book, as comforting as a newly discovered recipe that replaces the food you miss most, and like comfort food, the book would be best shared with those you love, even if -- maybe especially if -- they don't have to live with the celiac diet. The softback version is available now in or through special orders at your local book store. Linda Blanchard [log in to unmask] Midland TX USA