"Better Safe than Sorry is a richly evidenced, engagingly written account of a phenomenon of central interest to sociologists studying health, gender, social movements, political consumption, and the environment. MacKendrick has provided readers with a definitive account of precautionary consumption, theorizing this phenomenon in a way that connects macro- to microlevel social action. This work shows us how corporate control of government regulation renders the consumer marketplace a minefield of health risks and how gendered social discourses implicating mothers as the guardians of their families' well-being combine to create a practice that is financially, temporally, and emotionally draining: precautionary consumption."-- "American Journal of Sociology"
"The topic dealt within the book is timely and of great concern to post-modern consumers: how do we make our decisions when buying something that can affect our health? . . . It shows how the failure to apply the precautionary principle in the USA leads inexorably individual consumers alone to navigate complicate decisions about which products to buy, whilst widespread consumers' concern and uncertainty open spaces to be capitalised by the market actors on the promise of health and safety."-- "Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies"
"Examining everyday toxics from a variety of angles, MacKendrick's book is an impressive analysis of how many of us shop today, why we do so, and what we can do to achieve greater equality."-- "New Books Network" (7/19/2018 12:00:00 AM)