Secondhand Smoke Crimes, When Neighbors Poison You, Your Family & Pets, is a must read for anyone living in a condo, apartment building, townhome or duplex. You may feel you have control over your home's environment, but what happens if you live next door to someone who smokes, plays loud music or does something else that is bothersome to you and your family?

What are your rights? What can you really do about the situation?

These are the tough questions and situations that your landlord or homeowner's association may be faced with if you file a complaint.

What happens though if YOU are deemed the problem?

That's where Secondhand Smoke Crimes, When Neighbors Poison You, Your Family & Pet becomes an important tool in your life.

Dr. Starr share's wisdom from her years as a homeowner rights experts and coach. She writes a compelling story and offers suggestions in how to deal with your Homeowner's association board and the legal system.

Do not be held hostage by your neighbor's secondhand smoke, become empowered and learn what you can do to return your home to a healthy environment.

- Faith Ranoli, Talk Show Host

Secondhand Smoke Crimes is one of those rare, ground-breaking, technically important and yet readable books that arises from a serious personal experience. Almost everyone has been or is annoyed by secondhand smoke at one time or another but few of us realize how dangerous even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can be or what can be done about it. The author, Dr. Joyce Starr, documents the medical dangers and lays out a practical approach for dealing with the problem, not only in general but particularly within the context of a condominium community.

Ideally, of course, no one would smoke -- not just because it's a slow form of suicide but also because it hurts others. Alas, most smokers are neither sufficiently self-protective nor alturistic. I certainly wasn't until medical reasons forced me to give up smoking.

Secondhand Smoke Crimes shows how one can deal with the perils of secondhand smoke if one can't avoid it/move away, the smoker(s) won't stop voluntarily and those responsible for enforcing no smoking rules won't act. Tempting though it may be, you can't simply shoot the miscreants even though it's clearly self-defense. That won't assure a favorable outcome if only because you're abating the nuisance of smoke with other nuisances, noise and littering. Nor, strangely enough, will seeking legal assistance in the form of an injunction or suing for damages. Why? Law firms are reluctant to take such cases as the law is vague, the remedies slow and dubious, and easier cases usually are more profitable. BUT, as the author shows you can buck those odds, IF you take the trouble to assemble the relevant laws and legal precedents, describe the situation calmly and clear in ordinary English and then find an aggressive law firm interested in distinguishing itself by pioneering a new specialty practice. Having done this, the author suddenly discovered that what initially was an personal health risk has become a public service to her friends, community, the legal profession, and the body of literature called personal success / self-help stories.

In sum, there are at least four strong reasons to buy and read this book. Buy it if you enjoy a real-world story of the eventual triumph of good. Buy it if you have to deal with the deadly nuisance of secondhand smoke. Buy it as a gift for any friend or relative in such a predicament. Buy it for your community's governing board so they'll know and understand their duties in this novel and increasingly important health matter.

David I. Goldenberg, Ph.D.