A new book from the University of Texas Press takes a contemporary and comprehensive look at the difficult lives of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, with special emphasis on those in the Southeastern United States. The title, The Human Cost of Food: Farmworkers' Lives, Labor and Advocacy, emphasizes the irony of low retail prices for fruits and vegetables harvested by poorly paid and inadequately housed migrant workers.

Finding fresh fruits and vegetables is as easy as going to the grocery store, which makes it easy for Americans to forget that our food is cultivated, harvested and packaged by farmworkers who labor for less pay, fewer benefits, and under more dangerous conditions than workers in almost any other sector of the economy. The Human Cost of Labor addresses the major factors that affect farmworkers' lives and offers practical strategies for action on farmworkers issues.

"An excellent book, well-written, thoughtful, and scholarly, in a field which has very few overviews accessible to non-specialists," wrote one reviewer. "It is definitely a contribution to the literature and will fill a large gap in existing materials."

The book is a collection of chapters by advocates in the fields of housing, health, labor, and education, with additional chapters covering immigration issues, culture and related factors. The authors blend coverage of each issue with practical suggestions for working with farmworkers and other advocates to bring more justice into our food production system. The education chapter was co-authored by NASDME consultant Al Wright.

Editors of the 329-page volume are Charles D. Thompson, a cultural anthropologist at Duke University, and Melinda F. Wiggins, executive director of Student Action with Farmworkers based in Durham, NC. The book includes 23 photographs, many previously unpublished.

TO ORDER THE HUMAN COST OF FOOD:

The book is available in hardcover or paperback. The hardcover version (ISBN 0-292-78177-6) costs $50, and the paperback (ISBN 0-292-78178-4) sells for $21.95.

Orders may be phoned in to toll-free 1-800-252-3206. Phone orders can be billed to Visa, MasterCard or American Express cards.

Mail orders can be sent to Book Orders, University of Texas Press, P. O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819. Checks should be made payable to The University of Texas at Austin. Add $4.50 shipping and handling for the first book ordered and 50 cents for each book thereafter.

Reference Book Covers Migrant Education

A valuable tool of interest to NASDME members and other migrant educators in Migrant Education: A Reference Handbook, written by Judith A. Gouwens. It is a part of the Contemporary Education Issue Series published by ABC-CLIO, Inc., 130 Cremona Drive, P. O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911. This volume is available as an e-book. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.

The following items are free unless otherwise noted:

NASDME Newsletter: Information on National Conference, media projects, new publications, publicity

NASDME Brochure: A detailed look at the role of NASDME

Brochure - Migrant Education: Targeting Resources for America's Most At-Risk Students