Genocide: How Your Doctor's Dietary Ignorance Will Kill You by James E. Carlson is a thick paperback alternative health guide. Carlson, a practicing physician, explains how simple dietary changes can not only reduce the chance of getting many of today’s prevalent ailments, but also heal patients who are already plagued by a variety of illnesses. His choice of wording in the title reflects that the entire population is dying from entirely preventable ailments because of dietary misconceptions.

Carlson begins his book by showing how his own health problems led him to try dietary changes, which he passed along to his patients and saw some amazing results. The first part of what follows details the concept of the diet, while Part Two names specific diseases and ailments for which the author has personally witnessed very positive results when his suggestions were used.

The book is full of information but lacking in organization: a table of contents, bibliography and author bio page – none of these are included. That said, the book’s back cover does use the standard space allotted for author information to impressive effect; the author has degrees in biochemistry, cellular physiology and medicine. On top of this, he has held many positions in the medical field and currently operates a private medical practice in New York. The occasional quote that the author chooses to include are powerful. The size and spacing of the font is very easy to read. However, I was disappointed to find no information on the eco-printing options available for book publishing and distribution processes today, i.e. recycling content, vegetable inks, carbon offsetting, etc. I became slightly concerned about the quality of the book; after only one reading, the cover wouldn’t lie flat even after bending it the other way.

Otherwise, Genocide: How Your Doctor's Dietary Ignorance Will Kill You is worth the retail price. The information within the 304 pages may just save your life.