Book Review-Why People Kill Themselves: a 2000 Summary of Research on Suicide, by D Lester

The author delivers a critical review of “Why People Kill Themselves: a 2000 Summary of Research on Suicide,” which he describes as a “substantial-appearing but ultimately anemic” book. Intended as an overview of suicidology research for the years 1990 to 1997, the book appears to the reviewer more as “a compilation & slightly annotated bibliography,” which “reads like a compilation of shoebox index cards.” He ultimately recommends the book only as a resource text for researchers.