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Iraq in the News
As violence in Iraq continues, now is a particularly important time for us to understand the culture and history of this troubled country. Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin's addition to the Middle East Nations in the News series examines current events in Iraq as well as the nation's land, religion, government, and economy.
* Reviews *
These series titles present an overview of the history and culture of the featured country, with an emphasis on events of the last 100 years. In Iraq, the sections discussing Saddam Hussein and the overthrow of his regime are fairly well done, although they contain several pronouncements on the thoughts and emotions of Iraqi people. The sections on social customs and the arts are a bit sketchy. Kohler discusses Turkeys geography, history, and culture including the 2003 terrorist attacks in Istanbul and the nations ongoing efforts to join the European Union. As with the other books in the series, the primary focus is on the use of the Internet as a research tool, which the publisher emphasizes by graphic design elements and page layouts imitating computer screens. The featured Web sites can be accessed via a link provided by the publisher. Students needing more information on Iraq would do better with the recently updated volume in the Enchantment of the World series (Childrens Press, 2006). Chris Enochs Turkey (Gale, 2003), Sean Sheehans Turkey (Marshall Cavendish, 2004), and Tamara Orrs Turkey (Childrens Press, 2003) are all more detailed and comprehensive books for this age group. The Enslow titles would be useful supplements in collections already containing the other titles., School Library Journal December 2006
RL
Grades
6-7 IL
Grades
6-12+ GRL
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