Hunnicutt, Susan, book editor The Middle East Peace Process

Hunnicutt, Susan, book editor         The Middle East Peace Process      

Cengage (Gale,Lucent,Kidhaven/Blackbirch          2011   187p   27.50  978-0-7377-4977-9           

ms/hs Opposing Viewpoints#4  (Gale/Cengage) VG-BNS           In order to formulate

an accurate opinion of a topic, the reader must be able to evaluate different

information and different points of view.  In this book about the Middle East

peace process, the editors present opposing viewpoints on four topics:  what

issues are contributing to the present conflict, did human rights violations

take place in Gaza, how great is the danger of nuclear war, and what is the

future of the peace process.                   In order to formulate an accurate opinion of

a topic, a reader must be able to evaluate different information and different

points of view.  In this book about the Middle East peace process, the editors

present opposing viewpoints on four topics:  what issues are contributing to the

present conflict, did human rights violations take place in Gaza, how great is

the danger of nuclear war, and what is the future of the peace process.  Each

chapter begins with a preface that discusses the specific topic and then

proceeds with selections of excerpts from experts, policy makers, and ordinary

citizens.  Each article begins with a list of questions that help focus the

readers╒ thoughts.

       The information is presented in a serious and substantial manner and is

well organized.  The background on each author suggests whether the article will

be liberal or conservative in orientation.   The selections, pro and con, offer

differing points of view and provide information for further research and

discussion.  This allows the readers to develop their own opinions.  The book

ends with an additional bibliography of magazine articles, questions for further

discussion based on the previous selections, a list of organizations to contact,

a bibliography of books, and a very complete index.

            This series contains many titles about current hot topics in the news: 

the Middle East peace process, celebrity culture, gun violence, and writing the

critical essay. The selections, pro and con, offer differing points of view and

provide information for further research and discussion.  Highly recommended for

both middle and high school libraries.       Ogintz, Susan

Anahita's Woven Riddle by

Anahita's Woven Riddle by Meghan Nuttall Sayers

Published by Harry Abrams, 2006. 112 pages $16.95

ISBN:0-8109-5481-8

Anahita is a bold, freethinking teenager in a culture that is based on historic tradition. Her family is a nomadic Muslim tribe that travels from the mountains in the summer to the plains in the winter with their herds of sheep which provide the wool for their beautiful, highly prized rugs. Master dye makers and weavers, this tribe faces loss of water rights as the khan (leader) strategizes to marry Anahita. Anahita refuses to marry the khan and presents a challenge that whoever can answer the riddle woven into her marriage carpet will be her husband. There are four suitors. One is a tribe member who becomes a soldier fighting the Russians who threaten the area, another a teacher who has been brought in to teach the tribe, and one a prince who happened to see Anahita in a nearby market and the fourth is the khan. Each suitor’s life is detailed and will appel to male readers. Sayres weaves Muslim terms, with definitions embedded into the text and italicized for reference in the glossary, seamlessly into the fast-paced story of Anahita and her tribes problems, loves, and beliefs. One gains knowledge of dye making, rug weaving, and the lifestyle of Muslims, especially the expectations of women in the Muslim culture. Because the action takes place in Hasanabad area, the corollary to the current discord in the region is evident. A colorful telling of a nomadic culture with action that will keep the reader turning pages. L.L.M.