Cambodia

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8?Both Tibet and Cambodia are treated in the 12-chapter format standard to this series: geography, history, government, economy, people, lifestyle, religion, language, arts, leisure, festivals, and food are covered. Both nations have troubled and unsettling recent histories, making it tempting to be partisan in describing them. The authors resist these temptations admirably, providing sympathetic, yet balanced accounts. Levy presents both the Chinese and Tibetan sides of the Tibetan independence movement; Sheehan navigates through the quagmire of Cambodian politics with aplomb. Illustrative material consists mostly of clear, colorful photographs, with a few historical black-and-white photos and some reproductions of national art. Tibet includes accounts of the Tibetan and Chinese languages; Cambodia supplies information about non-Khmer minorities. The writing styles are clear, interesting, and often lively. Cambodia is more up to date than David Chandler's The Land and People of Cambodia (HarperCollins, 1991) and better balanced than Mariam Greenblatt's Cambodia (Children's, 1995). There is no serious competition for Tibet; fortunately, Levy's title is an informative introduction. Both volumes will be excellent for reports and fascinating for general browsing.?John Philbrook, San Francisco Public LibraryCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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Gr 6-8Both Tibet and Cambodia are treated in the 12-chapter format standard to this series: geography, history, government, economy, people, lifestyle, religion, language, arts, leisure, festivals, and food are covered. Both nations have troubled and unsettling recent histories, making it tempting to be partisan in describing them. The authors resist these temptations admirably, providing sympathetic, yet balanced accounts. Levy presents both the Chinese and Tibetan sides of the Tibetan independence movement; Sheehan navigates through the quagmire of Cambodian politics with aplomb. Illustrative material consists mostly of clear, colorful photographs, with a few historical black-and-white photos and some reproductions of national art. Tibet includes accounts of the Tibetan and Chinese languages; Cambodia supplies information about non-Khmer minorities. The writing styles are clear, interesting, and often lively. Cambodia is more up to date than David Chandler's The Land and People of Cambodia (HarperCollins, 1991) and better balanced than Mariam Greenblatt's Cambodia (Children's, 1995). There is no serious competition for Tibet; fortunately, Levy's title is an informative introduction. Both volumes will be excellent for reports and fascinating for general browsing.John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library


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