Tunisia ANNOTATION
Examines the history, economy, people, lifestyles, and culture of this Arab country in northern Africa.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Examines the history, economy, people, lifestyles, and culture of this Arab country in northern Africa.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Judy Katsh
A recent addition to the "Cultures of the World" series, this book describes the people, history, culture, government, and geography of Tunisia, a small North African country. Encyclopedic in content, tone, organization, and illustration style, this text book will appeal to readers researching their roots, writing reports, or attempting to understand the complexities of the North African world. Casual readers may find interest in the lovely full color photographs that are accompanied by informative captions; but it will be students of the region who will find the most satisfaction in this book.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8Profuse, colorful photographs characterize this series. Unfortunately, the authors communicate a limited, superficial understanding of these countries. There are minor factual errors and some use of outdated race/language terms. More importantly, factors that have profoundly influenced the present are not explained. The Berbersthe original inhabitants and majority population through most of Tunisia's historyare not even mentioned until the Muslim conquest, and their centuries of gold/salt trade across the desert are not discussed. Brown does not explain that in Islamic belief, government and courts are supposed to rule according to religious teachings in order to create a society of order, compassion, and social justice. How, then, are readers to understand the passion of "Islamic fundamentalists" against governments that deny this duty. Zambia overrepresents exotic ceremonies. Information on possibly biased sources of historical images is missing from the otherwise useful captions. Brief, formulaic chapters, including engaging ones on food, make certain comparisons of different countries easy. The sequencing and rigid separation of chapters, however, obscures interrelated dynamics. Also, names, wars, and abstractions crowd out concrete explanations of socioeconomic realities. The book doesn't discuss the roots of urbanization and poverty in the colonial period's hut taxes and mines; nor does it specify the disastrous economic effects of the long war in Rhodesia. Though Mary Virginia Fox doesn't do appreciably better on Islam, generally her Tunisia (1994) and Jason Laure's Zambia (1991, both Childrens) give better explanations of these countries.Loretta Kreider Andrews, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD
Home
