Lebanon

From Booklist
Reviewed with Laurel Corona's Israel.Gr. 6-9. What the Modern Nations of the World series lacks in visual appeal, it makes up for with solid information. Israel covers such issues as the creation of the Jewish state, daily life, and the struggle for peace, with sidebars about a variety of interesting (and disparate) topics, including the siege at Jerusalem and the artists' colony at Ein Hod. The struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians is perhaps given less space than it deserves, but the treatment of the conflict is evenhanded. Corona seems feistier about Orthodox Jews, who are contemptuous of their secular counterparts even as they depend on the largess of the state for their welfare. Lebanon incorporates information about the geography and history of a land that was a part of the Fertile Crescent, "the Cradle of Civilization." Much of the book centers around life today, and how it has been shaped by the civil war of the 1970s, which was followed by an Israeli invasion. The black-and-white photos are often washed out, and the design is dull. That's too bad, because though report writers will discover the books, young people with a personal interest in the countries won't find them particularly inviting. Each book has a time line, a bibliography, source notes, and a list of Web sites. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Card catalog description
Presents information on the history, geography, people, culture, and contemporary issues of the country of Lebanon.


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This information book about the nation of Lebanon has many useful reference points and seems in general to give a good overview of the country. Among the book's strengths is the fact that the author has used an Arabic historian, Kamal Salibi, as her primary source for modern history, giving a more indigenous view. There are a few particular problems that need to be mentioned. While the modern period is very well covered, the medieval period and particularly the atrocities of the crusades by European invaders are glossed over. Saladin is mentioned briefly in a later section, but an opportunity was lost to discuss his importance in this period of history. Images are problematic, particularly when credits mention only the image bank from which they are purchased. There is a picture on page 20 of "the prophet Muhammed," which seems to be a European etching, with no sense of awareness that Muslims believe imagery of their prophet to be sacrilegious. The image is unnecessary, since it adds nothing to the text. The sections on modern authors are excellent, other than a typo on p.85 (Hanan al-Shakn, later spelled correctly as al-Shaykh in the bibliography). An excellent section on Khalil Gibran makes one thirst for more information on Lebanese Americans, the largest Arab-American populace. The webliography is commendable. This book is recommended as a general source of information on modern Lebanon, with a wish for more information and editing in the next edition. Part of the "Modern Nations of the World Series." 2003, Lucent Books/Gale,


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