FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Karen Leggett

A few stories of ancient daring are surrounded by page after page of sultans and imams with almost identical names (especially to an American eye), always consolidating power and challenging and consolidating again. There is an interesting introductory account of a twentieth century filmmaker who used high-resolution space imagery to find the ancient trading city of Ubar, where Oman is now situated next to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. For nearly forty years during this century, Oman was ruled by a man described as an "arch-reactionary of great personal charm...who did all he could to isolate his country form the world." However, in a problem typical of this series, on the page after a coup and a new sultan usher in a new era in 1970, there is a 1910 photo of an old well in Muscat. An excellent introduction by Akbar Ahmed, School of International Service, American University, explains the background behind many of the social and political realities in the Middle East today: the lack of democracy, the need for education reform, opinions about the media, and the distinction between feelings toward Jews and Israelis. This "Creation of the Modern Middle East" series features numerous titles on Middle Eastern countries as well as the Palestinian Authority and the Kurds. Although some volumes are stronger than others and all have too many old photos that bear no relation to the text, the series is well indexed and useful for research. Part of the "Creation of the Modern Middle East" series. 2003, Chelsea House,

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