Terrorism (Understanding Issues)

Stewart, Gail B

ISBN 10: 0737712872 ISBN 13: 9780737712872

Publisher: KidHaven, 2002

Synopsis

Uses the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to explore the historical, political, and religious origins of political violence, its effects on individuals, and what governments can do to stop it.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6-Divided into four sections, the book begins with reactions to the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, followed by history and information about some of the causes and goals of terrorists. Other chapters concern the effects of terrorism both direct, such as death and destruction, and secondary, such as fear and suspicion. The final section discusses the difficulty of fighting terrorist acts and methods employed to try to prevent them. Unfortunately, Stewart's attempt to present the information in an easily understood, impartial manner results in simplifications and generalizations that weaken the impact of the text. The author sums up the complex Northern Ireland situation as "Many people in Northern Ireland want their independence from Great Britain. However, many others prefer being ruled by Britain." While this is not untrue, it hardly gives a vivid picture of the situation. Broad statements such as "People should not ever have to worry about such horrible things happening ever again" and "-it is a war that must be won" sound more like campaign rhetoric than information that will lead to "Understanding Issues." The color photographs are of reasonably good quality but they also may reinforce negative stereotypes. Although the author mentions terrorists of many backgrounds, the only Muslim images presented are of a masked gunman waving a flag of Islamic Jihad, an FBI wanted poster, and a very unsympathetic looking Iranian-American victim of vandalism. While pedestrian, this offering will be useful to collections needing material on the topic.
Louise L. Sherman, formerly at Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4-6. In this title from the Understanding Issues series, Stewart discusses the images, causes, and effects of terrorism as well as what can be done to prevent it. She begins with reactions to the September 11, 2001, attacks, placing terrorism within a context of U.S. history and world affairs. In a chapter entitled "A Difficult Enemy," she clearly acknowledges the problem of providing protection from unknown assailants and talks about some of the ways that airport security has been improved and how these changes may impinge upon personal freedom. Clear, colorful photographs appear on nearly every page and illustrate the text effectively. Source notes, a glossary, and a briefly annotated bibliography complete a succinct, balanced presentation that can serve as a good starting point for both research and discussion. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: KidHaven
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0737712872
• ISBN 13: 9780737712872
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 48