Working Together Against Homelessness (Library of Social Activism)

Working Toward a Better World Many problems confronting society can seem overwhelming to teens. Empower your students to work together for change with these nine tolerance-building books for your library.

Grade 5-8-Two serviceable series entries intended to educate young people about societal concerns and to encourage them to get involved in the resolutions. The information is sound and well organized; uninformed readers will get a historical overview of the problems and some ideas about how they may be addressed. In Destruction, simple but clear explanations are given for terms such as deforestation, water pollution, etc. While Homelessness presents an international view, it seems to overemphasize how young people can bring about change and may give them a false sense of what they can accomplish. In both books, ample photographs, in black and white and full color, enhance the writing. Each chapter ends with "Questions to Ask Yourself" and an extensive list of organizations to contact.
Valerie Childress, J.W. Holloway Middle School, Whitehouse, TX
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-6. An entry in the Library of Social Activism series, this explores homelessness in America and globally. The authors look briefly at how problems arising from poverty were handled in the past and allude to current controversies surrounding the causes of homelessness and the actual number of people involved. The book's principal focus, however, seems to be on ways children can become involved in combating the problem. Toward that end, the authors include a sample letter and discussion of petition campaigns and fund-raising for shelters. For unexplained reasons, only Sue Hurwitz's name appears on the book cover; both authors' names are on the title page. A glossary and a list of resource organizations are appended. Mary Harris Veeder