2006 - Booklist's Twenty Best Bets for Student Researchers
"This comprehensive series provides a look at the complex political, social, and military turmoil of the Middle East. The simple format provides the intended juvenile audience with objective information that helps untangle the numerous conflicts and make them and the Middle East more comprehensible.\n\nEducators will appreciate that the Research and Activities section in the Almanac gives suggestions for classroom projects and all volumes includes citations of books, periodicals, and Websites so that the beginning scholar can learn more.\n"
"Suitable for advanced high school students and beginning undergraduates, this reference comprises three volumes plus a booklet containing the comprehensive index. The almanac volume presents basic political, demographic, and economic facts about the Middle Eastern countries and provides a narrative describing the religious roots of conflict and historical developments from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. A volume of biographies profiles 26 figures prominent in Middle Eastern history, the bulk of whom are relevant to the post-World War II era. Finally a volume of primary sources presents relevant documents, with the selection focused primarily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The documents include the Israeli declaration of statehood, United Nations Resolution 242, excerpts from the proceedings of the Oslo Accords, excerpts of speeches by Theodor Herzl and Gamal Abel Nasser, and a few personal narratives.\n"
"This three volume reference set is intended for students, but adults seeking a basic, non partisan grounding in the region\'s history from World War I to 2005 could start here. Not exhaustive, but still decidedly useful. \n"
"Conflict in the Middle East is not a new phenomenon, yet it has become a focal point for the U.S. with the Gulf War and the present conflict in Iraq. Since the eyes of the world are focused on this area of the globe, information will be useful throughout the curriculum with emphasis on current events and world history. It is never easy to set a starting point, but the present turmoil might begin with the establishment of Israel at the end of World War II. This series continues the pattern for others in this publisher's Reference Library with an almanac volume, and volumes of biographies and primary sources. The same \'Readers Guide\' and \'Words to Know\' begin each volume while timelines are slightly different. Each ends with a \'Where to Learn More\' bibliography of books and other resources. Black-and-white photographs and line maps illustrate the volumes. Because volumes are indexed separately, a paperback \'Reference Library Cumulative Index\' is included for access to all three. The vocabulary could be read by upper middle school students and will be very useful in high schools."