Capital Punishment

KLIATT

Greenhaven's Current Controversies series (like their Opposing Viewpoints and At Issues series) deals with controversial social issues. Titles in this series are a bit wider-ranging than some other Greenhaven series books, and these are a bit more inviting to readers. The books have four or five chapters each, which include three to six excerpted essays that can be used by students in grades 9-12. Individual pieces run anywhere from two to ten pages each. Each section and each item has introductory material. Each chapter begins with a question. For example: Should prisons be privatized? or Is capital punishment ethical ? Articles in the sections argue various sides from various viewpoints. Certainly these books risk becoming outdated (would a better way to operate be to download constantly updated material from a web site?), but they are thoughtfully put together. I do wish Greenhaven made it easier to see what was different about Current Controversies and Opposing Viewpoints. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Greenhaven, 160p, bibliog, 25cm, $17.45. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Daniel J. Levinson; History & English Teacher, Thayer Acad., Braintree, MA, July 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 4)

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-This collection of 30 essays written by a variety of authors, from legal scholars to clergymen, examines all sides of such topics as whether or not capital punishment is ethical, its effectiveness as a deterrent to crime, whether or not it is administered fairly, and if it should be abolished. All of the articles were originally published between 1995 and 1999. There is much good information here for researchers and debaters. However, the reading level is difficult as many of the articles are taken from scholarly journals. Key quotes that support the arguments are highlighted in gray boxes throughout. This book is similar in content, format, and reading level to The Death Penalty (Greenhaven, 1997). Ted Gottfried's Capital Punishment (Enslow, 1997) also looks at both sides of this issue, but lacks the multiple-author format featured here.-William C. Schadt, Glacier Park Middle School, Maple Valley, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|