Indiana

Children's Literature - Greg M. Romaneck

Armenia has a long and rich history. One of the first Christian nations in the world, Armenia has been a land that was frequently embattled. Over the centuries the Romans, Byzantines, Czarist Russians, and Turks have all striven to absorb both the natural wealth and peoples of Armenia. During the first decades of the twentieth century the Turks actually attempted to purge their nation of all Armenians in a genocide that remains shocking and still not fully acknowledged by the perpetrating nation. Yet, despite all these challenges the people of Armenia remain steadfast in their strong willed desire to prosper. Here, in this volume of the "Cultures of the World" series, readers will learn about the history and culture of the Armenian people. As in other books in this series Armenia combines a solid text with striking images. Colorful pictures punctuate the narrative and allow readers to better understand and visualize the content. This is a fine book and one that readers will find to be a useful reference for study of Armenia and its people. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck

Children's Literature - Mary Sue Preissner

Among the latest additions to the "Cultures of the World" series, this book offers a close look at Armenia, a country in the news these days. It begins with a brief introduction and picture of the national flag, followed by the table of contents. Geography, history, government, economy, the people, lifestyle, religion, language, arts, leisure, festival, and food are the major topics. Colorful photographs appear on every page and help bring to life the introduction to the country and its people. Also differing type styles and fonts are used effectively to present a wealth of information about Armenia. A map of the area with bordering countries, quick notes, glossary, bibliography, and index complete the text. A useful and readable reference resource.

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10All three titles present information on geography, history, government, lifestyle, festivals, and other social and cultural topics. The rigidity of the series format seems to limit the authors of Armenia and Ukraine, which tend to read like reference books. However, Kagda manages to tell an interesting story in Lithuania, by writing gracefully and eschewing the use of too much detail, a fault that often makes the other two volumes too dry. In fact, parts of Armenia may overwhelm some readers who are not already familiar with the country's history and religion. Ukraine has many serious misstatements, instances of incorrect punctuation, and odd choices of vocabulary. There is even a chart purporting to show the Ukrainian alphabet, but has nonsensical symbols instead. All three volumes have very good color photographs but limited glossaries of only one page. The books on Armenia and Ukraine in the "Then and Now" series (both 1993, Lerner) are much more cohesive and readable than the volumes considered here. While Lithuania is excellent (except for two mistakes about the language) and offers more historical depth, readers wishing a more personalized account of the country's situation in the early 1990s may wish to consult Stephen Chicoine and Brent Ashabranner's Lithuania (Cobblehill, 1995).Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign