Interracial Relationships

KLIATT

This short anthology offers articles from different points of view on current issues, affording students the opportunity to compare opinions and formulate their own. An introduction provides some history and context for the discussion, and there is an annotated list of organizations to contact at the end. The other volumes in this growing series follow a similar format, offering 11 to 18 articles each focused on the single issue of the title, with each article prefaced by a short abstract. The brief articles are carefully chosen and reprinted in full, with source notes. There is less editorial input (e.g., no discussion questions) than in Greenhaven's Opposing Viewpoints series, and fewer articles. However, these are useful and up-to-date resources for any students examining current controversies. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Greenhaven Press, 80p, 23cm, bibliog, index, $10.96. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick; May 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 3)

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-This contribution to the series is a disappointment. The 11 articles presented are not definitive enough for readers to understand clearly the authors' rambling viewpoints. Topics include interracial relationships and their effect on racism and culture, biblical interpretations of miscegenation, and the fate of interracial children. Certainly this is an issue that young people need to know about and understand, but this volume will only confuse them. Statistics and percentages cited create conundrums rather than clarify. Tallied survey responses often do not add up to 100%, yet no explanations are provided. In one case it is reported that 13% of a sample said they "would not consider" interracial dating. This group is then broken down into: "Whites 17%/Blacks 12%/Hispanics 1%," totaling 30%. What happened to the other 70% of the respondents? The last two articles are the most clearly focused yet many readers may give up before they get to them. This weak treatment fails to present strong views of the issues addressed.-Marilyn Fairbanks, Azure IRC, Brockton High School, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|