Lebanese Americans

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8These titles open with a brief history of the homeland, and then discuss the reasons people emigrated and the conditions and opportunities they encountered here. All conclude with contributions each ethnic group has made to American life. They are thus similar to the "Peoples of North America" series (Chelsea), being revised and reissued as "The Immigrant Experience," but they are written at a slightly lower reading level. Also, while the mid-portions of the Chelsea series recount the groups' road to assimilation, the "Cultures of America" titles focus on family and community life within each ethnic group; their religions; and their day-to-day customs and rituals associated with birth, marriage, and death, etc. The books are lavishly illustrated with full-color and black-and-white photographs. Sidebars expand upon points mentioned in the text; one or more traditional recipes are included. Lebanese Americans, utilizing numerous personal narratives, is the liveliest and most interesting. However, all three titles have grammatical and typographical mistakes, and Russian Americans has factual errors in the history portion and makes several misleading statements.Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA