Sikhism

Children's Literature

This book is part of the publisher's "Living Religions" series—the other titles are Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity). The series focuses on the major world religions and particularly on their relevance to contemporary life. The material in these books seeks to find a balance between origins/history and current practice, and also aims to explore what the reader can learn both about and from the religion being presented. In Sikhism, Mayled makes an excellent effort to cover all important facts about a religion that is little known in the Western world, and much misunderstood. An introductory chapter is followed by material on Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first in the line of teachers revered by Sikhs. Subsequent chapters detail important Sikh leaders, beliefs, signs and symbols, the gurdwara or Sikh place of worship, the langar or tradition of congregational meals, pilgrimage, festivals, marriage and death rites, and views on creation, environment, human rights and service to others. A final chapter examines the place of women in the religion. While on the whole this book approaches the subject matter with respect, a Sikh reader consulted by the reviewer found a number of minor errors that taken together impact on the book's credibility. E.g., Guru Gobind Singh Ji (who would not have added the "ji" to his own name) lost two of his sons, not all four, in the battle near Ambala—the remaining two were walled alive by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Sikhs do not proselytize, so it is incorrect to say that Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji converted many people to Sikhism. People may follow Sikh precepts (as some Punjabi Hindus do) and remain what arecalled "Sahajdari Sikhs" (without observing the long hair and so on) for a long time if not all their lives. Numerous other errors were found, including the definition of Daswandh as a tenth of surplus income, when in fact it means donating a tenth of all one's income to charity, or in other words a tithe. While these and other points will of course not be evident to the casual reader with no background in the faith, it is important to make sure that both facts and interpretation are accurately represented. The use of consultants from the community being written about is strongly encouraged. Naming those consultants in an acknowledgment section will help raise the bar for accuracy in representation. This volume comes close, but it's not quite there. Glossary, index and sidebars are included. 2003, Raintree, Ages 8 to 12.
—Uma Krishnaswami

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-These thoughtfully organized overviews provide essential information on the faith, careful looks at festivals and important rites of passage, clear and beautifully reproduced photographs, and expansive glossaries. The authors provide references to important scriptures as well as quotations from important teachers or contemporary believers. The books stand out for their inclusion of the religion's approach to contemporary issues, from the status of women in Islam to Hinduism's opposition to abortion to Sikhism's environmental concerns. Hinduism contains the frank admission that-despite the faith's strong traditions in pacifism, religious tolerance, and the ultimate unity of all faith-the existence of the caste system has often led Hindus to be less loving to each other than to adherents of other religions. On the other hand, Islam's look at jihad focuses so intently on the traditional view of jihad as, first, the believer's internal struggles, that non-Muslim readers may feel that the author is dodging the term's more recent usage as "war against infidels." Likewise, readers may find it difficult to reconcile the normative position that imams and other prominent Muslims do not tell other Muslims how to think or behave, given media reports of the involvement of imams in political matters. Even with these caveats, however, the books will be useful for reports, and should encourage cross-faith understanding and a lessening of suspicion across the lines of religion.-Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.