The Arab Americans

Children's Literature

Right from the start, this book acknowledges the difficulty of even defining "Arab American," finally settling on a good compromise: "Arabs are those who speak Arabic as their native tongue and who identify themselves as Arabs." This means that people like the Iranians, Kurds, Jews and Berbers are not Arab even though they live in areas commonly considered Arab; it also means that all Arabs are not Muslims. The book is a well-written, thorough history from the first Christian immigrants fleeing the Ottoman Empire to Palestinian immigrants fleeing the creation of Israel. The text is dense and the margins too small, so the most interested reader will be someone who already has a personal connection to the subject. With increasing numbers of these students in our schools, it is good to have library books that satisfy their curiosity about their cultural background in the U.S. Excellent attention is drawn to Arab Americans in all walks of life — Challenger teacher Christa McAuliffe, MADD founder Cindi Lightner, Kinko's founder Gregory Orfalea, and Cabinet Secretary Donna Shalala. The history of Arab American immigration also throws light on western policies in the Middle East that often prompted emigration and contributed to many of today's current crises in the region. The book includes coverage of new Arab American organizations promoting greater political participation and fighting discrimination. Of particular interest to young readers will be the fact that the postage stamp for the Islamic Eid celebrations was designed by a Muslim fifth grader. This series also includes titles on Greek Americans, Indian Americans, Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Mexican Americans andPolish Americans. 2004, Lucent Books, Ages 12 up.
—Karen Leggett