The Arabs

Children's Literature

In a day and age when terrorism commands so much of the world's attention, some have fallen prey to suspecting the millions of peaceful people of the world who are Muslim and have no interest in or support for the terrorists' violence. A primary ethnic group that can be a target of such suspicion is the Arabs. In this title, editor Joan Brodsky Schur has compiled first-hand accounts of Arab immigrants who journeyed to North America in search of a new life. By reading the accounts of people who were originally from Lebanon, Yemen, or Saudi Arabia readers will come away with a deeper understanding both of Arab cultures and the motivations people had for venturing forth to a new world. Additionally, these selections carefully discuss important issues such as prejudice, religious customs, cultural mores, and the sometimes difficult assimilation process that immigrants from Arab lands faced and continue to face. Finally, the issue of suspicion due to the current wave of terrorism is also touched upon as a critical factor in modern immigrant's lives. Taken as a whole, this text—which is part of the "Coming to America" series—provides a wealth of information about a group of hard-working and often misunderstood immigrants. 2005, Thomson Gale, Ages 14 up.
—Greg M. Romaneck

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-After a short introduction about Arab immigration, subsequent chapters discuss the various reasons Arabs chose to leave their home countries, the ways in which Arab Christians and Muslims adapted to American culture, and the types of discrimination and anti-Arab stereotyping faced by this group. The book concludes with short biographical essays about five famous Arab Americans: Kahlil Gibran, Naomi Shihab Nye, Edward Said, Tony Shalhoub, and Ralph Nader. The selections are clearly written and informative, and include primary-source material such as W. A. Mansur's 1928 article giving advice to Syrian-American youth and student Samar Ali's speech at Vanderbilt University on September 13, 2001. Many of the titles in the list of books for further research are rather academic and would not be readily available to middle or high school students. Useful for reports.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.