World Poverty (Face the Facts Series)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Each of these books discusses the history, causes, and remedies of a difficult subject and offers myriad statistics. Bowden equates poverty with illiteracy and worldwide inequalities based on colonialism. The extremes of wealth and poverty, Malthusian theories, welfare, globalization, and international aid are also described. Overpopulation is linked to poverty, but little is said about contraceptive programs in less-developed nations. Brown examines industrial, chemical, and nuclear pollution, including acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and loss of the ozone layer. Both sides of issues are presented, including the effect on employment of new technologies in industry, and there is a short section on the influence of pressure groups on public policies. The Kyoto Protocol and the withdrawal by the U.S. from this most important treaty is given short mention. With dry text superimposed on full-color photographs that are sometimes difficult to discern, the pages of both titles are very busy and, combined with the statistical information, may overwhelm readers. These books may be helpful for reports, but most of the facts are available elsewhere.-Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.