The Struggle Against Apartheid

Gr 7—10—Each book approaches its subject by tracing 21 key dates related to its history. Each date and accompanying fact is explained, illustrated, and connected to previous and future events by a chronology and notes referencing related topics. This is a useful format to help students see the relationships between single events and their causes and effects in history. Complex subjects are explained so that novices can comprehend them. An example is the excellent summary of the role WMDs played in the lead-up to the Iraq war. An occasional punctuation error or poor word choice mars an otherwise readable style; these are minor. The crisp photos are compelling, although the captions contain some errors. For instance, the photo of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X's meeting is incorrectly identified as occurring at the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Malcolm X was assassinated prior to this signing (as previously noted in the text). The apartheid title has differing dates (by one day) for Nelson Mandela's sentencing. Due to publishing lag time, the most recent information in the Iraq and Afghanistan titles is somewhat dated. Stanley McChrystal is listed as the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, but David Petraeus replaced him in June 2010. Summaries of key people are provided, along with dense glossaries, listings of further reading, and websites.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI