Iran (Opposing Viewpoints) (Paperback)

~ Laura K. Egendorf (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—These 23 essays represent differing points of view on whether Iran is a threat to global security, the state of human rights there, how the United States should respond to the country and its future. The treatment of this last topic is especially interesting as nearly all the selections are by Iranian journalists and political figures (including Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former shah) and represent a wide range of opinions. Other selections come from Amnesty International, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. Each entry is prefaced by several questions for consideration, and each chapter includes a periodical bibliography. The book concludes with questions for further discussion, as well as a bibliography and a list of organizations to contact. Some of the articles are less accessible to average students than others, and a number of the periodicals and books mentioned in the bibliographies might not be easily obtainable in school libraries. Overall, however, this would be a valuable source of current information for students researching argumentative essays or preparing for debates.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Greenhaven Press (October 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0737734183
• ISBN-13: 978-0737734188
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,236,295 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent work in the Opposing Viewpoints series, November 22, 2007

By	CMES - See all my reviews

The whole Opposing Viewpoint idea is wonderful, giving multiple perspectives to complex issues and providing an excellent tool for educators, debaters, and critical thinkers. This book on Iran is up to the usual high standards of the Opposing Viewpoints series, recently tying for first place for the Middle East Outreach Council's 2007 award for best reference book for young people. "Iran: Opposing Viewpoints" does a good job in tackling many major contemporary issues related to Iran, especially issues related to U.S. foreign policy. Of course, the nature of the book is that some articles are better written than others. However, the book's strength is its organizational structure. A wide variety of issues are discussed, and the articles are paired with another opposite view of the same issue. Each article is preceded by a brief description of the main points of the article and the author's credentials since that information helps the reader evaluate the article's perspective. The questions for thought also provide advance organizers. To keep the book from being a jumble of separate opinions, there is a solid structural framework. The questions for further discussion at the end of the book are excellent as are such features as the list of organizations to contact and the bibliography (though sometimes one might question why those particular organizations and books were selected and not others). The index at the very end is also useful to help students locate particular people or events quickly. All in all, this book is a very useful reference tool, well organized and well planned.