Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

The Middle East. Edited by Lauri S. Friedman. Detroit, Mich.: Greenhaven Press Thomson Gale, 2007. 136 p. $32.45. ISBN 978-0-7377-3575-8.

It would be difficult to imagine a topic that has more impact on students today than the issues surrounding the Middle East. The cost of the war in Iraq, the plea for students to join the military when they graduate, and the devastation of families who lose loved ones in this conflict make it imperative to understand as much as possible about this situation. Chapter titles are "What Causes Conflict in the Middle East?" "What Can Bring Peace to the Middle East?" and "What Role Should the United States Play in the Middle East?" They provide only the barest of beginnings to the study of this topic. It is a good start, but students need to do much more research on what causes conflict before they can even begin to address how to bring peace or the role the U.S. should play.