Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

The Nineties in America, edited by Milton Berman. 2 vols., 1300 pp. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-58765-500-5. $364.00.

A companion set to previous works that have covered each decade since the 1950s, this three-volume encyclopedia examines the impact of the 1990s by exploring an array of issues and figures, including entertainment, politicians, race relations, athletes, technology and fads. The alphabetically arranged entries range in length from five hundred to three thousand words, depending on the significance of the topic. Each of the six hundred and fifty articles begins with a concise title followed by a brief description of the person, organization, concept or event. The “Impact” section of the essays discusses the subject’s broader importance; the entry about the space shuttle program, for example, points to cooperation between the United States and the former Soviet Union as reflected in shuttle flights to the Russian Mir space station. Articles are cross-referenced, providing readers with easy access to additional entries on related subjects, while the bibliographical notes that conclude each essay promote further research. The set’s design affords either a broad or narrow view of the topics: U.S. History students studying President Clinton’s administrations, for instance, can also read about Clinton’s impeachment, the Lewinsky scandal and the Whitewater investigation. Conversely, the history class learning about conservatism during the decade might investigate entries on the Republican Revolution and Newt Gingrich. Each volume opens with a complete list of all essays and Volume Three offers a list of entries sorted by category, a comprehensive subject index and sixteen additional appendixes that focus on selected aspects of the nineties; categories include entertainment, literature, music, sports and legislative decisions, as well as a glossary of new words and slang from the decade, a timeline, an annotated list of Web sources and an annotated general bibliography. Numerous photographs and sidebars highlighting trends from the decade add interest. Recommended for high school and public libraries.
—Doug Achterman