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Children's Literature
The book opens with the drama of Mubarak al-Sabah's decision to murder his half-brothers—one of them sleeping on the roof—to become the sheik of Kuwait. Mubarak would build Kuwait into a state ready for a profitable relationship with Britain and ultimately, independence. After the excitement of the opening pages, however, the history is marked by a long series of rulers with too many dates and all the politics of conquest and empire. The last few chapters, however, provide very good background on the longstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait, which is critical to understanding Saddam Hussein and the American role in this region. Like most of the books in this series, this one is heavy with unbroken text as well as old photos that bear little relation to that text. Some of the vocabulary will be challenging for younger readers, and the book may be most useful for student reports where the thorough index and timeline will be useful. An excellent introduction by Akbar Ahmed, School of International Service, American University, explains the background behind many of the social and political realities in the Middle East today: the lack of democracy, the need for education reform, opinions of the media, and the distinction between feelings toward Jews and Israelis. The "Creation of the Modern Middle East" series features titles on other individual Middle Eastern countries as well as individual books on the Palestinian Authority and the Kurds. Although some volumes are stronger than others, the series makes an important contribution toward broadening American young people's understanding of this key region of the world. 2003, Chelsea House,— Karen Leggett