Culture and Customs of Afghanistan (Culture and Customs of Asia)
Grade 9 Up–This title looks at Afghanistan from ancient times to the present U.S. military involvement and provides useful background information for motivated readers. Emadi has a thorough knowledge of his subject, as he has done fieldwork in various regions of the country and also monitored the 2004 elections. His discussions of the Russian occupation, the subsequent civil war, and the Taliban are detailed and informative, as is his discussion of religion and religious thought. The chapters on social customs and family, women, and gender issues are particularly interesting. This volume includes a simple country map, an extensive and detailed chronology, a short resource guide, and a smattering of pedestrian black-and-white photos. Because the analysis is fairly academic, this book would be best suited to high school students who need current, detailed material for research assignments.–Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.