Multicultural America Book

Describes the increasing cultural diversity in America, and its effects on American society.

Karen Leggett - Children's Literature

At first the title would seem to state the obvious and one wonders who might read such a book. But it is filled with anecdotes and intriguing facts. Americans under 25 belong to the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in American history; one in every ten people living in the United States was born somewhere else in the world; most hate crimes are committed by people under 18. The book provides solid background information on very real and contemporary issues that should be discussed by students in a broad range of social studies classes: census categories (seven million people considered themselves "multi-racial" in the last census); bilingualism; affirmative action; re-writing textbooks; civil rights in a time of terrorism; even just "what does it mean to be an American"? The photos are black and white but they convey the message: an African American man shaking hands with an Asian merchant; a Chinese American actress who is often asked where she is from (she grew up in Pittsburgh). There is a wealth of material here to stimulate thinking and provide information or statistics for school reports or teachers preparing a lecture or presentation. 2004, Lucent Books, Ages 10 up.