(4) YA Social Issues Firsthand series. This book presents previously published essays about the issues surrounding physical and mental disabilities. Because the stories are so personal--and varied--they may strike a chord with readers while helping to put faces to the topics. More context and background information about the authors would be useful, and the unillustrated text is dense. A directory of organizations to contact is appended. Reading list. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Social Issues in Literature series. These books feature short essays, focused biographical pieces, interviews, and excerpts of critical articles selected from a range of reputable secondary sources. Background information on the author, thematic exploration of the named subject, and contemporary applications of the topic extend the significance of the literary work. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Social Issues in Literature titles: Mental Illness in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Colonialism in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, The American Dream in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and Social and Psychological Disorder in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Social Issues Firsthand series. These books present previously published essays about the subjects being addressed. Because the stories are so personal, readers may be able to put faces to the issues they hear about in the news. More context and information about the authors would be useful, and the unillustrated text is dense. Directories of organizations are appended. Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Social Issues Firsthand titles: Street and Runaway Teens, Racism, and Child Abuse.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz