(4) YA Social Issues in Literature series. Solid but impassive, these collections present short essays and excerpts (usually five to twelve pages) broken down into three categories: background and biography, critical readings of the title topic, and contemporary perspectives that highlight a classic author's continuing relevance. Selections are up to date, varied, and culled from reputable sources. These volumes are useful, but they're unlikely to be read for fun. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Social Issues in Literature titles: Women's Issues in Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Women's Search for Independence in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Tyranny in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Censorship in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and War in Time O'Brien's The Things They Carried.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Social Issues in Literature series. Each collection reprints short pieces introducing the author's life, investigating one theme of his or her title work, and exploring related issues in contemporary society. These collections are most helpful when the theme is central to the work, as the environment is to Walden; in other cases (the Hamlet volume, for example), the approach is a little restrictive. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Social Issues in Literature titles: The Abuse of Power in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Patriarchy in Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, Corruption in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and The Environment in Henry David Thoreau's Walden.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac