Review by Choice Review
This encyclopedia provides a succinct appreciation of viewpoints that relate to adolescence. Entries for each country listed consistently include 14 topical sections such as "Beliefs," "Gender," "The Self," and "Family Relationships," among other more general issues related to health, education, and sexuality. The editor acknowledges that this two-volume set makes available a greater quantity of information on demographic data than on psychology or social content; e.g., it includes consistent data for divorce, but the amount of content on the impact of divorce varies. Most authors come from the regions they describe within Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The target ages for this work are youths 10-25 years old. Entries for each country are followed by relevant regional source references and suggested readings, allowing users to easily identify additional research sources. More than 140 international authors collaborated on this work. The regional editors are recognized scholarly psychologists. The comprehensive index is present in both volumes. There are some anomalies with the index and coverage for some countries. The alphabetic index groups three countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua) under Central America, but lists Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, and Belize separately. Some countries, e.g., Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and the Virgin Islands, are excluded (although Puerto Rico is included). ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. S. G. Marvin West Chester University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review