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Booklist - American Library Association - Booklist is ALA's official review source for current materials worthy of consideration for purchase by small and medium-sized public and school libraries. The full text of Booklist's review of The Nineties in America is reproduced below.Booklist July 2009 The Nineties in America. Berman, Milton (Editor) Feb 2009. 1,300 p. Salem, hardcover, $364.00. (9781587655005). 973.92. This companion to similar sets covering the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s explores topics that defined the years from 1990 to 1999 in both the U.S. and Canada. The more than 620 essays are arranged alphabetically and vary in length from one to six pages. Each entry falls into one of 34 broad categories, such as “Crime and Punishment,” “Science and Technology,” and “Military and War,” to name a few. The beginning of each volume has a table of contents for that particular volume followed by a comprehensive table of contents for all three volumes. Each essay begins with a definition of the topic or identification of the person, followed by pertinent facts such as dates and locations and a statement of significance. For example, the Million Man March entry begins with a short definition of the march, the date and place it occurred, and a two-sentence summary describing its goals and how it fit into the politics of the era. Each essay includes an “Impact” section, which provides more detail about the topic’s influence on the 1990s. Some essays also contain a section entitled “Subsequent Events,” which provides a summary of later developments relating to the topic. For example, Education in the U.S. discusses how testing was carried forward in the No Child Left Behind Legislation of 2001. The “Further Reading” sections found at the end of each essay are generally annotated. Cross-references enable the user to delve deeper into the related topics. Some essays contain sidebars, lists, tables, graphs, and excerpts from speeches. Following the A–Z entries, volume 3 contains lists covering various aspects of the entertainment industry, major U.S. legislation and Supreme Court cases, best-selling books, sports events, and more. Also in volume 3 are a time line, a detailed bibliography with annotations, a list of Web sites, a glossary of words and phrases commonly used in the 1990s, and a topical list of entries. Concluding the work are an index to the more than 300 photos found in the set as well as personage and subject indexes. Like the companion works, this is an excellent resource for high-school and college libraries. An online version, available through the Salem History platform, is free through 2011 for those who purchase the set. | ||||||
| - Carol Sue Harless |
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