Teen Life in the Middle East - by Ali Mahdi (Paperback)

About the Book

This unique volume offers unprecedented insight into the typical day, interests, and familial, social, and cultural lives of Middle Eastern teens. Each chapter includes a resource guide to teach teens more about the 11 profiled countries: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Numerous photos accompany the text. This book provides teen readers in the West with a window into the everyday lives of their counterparts in the East, fostering a better understanding of both their similarities and differences.

The current population of the Middle East is young, and their future is critical in our worldview. Teen life in the Middle East is marked by extremes. In some countries, especially those that are Westernized, teens share the benefits of globalization with material and social comforts such as private schooling and vacations abroad. In other countries, political instability, religious and cultural repression, war and occupation, earthquakes, and poverty are ongoing crises. Many teenagers must endure a difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible, path to adulthood.

Book Synopsis

This unique volume offers unprecedented insight into the typical day, interests, and familial, social, and cultural lives of Middle Eastern teens. Each chapter includes a resource guide to teach teens more about the 11 profiled countries: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Numerous photos accompany the text. This book provides teen readers in the West with a window into the everyday lives of their counterparts in the East, fostering a better understanding of both their similarities and differences.

The current population of the Middle East is young, and their future is critical in our worldview. Teen life in the Middle East is marked by extremes. In some countries, especially those that are Westernized, teens share the benefits of globalization with material and social comforts such as private schooling and vacations abroad. In other countries, political instability, religious and cultural repression, war and occupation, earthquakes, and poverty are ongoing crises. Many teenagers must endure a difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible, path to adulthood.

Review Quotes

"[F]ills a very serious gap in our knowledge about the region. Recommended. All levels and collections." --Choice

"[T]his is a unique and interesting resource that helps describe the cultures of the various countries in terms that are relevant to young people." --School Library Journal

"[A] wealth of interesting and certainly relevant information for high school students seeking to learn about life in these countries." --Multicultural Review

"Starred Review This is an excellent introduction to the life of 13- to 19-year-olds in other countries, some aspects of which will seem very familiar to American students and others of which will seem extremely remote. While ideal for supplementing the curriculum, this book would also be interesting for students to read on their own for information or for pleasure. Highly Recommended." --Library Media Connection

"[A]n excellent job of presenting life in an even-handed way....At a time when so many images of the Middle East focus on violence, it reassures readers that teens everywhere are similar." --VOYA

About the Author