cover image A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian

A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian

Judy Krizmanic. Viking Children's Books, $14.99 (240pp) ISBN 978-0-670-85114-0

Punctuating his writing with short quotes drawn from interviews with young people, Wormser (Hoboes) discusses issues faced by Muslims in America. First he outlines basic tenets of the religion, then focuses on two quite different groups, immigrants from the Middle East and African Americans. He emphasizes matters relevant to teens, such as navigating the strict codes of Islamic dating, dealing with peer pressure, and adapting ancient customs to modern life. On the whole, his account tends to idealize his subjects. For example, after introducing the popularly held belief that ``Muslim men rule the household,'' the author quotes a Muslim (male): ``It doesn't make sense to try and dominate your wife.... Islam teaches that the man has the final decision in the family, but you should always discuss things with your wife and try to reach a joint decision.'' Elsewhere Wormser resorts to generalizations: ``Most Muslim students are comfortable with their religion.'' And while a chapter on the Nation of Islam perceptively suggests reasons for the increasing popularity of Islam among African Americans, the racist and anti-Semitic comments by leaders of the Nation are tacitly presented as reactions to years of oppression. Ages 12-up. (Dec.)