What is genocide? Why does it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again?At the end of the Second World War, with the establishment of the United Nations, the holding of the Nuremberg Trials and the adoption of the Genocide Convention, the international community assured itself that genocide would never happen again. But never again has become a meaningless phrase.This book asks why. It also asks, what is genocide? Where has it happened in ...

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and Mail Being Muslim presents an up-front and readable explanation of the most complex and emotion-laden issues of our troubled times. The varying branches of Islam are analyzed and their history outlined -- but the focus is on the present. In speaking about and crossing...

When a Palestinian child asks their family why they have their given name, they discover how much meaning and empowerment it holds.A child asks their mother, then their father why they have their given name. Their mother says the name speaks of sweetness and serenity; their father says it contains courage to care for and preserve their land. The child learns that their name holds memories of olive trees in bloom, the family gathering for the harvest, even the taste...

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and Mail Oil, our main source of energy, underlies the world's economy. In the twentieth century its availability and relatively low price allowed for the industrial growth and development of the world's leading economies. The new rapidly developing giants, India and Chin...

An introduction to slavery in the world today, in rich and developing nations alike. Clearly and concisely written for young adult readers.Twenty-seven million people — young and old, men and women — are locked in bondage worldwide. Slavery Today traces the products created by this inhuman system from the jungle and farm through the global markets and into our lives and homes.Co-authored by the world's leading experts on modern slavery, it unpacks ...

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and MailThink Africa, and many people think of brutal war, endless famine, pervasive corruption, unworthy rulers, universal poverty, an AIDS epidemic out of control. As this book in the Groundwork Guides series shows, these characteristic...

A fascinating look at empires and imperialism, and the new kind of empire the United States has become. An excellent introduction for young adults.The United States presides over the most far-flung imperial system ever established. Empire compares the American Empire to those of the past, finding that much can be learned from the fates of the British, Roman, Chinese, Incan, and Aztec empires.James Laxer draws ominous parallels with the British who ...

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and MailToo many of us have no choice about the type of news we receive. Too many of us remain ignorant of major issues and diverse opinions because the news isn't providing them. Over the past twenty years the news media has become more ...

A thought-provoking look at the demands and expectations we place on our growing cities in the twenty-first century. An excellent introduction to the subject for young adults.Today, more people live in cities than in rural areas. The search for better housing, transit, economic opportunity, and security within neighbourhoods forces today's city-dwellers -- in both the developed world and in megacities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America -- to confront what it means ...

"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." -- Globe and MailHip hop is arguably the predominant global youth subculture of this generation. In this book Dalton Higgins takes vivid snapshots of the hip hop scenes in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and more.American hip hop has g...

An investigation of the origins of democracy in a range of countries and societies, from ancient Greece to modern times, and the threats that democracy is under today. An excellent introduction to democracy for young adults.In this eye-opening work, political scientist and award-winning author James Laxer warns readers that our common assumptions about democracy — that it is a natural progression of advanced societies and that it is on the rise worldwide — are misg...

In Moth, Jane Springer uses shaped poems, prose poems, and poems with unusual structures to soar through time and the natural world. Yet, while her lines are aesthetically playful, she examines serious subjects, including our destruction of the environment, the widening and divisive gulf between socioeconomic classes, and the further injustices thrust upon those already suffering in society. She focuses on the role of women in a chaotic world, as mothers, daughters, and sisters wo...