Cities

December 1, 2008
Grades 7-12 In 2008, for the first time in human history, more people live in cities than in the countryside. This packed, highly readable small title in the Groundwork Guide series does an excellent job of tracing urban history worldwide, raising the big social, political, and economic issues of poverty, migration, conservation, public health, crime, transportation, and much more, always rooted in specific examples of the problems and riches of city life. From Japans amazing high-speed trains and the role of the family car in the growth of the suburbs in North America, to the one billion people worldwide who live in slums with no access to clean water, the widening gap between rich and poor is a constant theme, right up to the effects of todays mass migrations and the rising environmental movement. With a detailed time line and full chapter notes and bibliography, this is sure to make readers further explore where they live and why.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)