A member of the indigenous Quiche Maya group, Rigoberta Menchu Tum experienced firsthand the oppression of the native Indian population in Guatemala. This new biography from the "Modern Peacemakers" series profiles the unwavering activist who was awarded the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize for her remarkable work promoting social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples. This title features full-color photographs, sidebars, and textboxes that help students follow Menchu Tum's journey from early struggles to subsequent triumphs and the prize.

The 1978 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, prime minister of Israel, for their contributions to the Camp David Accords. These accords comprised two frame agreements on peace in the Middle East, and on peace between Egypt and Israel. The choice of these laureates, according to the Nobel Committee, was notable because never before had they considered it fitting "to award the Peace Prize to statesmen from the troubled and sadly devastated Middle East." A hotbed of conflict throughout history, the Middle East saw a significant increase in strife...

Each title features:
- "In Their Own Words" boxes offering selected quotations from the subject
- "Did You Know?" boxes that highlight fascinating facts about each person
- A chronology, suggestions for further reading, and a listing of related Web sites
- A final chapter that delves into the legacy of the subject's thoughts and deeds for new generations of black Americans.

The history of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reflects the growing importance of oil in the global economy. This text explores how oil moves from the ground to the gas pump, how the price of oil is determined, and oil's role in international politics and in the countries where it is discovered.

From the dawn of Western Civilisation to the present day, events in Iraq have been at the centre of world change. Today, as a very fragile democracy is beginning to take root in Iraq, much of the future of the Middle East depends upon this country's success. This text offers a chronology and timeline.

Students and general readers who want to know more about this country that continues to have a major impact on world affairs will find coverage of recent current events, along with new photos, and updated chronology.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Much of the country has a desert climate. Despite its parched landscape, it is a key provider of one of the world's most important commodities. In 1932 the country's first productive oil well was established.

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal out of the remains of the Ottoman Empire. Under Kemal's leadership and a governing principle called Kemalism, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms.

Presents critical information that came from former slaves, nurses, and men and women who found themselves in hostile territory when the Civil War began. This title investigates the stories of the men and women who served as spies in the war.

An insult. A diplomatic crisis. A French king eager to cement his power. Many different factors led to the French invasion of Algeria in June 1830, but the result was the establishment of a French colony in North Africa that would last 132 years. For more than a century, Algeria was marked by sharp divisions between its European colonizers and the mainly Muslim people who had occupied the land prior to the arrival of French troops. Discrimination, prejudice, and injustice separated these two groups until a war for independence began on November 1, 1954. After nearly eight years of violence,...