Current Controversies – Violence Against Women

This entry in the Current Controversies series offers a diversity of opinions on questions related to the topic–some predictable, “Does pornography promote violence against women?” and some that have yet to be discussed in young adult material, “Is the `Battered Woman’s Syndrome’ a Legitimate Defense?” Each of seven chapters begins with either a preface or an overview article introducing the issues being debated. These summaries and the annotated table of contents will be helpful to students formulating thesis statements and, along with the detailed index, will make it easy to focus on only the most relevant discussions for specific student projects.

The author’s credentials appear before each article, allowing readers to put the writer’s opinion in proper perspective. Boxed quotes scattered throughout the articles to visually break up the long passages of text are often inserted at some distance from their source pages, which is distracting, especially to readers scanning articles for key points. All of the articles are excerpts or reprints from other publications not specifically written for young adult audiences. Therefore, while better readers will find this to be an extremely useful research tool, many high-school students will miss some of the finer points in the arguments. Still, this series is a necessity for libraries where young adults research current events topics.