In a continuous recitation of facts, these four books, illustrated with dark black-and-white photos, examine the impact of religion--the contributions of individuals and of groups--on American culture, including business, politics, and education. Parenthetical references direct readers to small text boxes in the margins and to larger boxes that often disrupt the text's flow. Timeline, websites, reading list. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Faith in America titles: Islamic Faith in America, Jewish Faith in America, Catholic Faith in America, and African-American Faith in America.]

Gr 6 Up-While this is a concise and sometimes fascinating introduction, the information isn't always accurate. Gillis presents Catholic views on culture, social issues, and politics; a brief biographical list of important Catholic Americans; a look at beliefs and practices; and a short history of the church in America. The book concludes with a glance at what the future holds for the church, including a discussion of the recent scandals. The tone is reportorial and avoids making judgments, the information is presented in a clear and easy to follow manner, and the black-and-white photos are well chosen for effect. Unfortunately, the author refers twice to a monk as "a type of priest" who lives in a monastery. However, many monks are not priests. Being one does not necessitate the other. And he makes odd sweeping statements like: "Because of fears that the church might object, The Ten Commandments is the last movie with a religious theme that some older Catholics have seen." What is that supposed to mean? How many older Catholics is "some"? And how many were interviewed to arrive at such a vague conclusion? There is also a problem with the index. Supposedly, information on Dorothy Day can be found on pages 94-95, but those pages show an uncaptioned picture of a woman serving soup to what appear to be a couple of men in cassocks and the text includes information about John Carroll. Wait for something better on this topic to come along.-Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.