Bogue, Donald J., with essays by Steven W. Sinding and Morrie Blumberg. (2004). Fertility, Family Planning, HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health. Chicago, IL: The Social Development Center.
ISBN: 978-1884211102
This is a comprehensive and up-to-date textbook in the amalgamated fields of fertility, family planning, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health — with emphasis on the Third World — that will be of interest to specialists and laymen alike. Written as a series of self-sufficient yet interrelated essays, the book presents a psychosocial model to explain fertility behavior and an explanatory analysis of fertility trends from 1950 to 2050 in all nations. A brief but inclusive history of the international family planning movement contains essays on the U.S. Agency for International Development’s program by former senior agency officials Steven Sinding and Morrie Blumberg. Finally, there is a critical review of current population policy, with recommendations for change.
Morrie Blumberg is a retired USAID FSO. Steve Sinding directed the USAID Office of Population in the late 1970s and was later Director of Population Sciences for the Rockefeller Foundation.
Held, Colbert and John Cummings. (2010). Middle East Patterns: Places, Peoples and Politics. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
ISBN: 978-0813348773
Middle East Patterns: Places, Peoples and Politics is the fifth edition of Colbert Held and John Cummings’ seminal reference work on the region. It joins a large selection of works on the region available today, but what distinguishes Middle East Patterns is its level of detail, accessibility and comprehensiveness. Held and Cummings cover the Middle East from almost every angle: geography, regional history, land use and economics, in addition to the many well-known political conflicts of the region, including Israel and Palestine. Of particular interest is the set of country profiles featured in the latter half of the book that explore each state’s internal politics and its relations with others. Maps, pictures and charts enliven the book’s pages and attest to the authors’ meticulous attention to detail. For students and scholars of the Middle East, this concise volume provides both a broad overview of regional trends and a wealth of useful detail that is difficult to find in a single volume.
A former diplomat-in-residence at Baylor University, Colbert Held was a Foreign Service officer for 15 years who acquired experience in nearly every country in the Middle East. John Cummings is a former USAID economist who has worked in the Treasury Department and the World Bank. He has also taught at Al-Hikma University in Baghdad, Tufts University and the University of Texas at Austin.
Wentling, Mark (2020) Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life. Vol I, Algeria-Liberia; Vol II, Libya-Senegal; Vol III, Seychelles-Zimbabwe. Open Books.
ISBN-13; 978-1948598385; 978-1948598392 and 978-194598408. Available in paperback and eBook.
“The central purpose of my sixth book, Africa Memoir, 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life, 1970-2020, is to share my lifetime of firsthand experiences in Africa. I also attempt to communicate my views about the many facets of the challenges faced by each of Africa’s 54 countries. At the same time, I provide some basic information about each country. This memoir is a reference book that can be read in its entirety or by selecting a chapter on an individual country. I have followed the alphabet in presenting a chapter on each African country. Therefore, I begin with Algeria and end with Zimbabwe. There are also beginning ‘Forward and Overview’ sections, and I end this long book with an ‘Epilogue’ about my dream for Africa.
This book will be of interest to anyone concerned about Africa and its development progress predicament. Anyone working on global affairs and humanitarian assistance to Africa will find the reading of this book important. In particular, people studying Africa or those having had contact with this complex continent will enjoy reading this book. Of course, anyone wanting to get deep inside Africa will want to consult this book.