World Music: The Rough Guide (Rough Guides)

Rating:
Summary: Keep politics out of world music
Review: I purchased this book because I wanted a guide to unfamiliar (for me) world music. It is wide ranging and if browsed quickly, appears encyclopedic. Imagine my surprise when I searched for Israel and find NOTHING. There is a large section on Palestinian music, which is rife with anti Israel rhetoric. Music is a universal language. All cultures have much to offer of interest. Music is a force for peaceful interaction among people of different cultures. Even peoples whose politics are in conflict have found common ground through musical expression. I am dissapointed that a book with such promise turns out to be an outlet for some of the contributors political views. I write this not merely because I disagree with the point of view of the editors: I feel we should KEEP POLITICS OUT OF WORLD MUSIC.

Rating:
Summary: A good Introduction to World Music
Review: This is a good introduction to the major figures of world music and is a handy companion for anyone exploring the music. My other favorite world music book is "The Brazilian Sound" (Temple University Press, 1998), which I also purchased through amazon.com.