Benazir Bhutto

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-- A biography of the first woman to head a Muslim state. The Dohertys begin with a brief history of Pakistan's history and Bhutto's father, topics that help in understanding the woman who became a prime minister at age 35. They then examine Bhutto's early life, including her years at Harvard and Oxford. The bulk of the narrative, however, deals with Bhutto's struggles to help restore democracy in her homeland. In the sections on her imprisonment, solitary confinement, illness, exile, and triumphal return, the Dohertys manage to make sense of a welter of political events and alliances. Although the emphasis throughout is on Bhutto's public life, the book includes interesting anecdotes about her marriage, children, feminism, and commitment to Islam. The authors stress Bhutto's positive characteristics but not that her time in office has brought about little social change. The account ends in early 1990, before Bhutto's ouster by the current president. Black-and-white photos are included. A clear, nuanced, highly readable study of an appealing subject. -- Ellen D. Warwick, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA