Secretaries of State: Making Foreign Policy

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Richie traces the role that eight men have played in the evolution of American foreign policy from isolationism to internationalism. He begins with John Quincy Adams, and then moves to William Henry Seward, John Hay, Charles Evans Hughes, Dean Acheson, John Foster Dulles, Henry Kissinger, and James Baker, explaining how each secretary adjusted foreign policy in response to changing world conditions. A brief epilogue discusses the challenge of responding to terrorism, and sidebars contribute additional information about various topics. Although each profile includes a brief overview of the subject's formative years and early career, the author focuses on how the cabinet member's actions and beliefs shaped foreign policy. He is objective about the men and explains both the positive and negative aspects of their policies. While the text includes background material in each chapter, most readers will need at least some previous knowledge about either foreign policy or American history to understand the discussions. Each chapter has a full-page black-and-white portrait of the secretary as well as other average-quality archival photos, reproductions, and political cartoons. The cover is somewhat misleading in that it prominently features a photo of Colin Powell, even though he is not among those individuals profiled within. This volume is very similar in coverage to Edward F. Dolan and Margaret M. Scariano's Shaping U.S. Foreign Policy: Profiles of Twelve Secretaries of State (Watts, 1996). Libraries that hold that book will be able to skip this one, but it is otherwise a good choice for reports.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.