The End of the Cold War

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-A well-digested summary of the recent economic and political history of Central and Eastern Europe that strives for objectivity, but seems to blame communism for the Cold War and ignores related events in Asia, particularly the conflict between the USSR and China. After giving a general history of dissent in the region, Pietrusza conveys a sense of the ``unfinished revolution'' by documenting the continuing conflict in the former Soviet republics. To his credit, he doesn't shrink from admitting that ``The overthrow of the communist system did little to bring prosperity to Russia.'' In a final chapter, which is somewhat less well integrated than the rest of the book, he describes Eastern European developments after the fall of Gorbachev. His style is clear and forceful. All quotes are documented, although only one has a date later than 1992. In comparison, Nigel Hawkes's Glasnost and Perestroika (Rourke, 1990) and Gail Stewart's The Soviet Union (Crestwood, 1990) are obsolete. Bernard Harbor's Conflicts (New Discovery, 1993) is also not as up-to-date. Plentiful, well-reproduced, well-captioned black-and-white photographs and appropriate sidebars are scattered throughout. For its forthright, involving style and currency, this title is a worthy addition.-Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA