The Soviet Union

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6 --A succinct and lucid account of the current Soviet political and economic climate, but one that is flawed stylistically and is sketchily researched. Beginning with the demonstrations in Moscow on Revolution Day 1989, the book goes on to define and discuss Gorbachev's dual policies of glasnost and perestroika . A brief historical overview of the 1917 revolution, Stalin's reign of terror, Krushchev's years in power, and Brezhnev's era of detente sets the stage for a look at present - day economic problems. Through this approach, the effects of past policies can be clearly seen as the root of the crises the Soviets face today. The prose, peppered with dashes and exclamation points, has an inappropriately lightweight air given the gravity of the problems under discussion. A more serious problem is the number of statements attributed to such entities as ``one agricultural expert from the United States'' or ``Soviet authorities'' without citing a source. Included are average quality black-and-white and color photos, one rather poor map, and a tiny ``Facts about the Soviet Union'' section. This may serve as a complement to Cecilia Fannon's The Soviet Union (Rourke, 1990), which focuses primarily on the differing Soviet ethnic groups and gives an admirable discussion of the rise of nationalism that has been a legacy of glasnost . --Ann Welton, University Child Development School, Seattle