Mikhail Gorbachev: The Soviet Innovator

This biography--part of the new Great Lives series--begins with sketchy information about young Mikhail and his childhood in a rural part of Russia, 800 miles south of Moscow. He was an intelligent, hardworking boy who spent his days working in the fields and studying at school, an active member of the Komsomol, the Communist Youth League. The book concentrates on his move up through the ranks of the Communist Party, a slow, steady climb marked by a dedication to principles as well as an instinctive knowledge of when to take charge and when to back down. Perestroika and glasnost are defined, with progress reports on each. The coverage of Gorbachev's meetings with President Reagan are especially good. It is a biography that neither deifies nor denigrates the man, and it speculates as to possible scenarios for his future in the Soviet government. Ages 11-14. (Sept.)