New Eastern Europe

Grade 7 Up-- A timely and well-done book that will help familiarize YAs with a region that appears daily in the news media. It includes the history of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and the German Democratic Republic. While the review of the history is mind-boggling because of the difficult names and shifting boundaries, it is an essential inclusion; even though that aspect is complicated, other elements are posed clearly and succinctly, especially as to what the future holds for the region. The information is easily understood, with unbiased reporting to help clarify news reports, from the death of Ceausescu to the reunification of the two Germanies, and ending in February 1991. Simplified without being condescending or misleading, the book is excellent background for current-events reports. There is only one real quarrel--a reference to Ivan the Great's need to be rid of the "pesky" Tartars, an adjective not usually used to describe that group. Exemplary footnotes and a list for further reading that has citations from television and radio broadcasts will allow interested students to further explore this volatile part of the world. A center section has 16 pages of black-and-white photographs. The map is accurate, but sometimes boundary lines are easy to confuse with the rivers. --Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZ
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.