From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up. With the exclusion of the Baltic states, which were never formally recognized by the United States as part of the USSR, this resource covers the states that emerged after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The book is organized into four regionally focused sections, each with a general commentary, map, and substantial bibliography. Individual chapters present statistical profiles, detailed maps, an essay on each state's history and culture and another analyzing key issues facing that country. The latter essays are especially useful because they provide a framework that should facilitate understanding of news about the region. The Russian Federation has two sets of essays: one on European Russia; the other on Siberia and the Russian Far East. The black-and-white line maps and statistical profiles more than compensate for a lack of photographs. In this revision of the 1993 edition, highlighted headings and some re-editing make an already well-written text even easier to use, and the bibliographies have been updated and expanded (though less so for the Central Asian states). The only Internet source cited is the CIA World Factbook, which is a pity because there are so many good ones now available. Still, this title is worthwhile for its updated statistics, bibliography, and the significantly rewritten and expanded essays on current issues.?Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The Bataldens have produced a very timely and useful reference work that should find a wide audience as headline-grabbing events unfold in Russia, Armenia, Georgia, and the other former Soviet republics. Chapters are arranged by the name of the former republic, beginning with the Russian Federation and ending with the Transcaucasian state of Uzbekistan. Each country receives a geographic description, historical background, and analysis of links to the Soviet Union. The crucial role of ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities throughout the former Soviet empire get comparatively strong treatment. Of great value is the space devoted to environmental considerations such as the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and the systematic draining of the Aral Sea on the Uzbekistan border. Current events, taken mostly from the pages of the New York Times and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Report , get ample attention here; transitional personalities, ethnic/religious conflicts, and the challenges facing global political leaders are all covered. While the historical and some of the more recent information may be found in such titles as Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States ( LJ 8/92), this single volume brings together a significant amount of narrative and statistical information to recommend purchase of this book. A very good choice for high school, public, and undergraduate libraries.
- Stephen W. Green, Auraria Lib., DenverCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.