BORIS YELTSIN AND THE REBIRTH OF RUSSIA

Covering Yeltsin's career from his childhood in the Urals through the December 1993 election ratifying Russia's new constitution, this brisk, brief biography ultimately skimps on background material; readers without real knowledge of the old Communist system may be somewhat baffled. Such world-altering events as the dissolution of the USSR have no resonance, and this experienced biographer fails to explicate aspects of Yeltsin's personality and behavior, or to explore his motives in a meaningful way. The writing is clear and lively, and Otfinoski cuts through complex political events to make them accessible. The book provides enough facts for reports, or to bring outdated references up to the present. Nevertheless, with the Russian political situation so unsettled, this book may have a short shelf life. (B&W photos, chronology, bibliography, index)(Nonfiction/biography. 12+)