100 Men Who Shaped World History (100 Series)

Description

From School Library Journal Gr 6-9-``World history'' as interpreted in these books is heavily weighted toward famous Europeans and Americans, with only a smattering of non-Western figures. Women includes queens, a number of scientists, and the most famous 19th-century advocates for women's suffrage. There are all-too-few surprise entries, like Lakshmi Bai, an Indian Rani who led her troops in the Sepoy Rebellion, or the gallant American arctic explorer, Louise Boyd. Similarly, the choices in Men are conventional-a chronological list of well-known political leaders, founders of religions, and artists and scientists. Each figure is given equal coverage-one page of text and a small portrait, either a black-and-white photo or drawing; thus, the information on Mao Tse Tung exactly balances the facing page on Babe Ruth. Of the five living people included, three are American computer scientists; the sole living political leader is Gorbachev. Written in a bland encyclopedia style, marked by occasional errors and numerous omissions, these idiosyncratic collections of biographical data have little to offer readers except as sources of quick reference for names for further research or for the most superficial of projects.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJCopyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Read more About the Author Bill Yenne is the author of more than three dozen nonfiction books, especially on aviation and military history, including Hit the Target, When Tigers Ruled the Sky, Big Week, and Aces High. He lives and works in San Francisco, California. Read more