Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin had a tough childhood. He was a Civil Engineering student who graduated and practiced the profession in Russia. As a student, he liked Volleyball and other sports. His first position involved construction and cement mixing. Construction work was popular under Khrushchev because the Soviet Union aimed to correct housing shortages under Stalin. Boris Yeltsin had several forays into partisan politics until he managed to prevail in the Presidency by 7-10-1991. Perestroika lead to an end to Soviet rule and self-determination of the Russian peoples. Yeltsin had good political instincts, an ability to understand power and the ability to read the mood of the Russian people. He once said that " A man must live like a great bright flame and burn as brightly as he can..." The book is a fair rendition of events in Russia. It covers a long period of Soviet history leading to the ultimate dissolution and the advent of goverance by the Russian Republics. This book would be perfect for any student of world history/government. It is well written, generally current and it appeals to a wide public constituency both here and abroad. The style of writing is conversational. The presentation makes for easy reading for the advanced high school level or early college.