Gr 5-9–Information about the leaders of various countries is presented in these eight volumes. While some personal background is provided: Benjamin Netanyahu spent part of his childhood in the United States and graduated from MIT, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a popular actor prior to entering politics, Vladimir Putin suffered an impoverished childhood, and Xi Jinping was forced to work in a peasant village, the emphasis is on the progression of their careers. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was a general and defense minister before becoming president of Egypt, Ali Khamenei was a longtime supporter of Ayatollah Khomeini and became his successor, and Emmanuel Macron was finance minister before becoming the youngest elected president of France. These books do not shy from harsh facts; despite enacting some reforms, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud jails critics and Xi Jinping employs technology to spy on Chinese citizens. Though most readers will find the narratives tedious, these titles do provide current information on influential world leaders. They will be of use in social science classes.
VERDICT: Given the subjects’ importance in current world affairs, these titles will be of use to report writers and should be considered for school collections.
