From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Although the relationships between the Russian Federation and other independent states that were once part of the Soviet Union are aptly examined when appropriate, this book is basically a country study of Russia with the exception of a chapter entitled New Countries on the World Scene. McCray is best when explaining the implications of specific characteristics of both physical and human geography. He also offers some good commentary on the consequences of the economic and political changes in Russia in the last decade. There are two chapters on history, past and recent, and the book closes with a short chapter called Looking Ahead. The photographs are relevant, but small and not particularly appealing. The few that show women are certainly not flattering, and none include teens or young adults. There is a general map of the region and three topical maps. The writing is generally lucid with just a few ambiguous sentences and typographical errors. Occasionally there is an odd sentence, such as the one about the wealthy Russians whose children visit Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York, just to see how Russian people used to live. Despite the quibbles, this book would be a serviceable addition to most libraries.–Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign
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From

The Modern World Cultures series introduces students to important geographic concepts and demonstrates how countries are impacted by economic, social, and political forces on global and local scales. Although focusing primarily on Russia, the book touches briefly on developments in other nations that emerged from the former Soviet Union, including Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are lumped together in two paragraphs under "Baltic States." Chapters cover physical features, history, population, culture, and economic geography, and the information is current up to early 2005. The writing is uninspired but informative and is enhanced by many color maps and photographs. Appendixes include a bibliography, a chronology, and suggestions for further reading. This useful work effectively shows that geography is much more than just the study of maps. Ed Sullivan
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