Gail Sheehy. The Man Who Changed the World- The Lives of Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika- New Thinking for Our Country and the World.

The two books that I am critiquing are about Mikhail Gorbachev and his political policies. The first book is called The Man Who Changed the World- The lives of Mikhail S. Gorbachev by Gail Sheehy. The second is Perestroika- New Thinking for Our Country and the World by Mikhail Gorbachev. Gail Sheehy's book is a biography of Gorbachev from birth until present times, and it really helps in understanding the second book, Perestroika, which is about Gorbachev's political policies that turned the Soviet Union upside down. These books complement each other very well.

The Man Who Changed the World is a well-covered look at Gorbachev's life- his roots, his early life, and how he rose into power. It gives some reasoning as to why he is not the typical Russian Communist Party leader.

The most startling fact I discovered about Gorbachev is that he is not technically Russian. Both sets of his grandparents were Ukrainian Cossac

Having lived through the Great Depression, The Great Patriotic War, the purges by Stalin of the 1950's, the power struggle in the 60's after Stalin's death, and the continued strain on his country as it struggled to keep up in an arms race it could not win, Gorbachev was by this time a very disillusioned man. He believed that he knew the political and economic changes that were essential for his country's survival, and he was willing to take the necessary actions. He had evolved into a reformer, and would attempt to enact several changes that would impact the entire world.

The author of this book, Gail Sheehy is an excellent writer. Her style is wonderfully compelling, and very easy to read. She is obviously a fan of Gorbachev's- this is shown in the choice of words she uses, and I think this is one of her strengths that makes her more of a commanding author. She manages to convey that she is an ardent supporter of Gorbachev, the reforms that he tried to implement, and an admirer of his roots without at all being biased in her fact reporting. Her use of personal sources that were very close to Gorbachev makes this a very believable story. She also builds her own credibility as a writer by her own experiences in the Soviet Union. She paints a very vivid portrait of life in the Soviet Union, and Russia. She conveys how destitute the country was- devoid of any luxury... where a meal with more than one course was practically unheard of, because there just was no food available. These conditions persist, even while the rest of the world is prospering unimaginably in comparison. The author also does a remarkable job of showing us the enduring spirit of the Russian people, and their kind-hearted, loving, and accepting characters shine through in her writings.

The small village where Gorbachev grew up was occupied by the Germans during World War II, or to use the Russian term- The Great Patriotic War. This is when he began learning to speak German. He was an incredibly bright and curious student, and began working for the Party very early in life. He back breaking hard work on the Party's farms earned him an award of recognition that got him into Moscow State University. During his stay here, he came into the favor of several important members of the aristocracy, and made many solid Party connections. He also had a hard time here dealing with the many Muscovites who were much more financially well off than he was, the author says that these hard days (especially compared to the wealth of his classmates) were the beginning of his disillusionment with socialism and the way his country was functioning.

Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika- New Thinking for Our Country and the World.

Perestroika is a book about Mikhail Gorbachev's political policies and ideas. Perestroika itself is a Russian word for restructuring. Gorbachev was elected the Supreme Soviet in 1985, and wrote Perestroika to explain to the world what was going on in his country in 1987. He wanted to let the world know what he was trying to achieve with his new policies, why things were changing, and what these changes were. The Soviets were not only concerned with their country, but with the increasing nuclear arms race, they were concerned with the future of the entire planet.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2315
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)