Titles in the Essential Lives series humanize their famous subjects in engaging, tightly structured texts that will easily satisfy the needs of young researchers. Each volume follows a similar format: a gripping story leads into chronological biography that culminates in an ample, appended references section that includes source notes for direct quotes, an illustrated time line, an at-a-glance spread of "Essential Facts," suggestions for further research, a glossary, and a listing of "Places to Visit." Castro focuses as much on Cuban history and its relationship with the U.S. as it does on its former leader; details about Castro's family life, for example, often appear in sidebars. But the facts are relatively current, following Castro to his final days as president in 2008, and the historical details are inherently fascinating. Liberal quotes from primary sources and frequent images (including many color photos of the modern subjects) enhance each title in this consistently strong series.

Filled with interesting sidebars, photographs (Castro, Obama) or illustrations (Alexander), and maps, each of these biographies traces the life of its subject, including early successes and failures. The texts are bland but accessible; a clean design makes the books user-friendly, and appended resources make them helpful for school reports. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.