Against The Grain: Boris Yeltsin's Autobiography

Westminster University has been having a clear-out of its Learning Resources Centre these past two weeks, and I've managed to pick up a number of good books including Applied Economics (highly recommended), a biography of Charles De Gaulle and two books on former Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

I wanted to blog on his autobiography, Against The Grain. I should point out my copy is an early edition so covers very little of Boris Yeltsin's years as President, which were seen by many ordinary Russians as wasted. Some polls gave him single-digit approval ratings by the time he left office in 1999.

The book is written in response to questions handed to Yeltsin at meetings during the 1989 election campaign for people's delegates, and each question is answered in turn. This creates a disjoined and confusing book with no real structure. Far better would have been for Yeltsin to write a standard account of his life and make sure he has answered all the questions. However, that would not have made him look as good!

As the New York Review said, Boris Yeltsin is a splendid gossip. He is critical of his predecessors Mikhail Gorbachev and Leonid Brezhnev as well as the way Moscow was run before he became head of the Moscow Communist Party city committee. However, he is not very critical of himself and is always keen to portray himself as the man saving Russian society from a corrupt Soviet. He also includes a couple of his speeches, as well as a detailed account of his rise to power. The book's readable, but not a worthwhile source.

I've also got a biography of Yeltsin by John Morrison, which I'll have to read sometime. One interesting design point-the picture of Boris Yeltsin on Against The Grain is very statesmanlike and flattering, making him look like an elderly Al Gore. The picture on John Morrison's book shows Yeltisn with a flushed face.