The biggest failing of this book is an accident of fate: the book ends with Bhutto living in exile, as her return to Pakistan and assassination occurred shortly after publication. Otherwise, Benazir Bhutto: Pakistani Prime Minister and Activist is an excellent biography of a complex and brilliant woman. This chapter book is loaded with access features, including a table of contents, a time line, "life at a glance," further reading, information on how to get more information, a glossary, source notes, a bibliography, and an index. The book is loaded with full color photos illustrating Bhutto's life and Pakistan.

Author Mary Englar, an accomplished young adult nonfiction author, rises to the difficult task of not just writing a biography, but making sense of a distant and complicated world likely to feel completely alien to many American readers. She distills elaborate issues like the fighting over the Kashmir province to clear and digestible explanations. This allows her to raise complex questions for young readers. For example, how does Bhutto's corruption scandal weigh against the headway she was making on Pakistani human rights? Or, does the United States have the right to demand Pakistan to strip itself of nuclear weapons? This book definitely encourages critical thinking, and emphasizes the value of education. It also stresses the value, and radical political nature, of love in action. Eleven years out, this book remains valuable and relevant. An excellent addition to any classroom library. ( )