The man who changed the world
Gail Sheehy
The human story of an inner struggle, a struggle that is the culmination of the series of lives Gorbachev has led throughout his career. Presents the first full-scale portrait of this unique figure.

by Jung Chang (2005)
A biography of of Mao Zedong taken from the perspective of his relationship to women. The normal biographical elements make up the majority of the text but when there is an interesting aspect regarding Mao's attitude toward women, Jung Chang (a woman) goes for it. For example... any normal biography of Mao, would take account of the movements of Mao's army as he took control of China but it is interesting that his army camped outside the town where his wife and son lived (had been abandoned, frankly) and he made no effort whatsoever to meet them. Little things like that give the reader insight into the character of Mao... along with his mass murders, of course.
Gail Sheehy
The human story of an inner struggle, a struggle that is the culmination of the series of lives Gorbachev has led throughout his career. Presents the first full-scale portrait of this unique figure.
Ann Louise Bardach
An eye-opening account of the last chapter in the life of Fidel Castro: his near death, his enemies and their fifty-year failed battle to eliminate him, and the carefully planned succession and early reign of his brother Raul.
Claire Throp
What makes Angela Merkel extraordinary? Read this book to find out. We explore her early life and education in post-war Germany. We then follow her road to professional and political accomplishments before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, ending in her role as the first female Chancellor of Germany. Read about others perspectives on her life, how her opportunities have been different to women in the past, and how she has broken boundaries.
Helmut Schmidt
"Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (German pronunciation: [hlmt mt]; born 23 December 1918) is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming Chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence (1969?72). As Minister of Finance (1972 to 1974), he gained credit for financial policies that consolidated the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle), giving Germany the most stable currency and economic position in the world. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting Foreign Minister. As Chancellor, he focused on international affairs, seeking "political unification of Europe in partnership with the United States". He was an energetic diplomat who sought European co-operation and international economic co-ordination. He was re-elected chancellor in 1980, but his coalition fell apart in 1982 with the switch by his coalition allies, the Free Democratic Party. He retired from Parliament in 1983, after clashing with the SPD's left wing, who opposed him on defence and economic issues. In 1986 he was a leading proponent of European monetary union and a European central bank. He is now fully retired. On the 9th of April 2010 he became the oldest surviving German Chancellor in history, when he exceeded the lifespan of Konrad Adenauer, who died in 1967, having lived for 91 years and 15 weeks. He received the prestigious Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize in 2013."--Wikipedia.