Wilder

the long version

Washington Post journalist Baker has written an unauthorized biography of Wilder, who recently became the first black to be elected governor of an American state (Virginia). Baker relies heavily on interviews with Wilder, his family and friends, and other Virginia political leaders. The portrait of Wilder that emerges is that of a talented campaigner, a more skillful builder of "rainbow" coalitions than Jessie Jackson, and a person without well-defined policy and ideological orientations. Unfortunately, the text is divided into so many short chapters (52) that continuity suffers, and it concludes during the early stages of Wilder's 1989 gubernatorial campaign and thus does not fully explore that historic election. Nonetheless, the book is balanced and generally well written. As such, it is recommended for public and university libraries. - Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette.