(4) YA Essential Lives series. These series entries, with straightforward writing and frequent sidebars and photos, are uneven in quality and interest level. Elizabeth I is particularly dry and requires background knowledge. Lucille Ball's colorful personality barely comes through in her volume (the pictures help), and the subtitle for Freud is odd (content is fine). Assange is current through 2011. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Lives titles: Sigmund Freud, Lucille Ball, Julian Assange, and Elizabeth I.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) 4-6 Giants of Science series. Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Krull introduces Freud as the man who brought empirical research into the canon. After several missteps, such as his early advocacy for the widespread use of cocaine, Freud found his niche, but not universal acceptance. Clearly and without sensationalism, Krull presents Freud's theories on dividing the personality into Id, Ego, and Superego. Back matter includes a listing of Freud's works. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(3) YA Twentieth-Century History Makers series. These books profile six influential figures of the last century and their accomplishments. Little attention is paid to their personal lives, but the authors adequately detail the history of the times and their subjects' particular influences on it. Captioned black-and-white and color photos illustrate the books. There are six other spring 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Twentieth-Century History Makers titles: Winston Churchill; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sigmund Freud; Anne Frank; Albert Einstein; and Fidel Castro.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(1) YA Reef skillfully weaves the developing theories of the first psychoanalyst into a chronological report of his eventful life, setting both in the political and social currents of his era. With admirable clarity, she presents both his seminal ideas and the objections, refinements, and alternatives to them that are still debated. There's an excellent selection of well-captioned archival photos. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2001