COLIN POWELL
by Catherine Reef
An uncritical portrait of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who once reported, ``Mr. President, the world is at peace.'' Reef traces Powell's career path from mediocre South Bronx student to top soldier, devoting some attention to his private life but, except for noting his opposition to Operation Desert Storm, discussing his abilities and philosophy only in vague, conventional terms. Her narrative is simply phrased and clearly organized, though it relies heavily on bland ``sound bite'' quotations and takes space to summarize the history of African-Americans in our wars and the first decade of the Civil Rights Movement. More accomplished biographies of Powell by Haskins, Landau, and others make this a secondary purchase. The new ``African-American Soldiers'' series also includes books on some lesser-knowns: Benjamin Davis, Jr. and Daniel (``Chappie'') James. Selection of b&w publicity photos; bibliography; index. (Biography. 11-13)