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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I decided to read this due to my fascination with Russia, and taking recent events into account I thought it would make an appropriate read.
I found this eye opening, shocking and chilling especially bearing in mind most of the events occur within my lifetime (since 1989) despite almost thinking you were reading a cold war spy novel.
I found this surprisingly easy to read which is unusual for non-fiction about political issues.
I found this eye opening, shocking and chilling especially bearing in mind most of the events occur within my lifetime (since 1989) despite almost thinking you were reading a cold war spy novel.
I found this surprisingly easy to read which is unusual for non-fiction about political issues.
A must-read if you want to understand what is going on in today's Russia, why and how Russian people ended up with that heinous dictatorship which swallowed up all their human rights and fundamental freedoms. In light of recent events it is particularly prophetic and eye-opening. And after the legislative election in September 2021 it has became abundantly clear that the ruling authorities will stop at nothing to keep power.
This was disappointing.
I’m a fan of Gessen’s journalism where I’ve read her before, and was looking forward to this as Putin is obviously both an important figure on the current world stage and a fascinating individual. I was hoping given Gessen’s background and Russian perspective that this book would provide a more nuanced analysis of Putin than the Western media usually does.
Unfortunately there’s really not a huge amount in here about Putin himself. The main narrative focuses more on the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of the new Russia than on how Putin came to power. The (for me) more interesting topic of how this middle-ranking KGB officer ended up as President of Russia isn’t really engaged with in huge detail.
By its very nature some of the background is obscure or secret, however even giving this point, Gessen makes some pretty heroic leaps and assertions in telling her story – allegations are made without a shred of evidence or validation of sourcing, and Gessen’s bias shines through. Ultimately however my biggest issue was that it lacks any kind of nuance – Gessen’s view is simplistic and seeks to cater for existing Western perceptions of both Putin and Russia.
There’s quite a lot of “what” here, precious little “how” and almost no “why”. As an oral history of Russia at a point in time it’s interesting, as a biography or analysis of Putin it’s deficient.
I’m a fan of Gessen’s journalism where I’ve read her before, and was looking forward to this as Putin is obviously both an important figure on the current world stage and a fascinating individual. I was hoping given Gessen’s background and Russian perspective that this book would provide a more nuanced analysis of Putin than the Western media usually does.
Unfortunately there’s really not a huge amount in here about Putin himself. The main narrative focuses more on the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of the new Russia than on how Putin came to power. The (for me) more interesting topic of how this middle-ranking KGB officer ended up as President of Russia isn’t really engaged with in huge detail.
By its very nature some of the background is obscure or secret, however even giving this point, Gessen makes some pretty heroic leaps and assertions in telling her story – allegations are made without a shred of evidence or validation of sourcing, and Gessen’s bias shines through. Ultimately however my biggest issue was that it lacks any kind of nuance – Gessen’s view is simplistic and seeks to cater for existing Western perceptions of both Putin and Russia.
There’s quite a lot of “what” here, precious little “how” and almost no “why”. As an oral history of Russia at a point in time it’s interesting, as a biography or analysis of Putin it’s deficient.
Eye opening, Gessen offers a round condemnation of Putin from the 90's to the early 2010's. This book is a grim recounting of Putins reign, where Gessen goes into great detail over several events that happened during Putin's presidency and how shady every one of these events were. The book is a real downer to read due to the growing discontent in Russia and how hopeless everything feels. But I feel its a necessary read to understand the kind of man Putin is. I guess my only complaint is that I wanted to know more information on how Russian society works, or more on Putin's followers. Still this is a great book and the story shows how Putin helped change a communist empire into a "mafia state" or corrupt democracy within the span of two decades.
Skremmende lesning, ikke minst på bakgrunn av det som skjer i Ukraina nå. Boka er flere år gammel, men den Putin vi har sett de seinere årene, og ser i all sin gru nå om dagen, er svært lik den Putin Gessen beskriver i sin bok. En kald, kynisk og svært grådig mann som virkelig ikke skyr noen midler for å må sitt mål, i et land hvor utstrakt korrupsjon og lovløshet herjer. Svært deprimerende bok, men god.
dark
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, War
Minor: Homophobia, Police brutality
challenging
tense
medium-paced
dark
informative
medium-paced
This book is one of the only stories that I could find on the origin of Vladimir Putin (it's terrifying). However the author mixes a bit too much conjecture with fact and their own journey for me.
This is also useful for getting a broad overview of the history of Russia (or at least the liminal moments in Russian history).
I loved the story of protestors disarming a brass band sent to drown them out by all eating lemons which makes anyone watching someone eat a lemon produce excess saliva; making it impossible to play a brass instrument.
This is also useful for getting a broad overview of the history of Russia (or at least the liminal moments in Russian history).
I loved the story of protestors disarming a brass band sent to drown them out by all eating lemons which makes anyone watching someone eat a lemon produce excess saliva; making it impossible to play a brass instrument.
dark
informative
slow-paced