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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Damn. Everyone in the world should read this book so that this power-hungry, murdering criminal can be fully exposed.
I know I’m late but !!!
sigh guess I’ll go read all their other books now
sigh guess I’ll go read all their other books now
Everyone should read this book to find out why it's not good that Trump is playing footsie with Putin. It's NOT because he's Russian, it's because he is a cruel, greedy, viscous leader who was willing to strip away a budding democracy to line his pockets. He's allegedly worth something on the order of 40 billion. He and his minions are behind many of the bombings and mishandled hostage events in recent Russian history, all designed for him to consolidate power, amass a personal fortune, and reunite the USSR.
Fascinating and completely terrifying, thank you Masha!
Fantastic book, gained greater understanding of situation in Russia. Want to read her latest, Surviving Autocracy.
As its subtitle states, “The Man Without A Face” is about Vladimir Putin’s rise from KGB goon to ‘democratically elected’ (quotation marks intentional) president of Russia. The book also chronicles the fall of the Soviet Union, as the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. set the stage for Putin’s power grab.
Although I found the subject matter of this book very interesting, I didn’t love the writing. Gessen is a journalist and at times this read more like a lengthy newspaper article than a gripping non-fiction book. There are also a lot of long Russian names to keep track of, many of which sound very similar.
In a nutshell, Gessen recounts how Putin was hand picked as Boris Yeltin’s successor by power players in the new democratic Russia who were afraid the presidency would fall into the hands of their rivals. Unfortunately, Putin is no friend to democracy and has spent the last dozen years stripping Russians of their rights and freedoms (not to mention taking the fortunes of the country’s wealthiest men), all while rigging elections to ensure he remains in power.
There is some time spent on Putin’s early career, but he never really comes to life on the page. If anything, Putin comes across as a low rent Bond villain — which is probably a disturbingly accurate portrayal.
The book’s epilogue concerns the recent Russian presidential election, which Putin won by a landslide. Although the state of Russian democracy is bleak, Gessen’s attitude seems to be that things are looking up. She notes sensing a familiar feeling amongst the citizens, something she last sensed in the years leading up to the fall of of the Soviet Union. The message of the book seems to be that while Putin may have a stranglehold on the country now, history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Although I found the subject matter of this book very interesting, I didn’t love the writing. Gessen is a journalist and at times this read more like a lengthy newspaper article than a gripping non-fiction book. There are also a lot of long Russian names to keep track of, many of which sound very similar.
In a nutshell, Gessen recounts how Putin was hand picked as Boris Yeltin’s successor by power players in the new democratic Russia who were afraid the presidency would fall into the hands of their rivals. Unfortunately, Putin is no friend to democracy and has spent the last dozen years stripping Russians of their rights and freedoms (not to mention taking the fortunes of the country’s wealthiest men), all while rigging elections to ensure he remains in power.
There is some time spent on Putin’s early career, but he never really comes to life on the page. If anything, Putin comes across as a low rent Bond villain — which is probably a disturbingly accurate portrayal.
The book’s epilogue concerns the recent Russian presidential election, which Putin won by a landslide. Although the state of Russian democracy is bleak, Gessen’s attitude seems to be that things are looking up. She notes sensing a familiar feeling amongst the citizens, something she last sensed in the years leading up to the fall of of the Soviet Union. The message of the book seems to be that while Putin may have a stranglehold on the country now, history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Western opinions of Vladimir Putin range from seamy kleptocrat to brutal dictator. Whatever your preconceived view, you'll have a lower opinion of him after reading this unflattering biography, written by a Russian dissident.
A great book. Shocking and disheartening most of the time--but somehow hopeful at the end. Unforgettable. The integrity and courage of the journalists and businessmen who reported Putin and his regime's crimes only to face threats, imprisonment, exile, beatings, torture, and painful assassinations is humbling.
dark
informative
slow-paced