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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
You’re in a third rate airport in a hostile country. You’ve been pulled out of the customs line
without explanation and thrown in a cell with a bunch of other men who could pass for extras in
a gangster flick. Everybody’s smoking. There’s no water fountain and you’re not offered
anything to eat or drink. That’s how you spend the next 13 hours until two new guards arrive the
following morning to again, without explanation, to drag you out of the cell. They march you out
on the tarmac. They put you on a plane.
All you can think is, “Thank God.”
It’s not until later that you think about the friends you’re leaving behind.
This effectively is the way Bill Browder begins Red Notice, with his expulsion from Russia. It is
the backstory to the Magnitsky Act and the Russian adoption ban.
Browder came from a family that he describes as academic leftist. I think that sometimes
communism is really an example of being so far left, you’re right. If that makes any sense.
But I digress. Browder’s family was definitely communist and had strong ties to Russia. Browder
rebelled against this by becoming a capitalist but could not deny his attraction to Russia. Timing,
as they say is everything and Browder was in Russia right when Yeltsin was steering the
country towards democracy and capitalism. It was as good a time as any to try and make money
in Russia.
There are some problems though. First, communism was gone in name only. Many of the
institutions remained and the air of suspicion in the country remained. Second, many of the
criminal organizations in the country were forced out of business by former members of the
secret police and other governmental agencies. Third, the move to capitalism created a group of
super-wealthy oligarchs who resented any westerners trying to muscle in on their hustle. Fourth,
these forces combined to make Russia a place almost immune to violence. Fifth, Vladimir Putin.
Browder did an amazing amount of work to get set up in Russia and built a practice there. But
America is where people like to store their money for a reason. Even though we have white
collar criminals and graft, it’s not anything like it is in Russia. There were a number of times
when I thought that it would have been wise of him to take his winnings and walk away. We are
all human and Browder’s mistakes caused a number of his Russian friends to have to uproot
their lives. And it cost Sergei Magnitsky his.
I learned quite a bit about Russia and Putin in this book. One thing rings clear to me: people
who think they would be better off with Putin as a ruler don’t understand what they’re asking for.
I’ll stay right here where free speech is a reality and you don’t end up getting black bagged the
first time you disagree.
without explanation and thrown in a cell with a bunch of other men who could pass for extras in
a gangster flick. Everybody’s smoking. There’s no water fountain and you’re not offered
anything to eat or drink. That’s how you spend the next 13 hours until two new guards arrive the
following morning to again, without explanation, to drag you out of the cell. They march you out
on the tarmac. They put you on a plane.
All you can think is, “Thank God.”
It’s not until later that you think about the friends you’re leaving behind.
This effectively is the way Bill Browder begins Red Notice, with his expulsion from Russia. It is
the backstory to the Magnitsky Act and the Russian adoption ban.
Browder came from a family that he describes as academic leftist. I think that sometimes
communism is really an example of being so far left, you’re right. If that makes any sense.
But I digress. Browder’s family was definitely communist and had strong ties to Russia. Browder
rebelled against this by becoming a capitalist but could not deny his attraction to Russia. Timing,
as they say is everything and Browder was in Russia right when Yeltsin was steering the
country towards democracy and capitalism. It was as good a time as any to try and make money
in Russia.
There are some problems though. First, communism was gone in name only. Many of the
institutions remained and the air of suspicion in the country remained. Second, many of the
criminal organizations in the country were forced out of business by former members of the
secret police and other governmental agencies. Third, the move to capitalism created a group of
super-wealthy oligarchs who resented any westerners trying to muscle in on their hustle. Fourth,
these forces combined to make Russia a place almost immune to violence. Fifth, Vladimir Putin.
Browder did an amazing amount of work to get set up in Russia and built a practice there. But
America is where people like to store their money for a reason. Even though we have white
collar criminals and graft, it’s not anything like it is in Russia. There were a number of times
when I thought that it would have been wise of him to take his winnings and walk away. We are
all human and Browder’s mistakes caused a number of his Russian friends to have to uproot
their lives. And it cost Sergei Magnitsky his.
I learned quite a bit about Russia and Putin in this book. One thing rings clear to me: people
who think they would be better off with Putin as a ruler don’t understand what they’re asking for.
I’ll stay right here where free speech is a reality and you don’t end up getting black bagged the
first time you disagree.
A great read—true life account of one man’s fight to get justice for a man tortured and killed by the Russian government. His crime? Speaking the truth.
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Incredible story and a gripping testament to the memory of Sergei Magnitsky. Putin’s crimes seemingly know no limits.
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced