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A review by doritobabe
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen
3.0
I am writing this review at a very late time and while I am in the midst of reading [b:Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped|24945308|Winter Is Coming Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped|Garry Kasparov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425612182s/24945308.jpg|44603738].
Gessen's book was a comprehensive primer to Kasparov's more recent telling of Putin. Her book acts as a brief biography of V Putin and how his upbringing inspired, affected, and aided in his political tyranny. Additionally, Gessen details important events that have transpired during Putin's presidency/rule and how he has acted to secure his position through his responses.
I rated this book so low for two main reasons:
1) Gessen's claim of Putin being some kind of kleptomaniac. Literally, she does this. While this claim may be warranted in her eyes, I find the evidence of this claim to be... irrelevant? Childish? Ultimately, something that doesn't fit well with a professional account.
2) The style and presentation went from formal and seemingly unbiased to emotional and a bit unrestrained, as detailed by the above example.
Otherwise, I am very glad that I read it as it provided me with much needed historical information and a first-person perspective of what things are like in Russia. Being a (young) Canadian, much of my views are distorted and fed by the big-brother below me (the United States) thus not necessarily being the best.
Gessen's book was a comprehensive primer to Kasparov's more recent telling of Putin. Her book acts as a brief biography of V Putin and how his upbringing inspired, affected, and aided in his political tyranny. Additionally, Gessen details important events that have transpired during Putin's presidency/rule and how he has acted to secure his position through his responses.
I rated this book so low for two main reasons:
1) Gessen's claim of Putin being some kind of kleptomaniac. Literally, she does this. While this claim may be warranted in her eyes, I find the evidence of this claim to be... irrelevant? Childish? Ultimately, something that doesn't fit well with a professional account.
2) The style and presentation went from formal and seemingly unbiased to emotional and a bit unrestrained, as detailed by the above example.
Otherwise, I am very glad that I read it as it provided me with much needed historical information and a first-person perspective of what things are like in Russia. Being a (young) Canadian, much of my views are distorted and fed by the big-brother below me (the United States) thus not necessarily being the best.