A review by wmilam
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen

4.0

Fascinating and....alarming. Hard to believe Putin is a real, living person since reading about him still feels like reading about a fictional villain and an infamous historical figure all at once. He's that over-the-top. Masha Gessen is absolutely scathing toward him here, which I loved (also love that she's still alive and safely out of Russia, because good LORD). A damning portrait of the man currently shaping the direction of our world (unfortunately for our world). Especially interesting to have read this personal biography in tandem with "Winter Is Coming", "The New Tsar", and "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible".