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A review by paubre
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen
4.0
Masha Gessen is a fantastic writer and thinker. This book is a joy to read as a book and as an opinion piece. What it probably isn't is the whole truth about Russia's president. The guy is popular with many Russians, though after reading this book one can't imagine why. Therein lies the problem, and the star I struck from my original rating.
I think Gessen has captured a mostly true picture of Putin, by doing a lot of meticulous research and by living in his Russia for many years as a person, not exactly a dissident, but someone who is an independent thinker and who doesn't align herself with any of the factions. Still, her view is one of the upper middle class intelligentsia, even though she rails against this group for not immediately seeing Putin for what he really is. Her concerns are their concerns. They are valid and very important. But they are not the full picture.
I think Gessen has captured a mostly true picture of Putin, by doing a lot of meticulous research and by living in his Russia for many years as a person, not exactly a dissident, but someone who is an independent thinker and who doesn't align herself with any of the factions. Still, her view is one of the upper middle class intelligentsia, even though she rails against this group for not immediately seeing Putin for what he really is. Her concerns are their concerns. They are valid and very important. But they are not the full picture.