jlrmac 's review for:

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

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The title of this book caught my attention and I read it to try and learn more about Putin. I thought I knew some general things, but wanted to read more in-depth. It is told from the viewpoint of Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist, author,and activist. She was involved in a lot of the Russian events and was well-known. I found it interesting how Putin had high aspirations from a young age, and seemed to be astute enough to get along without standing out. When revolutionary changes were starting to be made towards more egalitarian and democratic policies, they chose Putin to be the President because they expected him to just go along and do what they wanted him to. He instead began implementing Fascist rules and policies, becoming more and more powerful. And that was just the start of it. She did include some pages on Bill Browder, with a slightly different viewpoint from [b:Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice|22609522|Red Notice A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice|Bill Browder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422848658s/22609522.jpg|42099492] by Bill Browder[a:Bill Browder|8344235|Bill Browder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408510855p2/8344235.jpg]. Man Without a Face gave one insider's view on business and politics in Russia, etc. She had to stay informed, but also alert to when she needed to change/move/etc. before her immediate situation became untenable. She had to learn to get along and to adapt to the continual changes. Interesting read.