The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, Library Edition

from HadriantheBlind

Based on who you ask, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, is either the Ultimate Badass who Single-Handedly Saved Russia or a crony-capitalist autocrat who is the 'Russian Mussolini'. So who is this Putin guy anyway? Gessen offers a round condemnation of Putin, stopping only from calling him an evil l...

from janersm

This book was the kind of book that I didn't want to put down, but also couldn't read much of at one time. There was just a lot of information that I needed time to be process. There was a lot of talk of vile things like torture, war, murder, etc., which was uncomfortable to read unless I took br...

from bostonbibliophile

Interesting and brave book to be sure, with some painful and horrifying information but ultimately I have to say I found the whole thing somewhat dull. Gessen recounts Putin's mediocre early career, his quick rise and his transformation to dictator and while she makes a convincing case for Putin-...

from LynnB

This book, like many other recent nonfiction works I've read, doesn't use footnotes. So, despite the 16 pages of notes and sources,the work often seemed speculative to me as I read it. There is nothing in the text to indicate when something is referenced in the notes. I hope this is a short-lived...

from MlleEhreen

If you've been feeling guilty about ignoring Russia over the past decade, reading just enough news to realize that the political situation has gotten ugly and not enough to have a real sense of how ugly, or just how, THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE is the book for you.Gessen lays responsibility for Russia...