The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin

Description

National Book Award winner Masha Gessen’s biography of a ruthless man’s ascent
to near-absolute power. “In a country where journalists critical of the
government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Gessen has shown remarkable
courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most
powerful man in Russia.” —The Wall Street Journal “Thanks to fearless
reporting and acute psychological insights, Masha Gessen has done the
impossible in writing a highly readable, compelling life of Russia’s
mysterious president-for-life.” –Tina Brown, The Daily Beast The Man Without a
Face is the chilling account of how a low-level, small-minded KGB operative
ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time,
destroyed years of progress and made his country once more a threat to his own
people and to the world. Handpicked as a successor by the “family” surrounding
an ailing and increasingly unpopular Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin seemed like
a perfect choice for the oligarchy to shape according to its own designs.
Suddenly the boy who had stood in the shadows, dreaming of ruling the world,
was a public figure, and his popularity soared. Russia and an infatuated West
were determined to see the progressive leader of their dreams, even as he
seized control of media, sent political rivals and critics into exile or to
the grave, and smashed the country’s fragile electoral system, concentrating
power in the hands of his cronies. As a journalist living in Moscow, Masha
Gessen experienced this history firsthand, and for The Man Without a Face has
drawn on information and sources no other writer has tapped. This account of
how a “faceless” man maneuvered his way into absolute—and absolutely
corrupt—power is the definitive biography of Vladimir Putin. Read more

Features:

Product Details:

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverhead Books; Reprint edition (March 5, 2013)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594486514
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 17
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.05 x 0.92 x 8.98 inches
• Best Sellers Rank: #106,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #23 in Russian & Soviet Politics #42 in Historical Russia Biographies #173 in Russian History (Books)
• #23 in Russian & Soviet Politics
• #42 in Historical Russia Biographies