by Masha Gessen
First published 2012
Masha Gessen traces Vladimir Putin's rise from obscure intelligence operative to Russian president. She examines how Boris Yeltsin's inner circle selected Putin as their preferred successor, believing they could control this unassuming figure. The book reveals how Putin systematically dismantled democratic institutions while the West remained willfully blind to his authoritarian agenda. Gessen documents Putin's methodical seizure of media outlets, his elimination of political opponents through exile and assassination, and his destruction of Russia's electoral processes. Drawing on her experience as a Moscow-based journalist, she accessed sources and information unavailable to other writers. The narrative shows how Putin concentrated power among his allies while presenting a facade that fooled both Russian citizens and Western observers. Gessen argues that Putin's transformation from faceless bureaucrat to absolute ruler represents one of the most significant political deceptions of the modern era.
Genres: biography, history, political-science, 21st-century, political-thriller, russia
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, rise-to-power, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Moscow, Russia
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Books