The Man without a Face, Masha Gessen
The Man without a Face, Masha Gessen
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The Man without a Face
The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin

Author: Masha Gessen

Narrator: Justine Eyre

Unabridged: 7 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2012

Synopsis

The Man without a Face is the chilling account of how a lowlevel, smallminded KGB operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years of progress, making his country once more a threat to her 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 the 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 the media, sent political rivals and critics into exile or to the grave, and smashed the countrys 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 she has drawn on information and sources no other writer has tapped. Her account of how a faceless man maneuvered his way into absoluteand absolutely corruptpower has the makings of a classic of narrative nonfiction.

About Masha Gessen

Masha Gessen's previous books include The Brothers: The Road to an American Tragedy and the national bestseller The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin. She has immigrated to the United States twice-once, as a teenager, from the Soviet Union and again, more than thirty years later, from Putin's Russia. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

Goodreads review by ☘Misericordia☘ on January 03, 2020

Masha doesn't like Putin. And he has no idea about it. This could have been a very suitable alternative description of this book. Even though the last time I checked Masha Gessen was no Vladimir Putin, this is basically a story about her. Which would have been entirely cool, had she thought to rename......more

Goodreads review by Mal on April 06, 2017

Vladimir Putin, the KGB, and the Restoration of Soviet Russia Every once in a while I’m shocked to learn anew that the American news media has missed the mark in its reporting of events around the world. Masha Gessen’s recent portrait of third-term Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Man Without a......more

Goodreads review by Owlseyes on April 15, 2025

"Strictly speaking, Putin was not running a campaign (...) An influential political consulting firm called the Foundation for Effective Politics...was tasked with creating the image of Putin as a young, energetic politician who would advance much-needed reform". "The Babitsky story made my life e......more

Goodreads review by Paul on April 24, 2019

Some pretty scary stuff here! Fascinating stuff about the head of Russia. Sometimes it seems too crazy, as wild allegations (such as bombs killing Russian citizens set up by Russian security forces) can't be backed up by evidence. But other stories are, and are shocking enough. The author thinks tha......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on April 17, 2012

Masha Gessen does a marvelous job on her chronicle of Russian politics. The book is courageous, easy to read and well researched - for a book of this length. Gessen covers roughly the last 25 years of Russian politics. She shows how the attempt at democracy has failed, so far, and manages to place m......more

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