Book cover of All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin

Book description

All the Kremlin's Men is a gripping narrative of an accidental king and a court out of control. Based on an unprecedented series of interviews with Vladimir Putin's inner circle, this book presents a radically different view of power and politics in Russia. The image of Putin as a strongman…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked All the Kremlin's Men as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Of course, it takes more than one man to run a country, and in All the Kremlin’s Men, opposition journalist Mikhail Zygar expands that scope to examine various important figures within Putin’s inner circle. From good friends to politicians, important bureaucrats, and oligarchs—and in many cases, the lines between those categories are very much blurred. Zygar builds on a decade’s worth of interviews and investigative journalism to give a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Russia’s elites, how they relate to one another, and to Putin. The book presents an immensely readable history of post-Soviet Russian politics, moving the chronology forward…

From Mark's list on understanding Putinism.

When it comes down to it, Putin is just one man, and not necessarily the smartest guy in the room. So who else is in the room? This is a real insider’s guide to some of the key figures in Putin’s circle, the men who don’t just execute the boss’s orders, but get to shape his view of the world. Even when they retire, these are not the kind of people who write autobiographies, so Zygar’s readable guide to Putin’s court, pieced together from public interviews, press accounts and off-the-record gossip, is the best account of what goes in in…

From Mark's list on understand today’s Russia.

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These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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