Book cover of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin

Book description

Fiona Hill and other U.S. public servants have been recognized as Guardians of the Year in TIME's 2019 Person of the Year issue.

From the KGB to the Kremlin: a multidimensional portrait of the man at war with the West.

Where do Vladimir Putin's ideas come from? How does he…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Mr. Putin as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

You may recognize Fiona Hill from her damning testimony in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump in the Ukraine scandal, at which time she was senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council. Prior to that, she—along with co-author Cliff Gaddy—were two of the top minds on Russian politics at the Brookings Institute.

Together their book, Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin goes beyond the standard biographies of Vladimir Putin’s rise from the streets of Leningrad to the KGB to the Kremlin. More importantly, it highlights the variety of roles that Putin plays in…

From Mark's list on understanding Putinism.

In this readable and informative biography, Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy dissect every aspect of the life, career, mentality, and evolving political views of Vladimir Putin. After reading this book, you feel as though you have gotten inside the head of the ex-KGB operative who became one of the longest-serving Russian leaders and can understand the motives that drive his authoritarianism at home and interventionism in foreign policy. This is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wants to understand contemporary geopolitics and the fraught relationship between Russia and the West.

From Steven's list on modern Russian history.

If you love Mr. Putin...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

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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