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⭐️⭐️⭐️ I should‘ve paid more attention to the publication date and looked for a newer book, but this well-written account of Putin‘s rise to power, and everything he dismantled in the process, was still worthwhile. He is, and seemingly always has been, a manipulative, corrupt, garbage human.

Damn. Putin is one of the dirtiest politicians I have ever read about. This book covers his KGB years, his rise in the shadows of the Yeltsin administration, and his rule up to 2010. He is cold blooded. I don‘t think any amount of suffering in Ukraine will stop him because this book details attacks on his own people that didn‘t bother him.

I probably should‘ve started with an even more basic book about Russia, but I learned so much!

I have a good knowledge of USSR history thanks to several biographies of Russian writers that I read several years ago (one in particular, Nadezhda Mandelstam's Hope Against Hope remains one of my favorite bios of all time) but post-Soviet history remains a bit of a blind spot for me. Masha Gessen's book covers Putin's life from a self-absorbed youth to a bureaucrat obsessed with the ideals of the former KGB. Those in Yeltsin's circle

I remember this happening in '04, but was unaware that it was the pretext that Putin used to dismantle the remainder of electoral democracy.

1) It was snowing this morning! My office was freezing. Hence the hoodie.
2) James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son & Radtke's Seek You.
3) It was an unintentional bail, but I left my copy of Cat Rambo's You Sexy Thing at work on a Friday & didn't pick it back up. If I do read it, I'll have to start it over.
#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

(cont.) That's when I knew we were definitely breaking up. 'In that case,' he said, 'I love you and I propose we get married on such and such a day.' And that was completely unexpected."
Ludmila describing Putin's proposal. Such a weirdo.

Up next.

Masha Gessen‘s new article today.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-unimaginable-reality-of-americ...

You might appreciate this one too @BarbaraTheBibliophage since we saw her speak.

I drove to work this morning with my mouth hanging open in shock the whole way. The details of Putin‘s likely involvement in terrorism against his own citizens was unbelievable. And I‘ve already read some info about that in Gessen‘s other book on Russia. Wow 😮

Really fascinating book. Now will I get a Russian visa for posting that I approve of this book? I'll let you know :/

Since the author of this very interesting and troubling book that I read a month or two ago just showed up in my current read, it seems like a good nudge to post a #Recommendsday for this one today!

#TheUnforgiven #Rocktober #blackbooks #riotgrams

My September Roundup!

#SeptemberStats
#September2017

Is it sad that one of the first things I checked out this morning after the news was if the author of my last read moved to the US or was still in Russia, and that I was overjoyed to learn she had and wasn't dead or missing of odd circumstances after she wrote this book & the protests at the end failed (plus knowing in the story she had a girlfriend which is definitely illegal in Russia today)? Yes it is sad, and more sadly still it was necessary!

Russian protestors after the 2011 Russian vote....that sounds sadly very familiar too. 😢&💙

I had to find and share this one small part from my audiobook listen yesterday. As soon as I heard it I immediately thought of someone in the news currently who built a secure phone booth in his office to ensure the privacy of his calls. 🙄

If you want to read a scary book this Halloween, this is the one! From his childhood up to his reelection in 2011, It paints a very grim picture of the country & Putin's practices, mostly told from the original sources (or their relatives since quite a few have met untimely ends). Definitely a must read as Russia and Putin become even more spotlighted on the global stage with their actions in Ukraine, Crimea, and currently global elections. 😱

Eerily topical today...I could say something similar about a certain businessman/golfer who said he'd be more Presidential if elected. 😢

This book is very detailed, lots of history, and scarier than any horror novel. ☠️Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer (and in this book watch out because your lifelong friends may have you murdered too, especially if they are Putin). 😱

That doesn't sound familiar at all....😱

More terrifying than any spy thriller.

#libraryhaul today: A couple of holds came in, and then my girlfriend requested some LGBT fiction for her upcoming trip to Fire Island, so I picked a couple titles off the stacks that I want to read myself. I've been waiting probably about 6 months for the Putin book, so I'd better prioritize it...but I don't want to. 😑

So fascinating! Gessen does a great job of including enough background history to provide context but avoids bogging down the story with unnecessary info. This is an area I've been woefully ignorant in but I now feel like I have a better understanding of the situation in Russia and what is truly at stake with the recent connections between them and the US. Truly chilling! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My dog matches my book. #bedtimereading #sleepypup

Starting this one, been wanting some non fiction in my life 😄I'm interested to learn more about Putin. #resistreads #currentread

I really like intelligent authors who seek the #truth but are also highly readable. Masha Gessen and Geoffrey Robertson (eg The Case Against the Pope) are two of my favourites.
#maybookflowers

You know Russia is corrupt, but after reading this you KNOW Russia is corrupt. Scary and sad how things work over there.

Next up!!

This was a tough one to read before bed, unnerving and thought provoking. I definitely recommend approaching it with a highlighter. Gessen's personal frustration definitely shows through at times, something that may make you feel more connected to the text or more wary, depending on how you prefer your investigative journalism to read. Still, an important book for troubling times that I highly recommend. I'll definitely be sharing it.

Anytime I read/hear someone refer to "Christian Values" as foundational to Western Civilization, I want mash a copy of Plato's: Republic into their face while exclaiming "And the Persians invented Algebra!" {quote from The Atlantic}

#TrumpedUpReadingList

Well, if I wasn't leaning toward conspiracy theorist before, I just jumped on the wagon with both feet. Very informative, and it's always interesting to me to have a book give a narrative to history.

Fran Lebowitz famously said, "Think before you speak. Read before you think." This is going to be a year for crafting meticulous arguments, for getting to the root of current events, for reading deeply, thinking through and, ultimately, fighting back. #readthinkresist

My weekend reading. Will probably carry me to the end of January.

Reviewing a few books I finished reading a while ago! This one I read because clearly, Putin is Trump's favorite autocrat and I wanted to understand the parallels between the two. I don't know that this book gave me very much insight into Trump but it did show how an autocrat uses fear and intimidation to banish dissent. Putin's corruption and tendency to use his office for personal enrichment are definitely one parallel we will see with Trump.

Amazing and shocking book on the rise of Vladimir Putin and the undermining of the democratic movement in Russia. Well worth reading. I loved the protest signs in 2011 after the votes were manipulated to reelect Putin and his party. "I Did Not Vote For These Assholes," proclaimed the banner carried by a young man with a reddish beard, "I Voted for the Other Assholes. I Demand a Recount."
Final book of the year for me. Got to 90 books this year.

In the end, his (Gary Kasparov) money, his fame, and his mind proved powerless against the regime, even if it was true that the regime was scared of him. Once the institutions of democracy had been dismantled, it was impossible- it was too late - to organize to defend them.

Spending day before New Year reading about the shocking crimes of our incoming president's twitter buddy. Really well written book. Worth reading if you do nonfiction reads. Courageous reporter - considering how many people he's killed for much less.

"No one is easier to manipulate than a man who exaggerates his own influence."

Very interesting reading especially if you juxtapose this with the rise of Hitler and his undermining of the Weimar before taking over total control. Both had attempted their own coup, then worked within current power structures to gain a foothold then (created?) used supposed antigovernment actions to justify setting themselves up as authoritarian. There are a lot of diversions in their paths but where they align is just...fascinating.

This is where I see the biggest parallels between Trump and Putin. Putin has used the state to enrich himself at every turn & is reportedly worth $40B. After watching Trump's transition I see the same mob boss mentality: the clannishness, rewarding loyalty with power and position, and a refusal to take steps to avoid corruption and conflicts. I'm beginning to think personal enrichment is Trump's main driver-- much more than ideology.

Can you tell I'm desperately trying to come to terms with this election? In the Darkroom actually covers a lot of history of Hungary & anti-Semitism before and during the Holocaust. White Trash sheds light on economic issues & resentments that fueled Trump's election. And Vladimir Putin is Trump's favorite autocrat so yeah. Well-prepared for the coming apocalypse! 😥 #nonfictionnovember