The Man without a Face by Masha GessenRead about another entry on the list.
One of many books tracing the rise and crimes of Putin, Gessen’s appeals for the interweaving of her personal story with Putin’s progressive domination of Russian society. In one unforgettable scene, Gessen, a journalist, is called in for a meeting by Putin, who is unaware that her excoriating critique of him has already been published abroad. Her account of the brief flowering of hope after the disputed parliamentary elections of December 2011 – followed by the inevitable crackdown – is particularly poignant.
Also see: ten books that explain Russia today and five top books on Putin and Russian history.
--Marshal Zeringue