Title: Killer in the Kremlin: The Explosive Account of Putin’s Reign of Terror Author: John Sweeney
Source: Gift
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:
Summary: This was an approachable read, but the tone and lack of citations make me question its credibility.
This biography of Putin focuses on the violence he used to claim and maintain power. Author and BBC journalist John Sweeny includes his personal experiences reporting on Russia and with the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The personal tone of this book was both a strength and a weakness. It was one of the most approachable books I’ve read on Russia. It covers a lot of dark topics, but felt somewhat light and gossip-y. I enjoyed hearing about the author’s recent experiences in Ukraine and about his interviews with people living there now. It was a vivid look at the current events that inspired me to start this reading project. On the other hand, the author’s tone sometimes felt too light for the topic. His jokes and cultural references were hit or miss for me. I minded them less as the book went on, because it became clear that this is a topic that author cares about very much.
The personal tone and the author’s lax approach to citations reduced my confidence in his credibility. I read this book with Rennie of What’s Nonfiction and I think we both found it hard to trust the author unless he was repeating facts we already knew to be true. Having read fewer books on Russia than Rennie, this meant that I had more moments of skepticism. Many of his claims seemed plausible (allegations that Putin has cemented his credibility by responding to “terrorist attacks” he organized), but also a little conspiracy minded. Without any in-text citations and a sparse bibliography, I only had confidence in claims Rennie or I had read elsewhere.
I didn’t find many book reviews or author interviews (although the author does his own podcast I might yet check out). One review did stand out to me though, because the author of the review questions some of Sweeny’s claims about the second Chechen War. It was somewhat validating to see that Rennie and I weren’t alone in our concern with the lack of citations here. This review is probably worth checking out if you pick up the book.
The post Russia Buddy Read in Review: Killer in the Kremlin appeared first on Doing Dewey.
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