Russia: Putin's Playground: Empire, Revolution, & the New Tsar Paperback – January 5, 2016

I've lived a rather sheltered life and haven't yet been able to travel outside of the tri-state area here in the United States. Needless to say, I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to other countries. I've always found Russian culture to be no-nonsense, strong, and quite fascinating, to say the least. I hoped that this book would provide me with more information.The book far exceeded my expectations in terms of information. As a matter of fact, I am far more intrigued about Russia than I was before I picked up the book. "Putin's Playground" is jam-packed with information on Russia's view of the West, the country's expansion, and even what the people are like. It touches a little on Vladimir Putin, but not as much as I'd hoped. It also discusses previous leaders.If you're interested in learning more about Russia, then you will have a better understanding after reading this book.* This book was provided to me, free of charge, in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved this book because it provided a very insightful answer to the questions I’ve been asking myself ever since Putin got elected. “Why is he popular? Why is he tolerated? What does it say about the country and the people over which he rules? What is next?” There is a multitude of historical, cultural, geopolitical and other factors that the author highlights to make it evident that the current situation is just a natural progression of things in Russia. The Russian people’s relationship with the state truly is complicated and not subject to easy generalizations. But this book is rather convincing in its analysis.I highly recommend the book to everyone who is interested in better understanding why Russia is a “playground” for someone like Putin. It packs quite an impressive amount of information in just a few pages!

Short but informative. Lays bare the idea that the Cold War is over

The book really didn't meet my expectation. It is written as a simple primer for the Russian history, with some additional information regarding the current situation.

PUTIN'S PLAYGROUND is THE perfect read if you want to understand what's going on in Russia now and how it got to this point. It is also a MUST READ if you are traveling to Russia anytime soon. It's packed with lots of relevant information in fun, evocative language. I spent many of my working years in Russia when all of the changes started in the late 1980s and wish I had had PUTIN'S PLAYGROUND along for that journey!

An incredibly accurate analysis of the Russian psyche and history. As a person who was born and raised in Russia, every word resonated with me. Anastasia takes hard, cold facts and interprets them for us in an easy to understand, witty way. Great read for anyone remotely interested in Russia and its origins and culture.

Strange mixture of everything in random order: Ukraine, Tungus meteorite, 1917 revolution, little bit of Putin, art, women, etc. This is more of a collage of little snapshots/ not a book. The content would be appropriate for a thematic journal devoted to Russia.

An insightful look at the history of modern Russia and how it contributed to Putin's rise.