Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Man Without A Face summary
Masha Gessen
The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin
24 mins
Table of Contents
The Man Without A Face
summarized in 10 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 10
Young Vladimir Putin was a fighter, quick to anger, but dreamed of being a spy.
The story of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin begins in the desolate years following the end of World War II. Leningrad, today’s Saint Petersburg, was a bombed-out shell, its people equally damaged. It was in this bleak environment that Putin’s aggression and violent tendencies took form.
The Putin family suffered during the war: Putin’s soldier father had damaged, disfigured legs and two children had died. Fortunately, they still had somewhere to live, an uncommon luxury. In 1952, Vladimir Putin was born.
The family lived in a small, 20-square-meter room, with a stove in the communal hallway and a makeshift toilet in the stairwell. Putin called this place home until he was 25 years old.
As a boy, Putin was easily angered. He channelled a lot of his aggression in his practice of the martial art Sambo, yet still was frequently involved in fights; as a result of this, he was excluded from the Communist youth organization, called the Young Pioneers.
Putin’s young life wasn’t only hardship, however. Despite their close living quarters, the family had a telephone, a television and even a summer cabin. How could they afford these luxuries?
When Putin’s father had served as a soldier in in World War II, he had ties with the then state secret police, the NKVD. After the war, he remained in active reserve, so kept his factory job – and in exchange for giving information to the secret police, he received additional pay.
It was around this time that Putin too became interested in spy work. When he was 16 years old, Putin approached the KGB, the Soviet intelligence agency, about a job.
However, he was told that before he could join, he needed a college degree or army experience. So despite not being an exemplary student, Putin applied to Leningrad University and was accepted.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Man Without A Face?
Key ideas in The Man Without A Face
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Man Without A Face about?
A biography of Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Man Without A Face shines a clear light on one of contemporary history’s more shadowy political figures. The book charts Putin’s almost accidental rise to Russia’s highest office, starting from his benign beginnings in the state secret police. His vindictive personality, overwhelming greed and disdain for democratic norms continue to transform Russia today.
Best quote from The Man Without A Face
The only thing smaller than the pool of candidates seems to have been the list of qualifications required of them.
—Masha Gessen
Who should read The Man Without A Face?
- Anyone interested in Russia’s place in global politics
- Anyone curious about the life of a notorious world leader
- Anyone fighting for accountability and transparency in politics
Categories with The Man Without A Face
Books like The Man Without A Face
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
26 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers