2024 the best showman review

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(as of Nov 14, 2024 21:03:11 UTC - Details)

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

"Shuster crafts an intimate account of the Russian invasion, which vividly captures Zelensky’s transformation from a clean-cut funnyman into a war hero out of central casting." --New York Times Book Review; Editors' Choice Selection

“The Showman surpasses all similar efforts to date and is set to be the standard by which all other works on Mr. Zelensky and Ukraine’s wartime politics will be judged." —Wall Street Journal

A monumental account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the forging of a leader, The Showman provides an insider’s perspective on the war reshaping our world, based on unprecedented access to Volodymyr Zelensky and the high command in Kyiv.

Time correspondent Simon Shuster chronicles the life and leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky from the dressing rooms of his variety shows to the muddy trenches of Ukraine’s war with Russia. Based on four years of reporting; extensive travels with President Zelensky to the front; and dozens of interviews with him, his wife, his friends and enemies, his advisers, ministers and military commanders, Shuster tells the intimate and revealing story of the president’s evolution from a slapstick actor to a symbol of resilience.

In their most candid accounts of the war so far, members of Zelensky’s inner circle show how the president’s character changed under the strains of leadership and the horrors he witnessed each day. His wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, describes her escape from Kyiv with their children, her life on the run, and the tensions that emerged in her marriage as she struggled to return to a meaningful role in the administration. Ukraine’s top military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, shares the untold story of his fraught relationship with the president and the subsequent consequences.

Reflecting on their own regrets and critical decisions, Zelensky and his senior aides open up about the causes of the Russian invasion and how it may have been avoided. They describe with astonishing frankness how their peace talks with Vladimir Putin fell apart and how their faith in the U.S. faltered, both under Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The Showman provides the first inside account of Zelensky’s life amid the invasion, offering a clear-eyed view of his failures to prepare for it and his willingness to silence dissent under martial law. What emerges is a complex picture of a man struggling to break what he sees as a historical cycle of oppression that began generations before he was born. Even as the war drags on, Zelensky lays out his vision for its future course and, through his actions, demonstrates his strategy for countering the Russians and keeping the West on his side.

The Showman, as a work of eyewitness journalism, provides an essential perspective on the war defining our age, resulting in a riveting, vivid portrait of the invasion as experienced by its number one target and improbable hero.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow (January 23, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063307421
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063307421
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.24 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.08 x 9 inches
Reviewer: Travis B. Johnson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing Book, Amazing Leader in a unique time in history
Review: I truly found this one of the best books I have ever read. I’m normally not one for biographies, but the way that the author wrote the book, breaking up the biography of Zelensky with the history of the start of the war in Ukraine, and all of its troubles with Russia, it was both refreshing and exhilarating to read.The author absolutely does not sugarcoat or try and paint a completely beautiful picture of a perfect leader in Zelensky. He is shown with all his flaws, with views from multiple sides of his life and his presidency. No one is without fault in their character, or and how they handle their business, especially when they become a leader, and especially when they are a political novice like. Zelensky. All of this is shown, for all the world to see, and for any, and all to judge with what they read.Even with all, that said, Zelensky it’s truly an inspiring and impressive leader, an individual who you see change throughout the book overtime from the comedian he was into the wartime leader, that he is now. Truly have nothing but respect and admiration for the president before, and I have even more so now after this book.Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Reviewer: Donna Rivers
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very informative
Review: Very informative and well written. Only weird thing is it’s from the Mahwah Library in Mahwah, New Jersey. Thought I was getting it from Amazon. Was it bought from the Mahwah library or was it stolen from the library? I shouldn’t be paying for a library book.

Reviewer: Robert B. Lamm
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Bio-History
Review: The first two-thirds of The Showman comprise a fascinating bio-history - that is, a biography of Volodymyr Zelensky in the context of the Russian invasion and the war that ensued. Shuster’s story of the transformation of a comedian into a president into a warrior is fascinating. It’s particularly impressive that the story is neither a hagiography nor a screed; rather, in Shuster’s hands, Zelensky is just a man, a mix of good and bad, strong points and failings.However, the last third of the book was something of a let-down. There’s a bit too much discussion of the military and the conduct of the war and not enough of the man. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is a departure from the first 200 pages, and the contrast was jarring and distracting. Maybe it needed a bit of editing, but I appreciate that in the epilogue, Shuster goes back to “basics,” which redeemed the book a bit.Still, four our of five stars isn’t bad, and the book is definitely worth reading.

Reviewer: Michael
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent book
Review: Really enjoyed the book

Reviewer: Michael Brochstein
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent biography of Zelenskyy
Review: The author had excellent access to Zelenskyy and other relevant people and is an excellent writer. The author has reported from Russia and Ukraine for a long time and speaks Russian (as does Zelenskyy) so his interaction with the people he met were not necessarily filtered through a translator.My only complain is an unfair one, that somehow it would have been great if the book covered events right up until the publication date. This is an unfair complaint as the editing and printing process take time. Highly recommended!

Reviewer: T
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Remarkable reporting
Review: Shuster provides a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the leadership of a country at war. The focus is of course on Zelenskyy, his unlikely path from entertainer lampooning the politics of his country, to wartime president at the helm of it, amid the tumultuous history of his nation. The book strikes a good balance between the respect and human sympathy due to a brave and empathetic man pushed to the limits defending his country against steep odds, and the critical eye warranted by any leader holding that level of power and responsibility, who will inevitably make missteps with echoing repercussions.I also appreciated the vivid portraits the book paints of the figures around Zelenskyy. Shuster interviewed practically everyone who's anyone in the highest echelons of power, and makes them come alive on the page with just a few lines, from the top general picking daisies for his wife to the aging functionary donating his car to the troops, colorful individuals with their strengths and foibles thrust alongside Zelenskyy into a terrible situation and rising to the occasion. I have a feeling many of these names will come up again in the future.

Reviewer: Sarah Padbury
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Riveting
Review: I’m a big Ukraine fan and Zelensky intrigues me. Finally, Mr Shuster has produced this very insightful and informative book. Ukraine must prevail in this war for all of our sakes.Slava Ukraini!!

Reviewer: Brian Lewis
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: How Showmanship Became Leadership in Ukraine
Review: At one point in this book, its subject, responding to the author's pitch, suggested that it was too soon for a book. Both for a biography of a man just in his 40s and new to politics and too soon to know the outcome of the terrible war his country was facing. While this book has many strengths, I think that skeptical approach has some truth to it. The Showman attempts two things, each of which could produce a full book - one, a biography of Volodymyr Zelensky and second, a journal about the war in Ukraine. It is better at the biography part. This is generally a favorable, even heroic, portrait of Zelensky, although it certainly does not hide from his areas of weakness. His wife Elena, the mother of his two children, vents about her husband not being at home enough. And Zelensky's leadership also comes under question. He ignored numerous American warnings about the Russian buildup to the invasion and after just months in power, he was over ruling his generals on military strategy. It is very well done, and for now, the best possible view of the leader and the war that we have. But Zelensky had a point. It is just too soon to tell. I doubt this will stand as the definitive book about Ukraine.

Reviewer: Joseph
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book delves beyond the black and white or right and wrong and takes the reader firmly into the grey areas of the man and the war.

Reviewer: swapnil
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Nice copy

Reviewer: japan-adict
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Written by a friend, it details the strengths and determination of Zelensky after Putin's invasion.

Reviewer: Zangiku
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: All you need to know about what's going on in Ukraine. Excellent.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It is history In the making as described by a honest dedicated writer. We are the benefactors of a brave piece of journalism.