Simon Shuster gives us the first inside account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the perspective of President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team, who granted him behind the scenes access.
Shuster paints with great sympathy a complex picture of Mr. Zelensky and his transformation ... Like many writers on a tight deadline, Mr. Shuster crafted a longer book than he otherwise might have. But 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.
Takes the reader inside the nuclear bunker under the presidential palace in the first hours of the invasion ... Vividly rendering parts of contemporary Ukrainian history that often get lost amid headlines ... What emerges from The Showman is a portrait of a brave, inspirational and bold leader, with flashes of his humanity and the personality hidden behind the makeup.
Authoritative and engaging ... Wonks and experts will get something out of “The Showman,” but the book is most valuable to those who know little about the war and seek greater context and background. Shuster’s skills as a longtime magazine journalist serve him well here. He writes with clarity and immediacy about matters that could easily descend into centuries of history and reams of military strategy. The Showman has plenty of both, but always in the service of a tight narrative that deftly toggles from past to present and back again.