Books like Putin's kleptocracy by Karen Dawisha

A gripping biography of the political fundraiser behind the Nixon administration, uncovering layers of corruption, friendship, and the mechanics of power in late 1960s America.

Explains how Vladimir Putin and Russia hacked an American election as part of a covert operation to subvert the United States' democracy and help Donald Trump win the presidency.

A Russian Diary is Anna Politkovskaya’s candid, unflinching record of life in Russia from the 2003 parliamentary elections through the 2005 Beslan school siege, exposing corruption, state‑censorship, and the human cost of Vladimir Putin’s rule.

An insightful, detailed look at Bill Clinton's presidency through the eyes of a trusted insider who gained unprecedented access to the inner workings of the White House.

"For more than thirty years, Kevin Phillips' insight into American politics and economics has helped to make history as well as record it. Now he turns his attention to the United States' history of great wealth and power, a sweeping cavalcade from the American Revolution to what he calls "the Second Gilded Age" at the turn of the twenty-first century.". "The Second Gilded Age has been staggering enough in its concentration of wealth to dwarf the original Gilded Age a hundred years earlier. However, the tech crash and then the horrible events of September 11, 2001, pointed out that great riches are as vulnerable as they have ever been. In Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips charts the ongoing American saga of great wealth - how it has been accumulated, its shifting sources, and its ups and downs over more than two centuries. He explores how the rich and politically powerful have frequently worked together to create or perpetuate privilege, often at the expense of the national interest and usually at the expense of the middle and lower classes."--BOOK JACKET.

"Drawing on both Russian and English-language sources, and providing comprehensive coverage of Putin's speeches, interviews and policy documents, this is the definitive study of the Russian leader."--Jacket.

With the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia launched itself on a fitful transition to Western-style democracy. But a decade later, Yeltsin's handpicked successor resolved to bring an end to the revolution. This book goes behind the scenes of contemporary Russia to reveal the culmination of Project Putin, the secret plot to reconsolidate power in the Kremlin. During their four years as Moscow bureau chiefs for The Washington Post, the authors witnessed the methodical campaign to transform Russia back into an authoritarian state. Their narrative moves from the unlikely rise of Putin through the key moments of his tenure that re-centralized power into his hands. But the authors also portray the Russian people they encountered--both those who have prospered and those barely surviving--and show how the political flux has shaped individual lives. -- From publisher description.

A detailed journey across Russia and former Soviet republics, in which journalist Ben Judah interviews Putin’s allies, adversaries, officials, business magnates, mob figures, and everyday citizens to examine Vladimir Putin’s rise and its impact on Russian society.

Mikhail Zygar’s biography of Vladimir Putin traces the evolution of the Russian statesman and the political struggles that shaped his rise.