Review by Booklist Review
In his first book, veteran Time foreign correspondent Shuster reports on the intrepid president of Ukraine during a time of crisis and war. Drawing on extensive interviews with Volodymyr Zelensky, his entourage and family, and other leaders in Ukraine, Shuster provides a strategic overview of Russia's invasion and a biographical survey of the actor and comedian turned politician. In-depth analysis of politics, foreign relations, and military affairs in Ukraine is interspersed with details about Zelensky's life and career in show business before becoming the personification of Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression. Shuster makes comparisons between Zelensky's leadership and the failure of the former president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, who fled when the Taliban took over, and discusses the prospects for continuing U.S. support of Ukraine. Hardly a hagiography, Shuster's book shows the human side of Zelensky as he struggles with domestic complexities and controversial handling of the opposition to present a balanced view. The Showman is an important work as one of the first fully researched, book-length chronicles of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Time magazine correspondent Shuster debuts with an up-close account of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's transformation from comedian and political satirist to steadfast wartime leader and world symbol of "fortitude." Drawing on unprecedented access to Zelensky as well as interviews with the president's friends, advisers, ministers, staff members, and wife Olena, Shuster tracks how the celebrity actor went from "naive charmer preparing to enter a world of cynics, oligarchs and thugs who took him for an easy mark" to "stubborn, confident, vengeful, impolitic" leader of a beleaguered nation. In addition to chronicling Zelensky's successful bid for the presidency in 2019 and his first days in office, when he "showed a painful sensitivity to criticism," Shuster describes how the former TV star, driven by "professional" instincts from the start of the Russian invasion, made highly publicized appearances--including at South Korea's parliament, the World Bank, and the Grammy Awards--with the goal of winning over Western leaders and securing weapons. Soon "it turned into a political rite of passage" for European heads of state to travel to Kyiv and pose for a selfie with Zelensky. The president's critics will note Shuster downplays accusations of his subject's "high-handedness," though he does discuss Zelensky's crackdowns on the Ukrainian press. This is a crisp snapshot of a national leader under fire. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A veteran Kyiv-based correspondent for Time offers a nuanced portrait of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. "Show no mercy. Use all available weapons to wipe out every Russian thing that's there." So said Zelensky at the beginning of Russia's invasion of his country, referring to Russian troops threatening to seize his capital's airport. The Ukrainian military obliged, but those around Zelensky were surprised by the ferocity of his response; by Shuster's account, the former comedian had become a steely leader overnight. He'd entered office under something of a cloud: Having promised not to take up residence in the president's opulent quarters (but then doing just that), he aroused the anger of the political opposition and the press. The war soon followed, and it changed him. As Shuster writes, he "turned into a wartime president unique to our age of instant information," one aspect of which was to keep his own counsel and rely less on his aides. That said, the author depicts Zelensky as somewhat of a naif. He had hoped, for example, that their shared background in show business would make Donald Trump more sympathetic to Ukraine's cause, even as Trump proved himself to be a Putin cheerleader, particularly after cutting off funds when Zelensky sidelined his call for a probe into the Biden family. He also angered Joe Biden and other world leaders by his strident demands for more and more aid. Sensitive to criticism and, at one point, angry himself that world events seemed to have placed his nation in the middle of a power struggle between "these empires, the United States, Russia, China," Zelensky has nonetheless clearly risen to the occasion--and, Shuster hopes, he will remain a resolute leader and guide his nation to victory. A useful key for understanding a politician and tactician much in the news but little known. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
