The Showman
by Simon Shuster
View on GoodreadsTime correspondent Simon Shuster's biography of Volodymyr Zelensky — from his Servant of the People comedy origins through the presidency through the Russian invasion — with unusual personal access during the wartime period.
Core ideas
- The performance-into-politics arc is treated seriously rather than ironically — Shuster argues Zelensky's comedy and acting training gave him exactly the wartime-communication skills the moment required, and that's not a coincidence.
- The Trump-Ukraine extortion period is reconstructed from Zelensky's side, including the personal pressure and the political-economy of a new president handling a much-larger ally's domestic dysfunction.
- The wartime portrait is mixed and honest — Zelensky as exhausted, sometimes shortsighted, sometimes operating on instinct that turns out well — rather than the hagiographic version that early Western coverage produced.
Published2024
Pages384
ISBN9780063307421
ReadDec 2024
