Events › Non-Fiction Book Discussion: The Showman:inside the invasion that shook the world and made a leader of Volodymyr Zelensky

Book Cover of The Showman

Open to all adults who love to read and discuss Non-fictional literature.  In April the group will talk about The showman: inside the invasion that shook the world and made a leader of Volodymyr Zelensky by Simon Schuster (January 2024)
         Time Magazine correspondent Simon Shuster drew on the unprecedented degree of access he was allowed to President Zelensky  and his government and military to write The Showman, including interviews with Zelensky ’s allies, his wife Olena, and even his opponents to tell the story of how a naiive comedian, actor and satirist made the unlikely transition to steadfast Ukrainian military leader. A man and a head of state who has somehow won allies in the West and used their financial support to protect his country and his people from Vladimir Putin and the invading Russian Army.

Shuster does not try to make Zelensky  a saint or a perfect hero. He and those he interviewed talk about Zelensky’s early stumbles in office, his initial naivete and lack of political experience; his sensitivity to criticism. During the war, Shuster mention’s Zelenskyy’s crackdowns on the Ukrainian Press, and his sometimes contentious relations with even his allies on account of his constant need of more financial aid. Even with all of his shortcomings Zelensky  remarkably rose to the challenge of becoming the leader Ukraine needed when he was needed most.
The Nonfiction Book Discussion Group meets on the second Sunday morning of each month at 11am. All meetings are sponsored by The Friends of the Cupertino Library.