
The Showman
Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky
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Narrated by:
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Daniel Gamburg
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By:
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Simon Shuster
About this listen
Acclaimed journalist 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 unprecedented access.
Time correspondent Simon Shuster chronicles the life and wartime leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky from the dressing rooms of his variety show in Ukraine to the muddy trenches of his war with Russia. Based on four years of reporting; extensive travels with President Zelensky to the front; and dozens of interviews with him, his wife, his friends and enemies, his advisers, ministers and military commanders, The Showman tells an intimate and eye-opening story of the President’s evolution from a slapstick actor to a symbol of resilience, revealing how he managed to rally the world’s democracies behind his cause.
The book’s early chapters offer the first detailed account of Zelensky’s life in a nuclear bunker in the opening weeks of the invasion and the circumstances of his wife’s escape to safety with their children. Later, as the Russians retreat from Kyiv, we see Zelensky and his team emerge from the bunker and lead Ukraine in a series of crucial victories. The result is a riveting, up-close picture of the invasion as experienced by its number one target and improbable hero.
Clear-eyed about the President’s early failures as a peacemaker and his willingness to silence political dissent, the book offers a complex picture of a man struggling to break what he sees as a historical cycle of oppression that began generations before he was born. Even as the war drags on, Zelensky lays out his vision for its future course and, through his actions, demonstrates his strategy for countering the Russians and keeping the West on his side.
The Showman, as a work of eyewitness journalism, provides an essential perspective on the war defining our age. As a study in leadership and human resolve, its appeal is timeless and universal.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2023 Simon Shuster (P)2023 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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How did a once faceless bureaucrat, a man whose own wife said he was born under the sign of the vampire, become the idealized face of Russian manhood and its authoritarian leader? Deputy Mayor Putin examines the man behind the myth. We will explore how Putin’s formative years shaped and drove him and how the supporting cast of characters he gathered along the way helped him get to the Kremlin’s inner sanctum.
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Interesting
- By Lexi on 03-02-24
By: Maeve McQuillan
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Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know
- By: Serhy Yekelchyk
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Ukraine's sudden prominence in American politics has compounded an already-widespread misunderstanding of what is actually happening in the nation. In the American media, Ukraine has come to signify an inherently corrupt place, rather than a real country struggling in the face of great challenges. Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know addresses Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly the United States, from the perspective of Ukrainians.
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Everyone Should Read This Book in 2022
- By Theo Horesh on 03-09-22
By: Serhy Yekelchyk
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Zelensky
- A Biography
- By: Serhii Rudenko, Michael M. Naydan - translator, Alla Perminova - translator
- Narrated by: Mike Lenz
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Three years after the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky was elected to Ukraine's highest office, he found himself catapulted into the role of war-time leader. The former comedian has become the public face of his country's courageous and bloody struggle against a brutal invasion. Born to Jewish parents in central Ukraine, Zelensky campaigned for the presidency in the 2019 election on the promise to restore trust in politics. Little did he know that he would be called upon to serve his people in the most demanding circumstances imaginable, fighting for the survival of his country.
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Hard to follow at times, interesting and timely.
- By Rebecca Warren on 10-26-24
By: Serhii Rudenko, and others
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The Evolution of Annabel Craig
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Grunwald
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Annabel Hayes—born, baptized, and orphaned in the sleepy conservative town of Dayton, Tennessee—is thrilled to find herself falling quickly and deeply in love with George Craig, a sophisticated attorney newly arrived from Knoxville. But before the end of their first year of marriage, their lives are beset by losses. The strain on their relationship is only intensified when John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution at the local high school.
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Characters who draw you in to the time and issues
- By Amazon Customer on 05-04-24
By: Lisa Grunwald
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Ukraine
- The Forging of a Nation
- By: Yaroslav Hrytsak
- Narrated by: Greg Kolpakchi
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the world witnessed the “creative, freewheeling, darkly humorous, and deeply resilient society” that is contemporary Ukraine. In this timely and original history, a bestseller in Ukraine, the historian Yaroslav Hrytsak tells the sweeping story of his nation through a meticulous examination of the major events, conflicts, and developments that have shaped it over the course of centuries. Hrytsak weaves a rich and detailed tapestry of a country in continual transformation.
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Bumblebee
- By Moonpie on 08-28-24
By: Yaroslav Hrytsak
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A Message from Ukraine
- Speeches, 2019-2022
- By: Volodymyr Zelensky
- Narrated by: Greg Kolpakchi
- Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Bringing together a new introduction by Volodymyr Zelensky with his most powerful war speeches, this book recounts Ukraine’s story through the words of its president. It is the story of a nation valiantly defending itself from Russian aggression. And it is the story of a people leading the world in the struggle for democracy. Above all, it is a battle cry for us all to stand up and fight for liberty. If not now, when?
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Slava Ukraini
- By Austin Schofield on 08-02-23
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Codename Nemo
- The Hunt for a Nazi U-Boat and the Elusive Enigma Machine
- By: Charles Lachman
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 4, 1944, the course of World War II was forever changed. That day, a US Navy task force achieved the impossible—capturing a German U-Boat. Called Operation Nemo, it was the first seizure of an enemy ship in battle since the War of 1812, one of the greatest achievements of the US Navy and a victory that shortened the duration of the war. A deeply researched, fast-paced World War II narrative for the ages, Charles Lachman’s white-knuckled war saga and thrilling cat-and-mouse game is told through the eyes of the men on both sides of Operation Nemo.
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LOVED IT. Great storytelling. Engaging.
- By DucatiRacer M.D. on 04-04-25
By: Charles Lachman
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The War for Ukraine
- Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire
- By: Mick Ryan
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Russo-Ukraine War is a vital learning opportunity for military strategists across the globe. The first and clearest lesson to be gleaned from it is this: the soundness of a military's strategy and the nimbleness with which it can adapt to unforeseen circumstances are the two most important factors in deciding victory or defeat. The War for Ukraine analyzes the war through these twin lenses of strategy and adaptation, detailing how each army has succeeded or failed to plan for and adapt to this twenty-first century war.
By: Mick Ryan
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Putin's Wars
- From Chechnya to Ukraine
- By: Mark Galeotti
- Narrated by: David Sibley
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts in which Russia has been involved since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president of Russia, from the First Chechen War to the two military incursions into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea and the eventual invasion of Ukraine itself. But it also looks more broadly at Putin's recreation of Russian military power and its expansion to include a range of new capabilities, from mercenaries to operatives in a relentless information war against Western powers.
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Botched Attempt on Russian Stress
- By Alexey B. on 12-20-22
By: Mark Galeotti
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This Is Not a Game with Marc Fennell
- By: Marc Fennell
- Narrated by: Marc Fennell
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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This Is Not a Game is the extraordinary untold story of the internet’s first conspiracy theory, the legend of Ong’s Hat. Marc Fennell will dive deep into a previously unexplored world of tech hippies, eccentric web subcultures and simmering paranoia, uncovering how this tongue-in-cheek artistic experiment backfired on its creator and went on to influence much of what’s wrong with the internet today.
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WOW!
- By pondo on 05-09-24
By: Marc Fennell
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Punishing Putin
- Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia
- By: Stephanie Baker
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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From seizing superyachts to manipulating the global price of oil to trying to block the sale of military technology to Russia, we learn how the White House coordinated with top officials in London and Brussels to freeze a staggering $300 billion in foreign currency reserves accumulated in the West by Russia’s central bank. Mobilizing an army of white collar-crime investigators and experts on international law, Baker explores how the West has cracked down on illicit Russian money by targeting oligarchs, one superyacht at a time, and their enablers around the world.
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Interesting in-depth storytelling
- By EBM on 10-01-24
By: Stephanie Baker
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The War Came to Us
- Life and Death in Ukraine
- By: Christopher Miller
- Narrated by: Christopher Miller
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the definitive, inside story of Ukraine's long fight for freedom. Told through Miller’s personal experiences, vivid front-line dispatches and illuminating interviews with unforgettable characters, The War Came To Us takes listeners on a riveting journey through the key locales and pivotal events of Ukraine’s modern history.
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- Reads-A-Lot
- 02-02-24
Comprehensive and Balanced
An excellent first draft of The New Ukraine and its first genuinely freely-elected President. The author describes the Zelenskyy's background, election, and transformation under fire during the first year of the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022, as well as during the previous 8 years of the Russian occupation of Crimea and The Donbas. The author obtained excellent access to the president and his aides during many critical times. The biographical information provides insight into the motivation and aspirations of this successful performer-turned-president. The future still remains uncertain for him and his country, but this book will establish the foundation for understanding this remarkable man during this pivotal moment in world history.
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1 person found this helpful
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- VICTORIYA
- 04-27-24
Amazing and very informative
Absolutely love this book and the true store being told (since I’m Ukrainian American and is helping my motherland and know many details
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- Yelena Sirbiladze
- 03-26-25
Respect and admiration
Please listen to the book. I liked the most not creating an idol, but respecting the real man, learning to be bigger than just a man.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-27-24
Incredible reporting and writing
I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s an interesting and engaging read. I’ve read Simon Shuster’s articles before, but still, I always find his writing and voice refreshing in its frankness while still making you feel like you’re there in the action with him, in the bunker, listening in on his interviews, or trudging through a field near the Russian border in Ukraine. It’s an enlightening story of a comedian-turned-politician and his country, and the challenges his team and country faced before and throughout his term and during the war. But it’s also about so much more. Highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- LM
- 02-04-24
Good reporting, non jugements
The author doesn’t make Z a hero, he sees a man and his evolution in the circumstances. He doesn’t label behavior and attitudes, but shoes them as objectively as he can. 5 баллов
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- James Lee Rasch
- 02-04-24
Thorough…honest…inspiring
The author showed the weaknesses and strengths in Zelenskyy in a thorough and honest manner. I gained a much greater insight into the dynamics behind the scenes.
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- Eric W Thomas
- 02-15-24
Cuts through the war propaganda fog!
What an excellent book! Valuable information regarding the conflict that you will never read in the NYT, WaPo, or see on the silly cable and network news channels.
Required reading for anyone who is paying attention to this war and taking a position.
The fact that this book could be published at all is encouraging. Free speech content that no doubt is going ruffle the feathers of many of our power brokers and political overloards.
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3 people found this helpful
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- rebecca JANKOVICH, PH.D.
- 06-12-24
Great development of personality
I have only positive things to say about the book Definitely worth the listen. Much learned about Russia
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- Wyn
- 02-07-24
Amazing Backstory
The news gave us the high points of Zelensky’s journey. This view from the inside lets the reader into the historical stream his story rides on. His reluctance to accept that a full scale shooting was with Russia was inevitable. A view into the long game Russia was playing with their invasion of Crimea and Donbas. A fascinating story. Leaves me more in favor of increasing support for Ukraine.
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- History
- 02-12-24
Good Information
Book was good overall but a little repetitive in several parts. I did learn some new things about Zelensky but was looking for more depth.
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