Alexander Vindman

It’s nice to get a first-hand account of Alexander Vindman’s back story leading up to his impeachment testimony and beyond but he presented himself as a hero without any flaws. He keeps saying he had no idea about the consequences of his action would be. He leaves out emotionally charged conversations that would must have had with his wife, father, and friends. Those are mentioned by glossed over. He never explains his relationship to Judaism or his faith. And the epilogue is unnecessary. It’s inspirational stuff we’ve heard before.… (mehr)

Great book to use for Ukraine's history. Chapters about the impeachment process, later in the book, are important but to me the foreign service nuggets and insight into culture of Eastern European politics were the best. He shares things like, "Russia without Ukraine is a country. Russia with Ukraine is an empire." My tags for this book are integrity, dedication, and Ukraine. I loved it. He writes well about his service. I especially liked his descriptions of Russian political behavior, and how the culture is to provoke a response; by Russia baffling the adversary, it advances its agenda... while the West is baffled and deters, Russia rolls right in [at the time of this writing, Ukraine is under a horrible siege for a 4th week]. This book explains Putin to me, and more people should read it! Recommended without reservation.… (mehr)