Washoe County Library System

Longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award in NonfictionPutins bestselling biographer reveals how, in the space of a generation, Russia surrendered to a more virulent and invincible new strain of autocracy. Hailed for her “fearless indictment of the most powerful man in Russia” (The Wall Street Journal), award-winning journalist Masha Gessen is unparalleled in her understanding of the events and forces that have wracked her native country in...

A former ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration describes how the progress made between the two countries was destroyed when Vladimir Putin returned to power and recounts how the Kremlin actively sought to discredit and undermine him.

The remarkable story of the man who ran Russia's post-Cold War spy program in America. This is a direct account of what the man known only as Comrade J did after we all assumed the spying was over--and of what Putin and Russia continue to do today. From 1997 to 2000, Comrade J was the highest-ranking operative of the KGB's successor agency in the United States. He directed Russian spy action in New York City, and personally oversaw every covert operation...

On November 1, 2006, journalist and Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London. He died twenty-two days later. The cause of death was Polonium--a rare, lethal, and highly radioactive substance. This is the inside story of the life and death of Litvinenko. And it is the story of the aftermath: a decade of geopolitical disruptions still felt today. In A Very Expensive Poison, Luke Harding guides readers through a maze of spies, intrigue,...

An introduction to one of the most famous ballerinas in history describes how she was inspired to pursue dancing after going to the ballet as a child and how her achievements have inspired subsequent generations of dancers.