Putin vs. Zelensky: The Russo-Ukrainian War: Why It’s Happening and How It All Got Started

Thompson frames a book about the current Russo-Ukrainian War by introducing several generations of Putins and Zelenskys before talking about Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, the current leaders of Russia and Ukraine respectively. And Thompson can’t do that without also detailing the history of both countries economic, social, and political shifts over centuries. While the nuances of partnerships or motivations of individuals can never truly be understood, Thompson’s determination to provide foundational information is praiseworthy. Parsing Russian and Ukrainian politics through time by focusing on individuals and strategic alliances helps humanize as well as organize the breadth of background to solidly grasp the current climate between their countries. Furthermore, Thompson’s writing voice is strong, coming across as an eager teacher invested in helping readers learn but also understand and question for themselves. This approach is an asset for civic engagement for this audience that also includes copious backmatter to explore further. While the chapters are lengthier, there are several images and quotes included. It could have benefited from additional text features to add dimension to the reading however the content is the important part and that is delivered with care.