Putin Country - Anne Garrels

An in-depth look at the rise of Putin and his era.  The book focuses on a small town near the border of Kazakstan.  It looks how systemic collapse, corruption and right-wing ideology affects people's lives.  Also, looks at the corrosive effects on communism and Stalin on society and social realations, and how this continues to affect social structures (or lack thereof) in modern Russia. Very gritty.  The city which is the focus of the book also happens to be one the nuclear hotspots of post-Communist Russia, which gives the author a chance to look at how opaque both the Soviet and current governments can be for their citizens.