No One Man Should Have All That Power..., Amos Barshad
No One Man Should Have All That Power..., Amos Barshad
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No One Man Should Have All That Power
How Rasputins Manipulate the World

Author: Amos Barshad

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 6 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/09/2019


Synopsis

An exploration of infamous, controversial figures and how they exert control

Amos Barshad has long been fascinated by the powerful. But not by elected officials or natural leaders—he's interested in their scheming advisors, the dark figures who wield power in the shadows. And, as Barshad shows in No One Man Should Have All That Power, the natural habitat of these manipulators is not only political backrooms. It's anywhere power dynamics exist—from Hollywood to drug cartels, from recording studios to the NFL.

In this wildly entertaining, wide-ranging, and insightful exploration of the phenomenon, Barshad takes listeners into the lives of more than a dozen of these notorious figures, starting with Grigori Rasputin. An almost mythical Russian mystic, Rasputin drank, danced, and healed his way into a position of power behind the last of the tsars. But not every one of these figures rose to power through lechery or magical cures. Barshad explores how they got there, how they wielded control, what led to their downfall or staved it off, and what lessons we can take from them, including how to spot Rasputins in the wild.

About Amos Barshad

Amos Barshad was raised in Israel, the Netherlands, and Massachusetts. He's a former staff writer at the Fader and Grantland and has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Arkansas Times. No One Man Should Have All That Power is his first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Clare on June 26, 2019

One downside of cramming books on a deadline is that if I don't write the review of a book before book club, then I never want to write it at all, because I've already talked out all my thoughts. Thus, I have committed myself to informing Goodreads that I have read Amos Barshad's No One Man Should......more

Goodreads review by Phil on May 11, 2019

This was an enjoyable exploration of Rasputin characters in many different worlds and contexts. I appreciated diving into the world's of music and short stories. The longer sections on Rasputins in politics and near recent world leaders was not as repetitive as I thought it would be. There were nugg......more

Goodreads review by Tonstant on April 07, 2019

No One Man Should Have All That Power is a headlong race through the history of Rasputinism–the power of being the power behind the “throne” in government, music, film, and sports. Amos Barshad identifies seven principles of a Rasputin. They control others, their control is controversial, eliciting......more

Goodreads review by Bobby on June 08, 2019

Love this! I finished it in two days. It's the perfect of blend of factual reporting + quick, conversational writing. You'll definitely read it and want to tell your friends about the stories you picked up.......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on May 07, 2019

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.* No One Man Should Have All That Power got my attention for two main reasons. The first is that one of my favorite writers, Shea Serrano, did the blurb on the front and the other was that the r......more