The Lowdown: This Summary of Red Notice is based on the book written by Bill Browder and shows even though the government within Russia has changed, the corruption has not.
This book by Bill Browder almost seems to surreal to be true, yet, this is his first-hand account of becoming wealthy in Russia, and then dealing with the corruption that comes from exposing some sinister actions by those in the government.
Browder made a large amount of money in Russia by initially saying he was an expert in finances, when he actually was not. However, the more he learned, the more he was able to exploit, and from these actions he became a very wealthy man. He also supported Putin early on within his regime. As time went on, though, Browder saw the corruption first hand, and when he became a whistle blower, his closest advocate paid the ultimate price.
- Audible Audiobook
- Bill Browder (Author) – Adam Grupper (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 02/03/2015 (Publication Date) – Recorded Books (Publisher)
Three of the Main Lessons you’ll learn from Red Notice include:
- Russia fumbled thru its way to an open economy once communism was struck down
- Uncovering the Truth behind the Finances in Russia
- How Corruption caused a Cover-Up
Lesson One: Russia fumbled thru its way to an open economy after Communism was struck down
Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the USSR was dissolved and out came a country called Russia. After living in a communist and socialist society for so long, the people of Russia had very little idea how to convert over to an economic system which rewarded those who had insight, ingenuity and perhaps some under-handed schemes.
Russia had a lot of assets during this time, but they didn’t know how valuable they were. This is where Browder comes into play, as he recognized these assets, bought them cheaply, and the exploited them to make a large amount of profit. He was able to turn the tide against some of the Russian officials, especially oligarchs, and thru this became very rich, but developed some higher ranking enemies. Russia had not yet figured out what it had given away, but it soon would.
Lesson Two: Uncovering the Truth behind the Finances in Russia
During the time of his rise, his wealth provided some influence, and he used this influence to help back an upstart in Russian politics, whose name is Vladimir Putin. Putin is the current president of Russia, and his campaign was built on promises of bringing a self-sustaining and prosperous Russia back onto the world stage. This excited Browder and he wanted in on the ground floor of this opportunity, as it would provide him with the potential for even more wealth.
As Browder soon finds out, though, Putin did not necessarily keep to these promises. Browder and his young accountant, Sergei Magnitsky, started to notice some corruption going on within the Russia government; corruption which Putin himself said he would not stand for. With this in mind, Browder and Magnitsky exposed the corruption for what it was and expected to receive an accommodation. Instead, Putin banned Browder from ever coming into the country of Russia again, and while he was able to his move his money out in time, Magnitsky was not able to escape the clutches of officials and was held in captivity for over a year before painfully passing away.
Lesson Three: How Corruption caused a Cover-Up
Browder soon realized that Russia, and Putin in particular, were okay with this level of corruption, and he has since spent his time working on breaking up this power network. He is on a crusade to go after the ones who held Magnitsky captive for so long, tortured him and eventually killed him. Every chance he has to expose one of them and the illegal activities they partake in, he does so with a flourish, all in an effort to have them removed from power and exact revenge for his friend.
He doesn’t want those who are in power to receive the benefits from being in power, and he believes, if they are cut off from prosperity, then they are crippled and cannot do to others what they did to him and to Magnitsky ever again.
My Personal Takeaway
This is a very intriguing book; one which is hard to believe is based on actual events and is not found within the Fiction – Thriller section of a bookstore. Browder does a good job of being apologetic, knowing he did aid this process, and is now attempting to make up for it and not allowing it to happen again. He has spent the money he made from Russia against Russia, and will continue to do so until he believes the corruption has been snuffed out.
Put into Action
There is not much to put into action from this book, but there is something to be said by purchasing this book and reading it. This alone supports Browder and his crusade. It is also important to keep this all in mind as we continue to hear how Russia might interfere with the political results of the United States.
You should consider buying this book if…
You want to read a real-life thriller which does not spare any details, and you want to see how corrupt people within Russia act.
a Swedish university student, marketing professional, and life-long learner. Here at BookSummaryClub I summarize my favorite non-fiction books into easily digested posts. Hope you like what you’re reading!
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