Patriot
A Memoir
-
-
4.4 • 52 Ratings
-
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The powerful and moving memoir of a fearless political opposition leader who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs.
"Patriot is by turns funny, fiery, reflective and tragic, laced with Navalny’s trademark wry humor and idealism....a gutting personal account from a husband and father facing the reality that he will never be with his family again."—The New York Times
"Honest"—The Washington Post • "Shocking"—The Atlantic • "Uplifting." —Vanity Fair
"A testament to resilience" —Associated Press • "Will be seen as a historic text."—The Economist
Alexei Navalny began writing Patriot shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020. It is the full story of his life: his youth, his call to activism, his marriage and family, his commitment to challenging a world super-power determined to silence him, and his total conviction that change cannot be resisted—and will come.
In vivid, page-turning detail, including never-before-seen correspondence from prison, Navalny recounts, among other things, his political career, the many attempts on his life, and the lives of the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime.
Written with the passion, wit, candor, and bravery for which he was justly acclaimed, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.
“This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship—a fight he gave everything for, including his life. Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply—a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage. Sharing his story will not only honor his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter." —Yulia Navalnaya
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
If you suffered a near-fatal poisoning, your first reaction may not be to pen a memoir—but that’s just what Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist, and political prisoner Alexei Navalny did. In Patriot, he passionately recounts the final years of his life, from his 2020 poisoning to his confinement in a remote Arctic prison, punctuated with plenty of commentary on Russian society and its lurch towards authoritarianism. A handbook for sticking to your values, Navalny’s writing style is multidimensional: He’s naturally inspiring, but he’s also surprisingly warm and tender considering he was writing from a Siberian penal colony. Not just ferociously principled, Navalny is often ironic and even humorous as he recounts his Kafkaesque experiences trying to run against Putin in elections or facing extremism charges in Russia’s highly arbitrary legal system. Whether you follow Russian politics closely or only barely know the names Putin and Navalny, Patriot is an intriguing portrait of a man and his country.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this intrepid memoir, Russian political dissident Navalny, who died under suspicious circumstances last February, recaps his career fighting against what he depicts as a kleptocratic bureaucracy. After Putin's rise to power in 1999, Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation exposed massive theft committed by government officials, state-owned companies, and Putin himself. Navalny ran for office several times, including for the presidency in 2018; his campaigns were thwarted by bureaucratic interference and trumped-up corruption charges. In 2020, Navalny suffered a near-fatal poisoning, allegedly by Russian intelligence services. The book's second half comprises Navalny's prison diary after his incarceration in 2021; in it he denounces Putin's invasion of Ukraine, gets convicted of more corruption charges, and weathers subtler torments ("The fluorescent light is now flashing brightly at random intervals.... It's impossible to read"). His narrative is full of mordant humor—"in Volgograd, thirty Cossacks... tried to drag me out of the headquarters by my legs, while my supporters were pulling me back inside by my arms"—and Kafkaesque absurdism. (His application to see a prison dentist was "withdrawn by the censors as containing evidence of a crime.") Navalny faces demoralizing injustice with good grace, enduring it with simple appeals to decency and poetic evocations of his homeland ("I love the melancholic landscapes, when you look out of the window and want to cry; it's just wonderful"). It's a stirring final testament.
Customer Reviews
Courage and perseverance
He was the epitome of selfless and courageous beyond any of his opponents. A worthy adversary that deserves the respect and admiration for years after his death. His memory is that of strength and may we have another 100 like him.
A must read!
This is a must read for all citizens of the world. What a brave and brilliant man. God rest his soul.
Outstanding firsthand account of the life and death of the bravest human being of a generation
Someday justice will come to Russia, and when it does the sacrifices made by Alexei Navalny to get there will be recognized and celebrated, and Russia will celebrate “Navalny Day” every year in honor of this great Patriot.