2024 new memoirs (2)

Reading lists

Compelling new memoirs and autobiographies to read this year

Alexei Navalny

Arch Tait

Stephen Dalziel

Charisma and courage still dazzle on every page. His voice is so vivid – fearless, playful, funny, clear-eyed – that while reading Patriot I kept finding myself forgetting he was dead

Extraordinary ... The late Russian activist’s memoir is an insightful, sharp, and even humorous account of the fight against Putin’s regime – and a warning to the world … A brave and brilliant book

A worthy testament to the author’s resistance to Putin and a heartbreaking account of Russia’s collapse into war and repression … [Patriot] is the best example left to us of Navalny’s defiance, courage, humour, and love for a country he believed could become 'the beautiful Russia of the future'

Funny, fiery, reflective and tragic, laced with Navalny’s trademark wry humour and idealism

Inspiring, emboldening – a voice that will not be forgotten

Powerful ... A brave, passionate and intimate read about everything from family to activism

Much has been written about the chilling realities of Putin’s Russia. Yet… Alexei Navalny is in a class of its own… Unflinching, defiant and even hopeful, the book… [is] a shocking and extraordinary “memorial”

Patriot, by the murdered Russian opposition leader, will be seen as a historic text … Its value lies not in what it tells you about the cruelties of Mr Putin’s regime, but in what it reveals about the human spirit

This book is a gospel … impossible to stop reading ... [Navalny] is not going to be the political leader for future generations of Russians. But he might be the moral example – some kind of Russian messiah

Alexei Navalny never loses faith that his cause is worth suffering for … [Patriot] is a testament to a famed dissident's extraordinary battle against despair as the Russian authorities gradually increase their crackdown against him

[A] gripping posthumous account of Navalny’s long confrontation with Putin … Compelling, impressive

Remarkable … [Navalny] is the greatest political figure of his generation – the greatest president many Russians believe they never had … Patriot is less a memorial than a handbook on how to stand up to a bully … with humour and grace and without fear

His only weapon words, Navalny skewers Putin’s tyranny, corruption and lies, but even while inhumanly caged his humour, love of life and ultimate faith in humankind shine through

[Patriot is] part memoir, part diary, is a political manifesto, a darkly funny adieu and a posthumous indictment of his murderers. But it is also a poignant paean to reading and the solace of the written word for a man deprived of freedom

Alexei Navalny was among the greatest, smartest, most charismatic and effective leaders that the Russian opposition has had ... Here we feel his bravery and great spirit

One might expect a work by an anti-corruption activist and political prisoner … to read like a righteous diatribe. It does not. Patriot reveals less about Navalny’s politics than it does about his fundamental decency, his wry sense of humour and his (mostly) cheery stoicism under conditions that would flatten a lesser person

The memoir is a chance to commune with the mind of a dissident … shocking ... As a I read, I grieved, not just for Navalny the man, but for the idea of a person like him

Patriot is a plea to keep resisting Putin … Honest, full of penetrating wit and with a nice ear for mockery, [Navalny] wielded cheerfulness as a weapon and never lost faith that the right side must eventually prevail

Navalny writes with a fierce moral clarity … direct, precise and, in the face of unimaginable isolation, mordantly funny

Patriot is revealing – and devastating. We all know Navalny’s final chapter, which makes the descriptions of his treatment – and his courage in the face of it – even more poignant … In the end, Patriot is also a love story about two people fully committed to a cause they believe in

Reads like a crime thriller ... you devour line after line about all that was hidden from the world at the time

He was unyielding, so they had to break him. But still, Navalny shouts with a voices that makes the foundations of the Kremlin tremble

The testimony of an exceptional person, who can be characterised as a cheerful superhero and humorously gifted martyr

[Patriot] is not only an autobiography, but also Navalny's last great reckoning with his enemy in the Kremlin

A thoroughly political book - and at the same time it is a great love story

I read ever word of the book. I could not put it down ... incredibly moving

Rachel Maddow, in an interview with Yulia Navalnaya

Moving … it is fitting that the book, which was compiled under Yulia’s supervision, is titled Patriot. In the end, it was Navalny’s refusal to abandon his belief in the ‘Beautiful Russia of the Future’ that compelled him to return to his beloved country … Alexei Navalny was the most credible opposition leader to emerge in Russia in decades, and his death is a devastating blow

Like all tyrants, Putin cannot bear challenge, and even less mockery ... This memoir, completed as Alexei Navalny's testament, stands as a poignant vision of a possible better Russia

Extraordinary ... Patriot offers insight into his hopes of a 'beautiful Russia of the future'. It also gives us a window into the oppressive grimness of life in prison. As the world faces an uncertain future, this book reminds us that there are still people willing to die for freedom

The most memorable political book of the year .... In Patriot: A Memoir, Alexei Navalny left us an exhilarating read

Patriot…reveal[s] the portrait of an extraordinary spirit

[Navalny’s] writing is fantastically witty, egotistical, warm, swaggering, furiously and relentlessly, insistently optimistic

Patriot is the unforgettable life story of one of the most fearless and inspiring figures of our time. 
 
Alexei Navalny’s poisoning in 2020 by the Russian security services was a global news event. In 2024 he died in a brutal Arctic prison. He began writing Patriot whilst recovering from his poisoning; it ends with his secret prison diaries. 
 
HUSBAND 
 
He was a beacon to millions and became the sole political threat to Vladimir Putin. This is his life in his own words: his political awakening, his marriage and beloved family, his total commitment to taking on a corrupt regime and his enduring love of Russia and its people. 
 
PRISONER 
 
We witness his message of hope gain nationwide support, his many arrests and harassment, and the incredible attempt on his life. We understand why he felt he had to return to Russia. In prison, we feel the power of his unbreakable spirit and sense of humour. 
 
 
PATRIOT 
 
Patriot is as dramatic as Navalny’s life – and full of the passionate belief that good and freedom will prevail. It is an astonishingly positive account of a heroic life.

Alexei Navalny

Praise for PATRIOT

Charisma and courage still dazzle on every page. His voice is so vivid – fearless, playful, funny, clear-eyed – that while reading Patriot I kept finding myself forgetting he was dead

Extraordinary ... The late Russian activist’s memoir is an insightful, sharp, and even humorous account of the fight against Putin’s regime – and a warning to the world … A brave and b ...

A worthy testament to the author’s resistance to Putin and a heartbreaking account of Russia’s collapse into war and repression … [Patriot] is the best example left to us of Navalny’s defianc ...

Charisma and courage still dazzle on every page. His voice is so vivid – fearless, playful, funny, clear-eyed – that while reading Patriot I kept finding myself forgetting he was dead

Extraordinary ... The late Russian activist’s memoir is an insightful, sharp, and even humorous account of the fight against Putin’s regime – and a warning to the world … A brave and b ...

A worthy testament to the author’s resistance to Putin and a heartbreaking account of Russia’s collapse into war and repression … [Patriot] is the best example left to us of Navalny’s defianc ...

Charisma and courage still dazzle on every page. His voice is so vivid – fearless, playful, funny, clear-eyed – that while reading Patriot I kept finding myself forgetting he was dead

Extraordinary ... The late Russian activist’s memoir is an insightful, sharp, and even humorous account of the fight against Putin’s regime – and a warning to the world … A brave and b ...

A worthy testament to the author’s resistance to Putin and a heartbreaking account of Russia’s collapse into war and repression … [Patriot] is the best example left to us of Navalny’s defianc ...

Articles featuring Alexei Navalny

Compelling new memoirs and autobiographies to read this year

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