A review by cjothom
Riot Days by Maria Alyokhina

5.0

'Riot Days' is a terrifying account of Maria Alyokhina's, a member of the activist band Pussy Riot, arrest, prosecution, and time spent in jail for doing something as simple as standing up for what she believed in. Alyokhina fought for what was right both outside of prison and inside. When we think of freedom and democracy, we believe that they could never be taken away from us. We've all heard people say "that just doesn't happen here". Sadly, it can happen anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. To create change, we must stand up for what is right and demand that our voices be heard. 'Riot Days' was a beautiful, awful reminder that these things can, in fact, happen here. I'll leave you with an inspiring quote from Alyokhina herself, "Freedom does not exist unless you fight for it every day. This is the story about how I made a choice. We are all Pussy Riot. And actions break fear. 'To Back Down an Inch is to Give Up a Mile'."

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) for giving me the opportunity to read this.