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A review by ulanur
Riot Days by Maria Alyokhina
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Ever heard of Pussy Riot? I only knew the name, along with some vague periphery association with feminist protests in Russia. This prison memoir recounts the fallout after they protest to Putin's reelection in a church with an electric guitar, balaclavas and colourful dresses. Punk protest. “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, become a feminist”.
What follows is Skype interviews with international media outlets from café bathrooms so they won't get caught. Hiding and moving constantly. They eventually get caught by police and she chronicles the sham trial and incarceration. But that's only the beginning of her protests & activism.
Alyokhina is sentences for "religious hate" and sent to a penal colony where she campaigns for the inmates basic human rights, even going on three hunger strikes. You can't beat the spirit of protest. For two years she doesn't give up, she is called a "political" and deemed a troublemaker to the point where prison guards are told to treat her better than other prisoners so she won't complain to human rights organisations and cause them a headache. It doesn't work.
This memoir was a stunning read, the writing is spare and used to full effect, with paragraphs focusing on small details that all build up to give an emotional tale of perseverance. I absolutely loved learning about radical protest in Russia, the inhumane treatment of dissidents, the crackdown on free speech, the rigged judiciary.
You are driven through with her clear voice, recurring imagery, and subheadings separating every paragraph making it both fast paced and reflective. A few little doodles of symbolic objects are also dotted throughout, as well as some audio transcripts from court, so I found it very interactive and a full sensory experience.
What follows is Skype interviews with international media outlets from café bathrooms so they won't get caught. Hiding and moving constantly. They eventually get caught by police and she chronicles the sham trial and incarceration. But that's only the beginning of her protests & activism.
Alyokhina is sentences for "religious hate" and sent to a penal colony where she campaigns for the inmates basic human rights, even going on three hunger strikes. You can't beat the spirit of protest. For two years she doesn't give up, she is called a "political" and deemed a troublemaker to the point where prison guards are told to treat her better than other prisoners so she won't complain to human rights organisations and cause them a headache. It doesn't work.
This memoir was a stunning read, the writing is spare and used to full effect, with paragraphs focusing on small details that all build up to give an emotional tale of perseverance. I absolutely loved learning about radical protest in Russia, the inhumane treatment of dissidents, the crackdown on free speech, the rigged judiciary.
You are driven through with her clear voice, recurring imagery, and subheadings separating every paragraph making it both fast paced and reflective. A few little doodles of symbolic objects are also dotted throughout, as well as some audio transcripts from court, so I found it very interactive and a full sensory experience.