First published 2024
Alexei Navalny began this memoir after surviving a near-fatal poisoning in 2020. He traces his journey from youth through his rise as Russia's most prominent opposition figure. Navalny describes his marriage and family life alongside his growing commitment to challenge an increasingly authoritarian regime. He recounts multiple assassination attempts and details the relentless campaign he and his team mounted against dictatorship. The book includes previously unseen letters from his imprisonment in Russia's harshest penal colony. Written with the wit and courage that defined his public persona, Navalny chronicles his final years behind bars while explaining why individual freedom matters. His widow Yulia Navalnaya calls it a testament to his integrity and an inspiration for others to stand up for their principles. This serves as Navalny's last message to the world about the sacrifice required to resist tyranny.
Genres: political-science, autobiography, biography-memoir, social-justice, activism, russia
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: resistance, true-story
Setting: Russia
Period: 21st-century
496 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: violence