by Masha Gessen
First published 2017
Masha Gessen examines how Russia abandoned democracy within a single generation. The author follows four individuals born during what appeared to be Russia's democratic awakening. These subjects grew up with extraordinary hopes, some descended from the architects who built the new Russia. They pursued careers as entrepreneurs, activists, intellectuals, and writers while exploring new social and sexual freedoms. Gessen traces their journeys alongside the regime's systematic efforts to destroy them. The government waged war against self-understanding, clearing the path for Soviet authoritarianism to return as a modern mafia state. This National Book Award winner reveals the forces that transformed Russia into today's autocracy. Gessen brings unmatched insight to recent Russian history, showing how totalitarianism reclaimed a nation that briefly tasted freedom.
Genres: history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: Russia
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
527 pages · Kindle Edition · Riverhead Books