UK Political Book Club - Patriot by Alexei Navalny

 

Patriot: A Memoir is Alexei Navalny’s posthumously published memoir.  He began it when he was poisoned with novichok in 2020.  He then tells of his early life, when as bad as the devastation of Chernobyl were the government lies about it.  He goes on to expose corruption and rally Russians to oppose Putin’s regime  ̶  fighting autocracy and imperialism for the love of the “Beautiful Russia of the Future”.  The book takes a turn in January 2021, when he is imprisoned immediately upon his return to Russia to continue the struggle to make Russia a normal state  ̶ “my life’s work”. It ends in early 2024, as Navalny himself anticipated, with his death in a brutal Arctic prison at 47.

Book of the Year 2024

Financial Times, Economist, British Book Awards, The Atlantic, The New Yorker

A true profile in courage, written with verve and wit

20241022 Kirkus Reviews

I have to keep reminding myself he is dead, such is the sheer vivacity of Patriot and the immediacy with which Navalny’s voice speaks.

20250307 The man who knew the price - Los Angeles Review of Books

An insightful, sharp, even humorous account of his fight against Putin’s regime – and a warning to the world.

20241022 The last testament - The Guardian

“If they finally do whack me,” he writes at one point, half joking, half deadly serious, “this book will be my memorial.” It’s less a memorial than a handbook on how to stand up to a bully, the mission of his life. It’s not just Russians he showed how to do so with humour and grace and without fear, but the rest of us too.

20241024 The man who dared to defy Putin - Carole Cadwalladr - The Guardian

The book is available in hardback for £19 or $11, in paperback for £8 or $16 and as an e-book for £6 or $16.

We discuss the book for 45 minutes, then current events for 30 minutes, finishing at 8:45pm.  All are welcome, even if you haven't read the book. RSVP or email us at [email protected] to get the Zoom link, discussion questions, and current events newsletter.

WHEN

Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 07:30 PM London Time

WHERE

United Kingdom
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CONTACT

Isabel Liu

9 RSVPs