What do you think?
Rate this book
Political Girl: Life and Fate in Russia
Brought to you by Penguin.
What do you do when your country becomes a repressive authoritarian state?
2014: Russia prepares to host the Winter Olympics. Russia invades Crimea. Putin is re-elected president. Several political prisoners are amnestied and released early from prison.
Maria Alyokhina is among them. She had spent two years in a penal colony after performing the punk prayer ‘Virgin Mary, Banish Putin’ with her friends in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. They had warned the rest of the world of the dangers of authoritarianism, but the Russia she finds when she gets out of prison is even more oppressive.
What can you do, she asks, when your country has been seized by all-powerful men who are waging war against another country and their own citizens?
As Maria recounts her brave and colourful protests, we are drawn straight into the world of grassroots opposition and witness the absurd measures the Russian state takes to contain protest. And when the full-scale war against Ukraine starts and the Russian opposition is repeatedly silenced, Maria and her activist friends continue to resist despite the high stakes. They fight increasingly absurd cycles of detention and house sometimes with the smallest acts such as going for a walk or having a rainbow ice cream, until, faced with a new prison sentence, she escapes Russia in May 2022 dressed as a food delivery courier.
Her story, like her life, is fiercely courageous, darkly funny and highly inspiring to anyone who wants to stand up for the truth.
Maria Alyokhina 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
What do you do when your country becomes a repressive authoritarian state?
2014: Russia prepares to host the Winter Olympics. Russia invades Crimea. Putin is re-elected president. Several political prisoners are amnestied and released early from prison.
Maria Alyokhina is among them. She had spent two years in a penal colony after performing the punk prayer ‘Virgin Mary, Banish Putin’ with her friends in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. They had warned the rest of the world of the dangers of authoritarianism, but the Russia she finds when she gets out of prison is even more oppressive.
What can you do, she asks, when your country has been seized by all-powerful men who are waging war against another country and their own citizens?
As Maria recounts her brave and colourful protests, we are drawn straight into the world of grassroots opposition and witness the absurd measures the Russian state takes to contain protest. And when the full-scale war against Ukraine starts and the Russian opposition is repeatedly silenced, Maria and her activist friends continue to resist despite the high stakes. They fight increasingly absurd cycles of detention and house sometimes with the smallest acts such as going for a walk or having a rainbow ice cream, until, faced with a new prison sentence, she escapes Russia in May 2022 dressed as a food delivery courier.
Her story, like her life, is fiercely courageous, darkly funny and highly inspiring to anyone who wants to stand up for the truth.
Maria Alyokhina 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Audible Audio
Published November 6, 2025
42 people are currently reading
3085 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 17, 2026
What a great book. Facing a conversion of her house arrest into 21 days in a penal colony, she decided to flee to join Pussy Riot's European tour to raise funds for Ukraine. What a rough journey, but she never gave up. Highly recommend.
November 7, 2025
The book is an interesting and important read to understand how politics has shifted in Russia following Putin’s rule. It shows how Putin has shaped the world we live in outside of Russia and the rise of right wing nationalism in the west.
I found the story slow and the writing difficult to read in context and style. In places the writing was repetitive and I struggled to follow the timeline, as it dotted around a bit in places.
I didn’t know a lot about Maria (Masha) Alyokhina, though I vaguely remember Pussy Riot being jailed. This didn’t impact my enjoyment – if enjoyment is the right word – of the book, but some context does help.
Masha is incredibly brave, in all that she has done, and now in telling her story.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I found the story slow and the writing difficult to read in context and style. In places the writing was repetitive and I struggled to follow the timeline, as it dotted around a bit in places.
I didn’t know a lot about Maria (Masha) Alyokhina, though I vaguely remember Pussy Riot being jailed. This didn’t impact my enjoyment – if enjoyment is the right word – of the book, but some context does help.
Masha is incredibly brave, in all that she has done, and now in telling her story.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 25, 2025
“If your convictions are worth anything, then you have to stand by them. And if necessary be prepared to pay the price. And if you're not prepared to, then you don't have any convictions. You just think you do. But they aren't convictions or principles - just thoughts in your head.” (Navalny)
.
There is a certain level of distance when you’re a reader. After all you are often reading after the fact and perhaps in a place far away, both politically and geographically. However this book was probably the most visceral book I’ve read in a while. The dominant feeling I had was of claustrophobia.
.
Although the marketing describes this as a memoir, it is more a memoir of the barbarity of Putin’s Russia. A system in which anyone that opposes Putin’s Russia is deemed a traitor and is condemned to death by a thousand cuts. Maria a member of Pussy Riot lives a life in opposition to Putin’s Russia. In return for fighting against this she is repeatedly imprisoned. Imprisoned for nothing. 15 days at a time. House arrest with interminable rules and regulations. She is also repeatedly attacked.
.
The book feels repetitive only because the life Maria leads in opposing Putin is cruelly repetitive. It is completely kafkaesque. It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so serious. The sections where she is detained for 15 days is tortuous. Any form of resistance or words against Putin and the war in Ukraine results in more imprisonment. At one point Lucy Shtein and Maria were both accused of supporting fascism, a point so absurd that you even felt like the corrupt judges were embarrassed by it.
.
All the horrors, the unfairness and the slow torture is written in a matter of fact way. Nothing is added. No literary embellishment. No added emotions or purple prose. It’s stark, repetitive and so affective.
.
There is hope in the book. Hope from the neighbors that support her. Hope from certain police officers that see the absurdity of it all. Repeatedly Maria is accused of being a traitor to Russia. That she is not a patriot. I think to be a patriot is to want to see your country in a positive way. In which people are free to oppose the government openly. A country that is tolerant and free. Maria illustrates her push to see a better Russia, devoid of the cancerous cells that Putin has created. A country free of Putin. The last part of the book reads like a thriller. You can feel how torn Maria is about leaving Russia. On the one hand wanting to stay in the country to fight, but on the other the slow torture of being given repeated 15 day detentions and home detentions. Anything she does or says can be used to detain her. The logical conclusion of this would be her death. Perhaps poisoned in prison or beaten to death on a Moscow street. Her escape from Russia was so tense, and really quite sad. After all Russia is her home, but the sense she had no other option was really strong.
.
I mentioned about death by a thousand cuts, but there were moments of pure violence. Maria’s and Pussy riots protest around the Winter Olympics in Sochi, in which she was brutally attacked with whips and Zelyonka (green antiseptic that leaves a stain). These attacks were brutal and supported by the state. I was amazed she could stay alive, but in truth it was probably only a matter of time before she would eventually die.
Thank you to Penguin press for publishing this, and to netgalley. I hope this eventually gets published in Russian.
.
There is a certain level of distance when you’re a reader. After all you are often reading after the fact and perhaps in a place far away, both politically and geographically. However this book was probably the most visceral book I’ve read in a while. The dominant feeling I had was of claustrophobia.
.
Although the marketing describes this as a memoir, it is more a memoir of the barbarity of Putin’s Russia. A system in which anyone that opposes Putin’s Russia is deemed a traitor and is condemned to death by a thousand cuts. Maria a member of Pussy Riot lives a life in opposition to Putin’s Russia. In return for fighting against this she is repeatedly imprisoned. Imprisoned for nothing. 15 days at a time. House arrest with interminable rules and regulations. She is also repeatedly attacked.
.
The book feels repetitive only because the life Maria leads in opposing Putin is cruelly repetitive. It is completely kafkaesque. It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so serious. The sections where she is detained for 15 days is tortuous. Any form of resistance or words against Putin and the war in Ukraine results in more imprisonment. At one point Lucy Shtein and Maria were both accused of supporting fascism, a point so absurd that you even felt like the corrupt judges were embarrassed by it.
.
All the horrors, the unfairness and the slow torture is written in a matter of fact way. Nothing is added. No literary embellishment. No added emotions or purple prose. It’s stark, repetitive and so affective.
.
There is hope in the book. Hope from the neighbors that support her. Hope from certain police officers that see the absurdity of it all. Repeatedly Maria is accused of being a traitor to Russia. That she is not a patriot. I think to be a patriot is to want to see your country in a positive way. In which people are free to oppose the government openly. A country that is tolerant and free. Maria illustrates her push to see a better Russia, devoid of the cancerous cells that Putin has created. A country free of Putin. The last part of the book reads like a thriller. You can feel how torn Maria is about leaving Russia. On the one hand wanting to stay in the country to fight, but on the other the slow torture of being given repeated 15 day detentions and home detentions. Anything she does or says can be used to detain her. The logical conclusion of this would be her death. Perhaps poisoned in prison or beaten to death on a Moscow street. Her escape from Russia was so tense, and really quite sad. After all Russia is her home, but the sense she had no other option was really strong.
.
I mentioned about death by a thousand cuts, but there were moments of pure violence. Maria’s and Pussy riots protest around the Winter Olympics in Sochi, in which she was brutally attacked with whips and Zelyonka (green antiseptic that leaves a stain). These attacks were brutal and supported by the state. I was amazed she could stay alive, but in truth it was probably only a matter of time before she would eventually die.
Thank you to Penguin press for publishing this, and to netgalley. I hope this eventually gets published in Russian.
November 20, 2025
Absolutely devoured it. An important history for so many reasons - because people living under dictatorship in Russia matter, because Ukrainians fighting for their lives and homeland matter, because Trump loves Putin and Americans need to understand the playbook of dictators, etc., plus so well written and engaging and personal that it doesn’t feel at all like 450 pages.
October 15, 2025
Although I got bogged down by the unfamiliar politics, I was deeply moved by this book by Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina. Imagine loving your country so much that you would endure countless house arrests and imprisonments to speak up for its people; that's Maria (Masha). The relentlessness of the state's oppression and gaslighting takes a toll on Masha's body, spirit, and relationships, with dubious rewards. And yet, what would history be without people like her? I feel a huge debt of gratitude and inspiration to be a little braver as the U.S. starts to look more like Putin's Russia. The writing style is punk, irreverent, and often poetic.
October 2, 2025
An unsettling and honest book. We think we know what is happening in Russia but this book tells the truth.
Standing up at great personal cost, surveillance and detention in horrific conditions are the norm for asking for what we would call our human rights.
The propaganda and totalitarian regime and it's consequences for anyone who dares to disagree and stand up for the normal citizen.
A very courageous and determined person who has my full admiration.
We need to support and recognise this amazing book.
Standing up at great personal cost, surveillance and detention in horrific conditions are the norm for asking for what we would call our human rights.
The propaganda and totalitarian regime and it's consequences for anyone who dares to disagree and stand up for the normal citizen.
A very courageous and determined person who has my full admiration.
We need to support and recognise this amazing book.
October 21, 2025
A timely peek behind the iron curtain.
Maria is a member of Pussy Riot - political activists who campaign for political freedom, LGBTQ rights and freedom for the homeland that she loves so much. Crushed under the tyrannical boot of Putin, Maria is an ordinary Russian who just wants the freedom to choose who leads their country. Maria ping pings in and out of prisons, jails and detention centres all over Russia as she arrested time and again for trivial things. This book exposes the absurdity of a country that banned political protest (any gathering of 2 or more people) leading to the creation of 'protest lines' where people literally queued up to hold a banner for a few minutes.
We hear in detail about the torture, rape and beatings issued to political prisoners, how Maria and her fellow activists are constantly followed by the police and how arrests follow arrests follow arrests in a seemingly endless carousel. It is telling how some of the guards and inspectors are nicer to Maria as they get to know her over time - she is by no means a radical, she just wants the freedom of choice.
Told in a stream of consciousness style, it can be a confusing read as she jumps about from event to event, sometimes forward in time and sometimes backwards. However, it is like sitting and having a conversation with her. Parts are harrowing, parts unbelievable (though they are true) and parts just plain sad. Maria does not want to leave the country that she loves so much but she is left with no choice.
We, on the other hand, have the choice - read the book or choose to look away.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Maria is a member of Pussy Riot - political activists who campaign for political freedom, LGBTQ rights and freedom for the homeland that she loves so much. Crushed under the tyrannical boot of Putin, Maria is an ordinary Russian who just wants the freedom to choose who leads their country. Maria ping pings in and out of prisons, jails and detention centres all over Russia as she arrested time and again for trivial things. This book exposes the absurdity of a country that banned political protest (any gathering of 2 or more people) leading to the creation of 'protest lines' where people literally queued up to hold a banner for a few minutes.
We hear in detail about the torture, rape and beatings issued to political prisoners, how Maria and her fellow activists are constantly followed by the police and how arrests follow arrests follow arrests in a seemingly endless carousel. It is telling how some of the guards and inspectors are nicer to Maria as they get to know her over time - she is by no means a radical, she just wants the freedom of choice.
Told in a stream of consciousness style, it can be a confusing read as she jumps about from event to event, sometimes forward in time and sometimes backwards. However, it is like sitting and having a conversation with her. Parts are harrowing, parts unbelievable (though they are true) and parts just plain sad. Maria does not want to leave the country that she loves so much but she is left with no choice.
We, on the other hand, have the choice - read the book or choose to look away.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2025
Political Girl by Maria Alyokhinahas been written by a member of the Pussy Riot and is urgent, intimate, first hand account of grassroots dissent, bravery, art, and spectacle in Putin's Russia and a must read of 2025. Political Girl picks up where Riot Days left off, and Maria takes us through her activist experiences between 2014 to 2022. This is written in a In vivid, diary-like vignettes, and we follow her as she goes in and out of Russian prisons, continually dodges police violence, protests at the Sochi Olympics, flies to Kyiv to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, defends the high-level dissident Alexi Navalny, drops banners at Trump Tower, and in 2022 where she flees from Russia in disguise to escape a new prison sentence.
This book is set from Moscow to London to New York to Harvard, Political Girl has an artistic sensibility, a punk ethos, a deep moral clarity, and an inimitably dry Russian wit. It also portrays not only Masha’s political activities but also her personal the friends she makes in prison, the woman she falls in love with, her bond with her young son Filip, and her deep passion for art and history.
Now, as Trump attempts to bring Putin-style authoritarianism to the U.S., Masha's message to Americans is one of solidarity and hope.
Maria went though so much and is a very brave lady to write such a detail book about living in the Putin's Russia and a big eye opener. This book is a Must read.
This book is set from Moscow to London to New York to Harvard, Political Girl has an artistic sensibility, a punk ethos, a deep moral clarity, and an inimitably dry Russian wit. It also portrays not only Masha’s political activities but also her personal the friends she makes in prison, the woman she falls in love with, her bond with her young son Filip, and her deep passion for art and history.
Now, as Trump attempts to bring Putin-style authoritarianism to the U.S., Masha's message to Americans is one of solidarity and hope.
Maria went though so much and is a very brave lady to write such a detail book about living in the Putin's Russia and a big eye opener. This book is a Must read.
October 14, 2025
Protest, but make it life-or-death.
While in Germany, (left-wing) protests are met with increasing police violence, Maria Alyokhina was already in a Russian prison more than 10 years ago for standing up against her country's head of government. When she was released after two years, she immediately returned to the next protest action.
Over the past 15 years, she has campaigned for political prisoners in Russian penal colonies, for LGBTQ rights, and for the freedom of her homeland. She shows, how the government's repression has become increasingly severe and violent: while 10 years ago it was still possible to gather for protests, less than three years ago protesters were forced into one two-week detention after another, based on fabricated charges. All in order to silence people. And to force them out of the country (or into prison for years).
Until the bitter end—where she fled Russia in 2022—Alyokhina stood up for her values and goals, believing in change. She faced arrests, prison time, violence and beatings, and forced labor. Till the risk became too high. So she fled.
During all this time, Maria Alyokhina kept a diary, recording events and experiences — and this important book is the result. It tells her own personal story as well as the story and political development of Russia over the last 2-3 decades, from the legal changes that allow Putin to remain president for life, through to the war against Ukraine. Go read it!
(Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for the digital review copy—it has not influenced my opinion of the work.)
While in Germany, (left-wing) protests are met with increasing police violence, Maria Alyokhina was already in a Russian prison more than 10 years ago for standing up against her country's head of government. When she was released after two years, she immediately returned to the next protest action.
Over the past 15 years, she has campaigned for political prisoners in Russian penal colonies, for LGBTQ rights, and for the freedom of her homeland. She shows, how the government's repression has become increasingly severe and violent: while 10 years ago it was still possible to gather for protests, less than three years ago protesters were forced into one two-week detention after another, based on fabricated charges. All in order to silence people. And to force them out of the country (or into prison for years).
Until the bitter end—where she fled Russia in 2022—Alyokhina stood up for her values and goals, believing in change. She faced arrests, prison time, violence and beatings, and forced labor. Till the risk became too high. So she fled.
During all this time, Maria Alyokhina kept a diary, recording events and experiences — and this important book is the result. It tells her own personal story as well as the story and political development of Russia over the last 2-3 decades, from the legal changes that allow Putin to remain president for life, through to the war against Ukraine. Go read it!
(Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for the digital review copy—it has not influenced my opinion of the work.)
October 26, 2025
An enjoyable book detailing the Pussy Riot leaders activism since leaving prison about a decade ago. it paints a picture of Russian life where there area good deal of the population are conflicted in their view on the leadership, a world where police and other arms of state want selfies with her and privately express their support, whilst locking her up, putting her under house arrest and generally disprupting her life, persecution being the price of protest.
The first half is made up of linked short stories about her protests but cut into a non linear timeline and makes for a taxing read working out which story belongs where each story fits in, perhaps this is to disorient the reader like the current Kafkaesque version of Russian life that she lives. The story then settles down and a lot of the second half is spent on house arrest or in detention, some of the descriptions of life in detention are worryingly similar to those described by Solzhenitsyn. Its an interesting read and there are lots of details that were not reported in this country, the top one being that Navalny was due to be included in a prisoner swap with the west the day after he was murdered... sorry repeatedly walked into the butt of a rifle.
Netgalley ARC
The first half is made up of linked short stories about her protests but cut into a non linear timeline and makes for a taxing read working out which story belongs where each story fits in, perhaps this is to disorient the reader like the current Kafkaesque version of Russian life that she lives. The story then settles down and a lot of the second half is spent on house arrest or in detention, some of the descriptions of life in detention are worryingly similar to those described by Solzhenitsyn. Its an interesting read and there are lots of details that were not reported in this country, the top one being that Navalny was due to be included in a prisoner swap with the west the day after he was murdered... sorry repeatedly walked into the butt of a rifle.
Netgalley ARC
November 25, 2025
This book provides a first-hand insight into daily life for a political and LGBTQ+ activist in Russia. The insight is very interesting and provides a different aspect to what we see on the news. I especially enjoyed the insight into how the Russian legal system works or how it is controlled from above depending on how you look at it.
However, I found the book a struggle to read. It took me about 100 pages to settle into the rhythm of the writing. The pages are often broken up with a subheading of a few words picked out a paragraph to set the tone of the next paragraph, I found these extremely distracting to the flow of the book and I found it flowed much better if I didn't read the subheadings.
The book also jumps around quite a lot between different locations, events, and times without much detail on setting up the transition, so I quite often felt lost reading it.
I would of given this book another star if it was easier to read however the issues with flow and context made this more challenging to read than what it needed to be.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the Advanced Review Copy of this book in return for an honest review.
However, I found the book a struggle to read. It took me about 100 pages to settle into the rhythm of the writing. The pages are often broken up with a subheading of a few words picked out a paragraph to set the tone of the next paragraph, I found these extremely distracting to the flow of the book and I found it flowed much better if I didn't read the subheadings.
The book also jumps around quite a lot between different locations, events, and times without much detail on setting up the transition, so I quite often felt lost reading it.
I would of given this book another star if it was easier to read however the issues with flow and context made this more challenging to read than what it needed to be.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the Advanced Review Copy of this book in return for an honest review.
November 4, 2025
Long live the resistance. Amen.
Maria doesn’t sugarcoat a thing, she throws you straight into the chaos of living under Putin’s regime, where speaking your mind can land you in a cell (if you're lucky) before you finish your sentence. It’s raw, angry, fearless, and weirdly funny at times, because what else can you do when the system is this absurd?
You feel her exhaustion and defiance all at once, the endless detentions, the sham trials, the bizarre accusations (being accused of being a Nazi??). Still, Maria keeps pushing... she’s showing what resistance really looks like when the cost is everything.
It’s really tense, really heartbreaking, and most importantly, REALLY INSPIRING.
It’s not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one. You don't have to be interested in Russia's regime, or be familiar with Pussy Riot, to pick this book up. this book is for anyone who believes in standing up for what’s right, even when it’s terrifying.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Maria doesn’t sugarcoat a thing, she throws you straight into the chaos of living under Putin’s regime, where speaking your mind can land you in a cell (if you're lucky) before you finish your sentence. It’s raw, angry, fearless, and weirdly funny at times, because what else can you do when the system is this absurd?
You feel her exhaustion and defiance all at once, the endless detentions, the sham trials, the bizarre accusations (being accused of being a Nazi??). Still, Maria keeps pushing... she’s showing what resistance really looks like when the cost is everything.
It’s really tense, really heartbreaking, and most importantly, REALLY INSPIRING.
It’s not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one. You don't have to be interested in Russia's regime, or be familiar with Pussy Riot, to pick this book up. this book is for anyone who believes in standing up for what’s right, even when it’s terrifying.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
November 7, 2025
I have given this book 5 stars because of the political and historical (especially future history) importance. What happened during the timespan covered in this book has already started to change the world, how it will finish is impossible to predict.
We all know what is happening in Russia, right. Well this book tells the reader what is really happening.
The narrative is by nature repetitive because the events described are repetitive and the only way to drive that home is by repetition.
The book is non-fiction so the characters are real too, but the characters are many, varied and interesting, sometimes tragic, and almost always heroic.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to try and work what will happen next in the West.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
We all know what is happening in Russia, right. Well this book tells the reader what is really happening.
The narrative is by nature repetitive because the events described are repetitive and the only way to drive that home is by repetition.
The book is non-fiction so the characters are real too, but the characters are many, varied and interesting, sometimes tragic, and almost always heroic.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to try and work what will happen next in the West.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 2, 2025
This is such an engaging and illuminating memoir from such a courageous woman, who has now been forced into exile from Russia, inevitable due to her resistance to the authoritarian regime there. Maria Alyokhina is best known as a founder member of the controversial pop group Pussy Riot, and her book is part personal testimony and part political indictment. Her activism went far beyond political performance and continued non-stop in spite of her frequent arrests and incarceration. The book is also a horrifying and shocking account of the Russian justice system, which has very little to do with justice. Alyokhina’s narrative style is fragmentary and non-linear, but it somehow all coheres into a satisfying whole, and is a story of what it truly means to resist totalitarianism from the inside and the toll it takes on health, families and emotions.
January 17, 2026
10 stars. Maria Alyokhina is not just a fearless fighter for justice, she is also a terrific conveyer of what it means to persist against all odds under totalitarianism. She speaks for all activists against fascism and describes the steps of how authoritarianism takes root in a country, step by step.
Aside from being a fascinating story, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand what is happening today in the US, Russia and other countries run by dictators and oligarchs.
The Russian journalist M. Gessen has been saying since Trump Season One that Trump and the technocrats and oligarchs behind him pushing their agenda are following the Putin playbook. You will find proof of that in this inspiring, vital book.
Aside from being a fascinating story, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand what is happening today in the US, Russia and other countries run by dictators and oligarchs.
The Russian journalist M. Gessen has been saying since Trump Season One that Trump and the technocrats and oligarchs behind him pushing their agenda are following the Putin playbook. You will find proof of that in this inspiring, vital book.
October 18, 2025
Political Girl is a manifesto of resistance and resilience. Told in sharp, wry prose, Aloykhina records her encounters with the Russian 'justice' system and the cost of her fight for freedom.
While the fragments get a little disorientating at times, they act as a fitting funhouse mirror onto the Kafkaesque system Alyokhina rages against. It's relentless, and her courage and commitment are truly inspiring.
Pulsing with urgency and true punk spirit, Political Girl is not comfortable reading, but it's essential. Alyokhina doesn’t ask for admiration; she demands attention, and she earns it.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
While the fragments get a little disorientating at times, they act as a fitting funhouse mirror onto the Kafkaesque system Alyokhina rages against. It's relentless, and her courage and commitment are truly inspiring.
Pulsing with urgency and true punk spirit, Political Girl is not comfortable reading, but it's essential. Alyokhina doesn’t ask for admiration; she demands attention, and she earns it.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
January 2, 2026
Meaningful, fascinating, and easy to read - it's not easy for one book to be all these things, but Alyokhina's "Political Girl" pulls it off. Telling the story of what it's like to engage in organized resistance in Putin's Russia, this is a truly interesting find. For people who know more about Russian politics, culture, and terminology (unlike me), this would probably be a 4 -5 star book.
November 11, 2025
This was certainly a very brave book to read especially given how things are in the Russia currently. However, due to the way it is written, lots of little bits and jumping back and forth to different situations, I really struggled to enjoy it fully.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews