How to Survive Authoritarianism: A Russian's Phrasebook for Everyday Life in America

by Maria Kuznetsova, Dan Storyev

The indispensable lexicon you need to face authoritarianism―from the country that’s been surviving it for centuries.

America is not the first country to experience the stirring of tyranny; in Russia, it has been the law of the land for generations. Over the years, a vernacular of double-speak emerged, one that helped ordinary people make sense of how illiberalism takes shape and makes itself felt in daily life. It allowed them to talk about authoritarianism and to subvert it―with a healthy dose of humor and irony along the way.

In this edifying yet lighthearted glossary, two exiled dissidents share one hundred Russian idioms and turns of phrase, from “apparatchik” to “samizdat.” Some, like “power vertical,” give name to a hypercentralized form of government. Others are playful, like mnogohodovochka (“master plan”), used to deride bizarre, misguided state measures. Taken together, they make up the vocabulary we need to understand what is really taking place, and offer a roadmap to what might still lie ahead.

5 line illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Russia, Language, History

232 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2026

Reviews

[Jerry Edward Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Authoritarianism” is generally defined as a strongly centralized governmental control imposed in a repressive manner. There may, in fact, be many other ways to describe authoritarianism and its effect on those being governed. “Oligarchy” is one such word increasingly applied in the United States and many other countries around the world to identify the ruling elites who most benefit from an increased authoritarian government control. The two authors of this book on authoritarianism have extensive personal and family experience with this societal trauma. Kuznetsova is a Ukraine native whose family migrated to the United States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. She is now a professor of creative writing at Auburn University in Alabama. Storyev is an independent researcher and journalist who also migrated to this country from Russia. Both are active human rights experts. The two have more recently begun to write about their political experiences in linguistic terms. In part, that meant addressing authoritarianism through a handy phrase book — a sort of short glossary of authoritarianism — designed to help Americans name the new political reality facing the nation. This book identifies some 100 Russian words and terms which are frequently used to describe such authoritarian behavior. Recognizing that an oligarchy is seen as increasingly strong in its organization, the authors identify the Siloviki as an influential group who help the authoritarian leader establish his power over the government. The word can be translated as men of power, or a political caste authorized to use violence against citizens and others. The authors explain that this group of influential people are often members of the police, the border control, the army, the security services, and the spies and state intelligence services. For their loyalty to the regime, they are rewarded with economic investments and other measures of control over community and societal institutions. This new book is based on the notion that it is much easier to contest what is happening in our country when we can define and accurately describe what is actually happening. A useful companion book to read is Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Rule the World (Doubleday 2024). Applebaum’s book addresses the global network of autocracies that support each other to maintain political power and undermine democratic societies. This new book by Kuznetsova and Storyev is highly recommended to concerned readers as a way to understand and recognize the potential erosion of democratic norms this country and others now face as realistic threats.

[Eliza's Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was written in such a way that I devoured it in one sitting. Not only was the subject of authoritarianism timely but having the perspective being from the authors point of view having lived in Russia gave this book much more credibility. I absolutely loved how they explained things through Russian terms and phrases. The writing was engaging and thought provoking on many levels. When you see authoritarianism through the lens of an administration of another country and can see the parallels to your own country clearly it does strike panic. You can basically read each chapter section by section and compare both worlds. How to Survive Authoritarianism is accessible for young and old alike. It was a short but to the point necessary read.

Thank you, Maria Kuzentsova, Dan Storyey and W.W. Norton & Company for providing this e-ARC via NetGalley for review.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Maria Kuznetsova and Dan Storyev portray tyranny not as an abstract political theory but as a lived ecosystem. Power is rendered as vlast—an absolute, unearned dominion—anchored by the power vertical (vertikal' vlasti), which funnels all state hierarchy into a singular autocratic peak. This structure enforces manual control (ruchnoye upravlenie), where laws and systems are bypassed for whimsical, top-down decrees executed by enforcers (siloviki). To perpetuate itself, the regime relies on faceless bureaucrats (apparatchik), ruling elites (nomenklatura), and effective managers (effektivniy menedjer) who weaponise the administrative resource (administrativny resurs) to rig the system, backed by compliant legislators or button-pushers (knopkodavy) churning out arbitrary edicts like a mad printer (beshennyi printer).

​Within this framework, corruption is the primary currency of survival. The state operates as a massive feeding trough (kormushka), sustained by a deep-rooted connection economy (blat). Rules are deliberately fluid; the rubber law (rezinovyi zakon) can stretch or contract to target anyone, while telephone law (telefonnoe pravo) ensures that political phone calls override judicial verdicts. Under the principle that the severity of the law is softened by the lack of its enforcement, citizens live in chronic shared complicity (krugovaya poruka). When injustices occur, the system shrugs off dissent with fatalism, reducing people to disposable dead souls.

Cognitive control is maintained through the omnipresent zombie box, amplified by coordinated troll factories and the toxic infodumpster. The regime manufactures pseudo-ideologies out of hollow staples (skrepy) and claims to a special path (osobyi put), convincing the isolated deep nation (gloobinnyi narod) that the country is well. Militarism is framed through victory fever (pobedobesie).

Despite repression, dissidents navigate the landscape via inner emigration. Even when citizens face the bleak reality that there is no rock bottom (dna net), the book posits that survival itself is a subversive act sustained by the enduring Russian philosophy that hope dies last.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless of which side you fall on in the political realm, the word “authoritarianism” is being thrown around from all sides. This tome is timely in that regard. The authors take there experiences living in Russia and shares with us Russian idioms and phrases that have come to define terms related to life in Russia under Putin. The explanations are short and simply stated giving the reader a clear understanding. Not only does the book offer a look into current state of Russia today, it also allows us to look inward and apply these ideas to our own experiences and what is happening here at home.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. The opinions are my own.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sobering account of how Putin's Russia devolved into its current malevolence and the parallels with the current situation in the United States. Does an admirable job of dissecting the various subtle clues that characterize the slippery slope slide from genuine democracy into creeping authoritarianism.

Occasionally a little too earnest, at other times too glib but all in all a valuable set of lessons for those concerned with where we've been, where we are and where it all may lead.

[Oliver · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

You can have studied Russian politics for 5 days or five years and still come away from this book having learned a great deal.

It's both an indispensable handbook to contemporary Russian political culture, and almost certainly a great Christmas present for the less academically or professionally inclined... authoritarianism affects us all these days!

[Migdalia Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim book packs a powerful punch.

Full of interesting historical facts and interesting tidbits on Russian culture, it would also appeal to fans of books on linguistics.

This is the book of the moment, given what we are currently living through.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wis a short guide of how certain terms and phrases became part of Russian doublespeak to give common voice to those fighting autocracy. Short bits of relevant history provide context. Thanks to the publisher and edelweiss for an advance reader copy.

[Eric Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible and succinct phrasebook that accomplishes exactly what it says out to do. It conveys the experience of Russian citizens who have experienced decades under authoritarian government so Americans can understand and describe the things that are going on in their own lives.

[J.T. · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Far right playbook explained via russian phrases and the authors' personal experiences. It's both a history lesson and a succinct explanation of what's happening now globally. Relevant and helpful, and not just in the US. Compare it to your own backyard as well.

[Hellerzilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought this was a survival guide. Turns out it’s a recap of the horror show we’re living in. 💀🇺🇸

[Carrie Davis · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

The author calls out countries and people who demonstrate authoritarian values and actions. I am here for it! Thank you for speaking clearly about the evil.

[Edward ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody needs to read this book