Patriot

Praise

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A Best Book of 2024 (and Essential Read) at The New Yorker • The Atlantic • NPR

“Patriot is by turns funny, fiery, reflective and tragic, laced with Navalny’s trademark wry humor and idealism….a gutting personal account from a husband and father facing the reality that he will never be with his family again.”—Alexandra Alter, The New York Times

“Extraordinary… This is a brave and brilliant book, a luminous account of Navalny’s life and dark times. It is a challenge from beyond the grave to Russia’s murder-addicted rulers…. sharp, playful and lacking in self-pity. Nothing crushes him.” —Luke Harding, The Guardian

“Patriot…will be seen as a historic text….Much like Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Notes from a Dead House” (1862)… and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963), Patriot transcends its place and time. Its value lies not in what it tells you about the cruelties of Mr. Putin’s regime, but in what it reveals about the human spirit….[Patriot] is a passionate account of Russia’s extreme violence and a moving reflection on endurance and accepting death…. Navalny’s only weapon was his life.”—The Economist

“Alexei Navalny’s memoir is a gospel…Like a beautifully crafted novel….Uplifting…. Terrifying…. [His prison diaries are] horrifying, but impossible to stop reading…. He remained unfailingly radiant.” —Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair

“Even in death, [Navalny] continues his fight against President Vladimir Putin…. Through even the darkest episodes, Navalny’s sunniness and humor shine through–whether he’s describing an episode of Rick and Morty that he left unfinished when he collapsed on that flight, or taking joy in the indulgence of bread and butter that he only ate on Sunday mornings behind bars.”—Ari Shapiro, host of “All Things Considered,” NPR

“[Navalny’s] words testify to the humor and optimism needed to withstand such an ordeal. Navalny displays these qualities in abundance, and in a moment when authoritarianism is on the rise, his attitude provides a valuable lesson on how resistance can sustain itself.”—”10 books that made us think the most this year,” The Atlantic

“Alexei Navalny somehow never lost hope….[His] enduring idealism, optimism and humor…are striking and inspiring.”—Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times

“[Navalny’s memoir] offers incisive commentary on contemporary Russian history; a handbook for campaigning, by a gifted political activist… a martyr’s prison diary, with a statement of profound Christian faith; and a call to action…. Patriot is also a most moving love letter to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya.”—Wendy Slater, The Times Literary Supplement

“[Navalny] understood the power of his own example…. Putin understood this too, which is presumably why he would not allow his most effective critic to live.”—Katie Stallard, The New Statesman

“Full of the energy, vision and humor he was known for, Navalny’s book is a call to individual political power—how to find agency in a world designed to crush it…. Navalny’s love of the work, from producing to promoting it, is thrilling, as is his understanding that how you work—pledging transparency to his supporters, for example—matters….How do you go on once your hero is gone? Navalny’s book is partly an answer to that.”—Miriam Elder, Bloomberg

“It’s hard to imagine that a prison memoir could be charming, particularly when the author is an implacable opposition leader who died in a Siberian penal colony at age 47. Patriot…is distressing but also surprisingly good-humored and funny. Navalny’s diary entries from prison are extraordinary, but some of the best writing describes his Soviet childhood and the collapse of the U.S.S.R., in 1991. Patriot makes you think worse of Putin, if that’s possible, but also better of Russia for having produced a defender as talented, determined, and likable as Navalny.”—Alessandra Stanley, Air Mail

“A compelling chronicle of courage and insight that will, hopefully, be read for generations to come…. I had thought [Navalny] would survive and emerge [from prison] like Mandela did, to lead. It is tragic that he won’t….Citizens everywhere should read this book. While they still can.”—Jeremy Kinsman, former Canadian Ambassador to Russia

“Alexei Navalny’s memoir is a reminder of literature’s true purpose.”—The Sydney Morning Herald

“A chance to commune with the mind of a dissident….[with] slicing clarity…. Navalny himself [had]…such reserves of fortitude…such a sense of self…such an ability to laugh but also believe.”—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic

“[Patriot] records the Russian dissident’s brave career and dark final days… Gripping… compelling, impressive… his enthusiasm is so infectious… a remarkable achievement…. [with] deep pathos.” —Con Coughlin, The Telegraph

“Honest, full of penetrating wit… as cheerful and empathetic as Putin is malevolent and threatening. [Navanly] wielded cheerfulness as a weapon and never lost faith that the right side must eventually prevail.” —Will Englund, The Washington Post

“A worthy testament to the author’s resistance… and a heartbreaking account of Russia’s collapse into war and repression… [Patriot is] the best example left to us of Navalny’s defiance, courage, humour, and love for a country he believed could become ‘the beautiful Russia of the future’.”—Max Seddon, Financial Times

“Every page is alive…. Long after Putin draws his last breath, people will read this aptly titled book, an inestimable record of a heroic life, one that will inspire generations to come. A true profile in courage, written with verve and wit.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“So brilliant Putin had to kill him…. soul-jarring” —Owen Matthews, The Sunday Times (London)

“A testament to resilience… Alexei Navalny never loses faith…. He tracks the boredom, isolation, exhaustion, suffering and absurdity of prison life, while working in asides about everything from 19th century French literature to Billie Eilish. But Patriot also reads as a testament to a famed dissident’s extraordinary battle against despair as the Russian authorities gradually increase their crackdown against him, and even shares advice on how to confront the worst and still not lose hope.”—Hillel Italie and Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press

“My confession to you is that I did not intend to read all of the book…. [But] I read every word of it. I couldn’t stop reading… incredibly moving.”—Rachel Maddow, in an interview with Yulia Navalnaya