Synopses & Reviews
Early in the morning of February 21, 2012, five young women entered the enormous Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, took off their overcoats to expose neon dresses, tights, and balaclavas, climbed up on the dais and began to perform a punk prayer” beseeching the Mother of God” to get rid of Putin.” Although the performance was quickly shut down by security, thanks to YouTube the event began to make its way around the world. And in the weeks and months that followed, instead of fading from public awareness, Pussy Riot went viral, as three of the women were arrested and tried, and two of them were sentenced to a remote prison colony. From their cage-like confines in the courtroom, they spoke out with exceptional eloquence and bravery to condemn not only the circumstances of their own detention but the Putin regime and its massive corruption and abuses of power, including its unholy alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church. The world took notice. The trial captured international headlines and celebritiesMadonna, Bjork, the Red Hot Chili Peppersraced to vocalize their support. It became increasingly clear that Pussy Riots punk prayer” had been no prank and no accident but a uniquely well-conceived, well-planned, and well-executed act of political confrontation that surpassed what years of dissent and months of public protest had attempted: in a society built entirely on lies, it reinvented the power to tell the truth. It was a great work of art.
This riveting account, based on Masha Gessens exclusive, extensive access to the principalsshe was the journalist they wanted to tell their storytells how such a phenomenon came about. Centered around Nadya, the groups unofficial leader, and including the stories of several other members of the group and additional important major secondary characters, it portrays how a society at an Orwellian extreme of hypocrisy spawned a group of women determined, from a very young age, to confront it and to make their confrontation heard and felt. And it also portrays the devastating loneliness and isolation that is the price of such success.
Review
A Slate and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2012
"[An] absorbing portrait… Gessen is most illuminating when she details the historical accidents that allowed an unexceptional bureaucrat to rule Russia." -The New Yorker
“Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study… As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia… [and has] a delicious command of the English language… A fiercely independent journalist… Gessens armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putins own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” -The New York Times Book Review
“In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia… Although written before the recent protests erupted, the book helps to explain the anger and outrage driving that movement.” -The Wall Street Journal
“Thanks to her fearless reporting and acute psychological insights, Masha Gessen has done the impossible in writing a highly readable, compelling life of Russia's mysterious president-for-life.” -Tina Brown, The Daily Beast
"Powerful and gracefully written… Gessen's book flows on multiple tracks, tracing Putin's life back to boyhood, the story of his hometown of St. Petersburg, and finally the last quarter-century of Russian history… For all of the ghoulish detail, Gessen's account of Russia is not overwrought… [she] displays impressive control of her prose and her story, painting a portrait of a vile Putin without sounding polemical." -San Francisco Chronicle
“Engrossing and insightful.” -Bloomberg
"Gessen shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putin's story… Fascinating, hard-hitting reading." -Foreign Affairs
“[An] incisive bildingsroman of Putin and his regime… Alongside an acute apprehension of the post-Soviet dynamics that facilitated Putins rise, Gessen balances narratives of Putin-as-bureaucrat and Putin-as-kleptocrat with a wider indictment of the “Mafia clan” that retains him solely as its Godfather.” -The Daily
“Illuminating… Gessen sprinkles telltale signs of the Putin who would eventually emerge and rule Russia with an iron fist…It is with these explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels… [She] presents her case calmly, picking holes in Putins character, his policies, and his rule without stooping to hysterical condemnation… an electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” -Columbia Journalism Review
“A chilling and brave work of nonfiction… Gessen has succeeded in convincingly portraying the forces that made Putin who he is today.” -Bookpage
"Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today." -The New York Review of Books
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia… [She] does not attempt to weigh up Putins record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods… as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” -The Washington Post
“An eye opening story with all the drama and intrigue of a novel.” -Popmatters
“Written in English but with Russian heart, Gessen focuses on the places and institutions that bred the nation's most resolute leader since Stalin… Some might say that Gessen's interpretation is political. Of course it is… but more importantly, it is thorough. She has seen fellow journalists killed, has been harassed herself, and yet continues to write from Russia… Her urgency is felt on nearly every page.” -Bookforum
Review
“[A] luminous study of Russia's forever leader… a dogged researcher, [Gessen] has written a brave book, demolishing the numerous myths and legends that have accumulated around her subject…fascinating.”—
The Guardian “Gessen has clearly put in the hours and the miles finding people to tell her about Putin's days in the KGB, in the St Petersburg City Administration, and in the Kremlin. She paints a portrait of a man who dislikes democratic movements, who is committed to the ideals of the KGB, who is happy siphoning money from the state for his friends, and who would rather fight than negotiate.” -- Sunday Telegraph
“Gessen is a talented and versatile journalist.” -- Financial Times
“Gessen conveys the atmosphere - whether of the last months of the Soviet Union, the chaotic years of Yeltsin, the strange transfer of the presidency to Putin or the disappointments of his period - more accurately than any recent chronicler of the period.” – The Independent
“A compelling and exhaustive portrait…Gessen argues that as the product of a highly secretive institution, the KGB, Putin has been able to control the details of his life, and shape his own mythology, more than almost any other modern politician – certainly any Western one.” – The Telegraph
“The Putin who emerges from this brave and important book appears to be a grudge-driven mass murderer and extortionist ... [Gessen’s] engaging prose combines a native's passion with a mordant wit and caustic understatement that are characteristically Russian.” -- Daily Telegraph
‘[This] clear, brave book ... and the tenor of reports from Russia over the past years suggest that if Putin's power is challenged it will not be because his enemies die mysterious deaths but because the scale of the plundering he has enabled becomes intolerable ...Gessen offers intriguing details of the scratching, biting, hair-tearing, undersized, brawling boy Putin, refusing to be bullied in the grubby back yards of Leningrad.” – The Observer
“[A] courageous, enlightening account of Putin's rise to power ... Despite the suppression of the media and the murder of critics and political rivals, brave voices like Gessen's...have helped shed some much needed light on Putin's ‘criminal tyranny.’" -- Independent on Sunday
Review
Praise for
Perfect Rigor "A fascinating biography."
--John Allen Paulos, The New York Review of Books
"A brilliant reconstruction...[Gessen] has written something rare: an accessible book about an unreachable man."
--The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today." -- The New York Review of Books
Review
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia…[She] does not attempt to weigh up Putin’s record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods…as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” -- The Washington Post
Review
“In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia... Although written before the recent protests erupted, the book helps to explain the anger and outrage driving that movement.”—
The Wall Street Journal “Powerful and gracefully written …Gessen’s book flows on multiple tracks, tracing Putin's life back to boyhood, the story of his hometown of St. Petersburg, and finally the last quarter-century of Russian history...For all of the ghoulish detail, Gessen's account of Putin's Russia is not overwrought…[she] displays impressive control of her prose and her story, painting a portrait of a vile Putin without sounding polemical.” –
San Francisco Chronicle “Written in English but with Russian heart, Gessen focuses on the places and institutions that bred the nation's most resolute leader since Stalin …Some might say that Gessen's interpretation is political. Of course it is... but more importantly, it is thorough. She has seen fellow journalists killed, has been harassed herself, and yet continues to write from Russia.... Her urgency is felt on nearly every page.” –
Bookforum "[Gessen] shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putin's story...Fascinating, hard-hitting reading." -
Foreign Affairs “Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today.”—The New York Review of Books
“Masha Gessen steps into the fray with a perceptive account of the new czar.”—Newsweek/Daily Beast
“Illuminating… It is with [the] explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels…an electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.”—Columbia Journalism Review
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia…[She] does not attempt to weigh up Putin’s record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods…as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” -- The Washington Post
“Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study…As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia…[and has] a delicious command of the English language...A fiercely independent journalist…Gessen’s armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putin’s own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” – The New York Times Book Review
"Absorbing...Gessen is most illuminating when she details the historical accidents that allowed an unexceptional bureaucrat to rule Russia." - The New Yorker
“Engrossing and insightful.” – Bloomberg
“[An] incisive bildingsroman of Putin and his regime...Alongside an acute apprehension of the post-Soviet dynamics that facilitated Putin’s rise, Gessen balances narratives of Putin-as-bureaucrat and Putin-as-kleptocrat with a wider indictment of the “Mafia clan” that retains him solely as its Godfather.” – The Daily “A chilling and brave work of non-fiction…with The Man Without a Face, Gessen has succeeded in convincingly portraying the forces that made Putin who he is today." - Bookpage
Review
"[An absorbing portrait...Gessen is most illuminating when she details the historical accidents that allowed an unexceptional bureaucrat to rule Russia" --
The New Yorker “Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study…As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia…[and has] a delicious command of the English language...A fiercely independent journalist…Gessen’s armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putin’s own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” – The New York Times Book Review
“In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia... Although written before the recent protests erupted, the book helps to explain the anger and outrage driving that movement.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Masha Gessen steps into the fray with a perceptive account of the new czar.” – Newsweek/Daily Beast
“Engrossing and insightful.” – Bloomberg
"Gessen shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putin's story...Fascinating, hard-hitting reading." -Foreign Affairs
“[An] incisive bildingsroman of Putin and his regime...Alongside an acute apprehension of the post-Soviet dynamics that facilitated Putin’s rise, Gessen balances narratives of Putin-as-bureaucrat and Putin-as-kleptocrat with a wider indictment of the “Mafia clan” that retains him solely as its Godfather.” – The Daily
“Illuminating… Gessen sprinkles telltale signs of the Putin who would eventually emerge and rule Russia with an iron fist…It is with these explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels…[She] presents her case calmly, picking holes in Putin’s character, his policies, and his rule without stooping to hysterical condemnation. …an electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” – Columbia Journalism Review
“A chilling and brave work of nonfiction…Gessen has succeeded in convincingly portraying the forces that made Putin who he is today” –Bookpage
"Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today." -- The New York Review of Books
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia…[She] does not attempt to weigh up Putin’s record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods…as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” -- The Washington Post
Review
"[An absorbing portrait… Gessen is most illuminating when she details the historical accidents that allowed an unexceptional bureaucrat to rule Russia" —
The New Yorker “Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study… As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia… [and has] a delicious command of the English language… A fiercely independent journalist… Gessen’s armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putin’s own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” —The New York Times Book Review
“In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia… Although written before the recent protests erupted, the book helps to explain the anger and outrage driving that movement.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Masha Gessen steps into the fray with a perceptive account of the new czar.” —Newsweek/Daily Beast
“Engrossing and insightful.” —Bloomberg
"Gessen shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putin's story… Fascinating, hard-hitting reading." —Foreign Affairs
“[An] incisive bildingsroman of Putin and his regime… Alongside an acute apprehension of the post-Soviet dynamics that facilitated Putin’s rise, Gessen balances narratives of Putin-as-bureaucrat and Putin-as-kleptocrat with a wider indictment of the “Mafia clan” that retains him solely as its Godfather.” —The Daily
“Illuminating… Gessen sprinkles telltale signs of the Putin who would eventually emerge and rule Russia with an iron fist…It is with these explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels… [She] presents her case calmly, picking holes in Putin’s character, his policies, and his rule without stooping to hysterical condemnation… an electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” —Columbia Journalism Review
“A chilling and brave work of nonfiction… Gessen has succeeded in convincingly portraying the forces that made Putin who he is today” —Bookpage
"Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today." —The New York Review of Books
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia… [She] does not attempt to weigh up Putin’s record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods… as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” —The Washington Post
“An eye opening story with all the drama and intrigue of a novel.” —Popmatters
Review
A Slate Best Book of 2012
"[An] absorbing portrait… Gessen is most illuminating when she details the historical accidents that allowed an unexceptional bureaucrat to rule Russia." -The New Yorker
“Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study… As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia… [and has] a delicious command of the English language… A fiercely independent journalist… Gessens armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putins own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” -The New York Times Book Review
“In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia… Although written before the recent protests erupted, the book helps to explain the anger and outrage driving that movement.” -The Wall Street Journal
“Masha Gessen steps into the fray with a perceptive account of the new czar.” -Newsweek/Daily Beast
“Engrossing and insightful.” -Bloomberg
"Gessen shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putin's story… Fascinating, hard-hitting reading." -Foreign Affairs
“[An] incisive bildingsroman of Putin and his regime… Alongside an acute apprehension of the post-Soviet dynamics that facilitated Putins rise, Gessen balances narratives of Putin-as-bureaucrat and Putin-as-kleptocrat with a wider indictment of the “Mafia clan” that retains him solely as its Godfather.” -The Daily
“Illuminating… Gessen sprinkles telltale signs of the Putin who would eventually emerge and rule Russia with an iron fist…It is with these explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels… [She] presents her case calmly, picking holes in Putins character, his policies, and his rule without stooping to hysterical condemnation… an electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” -Columbia Journalism Review
“A chilling and brave work of nonfiction… Gessen has succeeded in convincingly portraying the forces that made Putin who he is today.” -Bookpage
"Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today." -The New York Review of Books
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia… [She] does not attempt to weigh up Putins record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods… as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” -The Washington Post
“An eye opening story with all the drama and intrigue of a novel.” -Popmatters
“Powerful and gracefully written… Gessens book flows on multiple tracks, tracing Putin's life back to boyhood, the story of his hometown of St. Petersburg, and finally the last quarter-century of Russian history… For all of the ghoulish detail, Gessen's account of Putin's Russia is not overwrought… [she] displays impressive control of her prose and her story, painting a portrait of a vile Putin without sounding polemical.” -San Francisco Chronicle
“Written in English but with Russian heart, Gessen focuses on the places and institutions that bred the nation's most resolute leader since Stalin… Some might say that Gessen's interpretation is political. Of course it is… but more importantly, it is thorough. She has seen fellow journalists killed, has been harassed herself, and yet continues to write from Russia… Her urgency is felt on nearly every page.” -Bookforum
Review
A Slate and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2012
"[An] absorbing portrait… Gessen is most illuminating when she details the historical accidents that allowed an unexceptional bureaucrat to rule Russia." -The New Yorker
“Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study… As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia… [and has] a delicious command of the English language… A fiercely independent journalist… Gessens armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putins own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” -The New York Times Book Review
“In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia… Although written before the recent protests erupted, the book helps to explain the anger and outrage driving that movement.” -The Wall Street Journal
“Thanks to her fearless reporting and acute psychological insights, Masha Gessen has done the impossible in writing a highly readable, compelling life of Russia's mysterious president-for-life.” -Tina Brown, The Daily Beast
"Gessen's brave, impassioned and darkly comic biography is a damning portrait of the Russian leader." -San Francisco Chronicle
“Engrossing and insightful.” -Bloomberg
"Gessen shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putin's story… Fascinating, hard-hitting reading." -Foreign Affairs
“[An] incisive bildingsroman of Putin and his regime… Alongside an acute apprehension of the post-Soviet dynamics that facilitated Putins rise, Gessen balances narratives of Putin-as-bureaucrat and Putin-as-kleptocrat with a wider indictment of the “Mafia clan” that retains him solely as its Godfather.” -The Daily
“Illuminating… Gessen sprinkles telltale signs of the Putin who would eventually emerge and rule Russia with an iron fist…It is with these explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels… [She] presents her case calmly, picking holes in Putins character, his policies, and his rule without stooping to hysterical condemnation… an electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” -Columbia Journalism Review
“A chilling and brave work of nonfiction… Gessen has succeeded in convincingly portraying the forces that made Putin who he is today.” -Bookpage
"Although Gessen is enough of an outsider to write beautifully clear and eloquent English, she is enough of an insider to convey, accurately, the wild swings of emotions, the atmosphere of mad speculation, the paranoia, and, yes, the hysteria that pervade all political discussion and debate in Moscow today." -The New York Review of Books
“What Gessen sees in Putin is a troubled childhood brawler who became a paper-pushing KGB man and, by improbable twists and turns, rose to the top in Russia… [She] does not attempt to weigh up Putins record but rather examines his biography, mind-set and methods… as a thug loyal to the KGB and the empire it served who never had a clue about the Earth-shattering events that blew the Soviet Union apart.” -The Washington Post
“An eye opening story with all the drama and intrigue of a novel.” -Popmatters
“Written in English but with Russian heart, Gessen focuses on the places and institutions that bred the nation's most resolute leader since Stalin… Some might say that Gessen's interpretation is political. Of course it is… but more importantly, it is thorough. She has seen fellow journalists killed, has been harassed herself, and yet continues to write from Russia… Her urgency is felt on nearly every page.” -Bookforum
Review
Praise for THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE: THE UNLIKELY RISE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN “Gessen has shown remarkable courage… [An] unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia.” -The Wall Street Journal
“[Gessen] shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putins story… Fascinating, hard-hitting reading.” -Foreign Affairs
“Illuminating… It is with [the] explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels… An electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” -Columbia Journalism Review
“Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study. As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia… [and has] a delicious command of the English language… A fiercely independent journalist… Gessens armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putins own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” -The New York Times Book Review
“Absorbing.” -The New Yorker
“Powerful and gracefully written.” -The San Francisco Chronicle
Review
Praise for WORDS WILL BREAK CEMENT: THE PASSION OF PUSSY RIOT
“Urgent … damning … Much here will be new to the American reader. All of it is infuriating.” -Alexander Nazaryan, The New York Times
“Remarkable…Masha Gessen [is] one of the most important activists and journalists Russia has known in a generation… disquieting, moving, and closely reported.” -David Remnick, The New Yorker
“The fullest account so far of the Pussy Riot story… A moving object lesson in the power of art — perhaps especially messy and exuberant art — to rise above repression and have the last, cement-breaking word.” -Sara Marcus, Los Angeles Times
"Valuable for its insights into the modern cultural history of Russia, with all its idealistic muddles, dead-ends and false starts … ideal for those curious about the country behind the Games.” -The Economist
“What makes someone into a dissident? Why do some people give up everything — home, family, job — to embark on a career of protest? … Gessen set out to answer this question … in this excellent short account.” -The Washington Post
“A compulsively readable book that explains in unflinching terms the tragedy that is modern Russia…Words Will Break Cement is an instant classic, destined to take its place with Solzhenitsyns writings about the Gulag... one comes away…marveling at the courage of the Pussy Riot members making a stand against tyranny while demonstrating the willingness to pay a steep price” -New York Journal of Books
“Riveting… [Gessen] is a sharp observer of people and events, and she tells Pussy Riots story in a lively style that is somehow casual, precise, and powerful all at once. She has written a terrific book, a compelling story of three creative women who courageously attacked a repressive regime by disrupting the spectacle of its propaganda.” -The Rumpus
"The significance of Words Will Break Cement...is its demonstration that Pussy Riot's rambunctious confrontations with the authorities are the result of several years of growing frustration with Putin's rule...The genius of Pussy Riot...has been to employ guerilla street theater and a sense of humor along with unbridled profanity-all the better to skewer the pretensions of power and privilege Putin insists are his due...Words Will Break Cement makes clear that Pussy Riot is more than just a small group of disorderly anarchists." -New York Times Book Review
“Masha Gessens history of founding Pussy Riot members Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich provides some crucial context for understanding the motives and means of the group…Gessens account helpfully highlights the lineage of art and protest that gave rise to Pussy Riot.. Pussy Riot is what art endangered looks like; their songs are salvos; their hits are strikes.” --Boston Globe
“[A] fascinating insider account … As Russia waves sabers at the Ukraine and considers a new cultural policy that explicitly rejects multiculturalism and tolerance, the young women of Pussy Riot increasingly seem not like radicals but prophets. … Vivid and empathic.” -Seattle Times
“A compelling and eloquent account of current events.” -The Christian Science Monitor
“Gessen offers a lively and sympathetic portrait of the three women at the center of the storm… keenly observed and often moving.” - The Guardian
“[An] angry, clear and intimate look at the women behind Pussy Riot.” - The Sunday Times
"Compelling and highly readable. Its an artist biography, a meditation on revolutionary art and gender politics, an absurdist courtroom drama and defiant commentary on the cultural climate of Gessens homeland — a place for which the author obviously has enduring love and concern.” -Eugene Weekly
“Pussy Riot is a global cause célèbre, and now Gessen—prickly, frank, precise, and sharply witty—provides the first in-depth look at this story-in-progress”-Booklist (starred review)
"Based on interviews with Pussy Riot members (including those arrested and others in the group), their families, friends, and attorneys, Gessen puts their protest and arrests in the context of post-Soviet, Putin-era Russias culture and society… Recommended to readers in feminist studies, those following Putins Russia, and all who study protest art.” -Library Journal
Praise for THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE: THE UNLIKELY RISE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN
“Gessen has shown remarkable courage… [An] unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia.” -The Wall Street Journal
“[Gessen] shines a piercing light into every dark corner of Putins story… Fascinating, hard-hitting reading.” -Foreign Affairs
“Illuminating… It is with [the] explosive revelations that Gessen truly excels… An electrifying read from what can only be described as an incredibly brave writer.” -Columbia Journalism Review
“Part psychological profile, part conspiracy study. As a Moscow native who has written perceptively for both Russian and Western publications, Gessen knows the cultures and pathologies of Russia… [and has] a delicious command of the English language… A fiercely independent journalist… Gessens armchair psychoanalysis of Putin is speculative. But it is a clever and sometimes convincing speculation, based on a close reading of Putins own inadvertently revealing accounts of his life, and on interviews with people who knew Putin before he mattered.” -The New York Times Book Review
“Absorbing.” -The New Yorker
“Powerful and gracefully written.” -The San Francisco Chronicle
Review
Praise for Words Will Break Cement
“Urgent . . . damning.” —The New York Times
Praise for The Man Without a Face
“[An] unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Fascinating, hard-hitting reading.” —Foreign Affairs
Synopsis
A chilling and unflinching portrait of one of the most fearsome figures in world politics.
In 1999, the Family surrounding Boris Yeltsin went looking for a successor to the ailing and increasingly unpopular president. Vladimir Putin, with very little governmental or administrative experience he d been deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, and briefly, director of the secret police nevertheless seemed the perfect choice: a faceless creature whom Yeltsin and his cronies could mold in their own image. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to see in him the progressive leader of their dreams even as Putin, with ruthless efficiency, dismantled the country s media, wrested control and wealth from the business class, and destroyed the fragile mechanisms of democracy. Within a few brief years, virtually every obstacle to his unbridled control was removed and every opposing voice silenced, with political rivals and critics driven into exile or to the grave.
Masha Gessen has experienced and reported this history firsthand, and brings it up to its present moment of unrest and uncertainty. Her spellbinding account of Putin s rise and reign will stand as a classic of narrative nonfiction."
Synopsis
Look out for Masha Gessen's new book, The Future is History, coming October 2017
A chilling and unflinching portrait of one of the most fearsome figures in world politics.
In 1999, the -Family- surrounding Boris Yeltsin went looking for a successor to the ailing and increasingly unpopular president. Vladimir Putin, with very little governmental or administrative experience--he'd been deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, and briefly, director of the secret police--nevertheless seemed the perfect choice: a -faceless- creature whom Yeltsin and his cronies could mold in their own image. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to see in him the progressive leader of their dreams--even as Putin, with ruthless efficiency, dismantled the country's media, wrested control and wealth from the business class, and destroyed the fragile mechanisms of democracy. Within a few brief years, virtually every obstacle to his unbridled control was removed and every opposing voice silenced, with political rivals and critics driven into exile or to the grave.
Masha Gessen has experienced and reported this history firsthand, and brings it up to its present moment of unrest and uncertainty. Her spellbinding account of Putin's rise and reign will stand as a classic of narrative nonfiction.
Synopsis
National Book Award winner Masha Gessen's biography of a ruthless man's ascent to near-absolute power.
The Man Without a Face is the chilling account of how a low- level, small-minded KGB operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years of progress and made his country once more a threat to her own people and to the world.
Handpicked as a successor by the "family" surrounding an ailing and increasingly unpopular Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin seemed like a perfect choice for the oligarchy to shape according to its own designs. Suddenly the boy who had stood in the shadows, dreaming of ruling the world, was a public figure, and his popularity soared. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to see the progressive leader of their dreams, even as he seized control of media, sent political rivals and critics into exile or to the grave, and smashed the country's fragile electoral system, concentrating power in the hands of his cronies.
As a journalist living in Moscow, Masha Gessen experienced this history firsthand, and for The Man Without a Face she has drawn on information and sources no other writer has tapped. Her account of how a "faceless" man maneuvered his way into absolute--and absolutely corrupt--power is the definitive biography of Vladimir Putin.
Synopsis
National Book Award winner Masha Gessen's biography of a ruthless man's ascent to near-absolute power.
"In a country where journalists critical of the government have a way of meeting untimely deaths, Ms. Gessen has shown remarkable courage in researching and writing this unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia." --The Wall Street Journal The Man Without a Face is the chilling account of how a low- level, small-minded KGB operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years of progress and made his country once more a threat to her own people and to the world.
Handpicked as a successor by the family surrounding an ailing and increasingly unpopular Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin seemed like a perfect choice for the oligarchy to shape according to its own designs. Suddenly the boy who had stood in the shadows, dreaming of ruling the world, was a public figure, and his popularity soared. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to see the progressive leader of their dreams, even as he seized control of media, sent political rivals and critics into exile or to the grave, and smashed the country's fragile electoral system, concentrating power in the hands of his cronies.
As a journalist living in Moscow, Masha Gessen experienced this history firsthand, and for The Man Without a Face she has drawn on information and sources no other writer has tapped. Her account of how a faceless man maneuvered his way into absolute--and absolutely corrupt--power is the definitive biography of Vladimir Putin.
Synopsis
The Man Without a Face is the chilling account of how a low- level, small-minded KGB operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years of progress and made his country once more a threat to her own people and to the world.
Handpicked as a successor by the "family" surrounding an ailing and increasingly unpopular Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin seemed like a perfect choice for the oligarchy to shape according to its own designs. Suddenly the boy who had stood in the shadows, dreaming of ruling the world, was a public figure, and his popularity soared. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to see the progressive leader of their dreams, even as he seized control of media, sent political rivals and critics into exile or to the grave, and smashed the country's fragile electoral system, concentrating power in the hands of his cronies.
As a journalist living in Moscow, Masha Gessen experienced this history firsthand, and for The Man Without a Face she has drawn on information and sources no other writer has tapped. Her account of how a "faceless" man maneuvered his way into absolute-and absolutely corrupt-power has the makings of a classic of narrative nonfiction.
Synopsis
A chilling and unflinching portrait of one of the most fearsome figures in world politics.
In 1999, the “Family” surrounding Boris Yeltsin went looking for a successor to the ailing and increasingly unpopular president. Vladimir Putin, with very little governmental or administrative experience—he’d been deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, and briefly, director of the secret police—nevertheless seemed the perfect choice: a “faceless” creature whom Yeltsin and his cronies could mold in their own image. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to see in him the progressive leader of their dreams—even as Putin, with ruthless efficiency, dismantled the country’s media, wrested control and wealth from the business class, and destroyed the fragile mechanisms of democracy. Within a few brief years, virtually every obstacle to his unbridled control was removed and every opposing voice silenced, with political rivals and critics driven into exile or to the grave.
Masha Gessen has experienced and reported this history firsthand, and brings it up to its present moment of unrest and uncertainty. Her spellbinding account of Putin’s rise and reign will stand as a classic of narrative nonfiction.
Synopsis
The heroic story of Pussy Riot, who resurrected the power of truth in a society built on lies
On February 21, 2012, five young women entered the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. In neon-colored dresses, tights, and balaclavas, they performed a punk prayer” beseeching the Mother of God” to get rid of Putin.” They were quickly shut down by security, and in the weeks and months that followed, three of the women were arrested and tried, and two were sentenced to a remote prison colony. But the incident captured international headlines, and footage of it went viral. People across the globe recognized not only a fierce act of political confrontation but also an inspired work of art that, in a time and place saturated with lies, found a new way to speak the truth.
Masha Gessens riveting account tells how such a phenomenon came about. Drawing on her exclusive, extensive access to the members of Pussy Riot and their families and associates, she reconstructs the fascinating personal journeys that transformed a group of young women into artists with a shared vision, gave them the courage and imagination to express it unforgettably, and endowed them with the strength to endure the devastating loneliness and isolation that have been the price of their triumph.
Synopsis
An important story for our era: How the American Dream went wrong for two immigrants, and the nightmare that resulted.
The facts of the tragedy are established: On April 15, 2013, two homemade bombs fashioned from pressure cookers exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding 264 others. The elder of the brothers suspected of committing this atrocity, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died in the ensuing manhunt; Dzhokhar will stand trial in January 2015. What we dont know is why. How did such a nightmare come to pass?
This is a probing and powerful story of dislocation, and the longing for clarity and identity that can reach the point of combustion. Bestselling Russian-American author Masha Gessen is uniquely endowed with the background, access, and talent to tell it. She explains who the brothers were and how they came to do what they appear to have done. From their displaced beginnings, as descendants of ethnic Chechens deported to Central Asia in the Stalin era, Gessen follows them as they are displaced again, from strife-ridden Kyrgyzstan to war-torn Dagestan, and then, as émigrés to the United States, into an utterly disorienting new world. Most crucially, she reconstructs the struggle between assimilation and alienation that ensued for each of the brothers, fueling their apparent metamorphosis into a new breed of homegrown terrorist, with their feet on American soil but their loyalties elsewherea split in identity that seems to have incubated a deadly sense of mission. Like Dave Cullens Columbine, this will be the enduring account of an indelible tragedy.
About the Author
Masha Gessen is a Russian-American journalist who is the author of several books, most recently the national bestseller The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin (Riverhead, 2012) and Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot (Riverhead, 2014). Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Slate, and many other publications, and has received numerous awards, most recently the 2013 Media for Liberty Award. She has served as the editor of several publications and as director of Radio Libertys Russia Service. She lives in New York.