Book Review: Russian Alexei Navalny’s life in his own words

Alexei Navalny is dead, but he has not been silenced.

His words live on in Patriot: A Memoir (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024) as well as through the work others continue to do as they fight the Russian authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin.

Navalny was the face of the opposition. The lawyer and activist died in a Russian prison in February 2024 at the age of 47.

After being poisoned and nearly dying, Navalny returned to Russia from Germany where he was taken for medical care. He did so knowing he could be arrested. He did so because he loved his country. He did so because he saw a future without Putin. He did so because he wanted to keep fighting on his home soil.

He was arrested at the airport and was never free again.

It’s a book about hope. It’s a book about the fortitude to stand up for what you believe in. It’s a book about what happens when you don’t live in a democracy.

At times the book drags on a bit, but how can one fault a man living in prison writing his memoir. It shouldn’t be easy to read about life in prison—the monotony, the inane rules, the treatment, the will to live.

Most times the book is riveting. I learned so much.

Navalny was alive when Russia invaded Ukraine; which he has plenty of strong opinions on.

This is a book for today. It’s a book for those in the United States (or anywhere) who are worried about authoritarian leadership or want to learn more about it.