Riot Days is the memoir of Maria Alyokhina, one of the members of Pussy Riot, who have gained international attention since 2012 following their public protests of Putin. This book is a tough read and some of the details of Maria's detainment and separation from her child are emotional.

I think Pussy Riot are doing a public service and are very brave for their protests. I totally believe in what they're doing, but in respect to this memoir, the subjects discussed feel so disjointed due to the format. So much is discussed and crammed in to around 200 pages that it's hard for the book to breathe. Sometimes a topic is given a single sentence before it moves on to something else.

It's probably best to approach this memoir as a collection of thoughts, illustrations, and lyrics rather than a straightforward memoir, and because I didn't do this it did affect my rating. It's definitely an artistic approach but it personally did not work for me.

A brilliant book by a brilliant person who fights for what they believe in.

Must read for anyone interested in the power of music, Russian politics and resistance in politics

Overall 3.5*
This is a bit of a compelling read however for me it lacked much reasoning as to why Maria and her cohorts did what they did other than being rebels against the Russian authorities, which doesn't really work in any country let alone Russia! We read about her time in jail having evaded the police initially but 'chunks' of information appear to be missing about this. It's a good read if you don't want to read too much into it.
Thanks to Netgalley for the copy to review.

Such an important book. Everyone should read it, to get a real idea of world affairs and nations beyond our doorstep. The author is brave, and I love her for it.

Inspirational. She makes this book shocking but still manages to make it a fun read. Definitely one I'd recommend!

I found this book really challenging to read.

The writing was quite informative instead of a more jovial tone that I felt would have suited the 'riot' and disruptive, rebellious nature of the subject matter more effectively.

I feel like it would have been a lot more intriguing and grasped my interest with better results if the writing tone was a bit more reader friendly, instead it felt like reading quite a dense history book.

Unfortunately, I didn't finish this book.

Thank you so much for the review copy, anyway.

From the point of view of the testimony, this is one of those books that are interesting to read in our current political times

Activist Maria Alyokhina is not a name that most people will recognize. She was in an all girl group called Pussy Riot. In 2012 they gained global notoriety when Maria was arrested. Her crime was opposing Putin. She was convicted of "organised hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. She served two years in prison.

Maria's memories take us through her absurd trial and her two years imprisonment in a northern penal colony where she endured harsh conditions. She was finally liberated in an amnesty agreement that Putin arranged in time for the winter Olympics in Sochi. An interesting memoir

I would like to thank Netgalley, Penguin Books (UK) and the author Maria Alyokhina for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An autobiography should at least have something to say, starting from why one does the things one does: saying that Putin and some guy switched places so had to go to church with a guitar doesn't really explain anything. Also, the life story has to be interesting or at least intriguing. The stuff Alyokhina recites about her prison days is extremely ordinary. Why read the book?

The cover of this beautiful book attracted me instantly. It is colourful, funky and bright and reflects quite accurately, the contents of the book and how I perceive the character and personality of the author after reading her book. She was never one to sit back and accept what life threw at her so living in the restrictive Russian society life was not always going to be plain sailing for her.

In this book we are presented with a moving account of the consequences of arrests which took place at a Pussy Riot gig which lead to Masha's persecution and her unforgettable experience in a Russian prison. Masha is a strong personality, with strong opinions who uses strong language. This book reflects her personality well. I also heard her interviewed on radio so I could her her talking through the pages. Her account is a true representation of the oppressive Russian society in which she lived where free speech was persecuted and society was moulded and quashed to fit their norm. This is a strong, influencing read, one that won’t disappoint. It is well written and well translated. I found it compelling and hard to put down.

This book is brave and does not shy away from controversial statements and descriptions that would anger the leaders of Russia. Just as the book opens, Medvedev is made into a puffed-up toy and Putin is described as a "little grey KGB agent", with "fleshy Botox cheeks' that hopefully would "head for the hills and roll into the dustbins of history." In a country notorious for its censorship and its ruthless treatment of writers and artists that dared to displease the ruling class, the entire book is full of brevity, a true attempt at a revolution. From Daniil Harms, who was sent into a 'psychiatric facility' for its anti-Soviet absurdist satire to Maria Alyokhina's artistic acts as part of Pussy Riot and now her literary work, what a tradition Russia has in confronting totalitarianism through arts and literature ! The memoir is written in short vignettes, describing some of the major artistic interventions staged by Pussy Riot and the aftermath, the trial and sentencing. The political is present everywhere, even in jokes about borscht, the famous Russian soup. It is through the abundance of these small apparently innocuous details that you get to see the inhuman face of Russian politics and its permanent rictus, mocking all of us

The structure of this book was harrowing to follow and that made it almost unbearable to read. I really was intrigued at the start to find out more about Pussy Riot - but really was just left feeling a bit confused and none the wiser. It's possible that as an advanced copy in an ebook style it just didn't work and would be better in paperback/hardback.

This book thoroughly broke my heart. Telling the story of the incarceration of members of Pussy Riot, it's an entirely honest portrayal of contemporary Russia.

Part memoir, part poetry, part…something else?

It’s difficult to categorize this book so it’s probably best not to try. Just read it with an open mind and without expectations.
The raw and unpretentious short diary style entries and drawings create connection while the random alternating between personal events and political observations evokes a sense of immediacy.
The unstructured format of the book seems like it shouldn’t work but it fits perfectly with the political content and message.

A quick and engaging read. Thanks, NetGalley and Penguin Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant, accessible look at the experience of one of the Pussy Riot protestors who was jailed for two years following their performance in an Orthodox Church. Managing to find black humour in her experiences, from the weird comments of the prosecutors in her trial to the prison officials' inability to cope with her opposition to their unlawful actions to the rest of the prison population. I admired her bravery in mounting a protest in the first place, but her actions in prison really go beyond this. She manages to acknowledge the cost of opposing more powerful forces: the state's use of isolation against her is particularly brutal. But the book leaves the reader with a strong sense of just how important it is to have your voice heard.
"In one of my enormous bags I’m carrying books . At night, in the car, I read poetry . When I read out loud, everyone around me quietens down. goes quiet ‘Parting is more terrible at dawn than at sunset,’ Boris Ryzhy wrote.
‘Who’s reading?’ a convict calls out.
‘Don’t you know?’ comes a voice from another compartment. ‘Pussy Riot’s here!’ "

(Netgalley copy)

I was looking forward to the subject matter of this book as I am keenly interested and supportive of Pussy Riot and what they stand for. The stream of consciousness, however, was difficult to follow and, in many ways, detracted from the key message and story. I think the style could have worked better with a bit of editing and input.

I was never an activist, I just read about them.

The first few pages of Riot Days, by Maria Alyokina, a member of Pussy Riot, felt awfully young and green to me. But then her urgent impressionistic style caught me up in the excitement, idealism and even the affectations of youth, the contagious desire to attack the evil of the world with assertions of freedom. With art.

She and her friends spend a month at a time planning and rehearsing their theatrical “actions,” the guitar music, the costumes, the timing. One day she spends five hours making a “revolutionary t-shirt.” They know their country and its history, they understand the danger they are placing themselves in, of violence, jail, re-education. And they commit to it. They can’t accept the options of inaction, or exile.

After a few successful actions, they target a church, desecrated by its fealty to money and power. “We scramble up the stairs towards the altar, dropping our backpacks by the Holy Gates. They symbolize the gates to heaven. Women are only allowed to stand on the green walkway before the gates–the soleas–if they are cleaning women. Or brides. In Russia, there are no women priests. In Russia, there is Pussy Riot.”

The police track them down after that. Alyokhina’s son was four years old when they first came to her door. She put them off, but the next day left him watching cartoons in their apartment. She told him she’d be back soon, and locked him in. “I came back two years later.”

It’s still the “fucking gulag” out there. I’ve read about the original gulag, as much as I could, grim as it was. This is a different story, though the conditions are much the same. Women prisoners sew military uniforms twelve hours a day in dangerous and filthy conditions for $3-$20 a month, if they’re paid at all. They are stripped naked and made to do squats, guards “search” their vaginas for documents. They are often drugged with antipsychotic. “Nothing has changed since the Soviet Era. If you hear someone talking about “humane” treatment in Russian prisons, block your ears and turn away. Even better, challenge it as the lie that it is.” Alyokhina continues to protest, by hunger strikes, by talking to human rights advocates who visit her, and by writing articles smuggled out by her lawyers. Some of that leads to real improvements for all the women prisoners: more warm clothing, better sanitation, better food, more pay. But activism and life can never be about win or lose, only about persistence. They are in a constant battle with the guards, unpredictable day to day, with loved friends who support each other, and also make life harder as they suffer or are taken away.

But Alyokhina does not dwell on her own feelings, and she does not sentimentalize. This is an artist’s rendering of a prison experience, condensed, impressionistic, and slightly surreal, punctuated with quotations and illustrated with sketches that anyone could have drawn: the church, a giraffe, the inside of a prison door. She understands how the right details, simply stated and well timed, can create powerful dramatic effects. Dough balls that seal the cracks around the broken windows in winter. A friend’s wave from the search room, just before she is transferred to Siberia.

Alyokhina is released, but the prison is still full. ¡No pasarán! she says. “Freedom doesn’t exist unless you fight for it every day.”

This book came out in September 2017, and is still available on NetGalley, where I found it. You could probably read it in one sitting.

Quite the interesting autobiography on taking a standing against injustice even when the stakes are high. She

The delivery of the narrative is a little stream-of-consciousness (which may be a translation issue or the fact that I read an uncorrected ARC) but it’s not difficult to follow. The important thing here is the story, and what a tale it is! This woman is incredibly brave - using innovation and creativity to give herself a voice. This is an ordinary woman pushing herself to do extraordinary things, with courage and determination, for the greater good. It’s sickening (and utterly terrifying) that this is an account of events which took place only five years ago! What I have taken from the book are feelings of possibility, potential and pride.

Alyokhina is a founding member of the notorious Russian punk band Pussy Riot. She was sentenced to prison for her political activism, something that gained attention all over the world.

This is her memoir - crazily written in a style that is not going to be to everyone's taste, this is nevertheless a fascinating read. She briefly talks about the planning that went into the protest, but focuses far more on the trial, the sentence and her time in prison. Alyokhina remains wonderfully unrepentant and proud of her actions.

This is most definitely her voice and her passion shines through. The descriptions of life in Russian prisons is grim to say the least. There doesn't seem to be any rules other than those made up by the guards. Yes, prison is supposed to be hard, it is after all a punishment for breaking the law. But the conditions described are truly horrendous at times.

I love that her attitude, her beliefs come through in such a strong and unique way. It's not going to be to everyone's taste, but for anyone interested in politics, social conscience and feminism, this is worth picking up. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I am extremely glad I took the chance to read it.