Read & Riot audiobook

Everyone needs to read this for the #Resistance.

Clean, dis-orienting oxygen shot straight into my lungs. Dizzy, but smiling.

This book was way better than i expected. It is the autobiography of Tolokonnikova and Pussy Riot, but also a political manifesto advocating for a anarchist form of self governance. The book is like a time capsule of current Anarchist thought referencing different far-leftist intellectuals to formulate a critic to current global capitalistic and patriarchal power structure. So this is not just a book that criticizes Putin's Russia, but the whole current world system. The only part that i did not like was the book's is its anti medicalist stance that is too closer to science denialism for my taste. But as a book one current leftist ideas this is a great introduction that mixes non-Western perspectives.

En este valiente libro, Nadya nos cuenta su vida, sus ideas, la historia de las Pussy Riot, los momentos de antes, durante y después de su encarcelamiento, está escrito de forma amena, es entretenido, fácil de leer, inspirador, inteligente e interesante, con unas ilustraciones muy guays, me ha gustado mucho. Libro para tener cerca y releer de vez en cuando."Curiosamente, nos metieron en la cárcel por la peor de todas nuestras actuaciones. Supongo que a Putin no debió de gustarle mucho, y diría: «¡Vaya una puta mierda! ¡Que las lleven a la cárcel!».No era más que una plegaria. Una plegaria muy especial. En palabras de Squirrel, una de las Pussy Riot: «Putin, el mayor de los dictadores, le tiene mucho miedo a la gente. Más en concreto, le dan miedo las Pussy Riot: un grupo de jóvenes optimistas y positivas que no tienen miedo de decir lo que piensan». Destapamos la cara brutal y cruel del gobierno, pero no hicimos nada ilegal. No es ilegal cantar y dar tu opinión"

Nadya's personal story is enough to get you to read this, and she has a pugilistic narrative style befitting her role in Pussy Riot. There's also a great deal of pathos and honesty and detail in this you won't find anywhere else. On top of all that, this is a manifesto and a guidebook that will be useful for younger resisters moving forward, especially since, like a good lefty, she cites and quotes and provides a reading list. Enjoyable and motivating and not a little bit sad. But there's tools for that. Thanks, Nadya.

Written as a stream of consciousness, Nadya shares her experiences and thoughts on the state of things and how we as individuals can still have our say and try to make a difference in the world.It's a fast read and easy to digest, with each chapter (aka Rules) broken into three segments: Words, Deeds & Heroes. Words covers various topics like Questioning the Status Quo, the Prison Industrial Complex and What Putin Has to Do with Trump.Deeds encompasses things we can all do- Dadaism, If the Kids are United, Art in Action and Pussy Riot Church (a Russian church that was more like a mini-mart or a venue hall).Heroes explores the figures who've influenced Nadya's life and outlook- King, the Berrigan Brothers, Bell Hooks, Emmeline Pankhurst and Aleksandra Kollontai.Equally intriguing is the recommended reading list at the end of the book, which offers up some pretty good stuff to feed your head and free your mind.  If nothing else, you'll end up with a crash course on activist ideas and a view from the front lines delivered by a person who's still there.4/5 stars

I had seen the show trial of these courageous kids on TV years ago. I had even preached about their modern, contextual cover version of The Magnificat one advent, when they had a chop at Putin and the Orthodox hierarchy at Christ the Saviour Cathedral. So when i saw a copy of Read and Riot at Readings, i had to know what this riot grrrl had to say! Earthy. Salty. Blunt. Honest. This is part autobiography, part manifesto, part philosophy/theology, part how-to, all-awesome. Behind the pink balaclava lies a far-sighted, formidable intellect that is truly open, well-read, and, surprisingly, deeply informed by the Biblical narrative and Christian faith [that was totally unexpected!]. 'Putin condemned Pussy Riot for dancing in a church and protecting women's rights, saying that he'll save Christianity from devilish witches like us. it seems that Putin has no clue about early Christianity; otherwise he would know that Christ and his followers were rebels and not Caesars.' This self-confessed nerd girl's insights about the state of the world are well worth a look, even if you aren't attempting to effect change in the body politic. From lugging a car battery to power the guitar, to dumpster-diving to escape the cops, to quoting Wittgenstein and Socrates, you will find this book gripping.

Hoe dapper kun je zijn? Pussy Riot laat zien hoeveel werk er nog te doen is in autoritaure samenlevingen als Rusland. Twee jaar bracht Tolokonnikova door in een Siberische cel, kwan vrij en heeft direct haar activisme weer opgepakt. Ik kan alleen maar heel diep buigen voor deze stoere vrouw en haar getrouwen. Het boek geeft mij een heel aardig beeld van de auteur, namelijk iemand met een ongelofelijke wil om te vernieuwen, maar altijd met een groot gevoel voor humor. Veel herinneringen aan het gevangenisleven of de uitgevoerde acties lieten me hardop lachen. Geweldig! Deze herinneringen worden aangevuld met allerlei flarden van gesprekken, herinneringen, uitspraken van anderen die de auteur tof vond, etc. dit is zowel de kracht als de zwakte van het boek. Ik heb er erg van genoten en het is Tolokonnikova goed gelukt om mijn ogen over Poetin verder te openen. De ergste terreur is toch staatsterreur, vooral omdat deze zo welbedoeld, voortdurend is en bovendien een stempel van goedkeuring draagt. Wat ik echter miste is het hele Pussy Riotverhaal: hoe is deze beweging ontstaan, hoe is het haar precies vergaan in de gevangenis, wat wil ze nog bereiken, etc. Hopelijk schrijft Tolokonnikova hier ook nog eens over. Ik kijk daar in elk geval naar uit.

"Feminism is a liberating tool that can be used by male, female, transgender, transsexual, queer, agender, anybody. Feminism allows me to say: I behave how I like and how I feel, I deconstruct gender roles and play with them, I mix them up voluntarily. Gender roles are my palette, not my chains.""One of the biggest challenges in resisting abusive power is that you constantly have to look for more inspiration and motivation. They beat you, and you don't just bear it, but you find in yourself enough courage and mischievous energy to laugh. The key is consistency. Power is abusive pretty consistently. We should be consistent in spotting it and building alternative futures.""Those who lack imagination cannot imagine what is lacking." - slogan in Paris 1968 protests"Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light." - Frida Kahlo

Me gustó mucho este libro, a pesar de que con algunos puntos en específico no estaba completamente de acuerdo (como el abordaje que le da la autora a las enfermedades mentales, por ejemplo). Como son tantos los temas que toca Nadya en esta obra, me parece obvio que no los desarrolle todos con profundidad. Además, no debemos olvidar que escribió este libro en inglés, idioma que no es su lengua materna, por lo que el dominio y la complejidad quizás nunca será la ideal. Lo que más rescato de Read & Riot es la recopilación de citas y de autores y activistas interesantes, comprometidos con diferentes causas admirables.