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Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot Paperback – Bargain Price, January 8, 2014

4.5 out of 5 stars 131

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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 Gessen’s 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.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Moscow-based journalist Gessen, author of The Man without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin (2012), is well versed in the tyranny of Putin’s Russia, the hardened society from which the Moscow women activists and punk rockers calling themselves Pussy Riot emerged, intent on exposing “the frightful absurdity of the land.” They debuted with “Kill the Sexist” and began posting videos of their gutsy guerrilla performances in Metro stations, upscale boutiques, Red Square, and, the site of their swan song, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Hampered in her efforts to speak with the three young women who were arrested and found guilty of hooliganism—Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nadya), Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich (Kat)—Gessen talks with their families and friends, piecing together the stories of their ruptured childhoods, teenage searching, and political awakenings, richly atmospheric accounts that reveal the harsh realities Russians endure. Reporting with spiked irony on their ludicrous trial, Gessen movingly chronicles how courageously Nadya and Maria, mothers of young children, helped others while incarcerated in isolated penal colonies. 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 as Nadya and Maria, recently released and utterly unbowed, continue to fight for human rights. --Donna Seaman

Review

Praise for WORDS WILL BREAK CEMENT: THE PASSION OF PUSSY RIOT

Named a Best Book of 2014 by NPR  and
The Guardian

“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

"Simply put, this is the best, most urgent book I've read about art this year. Through rigorous research and furiously fine storytelling, Masha Gessen places the band's founding members unflinchingly into context, revealing the worlds they move between (of Russian activists, intellectuals and prisoners) and reminding us that art really can change the world — if you're an artist with the guts to try." –NPR

“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 Solzhenitsyn’s 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 Riot’s 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 Gessen’s 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…Gessen’s 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. It’s an artist biography, a meditation on revolutionary art and gender politics, an absurdist courtroom drama and defiant commentary on the cultural climate of Gessen’s 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 Russia’s culture and society… Recommended to readers in feminist studies, those following ­Putin’s 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 Putin’s 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… 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.” –
The New Yorker

“Powerful and gracefully written.” –
The San Francisco Chronicle

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverhead Books; First Edition (January 8, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594632197
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594632198
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.48 x 0.71 x 8.24 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 131

About the author

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Masha Gessen
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Masha Gessen is the author of eleven books, including the National Book Award-winning The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia and The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin. A staff writer at the New Yorker and the recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Carnegie Fellowship, Gessen teaches at Amherst College and lives in New York City.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
131 global ratings
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Alyokhina, M. (n.d.). Riot Days. Metropolitan Books. Alyokhina’s account incorporates song lyrics, legal transcripts, and excerpts from her jail diary.Gessen, M. (2014). Words will break cement: The passion of Pussy Riot (First Riverhead trade paperback). Riverhead Books. Masha's reconstruction of events.Pussy Riot! A Punk Prayer for Freedom. (2013). The Feminist Press at CUNY. - A collection of letters, songs, poems, and courtroom statements.Three first hand accounts detailing the story of Pussy Riot, formed in August 2011 consisting of a group of women ranging in age from 20 to 33, who, as a group, staged public guerilla performances generally filmed and placed on YouTube. Themes of their work included feminism, LGBTQ rights, and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin with their public actions specifically designed to illuminate and affect change in the prevailing culture and society about these issues.On February 21, 2012, Pussy Riot, dressed in bright colors and wearing balaclavas stepped into Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior unauthorized to perform Punk Prayer on the altar, a performance which lasted 40 seconds. During this performance they made the sign of the cross, genuflected to Mary, pumped their fists and kicked their legs while imploring the Mother Mary to banish Putin. The performance was staged two weeks prior to Russia’s national elections intending to draw attention to the ties between President Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church. Two group members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nadia) and Maria Alyokhina (Masha) were arrested on March 3, 2012, and then on March 16, Yekaterina Samutsevich (Katya) was also arrested. The three were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, denied bail, found guilty and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. On appeal, Katya was freed on probation with the other two continuing to serve their terms. The facts of the case are public knowledge. The trial and sentence drew international attention and critique. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow. Patriarch Kirill was named as the leader in 2009, he endorsed Putin in 2012. Pussy Riot performed on the altar space, a space reserved for men, their balaclava, bright clothing, and bare arms further stood in contrast to the expected dress code for women in the church. As a conservative orthodox place of worship, there were strict codes of dress, behavior, and social norms related to the norms for women. The Cathedral, specifically the altar is sacred to the Russian people. Selecting the Cathedral as the place for their performance was a provocative move. They maintained that they were protesting the desacralization of the church resultant from a tight coupling between Vladimir Putin and church leaders such as Patriarch Kirill wherein the church was desecrated by this action and the performance sought to illuminate this concern.The charges levied against Pussy Riot included Hooliganism (Article 213 § 2 Clause B of the Russian Federation) defined as “a gross violation of the public order manifested in patent contempt of society and attended. . . by reason of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred.” Kanonovich (2015) examined the legal charges and observed the following: (a) the court failed to interpret the prayer as a criticism of Putin’s actions concluding that Pussy Riot lacked a political motive but instead intended insult to the church and believers; (b) this interpretation reframed Pussy Riot’s actions towards blasphemy; and (c) due to the international attention, it was suggested that the performance was a publicity stunt designed to capitalize on the Cathedral’s fame. In this way, Kanonovich (2015) asserted that Russian authorities used the law “not just to enforce religious orthodoxy, but to delegitimize public political protests by pushing them beyond the boundaries of both socially and legally acceptable forms of citizens’ civic participation.” Pussy Riot’s political speech and deliberate critique of Putin was denied and reframed. Institutional power served to marginalize and reframe Pussy Riot’s stated purpose and intention from critique of the church/state relationship and Putin to a rebellion against the church. In so doing, the incident was ultimately reframed as an issue of morality by portraying Pussy Riot members as disrespecting Russian Orthodox Church values and trying to incite religious hatred specifically against Orthodox Christianity.This is an intriguing case study from which to explore social protest, gender, legal interpretation, and the intersection of religion and politics. It also is a fascinating case to explore the role of the media in garnering international attention and the effects of this attention on outcomes.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
Alyokhina, M. (n.d.). Riot Days. Metropolitan Books. Alyokhina’s account incorporates song lyrics, legal transcripts, and excerpts from her jail diary.
Gessen, M. (2014). Words will break cement: The passion of Pussy Riot (First Riverhead trade paperback). Riverhead Books. Masha's reconstruction of events.
Pussy Riot! A Punk Prayer for Freedom. (2013). The Feminist Press at CUNY. - A collection of letters, songs, poems, and courtroom statements.

Three first hand accounts detailing the story of Pussy Riot, formed in August 2011 consisting of a group of women ranging in age from 20 to 33, who, as a group, staged public guerilla performances generally filmed and placed on YouTube. Themes of their work included feminism, LGBTQ rights, and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin with their public actions specifically designed to illuminate and affect change in the prevailing culture and society about these issues.

On February 21, 2012, Pussy Riot, dressed in bright colors and wearing balaclavas stepped into Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior unauthorized to perform Punk Prayer on the altar, a performance which lasted 40 seconds. During this performance they made the sign of the cross, genuflected to Mary, pumped their fists and kicked their legs while imploring the Mother Mary to banish Putin. The performance was staged two weeks prior to Russia’s national elections intending to draw attention to the ties between President Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church. Two group members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nadia) and Maria Alyokhina (Masha) were arrested on March 3, 2012, and then on March 16, Yekaterina Samutsevich (Katya) was also arrested. The three were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, denied bail, found guilty and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. On appeal, Katya was freed on probation with the other two continuing to serve their terms. The facts of the case are public knowledge. The trial and sentence drew international attention and critique. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow. Patriarch Kirill was named as the leader in 2009, he endorsed Putin in 2012. Pussy Riot performed on the altar space, a space reserved for men, their balaclava, bright clothing, and bare arms further stood in contrast to the expected dress code for women in the church. As a conservative orthodox place of worship, there were strict codes of dress, behavior, and social norms related to the norms for women. The Cathedral, specifically the altar is sacred to the Russian people. Selecting the Cathedral as the place for their performance was a provocative move. They maintained that they were protesting the desacralization of the church resultant from a tight coupling between Vladimir Putin and church leaders such as Patriarch Kirill wherein the church was desecrated by this action and the performance sought to illuminate this concern.

The charges levied against Pussy Riot included Hooliganism (Article 213 § 2 Clause B of the Russian Federation) defined as “a gross violation of the public order manifested in patent contempt of society and attended. . . by reason of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred.” Kanonovich (2015) examined the legal charges and observed the following: (a) the court failed to interpret the prayer as a criticism of Putin’s actions concluding that Pussy Riot lacked a political motive but instead intended insult to the church and believers; (b) this interpretation reframed Pussy Riot’s actions towards blasphemy; and (c) due to the international attention, it was suggested that the performance was a publicity stunt designed to capitalize on the Cathedral’s fame. In this way, Kanonovich (2015) asserted that Russian authorities used the law “not just to enforce religious orthodoxy, but to delegitimize public political protests by pushing them beyond the boundaries of both socially and legally acceptable forms of citizens’ civic participation.” Pussy Riot’s political speech and deliberate critique of Putin was denied and reframed. Institutional power served to marginalize and reframe Pussy Riot’s stated purpose and intention from critique of the church/state relationship and Putin to a rebellion against the church. In so doing, the incident was ultimately reframed as an issue of morality by portraying Pussy Riot members as disrespecting Russian Orthodox Church values and trying to incite religious hatred specifically against Orthodox Christianity.

This is an intriguing case study from which to explore social protest, gender, legal interpretation, and the intersection of religion and politics. It also is a fascinating case to explore the role of the media in garnering international attention and the effects of this attention on outcomes.
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Pay Attention
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
Alyokhina, M. (n.d.). Riot Days. Metropolitan Books. Alyokhina’s account incorporates song lyrics, legal transcripts, and excerpts from her jail diary.
Gessen, M. (2014). Words will break cement: The passion of Pussy Riot (First Riverhead trade paperback). Riverhead Books. Masha's reconstruction of events.
Pussy Riot! A Punk Prayer for Freedom. (2013). The Feminist Press at CUNY. - A collection of letters, songs, poems, and courtroom statements.

Three first hand accounts detailing the story of Pussy Riot, formed in August 2011 consisting of a group of women ranging in age from 20 to 33, who, as a group, staged public guerilla performances generally filmed and placed on YouTube. Themes of their work included feminism, LGBTQ rights, and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin with their public actions specifically designed to illuminate and affect change in the prevailing culture and society about these issues.

On February 21, 2012, Pussy Riot, dressed in bright colors and wearing balaclavas stepped into Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior unauthorized to perform Punk Prayer on the altar, a performance which lasted 40 seconds. During this performance they made the sign of the cross, genuflected to Mary, pumped their fists and kicked their legs while imploring the Mother Mary to banish Putin. The performance was staged two weeks prior to Russia’s national elections intending to draw attention to the ties between President Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church. Two group members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nadia) and Maria Alyokhina (Masha) were arrested on March 3, 2012, and then on March 16, Yekaterina Samutsevich (Katya) was also arrested. The three were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, denied bail, found guilty and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. On appeal, Katya was freed on probation with the other two continuing to serve their terms. The facts of the case are public knowledge. The trial and sentence drew international attention and critique. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow. Patriarch Kirill was named as the leader in 2009, he endorsed Putin in 2012. Pussy Riot performed on the altar space, a space reserved for men, their balaclava, bright clothing, and bare arms further stood in contrast to the expected dress code for women in the church. As a conservative orthodox place of worship, there were strict codes of dress, behavior, and social norms related to the norms for women. The Cathedral, specifically the altar is sacred to the Russian people. Selecting the Cathedral as the place for their performance was a provocative move. They maintained that they were protesting the desacralization of the church resultant from a tight coupling between Vladimir Putin and church leaders such as Patriarch Kirill wherein the church was desecrated by this action and the performance sought to illuminate this concern.

The charges levied against Pussy Riot included Hooliganism (Article 213 § 2 Clause B of the Russian Federation) defined as “a gross violation of the public order manifested in patent contempt of society and attended. . . by reason of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred.” Kanonovich (2015) examined the legal charges and observed the following: (a) the court failed to interpret the prayer as a criticism of Putin’s actions concluding that Pussy Riot lacked a political motive but instead intended insult to the church and believers; (b) this interpretation reframed Pussy Riot’s actions towards blasphemy; and (c) due to the international attention, it was suggested that the performance was a publicity stunt designed to capitalize on the Cathedral’s fame. In this way, Kanonovich (2015) asserted that Russian authorities used the law “not just to enforce religious orthodoxy, but to delegitimize public political protests by pushing them beyond the boundaries of both socially and legally acceptable forms of citizens’ civic participation.” Pussy Riot’s political speech and deliberate critique of Putin was denied and reframed. Institutional power served to marginalize and reframe Pussy Riot’s stated purpose and intention from critique of the church/state relationship and Putin to a rebellion against the church. In so doing, the incident was ultimately reframed as an issue of morality by portraying Pussy Riot members as disrespecting Russian Orthodox Church values and trying to incite religious hatred specifically against Orthodox Christianity.

This is an intriguing case study from which to explore social protest, gender, legal interpretation, and the intersection of religion and politics. It also is a fascinating case to explore the role of the media in garnering international attention and the effects of this attention on outcomes.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2015
The further you go into the book the more it will shock you. It is a story of a group of idealistic women punished with an iron fist for a youthful (and admittedly, rather irresponsible and clearly provocative) appearance in a national cathedral. The book, if read to the end, will leave you speechless. The first human instinct here is to try to help, but there are simply no tools.
There is an endless sadness to the story of contemporary Russia. Nobody insists that the West is perfect but the Russian reality certainly doesn't belong to the 21st century. It seems like the concepts of fair trial or human rights are not in use there, except for propaganda purposes.
The book is not an easy read and it tends to be tedious, but it certainly does have lots of content and it is entirely based on primary sources, it does not quote newspapers, journalists or other books. A very honest approach indeed. I am looking forward to more books by this author.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017
After reading this book, I am so grateful to live in a country where citizens are free to voice their political views. I think what frightened me the most about this story is that it’s true.

Three young women living in Russia, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nadya), Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were found guilty of hooliganism and went to prison (one was finally given a suspended sentence) because they spoke out against Putin and his tyranny. One of the most horrific parts in this book described the conditions of these prisons. The “prisons” aren’t fit for animals let alone human beings. Atrocious is the word that pops in my head. Along with living in terrible conditions, inmates are subjected to mistreatment by guards for doing something like complaining about the horrible conditions. For example, if an inmate complained about lack of hot water, all the water would be shut off for all the inmates.

These women showed amazing strength throughout their ordeal. This book takes us from the beginning with backgrounds on the women, their foray into political activism, the emergence of Pussy Riot, their fateful performance that got them arrested, the harrowing trial (another example of human rights violations), and finally their imprisonment.

A quote from Maria’s court statement: “And I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of lies and fictions and of poorly coded deception in the verdict of this so-called court, because all of you can take away my inner freedom, the only sort that exists in the Russian Federation. But no one can take away my inner freedom.” She closes with this: “I believe that openness and public speech and a hunger for the truth make us all a little bit freer.”

I greatly admire these women for their heroism and strength to fight for better conditions and rights for all. They had the courage to speak out against Putin’s atrocities, and they were successful in encouraging others to do the same. If they had failed, they wouldn’t have scared Putin into having them arrested.

Pussy Riot lives on as an example of feminine power and courage.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Bogdan Silviu Bobric
5.0 out of 5 stars A well researched book about Pussy Riot
Reviewed in Germany on January 2, 2019
This book and the information not only describes the group Pussy Riot and its grounding, but it also gives an insight in Russian politics and Russian society. I think that the book is very inspirational and one can really learn that through hard work, one can slowly change the society and push the boundaries of what is acceptable and what isnt.
One person found this helpful
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Alessia Salimbeni
5.0 out of 5 stars fast delivery
Reviewed in Italy on August 30, 2015
It was a super fast delivery (quicker than what I expected) and the item was perfect! Really really really satisfied
Robert Schaus
5.0 out of 5 stars You thought it had changed? Read this ...
Reviewed in France on May 22, 2014
Very interesting and readable account of the history and events linked with the founding and activities of, then the State reactions to Pussy Riot. The characters come alive, their history is facinating, the story seems well researched and believable - most of all: if you want to understand Russia today, an absolute "must read"!
Michael Phelan
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent account of pussy riot
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2014
Excellent account of the individuals involved in Pussy Riot and of the operation of the "justice" system in Russia today
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C Dumonteil
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2014
Interesting.