Words Will Break Cement: The Passion Of Pussy Riot

"If, like me, you thought of Pussy Riot as a lousy novelty punk group with a somewhat inchoate message and singularly bad luck, you’ll put down this book feeling completely ashamed of yourself. 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."