Words Will Break Cement: The Passion Of Pussy Riot
by Masha Gessen
Buy on AmazonFrom National Book Award winner Masha Gessen, 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.…
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"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."
NPR Books We Love — 2014 · apps.npr.org