Patriot

Alexei Navalny began writing his memoir in Germany while recovering from his August 2020 poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok. The first part tells his life in narrative form, from his marriage and family, youth and turn to activism to his political career and the attempts on his life. The second part is a prison memoir, recording boredom, isolation and suffering alongside reflections ranging from Billie Eilish to French literature of the 19th century, and counsel on keeping hope alive. It also sets out a manifesto for Russia built on free elections, a constitutional assembly, decentralization and a European orientation. Published posthumously by Knopf in 2024, it won a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Barack Obama included it among his favorite books of 2024.