Maria Alyokhina - Riot Days
Alyokhina is one of the founding members of Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist protest punk rock organization formed in 2011. In her sharp and defiant memoir she looks back over some of the collective’s provocative acts, including their February 2012 performance of “Punk Prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The group became an international cause when three members, including Alyokhina, were arrested for “organized hooliganism,” tried while being held in cages guarded by Rottweilers, and sentenced to two years in prison. Since her release, Alyokhina has advocated on behalf of prisoners’ rights and against the Russian prison system. Her work has earned her the LennonOno Grant for Peace and the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought.