Read & Riot- enthusiasm in the face of political-WTFness


Nadya Tolokonnikova (Nadya Tolokno) has been in the news for several years as the band femenist punk band Pussy Riot created memorable disruptions. Eventually arrested for Hooliganism while singing Anti-Putin songs, Tolokno was locked up in a long chain of rights crushing prisons. In her book, Tolokno tells a compelling story of how persistance and resistance are unarguably intertwined.

Quote:
What happens to different things when they are placed in boiling water?
- Soft things like eggs become hard.
- Hard things like carrots become soft.
- Coffee dissolves and permeates everything..

The point of the parable is this: Be like coffee. In prison, I am like coffee.

How much more needs to be said about strong vocal women intent on being catalysts of change? Just read this book.

Interesting highlights from Read and Riot include
- For than 20 quotes I wanted to put in my review before selecting the above
- Knowledge that this book was not translated, instead weitten in english.. because it wouldnt have been worth it if it was easy
- a surprise statement by Kim Deal ;)

Worth noting, Pussy Riot co-founder Maria (Masha) Alyokhina has a number of books out as well. Between the two of them, there is a little mini activism library.

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