I loved this. Intriguing story, dark and odd. A lot of depth to all the characters as well. I was hooked.

#Kafka was a much better philosopher than a story teller. The story bored me at times and the characters were underdeveloped. The social issues at the core of the book were fascinating however. But in a work of fiction I expect more emotion to tie everything together. Still, I'm glad I read this.
Thoughts? Anyone? ....

Unbelievably fascinating. North Korea seems like such a mysterious, yet obviously oppressive, country. But learning about what life is truly like there was shocking.

This book was so brilliant. Abstract yet personal, realistic yet surreal. A+

Heart wrenching and hard to read. Racism, sexism and religious abuse placed on young children. It's overwhelming but an honest and well written book.

I loved being inside her mind. Most of her thoughts I agreed with. Has anyone else read this? I want to chat! .....

What would the world be like if women had the physical power, not men? That seems to be the thesis of the book. But, it's really not. There's so much more to this. The power of the Male perspective remains the harshest power of all.
A fun book to get you thinking. But I fear some of it's messages get mixed.

Where has this book been my whole life? I absolutely loved this. Mystery, horror, love and maybe some sarcastic nihilism. It really gets into all the creepy corners of your brain.

What a great little book. LGBTQ rights in Russia are in jeopardy after anti "Gay Propaganda" laws have been passed. This book is full of dozens of personal stories of what it is to be gay in Russia. It ranges from optimistic to violent. But they're all very human (though straight to the point, Russian style).

The history is interesting enough but there isn't much to it. Masha Gessen is great but this wasn't the fascinating topic I hoped it'd be.

While there were moments of absolute brilliance and insight in the book but I felt it often lagged. The author is clearly passionate and intelligent but there was too much dead weight and gratuitous raunch for me to really like it that much.

Maybe you have to be Russophile to really get it but this book was fantastic! Ultimately bridging the gap between cultural differences will always be a powerful and necessary remedy to society's woes. The author does this with a lot of grace.

This was definitely a wonderful book. Santiago has a way with words and a unique life experience. Definitely a must for the woc perspective.

I loved this book so much. Russian history is one of my favorite subjects. Also, I love memoirs that take place during an interesting historical period. So this book really spoke to me.

Sick twisted little book. I loved it. A dystopian vision of modern Russia that was a brilliant and important story. #Russia

Didion is a thoughtful enough writer but I was uninvested in this book.

Murakami is such a good conceptual writer. Never insults his readers with predictable trash but also never tries too hard. #murakami

Very good read. Feminist progression isn't always a straight line. This book demonstrates the frustrations felt by american women in the 1910's and the remarkably more progressive policies on women's issues in Soviet Russia. A glimmer of hope in history.

Hard to read. But worth it. I like to read about brutal truths of the world. Syria is about as brutal as it gets at present. Harrowing.

I've always felt an affinity to this story. The tension that's always existed in Ukraine is the reason my family emigrated. This area just can't seem to find peace or autonomy. The story of the 2013-14 revolution is amazing... But probably not over

This book is not for everyone but it was definitely for me. It was warm and fun but also hits on a very real subjugation of women. How simply existing publicly is an adventure and also a nightmare. If men could walk a mile in our shoes they'd know it's an obstacle course. We make the most of it though.

Resist

War is the failure of diplomacy.

The U.S. is dark and bellicose. But you knew that. Getting a broader and more detailed picture is fascinating.

This book was way too short. Petrushevskaya is an excellent writer though. Very insightful and pretty funny despite such a depressing subject.

I love the topic. The history of this period is fascinating to me. The book could be a little slow paced at times but I still thought it was a fascinating read.

Revolution

Really fascinating story. Pretty short book but very illuminating on how society used to view the mentally challenged. We've come a long way (to say the least)

Honestly this was a pretty easy read. I like Ashley and her overall message though. I would certainly recommend it to young women in their teens and early 20's.

This was the most fascinating book! I loved it. Maybe you have to be a history buff to really love it but the revolutionary acts within the Soviet empire in the 80's are inspiring.

I love history so this book suited me well. Pretty basic info but definitely worth reading as I feel not being able to identify national flags is an embarrassment many adults suffer from.

Wow! A very revealing look at American exceptionalism. The history we were taught in school paints a pretty picture for us. This is a book that will remove the filter. Although I must criticize how there is no enough acknowledgment of gender discrimination through this dark history (from either side) but otherwise this was totally enlightening. Definitely a must read.

This book was so fascinating. I couldn't put it down. I love autobiographies with some historical context (my favorite thing to read). Some of his attitudes bothered me a bit but the learning process he went through was an enlightening one. I don't know how he made apartheid funny, but he did.

Cute but nothing great. Cool to read about Indian culture but really only the older generations are interesting to me. The younger generation were brats.

What a little gem of a book. Tolokonnikova is philosopher for our times. Žižek was a happy discovery for me too. Their prison letters are insightful and fantastic. My only qualm is that 100 pages just wasn't enough. "When the world spirit touches you, don't think you can walk away unscathed"

Jhumpa Lahiri is a very graceful writer, I'll give her that. But I couldn't get passed how much I disliked the protagonist. He was a brat. It was hard to empathize. I loved the parallel of 1st generation immigrants to their parents but this main character just read as a pretentious jerk. Like a Bengali version of a Woody Allen movie. I much preferred her book "In Other Words"

She's lived such a different life that it's hard to wrap your head around. Until you step back and realize how relatable it all is. She's right about Hollywood, it's poison. You can tell once you start really looking. And she sure as hell is right about the treatment of women in our society. Personal experience tells me that. Bravo rose. Loved it.

While I think this was a well intentioned book that had some really good insights, much of it read as a self help book for privileged white feminists. Tons of research to back up everything though. But still a lot of points in this book can only benefit women in higher work positions.

Masha Gessen is such a good author and Pussy Riot is such a good subject. These women leave a life long impression on me. Loved it.

Fragmented and not a lot of info but I still loved it. Makes me so curious to know more about this woman.

Edge of your seat fun sh*t. Loved it.

Drakulić, you have my heart

Really fascinating book. Now will I get a Russian visa for posting that I approve of this book? I'll let you know :/

Informative but didn't amount to anything too interesting or emotional. A little in the beginning but the Washington aspect was boring to me.

Cool read. Perhaps a survival guide, really. By the way, you probably know a sociopath!

This book was really good. I'm usually not a fan of overlapping stories. I prefer one cohesive narrative. But these stories were too good to ignore. The women of Paris during Nazi occupation are intriguing, sad, resilient and largely unknown. It's great that their stories are being told.

Not nearly as good as her other book "Infidel" (which was a revolution) but this one was still good. Ayaan's philosophies are important to read. She is the ultimate atheist feminist.

I've read about 5 of her other books this year. I love Slavenka Drakulić. This book was her most feminist in nature so I loved it even more. Her writing style speaks to me. Great book!