The Dissident [Navalny, Alexey]

A news-driven biography of Putin’s nemesis, Alexei Navalny—lawyer, blogger, anti-corruption crusader, protest organizer, political opposition leader, Moscow mayoral candidate, provocateur, poisoning victim, dissident, and now, a prisoner of conscience.THE DISSIDENT is the story of how one man—father, husband, brother—offended by the core dishonesty and criminality of the Russian political system has mounted a fearless and relentless opposition movement and become Putin’s personal nemesis; so despised, in fact, that the Russian leader makes a point of never uttering Navalny’s name.

There’s an old saying that many Russians regard as an inviolable law of nature: a Russia without corruption isn’t Russia. Alexei Navalny’s refusal to accept this proposition—his stubborn insistence that Russians can defy the stereotype and create an entirely different country—has made him such a threat to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian political system that the Kremlin wanted him gone, either exiled or dead.

Here, investigative reporter David Herszenhorn weaves together the five primary threads of Navalny's remarkable life and work, including:** The assassination attempt by poisoning in Siberia, his recovery in Germany, and his vigilante-style investigative collaboration with Bellingcat to identify suspects;   

** Navalny’s personal biography, including the year he spent in the Yale University Fellows program that has spurred conspiracy theories about his ties to the U.S.;  

** His anti-corruption investigations—beginning with his 2010 exposé about embezzlement at Transneft, a state-controlled oil company, and continuing until his most recent blockbuster revelations about Putin’s Black Sea Palace;   

**His political activism, including the organization of white ribbon protests following the fraudulent Duma elections in 2011, his 2013 campaign for mayor of Moscow, and more.

Riveting and complex, THE DISSIDENT introduces readers to Russia's greatest and most effective agitator, a man so willing to sacrifice his freedom—and even his own life—to build the country he wants to live in and hopes to pass on to his children.

About the Author

David M. Herszenhorn recently joined The Washington Post as Russia and Eastern Europe Editor. He is the former chief Brussels correspondent of POLITICO. Before joining POLITICO, David worked for more than 20 years at The New York Times, as a reporter, Washington correspondent and foreign correspondent based in Moscow.