12 Who Don't Agree, by Valery Panyushkin

12 Who Don't Agree: The Battle for Freedom in Putin's Russia

by Valery Panyushkin

Translated from the Russian by Marian Schwartz

Europa Editions, 2011

In Twelve Who Don’t Agree, journalist Valery Panyushkin profiles twelve Russians from across the country’s social spectrum: a politician, a journalist, an army officer, an author, a bank manager, a laborer, a university student . . . Despite varied backgrounds, they all have one thing in common—participation in the historic March of the Dissidents. Held in 2007 to protest the eroding state of affairs in Russia, the March was held in flagrant violation of increasingly stringent laws forbidding public demonstrations. Though each of these men and women had personal reasons for joining the demonstration, they shared a belief that the government of Vladimir Putin was betraying the promise of Russia’s future.

REVIEW

"If you’ve followed any coverage of Russian politics in the last decade or two, you’re probably aware that various political protest movements exist. Valery Panyushkin’s book explores a host of them, including everyone from activists fighting for a more democratic Russia to those who want a revived Soviet Union to re-absorb various independent states. It’s a dizzying guide to a chaotic sociopolitical landscape, with a host of harrowing moments along the way." -- Tobias Carroll, "9 Works of Contemporary and Post-Soviet Fiction and Nonfiction," Signature

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