How to Survive Authoritarianism: A Russian's Phrasebook for Everyday Life in America

America is not the first country to experience the stirring of tyranny; in Russia, it has been the law of the land for generations. Over the years, a vernacular of double-speak emerged, one that helped ordinary people make sense of how illiberalism takes shape and makes itself felt in daily life. It allowed them to talk about authoritarianism and to subvert it--with a healthy dose of humor and irony along the way.

In this edifying yet lighthearted glossary, two exiled dissidents share one hundred Russian idioms and turns of phrase, from "apparatchik" to "samizdat." Some, like "power vertical," give name to a hypercentralized form of government. Others are playful, like mnogohodovochka ("master plan"), used to deride bizarre, misguided state measures. Taken together, they make up the vocabulary we need to understand what is really taking place, and offer a roadmap to what might still lie ahead.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 09/29/2026
ISBN: 9781324098799
Pages: 232

Review Citations: Library Journal 08/01/2026 pg. 90