Masha Gessen is a Russian-American journalist who is the author of several books, most recently the national bestseller The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin (Riverhead, 2012) and Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot (Riverhead, 2014). Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Slate, and many other publications, and has received numerous awards, most recently the 2013 Media for Liberty Award. She has served as the editor of several publications and as director of Radio Liberty's Russia Service. She lives in New York.
Named a Best Book of the Year by Time Magazine
Praise for The Brothers
-Remarkable... reminiscent of Lawrence Wright's The Looming
Tower... Rather than the story of two lone-wolf jihadists,
determined to wage war on their adopted country, the marathon
bombing becomes a saga of both the Tsarnaev family and contemporary
U.S. culture, in which all too often terror provokes an
unreasonable response...For Gessen, the issue is not guilt or
innocence...more essential is what the Tsarnaevs and their story
tells us about who we have become. That she makes the case with
grace and passion, while also basing it on rigorous reporting, is
the triumph of the book- --Los Angeles Times
-Straightforward and captivating.- --Janet Napolitano, The New York
Times Book Review
-Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen's passionate,
opinionated, deeply reported exploration of the long road that led
the Tsarnaev brothers to commit the Boston Marathon bombing. She
traces the family's history from Chechnya to a precarious
Boston-area immigrant demi-monde, asking urgent questions and
avoiding simple answers.- --Time
-For American readers, most of whom know little of the Chechen
story, the gut-wrenching clarity of Gessen's account is a gift. Her
prose is spare and highly polished, evoking the melancholy of the
Tsarnaevs's homeland...Gessen demonstrates the fragmentation within
communities when fear and suspicion take root, and she shows how
tactics used to fight terrorism risk degrading the ideals we aim to
protect...[Her] tenacious reporting commands our attention and
makes -The Brothers- essential to understanding how the heartbreak
here in Boston fits into the endless heartache of this world.-
--The Boston Globe
-A powerfully compelling portrait... Gessen is uniquely suited to
tell the Tsarnaev story: She moved to Boston as a teenage Russian
immigrant herself, and, as a result, her observations about what
immigrants experience carry specific gravity...No book could ever
fully explain why someone would choose to murder innocent people,
but Gessen comes as close as we'll ever get. Much as Truman Capote
did in his classic -In Cold Blood, - Gessen offers compassion for
those whose acts are most contemptible, and her explanation of what
happened is as complex and as simple as it is to be human. And that
is truly frightening.- --Chicago Tribune
-Stunning piece of reporting. An instant classic.- --Lev Grossman
(via Twitter)
-A Russian-speaking immigrant in Boston, journalist Masha Gessen
might be uniquely qualified to investigate Boston Marathon bombers
Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. In The Brothers, she writes with
sophistication and nuance about their family's complicated, nomadic
existence... an enthralling and illuminating read.- --Minneapolis
Star Tribune, Fave of the Week
-Extraordinary... Gessen, who traveled the globe in search of the
secrets of the Tsarnaev family, has produced both a gripping
narrative and a stunning piece of investigative journalism... [She]
gives us the human side to the story of two young men who must be
understood as more than monsters.- --Christian Science Monitor
-This is a story that no one wanted to hear in the days and months
after the bombing...Many Americans still may not care to hear it,
but that would be too bad, because [The Brothers] is one of the
best books I've ever read about terrorism and the immigrant
experience in America... part social history, part travelog (she
traversed the Caucasus and Central Asia while reporting it), and
part forensic on family and cultural dysfunction...Gessen wanders
among these people, and approaches them with empathy and dark
wit... a student of state and stateless terror, [she] is excellent
on the varieties of fear it engenders.- --Newsweek
-[Gessen] uses facts and plausible conjecture to dispel the
misconceptions and rumors that have accrued to the Tsarnaevs. No
slouch in the sleuth department...this Russian-born journalist
assembles a challenging jigsaw puzzle that spans two continents.
Her goal is to elucidate and contextualize the brothers' principled
savagery, not to exonerate or mitigate their actions. While several
questions remain, the most important being motive, we at least
learn the socio-cultural forces that shaped these lone-wolf
terrorists.- --Miami Herald
-Gessen...compels us to see the story as part of a much bigger
global conflict...[and] is an ideal person to contextualize much of
this story, even if her conclusions make us uncomfortable...Most
importantly...The Brothers relentlessly observes an overreach of
power in response to the bombings...an often painful account of our
system's moral failings, the ways in which we're inhospitable to
those seeking asylum on our shores, and the ways our law
enforcement acts in a manner as draconian as law enforcement was in
the strife-torn places they fled. That may not be the story we're
looking for, but it is a story we very much need.- --Flavorwire, -A
Must Read Book-
-Two parts forensic anthropology, one part activism, The Brothers
is a forceful...passionate exploration of the events that preceded
and followed the [Boston Marathon bombing]... Gessen is at her best
when she takes the reader through the Tsarnaevs' wildly complicated
social history... The origins of their story, itself dizzyingly
complex, sets the stage for our understanding of the permanent
state of exile and cultural confusion the Tsarnaev clan seemed to
endure.- --San Francisco Chronicle
-[Gessen's] own background...make[s] her an ideal author for this
story...her knowledge of Soviet and Russian history, and her
reporting on the ground in Dagestan, Kyrgyzstan and Chechnya, lend
a resonance and weight ... to the Tsarnaev family's peregrinations
in that region...Gessen explains how the history of Chechnya -- and
the radicalism that took root there -- might have affected family
members, and she also brings an understanding of the dislocations
often faced by immigrants to her account.- --Michiko Kakutani, The
New York Times
-[The Brothers] is an antidote to prevailing narratives surrounding
the Tsarnaev brothers and the Boston Marathon bombing. It is the
kind of book that reminds us that there are two sides to every
story... With all the context Gessen provides--the history of
upheaval in Chechnya, the constant terror of life in Dagestan, the
family's inability to find happiness and steady work in
America--it's hard not to feel as if the Tsarnaev brothers'
decision to bomb the marathon was at least in part the product of
historical and cultural forces bearing down on two disenfranchised
young men. It's an unsettling feeling...to find oneself, one
hundred and fifty pages in, rooting for Dzhokhar to escape from law
enforcement. But that's the magic of this book: it turns two
antagonists of American society into protagonists.- --The
Rumpus
-The fearless Russian-American journalist brings equal parts
sympathy and skepticism to...the Tsarnaev family...fascinating and
illuminating.- --Vulture
-With a cool, clear voice, [Gessen] examines how America's
tremendous dread of terrorism has marred our once-lauded justice
system and distorted the legal rights of immigrants in this
country... [a] compelling study of Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan
and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev- - Barnes & Noble Review
-Gessen has done valuable work, shoe-leather reporting rather than
the reflexive condemnation that flows after any murder, any
attack...she is to be commended for humanizing rather than
demonizing the brothers.- --Newsday
-Meticulously documented and detailed...Gessen... crafts a dark
tapestry, woven of war and loss in Chechnya, Dagestan and the
Tsarnaev's own brutal history- --Providence Journal
-Gessen...paint[s] an evocative picture of the impoverished and
strife-torn region the Tsarnaevs left behind, and...the Boston area
community that they joined when they immigrated in the early
2000s.- --Kansas City Star
-[Gessen's] background facilitates a much deeper than usual
engagement with the context of the Boston atrocity...We'd prefer,
she suggests, to think of terrorism in terms of ideological
fanatics carrying out an elaborate and well-thought out plot,
because that allows us to externalise the evil. But the Boston
bombings actually resulted from a tangled web of frustrations and
unhappinesses, in which the personal, the political and the
religious were inextricably entwined.- --Sydney Morning Herald
-The Brothers is certainly among the best journalism produced about
the bombings.- --Pacific Standard
-Meticulously researched and provocative ... Gessen asks courageous
questions about the dark side of the justice system, providing a
vital counternarrative to the account of the bombing given by
mainstream media.- --Publisher's Weekly
-Gessen makes it eerily plain to see how simply an atrocity can
manifest.- --Kirkus Reviews Praise for Words Will Break Cement
-Urgent . . . damning.- --The New York Times
Praise for The Man Without a Face
-[An] unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia.-
--The Wall Street Journal
-Fascinating, hard-hitting reading.- --Foreign Affairs
Named a Best Book of the Year by "Time "Magazine
Praise for "The Brothers"
Remarkable reminiscent of Lawrence Wright's "The Looming Tower"
Rather than the story of two lone-wolf jihadists, determined to
wage war on their adopted country, the marathon bombing becomes a
saga of both the Tsarnaev family and contemporary U.S. culture, in
which all too often terror provokes an unreasonable response For
Gessen, the issue is not guilt or innocence more essential is what
the Tsarnaevs and their story tells us about who we have become.
That she makes the case with grace and passion, while also basing
it on rigorous reporting, is the triumph of the book "Los Angeles
Times
""Straightforward and captivating."" "Janet Napolitano," The New
York Times Book Review"
Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen s passionate, opinionated,
deeply reported exploration of the long road that led the Tsarnaev
brothers to commit the Boston Marathon bombing. She traces the
family s history from Chechnya to a precarious Boston-area
immigrant demi-monde, asking urgent questions and avoiding simple
answers. "Time"
For American readers, most of whom know little of the Chechen
story, the gut-wrenching clarity of Gessen s account is a gift. Her
prose is spare and highly polished, evoking the melancholy of the
Tsarnaevs s homeland...Gessen demonstrates the fragmentation within
communities when fear and suspicion take root, and she shows how
tactics used to fight terrorism risk degrading the ideals we aim to
protect [Her] tenacious reporting commands our attention and makes
The Brothers essential to understanding how the heartbreak here in
Boston fits into the endless heartache of this world. "The Boston
Globe"
A powerfully compelling portrait Gessen is uniquely suited to tell
the Tsarnaev story: She moved to Boston as a teenage Russian
immigrant herself, and, as a result, her observations about what
immigrants experience carry specific gravity No book could ever
fully explain why someone would choose to murder innocent people,
but Gessen comes as close as we'll ever get. Much as Truman Capote
did in his classic "In Cold Blood," Gessen offers compassion for
those whose acts are most contemptible, and her explanation of what
happened is as complex and as simple as it is to be human. And that
is truly frightening. "Chicago Tribune"
"Stunning piece of reporting. An instant classic." Lev Grossman
(via Twitter)
A Russian-speaking immigrant in Boston, journalist Masha Gessen
might be uniquely qualified to investigate Boston Marathon bombers
Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. In "The Brothers," she writes with
sophistication and nuance about their family s complicated, nomadic
existence an enthralling and illuminating read. "Minneapolis Star
Tribune," Fave of the Week
Extraordinary Gessen, who traveled the globe in search of the
secrets of the Tsarnaev family, has produced both a gripping
narrative and a stunning piece of investigative journalism [She]
gives us the human side to the story of two young men who must be
understood as more than monsters. "Christian Science Monitor"
This is a story that no one wanted to hear in the days and months
after the bombing...Many Americans still may not care to hear it,
but that would be too bad, because ["The Brothers"] is one of the
best books I ve ever read about terrorism and the immigrant
experience in America part social history, part travelog (she
traversed the Caucasus and Central Asia while reporting it), and
part forensic on family and cultural dysfunction Gessen wanders
among these people, and approaches them with empathy and dark
wit... a student of state and stateless terror, [she] is excellent
on the varieties of fear it engenders. "Newsweek"
[Gessen] uses facts and plausible conjecture to dispel the
misconceptions and rumors that have accrued to the Tsarnaevs. No
slouch in the sleuth department this Russian-born journalist
assembles a challenging jigsaw puzzle that spans two continents.
Her goal is to elucidate and contextualize the brothers principled
savagery, not to exonerate or mitigate their actions. While several
questions remain, the most important being motive, we at least
learn the socio-cultural forces that shaped these lone-wolf
terrorists. "Miami Herald"
Gessen compels us to see the story as part of a much bigger global
conflict...[and] is an ideal person to contextualize much of this
story, even if her conclusions make us uncomfortable Most
importantly "The Brothers" relentlessly observes an overreach of
power in response to the bombings an often painful account of our
system s moral failings, the ways in which we re inhospitable to
those seeking asylum on our shores, and the ways our law
enforcement acts in a manner as draconian as law enforcement was in
the strife-torn places they fled. That may not be the story we re
looking for, but it is a story we very much need. Flavorwire, "A
Must Read Book"
Two parts forensic anthropology, one part activism, "The Brothers"
is a forceful passionate exploration of the events that preceded
and followed the [Boston Marathon bombing] Gessen is at her best
when she takes the reader through the Tsarnaevs wildly complicated
social history The origins of their story, itself dizzyingly
complex, sets the stage for our understanding of the permanent
state of exile and cultural confusion the Tsarnaev clan seemed to
endure. "San Francisco Chronicle"
[Gessen s] own background make[s] her an ideal author for this
story her knowledge of Soviet and Russian history, and her
reporting on the ground in Dagestan, Kyrgyzstan and Chechnya, lend
a resonance and weight to the Tsarnaev family s peregrinations in
that region Gessen explains how the history of Chechnya and the
radicalism that took root there might have affected family members,
and she also brings an understanding of the dislocations often
faced by immigrants to her account." Michiko Kakutani, "The New
York Times"
""
["The Brothers"] is an antidote to prevailing narratives
surrounding the Tsarnaev brothers and the Boston Marathon bombing.
It is the kind of book that reminds us that there are two sides to
every story With all the context Gessen provides the history of
upheaval in Chechnya, the constant terror of life in Dagestan, the
family s inability to find happiness and steady work in America it
s hard not to feel as if the Tsarnaev brothers decision to bomb the
marathon was at least in part the product of historical and
cultural forces bearing down on two disenfranchised young men. It s
an unsettling feeling to find oneself, one hundred and fifty pages
in, rooting for Dzhokhar to escape from law enforcement. But that s
the magic of this book: it turns two antagonists of American
society into protagonists. "The Rumpus"
The fearless Russian-American journalist brings equal parts
sympathy and skepticism to the Tsarnaev family fascinating and
illuminating. Vulture
With a cool, clear voice, [Gessen] examines how America s
tremendous dread of terrorism has marred our once-lauded justice
system and distorted the legal rights of immigrants in this country
[a] compelling study of Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev "Barnes & Noble Review"
Gessen has done valuable work, shoe-leather reporting rather than
the reflexive condemnation that flows after any murder, any attack
she is to be commended for humanizing rather than demonizing the
brothers. "Newsday
" Meticulously documented and detailed Gessen crafts a dark
tapestry, woven of war and loss in Chechnya, Dagestan and the
Tsarnaev s own brutal history" "Providence Journal"
Gessen paint[s] an evocative picture of the impoverished and
strife-torn region the Tsarnaevs left behind, and the Boston area
community that they joined when they immigrated in the early 2000s.
"Kansas City Star
" [Gessen s] background facilitates a much deeper than usual
engagement with the context of the Boston atrocity We'd prefer, she
suggests, to think of terrorism in terms of ideological fanatics
carrying out an elaborate and well-thought out plot, because that
allows us to externalise the evil. But the Boston bombings actually
resulted from a tangled web of frustrations and unhappinesses, in
which the personal, the political and the religious were
inextricably entwined. "Sydney Morning Herald"
""The Brothers" is certainly among the best journalism produced
about the bombings." "Pacific Standard"
Meticulously researched and provocative Gessen asks courageous
questions about the dark side of the justice system, providing a
vital counternarrative to the account of the bombing given by
mainstream media. "Publisher s Weekly
""Gessen makes it eerily plain to see how simply an atrocity can
manifest." "Kirkus Reviews" Praise for "Words Will Break
Cement"
Urgent . . . damning. "The New York Times "
Praise for "The Man Without a Face"
[An] unflinching indictment of the most powerful man in Russia.
"The Wall Street Journal"
Fascinating, hard-hitting reading. "Foreign Affairs""
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