The Future Is History

How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia

By: Masha Gessen

Narrated by: Masha Gessen

Winner of the 2017 National Book Award in Nonfiction
Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Awards
Winner of the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award
Named a Best Book of 2017 by The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, Paste, and Pop Sugar

The essential journalist and best-selling biographer of Vladimir Putin reveals how, in the space of a generation, Russia surrendered to a more virulent and invincible new strain of autocracy.

Award-winning journalist Masha Gessen's understanding of the events and forces that have wracked Russia in recent times is unparalleled. In The Future Is History, Gessen follows the lives of four people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each of them came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children and grandchildren of the very architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own - as entrepreneurs, activists, thinkers, and writers, sexual and social beings.

Gessen charts their paths against the machinations of the regime that would crush them all, and against the war it waged on understanding itself, which ensured the unobstructed reemergence of the old Soviet order in the form of today's terrifying and seemingly unstoppable mafia state. Powerful and urgent, The Future Is History is a cautionary tale for our time and for all time.

©2017 Masha Gessen (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Fascinating and deeply felt." (The New York Times Book Review)

“Forceful and eloquent on the history of her native country, Gessen is alarming and pessimistic about its future as it doubles down on totalitarianism.” (Los Angeles Times)

“A remarkable portrait of an ever-shifting era.... Gessen weaves her characters’ stories into a seamless, poignant whole. Her analysis of Putin’s malevolent administration is just as effective...a harrowing, compassionate and important book.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Gessen humanizes modern Russians

A human history of post Soviet Union Russia told through the intimate coming of age stories of seven Russian youths. Though her characters are real the telling of their stories reads more like a great Russian novel. Brilliant work of history, psychology, and, sadly, effective statecraft.

Solid Perspective on a relevant topic

Adds to the Putin hates the Clinton story and why Trump.
There's value in looking a bit deeper into the current Russian politics and events from a Russian perspective. Enjoyed the time spent.

Good read.

I really enjoyed this book but something about the narration made this book seem harder to follow than I expected. Perhaps I need to see Russian names as I hear them?

Ms Gessen is my special favorite author

I am a special fan of all Marsha’s work.
A great American with a great Russian heritage.
Thank you for all your story.
Welcome to America.
Gordon Flygare

The Marriage of Depth and Detail

The author does a great job covering Russian politics and Russian characters from the end of the Soviet Union to around 2015. They do a great job of giving detail of life through the lens of modern-day Russia.

If you can keep the characters straight...

This book was not only a valuable insight into the government and people of Russia in the present-day, but also a deep philosophical exploration of what totalitarianism is and means, how it happens, and how over time a regime can systematically go about exterminating those with the will and means to resist them. This is a MUST read for anyone who wants to understand post-USSR Russia. I wish there was a book like this one for every country in the world.

Really, there is no future for us as a nation

Astonishing experience. That's all I can say.
I was talking part in the interest of 2011-2012 which Masha had put so much attention to in book. I remember how much I was passed off with the absolutely unnecessary, but enormous manipulation of the voting in November 2011. And then I had realized that majority of people who surround me just love it...
Great writing and performance. But realization that future is history makes me cry.

Hard to hear driving down the highway

Masha’s timber is hard to hear on cellphone speakers while I’m driving. This feels like a bad reason to not listen to something but I know you’re commuting too. Great writing, would listen to and question all hope again.

Absolutely fascinating

Fascinating insider views of the evolution of Russia after Glastnost. The author is obviously not a professional voice actress, but I rather like her reading anyway because it is her story to tell

Want to understand Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Listen to this book. Informative, insightful and troubling. The second half reads like the GOP playbook for America. Can be hard to follow the various Russian names at times; but overall essential listening for anyone who wants to understand Putin and the Russian mindset.