Patriot: A Memoir

What drives a person to sacrifice themselves, their family, and their friends for a conviction? Is it truly a selfless act? The memoir is very interesting ’ a fascinating read. Navalny talks about his childhood, his upbringing, his rejection of the political system, how he exposed corruption and the selfishness of government officials, why in his view Russia never progressed and is still behind other European countries, why he feels people need to stand up and claim what belongs to them, how he went about fighting it, why he decided to go back even after the Novichok attack, and, most interestingly, how he remained sane in solitary confinement. It is a book of hope and motivation. It is inspirational and shows you how you can be the change you want to see. But I still don’t understand why someone would do this. Mixed feelings ’ I admire him for his conviction, feel sad about the way he is treated, and yet I can’t ignore the fact that it was his choice. I cannot get my head around why a person would fight for something they cannot control.

© 2026 Sindhuja Cheema Enzinger. All Rights Reserved.

The Courage to be Disliked! How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness (Courage To series)

Books that claim in their title to give you the answer to real happiness or say it is that one book that will change your life are the last ones I pick up. It sounds inflated and like a marketing gag trying to entice a very desperate audience.

I heard the Courage to series at an Alfred Adler seminar. In recent years, I have developed an interest in different schools of psychology and human behavior in general. There is so much talk on trauma, mental health and I want to understand this better. It has been an enriching experience to learn more about Freud, Adler, and of course Viktor Frankl. I am a big fan of Frankl and I can say that his book is a must read and life changing. I also wanted to understand Adler’s take better and I decided to read this book.

© 2026 Sindhuja Cheema Enzinger. All Rights Reserved.