Brittney Griner writing memoir about 'harrowing' time in Russian prison
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian penal colony four months ago, and soon the world will know about what she experienced during her incarceration.
Griner, who was arrested in February 2022 when Russian airport officials found marijuana vape cartridges in her luggage, is currently working on a memoir about her 10 months as a Russian prisoner. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced the currently untitled book on Tuesday, which is scheduled to be released in spring 2024. Griner herself also announced the news on Instagram.
"I arrived in Moscow to rejoin the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team and was immediately detained at the airport. That day was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share.
"The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud. After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. Readers will hear my story and understand why I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world."
Marijuana is illegal in Russia, so Griner was charged with a drug offense that carries up to 10 years in prison. The U.S. government classified her as wrongfully detained and worked to free her, but Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine made diplomacy extremely complicated.
In August she was convicted and sentenced to nine years in a women's penal colony. Her appeal was denied in October and she was moved to the colony shortly after. One month later, on Dec. 8, 2022, Griner was freed in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Here's more about the book, via The Associated Press:
In Tuesday's press statement, Knopf said that the book would be "intimate and moving" and that Griner would disclose "in vivid detail her harrowing experience of her wrongful detainment (as classified by the State Department) and the difficulty of navigating the byzantine Russian legal system in a language she did not speak."
“Griner also describes her stark and surreal time living in a foreign prison and the terrifying aspects of day-to-day life in a women’s penal colony. At the heart of the book, Griner highlights the personal turmoil she experienced during the near ten-month ordeal and the resilience that carried her through to the day of her return to the United States last December.”
This will be Griner's second memoir. Her first, "In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court," was published in 2014.
Since her release, Griner has signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Mercury for the 2023 season, made several public appearances, thrown her wife Cherelle (Griner's tireless advocate during her imprisonment) a belated 30th birthday party, and advocated for the release of other Russian prisoners like Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. She hasn't spoken publicly about her ordeal yet, so this book will be the first time she will tell her story.
