Some books I need to read more than once. Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century is one. I read it when it came out in 2017 – a gift from my brother. Now, as we approach a new year with a divided country full of challenges, I felt nudged to read it again, and was delighted to discover a recently updated version.
This small book is a quick, two-hour read with reminders from history too significant to forget, and crystalized approaches too important to ignore. It's also packed with thought-provoking elements that gave me pause. Here’s a sample:
“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.” (pg. 65)
“It is your ability to discern facts that makes you an individual, and our collective trust in common knowledge that makes us a society.” (pg. 73)
The author, Timothy Snyder, is a Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University and has written over forty books.
On Tyranny is easy to read and understand, and in the words of one reviewer “it’s a manual for our times.” For me, it’s an important book full of eye-opening lessons and actionable personal choices for our collective future. It’s a book I highly recommend.
