Books We Recommend

‍ Opposing Autocracy:

Tim Snyder:

• On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder: A concise guide detailing 20 lessons from the 20th century to resist the rise of authoritarianism.

• The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder: Examines the rise of authoritarianism in Russia and its impact on the West.

M. Gessen:

• Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen: A critical look at how to approach language and truth to combat the normalization of autocracy.

Erica Chenoweth:

• Pro-democracy Organizing against Autocracy in the United States: A Strategic Assessment & Recommendations (2024) by Chenoweth, E. & Marks, Z

Gene Sharp:

• From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp: A practical guide to nonviolent resistance strategies that can be used to overthrow dictatorships.

David Pepper:

• Laboratories of Autocracy by David Pepper: Examines how democracy is being eroded at the state level in the U.S. and how to stop it.

Stewart Stevens:

• The Conspiracy to End America by Stuart Stevens: Explores how specific political strategies are driving American democracy toward autocracy.

Patricia Roberts-Miller:

• ·Demagoguery and Democracy by Patricia Roberts-Miller: Analyzes how rhetorical styles, rather than political parties, threaten democracy.

Sergei Guriev:

• Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century by Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman: Discusses how modern, subtler authoritarians use media and misinformation instead of violence.

Improving Democracy:

• The Corporate Sabotage of America’s Future (And What We Can Do About It).  Weissman and Claybrook. 2023.

• Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America.  Reich. 2025.

• Beyond Outrage: What has gone wrong with our economy and our democracy, and how to fix it. Reich. 2012.

• The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties.  Collier.  2018.

• Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places.  Collier.  2024.

• Nature, Culture, and Inequality: A Comparative and Historical Perspective.  Piketty. 2023.

• The New Class War: Saving Democracy from the Managerial Elite. Lind. 2020.

• The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy.  Giridharadis. 2022.

• Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire.  Henderson. 2020.

• Runaway Inequality: An Activist’s Guide to Economic Justice.  Leopold.  2015.

• Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy. Provost and Kennard. 2023.

• Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point. Levitsky and Ziblatt. 2023.

• Wall Street’s War on Workers. Leopold. 2024.