On Tyranny

Why I'd hand it to you

Timothy Snyder, a Yale historian of 20th-century Europe, offers twenty short lessons on how democracies have slid into authoritarianism, and what ordinary citizens can do about it. Each lesson is a page or two, so you can read the whole thing in about an hour. The history behind it is solid, and the advice is practical. Know that Snyder wrote it right after the 2016 election, and many readers, especially conservatives, will read parts of it as aimed at one side. It is also brief by design, so don't expect depth. As a pocket guide to civic responsibility, it does what it sets out to do.

— Matt Jordan