Welcome to Litsy!

This book feels like old news now, but still so important to read. The authors lay out the warnings of a democracy in crisis, and all the moves to power that authoritarians make: Trump met (and continues to meet) each one of them. They discuss how these events unfolded in other countries, America‘s political history, and why democracy is so fragile. Voting and institutions alone will not save us. Highly recommend.
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I‘d like a follow-up, but this is a book everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) should read. It always felt wrong to me, no matter how much Trumpism scares me, to “other” all Republicans. I try to be a “when they go low, we go high” Democrat. But guys, we‘re so close to losing our democracy. Please be kind this election season, trust your election workers, and vote. And try to build bridges, not tear them down. We‘re all in this together. Read this book!

Read to understand how democracies fail, and the many threats to democracy in the USA. Key takeaways are: political norms hold democracies in place and as polarization increases, parties lose the ability to hold to political norms and democracies die; people need to form broad coalitions; and people make the decisions that kill or revived democracy.
4/5 compelling & informative. Aloy tried to eat this book. I think unions should be considered key

A timely reminder that, democracies are made of much more than the hard architecture of a constitution or our institutions and why we should cherish and protect that.

Surprisingly good!! Learn a lot and think a lot!!

Not that might need more than just 30 books!

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/18/thirty-books-to-help-us-understand...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A must read. The authors use examples in history from different times worldwide to show how democracies can fail .The book is forthright in its concerns about this president & shows how the U.S. form of democracy has been endangered in the past.”A country whose president attacks the press,threatens to lock up his rival,& declares that he might not accept the election results cannot credibly defend democracy.” A wake up call if not woke.

Love how I can text location of book in the library to my phone from the library database .Still miss card catalogs though ,sigh.

Those who will read this are already aware of the signs, but this book gives a factual education and comparison of the ways damage is done to the Democratic system. Looking back historically, the book illuminates the hazards we face, the ways things could/should have been addressed, and what we can do now. I recommend it to everyone, but am completely aware that those who need to understand the most will likely never touch it.

#Overdrive

Trump now might be attempting to foment global instability to create the crisis he needs to upend American democracy.

On the other hand, I‘m not sure Trump has met the authoritarian criteria asserted in this book. The goal of this tome may be to raise consciousness, but it‘s actually calming me down a bit. The guardrails of democracy are deteriorating a bit, but they hold for now.

The tragic paradox of the electoral route to authoritarianism is that democracy‘s assassins use the very institutions of democracy-gradually, subtly, and even legally-to kill it.

#americawasgreat #maga #bygettingridoftrump

Very interesting read about constitution and custom of the American democracy over time along with some comparisons to other countries.

I devoured this in less than a day. It‘s a great review of recent (as well as more long-standing) trends in the US, in the context of other countries. Very clear eyed analysis of how rules work together with norms to reinforce political institutions that safeguard democracy. Some practical suggestions for how to strengthen the institutional ‘guardrails‘ before democracy fails altogether. An important book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've read some of these and a few others are on my TBR for the upcoming year but I'll have to make room for the rest ❤

‘Nuff said.

I‘m only halfway through this but so far this is one of THE best books I‘ve recently read about American politics and how the current state of affairs fits into the global framework and comparative histories. Very easy to digest and understand.

“History doesn‘t repeat itself. But it rhymes.”

I MISS THIS MAN SO MUCH ❤️

Here are the books/articles he listed (see his FB post for more of his thoughts on each):
1. The Broken Ladder by Keith Payne
2. How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
3. This New York Times article by Matthew Desmond: https://nyti.ms/2MkTNLc
4. A series of articles from The Atlantic: https://bit.ly/2xbh4KP

Sometimes I really like my city even if I don‘t like what‘s going on here right now. After spending two full days down at the Senate to protest Kavanaugh‘s nomination to the Supreme Court, I came here to reflect and read at one of my favorite spots. The Supreme Court is to the left, the Library of Congress is to the right with Congress on the other side (out of the photo). This book is giving me a lot to chew on in our current climate.

How Democracies Die explores recent world authoritarian regimes, how they came about, and the components in each place that led to a move away from democracy. It then contrasts these historic situations with the US today. This is a chilling read that is vitally important, lest we lose what we claim to hold most dear. I feel much more informed after listening to it.

This was an excellent book, researched and written by Harvard profs. I‘m truly scared, yet hopeful that we can pull out of this mess we are mired in the US. If you value democracy, anywhere, read this. It‘s a great history lesson about leaders around the world slipping into authoritarianism. 5🌟

This is scaring me guys. We are in quite a mess in the US. #mustread

Quite good for the walk.

This book is a must read for anyone concerned about the direction our country appears to be headed in. The authors have studied failed democracies and authoritarian states for years, and offer thoughtful, measured insight into the ways such changes occur. While confirming some of my fears, this book also provides reason to hope we as a nation can get through this.

While this is an informative look at how historical autocracies came to be in power and current dangerous political trends, I felt that they were not always supported by the data they presented but it was still interesting and thought provoking

This book is a must read for anyone wondering how we got here, and what to do about it.

Too true right now.

The authors, Harvard poli-sci profs, outline historical, global autocratic parallels to the GOP and Trump's actions leading up to and following the 2016 election. The history of global democracy wins and fails is eye-opening, and I recommend this book for that reason. I can't guarantee you'll agree with their suggested action plan for going-forward, but it's worthwhile perspective to have nevertheless. #audiobooking #audiobooks #libby

When they legitimize an authoritarian candidate, the democratic process allows that candidate access... fascinating book! #audiobook

When Teddy Roosevelt had dinner with Booker T. Washington.

I posted this incomplete sentence because what he said doesn‘t actually matter. All that matters is that his name is Stefan Schmuckenschlager. That needed to be shared!

Not a quote from this book but a quote from a recent article by #RebeccaSolnit which partly explains why I read books like this:

“..everything seems crazy. The news is overwhelming, and some try to cope by withdrawing or pretending that things are normal. Others are overwhelmed and distraught. I‘m afflicted by a kind of hyper-vigilance of the news, a daily obsession to watch what‘s going on...(con‘t below)

Using examples from history, and focusing on events in the US from the 1980s until today the authors demonstrate that, yes indeed, we are in danger of losing our democracy. Although the authors are well-regarded historians, they write in easy to understand language with vivid details. This is the most recent book on related topics that I‘ve read since the 2016 election, and it is one of the most important and most chilling. I am not hopeful.

2 TBRs. Both covers are 😍👏🏼

We have work to do, to protect and grow our American democracy.

During the darkest days of the Second World War the U.S. Federal Government's Writer's War Board asked E. B. White to write a short response to the question "What is democracy?" This is just a part of his answer.

Yaaaay!! More #BookMail ... Just couldn‘t pass up these deals the other day. OOPS 🙊😅😏

This book was engaging and thought provoking. It didn't go to deep into detail but just enough to point out some interesting facts and not lose my attention. If this topic interests you this book is definitely worth your time.

Omgosh George W. Bush you are cracking me up. Thanks for the laugh...

My evening reading nook view. ♡♡♡

Very apropos. Can US democracy recover after Trump? Have other countries recovered after sliding towards autocracy? Read this book to find out...

It was a dreary night last night but so hygge sitting on my window seat snuggled in a blanket, with red wine reading my latest library score. ~°▪¤♡☆♡¤▪~

It's like Christmas when the books you have been waiting for from the library finally arrive. Perfect time to read on this cold and slushy night.
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After a long day at work, it's time to climb into bed and unwind with some light reading.

Good morning all - Happy Sunday!

Currently reading this book which is fascinating and chilling...if you want to watch a streaming live version of How Democracies Die turn on Fox News🤬