Surviving Autocracy

For those who would purchase this book, the majority of us are keenly aware of all that has occurred under Trump and the various incidents and ways in which he has subverted democracy and destroyed this country. We are already living in horror each day at the increasingly vile and shocking actions he takes and the dystopian view of the world and of “others” he presents. We are aware of how he is installing lackeys in every agency in order to bend the laws and institutions in his favor and destroy the very institutions they were appointed to lead, as well as his denigration and destruction of the free press.
The title of this book, “How to Survive Autocracy” led me to believe that there would be a deep historical underpinning, so that the warning signs would be apparent, as well as concrete steps to take to counter the endless march towards authoritarianism that is increasing each day as we move closer to the election. I found some benefit in the Historical information pertaining to both American history, as well as autocratic societies, and some of it surprised me. What I was desperately looking for though, was means to counter it. If you are astutely aware of what is happening under this administration, and looking for the knowledge and means to fight it, this is not the book for you. I found myself more anxious reading through the litany of crimes, of which I was already aware, and looking for the promised survival part, which was quite spare and did not provide enough information to actually be useful.
Overall, I feel this book will provide a roadmap for historians looking back at the period in which America became a dictatorship. How it occurred, and how a minority of those who accepted his cruelty and subversion of truth, and vision of a regressive, isolationist ideologies, along with a corrupt Republican establishment, turned this country into something far removed from the ideals that America was founded on.
The author has extensive knowledge of what has occurred throughout history in countries that morph into dictatorships, the foundational principals that are guiding Trump and his enablers and cult followers’, as well as the means to combat this issue, if there is indeed still time. I would strongly recommend however, a second edition or another epilogue, which clearly lays out the steps we can take right now, on an emergency basis, prior to the election that can turn the tide and rebuff the dystopian nightmare that is unfolding before our eyes.

This is an amazing and timely book. Anyone who has been following the news will appreciate the detailed inventory of the past four years, including how Trump is taking advantage of the pandemic to secure unlimited power for himself. Masha Gessen has written an urgent book about how close the U.S. is becoming an autocratic state. Trump, who has created his own reality in which he lies about everything, even the weather, admires totalitarians and wants to be one himself, will do anything he can to hold on to power indefinitely. By electing an autocrat, America has already lost a lot. Many Americans do not recognize the slide toward authoritarianism, which pits your lived experience against gaslighting and propaganda because they have never experienced it before. Masha Gessen provides a detailed history of how we came to be a nation on the brink of becoming more Putin’s Russia. She includes information about the coronavirus and how even the experience of illness and death is being denied by the liar-in-command.

I gotta tell ya. I’m working my way through Masha Gessen’s new book Surviving Autocracy.

It’s really good. Not so much because it shows anyone who has been paying close attention new stuff although there is some of that.

What Ms. Gessen does is to put things in an appropriate context and then tell the brutal truth about it.

But then again, that’s why Putin would like to kill her so it is what I expected from her.

She’s got real courage.

The title of this book suggests that there are actions we can take in order to survive this drift toward a nondemocratic Trumpist autocracy. The book is full of analyses of Trump’s use of language and abuse of power but there is virtually nothing as far as what we can do about it or even the meaning of “surviving” in this context. Very informative for those who have not been following the Trump Administration’s misbehavior of the last few years. For those who have, however, there is not much that is new here.

The most incisive and fundamental analysis of our current political situation to date. Especially effective on explaining how the use of language shapes perception. Especially effective in explaining the function of journalism in creating a common weal. Especially effective in also describing as to how journalism can also be coopted, manipulated, and abused. Especially effective in providing context as to how cognitive dissonance functions to distance contemporary events from historical precedents and patterns. This work is already a contemporary classic: it resonates fully with the same functional integrity as the work of Hannah Arendt.

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