On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“On Tyranny” is the graphic novel adaptation of Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny” nonfiction text. There’s twenty lessons using examples from the Nazi, Soviet, and communist tyrannies of the twentieth century. These lessons are meant as both warning and action plans. I appreciated that it wasn’t just warnings because that just creates fear. Having the action plans in each lesson makes that anxiety manageable and makes the reader feel like they can actually do something to guard or fight against tyranny. There’s several examples of modern-day tyrants that are disturbing not just in the power grab but in the sense they are happening in my life time. As Snyder warns against, there’s this myth in the U.S. that we have somehow have transcended tyranny and don’t have to worry about a fascist ruler or the effects of tyranny in countries around us. Well recent events have certainly dispelled that myth and with the action steps Snyder provides I feel less frozen by not knowing what to do and more empowered to know the warning signs and what to do when the fascists show up. After reading the graphic novel version, I’m definitely looking forward to reading the full-length nonfiction text.