This book is about democracies that have risen and fallen in the past couple hundred years, and describes the common symptoms that allow a democracy to be taken over by dictators. Often times dictators are elected into office, or supported by existing political parties, only to lead to the unexpected tearing down of the systems that support the democracy, including the courts, the congress, elections, and the press. However, the main focus of this book is the United States. It was published in the middle of the Trump presidency, which gives the book an overarching tone of worry about where the U.S. is headed. The take-away is the U.S. constitution and 200+ years of democracy are a great achievement, but are not infallible.
In terms of depth, I think this book does have useful insights, but a lot of it felt very surface-level. Meaning, compared to books I've read that go deep into a subject and really open your eyes to a new world of information, this book doesn't compare. Rather, I feel I've just read a decent few-page essay by someone knowledgeable in the subject. I do have a few useful tools to think about, though, and am interested in how current events will develop in certain countries across the world. For example, the military coup in Myanmar and the jailing of its former president, or the unstable political situation in Venezuela.
I'd learn toward not recommending this book, as I don't feel it hit hard enough, it didn't go deep enough. I wonder if there are stronger offerings on this topic.
In terms of depth, I think this book does have useful insights, but a lot of it felt very surface-level. Meaning, compared to books I've read that go deep into a subject and really open your eyes to a new world of information, this book doesn't compare. Rather, I feel I've just read a decent few-page essay by someone knowledgeable in the subject. I do have a few useful tools to think about, though, and am interested in how current events will develop in certain countries across the world. For example, the military coup in Myanmar and the jailing of its former president, or the unstable political situation in Venezuela.
I'd learn toward not recommending this book, as I don't feel it hit hard enough, it didn't go deep enough. I wonder if there are stronger offerings on this topic.