On Tyranny

There is nothing like feeling anxious about the political situation in one's country and reading a book in hopes of relieving said anxiety and finding oneself feeling more anxious. That is how I feel about this book.

I'm not saying that I shouldn't feel more anxious; I am saying I am not sure I can cope with feeling any more anxiety. Timothy Snyder takes a look at acknowledged tyrannies of the twentieth century, primarily Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, and compares their actions to the actions of our current US president.

Is he overreaching? Yes, undoubtedly. In some cases. It is clear to me that Snyder has an agenda. He shares his deep concerns about the current administration in the US, and he offers tools to cut through to the truth. That doesn't make his suggestions easy; when was investigating and looking for truth ever easy?

I urge readers to look carefully at this text as well, with a critical eye, watching for bias, searching for exaggeration, carefully keeping an eye on our government as well as an eye on those who would set themselves up as watchdogs of it.