politicalscience

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century | Timothy Snyder

First published in 2017 but just as relevant now, this concise & thought provoking book clocks in less than 2 hours on audio. But the lessons contained within are expansive & will stay with the reader. Highly recommended.

TheBookHippie Agree. A must read. Oy. 9h

vivastory @TheBookHippie Absolutely 💯 9h

Chrissyreadit 🙌🙌🙌 9h

BarbaraBB I postponed it in 2017 but I guess there‘s no better time to read it than right now. Stacking. 7h

vivastory @BarbaraBB It's a quick read. I really liked the audio, read by Snyder. Some of it seems like preaching to the choir but other points were interesting enough to make me want to rec it. An important work IMO 1h

60 likes3 stack adds5 comments

danx

Whose Freedom?: The Battle over America's Most Important Idea | George Lakoff

Released during George W Bush‘s second term it is just as relevant today, providing insight and understanding to the road paved for where Trump now stands. The lessons regarding framing issues and how to change course are strong and worthy, but somehow have been missed by the mainstream left. It‘s a good read, I recommend highly, but damn it‘s sad reading this now, little of this implemented in the decades since. Dems, read it!

5 likes

TracyReadsBooks

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right | Arlie Russell Hochschild

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A UC Berkley sociologist spent 5 years conducting research in Louisiana as she sought to understand political divisions in our country & why people vote the way they do even in the face of seemingly obvious contradictions. One thing that becomes apparent is the tension between economic and emotional self-interests & the profound impact of the former in recent elections. A fascinating, even-handed, accessible, & thought-provoking read.

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TracyReadsBooks

Why We're Polarized | Ezra Klein

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Decided I wanted to do more reading to try and understand where—waves hands around—we find ourselves today. Klein‘s book is an eye-opener that examines, among other topics, the role of identity, the desire to be a winner (in politics like in sports), the psychology behind why people vote the way they do, media & the press, the difference between Democrats & Republicans and how to manage polarization going forward. A fascinating, informative read.

TheBookHippie I‘ll pick this up. Around here they vote for who the minister says 😵‍💫 and anything to put the libtard in their place😵‍💫. 1w

TracyReadsBooks @TheBookHippie both of those are discussed, the latter more than the former, in the book! 😠 My TBR pile is definitely growing after reading this one—he references a lot of books that sound really interesting. 1w

TheBookHippie @TracyReadsBooks I‘ve almost picked it up a few times, so I really need to! 1w

TracyReadsBooks @TheBookHippie I found it to be really thought provoking and an excellent overview of the variety of elements feeding into our polarization. Definitely recommend it. 1w

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Faranae

How to Spot a Fascist | Umberto Eco

February was just not a good month for reading. Tagged and Omelas were both re-reads I let myself put on the card so it would look nicer. Besides, if you haven't read Eco's “Ur Fascism“, you should. Personal highlight was Beck&Call, which is a solid gay romance about working class men. It's not cosy - there's blackmail, job loss, cPTSD, and the relationship is rocky for a long time.

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Christine

Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right | Arlie Russell Hochschild

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Thinking I may need to shift to books that are about escaping our current reality, as I keep reading the opposite and it‘s heavy. 🙃 But this is a good one, by a well-known sociologist (still doing vital work in her mid-eighties!) and based on ethnographic research where she deeply studies and truly listens to those whom we might perceive as voting against their own interests. A powerful takeaway is Hochschild‘s assertion that many (who ⬇️

Christine perhaps feel shamed and disempowered themselves) are drawn to you-know-who because he turns shame into blame through an oft-repeated four-step anti-shame ritual:

1. Says something outrageous/horrific
2. Gets publicly shamed
3. Becomes the “victim” of the shaming
4. Roars back at the shamers.

Seems obvious, but framing in that way does provide some food for thought re: how to move forward, I think. 1w

Deblovestoread I‘m definitely leaning into reads of a lighter tone but still trying to stay engaged with what is happening. Hard to find a balance in these times. Great review! 1w

AlaMich I‘ve so often wondered why people vote for someone who so clearly doesn‘t give a you-know-what about them or their problems. 1w

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TiredLibrarian I read this one of hers and found it insightful.