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Autocracy, Inc.By Anne Applebaum Paperback NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WITH A NEW PREFACE From the Pulitzer prize winning author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them "A masterful guide to the new age of authoritarianism clear sighted and fearless.John Simpson, The Guardian "Especially timely."The Washington Post We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is
By Anne Applebaum
Paperback
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WITH A NEW PREFACE • From the Pulitzer-prize winning author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them
"A masterful guide to the new age of authoritarianism... clear-sighted and fearless.”—John Simpson, The Guardian
"Especially timely."—The Washington Post
We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century, there is so much more to it. Nowadays, autocracies work together, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies and kleptocrats in one country do business with corrupt companies and kleptocrats in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, diplomats band together to bend international rules, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.
Disapproval and sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don't stand a chance. The members of Autocracy, Inc, aren't linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, that can be defeated, but by a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity. In this urgent treatise, Anne Applebaum calls for the democracies to fight a new kind of threat.
A new preface to the paperback edition highlights the increased relevance of these dangerous dynamics in light of the return of Donald Trump to the American presidency.
"A masterful guide to the new age of authoritarianism... clear-sighted and fearless.”—John Simpson, The Guardian
"Especially timely."—The Washington Post
We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century, there is so much more to it. Nowadays, autocracies work together, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies and kleptocrats in one country do business with corrupt companies and kleptocrats in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, diplomats band together to bend international rules, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America.
Disapproval and sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don't stand a chance. The members of Autocracy, Inc, aren't linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, that can be defeated, but by a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity. In this urgent treatise, Anne Applebaum calls for the democracies to fight a new kind of threat.
A new preface to the paperback edition highlights the increased relevance of these dangerous dynamics in light of the return of Donald Trump to the American presidency.
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4.5 ★★★★★
Based on 676 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
I love this book
Format: Paperback
I’m not your avid reader but I love this book!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
★★★★★ 5
I needed this so bad!
Format: Kindle
As i began my journey to revisiting all dreams wrote down this book is one of the best da to interpreting your dreams biblically with Holy Spirit having his way!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021
★★★★★ 5
Warning: You will want to read the classics after you read this book!
Format: Hardcover
This book beautifully captures what I didn’t realize was possible until I got to college: That the Lord can speak through great literature. When I was younger I largely avoided reading any fiction books because I felt guilty for not reading my Bible (but for some reason my apologetic books were ok? Lol). However, this book seeks to show (and I think accomplishes quite well) that great literature isn’t a hinderance to the Christian life but actually serves to cultivate a deep and thoroughly Christian imagination. Great literature has the capacity to convict you of your sins, to invoke worship and prayer, and to cultivate our desire to live lives of virtue. Great literature is a mirror through which you can examine your own way of life, but it also acts as a lens through which you can see with fresh eyes the world around you.
The author presents a lot of helpful practical advice in here too. Like how to know if a book is worth reading, different ways to approach reading books, as well as a thoughtful critique of the bad logic often used in Christian circles to avoid reading great literature.
“In a world that tries to convince us that we are computers or animals, that treats us like automatons or worker bees, what better protest than the reading life? If we are to be fully human, we must practice human acts— civility, creativity, contemplation, charity.”
All four of these acts are intertwined with reading great books! So let’s get to it!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023
★★★★★ 5
A Book to Read and Read Again
Format: Hardcover
I finished this book a few days ago and have been obsessing over it in my mind ever since. Hooten Wilson (which is a delightfully fun name) is a brilliant scholar, excellent guide/teacher, and lover of Christ and the written word and all of that shows on every page.
This book is a call to look up from our screens and dive deep into the written word, both Scripture and literature. It is equal parts inspiring and practical. The robust and rich writing of the author is still easily accessible.
As one who grew up in love with books and reading, I moved to almost exclusively non-fiction in my adult years. This book inspired me to return to the beauty of fiction once again and to see the value of the written word as a way to love God, not just to gather and process information.
I will definitely be reading this one again.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2023
★★★★★ 4
Rich Academic Insight
Format: Hardcover
Near the beginning of "Reading for the Love of God," Jessica Hooten Wilson addresses why we should read fiction, responding to arguments in some Christian circles that we should only read the Bible. Other topics that she covers include the difference between using and enjoying books, how reading can help us develop greater virtue, and how we can rightly interpret books through the "trinity" of rightly balancing the text, the author's intent, and our own takeaways, instead of forcing the text to mean whatever we want. She also shares "bookmarks" between chapters about the reading lives of Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Frederick Douglass, and Dorothy L. Sayers. These sections are thoughtful and encouraging, and the latter two are my favorite parts of the book.
There is a recommended reading list at the end that offers many wonderful selections, but I want to offer one quick warning. She includes the graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler's "Kindred" in her list for school-age readers, and although she mentions that it's more for the 10-12 age range, it is an adult book. The main character is an adult, and the graphic novel includes vivid on-page depictions of racial violence, attempted rape scenes, and a lot of talk about rape. Some older kids can handle that, but it would terrify others and was never intended for that age group.
Reading and the Bible
Hooten Wilson emphasizes that enhancing our reading skills through literature will help us better read, understand, and appreciate the Bible. She makes excellent points about how learning to read different literary genres will help with biblical interpretation, and she makes a convincing case for how practicing our interpretive skills and becoming more fluent with metaphor and other literary devices will enhance our experience with the Bible.
However, I felt that she sometimes went too far, making it sound like Bible-reading is an activity for the well-educated and well-practiced. God intended the Bible for everyone regardless of their socioeconomic class, abilities, or educational level, and even though reading the Bible badly can have negative consequences, this book focuses more on our own literary skills than the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us, convict us, and comfort us through Scripture. Hooten Wilson provides excellent next steps for people who want to deepen their relationship with the Bible, but I wished that she had articulated additional vital context around this.
Audience
This book is highly academic in content and tone, and even though I enjoyed this book and found it very enriching, it is only for serious readers. Hooten Wilson writes about highly abstract concepts in complex ways, and she often uses specialized vocabulary without explaining what she means. She also makes lots of references to monastic practices and obscure literary works that even highly bookish Christians are unlikely to be familiar with. This book shares rich scholarly perspectives, but it is not for reluctant or casual readers, especially since Hooten Wilson only acknowledges the worth of popular-level books in the special section on Dorothy L. Sayers.
It disappoints me that Christian books about reading are almost always written at such a lofty level that they are inaccessible to the people who need them most. I read hundreds of books every year, including dozens of academic ones, but I still felt that parts of the book were beyond me. If someone wants to begin getting more serious about reading, I would recommend Karen Swallow Prior's "On Reading Well" as a more accessible alternative with similar themes.
My other concern is that Hooten Wilson was always the expert in the anecdotes she shared, never the person learning something new. Only one anecdote bothered me in and of itself, and that is the chapter-opening illustration about a time when she set up an undergrad student for embarrassment to make a point during class. The other anecdotes don't involve power differentials and were perfectly fine, but taken together, they give the impression that the author needs to feel superior. I am sure this was unintentional, but I wish she had given examples of times that she lost an argument and learned something new.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed "Reading for the Love of God," appreciating Hooten Wilson's unique insights and her scholarly perspective on the spiritual importance of reading. This book is deep and thoughtful, and there are a lot of important messages about reading great books to expand your mind, enhance your understanding of Scripture, and become closer to God. However, this book is so dense and academic that it is only for scholarly readers. I wish that this book could be an on-ramp for people who want to get more serious about reading, but it will probably just make them feel judged, lectured at, and so overwhelmed that they give up. This book has great value for people who inhabit the author's literary world or are so well-read that they can make the leap, but I hope that the she will consider ways to effectively reach popular audiences in the future.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2023
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