A review by tag_gregory
The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America, by Timothy Snyder
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
What an important and insightful book. I thought, having lived thru the Trump years that I knew what was going on but reading Snyder’s book, I realize my grasp was only superficial. He managed to point out events I don’t remember as well as some events that seemed unconnected and strung them all together into a comprehensive and frightening whole. There was just so much here:
-Coining the term Schzio-Fascism to describe the way current neo-Nazi groups twist everything around to make themselves into the victims.
-Sado-Populism to describe the way politicians like Trump intentionally hurt their own supporters the most while still convincing them it’s okay because everyone else is hurting too.
-The rise of the gay/trans/pedophile panic conspiracies, which originated in Russia and then migrated to be the centerpiece of US Culture wars.
-That *EVERYTHING* goes back to Ukraine. Literally.
I think it’s even more important to read this book now, in 2023, than back in 2018 when it was published. The developments of the ensuing 5 years have proven how on point Snyder was. I would love it if the author would do and updated volume that includes chapters on how the 2020 election, COVID, Trump’s January 6th Insurrection, the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the 2024 midterms fit into this framework. Or maybe that’s a whole book in itself.
Now, with the understanding we have from Snyder’s recitation of how we got here, the question remains: how do we fix it all?
100% Recommend!
-Coining the term Schzio-Fascism to describe the way current neo-Nazi groups twist everything around to make themselves into the victims.
-Sado-Populism to describe the way politicians like Trump intentionally hurt their own supporters the most while still convincing them it’s okay because everyone else is hurting too.
-The rise of the gay/trans/pedophile panic conspiracies, which originated in Russia and then migrated to be the centerpiece of US Culture wars.
-That *EVERYTHING* goes back to Ukraine. Literally.
I think it’s even more important to read this book now, in 2023, than back in 2018 when it was published. The developments of the ensuing 5 years have proven how on point Snyder was. I would love it if the author would do and updated volume that includes chapters on how the 2020 election, COVID, Trump’s January 6th Insurrection, the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the 2024 midterms fit into this framework. Or maybe that’s a whole book in itself.
Now, with the understanding we have from Snyder’s recitation of how we got here, the question remains: how do we fix it all?
100% Recommend!