"On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder is already a powerful book, but this new graphic edition elevates its message even further. With illustrations by Nora Krug, this version transforms Snyder’s original work into a visually compelling experience that underscores the urgency of resisting authoritarianism. The lessons drawn from twentieth-century history are as critical as ever, and Krug's artistic contributions bring a new dimension to Snyder’s warnings about the potential threats to democracy today.

Snyder's twenty lessons offer clear, practical ways to recognize and resist tyranny, each tied to historical examples of fascism and communism. From defending institutions and professional ethics to recognizing dangerous language and the power of small acts like eye contact and small talk, the book empowers readers to think critically about the political landscape.

For readers already familiar with the original "On Tyranny," this graphic edition serves as a refreshing and engaging companion. It’s also an excellent introduction for new readers, especially those who may find the visual storytelling format more engaging or accessible. In a time of increasing political tension, this book feels like essential reading for anyone concerned about the direction of democracy.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A refreshing take to read this incredibly in-depth look into survival of history and politics through the lens of a graphic novel. Not only because it's an entirely different format to imagine nonfiction through, but also because it offers a different perspective and provides a more accessible avenue for nonfiction for some readers. Definitely recommend for anyone interested in historical political teachings, but also anyone interested in a taste of nonfiction.

A fantastic summer read that I think readers of all ages would thoroughly enjoy. I highly recommend this book, especially if you want something to keep you full wondering what will happen next. Great book overall

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for arc.

Great companion to the original. Would recommend

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

5 stars!!

First of all I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Ten Speed Press, for granting me an early copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a non-fiction graphic novel about tips to make wiser political decisions, resisting and identifying authoritarianism.

The points are stated clearly, there text included to accompany the illustrations is just what is needed, so it’s not too much or too little.

This was quite an enjoyable experience that allowed the reader to stop and reflect constantly on the points given as a guide and the explanations offered.

Images were stunning, the colour scheme was brilliantly chosen to produce certain emotions and attract attention to the right details. I cannot even put into words how incredible I thought the illustrator, Nora Krug, was. I also loved the illustration style and cannot wait to see more of her job.

I personally agree with every single point stated by the historian Tymothy Snyder and believe everybody should read this to realise how close certain world leaders are from being dictators and act accordingly.

I do recommend this to everyone!

I think this book should be a must read for every person interested in politics. The original book was already fantastic but turning it into a graphic novel just made it even better. The illustrations were absolutely stunning and added so much more to an already incredible book. Highly recommend!

Excellent companion to the original book; makes for a more casual read and the illustrations are excellent. Definitely recommend this, even if you own the origina.

I thought this book would use a traditional graphic novel format with a comic book style. This adaptation is more of an illustrated edition. It looks like a picture book with longer passages on each page. I prefer non-fiction adaptations that make the content more accessible. I recommend reading the original or listening to the audiobook.

This volume is an update to one that was originally published in 2017. In addition to updating and extending some events, this edition is in a graphic format, which has advantages and disadvantages. The images chosen often enhance the text; at the same time, the choice of font can’t be hard to read, and the formatting of many pages can make it difficult to follow the text, with some text splitting into columns on either side of images, and other text reading across or through images, including a few places where text reads across facing pages. This can distract from the content on occasion.

This is a cautionary reporting of history, with recent events compared and contrasted with historical events, primarily from WWI, WWII, and the recent revolutions in the late 20th century in Russia and Czechoslovakia - many of which are compared to the clearly-described but never named former president. The historical parallels are strong, but limited to Europe, Russia, and the US. The author is understandably concerned that the US is heading in an authoritarian direction, and he may well be correct; however, he provides no alternative interpretations, no reference to any other part of the world or events outside the areas named, and very little in the way of possible ways to shift the future he foresees. Snyder’s interpretation is both realistic and pessimistic.

I received an advance copy of this volume in exchange for my review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

I think graphic novel adaptations of non-fiction books is a great trend. The information can be made more accessible for all readers. This is a great purchase for a public library collection.

The illustrations added so much to this already incredibly important little book, and I think makes it even more accessible to a wider audience. Required reading for our turbulent times.

Nora Krug has illustrated a stripped-down version of Timothy Snyder’s <i>On Tyranny</i> for this graphic edition of the book. Snyder breaks down into twenty lessons we can learn from fascism in the 20th century, as well as some examples in present day we have seen these types of events coming again in America and Europe.

This book does a great job of laying out how to recognize fascism and how to stand up against it. This book will not be popular with Trump supporters, but I would say it is aimed at everyone else to make us aware that we need to learn from history to avoid having it repeat itself. Snyder is a historian of fascism, so he is highly qualified to disseminate this information. Everyone needs to know this information.

Here are the 20 lessons from the book:

1. Do not obey in advance.
2. Defend institutions.
3. Beware the one-party state.
4. Take responsibility for the world.
5. Remember professional ethics.
6. Be wary of paramilitaries.
7. Be reflective if you must be armed.
8. Stand out.
9. Be kind to our language.
10. Believe in truth.
11. Investigate.
12. Make eye contact and small talk.
13. Practice corporeal politics.
14. Establish a private life.
15. Contribute to good causes.
16. Learn from peers in other countries.
17. Listen for dangerous words.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
19. Be a patriot.
20. Be as courageous as you can.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

This a great and at the same time unnerving graphic novel. I love the way that it’s broken into 20 chapters and each has a lesson for us to learn or remember. The art is great. Nora Krug uses a mix of photos from the past mixed with drawings to illustrate each chapter. We’re reminded what happened in Europe and U.S.S.R. in the 1920s-1940s. And they use history to show what the world is looking like now and how history might be repeating itself. I think this is good book to have around to remind you what happened in the past because some people are forgetting the past and repeating it now.

A very fine adaptation of the book in a graphic form, losing none of the original's potency while adding memorable visual detail.

When On Tyranny first came out in 2017, I remember reading it in my bathtub, absolutely riveted and completely terrified. I remained that way, completely terrified that is, through the remainder of Trump’s presidency up until the present day. In the short review I posted on Goodreads at the time, I called it the “most powerful and timely book we’ve got right now,” and I stand by that assessment. In it, Snyder presented us with a model of political rectitude, elucidating the present by drawing parallels from the past in the hope that we might steer ourselves toward a more just and equitable future.

To return to my terror, I suppose Snyder himself would say that an alert citizen is a good citizen, but only if that citizen is proactive rather than reactive. Like most forms of social good, democracy does not self-correct when it encounters flaws in the mechanism. The people in charge of its maintenance, which is all of us, have to pull over on the side of the road, lift up the hood, and put in a little elbow grease to fix it. To further labor the metaphor: Democracy does not offer roadside assistance.

To lessen our chances of breaking down in the first place, however, it’s important to practice good citizenship at all times, not just in times of crisis. We should advocate for the causes important to us all the time, not just during an election year. We should lobby our legislators to pass laws that strengthen our democracy, that protect human rights. We should make calls, donate when and where we can, and show up to participate with our bodies every chance we get.

I have done my best to be a proactive citizen and I’d like to think that my efforts helped us to avoid another four years of Trump, at least for the moment. I’m holding my breath thinking that putrid orange tyrant will try to run again in the next presidential election. If he does, and heaven forbid, wins, God have mercy on us all.

The good news is I’m not that much of a cynic yet. On my not-so-good days, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think we were doomed beyond saving, but I don’t like to back down from a fight. It’s not good for your digestion. Actually, I’m not sure what pugnacity does for your digestion, but I’ve always found it winsome to follow the revealing of a questionable character trait with something ameliorative to make myself more palatable.

I was so excited when I found out that a graphic edition of Snyder’s book was being released and having now read it, I can assuredly say it did not disappoint. Timothy Snyder is not only a historian of the highest echelon, but a prescient prognosticator of our possible political futures. I intentionally used futures, plural, because our course is not set. We the people, the body politic, are the cartographers drawing the map toward our future. What the future looks like is based on the collective decisions we make today to either defend or neglect democracy. Don’t let’s make it easy for the tyrants, orange or otherwise.

Nora Krug’s illustrations are sometimes macabre and at other times breathtakingly beautiful, and sometimes they are both in equal measure. All of her illustrations are elegant in their simplicity and deftly executed on the page. Her inclusion of historical photographs, many of which were found in photo albums and other ephemera at flea markets and antique shops, add depth and pictorial veracity to Snyder’s narrative of the history of tyranny in the twentieth century.

Although a review is not and should not necessarily be a summary of a work, I’d like to include here the twenty lessons Snyder gives in his book, if for no other reason than to pique the interest of would-be readers.

Snyder’s Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

Do not obey in advance.
Defend institutions.
Beware the one-party state.
Take responsibility for the face of the world.
Remember professional ethics.
Be wary of paramilitaries.
Be reflective if you must be armed.
Stand out.
Be kind to our language.
Believe in truth.
Investigate.
Make eye contact and small talk.
Practice corporeal politics.
Establish a private life.
Contribute to good causes.
Learn from peers in other countries.
Listen for dangerous words.
Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
Be a patriot.
Be as courageous as you can.

© 2017, 2021 Timothy Snyder. All rights reserved.

Even though I'm not sure I loved it, this book was an interesting read. It asks some very important questions and would provoke great discussions among

I received a galley copy of On Tyranny and was excited to see how the author had translated the text into a graphic edition. I wasn't disappointed. The text came alive with the illustrations and, I feel, likely makes it more accessible to a broader range of readers. Snyder's original On Tyranny is an excellent, succinct book that clearly underscores the threat of fascism and the many warning signs. This graphic edition is even more powerful and likely will spread his teachings to a much broader audience. I could not recommend this book more highly to anyone who is living during the current period where fascism is on the rise and democracy is actively being threatened.