Twilight of Democracy

 The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Bob's selection is written by a long-term, well-connected political journalist. Applebaum has personal connections to her homeland of Poland, Hungary, Great Britain, and the US. She is also an author and expert on the Soviet Union. This makes her an expert on both current right-wing as well as previous left-wing authoritarians of whom she makes little differentiation. Both seek to create a one-party system that controls the military, the press, and the judiciary. 

Applebaum describes herself as politically center right. On the other hand, she uses the word liberal to describe the the need for democracies to demand participation, argument, effort, struggle and tolerance. I particularly like the way she explains the difference between reflective nostalgia and the restorative nostalgia used by authoritarians. The restorative nostalgia creates a past that fits their grim narrative that only they can fix. It is eerie how the four right wing parties share the same memes, conspiracy theories, and platforms. From George Soros, to Covid, to immigration, to racism. She explains how many of her former friends have been lost to the movements of their respective authoritarians. 

Sapiens (a not so brief history)

Harari's 2014 book is a comprehensive work covering most every subject involving homo sapiens. The author takes you through a journey of Physics (14b BC), Chemistry (4b BC), Biology (300k BC), first humans (70k BC), Cognitive cooperation and Agricultural Revolution (10k BC), early empires (2000 BC), religion, money, politics, scientific revolution (1500), technology, military, and modern scientific developments. Much of the book focuses on the last 500 years and does not shed a positive light on human development. The author has a low opinion of humans being able to collaborate and solve problems and even suggests that we are biologically predestined to fail.

The author writes in the final chapter that homo sapiens are, "Self-made gods with only the laws of physics to keep us company, we are accountable to no one. We are consequently wreaking havoc on our fellow animals and on the surrounding ecosystem, seeking little more than our own comfort and amusement, yet never finding satisfaction." 

Haran is like a Bill Bryson with fewer cleaver stories. He covers most every human related subject imaginable, however the book lacks continuity. I took away from the book a negative view of homo sapiens with a defeatist attitude about the future. Yet this book was written before a US administration that was a climate change denying, white supremacist promoting, arms race disaster. This book could have been named the Problem is Us vs. the Power of Us.