by Ben Rhodes
First published 2021
Democracy faces unprecedented threats across the globe. Ben Rhodes, former White House aide to Barack Obama, embarks on a three-year journey to understand why authoritarianism is rising worldwide. He travels to dozens of countries, meeting politicians, activists, and dissidents who confront the same nationalist forces tearing at America. A Russian opposition leader he befriends gets poisoned. Hong Kong protesters he knows watch their movement collapse. America itself nearly loses its democracy before finding hope again. Rhodes combines personal memoir with field reporting to examine how American policies contributed to global instability. He traces connections between post-Cold War capitalism, post-9/11 militarism, social media obsession, and racial backlash against the Obama presidency. Through conversations with Obama, rebels, and emerging leaders, Rhodes discovers that acknowledging America's failures makes fighting for democratic ideals more urgent than ever.
Genres: political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, activism, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, political-commentary
Setting: America, Hong Kong, Russia
Period: Post-Cold War, Post-9/11
358 pages · Hardcover · Random House