How To Stand Up to a Dictator

 How To Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa, 309 pages.

In this book, Nobel peace prize winner and journalist Maria Ressa examines the forces that are giving power to authoritarianism and taking it away from journalists. Ressa traces her life from the Philippines, to growing up in America, then moving back to the Philippines to work as a journalist where she helped establish CNN in South East Asia and eventually founded her own online news organization, Rappler. Rappler was hugely successful, but drew fire from the government when they refused to stop covering the crimes of the Duterte regime, leading to Ressa being charged in enough criminal cases to go to jail for life if she is convicted. Ressa also shines a spotlight on the ways that social media actively aids the creep of authoritarianism and the misinformation and polarization of populations. 

This is a book that feels very relevant to the current moment. As Maria Ressa points out in her book, problems the Philippines experiences are often seen in other parts of the world a few years later. Ressa draws on a wide variety of experiences to issue a warning that is very easy to understand. It is just a little unfortunate that a lot of the book reminds me quite a bit of an extended college admissions essay. I do still think it is an important book, and it would be absolutely indispensable to anyone interested in the effect of social media on politics.