By Pat Rosa
Indivisible Charlotte, as a group committed to defending democracy and creating a more just and equitable society, our work is more urgent now than ever. The threats to our democratic institutions, at a national, state and local level, are real and mounting. We are living in a time of unprecedented political polarization and rising authoritarianism, and to effectively resist, we must first understand the playbook being used against us.
This bibliography is a tool for our collective empowerment. It is not an exhaustive list, but a curated selection of readings that will help us identify the warning signs of democratic backsliding and understand the mechanisms by which authoritarians gain and consolidate power. From the political science that explains how democracies die to the firsthand accounts of those who have lived under authoritarian rule, these books, newsletters, videos and podcasts offer crucial insights into the "what," "how," and "why" of the challenges we face.