How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future

First off, this was written by Americans during Trump's first term, so it is very much from an American perspective (which is fine for me, but YMMV) and dated in several aspects. The historical sections were well researched and I learned a lot from them, although you could tell they were straining to make democratic breakdowns seem like a "both sides" problem.

Where this book really falls down is in its recommendations going forward. The authors seemingly can't decide whether they want to compromise with fascists or fight them, but they ultimately seem to come down on the side of the Democrats moving rightwards. Although they rightly point out how much of the former American political consensus was grounded in white supremacy, they cling to a fantasy where it's possible to move far enough right to attract "moderate Republicans" without sacrificing people of color.

Ultimately, this book doesn't live up to the current moment. It's an important subject… that deserves to be covered by someone else.

A calm, reasoned walk through the facts that most people in the US already know in their terrified bones. From the changes in parties' primary process to the long shadow of slavery, Levitsky walks us step by step through the factors threatening US democracy, and the uncodified norms which have tenuously held it in place all these years. The title is in the plural, but there's really only one democracy at issue in this book: the USA. There are plenty of references to other countries and what they've experienced, but those clearly just serve to show what might or might not happen here.

A clear and accessible read, though not an up-beat one.