Survive and Resist

Dystopian fiction has been created at an alarming rate over the last few years. We do not know how this all will turn out so fiction writers are creating dark worlds of the future to ponder. The originality of this non fiction study of political systems is that it uses the immense backlog of better known fictional tales to take the reader on a deeper dive into an instructional manual for how good government should work. They accomplish this by weaving in and out of some of the dire realities of real authoritarian governments and parallels with well known fictional worlds. From the eloquence of Ursula Le Quin to simpler themes of Star Wars, the authors switch back and forth from the themes of democracy is difficult to maintain to without it we could be in an even worse position than In those fictional worlds. The agenda here is maybe to prove that if the rebels are always fighting for in dependence from tyranny but meanwhile absorbing some wonkier political science details makes for good citizens. As they say there should be no free riders in the making and keeping of democracies. This book would have appeal as a basis for a "civics" course for any age.

First of all, it's nearly impossible to read this e-arc on the phone: the formatting errors include gems like "Vladimir Putin of the Lego Movie, Lord Voldemort of Russia." Hilarious? Yes. Confusing? Sometimes.

The book itself is written in a style that just kept rubbing me the wrong way. I felt being constantly patronized, like I'm some kind of idiot who never reads the news. The authors would regularly say something like, "you think this can't happen in real world? Think again! *Give a wildly known news story as the example*" Like... Who is your target audience? I just couldn't get used to their tone of voice.

To summarize, I liked the idea of the book, but didn't love the execution. I am willing to give the book another chance, once I have a physical copy in my hands.

Survive And Resist:The Definitive Guide To Dystopian Politics
by Amy L. Atchison & Shauna L. Shames
due 8-6-2019
Columbia University Press
5.0 / 5.0

#netgalley #surviveandresist

Atchison wrote this with the hope and belief that by using examples of dystopian fiction and their characters, it will help explain and make sense of key concepts in political science and Resistance to authoritarian rule, with non-violence. Using such novels as 'We', '1984', 'The Handmaids Tale', 'Parable of The Sower' and 'The Red Queen' series helped bring solidity and form to the definition of dystopia and Dystopian politics.
She completely suceeds.
By giving concise and precise references and examples in both fiction, and world governments, and by sharing the essential elements of a violent vs. non-violent resistance, Atchison gives an easy to follow guide to governments, their philosophies and their preferences that is also fun to read.
She gives examples of how some governments engage in political games that are mean to limit civil liberties and control and define people, like the East Germans use if zersetzung. Or the use of satyagraha by Ghandi.
This is a useful and essential guide to resistance, government policies and world views. Well written and researched, this is must read.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Columbia University Press and Netgalley for this e-book ARC for review.

Definitely made me think about real world events and politics can make our world become something like what we’ve read in dystopian novels.