In this short book, Applebaum explores the slide from democracy to authoritarianism. Applebaum says that authoritarianism "appeals, simply, to people who cannot tolerate complexity: there is nothing intrinsically “left-wing” or “right-wing” about this instinct at all. It is anti-pluralist. It is suspicious of people with different ideas. It is allergic to fierce debates. Whether those who have it ultimately derive their politics from Marxism or nationalism is irrelevant. It is a frame of mind, not a set of ideas." She gives several examples both recent and in the past: in Poland, the US, England, and Spain to name a few. It is these historical case studies that are the most interesting aspect of this book. She is unsure whether the US is irretrievably headed away from democracy but she is hopeful that we are not. She concludes "Together we can make old and misunderstood words like liberalism mean something again; together we can fight back against lies and liars; together we can rethink what democracy should look like in a digital age." Recommended.