Say hello to October's book of the month

If you are anything like me, then thinking about politics is a very fast route to despair and anger. The unrelenting nature of the upcoming presidential election might inspire you, but it is just as likely to upset you or simply make you want to throw your hands in the air.

So perhaps it would have been safest to steer clear of politics with our latest pick of the month. But I wanted our sixth release to be a book that didn't ignore what was going on—something that could be at least a little useful in times like these.

That’s why I'm excited to say that the Curious Reading Club pick for October is On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century, written by Timothy Snyder and illustrated by Nora Krug.

Snyder is a historian of Eastern Europe and totalitarian regimes, and an expert on the Soviet Union, the Holocaust and Ukraine. The original edition of his book came out in 2017, and I found it to be a superb companion as I tried navigating the overwhelming foghorn of politics at the time. It showed me lessons from history that helped contextualize today; to grasp what really happens when a society is falling down; to see what danger really looks like.

This edition, released in 2021, takes that all and turns it into something a little different. It's more exploratory, thanks to the striking illustrations by German-American artist Nora Krug, who has her own personal connection to (and concerns about) authoritarianism.

Overall, I hope this pick helps all of us be smarter consumers of the information—and misinformation—that’s pummeling us as November approaches.

And I'm extremely excited that Nora Krug will be joining us for a live Q&A session on Thursday October 24 at 11am Eastern/8am Pacific. Unlike recent chats, this one is happening in the morning, but I hope that it will make it something more folks can attend.

If you aren't signed up for the club yet but like the sound of getting a copy of this great title, then now's your chance to join. For just $25 each month you get a fantastic, interesting and relevant non-fiction book (just like our previous picks) as well as supporting great authors.

In the meantime, I hope you find a way to navigate the noise and find it through to the other side.

Onward!

Bobbie