Guides & Information
This page is a shared resource hub.
It brings together practical guides, clear information, and tools our community uses to take care of each other in moments of urgency, uncertainty, or need. Everything here is meant to support real people doing real work: staying informed, staying safer, and acting with care rather than panic.
Reading for Resistance & Care
Reading is one of the oldest survival technologies we have. It sharpens our ability to recognize patterns, question authority, and imagine alternatives when the current system insists there are none. In moments of political instability and social strain, reading helps us slow down, deepen our understanding, and stay oriented toward collective care rather than fear or isolation.
This collection highlights books that offer context for what we’re experiencing now—how power operates, how communities organize, and how people have resisted harm and supported one another across history.
Accessibility
Knowledge shouldn’t be gated by money. There are many ways to access these books without buying them new.
Public libraries are one of the most powerful mutual aid systems we already have. In the Twin Cities metro, libraries are connected across systems allowing you to place a hold at one location and have books transferred from another at no cost. Your local branch is bigger than it looks.
With a library card, you can also use Libby to borrow ebooks and audiobooks directly to your phone, tablet, or e-reader. Many of the titles listed here are available digitally, instantly, and for free.
If you prefer to own books, consider supporting local independent bookstores, buying used or thrifted copies, or organizing book swaps within your community.
How Democracies Die
Written by two Harvard University government professors, it examines how elected leaders can erode democratic institutions from within. The work became a New York Times bestseller and a major reference point in debates on democratic backsliding.
- Authors: Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt
- Published: 2018
- Pages: ~320
On Tyranny
It distills lessons from the collapse of European democracies in the 20th century to warn against modern authoritarian threats. Widely regarded as a concise manual for civic resistance, it became a New York Times bestseller and a touchstone in contemporary political discourse.
- Author: Timothy Snyder
- Published: February 28, 2017
- Length: ~128 pages
Strongmen
It examines the rise, rule, and decline of authoritarian leaders over the past century. Blending political history and cultural analysis, the book has been recognized as a New York Times bestseller and a key contemporary study of modern autocracy.
- Author: Ruth Ben-Ghiat
- Release date: November 10, 2020
- Length: ~384 pages