On Courage by Julia Angwin 

On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear by Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer — a deeply reported, practical guide to standing up in an era of rising authoritarianism.

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and a former White House senior advisor.

Based on their acclaimed New Yorker essay “So You Want to Be a Dissident?,” this book draws on original interviews with more than 100 dissidents, activists, and theorists across five continents. It tells the stories of ordinary people who found the courage to resist — a student in Hong Kong who risked everything for democracy, a mother in Caracas who broke with the movement that raised her, young activists in Cairo who helped topple a dictator, and Americans fighting to defend civil rights at home.

Blending vivid personal narratives with history, psychology, and hard-won practical lessons, Angwin and Fields-Meyer show that courage is not an innate trait reserved for heroes. It is a skill that can be learned: how to manage fear, protect yourself and others, build supportive communities, and take meaningful action even when the risks feel overwhelming.

Hopeful without being naïve, clear-eyed without being despairing, On Courage is both an inspiring collection of stories and a usable handbook for anyone who feels the walls of history closing in — and wants to know what they can do about it.