Book Project Celebrates 25 Years with 'On Tyranny'

The Campus Community Book Project enters its 25th year with On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder’s guide to recognizing and resisting the forces that can erode democracy. The 2017 book will anchor this year’s campus conversations around civil liberties, with discussions and events continuing throughout the academic year and culminating in Snyder’s March 15, 2027, visit to the Mondavi Center.

Snyder draws on the history of fascism, Nazism and communism in 20th-century Europe to offer 20 practical lessons for protecting democratic institutions and civic life. The book moves beyond warning about authoritarianism to focus on individual action, encouraging readers to investigate information, build relationships, participate in causes they value and strengthen their communities.

That emphasis on individual responsibility gives this year’s project a particularly active focus. Rather than treating democracy and civil liberties as abstract ideas, On Tyranny asks readers to consider the everyday choices that shape a community. Campus programming will explore those ideas throughout the year, with members of the community invited to help develop activities around the book and its themes.

The selection also marks a significant milestone for a project that began in the wake of 9/11 with The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Over 25 selections, the project has brought the campus together around subjects ranging from mental health and immigration to gun violence, disability and food insecurity. This year’s focus on civil liberties continues that tradition while giving the campus a chance to reflect on how shared discussion, participation and community can shape the future.

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