My discussion with is part of my Democracy Reading Group series, which is normally reserved for Paid Subscribers.
But today, I said to myself, “This Democratic caving on the shutdown has made this week feel like a depressing decade. I’d like to give everyone something fancy to maybe help us all feel a bit better.”
ALL SUBSCRIBERS have access to my chat with Ruth!
If you haven’t read her NYT bestseller Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, this week marks the anniversary of its publication. To help Ruth celebrate, click the link below to buy your copy, or check it out at your local library.
To buy Strongmen in your favorite format, GO HERE.
If you don’t follow Ruth’s informative Substack LUCID, click the link below and subscribe. Lucid builds from her work in Strongmen and has been an indispensable lens to process what’s happening in the US.
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Upcoming Democracy Reading Group selections:
December 2025: Patriot by Alexei Navalny (GO HERE to get your copy.) (I am still trying to line up his wife Yulia Navalnaya for this discussion. Wish me luck.)
January 2026: Star-Spangled Jesus by (GO HERE to get your copy.)
February 2026: Money Lies and God Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by (GO HERE to get your copy.)
March 2026 (Women’s History Month): Winning the Earthquake How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress by (GO HERE to get your copy.)